This week’s counteracting the nuclear spin

Some bits of good news: European cities embrace nature-based solutions,  What went right this week: in the UK green energy records hit .    China’s Falling Emissions Signal Peak Carbon May Already Be Here –  Carbon Brief notes first decline since the end of the pandemic.- Renewables meet nearly all of nation’s additional power needs  

TOP STORIES. Small Modular Reactors: Still too expensive, too slow and too risky. US Endgame in Ukraine — War Without End, Amen.Biden Lets Ukraine Strike Russia With US Weapons While Ukraine Attacks Russian Nuclear Defenses.Presidents Who Gamble With Nuclear Armageddon.

Climate. Humanity’s survival is still within our grasp – just. But only if we take these radical steps. ‘Unliveable’: Delhi’s residents struggle to cope in record-breaking heat. Heatwaves increase risk of early births and poorer health in babies, study finds. “Truly the stuff of nightmares”: unprecedented low in Antarctic sea ice recorded.  

Noel’s notes.  “Don’t let the people see what is happening” – the forgotten lesson from the Vietnam war. Turning Point .The bomb and the cold war. Episode 4: The Wall – outlines the nuclear weapons race. Jobs jobs jobs in the nuclear industry – but is it true?        What is criminal in Ukraine, is God’s righteousness in Gaza

Nuclear.  The USA’s intrepid nuclear saleswoman, Jennifer Graholm, touts big nuclear reactors as a great success, speaking of the greatest U.S. financial nuclear boondoggle – the Vogtle nuclear reactors. Does anybody believe this?

*************************************************

NUCLEAR ISSUES.

June 4, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. “Don’t let the people see what is happening” – the forgotten lesson from the Vietnam war.

Dear oh dear!. The USA had learned this lesson – too much TV coverage of US troops suffering and dying, and worse, what was being done to the Vietnamese, with abuses like napalm and the My Lai massacre in 1968. The American public was shocked –  riots in cities and university campuses across the nation. What a mistake! – this coverage – regretfully, – the USA had to withdraw their troops in 1973, and lose this lovely war.

But the lesson was well learned. Next time – The Iraq war coverage was a marvel of distant fireworks exhibitions. Lovely coverage of pretty explosions across Iraq. Not a human casualty in sight.

The USA authorities were in control of the “home “media coverage in the Iraq war, and then the Afghanistan one. And indeed, now the Ukraine war is a model of “correct” coverage.

The USA is doing an effective job on Ukraine. In the Ukraine case, we are constantly reassured that of course Ukraine can beat Russia. There are TV visuals and radio podcasts constant reminders of brutality and atrocities by Russians, the brave sufferings of Ukrainians, and of their brave leader Zelensky, versus the tyrant Putin. And of course, lots of Russian soldiers are getting killed, which must be a good thing, mustn’t it?

All that is no doubt true. But we don’t see any atrocities by Ukrainians. We don’t see the sufferings of ethnic and Russian-language Ukrainians over the 10 years of struggle in the Donbass region. We don’t see any questioning of Zelensky’s wisdom in refusing to negotiate with Russia, any questioning of the massive slaughter of Ukrainian troops.

As is the tradition in wartime, in the Ukraine case, the Western media is very successfully brainwashing us . Any questioning of this narrative is immediately dismissed as “disinformation”. A good case in point is the Russian news outlet Rt.com. Yes. of course, much of Rt’s information is indeed propaganda. But some of it is indeed true – facts that are ignored or hidden by the Western media.

So – the Ukraine war drags on – and we all cheer for Zelensky.

The Gaza situation is something different.

It is a technology thing. In Vietnam, it was TV coverage. Even in Ukraine, there are carefully controlled images from Western journalists “embedded” in the Ukraine army. But now – there’s the mobile phone. And suddenly there is real life footage of the genocidal atrocity going on in Gaza.

It is laughable that emissaries like Antony Blinken can run around the world bleating about Israel’s “right to defend itself”, and Joe Biden can make pious statements about how Israel should behave nicely.

Sorry, warmongers, but people now see what Israel, backed by the USA, is doing to Palestinians – and for Gaza, people are not buying Western propaganda.

