Buffett targeted over nuke plant
An environmental group is taking Warren Buffett to task over a proposed nuclear power plant in Iowa.
The group, Friends of the Earth, says Buffett told CNBC last month that the future of nuclear reactor construction is “dead” because of the crisis in Japan. Yet MidAmerican Energy, a holding of Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, is proposing to build a new Iowa nuclear plant, it says.
..
“Mr. Buffett, Iowa ratepayers should not be paying up front for a project you don’t think will ever be completed,” the group’s ad said.
IS THERE A 'BEST CASE' SCENARIO FOR JAPAN? From March 16th and overly optimistic, but he raises a good point:
From fault-riddled California, to hurricane-prone Turkey Point in Florida, the world and its leaders will take new hard looks at nuclear power plants. There is no such thing as "fail safe" and there is no such thing as a foolproof system of protecting Earth from radiation leaks in disasters in a future we cannot know.
But what if all six impacted Japanese plants survive the crisis with a staged closing, going offline, securing or encasing "hot" cores, avoiding the escape of acceptably low levels of isotopes - and all this actually does not cause widespread death and future cancer risk?
The worst earthquake in memory; the worst tidal wave to hit a developed nation, and the failure of one, two, three or more redundant safety systems at nuclear plants!
The odds are millions to one of this confluence of events. But it happened. And if, just if, the engineers and managers, corporate sponsors and atomic energy regulators give an "all clear"and doomsday is avoided, I pose this question, which my fellow environmentalists will cringe at: "Is it possible that we can learn from the Japanese events, make further improvements, and grudgingly admit that nuclear power might indeed be a safer alternative to polluting and depleting hydrocarbons?"
The entire experience could prove that France with 75 per cent dependency on nuclear power actually is a better template for economic sanity than the United States still dependant on the violence and vagaries of Venezuela or Saudi Riyadh for our future.
Good point. Completely wrong, as history will most certainly attest, but in the interest of open minded-ness..
Anything Can Happen at Any Time: Zen Lessons from Japan Huffington Post. Excerpts:
What's happened in Japan affects all of us. Perhaps, like me, you've noticed a sober backdrop of stunned sadness that's been pervading our collective psyche. If we are to become more conscious human beings then each moment can be taken as an opportunity to wake up. What can we learn so that this tragedy helps us deepen our understanding and become more awake?
A central tenet of existence is the truth of impermanence. Ultimately there is no stability in a constantly changing world. Everything on this physical plane is subject to this law of unreliability -- our bodies, our mind-states, our relationships, even the very earth we stand on. As one of my teachers puts it: "Anything can happen at any time." Zen philosopher Alan Watts called it "the wisdom of insecurity." An earthquake is a direct experience that there's no solid ground to stand on. The images coming out of Japan not only touch our hearts, they underscore the fragility of life. How can we relate to the unpredictability of life so that rather than living in a continual state of anxiety this truth helps us grow and informs our lives?
Buddhist teachings encourage people to reflect every day on the fact that, because of the truth of impermanence, everything near and dear to us will sooner or later be separated from us. The aim of this practice is not to depress or dwell on the morbid, but to inoculate us from the pain and confusion when the inevitable comes. Knowing that anything can happen at any time can remind us to wake up and be present for life as it's happening now. Instead of sleepwalking through it, taking it for granted as we fantasize about the future or live in the past, life's fragility awakens us to the precious gift we've been given. When we realize that the only moment there is is the one we are in, we're more motivated to be here for it and honor it with our presence. It becomes a sacred gift worthy of our attention.
Ace, "De Niro" unlikely heroes of Japan nuclear crisis Weird fucking bullshit. Excerpts:
TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - "Ace" is Japan's latest hero. Fans dissect his daily comments on message boards, where some post gushing tributes to his voice and his expressive face, and spend hours watching video clips of his performances.
Far from an actor or rock star, Ace is one of the officials at Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), the operator of Japan's crippled nuclear plant, who face the media each day for updates after the disastrous March 11 earthquake and tsunami that set off the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.
"I spend several hours each day thinking about Ace or watching his clips," one online follower said on a message board dedicated to Ace.
Though the public from the start praised the hard work and courage of the on-site workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant who toiled to bring the situation under control, officials at the Tokyo home office came in for criticism.
But after weeks of seeing Ace and colleagues such as "De Niro" -- nicknamed for his resemblance to actor Robert De Niro -- at twice-daily news conferences streamed live over the Internet, tackling hardball questions from sometimes testy reporters, respect for them has grown.
..
Fans debate the best "Ace moments" on the message board devoted to him, which has attracted nearly 300 posts.
You gotta be shittin' me, here.. 300 posts on a fan forum in... TOYKO? Tokyo has a population of 28 million people. I would assume most people understand, then, that 300 posts is evidence of a completely fringe phenomenon. Inactive forums or blogs can attract as much attention. I find the article believable, as fringe movements and behaviors are inherently unexpected, so I don't doubt the forum's veracity. But, even taking into account X number of "lurkers"(non responsive, yet active readers), forum participants are, statistically, insignificant.
