Though very nearly a centenarian in 1892, when Sir James Dewar invented the vacuum flask, Pericles… that particular Paddy (born Pat McGroin c.1799 suburb of Stillorgan) was a widely renowned Dublin inventor famous for – as a teenager – inventing the toilet seat.

Credit was never given to the anonymous Englishman, who 12 years later, perfected the invention by cutting a hole in it.

Clem, ybgirp, this thread is meant to be a joke. isn't it?

Dear Pericles,

According to the fossil record there have been five great extinctions of species. Due to destruction of habitat, pollution, over-fishing and other man-made activities the sixth great extinction is happening now. All our ingenuity is not going to restore all those species. Some are becoming extinct before they are even recorded so technology will not be able to bring them back. Another area where technology cannot help is the destruction of topsoil where soil is washed away due to poor agricultural practices and land being farmed which is unfit for agriculture. The idea that we can continue destructive non-sustainable practices without worrying what we are doing because we will be rescued by technology is ensuring that the numbers of future and present generations will be reduced or eliminated by pestilence, war and famine. To prevent such a future we must control our numbers and adopt sustainable practices.

What is it about the name Clem. Every Clem I have ever known is a tree hugging rad-fem hippie.

Oh forget this, I just saw an add for ChristianMingle.com. Find gods match for you!

I'm outta here!

So what, david f?

>>Dear Pericles, According to the fossil record there have been five great extinctions of species<<

None of those has occurred since the arrival of homo sapiens sapiens. Furthermore, they each occurred entirely independently of any life form, being either geological reconfigurations or - possibly - meteor impact.

Why mention them at all?

>>Due to destruction of habitat, pollution, over-fishing and other man-made activities the sixth great extinction is happening now.<<

Nonsense. A little under two percent of all documented species survive today, and the rate of extinction has not measurably increased since mankind got involved.

The definition of a "great extinction" varies, but it is generally accepted to be an event that wipes out 50% of animal species. We are, as it happens, discovering new species at a faster rate than the existing ones are disappearing - how does that affect your perception of the situation, I wonder.

If there is to be a "sixth great extinction", it will not be caused by the activities of puny little mankind.

So, appeals to the emotions aside, what is left?

>>All our ingenuity is not going to restore all those species. Some are becoming extinct before they are even recorded so technology will not be able to bring them back.<<

Why is it necessary to preserve all those species anyway? And what's the point of worrying about animals that we didn't even know existed until last week? Seems a particularly odd way of looking at the world, and our place in it.

>>The idea that we can continue destructive non-sustainable practices without worrying what we are doing...<<

Of course we must take care. That is exactly how technology will help - without it, we might just as well go back into our caves and wait until the next meteor strikes. But by using energy and resources that are available to us, and the intelligence, awareness and knowledge that we have acquired over the millennia, we are certain to achieve a workable balance with our habitat.

Weeping, wailing and donning sackcloth and ashes is not going to achieve anything.

It is not weeping, wailing and donning sackcloth to try to live sustainably or to try to limit our population.

Those are simply emotive words to put down those who would face the problems.