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The phrase is used to describe those hot, sultry days in July and August. Here in the southeastern U.S., these days are typically almost unbearable with the heat and humidity. We welcome the break in weather that comes in the fall that allows us to open the windows to enjoy fresh air. The Greeks and … Read more Dog Days of Summer
According to the Urban Dictionary, Liar’s Poker is an American bar game played with one-dollar bills. Each player picks from a pile of face-down bills, and uses the eight-digit serial number on the face of the bill (kept private) to shape a playing strategy. This is a consecutive bidding game where players “bet” on the … Read more Liar’s Poker and Other Games of Chance
Another act in the long running farcical melodrama called Yucca Mountain is unfolding this month. We have such a cast of characters that Broadway, or perhaps Monty Python’s Flying Circus, would be envious. The dastardly villain has been played well by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who has managed to include henchmen that are then disposed … Read more Yucca Mountain Follies: Let’s Rewrite The Ending, Please
The myths of Pandora and Prometheus are some of the most interesting of the Greek myths. What I didn’t realize until recently is that these two myths are related. Prometheus—whose name means “forethought” or “forward thinker”—was a Titan who helped to create humans and stole fire from Zeus and the rest of his Olympus gang … Read more Of Pandora and Prometheus
I was at the NRC’s Regulatory Information Conference in Washington, DC this week. Every March, a couple thousand nuclear industry professionals, journalists, and members of the public come to the conference center across the street from the NRC’s headquarters in Rockville to hear the NRC discuss issues that concern them. Many, if not most, of … Read more RIC NRC – Part 1
Two weeks ago (Aug. 18), the WSJ published a Saturday essay from Dr. Richard Muller titled “The Panic Over Fukushima”. I submitted a letter to the editor. Sadly, the WSJ decided not to publish it. However, I wanted to share it with my readers. I might add that anti-nuclear people hate his essay, and a … Read more Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal
Yes, this is another post related to things I learned at the ANS-UWC. I don’t usually dwell so long on one conference, but there was so much interesting information that I wanted to pass along. Dr. Corradini and the ANS’ CNST Dr. Michael Corradini, president of ANS spoke about a new project ANS has undertaken … Read more American Nuclear Society’s CNST
I spent Sunday night through Wednesday noon at the 2012 American Nuclear Society Utility Working Conference. That’s a mouthful, so most people refer to it as the ANS-UWC. Marginally better to say, but a lot easier to type. The conference them this year was “Nuclear! Still the one! The right business, The right results, The … Read more Report from ANS Utility Working Conference
My blog last week got some interesting reactions regarding the larger picture of regulatory issues. I chose to look at quality as it is an area where significant changes in the broader context of quality control have occurred since those regulations were written and an update is overdue. This is also completely within the control … Read more NRC and Regulatory Capture
I’ve spent most of my career working with Nuclear Regulation. One of the most complex series of regulations you can imagine. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service probably sent people over to help the AEC/NRC develop these regulations. They cover a wide variety of issues all under the name of safety and security. One of the … Read more Nuclear Quality Regulations – Time for a new look?