What Predictions Will You Make?

Well, well isn't this going to be interesting.

From what I have observed, GM will eventually, sooner than later, find themselves back in deep trouble again. I base this on the fact that the culture inside GM has not really changed, they are still trying to tell the marketplace what they want rather than respond to what the market wants. Further they have eliminated the brand manager, a disastrous move, how can information move through the system with one person in charge of sales, and another in charge of marketing?

Land Rover will once again disappear from the North American market. They do not have the resources to market the vehicles correctly, and they have lost sight of their history and strength as an off road vehicle.

California will loose the automotive aftermarket and along with it tens of thousands of skilled jobs, and as a result it will no longer be considered a major market for everything. This will come about because of the influence of lobby groups, mainly the tree hugger types, who feel they have to tell everyone else who to live. The state has already lost billions due to bad decisions, companies moving to other friendlier states, and this trend will only accelerate due to current trends in legislation. Case in point; all heavy diesel must be brought up to current environmental standards, this forced the farmers to purchase new vehicles since it made no sense to upgrade older vehicles. the cost will of course be passed on to the consumer, and because of the cost of the vehicles fewer are used, increasing unemployment. Latest quote on the value of the Automotive market is 84 billion, source SEMA.

the North America free trade treaty will be scrapped, however Canada and the US will enter into a new agreement,essentially the same document, Mexico will be left out since it is for all purposes a third world nation and is one of the major contributors to the decline in North American manufacturing.

That is as far out on the prediction branch I want to go, except for; the sun will indeed come up tomorrow. 8-)

China will take over the USA within 10 years so it won't matter what GM or any other US auto maker does, they will all eventually be raped by China.

Read all about it here and weep for the USA;

http://www.888publishing.com/

Interesting premises but somewhat flawed. China does indeed hold a vast amount of US debt so why would the 'state' sponsor attacks on the US economy in which they have a vested interest to see survive. Should the US economy die completely all that paper they hold would be worthless, not a very smart idea. As far as the internet attack are concerned, why would people be any different in China v.s. the U.S. or anywhere else? People do silly things via the internet, and it is not isolated to the East. Attacks come from every corner of the planet.

For decades people decried China for not embracing the western free enterprise model, and now they have after a fashion and everyone is upset because they do it better.

The same rhetoric was used with reference to Japan, and Korea, and a multitude of other nations, and I expect the same will happen in the future.

the total free market model simply does not work well because the gap between the rich and poor becomes very wide as we see today in the U.S. so instead of pointing fingers and blaming others, maybe it is time to do things a bit differently.

Hi,

China is trying to invest all this paper-money in farm-land, industrial companies and mining companies - who would act different?

If they get rid of most of the $$, why should they care any more?

This is only the economical side of the big players.

There is also a political situation of decisions where the big money is only one argument.

The new economies (in historical review) never have been reluctant to overwhelme the older ones. Why should they act different today?

RHABE

RHABE

This Guest post in relation to China, and intellectual Property strikes a chord with me.

My own life and prosperity has been diminished by thieft of intellectual property. Much of it was in areas of arts and entertainment, though. Russia has been involved in similar transgressions that have had impact to that industry.

Rhabe and the Guest have identified some real issues worthy of study, and note, as they are.

Far as my own predictions: I predict robotics will rise and become more transformational, than they have been. That trend is underway.

Digital photography will continue to overtake and pretty much eliminate traditional photographic methods. I expect this trend to near completely eliminate traditional motion picture production cameras that have long used film within 10 years.

For evidence and markers look at what sorts of cameras Panavision produces over this timespan.

These two predictions are of the easy sort, since the trends are already advanced.

The out of the blue, and predictions otherwise are to be driven by needs, and I haven't fully codified an essay there yet.

Hi Dian,

Everyone steal intellectual properties from anyone. It's rampant all around the world!

How many American "intellectual property" was made by "American educated brain"? We are happy with that situation of owner. Someone else probably not happy with it, than unhonest operations are used to make what they want to do.

Many hard working employees never get compensations about invention or large collaboration into patents and new ideas and things. It's the same as steal or copy a patent or innovation of an individual.

Forget copies and steals! Continue to get new ideas and create new and different things, Gil.

China might have stole their way to the top, but we are the ones crying for their cheap products, just walk into Wal-Mart half the stuff sold in there comes from China. So we have basically destroyed our own economy by buying over seas.

