Population Decline

Since the start of the new year, I've noticed a greater number of articles related to 'population decline'…I assume this is a result of the changing global climate, with its toll on economic issues for young families going forward (the cost of raising children)…I direct your attention to this link, below, addressing China's changing demographics…this does not seem to be a problem in India, which is projected to take the 'prize' of most populous state…there was another article that made mention of the conservative family values in India: that if more women were allowed into the workforce (given access to more educational opportunities), the Indian economy would/could/should expand by 60%(!) [depending on source; unfortunately, I can't find the article where I saw this statistic]…unfortunately, this increase in education for women portends fewer women having children, curtailing future growth…the graph below was part of an article discussing how hard it has been for the French government to shore up its pension obligations…Macron wants to change the age of retirement from 62 to 64, which doesn't sound draconian, but is causing crippling strikes across France…as the population ages, there are fewer workers to fund pensions…what to do? 

Since Brexit, businesses in England have found it harder to find employees; EU citizens working in the UK were 'kicked-out' and there aren't enough native workers, at least, not enough wanting to do the work that the 'others' were doing…I had a conversation with a young Hungarian woman (I'd say in her mid-20's) on a plane-ride from England a few years ago, who was returning home on holiday…she was one of those workers, at her job at a pizza joint in London, hoping to save enough to attend college…she mentioned how she made 'much more' there, than in Hungary (and also said she would definitely return home for said education).

There are, of course, plenty of people who would gladly take those jobs…Europe has the same problem as the U.S.: too many economic/climate refugees looking for a better life…the challenge is to create an orderly process of absorbing them…getting over our fear of the 'other,' doing the hard work of weeding out the 'chaff' from the 'grain,' to paraphrase the Bible…our Christian duty?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/18/china/china-population-drop-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html

Good News!

I thought we might all benefit from some good news, you know, for a change:

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Native to the waters of Australia, sea dragons are a stunning and unusual fish. But they face a number of challenges in the wild because of warming oceans, harmful fishing practice and more.

In 2019, Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography - part of U.C. San Diego - opened an exhibit intended to create an ideal habitat for breeding these colorful cousins of sea horses. And last week, the aquarium announced a breakthrough: the first successful transfer of eggs from a female sea dragon to a male.

As with sea horses, sea dragon males - not females - are responsible for carrying eggs. [That ain't right! D-] After a courtship dance, the female transfers the eggs to the male's tail, where he fertilizes them and then carries them for four to six weeks until they hatch.

"We're elated to be able to witness this at the aquarium," Jenn Nero Moffatt, senior director of animal care, science and conservation at U.C. San Diego, said in a statement. "It's extremely rare for sea dragons to breed in captivity, so this is a monumental milestone for all of our staff."

Újévi Fogadalomok!

Kaposvár Sunday 1/8/2023 Unseasonably Warm: 13°c/55°f [Normal: 5°/41°]

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood! When it should be freezing cold, our weather continues to be mild. This does not bode well for nature, of course, knowing that it puts everyone and everything off-kilter. Too warm for snow to accumulate in the mountains, which kills the ski resorts, but also impacts reservoirs and lakes in the region; ground water isn't able to replenish amidst our drought.

But I would be lying if I said I didn't relish the warmth. Old bones seem to be affected more than young. Then again, I didn't enjoy the increased warmth during the heat-wave, last summer, and I can't imagine these extreme conditions won't be more frequent in the future. Oh, bother.

Christmas was enjoyable: spent Xmas Eve & Day at Andrea's, along with the rest of her local family, my family, our family: Tamás and Édi; Tomi & Korci; Ádám & Vera and their two little ones, Bence & Janka; Fanni, visiting from Germany; Cameron & Celi (visiting from Austria); Alexandra & Beni; and Vanda. The best part is the feast on Christmas Day, when everyone brings a dish, although, truth be told, Andrea & Édi do most of the cooking (thank god!). I sat next to Tomi, and as he dug into another plate of  roast pork, smothered in a paprika-rich cream sauce, over home-made dumplings, he said in his imperfect English, "My fay-vor-eet!" Yes, Tomi, mine, too! [Andrea gets up at 4am to place the prepared pork loin in the oven. I think this is called, 'paprikás sertéssült galuskával.' But don't quote me. I've seen it also called, "pörkölt." Delicious at any rate!]

I spent the week between Christmas and the New Year at Andrea's, house- & dog-sitting. Bruno is a beautiful chocolate Lab puppy, who is loving but a little too frisky for my blood. It's easy enough to get him to run around and exhaust himself, but for me, only in small doses. Andrea spent the time in Dubai, with Dominic, for a relaxing holiday. [I will say that Bruno did quite well with the noisy, explosive New Years' celebrations; after his initial shock, I sat on the floor with him, letting him know it was 'okay,' no one was going to hurt him. Soon enough, he calmed down and even went out later to do his 'business' without seeming fear. Go figure.]

Happy New Year!