Friday, June 19, 2009

Old predictions

Predictions from 109 years ago.
"The American will be taller by from one to two inches. His increase of stature will result from better health, due to vast reforms in medicine, sanitation, food and athletics. He will live fifty years instead of thirty-five as at present – for he will reside in the suburbs. The city house will practically be no more."

35 years was the average lifespan in 1900?! What a change in a century! (I think it's now about 80.)

8 comments:

Aniko said...

Thaks for sharing this. :-)

Anonymous said...

Ah, deluded man. Cities are the place to be. Living in the suburbs is a silly thing to do. Urban sprawl is pretty bad for the planet.

And I think that his stature prediction was partly correct, only the increase in circumference and measured in ft.

Monsieur Beep! said...

I think the average factures in the high baby mortality at the time. Once you were out of your early years, you could become pretty old.

juan hernandez said...

Ah, deluded man. Cities are the place to be. Living in the suburbs is a silly thing to do. Urban sprawl is pretty bad for the planet.

You poor deluded schmuck. Living in the city is great if you don't mind the poor air quality, lack of space, and all the other many problems. Dumb fuck.

Anonymous said...

Ah my dear Juan, I'm afraid it is you who is indeed the dumb fuck. The reason why air quality in cities is so poor, is because dumb fucks like you, who lives miles outside of the city, drive there and back on a daily basis to work. In a sensible city, people walk, and cunts in cars are made to pay for their pollution. Urban sprawl is not sustainable in any way, and it ruins nature far more than city dwelling. Please check your facts :-).

Pascal [P-04referent] said...

"Living in the city is great if you don't mind the poor air quality, lack of space, and all the other many problems."
From frequently visiting Beirut, I can say this: "Mine is stinkier than yours."
You could spot Beirut from the Moon with the naked eye, just by looking for the brownish pimple-like smog lid over THAT smoking pot of witches' brew!
As a bonus, on the main highway access to the city, there are slaughterhouses dumping their waste in open air. Did I mention that it's over 35°Celsius average in the summer?
Heaven for a bacillus. :-)))

This whole discussion on dumb fucks reminds me of a very deep philosophical lesson about pussies, dicks and ass-holes. It was given to me by a wise old vagrant near the World Police HQ, in return for a bottle of cheap booze.

BTW, Anon, I'm unsure HOW to understand your position: are cities the place to be, or the place to beat? To desire, or to destroy? To dig, or to diss? The place to be, or not to be?...
(I've got some PLO stock surplus old nukes left, if you need some oomph to... act upon these words. Your call, Jalan.)

Sheep said...

City air? BAH!

juan hernandez said...

Who said I lived in the suburbs? I've got to love idiots like you who make assumptions based on no facts whatsoever. Nice try. You are obviously just some brainless crank with an axe to grind, and like all those imbeciles you are not going to let facts get in your way. I truly pity you, poor bastard.