The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman. St. Martin’s Press. - 0809145669
In this very imaginative book, Weisman tries to portray what the world would be without humans. Would the world be better off without humans? What would thrive if man wasn’t interfering with climate conditions is so many ways? He writes that even if mankind is in some ways responsible for the disappearance for many species of animals, what positive things could happen with the disappearance of humans? He maintains that 100 million sharks
are killed each year; 400 black rhinos, 200 million birds- 60 million board feet of hardwoods buried in the form of coffins; lions in abundance are killed; coral reefs disappear.
On the positive side he believes the world would not be better off without humans. He cites these examples: Korea is better off and has become like another Eden. The nuclear hell in Rocky Flats in Co has become a thriving place for
wildlife.
Wiseman offers these facts not as blueprints for the future, but as
critiques of the present. He asks how humans managed to make such a mess of God’s creation. But he wonders what the domesticated animals would do without humans, and what today’s houses would do without the upkeep humans provide. Wiseman has no solutions, but he does offer interesting questions.
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Saint of the Week
St. Francis
Solano: July 17. 1549 - 1610.
Francis came from a leading family in Andalusia, Spain. Perhaps it was his popularity as a student that enabled Francis in his teens to stop two duelists. He entered the Friars Minor in 1570, and after ordination enthusiastically sacrificed himself for others. His care for the sick during an epidemic drew so
much admiration that he became embarrassed and asked to be sent to the African missions. Instead he was sent to South America in 1589.
While working in what is now
Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay, Francis quickly learned the local languages and was well received by the indigenous peoples. His visits to the sick often included playing a song on his violin.
Around 1601, he was called to Lima, Peru, where he tried to recall the Spanish colonists to their baptismal integrity. Francis also worked to defend the indigenous peoples from oppression. He died in Lima in 1610 and was canonized in 1726. His Liturgical Feast Day is July 14.
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