To the Point
The Doomsday Clock Moves Nearer Midnight
Global warming has been added to rumors of nuclear war as the "Doomsday Clock" is moved two minutes closer to midnight. Are recent predictions of catastrophe equally credible? Are they more likely than scenarios human kind has already survived? Does popular culture promote understanding or increase unreasonable fears? Plus, violent storms have claimed lives and disrupted travel throughout Europe, and a tacky British TV show becomes an international incident.
By Warren Olney • • 1h 0m ListenGlobal warming has been added to rumors of nuclear war as the "Doomsday Clock" is moved two minutes closer to midnight. Are recent predictions of catastrophe equally credible? Are they more likely than scenarios human kind has already survived? Does popular culture promote understanding or increase unreasonable fears? Plus, violent storms have claimed lives and disrupted travel throughout Europe, and a tacky British TV show becomes an international incident.
In this episode
3 storiesDeadly Storm Sweeps Europe
Much of Europe has been hit by hurricane-force winds that have killed at least 47 people and disrupted travel for tens of thousands more. There's major damage from the British Isles to Eastern Europe. Naomi Buck is a freelance journalist based in Berlin, Germany.
Read the story6 minDoomsday Scenarios: What to Believe?
When the Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons, the magazine Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the "Doomsday Clock." As the prospect of nuclear war gets more likely, the minute hand gets closer to midnight. This week, the hand was moved from seven minutes to night to five --the closest it's been since the Cold War.
Read the story35 minRace, Class and Prejudice Live on British Reality Television
A British television show has generated 30,000 complaints from viewers, enough that Prime Minister Tony Blair has been called to account in Parliament. Gordon Brown, his likely successor, was embarrassed in public during a trip to India, where effigies of Celebrity Big Brother 's contestants have been burned in the streets.
Read the story8 min
