Sunday, February 25, 2007
ACADEMY WARNED
The Gore Effect hovers ominously:
A hint of rain over the Kodak Theatre hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm on Hollywood Boulevard.
Gray clouds floated over the red carpet Sunday as limousines began delivering early guests to the venue for the 79th annual Academy Awards.
It’s like a Stephen King prologue. Further weather details here.
UPDATE. “I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about the Gore effect,” writes ForNow, “but now it looks like most of the USA is being hit.” And that was before Al’s film won the Oscar. Here’s how the Gore Effect has impacted thus far across the US:
Iowa: “Power crews scrambled Sunday to restore electricity to more than 250,000 customers, after ice, snow and wind caused the most widespread Iowa power failures in at least a decade — possibly in history.”
Minnesota: “After a mostly dry winter, Minnesotans were reacquainting themselves with the winter lingo Sunday after a slow-moving snowstorm dumped depths in the double digits across much of the state.” (Also in Minnesota, James Lileks writes: “We woke to seven inches of accumulated global warming this morning, so everyone got out the snowblowers.”)
Indiana: “A winter storm that coated parts of northern Indiana with up to a half-inch of ice snapped tree limbs and power lines, leaving more than 19,000 customers still in the dark Sunday afternoon hours after the ice began to melt.
Virginia: “Air temperatures two degrees colder than expected at about 3,000 feet allowed several inches of snow to fall across much of the region …”
Illinois: “The storm’s snow, sleet and freezing rain led airlines to cancel 200 flights Sunday at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport …More than 83,000 customers were without power Sunday morning in Illinois because of wind damage, fallen tree limbs and ice collecting on wires, utilities said.”
Nebraska: “’The snow is so wet it’s sticking to power poles and power lines,’ said Bill Taylor of the National Weather Service office in North Platte, Neb.”
DC: “The District of Columbia declared a snow emergency, banning parking on major routes to make room for snow plows. Three to 4 inches of snow was expected in the Washington area and motorists in the region were warned the snow could turn to ice overnight.”
Michigan: “Snow has been falling down for most of the day, causing accidents and some headaches for people trying to dig out.”
New York: “JetBlue airlines has canceled 68 flights into and out of Kennedy airport Monday because of the snow expected to fall overnight.”
New Jersey: “A wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain - spawned by a massive storm system that battered the midwest this weekend - made travel treacherous in parts of New Jersey on Sunday night.”
UPDATE II. AFP hails An Inconvenient Truth:
Making use of a vast body …
That’d be Al Gore.
… of scientific data, the film represents a stinging rebuttal to the dwindling and increasingly discredited band of skeptics who refuse to acknowledge the extent of climate change.
As Dave Barry might say, Discredited Band of Skeptics would be a good name for a rock band.
The central thrust of Gore’s claims is that global warming is a genuine threat and largely man-made, an assertion that is backed by recent research.
Then why is everybody so cold?
UPDATE III. As if further proof of the Effect’s potency was required:
Hollywood’s elite braved cold dreary skies with barely a shiver as they crossed the red carpet in off-the-shoulder gowns and designer tuxedos for the 79th annual Oscars today …
Cruz, Cameron Diaz and Rachel Weisz were among the stars wearing flowing strapless or off-the-shoulder gowns despite the unusually chilly temperatures.
UPDATE IV. It’s raining in Sydney. Are you happy now, Al Gore? Happy that you’ve made the whole planet cry?