I read that it is estimated that the Earth can support 18 billion people or 3 times the number that it has today. That is probably true in terms of living space and food and water. Even so, I don't think that the quality of life will be 3 times as high. With people crowded closer and closer together, more problems will probably occur. I'm happy that I was born in the second half of the twentieth century. I feel like I have been bookended between a bleak past and a bleak future. I'm reminded of the Joni Mitchell line "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot." That is going to happen a lot in the future. Also the line, "They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum. They charged everyone a dollar and a half just to see 'em". Sad but true.
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I must have been in a silly mood on Sunday. I was reading a magazine at a coffee shop in the Frontenac Plaza in St. Louis. It's really a nice shopping center; kind of along the lines of Old Orchard only situated inside. Anyway, I was reading letters to the editor about a previous month's article about the best veterinarians in Las Vegas. One reader submitted her choice for best vet. She said "never has anyone treated my bird with such kindness." I couldn't stop laughing for a few minutes. I don't know why, but pet owners always amuse me.