Command and Control

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How a lost tool almost triggered off a nuclear weapon.

Eric Schlosser´s book demonstrates how dangerous atomic weapons are – for those prducing and maintaining them.
While carrying out routine maintenance the expert lost his tool. It fell – 20 metres deep into the silo holding the atomic bomb. By doing so the tool went kinetic and damaged the bomb´s coating.
With a deadly chain reaction. Igniting fire. Gas. Toxics. Almost triggering off the bomb in the midth of later president Clinton´s home Arkansas.
Probably it was this catastrophe making him president of the USA.
Eric Schlosser´s book „Command and Control“ has been turned into a breath taking documentary.

The author spoke with witnesses of what happened. In addition the author lists up so called „broken arrow“- incidents with planes llosing atomic bombs. The Arkansas-catastrophe is one example of hundreds of almost nuclear explosions, caused by lightning, surge, leakage current and short circuit. Insulation conducted electricity; what was declared as impossible befor, occurred.
His compendium of 632 pages is reminding of the history of the Cold war and how the atomic bomb was researched and developed. The book remembers Russian officer Stanislav Petrov, who decided that alleged approaching US missiles had to be an error and for this reason opted not to start world war 3. Faulty computer not only exist in the Hollywwod movie „Wargames“ but unfortunately in reality as well. Nuclear shelter and center of command Norad rated an exercise as real Russian aggression until realizing the mistake. Schlosser succeeded in digging up historic reports of accidents. Jane Cavolina, Stephanie Simon, Jessica Bufford and Aaron Labaree researched an extensive bibliography, including former secret documents released under FOIA request.

Die letzten Tage des Condor (eBook, ePUB)

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COVER STORY AGAINST COVER UP

„Last days of the condor“ should not be the follow up of „6/3 days of condor“ starring Robert Redford, but shows what it would have been like hadn´t Redford told the whole story of state killers to the New York Times.
But nevertheless it is a great giveaway for all survivors.
Remember those famous words: I am just reading, therefor I am surviving.
As a „Golden book“ con-dor is a true description of the alert modus helping to survive, not the goal.
The aim is: publish! Not perish.

Die große Maschine

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Nobel prize winner Robert Jungk has been writing in his book „the huge machine“
in 1965
ten million fotos worldwide
were produced from particles in bubble chambers such as CERN. It was intended to take 40 million fotos on a global scale till 1975.
The accelarator
produced intense radioactivity according to nobel prize winner
Jungk and for this reason had to be buried beneath earth.
Apart from the accelarator typcial technology for nuclear physics were used such as
van de Graaf and scintillation sparking.
No wonder
close cooperation is described with the centers of developing the atomic bomb such as Brookhaven
and Oak Ridge and their offspring such as the Subcommittee on Research, Development and Radiation of the joint committee on Atomic energy.
The author is reminding of those times when non visible rays going through brick walls –
were unbelievable (and still are even in these very days and even for people calling themselves „academics“…).
28 billion electro volt were required for Cern,
run by people who developed radar
during World war 2
or worked for the Telecommunications research lab of Royal Airforce.
Despite working on highly sensitive technology
Robert Jungk writes that during the hey days of Cold war
Cern scientists cooperated with the GDR
(Zeuthen eg), China and even
Moscow,
with Westerners developing for Moscow the seperation of radio frequency which is military relevant today.
Furthermore Jungk describes how, in times when German citizens were glad to have something to eat for the first time, Cern employees were flying with planes like other people use the tram.

Game over (eBook, ePUB)

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Game over
by Philip Kerr

is „Rising sun“ (Michael Crichton)
meets
„War games“ (David Bischoff)

The author gives the expression sick building syndrome a new meaning.

Bit by bit
it de-constructs vividly
the myth of technology as the solution to everything.

Temperature regulated for the well being can easily be turned against the inhabitants as soon as the lethal parametres are changed to be high score for homicide.

The building´s computer takes a video game as information basis for how to kill people inside the most efficient way.

As Cato in Inspector Cloiseau the headoffice´ computer is a programme for total destruction and only compensators meant for counteracting earthquakes
triggers off an earthquake,
making the high rise building tumble down;
written in 1996.

Spiegel magazine reporters should have read this book instead of promoting
„smart buildings“.

Violence of Action (eBook, ePUB)

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Nukes kill – not only when they explode but permanently, as there is a war going on about snatching them and countering the counter. This environmental wisdom is the essence of the book, but did the author have to glorify torture in order to drastically point out the consequences of what safeguarding may mean?
Those who believed in the advertisement and looked forward to an insiders´ tale of Waco, will be disappointed, as only twelve lines hint at who is behind on the nuclear assault – Christian fundamentalists against christians in action…