The world as we know it...

[Trumpcard]

I'm going to do something I rarely ever do, and thats to be serious for a moment, so I'd appreciate it if you only respond likewise.

The way things are these days, threat of war, sliding economy (index is below 8000 now), and rampart fear, how does everyone else feel with whats going on? Fear, uncertainty, nonchalance, etc?

I realize that I am at a completely different place in my life now than i was say, 10 years ago during Desert Storm, but I'm wondering if anyone else is getting bad vibes, or if Im just getting old and paranoid, and intrepreting things with along more care than I did when I was younger....

As we have people from outside the US, I'd love to hear about how you view the world climate, how it feels to you where you live. Is it just me, or does it seem like it's pretty gloomy and dark where the world is at right now.

[Hardy]

To be serious, right when I saw both buildings collapse, pentagon being destroyed, only 1 thing came through my mind, the Left Behind Series. I read all of them books, the ones that are out anyway. Its not to much in my mind now, since nothing else has happened. I live in Nebraska, and only 150 miles from the MAIN air force base which is located in Omaha, Nebraska. That does scare me a little bit knowing that that is probably the main target in a war. It is hard to get to though since it is in the middle of the US. On September 11, 2002, I got freaked kinda, I was watching the 9/11 tribute on CNN, when all of a sudden the TV goes out, I call all of my friends and they said they don't have TV either, at the same time, a airplane flying lower than normal, flyes over head. But then TV came back on, still not sure why the TV went out (kicks his cable company). I am knowing that anything could happen at any moment, which does scare me. Everytime I hear an airplane fly over head, I remember 9/11, a day I will never forget.

[Kolo]

My feelings on the whole thing right now...I really don't know. I think we are being left out of something. I think there are things going on that the general public has no clue about. Following are my opinions on the matter. If you dont like em, ignore it. We have the US Military performing operations which go incomplete (IE: Saddam). This only makes matters worse. In America there are a few people with really huge voiceboxes that complain if we accidentally bomb something that isnt a military target, then Congress votes and decides they arent going to get re-elected if they allow the military to continue operations and pretty much force a pull-out when the job's not done.
This only enfuriates the militia states into thinking the US is out to practice bombing other countries for the fun of it, to make someone famous, or that they may be able to "get away" with any actions made against us in favor of making them a more popular person in there country or the world. I had never heard of Osama until the 11th. As far as I know, we sent someone over there and waxed his whole family and now he's upset and wants revenge. That's just it...I don't have any clue what this guy is thinking, or why he would be upset at us...except that he thinks he might become world famous and live.
I'm sure I'm probably completely off base on this, but what am I supposed to think? I'm not saying he was in the right, in fact, I am completely appalled by what happened, I felt sick to my stomache, but I still pressed on. That wasnt going to stop me from going to work. It actually enticed me to go, to work harder. I think it brought out the patriotism that everyone has for this country. Unfortunately, it brought out the greedy, trying ot market on that, but I personally look at the flag more closely these days. I think of all the people who fought and still fight for our country. My little brother is aboard a Navy Destroyer that was sent over there as a carrier escort. The ship's not there anymore, but it could be in less than a day if it needed to be. That's the power America holds, but doesnt excess in. I think that tells more about the American beliefs than anything. Many countries in the past have attained that power and gotten greedy. I certainly hope that doesnt happen to us.
I just think that if we are provoked, we should show the world that we won't stop halfway. We need to complete the tasks we take on. I don't think there is a grey line, it's black and white, drawn on the ground. One one side is the goal and unfortunately we don't always get passed that line without turning back.
It gave me a erie feeling knowing that the world was going to be different "Post-September 11".

I hope my ramblings weren't too confusing. :\

[Arcalyn]

GET OFF THIS DAMN PLANET!

Seriously though, we have the tech, lets go explore!

This planet is soooooooooooo over-populated its NOT even funny!

If we(as a world of people) could spread out and utilize other resources then most problems/complaints would die off.

World hunger......less people = more food.
World peace........fight over territory? bah have a whole planet.
World debt..........if we explore we WILL find other resources, but if we keep launching up Teen Idols we'll never get anything done.
(shouldn't say that, because of the money NASA will garner from the transation)

[Trumpcard]

I agree 100% Arcalyn.

