WORLD OF NUKES: CHERNOBYL
 Last update: 22 June, 2011 - Chernobyl plus 25 years and counting...

WORLD OF NUKES: CHERNOBYL - Preface by Dan Martin

After several years of posting both historical and new information (and comments) about the April 26 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, this web page had grown bloated and tedious to navigate. It is still all of that, but at least a table of links (in no particular order) is provided below which mostly lead to major sections within this essay. NOTE: All external links will open in a new browser window (new tab if you're using a tab-enabled browser). The table of section links below only leads to about 1/5 of all that is written here, so please feel invited to scroll down through the entire essay.

Table of recent  Nuclear News and Alerts  Information on Chernobyl Deformities. Please, Donate to Elena.
Ever hear of Karen Silkwood? Ever wonder about Global Warming? List of Elena's Books. Great for coffee tables.
Listen to the haunting Ghost Town audio track. Read this: APPEAL TO CITIZENS OF EARTH


An American visits Chernobyl in April, 2010. If that link fails, or is slow (due to the "slashdot effect"), here are alternate links #1, and #2, and #3.
An ongoing discussion/blog of that pilgrimage is at this link.
My friends, the "Ghost Town" and "Land of the Wolves" links in the table below lead to one of the most interesting - and troubling - websites I have ever visited.  You must see them for yourself - and for the children, and for their grandchildren, and for the next 100 generations of children... Because, you see, their collective futures were forever altered on Saturday April 26, 1986.

The life of these stunning websites began in late 2003.  Their author is Elena Filatova:  a young woman, a motorcyclist, and a VERY brave Ukrainian.  The websites chronicle her motorcycle tours through the Chernobyl "dead zone" - the epicenter of the world's worst nuclear disaster [so far] - and surrounding countryside.  Fly Google Earth to these coordinates: 51°23'22"N 30°05'56"E and you will be hovering over the now-crumbling concrete sarcophagus which covers failed Chernobyl reactor #4.  Pull back a hundred miles or so to the south east, and you will see the city of Kiev where Elena and her family live.  Or, you can click this link to find Chernobyl using Google Maps.


The April 26th 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster reduced the once-thriving town of Pripyat to a GHOST TOWN An evil wind carried 70% of Chernobyl's heavy radiation into the neighboring country of Belorussia, now known as
LAND OF THE WOLVES
There are more than 2,000 dead towns and villages within a radius of 250 kms (155 miles) around Chernobyl reactor.  Each year there are more and more ruined places. SPRING 2007 PHOTOS The hot breath of Chernobyl has killed all hope here, and in its place now only wormwood grows.  Its curse faded living color into a drab twilight, leaving behind only the shadows of human existance.  Slowly, their abandoned artifacts decay into dust...
PLUTO'S REALM, 2008
Evacuation of Pripyat video and video of clean up workers (biorobots) on the roof of Chernobyl Unit # 3, plus many other Chernobyl-associated VIDEO CLIPS & HIGH-RES IMAGES An emotional Chernobyl aftermath video, with "Ghost Town" audio track written and performed by Huns and Dr. Beeker:
GHOST TOWN COMMEMORATIVE VIDEO
Chernobyl politics is the perfect tool to x-ray our life: it reveals all the hypocrisy of the world, its falsehood, greed, and the general shallowness of human affairs. Journal Volume I Chernobyl is haunted by many ghosts, because there are two spiritual armies still and always at war: the forces of good and evil. One who travels through the Chernobyl wastelands never feels like he or she is alone. The Christians call it the presence of the devil. Journal Volume II
The future of our civilization is as predictable as the life of an alcoholic, who is not led by free will, but instead is being dragged by the chains of needs and necessity. Journal Volume III "We are for 22 years without nuclear accident of Chernobyl scale.  This is our achievement and I know there is my contribution in this too." - Elena Journal Volume IV
These links are good for navigating among Elena's many works: ELENA'S SITEMAP #1       ELENA'S SITEMAP #2 Elena's epilog to Ghost Town, Land of the Wolves, and Pluto's Realm: AFTERWORD
"In November 2008 I sold some copies of a book Pluto's Realm and went to area of Chernobyl with my friends to bring aid to people who still live there." - Elena Various Chernobyl and other nuclear-related Terms and Definitions:
GLOSSARY OF TERMS

NOTE: Elena has gathered all her various works (the links shown above plus war history and short stories) under the  elenafilatova.com website.

Elena documented the bloodless Orange Revolution that took place in her home country of Ukraine.    FLASH:  Since then the economic situation in Ukraine has become dangerously unstable.  As of June 2009 the entire cost of Elena's website is being carried by one generous friend. This seems unfair. The last "outside" donatation was in June of 2008. Here's hoping you will feel moved to help sustain her website.  The wolf is really at the door today, so please help Elena with a donation soon if you can - she usually keeps a   donation link  somewhere on her website.

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Elena is very talented and every subject she covers is well worth the time to savor.  She is standing the considerable expense to offer these labors of love to all of us for free - without banners or popup ads  Thank you, kind lady.  If you agree with me that her efforts are worthy of our support, please consider making an appreciative PayPal transfer to help offset the ongoing cost of her work.  You can do so directly at this link.  Many have donated their time and skill to translate Elena's work into other languages so that the world can know the truth about nuclear history.  Others have donated their time and money to "mirror" her work in duplicate websites, like this most excellent mirror in Lakewood, Colorado.  Her many friends and their mirror sites have ensured that her work can never disappear from the internet.  My personal thanks to all who care enough - past, present, and future - to lend a hand.

Within her Journal Volume I and Journal Volume II and Journal Volume III, Elena raises many troubling issues about nuclear politics and the UN "reports" that whitewash (my opinion) obviously intended to deflect and minimize the widespread human and economic trauma still radiating from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

NOW AVAILABLE: A paperback (3rd Edition) of Elena's 16 fictional short stories, Echoes of Trapped Voices.  Reading her work is much more enjoyable from an actual book than from any computer screen (but if you wish to do so you can read them here).  This quality book has a beautiful cover photographed by Elena herself.  Buying her book helps this brave lady to continue her investigative reporting.   Order one on-line today ($11.95 + S&H) from the worlds leading internet publishing house: The Lulu Press.  About $4.00 (the gross profit) of each book purchased goes directly to support Elena's website.

