The world has become a very fascinating place in the dawn of the 21st century.

It seems that every few weeks there’s a new great crisis or historic event. In the last few weeks alone, we’ve heard of heavily armed pirates patrolling the African coast, Indian cities under siege by sadistic fanatics, stocks plummeting in the western centers of the world, America’s first black president and closer to home, Chenango’s fourth murder in two years.

Oh, what times we live in. If you’re interested in raising your personal concern, just think about the larger issues facing the world: global warming, the economy and war.

The source of these concerns usually originate from men of politics, media and fear, so I try to take it in stride. But there is an incredible amount of gray area I can not figure out. I make a concentrated effort through what I’ve learned from my public education, personal experience and real world truths in an attempt to see just a few years into the future and it’s extremely difficult – but a few things are undeniable.

Fifty years ago, we had about 2.5 billion and today it’s somewhere over 6.