June 3, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY: What is criminal in Ukraine, is God’s righteousness in Gaza

RUSSIA. US President Joe Biden welcomed the International Criminal Court’s issuing of an arrest warrant against his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

The ICC accused President Putin of committing war crimes in Ukraine – something President Biden said the Russian leader had “clearly” done…… President Biden said that … the issuing of the warrant “makes a very strong point”. The claims focus on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia since Moscow’s invasion in 2022.

“He’s clearly committed war crimes,” he told reporters.

His administration had earlier “formally determined” that Russia had committed war crimes during the conflict in Ukraine, with Vice-President Kamala Harris saying in February that those involved would “be held to account”.

****************************

ISRAEL. President Joe Biden denounced the chief prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court for seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders.

“What’s happening in Gaza is not genocide. We reject that,” Mr Biden said at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House.

He said American support for the safety and security of Israelis is “ironclad”.

 Biden administration presents its policies to overcome legal and political questions about its unconditional support for Israel, and continues to send weapons to Israel.

The US has vetoed three separate ceasefire draft resolutions at the United Nations Security Council and voted against two at the General Assembly.

Rights groups have documented numerous violations of international humanitarian law by the Israeli military, which extensively uses US weapons. Those reports include evidence of indiscriminate bombing, torture and targeting civilians.

May 29, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Counteracting the spin: nuclear and associated news this week

Some bits of good news–  People power: seven grassroots conservationists who are ‘saving the world’       Air pollution is falling again in China.  Planting Trees and Equity in the Arizona Desert.

TOP STORIES The Slow-Motion Execution of Julian Assange Continues. Assange Wins Right to Appeal on 1st Amendment Issue.   Julian Assange’s five-year battle against extradition to the US continues as he WINS last-ditch legal battle to lodge appeal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvwHt70oJJ4

38 Years After Chernobyl Disaster, 12% of Belarus’s Territory Is Still Contaminated

From the archives. The longer-term consequences of a nuclear war.

Climate. Isle of Wight-size iceberg breaks from Antarctica. We’ve underestimated the ‘Doomsday’ glacier – and the consequences could be devastating. 2024 looks like producing a sizzling summer in the North of this planet.:  

• AccuWeather Summer 2024 U.S. Forecast: Sizzling Summer Temperatures.   
•  Periods of abnormally high temperatures will become more common and intense in Russia.  
• Canada risks more ‘catastrophic’ wildfires with hot weather forecast

It’s so hot in Mexico that monkeys are dropping dead from trees.

Noel’s notes.  UK’s political omnishambles – a damper on the nuclear lobby.         Turning Point, The Cold War and the Bomb. Episode 3- Institutional Insanity.    The insanity of DEFENSE: with climate change, Defense becomes our real enemy.

                                                                                                  **********************************

NUCLEAR ISSUES

CLIMATE. Sites with radioactive material more vulnerable as climate change increases wildfire, flood risks. Nuclear sites, including Hanford, feeling the heat as climate change stokes wildfires drought.

Wildfire closes 20+ miles of highway across Hanford nuclear site Saturday night.

ECONOMICS. Militarism will inevitably lead America to bankruptcy ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/05/21/3b1-militarism-will-inevitably-lead-america-to-bankruptcy/

European Investment Bank’s (EIB) financing for nuclear reactor construction remains off the agenda.

UK Nuclear Plant Sizewell Continues Fundraising Before Election. Soaring costs are likely for planned Wylfa nuclear station, but EDF, Westinghouse, Kepco clamour to build it. ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/05/23/2-b1-soaring-costs-are-likely-for-planned-wylfa-nuclear-station-but-edf-westinghouse-kepco-clamour-to-build-it/ Wylfa nuclear power plan- a financial basket case- and no developer will take on the risks. Hinkley C – don’t say I didn’t warn you

EDUCATION. University of Sheffield gets into the nuclear debt web, partnering with Rolls Royce to make “small” nuclear reactors.

Yet another university co-opted by the nuclear industry.

Follow the Money: How Israel-Linked Billionaires Silenced US Campus Protests.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES.

