Moose FM CKLP 103.3 - Parry Sound

How long does the human race have before we go extinct?

I ask this question because scientists have just discovered a bunch of species that shrinking and last week I found out that the Earth itself could not sustain more than 10 billion people.

So how much time do we have? Well I guess that all depends on the variables.  Many scientist involved in the shrinking species study suggest that it is because of global warming that plant and animal species are diminishing. Others say it is simply a natural phenomenon in response to living conditions.  The species that are noted as shrinking include shrimp, Atlantic salmon, cotton, corn, strawberries and Polar Bears!

This information is directly related to the findings of a sociobiologist at Harvard University who notes that the reason Earth can only sustain 10 billion people is due to the calculations of the planet's natural resources.

Without including that fact that there is a limited amount of freshwater available, it has been found that even if we dedicated all our grains for human consumption (and left all the livestock to fend for themselves) and humans became strictly vegetarians, then the Earth could support 10 billion people.  But because it is highly unlikely that ALL human would become vegetarians, the sociobiologist thinks that the number will fall short of 10 billion.

So how much time do we have left? According to the United Nations Population Division there are currently around 7 billion people on Earth and if projections are correct, we should hit 9 billion by the year 2050 and 10 billion by the year 2100.

But fear not. Scientists believe that somewhere in the next 100 years, man-kind will be making a u-turn in population.  Since 1950 Chief of Population for the UN says the majority of 230 countries are showing fertility declines, meaning families are getting smaller.

According to the UN, the fertility rate around the globe is approaching the replacement level (2.1 children per woman) which is the rate at which children replace their parents and make up for those who die young. So if the global fertility rate were to reach that level by the end of the century, then the population will stabilize between 9 and 10 billion people.

It is something to think about when we talk about global warming and "going green" that not only is it plants and animals were are effecting, it is indeed ourselves, as a species!

But who knows, in 100 years, we might have people living on the moon...or beyond! I wonder how many people Uranus can sustain?

Click here to comment -> http://kingerszingers.blogspot.com/2011/10/is-human-race-hitting-finish-line.html

The Nobel prizes have been around for over a century and yet one very important field of discovery has been left out. 

The Nobel prizes for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology/Medicine, Literature, and Peace were founded in 1901 after Alfred Nobel left a large portion of his estate to be awarded to deserving individuals in those fields.  In 1968, Sweden's central bank established the Nobel prize for Economic Sciences in memory of the late Nobel.

Last week, the Nobel prizes were awarded for 2011 and it got me thinking about why there isn't a prize awarded to a leader in the field of Technology.

The advancements of technology and the creators behind it have a large place in our world and I think that they should begin to be recognized with the same prizes of those in the other fields of study.

As for whom I would choose as the first recipient of the Nobel prize for technology, it would have to be Steve Jobs! Or, because the Nobel Laureates don't allow posthumous nominations, maybe the prize can be in awarded in his honour.

Let me know what you think: http://kingerszingers.blogspot.com/2011/10/is-technology-not-important-enough.html

The Nobel Prize winners are being selected this week and a Canadian was named at one of three people in the field of medicine.

Shortly after the announcement, the committee was informed that Dr. Ralph Steinman of Montreal had actually died on Friday from cancer.

It's odd that a person's family would delay the announcement of the death of such a prestigious member....or is it?

The fact that Dr. Steinman's death was delayed by three days doesn't surprise me if you look at the rules of the Nobel awards committee:

The Nobel statutes don't allow posthumous awards, unless a laureate dies after the announcement but before the December 10th award ceremony.

Because he died before the announcement, he would not have been considered to win the Nobel Prize for medicine.

It was a very cheeky move by the family and how they kept his death from the committee over the weekend is amazing.

I mean, it's a Nobel Prize...I would have done it for a member of my family, would you?

To weigh in head to http://kingerszingers.blogspot.com/2011/10/lying-about-death-for-prize.html

Is it just me or is society becoming less and less polite?

I know what you are thinking already, "Kid's these days!" but that's NOT what I'm talking about. I'm saying that I think as our lives become faster and fuller, our manners are beginning to slip.

A couple of weeks ago, I was coming out of a store on James Street when a couple of teenaged boys met me at the door and one of them held the door for me and my girlfriend. We said, "Thank you." and he replied, "You're welcome." We both commented afterwards how you don't really see that anymore which really is upsetting but not as eye-opening as what happened a week later.

I was getting gas at a pump at the south end of Parry Sound and when I went to go inside to pay, a man in his late 40's was coming out.  I took an extra quick step to beat him to the door so I could open it for him. I did and he strolled out without a word! Me being the smart-ass that I am turned to him before heading inside and yelled, "You're welcome!"

Is thank you that hard or time-consuming of a phrase that we have completely omitted it from our everyday vocabulary? Are our lives so stressful and involved that we don't notice the tiny details and acknowledge them? Or maybe as we age, we forget our manners and assume that we are OWED certain things from younger people?

I'm not sure what it is, but I do know that I was raised to always be polite and no matter what mood I'm in,  how much of a rush I'm in, or how old I get, I will never forget to at least say PLEASE and THANK YOU!

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