Time to break out the prepping crystal ball. What’s next?

Conrad B - April 6, 2021

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I know it’s impossible to know the next disaster to come but I think we as preppers keep a look out for the signs and can make good guesses of what might come. 

What do you think the next disaster or situation will be that we need to prepare for?

Gas prices are rising, is that just because Covid is diminishing and people are driving more?

Do you think we will enter WW3 from the tension going on with the Ukraine and Russia?

Will there be a third spike in Covid, or are we on the downhill journey with that?

Will food prices going up lead to other issues?

What issues did Covid bring that we have yet to see the impact of?

Will the huge financial toll of Covid and government bailouts impact the economy and lead to a recession or depression?

What else should we be looking out for and prepping for over the next few weeks to months? No wrong answers here, just guesses and predictions.

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Major earthquake- any minute now

 

Is there anything you prepped or done specifically in preparation for an earthquake? What kind of magnitude do you think you might experience?

 

An 8.9 earthquake is a viable option where I live. I believe that I am actually living in one of the better areas – not near the coast so no tsunami to deal with. However, given the potential  range of the earthquake and tsunami damage, there may be the possibility that they will evac people to our area due to the central location and the fact that there are two military bases in the immediate vicinity.

However, I also think that the recovery may be longer (reconnecting power etc) in my area as we are semi rural. They will probably focus on the higher density populations first. So, having more resources on hand is one way of prepping. 

 

I agree with this one and it is one of the moderate probability, high impact scenarios we prep for. The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a when, not if event that could happen at any time. It’s overdue. I list probability as moderate, because it has gone up to 1000 years without a full rip, but the average is 243 years and it’s been 321 years. 

Some specific preps we do for this are securing furniture and heavy items, earthquake discussions and practice with our kids, being aware of the risk of falling objects when decorating and making sure every room in our house has a “safe” area to duck, cover and hang on. The remainder of our preparations are valid for most other scenarios/risks in our area. Shelter, water, food, etc.

 

Good morning Brekke,

You’ve clearly explained what constitutes “best practices” whether the world fragments or not in 2 years or in 2 months.

The preparedness still requires securing funtiture, stuff on walls, having safe areas.

Here in Hurricane Alley, it’s the same for “best practices”. If a severe and dangerous storm arrives and not meeting eg the wind speeds to get labeled a hurricane, it still requires having shelter, water, food, etc.

Hurrican Sandy converted into Superstorm Sandy in the New Jersey / New York City area. Less the change to hurricane insurance claims, the preps must be the same.

The kids understand this common denominator preparedness approach faster than many public sector responder agencies restricted by “political” considerations. Think of closed banks and delayed business contracts.

 

How do you secure heavy and heavy items to prevent injury and damage in an earthquake? Just the little piece of string that comes with my Ikea bookcase to secure it to the wall?

 

I need to hook my heavy items, like bookcases, to the wall, but a little unsure about best practice as my interior walls have no studs. I discovered when my bathroom was being renovated that the interior wall was honeycomb cardboard (which explains why we always had trouble finding studs).

 

@LBV – oh my! I couldn’t imagine not having studs in the interior walls. I would maybe go with the heaviest items on the bottom and positioning furniture so that, if it does tip, it falls against another piece of furniture that has a lower center of gravity. That way it is less likely to land on and injure someone. 

 

@JB – No, we go a little more hardcore than a string. It really depends on the item. If it’s something like a desk or table with a decent center of gravity, we don’t secure it. I anticipate they’ll move, but if someone gets under them and holds on to the item, that’s okay. For larger items like book cases or armoires, we use L-brackets (multiple), with 3” screws in the studs. We also have a secondary “failsafe” in that they are generally arranged so that a wall or another heavy piece of furniture should break the fall if it comes loose. In the garage, we sink heavy duty eyebolts into the studs and use ratchet straps to secure the shelves (and water barrels). We also place the heaviest items on the bottoms of all shelves. 

 

Dont forget its not just falling cupboards / wardrobes that is an issue in a quake, if the CONTENTS are heavy they can fly out during violent shaking and cause harm, that why good quality catches / cupboard locks can help. In parts of Japan some folks use those boat cupboard catches to secure domestic cupboards. bot only do they stop stuff flying out but they also stop the stuff itself getting damaged.

