The Doomsday Clock
By Erick Posted in Congress — Comments (7) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Hahahaha.
As I was preparing the "top story" graphic this morning about the Democrats, that minute hand so close to noon made me think about the Doomsday clock and how hilarious I thought it would be for the Doomsday clock to get back in the headlines just as the Democrats wind down their 100 hours -- there's some great irony there.
Well, bless my soul, it's back.
Scientists today moved the minute- hand on the symbolic ``Doomsday Clock'' closer to midnight, to indicate growing concerns about the global nuclear threat.
The clock was set up in 1947 with a time of seven minutes to midnight, and movement of the minute-hand symbolizes growing or declining threat, with midnight representing destruction by nuclear war. For almost five years, the hand has stood where it began, at seven minutes to midnight. It has only been moved 17 times before, fluctuating between 2 and 17 minutes to midnight.
The hand was moved forward two minutes today, reflecting concerns that the world is heading toward ``a second nuclear age,'' and also that climate change poses a threat to stability, said Kennette Benedict, executive director of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the magazine which set up the clock in 1947.
« Rep. Capuano's Newspeak for Censorship — Comments (5) | The 298th Hour Open Thread — Comments (9) »
The Doomsday Clock 7 Comments (0 topical, 7 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Global Warming leads to nuclear wars. Didn't you know that?!
It's kinda complicated. It involves Jack Bauer, the Pope, three goats, Peter Singer and the two Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders who have the biggest mouths.
But that's all I have to say about that really.
France is going to nuke the US becuase we didn't sign Kyoto! And it's ALL OUR FAULT! - I mean ALL BUSH'S FAULT. They have to do it to stop global warming, after all...
Eeeeeek.
There will be so many people, we'll run out of food. And oil. And the ozone hole is going to swallow us up. And all the frogs will have six legs. And the rainforest will disappear. And eagles' shells will be made of Saran wrap. And there will be no more fish because we ate them all.
Unless the bird flu gets us first.
commenting on whether man-made global warming is real--many people seem to agree the globe is warming, if only through natural causes--let me ask this:
Is there not at least the threat of danger from economic changes that could be brought about a changed climate? Say agriculture patterns are disrupted, or water routes and/or supplies impacted. Say there is a movement of refugees and the attached political chaos.
This may or may not be a threat that becomes a real security issue, and it may or may be long term--that is, three or four generations down the line. But to summarily dismiss it seems rather dangerous, in my view. After all, who would have thought 20 year ago that HIV would have such power to rock societies and institutions in countries where the lack of stability invites war or terrorist immigration?
I wish I had the link right now, but I remember reading a months ago that the Pentagon, in its wisdom of planning for all possibilities, did give weight to the threat posed by climate change.
But to summarily dismiss it seems rather dangerous, in my view.
I'm too busy trying to get the government to build a multi-trillion dollar "LASER" on the moon to deal with incoming meteoroids (the impact of which would certainly have a great impact on the environment and economy). After all, to summarily dismiss the possibility of the earth getting struck by a large meteoroid would seem "rather dangerous" to me.
After all, who would have thought 20 year ago that HIV would have such power to rock societies and institutions in countries where the lack of stability invites war or terrorist immigration?
Wow, that has to be the first time I've heard of this HIV -> Terrorism connection. Who knew that condom distribution would prove to be such an important front on the GWOT?
---
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
I love how they worked in the global warming bit too.