The Virtual Life of Fizzy Oceans Read Online Free PDF Page A

I’ve seen in magazines and on the Internet, but who can fault him for that, as we all tend to cheat the calendar a bit when creating our emulations. (With Dr. Adler’s entrance to the VBV it becomes obvious to me that Igloo Iceman is nowhere to be found in the arena, but perhaps that is not so unusual as some VL citizens are known to manifest not as a single EM but two, or three, or even multiple emulations, and Igloo’s absence at an event with which he was not only concerned but actively involved only feeds the speculation that Igloo Iceman is indeed the EM of the esteemed and famous Arctic researcher, Dr. Conrad Adler. Who really knows? And who cares? Igloo Iceman or Conrad Adler, we’re all here to learn something about the catastrophe that is taking place above the Arctic Circle.) Dressed in casual clothes, and looking as if he’s about to go for a hike in the Sierras, Dr. Adler waves to the crowd in acknowledgement then greets Jack Straw Huckleberry. Once Dr. Adler’s EM is settled, Huckleberry begins to speak.
    “What a fantastic crowd we have here tonight at the Virtual Broadcast Venue in Virtual Life to hear the remarks of our very special guest…
    “Of course our guest does not need an introduction full of accomplishments and accolades, but I know you will join me in thanking him for being here in Virtual Life, and also for his concern for the earth, and for his courage to speak out at a time when far too many remain silent about what is obviously the most crucial issue of our time…
    “Dr. Conrad Adler is well known for creating the Ki Principle—an ecological hypothesis that proposes that both living and nonliving parts of the earth must be viewed as a complex and interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. Named after the Sumerian earth goddess, this hypothesis postulates that all life has a regulatory effect on Earth’s environment.
    “Dr. Adler, who holds numerous degrees, and who continues to lecture at some of the world’s most prestigious universities, and to consult for some of the world’s largest and most influential corporations, is a scientist, a researcher, an author, an environmentalist, and a futurologist who, after twenty-five years’ research above the Arctic Circle, continues to document the recession of the polar icecaps, monitor species migration and document climatic changes.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm Virtual Life welcome to Dr. Conrad Adler.”
    The crowd gathered on the bleachers at the VBV applauds loudly for Dr. Adler. At least a dozen conversation bars light up.
    Standing before the podium, Dr. Adler first blows into his microphone and then poses the essential rhetorical question: “WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING?” Without waiting for an answer he continues, “Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere, and temperatures are rising. The vast majority of scientists, as well as a recent United Nations decree, acknowledges that global warming is a real phenomenon, that it is already well underway and that it is not a cyclical occurrence, but rather it is largely caused by human activities. If you had spent as much time as I have above the Arctic Circle, you would know that the changes are obvious. Glaciers are melting and plants and animals are being forced from their habitats. But the effects of Global warming are not visible only above the Arctic Circle. At lower latitudes, the number and frequency of severe storms, aberrant temperature fluctuations and droughts is increasing…
    “To make matters even worse,” Dr. Adler laments, “companies—mostly big oil, but not exclusively—are actively funding research to challenge the scientific