張漢熙高級(jí)英語(yǔ)上

TheMiddleEasternBazaar

TheMiddleEasternbazaartakesyoubackhundreds-eventhousands-ofyears.

TheoneIamthinkingofparticularlyisenteredbyaGothic-archedgatewayofagedbrick

andstone.Youpassfromtheheatandglareofabig,opensquareintoacool,dark

cavernwhichextendsasfarastheeyecansee,losingitselfintheshadowydistance.Little

donkeyswithharmoniouslytinklingbellsthreadtheirwayamongthethrongsofpeople

enteringandleavingthebazaarTheroadwayisabouttwelvefeetwide,butitisnarrowed

everyfewyardsbylittlestallswheregoodsofeveryconceivablekindaresold.Thedinofthe

stall-holder;cryingtheirwares,ofdonkey-boysandportersclearingawayforthemselvesby

shoutingvigorously;andofwould-bepurchasersarguingandbargainingiscontinuousand

makesyoudizzy.

Thenasyoupenetratedeeperintothebazaai;thenoiseoftheentrancefadesawayand

youcometothemutedcloth-market.Theearthenfloor;beatenhardbycountlessfeet,

deadensthesoundoffootsteps,andthevaultedmud-brickwallsandroofhavehardlyany

soundstoecho.Theshop-keepersspeakinslow,measuredtones,andthebuyers,

overwhelmedbythesepulchralatmosphere,followsuit.

OneofthepeculiaritiesoftheEasternbazaaristhatshopkeepersdealinginthesame

kindofgoodsdonotscatterthemselvesoverthebazaaninordertoavoidcompetition,but

collectinthesamearea,sothatpurchaserscanknowwheretofindthem,andsothatthey

canformacloselyknitguildagainstinjusticeorpersecution.Inthecloth-market,for

instance,allthesellersofmaterialforclothes,curtains,chaircoversandsoonlinethe

roadwayonbothsides,eachopen-frontedshophavingatrestletrestletablefordisplayand

shelvesforstorage.Bargainingistheorderofthecay,andveiledwomenmoveataleisurely

pacefromshoptoshop,selecting,pricinganddoingalittlepreliminarybargainingbefore

theynarrowdowntheirchoiceandbeginthereallyseriousbusinessofbeatingtheprice

down.

Itisapointofhonourwiththecustomernottolettheshopkeeperguesswhatitisshe

reallylikesandwantsuntilthelastmoment.Ifhedoesguesscorrectly,hewillpricetheitem

high,andyieldlittleinthebargaining.Theseller;ontheotherhand,makesapointof

protestingthatthepriceheischargingisdeprivinghimofallprofit,andthatheissacrificing

thisbecauseofhispersonalregardforthecustomerBargainingcangoonthewholeday,or

evenseveraldays,withthecustomercomingandgoingatintervals.

Oneofthemostpicturesqueandimpressivepartsofthebazaaristhecopper-smiths'

market.Asyouapproachit,atinklingandbangingandclashingbeginstoimpingeonyour

ear.Itgrowslouderandmoredistinct,untilyouroundacornerandseeafairylandof

dancingflashes,astheburnishedcoppercatchesthelightofinnumerablelampsand

braziers.Ineachshopsittheapprentices-boysandyouths,someofthemincrediblyyoung

-hammeringawayatcoppervesselsofallshapesandsizes,whiletheshop-ownerinstructs,

andsometimestakesahandwithahammerhimself.Inthebackground,atinyapprentice

blowsabi-,charcoalfirewithahugeleatherbellowsworkedbyastringattachedtohisbig

toe—theredofthelivecoalsglowing,brightandthendimmingrhythmicallytothestrokesof

thebellows.

