Roid Rage

Prominent athletes enhancing performance through the use of drugs is nothing but another chapter in the successful evolution of the species. Drugs are one of many regimens used by athletes to overreach themselves in the grand tradition of species enhancement. The hue and cry against the genie now out of the bottle is a familiar song of the millenia. Imagine the neanderthal back from a hunt with the biggest pile of prey being named and shamed by less prominent hunters for using a sling. The Lunatic Fringe is a longtime supporter of what works. If you're counting RBI's then if roid use leads to more of them, then by all means let's disclose their role and move on.

It's still the early innings in the development of performance enhancing substances. For the early users the science of performance enhancers may be a net loser. Like early flight, many accidents appear incautious or tragic. But when disclosed and exposed to the light of day much progress can be anticipated. A greying population would do well encourage the use and improvement of performance enhancing substances as an alternative to being laid to waste by the aging process.

LOVE THE TSUNAMI

Imagine the crocodile tears shed by the ruling classes of the nations hardest hit. Let's take Indonesia. It doesn't get any better than this. Instead of a couple millions per year to monitor the surrounding oceans, the gross negligence of government there will result in a windfall to the ruling elites. After losing ~ 230,000 subjects killed and missing in a cataclysm, the effects of which were largely avoidable just in case tidal monitors were deployed, the opportunities for baksheesh are mindboggling. So far pledges of $1,700,000,000 have been made for the first year. The Indonesian government has made assurances that this fortune will be monitored to prevent corruption. More likely any monitoring will have the goal of making sure the skim makes it back to the relevant players. A conservative baksheesh level of 15% yields a quarter of a billion in skim the first year! Indonesian corruption suggests that conservative levels of baksheesh will be breached. And yet this is only a headline number. The windfall has multiple facets, eg, kickbacks from resort developers who will construct concrete playgrounds on the beaches once littered with indigenious losers.

The fires still burn in Indonesia that result from escalating swidden farming of the interior. Remember the smog covering the whole of SE Asia in 1997?

There is no cost to the ruling elites for gross negligence. Instead of jail for failing in the first responsibility of government these folks will prosper like never before.

And how.