Elena writes in summer, 2007: "My latest Chernobyl relative project was photo book "The Atomic Middle Ages."  This is large magazine style photo book, with 50% photos and 50% text written by me in English.  Size of pages is 8.5" x 11" (21,2x 27,5cm), with many color photos of Chernobyl and surrounding areas."


In November 2008 Elena released her Pluto's Realm photo book of the dead zones around Chernobyl where the world's most devastating nuclear accident rocked our world on April 26, 1986.  Her graphic statement offers a silent indictment of the vanity of both atomic engineers and bureaucrats, and serves as cautionary evidence against those who glibly claim nuclear energy is totally safe.  "Pluto's Realm" is a full-color book of Chernobyl and surrounding area.  At a full 8.5" x 11" size, it is an excellent historical resource for both reflection and sharing with guests around the coffeetable.  This book is offered, probably for only a short time, exclusively on Elena's website.

From time to time Elena offers these books for sale (along with other Chernobyl-related items) in her on-line store, which mysteriously appears and disappears much like the enchanted village of Brigadoon.

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Elena agrees that rising oil prices could start a rush to build more nuclear power plants.  This in turn will put each of us at greater risk than we can ever imagine, both from accidents and terrorism.  Such dangers are examined in some detail in the US News & World report article, and sub-links, further below.

09/26/2005: I (Dan Martin) have it on good authority that a new hush-hush deal has been cut between the European Union and the Ukraine.  Such a deal... the EU is paying Ukraine to dump its nuclear waste there.  Strange, what some governments will do for money... or is it?

The effects of nuclear attack on New York (and other cities) - and our complete lack of readiness for same - is exaimined in this essay in WND and in detail within the original International Journal of Health Geographics article which inspired it.

Here are more quotes from Elena, verbatim from her surreal websites:

"Evil wind brought here 70% of Chernobyl radiation... Houses here mostly made of wood and they absorb radiation like a sponge."

"radiactive technics as far as only eyes can see.  There were [bones of] people inside of each [abandoned] vehicle."

"fire-engins are the most poluted objects in a region. They have been trying to put down those radiactive fire. ...fire-engins never returned in their garages."

"If I keep walking all the way to reactor, then at the end of a journey I will glow in a dark... this sort of a magic when one walk in in a biker leather and coming out like a knight in a shinning armour."

"It is hard for me to describe what I feel, when I come in a village with no people, but I will try- first is a feeling, like I got deaf. The silence is tremendous. No birds singing, no wind, nothing that can break this silence. Villages more picturesque then towns, houses and sheds do not look real.  All look painted and I feel, like I walk inside of this painting."

"...people in Ukraine rose up [in late 2004] and swept aside the Kremlin backed regime of president Kutchma.  Kutchma and his gang stole away the money that the whole world had collected to build a new sarcophagus around the radioactive ruins of the Chernobyl reactor...  Meanwhile, Chernobyl's radioactive fires still smoulder deep inside, waiting to erupt again..."

"Wherever the great star [Chernobyl] will fall again, the future of this land will be only wormwood, the grass of oblivion."

Unusual coincidence: I have a very eerie video tape of a program that I personally recorded as it was broadcast on PBS many years ago.  The subject was the same 1986 Chernobyl disaster.  In fact, some say that the entombed ruins of that reactor is not dead at all; that today it still seethes with uncontrolled nuclear fission deep in its entombed hell-pit (and could still go critical almost any time).  The first radiation cloud poisoned most of Europe and Scandanavia to at least some degree, and the second cloud (pray it never comes) will be worse.  The Russians were still operating the evil twin of that failed reactor right next door as recently as 2001 as if nothing had ever happened.  Duh and double Duh.

Revelation 8:10 - And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 - And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

What's the big deal about all this, you ask?? Get this: The moderator on the tape quotes these same verses from Revelation above, ending with the statement that 'Chernobyl' is Russian for "Wormwood". For all these years I've wondered if this were the correct translation or if it was done for the hype...

Elena confirmed this on her website, saying: "In Ukrainian language Chernobyl is a name for a grass, wormwood (absinth)."  Very prophetic, I would say.

Among other definitions, Absinth (also spelled Absinthe or Absynth) is today a strong alcoholic liqueur made with herbal extracts, the main herb being wormwood (Artemisia absintheium). It is an emerald green drink with a distinctive bitter taste.   There's much more to be learned about the herb  if you click here.

But, my friend, what could be more bitter than  Chernobyl?   Play that  ghostly sound again (115K .wav file)

LISTEN UP: With gasoline prices at over $3 per gallon after hurricane Katrina (September 2005), there will be ever more clamor from all sides - especially from the "Global Warmimg" crowd - for renewed construction of nuclear powerplants in the USA, and everywhere else on the planet.  This is a fool's desire.  Nobody can protect 100% against terrorist acts and accidents, and NOBODY knows how to deal with the spent fuel.  The proponents of nuclear energy never, never factor in ANY costs - or risks - of storing the DEADLY radioactive waste for 100 generations.  Truly safe and permanent disposal is IMPOSSIBLE.

My prediction above is sadly TRUE.  In April 2005 Denver TV stations began airing pro-nuclear advertising.  The 19th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear holocaust (April 26, 1986) had passed by only one day when President George W. Bush publicly called for more nuclear power plants in America.  With my own ears I heard him speak the same half-truths and outright lies that have always been slung about ("inexpensive clean energy"; "completely safe", etc) so as to favorably impress the greedy, gullible public.

