Atlantropa... Down Under

The Atlantropa project was one that encapsulated the naive yet ambitious mindset that so many people of the 20th century had on what was possible with the power of modern technology. It had all the extravagance that you would expect from a science-fiction film rather than real life. To block off all points where water exits the Mediterranean (Gibraltar, Istanbul, Suez), the intent was that this could then result in water being drained and new, fertile land would be exposed for farming. It was ambitious, it was bold, it was... not to be. Not only was it insanely expensive but it would also require the co-operation of all European states. That is also disregarding the unforeseen negative aspects that scientists did not account for. Such as the fact that the land would not at all be fertile, being coated in salt deposits left by the sea, or that by removing the Mediterranean the Sahara Destert could extend all the way to northern Italy.

However the core concept of manipulating water bodies for the benefit of humans is actually quite an ingenious one, and is no more applicable anywhere else than it is in Australia. Australia is well known as being a country filled with vast, inhospitable expanses of land. Out of the 7.7 million km² of territory that Australia controls, only 10% of that is actually deemed habitable. This is due to much of Australia being desert and therefore unfit for large settlements. As a result Australia has been bottle-necked since its inception with its population being inherently hindered by the lack of room to expand and therefore the lack of room to advance.

It is here that I propose a solution. A relatively large area of the land in the northern part of South Australia lies below sea level, with much of the surrounding area being not much above sea level either. It is therefore possible to construct a man-made river or large canal through which water could flow from the Great Australian Bight or Gulf of Carpentaria to the region in South Australia that is below sea level. Hypothetically, this would result in the creation of a small inland sea which could then have cities built around it (and the river that flows too it) due to the introduction of a more habitable climate from the waters presence. Whilst this is only a hypothetical and would most likely falter under intense scrutiny, it is something to consider in a nation that is running out of room for a growing population.

Looks kinda cool doesn't it?

Strawberry Crisis?

For those of you who are living under a rock (or don't live in Australia I guess), Australia has suffered a crisis involving so called "pranksters" putting sharp objects such as needles into Strawberries. This began early last month in Brisbane and quickly created a panic as copy-cats preformed the act of sabotage in other places around the country. Unfortunately, due to the sensationalising that the media preforms whenever anything of interest (or not) comes up many people have began to avoid Strawberries, with many even being dumped due to "potential contamination". It appears even the PM Scott Morrison's intervention on behalf of the farmers isn't enough to stop everyone from causing a fuss. Although I'm certain that this brouhaha will be over soon enough and the industry will rebound, I can't help but feel that the waste that this has produced was completely unnecessary and could have been avoided if the media didn't play things up and the people were less susceptible to this crap (which they try to think independently). Still, maybe good will come out of all this. Just like how security on medicine packaging increased after the Tylenol incident in 1982, maybe packaging security on fruit punnets will increase (not as important but still something). Anyways the most important thing to take away from this whole incident is not to fall for ridiculous, sensationalised stories intended only to strike fear in you and line their pockets with money.

Delicious, sweet and completely safe strawberries