In the USA, the Discovery Channel and its sister purveyors of programs of potential pan-global portents of planetary destruction run these scary scenarios every few weeks....sometimes 3-4 a night.

It is all very well to inform us of the status of our poor little planet and the forces that are at work...but do they HAVE to hire the most sonorous, chilling voices possible to give the impression that it is useless to worry about paying your taxes, because some impending disaster is probably gonna get you before you can write the check?

I have seen images or graphic representation of every tidal wave, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, asteroid, meteor, landslide, avalanche, flood, and volcano that has happened for the last 20 million years.....and most of the ones for the next few million also. Add these to the stories of killer bees, alligator attacks, nuclear power plant explosions, mining disasters, dam breaks, red tides,disease pandemics, raw sewage spills, and stories of how the cockroaches are doing JUST fine, and I must say, reading about transvestism in Hull is a welcome relief.