We have lost our fear of nuclear weapons. But the board of the non-profit Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is alarmed. Its Doomsday Clock, which tracks man-made threats, states midnight is the time of the world’s apocalypse. In 1947, it was set at seven minutes to midnight. In January 2023, mainly because of the war in Ukraine, they reset it at 11/2 minutes.
More recently, more threats. In October, Russia simulated a nuclear strike and its parliament later rescinded ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. In November, Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu said dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza was an option, and the US announced its new nuclear “gravity bomb” was 25 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. I was born in April 1945, four months before Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I grew up horrified by the death and suffering of Japanese civilians: about 220,000 died, half almost immediately, the rest slowly from radiation sickness, burns, injuries and malnutrition.
Denne historien er fra January 20 - 26 2024-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra January 20 - 26 2024-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.