Dirty bomb test?

The idea that the polonium poisoning in London might be something other than murder set my imagination going. It focused on questions about why anyone would use such a complex method to kill a person, and what else could a “bad guy” learn from the incident. John Dvorak’s blog entry [1] about a news report [2] speculating on the incident as a dirty bomb trial triggered some thoughts.

Why polonium? Why death by radiation?

A couple of reasons come to mind.

1. Radiation poisoning isn’t reversible. Once ingested, the victim dies, slowly and unpleasantly.


2. A tiny amount is enough.


3. Polonium is essentially harmless unless ingested. The poisoner isn’t at risk if careful.


4. The killer is well clear before symptoms are detectable.


5. Radiation poisoning is particularly frightening.

On the other hand:

1. The method is exotic enough to cause lots of questions.


2. It hints at state sponsorship to get sufficient polonium to be effective.

That seems inconclusive to me. Why and how one decides to use that method is obscure. So what else could it be?

Dirty bomb trial

Could this be a test? If so, what was being tested? To what benefit?

1. How far does this stuff spread?


2. Tracking is easy - the press does it for you.


3. Radiation danger gets reported, so the “terror effect” is easy to monitor.


4. How well do authorities respond to the threat?


5. How well do they detect traces and in what amount?

Did it work

If one were testing the effects of scattering radiation about the countryside, this becomes an effective way to answer these questions. If it also gets rid of a thorn in one’s side, all the better for the poisoning sponsor. The terrorist says to the Russian FIS, “Whom would you like to be rid of? We’ll take care of it if you provide the tools and expenses”. As a test, this seems to work. Cheap for the terrorist, since the polonium is suddenly free, with an allowance for travel. Cheap for the FIS, since they aren’t directly involved.

Are the “good guys” considering this? I should certainly hope so. Of course, they would be silly to tell us either way, but one can nudge them along with a little speculation, gently dispersed on a blog site or two.

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[1]: Was London The Site Of A Dirty Bomb Trial Run?

[2]: Outside View: Dirty bomb trial run? by TATYANA SINITSYNA, UPI Outside View Commentator

Collaboration

Sometimes a dirty word (WW-II, Cold War, et al.), collaboration is now taking on its more general meaning -- cooperating on a project. The internet, especially with higher speed connections, is making possible co-authoring of documents in a way that (should/could?) actually work for many people.

I was an early user of Writely, now known as Google Documents and Spreadsheets. I've followed changes in the transition to Google, and I was recently reminded that this transition is mostly complete when the kid (sorry guy, I really do know your age) mentioned it.

Alas, I found that even my geeky kids rejected collaborative editing as too geeky for real people. My real need, for 75 musicians to participate, seems far out of reach. Which introduces a side issue: why don't people write (or even read) any more? I don't even mean "write well". Just write anything beyond a quick and dirty email.

Just whinging. Sure would be nice if people could catch on, though.

... or get off the pot

"... we ought to devote every ounce of our energy and will to preventing future attacks on our shores, and also going after the terrorist network."
-- Tony Snow, the White House spokesman, quoted in the New York Times, Tuesday, September 5, 2006

OK, then why are we not doing just that? Why are we playing games with NSA, with the size and structure of the military, with civil liberties? If this is, in fact, our absolute highest priority, then should we not publicly and openly say that sacrifices are necessary from all Americans including our governing officials. If we need to open access for NSA to communications, the let Congress say so. If we need 300,000 troops in Iraq to decisively conclude this foreign adventure, then authorize it, raise and commit the forces, and GET IT DONE.

It seems to me that we have been taking halfway measures. We invaded Iraq on the cheap with insufficient forces to control the population until security was established. We left Afghanistan partly in control. Our government has been blustering about "you must, or else" when we seem to have no effective "else" in hand. One consequence has been to bleed our troops without accomplishing the mission while glad-handing the public with self-congratulations.

I am very jealous of our civil liberties and of our constitution. I don't want to see protections suspended. But if that's what it takes to get our people out of a part of the world where I don't think we should be, then let us openly take those actions, endure the pain, and then reinstate our protections when it is safer to ride a train, fly on a plane, or walk down a street. Stop throwing away lives for an ideological dream of a lean, super-tech army. Do the job right. Now.

Opportunity knocks?

