Sunny Thoughts on a Sunny Friday Morning

If you're like me, reading this will ruin your morning...but also if you're like me, it helps to have an idea of the worst possible thing that could ever happen to all of us (obviously related to the BP spill). Usually what actually happens is less severe, so I like to brace myself for the worst and enjoy a pleasant surprise when it turns out less bad.

First read this short story, which appeared in the New Yorker right before Christmas last year. It's short, and sort of funny!

Then read this Gawker post, which is just a Gawker post and based on a commenter on a message board blah blah blah. But even if (especially if?) the information is twice-removed from official sources, it was scary. Another comment:

"The loss of that much marine bio-mass would be absolutely disastrous. The social implications alone would strain every governmental and social institution. People from the coasts who rely on seafood as the staple of their diet would begin to migrate in search of food. These people number into the tens to hundreds of millions. National borders would become non-existent. Governmental structures would fall due to the social unrest of such an huge influx of people in such a short period of time. Famine, plague, ethnic border wars, and the collapse of authority would be just the tip of the iceberg. If that oil were able to do as much damage as is suggested (and there is no proof that it can; I'm not sold, but I'm considering the implications as an intellectual exercise), then we could very well see another dark age for mankind."

Is there any reason this won't happen? If you know some stuff about science, I want to know!

And sorry for the bum out, but I hope you all have a great weekend!