The Doomsday Clock Is The Closest It's Been To Midnight Since 1953

(Source) – The minute hand on the “Doomsday Clock” has edged closer to midnight, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announced Thursday, citing concerns with President Trump’s comments on nuclear arms and climate change as part of the reason for the move.

The group made the “unprecedented” move to change the minute hand from 3 minutes to midnight, where it has been since 2015, to 2.5 minutes to midnight.

“Factors influencing the 2017 deliberations regarding any adjustment that may be made to the Doomsday Clock include: a rise in strident nationalism worldwide, President Donald Trump’s comments on nuclear arms and climate issues prior to his inauguration on January 20th, a darkening global security landscape that is coloured by increasingly sophisticated technology, and a growing disregard for scientific expertise,” the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists said in a statement ahead of its live event on Thursday.

“Make no mistake, this has been a difficult year,” said the executive director and publisher of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Rachel Bronson, according to NPR.

The Doomsday Clock was established in 1947 by physicists who were part of the Manhattan Project as a way to indicate the likelihood of a potentially world-ending nuclear conflict.

Now, it also measures the likelihood of apocalyptic climate change, cyber threats and biosecurity events.

The Doomsday Clock’s minute hand did not move in 2016. The metaphorical clock is now the closest it’s been to midnight since 1953, when the U.S. and Soviet Union were in the early stages of hydrogen bomb testing.

I’m not gonna do… what everyone thinks I’m gonna do and…. blame Trump, man. I mean, yeah, it’s kind of his fault according to the scientists who run this thing, but I don’t even have time to get mad about that because I’m too busy popping champagne. It’s almost over, folks! We’re almost done!

For real right now I’m like that crazy stripper chick in Independence Day with the “Take Me!!!!” sign, or whatever. I’m Steve Buscemi when he has to get duct-taped to the chain in Armageddon because he lost his mind and wants a good view of the end of the world. I get more up for apocalypse talk than Tom Brady does for a football game, right now I’m running around the office, pumping my fists and screaming LET’S GOOOOOOOOO!!!!! You know how sometimes you’ll have a date, a certain time you’ve got to be somewhere, and you’ll keep putting it off and putting it off? Supposed to be at the party at 11 but at 11:15 you’re still on the couch eating Frosted Flakes out of the box and telling yourself, “I’ll be ready. I’ll just take a quicker shower than usual and teleport there and I’ll be on time.” That’s always me, but it’s not for this occasion. I’m fucking PREPARED for this shit and sitting by the door, patiently waiting like a dog who just heard his owner say “walk.”

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So I’d like to thank Donald Trump for this one. I haven’t been your most passionate supporter but if you can just get us to the end of the world then I’ll have no choice but to vote for you in 2020.