Hi Tex,

No!!! We don't "destroyed our economy by buying over seas". We don't want to make them first, and second the buyers want to make more money (profits) for us, the investors. We, with our unionised organizations we don't want to work. We don't want to work like our economy tells us. "It's not my job" doesn't apply to Begladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, and Mexico.

Stop to complain about imported things. We don't manufacture them any more but we need them! Low prices are good for our pockets! Don't laugh, it's reality!

We created this economy! It's not imposed to us by China or the others, Gil.

Hi Guest,

I don't think the answer answers to the question so well. We don't know what will be the final situation with "lands", "mines", and other Chinese "properties". The future or the end of the story is far away.

You remember when England and US get the oil at home and abroad? We never thought at that time about to pay billions of dollars per year to defend the lands and the rights to get this oil, also, defend our land and our population to get the oil.

Chinese don't ask, they just do things their ways like we teached them to do during the last century or more. Power makes mistakes more often than good things. This the human nature by itself, Gil.

HAS THE MEANING OF 'DEFEND' THAT MUCH CHANGED?

I predict medical implants. Electronic devices inserted into a finger or the back of the hand or bone. It will store personal information, financial information, knowledge of the universe, who knows? This is currently available for pets in the form of microchips.

I predict that my home state, North Dakota, will become the next Saudi Arabia of oil and electrical power production.

The native American Indian reservations will have most of the working oil refineries due to the political interests of environmentalists and tree huggers having no real power over what they build or due on their land.

Our wind farms will be called 'forests of the prairie' because we will have so many wind generators they will look like forests on the plains.

The enviro nutters and tree hugging goofs will ruin most of what America stood for and how people live "free" , just as they did in California, but in my state they will never gain any power or influence over my states politics and business decisions being our people still have common sense and educations in the real sciences of how things work. Plus we will own and have control over enough of the resources that everyone needs to be able make sure people will listen and think about what we have to say about how things will run.

What does America stand for in your mind? Are you applying settler philosophies to the richest country in the world?

Are you saying that you will use your resources to control what people think and ensure they do what you say?

What a beautiful future you describe! You certainly can control this but have no self interest of course.

What does America stand for in your mind? Are you applying settler philosophies to the richest country in the world?

Are you saying that you will use your resources to control what people think and ensure they do what you say?

What a beautiful future you describe! You certainly can control this but have no self interest of course.

If you where from America or lived on this planet in the last 100 years or so you would know your comment answers itself.

What does America stand for... use your resources to control what people think and ensure they do what you say... You certainly can control this but have no self interest of course.

as far as settler philosophies, When the country went into the last financial depression resulting in massive losses of jobs nation wide in my state was growing, profiting, and desperately looking for people to come here and work and we still are. Seems to me that when the stuff hit the fan and the rest of the country started having problems we where confidently ready and able to take advantage of the situation in spades!

Our country needs oil and we have more than enough for the next 50+ years in our own back yard. Our country needs electrical power and we are putting up clean and incredibly profitable RE systems as fast as we can possibly install them. The nations electrical grid is severely overloaded and we are putting in over sized lines and systems so we can get all of that extra power we will some day produce out of our state.

Perhaps the rest of the country needs to go back to the old school "settler philosophies" for a while being they obviously still work very well! You can say what you want but for all things considered I live in a state that has turned a profit during the last number of years yet has a tiny population for its physical size. That seems to say that perhaps we still know something that apparently the rest of the county forgot. 48 states are in debt over their heads yet we are sitting on surplus and bringing in profits as well and adding to that profit and surplus every day.

I predict we will do even better as time goes by in all things if we continue applying those "settler philosophies" to how we manage our resources and lives.

Prognosticators are almost always wrong, but I'll take a crack at it just for the heck of it.

Robert A. Heinlein once commented that the problem with a warm body democracy, that is one in which the only requirement to vote is that you've reached legal age, is that sooner of later, people realize that they can vote themselves bread and circuses, and once they do, they will go on doing so on the backs of the productive members of society until the system collapses. This is how we get a welfare state.

Greece is at the point of collapse, and may drag much of the rest of Europe with it. Here in the United States, we are approaching that point, and our leaders seem unwilling to enact policies that will turn us away from this course. Not surprising, considering that anyone who loses a government entitlement is going to scream bloody murder.

