I can make nerve gas in my basement. I can make 'most any poison gas in my basement Same thing for explosives. Nukes are harder because of the need for fissionable material, but you might read "The Curve of Binding Energy" for how simple they are to make if you have access to fissionable material. Children's science kits are available that will extract DNA.

Hell, I can use germs to kill people off just as was done in the past when dead bodies would be catapulted into besieged towns.

Pessimistic? Me? No.

Take the instant Alzheimer's thing -- let's say it was turned loose. Fine, now you're facing a crowd of psychotics where before you were facing a bunch of reasonably rational people. Stupid move, Jack. Especially when your own people become infected.

I think that lots of people are confusing Hollywood, television, novels (Tom Clancy deals in fiction), and the-end-is-coming books.

Reminds me of what Jerry Falwell was supposed to have done to prepare for The Rapture, which was to occur at midnight, December 31, 1999: he went out and stockpiled ammunition.