Going Nuclear

A committed, lifelong Green pounds the table for nuclear power. People familiar with the baseload problem and the unreliable nature of wind and solar won't find the plot surprising, but the detailed studies of California's seasonal use and generation from wind and solar were new to me. And no, batteries are not right around the corner. No mention of electrolysis, hydrogen and fuel cell batteries, however, so lots of room for follow-up.

And the safety of nuclear plants? Well, compared to what? This factoid grabbed me:

Because nuclear plants produce heat without fire, they emit no air pollution in the form of smoke. By contrast, the smoke from burning fossil fuels and biomass results in the premature deaths of seven million people per year, according to the World Health Organization.

Even during the worst accidents, nuclear plants release small amounts of radioactive particulate matter from the tiny quantities of uranium atoms split apart to make heat.

Over an 80-year lifespan, fewer than 200 people will die from the radiation from the worst nuclear accident, Chernobyl, and zero will die from the small amounts of radiant particulate matter that escaped from Fukushima.

As a result, the climate scientist James Hanson and a colleague found that nuclear plants have actually saved nearly two million lives to date that would have been lost to air pollution.

Seven million lives per year? That is a lot of Chernobyls and Fukushimas. However, assuming this is the study, there is a bit of apples-to-oranges going on here. From WHO:

After analysing the risk factors and taking into account revisions in methodology, WHO estimates indoor air pollution was linked to 4.3 million deaths in 2012 in households cooking over coal, wood and biomass stoves. The new estimate is explained by better information about pollution exposures among the estimated 2.9 billion people living in homes using wood, coal or dung as their primary cooking fuel, as well as evidence about air pollution's role in the development of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and cancers.

In the case of outdoor air pollution, WHO estimates there were 3.7 million deaths in 2012 from urban and rural sources worldwide.

Many people are exposed to both indoor and outdoor air pollution. Due to this overlap, mortality attributed to the two sources cannot simply be added together, hence the total estimate of around 7 million deaths in 2012.

The indoor pollution, as well as the level of outdoor pollution, sounds like London in 1952, not the first world today. Nuclear power plants in California won't be a direct help to Third-Worlders burning dung. What is needed is to get developing countries onto a cleaner electric grid. Nuclear would be fine but any modern natural gas plant will be cleaner than coal-, dung- or wood-fired stoves.

Also, a lot of industrial air pollution won't be addressed by cleaner electricity, renewable or otherwise. Steel mills, for example, will remain a challenge.

Nonetheless, welcome aboard! If Greens generally are serious in saying we face a crisis then even more of them ought to re-calibrate their position on nuclear power.

Hmm - a big, critical project uniting left and right... applying American tech and can-do... saving the world... I can hear the Indiana Jones theme right now!

A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER: The NY Times notes that within Republican ranks there is a changing climate on climate change. They cite editorials by Senator John Barrasso (R, WY) who chairs of the Senate Environment Committee, and this from House Republicans Walden, Upton and Shimkus.

All emphasize nuclear power and innovation. On the importance of innovation, Megan McArdle makes an excellent point: The US, Europe and Japan are wealthy enough to subsidize our way to a much lower carbon footprint; India, China and the developing world are not. Unless we are prepared to subsidize them as well as ourselves, we need solutions that are competitive with fossil fuels. And however hard that looks, it is probably harder - as Tyler Cowen notes, if the West cuts back on its use of oil, the resulting price drop will make it more attractive in China and India.

Well, as the great Raylen Givens said in a different context, "I ain't lookin' for easy".

Comments

[Jim Eagle]

AOC before she was AOC on SNL. Way ahead of their times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGsQES_OdrQ&t=6s

[Pinandpuller]

Dear @Progress,

Exactly one death.

Mine.

GFY,

Pin

[Narciso79]

This is who mariotti lost to:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/chicago.suntimes.com/news/steinberg-kwame-raoul-jason-van-dyke-sentence-laquan-mcdonald-chicago-police-department/amp/

[Extraneus]

They plan on that cab ride being 1 and and 5 minutes long

From Newark to midtown Manhattan?

Ain't happening.

35 minutes, if you're lucky.

[Jim Eagle]

A cab to Manhattan from Newark is close to 45 minutes. Done is a dozen of times

[daddy]

At least there is a picture. I'm still waiting for the picture of IRS criminal Leaker John C Fry.