Furthermore, the Federal government is likely to continue to expand, which seems to be the nature of government. Already there are hundreds of thousands of federal employees, and millions of federal contractors. Unfortunately, governments are by their very nature terribly inefficient, and this contributes to the above mentioned problem. And, as it expands, it will continue to stick it's nose further into what should be the private business of it's citizens.

This is likely to have one of several likely outcomes. One is that the country will simply collapse. Government will break down, the economy will implode, and the nation will be reduced to anarchy. Alternatively, it could be reduced third-world status, similar to South American nations such as Argentina, or possibly slip into an outright dictatorship, though the response to that would likely be bloody revolution, particularly in the "redneck" states of the deep south, the northern Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. I think that these "redneck" states are the most likely to survive what would come after.

One very important consideration of all of this is that, being the engine that drives quite literally the entire world's economy, the collapse of the United States could very well trigger major economic consequence worldwide. However it plays out, it won't be pretty.

However, the tea party movement does give me some small hope that the nation will pull back from the brink of disaster. We shall have to wait and see. In the meanwhile, keep your powder dry!

As for technology, there will be advancement. Watch for computers to get faster and more powerful. Expect within the next decade to see machines with terabytes of RAM and and petabytes of storage. Expect more and more for the technological infrastructure to become inter-linked through the internet. Furthermore, expect network speeds to become faster and faster.

As for breakthroughs in energy or transportation, expect those to be slower, due to political resistance. For example, for the last half century we have had the technology to go into space in a very big way, in the form of nuclear pulse rocket engines, which could lift vast payloads quite inexpensively. However, that technology was all but killed for political reasons. Expect similar resistance against both fission and fusion. Expect resistance against a move away from the hydrocarbon fueled transportation, as there are entrenched interests with a lot of money involved here.

Medical technology is likely to slow, as increasing government regulation tends to stifle innovation. This will be especially true if Obamacare passes.

I do not expect to see a big push into space over the next few decades, unless and until private enterprise becomes involved in a big way. Though, there does seem to be some movement in that direction, and this is a very hopeful sign.

There are some technologies that I hope will remain beyond our reach for the time being. Antimatter in particular is not something I'd like to see in use on a planetary surface.

Anyway, enough of this ramble. For the most part, I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

Hi,

I sincerely expect you and Heinlein to be right, not in the details but in general.

In most states that failed since now 5000 years there have been 5 major causes of failing: (not in order of significance)

1. the bread and circus attitude (and magnificent building mentality by the state)

2. war

3. plagues (humans, animals, plants)

4. growth of bureaucracy (Parkinson's law)

5. natural disasters

Today war may be avoided (large scale).

Plagues are likely to be controlled much better than any time before.

Natural disasters are too infrequent to really judge: the big coming earthquake that will give a jump down-wards all the coastline from Oregon to Alaska will happen roughly any 300 years, the last one was 1703. Although this may cause a much bigger damage than any hurricane we know this may be survivable for the economy in total. The catastrophic event of volcano Santorin blowing up (30km diameter blown to ashes, happened 3200 years ago and destroyed most of the then existing states around the Mediterranean Sea) may be small if compared to the next Yellowstone blow up. But this may happen in 10 years or in 100,000 years - geologic timescale.

growth of bureaucracy: too dangerous, we in Germany experienced a factor of 3 in state employed persons since 60 years and the trend is going on. So all these are not productive but hindering economic growth. No way to avoid?

Remaining deadly threats for any state:

the bread and circus attitude and growth of bureaucracy

This is coupled today with non-critical acceptance of globalisation at currency- exchange-rates that transfer the existing wealth towards states where people are not paid well.

So I am convinced that our governments are neither able nor willing to change the momentary course into failure. May be the situation is beyond the point of no return.

The collapse will be reality in the very moment when China is going to sell all the US-paper-money they own (1500 billion $$). But they are prudent, active in buying companies, land and mines worldwide. Who would not act in the same way? So the decline of the $, same with the € will be slowed but reach horrible figures within the next 20 years. (Why should we earn $20/hour if in Asia only $1/hour, so we will meet at $5/h?)

I do not agree with bad consequences of general health insurance. In Germany existing since a very long time (first steps in 1880! by Bismarck) and it did not have bad consequences as long as everybody was working (if capable). Now we have 20% of people between 18 and 65 not working and the situation escalates. This will kill the western states.

