Friday 29th of March 2024

With safety like these...

With safety like these...

Have some cake

From the SMH
WITH GUS NEWS

...Delivering the 2005 Sir Condor Laucke Oration in the Barossa Valley, Mr Downer said nuclear power plants produced no greenhouse gas emissions and concerns about their safety were overblown.
HAS HE EVER HEARD OF LOW LEVEL RADIO ACTIVITY DANGERS?

"Safety concerns about nuclear power are inaccurate perceptions of risks that are not backed up by facts," he said in a speech.
WHO PEDDLES THE FACTS?

While everyone had heard of the Chernobyl disaster in Russia, it was the result of old reactor technology, Mr Downer said.
WE KNOW THAT THANK YOU...

He was perplexed by the arguments of some against nuclear energy, but who also claimed they wanted to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
WHY BE PERPLEXED? THERE ARE OTHER ENERGY SOURCES AND CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT...

"Over 30 countries have nuclear power programs ... (and) in doing so, they avoid emissions of some 2.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each ear," he said.
THIS ONLY REPRESENTS LESS THAN 0.5 PER CENT OF TOTAL GLOBAL ENERGY EXPENDITURE

He said the number of reactors globally was expected to increase significantly and Australia would have a vital role to play in the future of global nuclear power.
MORE MONEY IN THE COFFERS

But at the same time, it was unlikely Australia would turn to nuclear energy itself soon.
"Here in this country we have very cheap coal, we are blessed with enormous coal resources," Mr Downer told ABC radio after the speech.
CHEAP WAY TO STUFF UP THE PLANET.

"Not only do I think that's likely to be a problem economically, just think of the political controversy and opportunism that surrounded the issue of a nuclear waste dump."
IS HE SERIOUS/ SOME WASTE DUMPS ARE THE MOST LETHAL POISON THIS PLANETS HAS EVER KNOWN FOR THE NEXT 100,000 YEARS AND WE WANT TO ADD TO THESE?

Mr Downer told the audience that although the use of nuclear power in Australia may be a way off, the nation would still play a major role in the nuclear energy debate because of the growing demand for uranium.
Australia has about 40 per cent of the world's known uranium reserves.
"As global demand for greenhouse-friendly nuclear power grows, global demand for uranium will also grow," Mr Downer said.
FRAMING THE NUKE... IN GOLD FLOWING TERMS.

"As the holder of the world's largest uranium reserves, we have a responsibility to supply clean energy to other countries, even if so far we've chosen not to use nuclear energy ourselves."
SAFEGUARDS SO THEY DO NOT MAKE BOMBS WITH OUR STUFF BUT...

Mr Downer said it was important that the growing use of nuclear energy did not have a negative effect on nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
SANTA CLAUS LIVES IN THE NORTH POLE

But withholding uranium would not deter those wanting it for nefarious means.
WOULD MAKE IT HARDER THOUGH...

"It is important to understand uranium is not a scare material, every country has some uranium," Mr Downer said.
THORIUM IS ACTUALLY AS GOOD AS URANIUM AND THREE TIMES MORE ABUNDANT BUT IT DOES NOT PRODUCE PLUTONIUM SO EASILY

Australia has begun formal negotiations on the export of uranium to China but has promised adequate safeguards to strike an export deal.
HAVE A SLICE OF YELLOW CAKE...

Negative growth

To steal one of Costello's pet soporifics, the trend of the "Intelligent Design" movement is not looking hopeful. The blame lays with the media, and more control of national broadcasting is sorely needed. I hope Sen. Fielding is going to do a proper job on the ABC.

We are dismayed by the failure of liberal conspirators, like the BBC, to present both sides of the argument (or the equation, or coin, or something or other). There should be a law against promulgation of filth, like use of the word 'evolution' in a public space.

From Reading the chimp book of life (BBC News)
 ...Researchers hope the comparison of the chimp and human genomes will shed light on the past six million years or so of evolution, since the two species diverged .

We are cheered, therefore, to recall Memo to USA: Here’s one reason they hate you
... Even more inexcusable is that, after a lapse of some eight years, the United States is getting back into the business of manufacturing landmines. According to New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Pentagon has asked for $1.3 billion to develop and produce a new landmine, called the Intelligent Munitions System. Although a decision on the request is thought to be unlikely before 2008, it is understood that a new remote-controlled landmine system, called Matrix, began deployment in Iraq in May 2005. ...

There could be something wrong with the attachment of 'intelligent' to killing machines, but there it is. If G_d ordained GWB as his right-hand man, and the USA is under G_d's marching orders, then an intelligent anti-personnel bomb must be confirmation of the ID theory. Surely.

Remember those Attenborough films of the chimps hunting, catching, tearing apart and eating those monkeys while they were still alive? Not much progress in 6 million years.

