2014: Hottest on Record (NYT)

Breaking News: 2014 Was Hottest on Earth in Recorded History.

The NASA report underscores scientific warnings about the risks of runaway emissions. Extreme heat blanketed Alaska and much of the western U.S. last year and ocean temperatures were unusually warm virtually everywhere except Antarctica.

Source: New York Times (Jan 16, 2015)

The odds of this happening by chance — that is, rather than due to a combination of manmade pollution and natural climate variability — are less than 1-in-27 million, according to the climate research and journalism group Climate Central. Remarkably, the warmth came without the assistance of an El Niño event in the tropical Pacific Ocean, responsible in part for the prior warmest years, such as 1998 and 2005. (Source).

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Meanwhile, tonight in Vermont, it's -12°F (-24°C), -24°F (-31°C) windchill.  Burrrr! I'm on the third day of a fast, so I had a teaspoon of cayenne with some tea. WOW did that warm me up!  :)

If I had a house, a dehydrator, a grinder, or money, I would make a raw masala. Masala is a Hindu word referring to a seasoning blend. In India, they're individualized to a particular geographic area or food preparer.  This helps make a raw food diet, which is usually cooling, possible in the winter, along with making dehydrated vegi burgers and soups (not heated above 110 degrees, to preserve the vitamins, proteins, and photochemical benefits).

Heating Vegetable Masala

5c green bell peppers, sliced

4c red peppers, sliced

1c garlic cloves

Dehydrate for 5-10 hours and grind.

Winter Heat Masala

1 tsp black peppercorns

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/2 tsp cardamom

Blend in a spice mill

Source: Dr. Cousens, Conscious Eating, 673-77, ("The Vegetarian Bible")