Nuclear web aficionados take note!
nuclear.com is preparing
"The Best of the Nuclear Web"
- please feel encouraged to
tell Steve why
your site nominee is amongst the best!
- - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - -
Nuclear renaissance workers wanted
--
nuclear.com is helping a
US government contractor staff up
for a slew of jobs
starting up over the coming months.
Exceptional folks are sought
for virtually every type of job imaginable.
Please send resume in body of email
to acs@nuclear.com
or paper copy to
nuclear.com
Attn: ACS
PO Box 5807
Rockville MD 20855
- - - - - - - - - -
Try Nuclear Waste Antidote
SmartPower energy drink
- - - - - - - - - -
t-shirts also available
-------------------
$3.99 bumper sticker
-------------------
set of post cards
-------------------
tile-top mahogany box, velvet-lined
-------------------
t-shirt
'I promise
not to talk politics
during dinner'
-------------------
'Excommunicated by
the Church of Global Warming'
-------------------
Steve's favorite news links
* The Newseum's daily compendium of front pages from around the world
* Nevada state government's nuclear-oriented "What's New" page, updated daily with links to fresh articles from around the world.
* Google News, updated continuously throughout the day.
* calamitology.com - please check out our sister site on climate science news
May 7, 2008
The coming election is an important one, due to the serious challenges we face on many fronts. The candidates for president who have emerged from the dominant political parties are so flawed as to make it very clear that our political health is in crisis. Nuclear.com urges all Americans of good will and judgement to consider that these extraordinary times require your personal extraordinary attention and action. Independent parties are being formed across the nation, and I hope you will get involved and use every God-given talent you have in restoring our government. Here's the platform I'm proposing for a new party here in Maryland. And if we can get 10,000 registered voters to sign petition in time to submit it to the state on Friday, I'll be running on this platform as a candidate for Congress in my district's special election to be held June 17.
Steve's platform, as he proposes to be adopted by the Maryland Independent Party
Maryland Independent Party has as its goal the return of our nation to the set of foundational principles clearly defined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. We call them "the American Principles." We believe that the American Principles are the "first things" that our country should consider -- in domestic policy, foreign policy, the internal functioning of government, and in using the "bully pulpit" of public office and the political arena to promote certain societal virtues and behaviors.
The protection of the life, liberty, and private property of the people is the primary reason for the existence of human government, and more particularly, of our precious American republican form of self-government. This is why we willingly accept no breach of the rights of the free exercise of religion, free speech, free press, free assembly, free association, and the right to petition government for the redress of grievances. We defend all of the enumerated rights listed in our Bill of Rights, and, in addition, all natural rights which are not enumerated, as per the Ninth Amendment.
We seek to restore the intended balance between the three separate branches of our government, and to strictly limit government to the enumerated powers granted and expressed by the will of the people of the United States in our Constitution. All existing functions of the executive branch that are outside of those enumerated powers must be eliminated. All spending and regulation by the legislative branch that lies outside the enumerated powers must cease. Judges who attempt to legislate from the bench, or who abandon the clear principles of our Constitution, must be checked if liberty and justice are to prevail in our society once again. We call for the restoration of adherence to the provisions of the Tenth Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
We believe in a supremely strong, prepared, and well-equipped civilian-controlled United States military, and a bold, visionary and intelligent program of principled constructive engagement with the rest of the world. For us, "peace through strength" is not a mere slogan. It is the means of survival for our country in a very dangerous and often hostile world. Our friendship should be a sought-after possession of all men and women of good will everywhere in the world. Our enmity should be something that all rightfully fear.
As Ronald Reagan opposed and defeated the designs and desire of the Soviet Union to dominate the world and place it under the tyranny of their Evil Empire, we oppose the Islamic extremists. This opposition is not based in opposition to their religion, but in a complete rejection of their political ideology and actions. Since the first principle of America is the protection of innocent human life, an ongoing state of war exists between us and any who would use acts of terrorism targeted at innocent civilians to forward their political aims.
We completely oppose any action that surrenders the political and economic sovereignty of the United States and its people, and support the immediate restoration of that sovereignty wherever it has been eroded.
We support the immediate securing and continuous vigilant maintenance of our sovereign territory and borders. We oppose any private or governmental action that rewards illegal entry into the United States in any way, and demand speedy and full enforcement of our laws concerning all such activities.
We consider the federal income tax to be destructive of our liberty, privacy, and prosperity. Therefore, we are working toward its complete elimination and the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We recommend that the current system be quickly replaced by a fair, simple, noninvasive, visible, efficient, consumption-based retail tax similar to the proposal popularly known as the FairTax. However, there are other constitutional tax reform proposals that are worthy of the people's consideration.
Because the stated ultimate purpose of our Constitution is "to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity," we recognize the personhood of all unborn children and their protection by the Fifth and the Fourteenth Amendments. The right to life of all innocent persons, from conception to natural death, is God-given and unalienable. For the principled man or woman, no compromise is possible concerning such a critical matter of life and death. We believe that violators of this supreme right, in their words and actions, are unfit for any office of public trust, since this constitutes the breaking of the oath of office and the destruction of the very basis of our liberty.
The right of self-preservation and self-protection is inherent in all persons, communities and societies, which is why we fiercely defend the indispensible provisions of our Second Amendment. Liberty cannot be defended if the people have been stripped of the physical means of doing so.
We also call for the repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment. Its enactment greatly reduced the power of our state legislatures and state governments -- which are much closer to the people -- and damaged our system of federalism.
While we do not acknowledge that our Constitution limits Congress in any way from protecting traditional marriage between one man and one woman, we support passage of a federal marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for the purpose of removing any confusion or misunderstanding in the minds of judges.
Though in civic terms we call ourselves "independent," we fully acknowledge our utter dependence, as individuals and as a nation, on Almighty God and His divine Providence and Protection. We also recognize, and seek to actively fulfill, our obligations as individual citizens to the whole body of the people, as well as our responsibility to maintain standards of high moral character, both personally and in our public life.
Maryland Independent Party seeks a return to an approach to government that facilitates respectful and necessary debate, thereby drawing on the collective wisdom and knowledge of the entire body of the sovereign people. We truly do believe in government of, by and for the people, and our intent is to foster it by every means at our disposal. We believe that the American Principles work whenever they are practiced diligently. And so, we ask that you join with us in restoring and defending America and thereby securing the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
May 5, 2008
Please help Dr. Alan Keyes to be heard - and to get on the ballot
If you know any registered voters in Texas, I hope you will find them ASAP and ask them to please be one of the 100,000+ petition signers needed by May 12 to get a new party recognized there. The new party will thus have a spot on the ballot in November, and it is being formed by folks who want to see Alan Keyes be the next Preident of the United States. Please point them to details at the thread "Help Texas Get Signature Gatherers" at http://discuss.alankeyes.com/showthread.php?t=1055 for details.
And you Marylanders can help in similar efforts here, too. We only need 10,000 voters' signatures on petition to get ballot access here, and that goal will surely be met by the August 4 deadline to get a slot on the November ballot. But in an interesting development, your humble nuclear.com host all these years has a chance to run in a special election for Congressional seat next month if we can get the signatures submitted by this Friday. That's not much time, but friends of mine, new and old, are working hard across the state to meet that goal. If you know any Marylanders, please ask them to sign and mail the petition available at Maryland Independent Party. The petition form is also available at my personal campaign webpage http://www.md4steve.org. Thanks, and please pardon the lack of recent updating here. I've been kind of busy.
April 22, 2008
Our motto now available on shirts, caps, etc
April 16, 2008
Nuclear attack on US city is inevitable, sez U Georgia researcher
This is from the front page of today's The Washington Times.
See full text of this story via the web version of this article.
EXCERPTS: Ashton B. Carter, co-director of the Preventive Defense Project at Harvard University, said the likelihood of a nuclear attack on U.S. soil is undetermined, but it has increased with the proliferation of weapons by Iran and North Korea and the failure to secure Russia's nuclear arsenal following the Cold War. "For while the probability of a nuclear weapon one day going off in a U.S. city cannot be calculated, it is almost surely larger than it was five years ago," Mr. Carter said. ...
The zone of destruction is projected to be less than that of Hiroshima, where the bomb was dropped from an airplane and detonated above the city. ... [T]he experts emphasized that the explosion would not impact most of a major city and that in many cases, residents could remain safe by not evacuating immediately and clogging area roadways. "It is also expected that, due to lack of information getting to the public, many people will try to flee by car or on foot, often in the wrong direction, again exposing themselves to high levels of radiation, as vehicles provide virtually no protection," Mr. Carter said. Mr. Dallas said a major problem facing most cities is a lack of available hospital beds for victims of burns that would result from a nuclear blast. He said up to 95 percent of such victims would not receive potentially life-saving care. "We're completely underprepared," he said. "Most of them will die." ... Mr. Dallas said the majority of victims in a nuclear explosion will likely have to fend for themselves in the first hours after an attack. "These people are going to be on their own," he said after the hearing. "There's no white horse to ride to the rescue."
nuclear.COMment: The Washington Post ran their story on p. B4 -- "HOMELAND SECURITY HEARING: Risk of Nuclear Attack on Rise | More Emergency Prep Could Be Done, Experts Tell Senate"
EXCERPTS: At the committee's request, Dallas prepared a report on the effects of a small nuclear device exploding near the White House. A 1-kiloton device, which could fit into a suitcase, could kill about 25,000 people, he said. A 10-kiloton explosive, which could be hidden in a van, could kill about 100,000, Dallas said.