Dangers from technology: yes, bringing our children to 24 hours nonsense TV-watching and computer-playing will destroy many of our skills. These can be achieved only at early training with natural materials, then with tools, then by education.

This is a deep black forecast: time to change but nobody will act.

Some historical examples that underscore this prognosis (not the same today as the whole world will suffer):

Ancient China: frozen in bureaucracy

Ancient (first period) Egypt: religious bureaucracy and natural disaster (abrupt weather change)

Second period Egypt: first invaders (Hittites) with new weapons (steel against bronze) then natural (Santorin) disaster

Ancient Greece: war, plague, - bad example as not a state -.

Ancient western Rome: exactly the above scenario of "panem et circensis" = bread and circus, loss of industry to the provinces, living a good living, degeneration for 400 years, paying for non-attack (to the Huns), then total collapse at the faintest touch (by a small group of invaders). No more any strong people existing to fetch for being Cesar, any of the military commanders waiting for money that did not come, then marching home - not to get power but to reach the situation of not being forced to do anything: sleep until something will happen.

Eastern Rome = Byzantine Empire: conquered and plundered by Crusaders and later by Turkish invaders.

European countries within the last 2000 years: one war after another until 1945. Then the civil war of ex-Yugoslavia.

Not very good prospects with bad politicians.

So nor we nor our politicians ever learnt how to make and keep peace for the wealth and the benefit and the natural development of nations.

Where is the natural selection: gone. So we will be gone too. Only a question if within the next 50 or within the next 500 years.

Technology: bio-technology will have the biggest influence until we have to eat synthetic food and then will have problems as synthetic food will be not adequate for humans nor for the then existing synthetic humans.

The only way to longterm survival will be the introduction of natural and human principles. Work for your food, house and health. Share your wealth (10%) with your neighbours, very likely you will need their help. But judge if they are willing to participate in a community. Hear to the comments of the elder: sometimes their experience is necessary for survival. Educate your youngsters early and broadband. This is the frontier and pioneer situation we miss so badly today.

From governments needed: small scale funding of new companies - the more the better. Near 20 % of the new companies survive the first 5 years and generate much more taxes paid then funding spent. Seed money is missing especially in Europe.

This comment to be continued indefinitely but nobody would read nor hear if too long.

RHABE

I think the biggest INVENTION will be that of inventing other lies and promises to keep the world population stupid. (the part that has been promised no tax increase). New TECHNOLOGY will be attracted from China, India, and some others I will not expose yet. Container technology for housing will become like never seen before. A country in the Caribbean will become the first metal container state, that google earth will spot easy. What called the big bank bubble will show it has been repaired this well and so that it doesn't leak for now and still can become bigger. The wall will explode before Christmas and nobody will be hurt because it was proven empty. Colonization will be replaced by sub-state and we will get free education in Chinese. MacDonalds will introduce the Rice burger with rice.

I predict that not many people are interested in this.. I tried it a couple of years ago, and it fizzled bad.

but I'm interested!

Chris

I predict that there will be a revolt about genetically modified (GM) foods in the US in the next few years because of a problem from one of the GM foods.

I also predict another terrorist act in the next 2 years. There will be more earthquakes. A major hailstorm will kill a lot of crops. Osama Bin Laden will be captured. A Hollywood actor will die of a drug overdose. There will be a major scandal in Washington.

Hi Guy,

Your second paragraph repeats history.

So, we cannot predict other than the past with some variations. The life of Earth is indicating us what was, is, and will be. We have creation of new lifes, evolution of this life with hights and lows, and the decline and disappearance of this life.

I wait for someone tells me that I am wrong! Let me know, Gil.

Hi Dian,

It's easy to predict the future when you do nothing! It's tough if not impossible when you want to do something. One's idea is not necessarily a good idea for someone else. Rejections and negative opinions are dominant! Also, we are forgetting that prophecy is another word for predicting the future. We dream about the future and the reality surpsises us all the time, Gil.

I predict that all the predictions made here will be wrong.

If you are asking what I want to see happen I refer you to a book by A.C.Clarke, "Profiles in the future" while badly out dated now it contained the one idea I dearly want to see come to pass. He stated that, "work (or labour) was a human invention that was soon to be obsolete". His idea was that there is almost no job done today that cannot be done better by a machine and that soon we will automate everything in the supply and production areas. Machines will monitor and repair the other machines and given an endless supply of solar power the system is self sustaining. At this point money becomes obsolete as well and humans become free to do what they want instead of doing what they have to in order to eat. The unfortunate part of his wild plan is that I see no peaceful way to get from the system we have now to that utopian system.