Fukushima Fallout/Commentary: The Alameda Sun. Excerpts:
I opened the Alameda Sun on Friday, April 7, and read with horror its front page article, "Nuclear Scientist Counts Radiation Levels Locally," The article states that UC Berkeley professor Kai Vetter installed three radiation detectors, and began collecting rainwater on the roof of Etcheverry Hall on the Cal campus on March 17, in time for the radioactive plume's arrival on March 19. The article further states that Vetter says fallout in our area from the Fukushima disaster is nothing to worry about, and that "the extremely low levels of both iodine and cesium he measured should reassure people that there is little danger in the presence of these elements.
The levels were low to begin with and are even lower now." The article goes on to say that "Vetter told KTVU that even at the highest levels measured, a person would have to breathe that air for 2,000 years to be exposed to the same amount of radiation that one would experience from a cross-country flight. "You should not be worried about your dog going out and drinking some rainwater — he will not light up," he stated about the rain that recently fell.
Interestingly, an article appeared in Business Insider on April 4, just three days before this article showed up in the Sun, with the heading, "San Francisco Rainwater: Radiation 181 Times Above U.S. Drinking Water Standard." Apparently, the sample was taken "on the roof of Etcheverry Hall on the campus of UC Berkeley on March 23, 2011"
..
There's more: "Rising Risks: Fukushima radiation is blanketing most of the United States and Canada according to the data and visuals published regularly by the Norwegian Institute of Air Research. The risks of that radiation falling with rain, have been downplayed by U.S. government officials and others, who say its impacts are so fleeting and minor so as to be negligible. Nonetheless, radiation falling with rain can cover grass that is eaten by cows and other animals. It can also fall on food crops or contaminate reservoirs that are used for irrigation or drinking water. [Norwegian Institute of Air Research or NILU]"
I don't know about Alameda Sun readers, but I think it is criminally irresponsible for Vetter, a nuclear scientist, to lie to us about the safety and amount of radiation he is measuring, and that the public is being exposed to. Radiation is cumulative, is much more dangerous when it is ingested than when it is outside of you, and Vetter's own tests have shown the levels to be 181 times the MCLs on March 23.
And no, the levels will not be going down, as the Fukushima plant is now a permanent hot spot on this planet that will continue to spew every form of isotope imaginable, including the deadliest of all, plutonium.
An environmental group is taking Warren Buffett to task over a proposed nuclear power plant in Iowa.
The group, Friends of the Earth, says Buffett told CNBC last month that the future of nuclear reactor construction is “dead” because of the crisis in Japan. Yet MidAmerican Energy, a holding of Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, is proposing to build a new Iowa nuclear plant, it says.
..
“Mr. Buffett, Iowa ratepayers should not be paying up front for a project you don’t think will ever be completed,” the group’s ad said.
IS THERE A 'BEST CASE' SCENARIO FOR JAPAN? From March 16th and overly optimistic, but he raises a good point:
From fault-riddled California, to hurricane-prone Turkey Point in Florida, the world and its leaders will take new hard looks at nuclear power plants. There is no such thing as "fail safe" and there is no such thing as a foolproof system of protecting Earth from radiation leaks in disasters in a future we cannot know.
But what if all six impacted Japanese plants survive the crisis with a staged closing, going offline, securing or encasing "hot" cores, avoiding the escape of acceptably low levels of isotopes - and all this actually does not cause widespread death and future cancer risk?
The worst earthquake in memory; the worst tidal wave to hit a developed nation, and the failure of one, two, three or more redundant safety systems at nuclear plants!
The odds are millions to one of this confluence of events. But it happened. And if, just if, the engineers and managers, corporate sponsors and atomic energy regulators give an "all clear"and doomsday is avoided, I pose this question, which my fellow environmentalists will cringe at: "Is it possible that we can learn from the Japanese events, make further improvements, and grudgingly admit that nuclear power might indeed be a safer alternative to polluting and depleting hydrocarbons?"
The entire experience could prove that France with 75 per cent dependency on nuclear power actually is a better template for economic sanity than the United States still dependant on the violence and vagaries of Venezuela or Saudi Riyadh for our future.
Good point. Completely wrong, as history will most certainly attest, but in the interest of open minded-ness..
Anything Can Happen at Any Time: Zen Lessons from Japan Huffington Post. Excerpts:
What's happened in Japan affects all of us. Perhaps, like me, you've noticed a sober backdrop of stunned sadness that's been pervading our collective psyche. If we are to become more conscious human beings then each moment can be taken as an opportunity to wake up. What can we learn so that this tragedy helps us deepen our understanding and become more awake?
