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The Sky is Falling - Tuesday Edition

by Mark Jabo

george_bush_.jpg
How’s that consensus working out for you?

Ed. note: I’m on vacation in Colorado this week … thought I’d leave you a couple of excerpts from “The Sky is Falling: A Global Warming Survival Guide” to keep you going through the week….

With all the talk about a scientific consensus on global warming, we thought we’d take a look at some of the great consensuses consensigroup-thinks and their consequences throughout history: (Numbers 10 through six today; Top 5 tomorrow)


Top 10 Consensus Forecasts Throughout History

10. Consensus: The Titanic is unsinkable. Using the most advanced technology of its day, the Titanic was supposed to be the first in a group of super-liners that would dominate trans-Atlantic travel.
Winners: James Cameron
Losers: Thomas Andrews, the ship’s builder who was on board to assess its performance. Macauley Culkin who was rumored to be in line for the lead role in the movie that went to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Unintended consequences: One of worst maritime disasters in history propels career of Celine Dion … regarded by some as one of the worst land-based disasters in history.

9. Consensus: The world is flat. Widely held belief was responsible for stunting exploration beyond the known world.
Winners: Christopher Columbus who parlayed a trip to Spain into fame, fortune and enough 15th century groupies to last a lifetime.
Losers: Guys who have to clean up after the annual Columbus Day parade.
Unintended consequence: New World goes on to become cradle of freedom, world superpower and fattest nation in history.

8. Consensus: It’s Raining Men. Song widely believed to have been responsible for more hook-ups than Time-Warner cable.
Winners: The Weather Girls and gay men everywhere.
Losers: A confused young man who had a very awkward morning after breakfast and years of therapy.
Unintended consequence: A very awkward morning-after breakfast and years of therapy.

7. Consensus: Global Cooling. Surprise! Same stuff, different decade. Back in the day, this was the hipsters’ choice for how the world would end.
Winners: Environmental activists and green politicians who were able to escape with credibility unscathed.
Losers: The Charlie Browns in all of us who are lining up to take another run at the global climate disaster football.
Unintended consequence: Al Gore as Oscar candidate.

6. Consensus: Gore wins Florida. Despite early media consensus, majority of Supreme Court justices rule Bush winner in hotly contested election.
Winners: Bill Maher, late-night talk show hosts, Fox News.
Losers: Yale.
Unintended consequences: Too numerous to mention.

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Posted in General on July 31st, 2007

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About Environmental Talk

Environmental Talk is a blog that attempts to do the impossible . . . which is to have a reasoned and nuanced approach to the science and issues surrounding global warming. At the same time, we are not above taking the occasional potshot at the extremists and posers on both sides of the topic.

As a global warming agnostic, blogger/moderator Mark Jabo attempts to come down squarely on the side of finding humor in what is, too often, a needlessly contentious topic.

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