While many transnational histories of the nuclear arms race have been written; Kate Brown provides the first definitive account of the great plutonium disasters of the United States and the Soviet Union. In Plutopia; Brown draws on official records and dozens of interviews to tell the extraordinary stories of Richland; Washington and Ozersk; Russia-the first two cities in the world to produce plutonium. To contain secrets; American and Soviet leaders created plutopias--communities of nuclear families living in highly-subsidized; limited-access atomic cities. Fully employed and medically monitored; the residents of Richland and Ozersk enjoyed all the pleasures of consumer society; while nearby; migrants; prisoners; and soldiers were banned from plutopia--they lived in temporary "staging grounds" and often performed the most dangerous work at the plant. Brown shows that the plants' segregation of permanent and temporary workers and of nuclear and non-nuclear zones created a bubble of immunity; where dumps and accidents were glossed over and plant managers freely embezzled and polluted. In four decades; the Hanford plant near Richland and the Maiak plant near Ozersk each issued at least 200 million curies of radioactive isotopes into the surrounding environment--equaling four Chernobyls--laying waste to hundreds of square miles and contaminating rivers; fields; forests; and food supplies. Because of the decades of secrecy; downwind and downriver neighbors of the plutonium plants had difficulty proving what they suspected; that the rash of illnesses; cancers; and birth defects in their communities were caused by the plants' radioactive emissions. Plutopia was successful because in its zoned-off isolation it appeared to deliver the promises of the American dream and Soviet communism; in reality; it concealed disasters that remain highly unstable and threatening today. An untold and profoundly important piece of Cold War history; Plutopia invites readers to consider the nuclear footprint left by the arms race and the enormous price of paying for it.
#129916 in Books Garfield Jay L 2015-01-19 2015-01-19Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x 1.30 x 9.20l; 1.14 #File Name: 0190204346400 pagesEngaging Buddhism Why It Matters to Philosophy
Review
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful. If you care about philosophy; you'll care about this book.By Tonen O'ConnorThis book is extraordinarily clear and valuable in the manner in which it brings Buddhist philosophy into encounter with Western philosophy;too often just known as "philosophy" as though it were the real deal and other approaches merely ethnic expressions. The manner in which Buddhist philosophy both meets and diverges from Western philosophy is fascinating and the outcome is a greatly enriched horizon. I recommend this book highly.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An incredibly useful book given its clear descriptions of both early Buddhist ...By dhammadinaAn incredibly useful book given its clear descriptions of both early Buddhist technical (mind/consciousness/meditative) and Western philosophical terms; indeed it invokes and invites a lineage of Western questioners and seekers to participate in a much more well informed way. An engaging read and stimulus; and an enduring reference book as well.8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. it is easy enough to read and it contains enough new information ...By G. GagnonI am not sure what audience this is intended for. There is some interface with western philosophy; but it deals mainly with an overview of different subjects; such as epistemology; in Buddhism. I am enjoying this book; it is easy enough to read and it contains enough new information to stay interesting.
