Sunday musings

Well today is going to be a bit of a downer for for me.
Maybe it is the winter blahs or just a sense of ennui that I feel.
So latest reports from Japan indicate a death toll of over 10,000 from the earthquake and possibly a higher count as the clean up continues. At least 2 nuclear reactors seem to be having containment problems and are venting into the atmosphere. If ever there was an apocalyptic scenario, this would seem to fit the bill.
But what would you expect anyway?
With the continual expansion of the human race and its increased demands on space, power and natural resources, did anyone not think that this would eventually happen?
Reports from various sources indicate that the loathsome practice of slavery continues to exist and indeed flourishes in this day and age.
Conservative estimates indicate that there are up to 3 million people ensnared.
Does anyone really care about this?
Or are we too concerned with the shocking price increase of gas to care?
Time was nations went to war to abolish this vile practice but not anymore it seems.
This present day era reminds me of parallels with the old Roman Empire at the start of its decline. Unparallelled wealth, prosperity, knowledge for the privileged few and increasing hardship and despair for the remainder before the collapse and ruin of the Empire.
Is the past coming back to be our future?
Speaking of gas prices, why is it that since Libya supplies around 1% of the USA needs, that trouble there can cause the dramatic ripple effect that it did? Obviously another case of speculators making lots of money (does this also sound like what Wall Street did in the latest US depression?) and the consumer paying the piper with no recourse? Of course this is a perfect example of free market capitalism that the Republicans in the Excited States embrace. Enrich the rich, devastate the middle class and disenfranchise the poor.
Have you run out and bought the latest tech toy - the Ipad2 yet?
Seems like a marvelous machine that for specific industries and professions can be a great tool with the right application. Still no competition from the non Mac world sadly. Perhaps there never will be.
Of course in Canada this machine is not yet available and when it is, the 3g version is limited to 1 carrier, so you pay what they decide. Competition seems to be an evil word in the Telco business in the country that invented the telephone.
Everyone appears to want to make a dollar of you these days it seems.Last week I approached the local writers guild to see if they had any authors that were looking for someone to edit/proof their books for free - sure they said, you can buy an ad in our publication to search for these people!
Will not do that again!
Some days you just have to laugh at the silliness that exists in the world, either that or run away and join the circus!
Well that is it for another week.
Take care out there,
flatlander52