Monday Musings: March 14. 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 14:31 This is starting out to be an interesting week. After months of riding the river Denial, we are going to have to get a new leach field out here at Rancho Maven. A forty year old system just isn’t cutting it, and we’re essentially just using the ‘tank’. Sigh. Now I have to go up to the County and explain that we don’t really have four bedrooms - one has been totally converted to an office (as in no closet) - so will they cease and desist with their objections, so we can go with a smaller, less costly solution?
Off I go to do battle. Yet, for all this, I still do not hate or even mildly dislike government. Having to wrangle with a county bureaucrat every twenty years or so doesn’t necessarily constitute any apparent slide to Soviet-style monolithic Socialist statehood. Government is what keeps the idiot junk hoarders in our neighborhood somewhat under control.
Sometimes I think disaster brings out not only the best in humanity, but also the worst. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw some of the horribly cruel and ignorant statements being posted around Facebook regarding the earthquake devastation and human tragedy in Japan.
Hard to believe, but there are people out there who think this earthquake is some bizarre kind of ‘payback’ for Pearl Harbor. These are probably the same sort of people who think every Muslim in the community is somehow a terrorist in training, or was connected with the horror of 9-11. At the end of the day, they’re looking for ‘others’ to blame for whatever they perceive to be wrong in their own communities or American society at large. Although I know it’s wrong to generalize, my experience has been that people who would take the broad brush of blame to those different than they are, are the least likely to step up and be helpful or proactive.
But perhaps, these people are just True Believers, like Leroy.
“Gawd Bless America” is a Documentary Comedy in coming to theaters this spring. The film follows Blake Freeman, who takes a morally and financially bankrupt 69 year old man named Leroy, on a Journey in search of the truth. Leroy’s spent his life savings on trying to protect himself from aliens and paranormal ghost, by entrusting the help of psychics. Upon the discovery of Leroy’s plight, Blake decides he must take Leroy on a hilarious journey across the country to “uncover the truth” of of all things paranormal. From Aliens to Voodoo curses, Blake takes on them all, by pulling pranks on the “so called” experts with hopes to ultimately prove to Leroy, he has been taken advantage of.
Does it surprise you that I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THIS MOVIE?!!
Carissa and Brad - Let’s do a Reno Skeptics in the Pub MeetUp where ever this is showing! It could be too funny.
The very idea that nuclear power plants in Japan might have already gone critical is very disturbing. Bat shit scary if you were living next to one. Talk about sinking your property values! But seriously, I’ve actually been a quiet proponent of nuclear power done safely. Note the emphasis on ‘safely’.
Nuclear energy is possibly a transitional mode of powering the nation and getting off of non-renewable resources like oil - with all the concomitant geo-political issues. Many countries - such as Japan and France - have successfully employed nuclear energy safely for decades. I do believe it can be done, if the political will is there.
Waste has always been a huge issue, yet we won’t even look at technologies that have been available to mitigate this issue. Why? Oil is here and now, and too many are making huge profits on it. Yet, there are interesting possibilities …
The GE Hitachi Prism reactor is based on technology that was being worked on decades ago, when Ron was working at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory at Arco, Idaho. But, shucks… when you’ve got sweet deals with the Saudi’s why would you even look at innovations in nuclear energy?
Fortunately, a 9.0 earthquake doesn’t happen often, and although the reactors in Japan are in danger, that isn’t the boogeyman that many people think it is. It’s definitely serious. Very, very serious. But Three Mile Island and Chernobyl not withstanding, it isn’t Doomsday. I still think there is a future for nuclear energy in America, if only a transitional one. But to use this experience in Japan as an excuse to not even have the discussion, is penny wise and pound foolish.
That said, this is an excellent opportunity to review whether or not America’s nuclear reactors are up to the task of withstanding a major incident. It has been reported - by the Union of Concerned Scientists - that many might not be able to provide the backup power needed to keep the reactor’s cooling operation going seamlessly. This backup power is the issue with the Japanese reactors. They lost power, and then their backup power system failed, which allowed the cores to overheat.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-MA has spent years pushing the nuclear industry toward necessarily stricter regulations. But as we’ve seen, the GOP is making something of a religious calling of removing safety regulations faster than they can be put into place. Somehow, I don’t believe the American public would really prefer such a completely ‘hands off’ approach when it comes to a nuclear reactor. You can bet that if additional study and possible regulation are proposed, the GOP response will be “it’s too expensive” and would add to the deficit.
That will be sad, short-sighted, and possibly dangerous. But that seems to characterize the GOP/TeaParty.
Finally, it’s past time for the serious people in both the U.S., NATO, France, Germany and Britain to get real about assisting the Libyans in their struggle against Muammar Gaddafi. It’s true that we’ve stumbled from one F’d up Middle Eastern intervention after another, but isn’t it obvious that this is one we should have some skin in?
Sheesh.
Well, busy week ahead, and the weather isn’t looking to great either. I think I’ll keep my head down and press forward.
Stay well. Check in occasionally.
-maven
mavenandmeddler
I just received this Press Release from NRC
Nope, Doomsday is not imminent.
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Reader Comments (4)
Love the idea of a group excursion to the movie!
RE: the nuclear threat in Japan: thank goodness for CNN for providing experts explaining what is going on, and that yes, while there is "some" radiation being released, it is still an acceptable amount; that the hydrogen explosions have been expected; that the core is still safe. Further, "melt down" doesn't have to mean complete and utter destruction. And shame on just about everyone else for hyping this beyond belief, and I include in that number Michio Kaku, who even before this event appears to have totally jumped the shark. He is a theoretical physicist, not a nuclear one, and should know better than to get on t.v. and start throwing around terms like China Syndrome and Chernobyl. Shame, shame on him.
And we are going to have to agree to disagree about Libya. The Arab states are meeting to do something about this, and certainly they have the capability of enforcing a no-fly zone without our help, if they so desire. After all, we've sold them all the planes and munitions they need. Same goes for Europe. I say we sit this one out.
Naw, maybe not.
I think I'll jump onto your wagon on this. But I do think they need help. And better from 'their own'.
Right about comparisons with Chernobyl. It was an old Soviet design, and was for many reasons, orders of magnitude worse. Apples and oranges.