Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945

Here's a fascinating video representing every nuclear explosion since 1945.

As long-time friend and now Facebook friend Brian Rock pointed out, did you know there were 2 in Mississippi?



Missi--freakin'--ssippi?

One of the things about this that is especially illuminating to me---pun no way intended--is that so many of these blasts were tested by the US, the then Soviet Union and England on our own/their own land. England doing them in Australia.

It seems the height of irresponsibility and possible danger, to me.

Seems the more you learn of what we humans do to the Earth and one another, you get amazed we're still here.

This Could Rattle Your Day. Or Week. Or Month.

I just saw this article:

The Center for National Security and Arms Control at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, N.M.

Nuclear weapons labs hit with sizable fines for new security violations

Just a couple details:

A classified material was missing for years before anyone noticed, and a lab official's public slides included bomb design data

You're in charge of the nations nuclear weapons and you can't keep track of the inventory?

And check this out from that same article:

In 2004, the laboratory’s director suspended the lab’s operations to fix problems that included the loss of classified computer disks, and in 2006, police responding to a domestic violence call at an employee’s home discovered thumb drives from the lab that contained classified information, along with illicit drugs.

That's enough to make you feel all warm and fuzzy, there, isn't it?

Try to have a great weekend, campers.

More of the same from Republicans

And as soon as it was announced that this president reached the framework of an agreement to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons, the Republicans responded:

GOP rips Iran nuclear deal

Forget that they haven't seen the deal.

Forget that they haven't read it.

Forget that they then have no idea whatever what's in it.

They're merely continuing their same Republican platform regarding this president and anything he is for or represents:



So tiresome.

Meanwhile the rest of us Americans--you know, the ones attached to logic, calm, intelligent thought, peace and reality--are celebrating the possibility of a breakthrough. Even Iranians are celebrating and want this.

Iranians celebrate nuclear deal by taking 

selfies with Obama

They understand how they'd benefit from getting the economic sanctions lifted.

The Daily Kos got it right last evening:

Top Republicans pretty sure they don't 

like Iran deal

Yes, the rest of us understand what this could mean and "get it."

Not so, the Republicans.

If it's good for President Obama, even if it's good for America, they're against it.

The fact is, this is no time and this is certainly no issue for demagoguery.

Fukushima Radiation Nears California Coast

Yes, I saw this two days ago:

Fukushima radiation nears California coast, judged harmless

It immediately reminded me of this:



Have a nice day, y'all. Keep warm.

The biggest and most under- or un-reported story of the year?

Have you seen anything on or about this story?:

Israel accused of air strike on Sudan munitions factory

1,000-mile air raid on Khartoum seen as signal to Iran of ability to attack nuclear facilities

Sudan has complained to the UN security council that Israeli planes bombed a munitions plant in Khartoum, an attack that has been widely interpreted as a warning to Iran over its nuclear programme.

Israeli military commentators said that the Yarmouk facility in the Sudanese capital was owned by Iran and had been used to supply weapons to Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip. The "impressive" reach of the secret operation was said to have demonstrated an ability to hit Iran's nuclear facilities — a similar distance from Israel.

As reverberations continued from Tuesday's 1,000-mile attack, Israel would neither confirm nor deny it was involved. Ehud Barak, the defence minister, said : "There is nothing I can say about this subject." But one of his most senior officials praised the country's air force and called Sudan a "terrorist state".



Get that?

Israel--or someone--flew in, blew up a nation's nuclear facilities LAST TUESDAY, flew out and there has been precious little news coverage of it here in the States.

I was told about it earlier in the week by a friend but hadn't seen or heard anything of it and I'm a rabid news hound. I had to do a Google search to find these links and stories.

This has got to be one of the biggest stories of the year, to date, and simultaneously, one of the most unreported or under-reported of the year, I believe. It has huge implications and potential ramifications for the world, really, since it deals so much with the Middle East.

The scary part--the really scary part--is that naturally Sudan has already said they will "retaliate," of course. Naturally.

Oh, boy.

It's a huge, huge story with incredible international implications but I--a newshound--haven't heard a thing about it. That is freaking weird. It's also grossly irresponsible on the part of the American news media, I think, unless I've only just missed it.

"Hang on to your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night."

