Don't get me wrong, I'm a kithead too, but I think I might understand the mentality behind this lack of preparedness. To me it seems like a kind of optimism - blind optimism to be sure, but the kind of optimism that can carry people through troubled times.

I mean if everyone truly believed that our planetary ecosystem was collapsing and it was caused by our modern energy hog lifestyle, would they still participate in that destruction? I think not. They take the weakly crafted assurances from government that everything's going to turn out just fine, and build their lives around it.

If everyone believed they were truly targets in the bomb sights, would they just keep on, keepin' on? I think not. I believe it is one valid natural response to block from our minds the things in our lives we feel we have no control over.

So, I'm not surprised about the 3 out 4 NYer's stat - to me it seems like a very valid psychological survival strategy for people living in such a vulnerable place. I mean an Altoid tin kit's not going to save each every one of all 10+ million of them...