I watched NPR news this evening, something I have about given up. There have been two big stories around lately, which came together in my mind. One is the war in Lebanon, where Hezbollah and Israel duked it out to the sound of screaming jets and falling rockets. After the big cease fire -- or pause fire -- Hezbollah has made a lot of promises of aid and reconstruction. The bombs had hardly stopped falling when they were assessing damage and offering to provide living space and to rebuild destroyed living spaces. It is certainly an attractive offer if you've just had your roof blown off and are camping in the street or the shelter. On the other side of the border, Israel is proposing to spend $2 billion to rebuild and repair damage from the Katusha rockets dropped into Israel by the Hezbollah fighters. No one has seen anything rebuilt yet, but it is only days since the fighting stopped.

The other big story is about hurricane Katrina, which did much the same kind of damage to the south central US as did the war in the middle east. In American, the government also has promised rapid repair and reconstruction with plentiful aid. The difference is that a year has passed. Judging by the interviews and pictures tonight, much of New Orleans is still in ruins with no water, no electricity, no sewer, and no drains. People have not returned since there is little to which they can go. Houses are in ruins. There are some of what are now called FEMA-trailers, but where and how many, I don't know. Progress is slow.

So what if ...

Can you imagine the consternation if Hezbollah makes an offer to the city of New Orleans and the Louisiana state government to rebuild the city? What if they guaranteed a year's rent and a rebuilt house or apartment to city residents? What if they brought in construction people and actually delivered on those promises? What if they thumbed their noses at FEMA? Would it be cheaper than fighting another war? Would people be grateful enough to switch allegiance from our present leaders to those who, perhaps correctly, have been deemed terrorists?

Hey. Bad guys. Wanna buy a white hat? Cheap?

Satisfaction

The Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival (FSAF) for 2006 ended this past weekend. My playing participation ended last Friday with a performance of the wind ensemble, a group of 35 wind and percussion players. We had 25 minutes to show off six pieces after 10 days of rehearsal. This was one of the most satisfying musical experiences I've had in years!

As a card carrying introspective, it occurs to me to wonder what made it so satisfying. A quick review of my mental archives yields a few possibilities.

A good mix of people: We had musicians from around the country and from Fairbanks, some "civilians" from Fairbanks and other locations who are not affiliated with a professional music group, members of the 9th Army Band from Ft. Wainright, and our members of the FSAF faculty who are professional musicians of one stripe or another. Our leader is a professional from Indiana who retired from the LA freelance/studio scene to pursue other interests along with his music. We worked well together as a unified group.

How we rehearsed: Adjustments to the music spent little time on learning notes. It took only one suggestion to change something about how we played. Pitch was rarely an issue. We put a piece together and it "just worked", meaning we had time to attend to musicality. We spent a LOT of time on musicality, changing minute details in pursuit of wringing maximum interest from the written music.

How we performed: United seems to sum it up. Nobody wasted time on who said or did what. We adapted, learned, and played together. As a result, the music came out whole -- no fragmented bits that sounded good (or bad), no lines that stuck out or disappeared under other parts. Dynamics were a matter of adjusting the blend for the best sound.

The product: We produced music I would pay to hear.

What I learned: It seems I value teamwork where the whole group shares a common goal, is skilled at what we do, sets aside the ego present in all of us, and pays attention to getting things really right, even in the finest details. When that all comes together, the result is eminently satisfying for me. I come away with a glow that lasts well beyond the moment. I also come away with the feeling that those attributes apply well beyond the immediacy of my recent experience in subject areas far removed from playing trombone on a concert stage. Thanks to my colleagues, our leadership, and the setting which provides this opportunity every summer in Fairbanks, I have had a lasting and positive experience to keep me warm next winter.

Festival

Busy times. Peter showed up a few days before festival. We did lots of running around to get things organized before next Monday. He is leading the brass choir and the wind symphony this year. No orchestra, which means he is free in the evenings. Me too. I'm playing in both of those, taking a jazz class, and a class in steel drums. Fun times in the city with a lot of old friends. Tonight we went to dinner for Glen's birthday. That's Glen the tuba/viola. Mostly guest faculty there, but all friends -- well, except for the string players, but what can I say. Joan says I was gregarious, engaged, active. Amazing what happens when I get with friends.

Advantages

There are advantages to aging in Alaska.

I received my property tax bill for next year while I was on vacation. It seems I owe $22 or so, but I can pay in two installments if I choose. The state and the borough both offer waivers for a portion of the property tax for people 65 and over. I missed it last year by nine days. One must be suitably aged on January 1 to qualify. This year, there was no question. I am definitely older than a year ago.

Alaska has several nice little perks like this. I think the idea is that people of all ages are needed to generate diversity of experience and viewpoint. Since there is a tendency for some to abandon their northern homes and escape to the (expletives deleted) climes of southern Arizona when the winters become hard, the governments offer incentives to keep us here. I don't mind that at all.