When and Where the Next Calamity?

[amicus]

The thread on the religious nuts at the airport and your various responses rather inspired this poll/thread.

But perhaps a little background first. I have been involved in broadcast news for more years than I care to admit at the moment and it has made me somewhat of a news junkie.

Especially since 9/11, I am seldom far from a news broadcast, radio or television during all my waking hours. Perhaps it is only me being a bit paranoid or immersed in habit, dunno.

Include please, a chronology of recent terrorist attacks around the world, in Europe, the Far East and Africa and I suppose a ‘mindset’ of worldwide Islamo terrorist activity need be mentioned, whether you accept it or not, it seems to me to be fact.

I am composing this before I try to set up a poll, thus I am not sure of just what I can include, but, I would like your best guess, estimate, prediction on when and where the next terrorist attack will occur.

You might also throw in any natural disaster, such as Tsunami or Hurricane or Earthquake that you ’feel’ is about to happen, with a prediction of when and where.

And if you are of a mind, add a little Tom Clancy flavor of a nuclear explosion in a football stadium or another aircraft crashing into the Congressional chambers, or an attack on a Port such as New Orleans, Houston, Los Angeles or elsewhere, or the use of cyber/internet, chemical, biological or radioactive, ’dirty bomb’ technique or even wide spread radiation poisoning as has recently been in the news.

Basically interested in two things: if others watch the news daily as I do, with apprehension, and when and where you think the next event will occur.

If you just wanna name call, do that too, I’m used to it.

Amicus…

 

[JamesSD]

Next calamity: Natural disaster in the south pacific.

Next major terrorist attack will be in London, but not for a while (5-10 years)

Next US Calamity: Hurricane in the Southeast. I'd say blizzard, but they just don't tend to be THAT deadly or THAT destructive.

These are of course just guesses. Moderately educated, but I wouldn't put money on any of them.

 

[amicus]

Five to ten years? Interesting...thank you.

amicus...

 

[TheEarl]

That is a thoroughly intriguing idea. Reminds me of a book that I once bought from a charity shop called "Total War 2007". It basically portrayed itself as a history book of the future, describing how the world's gonna go to shit and end up in World War III in 2007. It was fascinating, although it could've been so much better. Some of the extrapolations were cheap and didn't seem at all realistic. Their world was far more aggressive than the real one; by this date, there were supposed to be four or five major wars going on, including an invasion of South Korea by the North.

However, it'd be interesting to see if it could be pulled off.

To my mind, the next disaster will be after the coalition pulls out from Iraq. There will be an uneasy peace for a time. The Shia Muslims will end up in power and persecuting the Sunnis, which will create tension with Iran and a possible war. Everyone else in the region will look on to see what they can get out of it and the USA and UK will stay the hell away for fear of getting burned.

The Earl

 

[Liar]

Predictions for 2007:

Moscow seems like a plausible bet for a terrorist attack from whithin Russia's borders. They've had it before, and lord knows they haven't come anywhere near resolving the issues that caused it. Add to that increased political chaos from below and oppression form above, and you have a recipe for clusterfuck. My wild guess is that something there will be one of the top five news events we rememeber from next year.

Natural disasters? Nothing on the tsunami scale or the Kashmire quake, but some major flooding in...let's say China.

And let's talk war. Iran, North Korea and the US will huff and puff words, but keep it at that. Could Darfur get out of hand (as if it isn't already...eh, you knoew what I mean) and infect other parts of central Africa? Possibly. There's enough 'powder keg' over the region to not worry.

 

[amicus]

Thanks Earl, never heard of that book and I should have included a 'middle east' category...my error.

amicus...

 

[amicus]

Hello Liar, thank you...yes Russia...something is brewing there for certain, maybe a further division and civil war, Muslim inspired, perhaps.

amicus

 

[neonlyte]

Natural disasters will include increasingly severe climatic storms, largely across the Northern Hemisphere.

Terrorism - Europe, soft target, probably multiple bombings more severe than the London bombings. Possibly France after the Presidential election - ie: within 12 months.

Why France? It's an easy target with multiple vehicular entry points. Has an undercurrent of ethnic unrest, and either a woman or the man who 'caused' last years ethnic riots will win the election - sorry, I'm too tired to search for names. Who ever wins, is going to swing toward a hard line position on immigration. The 'shock value' of bombing France, under the guise of protesting an immigration clamp down, will be too tempting to resist.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

March 12, 2007. Late afternoon. Massive outbreak of herpes in the men's restroom of the Chuckie Cheese restaurant in Hackensack, New Jersey. It will be very, very ugly. You'll definitely want to avoid the area.

