Then there's nuclear power... by Niki2

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Then there's nuclear power...

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Monday, August 2, 2010 15:38
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Saturday, July 31, 2010 8:49 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Quote:
The largest wildlife census of its kind conducted in Chernobyl has revealed that mammals are declining in the exclusion zone surrounding the nuclear power plant.

The study aimed to establish the most reliable way to measure the impact on wildlife of contamination in the zone.

It was based on almost four years of counting and studying animals there.

University of South Carolina

The scientists say that birds provide the best "quantitative measure" of these impacts.

They report their findings in the journal Ecological Indicators.

The research team say that their census of species in the zone - which was carried out for more than three years - provides more evidence that contamination has a "significant impact" on biodiversity.

Professor Timothy Mousseau from the University of South Carolina, US, and Dr Anders Moller from the University of Paris-Sud, France, worked together on the project.

From 2006-2009, they counted and examined wildlife including insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Their previously published work revealed some of the negative impacts on birds and on insects of the low-level radiation that still contaminated the exclusion zone surrounding the power plant.

The new data on mammals and reptiles shows what Professor Moussaeu described as a "strong signal" of reduced biodiversity in these groups too.

Think we'll ever smarten up and stop destroying the planet? A global village sure makes it seem impossible.

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Saturday, July 31, 2010 10:48 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Chernobyl was more an indictment of the inefficiency of the Communist system than of nuclear power. Western Europe has been producing a lot of their power with nuke plants for many years with no problems. Consider the environmental impact of solar or wind energy farms required to produce the same amount of power as a nuke plant. Consider the impact of existing coal plants.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Saturday, July 31, 2010 11:02 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Hello,

I do believe the key to nuclear power is building failsafe plants and maintaining them well. I also believe that oil and coal are greater pollutants than nuclear.

If I had to choose between a modern nuke plant and a coal plant in my neighborhood, I'd probably pick the nuke plant.

--Anthony

Due to the use of Naomi 3.3.2 Beta web filtering, the following people may need to private-message me if they wish to contact me: Auraptor, Kaneman, Piratenews. I apologize for the inconvenience.

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Saturday, July 31, 2010 11:56 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Until we run out of places to stuff the waste, nuclear is DEFINITELY less polluting that coal and oil, no argument there. That's really not saying much, tho'...

It's precisely the Communist system I'm concerned above...since breakup of the USSR, we really don't know how safe their plants are.

But then, we really don't know how safe OURS are, either...given teh Gulf gusherfuck, who knows how well THEY'RE maintained or overseen?

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Saturday, July 31, 2010 12:19 PM

REENACT12321

Niki.... not going with you on this one. I support nuclear power whole-heartedly, like people have said above, a system has to be worked out and standardized and secured, but Nuclear is totally the way to go. Clean, efficient, long running on a "single tank" so to speak. You can't beat it really

You want to talk about the waste? This is a matter of logistics, not waste. Depleted uranium can be re-enriched to roughly 80% it's original lifespan at full strength. We're talking rechargeable batteries vs. normal batteries. Yeah, they eventually will die out and have to be dealt with, but by the time they've been recharged enough times that they are no longer viable, we're talking 1 load of rods, over roughly an 80 year span. I think within 100 years we can figure out what to do with depleted Uranium roughly equivalent to 1 railroad car per power plant from that whole span of time. We just have to get behind re-enriching. Hell, if we do that, we get so far down the road we may have figured out something better. (look up "whiffle ball fusion generator") but in the meantime, NO CO2 emissions from US power? other than steam and a little heat, no emissions at all?! How can you (and countless politicians I want to slug who bow to hippy loudmouths and scared baby-boomers who still remember "duck and cover!") There's not going to b e a china syndrome or another chernoble. Or even a 3 mile island. Long as we invest proper resources, computer equipment and create JOBS for people to run these plants properly.

"...we need a hood ornament..."

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Saturday, July 31, 2010 5:30 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

Quote:
Long as we invest proper resources, computer equipment and create JOBS for people to run these plants properly.

