Pick your Apocalypse

[copeab]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

Oh, I harbor no illusions; I'm quite certain most nations would not want to give up their sovereignty to a world government. But it would be the best thing for the world.

Whereas I think a world government would be a terrible thing

[MajorPo]

I don't think that one day people of the various countries or even their leaders will wake up and say, "Enough of all this bickering, let's just all be one big country!". Of course for a unified world government to form that doesn't need to happen. We are seeing it grow around us now. The rise of Europe, the growth of international trade consortiums, and the moderating effect of the world bank and international monetary fund are all parts of the growth towards interdependence which will ulitmately see us all within one world government in substance if perhaps never in name. I think it will be a good thing, though it won't solve all our problems. At least it might allow us to waste a little bit less money on 'defense' from our neighbours

[Mahatatain]

I don't know if this is of interest to other people but I have a different variation on the Apocalypse options in this poll in a campaign I run.

In that campaign there has been an asteroid strike on the Earth but there is evidence that the asteroid was "directed" by some alien force and (the PCs haven't discovered this yet) there are now alien forces on Earth, who are also using terminator like machines to infiltrate survivor communities.

The aliens have also introduced a bio-plague to kill lots of humans and have genetically engineered plants to create "triffids".

Essentially the reason for my post is to consider combining multiple apocalypse options in your campaign - it's certainly got my PCs wondering.....

[copeab]

With a statistically significant number of votes it, it appears that the "consensus" apocalypse is a biological disaster and nuclear strike (probably in that order).

As a sidenote, while most people think of something like Independence Day for an alien invasion, The Thing (1982) would be far nastier ...

[Marc]

Mmmmmmm... A campaign based on the old UFO computer game and using the Twilight set of rules could be an interesting idea...

[MajorPo]

Originally Posted by copeab

As a sidenote, while most people think of something like Independence Day for an alien invasion, The Thing (1982) would be far nastier ...

Even more disturbing might be a Gremlins (1984) outbreak...

[copeab]

Originally Posted by majorpo

even more disturbing might be a gremlins (1984) outbreak...

tha horra!

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by MajorPo

Even more disturbing might be a Gremlins (1984) outbreak...

It's not just a disaster, it's a comedy!

[Nowhere Man 1966]

Rogue Planet, sounds like the setting that started "Thundarr the Barbarian."

Chuck M.

[General Pain]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

OK, Targan, I'm about to make you go stark, raving mad:

While the absolutely worst idea that mankind has ever come up with was religion, the second-worst idea we've ever come up with is the whole idea of countries and nation-states. Between those two, you can account for virtually every war in history, plus a lot of murders by nut-cases and fruitcakes.

A good, workable world government would one of the best ideas mankind could ever come up with. I'm not talking about the nutty UN/black helicopters/conspiracy theory government that various screwy folks believe is happening, but one, well-functioning, democratic government with a UN-type body to form a sort of Congress. Eventually, a whole lot of the crap in this world resulting from national competition would be exposed for what it truly is -- a massive collection of bullshit. And the human species could get on with trying to become better than what we are. As long as there are individual countries on this planet, we will remain bound to the Earth, and, like 99% of all the species that have ever existed on the Earth, become extinct.

IMHO - I think the whole global warming shit is just bullshit - it's all invented by AL GORE - and the other moey hungry bankers of the current staff of Obama,.,,,,a tad political I know but after I saw "the Obama Deception" I must admit I was convinced.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by General Pain

IMHO - I think the whole global warming shit is just bullshit - it's all invented by AL GORE - and the other moey hungry bankers of the current staff of Obama,.,,,,a tad political I know but after I saw "the Obama Deception" I must admit I was convinced.

You're kidding right?

You can disbelieve it all you like but that disbelief is going to be hard to maintain by the time you are an old man. You'll either have to learn to swim well or move to higher ground.

I understood the mechanisms behind global warming when I was in primary school. Take a look at Venus in the night sky. Notice how it is so bright? That is because it is covered in CO2 cloud. The surface temperature of Venus is higher than the melting point of lead. And that isn't because of Venus' closeness to the sun, it is because of runaway greenhouse effect, caused by all that CO2 in Venus' atmosphere.

The alternative to accepting the truth when it is put in front of you is to close your eyes, cover your ears and yell "la la la" really loud.

