Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
- two verses from “Stop all the clocks” by W H Auden
These words penned by Auden in 1938 have a very chilling affect on 3/13/22 (the date in 2022 that we turn the clocks forward for Daylight Savings Time).
In his final book, Brief Answers to the Big Questions, Stephen Hawking, in 2018, wrote:
…the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock, their measurement of the imminence of catastrophe-military or environmental-facing our planet, forward to two minutes to midnight…In 1947, the clock was set at seven minutes to midnight…The clock and its movements are, of course, entirely symbolic but I feel compelled to point out that such an alarming warning from scientists must be taken seriously… It is without doubt the case that our world is more politically unstable than at any time in my memory. Large numbers of people feel left behind both economically and socially. As a result, they are turning to populist-or at least popular-politicians who have a limited experience of government and whose ability to take calm decisions in a crisis has yet to be tested. So that would imply that a Doomsday Clock should be moved closer to a critical point, as the prospect of careless or malicious forces precipitating Armageddon grows.
Last week:
The Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock at 100 seconds to midnight. It has called out Ukraine as a potential flashpoint in an increasingly tense international security landscape. For many years, the Board and others have warned that the most likely way nuclear weapons might be used is through an unwanted or unintended escalation from a conventional conflict. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought this nightmare scenario to life, with Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening to elevate nuclear alert levels and even first use of nuclear weapons if NATO steps in to help Ukraine. This is what 100 seconds to midnight looks like.
https://thebulletin.org/2022/03/bulletin-science-and-security-board-condemns-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-doomsday-clock-stays-at-100-seconds-to-midnight/?utm_source=ClockStatementPage&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=DoomsdayClockMarchStatement
“I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” – Albert Einstein
Turn back the Clock!
CPW
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