"Pretty Dumb Monkey" chronicles the wisdom of a six-year-old boy's thoughts about nuclear weapons.

Well I've done my best to avoid being nuked.

Over a decade ago I decided to move countries. I had lived in various countries in Africa for about 20 years and with two teenage kids I needed to move out. Which country though?

I made a list of factors which I thought would be vitally important in the 21st century and on that basis I chose my new country. One of the factors was likelyhood of being attacked by a rouge nation or organisation with a WMD. My thinking was that we cannot prevent nuclear proliferation for ever - eventually a nutter would get one.

So the nation I chose had to be strategically unimportant, not in the northern hemisphere (where the fallout will drift aound the globe)and not have a reputation for pissing people off.

I have been a citizen of New Zealand for ten years now and I'm really pleased I made that choice - I can see several of the other factors on my list coming into play already.

Oh and by the way - the monkey wasn't that dumb. Apart from those unlucky souls at ground zero, there's a good chance you'll survive a nuclear bomb if you take some precautions. The fallout depends on the bomb type and efficiency but the data gathered after Chenobyl indicates that widespread contamination in low levels has little or no effect on animals at all. As a child of the 50's who drank milk contaminated with American Strontium 90 from atmospheric tests - I should know!

children have a simple uncomplicated view on things. it is refreshing to see.
simon

An excellent way to put it, Simon.

I learn from them every day!