Huh - I guess you really CAN'T believe everything you hear. Well, you CAN, but it usually causes more trouble than it's worth. *grin* When The New York Times reported on its front page this summer that the "North Pole is melting," global warming suddenly seemed real. David Letterman took notice and incorporated the apocalyptic news into his talk-show routine. So when the Times issued a correction ten days later, explaining that polar ice in fact melts every year, Letterman lashed out at the newspaper. Here's how the story, and Letterman's jokes, evolved. 1. "An ice-free patch of ocean about a mile wide has opened at the very top of the world, something that has presumably never before been seen by humans and is more evidence that global warming may be real and already affecting climate." (The New York Times, August 19) 2. "I've got a bone to pick with The Weather Channel....I read in The New York Times that the polar ice cap has melted. Not a damn word about it on The Weather Channel....It's like the biggest weather story in the history of man." (Late Show with David Letterman, August 28) 3. "A clear spot has probably opened at the pole before, scientists say, because about 10 percent of the Arctic Ocean is clear of ice in a typical summer. [Also], the lack of ice at the pole is not necessarily related to global warming." (The New York Times, Correction, August 29) 4. "I'm at home, screaming at [The Weather Channel]: 'You morons! The polar ice cap has melted through -- send a crew up there.' [But] now today, The New York Times -- hard for me to believe they're still in business -- [ran a correction]. It's a wonder we haven't been sued by The Weather Channel." (Late Show with David Letterman, August 29)
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