The window of life

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Life, whether it be teeming in the universe or just the rarest of miracles, has either way been lucky to find a home on our fertile planet; that small, insignificant rock (in galactic terms) that just happens to be sitting in the right place of our solar system for life to survive.

It’s quite nice here.  Apart from the extremities it’s not too hot, not too cold.  If we keep it like that then I’m sure our stay here won’t be tenuous.

But just how lucky are we mortal types to have found this nice little spot to populate?

Immeasurably lucky, actually.  Paradises like planet Earth are as accidental as the creation of life itself.  It is like an oasis amid a burning, scorching desert devoid of surrounding life.

The galactic desert that surrounds us does not welcome life.  Even our own sun, without which our planet would be sterile and without life, is miraculously at a safe distance so that life can prevail.

It is worth considering how fortunate we are to be able to exist on this small rock.

The center of the sun is a ‘mere’ 14.5 million degrees Celsius.  A piece of it the size of a pinhead would generate enough heat to kill a person from 150 million kilometres away.  How wonderful that the outer layers of the sun are much ‘cooler’, thus enabling life to exist on this planet.   The coldest places in our solar system can be found at its edges where it is minus 273 degrees.  How wonderful that our planet isn’t any further, or closer, to the sun.

Under what temperature extremes could human life survive?  I’m guessing somewhere from a chilly minus 40 to a blistering 60.  In planet Earth the gods have offered us a very small window of life.

Why then, are we so determined to damage it.

Look at the sludge that this planet has become.  Look at the filth in the air, in the water and the earth of western countries and developing countries.  It’s beyond belief.  We see industries which are happy to choke the land, waterways and air for the sake of more profits.

The planet, obviously, isn’t important any more.  Our term here is considered a right, not a privilege.

As it is it is a hostile planet: no-one gets off alive, but it’s still the best home we have.

What was once the solar system’s paradise, is now its rubbish dump.  If we keep trashing it, destroying it, polluting it, playing with its climate . . . how long before we receive our eviction notice?  How long before the window of life closes on us?

Prominence Earth (Photo credit: Lights In The Dark)

The First Cut Is The Deepest

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You won’t hear me saying this very often, so take note. I wanted to send big congratulations to Barry O’Farrell, and his team of apprentice ministers.

Barry and his government, need to be recognised for their great achievement. It has taken them only 2 short years to achieve what it took the Labor Party 13 years to achieve., The achievement, 2 budget deficits. One for each year we have been forced to put up with the government of broken promises and political spin beyond belief.

That’s right, Barry’s promised surplus has turned into a whopping big deficit, and it seems that no matter what the Coalition sell off, and no matter how many people they sack, they are still unable to balance the books.

Barry’s broken promises are legend now in NSW, it has been hard to keep up with them all, however below is a link to 100 of them after Barry’s first year in the Premiers role.

100 Broken Barry O’Farrell Promises

You would think that 100 broken promises and lies in a year would be enough, that is more than 1 every 4 days. But Barry has to keep pace with his first year it seems, below are some of his latest lies that he has sold to the people of NSW.

“We will need more public servants, not less.” – Fate of our State debate, February 24 2011

“I can’t envision a situation where we would have more [speed cameras].” – ABC News, 7 April 2011.

“There will not be a decision to turn our national parks into hunting reserves.” – Sydney Morning Herald, 13 April 2011

”We have absolutely no plans to privatise either the generators or the poles and wires.” Lithgow Mercury, 28 January 2011

“We have no intention of doing deals with the minor parties.” – Sydney Morning Herald, 13 April 2011

I wonder when the National Party will wake up and smell the coffee and abandon their coalition with this extremist right-wing party. A party that seem to have stolen the Liberal Party branding from back when the Liberal’s had a sense of decency.