NEW YEAR; NEW WORLD

The first three months of 2011 have been incredible. First, here in the US, we have seen terrible winters with record snowfall,floods, and tornadoes. These are the more severe storms that were predicted to accompany global warming and climate change. The process has begun. Who knows where it will end? We still have our heads in the sand, refusing to limit carbon dioxide. (It's bad for business; better to destroy the earth than to make changes in business practices.) Then we saw the entire Arab world in turmoil and revolution. Who knows where this will end? The people of the earth do long for freedom and democracy. America has been a shining example for all of them. My hope is for peace, freedom, and democracy for everyone on earth. Then the catastrophe occurred in Japan. An earthquake of 9.0 on the Richter scale, an enormous tsunami which caused far more destruction than the earthquake, and then a nuclear disaster. This will end up being the world's worst nuclear disaster. The people of Japan are suffering terribly. They,themselves, say that it is the worst devastation they have experienced since World War II. This is just the first quarter of 2011. What is coming for the rest of the year? I dread to think about it. The omens are not good. But I am a pessimist. I will hope that the rest of the year is better rather than worse.