Hereyoucanfindbeautifulpotsandbowlsengravewithdelicateandintricate

traditionaldesigns,orthesimple,everydaykitchenwareusedinthiscountry,pleasingin

form,butundecoratedandstrictlyfunctional.Elsewherethereisthecarpet-market,withits

profusionofrichcolours,variedtexturesandregionaldesigns-someboldandsimple,

othersunbelievablydetailedandyetharmonious.Thenthereisthespice-market,withits

pungentandexoticsmells;andthefood-market,whereyoucanbuyeverythingyouneedfor

themostsumptuousdinner;orsitinatinyrestaurantwithportersandapprenticesandeat

yourhumblebreadandcheese.Thedye-market,thepottery-marketandthecarpenters'

marketlieelsewhereinthemazeofvaultedstreetswhichhoneycombthisbazaar.Everyhere

andthere,adoorwaygivesaglimpseofasunlitcourtyard,perhapsbeforeamosqueora

caravanserai,wherecamelsliedisdainfullychewingtheirhaywhilethegreatbalesof

merchandisetheyhavecarriedhundredsofmilesacrossthedesertliebesidethem.

Perhapsthemostunforgettablethinginthebazaar;apartfromitsgeneralatmosphere,

istheplacewheretheymakelinseedoil.Itisavast,sombrecavernofaroom,somethirty

feethighandsixtyfeetsquare,andsothickwiththedustofcenturiesthatthemudbrick

wallsandvaultedroofareonlydimlyvisible.Inthiscavernarethreemassivestonewheels,

eachwithahugepolethroughitscentreasanaxle.Thepoleisattachedattheoneendtoan

uprightpost,aroundwhichitcanrevolve,andattheothertoablind-foldedcamel,which

walksconstantlyinacircle,providingthemotivepowertoturnthestonewheel.This

revolvesinacircularstonechannel,intowhichanattendantfeedslinseed.Thestonewheel

crushesittoapulp,whichisthenpressedtoextracttheoil.Thecamelsarethelargestand

finestIhaveeverseen,andinsuperbcondition-muscular;massiveandstately.

Thepressingofthelinseedpulptoextracttheoilisdonebyavastramshackle

apparatusofbeamsandropesandpulleyswhichtowerstothevaultedceilinganddwarfsthe

camelsandtheirstonewheels.Themachineisoperatedbyoneman,whoshovelsthelinseed

pulpintoastonevat,climbsupnimblytoadizzyheighttofastenropes,andthenthrowshis

weightontoagreatbeammadeoutofatreetrunktosettheropesandpulleysinmotion.

Ancientgirdersgirderscreakandgroan,ropestightenandthenatrickleofoiloozesoozes

downastonerunnelintoausedpetrolcan.Quicklythetricklebecomesafloodofglistening

linseedoilasthebeamsinksearthwards,tautandprotesting,itscreaksblendingwiththe

squeakingandrumblingofthegrinding-wheelsandtheoccasionalgruntsandsighsofthe

camels.

(fromAdvancedComprehensionandAppreciationpieces,1962)

NOTES

1)ThispieceistakenfromAdvancedComprehensionandAppreciationPieces,compiledfor

overseasstudentsbyL.A.HillandD.J.MaypublishedbyOxfordUniversityPress,HongKong,

1962.

2)MiddleEast:generallyreferringtotheareafromAfghanistantoEgypt,includingthe

ArabianPeninsula,Cyprus,andAsiaticTurkey.

3)Gothic:astyleofarchitectureoriginatedinN.Francein11thcentury,characterizedby

pointedarches,ribbedvaulting,steep,highroofs,etc.

4)veiledwomen:SomeMoslemsusetheveil-moreappropriatelythepurdahtoseclude

orhidetheirwomenfromtheeyesofstrangers.

5)caravanserai(caravansary):intheMiddleEast,akindofinnwithalargecentralcourt,

wherebandsofmerchantsorpilgrims,togetherwiththeircamelsorhorses,stayforshelter

andrefreshment

Hiroshima-the"Liveliest"

CityinJapan

JacquesDanvoir

“Hiroshima!Everybodyoff!”ThatmustbewhatthemanintheJapanese

stationmaster*suniformshouted,asthefastesttrainintheworldslippedtoastopin

HiroshimaStation.Ididnotunderstandwhathewassaying.Firstofall,becausehewas

shoutinginJapanese.Andsecondly;becauseIhadalumpinmythroatandalotofsad

thoughtsonmymindthathadlittletodowithanythingaNipponrailwaysofficialmightsay.

