Toward a Human World Order [antikvár]

From Encounters on a Strange Planet-a book still to be written-we share with you the following: . . . They stood there, in all sizes and shapes, not seeming to take much notice of each other's misery. There appeared to be about 150 of them but I found it hard to count, even though they barely moved. Their contorted facial expressions and the gasping and groaning sounds they made were very disconcerting to me. More than anything else, though, the coats were what first caught and held my attention. They were much too small. Buttons and zippers were being strained to the limit and seams threatened to tear at the sides. Their bodies bulged against the overstretched fabric as if the contents had been stuffed in with tremendous effort. When I approached one particularly pitiful-looking creature and extended my hand (as is our custom when greeting a friend or introducing ourselves to a new acquaintance), she could not lift her arm even as much as two inches. Her jacket was so constraining as to render her practically immobilé. Her face was quite püffed and rather bluish and she was struggling for breath. She eventually whined an apology. "You see, I can't move my arms," she got out between gasps. I thought tears began to appear in her eyes. "It's your coat," I said. t