Griff

My prediction of now-2050: My Native Metropolitian Area: -2007: San Francisco breaks ground on BART extension to San Jose. -2008: Local Liberals celebrate end of Bush's final term in office, offending some local Moderates & Conservatives. -2009: Bay Area starts experimental chaplain programs in public school systems, offering Christian, Jewish, and Muslim courses (funded by thier respective religious practicioners), although highly controversial, the program does wind up raising student confidence and politeness. -2010: Oakland breaks ground on a baseball-only stadum for the A's -2011: Gay activists demonstrate against a recent iniciative passed by a 61% majority in California that does not entitile Gay/Lesbian relationships to the same recognition as heterosexual relationships by the state (with all due respect if it didn't happen back 3 years earlier, it won't happen by then). -2012: The year comes & goes without a hitch, leaving people who bought into the Mayan end of the world theory relieved, also the San Jose BART extension is completed. -2013: Bay Area jolted with a 7.9 earthquake, killing approximately 800 people and resulting in nearly $60 billion dollars in damages. -2014: In the wake of the earthquake, the Bay breaks ground on several new building projects, including a South Bay extension for BART (as well as a few others that link major airports and staduims in the Bay Area), the first stretches of underground highways, and some new buildings in SF, Oakland, & SJ. -2017: New Bay Bridge span finished two years late, Sacramento & CalTrans come under heavy criticism of taking thier sweet time and finishing after a severe earthquake hit the Bay Area. -2018: Oakland's baseball staduim built, A's fans celebrate. -2019: Gas stations catering Hydrogen in compressed or cryonic forms to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles start popping up all over the Bay Area. -2020: Bay Area home to 2 of the nation's top 10 ports (with the way Asia is growing economically, it'll happen). -2022: Post-Quake projects completed. -2024: Bay Area nominated for 2032 Summer Olympics. -2025: Bay Area chosen to host 2032 Summer Olympics. -2026-2031: Olympic fever runs high in Bay Area, as a series of building projects go underway, including turning Treasure Island back into an ameusment park, rebuilding/restoring several historical sites including Playland-At-the-Sea, affordible urban renewal, and making the Bay Area the most technologically advanced and ecologically friendly metropolitain area in the U.S. -2032: The Bay Area hosts the summer Olympics. -2033: All highways in the built-up Bay Area are underground, to reserve space for development and slow urban sprawl. -2036: It is now almost impossible to find a gas station that still sells gasoline. -2039: People watch as a NEO passes Earth, missing by about 40,000 miles, bringing relief to pessimists and providing many photo opportunities. -2040: Hypersonic Sub-Orbital flights availible out of SF Intl' for those who can afford it. -2043: Bay Area rattled by a series of moderate earthquakes during the year, ranging from 4.9-6.0 in intensity, 37 people die and the quakes rack up $4 billion in damages. -2044: Oakland reports one of its quietest years for murder in its history, with 41 reported homicides. -2047: Bay Area voted best metropolitian area to live in by 12 magazine surveys. -2050: Bay Area rings in the turning point of the 21st century, I am in my late 50's. My Country: -2007: U.S. Dollar reaches its highest trading value against the Euro in 4 years. -2008: President Bush's term in office ends, he is suceeded by a moderate Republican, who's political agenda is to restore many of America's ailing/out-of-control areas (social security, our education system, our courts, our healthcare system, national security, etc.). -2009: We finally pull out of Iraq, leaving behind a fairly stable confederation of Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. -2011: America's national debt & trade deficit begins to be paid off. -2013: Abortion-on-Demand is banned, however abortion is still permitted under unusual circumstances during the 1st & 2nd trimesters. -2014: The U.S. starts to take better control of its borders. -2015: The president begins to comply with Kyoto, not for the lessening of global warming, but to reduce U.S. dependence on foriegn oil and to promote research into alternatice fuel sources. -2016: The Moderate president is suceeded by a Liberal Democrat, who begins to splurge money on fairly unimportant things. -2017: A series of terrorist attacks against the mass transit systems of N.Y.C., L.A., Chicago is conducted by Al-Queda, marking thier first sucessful attack on U.S. soil in nearly 16 years. 300 people die, & the current president is forced to radically alter his political stance in order to prevent a P.R. crisis. -2018: GM and Ford report thier strongest financial year since the mid-80's. -2019: Hydrogen Fuel Cells find thier way into automobiles and are widely used in industrial purposes. -2020: The Liberal president is replaced by the first female president in U.S. history (a Democratic Moderate) with similar political agendas as the president of 2008-2016. -2021: A new law allows students to openly practice religious beliefs in U.S. schools and colleges. -2023: Factories and refineries are now required to capture and store all environmentally harmful emissions in selected areas underground. -2024: The U.S. takes backseat to a democratic China as #1 superpower, although still wielding incredible influence in the world. -2025: U.S. economy endures a severe two-year recession. -2027: Puerto Rico becomes our 51st state. -2029: American Samoa becomes our 52nd state -2030: Suburban sprawl creeps at a fraction of the pace it did in the early 21st century, as condos have become more popular and it is more typical for developers to redevelope underdeveloped or dilapitaded areas. -2031: The war on terror destroys the last remnants of Al-Queda, although several of thier former affiliates continue to exist. -2033: The Virgin Islands becomes the 53rd state and Guam and the Northern Marianas are consolidated into the 54th state. -2035: Hydrogen Fuel Cells replace fossil fuels as predominant fuel of choice for transportation and industry, 40% of it is refined using natural gas & coal, 20% from using nuclear fission, and the remaining 40% by alternative fuel sources. -2036: GM & Ford are once again strong, viable auto companies in the global market. -2038: First sucessful experimental fusion reactor built in a Millitary research facility in Nevada. -2040: First non-white president elected, the president is an African-American Conservative Republican. -2042: U.S. buys the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla from the U.K., the islands are consolidated into the State of the Virgin Islands -2045: U.S. loses 2nd place superpower status to India. Nevertheless, the U.S. continues to prosper and wield incredible influenece. -2047: First commercial nuclear fusion reactor built on former site of Hanford, WA. -2048: First non-white & female president elected, is a Hispanic Moderate Democrat. -2050: U.S. celebrates the turning of the 21st century. BTW I know this is optimistic.

