A way to end the world

There is a Scientific American article available on line that presents some compelling evidence that some past extinctions in the earth's history were triggered by green house gasses (CO2) reaching critical levels in the atmostphere. The idea is not that CO2 itself caused the extinctions, but that anomalously increased CO2, which in the case of the extinctions could have been the result of unusual volcanism, triggered the prosperity of certain anaerobic bateria which in turn generate H2S. These bacteria are always present (like, they are out there right now, just waiting), but the suggestion is that under certain conditions they can be productive to the detriment of nearly every other living thing.

The article frets that this mechanism can be triggered for CO2 levels somewhere between 500 and 1000 ppm. As all aficionados of Al Gore and "An Inconvenient Truth" should know, for the last half million years and up until two hundred years ago the maximum CO2 concentration was never greater than 300 ppm. However, thanks to human diligence since the onset of the industrial revolution, it has climbed to 400 ppm, and is continuing to increase at a rate of 2 ppm per year. With no change in our behavior the 500 ppm mark will have been exceeded well before the end of this century. Things could get stinky for our grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Another thought triggered by the passing of Ann Richards

During the summer of 1968 I had just begun graduate school. An indication of my political leanings can be inferred from the fact that I would vote for Nixon in the coming November (Four years later I would cast a vote for McGovern, and in retrospect, I wish that I could have cast a million for him).

There were two assassinations that year: first, Martin Luther King, and then later, Robert Kennedy. After one of them, the second I believe, my future research advisor, who was from Massachusetts (at least he had gone to MIT) was emotionally devastated. It was the only time I saw him weep. At my young age, I was somewhat puzzled by this, although I think he was no more than a half dozen years older than I.

After nearly four more decades, and seeing more of the disappointments of life, his response makes a little more sense.

Ann Richards 1933 - 2006

Poor George [Bush], he can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.

I have very strong feelings about how you lead your life. You always look ahead, you never look back.

I believe in recovery, and I believe that as a role model I have the responsibility to let young people know that you can make a mistake and come back from it.

Teaching was the hardest work I had ever done, and it remains the hardest work I have done to date.

I have a real soft spot in my heart for librarians and people who care about books.

Let me tell you, sisters, seeing dried egg on a plate in the morning is a lot dirtier than anything I've had to deal with in politics.

On How to Be a Good Republican: "You have to believe that the nation's current 8-year prosperity was due to the work of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, but yesterday's gasoline prices are all Clinton's fault. ... You have to believe that those privileged from birth achieve success all on their own. ...You have to be against all government programs, but expect Social Security checks on time. ... You have to believe God hates homosexuality, but loves the death penalty. ... You have to believe in prayer in schools, as long as you don't pray to Allah or Buddha. ... You have to believe speaking a few Spanish phrases makes you instantly popular in the barrio. ... You have to be against government interference in business, until your oil company, corporation or Savings and Loan is about to go broke and you beg for a government bail out. ... You love Jesus and Jesus loves you and, by the way, Jesus shares your hatred for AIDS victims, homosexuals, and President Clinton. ... You have to believe a poor, minority student with a disciplinary history and failing grades will be admitted into an elite private school with a $1,000 voucher. "

I thought I knew Texas pretty well, but I had no notion of its size until I campaigned it.

I'm really glad that your young people missed the Depression I'm really glad that your young people missed the Depression and missed the big war. But I do regret that they missed the leaders that I knew, leaders who told us when things were tough and that we'd have to sacrifice, and that these difficulties might last awhile. They brought us together and they gave us a sense of national purpose.

I have always had the feeling I could do anything and my dad told me I could. I was in college before I found out he might be wrong.

They blame the low income women for ruining the country because they are staying home with their children and not going out to work. They blame the middle income women for ruining the country because they go out to work and do not stay home to take care of their children.

There is a lot more to life than just struggling to make money.

I feel very strongly that change is good because it stirs up the system.

I have very strong feelings about how you lead your life. You always look ahead, you never look back.

But I'll tell you something sort of interesting. There's something, you know, there's something a little scary about funny women. Well, they're threatening. And there was a survey done one time where they asked women what they were most afraid of from men. And the— their response was they were most afraid of being hit or beaten or hurt from men. And they asked men what they were most afraid of from women, and they said being laughed at.

If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you don't, you're simply ducking your responsibilities.

... and my favorite:

I am delighted to be here with you this evening because after listening to George Bush all these years, I figured you needed to know what a real Texas accent sounds like. [1988 keynote address, Democratic National Convention]