Thursday, December 19, 2002

The Scientific Basis for The Golden Rule Timothy Wilken, MD writes: Synergic Morality is more than the absence of hurting. It is the presence of helping. Synergic Morality rests then on the premise­ that when you help others, you will find yourself helped in return. ... Adversary action tends to provoke adversary reaction ending in an adversary resultant. Neutral action tends to provoke neutral reaction ending in a neutral resultant. And synergic action tends to provoke synergic reaction ending in a synergic resultant. “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.” We humans have three choices. We can sow adversary actions and reap adversary resultants. We can sow neutral actions and reap neutral resultants. Or we can sow synergic actions and reap synergic resultants. (12/19/02) The Birth of The Geodesic Dome Lloyd Steven Sieden writes: Although Buckminster Fuller invariably maintained that he was a comprehensivist who was interested in almost everything, his life and work were dominated by a single issue: shelter and housing.  Even as a young boy in the early 1900s, Fuller--who preferred to be called Bucky--was constructing rudimentary structures and inventing better "environment controlling artifacts." The practical culmination of his quest to employ modern assembly-line manufacturing techniques and the best man-made materials in producing inexpensive, elegant housing came toward the end of World War II.  At that time, government officials contracted Fuller to build two prototype Dymaxion Houses at the Beech Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas. The lightweight, circular houses were praised by all who toured them.  Because the Dymaxion House was to provide many new innovations at the very affordable suggested retail price of $6,500, orders flowed into the factory before plans for distribution were seriously considered.  However, Fuller's interests were not geared toward practical matters such as financing and marketing, and the Dymaxion House never advanced beyond the prototype stage.  Fuller then moved on to consider other innovations that could benefit humanity in the areas of structure and housing. He also returned to his less pragmatic quest to discover nature's coordinate system and employ that system in a structure that would, because it was based on natural rather than humanly developed principles, be extremely efficient. That structure is the geodesic dome, which, because it approximates a sphere, encloses much more space with far less material than conventional buildings. (12/19/02) America versus Iraq ! How bad could it get ? Boston Daily News -- Iraq is preparing for a scorched-earth campaign if it goes to war with the United States, targeting his own oil fields, food supplies and power plants and blaming America for the devastation, U.S. intelligence officials said Wednesday. The officials, briefing reporters at the Pentagon, said they have solid evidence that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein intends to create a humanitarian crisis that would stymie any U.S. advance and turn international opinion against the war. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity. U.S. intelligence officials also believe Saddam will use his biological and chemical weapons if he believes he is about to fall, even in the opening days of a war. His primary targets: U.S. forces in Iraq, as well as the populace in his longtime enemies of Israel and Kuwait, the officials said. Iraq can deliver these weapons with Scud and other missiles, aircraft-mounted sprayers and artillery shells, the officials said. They expect Iraq to use disease weapons like anthrax, poisons like botulism and ricin, and mustard gas. He is not believed to have any nuclear weapons. He may also use them against his own populace, particularly against Shi'ite Muslims who have opposed him the past, the officials said. (12/19/02) 7:46:32 AM

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