elsewhere? Why would any country want to attack me? What possible benefits would accrue to Brazil except the highly questionable "attention getting" that Mr. Ricardo alludes to...that nobody will pay any heed to a country without atomic weaponry? I find that absurd! Further, the.fact that many Brazilian business people speak more French than English is not only immaterial, but is probably not an accurate statement. Be that as it may, who really gives a darn who speaks what language when it comes to developing nuclearcapabilities? As an American, lam di ligentlytryingto learn Portuguese! I want to learn your Brazilian ways and language; not vice versa. (I'm still struggling with silo and pitio...but I'll get the hang of it sooner or later!) Additional specious reasoning offered is that Brazilians should get France to help because some Brazilians speak French and we framed our constitution on the French example. Finally, because Brazilians know Paris better than they knowNew York. Well, so do I know Paris better than I know New York. ..so what? These are terribly weak arguments for such a profound and far-reaching conclusion that Brazil should enter the nuclear race in order to achieve some kind of spurious world recognition as a nuclear player. The implications would be staggering. I speak only for myself, as an American planning to spend the remainder of his years in Brazil, and say: Don't fall for the simplistic reasons that are being offered. Start to consider the ramifications. Think about the size and shape of your country; and about the threat to your major city centers. Think about concentrations of populations...the 18 million in Sao Paulo and the 11 million in Rio, for example. In spite of the length and breadth of your borders, these large city populations are very vulnerable to nuclear attack...although by whom I have no idea. Look at the current daily feud between India and Pakistan and ask yourself if you would want that sword of Damocles hanging over your head and the heads of your families. You don't want that! (I want to say "we don't want that," but I don't feel I can exercise that privilege until I live with you). Mr. Amaral says that "nobody" will take Brazil seriously unless they develop nuclear weapons...that Brazil will not be considered acceptable for inclusion in the United Nations Security Council. Big deal! Let's just look at the composition of the UNSC as of now: the big five permanent members are, of course, US, China, France, Russian Federation, and the UK. 30
Now I6'ok at the temporary members and their nuclear capabil ity: NONE!!! And look again at the names of those countries and compare your enthusiasm for them vis-à-vis your own marvelous country of Brazil. They are: Argentina, Bangladesh, Canada, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mali, Nam ibia, Netherlands, Tunisia, and the Ukraine. Did you find any nuclear powers in the above list often? No! Yet all ten are on the United Nations Security Council. Brazil could very easily qualify to serve on the council without a nUclear arsenal.
o map a nuclear blast. Let's drop a 25-megaton bomb in downtown Rio. (The bombs dropped by the Americans over Hiroshima and Nagasaki had 12 and 22 kilotons respectively. They killed 120 thousand people immediately. A 25-megaton bomb is roughly the equivalent of2000 Hiroshima bombs or 1000 Nagasaki bombs.) That's the response you will get from the site:
The Shock When the Bible talks of the "nuclear family," it is not talking about weapons of mass destruction. It's talking about mothers and fathers and their children, all of whom would be placed in immediate jeopardy in a nuclear conflict. Just what would happen to Rio, for example, if a nuclear device were exploded over the city? Let me give you some idea if such :a catastrophic event were to occur. I dont, claim to be an expert in nuclear weapons, butt am not without some qualification having studied the matter as a US Army officer during the "cold war" with the USSR. Too, a great deal of information can be obtained on your own simply by going to your web browser and searching under -nuclear effects." That's all there is to it. Now, on to Rio. In this scenariNtwe find that a 25-megaton bomb has been exploded over the city. It's a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon, the beaches are packed, and the sidewalks are crowded with walkers and bikers from Leblon north toward Gloria/Catete. It's an airburst ut the vicinity of Flamengo or Laranjeiras, which is fairly central. By recent surveys, there are about 1 1 million men, women and chi1d4ren in Rio. What happens to them will chill your soul. First, I will offer an overview of the tremendous forces that are unleashed by the bomb, then I will have Someone describe the incredible pains that will* experienced by so many familiet...not, in Rio, but in the outlying areas, perhaps around the entire world.
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1"Ring - 12 psi Radius: 6.5 miles [Note: The outside edge ofth is shaded ea represents the 12 psi (pound per square inch) ring. Blast pressure within Wering is greater than 12 psi; blast pressure outside the ring is less than 12 psi.] The remains of some buildings' foundations are visible. Some of the strongest buildings—those made of reinforced, poured concrete—are still standing. Ninety-eight percent of the population within this area are dead. 2" Ring - 5 psi Radius: 10.7 miles Virtually everything is destroyed between the 12 and 5 psi rings. The walls of typical multi-story buildings, including ; apartment buildings, are completely blown out. As you move from the center toward the 5 psi ring there are more structural skeletons of buildings standing. Single-family residences within this area have been completely blown away—only their foundations remain. Fifty percent of the population between the 12 and 5 psi rings are dead. Forty percent are injured.
3rd Ring -2 psi Radius: 20 miles Any single-family residences that are not completely destroyed are heavily damaged. The windows of office buildThe Test ings have been blown away, as have some oftheir walls. The contents ofthese PBS has an Internet page (utivi buildings' upper floors, including the www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/601110/ people who were working there, are scatsfeature/mapablast.htm I) that allowsydu tered on the street. A substantial amount BRAZZIL -JUNE 2002