Theveryactofsteppingonthissoil,inbreathingthisairofHiroshima,wasformeafar

greateradventurethananytriporanyreportorialassignmentTdpreviouslytaken.WasInot

atthesceneofthecrime?

TheJapanesecrowddidnotappeartohavethesamepreoccupationsthatIhad.From

thesidewalkoutsidethestation,thingsseemedmuchthesameasinotherJapanesecities.

Littlegirlsandelderlyladiesinkimonosrubbedshoulderswithteenagersandwomenin

westerndress.Seriouslookingmenspoketooneanotherasiftheywereobliviousofthe

crowdsaboutthem,andbobbedupanddownre-heatedlyinlittlebows,astheyexchanged

theritualformulaofgratitudeandrespect:"Tomoaligatogozayimas."Otherswereusing

littleredtelephonesthathungonthefacadesofgrocerystoresandtobaccoshops.

"Hi!Hi!"saidthecabdriver;whosedoorpoppedopenattheverysightofatraveler"Hi",

orsomethingthatsoundsverymuchlikeit,means"yes"."CanyoutakemetoCityHall?"He

grinnedatmeintherear-viewmirrorandrepeated"Hi!""Hi!'Wesetoffattopspeed

throughthenarrowstreetsofHiroshima.Thetallbuildingsofthemartyredcityflashedbyas

welurchedfromsidetosideinresponsetothedriver'ssharptwistsofthewheel.

JustasIwasbeginningtofindtheridelong,thetaxiscreechedtoahalt,andthedriver

gotoutandwentovertoapolicemantoasktheway.AsinTokyo,taxidriversinHiroshima

oftenknowlittleoftheircitybuttoavoidlossoffacebeforeforeigners,willnotadmittheir

ignorance,andwillacceptanydestinationwithoutconcernforhowlongitmaytakethemto

findit.

Atlastthisintermezzocametoanend,andIfoundmyselfinfrontofthegiganticCity

Hall.Theusherboweddeeplyandheavedalong,almostmusicalsigh,whenIshowedhim

theinvitationwhichthemayorhadsentmeinresponsetomyrequestforaninterview."That

isnothere,sir;"hesaidinEnglish.nThemayorexpectsyoutonightfordinnerwithother

foreignersor;therestaurantboat.See?Thisiswhereitis."Hesketchedalittlemapformeon

thebackofmyinvitation.

Thankstohismap,Iwasabletofindataxidriverwhocouldtakemestraighttothe

canalembankment,whereasortofbargewitharooflikeoneonaJapanesehousewas

moored.TheJapanesebuildtheirtraditionalhousesonboatswhenlandbecomestoo

expensive.TheratherarrestingspectacleoflittleoldJapanadriftadriftamidbeigeconcrete

skyscrapersistheverysymboloftheincessantstrugglebetweenthekimonoandthe

miniskirt.

Atthedoortotherestaurant,astunning,porcelain-facedwomanintraditionalcostume

askedmetoremovemyshoes.Thisdone,Ienteredoneofthelow-ceilingedroomsofthe

littlefloatinghouse,treadingcautiouslyonthesoftmattingandexperiencingatwingeof

embarrassmentattheprospectofmeetingthemayorofHiroshimainmysocks.

Hewasatall,thinman,sad-eyedandserious.Quiteunexpectedly;thestrangeemotion

whichhadoverwhelmedmeatthestationreturned,andIwasagaincrushedbythethought

thatInowstoodonthesiteofthefirstatomicbombardment,wherethousandsupon

thousandsofpeoplehadbeenslaininonesecond,wherethousandsuponthousandsof

othershadlingeredontodieinslowagony.

Theintroductionsweremade.MostoftheguestswereJapanese,anditwasdifficultfor

metoaskthemjustwhyweweregatheredhere.ThefewAmericansandGermansseemed

justasinhibitedasIwas."Gentlemen/'saidthemayor;"Iamhappytowelcomeyouto

Hiroshima."

Everyonebowed,includingtheWesterners.AfterthreedaysinJapan,thespinalcolumn

becomesextraordinarilyflexible.