• North Korea says it forced to take measures to increase nuclear deterrence.
• US military aid to Ukraine is ‘grift’ – Blackwater founder to Tucker Carlson.
• In a letter to President Joe Biden and top members of his administration, Veterans For Peace asserts that U.S. law requires the cutoff of all weapons shipments to Israel. Blinken Pushing To Let Ukraine Hit Russian Territory With US Weapons.
• Ukraine: Stoltenberg calls for lifting restrictions on the use of NATO weapons to strike in Russia. Let Ukraine freely strike Russia with Western arms – NATO chief.
• Senators Quiz Navy Leaders on Proposed Sea-Launched Nuclear Cruise Missile

May 28, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. Turning Point, The Cold War and the Bomb. Episode 3- Institutional Insanity

This begins with Volodymyr Zelensky in 2022 and Russian attacks on Ukraine, and Ukraine’s strong resistance. Author Garret Graff calls this first successful resistance “probably the turning point of the entire war.” So – it became a full scale war.

Now back to the 1950s. In the early years of the cold war, the USA treated nuclear war as something that could be survived. Public education programs. The message was that the Soviet Union was an existential threat, but that you could survive, with school training, with fallout shelters.

Fear of communism led to developing bigger bombs against the communists.

The movement to the hydrogen bomb, the thermonuclear device. Scary film of testing this on Elugelab Island in 1952, horrifying many, including Robert Oppenheimer. Albert Einstein wrote “General annihilation beckons“. Eisenhower shocked and shaken – “the power to erase human life from this planet“. The Soviets feel that they must equal this – their first hydrogen bomb test August 1953. So the USA responds in 1954 with the super-large Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test on Bikini Atoll – making a 4-mile wide fireball. The island populations were affected by the radiation – horrifying personal stories. A Japanese ship affected by the “death ash“. The fisherman’s dying message – “let me be the last person killed by this awful weapon”.

A series of nuclear tests in the USA and across the world. Daniel Ellsberg recalls how he worked with the very clever test designers – “It turns out that intelligence is not a very good guarantee of wisdom“. The movie Dr Strangelove has words directly taken from them, and Ellsberg describes that film as a documentary. “Everything in that film could have happened“. People other than the President could launch an attack. Ellsberg saw the war plans – “they were strange and horrible“. The plan was to hit every city in Russia and China with thermonuclear weapons- with 600 million deaths – one fifth of the world population then. The Soviets then followed with a similar policy. It opened up the world as the playground of the two powers.

Covert operations all around the world. The CIA was created in 1947 modelled on Britain’s MI6. The Soviets had the KGB, very repressive under Stalin. In the USA intelligence and operational planning, and action, were combined in the CIA. By 1949 the CIA were doing paramilitary operations against the nations of Central Europe that were Soviet satellites. They started with Ukraine, training Ukrainian exiles (graphic film here), creating and funding “Ukrainian resistance cells” from 1949 – 1953 . These were suicide missions, because the British counter-spy Kim Philby was informing the Soviets. Subsequent operations to Poland, Romania – were also disasters.

From 1953, U.S. foreign policy , as run by the Allen Dulles and John Foster Dulles, brothers, saw communism behind every nationalist movement, happy to spread American democracy via any government, however vicious brutal and corrupt. The Dulles brothers also were dedicated to furthering the interests of multinational corporations, which meant controlling the countries that supplied resources.

They started with Iran and Guatemala, overthrowing the elected governments. The CIA used money and propaganda, controlling the Iranian media, flooding it with “fake news”, and created “communist thuggery”. They succeeded in reinstalling the Shah. Western oil companies now ran the oil business. Guatemala followed the same pattern, a highly repressive regime was set up.

The cold war was a battle for minds and hearts. The CIA from the late 40s to the early 60s had hundreds of “influence operations”, co-opting overseas and some American media.

The Soviet Union’s KGB used “Active measures” – set up to use disinformation, planting major stories in overseas news media to cause disruption and confusion, forging documents slipped to journalists. These were often accepted especially in developing countries as genuine proof of American conspiracies. In the Soviet Union, Stalin had complete control of the media.

