Topic: Is this how it's gonna end?

[heffay]

Right. But what I'm asking, is if the whole world needs to regulate their respective countrymens procreation, like China does?

YES!...  my opinion of course

[BeSeeingYou]

Just saw these headlines:
"GOP stripped flu pandemic preparedness money from the stimulus package."  This was lead by Susan Collins of Maine.
Huffington Post

and another:..
"GOP know nothings fought pandemic preparedness."  Again Karl Rove and Susan Collins are mentioned as the driving force.          The Nation

and another:
"Karl Rove mocked Democrats for pandemic spending." In the Wall Street Journal in February.

and another:
"GOP blocks Sebelius nomination for Health and Human Services."  CBS News

As usual the GOP fiddles while Rome burns.

[Inigo Montoya]

I read that too. It is especially poor form as the GOP kept banging the pandemic drum when bush was in.

[alltherightpills]

I remember reading an article on the BBC a couple of years ago that predicted that the global population will peak at the end of this century and then go down. 

I also remember from an Anthro class that the only factor in regulating population explosions is the level of education of women in a society.  The more educated the women, the fewer children they have.  Places like Germany and Italy are currently experiencing population decline, and it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the industrialized nations experience the same thing.  A hundred years ago, it was necessary to have a lot of children, because you could count on a number of them dying, and you would need a lot of people to work on the farm.  Now, there is absolutely no reason to have more than 2 children.

We could always go the Ishmael route and stop sending aid to countries and regions that can't support their populations themselves.  I believe the line was, "Hungry people make more hungry people."  And if we are producing enough food for 7 billion people, even if our global population is 6.5, the population will rise to meet food production.  By the time we have 7 billion people, we will be producing enough food for 7.5, and so on.  Not a terribly optimistic outlook (not to mention it makes me feel a little icky inside), but Daniel Quinn (the author of Ishmael) has a point. 

[Gordon]

Now, there is absolutely no reason to have more than 2 children.

How about just wanting to have more than 2 children?  Sounds like a reason to me.  Or are you really just trying to say that, in your opinion, there's no good reason to have more than two? 

[alltherightpills]

Well, obviously if people want to have more than 2 children, they are going to have more than 2 children.  I should have said that I can't see any good reasons why people need more than two children.  I remember my mom saying that in hindsight they should have had 3 kids instead of 2, in case something happened to either my brother or me.  I'm not sure how I'd feel if I was the back-up kid though.

[Gordon]

Well, obviously if people want to have more than 2 children, they are going to have more than 2 children.  I should have said that I can't see any good reasons why people need more than two children.  I remember my mom saying that in hindsight they should have had 3 kids instead of 2, in case something happened to either my brother or me.  I'm not sure how I'd feel if I was the back-up kid though.

My wife and I are both the third of three children, but I'm fairly certain that neither of us was had as a "back-up" child.   We're only planning on having two kids, but not for overpopulation reasons.  We just don't want to have to deal with having three or more kids!

Currently in the U.S. the fertility rate is at 2.1 children per woman.  2.1 also happens to be the fertility rate needed to sustain a given population.  The continuing increase in the U.S. population is due to immigration, not people having too many kids.

Sure, there are plenty of people here having way more than two children, but there are also plenty of people who aren't having any children, so it balances out.  There is no overpopulation problem here in the U.S.  The excess of new humans is coming mainly from central africa. 

None of this is really the problem, though.  Our big problems stem from over-consumption, and I'm sure you can guess who is the driving force in that area.  

[heffay]

there's gotta be a good your mom joke in there somewhere.   

but i got yelled and screamed at the last time.   

[sangyo soichiro]

I'm just going to throw this out and hope no one gets offended...

Sometimes I wonder if "more children" is pushed to strengthen the numbers of particular groups.  Here's the best example I can think of:

Catholics.  What better way to increase your numbers (and hence, your worldly influence) than by denouncing birth control?  I'm not saying what the Catholic church teaches is wrong - just that it has a self-promoting ancillary benefit.

It seems all groups would have an interest in increasing their numbers.  It's good for those groups, but bad for supply and demand.     

[fuzzybutt]

news says 149 dead in mexico now, 3 new cases in scotland as of an hour ago too.

[Duke McDukiedook]

I think I read somewhere that this was a strain created at Fort Dix.

[sangyo soichiro]

I think I read somewhere that this was a strain created at Fort Dix.

The Morningstar Strain?  Are you a zombie fan by chance?   

[Caaveman82]

I think I read somewhere that this was a strain created at Fort Dix.

The Morningstar Strain?  Are you a zombie fan by chance?   