It amazes me everytime I hear some hillbilly spout off 'What do we need ta go into space for?'

I think the brunt of the population (lets say the bottom 70% iq wise) can't see the approaching dilemmas caused by overpopulation, overcrowding, and heightened resource consumption. Things grow exponentially, not linearly, so it's going to be progressing downhill alot faster. Unless we make some amazing leaps in transportation technology in the next 50-100 years, we're going to end up back in the stone ages (unless we blast ourselves there first).

By the time we realize our shortsightedness, it will most likely be about to late to do much for 90% of the population. I started reading the old 'Bio of a Space Tyrant' series again recently (Piers Anthony, great series for anyone that has the time), and it made me think about that again.

I'm glad to see NASA more active recently, but there really does need to be a global space agency, thats given enough money to actually make some real progress. Im seeing NASA starting to try to become self sufficient by catering more to big business, its only a matter of time before they are mass supporting corporate space ventures. Which is probably what they should do in my opinion.

[Windcatcher]

When I was in high school our Physics teacher would talk about how we didn't have to worry about war with the USSR, as we were only three miles from a primary target and would be vaporized instantly. You see, even though he was a Catholic Brother, in an earlier life he made ICBM rockets for the USAF (no, I'm not kidding). NASA even flew him down to Florida for a few months after Challenger exploded to inspect the wreckage. We all grew up thinking that the balloon would eventually go up and, if by some miracle it didn't immediately go nuclear, we would be fighting a land war against Soviet troops somewhere in Europe. Suffice to say, our outlook was bleak.

Today, my outlook is mixed. I'm not nearly as worried about being vaporized, and I'm rapidly nearing the cutoff age where I can't be drafted. Am I worried about Osama and nukes/dirty bombs? Not really. Even though terrorists would be more keen to use smuggled bombs, they don't have anywhere near the means to make them. The Soviets HAD them, and when I was growing up we all knew it. We also knew that the balance of power was the only thing stopping a war.

I'm glad I'm in my thirties, but I think it still might be too late for my generation. Population is going to become the single biggest issue in the next fifty years. If we think six billion people is a lot now, wait till we have nine--or twelve. I think a "one child" policy is a world-wide inevitability (I'm not saying it's morally right, just making a prediction). Here in the US, if we're really lucky, we MIGHT have fusion power by then, and will at least have electricity. We'll run out of drinking water in some areas long before then, though. Oil will be a huge issue too--I don't see it lasting another fifty years. In the US we could probably ramp up production lines a'la WWII for making electric cars in a hurry, but that would only strain the electrical grid even further. Not to mention that you can't run trucks and other heavy vehicles on them...which presents a problem if we wait until the very last dop of oil has gone before making the switch. No trucks, no domestic economy. Trust me--I know some truck drivers. Of course, this doesn't bode well at all for countries that can't mass-produce alternate transportation vehicles in a hurry.

We've always been worried about wars over oil. I'm starting to wonder if that's why we're talking about going after Saddam. Not because of a danger to us or even to Israel, but because an Iraq with nukes would completely upset the balance of power in the region. He could incinerate Riyadh and other key points in Saudi Arabia and simply roll in. It's not like the Saudis could stop him. Maybe there will be wars over oil. If not, I think there will eventually be wars over other more vital resources, especially water. No water=no crops=no food.

Okay, I'm depressed now.

[Trumpcard]

Anyone remember the movie 'The Last V8' starring Lee Majors?

Oh yea, oil supplies will be the 1st to go.

[Arcalyn]

the 6 million dollar man?

If I'm even remembering that title correctly?

[Baltar]

Good point WC. The only reason why we're screwing arround in the middle east is the oil resource. Media and gov won't tell you that, conspiracy? Perhaps they are thinking ahead to dwindling natural resources.

[DuDeMaN]

I, personally, arent TOO worried about things... of course im thinking about all the people (american, or other wise) that are going to be over there fightning for whatever the reason is. But unless your in Iraq, or right around the middle eastern area, i wouldn't be TOO worried about things... sure Suddam has nuclear weapons, but i'd be willing to bet we are prepaired for them, and could probably detect and get rid of the threat before they get here.. or... wherever they launch them too.

