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“At present, much nuclear waste is simply stored above ground. This makes sense in the short term, as the waste’s radioactivity will fall to one-thousandth of its initial level within half a century. At that point, probably the safest option is to move the stuff into deep underground storage. |
“Finding suitable sites is not proving easy, however. Repositories need stable geology and should be located in sparsely populated areas. Groundwater is bad news as it can bring radioactive particles back to the surface, so the rock needs a low permeability, and its chemistry should limit the ability of radionuclid... |
The U.S. has abandoned its Yucca Mountain, Nevada storage plan, after spending $11 billion. Mascarelli says the only country on course to create deep, underground storage in solid rock is Finland. She goes on to cite scientists who question the long-term safety of any storage. The article explains that the most lon... |
Present global energy generation is coal 40.8%, gas 21.3%, hydro 16.2%, nuclear 13.5%, oil 5.5%, other 2.7%. There are 434 nuclear plants generating electricity in the world today. The estimate of total plants by 2030 range from 525 to 730. The top number would double nuclear generation capacity. |
The article is behind a paywall, you can write to me for a copy: rogerannis@hotmail.com. |
1. PhilW January 1, 2014 at 5:51 am | |
Just a quick correction: the figures you quote for “energy generation” are actually for mains electricity generation, so about two thirds of energy use (building heating, transport, agriculture, foundries) is not included. In fact, less than 6% of world energy supply comes from nuclear. To replace fossil fuels, u... |
On accidents, let us assume that the same accident rate as has happened up to now occurs in the future (we are talking about capitalism, after all). So far, there have been about 10000 reactor-years of operation of nuclear power plants and about twenty reactors completely destroyed in that time. So, once we have ... |
1. PhilW January 1, 2014 at 7:15 am | |
Apols for error in calculation above, which would lead to 5000 reactors being needed, not 10000. I think the arguments still apply and I have certainly seen an argument in a lecture on artificial photosynthesis that says 8000 1GW reactors is a reasonable estimate. It was from that that I got the rate of build r... |
Of course, the amount of plant required – and the ecological consequences – apply to RE as well. What is needed is an estimate of the energy requirements for a secure, fulfilling life. I will try to do this one day, possibly after my retirement, but I think 25% of current use is a reasonable estimate, plus some... |
I’m not convinced Marx’s views are a “cornucopian” as David suggests. Daniel Tanuro, in his new book, argue that Marx’s views on this are contradictory and that our perception of them has been coloured by stalinism, as well as the techno-optimism of Lenin and Trotsky. (He also argues that on energy matters, Mar... |
The distinction between use value and exchange value has long been known to be crucial to a Marxist approach to the ecological crisis. This is certainly in Marx (!) and allows people like John Bellamy Foster (and, at a less elevated level, me: http://climateandcapitalism.com/2008/06/14/the-ecological-crisis-and... |
1. David Walters January 1, 2014 at 11:27 am | |
irsPhil, among nuclear techie-types one sees the figure of 6,000 reactors, however, of varying size. |
First, the figure of a reactor lasting “40 year” is false. The licensing was for 40 years (basically they took the Federal Hydro License and brought it over to nuclear for lack of any other boilerplates). All reactors can last well more than 40 years. They didn’t know for sure when they were built, not they d... |
On waste…most medium and low level waste comes form the radiological medical industry, not the commercial nuclear energy side. What people worried about are the high level waste of which, for the US, is about 77,000 tons (after 60 years of commercial operations!). There are about, on yearly basis, 2,600 tons ... |
There have been 5 reactors destroyed in accidents, Phil, not sure where you get 20. Yes, the small experimental R&D reactors (including a few destroyed on purpose) can be ‘added’ but it’s a false comparison. I’m talking about civilian, commercial reactors plugged into the grid, not a university or military pr... |
I’ve read a LOT of the material by Marx and Engels on the question of cornucopia. At the end of the day, Marx and Engels wanted to “free up” the productive forces and saw capitalism as actually hindering this as the basis for socialism. While both M&E were concerned about the health of the environment (especi... |
David Walters |
5. David Walters November 15, 2013 at 10:35 am | |
@Bill Onasch: First, our “long standing position” was wrong. That’s what a Marxist does when they realize their position was based on faulty data. Secondly, our “common position” was reinforced by our massive propaganda of advocator for COAL against nuclear. Remember that? So our positions need to be reexamined. An... |