As a way of constantly reminding mankind of the malevolent nature of atoms gone wild, I believe a law should be passed in every country that all new nuclear plants be required to bear the name of a past hurricane, pandemic, or serial killer.  Good examples are Katrina, BlackDeath, TedBundy, etc.  The name selected would be required to be used in every reference to the new nuclear plant from the moment first proposed, through the approval process, construction, and forever thereafter.

We have all looked into the baleful red eye+ of atomic energy    and seen the preview+ of its infernal heritage:    Think about it...

A September 2005 article in US News & World Report emphatically confirms that the US nuclear industry is gearing up for nothing less than a to-the-death Jihad.  The pro-nuclear forces have crafted a cunning new strategy for making "tax deals" with opposing environmental groups - each likely to be some kind of deal they can't refuse - which will forever marginalize and co-opt their position.  Some "events" in the U.S. atomic energy industry have been questionable - possibly even sinister - such as the suspicious death of nuclear whistle-blower   Karen Silkwood .

THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN ISSUE.  THIS IS NOT A CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL ISSUE.  THIS IS NOT A RELIGIOUS OR SECULAR ISSUE.  THIS IS NOT A RACIAL ISSUE.  THIS IS NOT EVEN AN ISSUE OF NATIONAL SECURITY OR SOVEREIGNTY.  IT IS ABOUT PROTECTING THE GENETIC SURVIVAL OF OUR SPECIES AGAINST AN INSIDIOUS, WORLDWIDE DANGER THAT ONCE LOOSED CAN NEVER BE RECALLED.

Skeptical?  Go ahead, put chernobyl deformities into Google and just have a look at the hundreds of hits you'll get.  To save you the trouble, here are a few examples taken from an extensive gallery of profoundly afflicted Chernobyl kids listed on an Italian Chernobyl website
[caution - very graphic]: father and son    a little girl    brain outside of skull    massive eye tumor    beyond description    it's a ... ???    no more, please God, let there be no more of this - ever.  Amen

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Look, folks, it's bad enough that we may have to live [and die] in the aftermath of nuclear terrorism, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE TO INVITE THE WOLF INTO OUR VERY HOMES!  Please oppose every nuclear initiative, and every candidate that calls for more nuclear powerplants.  If we allow high oil prices to start a rush to build more nuclear power plants, then the terrorists will have even greater opportunities to wreak disaster upon all mankind.  Think a nuclear disaster can only happen in Ukraine or Japan??  It happened in the USA first at Harrisburg, PA at the Three Mile Island (PBS) and Three Mile Island (PSU) nuclear power station.  Penn State University has provided us a link to an excellent 24-minute TMI video clip explaining the causes of the 1979 TMI accident.  In addition many, many other nulear accidents have happened all over the planet.  Every one of us is already receiving quite a bit of  radiation in our daily lives.  Why build more nuclear plants and subject ourselves to the risk of taking many thousands of times more when another nuclear accident happens?  What thinking person can believe not even one will ever happen again?

Some Australians (the wise ones) are currently (March 2007) in an ominous struggle against being force-fed dozens of new nuclear powerplants, propelled by government invocation of the holy-green-gods of "Renewable Energy" and "Global Warming."  You can read the sensible side of the debate here at NuclearFlower.com.  For a time in 2007, the Aussies thought they had vanquished the threat of their own Nuclear Monsters.  But unfortunately, the election of new bureaucrats has revived the beast.  The Brits also have a group of wise folks who oppose the forces seeking to greatly increase England's number of nuclear powerplants.  Read about their furious struggle here at nonewnukes.net.

Twenty five years after Chernobyl, Russian markets were still selling radioactive produce.  An Arizona nuke, the largest nuclear generation facility in the world, has had to be shutdown (January 2006) due to a malfunction.  At least a dozen aging and obsolete reactors in the USA are in need of being shutdown permanently, but there is no money available for decommissioning and safe fuel storage.  Compared with the risks of nuclear energy, doesn't it seem that good old-fashioned crude oil is still the best, and safest, way to go?

can make a difference (at least in the United States), like this nurse who stood alone against the powers that be, yet stopped the Black Fox nuclear project in Oklahoma.  Then there's the lone farmer who stopped a nuke in Montague, Massachusetts.  And of course the triumph of derailing the Diablo Canyon nuke.
You can begin planning, right now, what you are going to do to help prevent the construction of 10 New Nukes that are currently in the "promotion stage" (i.e., dissemination of disinformation) for the Unites States eastern seaboard.  Additional interesting and informative material can be found within the on-line book called KILLING OUR OWN.

 Worldwide, I think mankind is losing the battle.  In the first days of 2006 we read that Iran, monster in the making, has announced resumption of atomic work, and that it can now produce its own yellowcake (purified uranium).  Further, it seems that Iran is trying to assemble a nuclear missile that could be functional by 2010.  Iran looks forward to a world with neither Israel or the United States, whose collective demise Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian President, personally plans to hasten: "Israel must be wiped off the map," and "We will crush America under our feet," says he.  Iran has hailed the recent HAMAS victory in Palestine.  Arabic news network Aljazeera polled its readers after the recent Palestinian elections in which HAMAS, a militant Islamic faction, prevailed.  Asked "Will Palestinian elections augur well for Middle East peace?" 60% of the Aljazeera voters, presumably mostly Islamic Arabs, said "No."  Read the HAMAS Charter and see for yourself what they're about.  Almost equally as frightening, Pakistan denies that it plans to buy half a dozen new nukes from China.  As Shakespeare said, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."  The more they deny, the more I believe!   US taxpayers are unwittingly providing $5 billion in loans to help Westinghouse (now owned by England but soon to be owned by Japan) finance an $8 billion deal to build more nuclear powerplants in China.  Then there's that other yellowed old curmudgeon, North Korea, who continues to feverishly pursue all the components needed for making nuclear bombs.  And last, but so way not least, our old nemesis Bin Laden is still rattling the sabre.  Time for a regime change in a lot of places.  If you like Iraq, then you'll love what's coming next.  Some say an "American Hiroshima" is in our near future.  In late August 2008, we see that Iran is running 4,000 centrifuges "full throttle" for the purpose of creating fissile materials.

