One hydrogen bomb can ruin your whole day

In theory, there's no limit to the explosive power of hydrogen bombs. /Image via AFP

In 1961, three days after the inauguration of President John Kennedy, a B-52 broke up in mid-air over Greensboro, N.C., sending two hydrogen bombs hurtling toward the heart of the East Coast.

As it plunged downward, one of the bombs automatically armed itself. The warhead, 260 times more powerful than the nuclear device dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War II, was equipped with four safety devices, three of which failed to stop the arming process. Luckily for the hundreds of thousands of people in the would-be blast zone and tens of millions more at risk of exposure to deadly radioactive fallout, the fourth safety device averted catastrophe.

The Guardian is at it again.

The same British newspaper that published Edward Snowden's stunning revelations about National Security Agency snooping on U.S. citizens and allies abroad has published a declassifed top-secret document detailing one of the most terrifying nuclear weapons accidents in the history of mankind. The document, which includes comments by a nuclear safety official at the Sandia national laboratory and a physicist who helped develop nuclear bombs in the Manhattan Project, was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Among The Guardian's reporting on the 1961 incident:

• "One of the (doomed B-52's) devices behaved precisely as a nuclear weapon was designed to behave in wartime: its parachute opened, its trigger mechanisms engaged and only one low-voltage switch prevented untold carnage."
• "Had the device detonated, lethal fallout could have been deposited over Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and as far north as New York City -- putting millions of lives at risk."
• The Greensboro incident document was gathered as part of investigative journalist Eric Schlosser's research for his recently released book on the nuclear arms race titled Command and Control. According to The Guardian, "...he discovered that at least 700 'significant' accidents and incidents involving nuclear weapons were recorded between 1950 and 1968 alone."

It's been a bad month for publicity about U.S. nuclear weapons programs. On Sept. 12, The Associated Press published a scathing report on the U.S. government's stewardship of nuclear weapons facilities across the country. Among the report's disclosures:

• The National Nuclear Security Administration "has racked up $16 billion in cost overruns on 10 major projects that are a combined 38 years behind schedule."
• "At Los Alamos National Laboratory, a seven-year, $213 million upgrade to the security system that protects the lab's most sensitive nuclear bomb-making facilities doesn't work."
• "In Tennessee, the price tag for a new uranium processing facility has grown nearly sevenfold in eight years to upward of $6 billion because of problems that include a redesign to raise the roof."
• "Virtually every major project under the National Nuclear Security Administration's oversight is behind schedule and overbudget -- the result, watchdogs and government auditors say, of years of lax accountability and nearly automatic annual budget increases for the agency responsible for maintaining the nation's nuclear stockpile."

Using LinkedIn to find a job: Part II

whitehouse.gov image

Are you looking for a competitive edge in your job search? You can find it at LinkedIn.

I launched a quest for job opportunities in December, with LinkedIn at the heart of my networking efforts. Finding a full-time position was elusive, but I did land a part-time digital media producer job in Boston and an editorial freelancing gig at MD News, a trade magazine for medical professionals. Both of those opportunities were seized through LinkedIn contacts, and they are helping me pay the bills in combination with my part-time employment at the Portsmouth Herald.

If the time comes for me to launch a second push for a full-time job, LinkedIn would surely play a significant role. The link above describes a relatively basic, seven-step approach to using LinkedIn as a job search tool. Here are some more advanced techniques to contemplate:

• Bigger is better: Continue to build your LinkedIn network. I recently passed the 1,000-contact mark and have found the more people you have in your network, the easier it is to recruit new contacts.
• Targeted approach: When recruiting new contacts, focus on the industries and organizations where you would like to work. In addition, try to make contacts with senior decision makers who could be involved in the hiring process when you apply for a job.
• Capitalize on your network: When applying for a job, check your LinkedIn network to see whether you have contacts at the employer who might be able to boost your chances. After applying, reach out to these contacts via a LinkedIn message to let them know you are trying work at their organization and you hope to cross paths with them soon.
• Two-way street: Always respond to requests for help, advice and information from your LinkedIn contacts. Supporting your contacts is not just the right thing to do, it builds goodwill. You want to have as many energized contacts as possible.
• Stay visible: Look for opportunities to post on LinkedIn or to comment on LinkedIn posts. Every time I blog on a business-related topic, I make sure it is posted on LinkedIn.

