Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Fukushima, Nebraska

The Ft. Calhoun (shut down for the duration, with plenty of backup power) and Cooper (percolating away, per the latest news I can find) nuclear power plants in Nebraska are surrounded by floodwater; or, more precisely, surrounded by barriers surrounded by floodwater.

So far, so good; it's an illustration of the difference between a (comparatively) slow, low flood and a tidal wave.

...Not that it's stopped the ninnies from nattering: Eeewwwwww, doom! (Fnord fnord fnord.)

One thing you can say for sure about atomic power: it has given us FUD too cheap to meter.
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9 comments:

  1. Fuzzy CurmudgeonJune 21, 2011 at 8:44 AM

    *Golf clap* Well put.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tango JulietJune 21, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    I'd comment but I'm too busy being chased by errant radiation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Midwest ChickJune 21, 2011 at 9:10 AM

    Beware the fnords....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jake (formerly Riposte3)June 21, 2011 at 9:21 AM

    It's not FUD, he's just pinin' for the fnords!

    ReplyDelete
  5. StretchJune 21, 2011 at 12:37 PM

    North Anna Nuke plant came on line in '79 or '80. A neighbor was going through the usual post-Three Mile Island fear and loathing.
    Dad (USACE, Col. ret.) told her of the Corps of Engineers had been running a nuke at Ft. Belvoir for 15+ years.
    As per usual FUD S.O.P. she:
    1. refused to believe Dad.
    2. blamed Dad for not "warning us."
    3. wrote angry letters to papers and congresscritters demanding closure.
    4. was embarrassed when congresscritter informed her the plant had been closed for over 5 years. Dad had "forgotten" to mention that. I love my Dad!

    Say what you will the FUDs do provide quality, low cost entertainment.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Old NFOJune 21, 2011 at 7:02 PM

    Well said! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. benEzraJune 21, 2011 at 9:13 PM

    Neat pics at those links. They strike me as vaguely reminiscent of the "power plant vs. the flood" scenes in the old Larry Niven novel Lucifer's Hammer, a book that IMO has aged surprisingly well.

    And yes, the FUD has gotten pretty ridiculous of late, though it was probably worse in the '70s and '80s than it is now.

    ReplyDelete
  8. SendariusJune 22, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    I live on a hill, way above flood level, in a geologically stable area.

    I hereby volunteer my backyard for the construction of a nuke plant - pay me in megawatts.

    ReplyDelete
  9. JustthisguyJune 23, 2011 at 1:37 AM

    benEzra, I am entirely with you on the Lucifer's hammer business. I mind the part about stewing people for hours before you eat them, to avoid diseases.

    I remember the diabetic guy spraying "Habitable Planets for Man" with insecticide before hiding it. I used to own a copy of that book. Bought it in Huntsville, Ala, actually.

    ReplyDelete

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