The Dog Star

Buongiorno! 

 I am working this month on a long piece about the importance of feeling wonder and how important it is to our overall health and wellbeing, the timing of which corresponds nicely to what’s happening in space next month. But to experience awe doesn’t require some celestial phenomena or visit to a natural wonder, or even a visit to anywhere special. It can be felt in film, in a book of art, in the night sky seen through a window, the passing of a thunderstorm. So many things, in fact, can inspire a shift or expansion of our modern pressurized mindset and understanding of the world in order to make better sense of it. To see yourself anew in the incredible vastness of the universe. 

 Here's an example just this week of a moment of awe for me (and for certain the guy on stage singing this amazing song with this amazing woman). Really, give a listen. 

I look forward to bringing you more of this and other ways to bring awe into your own lives in the coming weeks, until then here are a few other measures that matter this week.

• Show me the money: For a family of four, the average American's Household Expenses are $6,081 a month or $72,967 a year. Curious how living costs compare to here in Sicily? You’re sure to be shocked.
• Speaking of economics, here’s a very interesting op-ed piece from Paul Krugman of the NYT titled What’s Wrong with Europe.
• And if you really dig numbers, mixed with some politics and a whole lot of making a difference, also from Times, is a story on one of my favorite brands, Patagonia. It highlights the true reason I wear their clothes and it has nothing to do with being uppity, as one friend of mine once suggested. You vote with your wallet.
• I asked the question a few weeks ago about ethical investing and though I didn’t hear of any solutions to where and how to grow investments in such way that it’s better for the planet, I did stumble across this Forbes article tearing down one of the tools I had been given the impression was a step up in terms of investing with the planet not against it. It’s called ESG rating (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and is meant to indicate to investors a commitment to generating profit and at the same time contributing positively (or at least, not negatively) to society and the planet. Turns out, it’s a fucking sham, orchestrated by Wall Street. Surprise, surprise.
• As it were, as I was writing this, the Atlantic posted this article in regards to the Republican war on what they call Woke Capitalism and how it will likely backfire on them in lower returns. Specifically, they are pushing regulation that will not permit any public money go to investment firms who manage their funds with any regard whatsoever to ESG criteria, making it a FELONY for any that does so (to name a few: Vanguard, Fidelity, Blackrock).

“The paradox is that by narrowing the range of potential investment options, while also effectively barring the state from using some of the world’s biggest investment firms, the New Hampshire law might well reduce returns, not increase them. But for the people writing such legislation, that’s perhaps a small price to pay to teach woke capital a lesson.”—The Atlantic, January 31, 2024 

Looks like it’s back to this: 

• Something brighter, something pleasant: This is probably some of the best news I’ve read recently. If you love libraries, it’ll be yours, too. 
• Also, my thoughts on the Taylor Swift conspiracies: WTF. They weren’t crying to Clint Eastwood to get out politics back when the whole thing with the chair came about. 
• Finally, to end on a brighter note (literally), I’d like everyone to walk outside tonight and look just above the horizon to the southeast and find the brightest object you see there. This is Sirius, the Dog Star. It is the brightest star in the night sky by far, less only than our Moon, Jupiter and Venus. It is not brighter, however, because it is more luminous than other visible stars, but because it is located so close to the solar system, as it’s the fifth closest star system to Earth (a mere 8.6 lightyears away) and found in the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog.

Brilliant white with a definite tinge of blue, Sirius is derived directly from the Greek word for "sparkling" or "scorching." Indeed, at times it appears to splinter momentarily into the various colors of the rainbow. 

How it became known as The Dog Star is a story of awe in and of itself. You can read more at Space.com or if you’d really like the low down from ancient history on how Sirius has been a source of great knowledge and power throughout human history, click here. It’ll be a nice precursor to better understanding how to reclaim more awe in your life. 

** Those curious, I use the Night Sky App for stargazing in Sicily. It free and works great!

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