LOL

We could always go the Ishmael route and stop sending aid to countries and regions that can't support their populations themselves.  I believe the line was, "Hungry people make more hungry people."  And if we are producing enough food for 7 billion people, even if our global population is 6.5, the population will rise to meet food production.  By the time we have 7 billion people, we will be producing enough food for 7.5, and so on.  Not a terribly optimistic outlook (not to mention it makes me feel a little icky inside), but Daniel Quinn (the author of Ishmael) has a point. 

Stop agriculture and become hunters and gathers, that is how you will really see Darwin's theory go into effect.

[Shenanigans]

(You DO have the local Sam's/Costco/Whatever mapped out with what goods you'll pillage when the time is right, don't you?!?)   

Great minds think.... a head 

[mlinder]

I'm just going to throw this out and hope no one gets offended...

Sometimes I wonder if "more children" is pushed to strengthen the numbers of particular groups.  Here's the best example I can think of:

Catholics.  What better way to increase your numbers (and hence, your worldly influence) than by denouncing birth control?  I'm not saying what the Catholic church teaches is wrong - just that it has a self-promoting ancillary benefit.

It seems all groups would have an interest in increasing their numbers.  It's good for those groups, but bad for supply and demand.     

Of course this is the case. ALways has been. However, we've made social and religious 'rules' that only mirror and strenghten our GENETIC drive to create progeny of our own genetic makeup.

[sangyo soichiro]

I'm just going to throw this out and hope no one gets offended...

Sometimes I wonder if "more children" is pushed to strengthen the numbers of particular groups.  Here's the best example I can think of:

Catholics.  What better way to increase your numbers (and hence, your worldly influence) than by denouncing birth control?  I'm not saying what the Catholic church teaches is wrong - just that it has a self-promoting ancillary benefit.

It seems all groups would have an interest in increasing their numbers.  It's good for those groups, but bad for supply and demand.     

Of course this is the case. ALways has been. However, we've made social and religious 'rules' that only mirror and strenghten our GENETIC drive to create progeny of our own genetic makeup.

I think the genetic drive is more for individual reasons, not necessarily for the benefit of the group.  I think 'group reasons' are more cognitive in nature.  But what do I know?   

[Duke McDukiedook]

Sorry about that. The article said the last Swine flu outbreak originated at Fort Dix.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no01/05-0965.htm

[sangyo soichiro]

Sorry about that. The article said the last Swine flu outbreak originated at Fort Dix.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no01/05-0965.htm

Oh.  Yes, the 1976 scare that turned out to be a false alarm. 

[goon 1492]

This looks like a thread to go back and read, sounds like fun. Wait until they start using the blood batteries and more nano tech, memory enhancement, nothing better than a computer virus that can now get in your head  .

[Duke McDukiedook]

Sorry about that. The article said the last Swine flu outbreak originated at Fort Dix.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no01/05-0965.htm

Oh.  Yes, the 1976 scare that turned out to be a false alarm. 

They had swine flu, one died. How is that a false alarm?

[alltherightpills]

I think he means that it didn't turn into a pandemic.

[sangyo soichiro]

Sorry about that. The article said the last Swine flu outbreak originated at Fort Dix.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no01/05-0965.htm

Oh.  Yes, the 1976 scare that turned out to be a false alarm. 

They had swine flu, one died. How is that a false alarm?

It was a clusterflock.  As far as I know, it was never confirmed that it was a swine flu.  And it never spread.  But a lot of people got involved and rolled the dice on a vaccine.  The vaccine campaign is what turned out to be the clusterflock. 

Imagine you have a large group of people.  In a period of time, statistically speaking, some in this group will suffer from certain illnesses.  Now, imagine they had gotten a vaccine.  It is easy to make a connection between the vaccine and the new illness when one might not exist.  In other words, some people thought, and still think, that the vaccine caused their illness.  It was the Guillain-barre syndrome fiasco, and it stemmed from a misinterpretation one doctor made from a medical paper.  The press ran with it.

[Inkscars]

I for one hope it's some sort of Zombie Holocaust. I've had a plan since I was about 15, and it's only gotten better from there. I've gotten everything from weapons and vehicles to supplies and manpower covered. Shelter, food, zombie proofing, one key thing that has changed is the fact tha I have a bike. Looks like I'll have to go for the fork mount shotgun holster. *drools*

Too bad all those are harleys. bah.

[sangyo soichiro]

I for one hope it's some sort of Zombie Holocaust.

Have you read any zombie fiction?  The Rising and City of the Dead were good I thought.  I've read a few others, but didn't find them as good.

[Inkscars]

Have you read any zombie fiction?  The Rising and City of the Dead were good I thought.

Zombie non-fiction is dull. Voodoo doesn't interest me much. Yes I've read some. City of the dead ended up being a terrible movie. Drilling though his head for making out with your daughter? REALLY? come on.
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