Both nuclear disaster and psychopaths (whatever the source of their motivation) threaten the foundation of Western civilization, but Thousands of Deadly Islamic Terror Attacks Since 9/11 muslim psychos with nukes may truly cause the end in our lifetime.  Think the UN will protect America from the scourge of Islam?   Think again.  A group of international Non-Government Organizations say that U.S. [foreign] aid should take precedence over U.S. security.  This seems both odd and dangerous in a time when record amounts of radioactive material are being "lost" in Canada.  Most will agree that terrorists would not be stealing nuke dust in Canada to make a dirty nuclear bomb (more info here) so they can light up Paris.  More likely they are dreaming of a dozen such bombs and 1,000,000 Americans dying of radiation sickness.  Europe also has black-market nuclear materials that are readily available to terrorists.  In late November 2007 three people were arrested in Slovakia attempting to sell a pound of 98%-pure uranium-235.  "...it was enriched enough [and in sufficient quantity] to be used in a radiological "dirty bomb," police said.



Even Dilbert's "life" on earth is affected by the Nuclear Monster.


NUCLEAR NEWS & ALERTS

Below, I offer links to some recent "Nuclear News" with only the briefest of descriptive comments.
There's a lot more news here. Get informed. Stay informed.
 CURRENT:   Current NRC reactor-status of all reactors in the USA. Daily history of the on or off line status and output % for each.  CURRENT:  Full NRC Reactor Event Reports for all reactors in the USA. Most are minor, but there are dozens every week.  CURRENT:   NRC Locations and details for all 104 reactors in the USA. Find your favorite local Nuclear Monster and waste dump.
June 2011: NRC admits radioactive Tritium has leaked from at least 48 of 65 US nuke sites. Various safety standards have continually been weakened for decades to ensure US commercial nukes appear to be "operating safely." Japs admit entire Fukushima nuclear complex went "China Syndrome" within 16 hours of quake. Reactors may have been damaged by the March 11 2011 earthquake even before the massive tsunami hit.
16 June 2011: Disappear this: Japanese organized crime seeks to "dispose" of
Fukushima nuclear waste. Meanwhile, Mafia may have scuttled a nuclear waste ship off the coast of Italy. Is this a 'deal we can't refuse?'
06 June 2011: All three Fukushima nukes were real naughty (i.e, "full meltdowns;" China Syndrome) within hours after the earthquake and tsunami on March 11 2011. How will we clean up all this nuclear potty? Bad nuke, BAD nuke !! 26 May 2011: Kansas Nuke is not tornado-ready: Wolf Creek never has been and never will be. Wolf Creek was in the news back in 2003, too. Bureaucrats are providing only "band-aid" maintenence for this aging class of nukes.
26 May 2011: Fukushima meltdown a "good" thing: It may become a nuke waste dump. As aging nukes go 'China Syndrome', convert them to radioactive dumps to solve the ongoing
'where we gonna put all this sh*t' problem!
10 May 2011: Failure of a nuke cooling system in Alabama could have been a serious event. Meanwhile, back in the Nuclear World, there are unending tragedies and trauma. 01 May 2011: Crippled Japanese nukes "regulated" by favoritism & social loyalty, not science. Meanwhile, Fukushima nuclear fires still burn.
27 April 2011: Twisters knock out three nukes in Alabama. Deja Vu Fukushima: Natural disaster disrupts critical power to reactor cooling. Just dumb luck that diesel backups did not fail
 - this time.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission only requires USA nukes to run on diesel backup power for 4-8 hours. After that time, commercial (outside) electrical power must be restored. If not, then Hello Fukushima/Chernobyl USA!  Only 3 of the 104 USA nukes can last without commercial power for 16 hours,  according to this Associated Press article. How d'ya like them odds, America??
26 April 2011:  25 years ago: Chernobyl   Revelation 8:10 - "And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 2011: Serious threat of ongoing new leakage at Chernobyl. Revelation 8:11 - "And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter." Watch this sad Chernobyl "Ghost Town" video. Music by songwriters Huns & Dr. Beeker  25 years ago: Chernobyl   The April 26th 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster reduced the once-thriving Ukranian town of Pripyat to a dead zone; a true GHOST TOWN. Ghost Town songwriters Huns & Dr. Beeker offer this video tutorial. Here are the words and chords to Ghost town (right click to download) in Em (no capo needed), and in F#m (the original key).
Elena Filatova, outspoken Ukrainian survivor & truth-teller of the April 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, gives us her analysis of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster (click here). Be sure to scroll down far enough to see Elena's April 2011 interview with the "IT-TORCA" newspaper (Malta). In it Elena says: "The similarity of Japan's beaurocrats to those of the Soviet Union is so obvious... Elena continues: "...desire of japanese people to adhere to authority... appears to be stronger than instinct of self preservation. They adhere to authority no matter how unsafe the actions of those in charge have been. Very sorry to say that, but in a short few years as a nation remarkable for longevity Japan will turn into sick nation with plenty of birth defects, cripples and funeral processions." 17 April 2011: Leak reveals chance for Fukushima-style reactor meltdown in Brit subs.
12 April 2011: "...leaks from the Fukushima plant so far amount to a tenth of the radiation emitted in the Chernobyl disaster but ... eventually  could exceed Chernobyl's emissions  if the crisis continues". Read the original news article here. For additional information click here. 11 April, 2011: "The Japanese government's nuclear safety agency has decided to raise the crisis level of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant accident from 5 to 7, the worst on the international scale, and the same as given to the April 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. 11 April 2011 Continued: "Level 7 has formerly only been applied to the Chernobyl accident in the former Soviet Union in 1986 when hundreds of thousands of terabecquerels of radioactive iodine-131 were released into the air. One terabecquerel is one trillion becquerels." Read the original news article here.
05 April 2011: Fukushima disaster produces Fuk-u-sushi. 14 March 2011: Nuclear fuel rods now melting in three Japanese reactors. More joy: Radiation cloud could reach USA west coast. 14 March 2011: Third Japan Reactor explodes violently. Each of the three (so far) March 2011 Japan nuclear events equal to 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown (.pdf).
13 March 2011: Scientific American explains what happened to the Japan reactors. Currently there are 23 General Electric Mark I reactors in the U.S. similar in design (40 years old) to the six Japan reactors now out of control. 13 March 2011: US nuke experts fear another Chernobyl-like meltdown for six Japan nuclear power stations. Their problems are directly comparable to the 1979 Three Mile Island situation. 12 March 2011: JAPAN NUKE BLOWS AFTER QUAKE. Total of five nukes at risk.
12 March 2011: New quake hits crippled Japan nuke.  11 March 2011: Japanese Fukushima nuclear power station shut after damage from quake and tsnami. 1,000's of nearby residents evacuated after cooling system failure. The resulting hyperpressure in containment vessel forced Operators to trigger 'safety' venting of radioactive vapors. More info here Oh, Happy Day! "Nuclear Experts" exult that nuclear war will abate Global Warming. Obviously for those who have spirogyra for brains, nothing could be worse than [-gasp-] Global Warming.