Trayvon Martin and racism in America

Seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot to death while walking to a convenience store in his Florida neighborhood to buy candy. /Family photo

Speaking out about race in America is dangerous: perilous for political careers, fracturing for friendships, inviting violence from extremists.

I have felt barely safe writing about racism in America. While being a white man married to an African-American comes with its own dangers, it's safe for people to assume I am not racist. While raised in a predominantly white, middle class town, I've experienced racism against African-Americans through the eyes of my wife and daughters. I've seen it when my loved ones react to racist incidents with a toxic brew of anger, isolation, disgust and despair.

The Trayvon Martin killing in Florida is the latest national reminder that racism is an enduring legacy of the American experience. Sadly, the widespread collective distress over George Zimmerman's acquittal in Trayvon's killing shows more time will have to pass before Americans reach the Promised Land that Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned 45 years ago.

Eliciting howls of protest from his political adversaries, President Obama recently said African-Americans look at Trayvon's killing and the Zimmerman verdict "through a set of experiences and history that doesn't go away." That's polite.

In my unique position as a journalist and spouse of an African-American, I can afford to be less polite.

• Trayvon Martin was racially profiled and his killing was a crime. If the roles were reversed, if Trayvon was a black adult who was stalking a Hispanic teenager while armed with a gun after the police had told him to stop, the vast majority of Americans know the Florida verdict would have been far different.
• Paula Dean is a racist. There's a reason why "nigger" is considered so vile that it gets "X-word" treatment in most public discourse, and its use can rarely be justified. Since the founding of the United States, this word has symbolized and reinforced the attempt to inflict subhuman status on African-Americans and to cast them as unworthy of equal citizenship. My wife has been called a nigger several times; in every instance, the speaker was attempting to dehumanize, denigrate, and strike the hideous historical chords of enslavement and discrimination. Imagine your race of Americans enduring 400 years of injustice, racially motivated slaughter, and political and economic disenfranchisement. Now imagine if there was one word that could make those centuries of torment pass before your eyes in an instant.
• Slavery and the ethnic animosity that sustains it have enduring influences on any society. The United States is one of the great beauties in the history of human civilization, but Americans are finding out how long it takes for a nation to heal the ugly wounds created when an entire race of people are enslaved.

Protective headgear for MLB pitchers long overdue

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher JA Happ clutches his head after being struck in the head with a line drive on May 7, 2013, suffering a fractured skull. /AP photo

One of the allures of baseball is you can see hundreds of games and still expect to see something you've never seen before the next time you walk into a ballpark. One play I hope to never see starts with the pitcher getting hit in the head with a batter's 100 mph line drive.

In a game obsessed with statistics, probabilities and superstition, May 7 has become a bad day to pitch in Major League Baseball.

This year on May 7, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher JA Happ was struck in the side of the head and suffered a fractured skull. A former season strikeout leader at the highest level of the minor leagues and promising young starter, Happ is hoping to return to a Major League mound by August.

On May 7, 1957, Cleveland Indians pitcher Herb Score was struck in the face with a line drive, suffering a broken nose and swollen retina. Score, who had led the major leagues in strikeouts in his Rookie of the Year season in 1955 and in 1956, was never the same.

There's only a handful of ways for baseball players to suffer serious head injuries, chief among them blunt force trauma from a batted ball or pitched ball. Protective helmets have been mandated for major league batters for nearly half a century and MLB is introducing a significantly upgraded helmet. Pitcher headgear hasn't changed since the sandy depths of time.

Note to purists and pitchers resistant to change: Baseball batters and pitchers have been vying to gain advantage over each other for 150 years. Batters are gearing up with body armor literally head-to-toe, which can only boost their comfort level at the plate and performance. Ironically, pitchers are being crushed in an arms race.

MLB reportedly has eight companies trying to develop protective headgear for pitchers. I hope they develop the gear soon. With at least three major league pitchers suffering serious head injuries from line drives in less than a year, the odds of seeing this play appear to be going up. And I'll think twice about going to ballpark on May 7.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Herb Score clutches his head on May 7, 1957, after being hit in the face with a line drive, suffering a broken nose and swollen retina. The Rookie of the Year and two-time season strikeout king was never the same and never entered the Hall of Fame. /Image via canthavetoomanycards.blogspot.com

Near-death experience shines light on life

Simon Lewis, co-producer of the 1989 box-office success "Look Who's Talking," was in a coma for a month after a van went through a stop sign at 75 mph and struck his car, killing his wife on impact. /Image via salon.com

A brush with death often results in a profound appreciation of life.

Hollywood producer Simon Lewis was in a coma for a month following a deadly 1994 car crash in Los Angeles that claimed the life of his wife in an instant. He's written a book about his struggle for survival titled "Rise And Shine: The Extraordinary Story Of One Man's Journey From Near Death To Full Recovery."

This week, Lewis shared his story with the BBC's "Outlook" program. I listened to Lewis recount his ordeal as I drove home from work in pitch black darkness; it truly is an extraordinary tale.

The "Outlook" interview covers several amazing points in Lewis' journey: surreal memories from his monthlong coma, enduring more than a dozen surgeries and "retraining his mind to think" after losing about a third of the right side of his brain. One point struck me like a sledgehammer.

The "Outlook" presenter asked Lewis about whether the traumatic injuries he had suffered and subsequent recovery process had changed his character. "I have a very hard time arguing," Lewis replied. "I was not good at arguing before the crash, but now that is magnified. I don't know if I could have an argument because, really, how much does it matter in the great dynamic of the cosmos?"

Hear the interview of Lewis and his parents on the BBC.

Putin playing predictable role in Snowden intrigue

Vladimir Putin signs autographs for Russian troops in Chechnya during the early stage of his crackdown on the breakaway republic in 1999. /Image via npr.org

While getting my weekly dose of the Sunday morning news shows, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry watching some of the pundits and politicos bemoan Russia's role in the U.S. snooping community's Edward Snowden Fiasco.

One wonk wailed over Vladimir Putin's propensity to "stick it" to the United States; in this case, allowing the rogue U.S. National Security Agency contractor to pass through Moscow on his way to seeking refuge at one of the bastions of left-wing politics in Latin America. This was "not the behavior of an ally."

With Putin exercising an iron grip at the helm of the Kremlin for more than a dozen years, it's shocking there are still U.S. foreign policy prognosticators who do not understand how he wields power.

As is fitting for a Russian leader, Putin is a character who literally stepped out of the pages of an epic co-written by Niccolo Machievelli, Leo Tolstoy and Ian Flemming. Putin is a former KGB officer and the strongman ruler of a strong nation. Like Machievelli's prince, Putin is only an ally to the extent that it serves the interests of his country and his ability to rule.

The Kremlin's decision to give Snowden at least temporary refuge on Russian soil is just Putin being Putin. It was surely an irresistible opportunity: a chance to gain access to the man responsible for one of the biggest breaches of national security in U.S. history and to remind Washington that it is not the only powerful player on the world stage.

Fleetwood Mac: Lifetime of artistry beautiful to behold

Artists have long been among human society's most tortured souls, but the arts are among humanity's most redeemable qualities.

For four decades, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and the rest of Fleetwood Mac have been producing and performing glowing contributions to rock music. I began listening to the California-spawned band in the 1970s, and it was amazing to see them this weekend more or less intact and capable of entertaining a sold-out coliseum.

In media interviews, onstage commentary between songs and virtuosity on his instrument, Buckingham stands out as a fierce advocate for his craft and artists in general. And drummer Mick Fleetwood, who turns 66 on Monday, is living proof that artists can transcend time.

Fleetwood Mac was rife with romantically fueled drama in the band's early years. Personal lives became public spectacle, forever coloring Fleetwood Mac's legacy. I hope they're remembered at least as much for their lifetime commitment to artistry.

Dividing the greatest of all time from all the rest

Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are proving that greatness in humanity extends beyond ability alone. They have little hope of matching an all-time NBA great like Michael Jordan. Character matters. /AP photo

Pentagon can play key role combatting sexual assault

The Pentagon's top leadership endured a rare public scolding from members of Congress on Tuesday, June 4, when the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on sexual assault in the military. /AP photo

In 1948, President Truman ordered the armed services of the U.S. military to help lead the charge against racial discrimination in American society. The nation desperately needs the Pentagon to play a similar role in the fight against sexual assault.

The Pentagon faces many of the same personnel problems as other U.S. employers, including mental health woes, substance abuse and sexual assault. But a key difference is that the president and Congress can literally order and force the U.S. military to take effective action to address a problem, which is exactly what Truman did with Executive Order 9981 establishing equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed services.

Truman's executive order was a historic turning point, providing a crucial building block for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. President Obama and Congress now have a similar opportunity to force change in the U.S. military that could help turn the tide against sexual assault throughout American society.

Congress took a huge step in the right direction on Tuesday, June 4, when members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee grilled top Pentagon leaders on why they had not followed through on earlier pledges to address sexual assault in their ranks. Given the partisan bickering and gridlock that has often paralyzed Washington during the Obama adminstration, Tuesday's hearing was a rare opportunity for Americans to take pride in their federal lawmakers as Democratic and Republican senators excoriated the generals and admirals over their failure to curb sexual assault.

While the senators' anger and frustration over sexual assault in the U.S. military is thoroughly justified, all responsible American citizens should be angered and frustrated over the scourge of sexual assault, which is as pervasive across the country today as racism was when Truman signed Executive Order 9981. One particular passage in an Associated Press story about Tuesday's Senate hearing applies to far more than the Pentagon:

(U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.) said victims of sexual assault are reluctant to report the crimes to their commanders because they fear their allegations will be dismissed and they might face retaliation. Aggressive reforms in the military's legal code are needed to force cultural changes, she said. "You have lost the trust of the men and women who rely on you," Gillibrand said. "They're afraid to report. They think their careers will be over. They fear retaliation. They fear being blamed. That is our biggest challenge right there."

Gillibrand's comment succinctly describes the sexual assault challenge facing every employer in the United States.

North Korean threat still priority in DC, Seoul, Tokyo

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's tough talk over the weekend about Chinese cyber warfare capabilities grabbed headlines around the world. But Hagel and military leaders from Japan and South Korea also took a hardline stance on North Korea's "provocations." /AP photo via wbur.org

North Korea has yet again fallen off the radar screen at most mainstream media outlets. But the Hermit Nation's totalitarian regime is still very much on the mind of officials in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.

The Pentagon released a pair of prepared statements over the weekend after U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with his counterparts in South Korea and Japan.

Here's the full text of Pentagon Press Secretary George Little's prepared statement on Hagel's meeting with South Korean Minister of Defense Kim Kwan-jin:

"U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Republic of Korea Minister of Defense Kim Kwan-jin met June 1 during the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
 
"Secretary Hagel and Minister Kim discussed the security situation on the Korean peninsula, the advancement of the U.S.-ROK Alliance and the importance of trilateral security cooperation with Japan. They discussed the North Korea threat and agreed that enhanced collaboration to deter further provocations was necessary. They also discussed the need to upgrade Alliance capabilities in the coming years.

"The two defense leaders agreed that the U.S.-ROK Alliance is one of the most [successful in] modern history, and that it must be further strengthened in light of the North Korean threat and other regional and global security challenges."

Here are excerpts from a "joint statement" the Pentagon released after Hagel had trilateral meetings with Kim Kwan-jin and Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera:

"The three ministers expressed their common view that North Korea's nuclear and missile program and continued acts of provocation, including a long-range ballistic missile launch in December 2012 and a nuclear test in February 2013, are serious threats that undermine not only the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula but also those of Northeast Asia and around the world.

"The three ministers strongly called for North Korea to comply with the obligations pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718, 1874, 2087, and 2094, including the abandonment of all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear program, and they emphasized the importance of the steadfast implementation of the resolutions. Additionally, the three ministers expressed their support for the UNSC resolutions, in which the UNSC expresses its determination to take further significant measures in the event of [an] additional North Korean missile launch or nuclear test. The three ministers affirmed that they will continue their collaboration to deter North Korean threats of nuclear and missile development and further provocative acts."