Spinning Fukushima

On Tuesday, with a fire at Fukushima spewing long-lived radioisotopes directly into the environment, Prof. Brook was rallying the pro-nuclear lobby, arguing that "now, more than ever, we must stand up for what we believe is right" while introducing a guest web post by someone who announced that Japan gets electricity "from y nuclear reactors at z locations".

But cracks were starting to emerge by Tuesday night, with Prof. Brook acknowledging an "ongoing crisis situation", banning another 40-50 "random nobodies" from posting comments directly on his website, and quoting Rudyard Kipling:

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools

Make of that what you will.

One contributor to Prof. Brook's website said: "Unfortunately, Prof. Brook has really abdicated a neutral position on this event. His clear support of nuclear power seems to have impacted his critical thinking skills. ... Every time he states something in this crisis is 'impossible', it seems to happen the next day."

Prof. Andrew Bolt at the Herald Sun has been urging people to read the "marvellously sane and cool explanation" from "our friend Professor Barry Brook". Both Prof. Bolt and Prof. Brook claim that no more than 50 people died from the Chernobyl catastrophe. More on that next month − the 25th anniversary falls on April 26. The scientific estimates of the Chernobyl death toll range from 9,000 to 93,000.