In heavy food cupboards in the US we often see elastic cordage being strung across the front of cupboards to stop heavy tins being thrown everywhere. And equally many people re-enforce the cupboards joints and corners with re-enforcing brackets to stop heavy cabinets from disintergrating..

Image found on web, but dont know who is the author to give credit to.

 

Just been digging through some old comms with a lady that lived outside San Francisco,   Every cupboard, closet, set of drawers etc she had in her house was fitted with those child safety catches that stops curpboard and draws from opening more than an inch or so that requires you to push the springy catch out the way as you pull the door open.

 

Think about going to your food storage after a earthquake and finding all your food in a puddle on the floor because you didn’t secure your shelves well enough. That would be devastating

 

Bill, those elastic restraints are so important. In the big Loma Prieta quake near us, people had heavy cans, jars and dinnerware flying out of their cupboards. I have added earthquake activated cabinet latches by Safe-T-Proof to some of our cupboards. They are supposed to be activated by a 4.3 (I think, it could be 3.4) quake and above, and are supposed to keep the cupboards from flying open. I know they do work if my husband happens to close a cupboard to hard, which is reassuring!

 

Are these the latches you were talking about?

I like how it says “Prepare for: Earthquakes, Kid-quakes, Pet-Quakes” 🙂

So do these latch shut when they sense quake? How do they work?

 

These are actually the ones that close automatically, they are by the same company. Sorry I didn’t include a link in my post: https://www.safe-t-proof.com/cabinet-door-seismolatches-deluxe-10-pack

 

No worries at all 🙂 Thank you for sharing the correct link.

 

L brackets are a good solution indoors, and I like your idea of the eyebolts in the garage with heavy straps. 

 

I live in earthquake country and have secured most of the large items, but have gotten lax on this as we accumulated or updated. I’ve used kits available online and at hardware stores to help attach dressers and curio cabinets, and secondary catches on hung artwork especially those that would fall on beds. I still haven’t secured the 65″ TV. My Ikea shelves had wall brackets not just string/straps. Some folks I knew who were in the bad zone for Northridge were amazed at how much damage occurred inside their latched closed cupboards. In a 8+ big one the entire house will shake enough that the contents and possibly the cabinet will be shaken to bits. The latches did prevent projectiles and more broken glass on the floor.

 

The only thing I have secured to the wall is my huge TV. And not huge by the way of great viewing size and high resolution. It’s a 10+ year old big flat screen that isn’t worth much and is heavy. With a dog and kiddos running around, that dinky little stand it came with can’t keep it very sturdy. 

It came with a pretty weak and small screw. I did drive it into a stud, but I should upgrade that screw to something larger.

 

In one way, Covid has been a blessing.  It has allowed new developments in science to leap forward much faster than normal.  The way they created these vaccines using mRNA is fascinating.  Prior to this, the fastest vaccine was made in 4 years.  This was made, tested & used in a year.  Heck, it only took a day to design the vaccine.  The rest was testing.  And it is just the tip of a very large iceberg.  This will change medicine the way the digital revolution changed everything.

What’s next?  Odds are it will come out of the blue.  However, I feel some day soon we are going to pay the price for spending more than we take in.  I don’t know in what shape that payment will be but it won’t be pretty.

 

When this all started I thought a vaccine would take years to develop. I’m pretty shocked that they were able to make it so quickly. 

 

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, is a fascinating read and gives great insight into this technology.  

 

Good morning Conrad,

In reply to the specific questions … with much incoherence since more than one time will I prune out political matters and my conjecture.  Will try to keep to basic subject-matter.

We need to prepare for a disaster / situation where public sector support organizations approach being non-existent.  What does one do for severe injury to family member, neighbor, stranger who drifted onto property ? How will fire be addressed in nearby home ? That abandoned trailer on state road has a horse in it.  Will anything be done in the horse ?

Gasoline pricing is no longer a function of market economics.

No, do not envision a WW3 especially in re Ukraine/Russia.  The dangerous flare-ups are originating from non-Great Powers. The rest is “politics” and not for discussion here.

My personal guess is that COVID type infectious diseases will remain and require periodic vaccinations like our traditional annual flu shot/jab.

