Dear Dennis:
I appreciate your comments and I also saw that Hyman's point was asking for
this self evident answer of making topsoil. I have an Aunt who is a
composting wizard and on a 10 by 20 garden it works great. I think the
making of topsoil for a section of prairie land, one mile square is a little
more complex problem and to do it for a significant portion of lost
farmlands, sorry, there are not enough left over carrot tops. As for
crushing rock, the US may be able to make a major contribution by assigning
all it's prisoners to hard labour, but in reality, rock crushing is a
crushing job and to do it with technology is a very high energy job. Surely
the best answer is not to continue screwing up with what we have left.
Jay comments about alcoholics reflects the dysfunction in our leaders of
selective vision. While they are watching their money, the means by which
their money is made is blowing away. A good education does not seem to
overcome this deficiency, though most Joe six-packs who work on the farm
have known about it for the last 10,000 years or we wouldn't be here today.
Respectfully,
Thomas Lunde
-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Paull <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: September 2, 1998 3:31 AM
Subject: Re: more from Johns Hopkins
>----------
>Hi Jay et al,
>
>Jay, you have missed Hyman's point.
>
>True, nature may take thousands of years to regenerate soil, but some
>people know how to do it much faster.
>
>Composting is one very good method. Using ground up rock dust is another.
>Soil conservation with appropriate irrigation techniques is also important.
>
>Jay, you are not opening your eyes to all the possibilities, just like
>you have been complaining about how other people do not see the world
>as you do.
>
>You have made many good points in describing the problem. However the range
>of solutions is broader than your world view seems to allow.
>
>Dennis Paull
>Los Altos, California
>
>>From: Hyman Blumenstock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>
>>>What are our brains there for? Why the assumption that we must all sit
>>>like logs and let Nature takes its natural course? With our brains,
>>>without the totally obsolete concept of Cost, or any other Doctrinaire
>>>Economic shibboleth, with all our physical talents and technological
>>>prowess, can we not use our brains and machinery to reestablish the
>>>fertility of the soil world wide, poste haste? What is the obstacle to
>>>such a course of action, except by rote stupidity force fed into all our
>>>minds?
>>
>>IMHO, it's mostly a problem of psychological denial -- with a healthy dose
>>of vested interest to lock it in place. [ Take a look at
>>http://dieoff.com/page15.htm for Catton's NEW ECOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDINGS ]
>>
>>The first step would be for people to admit the problems real (even some
>>members of this list won't). The second step would be to admit that the
>>consumer society must now end.
>>
>>If we could overcome denial, we might have a chance. But I see it as the
>>"alcoholic" syndrome: the alcoholic can't overcome denial until he is
lying
>>in the gutter drowning in his own puke. Of course, by then it will be too
>>late for us (e.g., it takes ~3000 to 12,000 years to develop sufficient
>>soil to form productive land).
>>
>>Jay
>>
>>
>>
