I know that I'm going to get flamed on a couple of my answers here.... but I'll speak my mind anyways.

As far as oil being US$100 a barrel, that's simply a combination of greed on the part of all parties involved in the production of oil and the law of supply and demand. Countries like India and China are beginning to use oil at an ever increasing rate so of course the price is going to go up.

Polar icecaps melting? Again a combination of factors here. One factor is what we as mankind are doing to increase the level of green house gasses in our atmosphere. The other factor is quite simply that this is a cycle that has happened before. Folks that study that stuff are just beginning to realize that.

Microsoft getting into Open Source? Yeah... they might if they can figure out a way to embrace and extend it into extinction. Microsoft's priorties remain the same as any other big corporation. They live to control market share and therefore build their profits.

A woman and a minority running for President of the USA? Come on folks, when as a society are we going to stop looking at the outside of people and putting labels on them based on gender and ethnicity? I'll vote for a politician based on what their character is and if I happen to agree with them on at least some of their platform. I can never find a politician I can agree with 100% of the time so I'll accept what I can get just as I can't always agree with my friends 100% of the time.

I'll jump off my soap box now...