Things don’t look good for Mother Earth, sports fans. Many scientists say that if we don’t start to reverse global warming within the next ten years, it’s lights out—and don’t call the electric company to get the power turned back on. (Oh well, we don’t seem to care as long as we get the kids to soccer practice.)
And then there’s nuclear war. Every nation wants a radioactive toy to play with these days, although I don’t know why. Even limited nuclear exchanges, as nincompoop generals refer to them, will send radiation into the atmosphere across the globe. Chernobyl has sent cancer rates skyrocketing in Europe as far north as Scandinavia, and rates are expected to stay high for the next twenty-five years. A tequila sunrise should be imbibed, not seen on the horizon.
And then there are those pesky little rocks and comets tumbling through the solar system. The one in the pic is named Mathilde. Another, called Apophis, will come within 18,000 miles of earth in 2029. But the problem is that these chunks of ice and iron-nickel are hard to detect, and not many folks are looking for them except the scientists featured on The Discovery Channel, and they seem to have limited political clout. It is entirely possible, say scientists, that an asteroid or comet might be headed straight for earth and not be detected until three months before impact.
It’s always the unforeseen that gets us in the end. We could address the problem today, but we’re too busy watching Mitt Romney’s hair and Britney’s bottom. But somewhere out in deep space, there’s a gray, cratered rock the size of Manhattan, and it may be looking to put earth into the side pocket like a wicked cue ball … in its own sweet time. Just ask the dinosaurs. They’ll tell ya.
Picture: Public Domain
And then there’s nuclear war. Every nation wants a radioactive toy to play with these days, although I don’t know why. Even limited nuclear exchanges, as nincompoop generals refer to them, will send radiation into the atmosphere across the globe. Chernobyl has sent cancer rates skyrocketing in Europe as far north as Scandinavia, and rates are expected to stay high for the next twenty-five years. A tequila sunrise should be imbibed, not seen on the horizon.
And then there are those pesky little rocks and comets tumbling through the solar system. The one in the pic is named Mathilde. Another, called Apophis, will come within 18,000 miles of earth in 2029. But the problem is that these chunks of ice and iron-nickel are hard to detect, and not many folks are looking for them except the scientists featured on The Discovery Channel, and they seem to have limited political clout. It is entirely possible, say scientists, that an asteroid or comet might be headed straight for earth and not be detected until three months before impact.
It’s always the unforeseen that gets us in the end. We could address the problem today, but we’re too busy watching Mitt Romney’s hair and Britney’s bottom. But somewhere out in deep space, there’s a gray, cratered rock the size of Manhattan, and it may be looking to put earth into the side pocket like a wicked cue ball … in its own sweet time. Just ask the dinosaurs. They’ll tell ya.
Picture: Public Domain
2 comments:
Well then. More beer please!
Scott, I'll take chardonnay :)
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