I am opening up a new category to the Cobbian oevre called 'Wanna Bet?' I am prompted to do so by the constant doom and gloom predicted by my bete noir and sparring partner (who may or may not be on my side but improves my punching game nonetheless) Craig Nulan.

I will entertain any and all comers to Mortimer & Randolph style betting (1 US Dollar) on any subject or prediction with which I have a significant enough difference that it gets my ire up. So. Come wid it bad bwoy! Put your money where your mouth is.

I will will publish all such bets in the Research Notebooks sidebar. They should be of a nature such that they are independently verifyable, and have a reasonable date attached to them.

1. Total reorganization of the world financial system to begin in December 2008 at the Bretton-Woods II conference and to be completed by no later than the martial law stimulating crisis loose lipped by Joe Biden the other day. Let's say summer 2009.

2. Incremental replacement of U.S. greenbacks with "redbacks" or some alternative that penalizes cash hoarding - no later than October 2009.

3. Declaration of martial law in selected municipalities and possibly states/regions when some of your plaid flannel shirt minions who drank too much Black Helicopter kool-aid during the 90's go buckwild with some of their 250 million privately owned firearms and explosives when they can't get at their "cash - no later than August 2009.

 I take this bet.

 I don't know how anybody can define 'total reorganization of the world financial system'. This is just too vague. I can't take this bet.

 I think that's easy. Some other form of cash used in the US. I would stipulate that this New Dollar would have to be counted in a separate money supply metric from M1. I take this bet for sure.