Contemporary Dog

For the past two months my attention has been focused on my dog, when I'm not working. Two weeks ago, she was too weak to lift her head herself. But she has rallied, taken a few short walks on her own and now I want to get her a wheelchair. But the Vet fears potential spinal trauma. In the old days, an old dog got put down when they become disabled. Today, our animals are our extended families. So we are going to consult with her neurologist about the wheelchair rather than put her down. She has never been in pain. She is in good spirits and has figured out how to communicate various needs when she requires help in the form of food, more water, calls of nature or simply to be turned on her bed. She is alert and responsive to personalities of all species around her. Like my mother at 96, before her death, the spirit and mind are strong but the body is not as co-operative as one might ideally wish for. I didn't put my mother down and I'm not going to put my dog down either. But she's a big dog and I'm a small woman. I am anxious to make her comfortable without exhausting myself. So this is negotiating life with "nature" in situ.

Elizabeth Kolbert on Suicide & Andrea Polli on Sound

Today, Elizabeth Kolbert wrote in The New Yorker, that not to effect the drastic changes necessary ahead to deal with global warming, would be suicidal.

So the big question will be, how to deal like with those reclacitrants, as our president Bush, who are determined to keep thier head in sands for the sake of short term profit? This has always been the question.

Lowering emission standards by 2050 by 80%, as Barbara Boxer has recommended, is not going to be enuf.

I foresee that artists will take the lead. For that reason, I am always pleased to look forward to another Virtual Concert. Tomorrow at 10: AM, my honored guest will be Andrea Polli, an artist based in NYC, who works with other artists, sound and scientists to address these issues.

Calculating Carbon Emissions

My trusty friend, Paul Challacombe, sent me the following link to figure out exactly how much carbon debting I'm creating for the planet these days:

http://tinyurl.com/2y6prj

In this 2005 NRDC article by Jeff Greenwald, a number of travel options are considered with the final conclusion being that being alive on the planet is a state of carbon debting. By 2050, the effect of contrails will represent 17 per cent of global warming. For the time being, we can only try to pay that down by planting trees.

By going to the American Forests website, I was able to figure my estimated lifetime debt to the planet, about $5 000. so far. I made my first installment paydown of $83. to plant 83 trees. $83. conservatively represents about one year of my carbon life right now. I cost the planet 83 trees worth of carbon emissions last year. Sobering. It will take me about a year to clear the rest of my debt.