Earth Day

It's Earth Day. This partial map of the world -- it was too big to scan all at once -- neverheless, inadvertently shows a global warming fact: the Artic Circle is shown as blue ocean, not white ice -- as we normally imagine it to be. Already the ice is meltng, for several years now travelers with a lot of money have been going to the Arctic Circle on Soviet ice breakers and even, those who are really hearty, going for a swim. [briefly!] True! I first read about it about five years ago.

Lately I've been reading a lot of articles by semi-optimists [not cock-eyed, cautious] who write about ways to deal with the global warming that, really, no one can deny any longer. One writer in the NY Times Magazine last week bellieves that "Main Street" has become aware, finally. And even better, people who have power to effect changes are waking up too; like the Chinese government encouraging fuel efficent, even alternative fuel, cars -- the Chinese are buying [and building] cars like crazy -- and they're polluting equally crazily ... and they know it's bad. Bad for them as individuals, bad for their image, bad for their standing in the world. American companies like Wal-Mart are learning to improve earnings by encouraging energy preservation, some governments are offering incentives for efficient renewable energy.
These pretty little, dwarf tulips -- I THINK they're tulips -- were at the Conservatory Garden in Central Park yesterday ... what a lovely place that is!