[Narciso79]

Hope springs eternal:

https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/03/south-koreas-moon-jae-in-will-work-toward-completing-u-s-noko-deal/

[Narciso79]

Sounds like Omar doesn't it:

https://chamosaurio.blogspot.com/2019/03/washington-prepares-global-strike-to.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR2RoX3TU-w8SWe0WGl_dV2Hd8MrOAoU_o_iC_rSYVuHMkTS0Y0sJkwhb2Y

[hrtshpdbox]

From Newark to midtown Manhattan

Pretty much an hour.

Powerline says, of today's CPAC appearance:
"Watching the president, I tried to imagine one of the 2020 Democratic hopefuls sharing a stage with him–Beto O’Rourke, say, or Cory Booker."

And it's really true; just imagine Bernie trying to debate Trump....or anyone else, for that matter. Biden wouldn't get to do to Trump what he did to Ryan, that's for sure.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/03/trump-wows-em-wears-em-out.php

[MissMarple2]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
12m12 minutes ago

Virtually everything failed lawyer Michael Cohen said in his sworn testimony last week is totally contradicted in his just released manuscript for a book about me. It’s a total new love letter to “Trump” and the pols must now use it rather than his lies for sentence reduction!

[Extraneus]

Trump would be like, "Didn't you plagiarize an entire speech from an English guy?"

[MissMarple2]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
7m7 minutes ago

The brand new manuscript for a new book by failed lawyer Michael Cohen shows his testimony was a total lie! Pundits should only use it.

[hrtshpdbox]

Ext, exactamundo, Trump has actually said "I dream it will be Biden" - he's bound to be a Neil Kinnock expert going into any debate with that dope.

[MissMarple2]

hrtshpdbox,

You are entirely correct. Whoever gets the dem nomination will be destroyed on the debate platform.

Imagine if he brings up Willie Brown to Kamlela Harris? Or mocks Beto pretending to be Hispanic? Or asks Amy Klobuchar why she doesn't know how to treat employees?

The possibilities are endless!

[President-Elect Jim,SunnyvaleCA]

Great VDH article, daddy!
Tailwinds to NYC

[hrtshpdbox]

Miss M, I really have to suspect that a lot of these candidates, at least the ones under 80, are just doing a dry run for 2024. Get some national "recognition", build up a campaign apparatus and donor base for the next time around.

[daddy]

Odd isn't it. I specifically recall back in 2016 being worried that Ted Cruz was the guy who could beat Hillary in the debates but that he was going to lose the Primary to Trump and then Hillary would beat Trump in the debates. Now in 2019 we consider Trump a brilliant debater, sort of a mixture between Demosthenes, Andrew Jackson, and smash mouth Joe Louis.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

That guy's collection is amazing Jack.
His M2s alone must be worth around a million if they're all full auto.
Wonder what will happen to it when he croaks.
The only thing similar, and it was not that similar, since it was all armored vehicles was Jacques Littlefield's amazing tank and armored vehicle collection.
What happened with his was it got sold off, though a small core of it ended up back east somewhere.

[Extraneus]

Regarding the razor wars, if anyone's interested (don't read further if not), the undisputed king of all the reviews is the Gillette Fusion 5 cartridge blade. Old-school razors are preferred by people who want to romanticize the act of shaving, but for everyone else, cartridges are the way to go, and Gillette is the undisputed king.

There are even companies that sell $300 handles to go with Gillette cartridges.

See here.

[daddy]

Just got a message that advised that we are to avoid Venezuelan airspace unless we are at or above Flight Level 32,000. No problem for us tonight, but food for thought.

18 seconds remaining, 'Heels up by one. Nail-biting time.

[clarice]

I expect we are arming Columbians and Brazilians to talke out Maduro, don't you?

[daddy]

Whew! 81-79.

[daddy]

All I know Clarice is that if Hillary was President we'd be flying in supplies right now for Maduro's forces.

[Pinandpuller]

If John C Fry is in NYC this weekend the four of youse could pull him into a photo booth.

[Narciso79]

Most likely, as with cross border operations in Honduras and Costa Rica for the Nicaraguan resistance.

vinograd btw is a swamp dweller she was a treasury official in Baghdad and then Obama nsc official.