1. Record of catastrophic accidents. Three Mile Island was not ‘catastrophic’. It was an economic “disaster” but no one was killed or injured. As the accident at Chernobyl was specifically caused by the actual design of that plant, and they are not building these kind of military derived reactors anymore how is thi... |
2. “-There are still no known methods of safe, secure storage of radioactive waste that can remain dangerous for centuries.” Wow! This is false on every point! This is an urban legend proposed by those who know nothing about Spent Nuclear Fuel (what you call waste) or by those who know better but deliberately lie a... |
We should be reprocessing and recycling our SNF and…and all the atom bombs ever made to be cycled backed as fuel for energy. BTW the SNF is dangerous for millenia not centuries. Just say’n…. |
3. “3-At best, nuclear could only be a temporary stop gap because it is not renewable, ultimately depending on energy intensive extraction and refining of uranium.” totally untrue, again on every count. Nuclear is quite renewable. I can count the ways but I will give you one. China and Russia have already launched ... |
Bill, a nuclear plant can replace a natural gas or coal plant on a megawatt per megawatt basis. Nothing else can do that. |
Socialists should be fighting for MORE not less, safe, clean and advanced nuclear power plants, not opposing them. |
6. David Walters November 15, 2013 at 10:16 am | |
Brian, thanks for your comments. Let me explain why I believe you are wrong: |
Solar is intermittent. Almost all of it is (99.99% of it is). thus, as RFK, Jr noted, a “solar plant is a gas plant” when he was firming up the U.S. natural gas industry support for wind and solar. Solar can cut into fossil fuel but has never replaced one fossil fuel plant. So no matter how cheap it appears, you ha... |
Secondly, the CO2 budget for wind and solar is the same as that for nuclear: very low. Wind, for example, according the DoE (US Dept. of Energy) uses 8 times the concrete, steel, copper and so on per unit of energy compared to wind. If you read my actual essay, you’ll note that nuclear is very dense form of energy.... |
7. Bill Onasch November 14, 2013 at 9:33 pm | |
It is disappointing that highly respected climate scientists have become so desperate that they recommend what they see as a lesser evil of nuclear power as a needed diversion of carbon emissions. Probably without consciously recognizing it, I believe this flows from a hope that the capitalists who rule nearly all ... |
It is even more disappointing when veteran socialists also depart from our long standing opposition to nuclear power. |
Nukes should continue to be a deal breaker for us for three simple reasons that don’t require one to be a scientist to understand or explain. |
1-Their record of catastrophic accidents both well publicized–Three Miles Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima–and others kept from public knowledge for years. |
Nukes will not solve, or even make an appreciable dent in the greenhouse gas accumulation that underlies the climate crisis. It would only add new environmental dangers. |
While implementation will not be cheap or easy, the technology exists that can replace both fossil and nuclear fuels with clean, renewable energy wherever the sun shines and winds blow. Some regions have additional natural clean sources. |
Of course, utilizing these alternatives will require a global restructuring of our economy in production, transportation–and consumption. That depends on public ownership of at least the commanding heights of the economy and a democratically determined plan of how these resources are used–in other words, socialism. |
While there will always be room for strategic and tactical debates among eco-socialists and climate allies I believe we must stick to these simple but essential principles. There’s no room for nukes in the fight for class and climate justice. |
8. Brian Sandle November 14, 2013 at 4:57 pm | |
Solar cells are cheap if you look at ebay.com something like $0.60 per watt, way below nuclear. Subsidies are coming off solar but are going on to new nuclear like Hinkley. Nuclear requires lot of concrete with its CO2 budget. If it is expanded the more easily available fuel will run out in decades, making it much ... |
Comments are closed. |
Abonnér Danish |
1. Getting utterly hammered to the point that your personality resorts back to your chav roots. |
2. Getting drunk off Chav drinks such as Buckfast. |
I got so Chavhammered last night that I broke a bottle on some guys face, kicked in a bus stop, and got in a fight on top of the double decker. |
af JTdaNed 1. januar 2009 |
3 1 |
back to article Single group did 66% of world's phishing |
A single criminal operation was responsible for two-thirds of all phishing attacks in the second half of 2009 and is responsible for a two-fold increase in the crime, a report published this week said. The Avalanche gang is believed to have risen out of the ashes of the Rock Phish outfit, which by some estimates was re... |
This topic is closed for new posts. |
A successful phising attack relies on... |
