What Would Happen If the Earth Suddenly Began Rotating in the Opposite Direction?

Week of September 11, 2002

Sep 11, 2002 at 4:00 am
Marcus McDonald
Preschooler, St. Michael School
"Oh, Superman would come and stop that, and then he would tape the world onto God's hand."

Georgia Flamm
Unemployed Information Technologist
"I don't know ... tidal waves and seismic changes? Seems like I heard something once on one of those PBS shows that I watch. They talked about it, but I don't remember exactly what they said would occur -- sounded awful, whatever it was. But I don't know if something like that could actually occur."

Adegboyega Aiyemomi
Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget
Lagos State, Nigeria
"I see pandemonium, people running helter-skelter, thinking that the end of the world has come. For me, I probably will just wait, try to maintain composure -- and my balance. A mature mind must learn to maintain balance in whatever circumstances he finds himself. Otherwise the world becomes like a jungle city where barbarians are living, and we have no order."

Roshona Morgan
Field Organizer, Youth Vote Coalition
"Maybe people would reverse their negative behaviors toward one another -- not only that but stop doing negative things to the earth. Like instead of littering and polluting -- they might actually recycle. This is just a theory, of course."

Frank Derousse
Carpenter/Guitar Picker, Southern Pride
"It'd be a hell of a curve ball!"

Eddie Earl
Rock and Dirt Hauler
"We'd probably just go floating off into space somewhere. At the very least, things'd be all messed up, maybe things even reverse themselves -- all the crackheads would become lawyers and doctors and all the millionaires become broke sonsabitches like me!"