[Narciso79]

An octopus appendage in good standing:

https://www.concordia.net/community/samantha-vinograd/

[President-Elect Jim,SunnyvaleCA]

narciso: "vinograd btw is a swamp dweller she was a treasury official in Baghdad and then Obama nsc official"

Holy moly, is the entire Obama Admin currently working for CNN?

[MissMarple2]

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/baby-boomers-and-student-debt-the-problem-no-one-is-talking-about-2017-01-05?mod=mw_share_twitter

This is about people at or near retirement who owe student loans. I cannot imagine how that would happen, although I guess if you got laid off and tried to retrain for another career, it could happen.

People don't know basic math.

[Narciso79]

The answer is except for the ones at msnbc

[James D.]

. “If you keep defending us, we’ll keep defending you,” Williams said of the President.

President Trump gets that. Nobody else in the GOP “leadership” does.

[Pinandpuller]

Texas' GDP exceeds Russia's, Spain's, Australia's and Mexico's. Individually. $1755 billion.

[GUS]

Daddy is flying in 3000 miles for this meet up. I sure hope THE BARTENDER GETS HIM HIS FUCKING DRINK.

[henry]

Let’s see if this link will get past typhuspad:

https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/323190/

[henry]

Neanderthal walked upright, just like humans. (Not hunchbacks as settled science pictured them)

[MissMarple2]

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/02/is-dan-crenshaw-the-future-of-the-gop-225257

Note how Politico subtly includes divisive stuff in this article.

[Narciso79]

That would seem to be a significant error.

[MissMarple2]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
50m50 minutes ago

We’ve got NASA “rocking” again. Great activity and success. Congrats to SPACEX and all!

[MissMarple2]

President Trump just tweeted this link to the Periscope video of his speech this afternoon.

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1DXGyaAwlYgGM?t=6m10s

[daddy]

On IRS ciminal John C Fry and the Press and the Feds protecting his anonymity ---i notice that one of the arguments made by the Left as to why Nick Sandmann's Law suits for Defamation are invalid is because they say that since his picture was in the newspaper he became a "Pulic Figure"' ergo the protections afforded a non-public figure don't apply to him.

If we take that bogus argument at face value, then John C Fry remains a private, not a Public Figure, so me calling the rotten SOB a rottern SOB opens me and BlogFather TM to charges of defamation by that rotten SOB.

So post the rotten SOB's picture and make the rottern SOB a frickin' Public Figure already%^*#+

[GUS]

Nick Sandmanns photo was in the FAKE NEWS, ***BECAUSE**** they were slandering him.

[Neo]

Wiped out: America's love of luxury toilet paper is destroying Canadian forests
Major brands’ refusal to use sustainable materials is having a devastating impact on forests and climate, new report says

Guess we will have learn how to use “the three shells” from “Demolition Man”

[MissMarple2]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6763765/Mysterious-200-year-old-stone-crypt-unearthed-beneath-grounds-Canadian-government-building.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailus

[Jane]

I’ve got 3 kids flying out; two to PATomorrow and one to MA on Monday. One PA kid already changed her flight to 7;00 AM tomorrow , the other assumes she won’t get out at 2 PM, and the one MA bound on Monday assumes it won’t happen.

Anyone have any other info?

[MissMarple2]

hhttps://dailycaller.com/2019/02/28/serrano-2020-trump

Serrano says the President has a strategy for everything he does.

[GUS]

****Major brands’ refusal to use sustainable materials is having a devastating impact on forests and climate, new report says***

How about FUCK YOU?

[Narciso79]

I don't know what's stranger that I'm one of the few that saw Saturn 3, or that Martin amis was the screenwriter:

https://www.steynonline.com/9230/the-rain-maker?fbclid=IwAR0vqXk9VHviWvbXAtwIh5FlAFzPfPHA6mcXmAIEjEXhmlmlwRlG7pAeHWk

[MissMarple2]

Two genders. (Boy, do I remember reading this!)

For non-right clickers:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D0s01iIW0AMA_HU.jpg

[joan]

For daddy:

Dennis Prager on Judge Jeannine's show:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1102034336914857984

[Pinandpuller]

Two Genders Mandela Effect.