Update on President Bush's climate policy remarks today
He stopped short of the kind of mandatory cap program proposed by McCain, Clinton/Obama and rest of the nincompoops on that side of the issue, but he surely gave gave aid and comfort to the alarmists today. There's no excuse for President Bush to get this wrong. Yet, here we are. Many will take some cheer that he praised nuclear power several times. Well, I'm pro-nuclear even without giving a whit of credit to the CO2 alarmist view.
April 16, 2008
PLEASE CONTACT WHITE HOUSE BEFORE 2 PM TODAY
The folks at RightMarch.com emailed a plea a few minutes ago which prompted me to write the following letter, using their automated system:
SUBJECT: Please don't lend credence to the CO2 alarmists
Dear President Bush:
I have spent literally thousands of hours since early in your administration reviewing the scientific basis for the type of alarm about CO2 expressed by your first Treasury Secretary. Claims by alarmists that the science is settled enough for purposes of major policy change are bunkum. The field of climate science encompasses so many specialties that few, if any, scientists have time to really understand the limitations of research commonly touted as authoritative. A great example is the so-called hockey stick graph which was quickly embraced by IPCC as sort of a poster child for their 2001 report. The hockey stick graphic was even portrayed as policy-relevant by its inclusion in the Policymakers Summary document which was leaked in the autumn of your 2000 campaign. The full report wasn't released until 9 months later. By then, the hockey stick had become what I've come to think of as an "icon of calamitology". I urge you not to give the alarmists the slightest benefit of any doubt you may have. I've long told folks that abundant and cheap electricity gives your average Joe today a life better, in many ways, than Kings used to enjoy. Unnecessary CO2 controls are bad for liberty, bad for the economy, and the notion that the results will have any predictable effect on global or regional climate is an exaggeration.
Mr. President, my industry is nuclear power. If these CO2 controls are adopted, my industry will surely benefit, at least in the short run. But every appeasement of the CO2 alarmists further empowers them and their shoddy science. And I have no doubt that these same fraud-mongerers will not long tarry before turning their attention to other targets, including my industry.
Please don't empower the alarmists!
Very truly,
NUCLEAR.COM
Steve Schulin,
Founding Editor
- - - - END OF STEVE's EMAIL - - - -
Here's the text of the alert which promptedme to jot off the above missive:
URGENT -- CONTACT THE WHITE HOUSE BEFORE 2:00 PM TODAY (WEDNESDAY):
http://capwiz.com/sicminc/mail/?id=20004&type=PR
ALERT: This is an URGENT EMERGENCY ALERT! President Bush is scheduled to give a major speech on global warming policy TODAY at 2:45 PM. A former WH official has warned us that "It will be very bad." Our intel is that he will not support the environmentalists' "cap-and-trade" or a carbon tax explicitly, but he WILL call for setting national mandatory targets and lay out principles for the kind of legislation he would sign.
This is exactly what we were afraid of. Weve been able to STOP the implementation of "Kyoto Accord" environmentalist extreme measures in Congress -- but now, the President might side-step our efforts and do it himself!
We MUST try to convince him NOT to!
TAKE ACTION: Enacting further mandatory limits on emissions would be especially unwise at this time, as the U.S. economy totters on recession and consumer confidence sags from rising food and energy prices. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the Kyoto process, with its built-in momentum for ever more unrealistic emission reduction targets, is economically ruinous and, hence, politically unsustainable.
We need to try to stop this nonsense QUICKLY -- before the President's speech. Please CALL the White House at 202-456-1111 NOW -- or email comments@whitehouse.gov -- and urge President Bush NOT to give in to the radical environmentalists and abandon the prudent and successful course hes followed during the past seven years. Or, click below NOW to "compose your own letter" to him now:
http://capwiz.com/sicminc/mail/?id=20004&type=PR
P.S.: This is URGENT-- the President's speech is TODAY, Wednesday, April 16th. Call or send him a message RIGHT AWAY. Thank you!
- - - - END OF RightMarch.com's email - - - -
April 7, 2008 - variety of front page stories in newspapers today
* Iran's and Syria's North Korean nuclear connections
* Oyster Creek drywell corrosion analysis secrecy decried as coverup
* Florida's nuclear-power future
* Pilgrim license renewal opposed by Duxbury resident
* Spain - Asco n-plant contamination continues to be front page news
* Boeing - from bombers to BMD
* N-submarine decommissioning featured in Tampa Tribune's "Science Stumper" feature
April 6, 2008 - variety of front page stories in newspapers today
* Syria - the story of Israel's Sept attack is coming
* No apparent hope of soon getting Russia support for European missile defense plans
* Controls on parts for ballistic missiles
* New N-plants expected in Florida
* Coal - a great reason to love nuclear
* Spain - contamination from Asco n-plant
April 5, 2008 - from front page
* Florida - Gainesville utilities eye share in n-plant as way to avoid CO2-induced global warming
* Kewaunee sale ends up causing rate increase, to recover decommissioning refund
* The mere existance of "Radioactive" label promotes pickup crash to front page news
Today's plug: Alan Keyes for President
April 4, 2008 - from front page
* Iran - recent NIE finding has been exaggerated since the day it was released
* Iran's nuclear dominoes already in place
* Missile defense - Czechs, NATO on board
* Israel - contamination from Dimona blamed for Palestinian health woes
* Philippines - Bataan n-plant construction resumption considered after IAEA ok
* In-situ uranium mine environmental violations (Smith-Highland mine, Wyoming)
* North Korea wants South to apologize for preemptive strike comment
April 3, 2008 - from front page
* Iran - evidence of n-weapons program, from China
* South Korea says it won't back down
* Oil prices affect natural gas prices, which affects electricity prices
April 2, 2008 - from front page
* NRC rejects safety petition ... more than 30 years after it was filed
* Florida - clean energy push includes nuclear
* Turkey - research reactor will be available for wider use
April 1, 2008 - from front page
* Pyongyang's classic routine - provocative jet flights, bellicose pronouncements
March 31, 2008 - from front page
* Iran's goal: nuclear weapons, sez CIA director Hayden
* Syria n-facility - North Korean connection
* North Korea threatens South with 'sea of fire'
* Hanford - ongoing spent fuel debris recovery from site's shallow burial pits
* Monticello plant receives NRC's best rating
March 30, 2008 - from front page
* Turkey - 3 new n-plants in 6-8 years
* Uranium exploration in Colorado raises questions of mining safety, rights and wealth
* Uranium boom - Navajos worried in New Mexico
March 29, 2008 - from front page
* McCain visits Nevada - gets all squishy about his prior support for Yucca Mountain
* NJ - state energy plan sees new n-plant
* Nuclear power and renewables seen as mutually exclusive in UK
* Korea - 6-way talks: August or bust, due to US presidential election in November
* North Korea's calibrated tantrum
* Nuclear maintenance capability considered for Mayport Naval Station in Florida
* Japan - poor n-plant performance a key factor in national CO2 rise
* NC n-plant-related rate increase - Catawba profit-sharing helps High Point
* Large Hadron Collider lawsuit asks who has the right to permit risk
March 28, 2008 - from front page
* North Korea expels South Koreans
* Taiwan fuse hubbub prompts DOD to inventory n-weapon components
* Opponent of proposed n-plant in Texas reacts to conflict of interest questions
* India electricity - Mumbai expects to avoid power cuts this summer
* Former ICBM silo now used as HQ by UFO Center
March 27, 2008 - from front page
* South Korea keeps pre-emptive strike option on the table
* Russia's nuclear blackmail an issue to McCain
* ICBM fuses to Taiwan - a world-scale blunder
* Medical isotopes hailed as part of moral imperative of our time
* Texas town wants new n-plant - Mayor puts heat on opponent
* Hanford cleanup - state criticizes delays due to federal funding
* Colombia - FARC rebels' uranium cache
March 26, 2008 - from front page
* UK minister touts nuclear power economic benefits as akin to North Sea oil find
* Mideast n-agreements - US-Bahrain, Russia-Egypt
* Russia sees nuclear tech deals as influence in mideast
* India - pessimism for n-deal
* Los Alamos planned as consolidated n-weapons manufacturer
* Taiwan received ICBM parts from USA in 2006
* B-2 bomber fleet on a 'safety pause'
* Global warming cited as cause of Antarctic ice event
* Laser therapy - Illinois proposed rule to limit its use
March 25, 2008 - from front page
* Egypt-Russia civil nuclear cooperation
* Sunni Egypt goes nuclear, to counter Shiite Iran
* Brazil anti-nuclear plant protest
* India n-deal - no apparent progress
* Los Alamos gets poor management grades from NNSA
* Maine Yankee siren gets new life at Colby College
March 24, 2008 - from front page
* N-vets - after 50 years, still no help
* UAE to set up nuclear agency, import nuclear fuel
March 23, 2008 - from front page
* San Onofre - more than half of workforce will retire within 10 yrs
March 22, 2008 - from front page
* Indian Point - two security officers tested positive for cocaine
March 21, 2008 - from front page
* Japan - Rokkasho reprocessing plant to start full-scale ops this summer
* Hanford - how an 85-gal leak from a hose threatens the rest of the cleanup
* Cape Cod electricity - 20¢/kWh, vs 7¢ in W. Va.
nuclear.com heard a good joke this morning. Actually, it's a quote from Barack Obama during one of the debates in the 2004 Illinois Senate campaign: "I don't need Mr. Keyes lecturing me on Christianity. That's why I have a pastor."
