Lunar Ark for Humanity

moon
Every time I see the moon I think “gee, wouldn’t the moon be a great place to dump all that stuff humans create?” Actually I don’t think that at all, but some people have.

We’ve already seen a proposal to turn the floating rock into a library. Sure, that idea wasn’t the best. This refined idea has more traction I think.

A group called Alliance to Rescue Civilization (ARC) want to ensure that no matter what happens on the planet Earth, human knowledge will be on the moon.

“In the event of a global catastrophe, the ARC facilities will be prepared to reintroduce lost technology, art, history, crops, livestock, and, if necessary, even human beings to the Earth,” Shapiro said.

ARC hopes to finance the planned moon outpost into a lunar ark of recovery in part through donations from billionaire philanthropists.

Bloggers to Change World, Plan to Celebrate Victory

take actionBloggers have been gaining more respectability throughout the years as they become major players in shaping public opinion. If you don’t beliuveme that bloggers can change the world, just read this blog entry. October 15th will be the day of action for bloggers, you can get involved yourself.

Blog Action Day, is just one vehicle for that change, but it is a powerful concept: thousands of bloggers unite, for just one day, to talk about one issue. Will that change the world, just one day? Not immediately, but it in effect unites the blogging community. And once the community begins to unite, anything is possible.

Make Your Room a Minimalist Room

I like minimalism, and living in a minimalist home can be good for you. The benefits of a minimalist home include less stress, looks better, and is easier to clean.

Quality over quantity. Instead of having a lot of stuff in your home, a minimalist would choose just a few really good things he loves and uses often. A really nice table, for example, is better than 5 pieces of press-board furniture.

Lawsuits Champion the Environment

In the coming months many companies could face large fines from the damage that they have done to the environment. There is a growing trend in the USA and Europe to sue those responsible for environmental damage that as resulted in damage that went beyond just the environment. Confused? This example from the linked article should help you out:

In the United States, there are currently about a dozen cases involving demands for tighter regulation and claims for damages. Among them is a case brought by property owners in Mississippi against oil and coal companies they accuse of playing a role in Hurricane Katrina, which struck the region with devastating consequences in August 2005.

New Yorkers Last Longer

New York is a healthy place to live – that may come as a surprise to people who remember New York being a cesspool of yesteryear. New York amgazine has an article on why New Yorkers last longer and how as whole New York breeds a healthy lifestyle.

Things Are Good readers should know that cities as a whole are becoming more attractive to live in for health reasons. The more urban the better. Cities are more walkable than suburban and rural areas and they provide more opportunities for innovation and progress.

From the New York magazine article:

The health difference was shockingly large: A white man who lived in a more urban, mixed-use area was fully ten pounds lighter than a demographically identical guy who lived in a sprawling suburb.
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Interestingly, urban theorists believe it is not just the tightly packed nature of the city but also its social and economic density that has life-giving properties. When you’re jammed, sardinelike, up against your neighbors, it’s not hard to find a community of people who support you—friends or ethnic peers—and this strongly correlates with better health and a longer life. Then there are economies of scale: A big city has bigger hospitals that can afford better equipment—the future of medicine arrives here first. We also tend to enjoy healthier food options, since demanding foodies (vegetarians and the like) are aggregated in one place, making it a mecca for farm-fresh produce and top-quality fish, chicken, and beef. There’s also a richer cultural scene than in a small town, which helps keep people out and about and thus mentally stimulated.