"Gentlemen,itisaverygreathonortohaveyouhereinHiroshima.'*

Therewerefreshbows,andthefacesgrewmoreandmoreseriouseachtimethename

Hiroshimawasrepeated.

"Hiroshima,asyouknow,isacityfamiliartoeveryone/continuedthemayor.

"Yes,yes,ofcourse/murmuredthecompanymoreandmoreagitated.

"Seldomhasacitygainedsuchworldrenown,andIamproudandhappytowelcome

youtoHiroshima,atownknownthroughouttheworldforits—oysters".

Iwasjustabouttomakemylittlebowofassent,whenthemeaningoftheselastwords

sankinJoltingmeoutofmysadreverie.

"Hiroshima-oysters?Whataboutthebombandthemiseryandhumanity'smost

heinouscrime?'*WhilethemayorwentonwithhisspeechinpraiseofsouthernJapanesesea

food,Icautiouslybackedawayandheadedtowardthefarsideoftheroom,whereafewmen

weretalkingamongthemselvesandpayinglittleattentiontothemayor'sspeech."Youlook

puzzled/'saidasmallJapanesemanwithverylargeeye-glasses.

"Well,ImustconfessthatIdidnotexpectaspeechaboutoystershere.Ithoughtthat

Hiroshimastillfelttheimpactoftheatomicimpact

"Noonetalksaboutitanymore,andnoonewantsto,especiallythepeoplewhowere

bornhereorwholivedthroughit."Doyoufeelthesamewaytoo?"

"Iwashere,butIwasnotinthecenteroftown.ItellyouthisbecauseIamalmostanold

man.Therearetwodifferentschoolsofthoughtinthiscityofoysters,onethatwouldliketo

preservetracesofthebomb,andtheotherthatwouldliketogetridofeverything,eventhe

monumentthatwaserectedatthepointofimpact.Theywouldalsoliketodemolishthe

atomicmuseum."

"Whywouldtheywanttodothat?"

"Becauseithurtseverybodyandbecausetimemarcheson.Thatiswhy."Thesmall

Japanesemansmiled,hiseyesnearlyclosedbehindtheirthicklenses."Ifyouwriteabout

thiscity,donotforgettosaythatitisthegayestcityinJapan,evenitmanyofthetown's

peoplestillbearhiddenwounds,andburns."

Likeanyother;thehospitalsmelledofformaldehydeandethere.Stretchersand

wheelchairslinedthewallsofendlesscorridors,andnurseswalkedbycarryingStretchers

instruments,theverysightofwhichwouldsendshiversdownthespineofanyhealthy

visitor.Theso-calledatomicsectionwaslocatedonthethirdfloor.Itconsistedof17beds.

"Iamafishermanbytrade.Ihavebeenhereaverylongtime,morethantwentyyears,

"saidanoldmaninJapanesepajamas.°Whatiswrongwithyou?"

"Somethinginside.IwasinHiroshimawhenithappened.Isawthefireball.ButIhadno

burnsonmyfaceorbody.Iranalloverthecitylookingformissingfriendsandrelatives.I

thoughtsomehowIhadbeenspared.Butlatermyhairbegantofallout,andmybellyturned

towaterIfeltsick,andeversincethentheyhavebeentestingandtreatingme.nThedoctor

atmysideexplainedandcommentedupontheoldman'sstory"Westillhareahandfulof

patientsherewhoarebeingkeptalivebyconstantcare.Theothersdiedasaresultoftheir

injuries,orelsecommittedsuicide.

"Whydidtheycommitsuicide?"

"Itishumiliatingtosurviveinthiscity.Ifyoubearanyvisiblescarsofatomicburns,

yourchildrenwillencounterprejudiceonthepartofthosewhodonot.Noonewillmarry

thedaughterorthenieceofanatomicbombvictim.Peopleareafraidofgeneticdamagefrom

theradiation."Theoldfishermangazedatmepolitelyandwithinterest.

Hangingoverthepatientwasabigballmadeofbitsofbrightlycoloredpaper;folded

intotheshapeoftinybirds."What'sthat?"Iasked.

