Not Literally
After all, my default emotional condition is that of Extremely Angry All The Time, since little things send me into paroxysms of rage, so going beyond that would require a major event. A leaky shoe sole or mould on by Ciabatta roll, for example, neither of which has happened.
No, what I'm talking about is a whole lot more serious than a blogger frothing at the mouth and hammering away on a Remote Nuclear Detonator. Remember 'Nuclear' and 'Detonator' because both will come back to bite you. Art!
I warned you.
What made the incident at 3MI all the more frightening was the release of "The China Syndrome" less than a fortnight earlier, which detailed the failings, corruption and greed of the senior management at a nuclear power plant. As they say, 'based on a true story', rather worryingly. Art!
Nothing to do with 'Belt And Road', just so we're clear. In this speculative description, what they mean by TCS is a full meltdown of a nuclear reactor at a power plant, for whatever reason. The term fondly imagines that the resulting glowing mass of molten metals would burn through the reactor vessel itself, the containment structure, and then the Earth, proceeding to burn it's way to China, assumed to be the antipodal point to South Canada. Art!
Sorry, no. The Earth is nearly 8,000 miles in diameter. Within a few miles the pressure from surrounding rock strata would crush the molten mass into droplets; even if it got halfway the Earth's molten core itself would simply absorb the comparatively tiny additional mass. Nor would it be able to burn it's way upwards from the centre thanks to this thing called 'Gravity'. You may have heard of it.
This in no way detracts from the film, which gets things right and which doesn't baby or patronise the audience. Let's take a look at one of the first critical scenes, where alarms are blaring and light-boards are flashing. Art!
This, lest ye be unaware, is not a good thing
Jack tells Barney to keep an eye on the feedwater that cools the reactor; Ted stolidly monitors other gauges after confirming that a 'Turbine Trip' had taken place. Things are problematic but nowhere near critical, this is just another occasional problem the power plant throws up.
Except not. Next the alarms start blaring for excessively high water level in the reactor, so the operators begin to dump water through relief valves. Art!
Once again, this is not a good thing
Minutes later, after dumping water, another meter - all electro-mechanical stuff since this is the late Seventies - indicates the complete opposite of the meter shown above. Art!
Jack and Ted both look baffled as their meter shows the water level as too high. What's going on? Jack hesitantly taps his meter and -
It instantly unjams and begins to show the true water level. Which is dangerously low - Ted informs that it's down to eight inches. Now, there are two redundant emergency systems for dealing with an emergency like this, which the film doesn't bother to explain. However - thank you! - a Commenter does. The High Pressure Coolant Injection system is for the addition of coolant while the core is still at high pressure, as it is here. Art!
Except that it's been locked and tagged-out for maintenance.
That leaves the Low Pressure Coolant Injection System, which can only function when the pressure is low. So Jack takes a desperate gamble and releases the reactor pressure on his own initiative, to Ted's absolute dismay. Art!
"JAAAACK!"
Ted, being the deputy manager, knew that Jack had committed them to a race between falling water levels exposing the reactor and causing an explosion, because dumping pressure increased the flow of coolant out of the reactor, or the pressure falling low enough for the LPCI system to work. Art!
"We've got Lipsey, Jack!"
Jack instantly closes the pressure relief valves and the water level in the reactor begins to rise as the LPCI system kicks in and adds coolant.
It worked, yet came horribly close to meltdown. You don't need to know the technical background of nuclear reactor coolant systems to appreciate the fear and tension in the control room, the actors sell it that well.
Want to know a little more from the Commenter? The type of meters used simply do not stick the way this one did, BUT the floats inside the tanks of coolant can and did stick, which might not send you to sleep soundly tonight.
Talking Of Which -
Conrad has a new mattress, whoopee, which came as a very compacted parcel from Inofia. This is because they are the manufacturers, not a random business posting out stuff. Art!
That's the tatty old one to port, which is now gracing a tip. To starboard you can see the new edition, which required three days to fully expand after being so cruelly confined. Sal and Tom had first dibs on it as they stayed over last night, and had no complaints. Your Humble Scribe will be giving it a test sleep tonight and you may hear more about it tomorrow.
"The War Illustrated Edition 203 March 29th 1945"
From yesteryon's map you ought to be aware that the Allies in the north and centre of Germany were through the border defences and inside the Reich, which did not bode terribly well for Herr Schickelgruber and his cohorts. Because from that point on it would be Teuton cities, towns and villages that were getting the blam treatment, not other nations. Art!
Further to that opening statement, at top you see British troops - the notation is desperately keen to make this point because they had been subsumed under the banner of "1st Canadian Army" - entering the Teuton town of Goch, which has been badly knocked about. They are marching with weapons slung, no bayonets fixed and close together, so there are no Teutons anywhere near. The chap at rear is carrying a PIAT crosswise over his shoulders, and the chap in front of him is carrying a three-round container of the bombs for it.
Below that are a collection of infernal engines that the British used to create a smokescreen, and you can see how much oil they use up thanks to all the oil drums that are either waiting for use or have been used. The Teutons could only dream of this kind of resource in March 1945; recall that they were using sugar beets in Italy to produce industrial alcohol in order to run vehicles.
Bring On The Jahncing Horses!
Yes, time for another dose of 2024's worst cinematic offerings, and this time Ol' Jezza is on to Number Three. Art!
Conrad has heard extraordinarily bad things about Part One, and has no intention of watching it, ever. Given that, there is a minus probability of me watching this cinematic excresence. Jezza was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, until he actually watched it, and pronounced it a 'dull sci-fi slog' and 'Dollar Store Seven Samurai'. I cannot find any details for it on 'Box Office Mojo', which seems a tad peculiar. The overall budget for both films was $166 million, so this is definitely nowhere near the ballpark budgets of all the horror movies Jezza has mentioned so far. He also uses a rude word when describing which we won't replicate here, but which is perfectly understandable if he paid $40 for a ticket to see a big pile of movie manure.
Finally -
Better go box up the goulash and sort out the laundry. O my rock and roll lifestyle.
Pip pip!
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