Oolite Bulletins

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We should start referring to processes which run in the background by their
correct technical name... paenguins.
		-- Kevin M. Bealer, commenting on the penguin Linux logo

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99 little bugs in the code, 99 bugs in the code,
        fix one bug, compile it again...
        101 little bugs in the code....

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quark:
	The sound made by a well bred duck.

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Oxygen is a very toxic gas and an extreme fire hazard.  It is fatal in
concentrations of as little as 0.000001 p.p.m.  Humans exposed to the
oxygen concentrations die within a few minutes.  Symptoms resemble very
much those of cyanide poisoning (blue face, etc.).  In higher
concentrations, e.g. 20%, the toxic effect is somewhat delayed and it
takes about 2.5 billion inhalations before death takes place.  The reason
for the delay is the difference in the mechanism of the toxic effect of
oxygen in 20% concentration.  It apparently contributes to a complex
process called aging, of which very little is known, except that it is
always fatal.

However, the main disadvantage of the 20% oxygen concentration is in the
fact it is habit forming.  The first inhalation (occurring at birth) is
sufficient to make oxygen addiction permanent.  After that, any
considerable decrease in the daily oxygen doses results in death with
symptoms resembling those of cyanide poisoning.

Oxygen is an extreme fire hazard.  All of the fires that were reported in
the continental U.S. for the period of the past 25 years were found to be
due to the presence of this gas in the atmosphere surrounding the buildings
in question.

Oxygen is especially dangerous because it is odorless, colorless and
tasteless, so that its presence can not be readily detected until it is
too late.
		-- Chemical & Engineering News February 6, 1956

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Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no
account be allowed to do the job.
		-- Douglas Adams, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

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"Mr. Spock succumbs to a powerful mating urge and nearly kills Captain Kirk."
		-- TV Guide, describing the Star Trek episode _Amok_Time_

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*ALERT*ALERT*ALERT*ALERT*ALERT*ALERT*ALERT*ALERT*ALERT*
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| | | | |_| | |\/| | | | |/ _ \| '__/ _` |
| |_| |  _  | |  | | |_| | (_) | | | (_| |
|____/|_| |_|_|  |_|\___(_)___/|_|  \__, |
                                    |___/ 

Advisory:  Hidden DHMO Dangers on Mars
Date:      October 31, 2000
Reporting: Dale DesLauriers
Location:  University of California, Santa Barbara
Research:  Tom Way, Director of Research, DHMO.org
URL:       http://www.dhmo.org/alerts/alert103100
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Scientists Urge Caution in Mars Exploration

As humanity is on the brink of establishing a
continuous human presense in space, new concerns
are arising regarding safety.  And DHMO is at
the center of the controversy.

In a turn of events worthy of Orsen Welles and his
famous 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast of
H.G. Wells classic tale of the same name, scientists
now fear that sub-surface Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO)
contamination of the "Red Planet" may be cause for
concern in continued exploration.

A theory that is gaining momentum among planetary
scientists and astrobiologists is that contained
within the possible frozen polar caps and in liquid or
frozen water reserves just beneath the surface of
Mars is a significant level of Dihydrogen Monoxide.
DHMO is a known causative factor in thousands of human,
animal and plant deaths on Earth each year, and is a 
major component of acid rain.  Also found in nearly 
all cancerous tumors, the regulation of DHMO remains
controversial.

Just what the possible presence of DHMO on Mars means
for future human exploration remains to be seen,
although as with DHMO contamination on Earth, a
cautious approach will likely be warranted.  At this
point scientists do not foresee canceling planned
future manned and unmanned exploration of Mars, nor of
the likely DHMO-laden Jovian satellite Europa, but
also are not ruling out that possibility.

Welles and Wells may have unwittingly provided an
inkling of what we could expect.  It would be truly
ironic if, when humans invaded Mars, rather than the
reverse situation crafted by these past storytellers,
it still spelled doom for humanity.

-------------------------------------------------------
Tom Way
Director of Research
DHMO.org - Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division
web: http://www.dhmo.org
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