Madam Hillary Clinton
Dear Mr. President,
I wish Madam Hillary will run again for President in 2020. I will support her if she does. I’m ready to help if you still need me.
Sincerely yours,
Julie Hightower
March 2019
Nuclear Reactors 666 - The U.S. Department Of Energy Has Issued Secret Authorizations To Six Companies Who Seek To Sell Nuclear Technology To Saudi Arabia
I have blogged before about the U.S. interest in selling nuclear power reactors to Saudi Arabia. One of the problems with such sales is the fact that some technologies that can be used to support nuclear power reactors can also be used to help construct nuclear weapons. Saudi Arabia has been reluctant to commit to assurances that it will not use U.S. nuclear technology on any weapons projects.
Geiger Readings for Mar 28, 2019
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 96 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 80 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 80 nanosieverts per hour
Radioactive Waste 387 - Problems With Spent Nuclear Fuel Canisters At San Onofre - Part 2 of 2 Parts
Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1)
Geiger Readings for Mar 27, 2019
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 90 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 96 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Radioactive Waste 386 - Problems With Spent Nuclear Fuel Canisters At San Onofre - Part 1 of 2 Parts
Part 1 of 2 Parts
One of the common themes of this blog is that although the design of nuclear power plants and equipment to handle nuclear materials may be superb, in the end, the people operating the equipment must be capable and conscientious. The problem with commercial nuclear power operations is that the prime directive of a corporation is to make money.
Geiger Readings for Mar 26, 2019
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 60 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 103 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Nuclear Weapons 375 - University of Maryland Researchers Are Working On A New Technique For Detecting Radioactive Materials In Shipping Containers
The possible smuggling of nuclear materials across national borders for a dirty bomb is a great concern to agencies fighting terrorism. Less than four percent of the containers being shipped into the United States are inspected. Any improvement in techniques for checking shipping containers for nuclear materials will improve the chances of stopping such materials from coming into the U.S.
Geiger Readings for Mar 25, 2019
Latitude 47.704656 Longitude -122.318745
Ambient office = 50 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 89 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 90 nanosieverts per hour
Alcohol With... Less Alcohol
Prepare yourself for some wholesome content. Faced with a market of fewer drinkers (which hopefully means healthier people, fewer people drinking and driving and so forth), alcohol companies are finding themselves developing non-alcoholic drinks in order to make up for lost sales.
Stop Threatening The Boyfriend
Defining toxic masculinity against wholesome/regular/normal masculinity seems to have left too many men (and women) baffled, as if ALL masculinity (and ALL men, and ALL lives... we ALL know the drill by now) is threatened. I really hope these people are able to discern the difference between malignant and benign tumors. Once you can identify what's toxic and what's not, it's easy to see how, while men can benefit from some toxic masculinity (in a way that makes others sick), we ALL actually art hurt by it in the long run.
New Bob Weir Trio
Fans of Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir can enjoy his performances with the Wolf Brothers, his new trio that has what listeners say is a jazzy sound. It's not Weir's first beyond-the-dead act but the latest of several that he's been in, including the current run with John Mayer's Dead & Company.
Kodak-Processing Beer
Ever heard of an "analog beer for the digital age"? Neither have we until Dogfish Head announced their SuperEIGHT Beer, which can apparently process Kodak film. There's a whole process to use when developing the film in the actual beer, which is laid out in a convenient infographic here.
Spring Noms
We usually think of "the holiday season" when it comes to seasonal desserts, but every season has its special treats. Springtime means pastel petit fours (AKA super cute tiny cakes), jewel tone macarons and flower-shaped sugar cookies in my book! I love going to the pastry shop at this time of year and seeing the tiny confections shaped like bunnies, carrots and eggs, not only because they're cute but because I'm happy to have just one small treat rather than bringing home a big box of them!
Calories Are So Last Year
Calories merely measure energy, but they've evolved to become one's worst nightmare, the barometer of the healthiness of a meal and a cultural obsession. The Economist reports that we've been counting on calories to tell us what makes us fat but it's a misleading way to go about it, and we already know that "calories in, calories out" doesn't work for the long haul; just look at Biggest Losers who maintain their new habits yet still gain weight back.