Fight World Hunger For Free!

[indiasfinest]

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

For every word you define correctly (multiple choice) they donate 10 grains of rice. It adds up if you think about it.

[GDixon]

If you really think about it, participating would contribute to the demise of Earth. Feeding the poor is admirable on the surface but is short-sighted. Such action contributes to the overpopulation that plagues the world and will eventually destroy it. Well-fed organisms reproduce actively. This is not meant as a criticism but rather a fact of nature.

Any organism will multiply until the resources are exhausted and then begin consuming each other. Bacteria in a petri dish, rats in a cage, people on a planet all share the tendency. It is unfortunate that humans cannot control their reproductive instincts with their well-developed brains.

One of these days some brave leader will expose this problem on the world stage and actually take steps to do something about it. Maybe the impetus will be oil, global warming, pollution, famine, or who knows. Don't expect the leader to emerge from the United States since the economy would completely collapse with a static population.

In the meantime, happily feed everyone and wonder why genocide, war, and other atrocities are committed.

[Rx330driver]

wait...so are you saying feeding the poor is bad?

im two way parted here. obviously, human suffering is horrible, but your right about over population. all of these precautions we are now addressing to make humans live longer, but what were actually doing is slowly running out of space for everyone.

so...STOP BREATHING MY AIR. LOL

[indiasfinest]

i actually believe that over population, especially in terms of space, is not what we should be concerned about right now,

heres a quote from a study on over population

So it turns out that if 5% of the United States were converted into urban area with a population density of 6,000/km2, and 45% were converted into suburban area with a population density of 2,000/km2, with the remaining 50% left for rural area, parks, and farms, there would be enough room for 3 billion in the urban areas, and 9 billion in the suburban areas, for a total population of 12 billion. This is in the US alone. This scheme could be extended to the other countries and continents for a total population of around 100 billion. Everything between the Arctic and Antarctic circles are potential targets for colonization. This is about 130,000,000 km2 of land area (the circumpolar regions have about 20,000,000 km2 of land).

So when your saying not to support people who are dying because its preventing the earth's over population problem, i really don't buy it.

[GDixon]

You completely missed the point. At least you admitted to being short sighted.

"i actually believe that over population, especially in terms of space, is not what we should be concerned about right now,"

Space was never a concern in my post. The earth could be coated with people for that matter if resources were available. There are simply not enough resources and now the effect of material waste from human activity is beginning to be seriously felt throughout the environment.

A favorite example is the argument that cow flatulence causes more pollution than cars. With less people there would be both less cows and less cars. Also ignored is the pollution created by the manufacture of the cars. Overpopulation has the "trickle down" effect.

The quote you included in your post is what is possible not what is recommended and not what is logical given the facts. The world is straining under the current food supply as evidenced by worldwide hunger - even in the U.S.

Under the current population situation there are shortages of many commodities that are considered essential - not only food. It can be concluded that less people equates to less problems.

Hurricane Katrina, the California wildfires, the Indian Ocean tidal waves were disasters because of the destruction of humanity in a relatively natural occurrence. While even the loss of one life is tragic, the losses would be far less with fewer people.

Next time you read the newspaper or watch the TV news ask yourself if the reported problem would be eased by controlling the population.

Another possibility is to watch the movie series "Mad Max" to see what the shortage energy alone will cause. Try reading "1984" to see how you will be living in 2024.

I'm done with this subject. Ignorance is bliss so enjoy.

[nc211]

Human beings got to the top of the food chain with just a few characteristics of evolution. One, opposing thumbs. Two, compassion. Without compassion, we would of never made it out of the gate. The 1st two humans would of killed eachother and extinction would of occured by sundown of day one. GDixon, I see where you're coming from, and it is the basis for some of the birth control laws of China. But, we're a compassionate species, even when in war, compassion for saving is usually the motive for those who've risen to the top of the ladder. IE, USA involvement in the european theater in WWII against Hitler, when it was only Japan that attacked us. I don't care about all the radio chat-bots that say it's about oil, it's about this, that or the other. At the end of the day, it's about the prevention of abusive human rights. Serbia, N Korea, Etc...

To say the storms are the fault of human population, I'd have to disagree. What about Hurricane Hazel back in the day, before Atari, internet, wireless, etc..? What about the great earthquakes in Cali and Alaska back in 1900 +/- "little fuzzy on my dates"? If the world ends tomorrow, so be it, I can't stop it. All I can do is try my best to make today as good as possible with my compassion, and opposable thumbs. One is used for thinking and realization, the other is used to hold the pen while I fill out the check.

India, you have created a nice thread here, and I applaud you're efforts! I would like to add to it if you don't mind? A few weeks ago I saw a riveting piece on 60 minutes about fighting famine in Africa. Would you believe the #1 tool doctors have to fight famine, disease, and death over there is a simple little packet of peanut butter based food supplement, fortified with vitamins and minerals, called Plumpy-Nut! It's an amazing little packet of food, and according to the doctors on the show, turns around these starving and dieing kids to healthy and strong future leaders/scientists and hopefully positive contributors to society....in a matter of just a couple weeks. I'm currently tyring to find a way to donate some money for more of this stuff. Here is one of many websites I found about this stuff....

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/002561.html

[indiasfinest]

GDixon, that's like saying people die from car crashes every year, so we should no longer advance in safety features, but continue unsafe practices so that people will learn and eventually stop driving all togethor. Space was just one factor in my argument on over population, from your post, it seems to me that you're under the impression that the food problem is due to a lack of resources. This is partially correct but its not a lack of resources in the earth, its a lack of resources in that region, not every country/city has the luxury of importing from over seas. Your solution to the over population is illogical itself. You're defeating the purpose of all the necessities and luxuries of life by saying that life should be reduced in order let those who have such luxuries accessible enjoy them. If you were underprivileged and starving, I'm almost positive that you would want you and your family/children to be fed, rather than accept the fact that you're dying will help solve the over population problem.

NC211, thank you, and you and anyone else is more than welcome to add to this thread.

[smooth1]

Another possibility is to watch the movie series "Mad Max" to see what the shortage energy alone will cause.

Mad Max is an awsome movie!!!!!!!! One of the best low budget films ever. And while the child in me has often romanced the life in a time like that, and being a gun slinging drifter with a turbo charged V8, ( OH YEAH!!), I don't think it can be modeled for what life would be like, or compared to helping the hungry.

Personally, I think if the rich could figure out a way to make money on housing the homeless, and feeding the hungry, then those issues wouldn't be issues,but thriving businesses traded on Wall street. I mean come on, 40 bucks a ticket to see a basketball game, athletes are earning incredible saleries, movie stars.......movie stars, who act!!! mind you, not cure disease, or better our society, earn and even dictate trends and fashions and millions of dollars, billions collectively, all on,,,,,entertainment. How much more backwards can we get????

I say, actors can only make 500,000 dollars a year. Athletes 1 million. And the movie companies and sport associations can only take a % of all earnings, the rest goes into a community improvement program. And look, I'm sort of spouting off here. I don't have all the details worked out, but I do know that in my Utopia, there would be no homeless or hungry, and there would be much fewer filthy stinking, completely unnesaccarily rich people also. Even in Star Wars they speak of balance in the force. LOL!!!

I saw a bumper sticker once that said

" Wouldn't it be a great day when all the schools were run properly, and the children had all their books,

and the Military needed to have a bake sale to buy a bomb."