Comments on: Guest Voice: Global Starving

By: wacokid

wacokid — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:39:58 +0000

Incidentally, since I did write a lot of stuff – here they are::
Seduction of Silence, Journal of a Reluctant Widow
The Waco Kids, Barefoot Girl with Cheek
I'm a Noodle, You're a Noodle, Will you Marry me.
I Forgot to Get Old
Butterfly Chronicles
My new book – not out yet – If You Can't Walk, Fly

By: wacokid

wacokid — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:36:42 +0000

Alan, I don't know if you remember me but I have been waiting for your book
Confessions of a Catnip Junkie. Being a writer of the Waco Kids plus a few others, I met you at one of those workshops in Noe Valley where you were the only one that said something positive about an excerpt that I read from The Waco Kids. I never returned since from what I heard you were the only writer in the bunch. Do you still write for the West Portal News ? After my first book, I self published with Xlibris since I wanted to see my words between covers. Helen Lewison - helenlew@pacbell.net - www.helenlewison.com
All of this and yet I haven't hit it rich or even a few bucks, but I keep writing anyway.

By: AllanGoldstein

AllanGoldstein — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:50:30 +0000

Well, you're half right. This is a playpen, but the other kids on the swing set known as San Francisco would blow lunch if I called myself a "leftie." By the standards of this town my politics are slightly to the right of Mussolini.

No, I'm no San Francisco liberal. It's worse than that--I moved here for the Giants.

With that out of way this pigeon will briefly stick his head out of the hole into which he was misplaced, long enough to make another point: It is not corporations that are evil, nor politicians, consumers or scientists.

Hubris is the enemy. We can debate the merits of the computer models that are used to make the global warming case until Hell thaws over--and we probably will. But the real world decisions we are making right now have consequences, right now.

Maybe mother nature is sick and maybe she isn't, I don't know and neither do you. But what we DO about it could well be worse than the disease. Go easy, that's all I'm saying, we don't know as much as we think we do.

And if we must treat "patient earth" for its fever, let's remember the deathless words of the Surgeon General of Ancient Greece as we apply the remedy:

"First, do no harm."

By: DLS

DLS — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:50:54 +0000

[yawn] A playpen leftie joins the Chorus of the Day, taking sides among competing sets of whiners. Biofuels were a greater miracle than stem cell research — until some discovered that some of their pet Victims elsewhere in the world might suffer more. But more importantly: Evil Corporations might benefit from biofuels! That did it. Ignore any success (which the Left opposes most of all, anyway). It's time to reverse course completely on biofuels, at least unti more politically correct alternatives can gain the PC seal of approval.

It's also ironic how such purveyors of fiction (and worse) dare refer to “deniers.”

By: pacatrue

pacatrue — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:52:34 +0000

Thanks for the essay, mikkel.

By: mikkel

mikkel — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:59:47 +0000

This suggests another aspect, which is rules that prevented developing countries from favoring one industry over another through government action.

By: pacatrue

pacatrue — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:52:34 +0000

Thanks for the essay, mikkel.

By: mikkel

mikkel — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:59:47 +0000

This suggests another aspect, which is rules that prevented developing countries from favoring one industry over another through government action.

By: DaveA

DaveA — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:05:16 +0000

Ethanol from corn is indeed a poor choice given how much energy you get out of it versus the cost to make it. Biodiesle is far far better. But that is another topic. But you are forgetting that there are three other components (at least) in rising food costs.

1) Production of food costs energy, when energy costs increase so do food prices. Water issues are also a big deal here too, and are adding to cost.
2) Transportation of food takes now more expensive energy
3) Weather has not been favorable for grains lately..

All of these probably have much bigger impact than ethanol produciton, although that is not helping no doubt

By: cognitorex

cognitorex — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 06:47:57 +0000

Carbon gods and three pound brains
If one allometrically scales the taxon mammals for encephalization quotient the results indicate that man and the porpoise are most equal. This affinity, (i.e. similar brain weight) alone could explain why porpoises and humans interact so well.
Also, whales, followed by elephants, rank highest in brain size surpassing the three-pound brain weight of man and porpoise.
These facts lead one to a complete teleological construct for the animal kingdom, plants included, and the universe: an all inclusive religion.
Simply stated, plants and man, each of carbon and water, seek similar corporal and spiritual nourishment, hallmarked by the “big brains” speaking or singing their love of God (generic).
It is a beautiful theory. All existence, all spirituality, gloriously, harmoniously, and ever so upliftingly encapsulated.
Man and plants together turn to the same spiritual sun and the hauntingly beautiful whale songs are psalms to God, hymns to the infinite.
Oh crap! It appears that female whales can’t or don’t or aren’t allowed to sing.
What a God darn bummer. Well, it was a nice oasis of spirituality while it lasted.