"Thosearemyluckybirds.EachdaythatIescapedeath,eachdayofsufferingthathelps

tofreemefromearthlycares,Imakeanewlittlepaperbird,andaddittotheothers.This

wayIlookatthemandcongratulatemyselfofthegoodfortunethatmyillnesshasbrought

me.Because,thankstoit,Ihavetheopportunitytoimprovemycharacter."

Onceagain,outsideintheopenaii;Itoreintolittlepiecesasmallnotebookwith

questionsthatI'dpreparedinadvanceforinterviewswiththepatientsoftheatomicward.

Amongthemwasthequestion:DoyoureallythinkthatHiroshimaistheliveliestcityin

Japan?Ineveraskedit.ButIcouldreadtheanswerineveryeye.

(fromanAmericanradioprogrampresentedbyEdKay]

NOTES

1)Hiroshima:aseaport,capitalofHiroshimaprefectureinsouthwestJapan.Population

(1970)54,834.OnAug.6,1945,Hiroshimawasthefirstcitytobestruckbyanatomicbomb,

droppedbytheU.S,airforce.Almost130000peoplewerekilled,injured,ormissing,and90%

ofthecitywasleveled.Muchofthecityhasbeenreconstructed,butaguttedsectionofthe

cityhasbeensetasideasa"PeaceCity"toillustratetheeffectofanatomicbomb.Since1955,

anannualworldconferenceagainstnuclearweaponshasmetinHiroshima.

2)Nippon:(Japanese)Japan

3)Tomoaligatogozayimas:(Japanese)Thankyouverymuch.

4)Hi:(Japanese)yes

5)kimono:(Japanese)alooserobewithwidesleevesandabroadsashtraditionallywornas

anoutergarmentbytheJapanese

6)tatami:(Japanese)strawmattingusedasafloorcoveringinaJapanesehome.Itisa

customoftheJapanesetoremovetheirshoesoncetheygoindoors,walkingonthetatami

mattingintheirsocks.

ShipsintheDesert

ALGore

Iwasstandinginthesunonthehotsteeldeckofafishingshipcapableofprocessinga

fifty-toncatchonagoodday.Butitwasn'tagoodday.Wewereanchoredinwhatusedtobe

themostproductivefishingsiteinallofcentralAsia,butasIlookedoutoverthebow,the

prospectsofagoodcatchlookedbleak.Wherethereshouldhavebeengentleblue-green

waveslappingagainstthesideoftheship,therewasnothingbuthotdrysand-asfarasI

couldseeinalldirections.Theothershipsofthefleetwerealsoatrestinthesand,scattered

inthedunesthatstretchedallthewaytothehorizon.TenyearsagotheAralwasthe

fourth-largestinlandseaintheworld,comparabletothelargestofNorthAmerica'sGreat

Lakes.Nowitisdisappearingbecausethewaterthatusedtofeedithasbeendivertedinan

ill-consideredirrigationschemetogrowcottonIntheusert.Thenewshorelinewasalmost

fortykilometersacrossthesandfromwherethefishingfleetwasnowpermanentlydocked.

Meanwhile,inthenearbytownofMuynakthepeoplewerestillcanningfish-broughtnot

fromtheAralSeabutshippedbyrailthroughSiberiafromthePacificOcean,morethana

thousandmilesaway.

Mysearchfortheunderlyingcausesoftheenvironmentalcrisishasledmetotravel

aroundtheworldtoexamineandstudymanyoftheseimagesofdestruction.Atthevery

bottomoftheearth,highintheTrans-AntarcticMountains,withthesunglaringatmidnight

throughaholeinthesky,Istoodintheunbelievablecoldnessandtalkedwithascientistin

thelatetallof1988aboutthetunnelhewasdiggingthroughtime.Slippinghisparkabackto

revealabadlyburnedfacethatwascrackedandpeeling,hepointedtotheannuallayersof

iceinacoresampledugfromtheglacieronwhichwewerestanding.Hemovedhisfinger

backintimetotheiceoftwodecadesago,"Here'swheretheU.SCongresspassedtheClean

AirAct,“hesaid.Atthebottomoftheworld,twocontinentsawayfromWashington,D.C,,

evenasmallreductioninonecountry*semissionshadchangedtheamountofpollution

foundintheremotestendleastaccessibleplaceonearth.