Stalin’s death in 1953. Nikita Kruschev ushered in a new period – the Thaw. His story here told by his great-granddaughter. Kruschev released many innocent victims of Stalin’s gulags, revealed Stalin’s crimes, set the Soviet Union on a different course, opened up the possibility of liberal reform, lessened censorship. But Kruschev also believed that the Soviet Union must show its strength to the USA, boasted of its military strength, with a disinformation campaign to scare Americans about a 100 megaton bomb, and the number and reach of its missiles.

USA’s military thinking moved to plans to evacuate high-ranking officials, expecting that in a coming nuclear war most of America will die, but the government will survive in a mountain bunker.

Daniel Ellsberg reported on the secret doomsday machines, in the Pentagon Papers, and copied all his nuclear reports, published “Confessions of a nuclear war planner”. Now in 2022 we see him urging for cutting the defense budget, getting rid of ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) – to avoid armageddon.

The episode ends with the warning of how suddenly a crisis can arise, with the greatest danger to the world, as happened in 1962 – when the Russians placed intermediate range nuclear missiles on the island of Cuba.

May 26, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

The nuclear lobby’s education invasion – masters of the weasel word.

Look it’s just one little word – or sort of two-bit word – “DE-RISK”.

I came across it today, and puzzled over it. T’was in a rapturous article about Sheffield University, launching a major new manufacturing and testing facility in South Yorkshire, in partnership with Rolls Royce.

“SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that are designed to be factory-built and transported to operational sites for installation. The technology is seen as a clean energy solution that is easier to deliver, scale and is more affordable than building new larger nuclear power stations. Each Rolls-Royce SMR could provide enough low-carbon electricity to power a million homes for more than 60 years.“

There were other words to ponder about – for example “The technology is seen as a clean energy solution” – seen by whom?

But I will stay with “de-risk”, because it’s a lovely word – chosen to impress, – and also to confuse and obfuscate the financial realities of the situation.

These are the meanings that I found

• To de-risk to take steps to make (something) less risky or less likely to involve a financial loss.
• De-Risking is a strategy that companies apply when they cannot manage the money laundering risks that they have obligations to.
• De–risking. means mitigating the risks of doing business in high-risk environments through concessionary finance or investment guar- antees. 
• The de-risking process involves a strategic assessment by companies to reduce exposure to high-risk activities in order to minimize compliance- and operations-related risks 

Well, to cut to the chase.

ECONOMICS. There is a wealth of information about the costs of small nuclear reactors (SMRs). Those in submarines are not suitable for electricity production. The only operating SMRs are in China (The HTR-PM) and Russia (The KLT-40S), and they’re not doing too well.

Meanwhile we have the fiasco of the NuScale SMR venture in the USA – . And with dozens of SMR designs on paper – none are even licensed let alone operative.

And here’s what that radical industrial journal Utility Dive has to say:

“Small modular reactors are at an economic disadvantage. The lower power output of these reactors, less than 300 MW per unit by definition as compared to the roughly 1,000 MW for the typical reactors that have been constructed for over four decades, means less revenue for the owning utility. But the cost of construction is not proportionately smaller. Engineers call this economies of scale. In terms of cost per unit (megawatt) of generation capacity, SMRs and the electricity they produce will be more expensive than power from large nuclear plants currently under construction. As the Lazard estimates show, these large plants are themselves not competitive with renewables.“

In Mirage News’ glowing regurgitation of nuclear hype for small nuclear reactors – not a word about their relatively more toxic radioactive wastes, not a word about their military and weapons, connection not a word about the long time scale, that makes them irrelevant to action on climate change.

But the military-industrial-nuclear-media-complex juggernaut rolls on – conning us with their weasel words – like “de-risk”.

May 21, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Counteracting the spin of the military-industrial-nuclear-complex this week

Some bits of good news.    
Instead of Taking Millions for Their Land, Texas Family Makes a Park Instead

Beavers Are Back in London — and They’re Thriving.   Moroccan Farmers Are Banking Traditional Seeds for a Hotter, Drier Future

**************************************

TOP STORIES Julian Assange faces judgment day over US extradition. ‘Bring Julian home’: the Australian campaign to free Assange.  https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/instead-of-taking-millions-for-their-land-texas-family-makes-a-park-instead/

Noel’s notes.    A DISAPPOINTING NETFLIX SERIES – Turning Point -the bomb and the cold war. Netflix’s “Turning point.       The bomb and the cold war”- Episode 2 – Poisoning the Soil.     Dominic Cummings the “evil gnome” who makes us think.

