In a rare example of progressive thinking the conclave of the cardinals broke with tradition yesterday and voted in a pope from Latin America. And although we shouldn't necessarily hang around waiting for him to give his support to contraception or gay marriage, we should, I believe, celebrate the fact that they have voted for a man who was in the vanguard of "liberation theology" in that benighted continent, which promoted the idea of building a Heaven on Earth, in a time when the church's attitude was basically, if you're poor and exploited right now, don't worry, it'll be all right once you get into Heaven. So let's wish him well.
Today comes news that is far more serious. The British arm of the American giant Lockheed Martin announced plans to harvest the ocean floor for precious metals. Apparently gold, copper and other precious metals accumulate around hydro-thermal vents, so they plan to send special craft down to the abysmal depths and snap off the chimneys that form around these vents, and then hoover up the mineral-rich rubble. But these vents are home to a number of unique life-forms found nowhere else. Indeed, some people believe these vents may well be where life began on planet Earth, 3.5 billion years ago.
Do Lockheed Martin care about these issues? Do they fuck. They know the electronics industry is crying out for the rare-earth elements that can be sucked up, plus of course, I believe there is still quite a good market for gold. Compare these potential riches with the destruction of a uniquely precious habitat and there's only one answer: fuck it and give me the money. Pelagius says: stop this vandalism before it gets started!
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