02 November 2010: Into Eternity: 250,000 tonnes of nuke waste is currently in interim storage. But there's very little agreement on what to do as it will remain a danger for around 100,000 years. 22 Oktober 2010: Agreement for nuke fuel transport across Ukraine - a great terrorist opportunity 12 October 2010: 30 US Nukes scrapped. Meanwhile, undocumented whitehouse occupant agitates for more $$$ for nukes.
23 Sept 2010: Scientists: Chernobyl plant life doing just fine, thank you, in nuclear dead zone: CLick here, and here, and here too. Of course, there is no word about the thousands of actual humans maimed and altered from the radiation. Huge photo op: Tourists flock to Cherny for 25th anniversary of nuclear disaster. Party hardy! Eyepopping new Chernobyl bra/gasmask thrills onlookers. 17 June 2010: Meanwhile, peace-loving Iran plans more nukes.
30 May 2010: Radioactive fish found near Vermont nuke. 38-year-old Yankee nuke leaking tritium leaking into wells at 100 times EPA limit. Cancer causing strontium 90 found in nearby soil. Officials blame other sources. 08 April 2010: An American visits Chernobyl in April, 2010. If that link is slow or fails, here are alternate links #1, and #2. An ongoing discussion/blog of that pilgrimage is here. 03 April 2010: All protestation and posturing to the contrary, the 0bama regime tacitly accepts a nuclear Iran. A steady weakening of resolve belies the blustery bravado of weakness.
15 March 2010: North Korea helping Iran build nuke missile bases. Satellite images of the launch complex reinforce evidence that Iran has been collaborating with Pyongyang. 12 March 2010: AG Eric Holder hid his defense of terrorist Muhajir Abdullah when Senate was considering Holder's n0bamanation. Abdullah planned to explode nuclear "dirty bomb" in USA 12 March 2010: American al-Qaida worked at 6 U.S. nuclear power plants. Did he gain access to information and materials useful to terrorists? Was NRC blinded by Nuclear Correctness??
12 March 2010: Rooskies plan 16 Indian nukes. First six reactors to be built by 2017. 06 March 2010: Now it's 'Vigilance' - but never so harsh as either 'outrage' or 'condemnation' over muzzie nukes. The original report on new UN stance is here. 28 Feb 2010: State Board may shut leaking Vermont nuke but Plant Owner (Entergy Corp.) appeals to NRC.
23 Feb 2010: Article with very salient points on the  hidden costs of nuclear energy . They are legion, so learn them all by heart. 19 Feb 2010: 0bama closure of Yucca Mountain leaves 130,000 metric tons of nuclear waste at 131 sites in 39 states. 16 Feb 2010: 0bama floats TWO New Nukes while US Taxpayers guarantee loans.
12 Feb 2010: In 0bamaland, Climb-It Change is greatest threat to National Security while atomic islamic jihad goes unmentioned. 03 Feb 2010: New nuke deal for Russia and Iran. Accepts deal to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. 31 Jan 2010: Some good news on fusion. Experiments smashed record for highest energy - by a factor of 20.
21 Jan 2010: Russia says it will push "Start/Run" button on Iran nuke in 2010. In other news, the ominous Start/Run whine of an Israeli bomber turbine (or maybe it's a Hammond B3) can be heard in the distance... 14 Jan 2010: Currently the world uses 67,000 tons of mined uranium a year, with known supplies good for only about seventy more years. How is this "better" than running out of fossil fuel in, say, 150 years? Dec 16 2009: As 0bama dithers, IRAN - a Country of Peace ruled by the alleged "Religion of Peace" - has developed a nuclear trigger and rocket(s) able to deliver a nuclear bomb.
Dec 11, 2009: Another twenty years approved for USA's oldest reactor. Dec 01 2009: Iran announces 10 more nukes while 0bama dithers. Nov 22 2009: NRC says "Safe" radiation leak at Three Mile Island [Move along, folks, nothing to see here] - Like last time?
Nov 19 2009: US NRC now relicensing old & unsafe "zombie" nukes for extended use. Nov 19, 2009: New USA uranium mine to open near Grand Junction (at Naturita) Colorado Nov 09, 2009: Brits approve 10 new nukes.
Nov 04, 2009: 0bama shuts Nuclear Waste Dump before it (Yucca Mountain) ever opens. 'How Now, Brown Cow?' Oct 24, 2009: Japs to build nukes for home use. Oct 10, 2009: Detention of terrorist Muslim engineer at French nuke extended.
04 Oct 2009:
Iran can make a nuclear bomb.
September 25, 2009: Iran has 2nd nuclear processing center. BBC post is here. 20 September 1009: Just great: Chavez offers Iran a backup nuke facility in Venezuela.
June 03, 2009: USSA to Iran: 'I've shown you mine, now you have to show me yours.' May 31, 2009: Super laser may ignite new fusion breakthroughs. April 12th, 2009: Iran announces full control of entire nuclear fuel cycle.
March 24, 2009: US Navy Researchers announce possible cold fusion breakthrough. February 28, 2009: Greenpeace has now become anti-nuke. February 25 2009: With Russian help, scientists begin test of Iran's first nuke.
February 19 2009: Iran has built up a stockpile of enriched uranium sufficient to detonate one nuclear bomb. Feb 05 2009: Russians to start Iran nuke this year. Welcome to the beginning of The End Of Days. January 29 2008: Israel says Iran bigger threat than world financial collapse.
July 11 2008: Alarm (but no action) at number of Muslims working at US nuclear facilities and prisons... yet they're the Religion Of Peace. July 05 2008: Dutch ban Muslims from nuclear studies... yet they're the Religion Of Peace. June 19 2008: Just great: USAF loses 1,000 nuke parts, while a clueless McCain calls for 45 new nukes.
June 16 2008: Pakistanni Muslim gives nuke secrets to everywhere.  More Info here and here, too... yet they're the Religion Of Peace. June 07, 2008:   Colorado think-tank Rocky Mountain Institute says that building new nukes anywhere is economically unattractive - period. May 27, 2008: Reports of a nuclear explosion in China that may have triggered the pre-Olympic Sichuan 7.9 earthquake. The original articles are archived at this link.
April 30 2008: Politicrats preach that Nuclear Energy is so "green" that it can save the planet from [so-called] Global Warming/Climate Change - now we learn that mining of nuke fuel generates huge qualtities of CO2! April 27 2008: "They" are building a new sarcophagus for Chernobyl, and it even looks like a modern "roll-off" stadium cover. Why, there's even a Chernobyl equivalent of a "Zamboni machine" to help with the construction activities! The nuclear monster has been bound (so they say), so why aren't we dancing in the streets for joy? The sell-out founder of Greenpeace may call for more nukes, but just maybe we can still sense a warning to be careful, to be vigilant. More info is here, and here.
Jan 28 2008: Pakistan raises the state of alert around its nuclear facilities amid concerns they could be targeted by Islamist militants (well, DUH)... yet they're the Religion Of Peace. January 25 2008: Droughts may shut down 20% of US nukes. Water shortage could lead to shockingly higher electric bills for millions
- what doesn't ??
Jan 21 2008: Bomb-making parts found in NY apartment of terrorist professor, a medical anthropologist with a specialty in epidemiology - the spread of disease among large populations [pardon me... I feel a sneeze coming on].
Jan 10 2008: New Brit nukes get OK, and related info. 17 June 2006: More details surface on 1979 TMI nuclear 'accident' - a near disaster that could have exceeded Chernobyl.


