Continuing my adventures in radiation… which is on my mind since I was exposed to samples of uranium yesterday in the collections room. The Incredible Hulk has been released, the gamma gorged beast eating up seats at the multiplex. I’m still fond of Ang Lee’s Hulk so I’ve been reluctant to see this new all action version despite Toronto playing stand-in for Manhattan.
But it’s mostly just straight radiation on my mind. I’ve picked up a new book, Blowing up Russia, by Alexander Livinenko, the former KGB agent who was poisoned by exposure to radioactive Polonium by the FSB, the new Russian secret service in London a few years ago. The book’s thesis is that the FSB is a unchecked and unfettered direct descendant of the KGB, except with the disappearance of the commnunist party and politboro no one to hold it accountable too. And through Putin, who himself was former head of secret service, they have established themselves as an effective dictatorship over Russia. But their most dangerous allegation, is that the FSB triggered terrorist attacks on Russia, blaming it on Chechnya, as a way to keep their political in office, a government of fear. The book is banned in Russia, distributors of it have been poisoned or shot dead in the street. And the book’s co-author suggests that it is for this book that Livinenko was assassinated.
All of which makes it a particularly hot read. Gamma hot. Radioactive hot.
Anyway, while researching the process of radioactivity I was told about something called a Gamma Knife. Now why hasn’t anyone made a comic-book about that?
