m. c. de marco

Via a mailing list: Demographic Winter, a pretty website about “the decline of the human family.” From their FAQ:

Question: What does the expression “Demographic Winter” mean?

Answer: “Demographic Winter” denotes the worldwide decline in birthrates, also referred to as a “birth-dearth,” and what it portends.

My progress through The Two Towers has been slow. Gimli had a nice moment in the Glittering Caves of Aglarond, but for quotable material I had to wait for Frodo to reach the Black Gate in book IV:

Sam said nothing. The look on Frodo’s face was enough for him; he knew that words of his were useless. And after all he never had any real hope in the affair from the beginning; but being a cheerful hobbit he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed.

See the calendar category page for my previous blog entries about calculating Durin’s Day. Today’s entry is a note on the interpretation of “new moon” in the definition of Durin’s Day. To recap:

“The first day of the dwarves’ New Year,” said Thorin, “is as all should know the first day of the last moon of Autumn on the threshold of Winter.”

I’m back on the list of honorable mentions in the Writers of the Future contest this quarter, along with at least one other Odyssey grad, Dave Hendrickson.

Durin’s Days are coming soon, many thanks to Alan Eliasen and Frink. This entry is just a note on the interpretation of “autumn” in the definition of Durin’s Day and of the dwarves’ New Year in general. To recap, in The Hobbit, the dwarves’ New Year’s Day is said to fall on the last new moon of autumn, where autumn is unfortunately not defined.

Someone mentioned melancholy on a mailing list, meaning by it nothing distinct from depression, but my ear picked it up and I wondered whether melancholy was still a legitimate affliction. (The answer appears to be no, it’s been replaced by melancholic depression.)

Michael Burstein kindly provides endorsements and information about tomorrow’s election in Brookline, Massachusetts.