A central tenet of existence is the truth of impermanence. Ultimately there is no stability in a constantly changing world. Everything on this physical plane is subject to this law of unreliability -- our bodies, our mind-states, our relationships, even the very earth we stand on. As one of my teachers puts it: "Anything can happen at any time." Zen philosopher Alan Watts called it "the wisdom of insecurity." An earthquake is a direct experience that there's no solid ground to stand on. The images coming out of Japan not only touch our hearts, they underscore the fragility of life. How can we relate to the unpredictability of life so that rather than living in a continual state of anxiety this truth helps us grow and informs our lives?
Buddhist teachings encourage people to reflect every day on the fact that, because of the truth of impermanence, everything near and dear to us will sooner or later be separated from us. The aim of this practice is not to depress or dwell on the morbid, but to inoculate us from the pain and confusion when the inevitable comes. Knowing that anything can happen at any time can remind us to wake up and be present for life as it's happening now. Instead of sleepwalking through it, taking it for granted as we fantasize about the future or live in the past, life's fragility awakens us to the precious gift we've been given. When we realize that the only moment there is is the one we are in, we're more motivated to be here for it and honor it with our presence. It becomes a sacred gift worthy of our attention.
Ace, "De Niro" unlikely heroes of Japan nuclear crisis Weird fucking bullshit. Excerpts:
TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - "Ace" is Japan's latest hero. Fans dissect his daily comments on message boards, where some post gushing tributes to his voice and his expressive face, and spend hours watching video clips of his performances.
Far from an actor or rock star, Ace is one of the officials at Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), the operator of Japan's crippled nuclear plant, who face the media each day for updates after the disastrous March 11 earthquake and tsunami that set off the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.
"I spend several hours each day thinking about Ace or watching his clips," one online follower said on a message board dedicated to Ace.
Though the public from the start praised the hard work and courage of the on-site workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant who toiled to bring the situation under control, officials at the Tokyo home office came in for criticism.
But after weeks of seeing Ace and colleagues such as "De Niro" -- nicknamed for his resemblance to actor Robert De Niro -- at twice-daily news conferences streamed live over the Internet, tackling hardball questions from sometimes testy reporters, respect for them has grown.
..
Fans debate the best "Ace moments" on the message board devoted to him, which has attracted nearly 300 posts.
You gotta be shittin' me, here.. 300 posts on a fan forum in... TOYKO? Tokyo has a population of 28 million people. I would assume most people understand, then, that 300 posts is evidence of a completely fringe phenomenon. Inactive forums or blogs can attract as much attention. I find the article believable, as fringe movements and behaviors are inherently unexpected, so I don't doubt the forum's veracity. But, even taking into account X number of "lurkers"(non responsive, yet active readers), forum participants are, statistically, insignificant.
Fukushima Fallout/Commentary: The Alameda Sun. Excerpts:
I opened the Alameda Sun on Friday, April 7, and read with horror its front page article, "Nuclear Scientist Counts Radiation Levels Locally," The article states that UC Berkeley professor Kai Vetter installed three radiation detectors, and began collecting rainwater on the roof of Etcheverry Hall on the Cal campus on March 17, in time for the radioactive plume's arrival on March 19. The article further states that Vetter says fallout in our area from the Fukushima disaster is nothing to worry about, and that "the extremely low levels of both iodine and cesium he measured should reassure people that there is little danger in the presence of these elements.
The levels were low to begin with and are even lower now." The article goes on to say that "Vetter told KTVU that even at the highest levels measured, a person would have to breathe that air for 2,000 years to be exposed to the same amount of radiation that one would experience from a cross-country flight. "You should not be worried about your dog going out and drinking some rainwater — he will not light up," he stated about the rain that recently fell.
Interestingly, an article appeared in Business Insider on April 4, just three days before this article showed up in the Sun, with the heading, "San Francisco Rainwater: Radiation 181 Times Above U.S. Drinking Water Standard." Apparently, the sample was taken "on the roof of Etcheverry Hall on the campus of UC Berkeley on March 23, 2011"
..
There's more: "Rising Risks: Fukushima radiation is blanketing most of the United States and Canada according to the data and visuals published regularly by the Norwegian Institute of Air Research. The risks of that radiation falling with rain, have been downplayed by U.S. government officials and others, who say its impacts are so fleeting and minor so as to be negligible. Nonetheless, radiation falling with rain can cover grass that is eaten by cows and other animals. It can also fall on food crops or contaminate reservoirs that are used for irrigation or drinking water. [Norwegian Institute of Air Research or NILU]"
I don't know about Alameda Sun readers, but I think it is criminally irresponsible for Vetter, a nuclear scientist, to lie to us about the safety and amount of radiation he is measuring, and that the public is being exposed to. Radiation is cumulative, is much more dangerous when it is ingested than when it is outside of you, and Vetter's own tests have shown the levels to be 181 times the MCLs on March 23.
And no, the levels will not be going down, as the Fukushima plant is now a permanent hot spot on this planet that will continue to spew every form of isotope imaginable, including the deadliest of all, plutonium.
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