March 20, 2008 - from front page
* 'Swiss are selling their principles for ... Iranian gas'
* Navy - new nuclear cruiser proposed
March 19, 2008 - from front page
* $27.5-million settlement for radioactive releases by B&W Apollo
* U.S. Democrats urge North Korea to strike deal with Bush
* U.S. blasts Swiss over Iran gas deal
* Colombian rebels uranium story sounds like a scam
* Canada - Nanticoke area wants to be site of Ontario's next n-plant
March 18, 2008 - from front page
* U.S. focuses on deterrence against terrorist attacks
* Iran - West to repackage 2006 incentives plan
March 17, 2008 - from front page
* Energy planners assume we will have enough water. Water planners assume we will have enough energy.
* Regulating wind turbines and solar panels
* Natural gas drilling rig shortage - Oregon example
March 16, 2008 - from front page
* New n-plant plans, even in California
* Diablo Canyon - 2400 contractors for steam generator replacement outage - $125-185 million in wages
* Wyoming - TCE (legacy from nuclear missile maintenanance) in drinking water supply
March 15, 2008 - from front page
* South Carolina is the hot spot for locating your nuclear biz today
* Vermont Yankee - state legislature and license renewal
* Obama's top military adviser sez blame Bush for Iran's behavior
* North Korea - Hill sez meeting was very good, and we have some ambition to get through this in 2008
* Navy - nuclear shipbuilding boom soon for cruisers and subs
March 14, 2008 - from front page
* Canada (Alberta) - Bruce Power, too, chooses Peace River, for 4 new n-plants
* Canada (Ontario) - new n-plant plan 3X bigger than 2006, prompts calls of bait-and-switch
* Colorado - local board hates coal, but needs baseload capacity. Could nuclear be in their future?
* Iran threat - should we go ahead and let Israel buy F22 stealth jets?
* EnergySolutions application to import n-waste from Italy prompts ban bill in US House
March 13, 2008 - from front page
* Vermont Governor requests independent safety assessment for VYNPP
* Nuclear warheads aging - its time to consider new and improved arsenal
* Pakistan sez no worry about its nuclear weapons becoming tool of jihadists
* Zirconium trafficking - prosecution in Dubai, U.A.E.
March 12, 2008 - from front page
* Florida - Levy County n-plant takes step forward
* Florida - St Lucie wind farm idea criticized
* Admiral Fallon resigns - chief of American war effort - over Iran
* Kansas - Gov sez she'll veto bill allowing new coal plants
March 11, 2008 - from front page
* Florida - Levy County n-plant price triples | Progress Energy's planned plant costs $17-billion
* Pakistan - risk of nuclear proliferation to terrorists
* Iran - U.N. Alleges alleges nuclear work by Iran's Civilian Scientists
* France's Sarkozy promises to fight against Iran's nuclearization
* Los Alamos - plutonium project - Chemical and Metallurgy Research Replacement
* USS Georgia honored | Flag destined for state's namesake ship visits Lowndes
March 10, 2008 - from front page
* Iran expected to reach n-weapons capability by late 2009, sez Israel
March 9, 2008 - from front page
* Air Force considers n-plants for Cannon AFB (NM) and Mountain Home AFB (Idaho)
* N-vet leads medical marijuana campaign, citing radiation injury pain
* ElBaradei too acquiescent to Iran, sez Israel's Boim
* UN, IAEA too acquiescent to West, sez Iran
March 8, 2008 - from front page
* Nuclear renaissance expense may prompt utility teaming in Florida
* Let Italy deal with its own N-waste, says Utah agency
* Iran vows to discuss nuclear only with IAEA
* Iran - Call for UNSC Compensation
March 7, 2008 - from front page
* UK - wide-ranging nuclear selloff by NDA
* India-US n-deal - Left issues fresh nuke ultimatum | Karat seeks meet, Cong cites national prode
* CPS Energy seeks rate increase to fund such things as investigating new n-build
* Namibia - Farmers alarmed by water permit for uranium mine
March 6, 2008
* Exelon has jumped fullsquare onto CO2 control bandwagon
* New n-plants - incentives in Energy Policy Act
from front page
* Iran - no serious evidence they halted n-weapons effort, sez senior UK diplomat
* Areva uranium enrichment plant - Richland finalist for $2B facility
* India - Left set to begin nuclear squeeze
* Oil reaches new high | OPEC won't up production| High oil prices blamed on U.S. 'mismanagement'
March 5, 2008 - from front page
* Friends of the Earth protests Duke plan for new n-plant
* Florida - possible power line paths | About 600 people seek more info on Progress energy plan
* New n-warhead arsenal needed for deterrance, sez General
* Iran sanctions vote signals a global rift
* Iran determined to keep nuclear program
* Iran & UN - NAM States Block Resolution in IAEA | UNSC Move Unlawful
* Australia - veterans prepare for compensation fight over 1950s nuclear exposure
* China's public version of defense budget swells by more than 17%
March 4, 2008 - from front page
* Israel: Latest Iran sanctions not enough | UN approves 3rd round of measures against Tehran
* Korea - Military alert after North warning
* India - N-deal is on government's agenda, Pranab tells House
* India - Bid to sweeten deal fails to sway left
* Enrichment - Lynchburg VA not in running for Areva plant
* Maryland - electricity - BGE PARENT SUES STATE | Constellation seeks paybacks for credits
* Squirrel puts residents in dark | SCE&G says clever critters common prolem
March 3, 2008
This is from the front page of today's The New York Times.
Other front page news today:
* Utahns back nuclear power | 57% in poll supportive of N-energy; 32% aren't
* Namibia - Govt plans nuclear reactor
* Sellafield MOX - UK470m nuclear white elephant
* India - Nuke pot set to boil again |Left sends ominous signal on fate of Finance Bill
* India - Pact with IAEA may come through soon | Time enough for govt to push N-deal with US
Feb 26, 2008
Iran 'kept on testing nuclear weapons'
That's the title of a p. 15 story in today's Daily Telegraph out of London. The web version, here, has slightly different title, but the body is the same. The print version indicates the story was written "By Our Foreign Staff". The story describes information in a closed-door briefing provided to IAEA Board of Governors that paints quite a different picture of Iran's post-2003 activities than most stories about the most recent IAEA report and the US government's National Intelligence Estimate. "The material [in yesterday's briefing] suggested there was "detailed work put into the designing of the warhead, studying how that warhead would perform, how it would be detonated and how it would be fitted to a Shahab-3 missile". Another diplomat said an Iranian video depicted mock-ups of a missile re-entry vehicle. An IAEA director suggested the component - which brings missiles back from the stratosphere - was configured in a way that strongly suggests it was meant to carry a nuclear warhead." The Telegraph story concludes with statement that "Diplomats attending the briefing said the material presented to the board of governors had "infuriated" Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the Iranian ambassador."
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's story "Tehran Dismisses Alleged Evidence of Secret Nuclear Program" provides some additional information, including that the briefing was presented by IAEA's head of safeguards, Olli Heinonen. The story speculates about the source of the evidence used in the briefing. Iran claims evidence has been forged. Mohammad Mohaddesin, a senior official in a coalition of Iranian opposition groups called the National Council of Resistance of Iran, says his organization had presented the IAEA with evidence which proves that the Iranian regime is still working on nuclear weapons and has even accelerated its arms program since 2003. In particular, Mohaddesin says the evidence proves beyond any doubt that the Iranian regime is working to produce a nuclear warhead in Khojir, a facility on the southeast edge of Tehran. Mohaddesin told AP that if the Iranian regime is sincere in its claims that it is not trying to produce nuclear weapons, it should open the doors of the Khojir facility to the UN's nuclear inspectors.
February 24, 2008
This is from the front page of today's Sunday Victoria Advocate, of Texas.
February 22, 2008
This is from the front page of today's The Eagle, of College Station, Texas.
See full text of this story via the web version of this article.
February 19, 2008
Several nuclear stories made front pages of newspapers today. Progress Energy CEO announced that his company will apply to build second unit at Harris, using advanced reactor design by Westinghouse. Arizona Public Service CEO also sees nuclear and coal as best choice cost-wise, but ponders whether cost ought to be the main consideration. Iran's nuclear intentions were highlighted in very different ways by different papers. The Jerusalem Post reports on Israel and US government view of how soon Iran will have nucear weapons. Gulf News top story is on Iran's assurances that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons. And top story in Iran Daily announces new nuclear pacemaker design, in apparent attempt to say "See, there's lots of good reasons to go nuclear besides weapons." Nuclear.com long ago concluded that the breadth of Iran's nuclear program can only be explained by intent to build nuclear weapons. See the Iran page for more details.
February 11, 2008
This is from the front page of today's The Gazette, of Pikes Peak region of Colorado.
If successful, the new chemical treatment would mean thousands of coal-burning plants worldwide could sharply curtail carbon emissions...
Analysis by his other company, Envirolution Systems, suggests a market potential of $700 billion worldwide for existing coal plants alone.
"It could be the first homegrown billion-dollar business in Colorado Springs," Neumann said.
After achieving success in lab tests, Neumann approached Springs Utilities about testing the process on one of the city's power stations. The testing, which begins today, will attempt to remove emissions on the equivalent of one-tenth of 1 megawatt at a 46-megawatt unit at Drake.
See full text of this story via the web version of this article.
- - - - - -
February 6, 2008
This is from the front page of today's The Daily Telegraph, of London, England.
See full text of the p. 15 story, titled Russia 'ditching Cold War pacts'.
February 4, 2008
This is from the front page of today's Las Vegas Review-Journal, of Nevada.
See full text of this story, and nifty graph, via the web version of this article as first run by LA Times, yesterday, on p. A20.
February 2, 2008
This is from the front page of today's The Salt Lake Tribune, of Utah.
The Tribune's web site has full text of this article here.