Yes, rising food prices will involve other issues. Will USDA crop insurance be allowed for marijuana crops ? It’s been asked already. Will food imports continue to get favorable tariff treatment to the detrement of domestic foods ? It’s not an easy question due the cost and pricing differentials.

COVID goes well beyond prepping. Some basic views: It will have some major involvement on national health care delivery and private citizen costs for this. There will be regulatory changes. Think of interstate health care practice.

I have little worry about an economic depression.  We are already in a recession.

We must look out for developing new and better-arranged neighborhood organizations. We are super-saturated with MREs, hand tools, bandages but don’t even know who’s living in that nearby house. Our weakness is group development and cooperation. I am not optimistic.

 

The three I’m seeing the most predictions about:

1. War with Russia within two months.

2. Severe financial meltdown within months.

3. Hyperinflation.

Will those happen? Who knows. My prepping is the same for all three: continue building up my mini-farming operation.

 

Trying not to get political on this issue is difficult , but I see the following as major LIKELY issues

1 New nastier strain of Covid running amok especially in anti vax anti mask nations

2 Mass civil unrest both in the EU and US

3 War between Ukraine and Russia

4 America starting yet another proxy war to divert attention away from its domestic / economic  issues

5 Mass  migration to Europe and North America causing more civil unrest

6 Economic warfare between the west and China

7 Proxy wars in Africa

Those are the issues to the front of my mind.

 

i believe that prices for everything will go up for the rest of the year and raises for employees won’t happen or be as high as they would be. businesses are going to try and make up for their losses over the last year and a half and have to make up for it in some way.

if we were to go into a war, that could boost the economy. from what i remember in school, during ww1 and ww2 businesses involved in the war effort thrived and did well. but that could mean that a portion of the food, ammo, and other gear would be made for the military and less would be available to the average citizen.

that’s what i’m thinking. any other thoughts on what i said?

 

Good morning Pint,

Ref the “any other thoughts”;

The term “the military” now, in substance, also means the civilian governmental organizations performing the same to similiar missions.  Think of border patrol, riot control, public health aspects such as immunization clinics. 

Augmenting the civilian government organizations are the private sector organizations such as the SAR teams, the security teams, etc.

 

Haven’t been able to find anything decent on the dollar menu at any fast food restaurant lately. (haha, I just wrote a post down below on eating healthy) Everything is like $1.50 or $1.75. 

Prices are rising. 

 

Hi Conrad,

Excellent topic and well deserved on the feature designation. I have wanted to reply for a couple of days but chores and duty called.

We have been, and continue to be, responding to multiple disasters and situations globally. This has been going on for many years. The experience doesn’t seem to have made any of us on this planet the more intelligent for it.

Every day our species continues to repeat the same mistakes over and over expecting different results. Are human beings insane or stupid?

If one part of the world isn’t fighting over territory or resources, then another part is.

Firmware cyber-attacks are increasing, directed by more sophisticated groups and for much higher stakes.

Climate change effects are affecting populations now and we are woefully lagging behind where we should have been by now. Rachel Carson wrote “Silent Spring” 1962. I sometimes wonder where we would have been if she hadn’t written and published her book.

Gas prices are rising, again, and like any commodity will continue to impact the lives of those who are heavily dependent upon it.

Regardless of why or how or where it starts, WW3 is just another phrase for an extinction event.

We have developed too many efficient and elegant ways of slaughtering each other. Warfare is no longer personal and head to head as it was in the past. Now, technology adds a layer of distance.

We know the consequences of a global war gone too far, and today, that line isn’t far to reach or cross. Whether or not we do, it depends on the group consciousness of the inhabitants of this planet.

We have to participate in making this world more peaceful. There is a song: “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.”

Covid is already into its third wave in Canada and the situation is bad.

Viruses are part of life on Earth. We notice them when they are really bad. What we need to pay attention to is how to reduce our risk of contracting them in the first place. A vaccine mitigates the effect should we contract the virus but is no guarantee of prevention.
We also need to treat our immune systems better. Healthy diet and exercise are key components of a healthy immune system. The best way to break the junk food and inactivity habits is to replace them with better habits.

A freakishly restrictive or expensive diet isn’t necessary. Wash your fruits and vegetables. If you eat meat, handle, store and cook it properly. Walk for exercise, indoors if you must, but get moving.

Stress also affects our immune system. Nothing on this Earth is worth destroying your health over. No relationship, no job, no hardship is worth it.

