tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597656451205429515.post1708235250275165938..comments2024-02-16T17:52:44.944-06:00Comments on The Nuclear Green Revolution: A probabilistic approach to nuclear proliferationCharles Bartonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125297013064527425noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597656451205429515.post-70072155984821436892008-09-03T11:07:00.000-05:002008-09-03T11:07:00.000-05:00Dirty bombs simply don't work. Radiological weapon...Dirty bombs simply don't work. Radiological weapons were field-trialed by the British in the 1950's and failed so miserably that no further work was deemed necessary. I suspect that groups thinking to deploy one have done their homework and come to the same conclusion; it's just not worth the effort and risk.<BR/><BR/>These things are not a threat.DV8 2XLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14595060432772287143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597656451205429515.post-49024658929541161222008-09-03T10:00:00.000-05:002008-09-03T10:00:00.000-05:00Proliferation is a red herring. As stated in the o...Proliferation is a red herring. As stated in the original posting, there are easier ways of making a nuclear bomb than trying to use materials from civilian power reactors.<BR/><BR/>The bigger issue may the dirty bomb. The candidate sources for the dirty material are more broad. Though spent oxide fuel is not optimum for the purpose, the fear factor will still be high.<BR/><BR/>Concerning proliferation, safety, politics, and rational thought, I find that nothing clears the mind of irrational opposition to nuclear energy better than freezing in the dark because conventional energy is unaffordable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597656451205429515.post-69990762613659245262008-09-01T23:18:00.000-05:002008-09-01T23:18:00.000-05:00"To the degree that these nuclear proponents resis...<I>"To the degree that these nuclear proponents resist this tactic as crazy and inane; to rely on probability and not absolute certainty, the world wide expansion and deployment of nuclear power is at risk."</I><BR/><BR/>Wake up and smell the coffee people; the nuclear renaissance will happen with or without the blessing of the U.S.A., and with or without its participation. <BR/><BR/>The market for new reactors is starting to look like the one for civil aircraft; utterly cutthroat, and issues of proliferation resistance is a low priority for Russian, French Japanese and even Canadian builders. AECL would, and has jumped at the chance at selling their large open pool reactors, and those CAN be used for breeding for example.<BR/><BR/>The U.S. no longer controls this technology, no longer has the best offerings, and doesn't control the uranium market; the rest of the World couldn't care less what your artificial concerns are in this matter. While this might be an issue in your upcoming election, do not think for a second that it bother anyone else.DV8 2XLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14595060432772287143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597656451205429515.post-65636028335117612642008-08-29T16:51:00.000-05:002008-08-29T16:51:00.000-05:00Anon while I appreciate what you say, the goal of ...Anon while I appreciate what you say, the goal of this blog is to focus on the rational, rather than the emotional as far as energy issues are concern. Far to much is at stake for these issues to be determined by passion. At the very least I try to makle the case for a rational approach, and call to task thinking errors that rest on appeals to emotions. Of course it is possible for a politician to work things out rationally but to use appeals to emotions in order to increase support for rational policies. Politicians who relie on emotion to support poorly reasoned policies, may be sucessful in the short run, but eventually the electorate is forced to confront the consequences of irrational policies.Charles Bartonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01125297013064527425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597656451205429515.post-33085731473954001302008-08-29T15:59:00.000-05:002008-08-29T15:59:00.000-05:00We are now deeply into the heart of the political ...We are now deeply into the heart of the political season. I am amazed at what a strange and confusing art politics is. There is style and presentation, spin and lobbying, attack and counterattack, reasons within reasons, all to gain an advantage in perception. Truth and fact have nothing to do with good politics. Patient explanation and reasoned logic are never effective; it’s the short catch phrase and the appeal to emotion that almost always works.<BR/><BR/>As a consequence of their training, the engineer or scientist is singularly at a profound disadvantage in a political contest. Like the good man Eliezer confused by the unnatural and wicked customs of Sodom and Gomorrah, a mind trained in logic and reason is lost by the absurdity and deviousness of the political environment.<BR/><BR/>At the core of the political art are two powerful emotions, fear and hate; in fact, politics has been called organized hate. A common tool of many political leaders is to appeal to these elemental emotions to control and direct the population in the exercise of their political power.<BR/><BR/>Nuclear proliferation is the quenticental political issue. The opponents of nuclear power use this issue as an effective tool to mire deployment of nuclear power in a storm of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.<BR/><BR/>Scientists and engineers, the usual proponents of nuclear power, use an argument rooted in logic, reason, and science that is well beyond the knowledge or interest of the common man.<BR/><BR/>Furthermore, any slight flaws in the nuclear systems that these proponents concede to are exaggerated to the point of absurdity. <BR/><BR/>The nuclear proponents scratch their heads in perplexity and wonder what is going on. They have no clue to what is happening in the dark and convoluted recesses within the mind of the common man.<BR/><BR/>To overcome this political tactic, the designers and builders of these nuclear systems must overdesign these systems to eliminate even the slightest safety and proliferation resistance weaknesses that can be used as a political wedge in the propaganda war for the minds and hearts of the general public; even if this overdesign is illogical; and even at the expense of efficiency and cost. Any possibility of the slightest mistake or mishap in a nuclear system must be rendered impossible. It all must be done above board with absolute honesty. Yes, nuclear proponents must be saints to even have a seat at the political table.<BR/><BR/><BR/>To the degree that these nuclear proponents resist this tactic as crazy and inane; to rely on probability and not absolute certainty, the world wide expansion and deployment of nuclear power is at risk. The appeal and power of the politics of fear are so very strong and pervasive. It will take shrewdness, fortitude, and perseverance to overcome it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com