rehasing old messages

Hi. Well, I went back to the beginning to read some of the posts.
Wonderful stuff on Brazilian multiculturism and how asteroid
colonies will become citystates. (Actually, I already had that idea
about the asteroid cities and based my sf setting on that idea.)

A few things to comment on:

RE: Difficulty in visiting relatives back on Earth.
My family came to America a hundred years ago, and I don't think
there's a dozen who've visited the old country since then.
Originally, they scraped up money for ship passage and tried to
carve a new life in the Land of Opportunity (read: New Frontier).
So, yes, there will be difficulties, mainly finding the time and
money to make the trip. Eventually, they return as tourists. (My
neice went to Italy last year and saw all the sights -- she did not
look up any relatives.)

RE: Colonists.
The people who colonize space will be the same type of people who
left Europe in the Age of Exploration. People who have little or
nothing for them at home, desparate for an opportunity to do better,
funded by 'companies' hoping to see a profit. (I recently read a
history of New Amsterdam -- it was founded as a trading post, and
was a cosmopolitan town for its time, only half the population being
Dutch.)

RE: Healing the Earth. Good luck. You're contending against greed
and stupidity.

RE: Population problem sorting itself out.
Okay, increased standard of living is good. That will knock the
numbers back. But the usual manner of culling excess population
will probably have the final say. For an example of this, I refer
you to the Black Death and its child, the Renaissance.

More as it comes to me. G'day, y'all.