Is this the Begining of the End !

[Roxoff]

(Not to mention that there are 6+ billion of us.)

In fact, that is actualy the problem!

Is it? Having a large population is both a blessing and a curse...

On the one hand, we're changing the environment in which we live, we do this because we release energy through burning carbon-based fuels which took what (to our species) were harmful substances out of the environment, the release of such substances is making the planet harder to live in for us, and the more of us there are, the quicker this release of toxins will be

But on the other hand, for our species to survive such pressures as global epidemics of diseases and changes to environment, it needs to evolve and grow, and that means genetic diversity. The species will, every once in a while, spawn random genetic mutations, if these are worse than the previous genetic sequences, then those carrying them will die out, if they're better, then they'll rise above the rest of the species and become dominant. The more individuals there are, the more chance of the species developing mutations that will strengthen it.

[gorgeous lucky luke]

Roxoff wrote

gorgeous lucky luke wrote:
Quote:
(Not to mention that there are 6+ billion of us.)

In fact, that is actualy the problem!


Is it? Having a large population is both a blessing and a curse...

Ok, I agree it is not a simple question, So rather than write pages and pages of facts and figures, I am going to throw a few metaphors around and rely on your inteligence.

A formulation of Malthus as used in Control Engineering could be uncontroled growth leads to uncontroled collapse. While having a population of six billion is not in itself a problem, The current situation, which doesn't need to be described, is almost certainely untenable. shortsighted and potentialy catostrophic. It doesn't really matter what your perspective, the whole setup is unbalanced and uncontroled.

To go back to the bunny rabbit analogy that is usualy used to introduce Malthus, The control mechanism is predation. cf lemmings. The population of foxes fluxuates in proportion to the population of rabbits. Everything achieves a nice kind of cyclical harmony and the system remains stable. Interfere with the populaation of foxes and while initialy evrything looks good for the rabbits, in the long run the population of rabbits falls drasticaly. the system has become unstable.

I would suggest that most of the problems facing the human race are related to uncontroled growth.

Finaly to get back to the real world, the UK goverment has just announced that it is including one of the more common bird flu strains in its annual vaccination programme

[Ronny]

I voted YES!

Because if you look at it in a real way... the end is ALWAYS near!
EVERYTHING always has an end to it. Even when you just begun
something, it is the beginning of the end.

As soon as you are born, you are dying! Everyday you are one day
closer to your death. It IS the beginning of the end.

There is ALWAYS an end to everything and technically, it IS the
beginning of the end in anything you do.

[cayalee]

As soon as you are born, you are dying! Everyday you are one day
closer to your death. It IS the beginning of the end.

my god your a cheery fellow

i'm not really that concerned about it to be honest, the people that have been struck down with it have usually been the ones that are masively exposed to birds, as far as i know its quite hard to get infected with. even so, a reasonably efficient government should be able quarantine it as human and bird contact isnt that big a thing really.

[Roxoff]

...even so, a reasonably efficient government should be able quarantine...

And where, pray, are we to find this 'reasonably efficient government' in the western world? I live in the UK, where local government is as inefficient as ever, national government with it's quangos and working parties is a joke, yet even this is overshadowed by the EU which is a black hole for money with little coming out the other end.

Maybe we are all doomed...

[techieMoe]

I'm locking this thread because I am just personally tired of all this negative "the sky is falling" crap. Complain to whomever if you're bothered, but I have a roughly 125mph category 3 hurricane barreling toward my back door so you'll excuse me if I couldn't care less about global warming, chemtrails, Raelians or some bird sellers on another continent getting a nasty case of avian flu. Let's move on to helping folks with Linux.