I used to live in Norfolk, VA, like where hardy lives, its a HUGE military naval/air force base city for those of you who do not know, and around 9/11... everything went into lock down, i couldn't even ride my bike onto base without them checking me for bombs/weapons, etc...and i was 16 then! So i think with this kind of security, we should be ok... I lived 2 blocks from the base for more then 14 years of my life, and ive been to air shows, ive seen/heard practice bombings, ive seen the battle ships fire their huge cannons, and what the jets we have are capable of doing, ive been on many Naval ships and Nuclear subs, and i can assure you all, the Iraqies or whoever it is that might help them, doesnt have far near as good technology as we do, which is what is all going to come down to. The ground, hand-to-hand fighting days are over, its going to be all about the technology, and who has what.... I mean even the troops that WILL be on the ground over there are better trained, better equiped, and probably have more experiance than any of their enemys, hell, its proven that about 78% of the people in iraq cant even read.... anyway, i dont think there is much to worry about.

The US isn't out for blood, they are after one person only, suddam... and once he is caught/killed... it will be pretty much over, now how long that man hunt goes on is very hard to tell...

[Kolo]

Arcalyn brings up a valid point, even though I think he wants me off his planet, and others have enforced his point. If we invest more time in research, we may have no need nor concern with Iraq. Many companies are testing alternative fuels like Hydrogen, which if used correctly is as safe as water, in fact, the theory behind it would produce said byproduct. We wouldnt need to depend on fossil fuels.
I dont think we are close enough to space travel yet, but it doesnt hurt to invest into the researching of it. Most of the technology research should be toward making life more reasonable, IMHO. If you didnt have to worry about the bills or how you were going to eat, you could focus more time on self improvement and technological endeavours. Sure, if some of us didnt have bills, and a constant supply of food, we'd sit infront of the TV or computer all day, but after a while, that would get tiring. I don't know how the world would handle this event if it were to happen, but nobody really knows what tomorrow will bring.

Sorry, but after posting I read through again. WC, with the Earth being composed of 75% surface water, I don't think we would run out that quick. It could get polluted or tainted in some way, but that would be the only reason I see for someone selling water as a resource. If one day we did space travel, I would think that we could "fuse" ourselves together some water without a problem.

[Trumpcard]

I don't see water as being a big problem, once they figure out decent mass desailinization techniques, we're fine. We are in much more danger of alot of other resources. Ozone/atmosphereic concerns are much bigger on my list (and believe me, Im no tree hugger), but vegetation creates 30-40% of the breathable atmosphere, and ocean plankton does alot of the rest. More people= more living space = less natural areas + greater resource consumption. The root of the problem is population. Mother nature senses these things every so often and throws out an antibody to help with the problem. Aids is a good example, get the virus in its reproductive cycle.

You can either stem the problem off by enforcing limited breeding programs. I am of the opion that every girl, once they reach breeding age should be given Norplant implants yearly until they reach the age of 21, then there should be a child cap based on income. It's not perfect, but it stems the problem. The issue comes in when you consider civil liberties. I think that to ensure the survival of the species, certain civil liberties need to be suspended. A couple hundred years of controlled breeding, and we should be ok again. Its a well known fact from population studies that as areas become more densely populated, aggressive tendancies become more pronounced.

The world needs to do something to buy itself some more time...

[Arcalyn]

Too many people! Where's Hitler when you need him!?!

I say screw stopping people from having kids, you TRUELY wanna get a population cap going? and make room for more people?

GET rid of everyone 70 years old and older!

I mean come on how many of you have grandparents that are taking up space in a 2,3 or 4 bedroom house?

That house could be supporting a family just starting out in life!

Instead its been wasted by people that DONT need that much room!

And don't get me started on Actors/Musicians, WTF do you need a house with 3+ acres for? to show off, they can't tell me they're planning on starting a football league.

I say put a CAP on how much an individual can make a year, lets say $100,000.
If you did that Jim Carey's 20mil dollar movie could've paid the salary of 200 people!
And hell for that matter if we sold off Bill Gates(net worth 29Bil), we could have paid the salary of 200,000 people for one year at $100,000 each.