****************************************

NUCLEAR ISSUES

PERSONAL STORY. The plutonium connection: Why I no longer conduct my research at the University of New Brunswick.

May 20, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Netflix’s “Turning point. The bomb and the cold war”. Episode 2 – Poisoning the Soil.

This episode mainly covers the period in Russia 1930s through, 1950s, and then the USA, with remarkable pictures and interviews, sometimes very moving ones, with people involved in the events. It shows how the Soviet Union developed into a cruel totalitarian regime, and how in the West, ideas of defence morphed into paranoia about the “red menace”, and the further development of nuclear weapons.

Soviet Union.

Stalin. Russia failed to come to terms with the past Stalin still revered “his glorious accomplishments” “His crimes not well known, not understood“ The most evil person in Russia’s history“

Deep and irreconcilable conflicts between the great powers – for 50 years – out to destroy each other’s way of life – existential struggle between the capitalist world and the communist world

1848 – capitalist industrial society – child labour. Marx and Engels came up with a utopian solution – communism. Lenin in Russia, inspired by Marx and Engels, took power and proclaimed Russia a state run by workers and peasants. Bolsheviks felt besieged, and this brought on the red terror, and a bloody civil war. Stalin, basically a gangster, rises. In 1922 the Soviet Union is established and Stalin takes over.

The promise of equality was not kept. The 1929 collectivisation of agriculture is told in apersonal and dramatic way. It resulted in famine across the Soviet Union. Stalin fixed on Ukraine – a special program of food collection. 1932, Ukrainians were controlled, with borders closed, some 4 million died of starvation – the holodomor

The Soviet Union becomes truly totalitarian – 1937-38 – the Great Terror – great purge trials. Stalin paranoid about secret enemies – many colleagues exterminated. Huge system of concentration camps all across the Soviet Union – the gulags – to punish. to frighten – and also to provide slave labour, 15-20 million people – several million died. .

Stalin was genocidal to his own people – poured toxic materials into the soil. Very personal and heart-breaking testimonials and visuals of this period

1945 – the Soviet army stole everything they could from the conquered lands. Soviet Union had lost 20 million soldiers, and was now occupying lands of Eastern Europe. George Kennan tells Truman that Stalin wants more power, defines Soviet as an adversary, that understands only force and the threat of force. He says that the two world powers would one day fight for dominion over the world. This was the beginning of the Cold War.

The USA and “the West”

In the USA this mood of necessity to defend against the Soviet Union – led to the creation in 1947 of the Pentagon. Air force, Army, Navy all together under the Secretary for Defense, The National Security Council, the CIA. USA transitions into a vast military and intelligence apparatus.

March 1946 Winston Churchill gives his “Iron Curtain” speech. Berlin becomes the centre for the growing divide between the Eastern and the Western blocs. the Soviets trying to take over the whole of Berlin, with a sort of siege, the Berlin blockade, countered successfully by western countries flying in supplies.

1949 NATO established. Moscow formed the Warsaw Pact. Meanwhile in China Mao Zedong takes over with a communist government – furthering the cold war and the feeling that communism was expanding around the globe – kicking off the red hysteria. Then the news that Moscow has the atomic bomb – huge project for Russia. Helped by spies – Klaus Fuchs, who saw Russia as an ally against Nazism, (he got 14 years gaol).

The son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg tells their tragic story. The crimes of Stalin’s Russia were not at that time understood, while capitalism’s injustices and antisemitism were rife in USA and Europe. Ethel was almost certainly innocent. Julius and Ethel refused to give up the names of communists, and therefore were executed, (botched in Ethel’s case) – one of the prosecutors was the zealous young Roy Cohn.

The House Un-American Activities Committee – focussed on the Red Menace in the media, and Senator Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn expanded this persecution to other areas, even the army. This fear of communist spies stoked the cold war – but McCarthy never found a single spy. McCarthy was finally discredited. Roy Cohn went on to later teach “hardball politics” to the young Donald Trump.

