I've been comparing introductions to books and articles lately, looking at both the gradual and the dramatic. This would fall in the dramatic category; no subtlety here. The first sentence of The Biotech Century by Jeremy Rifkin:

"Never before in history has humanity been so unprepared for the new technologies and economic opportunities, challenges, and risks that lie on the horizon."

My story on the Harlem Globetrotters that ran today in the Grand Rapids Press:
http://gr.mlive.com/sports/index.ssf?/sports/stories/20020103gtrotters112307.frm