[MissMarple2]

Bedtime for me.

Nytol!

[Captain Hate]

Nick Sandmanns photo was in the FAKE NEWS, ***BECAUSE**** they were slandering him.

Exactly. It's circular logic: we wrote slanderous shit about him but since we made him famous we're off the hook. Unfortunately that might work on a third rate tool like John Roberts.

[Narciso79]

Sigh, so Sullivan actually revolved around an ad thr times put in the paper that didnt name the official, it just alluded to his conduct.

[Pinandpuller]

Isn't there a better term than anti Semitic? If you think about it , Huma Abedin is semitic and by getting married to Anthony Weiner and having a baby with him she destroyed a Jewish bloodline. That's some next level anti Semitic stuff but it's not.

[Narciso79]

Its anti Jewish, which covers a whole lot of territory.

[Narciso79]

Something to think about:

http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2019/02/the-cloud-of-doubt-over-pells-conviction/?fbclid=IwAR3z4ZBqBf3KdsN5bWZfl_PalRYEHG-byxBdvr4M6whV19KyXoWBYiNkA3I

[Pinandpuller]

Well he didn't have a gun to his head.

[GUS]

Capn, as I came to the realization that my theory of FULL COMMIE was accurate, it blew my mind that people, who seemed like you and me, could fall for the LIES, the manipulation, and still think that there was an aisle to reach across. The GOVERNMENT and gubmint related $wamp explained a whole lot.

[Captain Hate]

Isn't there a better term than anti Semitic?

I made that point years ago when I found out Iranians are Semites. I hate sloppy usages.

Eat shit Warriors.

[GUS]

One of Milwaukee's 2 PBS stations is running a MONEY DRIVE, tonight the lure is QUEEN.

It is fantastic.

[Pinandpuller]

Am I hateful because I propose a thesis and try to support it with facts?

Why Omar apologized: https://preview.tinyurl.com/yca3e4ua

[GUS]

Pin, you cannot be put into the HATE box, by people, groups or money, that co-opts your words, message or the truth/validity of what you say.

Prime example...

DJT and CHARLOTTESVILLE. Trump did not say, nor mean, what the LEFT spread as a firestorm of MIS-DIS-INFORMATION.

[rich]

evening all.

[Captain Hate]

I'm still waiting for the MFM to scrutinize the "organizer" for Charlottesville.

[Dave (in MA)]

Click to see the whole thing

[GUS]

Yes, Capn, this TUB O'Lard that I saw on TEE VEEEEE today, was telling me that the GOP and the RIGHT, doesn't ever look in the mirror and specifically does not look at the EVIL CRIMINAL ORANGE MAN as what he truly is.
Yet RODHAM PAID 17 MILLLLLLLLION for a FAKE RUSSIAN DOSSIER, that the FBI used to SPY on TRUMP and his campaign.....and COMPLETE CRICKETS for years.

[jim nj]

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/the-critical-yet-overlooked-part-of-trumps-trip-to-vietnam-was-vietnam

[rich]

Posted by: Captain Hate | March 02, 2019 at 10:38 PM

we'll be waiting a while for that.

[Captain Hate]

rich, maybe we should all meet in Athens (less driving for you) and take Jackie O's by storm.

[rich]

that's only 6 hours away and a college town. that could work.

[Pinandpuller]

Nobody puts Pin in the corner.

[rich]

what time frame you looking at? i'm thinking mid-april would be best for me.

[GUS]

In the FUTON, not the corner.

[rich]

Jackie O's Bourbon Barrel Oil of Aphrodite 2018

get one of those asskickers

[Captain Hate]

Mid April would probably work.

[rich]

i'll send over an email tomorrow and we can touch base.

[President-Elect Jim,SunnyvaleCA]

Possible meaning of
"Pin and Pull"
https://www.viqtorysports.com/pin-pull-what-is-it-and-how-is-it-run/

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Problem is "antisemite" has from the beginning had the particular meaning "jew hatred" regardless of whether other people spoke semitic languages.
And I don't think Iranians are semites because persian is not a semitic language.

[Narciso79]

No its indo aryan, hence the new name for Persia,

[Narciso79]

Now cyrus was pro Israel whereas others were not, if memory served.

