Text 14852, 100 rader
Skriven 2007-05-23 02:47:45 av Amy Guskin (1265.babylon5)
     Kommentar till en text av rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Ärende: Re: AGW, rehashed...
============================
>> On Tue, 22 May 2007 21:39:20 -0400, Wendy of NJ wrote
(in article <2p6753136qbl6r988vfrvhc2j0duscruql@4ax.com>):

> On Tue, 22 May 2007 08:30:30 -0700, Charlie Edmondson
> <edmondson@ieee.org> wrote:
>=20
>> Josh Hill wrote:
>> <snippage>
>>> But this really isn't about the science at all. From an interesting
>>> article I read yesterday:
>>>=20
>>> 'Al Gore has given a great deal of thought to why some people still
>>> don=92t recognize the cliff we=92re about to drive over. >=20
>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/magazine/20wwln-gore-t.html?pagewan=
ted=3D2
>>>=20
>> <more snippage>
>>> The problem in a nutshell.
>>>=20
>>=20
>> Hi Josh,
>> I have been thinking about this for a little while this morning, and=20
>> maybe this analogy will help.
>>=20
>> You are driving along the road, and some folks flag you down.  They te=
ll=20
>> you the bridge is out ahead, so you need to turn around.
>>=20
>> But, something doesn't seem right, and, as you look into the distance,=
=20
>> you can't see the bridge because of the fog that has come up.  You do=20
>> see a bunch of folks trying to turn around, but you also see a whole l=
ot=20
>> of other folks driving on towards the bridge.  You also see that, befo=
re=20
>> driving off, a lot of those folks first shout back to the others "Yes,=
=20
>> the bridge is out! Go back!" and then get in their cars and zoom forwa=
rd.
>>=20
>> So, you ask the folks that stopped you how they know the bridge is out=
.=20
>> They confidently tell you "Because we KNOW!" So, you think about=20
>> turning around, but then you ask again "How did you find out?  Did you=
=20
>> see the bridge?  Did someone come back and tell you?"  And, then you=20
>> find out that, no, nobody came back.  But, they do have indications th=
at=20
>> the bridge had some wear on it, and it just MIGHT be down by the time=20
>> you get there.  Our computers predicted it.  And that the real problem=
=20
>> is that, if everyone on the road crosses the bridge, then it will fall=
=20
>> down.  Not that it is down NOW...
>>=20
>> And, then you see some other folks telling everyone to just go on, tha=
t=20
>> everything is all right, that the bridge is fine.  But, whenever someo=
ne=20
>> starts to say that, all those predicting the bridge go over and beat t=
he=20
>> sn@t out of them, until they shut up.  When you ask why they do that,=20
>> they say "Those are the bridge construction people.  They want the=20
>> bridge to fall so that they can build a new one!"
>>=20
>> So, you look at the guys shouting for you to stop, look at them beatin=
g=20
>> the other fellows up, and look at all the folks who just keep on the=20
>> road, and need to make up your mind.
>>=20
>> Me, I get in my car, and slow down in the fog...
>>=20
>=20
> And is the road the Merritt Parkway, by any chance? <<

I have _always_ had that fear -- the one of being on a bridge, in a car, =
and=20
having it collapse (the phobia has a name but I don't recall it) -- but i=
t=20
got exponentially worse when the Merritt Parkway collapsed when I was in=20
college.  Now, anytime I'm (shudder) stopped in traffic on a bridge, whil=
e=20
I'm hyperventilating, I'm thinking about that Merritt Parkway bridge=20
collapse!  :-O

I don't usually get stopped for long amounts of time on a bridge, but one=
=20
time on the Rhinebeck Bridge...well, I thought I was going to have to exi=
t=20
the car and RUN off the bridge, we were stopped so long!

Amy
--=20
"In my line of work you gotta keep repeating things over and over and ove=
r=20
again for the truth to sink in, to kinda catapult the propaganda." - Geor=
ge=20
W. Bush, May 24, 2005
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