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There are certain things one needs (e.g., Potassium Iodide pills) to improve chances of surviving, and they can not be found at your local Home Depot.  You can review and acquire the tools of nuclear survival at the KI4U website (bookmark it).  Sleep well, my friends...



Here's a quote in March 2004 from a USA engineering journal (* the link to the original article is at the bottom of this page) telling how our own bureaucrats are rolling the nuclear dice; gambling with all our futures by providing only "band-aid" maintenence of all the aging nukes [if even that]:
"MONITORING OF THE SHELL wall thickness of feedwater heaters at Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station near Olathe Kansas [where I used to live] in 2003 revealed erosion of three of the 12 low-pressure feedwater heater shells.  Further investigation determined that the shells were eroding to a point approaching minimum allowable wall thickness.  Normally the feedwater heaters would have been repaired or replaced.   Unfortunately both solutions would have involved extensive costs, which had not been budgeted for in the 2003 budget.   As a result, the engineers started to look for alternate less costly solutions."
Oh - That's just GREAT!   Let's save a few bucks and damn the children!  Did you notice how they failed [yet again] to budget correctly???  This example is exactly how they always underestimate the [purposely hidden] costs of the building, maintenance,
waste storage & disposal, and final de-commissioning of nuclear power plants!

Just a minute... The end game for old nukes now seems to be following a cynical and dangerous pattern:

  • As end-of-license approaches (30-40 years), owners defer, limit, and/or avoid safety and other maintenance.
  • At the very last minute, old owner finds a buyer for the old, "zombie" nuke.
  • The new owner applies to the NRC for a fresh, new license.
  • The NRC quickly approves, and we all live happily ever after - mostly; maybe...
  •  OCTOBER 2005 ALERT:   An investigation by ABC News found almost a total lack of security at 25 College Nukes.  Now there's something way more serious to worry about than binge drinking on college campuses.

     MARCH 2006 ALERT:   The USA Nuclear Regulatory Commission discovers leaks of tritium and Strontium 90 at the New York Indian Creek nuclear powerstation.  Of particular concern is that the leaks are deep underground and were not (until now) being monitored or counted against Indian Point's tritium release allowance.  One can only wonder about how many other undetected and/or unreported leaks have occurred (or are occurring) at other nukes that are also outside their rather narrow monitoring areas.

     OCTOBER 2006 ALERT:   The dawning of the Asian Nuclear Arms Race potentially overshadows the concers I have over the proliferation of "peaceful" uses for nuclear energy.  Remember the good old days when all we had to worry about was Nikita "teddy bear" Khrushchev?  Now we have mad-dog North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il (and others) to deal with.

     FEBRUARY 2007 ALERT:   Just like all complex machines (e.g., your automobile, your washing machine, Space Shuttle Challenger, whatever), nuclear power plants depend on everyday perishable items - like "O" rings - that get old, stiff, wear out, etc.  Recently Sweeden has been having problems with its reactors.   All of them are getting old, and their critical small parts are failing - just as they are in reactors all over the planet.  Bet you did not know that Sweeden has permanently shut down two of its 12 nuclear reactors since 1999 as part of a plan to phase out [all] nuclear power over the next 30 or so years.  Wonder what they know that our politicians are hiding?