According to CNN, the Superdome has become so badly damaged that some people, including Louisiana's governor have called for it to be demolished.

Reports have come in of the winds tearing two holes into the Superdome this morning in N.O.

Minsk, Belarus

Whoa, that's disturbing, a bunch of groupies accosting a fan for a friggin' shirt. I'll be the first to admit that I like a few rap singles, but quite frankly too much of the rap scene is dedicated to violence, racial depravation (as well as conflict in some cases), and the objectification of women. We don't necessarily need a ban on rap, we need more wholesome and meaningful songs on the scene.

They could just blow a few holes in the levees after the hurricane in this scenario, then after the water has drained back to normal sea level, they can fix the parts they dynamited and then just pump out the remaining water, and start the decontamination/rebuilding process.

Simtropolis' server crashes and loses all member data. WTWTTCH if you were stuck in New Orleans tonight?

First of all, the 100,000 people are scattered througout many New Orleans high-rises, second of all at the last count I'm aware of, approx. 15,000 people (according to N.O.'s CBS station) are in the Superdome, not all 100,000+ residents still within N.O. Finally, these people will probably be taken out of the flooded areas after the storm by boats and helicopters if the army decides not to blow a few holes into the levee system (which they probably will). BTW Alkoala the odds of this happening again anytime soon are very, very low, considering how a storm of this magnatude barreling through N.O. happens about once in every 500 years (according to the NOAA). Oh and for those concerned about the people in the Superdome, the army dropped off over 300,000 MRE's (U.S. army rations) around an hour ago, assuming these people eat 3 square meals a day, they should be able to last about a week before they run out of food (which probably won't happen considering that A:The people would be relocated. B:If they weren't relocated yet, the army would probably bring in more supplies by sea or air).

Cooper S Getting stranded in New Orleans for the next 48 hours, or getting stranded in the Sunni Triangle for the next month?

I dunno what I'd do. What if Katrina does a last second swerve away from New Orleans tonight?

I think New Orleans will be hard hit by Katrina, but I don't see the city not being able to recover from this. I truly hope Katrina swerves towards the West, towards Mississippi, but that is rather unlikely...

BMW Z8

Then the bunny's remains are stuffed into the cloning machine, where right after the first clone is completed, a virus takes over and the machine keeps churning out clones with no apperent end in sight. (Uh-oh)

Pepperoni Pizza

Dying from cardiovascular disease WTWTTCH dying peacefully in your sleep?