A bash not a bang
WHILE couples were scrambling in April to make themselves a millennium baby, others were stockpiling everything from canned goods to bibles. As dawn settled gently on the Chatham Islands in New Zealand (the first populated area to see the year 2000), the frenzy of the colossal countdown ebbed happily behind us, with some macabre fomenters returning dejectedly to their drawing boards: No trouble here, writes Nyier Abdou.
The US spent an estimated $100 billion in preparation for the dreaded Y2K Armageddon; the Soviet Union an incomparable $4 billion -- and still, nuclear ruin was averted. The 20th century exited with a mighty technological monster breathing down a frightened world's neck, but on 1 January 2000, we found that Y2K was no more menacing than the bogey-man, whimpering in the light of day.
Happy to live our everyday lives on the cutting edge, it seems that when it comes to celebrating time, an ancient backdrop was the most coveted, as were spots on the historical map around the world: The Parthenon in Athens was bathed in blue with 5,000 searchlights. Three million people gathered along the Thames in London; two million at Times Square; an estimated 3.5 million in steamy Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sydney spent more than $3.5 million on their fireworks. Eleven ferris wheels lit the Champ-Elysées. Ten thousand sky lamps were released in Taipei. Pope John Paul II delivered his blessing to crowds gathered at St Peter's Square, in Vatican City. Nelson Mandela lit a candle at his old jail cell. Two thousand doves were released from the rooftops in Bethlehem -- an angelic cry for peace amongst the world's madness.
|
|
