About a year ago, I wrote about the case of Pierre Noir, the first IAEA inspector to die on the job. Noir died of a heart attack while inspecting a nuclear reactor in Taiwan on January 30, 1978. I am teaching that episode in class today. Last year, I was able to hunt down — …
Show and TEL
by | 2013-03-26 | 11 Comments
The most rewarding aspect of the Monterey Institute is the students. Okay, it’s the weather. But the students are a close second. We have, for instance, an embarrassment of Chinese-speaking graduate students. One of our best, Jonathan Ray, has been staring at Chinese social media sites. While most young Chinese men largely surf for smut, …
WMD-Day + 10
by | 2013-03-24 | 15 Comments
President James K. Polk’s war of choice against Mexico from 1846-48 resulted in the acquisition of what became the states of California, Utah and Nevada, as well as parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. Mexico received $15 million in compensation and gave up its claim on Texas. In this war, the United States …
Chinese Chashma Poker Chip?
by | 2013-03-23 | 30 Comments
It’s late Saturday afternoon here in Ipanema, 28 degrees C and fair, and my options are to go back to the beach or blog this. So if I get a little speculative as the paragraphs wear on, just chalk it up to compensating for the opportunity cost of being in Rio de Janeiro in late …
