Do you recon that within 100yr the human race will be ****ed?

[Danny]

everyone knows its the lack of pirates causing it.

[clanglee]

I really can't bring myself to be bothered too much about it to be honest. What will be will be. But I do believe that yes. . Man has an effect on the environment, but this craze is mostly wallet driven.

[sammylou]

Are you for real about that asteroid coming so close to Earth it goes under communication dishes?

[MoonSylver]

Are you for real about that asteroid coming so close to Earth it goes under communication dishes? Yep. 100% real deal. I think someone posted a link w/ more info?

[Neil]

Yep. 100% real deal. I think someone posted a link w/ more info? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis On Friday, April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass Earth within the orbits of geosynchronous communication satellites. It will return for another close Earth approach in 2036.

[Safari Mike]

We've survivied nothing.... Our ancestors, who were experts at survival, survived some minor hurdles. Most of us however, well, most of us would starve without a microwave. Put us through an ice age now, and can how many billions would starve? And what would happen to how huge monstrous technology deck of cards? Now, back to the methane ice sheets thawing due to global warming... The last time that happened, most of life on earth (plant/animal) died... That means human civilisation would be gone. Yes, some humans might survive, somehow, but I suspect it would be a decreasing number as resources failed them. Couple of quotes:- Washington (US) October 31, 2008 - Levels of climate-warming methane -- a greenhouse gas 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide -- rose abruptly in Earth's atmosphere last year, and scientists who reported the change don't know why it occurred. Dr Semiletov has suggested several possible reasons why methane is now being released from the Arctic, including the rising volume of relatively warmer water being discharged from Siberia's rivers due to the melting of the permafrost on the land. The Arctic region as a whole has seen a 4C rise in average temperatures over recent decades and a dramatic decline in the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by summer sea ice. Many scientists fear that the loss of sea ice could accelerate the warming trend because open ocean soaks up more heat from the sun than the reflective surface of an ice-covered sea. It would be quite interesting to see how the balance of power in humanity would immediately shift in this scenario. The skill to purify water, start fires, build shelter and physically repel enemies would again become the primary attritubes ala neanderthal times while more esoteric mental skills would be worthless. Nobody needs Baudelinaire when they really need someone to crack some stones and flint together and start a fire. Thats why one should not only know the structure of haiku but how to gather water in the desert.

[Eyebiter]

In nature there is a cycle of life. Over time a certain species will gradually increase until the population become too large. At some point when a species becomes too numerous a significant event occurs that rapidly decreases population numbers. Climate change, a disease that kills off the majority of a particular animal species, or a new species evolves to take the place of the old. Until recently hominids were part of this cycle. When you look into our own prehistory, there are several different species of extinct human like mammals. Over time Homo Sapiens managed to evolve to become the modern human of today. During this period of evolution humans we were subject to frequent culls just like animals. It seems that every generation experienced a pandemic disease that reduced anywhere from 5-20% of the overall population. Smallpox, measles, influenza, plague, typhus... the list goes on. This was one of several natural checks that contained human population growth. However with the recent (last 500 years) development of technology, things have changed. Our understanding of medicine and technology has reduced the number of lives lost to disease. We have developed farming methods that allowed more humans to survive. And our population increased... That brings us to today. Our numbers have increased to the point that if there is any major disruption in the current economic and social system it's possible billions of people will perish. What happens if technology fails? If you think things in Sub Saharan Africa are bad, what happens when that kind of drought or starvation occurs in a nation with advanced technology weapons and a huge population to support (India, Russia, China). Or a regional power armed with nuclear weapons (Iran, Pakistan, Brazil, North Korea) decides to use force to settle long standing disputes over resources. By 2025 many nations will be in a position to either use their military advantage or lose it. If you think the brush fire wars of the last few years were bad, you just wait. Our enemies dream of ending their vendettas under a the shadow of a mushroom cloud. Now will this next series of wars result in the complete extinction of humans? Doubtful. But 100 years from now there will be many that wonder how we squandered our wealth, prosperity, and opportunity on such trivial concerns. How fast we went from space flight, computers, and mass media culture to global chaos. What is that old Chinese adage about may you live in interesting times?

[Edison Carter]

As goes Iceland so goes the rest of the world 2025 is a rather generous figure. In the USA keep an eye on California,...thousands of prisoners furloughed with nary a burger flipping,grass cutting,construction job for any of them. I doubt the burgeoning welfare state of illegally hosted southern ambassadors (500k in LA county alone) will take an IOU when their time of the month rolls around. We have at most months,...I proffer that as the Muslims know which way to pray towards Mecca,..time is short for all and sundry rough beasts to learn which way to slouch towards Bethlehem. PS The military should remove all nuclear weapons from there toot suite (ASAP).

[Neil]

We have at most months,... Huh??

[AcesandEights]

Thats why one should not only know the structure of haiku but how to gather water in the desert. Dry and parched I'm not Trapping dew, tapping cacti, mugging bedouins...