Humans still face looming challenges

May 27 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rachel Carson, a woman of distinction who is widely recognized as one of the most brilliant and brave scientists in modern history.

Some people have called Carson the mother of the contemporary environmental movement. She could rightly be compared to other great 20th-century women like Rosa Parks, the mother of the racial equality movement, or to Maria Montessori, a mother to teachers of children.

If, as Carson and so many other great scientists have courageously held forth, human beings evolved on Earth (did not descend from heaven or come here from some other place in the universe) and the emerging data of the environmental destruction of the planetary home God has blessed us to inhabit are somehow on the right track, then humanity could soon confront daunting global challenges.

Scientific research from Chapel Hill's very own Russell P. Hopfenberg indicates population scientists, demographers and economists in our time could be widely sharing and consensually validating inadequate understandings of the way the world in which we live works. By so doing, they appear to have failed to appreciate and communicate to the human community the necessity for regulating certain global human "overgrowth" activities. That is to say, humanity could soon be presented with an unacknowledged, unannounced and abhorrent predicament produced by increasing and unchecked per capita consumption of limited resources, seemingly endless expansion of production capabilities in a finite world, and unbridled species propagation.

Perhaps these unrestrained activities are occurring synergistically at a scale and growth rate that result in the needless loss of wildlife and wilderness, the reckless consumption of scarce resources, and the pernicious destabilization of the global ecosystems.

Huge and leviathan-like are the potential threats posed to humanity by certain unregulated, distinctly human consumption, production and propagation activities now overspreading our planetary home. Even so, we can take the measure of whatsoever the looming global challenges and find solutions to our problems that are consonant with universally shared values. -- Steve Salmony, Chapel Hill

Project Graduation seeks volunteers

On June 9, the Chapel Hill community will host Project Graduation, an all-night celebration with live music, a casino and raffles for fantastic prizes for new high school graduates.

The entire evening is free for East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill high school seniors to reward them for a job well-done and to encourage maximum participation in this alcohol- and drug-free party. Traditionally, more than 90 percent of graduates come out to hang out with their friends.

We are painfully aware that this time of year presents many risks for our kids. Parents from both East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill high schools have been working since September to organize and raise funds for this celebration. We still need help.

When was the last time you pulled an all-nighter? We need adults (over 21 years old) to help us during Project Graduation. The first shift is 10:15 p.m.-1:30 a.m. and the second shift is 12:30-4 a.m. Think how proud you will be when you make it. Help us keep our kids entertained during these critical hours after graduation. Please e-mail mar

gotmal@yahoo.com for information about how you can help, or check out the Web site at www.projectgraduationchccs.org. -- Margot Malachowski and Cathy Shoemaker, Publicity co-chairs, Project Graduation

Limit traffic on neighborhood road

I am writing to urge the Town Council to vote to support the Chapel Watch Village proposal at the May 21 council meeting.

This proposal includes a connector road limiting traffic to pedestrians, bicycles and emergency vehicles between Larkspur and the future Chapel Watch Village. If full vehicular traffic were permitted, this connector would facilitate traffic cutting through Larkspur to get to Weaver Dairy Road from Eubanks.

The residents of Larkspur, the developers of Chapel Watch Village and the neighboring communities are in favor of access limited to bicycles and pedestrians.

A road with pedestrian, bike and emergency vehicle access only will permit connectivity without endangering residents. The council's priorities are supposed to be maintenance of established communities and the safety of its residents. Full vehicular access puts our 180 small children in danger and will irrevocably change our community for the worse.

To compound matters, Maywood Way was not built as a collector road and does not meet the city's standards for collector roads. Traffic calming devices on this connector road may slow down traffic, but will not limit the volume of traffic nor control speeds through Larkspur. I fear that only after a car hits a child will the council finally listen to our concerns.

All the residents of Chapel Hill affected by this decision oppose full vehicular traffic. I am writing to urge the members of the city council -- don't just hear our plea to prohibit full vehicular access, listen to us. -- Melissa Teitelman, Chapel Hill