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Monday, February 24, 2003
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Over thirty years ago the Club of Rome published a book which challenged one of the then core assumptions of economic theory - that the Earth was infinite and would always provide the resources needed for human prosperity. It was based upon the first research to make serious use of computers in modeling the consequences of a rapidly growing global population. The book sold twelve million copies in 37 languages. Whilst the book did not predict what precisely would happen, it stated that if the world's consumption patterns and population growth continued at the same high rates of the time, the earth would strike its limits within a century. The message was that this outcome was not inevitable. People could change their policies - and the sooner the better. (02/25/03) | |
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Timothy Wilken, MD writes: Children through immaturity and ignorance sometimes engage in dangerous behavior. The danger may be to themselves or to others. Often this begins before they are able to understand the consequence of their behavior, or to be reasoned with. How do you stop them without resorting to adversity and punishment? We have all seen parents slap a small child's hand, when their child reaches for something hot or sharp. The child immediately cries and often runs away, but what has the child learned? Gordon would argue that physically striking the child sends only one message, "You are bad!" And, while the child will withdraw, it is not because they understand that they were in danger, but simply because they fear the parent will strike them again. Now parents often feel that striking the child was necessary to protect the child, but is this really true? I remember one winter, a heavy storm knocked out the electrical power to our home for almost a week. I hurriedly purchased a portable kerosene heater for warmth and cooking. It was an amazing device, but it was also dangerously hot. My three year old daughter Reason had never seen such a thing in our modern all electrical home and watched with fascination as I set it up. As I watched the sparkle in her eye, I realized the damage she might sustain from touching the top or sides of the heater. I asked by wife to hold her well within her arms while I set up the heater.Once it was lit, it soon became hot and began to glow. I told my daughter that it was very hot. I placed a small piece of paper on top which soon burst into flames. I poured a few drops of water on the surface that flashed into steam. All this time her mother advised her, that the heater was very hot and she should not touch it. She stood back and I watched her eyes growing large in amazement. Later her mother went to attend her baby sister Serene, and when I turned, Reason was approaching the heater. I moved quickly squatted down and contained her loosely in my arms. Gently preventing her from getting closer than two feet. Then to my delight, she told me that the stove was HOT! And that I was NOT to touch it. Later that evening, I would hear Reason carefully instructing her baby sister that the heater was very HOT, and that Serene should NOT touch it. This was quite unlikely since Serene was only nine months old. However, she seemed to listen carefully as she sucked her bottle. Over the next seven days, Reason never ventured closer than two feet to the heater, and watched it with great respect. Then, electrical power was restored and we put away the kerosene heater. (02/25/03) | |
10:07:41 PM 
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Timothy Wilken, MD writes: In our present world, it is widely believed that mistakes are the result of badness. So when mistakes occur, we investigate, blame and punish. This belief has resulted in a world where violence, hate and judgment are common. Synergic science reveals that mistakes are in fact the result of ignorance. If we understand this, then when a mistake occurs, we would analyze, determine responsibility, and educate. This could soon lead to a world where public safety, love and compassion are common. (02/24/03) | |
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Paul Harvey writes: We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would. ...
Bill Stinett writes: Well, the biggest thing out there right now, of course, is that nobody has any money. Businesses hunker down when money gets tight, so a lot of things that they might be doing to help—like improving teamwork or their leadership—are being put on hold. In a deeper sense, one of the things that I’ve noticed over the years is a sense that a lot of things have been done to try and change corporate cultures or improve performance, but that they’ve been tried piecemeal: A little bit of this, a little bit of that. A lot of people are discouraged. In talking to HR and training people at companies, I hear stuff like: "We had this program that recommended 10 things that we’re supposed to do. What our company did was 5 of them, and of course we didn’t get the results we were supposed to get. And then somebody said ‘that was a bad idea,’ so we looked for something else, something brand-new. Of course this new program gave us 8 things we were supposed to do…and our company did 4 of them. So, once again, it was a ‘bad idea.’" What happens is that people start to get real cynical. Every time a new program or class or something comes along, people roll their eyes and say, "Yeah, yeah, here’s this kind of thing again." Over the years, on top of the normal resistance you get to changing a culture, you get people who’ve learned how to pretend to go along. They just put on their happy faces and keep their mouths shut. (02/24/03) | |
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BBC Science -- The UK will be unable to cut greenhouse gas emissions without new nuclear power stations, the country's top science academy has warned. The Royal Society has urged the government to show "political courage" in its forthcoming White Paper on energy, and make a clear decision on the future of nuclear power. Without nuclear energy, Britain would have to rely increasingly on fossil fuels, leading to increasing carbon dioxide emissions and the catastrophic consequences of global warming, it said. Britain currently gets about a quarter of its energy from nuclear power, but its 16 stations will reach the end of their working lives in about 30 years, and there is a moratorium on building new ones. The warning came in a joint statement from the Royal Society's president, Lord May of Oxford, and vice-presidents Professors David Wallace, Patrick Bateson, John Enderby, and Julia Higgins. (02/24/03) | |
