Next week's disaster story

This week we in the Northeast are being deluged by 'news' about a blizzard.  If the forecasts are correct, it will be a very bad storm.  But we've had very bad storms - a lot of them - before.  We survived without going into panic mode.  I know it's no longer the 20th century and things are so much more critical and important today than they ever used to be.  But give me a break.  Stop the hyperbole.  Get real.

Next week the story will be 2012 DA14.  This is the asteroid that will pass by us next Friday.  Unlike the blizzard hysteria, the pitch here is that everything will be okay as it will not get closer to us than 17,000 miles.  However, compared to the blizzard this is a 'black swan' event in that we have had very few asteroids crash into the earth.  So, maybe we should worry or believe that the scientists are right.  Take your pick.