Some subscribers to Phys-L might be interested in a recent post "Sad
News About Al Bartlett" [Hake (2013)]. The abstract reads:
ABSTRACT: In a disturbing discussion-list post, Al Bartlett
<http://bit.ly/19jfGEU> wrote that his non-Hodgkins Lymphoma,
previously dormant, has returned such that doctors give him "30 days,
plus or minus." As a tribute, it may be appropriate to publicize one
of Al's latest attempts to emphasize the crucial but
under-appreciated importance of *overpopulation*.
In his pungent "Population Press" letter "Close the Fire Department!"
soon to be online at "Population Press"
<http://populationpress.org/>, Al describes his experience at a
recent AAAS symposium on sustainability where a panelist, in answer
to his question as to why the obvious benefits of reducing our
present overpopulation were never mentioned, explained that "United
Nations figures show that the growth rate of world population is
declining and world population growth is expected to stop on its own
later in the century. So the population is under control and there is
no need to worry ourselves about it at this time."
Al responded by inviting the panelist to come with him to City Hall
and seek to convince city government that it doesn't need a Fire
Department since it's an established fact that all fires will
eventually go out!
*******************************************
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to
understand the exponential function."
- A.A. Bartlett
" 'Sustainable growth' is an oxymoron."
- A.A. Bartlett
"Smart growth destroys the environment. Dumb growth destroys the
environment. The only difference is that 'smart growth' does it with
good taste. It's like booking passage on the Titanic. Whether you go
first-class or steerage, the result is the same."
- A.A. Bartlett
"Can you think of any problem in any area of human endeavor on any
scale, from microscopic to global, whose long-term solution is in any
demonstrable way aided, assisted, or advanced by further increases in
population, locally, nationally, or globally?"
- A.A. Bartlett
REFERENCES [URL's shortened by <http://bit.ly/> and accessed on 25 July 2013.]
Hake, R.R. 2013. "Sad News About Al Bartlett," online on the OPEN!
Net-Gold archives at <http://yhoo.it/12mMNFH>. Post of 25 Jul 2013
16:29:59-0700 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the
complete post are being distributed to various discussion lists and
are on my blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at <http://bit.ly/14MSm0s> with a
provision for comment.