Food prices have been going up for a long time. Every time there is a gas price increase, the food prices go up. I worked in trucking when there were gas price increases. The percentage that everyone charged each other in the industry was ridiculous. The farmers and producers don’t see the money, but the middlemen reap the benefits every time there is a situation upon which they can pin another jump in food prices.

People have long been under the financial toll of improper personal financial management.

None of us can currently control disasters. In a democracy, we can elect our officials and try to hold them accountable from the civic to the national level. But, at the end of the day, we can’t control them directly. What we can control are ourselves and how we manage our resources.

It is a myth that pensioners have a pile of money. The single highest rate of poverty in Canada is for widowed women on a pension. People in Canada list their home as their main retirement asset. More disturbing, is that there is a large group of people here who enter retirement still indebted.

My Dad gave me the best advice: Stay out of debt. Save, even a few dollars every pay day. Make savings a habit. Stay away from the stock market and any investment that aren’t guaranteed by the bank. This is your life, not a trip to some casino. Don’t gamble with your life or your savings.

In the foreseeable future, follow health protocols and don’t quibble about wearing a mask or anything you can do to stop the spread of Covid or it’s variants. Wearing a mask protects other people. Do it for them. It’s a small thing to ask given the severity of this pandemic and its long term neurological effects on the survivors.

Thank you for posting this really interesting group of questions, Conrad.

I have a “date” with a shovel and have gone way past my allotted down time so I need to run. I am quickly posting some links relative to points in my reply if anyone would like to see them.

Cyber-attacks

http://www.rachelcarson.org/SilentSpring.aspx

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/coronavirus-variants-canada-covid-19-vaccine-third-wave-1.5978394

 

Good point on the increase and severity of cyber attacks. This will only continue to grow as you have said, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to see a major city lose power, water, or gas within the next 5 years due to a cyber attack. 

Solution: Make sure you have the basics of 2 weeks of food, water, and fuel. More is always better though. 

Georgia’s vehicle emissions stations have been down since March 31 due to a cyber attack. (Maybe by someone who was upset that his vehicle didn’t pass emissions lol, but more likely just someone with ransomware trying to get a quick buck). It isn’t just simply affecting the DMV from being able to register vehicles, but is hurting people’s jobs. One emissions station hires a bunch of people and they usually are able to turn out 100 cars a day and charge $100/car. That’s $10,000/day that they aren’t able to pump into the economy, tax, and pay to the employees. 

 

Supersonic,

That’s a really good example of the financial effect of cyber attacks.

And agreed on keeping more than 2 weeks of food/water/fuel and alternate fuel and transportation sources. These attacks are cutting a broad swath compared to the one on one personal attacks. The consequences are going to be much bigger.

 

Thanks for all your thoughts to this forum topic. I agree with everything you’ve said, but especially the eating and living healthy. Our bodies are capable of some incredible things, but only if we treat them well and fuel them well.

Daily exercise – Even if it’s just stretching or 5 push-ups, every little bit helps and is better than nothing.

Eating healthy – While it’s only going to get harder as food prices increase, try and buy the healthier option. I used to have a piece of cake, pie, ice cream, or something like that for dessert with every meal. Then I worked by way down to one or two pieces of candy, now I’m down to a few strawberries, blueberries, or an apple for my dessert. I’m no longer craving sugar and other high processed foods as much as I used to.

Get outside – Harder during the winter, but with spring and summer around the corner, try and get outside during your lunch break at work, eat dinner on the patio instead of the dinning room table, take a camping trip over the weekend.

These three points will lead to improved mood, mental state, energy, and longer and stronger life.

 

Well said Conrad.

Lao Tzu said “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

If we change nothing, then nothing changes.

Your methods are a very sensible approach and I really like the ideas for getting outside.

In the winter, I put on a parka and stand outside the back or front door and just breath fresh air and bask in the sunlight. Then I turn around and scurry right back in because it is waaay too cold out there. But, I did get some fresh air and sunshine 🙂

 

So to follow up, it’s been two weeks since I started this topic and things probably have progressed and changed in the world.

I haven’t heard of as much Ukraine and Russia tension lately. And Covid vaccines are being given at a record rate. Maybe things are going to look up for a while?

