Thursday, February 06, 2003

The Fate of Planet Earth is in our Hands Joseph George Caldwell writes: There is essentially only one decision facing mankind at the present time, and that decision concerns the future state of the biosphere and man’s place in it.  The alternatives – the state of the planet in a few more decades – are essentially three: (1) A catastrophic collapse of the biosphere caused by industrial pollution (e.g., greenhouse-gas global warming), with the possible or even likely extinction of many or most large plant and animal species, including mankind; (2) A seriously damaged biosphere, devoid of all other large animal species, but with mankind still extant; and (3) Essentially the same Garden-of-Eden paradise in which mankind and the other species of the present world evolved, with mankind and the many other large animal species still in it.  It seems obvious that no one would select the first alternative (death of the planet), although that is exactly where mankind is currently headed.  With respect to the latter two alternatives, it is incredible that the current generation of human beings would sentence all of the millions of future generations of human beings to life on a planet devoid of other large animal species, yet that is exactly what is happening.  It is hard to believe that the human species has no leaders who wish for the biosphere to continue in essentially the same condition to which it evolved when mankind made its appearance, and have the power to bring this about.  The planet does not have to die.  The planet was once a marvelous, wonderful place to live.  It can be so again, for millions of years to come.  Mankind has the power to make this happen.  All it takes is the will.  The fate, the destiny, of planet Earth is in our hands.  Who will speak for Gaia? (02/06/03) Sheriff Bush and Deputy Blair The Nukular Stompers: Welcome to the party at the global saloon Pour a drink and pull up a chair Why look who's comin' in through the batwing doors (If it ain't) Sheriff Bush and Deputy Blair ... Our sheriff is a good man and a gentleman at heart And for years he hunted down the Reds But now they've left the prairies and he's turned his eagle eye On those folks who wear turbans on their heads. ... Some people don't like him: they just don't understand He ain't like the rest of us, he don't see shades of grey (he's got) Big things on his mind and a big gun in his hand (you're) For us or against us......so have a nice day. ... Listen to the MP3  (02/06/03) Scientist invents 'invisibility cloak' ANANOVA News -- The illusion was part of a demonstration of optical camouflage technology at Tokyo University. It is the brainchild of Professor Susumu Tachi who is in the early stage of research he hopes will eventually make camouflaged objects virtually transparent. (02/06/03) Worst Hiring Slump in 20 Years New York Times: Business -- The American economy has fallen into its worst hiring slump in almost 20 years, and many business executives say they remain unsure when it will end. With economic growth having slowed to less than 1 percent in recent months, about one million people appear to have dropped out of the labor force, neither working nor looking for a job, according to government figures. The surge in discouraged workers is the most significant since the months immediately following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and it suggests that the pain of joblessness is worsening even though the nation's official unemployment rate, which counts only people looking for work, held steady at 6 percent in December. The lack of jobs has also slowed wage growth, so that only workers in the most affluent group are still gaining ground on inflation, ending a six-year streak of increases in buying power across the board. ... Many other people seem to have stopped looking. Since June, the number of adults not in the labor force has jumped by more than one million, to 72.4 million, according to the Labor Department. Many are retired, still in school or raising children, but the sharp change suggests that a growing number have become too frustrated to continue applying for jobs. "I went out and pounded the pavement faithfully," said Theresa H. Washington, who lost her $60,000-a-year electrician's job more than a year ago at a Cleveland steel mill closed by the LTV Corporation. "I did the whole nine yards in terms of looking for work, and I never had an interview." "There is no job market right now," Ms. Washington, 47, added. She estimated that she had applied to more than 50 companies. (02/06/03) Give a Day to End the War MoveOn.org -- As weapons inspections in Iraq kick into high gear, most of us are breathing a sigh of relief. But some elements of the Bush Administration are still dead set on war, even if the inspections are working. President Bush has agreed that war should be the very last resort. Let's hold him and his administration to those words.  ... By filling out this form, you'll be joining people around the country who are committing a day over the next two weeks to organizing against the war. We're looking for all kinds of folks -- students, septuagenarians, electricians, statisticians -- who are willing to take some time to help with our enormous grassroots advertising campaign. Here's how it works: by filling out this pledge, you're making a firm commitment to spending 8 hours or more before February 15th on anti-war activities. We'll provide you with ways to plug in; the final choice about what you participate in and what you leave to others is up to you. (02/05/03) What happens when the oil runs out? Joseph George Caldwell writes: This past week, The Economist (January 25, 2003) published an article entitled, “São Tomé and its neighbours: What oil can do to tiny states.”  The article presented an interesting description of what happens to small states that strike oil.  Invariably, the oil is used to buy a rich and lazy lifestyle for the ruling elite, and destroys the traditional ways of making a living for the general population.  The article describes the cases of the African states of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, which discovered large oil reserves a few years ago.  “Equatorial Guinea now pumps more oil per person than Saudi Arabia.”  As a result of this bonanza, farmers deserted their farms for the cities, and the country’s agricultural sector has collapsed.  In Gabon, the population “turned up their noses at menial jobs like taxi driving or shopkeeping, which they leave to immigrants from poorer places such as Togo and Mali.  Agriculture in Gabon, as in Equatorial Guinea, is all but dead.” Gabon’s oil reserves are now running out, and the population will have to return to cocoa growing and snail farming.  The article speculates that the same fate awaits Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé, when their oil reserves are exhausted. What The Economist article fails to point out is that what happens to small states when their national oil reserves run out is much the same as will happen to big states when global oil reserves run out. (02/05/03) 9:32:27 AM

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