This from the Land That Brought Us Teletubbies?

By Ann Marie Bonardi, Val Castronovo, Daren Fonda, Benjamin Nugent, Michele Orecklin, Victoria Rainert, Julie Rawe, Eric Roston, Josh Tyrangiel

It seems when the sun set on the British Empire, it created clouds in the world view of many citizens. Some of the recent gloomy forecasts coming out of England's best minds are:

--WAVE OF DOOM? Earlier this month, a scientist at University College, London, raised concerns that part of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on one of the Canary Islands could fall into the ocean, creating a giant wave that would annihilate large swaths of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. "If I was living in Miami or New York and I heard that the Cumbre Vieja was erupting, I would keep a very close eye on the news," said Dr. Simon Day.

--COLLISION COURSE? Critical of NASA's apparent lack of concern over the dangers of asteroids, a British panel elected itself to lead the charge in protecting the planet, proposing a project similar to missile-defense systems. "I would think the prospect of imminent death would concentrate the mind remarkably," said the chairman.

--BETTER OFF DEAD? Clearly, the fear of natural disaster is taking its toll. An online survey by NetDoctor.co.uk found that 1 in 3 Brits was "downright miserable," while 1 in 4 feared a "hopeless future," which should not make it all too surprising that 1 in 10 said they'd be better off dead.