Oh, the opening that remark leaves me that I'll be nice and pass up.....

And for the more unusual

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/12/31/chance.russia.end.usa.cnn

Life goes on, no matter what, and being prepared and quickly accepting any situation whether it is the 'usual or the unusual suspects' will put you further ahead of the curve. Getting ahead of the rest of the crowd usually means you are ahead in the survival game. All that is usually required is just a modicum of common sense and the ability to think for yourself rather than succumbing to the mass hysteria of the crowd. The mass hysteria today is usually provided by the mass media. Just learn to filter out the news media rubbish and take on board what is important for yourself, your family and your community.

I mostly agree, except that I don't think it's "about" to happen. I think there are going to be major problems over the next 5, 10, 20, 50 years. It's hard to put a date on it, and as other people have said, the last 30 year were OK and the next 30 might be too.

There are threats which have been present for a long time. Terrorism is arguably less of a problem now than it was 20 years ago, at least in the UK, because the IRA issue seems to be resolved. Pandemic flu is more of a risk because of international travel, but we've had international travel for decades now.

I am more concerned about the new issues. Peak oil is a big one, and not just oil but all mineral resources peak. ("Peaking" isn't the same as running out; there's always more in the ground, but production declines when previously it grew because the resource is harder to get to. The easy stuff has been mined now and its downhill from here.) I think much of our finance is built on sand. The recent crisis is just a stressor and the real issues are deeper. There will be other stressors, such as the pensions gap. Some of these are just down to demographics: the baby boom means we will have too many old people one day.

Global warming I think is probably real, although I know that's not a popular opinion in the US. Although there are models which say effects on the UK could be very rapid (if the Gulf Stream stalls), most likely we are talking decades. That said, I wouldn't buy a house on low ground near the coast now.

The trouble is, when I'm so vague about the timing it's easy to dismiss it all.

Brangdon; please understand that not all Americans dismiss global climate change. Some of us have been screaming about it since the 70's (when we might have been able to do something about it) it's only in the last few years that the mainstream has caught on.

The Peak idea is (in my mind) the tipping point. That is to say with so much stress put on systems one "minor" crisis, could/might/will/is going to start an avalanche of system failure. Given that we have mostly eroded away the robustness of most of our necessary systems in the name of efficiency and cost savings, it feels like the whole thing could fall like a house of cards.

I believe you are right about terrorism being less of the threat now, but if the government (any government) is in disarray some people might use that as an opportunity. Just like the Anthrax attacks right after 9/11. It didn't go very far but the potential was enormous.

Even with the threat of pandemic flu; all it would take is a few hundred people getting sick around the country and all of a sudden, no one is willing to go to work. I don't think there would even have to be actual deaths, just panic, and the system would collapse under its own weight. As I write this is realize that it really sounds paranoid. But it seems to be everywhere I look.

I still have doubts...

Global Warming Petition Project

Many people have doubts about that petition, and about the signers. How much do veterinarians, chiropractors and bug scientists know about atmospheric warming?

If we can't see it, it can't be true, can it?

Sue

Compared to politicians?

-Blast, who blames the sun

Signing that petition isn't just a doubt. It's a statement that you do not believe it exists. There is no doubt, you "know" it isn't true.

I recall the spokesman for the former Iraqi government making statements like "We have driven the American dogs out of our homeland. Our fields are now watered in their blood. We have easily defeated their pitiful forces." and on and on as the US was taking Baghdad.

I remember hearing reports of the passengers of the Titanic steadfastly refusing to believe there was anything wrong until they were ordered into life boats.

Rejecting global climate change outright is just like my the people who call us crazy because "nothing is ever going to happen."

Conversely, just because a bunch of people say the sky is falling doesn't mean it is. Look at the War Of The Worlds panic in the 50's.

Just remember, pillage first, then burn.

You really should have come up with that before November.