The World As We Know It Will Soon End (Part 4)

OK folks, to some of you this will come as a great joy. This is the final post on this subject. The list is down to the miscellaneous file now. The following really doesn't fit into categories or if they do, it would be on the outer fringe.

The first on my miscellaneous list is Stand Alone Bowling Alleys. For many years the local bowling alley has been raising prices in order to pay for the cost of up-keep and the mere fact that it stands empty for a lot of the time. Many of the newer bowling alleys are part of a larger family entertainment center where you have lots of different types of games from pool to video games and miniature golf, play areas for the little ones, even baby sitting in some. Lots of the newer gaming centers have rock walls to climb, paint ball army warfare games, go carts, laser tag, and many other entertainment interests. Soon going to the bowling alley will give you more choices than you probably really want.

In the United States only, Mumps and Measles will really vanish. In 1964 over 200,000 cases of mumps were reported in the U. S. By 1983 that number had dropped to only about 3,000 cases in the U. S. In 2005 only 66 cases of measles were reported and in 2006 only 55 cases were reported. Unfortunately, they both have recently been on the rise slightly because of a higher number of home schooled children that are not required to have a vaccination.

In 2001 over 70% of us paid our recurring bills with a check. By 2003 that had gone down to 60% and more recently that figure is at less than 50%. More and more we are paying our bill electronically or with a debit card. The amount of checks we write is shrinking rapidly and going paperless is the new way to do business and the best way to do family business. Checks will take a longer time to vanish, but I think it is coming within the next 20 years.

With that I have finished the list of things that our grand kids won't have to put up with. They will also probably marvel that we had the stamina to put up with them as long as we did.

If you liked this series, tell your friends. If you didn't like it, tell your enemies. But at the very least . . . have fun!