Chris, your October 2007 issue is the most important reality check on global warming to date, especially your “Greenhouse Earth” poster.

Evolutionary biologist E. O. Wilson defined root causes of humanity’s problems today, as discussed in the CALIFORNIA alumni magazine Sep/Oct 2006 article on “Global warming: Can we adapt in time?” http://alumni.berkeley.edu/calmag/200609/tolan.asp

Now your “Carbon’s New Math” essay quantifies the inescapable “Consequences after 2057” of our current state of evolution.

A very good journal though the article 'Infectious Animals' seems anthropocentric. For example:

"The virus seemed to be gone, too. But we knew it was only hiding. Hiding where?"

Surely it is not 'hiding' but more hidden from our view. Can a virus take active steps to avoid detection?

Does anyone else have thoughts on this?

My neighbor Chris Johns is on the right track with diesel vehicles. New technology and cleaner fuels can eliminate the black smoke that Americans tend to associate with diesel. Biodiesel has appeal, but it remains to be seen if it makes sense environmentally or financially, absent big subsidies. I love my Prius, too, which gets about 50 mpg between Rappahannock and DC. But I worry about the battery disposal cost and recycle-ability.

Chris,

I was truly excited to see that National Geographic was doing a story on modern-day pirates in the Malacca Strait.

I've been writing on this very topic in my blog for nearly two years and am continually amazed that pirates and terrorists are still plying the seas and very few people are aware of the potential danger they pose.

I admit right up front that part of the purpose of my blog is self promotion for my screenplay about Abu Sayyaf terrorists who hijack an LNG ship to use it as a weapon of mass destruction. But as I was researching the topic, I came to realize that there is a very real danger of terrorist using pirate tactics to board a ship and use it for whatever purpose they want.

I only hope that a publication with the stature of National Geographic will make more people aware of the situation in the Malacca Strait and how it could affect them through disruption of trade or a terrorist attack.

I feel that the Geographic is slowly straying away from its original objective. We've seen articles on obesity, psychology, global warming(this subject needs some attention). However in the 53 years that I have subscribed to the magazine, the majority of articles highlighted countries, places of interest, archaeological & scientific finds. I feel this where the true objectives of the National Geographic Society should be emphasized. If I want to read articles on obesity, Psychology, etc., I'll subscribe to Health, Psychology or Scientific American.

This month's editors note covers the same ideas of my intro to diesel, biodiesel, and diesel vs hybrid cars article.

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/buyersguide.htm

I like that National Geographic covers all aspects of human society because it is all part of exploring places and people. Keep it up!

If after reading the excellent article on pirates plying the Malacca Strait and you'd like to know more about what is happening in around the area as far as pirate and terrorist activity is concerne, please drop by www.huntoftheseawolves.net/blog.

It's a fascinating topi and well worth knowing how these modern-day pirates may one day have an affect on your lives, no matter where you live.

John Chadwell

Chris,

I was heartened to read your comments and the article about biofuels. The section about growing algae captured my attention. I think that algae could be a big answer to using human and animal waste to fuel our energy needs for transportation and electricity. To me it's very frustrating that an OPEC member country will fund over $100 million to do such research, yet in the US the project shuts down every time the price of a barrel of oil drops by $1! Why? Imagine where we'd be if we'd spent the $600 billion to research how to grow algae and convert them into energy, instead of getting ourselves into this war in Iraq based on a pack of lies! I think that home grown energy is the best defense against terrorism and extortion by OPEC abroad and by our own energy producing multinationals based in the US. When I was first married about 37 years ago, I told my wife that microorganisms were the wave of the future. That prediction turned out to be true. Many of the advances in biotech are real breakthroughs. Now there is research on melding nanotechnology with biotech to produce smaller, faster computers. We could well do the same by growing algae, a rather low tech proposition. It works for the Chinese, who feed their pigs on algae, because they can't afford to use arable land to grow crops for the pigs. The same system works in other countries, including Costa Rica. So why note here? I hope you'll consider doing an article about microorganisms as the answer to the energy crisis.

