March 23rd 2008

The Lilith eZine Sunday Edition

Letter from the Editor

The next 12 years are going to be exciting ones.

It is not like the 1960s when people thought we'd be driving flying cars or visiting Mars for our vacations. No, now we have much more practical aspirations. We're going to communicate more through the internet, text messaging and cell phones will become increasingly cheaper and affordable world wide.

We're going to watch the rise of hydrogen power filling stations across continents and car manufacturers switch to a clean burning fuel that doesn't pollute. A whole new hydrogen industry which will bolster electricity production and renewable energy.

We're going to see the world develop less borders, not more. The success of the European Union has shown that there is economic benefits of working together. South America, Africa, Asian and Middle Eastern countries are already discussing trade unions. Immigration between continents (and the flow of communication) will become more commonplace.

We're going to see education, literacy and women's rights slowly spreading across the poorest nations of the world. It won't be rapid progress (it never is) and there will be roadblocks and problems along the way, but like Pandora's box it is something that has been unleashed and is unstoppable.

We're also going to see governments stop playing this stupid game of global warming "denialism". There will still be scientific stooges from the oil and coal industries that deny it, but with time (and lots of wild weather and droughts) politicians and people will see that we've made some disastrous mistakes and now we have to change our ways. The economic consequences of ignoring it will outweigh the economic benefits of using cheap coal to make electricity (coal-electricity plants is responsible for roughly 30% of greenhouse gases).

This era of inter-continental trade will begin to take its toll on the economy. Already the United States is feeling the effect of cheap consumer goods from China and overseas. Continents need to learn to trade amongst themselves and form continental trade unions. It may be cheaper to build things in Malayasia, but it is not worth it when you could build the same products in Mexico or Canada and still reap the economic benefits in the same continent. We will still be trading raw materials like wood, minerals and metals, but we need to stop outsourcing our manufacturing needs to other countries. It may take longer to realize this, but it is something governments should be thinking about.

Lastly there is the issue of technology. Mankind has made some dramatic steps in the last 12 years in terms of genetics and DNA research. Scientists just this month discovered how to prevent blindness in mice. Will we be seeing a future that blindness is no longer a problem? I don't know. We will make small steps over the years, but we will likely see some dramatic results.

I personally think that we need to be studying the DNA breakdown in cancerous cells from samples taken from cancer patients. I think there is a lot of potential to learn how cancer and DNA effect each other and we can possibly find solutions and cures wherein we could discover the direct causes of cancer (different types of toxins and toxicity levels in the cancerous cells) and maybe even reverse the effects of some kinds of cancer.

Scientists have already determined that there is a direct link between toxicity in our air, water and food and the amount of cancer cells in our bodies. Regular smoking for example roughly doubles a woman's chance of developing breast cancer. Which is silly frankly. Why smoke cancer-causing cigarettes when scientists have already managed to create Smokeless Cigarettes? All the nicotine without the carcinogenic smoke.

Surely if we can make smoke-free cigarettes that scientists can think of other ways to better our society? It is whether governments pay attention however that is the problem. Sometimes the public has to shout really loud to get politicians to pay attention.

Sincerely,
Suzanne MacNevin
Editor of the Lilith eZine



The Art History Archive
Armenian Artists - Soviet Artists from the Middle East
Azerbaijani Artists - Soviet Artists from the Middle East
How to Draw and Paint People

The Automotive eZine
Hydrogen Power becoming a Reality
Laws pushing zero-emission cars
Is hydrogen power the future?
Cost, infrastructure hinder hydrogen
China auto makers roll out 'clean' cars
Fuel-cell work on track
Iceland's hydrogen ship heralds fossil-free future

The Canada eZine
Canada's Worker Shortages and the Influx of Immigrants

The Entertainment eZine
Online Poker Games and Gambling Addiction

The Environmental eZine
Hot Hot Hot 2005: Canada's Hottest Year

The Fashion eZine
White Clothing and Fashion
Brent Chua - Male Supermodel
Kivanc Tatlitug - Male Supermodel

The Feminist eZine
Women in Transition From Post Feminism to Past Femininity


The Health eZine
Calories: Food Vs. Exercise - How Much Exercise do you need to burn off that cheeseburger?
The History of Breastfeeding, plus Breastfeeding Tips for Young Mothers
Worth Repeating: Smokeless Cigarettes

The Politics eZine
America's Economic Meltdown - Five Reasons to Worry about the State of America's Economy
The Impact of Disaster Capitalism on England's Education System
The History of Oil Prices - Lows and Record Highs in the Oil Industry

The Religion eZine
Atlantis Forgotten - The Search for Atlantis and Eden


The Sex eZine
Sex Jokes and Cartoons IV - Because Sex is Hilarious!

The Technology eZine
Blu Ray Disc Boycott - Why purchase something that will be obsolete in 2 years anyway?