....there being a sucker or two out there. |
Unfortunately, this is always going to be a truism. |
Penguin: We like to fish |
smell of the C |
@ A successful phishing attack relies on... |
Unfortunately it's not so simple. As more and more activities go online we'll be seeing people catching up but with a learning curve. During these transition periods there is an opportunity for phishers to take advantage of the fact that there is still some unfamiliarity with the new way things are getting done. |
... and that doesn't even begin to count DNS poisoning or other flaws in the way we've become accustomed to using the internet. |
For example, if you open your browser and type the URL of your bank (or use a shortcut, Google search result - whichever) and you are taken to a page that looks EXACTLY like your bank's page, including seeing the URL in the browser and a secure connection, what would make even the more savvy netizens stop and resolve t... |
Generally it would take an extra paranoid person to do that, and where does it end, do you keep a list of every IP number and continually update it as networks change, never surfing anywhere without doing this check? I know of nobody that does this, though some avoid doing online banking for security reasons and are ir... |
This topic is closed for new posts. |
Behind Geographic's New Mideast Atlas |
<< Back to Page 1 Page 2 of 2 |
Apart from dozens of maps in the atlas, there is a comprehensive section on regional themes. How were the themes selected and what issues do they address? |
Our atlases typically provide fundamental thematic information—natural areas, population, natural resources, and development indicators. This atlas is no exception. Within these categories we have included more than 50 charts, graphs, and maps presenting key information regarding religions, languages, ethnic groups, oi... |
Browsing through the atlas, one is struck by how blessed and cursed is the Middle East, both in what it's got and what it hasn't got. How do the sections on oil and water, for example, help us understand this region? |
As I previously mentioned, the aquifers in Israel and the Occupied Territories were of interest to me. But as I looked at the section on water I was immediately drawn to the major rivers, starting with the Jordan, but then quickly to the Tigris and Euphrates. You can clearly see the Fertile Crescent. This caused me to ... |
The section on oil shows who has the oil and where it is, where it is piped to and where it is ultimately sent. Understanding who produces, who has the reserves and who uses the oil is critical to understanding the strategic importance of the region. |
There is a comprehensive analysis of the two great religions of the Middle East—Judaism and Islam. What was your approach to dealing with the issue of religion? |
We simply presented statistics, such as percentages of a country's population who are adherents of the faiths, and, if applicable, sects practiced there. We also included charts that summarize the top ten Jewish and Muslim populations by country and a map that shows sacred sites and the recent Jewish migrations to Isra... |
How do the history and timeline sections of the atlas shed light on current events? |
The colonial period, the rise of nationalism, and the subsequent regional conflicts are all outlined in the History section. It is interesting that the timeline starts in 1900 and the first entry deals with oil rights. When I studied the timeline, even though it should be obvious, I was astounded at just how this regio... |
The atlas often places the Middle East into a global context. How and why did you do this? |
Oil, war and conflict, the Jewish migration to Israel, antiquities, population, human rights, economic health, quality of life—and I'm sure a bunch that I have not mentioned—are arguably all issues of global interest that we address. Comparing this information relative to other areas is a simple way to help us grasp sc... |
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Dakshineswar Kali Temple |
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Dakshineswar Kali Temple |
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The Dakshineswar Kali Temple (Bengali: দক্ষিনেশ্বর কালী মন্দির Dokkhineshshôr Kali Mondir, Sanskrit: दक्षिनेश्वर काली मन्दिर) is a Hindu temple located in Dakshineswar near Kolkata. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali, literally meaning,... |
The temple compound, apart from the nine-spired main temple, contains a large courtyard surrounding the temple, with rooms along the boundary walls. There are twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva—Kali's companion—along the riverfront, a temple to Radha-Krishna, a bathing ghat on the river, a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashm... |
The Dakshineswar Kali Temple was founded around the middle of the 19th Century by Rani Rashmoni. Rani Rashmoni belonged to Kaivarta caste and was well known for her philanthropic activities. In the year 1847, Rashmoni, prepared to go upon a long pilgrimage to the... |
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