Any asteroids headed this way? Seriously, people, I'm in crisis overload.

[Skidmore]

Floods, cyclones, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, melting polar cap. Add to that manmade crises such as the housing crash, the bear market that is coming, wars, crumbling infrastrucure, rising prices falling income, corrupt politicians churning out bad legislation, stolen elections, diminishing rights. Toss in a couple of major personal crises. Devolution. I feel overwhelmed. I'm at the point that I am literally not able to care about much more than I can take handle with my own family in the immediacy of my sphere of interest. I'm certain that many are experiencing this type of fatigue now. So many have worked hard to try to fan the flickering flame of civil rights and justice in this past decade of ever encroaching darkness. I feel beaten down at a time when there is daylight on the horizon--when I should feel the headwinds of change.

[Faygo Kid]

1. You forgot obesity. Also, Matt Millen is still the Lions' GM.

Bottom line: Don't deal with it all at once. You have friends here. Take a deep breath, and take on one problem at a time.

Family comes first, after taking care of your OWN needs. Give yourself a break. And keep us posted.

This is a site that cares. Use it.

[depakid]

2. Ready set...

99942 Apophis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis

[Skidmore]

8. I knew there had to be one out there somewhere.

Well, the upside must be that they expect the earth to survive the Mayan apocalypse in 2012.

[Speck Tater]

3. You forgot PEAK OIL, the mother of them all.

The one crisis other than global warming that could bring down all of civilization.

[tama]

33. Yup

Once you start to realize what PO means, other catastrophies start to pale in comparison.

[existentialist]

4. hope

Actually, in an absurd but true way, I find the danger of possible asteroid strikes a sign of hope for the following reasons:

1) It is something that we can do something about. If we can find an asteroid or comet that will otherwise hit the earth, then we have now reached the point where, with a little lead time (say a decade) we can reasonably expect to divert it into another orbit so that it will not hit the earth.

2) This is a danger to all of the earth that we might reasonably expect all nations to come together on instead of presenting dangers (real and perceived) to each other.


Therefore, from my perspective, the asteroid threat is, in a weird way, good news.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Don't Take It Personally

Just do what you can, and try to have some fun. And listen to good music. And look at this:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080616.html

Face it, we're all just corks bobbing on the sea of life.

And if you happen to live in the Boston area, I'd be pleased to buy you a beer.

[DRoseDARs]

6. Here's your answer...

Valium

If you let the anxiety overwhelm you, you'll never be able to effectively face any crisis and do no one any good. For the sake of your health, see a doctor or find a hobby to take your mind off things to relieve some pressure. If this keeps going, the stress will kill you before anything else gets the chance.

[yella_dawg]

13. Valium?

The evil weed is better and cheaper. Stoned and anxiety are mutually exclusive.

[lynettebro440]

41. You got that right

:smoke:

And better for your tummy

[katsy]

7. Let me help add to that list:

Earthstorm

9 pm on SciFi

The instability of the moon threatens all life on Earth.


:evilgrin:

[bbinacan]

9. Don't forget about the atom smasher

at CERN that will blow up the world when they fire it up.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2008-06-28-atom-smasher_N.htm?csp=34

[Skidmore]

14. Ah, jeez, a black hole....

well, poo.

[Terran]

34. Famous Last Words...

"Obviously, the world will not end when the LHC switches on," said project leader Lyn Evans.

:yoiks:

[Pithy Cherub]

20. That LHC is

going to find the Higgs boson or the God Particle. Then that will really upset some carts.

[bbinacan]

26. Yes it will. n/t

[CrispyQ]

10. Some days, all you can do is take care of your own little corner of the world.

I have days when coming here depresses me beyond belief. There is a reason that ignorance is bliss. However, once you've taken the red pill, could you go back? It's not as easy for us as it was for Cypher. We can't just erase the knowledge of the red pill like he did.

Take frequent internet breaks. Treasure your family. Live in the now.

Hang in there. You are not alone. :hug:

[Jack Rabbit]

11. Ah, don't worry about it

The ice caps will melt and the oceans will rise and drown us all first.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

12. If Bush goes on another vacation and tells us asteroids are nothing to worry about

that's when I'd really start to worry.

[colorado thinker]

15. Just stop smoking tobacco

And you'll live forever or at least until every other impending crisis intersects with the others.

Suddenly seems like smoking a cigarette might be a good idea . . .

[bonito]

16. So your living on the horizon

There's just as much crap in the past, take up history at least it's over with, or you might just live in your present, you know it's all we really have.

[pokerfan]

17. You left out one

ETA: bbinacan beat me to it in #9 while I was writing this...

The Large Hadron Collider that they are building in Geneva.