Meanwhile Edward Teller comes on the scene in the early 1950s – with his plans for the thermonuclear bomb, and the fear that Russia too is developing this even more monstrous weapon. Daniel Ellsberg copied the papers on the nuclear war plans – strange and horrible” – recognises this project as “institutional insanity”

May 18, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

A DISAPPOINTING NETFLIX SERIES – Turning Point -the bomb and the cold war.

I’ve just watched the final episode of this overall excellent documentary. I have previously written about how unbiased it is.

Not any more.

The final episode of the 9 part series deals with Russia and Ukraine

It sure tells us what a harsh and nasty piece of work Putin is. And does give some explanation of his point of view. Well, we knew that anyway.

The episode largely covers the history of Ukraine from 2000 to now. Yes, we knew that Ukrainians valued their culture and sovereignty. Yes, we knew that they have been fighting valiantly against the Russian invasion.

And yes, we knew that Russia wanted Ukraine to be in its “sphere of influence” , and that Russia’s wholesale invasion of Ukraine is illegal, and was a mistake.

BUT. The whole episode is pretty much a glorification of Ukraine and its saintly leader Zelensky. The speakers involved come mainly from USA Republican political heavies, and Ukrainian media. We see how barbaric are the Russian soldiers.

WHAT WE DON’t SEE:

Any mention of the 8 years’ war Ukraine government against the Donbass region up until 2022. Any mention of the Minsk agreement of 2015 that would give that area autonomy within Ukraine. Any mention of genuine separatists there.

Any mention of repression and of barbaric actions by Ukrainians against the Russian-only-speaking population.

Any mention (other than a brief denial) of CIA involvement in Ukrainian politics. Any mention of Nazi sections in Ukraine, and Nazi involvement in the military. The Russian takeover of Crimea is depicted as a military invasion, though it was done by a referendum with a resounding pro-Russia result.

It’s as though historical events in Ukraine just did not exist – except where events happen that can be blamed on Putin.

There’s no mention of the the U.S. military bases almost surrounding Russia, and with nuclear weapons ready to aim at Russian cities. No wonder Russia is nervous about NATO. Any Russian leader would not want Ukraine to complete the arc of NATO military bases to the South of Russia.

Early in this Netflix series, we were told that the USA was preoccupied with threatening Russia. Now we’re expected to believe that the whole Ukraine thing is Russia’s fault – that the USA had no part at all in provoking this invasion.

In fact there is a legal case for a “Special Military Intervention” on behalf of autonomy for the beleaguered territory of the Donbass. Putin’s mistake in the onslaught on Ukraine can be seen as his falling into a trap set by the USA, for a proxy war – aimed at weakening Russia and enriching USA’s military-nuclear-industrial- media-complex at the expense of Ukrainian lives.

“Turning Point – the bomb and the cold war” ends with a lot of pious statements about how bad nuclear bombs are, and they should never be used.

But it’s a pity that they had to falsify history to get this message safely across. It was permissible to criticise America in the early episodes – apparently that was OK. But to be acceptable – the old anti-Russia bias must prevail in 2024.

I’ll be reviewing the entire series later.

May 16, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

This week’s Climate Military-Industrial-nuclear-media -complex news

Some bits of good news. Opposing The War Machine Is Cool Again – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us1r9Wsvjts    Hake Fisheries’ Remarkable Recovery Is a Sign of Hope for Our Oceans.

TOP STORIES. `

We’ve barely scratched the surface of how energy efficiency can help the energy transition. 

The End of the World as We Know It.       United States nuclear weapons, 2024 – (long) extracts at- https://nuclear-news.net/2024/05/10/2-a-united-states-nuclear-weapons-2024/     Don’t Believe the Washington War Machine: Putin Is Not Going to Invade Another NATO Ally.     

China and the U.S. Are Numb to the Real Risk of War – ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/05/12/1a-china-and-the-u-s-are-numb-to-the-real-risk-of-war/ Fusion reactor could create ingredients for a nuclear weapon in weeks.

Climate. ‘The stakes could not be higher’: world is on edge of climate abyss, UN warns. Floods in Brazil, Kenya, and Texas USA. Venezuela loses its last glacier as it shrinks down to an ice field. World’s oceans suffer from record-breaking year of heat. Afghanistan flash floods kill more than 300 as torrents of water and mud crash through villages.
Ghent students occupy university building in climate and Gaza protest.