Best wishes,

David Herman

Chris, the lack of responses to National Geographic’s most excellent reporting on global warming is the saddest confirmation of the root cause of our problems today. A half century ago Edward Teller promised Cal students like myself that we would have controlled fusion by the end of the 20th century to provide for the energy needs of everyone on earth. But UC National Labs was dedicated instead to hydrogen bomb making for profit, producing worst case scenario proof to Ike’s 1961 Farewell Address warning: “The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present – and is gravely to be regarded.” Most recently Cal has been referred to as “BPerkeley” for it’s latest sell out of scientific integrity to BP oil. So we not only cannot foresee any scientific or national urgency to discover controlled fusion to replace fossil fuel burning worldwide, but we don’t even have the far simpler fuel cells at our disposal in the meantime.

Much as I enjoy National Geographic, I have been hiding it from my children lately, since almost every issue has pictures of mutilated bodies. Whether it's a mummy with its throat slit, or a barbecued monkey head, it seems like I never know what will be lurking on the next page. Is it just coincidence that there have been a lot of pictures like this, or is it a deliberate policy?

I remember many years ago when National Geographic ran its first story about bog mummies and put a photo of one on the cover. That was controversial at the time, but it certainly got attention, and perhaps started a trend.

We have all had the experience of reading or watching something so grotesque that we could not tear ourselves away. Some publications and TV shows deliberately pander to this instinct, but I would hate to see National Geographic go that way.

Of course National Geographic is primarily a magazine for adults, and there is no need to present a rose-colored view of the world. But there is also no need to deliberately seek out grisly themes and images, so please give it a rest for a while.

Having just received my October issue today, I've only browsed through the issue, so far. However, I am happy to see the articles on methods of decreasing our need for foreign oil. Quite by accident recently, I came across a most amazing discovery on a youtube video. If this discovery is true, we may all soon be free of our dependence on oil, itself. It seems that a man in Erie, Pennsylvania, has discovered that simple saltwater can burn, when "heated" by radio waves. Check it out. The video(s) are from what seem to be actual local news programs. I would hope that National Geographic Magazine could investigate this discovery as soon as possible. Simply go to youtube, and search "saltwater". I apologize if this turns out to be a hoax, maybe I'm blinded by hope.

I totally agree with Rob Taylor (above comment): he has written a brilliant summary of the issue.

I would add that Diesel engines can deliver high torque at low engine engine speed (rpm) and therefore another benefit is its increased durability and longevity.

The last comment from Robert Bruce led me to check the "burning salt water" experiment and it is quite amazing. The level of energy required to operate the RF generator is not specified though, but it remains quite a spectacular demonstration.

Hello,
We use your magazine in our homeschool, thank you for providing this excellent resource. However, it is very confusing when we begin discussing space travel, moon landings in particular. Scientific documentaries, and other sources, tell us that radiation belts prevent life (with our past and current technology) from venturing very far from our planet. Technology in the early 1960's seems highly incapable of producing the moon landings that we were shown and told to believe. Yet, no one seems to be able to come out with the truth of the situation. As the years go by, it becomes more and more obvious that these moon landings did not happen. Shouldn't National Geographic be at the forefront of providing the truth of this situation?

Bromont, QC, Canada,
September 30, 2007

Mr. Chris Jones, Editor in Chief, National Geographic.

Dear Mr Jones.
Being a resident of Quebec, an integral part of Canada, a bilingual country,I am very upset and disturbed by the following:

quote:
" OFFICIAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE
"NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC INTERNATIONAL
PHOTO CONTEST" RULES
WHO MAY ENTER
Contest is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, United Kingdom, Canada (EXCLUDING THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC), Australia and New Zealand ...... CONTEST IS VOID IN ..... THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC AND WHERE PROHIBITED. "
end of quote.

If the contest is open for unilingual english speaking countries, then ALL of Canada should be excluded !!