If you are asking what I expect to see I refer you to another author, G. Orwell and his work 1984.

I did mention the trend of robotics, though I think it will be a long time before they are capable of repairing themselves.

Otherwise if we identify the needs, we can make some fairly accurate predictions.

Water and energy needs are going to drive changes.

Hi Dian,

It will be easier to educate certain animals to replace humans in situations where we don't want to be. "Work" for example. When we forget some food on the table or somewhere else, roaches take care about the clean-ups,isn't it?

Just an example. In my country, we have a race of dog, PULI, who can take care about cows, or goats to direct them the morning from home to the land and vice versa the evening. The dog keeps the herd together all day.

Big works with big animals, and small duties with small but big number.

What you think about that? Wait for responses, Gil.

Ever heard the expression that life (technology, etc.) follows Star Trek? Well, here's another one for you.

"We believe that when you build a machine to do the work of a man, you take something away from the man." Taken from Star Trek: Insurrection.

The greatest enemy of man (inclusive case, ladies!) is boredom. I am retired, and I fight boredom every single day. When there is nothing to do, nothing to occupy the mind, then there is nothing left to live for.

I totally agree but I also think that the ability to keep oneself amused is an indicator of intelligence. There are a million things I would rather be doing than working at this desk. And would your battle with boredom not be much easier to win if cost of entertainment not an issue? In Clarke's future world there is no money don't forget.

You would be free to build a better mousetrap, write a book, paint a picture, climb a mountain, explore the world, whatever you WANTED to do.

I still think a sizable portion of the population would indeed die of boredom, but that would most likely raise the average IQ of the planet considerably.

Hi Moose,

You are retired and you fight boredom every single day? Why? Just eliminate boredom!!

I am retired and have a small business that gives me some work and compensation is coming later. But I do things what I like. My work is a pleasure for me, not an obligation. I create and other people tell me that is fantastic or very good. I don't forget; Sometimes they told me I was not good at all! They only told me that perfection doesn't exist and I am not perfect, which I accept.

Build a philosophy to achieve something that you know and can make you happy. Forget goals and plannnings! Just a philosophy that initiate a will to do something and the result and compensation will come later.

I did that way. Sold the idea of a business to someone else because I don't want to work hard to do what I want to do. He, the buyer of the business works hard and need to buy from me that make possible his business. I work little and make happy someone. Also, I expanded my business to the construction industry without killing me, and compensation comes.

No one needs to follow me but it's simple and efficient. You can do it, Gil.

Gil

You have commented on everyone else's predictions, what are yours?

Hi Thicus,

First, it's not your business. Don't be overturned by what I am saying. My philosophy of "my" life is personal but I give you the permission to do the same for yourself. Your philosophy will establish your future and your "bien-etre" = "well-being". Again, you are in command and you direct your boat the way you want. Be a good driver!!!

Second, why you want to know my prediction? Nothing is free and after your words, I let you know the price of the information you want to extort from me. Are you rich???

Third, I don't predict nothing. I have a small vision of the time in front of my nose, which is very personal, and I follow it as close as possible without permitting others' influence on it as little as possible. Don't make any mistake. I am not very smart, so you can do more than me!!!

Suggestions from, Gil.

I predict that most of the posts on this thread will not be predictions.

In the meantime, my other predictions...

1. The economy of the UK will always be volatile while house prices are (still) so artificially high.

2. Financial "advisors" will continue to be people who have failed their labourer's exams!

3. Football will eat itself.

4. The financial services industry will eat everything.

5. There will be too many people in the UK very soon, if not already.

6. There will be too many people on this planet very soon, if not already.

Hi Dany,

I like; "You never to old to learn". Follow your recommendation and stop to predict what you cannot control and influence. Future is ours but it's not directed by us! You explain to us with your next written expression.

1. Rent a confortable bachelor and you have to pay only the rental. No volatility or flighing but control! If you're married, tell her to be happy with you or look for better!

2. Everybody knows that, so don't think and talk about!

3. In Toronto, the hockey is the worst thing you can imagine. So, support mentally Kobe Briant's team, the LA Lakers, and peace will reach you!

4. Every day I take at least "three" excellent and healthy meals. First me and the rest after! Don't be sensitive, no one helps you. I just try it!!!

