This book by Niall Ferguson (a Brit) has the subtitle “How Institutions Decay and Economies Die.” The title and the subtitle tell you that this is not a book with a happy ending. I had trouble reading the book, but recommend it to people who are interesting in economics and the history of important writers who have analyzed economics. I’m not in that camp, but I still worked my way through the book and decided it has value. My suggestion is that you shouldn’t pick up this book if you want light reading or a clear picture of what must be done to solve the degeneration of the U.S. economy. The problems are clearly presented in the dust cover. “Symptoms of decline are all around us today: slowing growth, crushing debt, increasing inequality, aging population, antisocial behavior.” The author says these problems are caused by degeneration of institutions, and presents evidence to back up his conclusion. However, I was frustrated with the lack of solutions. My reaction was something like, “It is inevitable. Deal with it!” Continue reading
Author Archives: RF_Alum
Rocky Flats News
The Rocky Flats Plant where plutonium and other parts for nuclear weapons were once manufactured (the Plant closed in 2005) is back prominently in the news. The title of one article by Electa Draper explains that workers who have one or more of twenty two listed cancers “…no longer have to reconstruct their own personal histories of radiation exposure in order to receive medical compensation.” Instead of being celebrated as a victory, the announcement seems to have angered people who are sick and worked at the Plant. One disturbing article by the same author shows pictures of some workers who are angry and has the bold print quote, “They just want us to die and go away.”
I do not intend to try to convince anyone who worked at Rocky Flats that their illnesses were not caused by exposures during that work, but I do want to present some pertinent facts. Chapter 22 of my book, “An Insider’s View of Rocky Flats, Urban Myths Debunked” discusses cancer and other diseases.The largest study of cancer rates among Rocky Flats workers that I’m aware of was completed over 20 years ago. The report concluded, “When compared with U.S. death rates, fewer deaths than expected were found for all causes of death, all cancers, and lung cancer. No bone cancer was observed. An excess of brain tumors was found.” The last observation was the result of comparing all malignant and non-malignant tumors found in Rocky Flats workers to only malignant tumors in the general population. Some have speculated that the lower rate of cancers may be due to the prohibition on smoking in many areas of the Plant. Continue reading
The Girls of Atomic City
This wonderful book by Denise Kiernan was recommended to me by a friend and has the subtitle, “The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II.” There is some irony in the fact that I’ve read this book as the Rocky Flats Plant where I worked has been very much in the news. To explain this distraction, the facilities at Oak Ridge were built to make the nuclear material for the Manhattan Project. Rocky Flats was the place in the eventual weapons complex where plutonium and a variety of other metals were made into parts for the nuclear weapons. The descriptions of the secrecy surrounding converting farming areas in Tennessee into a massive, part of the Manhattan Project certainly reminded me of the days when I worked at Rocky Flats as described in my book, “An Insider’s View of Rocky Flats, Urban Myths Debunked.” I do not know whether the issues of damage to the health of people working at Oak Ridge compare to the fire storm of controversy that seems to have once again flared up over Rocky Flats. I am probably more interested in the book than someone who is unfamiliar with Oak Ridge or Rocky Flats, but I recommend the book to anyone who enjoys good history.
The book describes the young women (called “girls” in that era) who were willing to be transported to an unnamed place to work in a job that was not described in even the simplest terms. Celia Szapka Klemsi was transported from Manhattan by train to Knoxville, Tennessee without being told her final destination. When she asked where she was going and what she would be doing she was told she was not allowed to know. She was told that asking questions was frowned upon and that “everything will be taken care of.” Her adventurous spirit must have been strong, because she agreed to travel to the unknown. The train was filled with other young women only knew their new job paid well and would help the “war effort.” The train stopped in Knoxville, given their evening meal, and put back in the cars to be driven to Oak Ridge. Continue reading
Whistling Past the Graveyard
Askville.Amazon.com says the expression means trying to remain cheerful in difficult circumstances. “It is a great temptation to try to cheer oneself up by whistling or singing in a dark and lonely place” One reference can be found in Robert Blair’s “The Grave” from 1742. “The Schoolboy…Whistling aloud to bear his Courage up.” A comment said that villages were a day’s travel apart in the Middle Ages, cemeteries were at the edge of towns, and spirits came out at dusk to frighten travelers. The travelers believed loud noises would keep the spirits away. Some would bang on pots and pans and others would whistle or shout.
Rocky Flats Back in the News
It has been a while since there has been a significant news story about the legacy of the Rocky Flats Plant. The production of plutonium parts for nuclear weapons was the part of the mission that was the primary focus of those who concentrated on protesting the plant. I’ve attempted to convince people that much more was accomplished at the site, but plutonium manufacturing continues to dominate the conversation even all these many years since the site was torn down and the surrounding area converted into a wildlife refuge.
There haven’t been any mass media reports about the plant until a recent news story in the Denver Post titled “Neighboring Rocky Flats” by Electra Draper. There is a subtitle, “The more I learned…the more horrified I became.” I will give the article credit for resurrecting at least some of the words and phrases that were used frequently in new reports to criticize the place while the plant was still in operation. One example is the description about “…plutonium fires in 1957 and 1969 that wafted toxic smoke over the metro area”. Another is the concern that the proposed Jefferson Parkway and development of hiking and biking trails in the area now designated as a Wildlife Refuge will “…kick up plutonium-laced dust”. There was a new descriptor used to explain the concern that “…the site’s toxic legacy has faded…”and that people would move into the “plutonium dust bowl without understanding the potential risk.” Continue reading
Killing Jesus
The dust cover of this best-selling book by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard is headed by “The story of Jesus’ crucifixion as it’s never been told before.” This is the third book of the O’Reilly and Dugard team, and I continue to suspect that Dugard is the primary contributor of historical research for the books. Regardless of that, I judge that I would recommend “Killing Lincoln” and “Killing Kennedy” in front of “Killing Jesus.” My wife agreed with me that this book is the least compelling of the O’Reilly/Dugard books. Her comment was something to the effect, “I was hoping for a different outcome.”
“Killing Jesus” contains a wealth of interesting and important historical facts about the era in which he lived. The first words of the book are, “To say that Jesus of Nazareth was the most influential man who ever lived is almost trite.” Over 2.2 billion people believe that he is God and that includes 77 percent of the U.S. population. The authors do say they were interested in presenting a historically accurate story and were not trying to convert anyone to a spiritual cause. Continue reading