I'm writing from a cafe in the Plaka of Athens that has wireless internet available (6 euros for 2 hours, yikes!!). Why am I online instead of out and enjoying Greece for the few short days I have left here?
Well, I talked to my husband this morning (midnight CDST) and he told me the news about Bush commuting Libby's sentence. That he discussed the issue with me is big, because my husband doesn't not follow politics. At all. Even he is outraged.
I have nothing to add from here about the Libby case. Instead I'd like to discuss Global Warming and the evidence I've seen these last 2 weeks I've been here in Greece.
Greece was in the middle of a heat wave when I arrived 2 weeks ago. I was staying in the southwestern Peloponnese (Pylos, for those of you who care) where it was hot. Not as hot as Athens, but still very warm. Yes, Greece gets very warm in the summer. I know that fact because this is my 7th trip to Greece. But usually, it cools down a little at night. And there's some breeze from the sea. But for the first week and a half of my visit, the temperature remained hot at night and there was very little breeze.
The beautiful town of Pylos in the southwestern Peloponnese.
The heat wave broke last Thursday/Friday, but before it broke, temperatures in Athens hit 43C/113F!!!
Needless to say, there is also very little rain in Greece during the summer, so the forests are like tinderboxes. Last weekend, there were two forest fires: one near Volos, on Mt. Pelion, north of Athens, and the other on Mt. Parnithea in Athens. Here's a link to a newpaper article about the fires.
Along with the fires, people have been dying from the heat. The current count is 15. Power outages are being cause by electrical systems overloaded by the growing demand for air conditioning during the heat wave.
We all need to work on solving the global warming crisis. Current plans, if there are any, are not working. Luckily, we all have a chance this weekend to raise awareness of the crisis. Watch the Live Earth concerts on 7/7/07. Attend a watching party sponsored by MoveOn. Bring a friend or two or ten.