Links: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/25/israel-accused-sudan-munitions-air-strike

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/25/israeli-sudanese-factory-secret-war

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/24/world/la-fg-sudan-airstrike-20121025

Our own government sprayed St. Louis with radioactive particles--and for years

Wow.

Is it any wonder people don't think our government is or can be against us? I just saw this article online:

Revealed: Army scientists secretly sprayed St Louis with 'radioactive' particles for YEARS to test chemical warfare technology

The United States Military conducted top secret experiments on the citizens of St. Louis, Missouri, for years, exposing them to radioactive compounds, a researcher has claimed.

While it was known that the government sprayed 'harmless' zinc cadmium silfide particles over the general population in St Louis, Professor Lisa Martino-Taylor, a sociologist at St. Louis Community College, claims that a radioactive additive was also mixed with the compound.

She has accrued detailed descriptions as well as photographs of the spraying which exposed the unwitting public, predominantly in low-income and minority communities, to radioactive particles.

It's bad enough the government did it, period, but then to also do it to "low-income and minority communities"?

What the hell are we supposed to think about our own government?

And who's to say what causes cancer in the US?

This is just stunning and extremely disappointing to me. Not completely surprising but still a bit of a shock.

So what are they doing to us now? Nothing? Hopefully? And are we supposed to believe that?

Is it any wonder people think the contrails of jet planes are poisoning us, even now? I just hope the ones who believe that are mistaken.

And then, to add yet more indignation to this whole mess, look where it's coming from. The story here is reported from the UK, not a media source here in the States. That's not to say some national or local news source didn't report it but this is the first I've seen of it.

Check out just this one bit of information from the article:

"...the greatest concentration of spraying in St Louis was at the Pruit-Igoe public housing complex, which was home to 10,000 low income residents. She said that 70 per cent of those residents were children under the age of 12."

How disgusting, how revolting is that?

With a bit of further digging, I found the military and government did this over not just St. Louis, either, but over Corpus Christi, Texas, too. (See 2nd link, below).

What are we to think or trust of our government?

Links to original article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2210415/Revealed-Army-scientists-secretly-sprayed-St-Louis-radioactive-particles-YEARS-test-chemical-warfare-technology.html

http://rt.com/usa/news/us-radioactive-louis-martino-taylor-443/

Some video from the original article, above:

On this day...

On this date in 1945, the first atomic bomb was successfully tested near Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Another thing to worry about?

While I'm trying to search out and pay attention to information about radioactivity from the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe and I'm still glad I saw this, this seems of questionable origin both professionally and scientifically.

Anyway, for what it' worth, there it is. I'll see what else is out there.

It's not like there's a lot we could do about the rain anyway, is there?

Things we Americans should learn from Germany and Germans

One more thing we could learn from the German people:

Breaking news today:

Germany Rejects Fracking

Yet another great idea and movement from Germany since fracking is so polluting and causes people to get sick and also causes Earthquakes.

We should be so smart.

Other things we could and should learn from Germany:

--how to have workers--labor--and management cooperate for the benefit of labor, management, the companies themselves and so, the nation;

--killing nuclear power is a good idea since it has so many and much extra costs to it, due to the half-life of radioactive uranium and those storage costs and issues;

--working hard on solar energy, specifically photovoltaic cells, makes a lot of sense due to its many benefits not least of which is getting out of the Middle East, turning over so much national treasure for oil until we do thus weakening the nation further, polluting far less, putting less C02 in the air, etc.;

--killing "outsourcing" of manufacturing since it takes jobs out of the country which weakens us as citizens but also the nation, of course.

So much we could learn.

And that's just a short list.

If only we wanted to learn, huh?

Links: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-rejects-fracking-to-tap-natural-gas-a-831764.html; http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/07-2

Dr. Helen Caldicott on Fukushima and you, Part 4

More on Dr. Caldicott here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Helen_Caldicott

If you don't think Fukushima affects you, us...

