Stray Radioactive Sources in Thailand Highlight Safety Issues
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An industrial radioactive source was melted in a Thailand foundry, creating local concerns. See the story.
… Continue Reading →
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Still Hope to Prevent Nuclear War Yet US Ambassador Snubs Nobel Ceremony
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Today the Nobel Peace Prize is being awarded in Oslo as the possibility of nuclear conflict is in the news again. Itʻs the holiday season, which is supposed to be about peace, reconciliation, brother and sisterhood. Now is not a good time and there is never a good time for nuclear conflict. Even if war is sometimes justified, nuclear war is not normal war. It is not precise, it creates fallout that travels across oceans and borders, it inevitably kills … Continue Reading →
Acknowledging the Hiroshima Anniversary
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Seventy two years ago today the first nuclear weapon was dropped on human beings. The debate about whether its use was justified continues. The Washington Post asks “Was it Justified or Needless” here.
The Globe and Mail interviewed one of the survivors, a Hibakusha, Setsuko Nakamura here..
A few things about nuclear weapons are not really debatable:
- They are not precision weapons. They destroy everything and everyone within a large radius including women and children.
- The effects of radiation
Finding Wisdom and/or Safety in the Nuclear Age not an Easy Task
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The NY Times reports on the tenacious complexities of nuclear arms control, specifically focusing on US policy initiatives and some of the unintended but potentially dangerous consequences.… Continue Reading →
Hiroshima Anniversary 2015 – Seventy Years Later
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It was seventy years ago today, and one 99 year old veteran refuses to give up on his lifeʻs mission to make sure nuclear weapons are never used again. His story on NBC.
NHK Japan has a number of programs related to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and anniversary events here.
This opinion piece on CNN says that our nuclear policy today is “essentially the hope that our good luck will continue. This policy must change.”
I personally always pause on this … Continue Reading →
Dr. Ken Buesseler: Fukushima Cesium Approaching California
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The good news is that is extremely diluted. The bad news is that it is still being released at the source at Fukushima Daiichi. Dr. Buesseler is considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on radioactivity in the world’s oceans. He shared the results of his findings today in a group conversation on Reddit, and there was a lively discussion that will undoubtedly continue.… Continue Reading →
Nuclear Arms Race Continues
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The top US General in South Korea claims that North Korea is now capable of miniaturizing a nuclear warhead and putting it on an ICBM. See the NY Times story here.
Stars and Stripes Magazine reports on China’s growing nuclear weapons programs that bring a full triad of land, air and sea delivery capabilities here.
Foreign Policy says Putin has deployed nuclear weapons in Crimea, and may have violated the INF Treaty here.
NY Times covers the major renewal … Continue Reading →
Safecast Reports on Beach Radioactivity in Half Moon Bay
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Nonprofit Safecast is reporting that some beaches in California (and other places in the world) have natural sources of radiation from Thorium 232, Radium 226 and other NORM (Naturally Occurring Radiation Materials) sources. See their report here.
Reports linking elevated radiation readings on a beach near Half Moon Bay have gone viral and frightened many people. Analysis of the sand here.… Continue Reading →
Markers in the Nuclear Age
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We have entered an age where everything has changed except our way of thinking, according to Albert Einstein. “Thus we drift towards unparalleled disaster,” he went on to say. Is that true? Or can we manage risks in this age, through thoughtful behavior, sound public policy, prevention, continuous improvement, international cooperation?
The Japanese people of times past left a gift for their descendants in the form of stone markers.
This marker says: “High dwellings are the peace and harmony of … Continue Reading →
U.S. Involvement in Fukushima Daiichi Cleanup?
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U.S. Department of Energy Director Ernest Moniz toured Fukushima Daiichi on Nov. 1. Secretary Moniz has extended an offer of U.S. help in the cleanup effort, especially with regard to water contamination issues. A Bilateral Commission has been created to strengthen “strategic and practical engagement on civil nuclear R&D, Fukushima cleanup, emergency response, nuclear safety regulatory matters, and nuclear security and nonproliferation” and will meet next week in Washington, D.C. Read Secretary Monizʻ statement at the Department of Energy website.… Continue Reading →