     SEPEMBER 2007 MAJOR ALERTS:   Nine test failures since 2005 at privately owned Nuclear Fuel Services Inc., a longtime supplier of fuel to the U.S. Navy's nuclear fleet.  A three-year veil of secrecy in the name of national security was used to keep the public in the dark about the handling of highly enriched uranium at the Erwin, Tennesee nuclear fuel plant - including a leak that could have caused a deadly, uncontrolled nuclear reaction.  The public was never told about the danger until the recent news leak [radiation, news - it all leaks eventually].  This really makes one want to distrust one's government.

    Sep 24, 2007: Power producer NRG Energy Inc. is expected on Tuesday to submit the first application for a new nuclear reactor (two reactors, actually) in the U.S. - the first since before the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania in 1979 ( more here) ( see this companion article, also). ALERT: In November 2009 the NRC claimed a "Safe" radiation leak at Three Mile Island. As predicted, its would-be masters at NRG Energy rationalize the move as an "...alternative to traditional coal-fueled generation [which will] produce none of the traditional air emissions --and most importantly in this age of climate change -- no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases."  Conviently omitted from the PR puffery is any mention whatsoever of the potential for gene-altering and cancer-causing radioactive emissions from the new south Texas nukes.  You are invited to read my essay on Global Warming to see why NRG's boast is so hollow.    Also notably absent is any acknowledgement (much less confirmation) by NRG that any funds have been set aside for the eventual decommissioning (i.e., rendering harmless) of the elderly reactors and ongoing costs for spent nuclear fuel storage.  Of course, who would want to supress NRG stock prices by mentioning those embarassing details - or that the entire world is on the verge of a urainum shortage to feed their new babies?  NRG does seem proud to announce however that NRG has outsourced the reactor design to Japanese Toshiba Corporation.  New nukes at least used to provide jobs for Americans when domestic corporations such as Combustion Engineering and Westinghouse designed and built them.  Welcome to multi-nationalism on a nuclear scale!  And as a final, disgusting tidbit for dessert, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it expects to receive six more apps for new nukes yet in 2007.

     NOVEMBER 2007 ALERT:   The Perry Nuclear Power Plant in North Perry, Ohio, went into auto-shutdown mode.  An early "Merry Christmas" gift from Old Saint Nuke, apparently.  The article is silent as to whether the event was serious enough to have invoked a full-fledged SCRAM or not.  Either way this reactor has had many prior problems, yet nearby residents (i.e., anyone within 1,000 miles) can sleep easy because the Nuclear Regulatory Commission rated the plant "safe" in 2005, promising the NRC would continue "heightened supervision."  Now we can all exhale...

    In other news, German tabloid Der Spiegel assures us that radiation dangers are far less than previously reported, being little more than a nuisance and grossly exaggerated.  Here are links to Part One, and Part Two of that article.  One can can be assured of its scientific accuracy for two reasons: (1) Because "A consensus ... has been reached in the West..." (science has apparently become poll-driven) and (2) The Official Russian Chernobyl Death Toll - 47 people - is cited as proof.  Indeed, what higher or more respected authorities are necessary?  Only a skeptic such as myself could wonder if perhaps such a reassuring article, placed in a highly-circulated publication (more than one million weekly), is perfectly timed to deflect mounting objections to scores of new nuclear power plants now being planned and promoted in almost every country.


    In its Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurrences - Fiscal Year 2006, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reported a spill of highly-enriched uranium that had occured at the NFS Erwin nuclear fuel plant on March 6, 2006:

    "In a facility authorized to process high-enriched uranium (HEU), a transfer of HEU solution through a transfer line resulted in a portion of the HEU solution, approximately 35 liters, leaking into a glovebox where criticality [nuclear explosion] was possible and subsequently to the floor where criticality was also possible because of the presence of an elevator pit." [...]  In different circumstances, the total volume of the transfer would have been more than enough for criticality to be possible in the filter glovebox or the elevator pit.  If a criticality accident had occurred in the filter glovebox or the elevator pit, it is likely that at least one worker would have received an exposure high enough to cause acute health effects or death."

    But wait... There's more!  A recent article says that the European Union currently has 156 operating nuclear reactors (average operating age of well over 20 years).   An additional 56 have been closed and 2 are under construction.  Many were designed by the less-than-clever Soviet trolls. Imagine, 214 potential  Wormwoods - and the numbers do not include any of those in the Russian (former USSR) bloc.  Typically, none of the nukes operators have sufficient budgeting for increasing maintenance costs, much less any workable plan for spent fuel disposal or safe decommissioning.   Oh yes, the entire EU is bound by the 47-year-old  Euratom treaty which compels all its members to build still more Wormwoods.  Sleep well, friends...


    Some very Good News: In Spring of 2008 a possible new anti-radiation drug was announced.  Scientists say "We demonstrated the drug is efficacious when injected before radiation and after radiation."  Sounds rather like some kind of morning after pill, except the trick (sorry) will be in knowing just when the best before has happened...

    I have come to believe that the Global Warming Hoax is beginning to have an unexpected positive (for mankind) side-effect: Fewer new nuclear power plants will ever be built.

    Why?  The Political, Corporate, and Financial leaders of the world are beginning to understand how profitable an ongoing, artificial crisis can be.  Better for them to continue fanning the worldwide fear of Global Warming (more recently repackaged as "Climate Change") by silently encouraging use of CO2-producing fossil fuels.

    By abandoning calls for construction of new nukes, the PC&F leaders can more easily promote new CO2 taxes and regulations on We The People.  More money means more control, and more control means more power over their subjects.  This equation also applies to world organizations such as the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund, so we can expect them to turn their propaganda machines away from promoting nuclear energy.


    I am prepared to offer an olive branch to the extent that more advanced nuclear reactors may make Chernobyl and TMI-type accidents way less likely, but they still do not address the major problem of long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel.  Short of flying this nuclear dung into the sun, there is no such thing as actual permanent, safe disposal.  In addition, the new advanced design reactors still have not yet seen the end of development and testing costs.  Therefore I think the odds are heavily biased towards our leaders deciding that more of the same old [dangerous] designs are just what we "need."  What do you think?