Part 3: Seriously, each of these 4 14 minute talks are full of fascinating, though alarming, pertinent information for the entire nation. She's a wonderful speaker and extremely informative. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Helen_Caldicott

What we don't know about Chernobyl--and now Fukushima--and radioactivity

From the video information: "Dr Helen Caldicott spoke to a standing room only crowd at the Faulkner Gallery in Santa Barbara on Friday evening March 23, 2012 on 'The Medical Implications of Fukushima, Nuclear Power and Nuclear Proliferation'". This is so worth the fourteen minutes and 43 seconds it takes to watch this, it's stunning. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Helen_Caldicott

Finally: News about the radiation on the US from Fukushima

Ever since the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan blew, I've wondered how much radiation hit the US. And since then, I've seen nothing, nothing about it from media or our government. That surprised me a bit--I'm very naive about far too much--and disappointed me. Finally, today, an article on the internets: California Slammed With Fukushima Radiation "The Journal Environmental Science and Technology reports in a new study that the Fukushima radiation plume contacted North America at California 'with greatest exposure in central and southern California', and that Southern California's seaweed tested over 500% higher for radioactive iodine-131 than anywhere else in the U.S. and Canada: Projected paths of the radioactive atmospheric plume emanating from the Fukushima reactors, best described as airborne particles or aerosols for 131I, 137Cs, and 35S, and subsequent atmospheric monitoring showed it coming in contact with the North American continent at California, with greatest exposure in central and southern California. Government monitoring sites in Anaheim (southern California) recorded peak airborne concentrations of 131I at 1.9 pCi m−3." As the post then so wisely and succinctly says: "Anaheim is where Disneyland is located." Just in case you're thinking no one's out there or effected.

But wait! There's more! There's much, much more! (Naturally) In addition, radioactive debris is starting to wash up on the Pacific Coast. And because the Japanese are burning radioactive materials instead of disposing of them, radioactive rain-outs will continue for some time … even on the Pacific Coast. Nice, huh? So what are our respective governments doing about it, if anything, you might ask? Your answers: Instead of doing much to try to protect their citizens from Fukushima, Japan, the U.S. and the EU all just raised the radiation levels they deem “safe”.

Nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen says that high-level friends in the State Department told him that Hillary Clinton signed a pact with her counterpart in Japan agreeing that the U.S. will continue buying seafood from Japan, despite that food not being tested for radioactive materials.

And the Department of Energy is trying to replace the scientifically accepted model of the dangers of low dose radiation based on voodoo science. Specifically, DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley Labs used a mutant line of human cells in a petri dish which was able to repair damage from low doses of radiation, and extrapolated to the unsupported conclusion that everyone is immune to low doses of radiation… Isn't that all just lovely? So, finally, what is our government's response to information and data going foward? Great question: American and Canadian authorities have virtually stopped monitoring airborne radiation, and are not testing fish for radiation. If you weren't sick before, you probably should be now. (If after all that, you really are nauseous--not surprisingly--the comments at the links below have some magnificent, very dry and ascerbic wit to them, if that helps). Links: http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2012-13-30/california-slammed-fukushima-radiation; http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/update-fukushima-0; http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/fukushima-radiation-highest-ever-exceeding-capacity-measuring-device-fuel-likely-leaking; http://www.zerohedge.com/article/no-amount-radiation-released-japanese-nuclear-reactors-not-safe; http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/radioactive-iodine-blankets-much-europe-everyone-points-fingers

Yet another well done and important story from Frontline on PBS

Last evening, PBS ran another "Frontline" story, this one on Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant disaster after the tsunami they experienced last March 11. Besides telling an important story and getting the details of what happened to all these people, it also struck me how their Prime Minister Naoto Kan seemed to take charge of the situation, along with taking responsibility. I also respected and appreciated the honor he seemed to take in what became his job. I would love to see that from our elected officials, of course, at all times, but especially in times of these national emergencies and catastrophies. It would have been really nice to have seen when Hurrican Katrina hit the Gulf states here. What strikes me now, however, is that I'd like to hear the truth about what radioactive fallout hit the US and in what amounts, from the West Coast to East. Anyone? News media? Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/japans-nuclear-meltdown/

Kim Jong-Un already rumored today to be dead

Sure, right now it's an unconfirmed rumor but this is HUGE. If true, and the military did kill him, the world is in for one heck of a wild ride, I'd guess. We'll see. Yikes. Hold your breath, folks. Here's hoping it's an absurd untruth. Link: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/10/kim-jong-un-assassination-rumours-flood-twitter-weibo/

Think you understand how many earthquakes Japan had last year?