Sincerely,
Martin Visser,
Bromont Quebec,
Canada.

visser@videotron.ca

let me get this straight:
in the last 150 years co2 in the atmosphere has gone from 280 PPM to 380 PPM (a 37.7% increase would you say?), while the world population has gone from 1.2 B to 9.6 B (a 700% increase would you say?). Humans exhale co2. I wonder how much of the increase in co2 is really due to my drive to the store for a loaf of bread?

Chris:
Sorry - I guess I got my numbers wrong - earth's population growth over the past 150 years or so may have been only about 450% but I'm sure you get the idea....

Chris,
Though I accept the idea that the earth appears to be in a warming cycle, the notion that it is caused by man (American man, to be specific) and that we can actually do anything about it is patently absurd. Man-made emissions account for less than 4% of the greenhouse gases blamed for the cooking of mother earth. How about a little intelectual honesty here? How about a rational approach to the issue at hand and a true discussion of the situation in historical context? What about the fact that it was markedly warmer 500 years ago than it is today?. The United Staes didn't even exist then to blame! I've watched the religion of global warming take hold and infect its fantasy into every aspect of our lives. Virtually every issue of the day is somehow associated with global warming. I bet one could make a good argument that the sacrificed bog people featured in a recent article were actually ancient society's first attempts at a carbon-offset program. You're the Natioanl Geographic Society. Start getting the facts right!

The October 2007 cover story on biofuels ("Green Dreams") contained a couple of glaring omissions. The article included boxed sidebars on the pros and cons of corn ethanol, cane ethanol, cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel, but did not include similar consideration of gasoline and diesel fuel. True, those are certainly not biofuels, but to understand why the biofuels are needed, we should look deeper at the pros and cons of traditional petroleum-based fuels

To its credit, National Geographic did compare price, energy balance and greenhouse gas emissions of each bio-based fuel to traditional petroleum fuels - and all of the biofuels provided more energy and fewer emissions than the petroleum counterparts. The American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest is a strong supporter of E85 and biodiesel; cleaner-burning biofuels that help reduce air pollution in the Midwest today. We estimate the typical flex-fuel vehicle owner can prevent four tons of fuel lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions and other serious air pollutants every year by simply filling up with E85 instead of gasoline.

Harold Wimmer
President & CEO
American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest
Springfield, IL

Chris, your “Editor’s Note” has provided us with a most excellent opportunity to focus on our most important climate change needs. While eliminating fossil fuel burning is our highest priority, heroic firefighters are about to extinguish the second set of hellacious Southern California firestorms in four years, and once again it is most clear that another of our most urgent climate change priorities is to guarantee clean water supplies today.

As NGM and other scientific journals document with increasing frequency, the "good old days" of abundant Colorado River and Central Valley Basin water supplies for California are rapidly declining, along with increasing contamination of existing sources.

California is most fortunate to be located next to the Pacific Ocean which is our ultimate source of clean water, however too many politicians and scientists are in denial about desalination plants, whereas the imperative to construct clean water desalination plants is here today considering the lead times involved versus the rates of decline of existing clean water sources that are not keeping up with the demands of our population.

E. O. Wilson, the Harvard evolutionary biologist instructs us that far-off catastrophes engineered by our own species are simply out of the range of human capacity for planning and action. But scientists are now admitting that some of their climate change forecast models are off by decades, so “far-off” is much sooner than we thought.

re Wade Davis on the Padaung women in the March 2008 culture pages:
When we saw these women at a hotel on Inle Lake (part of a cultural dance program at the hotel) in Burma in 2000, a colleague of mine (retired M.D. from MGH) pointed out the compromise of the thoraic cavity and cervical spine in the young women who have been fitted with these heavy rings starting in their teenage years. As mature wome, they have pulmonary and skeletal problems. Please have Wade talk with pulmonologists in Thailand. Alan Mairson's last comment is right on..and maybe options should be found rather than perpetuating the placement of rings. Thank you!