Transdniester
December 7, 2003 7:40 AM Subscribe
Transdniester. The unrecognized Moldovian breakaway republic is your one stop shopping solution for black market arms.
It's terrifying--the thought that someone somewhere has acquired a dirty bomb, and it's just a matter of time before it's aimed at me (I live in Brooklyn). What do you do if a dirty bomb is detonated in your neighborhood? Provided you survive the intial explosion, do you just leave and start a new life somewhere less radioactive? What if you just bought a new condo? It seems like too great a task for the US to round up all the loose nuclear weapons and unaccounted munitions in the world, especially when there's so much money to be made. Increasingly I feel like you cannot stamp out terrorism by brute force.
posted by mert at 8:42 AM on December 7, 2003
posted by mert at 8:42 AM on December 7, 2003
mert - my understanding of dirty bombs is they are not very effective. The problem is to saturate an area you can't make the bomb too big or else it will spread the radioactive material too thin. Caner rates may go up in a multi-block area but it could be cleaned up. At best experts think terrorists could take out a 1-block area for a long time. Stinger missiles or flying airplanes into nuclear power plants might be a better method.
posted by stbalbach at 9:01 AM on December 7, 2003
posted by stbalbach at 9:01 AM on December 7, 2003
How the hell do you pronounce this country? Sounds v Seussian.
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:23 AM on December 7, 2003
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:23 AM on December 7, 2003
I'll second stbalbach. There was a Nova about dirty bombs not too long ago, and the consensus of the talking heads was that a normal bomb exploded in Manhattan might kill, say, 100 people. And a dirty bomb would kill 100 then, and 1 or 2 more through cancer over the next 30 years.
Their main effect is to spread FUD and panic.
Now, Captain Trips, on the other hand...
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:28 AM on December 7, 2003
Their main effect is to spread FUD and panic.
Now, Captain Trips, on the other hand...
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:28 AM on December 7, 2003
"It's terrifying--the thought that someone somewhere has acquired a dirty bomb, and it's just a matter of time before it's aimed at me"
Then move to a country that doesn't push around other countries.
"Increasingly I feel like you cannot stamp out terrorism by brute force."
Duh.
posted by Dillonlikescookies at 4:06 PM on December 7, 2003
Then move to a country that doesn't push around other countries.
"Increasingly I feel like you cannot stamp out terrorism by brute force."
Duh.
posted by Dillonlikescookies at 4:06 PM on December 7, 2003
What do you do if a dirty bomb is detonated in your neighborhood?
Put your head between your legs and kiss your arse goodbye?
posted by dg at 11:03 PM on December 7, 2003
Put your head between your legs and kiss your arse goodbye?
posted by dg at 11:03 PM on December 7, 2003
What do you do if a dirty bomb is detonated in your neighborhood?
close the windows, turn off the air conditioning, wait for rain. you might wander round your house spraying the place with one of those squirty things that generates a fine mist of water and then wipe the floor with a rag on a broom. take a shower.
that's what i'd do, i guess. i have no idea whether it's what's recommended. i assume that unless you're very near the explosion (ie physical damage to your building) the only danger is getting some radiactive gook (as airborne dust) in your lungs.
hmmm. if the gook was a gamma ray emitter then none of the above is going to help much. but then nothing would. you could try leaving the area, but it's probably better to wait until the streets are fairly clear so that you can get out quickly, rather than get stuck in the street (which presumably is full of people in panic).
posted by andrew cooke at 5:23 AM on December 8, 2003
close the windows, turn off the air conditioning, wait for rain. you might wander round your house spraying the place with one of those squirty things that generates a fine mist of water and then wipe the floor with a rag on a broom. take a shower.
that's what i'd do, i guess. i have no idea whether it's what's recommended. i assume that unless you're very near the explosion (ie physical damage to your building) the only danger is getting some radiactive gook (as airborne dust) in your lungs.
hmmm. if the gook was a gamma ray emitter then none of the above is going to help much. but then nothing would. you could try leaving the area, but it's probably better to wait until the streets are fairly clear so that you can get out quickly, rather than get stuck in the street (which presumably is full of people in panic).
posted by andrew cooke at 5:23 AM on December 8, 2003
oh, and once the fuss has died down, and the dust washed away, buy up neighbouring property. it'll probably be pretty cheap.
posted by andrew cooke at 5:25 AM on December 8, 2003
posted by andrew cooke at 5:25 AM on December 8, 2003
Eat lots of seaweed. Seaweed contains a lot of salts and minerals that flush radioactive materials (and other heavy metals) from the body. After Hiroshima there are documented cases of miso-seaweed eating people who lived near ground zero with no cancer. Seaweed is cheap to buy and can be stored for long periods and tastes good. This is real science not alternative health.
posted by stbalbach at 2:32 PM on December 8, 2003
posted by stbalbach at 2:32 PM on December 8, 2003
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posted by stbalbach at 8:20 AM on December 7, 2003