------Original Message------
From: "John D'hondt" <dhondt@eircom.net>
To: Lion Kuntz <lionkuntz@email.com>, sanet <sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu>
Sent: April 10, 2000 4:02:48 AM GMT
Subject: Re: Fw:higher nutrient levels in organic food
How exactly do you figure that out Lion. If you look at the fossil records
of the Mesozoic era it just seems possible to imagine that life may have
been a good bit more abundant then. But we are not talking about that.
Are we not loosing the most abundant part of the global ecosystem at an
increasingly fast rate at present.
How many species become extinct every hour of the day? What percentage of
the global biomass goes up in flames every year? To me that sounds as if our
global ecosystem is collapsing right now.
Here am I getting somewhat depressed about the sorry state of our good space
ship Earth. And you living on the same planet seem to think that things have
never been better. Unless I am missing something fundamental you are one
lucky guy.
John
----- Original Message -----
From: Lion Kuntz <lionkuntz@email.com>
To: wytze <geno@zap.a2000.nl>; John D'hondt <dhondt@eircom.net>
Cc: sanet <sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2000 12:48 AM
Subject: Re: Fw:higher nutrient levels in organic food
> Unless one has apprehended that life has been eating the planet for 3.7
billion years, and is more
> abundant now than ever, one cannot grasp how the sustainable micro-farming
paradigm works. It looks
> like a "miracle" or a "mystery", but it is verifiable by our senses and by
our prothestics
> (instruments). The real mystery, once one does see through to the
essential fact, is why one didn't
> get it sooner.
> [... rest snipped, see archives for intact original..]
======================
Lion Relies...
I am relying on Edward O. Wilson from two books, "The Diversity of Life" and "Biodiversity II". It
does appear that we are experiencing the peak of biodiversity at its' all-time high, but we are
presently extinguishing life at the rate of three species per hour. At some point the losses will
reduce the total to less than earlier moments. (At a later moment, one hundred years from now, half
of all species will be gone unless heroic eforts are made to change that trend.) Also we seem to be
experiencing the greatest amount of biomass at this moment. Some estimates (Norman Myers) say that
we are losing tropical forests at the rate of an acre per second.
I take the threats seriously. Please visit "Life Saviors" homepage and think of what kind of
creative eforts you can take to make the bleak story better.
http://homepages.msn.com/VolunteerSt/lifesaviors/index.html
You are strongly advised to buy and read the book "The Diversity of Life" mentioned above to get a
laymen's level explanation of the difficulties of exploring the micro-world, where most species
cannot be stained for viewing, nor cultured for study. Stephan Jay Gould in his book "Full House" is
the source for the data about maximum biomass. Gould is trying to prove his atheistic thesis in this
book concerning the randomness and purposelessness of existence. He does however corral good data
into one place about the microbial penetration into every crevice and hiding place we probe. Take
the data and the sources, and can the Gould proselytizing of his religious beliefs. Data is where
you find it, evidently sometimes even coming out the smelly end of equines.
But, let us suppose that life was more abundant during the Mesozoic era. It does not change my point
that life got to be that abundant by developing enzymes and digestive acids to mine nutrients from
the dead planet. Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle (can't recall book title) points out that enzyme
catalysts can accelorate chemical reactions up to 40,000 times the rate they would occur by
inorganic natural processes. Life has the technology, evidently by evidence of our senses and
instruments, to pull insoluble nutrients out into circulation for hoarding and recycling by the
biota mass. Vermicompost has been measured to have higher levels of essential fertility factors than
the inorganic soil that the worms were given to work on. The exact processes are not yet identified,
but no "alchemy" is required to postulate that microbes using biotech mined miniscule traces and
bio-concentrated them into macro quantities placed into circulation in the food-chain webs.
Sincerely, Lion Kuntz
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