Once again, we've been away for a while but we're back, stomping onto the scene with a Gojira-size of a show!!
This month we discuss recent developments in Russo-Iranian relations, nuclear fusion at ITER, the ramifications for nuclear after the recent European elections and the new Godzilla movie (SPOILERS!!).
We've got two new speakers on the show, Mark Williams and Liz Hope-Parker. Along the way we discover rollercoasters like breaking down, Godzilla may be a radioactive diabetic and Kate is campaigning for Downing Street.
(Apologies, I've noticed, only after uploading, that our theme tune has played over the music in one section)
It seems like a lifetime ago since we've posted a new episode on the site and, finally, a new show is here! This month we discuss what we believe to be the top five news stories from 2013; including Iran, hijinks at Hinkley Point, repository retractions, nuclear waste resigned to Davy Jones' locker and a review of the film "Pandora's Promise".
During public engagement excursions, many nuclear researchers tend to get asked a myriad of questions on the nuclear bomb. It's rather a grim issue - which is enveloped in a torrent of moral arguments - but is one we shouldn't shy away from tackling. However, if you even attempt to delve into the facts & figures surrounding weapons stockpiles and their potential impact it can leave you feeling like you've entered the Aztec Zone of the Crystal Maze.
Hope you have been soaking up the rarity that is the British summer season!! How about listening to this months show whilst having an impromptu BBQ or when sipping on a lukewarm Pimms in a ridonkulously overcrowded beer garden? We've certainly got everything covered! We'll be talking about EDF vs the Government, 1970s Anglo-German waste policy (or lack thereof), a mysterious facility in Germany and North Korea! Hope you enjoy the show!
Gunth
(NB. Correction - I mention America financing Al-Qaeda during the 1980s Afghan Conflict. It was, in fact, the Mujahideen which received weapons and training. Splinter groups of the Mujahideen later formed Al-Qaeda).
Our new episode will be going up at the beginning of May, so I just thought I'd give you a taster of what's going to be on the show!
At the risk of my repeating myself, nuclear appears to have fallen down a rocky road in recent weeks (NB. It seems quite ironic I've used rocky road as a negative as I loved those flapjacks at Uni!). Anyway, we'll be talking about the investment tightrope the Government has been walking these past few weeks in not yet reaching an electricity strike price deal with EDF Energy. This may well have huge implications!! In addition to the obvious impact on our CO2 emissions, foreign firms may not be confident in investing in future UK infrastructure projects due to the Government's ambivalence towards their own energy policy.
We'll also be discussing the mysterious closure of a manufacturing plant in Germany, which was backed by a former Iranian minister and may have possible ties to the nuclear black market. My own personal passion - nuclear waste - will also feature, as a number of containers from the 1950's have been found at the bottom of the English Channel. Furthermore, we'll discuss the recent developments at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant.
As we can't seem to avoid western media outlets' information assault on a small country in East Asia, I believe we need to talk about North Korea. With John Sweeney (BBC Panorama) going on an ethically-upstanding visit to the People's Republic - one in which the Beeb in no way damaged academic integrity with unstable foreign nations - it's about time we have a discussion on how we've arrived at this juncture with Kim Jong-un! So, there's plenty to look forward to on the show and if you have any questions for the recording don't hesitate to tweet us!!!
By the way, the Panorama investigation on North Korea is embedded below! Let us know what you think. Did it tell you anything you didn't know already? Was it worth placing the London School of Economics in disrepute? Oh, and you may have heard of the journalist John Sweeney before.... There's a reason for that. He channeled the power of Zeus during a debate with Tommy Davis (a Scientologist) on a previous Panorama investigation.
On this months show we discuss a little-known country called Iran and the nature of their nuclear programme. On our journey of whimsy we discover that mice may well communicate to humans through mobile phones, the Power Rangers may be called upon to face a new threat in Japan, there isn't a weapons-grade nuclear device on the Curiosity rover and the purpose of dodgeball is to avoid dislocating your thumb!
Our guest speakers this month are Craig Morrison and Maureen Haverty!
The track played on this episode was "Computer" by State Shirt from the album This is Old.
On this months show we discuss the UK's supposed plutonium "laundry service", a "balanced" study on Fukushima death projections by an anti-nuclear advocate, Helen Caldicott and the uranium-heroin connection, US-Israeli involvement in "stuxnet" and, finally......... Alex Salmond.
Our discussion will take the form of a debate on whether or not the UK needs a nuclear deterrent any more. Matt Gill, Joel Turner and Paul Butler believe it's immoral to get rid of our nuclear capability; whilst Kate Tucker, Craig Morrison and Toby Wright argue that it's immoral to keep them.......FIGHT!
The track played on this months show was "Radiation Hazard" by gwEm and Counter Reset from the album Live from Hell. (Radiation Hazard (gwEm and Counter Reset) / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
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