The Parable of the "Normandie"




Once upon a time the French built one of the most beautiful Trans-Atlantic Liners ever to sail the seas - the S/S "Normandie"- she was the fastest turbo-electric vessel ever constructed and achieved 32 knots. This magnificent ship competed with the Cunard Liners - the "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth" for the Blue Ribband in the late 1930s until the outbreak of World War II. These liners crossed the Atlantic to New York in under 5 days

This ship was taken over by the US Government to be converted to a troop carrier in 1941 and the modifications were being undertaken in New York Harbour when a fire was ignited by accident. The New York Port Authority set about putting the fire out with every endeavour possible. They put the fire out but as the leading Firemen in discussion said:
“Well, the fire went out”….
“Yeah but the ship sank”….
“I know that, but the fire went out!”
What you may ask has this collapse of a vessel weighing over 79,000 tons and measuring over 1000 feet in length onto the quay in New York got to do with current international issues? Here we have the perfect parable; the Firefighters concentrated on the fire, and indeed put it out, but the vessel was a total loss due to a stability factor called free-surface. The cogent allegorical connection is there - everyone is concentrating on one main issue and another equally serious matter is overlooked and disaster strikes.
Global Warming - hyperbole and hypocrisy rules the media on the subject - a big mistake because one cannot ignore all factors when dealing with the world or one gets a situation like the loss of the "Normandie".
I want to assure everyone that I totally support being environmentally conscious and proactive. It is wrong to dump plastics upon the world, to use resources indiscriminately, to virtually rape and destroy the world's pampas, rain forests, marshes, mangroves etc. It would be insane to think otherwise but I cannot subscribe to this new "religion" now be promoted by politicians and carpet-bag numpties.
Hyperbole? try Al Gore's claim that if all the Polar Ice melts the seas will rise by 23 feet - if it did happen [and that is questionable!] then it might be 23 inches.
Hycrocrisy? try the same person's residence - it is huge mansion with over 18 very large rooms and has an energy consumption that would power a small African town. The Prince of Wales, Charles, travels by train [to leave a small 'carbon footprint'] meantime the Jaguar is driven there to pick him up from the train!
A recent report suggests the Carteret Islands in the Pacific Ocean have be gradually sinking due to global warming over the past two decades and the islanders are having to move away. If one examines the case more carefully then it is a more complex story - other islands in the region including Bougainville Island are not being inundated. It also emerges that the islanders have been dynamiting the coral reefs to enhance their fishing thus destroying natural protection. All factors were not considered.
Some UK politicians are taking the Global Warming factor as an arguement for nuclear power and the building of more atomic power stations - they might well be right but the decision is being made in the light of flawed data and hyperbole. Iran could use the same logic......
I put to you the parable of the "Normandie" - to make momentous decisions have all the data to hand , carefully examine all factors, or something might jump up and more than bite your bum - it might devour you!
The advice given by the group of Canadian scientists to their Prime Minister was cogent and appropriate.

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