Noel’s notes. Time to rise above the tit-for-tat mentality – “Turning Point: the Bomb and the Cold War” (and this is not an ad) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHuuLo-CSRo&t=4s. What is special about “Turning Point -The Bomb and Cold War”?.       “The empire” – an exaggerated, emotive, term?

**********************************************************

NUCLEAR ISSUES.

CLIMATE. Fixation on UK nuclear power may not help to solve climate crisis.

ECONOMICS

How long does it take to build a nuclear reactor? We ask France. NuScale, maker of small nuclear reactors, reported revenue of $1.4 million and net loss of $48.1 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024. Sizewell C nuclear station ‘absolutely not inevitable‘ says campaigner – Can investors be found?

Sam Altman’s nuclear energy company Oklo plunges 54% in New York Stock Exchange debut. Sam Altman-backed nuclear start-up crashes after Wall Street debut. NuScale Power Corporation (SMR) Reports Q1 Loss, Misses Revenue Estimates.

May 13, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. “The empire” – an exaggerated, emotive, term?

Well, I always thought that “Empire” was a dramatic, over-stated, term. And it annoyed me that writers kept using it, in relation to the USA. I thought that criticism of America was warranted – but don’t weaken your case by using such an emotive word.

“Empire” brings up thoughts of the murderous regimes of history – the murderous Mongol Empire, the quite punishing Roman Empire, the cruel Empire of Japan, the rapacious British Empire

Oh no – America’s not like that!

Yes, it is.

And in today’s world, the USA government has access to weapons undreamt of in earlier regimes. Not just its smorgasbord of every possible kind of killing tool, but also its economic weaponry, and its media weaponry.

Not that I think that Americans are bad people. They are good, kind people, who value their families highly. So highly that hanging on to their income – their lucrative weapons-company shares, or their jobs, in deceptive and even killer industries is their top priority. And if they have any doubts – well – the magic term “our national security” justifies all government action.

Americans have bought the idea of American exceptionalism. America is good and always right, and can justly interfere in any country, because they know best. So – they’ve got military bases worldwide:

If you didn’t notice America’s interference –  South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia – in Chile, Nicaragua, – Libya, wars in Afghanstan, Iraq, – you’d have to be noticing what’s going on now in Ukraine, and in Israel’s massacres in Gaza.

The military bases in increase, the belligerent propaganda increases, and the ‘Western world steels itself to faithfully be the patsies for USA’s next big intervention – Taiwan.

Ukraine, Taiwan , Gaza – all wonderful laboratories for testing the bestest American weapons, enriching American corporations, and no risks to American lives.

When you see articles by Caitlin Johnstone , Chris Hedges, Ralph Nader, Robert Kennedy Jr, Patterson Deppen, and more – talking about “The Empire” – don’t be too hasty to brush them off as way-out radicals.

May 11, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. What is special about “Turning Point -The Bomb and Cold War”?

“This is the most important turning point of the human race.“

EPISODE 1 – The Sun Came Up Tremendous

This Netflix series is well researched, and visually brilliant. What makes it so different, and remarkable, is its study of the psychological aspect, especially the powerful effect of mass psychology.

Like all historical documentaries, it’s all about the men. However, Ironically, Lisa Meitner, discoverer of nuclear fission, does get a mention. But still they don’t mention that this illustrious nuclear physicist was invited to join the Manhatton Project, but refused – “would have nothing to do with a bomb”

By the way – this documentary uses authentic film and dialogue. I was impressed to see how accurately the ‘”fictionalised” version – the film “Oppenheimer”, had portrayed the people and the events – uncanny likenesses in several cases.

**********************************************

Cold war – it’s a state of conflict with a nuclear-armed opponent, functionally hostile to each other where you can’t get at each other. We’re in a new cold war with the Russians.

The Ukraine war brings the return of the cold war.

*************************************

Cold war at its peak, touched every country. The Cold War set off an arms race, for the first war that could destroy civilisation. The Bomb disrupted international relationships. It brought new scale of awfulness. There have been close shaves – we were lucky.