Butthemostsignificantchangethusfarintheearth*satmosphereistheonethatbegan

withtheindustrialrevolutionearlyinthelastcenturyandhaspickedupspeedeversince.

Industrymeantcoal,andlateroil,andwebegantoburnlotsofit-bringingrisinglevelsof

carbondioxide(CO2J,withitsabilitytotrapmoreheatintheatmosphereandslowlywarm

theearth.FewerthanahundredyardsfromtheSouthPole,upwindfromtheicerunway

wheretheskiplanelandsandkeepsitsenginesrunningtopreventthemetalpartsfrom

freeze-lockingtogether;scientistsmonitortheairseveraltimeseverydaytochartthe

courseofthatinexorablechange.Duringmyvisit,Iwatchedonescientistdrawtheresultsof

thatday'smeasurements,pushingtheendofasteeplinestillhigheronthegraph.Hetoldme

howeasyitis-thereattheendoftheearth-toseethatthisenormouschangeintheglobal

atmosphereisstillpickingupspeed.

TwoandahalfyearslaterIsleptunderthemidnightsunattheotherendofourplanet,

inasmalltentpitchedonatwelve-toot-thickslaboficefloatinginthefrigidArcticOcean.

Afteraheartybreakfast,mycompanionsandItraveledbysnowmobilesafewmilesfarther

northtoarendezvouspointwheretheicewasthinner-onlythreeandahalffeetthick-and

anuclearsubmarinehoveredinthewaterbelow.Afteritcrashedthroughtheice,tookonits

newpassengers,andresubmerged,Italkedwithscientistswhoweretryingtomeasuremore

accuratelythethicknessofthepolaricecap,whichmanybelieveisthinningasare-suitof

globalwarming.IhadjustnegotiatedanagreementbetweenicescientistsandtheU.S.Navy

tosecurethere-leaseofpreviouslytopsecretdatafromsubmarinesonartracks,datathat

couldhelpthemlearnwhatishappeningtothenorthpolarcap.Now,Iwantedtoseethe

poleit-self,andsomeeighthoursafterwemetthesubmarine,wewerecrashingthroughthat

ice,surfacing,andthenIwasstandinginaneerilybeautifulsnowcape,windsweptand

sparklingwhite,withthehorizondefinedbylittlehummocks,or“pressureridges"ofice

thatarepushedupliketinymountainrangeswhenseparatesheetscollide.Butheretoo,CD,

levelsarerisingjustasrapidly,andultimatelytemperaturewillrisewiththem-indeed,

globalwarmingisexpectedtopushtemperaturesupmuchmorerapidlyinthepolarregions

thanintherestoftheworld.Asthepolarairwarms,theiceherewillthin;andsincethe

polarcapplayssuchacrucialroleintheworld'sweathersystem,theconsequencesofa

thinningcapcouldbedisastrous.

Consideringsuchscenariosisnotapurelyspeculativeexercise.SixmonthsafterI

returnedfromtheNorthPole,ateamofscientistsreporteddramaticchangesinthepattern

oficedistributionintheArctic,andasecondteamreportedastillcontroversialclaim(which

avarietyofdatanowsuggest)that,overall,thenorthpolarcaphasthinnedby2percentin

justthelastdecade.Moreover;scientistsestablishedseveralyearsagothatinmanyland

areasnorthoftheArcticCircle,thespringsnowmeltnowcomesearliereveryyear;anddeep

inthetundrabelow,thetemperatureeoftheearthissteadilyrising.

Asithappens,someofthemostdisturbingimagesofenvironmentaldestructioncanbe

foundexactlyhalfwaybetweentheNorthandSouthpoles-preciselyattheequatorinBrazil

-wherebillowingcloudsofsmokeregularlyblack-entheskyabovetheimmensebutnow

threatenedAmazonrainforest.Acrebyacre,therainforestisbeingburnedtocreatefast

pastureforfast-foodbeef;asIlearnedwhenIwentthereinearly1989,thefiresareset

earlierandearlierinthedryseasonnow,withmorethanoneTennessee'sworthofrain

forestbeingslashedandburnedeachyear.Accordingtoourguide,thebiologistTomLovejoy,

therearemoredifferentspeciesofbirdsineachsquaremileoftheAmazonthanexistinall

ofNorthAmerica-whichmeanswearesilencingthousandsofsongswehavenevereven

heard.

Butonedoesn'thavetotravelaroundtheworldtowit-nesshumankind'sassaultonthe

earth.Imagesthatsignalthedistressofourglobalenvironmentarenowcommonlyseen

almostanywhere.Onsomenights,inhighnorthernlatitudes,theskyitselfoffersanother

ghostlyimagethatsignalsthelossofecologicalbalancenowinprogress.Iftheskyisclear

aftersunset-andityouarewatchingfromaplacewherepollutionhasn'tblottedoutthe

nightskyaltogether-youcansometimesseeastrangekindofcloudhighinthesky.This

Hnoctilucentcloud'1occasionallyappearswhentheearthisfirstcloakedintheevening

dark-ness;shimmeringaboveuswithatranslucentwhiteness,thesecloudsseemquite

unnatural.Andtheyshould:noctilucentcloudshavebeguntoappearmoreoftenbecauseofa

hugebuildupofmethanegasintheatmosphere.(Alsocallednaturalgas,methaneisreleased

fromlandfills,fromcoalminesandricepaddies,frombillionsoftermitesthatswarm

throughthefreshlycutforestland,fromtheburningofbiomassandfromavarietyofother

humanactivities.)Eventhoughnoctilucentcloudsweresometimesseeninthepast.,allthis

extramethanecarriesmorewatervaporintotheupperatmosphere,whereitcondensesat

muchhigheraltitudestoformmorecloudsthatthesun'sraysstillstrikelongaftersunset

hasbroughtthebeginningofnighttothesurfacefarbeneaththem.

Whatshouldwefeeltowardtheseghostsinthesky?Simplewonderorthemixof

emotionswefeelatthezoo?Perhapsweshouldfeelaweforourownpower:justasmen”ear

tusksfromelephants'headsinsuchquantityastothreatenthebeastwithextinction,weare

rippingmatterfromitsplaceintheearthinsuchvolumeastoupsetthebalancebetween

daylightanddarkness.Intheprocess,weareonceagainaddingtothethreatofglobal

warming,be-causemethanehasbeenoneofthefastest-growinggreen-housegases,andis

thirdonlytocarbondioxideandwatervaporintotalvolume,changingthechemistryofthe

upperatmosphere.But,withoutevenconsideringthatthreat,shouldn*titstartleusthatwe

havenowputthesecloudsintheeveningskywhichglistenwithaspectrallight?Orhaveour

eyesadjustedsocompletelytothebrightlightsofcivilizationthatwecan'tseetheseclouds

forwhattheyare-aphysicalmanifestationoftheviolentcollisionbetweenhuman

civilizationandtheearth?

Eventhoughitissometimeshardtoseetheirmeaning,wehavebynowallwitnessed

surprisingexperiencesthatsignalthedamagefromourassaultontheenvironment

-whetherit'sthenewfrequencyofdayswhenthetemperatureexceeds100degrees,the

newspeedwithwhichthe-unburnsourskin,orthenewconstancyofpublicdebateover

whattodowithgrowingmountainsofwaste.Butourresponsetothesesignalsispuzzling.

Whyhaven'twelaunchedamassiveefforttosaveourenvironment?Tocomeatthequestion

anotherway'Whydosomeimagesstartleusintoimmediateactionandfocusourattention

orwaystorespondeffectively?Andwhydootherimages,thoughsometimesequally

dramatic,produceinsteadaKin.ofparalysis,focusingourattentionnotonwaystorespond

butratheronsomeconvenient,lesspainfuldistraction?

Still,therearesomanydistressingimagesofenviron-mentaldestructionthat

sometimesitseemsimpossibletoknowhowtoabsorborcomprehendthem.Before

consideringthethreatsthemselves,itmaybehelpfultoclassifythemandthusbeginto

organizeourthoughts