Friday, January 10, 2014

1984 into oblivion

Over the years, I've asked my college students how many have read George Orwell's book 1984. The numbers have dwindled over time, to the point now that usually only one or two students in my classes have even heard of the novel. They ask if it was a movie.

Consequently, they have no idea what NEWSPEAK is.

I came across a nice example the other day.

White House Says That Global Warming Makes The Weather Colder

Here at the White House, while we’re beginning to thaw from this week’s bone-chilling deep freeze, our discussions about the science of weather extremes are heating up.
We know that no single weather episode proves or disproves climate change. Climate refers to the patterns observed in the weather over time and space – in terms of averages, variations, and probabilities. But we also know that this week’s cold spell is of a type there’s reason to believe may become more frequent in a world that’s getting warmer, on average, because of greenhouse-gas pollution.
During warm winters, they say that global warming makes the weather warmer. During cold winters, they say that global warming makes the weather colder.
WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH, and COLD IS WARM
http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/white-house-says-that-global-warming-makes-the-weather-colder/

 That about sums it up.