5. Come to Canada and you can survive years without seeing another human being. We are half of your population and our land is at least 50 times (I don't want to tell you the real number to eliminate the opportunity of your heath failure) yours!

6. Again, in Canada you can easily hide your body from injury by contact with other person but you have to watch for animals like white bear, loonies and toonies, and mostly "blue jays", they are rapacious and glueish. They are the last to stay on your "hat" to encourage another person from a joyful group! You don't catch it? I talk about our slacker "baseball" team, the Toronto Blue Jays. They are the copy of our hockey team!

Now, how to do all that? It's simple. Create the philosophy, your personal philosophy to be happy. What's your happyness? This is your definition! According to your personal and happyness creating philosophy, you do only that! When you live by according the total control on your life by organizations, individuals, and animals; What are you really? You are an individual who is pushed from one place to another area at the volonty of others, not yours! Do you catch what I am saying? I start to speak like others too. This is simple. You have to establish; Who runs your existence? It must be "you"!

It's easy to tell that your difficulties come from others. This is a lie. You are the causes of your troubles, nobody else! When you're alone, you reproach others that they do this and that to you. Because you allow them to do what they want, isn't it? Grow up, get tough on yourself at place on others, and fix first your mind and after your attitude to life.

Your friendly body from Canada, Gil.

Hello Dany,

Don't be shocked by my words. Words are innocent, just their understanding can hurt you. I want to say; Mentally, never physically! Now, we are on the same wavelength or close, we can elaborate; How to build a personal phylosophy with prognosis?

1) You have to control your life. You put on paper what you would like to do, obtain, being around you, and other individual things and desires. Yes, you write down with a pen or on your computer. This is your choice and disturb no one!

2) Let digest for a few days and start to correct and change what you think must be set right. Don't think a minute about others, including yours. It's only you!

3) When you finalized your phylosophy of life, and you are happy with it, decide to implement it. Be strong and firm. Consult no one. It's your business!

4) The implementation is very simple. You are the centre point of everything that happening to you. No, it's not an egoist who wrote down the phylosophy, it's a honest human being who wants a happy life without troubles and pushed here and there by anyone.

I am sure you will see that others will respect you and give you the opportunity to achieve what you want.

If something is not convenient for you, change it! You are the deciding individual, not anyone else.

After you did all these things and enjoy your happiness, please let us know how fortunate and ecstatic you are, Gil.

NB: I should started earlier!!!

Hi Cat,

What will be in the pan or wok? Do you have a smoke-detector? Be careful be cause our lifespan is so short compare to the Earth or the Sun, we are nothing.

If you reember what you did good and bad during your life, you could be very old at the end of your thoughts.

Eat slowly and reasonably to extend your lifespan with one more digestion, Gil.

NB: Don't eat potatoes! High, very high glycemic index. It's just an observation.

NB: Don't eat potatoes!

Hi All,

potatoes are much better than any starch containing grain: wheat, rice, corn, barley... but if enhanced by some olive oil or nut-oil or sesame-oil and carrots, eggs, fish, chicken, pork, beef - uuaaoohh.

Lots of green stuff: beans, salad ...

So my pan is full of this. Some cheese (Swiss "any" and Italian "pecorino" preferred), some beer, red wine, some nuts, bacon and German "Wurst" added - delicious.

Open to any suggestions how to improve.

Hope that this will last for some time to come. To give comments like this.

And to have some good ideas - nourished by delicious food and other boosting experience. If my brain is dancing with excitement it is much easier to have creative ideas.

RHABE

Hi Rhabe,

I hope you don't teach that to your children because you kill them before they supposed to die. Or you're overweight already as people eat French fries every day or two. Look around at MacDo or other fast food locations. Everyone is fat, obese and most often unhealthy or better, they hide sicknesses behind the fat.

You make a few mistakes by putting in the same category wheat and corn. Wheat, barley are healthy foods but corn is the worst food we can eat. Check the glycemic index of all three and you will be fixed.

