Back in the year 1965 there was a hit song called Eve of Destruction.  It began with the words, “The Eastern world, it is explodin’, violence flarin’, bullets loadin”.  Another line says, “If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away.  There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave”.   The chorus goes, “And you tell me, over and over again my friend, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction”.   This was a protest song from the 1960’s during the Cold War.   Fast-forward 57 years and we have the Kremlin’s Emperor Crazy Pants invading Ukraine because, he says it belongs to Russia.  We have Beijing’s Xi Jinping threatening to invade Taiwan because he says it belongs to China.  We have repressive fanatical regimes in Afghanistan and Iran.   Throw in for fun, some right-wing fanatical politicians south of our border determined to wreak as much havoc as they can with democracy.   And then layer over top of everything, Climate Change.   Since 1947 the Doomsday Clock has been the symbol that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe represented by Midnight on the clock.  The farthest it’s been from Midnight is 17 minutes in 1991 at the end of the Cold War and the nearest being the current 100 seconds now that we appear to be back into a Cold War.  I don’t mean to set a depressing tone for a Monday.  The Doomsday Clock’s purpose is actually “to preserve civilization by scaring us into rationality”.  There are a few world “leaders” who should check the time and remember that those who fail to learn from history are doomed o repeat it. 

That’s Coffeetalk.  I’m Vic Dubois.