Quake Rocks Japan

[SD]

can you imagine how strong radiation filled spinach would make you

like what if iron man and popeye had a baby

lol

[Rome]

To hear it from anti-nuke people it's another Chernobyl and people are dropping dead left and right.

How many people have died in Japan from radiation so far?

So because no one has died (yet) it should just be scoffed at as though this was some sort of overturned semi on the highway?

And let me remind you that we're dealing with Japan here, not the farging farged up Soviet Union.  Japan is at least on par with us in terms of technological prowess and they were more prepared for something like this than we'd ever hope to be.  And this thing is spiraling even out of their control.  I can't imagine how awful it would be if it ever happened here, and that's just the point... there's too much potential for catastrophe and it's all entirely needless. 

Regardless of all that, exactly how awful does this have to become before those on the pro-nuke side admit the depth & breadth of this disaster?

[SD]

No, what I'm saying is the anti-nuke people are going overboard. Every little thing and you guys jump on it. Oooohhhh look look they found radiation in the spinach! see...see...nuclear energy is bad! Some radiation spread is expected. The plant is over 30 years old and needed to be modernized. The radiation has been contained for the most part. It took a freakin 8.9 magnitude earthquake to make it 'unsafe'. So imagine a modernized nuclear plant and no huge quake rocking it to it's core. Wouldn't that be safe? Nuclear energy would be the cleanest and most environmentally friendly energy on the planet if they could just figure out what to do with the waste. I know that last sentence is borderline 'lol' worthy but like Russell mentioned before I don't know why they don't just launch it into the sun. Again I studied nuclear energy and it's efficiency (not to the extent of QB) and am educated on the subject enough to know that they don't expand on the technology because of public perception.

[MMH]

But plutonium is still a finite resource, right?  It's not like we can just cook some up in the lab.  What we really need is energy that is renewable.
Wind, solar and perhaps wave action is a start but probably will never be enough unless they can localize a wind farm a mile in the air.

Fuel cells have more potential, but noone is spending any money on it.  I get the gubment's broke, but it still needs to get done.  Stripping electrons of of methane is doable, that's been shown.  Batteries to store the energy can be made.  Methane is easy as shtein to get a hold of, and the environment makes it on it's own.  Much rather spend the money here than trying to make safer nuke plants which still have a non-renewable energy source.

[Diomedes]

Use less, waste less, recycle and reuse, fund research into genuinely renewable sourseces, de-fund oil and coal subsidies and tax breaks.

At best Nuclear is a stopgap, at worst, it's a permanent global health threat.

[SD]

But plutonium is still a finite resource, right?  It's not like we can just cook some up in the lab.  What we really need is energy that is renewable.
Wind, solar and perhaps wave action is a start but probably will never be enough unless they can localize a wind farm a mile in the air.

Fuel cells have more potential, but noone is spending any money on it.  I get the gubment's broke, but it still needs to get done.  Stripping electrons of of methane is doable, that's been shown.  Batteries to store the energy can be made.  Methane is easy as shtein to get a hold of, and the environment makes it on it's own.  Much rather spend the money here than trying to make safer nuke plants which still have a non-renewable energy source.

Oil is a finite resource too, why aren't you leading the brigade for mass transportation? I'm all for clean, renewable energy but Nuclear energy technology is already here and it's safe.

[Munson]

This is a chart posted on the other place....don't know how accurate it actually is but interesting to look at...

[MMH]

I'm all for high speed rail, getting rid of all the long haul trucking and replacing it with freight trains, rebuilding the rail infrastructure to handle that, etc.
That wasn't exactly the conversation we've been having though...

[Munson]

^^^^^


I've heard people complain about the "government spending" with the high speed rail ideas in Cali and such and I was like really? Do you not realize how good for the long term they would be?

[Diomedes]

When it comes to conservation, we're up against people who think that being American entitles them to fueling their cars with leaded gas, lighting their houses 24/7 with Thomas Edison's original light bulbs, and cutting off mountaintops for coal to burn. 

You cannot bring these people around.  They are worse than dead weight; they have to be dragged kicking and screaming. 

[Diomedes]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/world/asia/24isolated.html?pagewanted=1&hp

Katrina happens and Americans loot, fight each other, they freak out.

In Japan, they behave themselves, organize efforts to survive, and remain calm.

You have to admire these people.

[Diomedes]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/world/asia/24burial.html?pagewanted=1&hp

Agenda!

[rjs246]

You're the only one with an obvious agenda here, smart guy.

[Diomedes]

Would you tell me what that is, my agenda? 

Agenda.

[rjs246]

Getting your panties in a wad over the insinuation that the New York Times might be just a little bit biased in their reporting.