Category Archives: History

Chernobyl Lessons

Interesting review by the BBC of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Reactions went awry, apparently, when some engineers tried to test a hypothesis on a production system. The system quickly heated out of control during the test, and was unable to recover.

Operational errors:

The reactor began to overheat and its water coolant started to turn to steam.

At this point it is thought that all but six control rods had been removed from the reactor core – the minimum safe operating number was considered to be 30.

Design errors:

Because the reactor was not housed in a reinforced concrete shell, as is standard practice in most countries, the building sustained severe damage and large amounts of radioactive debris escaped into the atmosphere.

They are still working on building a containment system, twenty years later, and now need £600m to replace the present system that is failing. Wonder what the cost of the containment shell, and/or a proper development and test environment, would have been prior to the accident.

the carrot

by Kgafela oa Magogodi

the carrot attracts a crooked habit

rabbits cross the floor to chew the rot

vote right

there’s no carrot on the left

the parrot sings praises cos the carrot

is in the pot

the only truth to the tooth is the carrot

liars strangle no more they dangle the carrot

to suck you into the rot

they put the carrot in your pocket

to keep you quiet

no more riot

no more riot

no more riot

just the grinding of rot

the carrot dance is a national sport

see how they run like judas iscariot

to grab the all mighty carrot

now children are taught

that life is about who eats more carrot

to excrete more rot

lairs raise the flag of the carrot

even in the toilet

no more riot

no more riot

no more riot

just the grinding of rot

you’re a true patriot

even if you get caught

stealing the carrot

nobody takes you to court

it matters not if you forgot

to give to the poor a cut

of the carrot.

Interesting work from South Africa by a poet invited to facilitate Steve Biko Foundation poetry workshops. This poem and the following praise for Magogodi caught my eye on the Centre for Creative Arts site:

Reading … listening to Kgafela oa Magogodi’s poetry and song is a shattering experience. His linguistic chisels go far beyond ‘causing blisters in the eardrums of society’. They are like a shattered mirror, with each piece of glass throwing at you a reflection, an image of its own. His art is not something that you can fix a label on without going drastically wrong.

Nobody likes labels, but we depend on them.

Do not sit up straight

When astronauts launch, they never sit up straight. The gravitational forces are apparently better handled in a reclining position. Makes sense, right? So why do people think we should sit up straight? Where does that belief come from?

Oh, what I would do for an office that had a recliner with a monitor suspended above me, like the astronauts…

I always felt like reclining was a more comfortable position and was often scolded in school for my posture. The highlight of abuse came from Mrs. Hebert, a french teacher in high school, who asked me “are you retarded or something” when I slouched in my desk during her class.

Well, research has started to come forward to state the obvious: a reclining position is better for your health.

slouch

They told the Radiological Society of North America that the best position in which to sit at your desk is leaning slightly back, at about 135 degrees.

Experts said sitting was known to contribute to lower back pain.

Data from the British Chiropractic Association says 32% of the population spends more than 10 hours a day seated.

The cost to the economy of the incorrect ergonomics must be significant. How much more rested and ready would staff be if they were allowed to assume a more relaxed position?

Unbelievably, despite all the facts staring us in the face, the most common office furniture today threatens humans with a harmful position.

And what about airplanes? Why not start the flight in a reclining position? Would it really be that hard for people to get out of their chairs in an emergency?

Perhaps the reasons for the upright position are to do with “regal” or “monarchial” habits from western culture — it is more proper to be perpendicular, or even leaning forward, and easier to dethrone a king who sits upright.

One thing is certain, those who are not bound by the past traditions of others and left to establish their own are more inclined to recline.

Private Nazi Bunker Hotel Defies German Authorities

Neo-nazis have found a loophole in the German laws, allowing them to create a shrine from a hotel built around one of Hitler’s bunkers:

Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, located in Bavaria near the Austrian border, became Hitler’s holiday retreat in 1923. It was expanded after 1933, becoming a second seat of government along with Berlin under the Nazi regime.

The hotel “Zum Türken” and adjoining bunker were once the quarters for Hitler’s personal security staff and bodyguards from the Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers (SD). Visitors to the bunker can view SD detention cells and shooting ranges.

[…]

“The problem is that a relic of the Third Reich is privately owned and commercially marketed by the owner.”

Funny thing about fascists, perhaps due to want of corporatism, is they always seem to know how to manipulate the private sector to undermine rule of law for profit.