[OT] They're restarting Chernobyl? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

27 Nov 1999

That's no secret, by the way.  A few months ago public TV had a long program
dealing with the misconceptions about nuclear power generation and how the
press distorted all the "facts" surrounding 3-mile island and it's incident
back in the '70's.  They even stated that the dirt right around the nuclear
power plant had the lowest radioactivity of any area within some substantial
radius, since that's a coal-bearing area and normal ambient radiation levels
are actually quite high.

What's really important here, in the U.S. is that you have to get the GOV to
keep the industry straight, but not get into the industry's pocket.  The
same sloppy work and corruption that caused the Chernobyl problem is what
scares most of those who follow the truths of the situation.

Dick
-----Original Message-----
From: Carlos Murillo-Sanchez &lt;cem14(a)cornell.edu&gt;
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
&lt;classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu&gt;
Date: Saturday, November 27, 1999 5:45 PM
Subject: Re: [OT] They're restarting Chernobyl?

...
 Chuck McManis wrote:
>
> Consider it flame bait if you like, but if you run the numbers this country
...
 > would be a lot better off (fewer people killed
generating the power, fewer
...
   natural
resources destroyed) with a nuclear power infrastructure than it
 would be with a fossil fuel powered one.

 --Chuck 
and, if you consider the possibility of catastrophic climate
change from global warming resulting  by past and
present burning (the blame falling disproportionately on the US),
the number of casualties might be in the billions, due to
starvation.  I know, nobody really knows what _could_ happen,
but nobody can deny that the possibility exists either.  Well,
maybe some people deny it, but by and large they are linked to
the oil companies.

To keep this on topic, I have been comparing daily electric load
profiles from 40, 30 and 20 years ago to the present ones.
Starting 40 years ago, profiles became bimodal (one peak at
11:00 AM, another (larger) around 5-6:00PM in winter, or 8:00PM
in the summer). So,  turning the lights
on at home after work (and for preparing dinner) meant the
largest load.  This second peak slowly evolved to an earlier
hour (2:00PM-4:00PM), while the earlier peak grew to a size
comparable to that of the second one in winter, and only slightly
smaller in the summer. Only two factors at work here: computers
and air conditioning.

--
Carlos Murillo-Sanchez    email:  cem14(a)cornell.edu
428 Phillips Hall, Electrical Engineering Department
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 