Verrrrry Interestingggg . . .

[Christian Van H]

Here ya go I.D. : http://www.ted.com/speakers/hans_rosling.html Brilliant stuff!

[DeepFrz]

Women need to be educated, and have easily available birth control, There is pretty sound statistical evidence that then they will voluntarily have fewer children.

Yes, but...men also need to be educated. In many (most) parts of the world women just do not have the power of choice.

Thanks everyone for the discourse. I must admit the video stunned me as well. I have known, as have you, that our planet was in trouble, but I had no idea the sea was in quite the trouble she is in. I too have felt powerless, but I think the time is here that I shake off that feeling of powerlessness and get working, in whatever small way I can.

[Christian Van H]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Yes, but...men also need to be educated. In many (most) parts of the world women just do not have the power of choice.

Agreed, but really now... dont you think that even young men and women know where babies come from? How 'bout EASILY accessible reliable modern birth control for MEN and WOMEN? Isnt it about time? We must reduce the pressure on our beloved Earth and Oceans. Can you imagine cruising to a Bahamas with nothing left living to see below the surface? Strangest thing... several people who just read that last line think I'm a creep for posting it. I can guarantee it.

[skipmac]

First went diving in the FL keys in the early seventies, the last time a few years ago. The difference in the coral reefs over thirty years is huge. The remaining coral and fish life, even in the protected areas of Pennekamp Park is a dim shadow of what was there in the past.

I dove an incredible reef off the NW tip of Long Island in the Bahamas in the mid seventies. It was acres of perfect staghorn coral. I went back ten years later and it was all completely dead. Nothing left but bleached bones of the coral covered with algae.

I've been diving in Jamaica and the video on TED was 100% correct. I did not see a fish bigger than 6-8" in two days of diving. Everything bigger had been eaten.

I don't need to see any scientific studies to know that the reefs in this part of the world are dying and fish populations are being wiped out. Even if you don't believe in global climate changes you cannot deny the changes in the oceans. The ecosystem is so big and so complex I do not believe anyone could accurately predict the results but the possibilities scare me, a lot.

[Jim D]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Wow, I'm very surprised. Not one comment from an upscale, nature loving crowd such as this. I would think this presentation would spark outrage.

I saw it was an 18 minute video, and didn't go further. Not that it wasn't a compelling topic, mind you. I admit to being an adult ADD victim, however. I will give it another go, and do it with a glass of something red.

[sabray]

Originally Posted by flysci

That's the us he said we must change - the selfish us that cares only about our own convenience and pleasure. What happened to sacrifice for the common good?

I think, first, we could all atop eating commercially caught fish. We no longer eat wild animals, 'cause we'd rather have them out there IN the wild. It's time to stop eating wild fish.

Margo

commercially caught Alaskan salmon tops the list of environmentally friendly fish foods above farm raised products. I'll post a link to the Data when I'm on a real computer

[sabray]

Farmed vs. Fresh Fish | NCGA
That's one of them. Just to show that Kermit was right. I'm more concerned about the US intake and disharge of resouces per person being grossly above and beyond any nation. Waste produced per person were number one water consumed were number one focile fuel burned were number one. And in it goes and not just number one no one else comes close.

Originally Posted by sabray

commercially caught Alaskan salmon tops the list of environmentally friendly fish foods above farm raised products. I'll post a link to the Data when I'm on a real computer

[boatman61]

Hohohoho.... this is gonna be fun........ Here we go..
1/ Every child on reaching Puberty should have an operation(reversible)that prevents pregnancy... hell... the Holy Joes of all Religions can probably come up with some ritual for it... they did for me at a certain age... it didn't half hurt..
and I had no say in the matter...
2/ The Operation can only be reversed when they have reached an acceptable age/financial status to support children and marry... State approval required..
3/ They are only permitted one child of each sex.. genetically manipulated if necessary.
4/ Once the second child is born both adults are permanently sterilized..

Natural selection, disease, accidents, wars, etc, will then erode the human mountain very quickly and hopefully induce a greater value and respect for life than we have at present... hopefully this respect will spread enough to cover the Natural World...
The God Squads seems to think the Planet and all in it are ours to use and abuse as we wish... just wish they could READ...
We were I believe, supposed to be "Caretakers" of this Creation..
Instead we are the..
Human
Insanity
Virus
that is slowly destroying the immune system of this Living Planet...

Time to start killing of the Virus guys n gals...

A non Fish Eater

[sww914]

After he did a great job of making me feel bad and want to do something, he should have offered some solutions. I don''t intrinsically know what to do. He is clearly an expert. He should know what to do and tell us.

[DeepFrz]

sww914, if you don't know what you can do by now, him telling you probably would not help. You wouldn't believe him anyway.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by sww914

After he did a great job of making me feel bad and want to do something, he should have offered some solutions. I don''t intrinsically know what to do. He is clearly an expert. He should know what to do and tell us.

Stop being Sheep and start leading by example... why do people always use the excuse "No one told me what to do..!"
Thought the purpose of EDUCATION was to instill/inspire independent thought..
And the armed Forces to knock it back out of you...LMAO

[flysci]

Originally Posted by boatman61

... State approval required..

Yikes! I dunno, Phil. Sounds scary to me. Though I totally understand the frustration behind such a suggestion.

Since the same end can be reached through education, enlightenment, and freely available birth control, I'd vote for the latter approach. I know it seems slow given the dire state of the planet - but I think our own enlightened views would prevent such draconian means. Fun to think about though!

Margo

[conachair]

Originally Posted by sww914

After he did a great job of making me feel bad and want to do something, he should have offered some solutions. I don''t intrinsically know what to do. He is clearly an expert. He should know what to do and tell us.

No one can tell you what to do. There are no solutions. If humans were capable of having any influence on their development as a species it would have happened already. Civilisations come and go, species come and go. No one is in control.

I think ID was right about the tequila. No point letting it ruin your day

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by flysci

Yikes! I dunno, Phil. Sounds scary to me. Though I totally understand the frustration behind such a suggestion.

Since the same end can be reached through education, enlightenment, and freely available birth control, I'd vote for the latter approach. I know it seems slow given the dire state of the planet - but I think our own enlightened views would prevent such draconian means. Fun to think about though!

Margo

LOL... having helped a friend move from Vermont to Nth Carolina and seen the hoops she had to jump through in the process...
you guys seem pretty Draconian already...
Had less hassle moving from the UK to Portugal..

Education and Enlightenment has failed for the last 5000yrs... and birth control.. waste of time if its voluntary as the increasing number of single teenage moms demonstrates..
WAR seems to be Mankinds only successful solution to date...

[conachair]

Originally Posted by boatman61

WAR seems to be Mankinds only successful solution to date...

Though the black death seems to be the only thing that has made any real reduction in population levels. Hope I´m not around if anything like that occurs again. Now where´s that tequila...