Winter Solstice
In my last blog entry I promised I would say a little more about the scientists e-mail “scandal”, which has now been deemed “Climategate.” Can you believe that Watergate has become the appellative for all things considered conspiratorial? (but I digress.) There are now official investigations underway into the security of the University of East Angila’s mail servers, the methods used to record and interpolate climate data and a few other incidental topics. I so much wanted to look at this story but here it is the day before - the day before - Christmas and the day after - the day after - the Winter Solstice. I would rather reflect on that right now. Tis the season. Scientifically the Winter Solstice occurs exactly when the earth’s axial tilt is farthest away from the sun at its maximum of 23° 26′. Culturally it is much more. Did you know that almost every culture on earth has celebrated this time of year, going back thousands of years and all those celebrations had the theme of a new beginning, a rebirth, the resurgence of the Sun. It is a time when the cycle of life begins anew, how sustainable is that? It is the very foundation of sustainability. It’s been working for the planet for a few billion years, maybe it will work for us if we just look, listen and learn.
Oh and by the way the day before Christmas Eve, December 23rd is Festivas. Happy Festivas everybody!
