2006-12-24T07:26:46-08:00 2007-12-25T07:40:00-08:00 true 2881 something (a) large, (b) unanticipated, and (c) horrible will take place in 2007 - more than one such event, in fact 2008-04-28T09:38:29-07:00 7143 2006-12-24T07:40:39-08:00 This market was inspired by "Todd Gitlin's prediction":http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article.jsp?id=6&debateId=27&articleId=4220#15 Here is Todd's bleak outlook for the year: p{color:blue;margin:30px}. "Predictions of (a) slaughter in Iraq, (b) stand-off in Israel-Palestine, (c) stagnation or worse in Afghanistan, (d) continued balmy weather and ice-melting in the north Atlantic are banal, but good wagers. Anyone betting that Bush will wise up anywhere in the world is a hardier fool than I. p{color:blue;margin:30px}. All this said, I can anticipate that something (a) large, (b) unanticipated, and (c) horrible will take place in 2007 - more than one such event, in fact. This is not even to speak of ongoing conditions - genocide in Darfur, Aids misery, the vast draining of resources into military use. " The question is: who will judge this one? Is it a prediction or a temperament? Do you like to see a bleak future and occasionally find a nice surprise in the unfolding of history, or are you a "positive thinker" who needs to be braced for the disappointment of events. I will close the market in democratic fashion: a poll will be run on openDemcracy during December 2007, open to all members, and phrased as: p{color:blue;margin:30px}. In 2007, do you consider that more than one event that was (a) large, (b) unanticipated, and (c) horrible took place, excluding Darfur, Aids and militarism. Thanks to "Jesper Sachmanns for the photo":http://flickr.com/people/sachmanns/ 10000 14188 BAD 10000 3795 2008-01-31T03:10:38-08:00 5000 BAD