Wormfest 2014
Today I'm joining author, blogger, and A to Z Challenge Co-host Stephen Tremp for Wormfest 2014. This year the theme is to name one thing where science advances mankind, and one where technology with unforeseen consequences will go too far and set mankind back. For the rest of the Wormfest entries be sure to visit Stephen Tremp's Blog. For my entry keep reading:The Good Stuff
The frigid icy realms of the Earth's polar regions are far less than a mystery than they once were. Scientists from all nations have essentially cooperated to make new discoveries. Modern technology has made exploration in harsh climates more bearable. As researchers discover possibly vast sources of valuable resources such as metals and oil, technological advances may make accessing these commodities more practical in the future. The location at the Earth's poles might provide unique opportunities for space exploration. Many mysteries in the polar regions undoubtedly have yet to be discovered, but the possibilities they hold for our future are intriguing.
The Icy Bad Facts
No country has yet been able to claim the polar regions and maintain that claim in the eyes of the international community. As more discoveries of riches in these realms are made there will undoubtedly be some nation wanting to reap the benefits and possibly lay claim to the areas despite existing international treaties. The poles have strategic importance to military forces as well. If large bases and missile defense systems were established there, the nation who had those would be in a threatening position to the rest of the world.
Maybe one day we'll see forces battling for domination of the poles with the victors sending in settlers to establish cities. Eventually these regions could declare independence to become powerful nations in themselves. Santa Claus would be removed from power in the North. We might see a king, queen, president, or some governing power reigning in the lands of ice and snow.
A Side Note
Not only is my post today a part of Wormfest 2014, but it also includes clues for the next Battle of the Bands which will be this coming Saturday March 15th. In case you've never visited one of my Battle of the Bands posts you can get an idea what it's about by checking out my most recent Battle of the Bands post. In short the Battle pits two versions of the same song for readers to vote for their favorite. Somewhere above I have not only provided clues about what the song is, but I have almost named it. Can you make the connection? Be sure to join me on Saturday to find out what the song choice is.
New Book Release!
Wormfest host Stephen Tremp is celebrating the forthcoming release of the next book in his Chase Manhattan adventure series. Escalation is the third and final book in this series. I've read the first two and gave them five star ratings. It's an exciting adventure series with a fascinating concept. Find out more at Stephen's Blog.Together, Breakthrough, Opening, and Escalation follow the lives of the unlikely participants from innocence to a coming of age through sacrifice, betrayal, passion, lust, unconditional love, and hope. Escalation will appeal to fans of modern-day science fiction, action, and horror.
This series will appeal to those who know there is far more beyond our four dimensional continuum than our five senses can perceive. Escalation is an epic clash where science and the supernatural take center stage for mankind’s destiny. The setting is global and the adrenaline-charged action is non-stop.
Be sure to check out Stephen's special offer on the first two books. I highly recommend reading those before you delve into what is certain to be an exciting conclusion in the final installment.
Do you foresee a power struggle at the Earth's poles? Have you read any of the books in Stephen Treimp's series? If you have visited any of my Battle of the Bands posts, what do you think of the event? Did you figure out which somewhat obscure song by a very famous songwriter I've chosen?
Have fun with the blogfest Lee, I am not technology minded so wouldn't know what to write about. As for Battle of the Bands I have read your post a dozen times and still can't see the title.....perhaps it's a modern song.
ReplyDeleteHave a good week.
Yvonne.
Good point about nations wanting to claim the poles. Everyone will be fighting over ice.
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating in the blogfest!
Interesting Lee, and you make a good point. I never gave it any thought before, but really the poles do offer a lot of power. I just wouldn't want to be on a crew colonizing one, too cold for me. I'll be back Saturday to hear the song.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lee for the shout out! There have been nuclear powered subs under the north pole ice caps for decades, just waiting to come through the ice and launch their missiles. Scary thought.
ReplyDeleteWe already have emperors in Antarctica. Emperor penguins that is!
ReplyDeleteThere could be wars over the water the poles contain, particularly if certain areas of the globe keep having rain shortages.
ReplyDeleteYvonne -- Actually it's an old song by a singer/songwriter with whom you are familiar.
ReplyDeleteAlex -- Ice, or whatever is under the ice.
Rhonda - Living in a large indoor city might not be to bad.
Stephen -- The subs are prowling and some nation including the U.S. has probably got designs on running things there.
L.Diane -- The penguins won't be the first animals that human have told "move over".
Bish -- I think I heard where one iceberg was already towed away as an experiment. Maybe mankind will eventually remove all the ice and hasten the effect of global warming.
Lee
The poles should be left alone. I'm against drilling and military bases at either end of the earth.
