September Shadows

It’s still warm in the early evening.  The damp air envelops me like a towel taken out of the dryer as I lounge on a lawn chair in the shadows of the descending night.  The air is rich with the laden smell of decay.  

In the growing darkness the walls of our house seem massive.  The bright windows are like cut outs.  I always thought that houses resemble lanterns at night and I like their warm glow and the intimacy of life inside.  But for a moment longer, I want to remain where I am.  

On the outside looking in.  

What "Mr President"didn't say....

Every once in a while I check out the White House page to see what El Gran Queso has to say.  For the very eager there even is a Sign up option so that Obama’s speeches will be automatically sent via email, entitled “What the President said today.” 

Apparently it seems, that we are facing serious consequences from something called "climate change."  The President informs us that carbon levels are on the rise, mostly emitted by energy producing industries.  Oh my!  This, he states, is worrying as globally temperatures are rising and weather patterns are becoming more extreme!!  Ten of the hottest years on record have occurred since 1998! Can you imagine??  Even UN secretary Ban Ki Moon was seen marching with a crowd of demonstrators against climate change in New York recently...Well, if THAT doesn’t say something!!  Thank you for letting us know, Mr. President...!

Meanwhile, our committed leader fights like a berserker by supporting studies and rallying support for commitments for the Paris Climate Summit in 2016!!  Aaawwww!!  He also has increased the wind and solar energy, we are told as polished graphics depict green swirling wind turbines and solar panels on little green houses.  

But, of course, it is far more interesting to read between the lines and to list all the items “The President DIDN’t say...”  

Nowhere does he admit that hydraulic fracturing, an industry aggressively pushed by the Obama government (and its lobbyists) continues to contribute growing amounts of carbon emissions.  After all hydrocarbon extraction is its goal  It is, let’s say, OLD SCHOOL i.e. not up-to-date with newly set targets for CO2 reductions.  

Nowhere does he admit that the wasteful method of flaring is contributing at disturbing levels to greenhouse gas emissions, including Methane, the second largest contributor to global warming.  

Nowhere are there any actual figures about US greenhouse gas emission reductions, although he did admit that efforts haven't yet been sufficient...

Every time I drop him a line inquiring about of Fracking and the US government’s commitment to promoting this most damaging extraction of carbohydrates, I receive the same PR blah about The Presidents commitment to alternative energies.

Clearly.  Fostering carbon intensive energy production while pointing fingers at end users (who have been duped by promises of cheaper fuel prices), he does only ONE thing:

Making us all wanting him to SHUT UP !!

Patri-ego-tism

Although I am not a Brit, I would feel sad to see this union fall apart. 

Just imagine not having the union flag on every tea mug purchased on this patriotic shoal!  Or think about how sad the Queen must be to let go of Balmoral...or was it some other illustre place where she likes to roam around in her jeep?  Who would be Queen of Scots actually?  Some Mary?  Would there still be Haggis in the frozen section or would British...uh...Smaller Britain patriotism forbid that? Hm. 

Well, we will know soon enough whether we will have to grab a passport on our next trip to Edinburgh...but then, it always felt a bit foreign up there!!

Dig that!

September and with it the love, turmoil and redemption.  We are back to homeEd.  I love it, but it makes my day that much shorter.  But, hey, I am back to studying classics, music theory and my much beloved book of 1,000 amazing facts!!  Did you know that there are salt water crocodiles in Australia?  That poor continent really got the short end of the stick.  Sharks, spiders, jelly fish, scorpions...you name it !!!

Fear Factor

Single-minded, men can be very effective at achieving one goal: competence.   Titles, medals, honors, public acknowledgements bear witness of that all important purpose in life.  Men battle and save lives, they rebuild economies and strengthen communities, they devote their lives to art and maritime biology, they become pros at ping pong and Fusion cuisine, they found charitable organizations and develop top notch technology and marketing strategies. 

However, the broader sphere of life can, be tricky to manage for them.  Joggling a career, relationship, children, family and friends can be straight out impossible. 

I have seen a lot of men buckle under the complexity of long-term relationships.  Eight out of ten of my female friends are currently either divorced or going through divorce.  Two of them are living in separation.   All of them have children.

Throughout the last twenty years of my married life, I have come to believe that women who want to raise a family would do best (and often do) forming strong ties with other women instead of relying – and often being let down – by a male partner.

It is simply not their forte to keep school dates, food preferences and names of friends in mind while maintaining a stable source of income, taking care of relatives and planning the next summer holidays.  

No need to gripe and moan.  Best actually to plan life with a good pre-nuptial agreement in place and look out for other women who might be willing to share in daily chores, child care and holidays.

The marital contract would ensure that the single-parent household is viable even after the partners split.  Children need to be taken care of long-term and the person having worked in the unsalaried and under acknowledged role of the guardian must be fully compensated and supported as well.   Afterall, a guy who invested all his working hours in his career and most of his non-salaried time in hobbies pulls ahead of the woman who spent every waking hour of the day in raising children.  

Clearly she made a strategic mistake by trusting a male to stand by her and pitch in with the shared responsibility of raising the next generation.  But it would be an even worse mistake for her not to have a Plan B in place.

Funny enough – that’s how most women still operate. 

Are they afraid to mention the dirty d-word when it matters most…before they enter into marriage?

It wouldn’t be the first time that fear lies at the bottom of foolishness!