Currently in the news - a mysterious radioactive cloud

We have a puzzle with a hint of nuclear intrigue!  Let's grab Shaggy and Scooby.  Looks like we've got another mystery on our hands...

Russian missile test and radiation spike - 3rd Update

There have been a few news articles lately about a missile testing accident in northern Russia.  This accident allegedly caused a brief spike in radiation levels in the nearby city of Severodvinsk.

Nuclear War

During the recent presidential election, there was a great deal of Cold War-era rhetoric, and it un-nerved me a bit.  I wasn't worried about myself - I've had a reasonably long and healthy life.  I was un-nerved for our daughter.

I was hopeful that the belligerent words would calm down, and for the moment, they have.  But I suppose those that set them in motion might do so again.  Even so, there are often world events that are of concern.

Here's the thing:  The nuclear genie is out of the bottle.  I never dreamed a civilian nuclear reactor would melt down after the wake-up call of Three Mile Island.  Nevertheless we've now had Chernobyl and three of the Fukushima reactors contaminate large areas.  In fact, there is ongoing groundwater contamination at the Fukushima nuclear site...  That's plenty of contamination, even without intentionally detonating nuclear weapons.