Jim Roth’s Website

This is only a test . . . . If this were an actual emergency, you would be instructed to . . . .

Our Fantasy Scenario

For the past few decades, Earth has been bombarded regularly by meteorites, fiery emissaries from deep space. Though this profusion of meteorites has done little damage to this point, scientists have speculated that it is the precursor to a Catastrophic Impact, an immense asteroid made principally of Dark Matter destined to collide with Earth in the near future.

Scientists have further predicted that even if a modest-sized Dark Matter Asteroid should hit the Earth, widespread extinctions would almost certainly occur, including perhaps that of our own species—humankind.

Because of this threat, you have been appointed director of the new Federal Asteroid Impact Management Agency (FAIMA).

In the past few months your agency has established several Survival Outposts—locations on Earth where pockets of humanity might survive a Catastrophic Impact to carry on the species.

One evening at your command center in the South Dakota hills, your group (those in your classroom small group) receives a Threat Five (the highest) Warning that a Catastrophic Impact will occur in less than one hour.

Even worse, the electro-seismic “bow shock” of the approaching Dark Matter Asteroid is far more devastating than anticipated. Because of this, your center has lost contact will all but one of your Survival Outposts and has no way of contacting any of the other Survival Outposts to warn them of the impending disaster.

Your group then realizes a terrifying truth: that one remaining Survival Outpost you are still able to contact is likely all that will be left of humankind to carry on.

You contact this outpost through a scratchy phone link. Fortunately, enough communication gets through for your group to put together their situation.

This outpost informs your group that twelve people are standing outside the outpost seeking admission.

Unfortunately, only enough air, food, and water exist to sustain a group of six people for the estimated six months needed to survive the aftermath of a Catastrophic Impact.

The Survival Outpost faxes you brief descriptions of the twelve people, asking your group to decide which six of the twelve will enter the shelter (and which six will be doomed).

All twelve people have sworn to abide by your group’s decision. The only thing the group of twelve insists upon is for your group to develop clear reasons why you selected the six people who will be allowed to enter the Survival Outpost and clear reasons why the remaining six will be left to die.

Here are the sketchy details of the twelve who wish admittance:

___Second Year Medical Student (White Male—29 years old)

___A policeman (White Male--47 years old) with a gun (cannot be separated)

___A Film Star (Asian female—34 years old)

___An Accountant (African-American Male--34 years old)

___The Accountant’s Wife (White Female--29 years old)—six months pregnant

___Their Child (White Female--10 years old) unknown birth defect OR physical limitation

___A really-fun-to-be-with College English Instructor (White Male—67 years old) Likely possesses unknown skills and talents

___A Biochemist--Geologist (Hispanic Female--48 years old)

___An Herbalist (Native American Female—41 years old)

___Olympic Athlete (White Male--33 years old)

___Singer/Songwriter (African-American Female—40 years old)

___Historian/Scholar (Hispanic Male—45 years old)

Choice #1 to stay:_________________ (Choices not necessarily in order of importance.)