It is a "lie" of statistics, Pezz, one of those frustrating curiosities when trying to apply large numbers to real but unlikely events...how best to put it?...Say a Richter 8 happens every 200 years killing, say 25,000 people...these are just numbers from the back of a paper napkin. On the other hand say a 150 meter rock comes in at 40,000 miles an hour...e.g., 20 times faster than a 30-06 bullet point blank, from the Kuiper belt, or closer from the the asteroid belt. When/if such an event occurrs it can kill millions all along the entire Pacific rim. Many millions. Say such an event happens every 5,000-10,000 years, or even 25,000. The coral deposits high up on the big island of Hawaii show some monster tsunamis occurr not infrequently in geological time. None of us, pray to God by any name, will live to see either. But happen it will...and Yellowstone is cooking. Try to catch the Discovery Channel program.
Forgive me, all, the passion of astronomy, geology, and survival...like Jay says, survival is the name of the game, and like Keynes said, in the long run we are all dead. Just not a very pleasing thought for the whole damned race.
Robert Heinlein said it best lo these many years ago back in the '50's (Gawd I am dating either myself or my tastes) : "The Earth is just too fragile a basket for the human race to put all of its eggs in." I don't remember which book. I read 'em all several times when I was a youth. Now for tomorrow it's back to the business of making /holding onto our money.
Jim |
