August 06, 2007

Remembering the hibakusha.

Today is the anniversary of one of the most frightening and tragic events in human history -- the bombing of Hiroshima.

Tonight, the documentary White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki debuts on HBO. I'll be watching.


On August 6th and 9th, 1945, two atomic bombs vaporized 210,000 people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those who survived are called "hibakusha"--people exposed to the bomb--and there are an estimated 200,000 living today. Today, with the threat of nuclear weapons of mass destruction frighteningly real- the world's arsenal capable of repeating the destruction at Hiroshima 400,000 times over, Oscar® award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki revisits the bombings and shares the stories of the only people to have survived a nuclear attack.

HBO: White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

BB,

First, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy visiting your Blog on a not-so-frequent basis. Every time I revisit, I am so pleased with your wit and quirky visual splendour.

Second, I wanted to comment on this blog solely because I happened to watch this documentary with my daughter last week. She is 8 going on 13 and has frequent meltdowns about "life". I had her watch this piece to gain better perspective on what's really going on or has gone on in the world around her. It worked wonders for her attitude. It also reminds me of my strong distaste for war and the importance of political involvement by everyone so that our "super power" governments don't do this to anyone again.

Thank you for making me smile and "Peace", JM

bb said...

I think that's the sweetest comment I've ever gotten. Thank you so much! You made me smile, too. :) Peace.