Most remember reading or seeing the Disney version of Cinderella as children. Her wishes were granted and she went to the ball to meet Prince Charming. However, her fairy godmother warned her that she had to be back before midnight because everything was going to go back to the way it was. Her carriage would turn back into a pumpkin, etc. Apparently, we are Cinderella, but instead of our carriage turning back into a pumpkin, we’re going to get nuked.

This is according to the Doomsday Clock, not some twisted version of fairy tales that I was subjected to as a kid. This happened very soon after the Democrats took office and started their 100 hours crusade. Oh, ha ha, you think you’re real funny, don’t you, right-wing conspiracy? Actually, of what I’ve read of Nancy Boyda, that joke might be less funny than I originally thought.

I digress.

According to Wikipedia, a source enjoyed by students and professors alike, the Doomsday Clock is a “symbolic clockface maintained since 1947 by the Board of Directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at the University of Chicago. It uses the analogy of the human race being at a time that is ‘minutes to midnight’ where midnight represents destruction by nuclear war. Since its introduction, the clock has appeared on the cover of each issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.”

On Jan. 17, the clock was advanced by two minutes.

I have an inclination to ignore the late, great Douglas Adams’ advice in “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” of DON’T PANIC. Oh, Mr. Adams, I am panicking.

Maybe I am overreacting. The clock has been turned back over its lifetime. The clock was moved up this time due to nuclear fears and environmental concern. Al Gore was probably more excited about that publicity than his Golden Globe nomination. This warning system of sorts sounds vaguely familiar, although, it took the development of an entirely new governmental department and probably hours of brainstorming to come up with the clear indicators of the terror alert system including, “yellow,” “orange” and “red.” This is opposed to the Doomsday Clock that was probably developed after the consumption of too much caffeine.

Either way, we know, in a very serious way, that the clock’s ticking. If we as Americans don’t change some of our habits, specifically regarding the environment and our approach to other countries, our time might be up.

DON’T PANIC though.