Do you enjoy a good story? YES, you say? Then count this your lucky day: here’s a multi-layered story, going on even as we tell it.  Then add a bonus:  what follows may also spark a good conversation in groups you belong to. Let the story engage you; the end result may bring still more surprise!

WARNING: Planet Earth is not an atom. You can’t split it and hope to harvest new energy.

Hold that thought, please; we’ll return to it later.

*****

“I’ve been rich, and I’ve been poor. Believe me: rich is better.”

If nobody ever said that, they should have! Who, given a choice, would opt for hunger pains over a good dinner? Being homeless over security, begging over earning an honest income?  

Not everybody gets their wish.

Today’s release - a bit different - brings you two separate news stories. If you’re fascinated with maps, well, that’s what they are about; if your priorities lie elsewhere, I think you’ll find the stories significant, speaking to broad issues, even to how we will live in the world.