ReplyDeleteThere is always a power struggle for something or other, and I suppose The Poles would be no different, especially if there was something worth fighting for whether it be oil, minerals or a strategic position.
ReplyDeleteIt would be quite nasty to have Santa usurped, though!
Us humans are never happy with our lot, we all want one more tiny wafer thin mint......
ReplyDeleteI suggest the Electron microscope
A well cool device
But it does allow us to head down the path of genetic manipulation, and that is possibly good and bad.
I'd hate to be the people who live in these polar areas. My father in law was in the artic regions when the DEW line was put in, and many of the native peoples there had never seen white men before. That was in the 1950s.
ReplyDeleteCanada is one of the countries that tries to protect and watch who does what in the north.
Thoughtful, Lee, and no I've got no clue as to your BOTB choice. . .
BOIDMAN ~
ReplyDelete>>... and hasten the effect of global warming.
WHA'???!!!
Please 'splain that (i.e., elaborate), Lucy.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I'd sure love to see some international cooperation trump ANYTHING else at those poles. I had a friend who got to go to Antarctica with a group dedicated to environmental stuff (she was sponsored by HP, but it was a goodwill thing) and it was incredible. Private use of resources should NEVER trump the environmental stuff and I worry if one nation (especially the US) got dibs, we'd be in trouble.
ReplyDeleteJoJo -- Yeah, but there might be dinosaurs there in some hidden tropical valley.
ReplyDeleteFanny -- I'm sure that Santa and the elves would be pretty upset and nobody would get any toys the year when they get conquered by invading armies.
Rob -- The nanobots are already here! I can't see them to prove it, but I'm sure they're all around us.
DG -- Giant shopping mall at the pole with controlled paradisical climate. A new world is coming! Maybe not better, but new.
StMc -- That was tossed into the mix for the liberal thinking crowd. Besides if they started toting all the ice to drought stricken areas, then global warming might really be a consideration. Not to mention development and industrialization on the poles. But then again controlling the environs might stabilize the climate everywhere and we'd all be living in Southern California conditions. Or maybe everything everywhere would be just like Phoenix so you could feel right at home wherever you went. We could even change the Earth's name to Phoenix--yes, planet Phoenix sounds nice.
Lee
Hart -- When humans need something badly enough I guess they go after it despite environmental costs.
ReplyDeleteLee
I'm going to put up a review for Escalation later this week. I hope the world never fights over the poles.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we'll never stop finding reasons to fight for domination, and I agree that the polar regions are ripe for plunder and conquest.
ReplyDeleteWe have the technology to sustain life in severe climates and, in spite of attempts to Go Green, we have the mind set to use up resources as we need them. It's going to take a very long time to turn that battleship around and really make the difference we should.
I'm not 100% negative on the Ecology Movement, I believe many of us are truly trying, but we're up against a large bureaucracy under corporate influence.
I didn't mean to rant. Here's to that Battle of the Bands--a battle I can enjoy. And congrats again to Stephen on his book.
Technology has sure enhanced exploration of so many intriguing areas of earth - deep sea and the arctic.
ReplyDeleteI'm betting your song is NOT Heatwave or California Dreamin' :)
Me? I'm not so good at the science. This is why I'm a writer, though, because if I don't understand it, I can just make it up.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I think I know the song this time, but I've been wrong before. I'm guessing IMMIGRANT SONG. If it's not, I'll eat my hat!
ReplyDeleteSusan GK -- I hope to have Escalation read soon so I can also put up a reveiw.
ReplyDeleteC.Lee-- Nothing wrong with the idealism of the Ecology movement. We should not let it hinder progress, but let us move forward with wise consideration of consequences.
Jemi -- You are correct about what the song is not.
Beer -- I'm always just making stuff up. I should be a politician.
Kelly --Good catch! You caught my tricky little injection of "land of ice and snow"--I added that in purposely. Do you have any preference as to which hat you would like to chow down on?
Lee
Well, then. It has been proposed that the earth will turn on its sides because the magnetic core gets screwed up somehow.
ReplyDeleteThen there will be a bad movie on how to fix it, but it turns out to be a good idea.
Man will always find a reason to fight! When the poles shift as they are wont to do, will ownership shift with them? Intriguing thought about the poles.
ReplyDeleteSusan -- In space how do we determine if a planet has "turned on it's side"? Why do we call North "Up" and the South "Down"?
ReplyDeleteKaren -- Ice is water, right? And certain places on Earth have been having water shortages. Water is a valuable commodity when it's scarce.
Roland -- I guess ownership will be determined by physical presence and established properties and buildings. The poles are just an arbitrary designation I suppose.