January 30, 2008
The Republican field of candidates is not in the least depleted, because Alan Keyes is on the ballot in many states
I hope everyone who lives in the remaining Republican primary states will consider voting for Alan Keyes. Here's why I will be voting for him:
* He understands where our rights come from. The Declaration of Independence refers to us humans as being endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are not given to us by kings, or by our fellow men, but by our Creator. This is truth, says the Declaration. And not just any ol' kind of truth, but self-evident truth. Do you agree? I do. And so does Dr. Keyes. I believe that this understanding of the source and nature of our rights is the best hope of preserving our liberties.
* He understands the unique role of the USA in the world. Dr. Keyes has more foreign policy experience than any of the other candidates. He served President Reagan's National Security Council as a staffer. He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to a U.N. organization during Reagan administration. He was the only candidate in the 2000 debates to voice opposition to the intervention in the former Yugoslavia. He will, I think, bring wisdom and commitment to the current war against the jihadists and their allies.
* He understands that the federal income tax system should be scrapped. If you haven't heard Dr. Keyes discuss the many onerous aspects of our tax system, I hope you'll go to alankeyes.com and watch a clip or two -- the one with "income tax" in the title is a fine place to start. Click here to see the 4-minute clip now.
A thoughtful pdf file about why others have come to the same conclusion about Alan Keyes is available here (eight pages long, 2.4 megabytes in size). Please feel encouraged to read it, and I hope you'll consider printing out copies to share with others, too. Some want you to believe that one of the early vote leaders is the inevitable choice. Well, simple math reveals that if only 5 folks are gladdened by this posting today, and each of them gets the same message out to five others tomorrow who conclude as they do, and so on and so forth, it won't be long until Dr. Keyes is ringing up big percentages of the votes. He's doing his part, campaigning in Texas right now. But if his voice is to be heard, he needs folks like you and me to help others know that there's a great choice on how to cast their votes available.
January 28, 2008
----------
* 
Russia completes nuclear fuel delivery to Iran
Payvand (Iran)
Tehran, Jan 28, IRNA - The eighth and last nuclear fuel shipment from Russia for Bushehr nuclear power plant arrived in Iran Monday morning. ...
----------
* 
Israel Begins Radiation Detection Efforts at Haifa Port
Port2Port (Israel)
The specialized equipment will help to detect smuggled or illicit shipments of nuclear and other radioactive materials that might move through this port. ...
----------
* 
Alzheimer's Hat Draws Skepticism
ABC News
... healing and regeneration of brain cells using a specific wavelength of infrared light - a category of radiation most often associated with heat energy. ...
----------
* 
Dengue on our doorstep
McGill Daily (Canada)
Global warming is among the possible culprits behind this expansion. As the average temperature in North America increases, mosquito distribution will ...
----------
* 
Maldives Preparing for Global Warming Apocalypse
Jaunted)
Unless the Maldives can convince industrialized nations--which create most of the world's greenhouse gasses--to chip in some cash, the future of the island ...
----------
* 
Alien life forms are invading Antarctica
Telegraph.co.uk (United Kingdom)
Global warming could help rats and mice colonise the more clement parts of the continent, heralding disaster for vast colonies of ground-nesting seabirds. ...
January 22, 2008
----------
* 
Future Energy Summit: Abu Dhabi Pledges $15 Billion for Renewables
Environment News Service
Finalists and winners will be chosen by a jury composed of the world's leading experts in future energy and the mitigation of climate change. ...
Iran
----------
*
Iran hails new delivery of nuclear fuel from Russia
Agence France Presse
TEHRAN - Russia delivered a fifth consignment of fuel for Iran's first nuclear power plant in the Gulf port of Bushehr on Tuesday, Iran's official ...
----------
* 
Russia delivers 5th N-fuel batch to Iran
PRESS TV (Iran)
A fifth Russian shipment of nuclear fuel destined for Bushehr Power Plant in southern Iran has arrived in the Islamic Republic. The Nuclear Power Production ...
----------
* 
G5+1 waffle on Iran resolutions
PRESS TV (Iran)
Iran has repeatedly asserted that its nuclear program is a peaceful endeavor to produce electricity for a growing population.
----------
* 
Iran sanctions on table in Berlin
BBC News (UK)
Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful. Tuesday's discussion will focus on a third UN Security Council resolution that would involve a new ...
Korea
----------
*
NKorea says US to blame for nuclear delay, raps Bolton
Agence France Presse
The hardline communist state missed a December 31 deadline to disable its main atomic facilities and give a full declaration of all nuclear programmes, ...
----------
* 
N. Korea raps US over de-nuke deal
PRESS TV (Iran)
'It is nonsense to say that the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is being delayed because we did not make a nuclear declaration, given that they ...
Pakistan
----------
* 
Pakistan: Country is not a 'banana republic', says president
adnkronos.com (Italy)
... Musharraf said Pakistan faced a growing threat from terrorists and the Taliban but stressed Pakistan's nuclear assets were in safe custody.
other
----------
* 
Risks of nuclear rebirth
Columbus Dispatch (OH)
By Angela Charlton AP BELOW: Tanks of spent nuclear fuel are cooled under more than 13 feet of water in the pool storage area at La Hague plant. ...
----------
* 
DOE, County make SRS fee plan official
Aiken Standard (subscription) (SC)
As a result, the threat of nuclear arms has diminished significantly now and for generations to come, he said. The fee in lieu of taxes is legally a ...
----------
* 
Tough Calls, Good Calls
Wall Street Journal
It also defied the critics who argued that it would lead to a new arms race, increase nuclear proliferation and ruin cooperation with Russia on nuclear arms ...
----------
* 
US warns EU on using climate change as pretext
Boston Globe (MA)
... climate change as a pretext for protectionism, setting the stage for trans-Atlantic tension over a new package of EU measures to combat global warming. ...
----------
* 
Province Moves To End Clothesline Ban By Summer
CityNews (Canada)
If a quarter of that was hung out to dry not only would it reduce greenhouse gases but it'd also save consumers $30 a year on their electricity bills. ...
January 18, 2008
Spent Fuel Management Update
Today is the last session of a very interesting conference in Washington DC. Two hundred or so folks involved in spent nuclear fuel management around the world have been discussing a wide range of issues at the 25th annual Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) spent fuel management seminar. Most of the presenters were from USA, and there was much attention on how to make progress on spent fuel disposal despite significant Yucca Mountain budget cuts. DOE officials are still evaluating how to make the best of the 20% overall cut in current fiscal year budget. 20% may not sound so severe, but coming after almost a quarter of the fiscal year has already come and gone means that the cut is effectively much higher in the remaining months. The Yucca Mountain license application to NRC is still expected this year, but major changes in plans will apparently be required if the repository is going to begin receiving fuel any time close to the current "Best Achievable Date" of March 2017. One presenter, David Blee of the U.S. Transport Council, emphasized that earliest shipments to Yucca Mountain could be made by truck, instead of waiting for the planned rail line to be built. He characterized himself as "the most optimistic man in America". The presentations by several dry cask design engineers were amongst the most interesting, technically. Videos of cask drop tests in Japan were impressive demonstrations of the robustness of these hundred-plus ton steel cans. I'll try to get similar test videos from US cask designers and post them here. One of the cask design company presenters, Juan Subiry of NAC International emphasized that thousands of spent fuel shipments have been accomplished in the USA, most in the 1970s and 1980s. Your humble nuclear.com editor agrees that the pretty much perfect safety record of more than 3,600 spent fuel shipments from more than 60 different sites around the country is a fact that deserves to be highlighted given the alarmist claims about "mobile Chernobyls" so often bandied about.
Communication of risk information is a task fraught with pitfalls. Bob Quinn of EnergySolutions, which was one of the industry sponsors of the seminar,
noted that Yucca Mountain is seen as politically dead by lawmakers of both major parties, and GNEP is seen as a dirty word there, despite the participation of some 38 nations. "We've got to change this", was Mr. Quinn's apt conclusion. Similar sentiments were expressed by other presenters. John Parkyn, an engineer from Dairyland Power who is now Chairman and CEO of Private Fuel Storage LLC, said that "nuclear power and nuclear engineering _is_ the legal system. That's where we are now." During one of the breaks, I was talking with a dry cask storage manager for one of the biggest utilities. He mentioned that his wife had put a magazine in his Christmas stocking with ominous-looking cooling tower photo on front cover. He started to spell out the name of the magazine U-T-... I completed it for him, and pulled out my iPhone to show him the photo below, which I took of the alarmist story art from that same January-February 2008 issue of the UTNE Reader I browsed in our local public library last week.
January 4, 2008
"One might have a tangible understanding that nuclear waste must be stored somewhere within their borders, but until an image is presented in confirmation (as seen above), the idea remains remote."
The piece is amongst photographer Taryn Simon's current exhibit, "An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar", at the MMK Frankfurt. It is also available in book form -- the link here is to Amazon, at 37% off list [Quote is from "Taryn Simon unearths the hidden meanings of American culture" by Anikka Maya Weerasinghe blogging at Art Threat today]
December 31, 2007
Several nuclear-related stories were selected for front page prominence in newspapers today. Comments by Iranian foreign minister yesterday, that the Bushehr plant would be operating at 50% power by summer was one. The lack of any prospect for North Korea to meet the deadline -- that's today -- for disclosure of nuclear program information was another. An LA Times story on US presidential candidates' positions on nuclear power (all but John Edwards are at least willing to allow new nuclear plant build) was used on front page by several other papers. Three topics discussed a lot here at nuclear.com made AP's annual top ten stories list, as voted on by U.S. editors and news directors: oil prices, global warming, and Iran's nuclear program. A story about the role of CO2 concerns in nuclear plant renaissance, by the Wilmington (Delaware) News Journal was also picked up on others' front pages. There was a neat quote in that one from a woman who lives across the river from Salem/Hope Creek site: "If they could build a newer and safer one and reuse the cooling water so they don't kill and waste so many fish, it might not bother me, because I live here already."
