Neil, beautifully expressed. Many years ago a student of mine, speculating about the earth recognizing humanity as a disease and activating its immune defenses, expressed it not so well, but unforgetably, none-the-less: "When the fly in the ointmnet gets too big, the sleeping giant wakes." Jeez, I shoulda remembered that one for the Proverbs for the Next Millenium thread.

--seed