 

[TheEarl]

Thanks Earl, never heard of that book and I should have included a 'middle east' category...my error.

amicus...

Amazon link

It's not brilliant. However, I was surprised to see that there are lots of 'future history books available. I'd be intrigued to read some of them, I think.

The Earl

 

[TheEarl]

Hello Liar, thank you...yes Russia...something is brewing there for certain, maybe a further division and civil war, Muslim inspired, perhaps.

amicus

Russia won't divide. There will be some emergency that will result in Putin being 'forced' to become a president-for-life and effectively removing democracy from the country. He's got too much power and too much support to let it go.

The Earl

 

[Liar]

March 12, 2007. Late afternoon. Massive outbreak of herpes in the men's restroom of the Chuckie Cheese restaurant in Hackensack, New Jersey. It will be very, very ugly. You'll definitely want to avoid the area.

CODE BEIGE, CODE BEIGE! OPERATION 'H' HAS BEEN COMPROMIZED. PROCEED TO SECONDARY TARGET. I REPEAT; PROCEED TO SECONDARY TARGET.

 

[amicus]

Natural disasters will include increasingly severe climatic storms, largely across the Northern Hemisphere.

Terrorism - Europe, soft target, probably multiple bombings more severe than the London bombings. Possibly France after the Presidential election - ie: within 12 months.

Why France? It's an easy target with multiple vehicular entry points. Has an undercurrent of ethnic unrest, and either a woman or the man who 'caused' last years ethnic riots will win the election - sorry, I'm too tired to search for names. Who ever wins, is going to swing toward a hard line position on immigration. The 'shock value' of bombing France, under the guise of protesting an immigration clamp down, will be too tempting to resist.[/QUOTE]

~~~~


Thanks Neon...Cyclic tropical activity will peak in the next few years, so I can understand that one.

"Shock" value in France...what do you Euro's think of future Muslim uprisings in various nations? I listen to BBC now and then, and sometimes catch the International News Broadcast but not enough to have a grasp on the situation.

amicus...

 

[neonlyte]

Thanks Neon...Cyclic tropical activity will peak in the next few years, so I can understand that one.

"Shock" value in France...what do you Euro's think of future Muslim uprisings in various nations? I listen to BBC now and then, and sometimes catch the International News Broadcast but not enough to have a grasp on the situation.

amicus...

Not really the future, they are here and now. UK, France, Holland (has slightly different ethnicity problems), Spain (massive illegal immigration from North Africa), Germany (if the Turks are refused EU entry), Italy (reduced problem but severe immigration influx).
It is not so much what we think of them as how we assimilate / live alongside them. All across Europe, there is a quiet hardening of attitude, small things, the French headscarf ban for example; done in favour of equinimity but actually a slap in the face to a culture we still fail to recognise has having their own cultural values. Here in Portugal, we have just signed a massive investment deal with India - ok, they are not muslim but an estimated 150million in small business investment (Indian run) is scheduled for 2007. We don't particularly have an ethnicity problem amoung the young - but we do with older generations. Currently, the young are finding it very difficult to get employment, they are not going to take kindly to a host of Indian immigrant businesses springing up, possibly building an ethnic resentment.

As China and India expand their economies, Europe will be lucky not to suffer economic hardship, and as always 'the foreigners' will be the easy target for resentment by 'home' populations.

 

[SeaCat]

Hmmmmm,

calamities huh?

More Tropical Storms in the south eastern United States. (At least for the next few years, we seem to be caught in a cycle.)

More terrorism in the Untied States, but much of it will not be reported as terrorism, as is our failing. (We have dealt with internal terrorism for years but never asknowledged it.)

France and Japan will be hit. Germany will become a waypoint for terrorists. (No I am not against Germans, just the way their government is leaning rihgt now.)

Religeon based terror will give way to financial terrorism.

The United States will become even more theocatic until there is a great awakening, (wether this is violent or not I don't know,) and bursts back onto the international stage with renewed vigor.

Okay, that's enough predicting for me.

Cat

Oh, one last thing. There will be a cure/ vaccine found for AIDS which even though banned by the Vatican it will be used by many.

 

[amicus]

Thanks again, Neon, I get snippets of that now and then and I appreciate you sharing your take...


amicus...

 

[amicus]

TheEarl]Amazon link

It's not brilliant. However, I was surprised to see that there are lots of 'future history books available. I'd be intrigued to read some of them, I think.

The Earl[/[/I]QUOTE]

~~~

Thank you for the link, Earl, looks readable, maybe the Library has it...


amicus...