For a sampling of today's nuclear and global warming stories, please see the daily news photo page. Best wishes to all for the coming New Year!
November 16, 2007
Refections on the State of the Nuclear Renaissance
Here's a couple of excerpts from NRC chairman's remarks yesterday to Institute of Nuclear Power Operations in Atlanta:
Carelessness in small things may lead to carelessness about bigger things
"We should not have cooling towers collapsing, corrosion of safety-system piping,
or security guards sleeping.
Not to mention sirens that don't work, emergency diesels that won't run, safetyrelated
valves that don't work, safety-related breakers that don't work, and ECCS sump
suction lines full of duct tape.
In addition to these items, we currently have a site that is already in column four,
with three more that could move into column four within the next 18 months.
This is not a good situation...
Now, you and I know that from the perspective of risk-informed analysis, most of
the items I listed were not matters of significant safety risk. But, let me stress, that
doesn't matter, for several reasons.
First, carelessness in small things may lead to carelessness about bigger things. In
the early 1980s, the sociologist James Q. Wilson pioneered the so-called 'broken
windows' theory of law-enforcement. The idea was that when small signs of disorder or
decay -- such as vandalism, graffiti, or even excessive littering -- are allowed to persist, it
leads to bigger crimes, because people assume that the neighborhood does not have any
standards, and that no one is enforcing the law.
It is a theory that was actually put into practice in several major cities, and led to
major reductions in crimes. One lesson we can take from that is: Perception leads to
reality. ...
A nuclear accident anywhere is a nuclear accident everywhere
"[T]he United States is at the forefront of
the global nuclear expansion. People all over the world are paying close attention to what
we do. Now, I have mentioned this often, and at times people have responded by saying,
'Well, so what? Let others watch us, if they want. That doesn't make us responsible for
the rest of the world.'
Well, that is true, except for this significant fact: The rest of the world is not just
watching the U.S. nuclear renaissance; they are participating in it! Whether it be major
components, minor parts supplied by sub-vendors, reactor designs, manpower, software,
or other elements, a new reactor today depends on a supply chain that is truly global in
scope. This wasn't necessarily the case, say, 20 years ago. But I think that it has become
clear that it simply isn't possible to obtain all the necessary components domestically.
Just consider that the number of N-stamps held by U.S. companies today is about a fifth
of what it was in 1980.
So the safety of both new and existing reactors in the United States simply can't
be separated from what is happening internationally. That is what I mean when I say that
'A nuclear accident anywhere is a nuclear accident everywhere.' I hope that you will
consider helping me by expanding your international outreach efforts.
In fact, this is such a good idea, I would even say, don't stop with extending
cooperation and communication around the world, try it here at home. What I mean is, as
the nuclear resurgence gets under way, I hope you engage in more collaboration and
sharing of information among yourselves."
The text of Chairman Klein's speech was one of 255 documents released by NRC's PDR today.
nuclear.com's custom sort of today's releases can be viewed at
http://www.nuclear.com/archive/2007/11/16/ADAMS-20071116.html.
November 2, 2007
America Loses A Distinguished World War II Hero
by Gar Christopher Schulin
America lost one of her most distinguished World War II heroes with the passing of Brigadier General Paul Warfield Tibbets, 92, into the pages of our national history. General Tibbets was a dignified and reserved man of many considerable talents whose credentials included noteworthy integrity and inherent decency; extraordinary service as a heavy bomber pilot in combat and test pilot; an accomplished business executive; and principled leadership by example. All of these admirable character traits were bred in years and not moments. But it was the young 30-year-old son of Mrs. Enola Gay Tibbets, the combat-tested and highly trusted U.S. Army Air Corps Colonel, that planned, lead, organized and controlled the formation of the super-secret 509th Composite Group that was ultimately assigned to carry out the world's first atomic strike mission. It was this assignment that matched the man and the moment and ushered the world into the atomic age. It was also an assignment that would ensure General Tibbets' notoriety for the rest of his life, much of it unwanted and undeserved.
Current generations who were not sacrificing at home or abroad in 1945 should recall General Tibbets and his Enola Gay B-29 crew members risked their lives to carry out President Truman's decision to end the war as swiftly as possible, saving at least half a million or more American and Japanese lives from being killed in an all-out invasion of the Japanese home islands; and directly saving hundreds of thousands more on both sides from being wounded or maimed for life on their flight of 6 August 1945. General Tibbets and his Enola Gay crew took off on their historic mission in the predawn darkness at Tinian to do their duty, with deep concern about safely taking off with their heavy bomb and uncertain of their safe return. They were terrified at what they witnessed in the splitting of the atom, realizing that all of their combined World War II combat experiences and concepts of warfare in Europe and the Pacific had instantly become obsolete. General Tibbets recounted to this author, "What did I see? One moment we were flying over a city of 350,000 people shimmering in the morning sunlight. In the next instant, it was gone- the ground was covered in what looked like a boiling, roiling black tar of heavy smoke and soot and fire." Crew members described the blinding flash that lit up the cabin of the aircraft like an arc-welding shop, despite the heavy dark goggles that all but obscured the sun in normal daylight viewing. They described the terrifying, sickening, menacing mushroom cloud of whites, purples, greens, browns, yellows, reds and other colors of the rainbow with flashing bolts of lightning at the base that seemed as if it were reaching up to them to engulf them in the air, only to continue rising far above them, past 40,000 feet and beyond. The massive mushroom cloud itself seemed alive with fires and explosions within its roiling, grotesque parade of colors. The massive, visible columns of air and dust spanning outward raced up to overtake the Enola Gay fleeing the direction of the explosion. The first of the two shock waves was particularly violent, slamming the plane like a flak burst directly outside of the fuselage and rocking the large aircraft in the sky. Regaining control of the aircraft and after confirming the structure of the plane had survived the initial blast, Colonel Tibbets turned around and returned to make slow circle, visual sightings of the target city. They were convinced they had ended the war that day at Hiroshima based on the horrifying spectacle they had just witnessed from the sky. The Enola Gay crew- in addition to President Truman and his advisors- were aghast when they were proven wrong by the Japanese Government in the days that followed. It would take another atomic bomb three days later, and still yet additional days of Japanese high command infighting before the terms of the Potsdam Declaration were secured with an unconditional Japanese surrender by the Emperor. Former Vice President Henry Wallace, who had remained in President Truman's inner circle of atomic strike advisors by virtue of his intimate involvement from the beginning of the Manhattan Project, duly noted President Truman's private anguish during the three-day lull between atomic bomb drops, made available to scholars decades later with release of his declassified shorthand notes of meetings with the President and his atomic advisors. When it became clear to them no word of surrender was coming out of the monitored communication channels from Tokyo, Wallace recorded in shorthand President Truman's remark, "My God, you mean we have to use another one?"
The crucial lessons of World War II and its decisive ending are sadly lost on many current generations of Americans and citizens of the world today, a condition largely the result of more recent decades of political correctness and historic ignorance of the very worst kind. Yet it will be these future generations who will write the final chapters of the momentous events of 1945 that marked the dawn of the atomic age. We need to teach the lessons of 1945 truthfully and factually. General Jack Dailey, Director of the National Air and Space Museum said it best when the Enola Gay B-29 was finally restored and placed on public display in its proper context in December, 2003 when he stated to the nation and the world, "Let's learn from it." This historic B-29 not only is a tribute to the bravery of all B-29 crews and Pacific War veterans, including many who made the ultimate sacrifice, it is a tribute to the one of the most significant scientific and engineering achievements our country has ever produced. It is a very emotional symbol and current generations of Americans are well advised to remember its essential truths with both eyes wide open, and with unblinking realism about the abrupt ending of a horrific war by a nation dedicated to a peaceful world.
Over the ensuing decades, countless thousands of American and Japanese soldiers and sailors who survived World War II thanked General Tibbets and his crewmates in writing and in person for saving their lives- and perhaps most significantly he received thanks from those very Japanese veterans who were ordered to fight to the death. My own father was among many thousands of veterans of the European Theater who were given 30-day furloughs in July, 1945, to return to the United States after 3-1/2 years of fighting and defeating Nazi Germany, only to be told they were shipping out to the Pacific Theater after their furlough ended for the invasion of Japan. Those plans were being repeated across all of our services and by all of our allies by August, 1945 when the 509th Composite Group changed the course of history. General Tibbets recalled in the 509th Composite Group album in 1945, "On August sixth we dropped our first atomic bomb. Three days later we dropped our second. Two days later Japan asked for peace, and three days later she got it. That is the significance of the 509th Composite Group." With these words, Colonel Tibbets summarized the role performed by the men and women under his command to bring an abrupt end to the world's most brutal and horrific war ever known. "We ended the killing," General Tibbets recounted years later. It is a grim tribute to the American POWs, Japanese citizens, and enemy combatants who perished at Hiroshima and Nagasaki that such atomic warfare has never been used again. The United States required ruthless and overwhelming force to defeat the ruthless enemies that were Hitler and Tojo, only to return immediately to the peaceful community of world nations after securing a lasting peace.
"In times of war it is necessary to omit from one's mind the tragic human consequences of war because war itself is a human tragedy," the General remarked in 2001. Few Americans were more highly decorated than General Tibbets and few were more qualified to testify firsthand of the staggering human cost of aggressor nations that were the Axis Powers and their tyrant leaders' inhumanity to their fellow man.
