Michael, some questions for you, please.

There is a saying that a diamond is simply a lump of coal that stuck to it's business (ie: by being under pressure and not yielding). True or not? If true, wouldn't diamonds be black instead of clear?

When we had coal delivered to our home, there were two types of coal: bituminus and a softer coal (can't recall the name) and it made a BIG difference in heat production as to which one was burned (and the resulting soot). Whenever they brought the wrong type, Dad made them take it back. Now, if oil is the source of both, and decaying vegetable matter is the source of both, why the differences?

Is there any reason why oil could not be artificially produced by speeding up the decaying vegetation process and, in the process, use some of the world's garbage for more productive uses? Seems to me with the technology we have, destroying our earth to bury garbage and dig out oil would be pointless endeavours if we applied some common sense to some processes and developed the potential here.

I'm no techie and am probably waay off base here but it just might spawn some good, practical, ideas to overcome a lot of problems (that's the hope anyway).

Sandi Bowman