Director, Centre for Small Modular Reactors | Associate Professor & Industrial Research Chair @ Ontario Tech University | Ex-UK MoD | 🇬🇧 born 🇨🇦 since birth
Oshawa, Ontario
Joined October 2018
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Me, this morning, benefitting from medical radioisotopes. I'm not sure if they were made-in-Canada isotopes as the atoms were pretty small & I couldn't see a maple leaf. Brought the Geiger counter home with me & it's clicking muchly, so good job I'm not wearing my dosimetry...
With all the hatred & death in the world today, it's worth contrasting how different people behave. Although Britain & Argentina were at war (1982), when the enemy was down, some people stepped up to render aid. That's humanity. Now think of how Russia treats Ukrainians.
#OnThisDay 1999 HM The Queen gave permission for Surg.Capt. Rick Jolly to wear insignia of the Argentine Orden de Mayo granted by Argentina for Jolly’s life saving care to Argentine casualties as well as British during the Falklands, he was the only person decorated by both sides
People too often forget about the connectedness of the world. While people simultaneously bleat about carbon policies & inward migration at home, consequences of not addressing carbon cause pressures that make it hard for people to live elsewhere.
theguardian.com/global-devel…
Austerity politics is a shortsighted way of addressing fiscal concerns that exacerbates other problems. E.g., the first babies born since the end of the Labour years are now approaching adulthood. Had more been born, the need for immigration would be less.
theguardian.com/commentisfre…
This morning I met @jamiljivani, MP for Durham, when he dropped by @ontariotech_u. We discussed #NuclearEnergy research, policy, jobs, SMRs, nuclear icebreakers, what Canada must do to stay on top, & (in this pic) radiation shielding. Happy to have a pro-nuclear MP in our corner.
Just watched twin daughter number 2 perform with second violins in her first concert with @DurhamYouthOrch. Fantastic show, my favorite piece being Finlandia by Sibelius, AKA the Die Hard 2 final landing music.
Whilst I think this is a good idea, I'm not sure how many votes it will lose Sunak. Those still voting for him will vote anyway, but those still thinking about it are more likely to be put off by this messaging.
news.sky.com/story/sunak-say…
Saw @kearney_melissa on @smerconish saying that averting the existential economic threat posed by the U.S. declining birth rate will require huge investment in the near-term. Have Republicans considered how this can be resolved with their lower spending, taxes & immigration hype?
With near certain rejection of the UK conservative party in the pending general election, huge numbers of tory MPs are retiring. Will this experienced cadre be replaced by social media extremist types, pulling the UK towards U.S. style disfunction?
news.sky.com/story/record-ex…
At the #CEOIA launch event this afternoon in Bowmanville, local MP @jamiljivani emphasised the hope that Canadian leadership in medical isotopes gives those with cancer. Given its the first time I've seen him speak in person, I must say he comes across much differently than on X.
This is an example of why publicly-funded research in universities is essential. Industrial research is important too, but where commercial or political interests diverge from findings, there needs to be a well-funded counterpoint to keep them honest.
propublica.org/article/3m-fo…
How does it happen that most Americans think the U.S. is in recession, has rising inflation, rising unemployment, & falling stock markets when precisely the opposite is true in all cases? It's not like it's hard to find these things out...
theguardian.com/us-news/arti…
If the "entire world supply" of tritium is needed just for experiments at ITER, the future of fusion energy has a big problem that can only really be solved by more CANDU reactors.
physicsworld.com/a/the-fusio…
When I went to uni in the UK in 1996, there were 300k domestic entrants across all schools, there were no fees, & we got grants to live. All this was sustainable. Today there are 500k or more, paying fees, big loans, & the sector may collapse. Go figure.
theguardian.com/education/ar…
Duh, so who didn't realize that renewable energy would face materials challenges? That cheap supply so often touted could end up a lot more expensive..
wsj.com/articles/green-trans…
And people worry about well-managed used fuel & radioactive waste... I despair...
theguardian.com/environment/…
Ratcliffe is only half right. To remainers, Brexit has worked out much as expected. When rhetoric meets reality, reality always wins. The UK govt should have focused on real the problems in 2016 rather than pushing a divisive referendum.
news.sky.com/story/sir-jim-r…
So, approve of it or not, carbon pricing is effective in curbing emissions.
nature.com/articles/s41467-0…
