Looks like The Simpsons was a more accurate portrayal of American society than we knew...

"There's nothing to worry about," (except of course profits which seem to be the only thing those in power worry about today,)

The thumbnail image for this video has been updated - thumbnail added by eric3579.

As Mr Burns said "we don't call it a meltdown, it's a unrequested fission surplus".

I capitalized on the Japan meltdown by selling my Geiger counter I've had for two decades on ebay.

Watched every minute.

These are the words I hope never to hear from the nuclear regulator:

Greenspan Future NRC spokesperson: I made a mistake in presuming that the self-interest of organizations, specifically banks power corporations and others, was such as they were best capable of protecting their own shareholders customers (and the American public).

>> ^ulysses1904:

As Mr Burns said "we don't call it a meltdown, it's a unrequested fission surplus".


"NUCULAR POWAH"

*eco

Adding video to channels (Eco) - requested by calvados.

Number of firearm deaths in US each year, about 30,000. Number of traffic fatalities, about 30,000. Number killed by radiation from nuclear power generation in the last 40 years, about zero. How about some perspective please.

>> ^snoozedoctor:

Number killed by radiation from nuclear power generation in the last 40 years, about zero.


Chernobyl?

But you are right. Perspective needed. I think nuclear power will be one of very few options for large and consistent amounts of power generation in the future, assuming wind and solar don't become vastly more efficient and take off in a MUCH bigger way. We are on the downward slope of the bell curve of available oil and fusion has been 30 years away for the last 40 years. There are safer, cleaner, more inherently stable nuclear options out there that could win over those opposed to nuclear power, although I think most opposition today is based on ignorance and unwarranted fear.

*IF* one of these events were to happen in the US. No nuclear plant that has ever been in question will be allowed to continue operation. It will give fuel to the fight against the NRC and the plants in question beyond a reasonable doubt that the concerns were valid.

Now.....that's where I think the whole NRC+Plant buddy relationship doesn't make sense. Because for them to remain buddies, someone has to be getting paid. So they should be looking for the pay offs or "job opportunities" people at the NRC are receiving instead of them being just poor at their jobs.

If the NRC can't inspect the plants in their entirety on some regular basis, how they can appear on camera and claim everything is OK? You'd have to be an idiot because if it happened in your lifetime, your life would be over...people would own everything you've ever worked for due to your blind eye.

And the plants......well we know their thinking. Money. But if anything ever did happen, they'd be done. They'd all be paid and probably living far away from the danger zones because they know better......but those companies would be done.

I just don't see the reason people are all "short term thinking" EVERYTHING anymore.

I was giving statistics for the USA. The fear of nuclear energy is irrational. Given a near-worst case scenario like in Japan, no one dies from radiation and a very limited geographic area is made unusable and access is easily restricted. For the life of me I can't understand why people continue to be willing to fill the atmosphere with CO2, and other pollutants, while such a clean alternative is readily available. An individual's lifetime energy consumption footprint is less than a baseball size piece of nuclear waste. Bury it a mile deep in the desert and it will remain there for a million years.
>> ^Fletch:

>> ^snoozedoctor:
Number killed by radiation from nuclear power generation in the last 40 years, about zero.

Chernobyl?
But you are right. Perspective needed. I think nuclear power will be one of very few options for large and consistent amounts of power generation in the future, assuming wind and solar don't become vastly more efficient and take off in a MUCH bigger way. We are on the downward slope of the bell curve of available oil and fusion has been 30 years away for the last 40 years. There are safer, cleaner, more inherently stable nuclear options out there that could win over those opposed to nuclear power, although I think most opposition today is based on ignorance and unwarranted fear.

Hate to say it. I was interested right up until I saw the aljazeera symbol in the lower left corner. Far to convenient timing with all the crap about Iran's weapons program coming to boil.

I've got to say, broadcasting something on TV is a terrible way to suppress it.

And that last comment got downvoted. I am not against nuclear power. I am against the thinking that they can continue to not be investigated properly and lower the inspection standards in very obvious ways, and continue to think that the nuclear operations in the US would be allowed to continue operating if something happened.

As soon as it happened, all the plants would be investigated and if they let their upkeep of the planet lax in obvious "real problem" ways...the anti-nuclear movement will have them.

It's just stupid to have a watchdog that can't watch and operations that are not held up to standards of operation that would at least give them some hope of averting a uncontrolled reaction. It's making the whole industry look like the fearmongering against them is correct.

Why not insist on higher standards of inspection to alleviate it? If the people want higher standards and more checking, let them get it. What does it hurt to have your plant get a more thorough inspection if you are doing things right? And if you aren't, or your facilities aren't going to last 10-15-20 years.....who does it serve if you don't find that out until after it fails?

Seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to expect corporations providing power to comply with, and that the people should demand. Avoiding it for a few more years of profit would HOPEFULLY prevent that company from ever getting permits to operate again.

The thumbnail image for this video has been updated - thumbnail added by critical_d.