Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Predictions for 2009

By Alan Caruba

Everybody in the pundit trade likes to make predictions. If they come true, we look smarter than we really are and, if they don’t, no further mention of them is made.

1. A general belief in “global warming” will continue to decrease when winter weather conditions continue beyond March. More scientists will come forth to denounce it as a hoax.

2. Iran will announce it has nuclear weapon capability. Beyond condemnation, no direct action will be taken by the United Nations, United States or Israel.

3. Hezbollah will attack Israel from its base in Lebanon.

4. There will be a growing protest movement against further U.S. troop placements in Afghanistan as losses begin to increase.

5. Both India and Pakistan will to put troops on their border, but no conflict will occur.

6. A major Islamist terrorist plot will be uncovered in the United States.

7. The world economy will continue to slow. U.S. government efforts to restore trust in the banking system and Wall Street will not bring about significant results until shortly before the end of 2009.

8. President Obama will be a party to a major scandal.

9. The drug wars along the U.S. and Mexican border will dramatically spill over into Texas and Arizona. There will be a massacre on U.S. territory between rival drug gangs that will attract widespread public attention and demand for action.

10. Earthquakes! Blizzards! Hurricanes! Tornados! Floods! Fires! Wars and rumors of war!


Happy New Year!

7 comments:

TheBigHenry said...

I predict that your #10 will become your #9.

Happy New Year

Alan Caruba said...

Holy Smokes...I accidently deleted #9. Will correct that ASAP.

Jeremy Jacobs said...

You mean Hizbollah will get thrashed next time?

Alan Caruba said...

Jeremy, I am quite sure Hezbollah is paying close attention to what the Israelis are doing in Gaza, but these people are ME Arabs so I don't expect them to draw any intelligent conclusions.

Rich Kozlovich said...

Alan,

Forgive me, can I add some to your list. I know this list isn’t as glamorous as yours, but my life is filled dealing with these nuts and bolts issues. A whole lot of “nuts”!

11. Pesticides will come under even greater attack by the new head of EPA than either Browner or Ruckelshaus.

12. Bedbugs will become a nationwide plague.

13. Pyrethroids will be removed from the market place for use by the general public.

14. Efforts will then be underway to remove them from the professional pest controllers arsenal.

15. Rodenticides will be lost for use by the public.

16. Work will be under way to remove them from professionals.

17. Prices for pest control services will become so high that those with the most need will be unable to afford it.

18. Insect and rodent borne diseases will increase startlingly.

19. People will then turn to illegal means of getting the relief that they need from pests that the government and green activists have deprived them of.

Rich

Alan Caruba said...

Rich, those who follow this blog faithfully need to know that you are a pest management professional and I have worked with the industry for decades. So, yes, your predictions are excellent and I may write about these events and trends this year.

ZZMike said...

Rich's comments are unnerving; even more so considering the source.

If pesticides are curtailed or banned, then we'll see things like what's happening in the Far East and India: rat populations swelling. As at a Taco Bell/KFC in New York (see youtube).

At least, in China, they're considered something of a delicacy.....

Here's another article from 2000:

Rat population explodes

It's about New York City and their public housing.

Back to the start, we know what happened when Rachel Carson convinced everybody to ban DDT.