 

Good afternoon Conrad,

Moscow announced that they will be re-deploying their recently assembled “training” forces near Ukraine border. I’m watching Iran.

Had heard there’s a massive COVID outbreat in India and it’s stressing out their medical facilities. Can guess it’s worth checking Brazil.

I’m no optimist.

 

Bob,

There’s a double double variant in India that they have been aware of since October 2020.

This news link from Apr 8, 2021 explains the concerns over the presence of the E484Q and L452R mutations. L452R is more transmissible while the research is not conclusive on E484Q for transmission. Both mutations show antibody resistance and there is concern that vaccines may not be effective.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/08/researchers-identify-five-new-cases-of-double-mutant-covid-variant-in-california-.html

I caught something in the news about a 3rd mutation in India, but haven’t been able to read further on it as of the time of this reply.

They need to hammer down on the reinfection. That is why this is virus is mutating freely. No spread, no copies of the virus and the mutation risk goes down.

Spanish Flu ran rampant, but back then they had an excuse because of their lack of communication and medical knowledge. What is occurring today is unthinkable. If they got birth control information into India in the 1960’s what is the excuse for the lack of knowledge today?

 

Good afternoon Ubique,

Just glanced at the CNBC link.

Call me wacky, but I do not believe India can control their variants. This nation started out with an inadequate public health system that was historically stressed and now there is the international travel, poorer diets, smoking is excessive. 

Re the 1960s introduction of birth control information, believe India now has a larger population than neighbor China. The excuse/blame ? The list is easy enough to develop.  They will blame Jammu-Kashmir, insufficient help from WHO, the brutal colonial experience that assembled these warring states and introduced public health, loss of East Pakistan.

I have no answer. I n fairness to Indians, I have reservations as to whether other large area countries, like Brazil, can also.

India’s public health efforts are already fatigued and am guessing that there will be drastic restrictions on travel here to the US.

 

I looked this up and as of 2018, India had a population density of 455 per sq km. While the US has a population density of 36 per sq km. The one country of India contains 1/5 of all the people in the world. That is insane!

Even if they had the best health care system (which I don’t believe they do), a pandemic is just waiting to explode in a high population density area like this. I feel bad for these people and they are in for a tough road ahead of them.

Source: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST?locations=IN

 

Hi Conrad,

Their population density is a big issue. Please also see my response to Bob above.

 

That is quite the difference in population density Conrad. Thanks for sharing those stats.

 

Good afternoon Bob,

India is a country of contrasts and I agree with what you have said about their situation.

Now for the sound of my not often used (high blood pressure) soapbox being dragged across the floor. And here I go….

I do not believe they will control nor will Brazil nor will we in our first world countries. It will be for different reasons, but the outcome will be the same.

I had hope a year ago that this would be taken seriously and that hope has faded as I sit here now in 2021.

It’s one thing to keep an open mind, but not so open that one’s brains fall out.

The pandemic has unleashed a whole new level of crazy beliefs that are so far removed from science and common sense, I can’t even articulate how bizarre this has become. 

A movement starts on the internet and people flock to it and subscribe to the most idiotic beliefs and jibber jabber, AND THEN have the audacity to  accuse other people who are taking steps to stop this nightmare as being “sheeple.” The mote is in their eye and they can’t see that they are the “sheeple.” Yeah, they’re on my last nerve.

People are (forgive me for saying this) stupid, so incredibly, astoundingly stupid that this can’t just be the end result of a failed education system. Their stupidity could actually drive mankind into an extinction event or push us very close to being run off the cliff.

What I have observed since Covid-19 began has me wondering how we will ever survive anything like this again IF we are fortunate enough to survive this one.

There is the expression that “God looks after drunks and fools.” I don’t know what is happening to people. Humanity could not have made this far and through so many difficult times if their approach had been anywhere near this foolish.

Rant over, off my soap box. Now, the soft sound of my head gently banging against the wall of my den…

 

Bob, we have just witnessed a rare occasion of seeing Ubique’s soap box! May this day forever be marked. 

Ubique – Lets talk about this. I’m not disagreeing with you that people are ‘stupid’ (I’m probably lumped in that same category in some people’s minds too), but have humans always been ‘stupid’ or is this a growing recent trend? 

