Monday, October 21, 2002 6 comments

22 Oct 2002 @ 01:37, by Flemming Funch Look at the World Game Institute's What the World Wants chart. It shows the costs of globally eliminating certain major problems that are facing humanity, seen in relation to the global military spending. It suggests that one-third of the $780 billion spent every year on the military could ultimately: Eliminate Starvation and Malnourishment, Provide Health Care & AIDS Control, Provide Shelter for everyone in the world, Provide Clean Safe Water, Eliminate Illiteracy, Provide Clean Safe Energy through Efficiency and Renewables, Retire the Developing Nations' Debts, Stabilize Population, Prevent Soil Erosion, Stop Deforestation, Stop Ozone Depletion, Prevent Acid Rain, Prevent Global Warming, Remove Landmines, Provide Refugee Relief, Eliminate Nuclear Weapons, and Build Democracy. There are detailed plans and budgets as well. A key breast cancer test can no longer be done in British Columbia, Canada, because a U.S. company, Myriad Genetics, holds a patent on the two genes tested. Myriad wants $3500 for each test, more than 3 times what it previously cost. Gene patents are evil. My 3 year old daughter got an e-mail today from Broderbund Software advertising a program for preparing her last will and testament. The subject of the message was "Hurry Nadia! Only a FEW DAYS LEFT!" Excuse me?! I'm glad she can't read, or I would have to explain that to her. Mass marketing is stupid. Not to mention, frequently offensive, as it mostly hits the wrong people with stuff they don't want and didn't ask for. Max and Alana came by today. They met each other online in NCN and really connected. She was in Minnesota, and he flew over from New Zealand to meet her, and they've found a special magic together and are very much in love and are going to get married. They've been driving around the states a bit, and will go together to New Zealand in a couple of days, to live a new life. It is always wonderful to meet people not only that I've only known virtually before, but who really have clicked with each other. And knowing that I had just a little bit to do with that. That alone makes it worth just about any amount of abuse from the few people who're angry that I didn't provide them what they were looking for. "I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be." --Douglas Adams

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