Japan rocked with 8.9 earthquake.

[pomtzu]

Did any of you ever read the book, or see the movie, On the Beach? Book written by Nevil Shute. Movie with Fred Astaire, Ava Gardner, Gregory Peck.

Read the book and did a report on it in h.s., saw the original movie, saw the made for t.v. movie, and a few years ago, bought the DVD of the original movie. It's sad and sobering, yet one of my favorite movies of all time. Time to watch it again I think. I can never hear the song "Waltzing Matilda" without thinking of it.

I think it's one of those "must see" movies that everyone should see at least once. It will make you think.........

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Can the news media please go back to investigating then reporting?

Too much sensationalism, too little fact.

??? That was true about the nuclear reactor not just a rumor.


We have Wolf Creek here in Kansas. It's built to take winds of up to 300 mph but would not fair well in an earthquake they say.

[pomtzu]

Trouble is, wind can carry the radiation half way around the world.
But what can we do ??? We need the power they create.

And that's why the world needs to do more in the way of clean energy. We have the sun and the wind too, yet so little has been done with solar and wind power - and there it is - an endless source that couldn't be cleaner.

[Kirsten]

And that's why the world needs to do more in the way of clean energy. We have the sun and the wind too, yet so little has been done with solar and wind power - and there it is - an endless source that couldn't be cleaner.

That's what we're doing in Germany right now. Looks like during the next years (or probably decades), there will be a complete switch to renewable energies. However, this will have its price. Prices for electricity are already ridiculously high here, and they will even rise after that.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

What ever happened to solar power or wind power? We hardly ever hear them mentioned around here any more. I'd think they would be lots better than atomic power as far as the danger factor.

[Bonny]

What ever happened to solar power or wind power? We hardly ever hear them mentioned around here any more. I'd think they would be lots better than atomic power as far as the danger factor.

Minnesota & Iowa are putting up wind generators like they are going out of style. Iowa senate was to vote on atomic power use in the state but have had a good look at what can happen & had have had a change of mind.

[pomtzu]

What ever happened to solar power or wind power? We hardly ever hear them mentioned around here any more. I'd think they would be lots better than atomic power as far as the danger factor.

Yes - what I just said also.........

Heard this a.m. that the quake was upgraded to a 9.0 too - 1.5 times stronger than originally reported as an 8.9

[Lady's Human]

??? That was true about the nuclear reactor not just a rumor.


We have Wolf Creek here in Kansas. It's built to take winds of up to 300 mph but would not fair well in an earthquake they say.

Yes, they are having issue with the reactors.

No, this isn't going to end the world.

Cut back on the hype, I know, science is booorrring, but guess what? THe world relies on science. Sci-Fi authors have discussed solar powersats in space for decades, and you can get a much higher energy density doing that. So what do we do? Cut back on funding NASA as it's all a boondoggle.
Tidal, wind and solar are all decent supplements, but the energy densities are low, and NIMBY groups prevent them from being used. (Now the wind farms up here in NY are under court challenge.......again)

This is going to be spun up in the press to become a luddite movement.......the proof in is Germany's reaction.

[pomtzu]

Minnesota & Iowa are putting up wind generators like they are going out of style. Iowa senate was to vote on atomic power use in the state but have had a good look at what can happen & had have had a change of mind.

Hey Bonny....

In your neck of the woods, and all of Tornado Alley, wind power would be all that's ever needed!

Okay - bad joke. Just a feeble attempt to lighten things up a bit.

[Bonny]

Hey Bonny....

In your neck of the woods, and all of Tornado Alley, wind power would be all that's ever needed!

Okay - bad joke. Just a feeble attempt to lighten things up a bit.

A Tornado would really get those blades a moving.

[ChrisH]

Talking of different forms of energy, Wrexham County Borough Council, my landlord, has had a solar panels plan under consideration for a while and a final decision was made last month.

18 February 2011
Council gives the go-ahead for Solar PV Panels in Wrexham Homes

Wrexham Council's Executive Board gave the go-ahead this week to install Solar PV [photovoltaic] panels onto the roofs of 3000 Council houses across Wrexham.

(PV) technology converts daylight into electricity and provides clean, emission free energy from a sustainable source which will help to reduce the Council’s carbon footprint.

The exciting and ambitious project will save approximately 3000 tonnes of CO2 each year. This is equivalent to taking 1000 cars off the road for 1 year.

An added benefit to the project is that those tenants who will be having PV panels installed onto their properties will see a reduction in their electricity bills (between £100 - £300 per year), whilst the Council will also receive a substantial income via the newly introduced Government backed Feed In Tariff Scheme.
The project is expected to be completed by March 2013, with the first of the installations hopefully commencing this summer. Officers will now continue to work on and finalise the project with further details expected to be released soon.

The main source of funding for the project will be through borrowing and the Welsh Assembly Government's PV Procurement framework will be used in order to help the Council find the best supplier for the purchase and installation of the panels.

I have not heard whether my home is to be one of those houses but I'd be more than happy if it were.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

A Tornado would really get those blades a moving.

Yep, and add all the hot air from all the politicians and earth could fly away for years.

[Lady's Human]

Yep, and add all the hot air from all the politicians and earth could fly away for years.

Political hot air is EPA regulated, and can't be used for industrial purposes.

It's just too toxic.

Interesting to see that article about solar. The local school district is installing solar panels at all our schools to cut down on energy costs, as well as insulating the buildings (What a concept.....insulation in upstate NY?), installing new HVAC systems, and replacing the plate glass windows with low E.

It was a bear of a budget, but I voted for it because of long term savings.

[RICHARD]

The EQ in Japan was supposed to have lasted 5 minutes.

THAT was a 9.0 shaker

I have been thru three 6.0 and above quakes that lasted about 20-30 seconds? The largest was 6.8.

The people in Japan have been having AFTERSHOCKS that are 6.0 and above.

I just cannot imagine going thru crap like that.

I would seriously think about killing myself.

[sasvermont]

Vermont Yankee is a General Electric boiling water reactor (BWR) type nuclear power plant currently owned by Entergy. It is located in the town of Vernon, Vermont and generates 620 megawatts (MWe) of electricity. The plant began commercial operations in 1972. It provided Vermont with nearly three-fourths (73%)[1] of its electrical generating capacity[2] prior to the 2006 uprate and meets 35% of the overall energy requirements of the state.[3]
In February 2010, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 against re-licensing of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant after 2012, citing radioactive tritium leaks, misstatements in testimony by plant officials, a cooling tower collapse in 2007, and other problems.[4] There is an absence of a clear plan to replace the electricity generated by the plant, which has caused concern among some businesses in Vermont.[5]
Governor Peter Shumlin is a prominent opponent of the Vermont Yankee and two days after Shumlin was elected in November 2010, Entergy put the plant up for sale.[6]

.............There is great concern about the de-commissioning of the plant and who will pay for it. There are some folks, mostly Republicans sorry to say, thinking that keeping this plant alive will benefit Vermonters. It certainly has had it's problems for the past few years and I hope the plant gets shut down for good. Many folks are doing the wind energy where possible. I have two friends with wind thingies on their property/homes and they put their excess back, into the grid. It would be nice if we could all have access to solar/wind energy systems. One would think our governments would want to make it soooooooooo cheap for us that we couldn't resist.