Aaaaaaaaand we're back

...at school, that is. I have to say it really feels like I never left. I can't wait to catch up with everyone and see the campus again. It's so beautiful here. Admittedly, I'm not overly excited for classes to start, but it doesn't really dampen the rest at all.

I'm so freakin lucky. That's about it.

Soylent Green is PEOPLE!

I've always been a huge fan of science fiction. I read the "Great Illustrated Classics" version of Wells' War of the Worlds and Verne's 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea when I was little. In middle school I read Farenheit 451 and became interested in Bradbury's short stories and other sci-fi literature. My Dad introduced me to The Twilight Zone and older movies like "The Day the Earth Stood Still". In high school I read Vonnegut. I continue to read him, not merely for the science fiction aspect, since his writing was often a combination of genres, but for his humor and biting criticism of humankind.

Of course, one of the most popular recurring themes in science fiction involves the plight of mankind as it continues to grow at an ever-increasing rate. What will happen to the Earth the as demands for resources rise while the resources themselves become more and more scarce?

I have to admit, thinking about it makes me worry about what will happen to us, to the environment, and to the planet in general. It's incredible, as you can see in this video, how quickly the population is expanding. It raises all kinds of questions about the morality of preserving life in the face of overpopulation. This video is somewhat reassuring, if only by showing that there is hope that balance may be able to preserve our existence as birth rates climb and death rates fall.