Also, I am sure, you eat beef with lots of "bovine growth hormones", and many antibiotics. And you drink milk?! I feel it! Good luck. What you do with the protein enzyme named "xanthine oxidase"? Every glass of milk will introduces in your blood system, increasing risks of heart disease. Also, you promote allergy with milk! It's good!!! Cow milk is designed to calves! Women breasth-feed children as do mammals. At animal level, no one return after weaning to ask; Mammy give me some milk! Human cannot ask mammy to get some milk when the young is 10 or 12 years old but human at 45 wants to drink milk. It's foulish and ridiculous!!! Check Finland's men and women; Why they have the highest level of osteoporosis per capita? Because they consume the most milk per capita! Are you surprised? Check it and let me know your understanding about potatoes, beef with pimpels for youngs, milk, and human health problems!

You propose a "REAL HUMAN TRAGEDY". It already happened to millions of bovines; We called "MAD COW DISEASE". With your promotional suggestion, you want to kill people around you and finally world-wide. Be serious!

Your carrots eat only raw, because when you cook them, will contain transformed unhealthy sugar.

Hopefully, you will consider your position on using potatoes, beef, and milk as a form of nourishment of your body. This is not a lecture, just a friendly hint for you, Gil.

May I propose, just to make history more truthful, to write french fries not with a capital F anymore. (= Bush vocabulary) For the simple reason that France has NOTHING to do with it. There should be written "french(ed) fries", from the verb to french, which points to the shape the potato has been cut in. In France, they cut potatoes differently and prepare these totally different. Fries need a fry-pot in the process and need 2 different fry steps. (details can be communicated on demand) The history of fries points to Belgium ( Belgie - La Belgique), where on each corner of the street they were sold in small shacks, barracks, small vehicles. It became part of the national menu. Now this production is threatened with extinction because of the Arabic invasion. The curly fries and shoestring- type fries is an American thing. Local names are: Nl - patat, patat-frit, B - fritten, frites. The place where to buy: Frituur or Friture.

Hi Dym,

I have no problem with "f"rench-fries because I don't eat them. (J'ai aucun problem avec les patate-frit, je n'en mange pas.) Also, I was in Paris, France, during 10 years. (Aussi, j'ai vecu a Paris pendant 10 ans.) Sorry for the excessive love or consideration for the French people or lack of knowledge of their language!

Please, don't send any recipe. I don't buy and eat potatoes!

It's fantastic that everyone, and probably I have to include myself, we pick a word, eventually a sentence, and we try to modify, criticize, or demolish completely what the other person want to say.

Here, we try to define what prediction is and how we make it, realistic or false? I made around 3,500 lettres comment about when we are 50% right and 50% not after one person's suggestion, including my understanding of it. I would like to get an answer if my explanation is correct because if I don't get corrective notes, I feel a winner in this blog.

One letter get critics, I pass on because it's not important for me or irrelevent but the other, the whole comment has some stuff. It's possible that many try to get some professional input, irrelevent the cost, to challenge my ideas about "prediction". I am nervous about it and wait with other information to reinforce my original comment.

Dym, please, let me know your understanding and eventually your approval for good, bad or big idea what I put down. Thanks, Gil.

Hi Rhabe,

My prediction is that you are a lucky person. I made a mistake to answer to your asking, hoping to help you in front of a huge problem ("Open to any suggestions how to improve").

I wait for "creative ideas" concerning prediction what will happen or how it will happen as you mentionned, Gil.

Hi Trans,

If prediction is "both easy, and tough", roughly 50% success and 50% failure, isn't it? At the end, we have only successful prognosis on everything! I explain. Let say we have two companies and they produce the same products and services. One gains customers and the other loses them for some reasons (bad marketing program, defective products, lousy service, you named). Finally, the loser will close and the winner will dominate it's market. We can extrapolate with 100 companies, roughly 50 win and around 50 lose. Another 25 disappear and 25 stay. Later half of this pack will vanish and the remaining half will be successful. If we continue, we get one final winner and this lonely company will again dominate its market.

The opposite situation, failure of both companies cannot happen because we have customers and somebody have to supply the famous products and services, and the better will win.

I think, writers put on paper many theories without studying the reality on the field or just selling books or get instanteneous reputation. WHO predicted, in the end of 2009, hat we will have millions of dead with the upcoming H1N1 flu pandemic. It was a prediction without verifying the reality because it was never happened. It was probably compared with another pandemic or epidemic, and someone or organization decided to say what will be the future. We were very lucky because the prediction never happened as said. Your half and half truth is working!

This was not a critic, just an observation on the contradictory words; "Prediction of the future".

Please, critic, contest, and demolish if you want my explanation, and let me know what's and how is happening in the real world this "prediction of the future", Gil.