The Quick Fix
The idea that nuclear power is an essential element for non-industrialized states to rapidly catch up as the process of industrialization takes place is known, metaphorically, as:
“a fantasy called the nuclear quick fix, where the friendly atom almost instantly solves every problem”
The Nuclear Cherry
The United Kingdom is packed with machinery that fuels the country using gas, oil and even wind. As for nuclear power, not so much, which means:
“The United Kingdom is a nuclear cherry—a small but particularly tasting-looking market.”
The Jewel in the Ocean
Nuclear testing began with a bang both literally and figuratively. The Bikini Atoll not only gave birth to the nuclear age, but the swimsuit. In the meantime, however, what kind of toll did all that testing take on the atoll?
“Half a century later, Bikini Atoll looks again like a tropical paradise, a jewel in the ocean where palm trees framing a blue-lagoon sway in the breeze.”
The Fire
James Lovelock, eccentric proponent of saving the world from catastrophic climate change through the use of nuclear power describes the situation of global warming thusly:
“It is almost as if we had lit a fire to keep warm, and failed to notice, as we piled on fuel that the fire was out of control and the furniture had ignited.”
The Big Guns
Ever wonder why countries like France and England have nuclear weapons? Partially it is because of their permanent place on the UN Security Council. Why? Because only five countries can make that claim and all of them are in the nuclear club. And for these reasons of exclusivity:
“like a highwayman deprived of his gun, they fear that without being nuclear they might lose that very status and enhanced political clout.”
