Many of you may be familiar with a program on Public TV (in the US) called NOVA, . Tonight's episode had different segments covering different aspects of science. One of which had to do with mass extinctions that have supposedly (or actually, I guess) happened numerous times during the lifetime of our planet. 
There have been many theories concerning the cause(s) of these mass extinctions, including giant meteorites hitting the earth and causing the dinosaurs and other forms of life to disappear. The theory presented in tonight's episode proposes massive burps of poisonous sulfur based gases produced by uncontrollable growth of certain types of bacteria that thrive in the oceans when oxygen levels are depleted due to the warm up of the atmosphere and rise in water temperature. That is to say, that mass extinctions have occurred by massive poisoning.
Later, I came to my computer and saw headlines on the BBC News web page, of two stories that seemed very minor in the larger scheme of things which our world is going through these days. Really small, and probably should not have taken space on the web page.
One is about a former Russian spy who has been poisoned (allegedly) by the KGB. The other, is about rare Abyssinian lion cubs that are being poisoned at a zoo in Ethiopia's capital (for lack of funds).
Poison gasses in the atmosphere, a poisoned former spy, poisoned lion cubs .. too much poison for one day?
I already said, that these are very minor stories in and of themselves, still, I think they are reminders of other ills that plague us. Much larger ills.
I remain optimistic. We are emerging slowly from adolescence toward maturity. Still, these words keep ringing in my ears, not to bring me down, but to think about, ... to contemplate on :
"O YE THAT ARE LYING AS DEAD ON THE COUCH OF HEEDLESSNESS! [...] ye walk on My earth complacent and self-satisfied, heedless that My earth is weary of you and everything within it shunneth you. Were ye but to open your eyes, ye would, in truth, prefer a myriad griefs unto this joy, ... "
There have been many theories concerning the cause(s) of these mass extinctions, including giant meteorites hitting the earth and causing the dinosaurs and other forms of life to disappear. The theory presented in tonight's episode proposes massive burps of poisonous sulfur based gases produced by uncontrollable growth of certain types of bacteria that thrive in the oceans when oxygen levels are depleted due to the warm up of the atmosphere and rise in water temperature. That is to say, that mass extinctions have occurred by massive poisoning.
Later, I came to my computer and saw headlines on the BBC News web page, of two stories that seemed very minor in the larger scheme of things which our world is going through these days. Really small, and probably should not have taken space on the web page.
One is about a former Russian spy who has been poisoned (allegedly) by the KGB. The other, is about rare Abyssinian lion cubs that are being poisoned at a zoo in Ethiopia's capital (for lack of funds).
Poison gasses in the atmosphere, a poisoned former spy, poisoned lion cubs .. too much poison for one day?I already said, that these are very minor stories in and of themselves, still, I think they are reminders of other ills that plague us. Much larger ills.
I remain optimistic. We are emerging slowly from adolescence toward maturity. Still, these words keep ringing in my ears, not to bring me down, but to think about, ... to contemplate on :
"O YE THAT ARE LYING AS DEAD ON THE COUCH OF HEEDLESSNESS! [...] ye walk on My earth complacent and self-satisfied, heedless that My earth is weary of you and everything within it shunneth you. Were ye but to open your eyes, ye would, in truth, prefer a myriad griefs unto this joy, ... "
1 comment:
Poor lions, who did that with them?
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