And therein lies the rub. As long as we'd done any of that on the Deepwater Horizon, we wouldn't be looking at the worst environmental disaster in American history right now.

One government enacts strict legislation in the name of safety and security, and the next one strips it all away in the name of big business interests and deregulation.

AURaptor's Greatest Hits:

Friday, May 28, 2010 - 20:32 To AnthonyT:
Go fuck yourself.
On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you.

Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.

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Sunday, August 1, 2010 2:14 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
But then, we really don't know how safe OURS are, either...given teh Gulf gusherfuck, who knows how well THEY'RE maintained or overseen?

Seens a questionable equivalence to me. Regulation of nuke plants in the U.S., Japan, Western Europe, etc. is much more rigorous than for oil drilling - probably reflecting the increased risks. Consider how many oil-related disasters there are every year, and that - aside from Three-mile Island (where no one was injured) - there have been no serious nuke plant problems in Europe, Japan or the U.S.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Sunday, August 1, 2010 2:17 AM

KWICKO

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
But then, we really don't know how safe OURS are, either...given teh Gulf gusherfuck, who knows how well THEY'RE maintained or overseen?

Seens a questionable equivalence to me. Regulation of nuke plants in the U.S., Japan, Western Europe, etc. is much more rigorous than for oil drilling - probably reflecting the increased risks. Consider how many oil-related disasters there are every year, and that - aside from Three-mile Island (where no one was injured) - there have been no serious nuke plant problems in Europe, Japan or the U.S.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

Sounds like a wonderful argument for much more rigorous regulation of the oil industry when you put it that way!

AURaptor's Greatest Hits:

Friday, May 28, 2010 - 20:32 To AnthonyT:
Go fuck yourself.
On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you.

Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.

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Sunday, August 1, 2010 6:26 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

That's really cool, Reenact, thank you! Makes me feel better about nuclear...are we doing that currently, or is it just an idea at this stage? If it's just an idea, people should get behind it, because I think that would be great, from what you say. I could get behind nuclear if that's what they do with the waste, fer shore. Thanx for the info!

Batteries are something that bother me as well...we try to use ours carefully and take them to the recycling plant when drained, but that doesn't solve anything, of course...and when I think how other people use them and toss them...eeep!

Even the chances of an accident (yes, I know regulations and inspections are stricter) would almost be worth it if they could do something with the waste--that's my biggest concern. Given how much we're pollution in every other way from oil and coal, the risk would be less, anyway.

I'll never trust it completely, I'm afraid--if something does go wrong, the potential is so huge...I'm still for renewable. But I know that's a long ways off, even if people eventually change their mindsets, so an interim solution other than coal/oil would get my vote.

As Mike said, these things DO change somewhat from administration to administration, so that's always a concern, but I'd give a lot to have us lessen our impact where oil disasters are concerned, AND have stricter safety measures on mines--actually, do away with them entirely. Given the virtually permanent changes they make to the ecosystem and the fact that NO coal mine is ever going to stop killing people one way or another, I'd like 'em gone.

As I said, I have a friend living near one, and a processing plant, and there's a lot more to it than just mine accidents that's bad!

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Sunday, August 1, 2010 11:43 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Nah, I won't support it till we can find another iron-ass like Hyman Rickover to put in charge of it - say whatever else ya like about the guy, and hell yes he was a sumbitch of the first order, but he could *not* be bought off and his primary and overriding concern was a zero-tolerance for sloppy maintainence, poor QC, or anything and everything that could lead to a serious failure...

AND IT WORKED.

So find me a right bastard, find me another Rickover, and put HIM in charge, and then we'll talk about it.

-Frem

I do not serve the Blind God.

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Monday, August 2, 2010 9:48 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

I LIKE it! (to quote Chevy Chase)

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Monday, August 2, 2010 3:38 PM

FREMDFIRMA

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
I LIKE it! (to quote Chevy Chase)

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