Edit: Ah look man, that was harsher on my part than you deserve. I apologise. I don't want to be part of starting some intense political debate that gets everyone all riled up and ultimately does none of us any good. I'll chalk this one up to my ongoing journey of learning to be more accepting of opinions that do not coincide with my own.

[Legbreaker]

My understanding is that the planet is coming out of an ice age. Human activity might have sped things up a bit, but it was going to happen anyway.
All we as a species can hope to do is slow it back down to the natural rate and enjoy the ride until the next ice age.

In other words, learn to surf!

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

My understanding is that the planet is coming out of an ice age. Human activity might have sped things up a bit, but it was going to happen anyway.
All we as a species can hope to do is slow it back down to the natural rate and enjoy the ride until the next ice age.

In other words, learn to surf!

Great I will not have to drive 20 miles anymore to go diving and to the beach.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by General Pain

IMHO - I think the whole global warming shit is just bullshit - it's all invented by AL GORE - and the other moey hungry bankers of the current staff of Obama,.,,,,a tad political I know but after I saw "the Obama Deception" I must admit I was convinced.

Hmmmm...yeah....

[Targan]

Originally Posted by General Pain

IMHO - I think the whole global warming shit is just bullshit - it's all invented by AL GORE - and the other moey hungry bankers of the current staff of Obama,.,,,,a tad political I know but after I saw "the Obama Deception" I must admit I was convinced.

For the record the concept of global warming was around for decades before Al Gore took up the banner about it. The vast majority of scientists in the world agree that the current acceleration of global warming is man-made. And if you are ascribing money as a reason behind the positions of the global warming believers or sceptics just ask yourself this - who stands to make more money, those who say global warming is real and we should do something about human-caused CO2 emissions, or those who want to maintain the status quo and have us continue to burn fossil fuels? The answer is blindingly obvious. The the rich old men with the greatest investment in the burning of fossil fuels will be dead and gone by the time global warming really starts to destroy the world as we know it so they really have nothing to lose.

Listen to the scientific consensus. Follow the money trails. Question motives. And don't fall into the trap of saying "If God wants the sea levels to rise there is nothing we can do about it". In this case, the future is in our hands, not the almighty's. And God helps those who help themselves.

These are my beliefs and opinions and are no more or less valid than anyone else's.

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by Targan

who stands to make more money, those who say global warming is real and we should do something about human-caused CO2 emissions, or those who want to maintain the status quo and have us continue to burn fossil fuels? The answer is blindingly obvious.

The answer is indeed obvious IMO. The second one of course. However, the first wanting to take the place of the second the answer will be: The first one as well.

Then my own answer is none of them are to be trusted and my opinion is:
- Don't know if we are exeperienciig Global Warming but obviously the climate is changing as it has done constantly since Earth exist (Great news, houray for the scientists).
- Scientist are all fools. Copernicus as been contested by almost every scientist of its time. So were Pasteur, Einstein, Darwin... (just name them). Therefore, Targan I don't follow you and as long as several scientist remain opposed to the conclusion, these conclusions stand a good chance to be wrong (Nothing New).
- Does humanity has a hand into this? no doubt, we were 3 billion in 1980, we are 6 billion 30 years later. Only by farting are we acting on the climate. However, oil consumption per capita has been going down for these same 30 years (People are concerned but they are still pushed to make more babies).
- Can we do something about it. I strongly doubt it and if we consider that We Can. The end result will be catastrophe (Cool??).
- Can we do something for ourselves. No doubt in my mind than Yes and we must prepare and change our ways. If we don't the end result will be extinction (good news for the planet).

Honestly, I don't give a S... about our planet without us. Something else: I currently need my car and my computer is constantly working. I won't change that and I'm willing to fight for it. Make better cars and better computers!!

By the way, I have faith in what I'm saying here but that is valid for myself only and I can be absolutely wrong. That's a philosophical opinion no more.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

Honestly, I don't give a S... about our planet without us. Something else: I currently need my car and my computer is constantly working. I won't change that and I'm willing to fight for it. Make better cars and better computers!!

Well said.

[Caradhras]

We are not likely to solve the issue of whether climate change is significantly affected by Man here.

This said...

I studied Environmental Science at University 12 yrs ago and it was a hot topic then (sry for the pun) and we had some real uber 'green' folk on my course but I was open minded.

The upshot of my interest, my studies, and numerous TV documentaries and reading is that we (Man) are altering an already changing climate to some degree. Whether this is potentially disastrous is uncertain however the logical thing to do would be err on the side of caution imo and work harder on the 'how' whether it be basic CO2 emission or even, as Mohoender mention, reduce the number of people (not by nukes! and their impact on resources.