Lee
Playing both sides, eh, Boid?
ReplyDelete>>... Roland -- I guess ownership will be determined by physical presence and established properties and buildings.
Ownership would be determined by the military might to fend off all intruders. It's 2014, and might makes right, don'tcha know? (This means that probably the evil United States government would have ownership.)
>>... We could even change the Earth's name to Phoenix--yes, planet Phoenix sounds nice.
In that case, you might as well call it planet "SUCKS!"
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
StMc-- "Physical presence and established properties and buildings would include protective military forces and bases. But you're actually missing the point of all this. What is my song choice for the next Battle of the Bands? That's what this post is really about. Everything else is icing--or should I say ice as in frozen water.
ReplyDeleteLee
Poor Santa. You know how to bring in things people might not even think about Arlee. The Frozen North might just become a great enemy one day.
ReplyDeleteI don't suppose anyone ever thanks of sharing? This earth of our belongs to all of us, not one country, or another. The Poles should be tended, cared for, not fought over like a toy. Grr!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't see the music reference, sorry. Great post.
http://iurl.no/15v1s
Hi Lee - I'm afraid there are fights already going on for domination of the Arctic regions ... and as for peoples losing their land to the warming seas - that is too happening ..
ReplyDeleteIf only we could engender care and compassion and share generously ...
I'm so pleased for Stephen that his book is out ..
Cheers and let's hope we can look after our planet somehow ... Hilary
What a horrid thought Lee. I do hope that will never happen. I don't much like the idea of exploiting the arctic wastes for oil and minerals anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Hart, Shah and Hilary on this one.
ReplyDeleteIf it wasn't for co-operative research we wouldnt have discover methane-'breathing' bacteria living under the ice shelf - giving intriguing thoughts about life on other worlds... including Europa.
Oh, I have no idea what song you will be using. I've given up trying to guess on that stuffs.
ReplyDeleteYou usually use such obscure songs that I've never even heard of them to begin with. Aside from that, I think you seed your 'Clues Posts' with all kinds of blind alleys and disinfo (i.e., clues meant to make the reader think it's a certain song that it isn't), so guessing what song you will be using is a near impossibility. No one has ever once guessed correctly, so what's the point in trying?
I rarely attempt to figure out what it will be anymore and I just simply wait to see.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Santa Claus will always be King of the North Pole in my eyes! Best of luck to Stephen with his book!
ReplyDeleteSheena-Kay-- If Santa sides up with the bad guys we will be in big trouble. Angry elves can be vicious.
ReplyDeleteShah-- On an idealistic level you're right, but the forces of power have differing concepts of idealistic goals.
Hilary -- But we aren't engaged in all out war over the poles yet. The political grappling and posturing is always at play.
Jo - Hopefully one day we'll have alternatives that are completely safe or renewable.
Jemima -- Getting along is the best way to do things.
Lee
StMc-- Actually my clues are more obvious than you may think. And more than once has someone guessed the correct song ahead of time--more than twice even.
ReplyDeleteRiddles can take some thought when someone doesn't see through the clues right away and most visitors to these posts pretty well just ignore my little fun and games. I just do it partially for my own entertainment and just in case someone does catch the song being riddled.
And talking about obscure reference? Some of the things in your posts can likewise get rather obscure for some of us, but that's why it's interesting to read the posts. If I already know everything that someone posts about then why waste my time with it unless it's so eloquently written that the writing is the payoff.
I'll give you personally another clue about the song for this next Battle. It's by a major songwriting force of the past 50 years as well as someone who has recorded many albums, one of which was a huge hit. The clue I'll leave on my Friday post will be essentially posed as a riddle, but it should be very clear and if it isn't, when you see the song you'll slap your head and say "Doh!".
I'm just having fun with my little guessing game to see if anyone else has fun with me. And if everyone is bored with it then I'll probably eventually stop. Well, in April I'll definitely stop--I think.
Lee
MJ -- Yes, Santa is King of the North Pole and that's the way it should stay.
ReplyDeleteLee
A war for the Polar regions seems inevitable, since none of the countries mining and drilling and exploring those areas can keep from breaking their treaties in every other instance where natural resources were at stake. Any multilateral mission to oversee the polar caps might be about as effective as international law has been in handling over-fishing, whaling and the on-going pollution of the oceans...not very.
ReplyDeleteGarrison-- Sadly I think you're right.
ReplyDeleteLee
Hope I'm better late than never here...
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd thought about fighting over the poles. This is good stuff; scary but good.
Great Post!
Toinette -- And to think that my topic was essentially a clue for my Battle of the Bands post that came a few days later.
ReplyDeleteLee