Ten predictions and wild cards for 2010

Everyone likes to play soothsayer in the beginning of each new year, so here's my crack at predictions, black swans  and wild-cards for 2010...but  I genuinely hope that 1, 6, 7,8,9 & 10 don't happen...where is Merlin when you need him?

1. PREDICTION: Several distant earthquakes trigger "ring of fire" volcanoes to erupt &  usher in a period of global cooling - decade long  mini ice age
2. PREDICTION: Evidence of extra terrestrial life (viral/bacterial, prions, other?) confirmed on another planet or moon & /or  artificial life created for the first time with synthetic biology on earth.
3. PREDICTION: Major medical breakthrough cure annonced -Nature's silver bullet ; Hydrated Fullerenes (C60) launched on the market to cure  dozens of  diseases and ills all at once (antiviral, anti-bacterial, anti inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti Alzheimer's , anti-radiological etc.)
4. PREDICTION: Quantum physics algorithms are created to provide secure banking and computing  and the world wide web.
5. PREDICTION: Carbon nanotube market and novel apps boom
6. PREDICTION: An 8+ earthquake hits the North American west coast
7. PREDICTION: Major unexpected global food crisis and shortages, (from extreme weather-drought, frost, flooded cropland etc, blighted wheat,  bee colony collapse, drought stricken rice in Asia to severely depleted fish stocks, red tide/algae blooms ) REALITY: Florida Freeze Damages as Much as 5% of Orange Crop BusinessWeek Jan 10, 2010; Big freeze brings food shortages and price rises Jan 10 2010;
8. PREDICTION: Several political coup d' etate will occur in one or more developed, failed and developing countries ; ie child Talaban bombers in Pakistan (see school)  
9. PREDICTION: America looses its triple AAA credit rating. (Does every empire have an expiration date? Is America past its due date?)  REALITY: Moody's puts Canada USA, UK on Credit Rating Watch List; Slow  continuous Pauperization of the two former world powers- Russia and the USA ....DeAmericanization-the US reverts into an undeveloping nation with riots, shortages, debt defaults, terrorism, tax revolts (see http://cafr1.com/) and bank boycotts  (just like Rome or the former Soviet Union) . China's economic miracle stalls flat. [BACKGROUND:  The 'American Empire' has peaked, is on a decline. Hong Kong economist Marc Faber says "the average life span of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years ... Once a society becomes successful it becomes arrogant, righteous, overconfident, corrupt, and decadent ... overspends ... costly wars ... wealth inequity and social tensions increase; and society enters a secular decline." Online Collectivization REALITY: Boycott Big Banks
10. PREDICTION: A new youth based radical political party formed with new charismatic leaders (see school)

Walter Derzko, Smart Economy, Toronto

 

Author of the soon-to-be published book- Opportunity 45 Scenarios to Drive Your Business in Challenging Times, published by J. Wiley and Sons

ISBN13: 978-0-470-73761-3

ISBN10: 0-470-73761-1