More evidence that the belief that nature is self-correcting (to what end?), rather than merely changing endlessly, is an essentially religious belief. (Thanks to Maggie's.)
I'm going to bet my spam email from Christsupplements about Jesus's 3 tips for curing disease is only going to make me even angrier. Except to be fair, they are only selling something, not trying to control the culture in ways that affect me.
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"In the long run we are all dead." - John Maynard Keynes
That simplifies model-building and planning, right? So what if your projection has a sign error--it all washes out in the end. Go ahead and impose the plan...
I know of another technology that reduces mosquito populations by more than 90%, but it's a different quasi-religious belief that prevents us from fielding DDT.
I had discussed this a few years ago with Bethany from graph paper diaries who had learned that the mosquitoes were developing some resistance to DDT. Sounds plausible. Though the countries which allow DDT have reportedly learned that you can use lesser concentrations and target spray around doors and windows and get excellent effect with far less risk of resistant mosquitoes. In the US you couldn't do it anyway, as people would be sure all birds would die and their children would develop mutations.
My understanding is broadcast spraying is very different from the technique for protecting humans, which is basically spraying it on interior walls and ceilings. When a mosquito lands on a sprayed wall, it dies, even if the wall was sprayed weeks ago. It's more targeted than spreading clouds of insecticide everywhere.
(Does anyone actually know of a beneficent role mosquitos have in ecologies? I can't think of one.)
I think mosquitoes must be food for birds or lizards or some other animal in the food chain which we wouldn't want to disappear... but I'm just guessing. As far as I'm concerned, mosquitoes, chiggers, redbugs, and midges can just die.
Ticks, too, Donna!
Also, Donna, can't call them chiggers--they're now chigroes. PC, and all that.
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