<P>Being a sys admin I do a lot of preventative maintenance followed
by waiting around for stuff to break so I can fix it. During our
waiting periods me and the other sys admins (all 4 of us) get into
various topics of discussion ranging from childhood experiences to
religion.
</P>
<P>Yesterday my buddy Mark and I got into a conversation about
SETI(we both participate) that morphed into space travel and
technological advancement. The dilemma was
the cost of developing technology vs. the cost of feeding hungry
people in the world. The question at hand is, &quot;Do we take a
break from space exploration and solve some problems on planet earth,
balance the fund between the two, or just let people die?&quot;</P>
<P><BR><BR>
</P>
<P><B>What are your thoughts?</B></P>

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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Genius is the ability to act rightly without precedent--the power to do the right thing the first time." ~Elbert Hubbard

<P><B>What are your thoughts?</B></P>

It dosn't matter, No matter how much money we throw a world hunger
there is so much corruption and graft that people will still die.

Now the planet search has already helped with developing new technologies to grow better crops and feed people more efficiently....

---

> Yesterday my buddy Mark and I got into a conversation about
> SETI(we both participate) that morphed into space travel and
> technological advancement. The dilemma was
> the cost of developing technology vs. the cost of feeding hungry
> people in the world. The question at hand is, "Do we take a
> break from space exploration and solve some problems on planet earth,
> balance the fund between the two, or just let people die?"
>
> <B>What are your thoughts?</B>
>

I think some of us have expressed our oppinions earlier. Look in these threads:

[url=http://setiweb.ssl.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=7725]MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY<a>

[url=http://setiweb.ssl.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=7589]Earthquake in Asia<a>

[url=http://setiweb.ssl.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=7716]For Grownups Only<a>

You can find other similar, if you read in the threads. So we are not only into finding ET, we actually care!

---

"I'm trying to maintain a shred of dignity in this world." - Me

> <P><B>What are your thoughts?</B></P>
>
> It dosn't matter, No matter how much money we throw a world hunger
> there is so much corruption and graft that people will still die.
>
> Now the planet search has already helped with developing new technologies to
> grow better crops and feed people more efficiently....
>
>
>
>

I agree. However, I am for a more balanced solution. I realize this isn't realistic given the current social state of humankind. A cold rationalization would be that people need to die. Without death we run the danger of outgrowing our world...which leads us back to the need for space exploration. Advances in technology will only help feed the hungry of our world. Don't get me wrong though, I don't want to just give these people a hand out, I would like to educate them on water purification and waste disposal. Help them learn agriculture. Teach them to fish, so to speak. I believe that great technological power comes with a responsibility to those without it. I am not saying force it on them...cuz if they want to live as hunter gatherers and starve and die when they exhaust a food supply then that is their right.

---

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Genius is the ability to act rightly without precedent--the power to do the right thing the first time." ~Elbert Hubbard

> <P>Yesterday my buddy Mark and I got into a conversation about
> SETI(we both participate) that morphed into space travel and
> technological advancement. The dilemma was
> the cost of developing technology vs. the cost of feeding hungry
> people in the world. The question at hand is, "Do we take a
> break from space exploration and solve some problems on planet earth,
> balance the fund between the two, or just let people die?"</P>
> <P><BR><BR>
> </P>
> <P><B>What are your thoughts?</B></P>
>
The problem is that the more money you throw at a project, the more corruption there is likely to show up. Take the food shortages in Africa, over the years the UN has thrown THOUSANDS OF TONS of food at the problem, but the people on the ground have always found a way to make a profit on it. They sell the food that is donated, they keep it for themselves, they, they, they! Same thing with condoms, vaccines, health care in general, school books, shoes, etc, etc, etc!
And NOT just Africa! Rememeber "Oil for Food"?
Personally I think finding ET may end up fixing the problems one way or the other. Either we will kill each other trying to be the ones that ET deals with, or we will learn to work together for the good of all.
I am not one of theose that believes ET will be a conqueror race and take over the Earth for their own purposes. If that were true I think they would have already done it. If they are that good to conquer Worlds, they can find foder where it lies, without waiting for it to come to them.

---

What's up with all this wasted space between paragraphs? >:-|

L8R....

T'Khasi Time: Wednesday, 13 April 2005 - 05:57 PM --700 (Pacific Standard Time)

---

CAPT Siran d'Vel'nahr - L L & P _\\//
Winders 11 OS? "What a piece of junk!" - L. Skywalker
"Logic is the cement of our civilization with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide." - T'Plana-hath

> What's up with all this wasted space between paragraphs? >:-|
>
> L8R....
>
> T'Khasi Time: Wednesday, 13 April 2005 - 05:57 PM --700 (Pacific Standard
> Time)

I think it might be transparent.

> > What's up with all this wasted space between paragraphs? >:-|
> >
> > L8R....
> >
> > T'Khasi Time: Wednesday, 13 April 2005 - 05:57 PM --700 (Pacific
> Standard
> > Time)
>
> I think it might be transparent.
>

Hey Alex, how are you today? I missed all the good stuff here, again, as usual. That's what I get for living in the same timezone as Berkeley.

Yeah, I started reading this thread and had to go through all these blank lines before I got to the text. I fail to see the point. Unless it's meant as an attention getter. Gotta go check the "dead head" thread, Alex. >:-)

L8R....

T'Khasi Time: Wednesday, 13 April 2005 - 06:06 PM --700 (Pacific Standard Time)

---

CAPT Siran d'Vel'nahr - L L & P _\\//
Winders 11 OS? "What a piece of junk!" - L. Skywalker
"Logic is the cement of our civilization with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide." - T'Plana-hath

> <P><B>What are your thoughts?</B></P>

Babes, babes, and more babes.

> > > What's up with all this wasted space between paragraphs? >:-|
> > >
> > > L8R....
> > >
> > > T'Khasi Time: Wednesday, 13 April 2005 - 05:57 PM --700 (Pacific
> > Standard
> > > Time)
> >
> > I think it might be transparent.
> >
>
> Hey Alex, how are you today? I missed all the good stuff here, again, as
> usual. That's what I get for living in the same timezone as Berkeley.
>
> Yeah, I started reading this thread and had to go through all these blank
> lines before I got to the text. I fail to see the point. Unless it's meant
> as an attention getter. Gotta go check the "dead head" thread, Alex. >:-)
>
> L8R....
>
> T'Khasi Time: Wednesday, 13 April 2005 - 06:06 PM --700 (Pacific Standard
> Time)
>

Hey hey Siran! I've been doing a lot of reading on Fundamental Interaction tonight, but other that I'm feeling good. Heh yea, that's a lot of blank text. [edit] It looks like the "dead head" thread took on a new life. [/edit]