“once humans stop seeing each other as humans, the most horrific acts are possible”

This episode covers the history of the bomb, from the discovery of nuclear fission by Lisa Meitner and Otto Hahn 1938. That lead to Oppenheimer forming the idea of the bomb

With the rise of Hitler came the fear of a 1000 year Reich armed with atomic bombs? Einstein was alarmed and encouraged Roosevelt to develop the atomic bomb. Germany and Russia formed a non aggression pact. Then the Japan dictatorship joined them.

The 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour hastened the Manhattan Project in USA to build the bomb Russia joins Britain, France and USA – as Germany invades Russia. The USA sends weapons to Russia.

In 1942 control of Manhattan Project was turned over from the scientists to the military . General Groves picks Oppenheimer. Secrecy ++. Aim was to beat Hitler

Roosevelt dies April 1945. Truman knows nothing about the Manhattan Project. Henfy Stimson, Secretary of war warns President Truman in a ‘memo – “What is the world going to look like, after an atomic bomb is used?”

This is the most important turning point of the human race.

Truman’s next task :- the war against Japan could last for months, years, How to galvanise public opinion – the enormous task of making the Americans hate the Japanese enough. to fight them in a war. Germans were depicted as sinister enemies – but they were still seen as icy human beings- but the Japanese were portrayed as a sub-species.

Leading up to the bomb- USA fire-bombed Tokyo – 87000 killed -people burned like matchsticks. Then Battle of Okinawaa – 12000 US soldiers killed

Truman needed to find a way to end a war without an invasion – at the lowest cost to American lives. Already there’d been 65 million deaths in WW2. People thought of a quick ending as a deliverance. The hastily tested the atomic bomb in the Mexican desert -Trinity test. New Mexicans werecnot evacuated, At a girls’ dance camp 40 mikes away- white ash – “hot snow” – their health seriously affected;

There was general relief that the bomb worked.

Oppenheimer reacted – “We knew the world would never be the same – I am become death – the destroyer of worlds”.

The Potsdam conference brought up the idea of the arrangements for the end of the war in Japan. Following the division of Berlin., Truman didn’t want division of Japan, was keen to get the war over. Churchill said, on hearing of the atomic bomb – “Now we can tell the Russians where to get off”

Truman sought unconditional surrender from Japan. There was a prevailing hatred between the US and Japan.

We see and hear the tragic personal stories of Japanese-Americans – in concentration camps – the racial factor against Japan

Atomic bomb was aimed to convince the Japanese to surrender. Hiroshima was not a military site – 90% civilians.

Here again -compelling Personal stories. Excellent film footage of the bombing and its results. The fireball had a core temperature of several million degrees – ferocious heat unleashed on the city – survivors burnt – severe burns. Rivers littered with corpses. horrendous injuries due to black rain.

Nagasaki Fat Man was a plutonium bomb. Again – Fearful shots of injuries.

Truman initially was thrilled – but learning of reports from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, changed – ordered no further bombs without president’s authorisation.

The dispute over Truman’s choice to use the atomic bomb. Truman’s advisor Stimson wrote that Japan was effectively beaten. No need to use the atomic bomb.

It was dropped in non-military cities The atom bomb was the first strike in the cold war? When the Russians came in, that would end the war. It was not a question of ending the war. It’s a brutal question of ending the war without the Russians The USA desperately wanted to end the war before the Russians got to Japan.

That is certainly not the dominant point of view. There was overwhelming support, especially in the USA for the use of the bomb. A strong feeling of vengeance,

But then – from 1946, there were voices, including senior military voices, that the use of the bomb was not necessary

The wartime alliance with the Soviet Union broke down quickly

The Soviet Union now controlled half of Europe. In a strong position? The bomb introduces a whole new element of uncertainty into the balance of power. Stalin’s decree: 2 weeks after the Hiroshima bombing Stalin signs a decree “Build the bomb as soon as possible”

USA, Europe Russia lurch towards the cold war – A cold war, not a hot one, because these weapons could never be used

Now instead of direct war – there would be economic rivalry, and proxy wars across the world. The driving force became fear.

May 9, 2024 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment