Is Vesuvuis Awake?

A recent article says that French and Italian scientists could not rule out another eruption from Mt. Vesuvius, such as the one that took place over 20,000 years ago, wiping out Pompeii. Scientists say that the magma is at a 5.5 mile depth underground, and that if the acid composition in the magma rises, we could be looking at a violent eruption, very similar to the one so long ago.

In the years between 1631 to 1944 there have been numerous small eruptions, basically just small lava flows, letting out steam. But these eruptions involved magma that was mainly basalt composition, instead of acid; leading to smaller, less dangerous eruptions. If what scientists are saying is true, we cannot rule out another full on explosion from Vesuvius.

What surprises me the most is that there isn't very much commotion about it. This article was put onto the Discovery Channel website on September 10th, and everyone I have talked to about it, had heard nothing about it before. This is such a big topic in my opinion, when my class were all freshmen we watched a video on Pompeii and how catastrophic the damage was, and here we are, finding signs telling us that it may be coming again, and few people know about it. If Vesuvius was to blow again it would put around 700, 000 people in danger, depending on the severity of it, danger would be an understatement.

Is this the kind of picture we are going to be seeing in the news within the next decade?

Thrill Ride, or Torture?

I recently read an article, on The Art Newspaper, about the form of interrogation called 'waterboarding' being demonstrated at the Park Avenue Armory, in New York, starting on September 21st. Waterboarding involves placing a towel into someone's mouth and nose, while water is poured over their faces. This simulates the feeling of drowning. For 1$ viewers can watch someone go through this interrogation system, thanks to an artist named Steve Powers. Steve Powers say's to the Art Newspaper, "Not calling waterboarding torture is to me as ridiculous as calling it a 'thrill ride'." Powers wanted people to have the experience of this form of interrogation, but since forcibly restraining people is illegal, itwas difficult, though the act of waterboarding is legal.

For the experiment Powers and several lawyers volunteered themselves to be restrained while ex interrogator, Mike Ritz, preformed the demonstration. Powers, nor any of the lawyers could handle the interrogation experience for more than ten seconds. They all came to the conclusion that if someone was really in that situation, they would be under so much stress that they would not have been able to let out any information anyways.

This article made me upset in a way, I don't know where people get off on putting a form of torture on display for the public. Even if it is a legal and preformed method of interrogation, it is still not something that should be open for public eyes to see, let alone for the people volunteering to go through. To me this can't even be written off as a form of art. What are we coming to, when we get to the point that public torture is a form of entertainment. I thought America was going forward, not falling back.

A picture of a waterboarding demonstration at Coney Island.