Dirty Bomb

A dirty bomb is an explosive designed to spread dangerous radioactive material over a wide area. When people hear "bomb" and "radioactive" in the ­same sentence, their minds jump to nuclear war pretty quickly. But it turns out that a dirty bomb's primary destructive power would probably be panic, not radiation damage.

A dirty bomb is much closer in power to an ordinary explosive than it is to the widespread destructive force of a nuclear bomb. But the fear of contamination could be debilitating, in the same way that 2001's anthrax scare in the United States terrorized much of the American populace, even though only a few people were infected.

How would a 'Dirty Bomb' work? Where could terrorists obtain the material to make a 'D.B.?' What is the destructive power of a 'D.B.' compared to a conventional 'A-bomb?' How can we protect against this threat?

Are terrorists the only ones to have utilized this type of weapon? The answer may surprise you.

Can you diffuse the threat before its too late?! Take the 'Dirty Bomb' Quiz!

Nuclear Summit

Play Secretary of State Clinton's Speech.

There are three main elements of our strategy to safeguard our country and allies against nuclear attack. First, we begin with our support for the basic framework of the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The global nuclear nonproliferation regime is based on a three-sided bargain: countries without nuclear weapons agree not to acquire them; countries with nuclear weapons work toward disarmament; and every nation is afforded the right to access peaceful nuclear energy under appropriate safeguards.

Do you agree or disagree with this strategy? What should the United States be doing to stop Nuclear Proliferation?

The Prisoners Dilemma

The prisoner's dilemma is the story of two criminals who have been arrested for a heinous crime and are being interrogated separately. Each knows that if neither of them talks, the case against them is weak and they will be convicted and punished for lesser charges. If this happens, each will get only 5 years in prison. If both 'rat' on the other person, its a slam dunk case for the prosecution and they face life sentences. If only one person 'rats' and testifies against the other, the one who did not cooperate will get the death sentence while the other will get parole and go free.

What would you do? Why?

What does this have to do with Nuclear Deterrence policy?

How is this famous variation different from our class example? What was the surprising outcome?

Nuclear Proliferation

With Iran refusing to budge from its production of 20% enriched uranium, which it insists is solely to generate civilian nuclear power, efforts have been building within Washington to devise a road-map for action – including military options – should Iran get closer to nuclear capability.

At a Senate hearing last week, Pentagon officials said Iran could have sufficient bomb-grade fuel – normally about 90% enriched uranium – for one nuclear weapon within a year, although it might take up to five years actually to create a bomb.

Iran has also stepped up the rhetoric. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today boasted about the country's army. "Today, our armed forces have so much power that no enemy will harbor evil thoughts about laying its hands on Iranian territory," he said at an annual army parade.

What are the dangers of Iran becoming a nuclear power and what options does the United States have to prevent it?

PDA

The issue of Public Displays of Affection in the THS hallways has students and staff talking. Our Student Handbook defines 'kissing' and 'body contact' as 'inappropriate.' But does that include holding hands? Fist bumps? Or how about hugs?

Schools are not the only ones to define 'decent' public behavior. In Dubai (home of the world's tallest building) public kissing can land you in jail. Take for example this recent case in which British tourists face up to a month in jail for smooching in a Public restaurant.

Compare the laws of Dubai to our own school rules? Are they too harsh or not harsh enough? How would you re-write the PDA rule if you were the Principal?

Now Thats Tall!

TRUE OR FALSE
Humans are the only animals to exploit the earth for our own personal gain?

TRUE OR FALSE
Humans are the only animals that can use reason to weigh the consequences of actions and change?

Termites are social insects, related to cockroaches. They are well-known for building extraordinary cathedral-like mounds with clever ventilation systems, and notorious for eating wooden houses - in the US they cause more damage to homes than storms and fires combined. Some termites eat soil, and others eat dead wood in tropical forests, aiding the decomposition process. Some termites give off methane when digesting food, by fermentation in the gut, in a similar way to cattle. Methane is another of the greenhouse gases.

Termite mounds can be as high as 30 feet, but the average one is seven or eight. Some termite mounds can contain as much as 60 tons of material, which ranges from soil to the waste of the plant matter that they devour. Elaborate termite mounds that reach great heights are the largest structures constructed on the planet by a species other than man. Termites could produce as much as 150 million tons of methane a year. The amount of methane in the atmosphere was - and still is - increasing faster than other greenhouse gases, by 1 per cent a year since 1978.

Take Back Al Gore's Oscar?!

No, it wouldn't do anything for the environment.

But two Hollywood conservatives (yes, there are some) have called upon the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to rescind the prestigious, profitable gold Oscar statuette that it gave ex-Vice President Al Gore et al two years ago for the environmental movie "An Inconvenient Truth."

Lionel and Roger have some tough, but fair questions for the filmmakers of An Inconvenient Truth about inaccuracies in their Academy Award winning film. They've been invited to respond, but so far nothing. Watch & Comment here: http://pjtv.com/v/3033