What would you think? 2? 6? Well, check this out. This guy--StoryMonoroch, whoever that is, over in Japan, apparently--put together this graphic to show just how many earthquakes the island nation of Japan suffered through last year. You truly won't believe it. Have your sound on, too, because he added that to the graphics as well. And please be patient. Yes, it's in Japanese but just wait. When they start hitting, you'll know it. January alone is a surprise, sure. But just wait until March 10. Then stay tuned, too. Don't quit. It's fascinating, if a bit disturbing. Yikes. What those poor people have been through. Links: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/fukushima-nuclear-crisis-update-for-january-3/blog/38925/; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16795329; http://gma.yahoo.com/japans-nuclear-exclusion-zone-shows-few-signs-life-131155854--abc-news.html

A video from 1955 on nuclear war

Here's hoping anyone and everyone who would contemplate such a thing would think first--long and hard. We really are all in this together.

I hope the Star has a reporter to spare for this story...

...because this is, I think, a rather significant one for us to all know about: Power Woes Shut Down Wolf Creek Nuke Plant And what's the power company's and government's first response to us, the public? Wait for it: Low-Level Emergency Didn't Threaten Public Safety No, they never do, do they? Just ask the people in Japan after the Fukushima disaster--not that this is remotely like that. It's just that the first thing you always hear in these things is that "all is well." Right. A bit of the story: BURLINGTON, Kan. -- The operators of the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant said a loss of off-site power prompted an automatic shutdown at the northeast Kansas facility. The shutdown happened Friday afternoon. Wolf Creek officials say the plant's two emergency diesel generators automatically started, supplying power to all safety-related equipment. Plant officials declared a "notification of unusual event," which is the lowest of four emergency classifications defined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. I just hope the Star can, as I said, spare a reporter for this. I hope we can know what's going and that it really is inconsequential. There was the initial report, last year, about the flooding near the nuclear reactor in Nebraska but the Star didn't give that any additional coverage after that, I don't believe. Link: http://www.kmbc.com/news/30211372/detail.html

On outlawing war

Here's a thought: let's outlaw war. It's been thought of, down through history, yet to date, it hasn't held. The Romans, I believe, considered it, in their Senate, all those centuries ago. There's a terrific, brief article on doing just this right now at Alternet. It tells of the history in this country of pushing for it, back in 1928 with the Kellog-Briand pact in our own government. It had been pushed for by the people as these things usually have to be, and passed in our government. It's still on the books, for that matter. There is a new book out about it (When the World Outlawed War by David Swanson). I've thought for a long time that this is what President Obama needs to come out for. Coming from him--a Constitutional lawyer, and both the president of the United States AND the first black president of the nation--I think it could and would carry a lot of extra weight and extra strength. Given the way the world economies are going and the fact that we're all so intertwined, at least economically and ecologically, it makes so much sense. With our own national economy at least down drastically (the worst recession in 80 years, since the last, "Great Depression") and the European nations and economy imperiled and China's economy at least questionable, I think the beginning of President Obama's second term would be an excellent time for him to call on the leaders of all others nations to declare war as, hopefully illegal, if not just "not an option" so we don't fall into the same human trap we seem to repeatedly find ourselves in. That is, sending our young people off to kill each other, all because our economies fail. Now is the time. It seems like a brilliant, if obvious, thing to do and call for. Again and again, it seems far too many people assume the world is going to war soon, all because our economies are failing. Even with conventional weapons, war makes no sense and is just far too stupid, let alone destructive. When you consider some people and nations think the use of nuclear weapons are at least a viable option, if not also that they're a "good" option, it makes outlawing war internationally that much more logical, reasonable and sensible. As people on this planet, again, all intertwined in so many ways, it seems to make sense to make a pact, once and for all, for all our futures and all of humankind so we don't fall back on the one ignorant, destructive "option" that is war. Because it really isn't an option. Not anymore. Links: http://www.alternet.org/story/153153/when_the_world_outlawed_war%3A_an_interview_with_david_swanson/; http://davidswanson.org/outlawry; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellogg_briand_pact

How we can reduce defense spending