This year makes the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
On April 2, 1986, reactor number four at Chernobyl in Ukraine (in those days part of the old Soviet Union) exploded—mainly because of poor design and poor maintenance.
The word ‘Chernobyl’ has been used ever since as a horror word by opponents of nuclear power, who have claimed massive deaths all across Europe from a ‘radioactive cloud’ they say spread from the site of the disaster.
However, in 1993 British author Piers Paul Read travelled to Russia and Ukraine and wrote a book about his findings, called Ablaze: The Story of Chernobyl.
It turns out that the radical Greenies have got it all wrong.
And later studies have supported the facts that he reported.
A recent study published in the journal Current Biology has established that, in the absence of human beings, wildlife has flourished, and that there is no evidence that the lingering radiation ‘has had a negative influence on mammal abundance’.
And a UN conference convened in Vienna in 2005 to report on the effect of Chernobyl, said that the fatalities from radiation (the immediate death of 28 emergency workers, the later death of nineteen others, and nine children from thyroid cancer) were statistically insignificant; far more damaging was drinking, smoking, a poor diet and a lack of basic healthcare.
So ‘Chernobyl’ should not be used as a ‘scare word’ by the hysterical Greenie anti-nuke lobby—and it is dishonest to do so: fewer than sixty people died as a direct result of the accident, and while there has undoubtedly been an increase in thyroid cancer in Belorussia, it is easily operable and few have died.
That makes it absurd for nuclear science to be banned in Australia by an act of the federal parliament—and the sooner that ban is overturned the better.
In the meantime, don’t be frightened by the dishonest use of the word ‘Chernobyl.’
I have just added around 20 new questions (with their answers!) to the Q and A page on this website. Worth checking out -- you might find a long-standing puzzle of your own answered there!
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BOOKS:
* My latest book is called Pray Like This. To look at prayer I do what I do in these Ozword columns: I go through the most famous prayer in the world (The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the Our Father) and unpack it word by word—each chapter being a short word-study on a key word in that prayer. There is a total of 21 words studies in all. To find out more, here’s a link to the publisher’s website (where you can buy a copy if you wish): Pray Like This – matthiasmedia.com.au
* My book is Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries -- containing 50 new stories I have written about the great detective. You can find it on Amazon. Just go to Amazon and type in Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries in the search panel. Or use this link: h Amazon.com.au : Sherlock Holmes 5-Minute Mysteries Kel Richards
* My book "Defending the Gospel" is now in a second, fully revised, edition. You can find it here: Defending the Gospel – matthiasmedia.com.au
* If you're looking for my recent book "Flash Jim" you'll find it here -- Flash Jim, The astonis
hing story of the convict fraudster who wrote Australia's first dictionary by Kel Richards | 9781460759769 | Booktopia
* You can find all Kel's books currently in print here -- Booktopia Search Results for 'kel richards'. We sell books, hardback, paperback, audio, CDs.
* And also here -- Amazon.com.au : Kel Richards
* And you'll find more here -- Search: 4 results found for "Kel Richards" – matthiasmedia.com.au
* Many of Kel's out of print books can be found at ABE Books -- Kel Richards - AbeBooks explaining words explain the term
BY THE WAY...
If you'd like to see my A-Z list of Aussie slang, you'll find it here in the Australian Geographic website -- A-Z list of Aussie slang. Here’s the link: The A-Z of Aussie slang - Australian Geographic
The liveliest part of this website is usually the Q and A page -- be sure to check it out from time to time.
