MESSAGE
| DATE | 2015-04-21 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Re: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] nukes in NYC
|
http://gawker.com/what-are-the-chances-a-nuclear-bomb-will-go-off-in-manh-1553051758
What Are The Chances a Nuclear Bomb Will Go Off in Manhattan?
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hamilton_nolan
Hamilton Nolan
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Hamilton Nolan
Filed to: estimation
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* nyc
* nuclear bombs
* nukes
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* doom
3/27/14 3:46pm
What Are The Chances a Nuclear Bomb Will Go Off in Manhattan?
This week, President Obama mentioned
that he is "concerned" with "the prospect of a nuclear weapon going off
in Manhattan." What are the chances that that will happen in our
lifetime? Let's guess!
We know that there are many forces at work that would like to detonate a
nuclear device in Manhattan. We know that there is a black market
for nuclear materials. We know that such a catastrophe would make 9/11
look like child's play—this piece, for example, estimates more than
800,000 deaths from a 150-kiloton nuclear bomb (the size of a US nuclear
cruise missile) detonated in Times Square. (These things always assume
the bomb will detonate in Times Square. It is a fair assumption. Even
New York City residents often dream of detonating a bomb in Times Square.)
We know it would be bad. What we don't know is how likely such an attack
really is. Is it a total impossibility? A faint outlier of a chance? Or
a near inevitability, given the extent of our enemies in the world? Your
answer will depend on your knowledge of geopolitics, your personal views
on human nature, and your general confidence in the accuracy of your own
uninformed opinions.
I put the chances at 68% at some point in my lifetime.
Put your own estimates in the discussion section below. When it happens,
none of your guesses will matter.
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