    Bet you can't wait to have one of these nuclear devils built near your town so the folks can [somehow] have 'cheap gas' for all their SUVs again.  Hardly !!   Instead, you should inform yourself as to why, exactly, gasoline prices are so high and rising in the United States.   This article gives an even-handed analysis (it's not just OPEC to blame).

    In this eye-opener #1 you will learn that there's an abundance of untapped, non-nuclear American resources available that is both safe and economical.   It can provide all our needs, for the next 40 years, without further kowtowing to the America-hating Arabs, or paying any more ransom to the rabid dictators of South America.  Sweet.  And in this almost fairy-tale eye-opener #2 you will learn even more exciting info about nearly unlimited energy waiting within huge deposits of Colorado oil shale.

    BOTTOM LINE: We don't need any more Arab oil and we certainly don't need any more Nuclear powerplants !!

    I believe the basic premise on which the scientific community in general (maybe even yourself) all hang their pro-nuclear arguments is nothing more than unproven speculation - albeit oh so "scientific."  Their line goes something like this:

    Basically, the main drawback of fossil fuels is pollution. Burning any fossil fuel produces carbon dioxide, which accelerates the naturally occurring "greenhouse effect", warming the Earth.

    I certainly do not dispute the actual facts.  The facts are arrayed for you, along with many links to important reference material, in this essay on Global Warmimg.

    After considering the link above, dear reader, I hope you agree that there is a good possibility that so-called Global Warming (i.e., a human-accelerated Greenhouse Effect) is just the boogeyman du jour.  

    The pro-Nuke folks never seem to address the question of 'just where does all their uranium fuel come from, anyway?'  Urainium consumption worldwide is almost twice the quantity that is being produced, making for a rapidly growing shortage of uranium.   The pro-Nuclear activists and Global-Warming handwringers are neglecting to warn us that, by switching from fossil fuels to nuclear energy, we are just trading-in one type of fuel shortage for another!!  Further, no one ever mentions that mining, transportation, and purification of uranium ore is highly, almost 100%, dependent on fossil fuel.  So the highly touted "freedom" that nuclear energy supposedly grants from Arab-oil-dependence is merely a hollow argument based on a false premise.

    I (Dan Martin) only live a few miles away from the St Vrain, Colorado, nuclear facility.  Today it masquerades as a conventional gas/oil generating plant, but it was born a nuke (and a handicapped one at that).  It never was anything but a problem, yet now "they" want to build more nukes in Colorado.

    I maintain that 40-50 more years of fossil fuel usage could safely buy mankind the time needed to research and develop a viable and non-nuclear fission alternative - a fusion process comes to mind.  More likely, major breakthroughs in solar-cell, battery, and/or fuel-cell technology could be all that we need to bail us out of nuclear bondage - forever and ever, Amen.

    Please visit this link to read  emails from Horatiu , a Romanian entrepreneur who lives less than 1,000 miles from Chernobyl.  He sees both sides of the nuclear issue with clarity and expresses his views (with which I agree completely) most eloquently.  You will not regret taking the time to read them.  

    Indeed, mankind is at a crossroads.  If we turn the wrong way and embrace nuclear energy again, we will have made a pact with the Devil.  One of the songs on this CD - well worth buying - was inspired by the horror of Chernobyl.  Watch a YouTube video with Chernobyl images. Here is a demo version (audio only) of that song:   Ghost Town  (1.3 Mb .mp3).  It is written and performed by Huns and Dr. Beeker, who say "Not only is [Ghost Town] an incredible [web] site, and the inspiration for our song "Ghost Town", but we can now say that it is the site of our friend Elena Filatova.  She is a remarkable young woman with a deep resolve to tell the truth.  Please support her in any way you can."  [NOTE: The CD containing Ghost Town has 12 other tracks on it.  I have a copy of that CD and it is excellent and among my most prized.  You should have one, too.  Here is my unauthorized review of all the tunes - Dan Martin]]

    Elena has recently (March 2006) made a new video clip (54 Mb .mpg) using many of her Chernobyl Ghost Town images synchronized to the complete Huns & Dr. Beeker's haunting Ghost Town as the audio track.  You will see the doomed people of Pripyat, Ukraine on the Day After Chernobyl (April 27th, 1986), as authorities begin the forced evacuation.  Few who see this clip will be able to hold back their tears...

    I [Dan] can say no more - the pictures of the hastily abandoned kindergarten class in the Chernobyl dead-zone has taken away most of my anger and left in its place a dread that there's much more of the same coming soon... maybe to a neighborhood near your kids' school.

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    AN APPEAL TO THE CITIZENS OF THE EARTH

    FROM THE VICTIMS OF THE CHERNOBYL CATASTROPHE

    Please Read this heartfelt plea by Lyubov Sirota (thanks to Nuclear Flower.com).  Lyubov asks that: "... April 26 from now on become not only a Day of Sorrow and remembrance of the ever growing numbers of victims of Chernobyl, let it also become a Day of Unification of humankind as we face the threat of self-annihilation, and a Day of Hope for our salvation.  You can read all of Lyubov's plea here.

    More information on the Ukrainian town of Pripyat, ground-zero of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, can be found at: pripyat.com/en/.  At the pripyat.com website are scores of articles and photographs taken by local people - please visit it now! Every April 26th, we should all take a reverent moment to remember the ghosts of Chernobyl and Pripyat.



    * Link to original Wolf Creek engineering journal:  Click Here

    + The Terminator movie arrived in 1984, two years prior to the actual Chernobyl disaster.  In case you have been vacationing on another planet, the story (cast in the late 1990s) was about the fully computerized "Skynet" defense system which became "self-aware" and launched a nuclear holocaust against all humanity.  The Terminator was one of its cyborg robots sent on a mission of destruction and mayhem.

    # Link to the original New Scientist article:  Click Here
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