For those Americans who were alive, fighting and sacrificing around the world in 1945; and for those Americans who lost so many family, friends and loved ones across the nation in World War II, there was never any doubt about the necessity or correctness of President Truman's decision to end the madness and killing being waged around the world in the name of the Japanese Emperor as swiftly as possible. Our nation suffered a devastating, deadly Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, and our American and Allied forces suffered horrific deaths at the hands of Japanese fanaticism during the bloody island-hopping military campaigns at such desperate places of fighting as Tarawa, Okinawa and Iwo Jima. Countless captures and beheadings, the Bataan Death March and new terrors from the sky in the form of Rising Sun suicide pilots rained death and destruction from out of the blue. With the continued loss of significant numbers of U.S. Navy ships from kamikaze suicide missions, there was absolutely no doubt in the minds of the war planners in Washington that the Pacific War losses were brutal and staggering, with 34 Navy ships lost including 3 aircraft carriers; with serious damage to 285 other American ships including 36 aircraft carriers and "jeep" carriers, 15 battleships, 15 cruisers and 87 destroyers. There was no doubt in the minds of President Truman and his war planners that an invasion of the main Japanese home islands of Kyushu and Honshu would mean thousands more Japanese suicide planes, a million or more casualties on both sides, and would take over one and a half years to yield an unconditional Japanese surrender. A final appeal was issued to Japan in the Potsdam Declaration of July, 1945, which called upon the Japanese to surrender unconditionally or face "prompt and utter destruction." The Declaration assured the Japanese that they would ultimately be able to decide their own form of government. The Japanese Government then proceeded to call the Potsdam Declaration "unworthy of public notice."
The historic record of the President's decision-making has been thoroughly documented in the literature; in terms of the relevant facts of 1945; ethical issues, political and social aspects including systemic, organizational and individual issues; and a comprehensive analysis of alternatives and gauging of the primary stakeholders for each alternative. Most revisionist historians and academics who weren't fighting or sacrificing in 1945 who question President Truman's atomic strike decision, never mention the horrific thought of the President of the United States having to inform to the parents of a million additional dead and maimed American fighting men in 1947 that he had the means to end the war in August, 1945, but failed to do so. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson wrote, "The decision to use the atomic bomb was our least abhorrent choice." President Truman himself wrote in an April, 1962 letter to an academic critic in part, "Churchill, Stimson, Patterson, Eisenhower and all the rest agreed that it had to be done. It was. It is a great thing that you or any other contemplator 'after the fact' didn't have to make the decision. Our boys would all be dead." On August 5, 1963, President Truman replied to a Chicago Sun-Times columnist who had presented the President's side of the historic decision in part, "I knew what I was doing when I stopped the war that would have killed a half million youngsters on both sides if those bombs had not been dropped. I have no regrets and, under the same circumstances, I would do it again- and this letter is not confidential." General Tibbets and his atomic strike veterans all remained humbly steadfast over the past 62 years in their agreement that the use of the atomic weapon was a necessary moment in history and that they had no regrets.
Rather than dwell on America's necessary, final, decisive defeat of a formidable and bloodthirsty enemy to achieve a lasting peace, a truer gauge of the American character can be found in the Marshall Plan and rebuilding of our former enemies of World War II into law-abiding democracies once again among the world's community of nations. It is more appropriate for modern generations to remember that only the United States in the history of world civilization, has ever performed such acts of unprecedented kindness and generosity in the rebuilding and lifting up of former attackers, conquered nations and peoples. This is the true character of the American human spirit of 1945 and today. It is a significant reason why Japan is one of our closest allies in the world today. The lessons of 1945 are even more relevant to the 21st Century challenges faced by our nation and the civilized world today.
The momentous events of World War II and the passing of our esteemed veterans who lost their friends and loved ones in combat- and who willingly answered their nation's call and saved the world from darkness- are powerful reminders to current generations of Americans. It has been said that we must be prepared to dare all for our country, for history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. General Tibbets observed in his 1998 memoirs, "One must sympathize with any movement designed to reduce or eliminate human slaughter. Nuclear warfare is indeed inhumane and ought to be banned. By the same token, other forms of warfare, such as the dropping of fire bombs and the shooting of soldiers with cannon and rifles, are likewise uncivilized and should be outlawed. Those who try to distinguish between civilized and uncivilized forms of combat soon find themselves defending the indefensible." Tibbets continued, "Only a fool speaks of humane warfare. There is no such thing. Let those who honestly desire peace among nations also condemn all forms of international terrorism that are meant, by their perpetrators, to set the stage for war."
On the 60th Anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, General Tibbets and his two surviving Enola Gay compatriots gave their public farewell to the American people and the world in a heartfelt message that closed with, "To our fellow veterans and the American nation we all echo one sentiment; I pray that reason will prevail among leaders before we ever again need to call upon our nuclear might. There are no regrets. We were proud to have served like so many other men and women stationed around the world today. To them, to you, we salute you and goodbye."
General Tibbets, a grateful nation remembers your distinguished service; your unwavering character and devotion; your many sacrifices; along with those men and women of the 509th Composite Group whom you lead so ably in times of war and peace. Your legacy of honor, fortitude, attention to excellence and duty faithfully performed personifies America's traditional resolve of peace through strength. Yours is a legacy worth remembering; it is a legacy future generations of America and the world should learn truthfully; and it is a legacy we Americans must always keep dear in our hearts.
(Gar Christopher Schulin is a former National Air and Space Museum Research Assistant and Museum Docent).
Photo of B29 Superfortress Enola Gay at Tinian Island
November 1, 2007
Hillary and Obama flat out oppose Yucca Mountain project
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama declared themselves flatly opposed to building a nuclear waste repository in Nevada Wednesday... Clinton delivered her opposition in person and Obama by letter as the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held its first hearing on Yucca Mountain since Democrats took over Congress in January and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., assumed the panel's helm.
Boxer said she had scheduled the hearing at the request of Clinton, the front-runner in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination who has been campaigning in Nevada on the issue. The state caucuses are Jan. 19.
[Ref: David Whitney (McClatchy - DC),
"Clinton, Obama oppose nuclear facility in Nevada",
October 30, 2007
EPA urges NRC to broaden scope of n-plant license renewal evaluation, to include terrorism, spent fuel pool leaks
In a letter to NRC issued Oct. 10 and made public Monday, the EPA requested that eight
issues, including "an analysis of the impacts of intentional destructive acts (e.g.
terrorism)", "be discussed in the environmental impact statement for these [nuclear power
plant] license renewals." NRC has turned away prior demands from public and politicians that
terrorism be considered, saying that is beyond the scope of relicensing. "The security of the
plant needs to be dealt with on an ongoing basis" rather than as part of the relicensing
process, NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Monday. EPA also requested that license renewal
include an evaluation of radioactive leaks from the spent-fuel pools at the plants, which the
NRC says is also outside the relicensing parameters.
[Source: The Associated Press, "EPA urges nuclear licensing authority to consider terrorism in decision on NY power plants", International Herald Tribune (France), October 30, 2007]
NuStart to submit COL application today for two AP1000s at TVA Bellefonte site
NuStart Energy, a consortium of nuclear energy companies and vendors, including TVA, will
present an application to license two Westinghouse AP1000 next generation nuclear reactors to
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission today. TVA's board of directors has not
actually made a decision to build at Bellefonte, but an approved application would surely
be a plus in favor of the new nuclear plants if, as TVA fully expects, new baseload capacity is needed
in coming years. The NRC expects that its new review process will take approximately three and one-half years to complete, given
excellent quality application. Part of the NuStart team's reason for existance is to best ensure
that the application is indeed of the excellent quality necessary for NRC to finish review in the projected time period.
TVA estimates that each reactor at Bellefonte would cost $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion and that construction work would take four to five years. Nuclear.com congratulates NuStart and its members for their vision and effort.
Other members of the NuStart consortium are: Atlanta-based Southern Co., which owns Alabama Power; Constellation Energy in Baltimore; Duke Energy of Charlotte, N.C.; EDF International North America, the U.S. subsidiary of the large French electric utility; Entergy Nuclear of Jackson, Miss.; Exelon Generation of Philadelphia; Florida Power & Light Co. of Juno Beach, Fla.; Progress Energy in Raleigh, N.C.; and reactor designers Westinghouse and GE Energy.
[Refs: Ken Bonner (The Daily Sentinel),
"NuStart, TVA to file Bellefonte application", The Daily Sentinel (Scottsboro, Alabama), October 30, 2007;
Brian Lawson (Huntsville Times business writer),
"TVA seeks OK on 2 reactors | Officials to apply to build at Bellefonte site", The Huntsville Times, October 30, 2007]
Blue-ribbon panel of US National Research Council urges GNEP be scrapped; October 24, 2007
Nuclear power "suddenly a marginal issue" in Australia
In today's issue of Australian newspaper Crikey, political commentator Christian Kerr
suggests that Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull was not straying off-message yesterday
when he emphasized "If clean coal turns out to be a cheaper alternative, then we may never build a nuclear power station in Australia."
Rather, the article concludes that Turnull "may have done his colleagues a favour" in terms of losing seats in Parliament due to nuclear nimbyism.
