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ORIGINAL: LadyEllen


If it is occurring because of us, then there is little or nothing we are prepared to do about it. But then that is hardly any wonder, after all its not likely to be us that is displaced or dies from whatever the consequences might be – it will be poor people round the world whom we will watch on TV whilst eating steak.

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ORIGINAL: pahunkboy
large banks are custodians of the public money. we see how they mismanaged and squandered such monies.

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The same banks will be handling cap and trade monies.

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To this I say- fool me once shame on you- fool me twice- shame on me.

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ORIGINAL: tnai

Well someone doesn't like people (or themself) very much! I don't think because hundreds of countries represented by thousands of people can't come to a quick and easy solution for a problem that is very complicated (and many people feel is being over stated) shows that we are bad folk. And it sure don't show that banks are good or bad. I'll pray for you.

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ORIGINAL: SL4V3M4YB3

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ORIGINAL: pahunkboy
large banks are custodians of the public money. we see how they mismanaged and squandered such monies.

People are basically greedy they expect to put money in a bank and watch it grow. When all is going well and the risks pay off people are delighted with their banks. However when the risk taking (that is constantly occurring) goes wrong then people throw their arms up in outrage and claim the banks should be left to go bust; every bank except the bank that contains their money that is!

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ORIGINAL: LadyEllen

It might be amazing that so many miss what ought to be a fairly simple point, but then given how often that seems to occur, probably not.

"Follow the gourd"

E

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ORIGINAL: willbeurdaddy

I assume that wasnt addressed to me, it was, I have no clue what youre trying to say.

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ORIGINAL: tnai

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ORIGINAL: willbeurdaddy

I assume that wasnt addressed to me, it was, I have no clue what youre trying to say.

No that was for LadyE. Anyone who thinks that God or Karma should destroy mankind has some issues.

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ORIGINAL: LadyEllen


If it is occurring, for reasons unconnected with us, then there is little or nothing we should be able to do about it anyway – we have either had our turn on the planet or we haven’t, and it will come to an end one day anyway.

< BIG SNIP >

What a desperately unpleasant species we are; our destruction, whether by climate change or whatever, is almost certainly inevitable and will have been well deserved, should there be any sort of God or Karma in the cosmos to pass judgment.

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ORIGINAL: vincentML

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ORIGINAL: LadyEllen


If it is occurring, for reasons unconnected with us, then there is little or nothing we should be able to do about it anyway – we have either had our turn on the planet or we haven’t, and it will come to an end one day anyway.

< BIG SNIP >

What a desperately unpleasant species we are; our destruction, whether by climate change or whatever, is almost certainly inevitable and will have been well deserved, should there be any sort of God or Karma in the cosmos to pass judgment.

The earth has been going through transformations for 5000 million years. Our species or relatives have rented space for maybe one or two million years. (I can never keep up with the latest findings) That is just like spit in the ocean. No reason to believe our species is destined to survive except in our own minds. My money is on the roaches.

And why should it matter to any of us what the final outcome is of life on this planet before it is consumed by the expanding sun?

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evolution on the Beach, March 18, 2004

By     Barry Floyd "Secular Humanist" (New Jersey, USA)

At over 640 pages, Evolution-by award winning author Stephen Baxter, a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge and South-Ampton Universities-may not be exactly the sort of light reading one may think to bring to the beach this summer; however, its underling warning for the Human species may be a reminder of that other book concerning beaches.

Evolution is perhaps the most interesting novel I have come across concerning the fate of humanity if we stay on our current course. But, rather than offer the reader the usual, overblown apocalyptic Sci Fi novel, or beating us over the head with a righteous morality play, Evolution takes the scientific route toward offering a subtle but very effective message.

That message: We'd better begin to learn to cooperate as well as we compete or we Homo-Sapiens have already passed our prime.

Evolution begins 65 Million Years ago when the comet which ended the reign of the dinosaurs on Earth was as bright in the sky as the sun. Baxter shows us the "lifestyle" of some of the late Cretaceous reptiles & birds from the "point of view" of the first primates-mousy little fur balls which hid from the thunder lizards by burrowing underground in the forests. Baxter names each animal we encounter-again, as the primates would see them-to give us a sense of the primates' existence and "state of mind"-as simple as some of those early minds were. This interesting technique allows the reader to partly identify with what occurs to these creatures on their road to modernity. We experience what it means to be human by what it meant to be each of these creatures in an ever changing environment.

In essence, Evolution is a story of existence, adaptation, survival and extinction.

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ORIGINAL: LadyEllen

OK. I’ve been holding this one back for a while now, but in the spirit of the season lets go for it.

It does not matter, repeat it does not matter, not one iota, whether climate change is or is not occurring, still less does it matter, if it is occurring, whether it is or isn’t caused by man.

If it is occurring, for reasons unconnected with us, then there is little or nothing we should be able to do about it anyway – we have either had our turn on the planet or we haven’t, and it will come to an end one day anyway.

If it is occurring because of us, then there is little or nothing we are prepared to do about it. But then that is hardly any wonder, after all its not likely to be us that is displaced or dies from whatever the consequences might be – it will be poor people round the world whom we will watch on TV whilst eating steak.

And if it isn’t occurring at all, then what’s the problem?

In this whole episode, now that the great majority of scientists and nations are agreed there is a problem that needs addressing, the one great lesson we can draw is that presented to us in small ways every day of our lives but here writ large, on a global scale.

That ultimately we don’t give a flying fuck for our fellow man if its going to adversely affect us and ours. That ultimately all our charity and philanthropy is determined purely by our own selfish motives to feel warm and fuzzy inside and few are prepared to give or do more than what amounts to spare change that they don’t need. That ultimately it is our fear and distrust of others, our covetous jealousy and contempt that drive us, and when push comes to shove, despite our fine and noble pronouncements to the contrary we will gladly condemn millions to suffering if it means we might prosper.

What a desperately unpleasant species we are; our destruction, whether by climate change or whatever, is almost certainly inevitable and will have been well deserved, should there be any sort of God or Karma in the cosmos to pass judgment.

May the spirit of the holiday be with you and good will prevail unto all men, until the 26th anyway. After that, its open season again.

E

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ORIGINAL: vincentML
The "risks" being taken were leaveraged 43 dollars "invested" to one real dollar available to cover mortgage bundles no one understood and were falsely rated and with insurance policies which in turn were naked. All with the permission of the regulatory agencies and Federal Reserve who looked the other way.

Some of these investment bankers should be in fucking jail along with the rating agencies and the Fed chairmen.

Taxpayers and working people have a damn good case for outrage.

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ORIGINAL: SL4V3M4YB3

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ORIGINAL: pahunkboy
large banks are custodians of the public money. we see how they mismanaged and squandered such monies.

People are basically greedy they expect to put money in a bank and watch it grow. When all is going well and the risks pay off people are delighted with their banks. However when the risk taking (that is constantly occurring) goes wrong then people throw their arms up in outrage and claim the banks should be left to go bust; every bank except the bank that contains their money that is!

quote:


The same banks will be handling cap and trade monies.

Probably it would be done through the IMF and central banks so not the same banks that you and I use.

quote:


To this I say- fool me once shame on you- fool me twice- shame on me.

You forgot the line you usually put in saying "Buy Gold!" It's quite funny I assume when you buy this gold you aren’t actually keeping it in your house but instead are using a financial institution to act as go between similar to a bank? Yet you trust this organisation when it issues you with a certificate?

Humm strange.