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BBC Science -- Leaked drafts of the British government's energy policy, which will be published on Monday, indicate it has gone soft on green and nuclear issues. The Energy White Paper will detail Labour's policies on future energy provision and deal with issues like Britain becoming a net importer of gas and oil, renewable energy and climate change. The Financial Times on Saturday quoted a draft that pledged 10% of Britain's electricity would be generated from renewable sources by 2010, up from the present 3%. But the paper said renewable targets for 2020 had been downgraded to goals to as previously hinted by Energy Minister Brian Wilson. The energy sector has been slow take up renewable energy production technology like off-shore wind farms, putting Britain behind many EU countries. Previously the target of electricity produced by renewables had been expected to be 20% by 2020. (02/24/03) | |
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New York Times -- Seven state attorneys general, all Democrats, mostly from the Northeast, announced today that they would file a lawsuit accusing the Environmental Protection Agency of failing to enforce the Clean Air Act by neglecting to update air pollution standards. The lawsuit, which would be the third brought by states against the Bush administration over the Clean Air Act in the last seven weeks, shows the increasingly antagonistic relationship between the Northeastern states and the federal government over clean air. Across the country, states are becoming increasingly active on environmental matters, with many officials criticizing the Bush administration as eager to roll back regulations and Congress as unable to demonstrate effective oversight. The attorneys general sent a letter to the E.P.A. administrator, Christie Whitman, giving her the requisite 60-day notice of their intent to sue. The suit seeks new regulations of carbon dioxide, which is widely acknowledged to contribute to global warming but is not specifically listed under the Clean Air Act alongside other pollutants. (02/24/03) | |
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New York Times: Health -- A new government report concludes that children's health has improved in areas where the government has taken aim at environmental hazards, White House and Environmental Protection Agency officials said today. On the other hand, the report raises new questions about the need for new areas of study, such as the link between mercury and childhood development and the rising rates of childhood asthma even as air quality has improved over the last 15 years. The report, the federal government's second comprehensive assessment on children's health that weighs environmental and biological factors, does not have any policy, regulation or financing recommendations, the officials said. But the juxtaposition of the data sets the stage for more environmental studies focused on children, whose medical needs are different from adults'. The study also sets a benchmark for the government to deal with the hazards of mercury, which scientists have linked to developmental I.Q. deficits and motor skill dysfunction, and which is suspected to play a role in attention deficit disorder and autism. Mercury has been the controversial subject within the environmental regulation arena because power plants release it while burning coal. (02/24/03) | |
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New York Times -- LOS ANGELES, Feb. 19 — The Hearst Corporation and conservationists reached an agreement today that will potentially protect tens of thousands of unspoiled acres around Hearst Castle. The option agreement authorizes the American Land Conservancy to begin preserving 82,000 acres stretching from the Pacific to the coastal plains to the mountains. The accord permanently restricts development and protects natural resources while increasing access to 18 miles of coastline. "It's a fabulous deal," said Harriet Burgess, president of the land conservancy, a San Francisco organization that acquires land for conservation. "I really view this as a golden opportunity for the Golden State. (02/24/03) | |
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Frederic Golden writes: When President Kennedy hosted a state dinner for U.S. Nobel laureates, he commented that it was the greatest collection of intellect at the White House since Thomas Jefferson dined there by himself. You got that same heady feeling when a galaxy of scientists, academics, artists and business innovators gathered here in Monterey, California on Wednesday for the start of a three-day summit, hosted by TIME, to sip chardonnay and mull over the future of life. As one might expect from such a powerhouse crowd pondering so cosmic a theme, there were fireworks from the outset as participants debated stem cell research, discussed the upswing in anti-evolutionary fervor, examined the promise of nanotechnology in medicine and considered whether anyone would ever really make a big payday from the genomics revolution. Still, the academic spats did nothing to dampen the general optimism that science would improve the human condition by eradicating disease, extending life span and offering a healthy economic payoff to boot. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the double helical structure of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick, the conference kicked off with four preliminary "tutorials" on topics that are a direct outgrowth of their momentous achievement. (02/23/03) | |
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Erich Marquardt writes: France and Germany, once bulwarks of U.S. foreign policy, have both broken away from their traditional supporting roles and are directly challenging Washington's aspirations of removing Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq. Buoyed by support from Russia and China, the intensifying Franco-German alliance has withstood U.S. economic pressure and sharp criticism by Bush administration officials who have labeled France and Germany as being part of "old Europe," following "shameful" policies which risk France and Germany's "diplomatic isolation." In addition to the current U.S. administration, Capitol Hill is also fused with anger as members of the U.S. Congress are calling for withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Germany, along with trade sanctions on French imports such as water and wine. As U.S. Representative Peter T. King of New York recently said, "Anything we can do to hurt [France and Germany] without hurting us, I support." Despite economic pressure from the United States, France and Germany have remained steadfast against the notion of a preemptive strike on Iraq. ... Aside from economic concerns, the main factor motivating France, Germany and Russia is their angst toward U.S. power politics perpetuated through the Bush administration's unilateralist approach to foreign policy and the U.S.' attempt to project power into the Middle East. Significantly, these three powers are no longer persuaded that U.S. national interests are synonymous with their own. With Washington now warning that neither the U.N. nor NATO will block their national strategy, France, Germany and Russia have become diplomatically hostile toward what they perceive to be growing U.S. nationalism. (02/23/03) | |
3:30:02 AM
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© TrustMark
2003
Timothy Wilken.
Last update:
2/28/2003; 12:47:02 AM.
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