[Source: Christian Kerr,
"Nuclear power? Suddenly a marginal issue", Crikey, October 24, 2007 (subscription required)]
September 25, 2007
"A new day for energy in America"
Yesterday, a so-called merchant operator became the first company to file full-fledged combined construction and operating license
for a nuclear plant in the USA. The company, NRG, proposes to build a pair of 1,350-megawatt (MWe)
Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs) at the same South Texas Project site where NRG already
holds a 40% interest in two nuclear plants. The Dallas Business Journal reports that the application was submitted jointly by
NRG and the South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company. The Washington Post reports that
federal tax incentives and loan guarantees were the key catalysts for the company's plans:
"The whole reason we started down this path was the benefits written into the [Energy Policy Act] of 2005,"
it quotes NRG Energy chief executive David Crane as saying. Bloomberg reports Mr Crane as saying that
"What you really want to be is first to finish" constructing a new nuclear plant. "To the extent being the first to file helps that, that's the most important part of the story." This is because some of the federal incentives only go to the first 8,000-megawatts-worth of new plants.
The Wall Street Journal notes that
merchant operators like NRG have no ratepayers to whom costs can be passed along -- they must cover expenses and make a profit as a result of open-market power sales. If they guess wrong, shareholders will be hurt. NRG's Mr. Crane told the Wall Street Journal that merchant operators, with so much at risk, will provide the truest test of the financial viability of nuclear power.
NRG estimates that it will spend $5.5-billion to $6-billion to get the two plants online by
2014 and 2015. It chose the ABWR because it has a track record for construction and operation in
Japan and Taiwan. It chose Toshiba to build the plants because the company has built ABWRs before and offered a fixed-price, fixed-schedule
contract.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects to receive up to six more of the combined operating license (COL) applications this year from Duke Energy Corp., Dominion Resources Inc. and others, according to
The Morning Call of Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Morning Call cited NRC spokesperson Scott Burnell on that.
In addition to providing power equivalent to supply 2-million homes, the two new South Texas Project units will generate more than $9 billion in revenue for the state, require 4,000 to 6,000 construction workers and result in 800 staff positions, according to The Daily Texan of Austin. The Daily Texan cited NRG Texas spokesperson David Knox on that.
"This is the beginning of the rebuilding of an industry that will be beneficial to the whole country," Knox said.
Outlook: The race is on to see who will get those federal subsidies for first 8,000-megawatts. Nuclear.com expects that the winners will be those with the best quality assurance programs, not necessarly those that get out of the gate first. Best wishes to the South Texas Project team!
Your humble nuclear.com editor has long favored nuclear power for large-scale generation of electricity, mainly because it is so clean. The human health benefits of nuclear compared to coal are vast. So, in a very real sense, I'm pro-nuclear because I'm pro-life. I'm not sure what Alan Keyes' positions are on things nuclear, but I'm enthusiastic that he's announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. I hope you'll learn more about Alan Keyes by clicking the banner above. And I'll be writing about the candidates' positions on nuclear-related issues such as energy, environment and national security.
September 20, 2007
WORLD NUCLEAR ASSN CHIEF CALLS FOR 60% REDUCTION IN GHGs AND PER CAPITA EMISSIONS RIGHTS
The September issue of Nuclear News came today, and the story about the American Nuclear Society's annual meeting features the following pull quote: "Climate change [is] 'nothing less than a gobal emergency' and in the minds of world leaders, nuclear power is 'nothing less than indispensable.'"
The body of the article attributes the quote to John Ritch, director general of the World Nuclear Association (WNA). He is also reported as advocating an approach to greenhouse gas emissions that would move beyond the Kyoto Protocol to a "contraction and convergence" system, a 60% reduction in greenhouse gases and equal emissions rights per person, worldwide.
Nuclear.com is disappointed to see a leader of the nuclear industry promoting
climate alarmism, because that stance seems so clearly to be an
egregious exaggeration of the state of climate science. The old adage
about 'lie down with dogs; wake up with fleas' comes to mind when
contemplating the effects of further empowering the CO2 alarmists. The
Nuclear News article goes on to note Mr. Ritch's comment that the
"fundamental failing" of the United Nations and other international
organizations is that they are influenced by "old school antinuclear
environmentalism". Well, there's a whole gaggle of so-called
environmentalists from that same old school at the forefront of the
international push for mandatory CO2 emissions caps in the rich nations.
Empowering these folks by making it look like they are right about the science will surely be regretted when they turn to their next target, which may very well be nuclear power. Nuclear.com has long concluded that the environmental advantages of nuclear power, without giving a whit of credit to CO2-climate concerns, are so significant as to warrant its widespread use for baseload electric power generation.
Mr. Ritch's reported advocacy of per capita emission rights seems misguided, too. Would he be in favor of per capita distribution of authorized radioactive material releases, with overall cap based on the radiation biology equivalent of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change?
September 19, 2007
Nazis were pursuing nuclear weapons and worse
The physics research that the Nazis performed during World War II had
potential to "make a hydrogen bomb look like a kitchen match" in
comparison, according to Joseph Farrell in interview by George Knapp
Sunday night on the Coast to Coast AM show. Dr Farrell said that a
project called "The Bell", related to the control of gravity and manipulation of space and time, was so
valued by the Nazis that, towards the end of the war, the SS ordered
that 60 scientists be killed to keep the research from falling into
Allied hands. He also discussed evidence that the Nazis had large-scale
uranium enrichment effort, and that they successfully tested a nuclear
weapon eight months before the end of the war, several months before USA's Trinity test.
Very interesting stuff.
Coast to Coast AM makes their shows available to subscribers at
their website and via podcast. George Knapp announced that he'll be
guest hosting on the 3rd Sunday of every month. I've long been a fan of
Mr. Knapp -- going back to the early 1970s when George was a debater for
West Georgia College. I fondly recall one evening when the pairings for
last preliminary round at a midseason tournament were released -- my
partner and I were facing a debate with the defending national
champions. George took the time to brief me on the "ban torture" case
that our opponents had been running, and George even gave me an
eloquently written script for an argument that turned out to be the
major reason we won that debate.
After listening to the show, I ordered a copy of Dr Farrell's 2006
book "The SS Brotherhood of The Bell", and look forward to writing more
on the subject here after reading it. It's available for $16.95 from
publisher, although I got one for slightly less via
AbeBooks.
Sept 14, 2007
SYRIA - EVIDENCE OF POSSIBLE NUCLEAR PROGRAM: FOREIGN TECHNICIANS, EQUIPMENT INQUIRIES
"We do know that there are a number of foreign technicians that
have been in Syria. We do know that there may have been contact between
Syria and some secret suppliers for nuclear equipment. Whether anything
transpired remains to be seen."
[Source: Andrew Semmel (acting deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear
nonproliferation policy), quoted by Nicole Winfield (Associated Press)
"U.S.: Syria on Nuclear Watch List", The Associated Press, September 14, 2007 11:31 AM
Sept 3, 2007
Iran's risky path
The Pentagon has drawn up plans for massive airstrikes against 1200 targets in Iran to annihilate the Iranians' military capability in three days, according to Alexis Debat, director of terrorism and national security at the Nixon Centre.
At a meeting organised by the foreign policy journal The National Interest, he said "They're about taking out the entire Iranian military." The Times of London reported that Mr. Debat voiced opinion that the Pentagon's plans for military action involve the use of so much force that they are unlikely to be used and would seriously stretch resources in Afghanistan and Iraq. Your humble nuclear.com editor disagrees. A three-day campaign such as described could be accomplished by air power. The US is not interested in a ground invasion of Iran -- we mainly want Iran to stop waging its war-by-proxy in Iraq and to stop pursuing nuclear weapons capability.
Both of these involve vital US national security interests, and surely there are many in Iran who understand this. The question at this point is whether the smart fellows in Iran can change their nation's course before it's too late.
[Ref: Sarah Baxter (The Sunday Times of London), "Plan to annihilate Iran's military", The Australian, September 3, 2007, p. 11]
August 30, 2007
"For the sake of our own security ...
President Bush addressed the American Legion convention Tuesday. The following excerpts give a very clear explanation of why we're in Iraq, and why Iran's behavior has long been counter to our vital national interests. Thank you, President Bush.
America is engaged in a great ideological struggle - fighting Islamic extremists across the globe. A key aspect of the struggle [is] the fight for the future of the Middle East.
Many people in this country are asking whether the fight underway today is worth it . . . The hope and prosperity that transformed other parts of the world in the 20th century has bypassed too many in the Middle East.
For too long, the world was content to ignore forms of government in this region - in the name of stability. The result was that a generation of young people grew up with little hope to improve their lives, and many fell under the sway of violent Islamic extremism.
The terrorist movement multiplied in strength, and bitterness that had simmered for years boiled into violence across the world. The cradle of civilisation became the home of the suicide bomber. And resentments that began on the streets of the Middle East are now killing innocent people in train stations and airplanes and office buildings around the world.
The murderers and beheaders are not the true face of Islam; they are the face of evil. They seek to exploit religion as a path to power and a means to dominate the Middle East. The violent Islamic radicalism that inspires them has two main strains.
One is Sunni extremism, embodied by al-Qaeda and its terrorist allies. Their organisation advances a vision that rejects tolerance, crushes all dissent, and justifies the murder of innocent men, women, and children in the pursuit of political power.
We saw this vision in the brutal rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan, where women were publicly whipped, men were beaten for missing prayer meetings, and young girls could not go to school. These extremists hope to impose that same dark vision across the Middle East by raising up a violent and radical caliphate that spans from Spain to Indonesia. So they kill fellow Muslims in places like Algeria and Jordan and Egypt and Saudi Arabia in an attempt to undermine their governments. And they kill Americans because they know we stand in their way. . .
The other strain of radicalism in the Middle East is Shia extremism, supported and embodied by the regime that sits in Tehran.
Iran has long been a source of trouble in the region. It is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. Iran backs Hizbullah who are trying to undermine the democratic government of Lebanon.
Iran funds terrorist groups like Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which murder the innocent, and target Israel, and destabilise the Palestinian territories.