Life begins to suck when you realise your not unique, for every skill you have there are 100+ other people with those same skills waiting to take your place in ANYTHING you do!

[Symarra]

All we need is Love & a female president!

[Arcalyn]

Sorry for my post, was in a bad mood at the time.

Obviously.

[jard]

I'm worried about our future. I look at it this way history always repeats itself and I dont want to be stuck in the middle of another depression or to see our country go down the tubes like other super power nations before use (ie. Rome or more recently U.S.S.R).

Saddam is a tyrant like Castro and many others. I've seen what people will do to get away from an opressive goverment. I was on a Naval ship outside Cuba when the Cubans began leaving in '94' and those people were desprate to get out of there they would risk death at sea for the chance at a life someplace else. I pulled a 9 year old boy who left on his own because he had no real family to take care of him, when we found him he was in a innertube for a large truck tire with a pair of flippers on his feet with no food or water and no land in sight. We pulled 804 refugees out of the water in 72 hours.

I think its time to pool our resources to explore our solar system. That way if our planet becomes uninhabitable because we destroy it or some natural event occur's we as a race will continue. And a little extra breathing room never hurts.



Just my 2cp

[Skullphoenix01]

Ill give you one word for whats needed in this world.

Solidarity

[a_Guest03]

You wanna know the truth about what I worry about? I worry that nobody will take the time to slow down and understand the nature of man. I worry that we won't let dead people die to make room for new people or new animal life. Why can't we just stop using antibiotics until there's an outbreak of something? We waste so much tactical safety for the human race on saving people when they DON'T NEED SAVED. Let's let people die once in a damn while... Let population grow at its healthy ORIGINAL rate, and stop mooking around with creating more people. What happened to natural selection, and why don't we just let it go again? I really don't think it would be THAT BAD if we all got in a war. Either you're dead or you're not. I have to agree that I don't want to die as much as the next guy, but there has to be a cutoff, a final day for us all. We used to live 30 years if we were lucky. What happened!? My great grandma died at 98! Life has a cycle, and we should just do our best to live our lives close to that cycle. Otherwise, we become dependent on our current safety nets, and TONS of us will die all at once when it doesn't work anymore.

That's why I don't go to the doctor unless I need help getting to the doctor. I want my kids to have pissed off immune systems. I kicked off life with a hernia and scarlet fever. If I can live through that, forget doctors until my teeth hurt. If nobody else wants to let normal diseases spread normally, then I guess I'll let my DNA adapt one way and let everyone else pick their own way. But defensive DNA and antibiotics do a hell of a lot more than weak DNA and antibiotics.

Good luck to the world; I won't be here at the end.

[Trumpcard]

Are you in the church of Christian Science?

[Baltar]

A_guest, I see where your saying, but we cant let murderers go arround rampaging. It will take millions of years for the human race to adapt to a desease. And in some cases we can't adapt. Take AIDS for example. It has the capability of wiping out the entire race. We have reached our current state of technology by keeping a healthy (or unhealthy) balance of nature management. If we can stay along the middle ground we can prolong the human race to a longer point. We can only rely on evolution to a point, because in the end we will all die eventually. Evolution for the most part accelarates the process.

[a_Guest03]

These diseases DO NOT have the ability to wipe out the entire human race. AIDS has such a sporadic incubation period that those who have long periods will outlive the rest. Smallpox didn't kill everyone. The bubonic plague didn't kill everyone. Even NUKES won't kill EVERYONE. It takes a hell of a lot to beat down the human race. We'll probably take a big hit and won't have Windows 98 anymore, but we'll still be moving along until the worldwide climate is no longer able to support us.

If these diseases that are around now had the ability to wipe us out, we'd see percentages like 68% of a generation killed by smallpox, and the death numbers would be higher than the birth rates... I haven't serious death rates happen for quite some time, at least not globally. And the strong death rates we've seen have rarely lasted an entire century, aside maybe from smallpox and the bubonic plague, to which people a) were not exposed to in large parts of the world due to the high death rate or b) were partially immune. Disease requires an incubation period to continue to spread unless it feeds on something other than people. Its continued growth requires that animals or people or plants still exist nearby. A disease doesn't usually kill off entire species without help.