>>For JR....can I assume you're the title holder on that one? <s>

You can assume what you like, bearing in mind the usual saying about the word "assume". ;-)

>>For Al - there were economics in the mid-late 1920's (including Benjamin Anderson, regarded as one of the best economic historians around) who predicted the collapse:

It's easy enough to find an author who agrees with practically any viewpoint.... e.g. try the Austrian school who predicted crashes based on easy credit and resulting investment in poor-quality opportunities, over 100 years ago. I agree with Al that it doesn't mean it's correct unless it's a better predictor than the old chestnut "what goes up must come down".

>>There are a few books that I will say one should read if one is going to speak intelligently on a subject. "Design Patterns" is one....the Kimball books on Data Warehousing is another......and this (the link above) is another. (Or at least be intimately familiar with the facts found in the book)

That seems to imply lack of intelligence for people who don't comply with your opinion. What's the label for that again?