Has there always been a percentage of the population that are ‘stupid’ and it just might seem larger now because of exposure through the news, social media, and higher population=higher perceived percentage of ‘stupid’?

Or is there some factor that is leading to the percentage of ‘stupid’ people rising? Some examples of this could be instant access to whatever they need like the internet, fast food, 2 day delivery, free hand outs by the government, so many conveniences, declining morals and standards, the list goes on…

Not to sound rude, but you are probably slightly older than I am right? I come to you to seek your wisdom from your years. How have you seen a difference in the amount of ‘stupid’ people over the course of your life?

 

Hi Robert,

My head hurts..Ow!

Oh, I don’t like using that word “stupid.” But, I don’t know what else to call it.

I think you have a point about acess to convenience and softer living (to put it diplomatically), etc…

I don’t want to be ageist, but yes, I have seen changes. It’s not that there weren’t stupid people when I was younger. There definitely were some around as there were also ridiculous concepts and cults. But this situation is medical and it so straightforward. We even have history to support the seriousness of this pandemic, yet some people are acting so strangely.

A lot of my rant has come from incidents in our town that either I or my husband have witnessed. I don’t know how to say this any other way, Robert, but seriously some of them actually look crazed. It’s like witnessing people under the influence something, which I guess technically they are.

I think the internet and what I have observed in this last year is a pandemic of a different kind. The internet spreads it and people contract it. A viral overload of foolishness. Perhaps it is the avalanche of misinformation that has sprung up since the pandemic began?

I am trying to figure out if I need to adjust my preparedness for this and if so, how.

Thank you Robert. I am no longing saying “stupid.” I also don’t like using the word “hate.” I do however take great joy in saying the words “puppy, ice cream, licorice and recalcitrant (just for the sound of the word, although that may be what’s wrong: Some people have become recalcitrant or stubbornly uncooperative. 🙂

 

I know that you and I both don’t like calling people stupid. That’s why I was putting the word in quotes. ‘stupid’. I didn’t know what else to refer to them as either. 

I don’t think anyone is stupid. I think we all are different, all have different opinions, beliefs, and fears, and I think we all are trying to understand this pandemic and the stresses society is putting on us in different ways. 

Those people who are different than me are just trying to get through this in the best way that they can. Unfortunately, they may be influenced by social media and other things that may lead them down a path that is detrimental to their own safety. I hope everyone is able to cope with things well, and that we all can get through this difficult and hard time mostly unscathed. 

And since you like the words puppy and ice cream, here’s a pic of a puppy licking some ice cream.

My favorite word to say is BUBBLE. It just feels weird on the lips to say.

 

Robert, 

Best. Picture. Ever.

Agreed about BUBBLE – never thought of it before, but it does feel weird on the lips to day.

Thank you for your wise words. I needed to hear the voice of reason. The people aren’t bad, just misled. We will get through this!

 

Good morning Robert,

Real good !

The soap box will soon be on display at Appomattox court house museum next to the table where Gen Lee signed the surrender agreement.

..

 

Was looking at previous forum posts that I’ve made and came across this one that I wrote almost a year ago. Let’s look at some of the ideas and worries I had back then and what has happened over the past year.

Gas prices are rising, is that just because Covid is diminishing and people are driving more? – Gas prices continue to rise…

Do you think we will enter WW3 from the tension going on with the Ukraine and Russia? – No WW3 yet, but Russia did step up their game recently.

Will there be a third spike in Covid, or are we on the downhill journey with that? – Omicron was a third spike in Covid, and from the looks of things, we are on the downhill for now of serious cases. That’s something good.

Will food prices going up lead to other issues? – And prices are still going up and up. My budget sure isn’t happy.

What issues did Covid bring that we have yet to see the impact of? – Not sure on this one.

Will the huge financial toll of Covid and government bailouts impact the economy and lead to a recession or depression? – Luckily no recession/depression but inflation has been bad. Not sure if the bailouts were related to that or not.

Now to discuss some predictions from the comments:

Major earthquake – I haven’t seen a big one on the news, so hopefully this hasn’t happen or will happen any time soon.

MRNA leading to new things – I vaguely remember hearing it trying to cure the common cold or something. Maybe someone can pitch in if they have seen any development on this end.

Cyber attacks – Yes, there have been many of those

Climate change getting worse – Yes as well unfortunately.

 

Here is a pic: