Poet's Corner

[Koikaze]

Hey, Dave. Here's a footnote on New Zealand:

I read that New Zealand has a special department that monitors the ozone layer because of the difficulty it creates for New Zealanders, and wrote to my acquaintance down there. Here's his response:

"Ozone ... yes it's absolutely true ... the depletion of the ozone layer varies from year to year ... I seem to remember it renews itself through nature ... so some years its good some bad... to do with the seas I seem to remember ... anyway the ozone is most significantly missing at the South pole where it is basically spun off the axis towards the centre of the globe. it can be seen on infa red radar so we often get weather reports at night warning of "burn times" and radar photos of the ozone layer gap applicable for the next day. We've come to live with this but most appreciate it is the effect of population based poultion, mainly from the Northern hemeshpere affecting our everyday lives down here. It can be as mild as 18 - 20 degrees centigrade in a clear summer day with a cooling wind but if you stay exposed to the sun for more than 15 - 20 minutes (at midday) you're burnt. True. Funny thing is in Englnd which is further north than we south ... no problem."

We see press reports about the effect of our antics on the planet and its environs, but, to me, somehow, it takes on greater meaning when it involves folks I know personally.

Fred