With the Center for Disease Control warning of impending Swine flu deaths in the United States over the next several weeks, California declaring a state of emergency due to recent deaths in the Los Angeles area, President Obama requesting 15 billion to enhance capability for disease response and treatment, and Mexico battening down the hatches for a prolonged fight with the bug, reasonable people are becoming increasingly worried about what they should do to prepare for a potential life-threatening pandemic

When I think of gold, I am reminded of the cheesy 1970's and early 80's -- the day of big hair bands, platform shoes, disco dancing, and cheap salesmen with gold teeth, gold necklaces, gold bracelets, chains, ropes, and gold-inlaid plaid jackets "Have I got a deal for you

What will be the synergistic effect of these five trends as they begin to collide -- Population Growth, Global Warming, Doomsday Predictions, Technological Interdependence, and Economic Collapse Imagine an overpopulated planet suffering from dramatic and unpredictable weather, fighting for scarce resources in what is likely to be the worst economic crisis in history, with millions of people looking around the corner expectantly for the apocalypse, all the while depending on outside technologies and institutions for personal survival

I recently stayed at a high-end Hotel for business and was struck by how empty the place was No matter where I went I was alone, wandering the halls of a seemingly empty facility

Imagine a life without the conveniences we have all come to expect from today’s modern infrastructure Every time you flush the toilet, turn on a light, run the air conditioner, open the refrigerator, brush your teeth, drink a glass of water, cook on your stove top, listen to your ipod, shop at the store, drive your car, take a shower, call your Mom, mow the lawn, or simply sit out back with a cool glass of iced tea, you are relying on an intricate and webbed structure of supply and distribution networks that make all these “small” conveniences possible

If I were to ask you to identify the most significant medical breakthrough in the past 150 years, how would you answer For most of us we immediately think of high-profile medical advances, such as the discovery of penicillin and antibiotics, or the invention of the X-ray, the realization that we are products of a basic structure called DNA, the elimination of major disease processes such as smallpox, plague, and others, or the incredible life-saving virtues of automatic de-fibrillation, transplants, and others

My wife and I recently enjoyed a rare and spectacular meteor shower from our small country home in Central Texas With the near-full moon rising in the east, the shooting stars running north to south, the temperature hovering around 50, and the coyotes hooting in the distance, it was a perfect night for watching one of nature's most enjoyable fireworks displays

Like millions of people across the planet, I watched in fascination as President-Elect Obama was sworn in to become President-In-Fact of the United States of America Mark the day on your calendar and write about it in your journal - January 20, 2009 - because that day marked what will become one of those "where were you when

When I hear or read about 2012 and the hype, hysteria and hilarity that increasingly surrounds that ominous year, I can't help but to remember the famous and funny line uttered by the Scarecrow and Dorothy as they meander along the Yellow Brick Road in the Wizard of Oz, "Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My