[pmulcahy11b]

Wow! I just got emailed a post notification, and the post isn't actually there! Nowhere Man, did you delete your post, or are there ghosts in Kcdusk's machine?

[Nowhere Man 1966]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

Wow! I just got emailed a post notification, and the post isn't actually there! Nowhere Man, did you delete your post, or are there ghosts in Kcdusk's machine?

Well, I posted but I deleted it, in the human caused global climate change issue, I don't believe in it or at least our effect is so little, it cannot really be measured. I just didn't want to ruffle more feathers than they were already as I thought about it. I got into a real donnybrooke last time.

I just see it, the powers that be behind "climate change caused by humans" as a ploy by the powers pushing it as another way, forceable interference (borrowing a term from noted libertarian of the 1970's, Robert J. Ringer), to control the lives of free people. I tend to be conservative/libertarian in my views, more so the latter on many things. Federal government should stay within its Constitutional boundaries, maybe with an addition of a sundry thing or two, like space exploration, and not be influenced by such forceable interference groups and so on.

Robert J. Ringer wrote books, one of which, Looking Out For #1 (1977) puts a lot of what we were discussing into perspective. Ayn Rand is another influence too, she has a lot of important takes in Atlas Shrugged and so on. I'm not a true Objectivist either, I think that is going too far but she makes a lot of points and I do disagree on her atheism, I tend to be religious at times as well. I guess I would be hard to place so I see myself as conservative/libertarian. When it comes to moral issues, I think the Federal government should be silent on many of them with very few exception, as long as it does not go past the Constitution, things should be left to the States or local entities.

That's my take on a lot of this stuff, although I disagree on this climate change stuff, human caused that is, I don't want to debate it here but since it was brought up, I figure I'd state my position anyways. If anyone wants more insight into my thoughts and so on, I can go private.

Chuck M.

[Nowhere Man 1966]

BTW, I picked Nuclear Armageddon, you just can't go wrong with that.

Chuck M.

[scholar rat]

I picked Nuclear and biological which would cause a geological and environmental disaster.

[pmulcahy11b]

I pick that the entire Western world is unable to lift themselves from the couch due to all the fried and fatty food they have ingested through their lives.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I pick that the entire Western world is unable to lift themselves from the couch due to all the fried and fatty food they have ingested through their lives.

one night when there is a particularily enticing and lewd reality show on the television ,all slouch to the same side in their couches by random accident ,thus tilting the worlds axis with immense planetary devestation as a result .

The outcry and despair over the cancellation of said show is without comparrison to any disaster that has thus far befallen man.

And TEOTWAWKI is also lamented.

[jester]

Originally Posted by headquarters

one night when there is a particularily enticing and lewd reality show on the television ,all slouch to the same side in their couches by random accident ,thus tilting the worlds axis with immense planetary devestation as a result .

The outcry and despair over the cancellation of said show is without comparrison to any disaster that has thus far befallen man.

And TEOTWAWKI is also lamented.

You mean,

"As if millions of voices cried out in terror and then were suddenly silenced?"

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by jester

You mean,

"As if millions of voices cried out in terror and then were suddenly silenced?"

Hundreds of millions going : "What! ?? No second season!!??!!" and then :






.

[copeab]

Or ... <shudder> ... the world ends in a battle between angsty teenage vampires and werewolves ...

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by copeab

Or ... <shudder> ... the world ends in a battle between angsty teenage vampires and werewolves ...

And they're fueled by Burger King food!

[mikeo80]

As I was reading the world news today, it struck me that the seeds of WWIII have been sown in the India/Pakistan dispute over Kashmir.

Pakistan has been ravaged by moonsoon rains. According to CNN and others, 20 % of Pakistan is now flooded.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapc...ex.html?hpt=T1

So.... India wants the area known as Kashmir. Pakistan's Army is probably ineffective. India invades, the Western Powers dither, China and Russia probably don't REALLY care. Seeing no alternatives, Pakistan releases its' nukes. India, of course, retaliates....

And the match is lit, the fuse is burning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k55NuWQCh78

Mike

[Cpl. Kalkwarf]

Swat valley? Isn't that were the Taliban and al qaeda are supposed to be operating out of ?


Must of been the gubmint weather control satellites flooding them out and it got out of control.