[Captain Hate]

Yes, Iggy, Persians aren't semites (thanks for fucking up that query, Bing) but Arabs are. I'm thinking antisemitic was applied to European aryans and got mistaken as an all encompassing generic.

[GUS]

Captain, LONG LONG AGO, the FULL COMMIE LEFT co-opted the language, and bastardized the meaning of words. Take GAY for example. The word phrase of concept is pushed and VOILA! They control the narative, and we are to respond to their NEW SPEAK.

[Dave (in MA)]

Cops called for well-being check of deranged man hugging a pillow out in the cold.

[Dave (in MA)]

RIP, Nancy Pelosi prototype.

[rich]

Posted by: Pinandpuller | March 02, 2019 at 10:05 PM

maybe he converted ...

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Narc, most of the Persian emperors were fairly sympathetic to the Jews; Xerxes in Esther, Artaxerxes in Ezra and Nehemiah.

[Narciso79]

Yes that image has lingered in my mind, like some nameless horror.

One can make the parallel to the recent past, rezah Shah was very pro German his son was not,

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Wiki says the term anti-semite was popularized in the late nineteenth century in Germany and that has been its meaning since.

[Narciso79]

Summing up

https://web.archive.org/web/20110514133732/http://middleeastinfo.org/library/lewis_antisemitism.html">http://middleeastinfo.org/library/lewis_antisemitism.html">https://web.archive.org/web/20110514133732/http://middleeastinfo.org/library/lewis_antisemitism.html

[Dave (in MA)]

That link is so narced, Typepad logged me out.

[Captain Hate]

If narc and clarice really tried, I'll bet they could destroy the Internet by accident.

Nytol

[Narciso79]

We will only use our powers for good

https://web.archive.org/web/20110514133732/http://middleeastinfo.org/library/lewis_antisemitism.html">http://middleeastinfo.org/library/lewis_antisemitism.html">https://web.archive.org/web/20110514133732/http://middleeastinfo.org/library/lewis_antisemitism.html

[Narciso79]

It's a short paper by the master scholar bernard Lewis from 1973.

[Narciso79]

You see why we don't want any part of you:

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/news/islamic-terror-suspects-will-be-allowed-home-varadkar-37855110.html

[Pinandpuller]

Pin and Pull is a process for vulcanizing formed hose. Raw hose is placed on pins and rolled in a vulcanizer to cure. They are rolled out of the vulcanizer and pulled off the forms and washed in a big tank. They get trimmed and shipped off and you might see them on a wall in an auto parts store when you go in to buy a formed radiator hose. I'm sure Captain Hate has heard of Swan Hose.

[Pinandpuller]

Dayco Swan Hose was out of a town in Ohio starting with a W...

[Pinandpuller]

I think there are certain groups like the NAACP, SPLC, GLAAD and the ADL who all have their pet Anti or Phobia word. They hang it around the necks of the few dissenters out their to try to keep everyone in line.

[jim nj]

As Trump suggested at CPAC

https://nypost.com/2019/03/02/syrian-fighters-backed-by-us-advance-on-two-fronts-against-isis/

The SDF-US attack on ISIS has restarted with a short conclusion expected.

[jim nj]

I liked the comment on the "best" razor. I can't use multi-blade razors. I shave infrequently and have to use a single blade razor to avoid the thing from clogging.

I can't can't get through one shave with a multi blade razor before it completely clogs up.

Started off with "safety" blade razors. Nothing safe about them. Needed to keep a styptic pencil nearby.

I've never liked shaving certain parts of my face because of the nicks and cuts. I've had a mustache since I was 18 and later added a goatee. Too many nicks and cuts on the chin.

I looked up on the net to see what it's called and Van Dyck and Circle beard come close.

I keep the mustache and shave the cheeks and neck down from that reference point. Shave down a little from the lower lip and up from the throat to below the chin. Walla. I avoid all the angular spaces that lead to nicks and cuts.

Those very expensive razor blades are a waste of money for me. Back when I shaved daily they were good. Back then I needed to project an image, nowadays I prefer scruffy looking and trim facial hair with a scissors between shaves.

[Pinandpuller]

Is it true that Marc Rich 'ushered in Putin?'

Seems as if the Russian Investigation is always pointed in the wrong direction.