Iran is sending arms to the Taliban in Afghanistan, which could be used to attack American and Nato troops. Iran has arrested visiting American scholars who have committed no crimes and pose no threat to their regime. And Iran's active pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons threatens to put a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust.
Iran's actions threaten the security of nations everywhere. And that is why the United States is rallying friends and allies around the world to isolate the regime, to impose economic sanctions. We will confront this danger before it is too late . . .
What would happen if these forces of radicalism and extremism are allowed to drive us out of the Middle East?
The region would be dramatically transformed in a way that could imperil the civilised world. Extremists of all strains would be emboldened by the knowledge that they forced America to retreat. Terrorists could have more safe havens to conduct attacks on Americans and our friends and allies. Iran could conclude that we were weak - and could not stop them from gaining nuclear weapons. And once Iran had nuclear weapons, it would set off a nuclear arms race in the region.
Extremists would control a key part of the world's energy supply, could blackmail and sabotage the global economy. They could use billions of dollars of oil revenues to buy weapons and pursue their deadly ambitions. Our allies in the region would be under greater siege by the enemies of freedom.
Early movements toward democracy in the region would be violently reversed. This scenario would be a disaster for the people of the Middle East, a danger to our friends and allies, and a direct threat to American peace and security. This is what the extremists plan.
For the sake of our own security, we'll pursue our enemies, we'll persevere and we will prevail.
In the short-term, we're using all elements of American power to protect the American people by taking the fight to the enemy . . . Our diplomats are rallying our friends and allies throughout the region to share intelligence and to tighten security and to rout out the extremists hiding in their midst . . .
In the long term, we are advancing freedom and liberty as the alternative to the ideologies of hatred and repression.
We seek a Middle East of secure democratic states that are at peace with one another, that are participating in the global markets, and that are partners in this fight against the extremists and radicals. We seek to dry up the stream of recruits for al-Qaeda and other extremists by helping nations offer their people a path to a more hopeful future.
We seek an Iran whose government is accountable to its people - instead of to leaders who promote terror and pursue the technology that could be used to develop nuclear weapons. We seek to advance a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians so they can live side by side in peace and security. We seek justice and dignity and human rights for all the people of the Middle East . . .
The future course of the Middle East will turn heavily on the outcome of the fight in Iraq. Iraq is at the heart of the Middle East. And the two dangerous strains of extremism vying for control of the Middle East have now closed in on this country in an effort to bring down the young democracy. In Iraq, Sunni extremists, led by al-Qaeda, are staging sensational attacks on innocent men, women, and children in an attempt to stoke sectarian violence . . .
Shia extremists, backed by Iran, are training Iraqis to carry out attacks on our forces and the Iraqi people. Members of the Qods Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are supplying extremist groups with funding and weapons, including sophisticated IEDs (improvised explosive devices).
And with the assistance of Hizbullah, they've provided training for these violent forces inside of Iraq.
Recently, coalition forces seized 240mm rockets that had been manufactured in Iran this year and that had been provided to Iraqi extremist groups by Iranian agents.
The attacks on our bases and our troops by Iranian-supplied munitions have increased in the last few months - despite pledges by Iran to help stabilize the security situation in Iraq. Some say Iran's leaders are not aware of what members of their own regime are doing. Others say Iran's leaders are actively seeking to provoke theWest.
Either way, they cannot escape responsibility for aiding attacks against coalition forces and the murder of innocent Iraqis. The Iranian regime must halt these actions. And until it does, I will take actions necessary to protect our troops. I have authorised our military commanders in Iraq to confront Tehran's murderous activities.
For all those who ask whether the fight in Iraq is worth it, imagine an Iraq where militia groups backed by Iran control large parts of the country. Imagine an Iraq where al-Qaeda has established sanctuaries to safely plot future attacks on targets all over the world, including America. We've seen what these enemies will do when American forces are actively engaged in Iraq. And we can envision what they would do if they were emboldened by American forces in retreat.
The challenge in Iraq comes down to this: Either the forces of extremism succeed, or the forces of freedom succeed. Either our enemies advance their interests in Iraq, or we advance our interests.
The most important and immediate way to counter the ambitions of al-Qaeda and Iran and other forces of instability and terror is to win the fight in Iraq.
August 29, 2007
Vermont Yankee - cooling tower collapse
The plant cut power output by 50% after a three-story section of one of the two cooling towers collapsed last week.
Plant officials let news reporters and photographers view the damage to the cooling tower for the first time Friday, after three days of turning down requests for photos or a tour.
Dramatic photos taken within minutes of the collapse, either by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or Entergy staff, were obtained and circulated by the anti-nuclear group New England Coalition on Wednesday night. Those photos show a 54-inch broken pipe gushing 350,000 gallons of water a minute onto the ground, amid a pile of debris.
John Dreyfuss, director of quality assurance for Entergy Nuclear, is directing the cleanup and repair effort. The Rutland Herald newspaper reported that he said the plant would remain at 50 percent power for the foreseeable future.
Dreyfuss said the company had heard sounds coming from the cooling tower last week, but he said that sounds are not usual, since there is only 1/8-inch clearance between the giant fans and their housing. He said that section of the plant is usually reviewed twice a day.
He said the August 21 collapse took the company by surprise, even though the company knew something was wrong and was getting ready to reduce power and take that cooling tower off-line so it could investigate.
He said the company would take down the wooden timbers that survived the collapse "piece by piece" to try to determine what caused the collapse.
An editorial in today's Rutland Herald uses exactly the right language in wondering
if the plant is in shoddier condition than advertised. And while nuclear.com rarely agrees with
a full sentence produced by the folks
at anti-nuclear group NIRS, their characterization of the collapse as "embarrassing" is spot on.
August 28, 2007
Canadian tar sands - application for two n-plants filed
Yesterday, Energy Alberta filed an application with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to build a pair of twin-unit Candu reactors. The first twin-unit ACR-1000 is planned to be online in early 2017, with capacity to generate 2,200 megawatts of electricity, according to this morning's Edmonton Journal. The site is approximately 500 kilometers northwest of Edmonton.
The decision marks "a historic moment for Canada, for Alberta and for the nuclear power industry",
Energy Alberta's president and co-chair Wayne Henuset is quoted as saying. Nuclear.com agrees. Press conferences will be held in Calgary, Peace River and Whitecourt today to provide more details about the project.
The units will be built by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., according to this morning's Calgary Herald.
Henuset said public pressure to reduce Alberta's carbon dioxide emissions would inevitably lead to a nuclear future.
The Peace River site became the logical candidate to host the reactor after the council for Woodlands County, which encompasses the Whitecourt region, retracted its initial support earlier this month.
John Gofman passed away yesterday
Nobody had more influence on nuclear.com's understanding of radiation and health than Professor Gofman. That we disagreed so strongly on key issues in no way detracts from our affection and respect for this brilliant and decent man. His approach to science was impeccable -- it was always easy to identify where he was describing the data and where he was making use of assumptions. His criticism of others, such as some of the prestigious BEIR Committees, was amongst the best in the field of health physics.
August 27, 2007
An editorial in this morning's The Columbus Dispatch claims that "People who live near nuclear plants have at least as much to fear from mistakes and safety violations within the plant as they do from a terrorist attack." Your humble nuclear.com editor strongly disagrees with their take on these matters. Jihadists killed thousands on 9-11, and their fellows are intent on more of the same. There's no equivalent for nuclear plant neighbors.
There is much reason to be alarmed about the prospects for terrorist use of nuclear weapon here in USA. I carry a little radiation detector on my keychain not because I'm concerned about my local nuclear reactor, but because of the risk from the murderous jihadists. I urge everyone to get one of these. You can't detect radiation without some kind of meter, and these little scintillation detectors are the most convenient way to give yourself a better chance of surviving the aftermath of a nuclear blast. Hopefully, you'll never use it. But if you are in a high dose situation, you'll be very glad you have it. To learn more or to purchase, click on the ad above -- buy two and donate one to your local fire and rescue team!
Cancer treatment - we've been going after the wrong cells
The story dominating the front page of Canadian daily newspaper The Globe and Mail today is about what cancer researchers call the "stem cell hypothesis". "It is not unreasonable to say that all this time -- the 30 or 40 years that chemotherapy and radiation [have] been around -- we've been going after the wrong cells", according to Alan Berstein, president of Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada's main medical research funding agency. "All of our therapies have been targeting and killing the pawns. But like chess, you have to kill the king to win the game", he said. Cancer researcher Peter Dirks explains: "The cancer stem cell hypothesis suggests that we don't cure cancer because our current drugs know how to kill rapidly proliferating tissue. But our limited understanding of the cancer stem cell is that it does not proliferate rapidly. [Aberrant stem cells] can be swimming in a sea of chemotherapy agents and still survive."
[Ref: Carolyn Abraham (TGAM medical reporter), "Stem cells core of more cancers | Stem-cell hypothesis 'opens up brand new targets'", THE GLOBE AND MAIL (Canada), November 20, 2006, p. A1]
Iran experiments linking nuclear and ballistic missile research
A report by IAEA, prepared for the Nov 22-23 Board of Governors meeting, was leaked to press Tuesday. AP reports that it saw the 4-page report. The same article refers to the IAEA document as a summary, by the way.
T
Sacramento Bee (CA), October 31, 2007 12:26 pm PDT]
a less aggressive nuclear power research program is recommended
The panel recommends that the highest priority of DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy should be completing the Nuclear Power 2010 program, established by DOE in 2002 to support the near-term deployment of new nuclear power plants.
A prepublication version of the panel's report was released yesterday. The report (and various background information) is available via the link in the image file above.
Read this free online
