“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw
Dec 31, 2024
Image credit is acknoledged in the Atlantic story
LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY with THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW
I will finish the 2024 year with a bit of the lighter side of “All Things Nuclear”, but the point mood, moral, and deep meaning (with a “Catch 22”) of the following very short article, inspired from a 1980’s episode of the reborn Twilight Zone” , by “The Atlantic” guest Author Adam Kirsch, is especially relevant in today’s comparative nuclear world.
May the New Year bring you all a much needed sense of a world of a new kind of peace, comfort, and unity, wherever you are on planet Earth. ~llaw
Apocalypse, Constantly
Humans love to imagine their own demise.
By Adam Kirsch
December 31, 2024, 8 AM ET
In 1985, when I was 9 years old, I watched the first episode of the new Twilight Zone, a reboot of the classic early-1960s TV series. People rarely talk about the ’80s version, which ran for just three seasons. But there must be other viewers around my age who have never forgotten “A Little Peace and Quiet,” the second story in that debut episode. It’s about a woman who discovers a magic pendant in the shape of a sundial that gives her the power to stop time. Whenever she says “Shut up,” everyone and everything in the world except her comes to a halt, resuming only when she says, “Start talking.”
At first she uses the device to give herself a break from her irritating husband and chattering children. But at the end of the episode, she hears an announcement that the Soviets have launched a nuclear attack on the United States, and she deploys the magic phrase to arrest time. In the last scene, she walks out of her house and looks up to see ICBMs frozen in midair, leaving her with an impossible choice: to unfreeze time and be destroyed along with all of humanity, or to spend eternity as the sole living person in the world.
I remember that TV image better than most of the things I saw in real life as a child. It was the perfect symbol of an understanding of history that Generation X couldn’t help but absorb—if not from The Twilight Zone, then from movies such as The Day After and WarGames. The nuclear-arms race meant that humanity’s destruction was imminent, even though no one actually wanted it, because we were collectively too stupid and frivolous to prevent it. We were terrified of the future, like the woman in the TV show—yet we also secretly longed for the arrival of the catastrophe because only it could release us from the anxiety of waiting.
About the Author
Adam Kirsch is an editor of The Wall Street Journal’s weekend Review section and the author of The Revolt Against Humanity: Imagining a Future Without Us.
Subscribed
OUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:
(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)
There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:
- All Things Nuclear
- Nuclear Power
- Nuclear Power Emergencies
- Nuclear War
- Nuclear War Threats
- Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in today’s Post.)
- IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)
Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.
A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.
TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Tuesday, (12/31/2024)
All Things Nuclear
NEWS
Apocalypse, Constantly – The Atlantic
The Atlantic
Humans love to imagine their own demise. By Adam Kirsch. collage illustration with images from disaster movies including Planet of the Apes, Don’t.
In 2024, artificial intelligence was all about putting AI tools to work – The Business Journal
The Business Journal
There was a “shift from putting out models to actually building products,” said Arvind Narayanan, a Princeton University computer science professor …
South Korea mourns plane crash that killed ut of 181 on board – WUSF
WUSF
The day after the worst plane crash by a South Korean airline on Korean soil, the focus turned to returning victims’ bodies to their families and .
Nuclear Power
NEWS
11 Big Wins for Nuclear Energy in 2024
Department of Energy
From welcoming a new reactor online for a second straight year to seeing two retired units pursuing historic restarts, nuclear power is definitely …
A gas boom, new nuclear opportunities and more: Power Engineering’s top articles of 2024
Power Engineering
Georgia Power announced a significant step with Vogtle Unit 4, marking the achievement of initial criticality, a key milestone in nuclear reactor …
Pushback: Happy Nuke Year for tech kings, industry – Greenfield Recorder
Greenfield Recorder
“Nuclear power is one part of that mix,” an Amazon promotion reads. Bezos is pursuing Small …
Nuclear Power Emergencies
NEWS
NRC approves NextEra’s revised emergency plan after two-year review
Seacoastonline.com
NextEra owns nuclear power generating facilities at Turkey Point and St. Lucie in Florida, Point Beach in Wisconsin, as well as Seabrook Stat
Jimmy Carter’s death invites us to consider his legacy of nuclear emergency response and …
The Conversation
The Chalk River accident. In the early 1950s, before entering politics, Carter was a nuclear reactor expert. In this role, he was directly involved in …
Duke Energy and county officials to test sirens around Brunswick Nuclear Plant
Brunswick County
Follow-up testing after siren maintenance may be required after 11 a.m.. Testing is performed in cooperation with emergency officials in Brunswick and …
Nuclear War
NEWS
Russia doubled down on nuclear threats in Europe: 2024 in review – Breaking Defense
Breaking Defense
On the ground in Ukraine, another 12 months have passed, over 1000 days in all since the war started, without either side able to strike a winning …
Opinion | Pulling Back From the Nuclear Brink – The New York Times
The New York Times
… Nuclear War. To the Editor: While your editorial focuses on the first use of nuclear weapons, any decision to order their use — whether first use …
With Trump at the Helm, Nuclear Uncertainty Is Set to Grow in 2025 | Truthout
Truthout
From the volatility of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and potential clashes around Taiwan and the …
Nuclear War Threats
NEWS
Russia doubled down on nuclear threats in Europe: 2024 in review – Breaking Defense
Breaking Defense
He added, “But by expanding the role of nuclear weapons beyond … deterrence, and by expanding the dangers that could become threats — to include …
US and Ally Draft Nuclear Weapons Rules Amid China, North Korea Threat – Newsweek
Newsweek
… nuclear weapons, amid persistent threats posed to the security alliance by nuclear-armed China and North Korea. Newsweek contacted the Chinese …
With Trump at the Helm, Nuclear Uncertainty Is Set to Grow in 2025 | Truthout
Truthout
… nuclear arsenal in a time of nuclear uncertainty and growing risks. From the volatility of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to rising …
Yellowstone Caldera
NEWS
Sakurajima Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: ERUPTED AT 20241230/0719Z FL070 EXTD …
Volcano Discovery
VOLCANO: SAKURAJIMA [AIRA CALDERA] 282080. PSN: N3136 … List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano.