Gregory Kulacki
@gkucs.bsky.social
Director, East Asia, Global Security Program, Union of Concerned Scientists. Non-Resident Fellow, Research Center for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons at Nagasaki University. Cross-cultural sojourner.
The amount that most likely went to China is enough unrestricted uranium to produce about 600 warhead.
Uranium in cobalt-hydroxide exports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Nature Communications
Uranium co-occurs with ores in the DRC, a major source of global cobalt supply. Known methods to remove uranium before export are not widely adopted. This paper finds that this supply chain likely has...
nature.com
"“It’s really incredible that these things are being deployed everywhere to control super-critical systems,” he adds. “There’s been no study of the fundamental science here. We’re all doing it ad hoc.”
A fundamental flaw leaves LLMs strikingly vulnerable to attack
It makes it easy to trick them into doing things they shouldn’t, such as telling you how to sabotage an aircraft’s navigation system.
technologyreview.com
I used to do some work on the ethical use of satellite and drone imagery for aid and disaster response, and it is genuinely hard to express in words what a dangerous, stupid thing Google is doing by making it easy to use GenAI to create faked satellite imagery:
How to plant a nuclear plant in Iran
The question is: what on earth is Google doing?
digitaldigging.org
"Stark generational divides, fueled by ... information environments, are propelling this opinion shift. Throughout all surveys, across party lines, adults under 45 and especially those under 30 simply do not see China as an adversary, ideological nemesis, or existential threat."
China hawks are losing the public opinion battle
Despite a Beltway push for confrontation, polls show that average Americans want a normal relationship with Beijing
responsiblestatecraft.org
A new study shows that the NNSA may severely underestimate the risk from plutonium fires at Los Alamos and Savannah River. Geographic limits are much larger and latent cancer fatalities may be 10-100 times worse than NNSA assumes. 🧵
Consequence Analysis of Major Fires at Plutonium Pit Production Facilities
As the United States reestablishes large-scale plutonium pit production, federal agencies have published environmental impact studies estimating radiological consequences from major facility fires ...
tandfonline.com
80 years ago at this moment (9:00 AM July 1, local time), the United States conducted its first post-war atomic test—Shot ABLE of Operation Crossroads—to assess effects on naval vessels. A B-29 bomber dropped a Fat Man-type 23-kiloton bomb over an array of 95 ships moored in the Bikini Atoll lagoon.
Crossroads Able
YouTube video by atomcentral
youtube.com
“Besides being an inhumane and humiliating punishment, the 74-lash sentence against Parastoo Ahmadi simply for singing without compulsory hijab is a dangerous signal that the regime, emboldened by the peace deal with the U.S., may intensify its crackdown on women,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam...
Iranian Singer Sentenced to 74 Lashes for Performing Without Hijab
nytimes.com
Don't know why, but been feeling a NYC thing since a trip at the start of the NPT. Can't shake it. Don't want to.
JAŸ-Z - Empire State Of Mind ft. Alicia Keys
YouTube video by JayZVEVO
youtu.be
My guess is that in the not too distant future everyone who bought these shares is going to regret it. They changed the rules for listing on NASDAQ just to accommodate the highly questionable IPO he submitted. Looks like a classic pump and dump move for a failing enterprise.
Live Updates: Elon Musk Becomes World’s First Trillionaire as SpaceX Starts Trading
nytimes.com
New Mexico: Act Now to Prioritize Legacy Nuclear Weapons Waste Cleanup secure.ucs.org/a/nm-priorit...
New Mexico: Act Now to Prioritize Legacy Nuclear Weapons Waste Cleanup
Submit a comment to the New Mexico Environment Department to support cleanup of nuclear weapons waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
secure.ucs.org
"Chinese experts increasingly worry that the United States is unconcerned with nuclear strategic stability, especially after the announcement of Golden Dome, a missile defense system designed to defend against not only small nuclear threats but also nuclear powers like Russia and China."
Trump and Xi Take a First Step Toward Better Relations
During their May summit in Beijing, the US and Chinese leaders agreed to pursue "constructive strategic stability"—a vague term with important historical context.
blog.ucs.org
"The nuclear weapons states thwarted every effort to hold them accountable. I was happy the non-nuclear weapons states refused to agree to a final document that would have made this injustice appear acceptable."
Nuclear Injustice in New York
What happened at this year's review conference of the parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons?
blog.ucs.org
“The shores of the Great Lakes are already lined with sites where civilian uses of nuclear materials have resulted in radioactive waste being stored.”
Lessons learned from an Army Corps radioactive waste disposal plan for Michigan that went South
An attempt to dispose of Manhattan Project radioactive waste in Southeast Michigan highlights the need for the US Army Corps of Engineers to lean into more transparent practices.
thebulletin.org
"The narratives shift with such speed and theatrical flair that they hardly resemble news reports any more. "
From 'Baby Shah' to Bond villains, Iran war coverage has reached new heights of absurdity
The insertion of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad into the narrative is just the latest telenovela-worthy twist
middleeasteye.net
"This year, many forecasts say the temperature could increase by an unprecedented 3 degrees Celsius. Even the 1877 El Niño, by the best estimates, didn’t have that magnitude."
A Powerful El Niño Is Forming. If History Is a Guide, It Could Hit Hard.
nytimes.com
“He’s a rather interesting person,” said Milly Zhu, a 34-year-old who works in film and TV promotion “Some of his words and actions, for example regarding China, seem like stand-up comedy to people in China,” she said. “Our President Xi might be considered more serious...”
‘Quite Brutal,’ ‘Not Friendly’: What People in China Say of Trump
nytimes.com
The difference in the content and quality of these two leaders' remarks was astounding.
"The knowledge workers of both countries feel the surveillance presence of the technology. A.I. is now used in decisions to hire and fire employees. It tracks attendance at work, predicts an employee’s growth potential, flags “idle hours” and enforces discipline."
Opinion | The Shared Feeling of Being Harvested by the Future
nytimes.com
"Saudi Arabia suspended US access to Prince Sultan Airbase and Saudi airspace after Trump announced "Project Freedom" The kingdom, frustrated by the announcement, informed the US that it would not support the plan... a US official confirmed Kuwait also cut off US access to its bases and airspace."
Gulf states derailed Trump's 'Project Freedom' by cutting US access to airspace and bases
Saudi Arabia was reportedly frustrated by the US announcement of a plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz
middleeasteye.net
"Declassified US and Soviet accounts of the Taiwan Strait Crisis suggest that understanding Iranian intentions may be more productive than increasing US capabilities.”
Iran and Taiwan: A Tale of Two Straits
The Taiwan Strait crisis of the 1950s holds lessons for the United States in its ongoing war against Iran.
blog.ucs.org
"...Norwegian government leaders have probably been fully aware of the principal crimes and the actual contributions by several of the companies partly owned by the fund”. "
Criminal complaint filed against Norwegian politicians over complicity in Gaza genocide
Exclusive: Prosecutors recommend police investigation into Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and cabinet members
middleeasteye.net