Good on Christine

From the ABC (WITH GUSNOTATIONS)

Friday, January 13, 2006. 6:00am (AEDT)
Uranium export safeguards questioned (GOOD).
Questions have been raised about Australia's ability to ensure that any uranium exported to China for use by its nuclear power industry is not diverted into the country's weapons program. (OH I SEE THEY HAVE SUCH A PROGRAM!... SO BY SELLING THEM MORE URANIUM THEY CAN DIVERT MORE OF WHAT THEY ALREADY HAVE FOR IT... EXCELLENT)
Discussions will begin in Canberra next week on a safeguards agreement with China that would allow for uranium to be exported to the country.
Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane says China will have to agree to strict controls (WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME ANY AGREEMENT STUCK FOR EVER?).
"We will require inspections - that's part of the normal protocol, (A JUNKET, A PISS UP AND A NICE MEAL IN A WHITE COAT WILL DO)" he said.
He says there is no way China will be allowed to get around export controls designed to ensure the uranium is used for peaceful purposes only.(MR MAC IS DREAMING THAT BEAN COUNTING OF WHAT GOES IN COMES OUT MINUS THE WHATEVER CAN BE SO PRECISE)
"Australia won't compromise our reputation as having the most stringent safeguard agreements in the world,(WE WAIVE A BIG STICK AND POINT THE BONE)" Mr Macfarlane said.
"We won't compromise that reputation and our ability to be absolutely insistent on the non-proliferation of Australian uranium in any agreement we sign with any country."
But Greens Senator Christine Milne is not confident that any safeguards would prevent the uranium falling into the hands of the Chinese military.
Senator Milne says China has already asked Australia about how it could avoid the controls.
"Now the fact that they even asked suggests that they are looking to secure uranium for all sorts of purposes other than peaceful purposes," she said.
"We should never forget that China made its technology available to Pakistan, which sold it onto a number of Middle Eastern countries.
"We also know that China has said in the event of a disagreement with the US over Taiwan it would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons."

GusGlow
Uranium is one of the hot resources on the stock market... A bit like asbestos was in the 1950s. The stuff will come back and bite our bum... but meanwhile... waste not, bomb not, hey?

Enormous "hidden" cost of the "growing" nuclear industry

From the Guardian, read more at the Guardian
Government to sell British Nuclear Group

Charlotte Moore and agencies
Thursday March 30, 2006

The government today said it would sell British Nuclear Group, meaning the Sellafield nuclear complex will pass into the private sector.
State-run British Nuclear Fuels Ltd currently runs BNG, a specialist clean-up unit that also operates the Sellafield reprocessing plant.
BNG's main customer is the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which has responsibility for all civil public sector nuclear liabilities.
The NDA said BNG's new owner would be allowed to operate Sellafield, in Cumbria, until 2012.

The plant was recently criticised by the European commission, who said it was failing to reach EU standards and needed to improve accounting and reporting controls.
Sellafield can reprocess 5,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel a year - around one-third of annual world production.
Analysts told Reuters BNFL could expect bids of around £1bn for BNG, with US companies such as Halliburton and the Washington Group possible contenders. The British engineering firm Amec has also been cited as a potential buyer.

...........

The NDA said the cost of decommissioning Britain's ageing nuclear power plants could be around £70bn - around £14bn more than previously anticipated.
"We have said we now estimate the cost to be about £63bn and there is potential for a further £7.5bn due issues like contaminated land," a spokesman told Reuters.

Begin the begin

From the ABC

Downer talks up Chinese uranium deal compliance
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says China has no motive for breaching its agreement not to use Australian uranium for military purposes.

The Federal Government is foreshadowing a massive expansion of Australia's uranium mining industry in the wake of a nuclear safeguards agreement with China.

Australia and China will sign the agreement today, paving the way for exports to begin.

More enlightenment at Labor headquarter... Which way is up?

From the ABC

Labor divided over China uranium deal
Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley has welcomed today's signing of a historic nuclear safeguards agreement to allow Australian uranium exports to China.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao today met Prime Minister John Howard in Canberra ahead of the signing ceremony, and will meet with Mr Beazley later this afternoon.

Today's agreement ensures that any exported uranium will only be used to generate power for China's rapidly growing economy, and that Australia will be able to track its use.

Mr Beazley is pleased with those terms.

"China has shown the world that it is a responsible nuclear power and that it is committed to the international community's efforts for nuclear non-proliferation," he said.

"This is important to Australia - we are about to become the world's largest supplier of uranium."

But Labor leaders are split on the whether to increase the number of mines to meet the extra demand.

The idea has been supported by South Australian Labor Premier Mike Rann, but West Australian Premier Alan Carpenter says he will not be swayed.

Mr Rann says South Australia has the most to gain from today's uranium deal between Australia and China.

Two of Australia's three operating uranium mines are in South Australia and Mr Rann says he is relaxed about the export deal.

"Given that we have the world's biggest uranium mine and given that we have long believed in the strictest of safeguards, South Australia will be the big winner," he said.

"I mean we have the largest deposit of uranium in the world based here in South Australia, so this can only benefit South Australia."

Mr Rann says only environmental approvals stand in the way of the nation's fourth uranium mine starting up.

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Gus has to ask Mr Bob Brown to tell them to ....
Blah blah blah...

american nukular nuzes?...

The US has suspended the construction of two nuclear power plants in South Carolina due to unprofitability. Two other nuclear power projects are likely to be frozen in the State of Georgia. As scientists note, the peaceful atom technology is gradually going down in history, giving way to renewable energy sources (RES), such as solar power plants. It is expected that nuclear power plants will be replaced by solar power plants by 2050 around the world, and disasters like the ones in Chernobyl in 1986 and in Fukushima in 2011 will never occur again.

The USA had its own "Chernobyl" too. The Three Mile Island accident in 1979 led to the meltdown of about 50 percent of the active zone of the reactor.

In the US, there are about 130 abandoned nuclear power plants. Solar power plants gradually replace nuclear power plants on the US market. In 2016, the solar energy market in the United States has doubled. Before 2011, the Americans used solar panels mostly for household purposes, but these days, solar technologies have been conquering the industrial sector steadily.

read more:

http://www.pravdareport.com/science/tech/10-08-2017/138377-solar_power-0/