End of Nuclear Debate?

Future of nuclear power.....


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703791504575079370538466574.html?KEYWORDS=nuclear


-Harrison

Airborne. missile-beating lasers

I don't think this is "nuclear" per se, but it's definitely along similar lines...and interesting!


http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18556-back-to-the-drawing-board-with-missilebeating-laser.html

-Madeline Snively

Alexander Litvinenko

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/books/12weisberg.html?_r=1


Alan Cowell wrote a book (The Terminal Spy: A true story of espionage, betrayal and murder-the first act of nuclear terrorism and the new Cold War) about this murder, and now it's totally on my to-read list. Apparently he was poisoned on my 18th birthday, sad :(.

"As the multiple subtitles in Mr. Cowell’s book suggest, he believes that the Litvinenko murder has far-reaching significance. He argues that the West has become embroiled in a new cold war with Russia, and that Mr. Litvinenko’s poisoning, whether authorized at the very top or not, was the act of an angry, newly ascendant Russia. He also believes that the murder was the world’s first act of nuclear terrorism, and that the use of polonium or similar elements in a slightly modified manner could be much more effective for terrorists than a dirty bomb."

-Cat

Maps...

http://www.atomicarchive.com/Maps/index.shtml

The map above is from the 'BRAVO' test at Bikini Atoll (http://www.atomicarchive.com/Maps/BravoMap.shtml)...

"No one was living on the Bikini atoll at the time of the BRAVO blast. However, a total of 236 people were living on the atolls of Rongelap and Utirik, 100 and 300 miles east of Bikini, respectively. The residents of Rongelap were exposed to as much as 200 rems of radiation. They were evacuated 24 hours after the detonation. The residents of Utirik, which were exposed to lower levels of radiation, were not evacuated until at least two days later. After their evacuation, many experienced typical symptoms of radiation poisoning; burning of the mouth and eyes, nausea, diarrhea, loss of hair, and skin burns.

Ten years after the blast the first thyroid tumors began to appear. Of those under twelve on Rongelap at the time of BRAVO, 90% have developed thyroid tumors. In 1964, the U. S. Government admitted responsibility for exposing the islanders to radiation and appropriated funds to compensate them."


-Cat

Map of Nuclear Illinois

There was a question in class today about the location of the nearest nuclear reactor to Chicago.  I couldn't quite remember the distance.  Below is a map from the "Nuclear Energy Information Service", which is a citizen's "watchdog" group.  I downloaded it from:
http://www.neis.org/Content/Nuclear_Illinois.shtml

The mushroom cloud in popular art.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2002/aug/06/art.artsfeatures

-Madeline Snively

US Goverment Funding for New Nuclear Power Plants

Sorry I am most definitely not in the class anymore and still posting articles.
They are looking at having two plants operational in eight years. Cheers

Julie Brower


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8518670.stm

The Latest on Iran

Secretary of State Clinton is in the Middle East right now, and one of her main goals is to get support for aggressive international sanctions against Iran.  These sanctions are intended to be a strong response to Iran's apparent nuclear weapons ambitions, but to work they need to have broad international support.  Clinton is warning that Iran may start a new nuclear arms race in the region, but at the moment the dialog seems to largely consist of insults being traded back and forth between Iran and the U.S.  Meanwhile, China and Russia are still holding back.  Where is this all going?

New York Times article on Clinton and Iran

Namibia and uranium production.

This site states how the Namibian uranium production is substantially increasing, where the once-prosperous diamond industry used to. ("Uranium output to quadruple in 4-5 years")
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSGEE5B801320091211

This second URL is to the Rossing Uranium Mine in Namibia, about 30 miles from where I co-reside (Swakopmund). Kind of scary as the mine is close to large salt deposits (which many people use for cooking and baths) and often tourist-y airplane tours are taken over the mine. It's also the third-largest producer of uranium...
http://www.rossing.com/

Other "powerhouse countries" have had an interest in Namibia's uranium.
http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=35621&no_cache=1

-Madeline Snively

"F.D.A. to Increase Oversight of Medical Radiation"

Article from today's New York Times
(February 10, 2010)

-Grace Claiborn

Iran, Obama's Loan Guarantees, and Tritium Leaks in Vermont

There's so much going on in the world that relates to this class, I hardly even know where to start (plus, my head is still reeling from the notion of wearing a dress patterned with a nuclear bomb explosion - cool post, Cat!).

A few news stories worth following:

Iran:
 L.A. Times article that gives the current status with the situation with Iran.  It sounds like they're boldly proclaiming that they're going to build more uranium enrichment facilities, and also enrich uranium to a higher degree than "allowed" by the international community.  It may take us a bit to unravel what all this means, but we'll start this week by discussing what "enrichment" is.

Obama's Nuclear Power Agenda:
Remember last week how we talked about Obama's state of the union address, and his intention to boost the U.S. Nuclear Energy program significantly?  Well, the first step towards building new nuclear power plants is to make sure that the companies can get financing.  Nuclear power is still viewed as pretty risky, so Obama is promising loan guarantees so that the nuclear power companies can get the financing they need.  Remember how we also discussed the potential political payoffs of Obama's nuclear agenda?  Here's a New York Times article about that. 

Tritium Leaking from a Nuclear Power Plant in Vermont:
 As the existing U.S. nuclear power plants age, leaks of radioactive water are likely to become more common.  It's pretty hard to control the spread of radioactivity that is carried in water.  Here's a transcript of a recent Vermont Public Radio piece on what's going on with just such a leak at the Yankee Nuclear Plant.  In class this week another think we'll cover is what tritium is exactly.

subnormality bombs again

-caitlin m.

Christopher Kane

"I wanted something natural, but I'm so fed up with florals," he explained in his London studio. "And then I came across these images of nuclear test explosions from the fifties to the seventies on the Internet. I like the crazy-bright chemical colors. The way they're sinister—but beautiful."


http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/2010RST-CKANE/


-Cat

Welcome to the Spring 2010 Unstable Nucleus Class!

It's that time again, to restart regular class blog updates.  The first assignment deals with radiation topics in the news.  Some of the readings are re-used from last semester, and some are new.  The articles I would like you to read are:

1) BBC news article on France's plans to compensate soldiers exposed to nuclear weapons tests
2) New York Times article on radiation from granite countertops
3) Washington Post article on new scanning technology in airports
4) Web MD article on radiation exposure due to medical testing
5) Science Daily article on the National Institutes of Health beginning to monitor radiation exposure from medical tests.
6) Chicago Tribune article on radium issues in neighboring Joliet