Tornado Chasers and TV Networks

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Over the past two weeks, the Oklahoma City area has been hit by two tragic tornados, and although the first one was more deadly, the second one provides us with the more important lessons. In the first one, which struck the city of Moore, was classified as in the most powerful range (EF-5). The largest … Read more

Pro-Nuclear Environmentalism

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On the 46th of 64 pages of my 2012 book for middle grade readers, Meltdown! The Nuclear Disaster in Japan and Our Energy Future, I finally ask the question that the earlier chapters are designed to lead up to: “Is nuclear power worth the risk?” The remainder of the book provides a definite response, but … Read more

Fred Bortz Lives!

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For the person who found my blog by searching “Fred Bortz died,” I am pleased to report that it was a different and older Fred Bortz. That’s great news for me, but not so great for the family of the other Fred.

Review of Near Earth Objects by Donald K. Yeomans

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Near-Earth Objects: Finding Them Before They Find Us by Donald K. Yeomans (Princeton University Press, 192 pages, $24.95, December 2012) Reviewed by Dr. Fred Bortz This review is the copyrighted property of Alfred B. Bortz. Individuals may print single copies for their own use. For permission to publish or print multiple copies, please contact the … Read more

TEPCO admits Fukushima reactors should have been upgraded or replaced. Now what?

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Since completing my recent middle grade book, Meltdown! The Nuclear Disaster in Japan and Our Energy Future, which is about the implications for our energy future of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns that followed the massive earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, I have been following developments in Japan’s nuclear industry closely. In July of … Read more

Reprise of a review. The 4% Universe.

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Repeating earlier post, because this book just won the American Institute of Physics Science Communication Award. I won the same award for works intended for children in 2002.

The author anticipated the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics, which went to the leading members of the two teams that competed to make sense of a discovery that turned out to be dark energy.

The 4% Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek
( Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 288 pages, $26.00, January, 2011)

Reviewed by Dr. Fred Bortz

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Author Q&A about Meltdown! The Nuclear Disaster in Japan and Our Energy Future

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Readers of this blog might be interested in the backstory of my book for young readers Meltdown! The Nuclear Disaster in Japan and Our Energy Future. A great advocate for nonfiction who writes under the online persona Book Kvetch published this very nice Q&A, which I hope you will enjoy.