Various men and women of history, visionaries before their time, wrote about marvelous inventions they foresaw in the future. It was these men and women that laid the groundwork for scientists and researchers in all fields of science to explore and invent many of our many modern day technology wonders, including the atomic bomb. But as we all know, not all technological breakthroughs have been a blessing to mankind. Let's explore a few to see the impact on mankind. We'll start alphabetically with these marvels.

The discovery of herbicides, pesticides, the building of factories that create poisonous chemicals to manufacture plastics, aluminum cans and other products have created Acid Rain that is slowing polluting and destroying our mother earth. These chemicals are also giving us cancer and God knows what else. One leading pesticide for years was used after the government said it was safe to use, however it was later discovered that it caused major birth defects. Yes, without herbicides and pesticides, the world would not have been able to produce the food needed to feed the world population. And yes without plastics, we wouldn't have Pepsi or Coke. Have we paid a price for this?

Airbags for cars. How many children have been killed needlessly because of these? Penicillin and antibiotics. Truly a blessing, for millions have been saved from death by the use of antibiotics. However, we've overused the third generation of antibiotics. Superbugs and flesh eating bacteria, are thus emerging. There are no known antibiotics to treat these new superbugs and bacteria. And now cancer researchers are beginning to see that viruses such as AIDS, hepatitis C and other viruses besides genetic disposition to cancer actually cause cancer. The invention of the computer, unleashing the information age. The result, a 200% increase of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Chlorine to treat water treatment plants. Now linked to causing cancer. Which leads us to garbage. All these technological wonders have caused us to create so much garbage, we are running out of places to bury it. Some states are having their garbage shipped 1,500 miles away to bury. The Greenhouse Effect is there truth to this? The real research says yes! Deforestation of our Rain Forests. There are three major rain forests in the world that produce over 33%, yes thirty-three percent of the world's oxygen supply. However, due to the cutting down of the rain forests, we have less than two thirds of the rain forests remaining. This has resulted in seven percent less oxygen being produced by the rain forests. And it is projected, due to recent fires in the rain forests and continued lumbering, this will decrease another ten percent in ten years. This will mean a loss of over half of the oxygen being produced by the rain forests in ten years. The discovery of tobacco. Most importantly, nicotine and how it is addictive and how men have built multimillion corporations at the cost of human lives. This to me is nothing short that premeditated genocide of the human race. Producing something that kills. Then we had the invention of satellites in space. Without them we would not have the telecommunications capabilities we now have, nor would we have won the Gulf War. But how do you explain this to a farmer in Canada that recently had a piece of a satellite fall from space and land only fifty feet from their dining room table. Over 2,000 space objects fall from the skies yearly and the number is increasing. Presently, we have over 500 satellites hovering in space, and this will grow to over 1,000 by 2010. Last but least, we have the invention of the toilet. Now that has truly been a life saver. Indoor plumbing! I have no complaints about this one except for one. Get the government out of regulating our toilets. The new so called 1.6 gallon flush toilet requirement is a joke. Many people are having to flush not twice but three times with this new toilet compared to once with the old toilets. This change of design in our toilet was suppose to save water. What a joke. I wonder what brainless government official thought up this brain fart. Go figure, are we? Just another government blunder thought of the day to make our lives more stressful. By the way, have you heard about the $900,000 out house that the U.S. Forest Service built that is stuck somewhere in the mountains in Virginia. How could anyone spend $900,000 for an out house built in the mountains. That's more than a very well designed modern four bedroom, three bathroom house, with three garages and a swimming pool. Hello folks, these are our tax dollars these idiots in Washington are spending. And what is interesting is when you try and contact the Congressmen who approved this, they have no comment. Now wait just one darn minute. No comment? Not in my books. These Congressmen are being paid by us and they can't just say, "No comment." Isn't anyone in Washington accountable to anyone anymore, especially to us, the people that are paying these bills?

Now you may think that all I am writing about are the negatives of technological inventions and improvements. Yes, I am presenting the negatives to point out something. The inventions themselves are not the negatives, it is the lack of wisdom in using them. And what has possibly caused this? Let's read a comment from one of my readers, typical of the many I received.

Sam, 50, from Detroit wrote, "Technology has certainly improved man's way of life, but when you look at the various damage that some of it has caused, it makes you wonder why they did it anyway. Was it greed?

Sam could not have said it better. Greed has been the driving force behind all inventions, technological improvements. Without it, I don't think some inventions would have been discovered. Greed has certainly captured the pharmaceutical industry. Over the last thirty years they have been patenting drugs that have been made from plants. Are not plants owned by everyone on this planet. So where should the line be drawn?

I believe that is best answered by simply looking around in our world. Look at what we have done to ourselves with pollution, poisoning ourselves with chemicals, even our drinking water is unfit to drink in many parts of the country. Do we have to be a genius to figure out that we need to do something? I don't believe so. What is needed is that we take what we know, what we have learned from the past, and start to apply it today. We have to stop thinking of living for only today, and start thinking of tomorrow. We have generations ahead that we will leave our precious earth to.

There are some people that are taking today's technological wonders and improving on them. I came across such a firm that is doing just that. It's called SolarAttic Technology. Now I'm not going to try and sell you on their product, I don't do that. However, I do want to explain what they have invented. They have invented a way to take the heat out of an attic and heat a swimming pool. Now, swimming pools have been around for a long time, and will be for lot longer. And most people enjoy them better if they are heated. This is a company that has looked into saving our natural resources. If you want further information on this you can email them at SolarAttic@aol.com. Their mailing address is SolarAttic Technology Inc, 15548 9th Circle N.E., Elk River, MN 53330. I wonder, could this same technology be used to reuse the heat in the attic to reheat the house in the wintertime?

Beth, 45, from Michigan wrote, "What would we do without our modern day inventions? However, some days I wonder if I could really live without them, some of them are becoming a headache." Good question Beth, I wonder how many people could live like our grandparents or great grandparents did? Overall, most of the email I received about new technology was positive. However, if this is suppose to be a paper less society because of the explosion of the information age, why it is that we are using three times the amount of computer paper than we did ten years ago. And no, it is not because there are more computers or users. Maybe someone forgot that humans always have to have something tangible to hold, to read, to look it. Funny how we humans need to comfort ourselves.

Before I close this column, I wanted to mention someone that I feel has a vast amount of knowledge and information concerning health and nutrition. If you have watched the news lately, you would have heard that researchers in England have identified that Alzheimer's disease is most likely caused by an improper diet, a lack of folic acid and B12. Well, guess what folks, Rosemary Fisher of New York, a published author of four health and nutrition books already knew this. Not only that, she has perfected proper diets that have cured arthritis, dementia and other diseases. By the way, Rosemary is 79 years old, amazing isn't it how some people seem to find the answers to health problems long before medical science does. Be sure to visit Rosemary's web site where you can find out more about this. She was recognized by the GAIA'S Garden Health Magazine, receiving their Cat Scan Award for health information excellence. Be sure to visit her site. My hat is off to Rosemary, good job Rosemary!

My next column will be about the building of wealth. Are you building a nest egg in the right trees? Is the stock market going to continue going up. What's lies ahead for America in 1999?