Yellowstone eruption threat high
- Thread starter 125gJoe
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Timmain - you are a man after my husbands own heart. Did you play in an Icebowl this year? My man headed up the one here.
Link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0414/p25s01-stss.htmlTimmain42 said:
Space "research" brings us to bashing a rock in space on the fouth of July. Seems like overpopulation is a big consideration on this rock (Earth). And, for some reason, I'm not feeling comfortable with the situation right now..
Maybe it's just me - but I'd like to hope and give our kids a much better future than what I can foresee right now.
One point is when our Pres says basically - " tighten up people and bite the bullet, because the saudis (etc..) control our energy ... conserve.. "
Another really big point is..
Naa, not now..
:idea:
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Gloom and doomers
There's been Gloom and Doomers crying about the end of the world as long as there has been spoken words. Global Warming, the impending Ice Age (funny how those two are holding the temps in near balance -- see Scientific American magazine last month, in your local library), running out of Oil, hole in the Ozone, over population (that's funny, check the average age in Japan and most of Western Europe), the aging of America, ebola, bird flu, the next pandemic whatever flu.
After you see a few of these come and go, you may develop a better appreciation for the resilency of humankind. Yes, individuals will die in volcanic explosions, viral epidemics, tidal waves, freak storms of all sorts. Some islands will submerge beneath the waves and others will be raised up revealing lost temples (see the coast of Laos after the tsunamie).
But, the end, the actual end, is not likely. There are always Doom and Gloomers ready to write a best-seller book on how it will happen any minute and how you need to follow them to save yourself. They typically end up very rich, but for those that convince their followers to head for the jungles and drink poisoned Kool-Aid (see Jim Jones in Guyana (?) in the late 70's).
So, chill out. Live each day as it it matters. Not as if it is your last day on earth, but just as though it matters. You are afterall an individual, and we all die one by one.
There's been Gloom and Doomers crying about the end of the world as long as there has been spoken words. Global Warming, the impending Ice Age (funny how those two are holding the temps in near balance -- see Scientific American magazine last month, in your local library), running out of Oil, hole in the Ozone, over population (that's funny, check the average age in Japan and most of Western Europe), the aging of America, ebola, bird flu, the next pandemic whatever flu.
After you see a few of these come and go, you may develop a better appreciation for the resilency of humankind. Yes, individuals will die in volcanic explosions, viral epidemics, tidal waves, freak storms of all sorts. Some islands will submerge beneath the waves and others will be raised up revealing lost temples (see the coast of Laos after the tsunamie).
But, the end, the actual end, is not likely. There are always Doom and Gloomers ready to write a best-seller book on how it will happen any minute and how you need to follow them to save yourself. They typically end up very rich, but for those that convince their followers to head for the jungles and drink poisoned Kool-Aid (see Jim Jones in Guyana (?) in the late 70's).
So, chill out. Live each day as it it matters. Not as if it is your last day on earth, but just as though it matters. You are afterall an individual, and we all die one by one.
That's not what I meant. If there is a winter caused by ash we will be able to sustain ourselves at least for a short period of time.
And, actually, techology has managed to solve envirmental problems or, at the very least, lessen their impact greatly... might I mention sewage treament plants (as aposed to dumping raw sewage in out freshwater bodies)? The discovery that phosphorous causes eutrophication in freshwater bodies? Finding an alternative to CFCs? Better milage and therefore less pollution in automobiles? A method known as scrubbing which reduces particulates and sulfur dioxide in coal plant emissions which also means less acid rain and pollution? ... all of which would not have happened if it weren't for that horrid technology...
Personally, I believe this "threat" is a bunch of crock.... I don't have a lot of faith in discovery's "what if" programs.. I know their "Alien Planet" was particularly sad...
Only because you (and I, and the Missus, and everyone else watching the show) got emotionally attached to Leo and Ike. On an entertainmentscale, it was pretty awesome... especially the Ameobic Sea.PumaWard said:
I agree... but enviromental problems are caused by people, as they aren't problems if caused by natural tendencies.
And, yes, technology has led to enviromental problems, but has also increased the standard of living of millions of people. We can't change what has happened, but to say technology can't solve enviromental problems or lessen their impact is wrong.
You also can't predict the future. To say it's going to be horrible in 50 years isn't right... 50years ago, it may have been prettier, but you couldn't go swimming or drink in the local stream because it was so filled with sewage and other nice stuff.... they were also dumping mercury, lead, PCBs and loads of other things into freshwater bodies... like DDT... Oh, let's not forget Love Canal, where they dumped all sorts of toxins into a halfway dug canal then buried over and sold it... then buildings and a school came along and kids got sick and still births were up... 50 years ago, we were a whole lot less enviromentally friendly. I predict things will be better in 50 years. Oh, and they could legally fill in wetlands...
As for Alien Planet, I didn't think the creatures were very realistic... everyting on land had 2 legs except for one thing. And the animal with the legs which had "fused together", I don't see how that would benefit the animal...
And, yes, technology has led to enviromental problems, but has also increased the standard of living of millions of people. We can't change what has happened, but to say technology can't solve enviromental problems or lessen their impact is wrong.
You also can't predict the future. To say it's going to be horrible in 50 years isn't right... 50years ago, it may have been prettier, but you couldn't go swimming or drink in the local stream because it was so filled with sewage and other nice stuff.... they were also dumping mercury, lead, PCBs and loads of other things into freshwater bodies... like DDT... Oh, let's not forget Love Canal, where they dumped all sorts of toxins into a halfway dug canal then buried over and sold it... then buildings and a school came along and kids got sick and still births were up... 50 years ago, we were a whole lot less enviromentally friendly. I predict things will be better in 50 years. Oh, and they could legally fill in wetlands...
As for Alien Planet, I didn't think the creatures were very realistic
... everyting on land had 2 legs except for one thing. And the animal with the legs which had "fused together", I don't see how that would benefit the animal...
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