There is a small possibility that they might create a stable microscopic black hole that would promptly sink to the center of the earth and start eating the planet. (actually it would oscillate back and forth for a while before settling at the Earth's core.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/science/15risk.html">Gauging a Collider’s Odds of Creating a Black Hole

Eventually the entire Pale Blue Dot gets to go down Alice's rabbit hole disappearing into a quantum singularity. Of course, the gravitational gradient (i.e. tidal forces) will make it impossible for anyone or anything to survive the trip. But the end result will be a black hole with a radius of about half an inch which will then continue to happily orbit the Sun as normal.

Of course, the scientists say that it's safe, that a sub-atomic black hole can't be stable based on our current understanding of physics. But remember that the reason they are building the thing in the first place is because our understanding of physics is incomplete and they are trying to prove the existence of something called the Higgs Boson as well as other bizarre things like strangelets, magnetic monopoles, supersymmetric particles and yes... micro black holes.

And there's no reasoning with a black hole that's eating the planet. You can't argue with it. You can't bargain with it. It feels no pity or remorse or fear... and it absolutely will not stop, ever, until it has consumed everything.

Rather a fitting end for the earth. It's kind of like the cosmos taking out the garbage, only running it through a cosmic trash compactor first.

[Subdivisions]

18. Apophis (99942)?

Previously known as 2004 MN4, a member of the Aten group of near-Earth asteroids which had been estimated by NASA as having a 1 in 5500 chance of striking the Earth in 2036 (see update below). That estimate, however, depends on whether the asteroid passes through a 600-meter-wide region, known as a gravitational keyhole, during its close swing past Earth in 2029. If Apophis sneaks through the keyhole, its orbit could be perturbed, possibly putting it on a collision course with our planet seven years later. Until radar observations of the asteroid are taken in 2013, however, it will remain unclear where Apophis is headed. Currently, Apophis has a ranking of 1 on the Torino scale, down from an earlier value of 4 (the highest ever assigned).

-snip-

http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/A/Apophis.html

[pokerfan]

24. It's not the ones we know about that we need to worry about

Every few years we get a near miss and we don't even see it until it has already passed.



http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001309

[gratuitous]

19. I don't think Stephen Baldwin's threat is serious

Sure, Stephen Baldwin says he'll leave the country when Obama is elected, but maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing to happen in the larger scheme of things. Do what you can about the things you can do something about, practice kindness and charity, associate with others who do, and remember to celebrate when good things happen.

[Xenotime]

21. Yes there is one coming...

On Friday, April 13, 2009 a Near Earth Object (NEO) will come closer to hitting the earth than any other object has before. On that day Asteroid 2004 MN4 will actually dip below our communication satellites.

[Sir Jeffrey]

22. No, just aliens. Lots and lots of aliens. nt

[carlyhippy]

23. If there was, they would have a reason to raise the price of gas and food

I am crisis overloaded too!

[Sugar Smack]

25. Oh. I was just teaching myself touch-typing. I guess I don't have to, now.

Besides, I've heard the plastic on our keyboards will eventually kill us.

[defendandprotect]

27. I think there is an asteroid about to sidle up to the planet . . . .

but the rumor is --- and you may think this is just more bad news ---

that it may actually be a large UFO/surveillance station coming to observe us --


We're all in the same place --- give your kids a hug --

and remember . . . we're all coming back --- !!!!

[carlyhippy]

28. don't worry, they are going to take one look at us and say "those humans are crazy"

They won't stay long.........grrrrrrrrrrr.

Carly

[carlyhippy]

29. To be honest, if there was an asteroid heading this way.....

it would be the only way the world would unite and get along to save the world, it's a shame.

[cobalt1999]

31. Very true.

For one moment we'd all stop squabbling and work towards something. The irony is, we'd probably be at our best behavior right before our destruction.

[cobalt1999]

30. Have a little perspective

Floods, cyclones, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, tsunamis have happened every year in the Earth's history and will happen every year. Don't forget to add in volcanoes, hurricanes, sinkholes, droughts, and landslides.

The news media and the internet bring these things to your immediate notice now, but they are no more common now than they have ever been...so relax.

Manmade crises are the same. Bull & Bear markets alternate, politicians have always been corrupt, rights are always under threat, and these things will continue on as long as humans are involved. Always been there, always will be there. Again, nothing new.

Every generation thinks they are "at the end times", they weren't & we aren't.

[old mark]

32. Asteroids are heading our way every day...

...and when the really big one hits, all those other problems won't seem so bad.
Have a great day, and happy 4th of july.
mark

[Renew Deal]

35. Why wait for asteroids when Yellowstone could blow at any time?

I hope you don't live within 3000 miles of Yellowstone. :nuke:

[Renew Deal]

38. There was an earthquake at Yellowstone TODAY!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3542984

:hide:

[carlyhippy]

39. that is not good, that is a mega volcano that would go BOOM and destroy the earth

this idea I could live with better than humans destroying us and the earth with the push of a button and big boom.

[mdmc]

36. please check out our MH group

There is some support for you here, but no asteroids.

[Snarkturian Clone]

37. 1997xf11 is headed our way... who cares?

stop panicking and lay off the drugs

[alfredo]

40. Tomatoes.