.... cities in the Mediterranean basin have moved over the centuries because the coast has moved. Sidon, Tyre, Alexandria, and Acre all come particularly to mind. I remember reading somewhere that the present day location of Alexandria's harbor is something like 2 miles inland from where it was during Roman times.Facts like these are what make me question the GW orthodoxy. ... the Earth was a living system and subject to change. It seems now that they want to determine what are legitimate agents of change. ... is not humanity part of that system? ... are humans not then legitimate agents of change and if not why not?
Alexandria (I'm pretty sure gets moved inland not by humankind moving it but by the accretion of the Nile Delta; as for the others I'm not sure but you're likely correct.Humankind is absolutely an agent of change and (legitimate according to whoever, or not) has been since gaining the ability to control (sort of) fire. BTW... aren't we now hearing that global cooling is on the way?
Given that we pay our dues to the UN late and in less than full measure (several agencies that we will not support) yet we supply aid to many nations beyond what the UN gives, I'd say we still do more than our part in the wider picture.Sadly feeding the pit bulls next door doesn't assure they won't bite you if they get the chance. The UN is a good idea and slightly more able than the League of Nations but nationalism still is a factor in all dealings (as well as the lingering bad will from the imperialist past)... why can't we all just get along? Same reason we can't fix the economy... the one's trying to solve the problem aren't interested in a fix that won't aggrandize themselves.This just in...
Keep in mind too, the UN usually uses aids workers from their own native regions/countries. What happens when aid is needed in an anti-US environment? I don't think it's a good idea to subject American foreign service personnel to hostile conditions.
Me neither; who, however, will make sure the aid gets to the ones in need? Giving it to the warlords in Somalia worked rather less than well, eh?
Does it surprise you that the demise of many on the "list" is going to be caused by global warming? I guess we will see. Detroit was a shocker, It said its population had decreased by a third since 1950.
Not really; if one looks at a world map that shows elevation, we see that a huge % of coastal areas are going to suffer if there is even a small rise in sea level. This isn't GW hype, just a fundamental fact of nature.As far as Detroit... given the downturn (not just recently) in the mfg. economy, the riots, etc., the better question is: Why would anyone stay?
“Little by little the look of the country changes because of the men we admire. You're just going to have to make up your own mind one day about what's right and wrong.”This was a line that Melvyn Douglas had as Homer Bannon (the father) in Hud, 1963; works today as a tribute to Newman and a admonition concerning others, don't you think?
Good comment. A person has a personal culture and like their large (shared) culture is is 10% visible behaviors and 90% invisible values… we find out about a person and their values based on the behaviors… sometimes the two are inconsistent; other times spot on… if it walks like a duck….Obama quacks.
I like Cabrillo; sailed the length of the west coast and finding little to recommend it claimed it all for the Crown anyway… got the land of fruits and nuts. 😉
Same as inspires lots of folks today… money, fame, power (or at least hanging with the powerful).The overland trade route connections were controlled by several Italian city states and were becoming more expensive and dangerous by the late 1400's. The improvements in technology and science were making the idea of sailing to the far east more attractive.The Portuguese had gotten around the African continent (largely w/o getting out of sight of land) and know about as much as there was to know about sailing and the globe. The sailing west had been tried before, in fact about 1295 the Vivaldi Bros. tried it... not sure the result, no on ever heard from them again.Columbus, according to some sources, was a seasoned salt and had a command of his own by his early 20's. He tried to sell the plan to his hometown Genoa... was turned down, as they were in control of some of the o'land trade and getting along nicely, thank you... might try the Potuguese.The Portuguese were impressed with Columbus except he seemed to think the earth was significantly smaller than it actually was. In fact, the stores he took on the actual trip wouldn't have gotten him anywhere if the Americas hadn't gotten in his way. His assumptions were based on a globe significantly smaller... his projected trip to the Far East was to be the 3 months (Aug-Oct) that it took to get to the NW! They thought he might interest the Spanish in the venture.The rest is, as we say, history. Unless you subscribe to Mendez theory about the Chinese maps and that much more was known than we've been taught all these years. 😮
September 17, 2008 at 12:03 pm
in reply to: Slavery#4085
I think both statements are racism (with a poisitve spin...if you want to call it that 🙂If true, then why do blacks not dominate bicycle racing, soccer, rugby; sports that take incredible speed, endurance, and leg strength?
Because they are stereotypes... which means they are true just often enough for people to notice but are not the case 100% of the time. according to my old HS history teachers stereotypes exist because there is a degree of truth to them, not because they are true. 8)
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