Lets make sure our children and grandchildren get the very best of jobs

My greatest passion has always been to hand something good onto our young people , What a privelege to have so much to share.   Your responses to this element of my lifes work would be most welcome , Write to me for the full lecture 

Coming -- a few stories from the past , If all else fails , study failures

We live in strange times . I have just been to a science and technology conference where catastrophism was discussed. You can join in here  
No we didn't all agree about what this modern phenomenon meant,  but , because we were christians we  knew how to fight well,  without too much noise and with a focus on what might be  true and whether fear was indeed a good tool  esp in the hands of media and polys  ,
Thankfully to discuss whats good bad and unhelpul are still not forbidden subjects at a conference where" religious"ideas are just part of the normal discussion 

My aim within a few days is to list a few historical examples of Disaster and disaster preventions I have been involved in  .
The idea is,  in the face of fear and uncertainty, we can look back with some confidence for clues for the future ( the conference theme) s Please come back later 

Threbo landslide  

....

Nature is not our mother, but our sister

We and our non human associates should be friends,  who get to know each other and respect our roles 

Disturbing simplicities have crept into public understanding and fears about natural forces . The forces of nature  maybe subtle  but they are complex and strong enough to crush us .We have ignored them and continue to ignore them to our peril .   
Is the modern reaction to the ignorance and exploitation of nature by our forebears( often two different things )valid ? Too simple ?and not even always relevant now/
Are we dealing with a reactionary  glass half empty view  .   The reaction of "don't touch" or even "fear of interfering"  is taking over public doctrine of whats good for us in our relations with nature  .  

What those of us who work comfortably with nature have noticed over the last 40 years is an actual lack of respect for nature.  In its common form,  its a failure to really understand natural force and counter forces  complexity . Wannabes now talk glibly of ecosystem protection without knowing how ecosystems work creating  too much political nonsense ( valid in theory but not in practice 
This confusion in direction and support  has come to a head in conflict and wasteful ineffective public investments and  changes of direction  many times in the last few decades 

IMMUNIZATION, INFECTION  ,DISEASE and DEATH 
The above  are all to be respected elements of microbial associations with us -- but are they understood and promoted publicly? No    See this example 
A recent example is listed  here where political and purist natural imperatives appear to have failed to accept the normal accommodation of the microbial community into real world disease and health control.
Earlier examples include public pressure to review the known benefits of immunization , There ae many others , 

The 2020  example here shows us why there in panic and confusion  - the so called threat /value of immunization is discussed in confusing ways . Not only that, simplicities about how we get infected tested and die are now challenging known microbiological  principles.