 

[starrkers]

Don't suppose a coup in Fiji really counts.
Or continued political upheaval in the Solomon Islands
Or terrorist enclaves in Indonesia.

 

[amicus]

starrkers]Don't suppose a coup in Fiji really counts.
Or continued political upheaval in the Solomon Islands
Or terrorist enclaves in Indonesia.[/[/I]QUOTE]

~~~~

Starrkers...duzatt mean runnin' in the outback nekkid?

Yes, in the larger picture, I think it does. Muslim influence throughout the pacific, especially in the Philippines is becoming critical and Indonesia has already been somewhat in the news as a Muslim enclave, so yes, I think it all counts...


thanks...and welcome to this mismash of opinionated Ozmandia wannabees...


amicus...

 

[S-Des]

Hmmm, there are so many possibilities and good suggestions already, I'm just going to shoot in the dark.

War, Russia (with a problem around Darfur as a close second). There are so many issues there, it just seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

Natural disaster, Bangladesh. They have such a history of problems, it just seems likely. It's dense population makes the natural disasters much more dangerous.

Terrorist attack, France. I think both the US and the UK have made it tougher for terrorists, so they'll strike at an easier target. Although I don't think France has done much to deserve being struck at, it has a number of very effective targets for some sick fuck trying to show how powerful his group is. The geography makes it vulnerable as well.

 

[starrkers]

~~~~

Starrkers...duzatt mean runnin' in the outback nekkid?

Yes, in the larger picture, I think it does. Muslim influence throughout the pacific, especially in the Philippines is becoming critical and Indonesia has already been somewhat in the news as a Muslim enclave, so yes, I think it all counts...


thanks...and welcome to this mismash of opinionated Ozmandia wannabees...


amicus...

Not in the middle of the day anyway - I'd sunburn everything

I have a sinking feeling something big is gonna blow up in my backyard in the very near future, there's too many rumblings and grumblings and sabre rattlings at the moment.

Thanks for the welcome - I can opinionate with the best of 'em sometimes! (spent far too many years in newspaper newsrooms meself!)

 

[Pure]

England. Islamist attack in the next year.
US. Islamist attack on a water, electrical or communications point. Next five years

Periodic muslim related riots in France, Holland and Germany with loss of life. Next five years.

 

[amicus]

starrkers]Not in the middle of the day anyway - I'd sunburn everything

I have a sinking feeling something big is gonna blow up in my backyard in the very near future, there's too many rumblings and grumblings and sabre rattlings at the moment.

Thanks for the welcome - I can opinionate with the best of 'em sometimes! (spent far too many years in newspaper newsrooms meself!)[/[/I]QUOTE]

~~~~~~

Nice to make your acquaintance, mate, I am sure we will find much to disagree about as time goes by (old song) grins...


amicus...

 

[TE999]

As the good ol' U.S. of A. continues to retreat from the global stage, expect:

Radiological attack on New York: (dirty bomb or scattered radioactive substances) Wall Street would be my guess. Symbolic and yet practical. Time: nine months to one year.

Bacteriological attack on nations food supply: probably the mid-west and California. Time: one year to two years. (Remember the e-coli in the spinach and lettuce?)

Chemical attack on nations water supply: major metro areas where there are high concentrations of the population. Time: two years, tops.

See the pattern?

Destroy the financial structure, followed by the food supply, then the water supply.

The survivors will be fighting like rabid bats for what's left of the food and water. Chaos will ensue.

The federal government will collapse and the states will secede and become entities unto themselves. Simple self preservation.

Then the fun really begins!

Howzat, ami?

Peace (maybe).

 

[amicus]

Not bad TE999, not bad at all.

I see it a tad differently...the electric grid...without electricity there would be chaos in few days if it were widespread. And the internet...so many financial transactions occur in cyberspace, any disruption, either by electrical failure or internet corruption, would again, bring everything to a half.

But I more suspect a less sophisticated assault against a port facility as the beginning of a decade long struggle to emasculate the nation, but, I could be wrong...


thanks...


amicus...