Episode #514Apr 28, 2021· 00:59:01

NH #514: Chernobyl Anniversary #2: Survivor Bonnie Kouneva, Dr. Janette Sherman + Hawaiian "Incoming Missile" Film

Nuclear Hotseat

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Chernobyl Anniversary: The "Elephant's Foot" - final resting place of the molten, radioactive Chernobyl fuel.

This Week's Featured Interviews:

Chernobyl Anniversary 35 deserves more than a single program examining its consequences. Check last week's Nuclear Hotseat #513 for further interviews. This week:

Bonnie Kouneva was a 15-year-old living in Communist Bulgaria when the Chernobyl disaster began, but no one knew about it because the Soviet Union said nothing to its people. On May 1, May Day, only five days after it began, Bulgarian citizens were “encouraged” by the Soviet hierarchy to attend all-day celebrations of the communist state – outdoors, in the rain – at the exact time the worst of Chernobyl’s radiation was directly overhead. Here, she paints the picture of the impact of that radiation rainout and lets us know the result of this devastating experience.
The late Dr. Janette Sherman edited the the English translation of the groundbreaking work, Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment by Alexei Yablokov, Vassily B. Nesterenko, and Alexey V. Nesterenko. Dr. Sherman was an early and enthusiastic supporter of Nuclear Hotseat, and we spoke about this book and how it came about for NH #97 on April 23, 2013. She passed away on November 20, 2019.LINK: CLICK HERE for a free PDF of Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment
False Alarm investigates the diverse reactions to the 2018 Hawai'i false missile alert, forcing families, soldiers, tourists, and every person in Hawai'i to confront an unthinkable reality—an incoming nuclear missile. Award-winning director Nick Lyell explains how the film came about and the upcoming screening for Beyond the Bomb. He has directed, produced, and edited several award-winning fiction and non-fiction short films.FREE WORLD-PREMIERE SCREENING FOR BEYOND THE BOMB:
Friday, May 7, 8 PM Eastern, 5 PM Pacific time - CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS. Donation requested.

Numnutz of the Week (for Outstanding Nuclear Boneheadedness):

Another TEPCO/Japanese government/Dentsu PR fail: You can't convince the world that dumping 1.25 million tons of Fukushima's radioactively contaminated water (more than 1,000 tanks worth) into the Pacific Ocean is really A-OK by throwing a cartoon mascot at them!