Clouds over Europe

I am still in Old Blighty for my sins.
We had a very interesting presentation from SCAR at the Antarctic treaty convention meeting in Edinburgh. According to ice core samples, dating back 1 million years, we can see a definite spike in the global warming trend. Whereas core samples show a regular see-saw effect of warm and cold periods, roughly every 100,000 years, the latest spike is several orders of magnitude bigger. And we are in the midst of it. There is no doubt that Man has contributed to this mega-warm up since the 19th century.
During the week end I took a train trip to York, and a car trip to loch Ness. No, Nessie was not there. But I saw some wonderful landscapes in the mists of Scotland. I had not been to the Highlands since 1970.

Everywhere you go in these isles, the conversation is about the World football Cup. France is doing wretchedly, and the US seems to have redeemed themselves in extremis. As I walked the ancient Viking cobblestones of York, you could hear loud cheers coming from pubs and open windows all over town , everytime England scored.
In the parks, the King's Own celebrated the Queen's official birthday with a Royal Salute of 41 guns. At York station, the Harry Potter special steam train was waiting for its eager complement of young wizards.
Elsewhere in the news, it seems that Airbus chewed more than it could swallow with its giant A 380. And the design of its A 350, that was supposed to seal its supremacy over its dreaded Boeing 787 competition , has to be totally redone. Sic transit gloria mundi......

Meanwhile, back in the US, my new fellow Americans have a hard time digesting a new Pew Research poll, showing that they are universally loathed and reviled. Americans love to be admired. And , in a way this still young republic has a lot to offer the world. But when its citizens, out of fear, lack of information, or sheer laziness, elect an inept government and start violating its own principles, they should not be surprised if the world calls them hypocrites.
98% of all Europeans have heard of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Only 76% of Americans have.I am not surprised.
What is worrisome is that most Europeans regard the US as potentially more dangerous for them than China, a military dictatorship.
Given the parlous state of their so-called Union, Europeans should not feel too much shadenfreude either. Europe is still suffering from the near-mortal blow inficted by the French and Dutch referenda. At their last summit this week end, heads of state were busy unravelling the work done in the previous 50 years. They erected new moats around the fortress, threatened prospective members with huge delays, and otherwise gave a sorry account of themselves.
Their dream of being a "model" for the world has taken a step back. The trouble is they do not seem to know it. Yet.