Throwing Stones

This past week, I have had to explain to my son why there are nasty people in the world who want to throw things at other countries. It is not an easy conversation to have and one I really don't enjoy. I have limited my explanation so my son likens any threat to something akin to the canon ball launchers he has with his Imaginext play castle. After all, he is only six and really isn't ready for the full horror of what inter-continental ballistic missiles are capable of. That is really what his schooling is for.
In the past week, words have been used which no one would want to hear used in media news broadcasts. Words such as nuclear and strike have been used in the same sentence along with anti-missile and defence. During the 70's and 80's the use of such words would have sent a chill through the population and prompted the circulation of 'protect and survive' leaflets. Since those days, freedom of information means that we now know how futile any form of advice would be and it is now accepted that there would be little or no protection from a nuclear exchange.
Just how much of this is just words? I suspect rather a lot. I listened with interest to a piece on this morning's Broadcasting House where we heard that domestic television news in North Korea barely mentions any kind of crisis and places more importance on the publication of a book about 'The Great Leader' and an exhibition of photography. If North Korea are building up to war then it would appear the populous is blissfully unaware. So is it all a show? Quite possibly. After all, they have done it on numerous occasions before. What is more dangerous than the 'crisis' in relations is the talk about nuclear war. This can lead to misunderstandings and mistakes. A game of threats is not one to be playing when those involved have the means to trigger a conflict from which there would be no return.
This last week, if nothing else, has been a stark reminder of how quickly international affairs can deteriorate to a point whereby we begin talking about the use of nuclear weapons.
I keep hearing in the media whether we should be worried. I don't think so. The retaliation to anything fired at us would be massive. What we should be worried about is the wider effect of any military action between North and South Korea. The inevitable involvement of the US and military build up in the region would not be tolerated by China, as they have made clear, and would risk it adopting a defencive stance. Any accidents or mistakes could easily result in a far wider conflict developing, and it's this that should worry us.

Germany and Bank Holiday blues

Looking out of the window, I see a grey sky and rain. It's the kind of weather I hate, really hate. That blanket grey with no breaks in it at all and the constant rain. Horrible... but typically BBH (British Bank Holiday) weather. I've remarked previously about the effect weather can have on mood. I'm a firm believer in this and my lack of enthusiasm today I'm sure is linked to the damp grey outdoors.

Good news from our friends in Germany though.... they have decided to dispense completely with nuclear power. Now, I am actually against nuclear power - well the way we play with it anyway. I do think it has potential as being a clean energy but there are two fundamental aspects of its use that we don't understand. The first is safety and the second is spent fuel. Nuclear safety is something we don't take seriously enough. Fukushima has taught us that and Germany have conceded that because we can't do it safely then it's best to not to it at all. After all, the nuclear industry is unable to get any organisation to insure its sites - the risk being so high.

The by-products and waste fuel are things we simply do not know what to do with. We prefer the 'out of sight, out of mind option' so bury it underground, hoping it will go away. The truth is of course that it won't - it'll be there in thousands of years from now, assuming it hasn't already leaked into the soil around it.

I do think Germany have made the right decision, but in doing so, they have set themselves enormous challenges to generate energy from conventional and renewable sources. They must be confident in their ability to do this and I don't think the decision to scrap nuclear energy has been just a knee-jerk reaction to Fukushima, though I do think it was influenced strongly by it.

Something I would like to see discussed is 'Thorium Energy'. It's probably something many have never heard of but if you Google the word 'thorium', you'll find a wealth of information relating to it. There are it appears several groups dotted all over the world already playing with it and a few who claim it to be the energy source of the future - clean, plentiful and above all, safe. I won't write much about it here, I'd rather prefer for others to make up their own minds as to the merits of Thorium Energy. It does all sound very exciting though...

Back to Germany and there is no doubt the decision they have made is a huge one - politically motivated or not. I wonder how many others will follow? I suspect very few...