More on the India-USA Nuclear Deal

Today was one of those fairly rare days when I read the local newspaper. Nothing like recycling a paper at the local coffeehouse.

One of the columnists they have in the Journal-Star is Gwynne Dyer who typically provides an international war-and-peace perspective. This latest column fills in a few blanks on the recent infamous, imo, India-USA nuclear agreement (aka Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006). It's a great over view of nuclear proliferation issues along with other related tidbits. The intro section below.

India's House of Cards is Still Tottering Precariously - Kings County Record - 12 Aug 08

"Three weeks ago, the Indian government did everything but raise the dead to win a crucial vote on its nuclear deal with the United States. Jailed members of parliament were given temporary release in order to vote, MPs in intensive care were wheeled into the chamber, and there was talk of multi-million dollar bribes being offered for MPs to change their votes.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won, in the end, but the nuclear house of cards he has built over the past few years is still tottering. The nuclear deal got past the International Atomic Energy Agency a week ago, but it faces a stormier passage when it goes before the Nuclear Suppliers Group later this month. Indeed, NSG members that hate the deal but don't want to anger New Delhi can kill it just by stalling for a little while.

President George W. Bush must send the completed deal, approved by the IAEA and the NSG, to the US Congress before early September, or it is effectively dead. Congress must have the bill for thirty days before it can vote on it. It is currently scheduled to adjourn in late September and if the favoured candidate in the presidential election, Barack Obama, wins the November vote, the deal will not be resurrected after he takes office.

How do we know that? Because Obama really doesn't like nuclear weapons. Late last year, he rashly promised that he would never use nuclear weapons against civilians. Then, when he was criticized for that 'gaffe' who ever heard of a president who wasn't willing to kill civilians? he went flat out and said that the United States should seek 'a world in which there are no nuclear weapons.' Not even American ones."

More on the India-USA Nuclear Deal

Today was one of those fairly rare days when I read the local newspaper. Nothing like recycling a paper at the local coffeehouse.

One of the columnists they have in the Journal-Star is Gwynne Dyer who typically provides an international war-and-peace perspective. This latest column fills in a few blanks on the recent infamous, imo, India-USA nuclear agreement (aka Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006). It's a great over view of nuclear proliferation issues along with other related tidbits. The intro section below.

India's House of Cards is Still Tottering Precariously - Kings County Record - 12 Aug 08

"Three weeks ago, the Indian government did everything but raise the dead to win a crucial vote on its nuclear deal with the United States. Jailed members of parliament were given temporary release in order to vote, MPs in intensive care were wheeled into the chamber, and there was talk of multi-million dollar bribes being offered for MPs to change their votes.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won, in the end, but the nuclear house of cards he has built over the past few years is still tottering. The nuclear deal got past the International Atomic Energy Agency a week ago, but it faces a stormier passage when it goes before the Nuclear Suppliers Group later this month. Indeed, NSG members that hate the deal but don't want to anger New Delhi can kill it just by stalling for a little while.

President George W. Bush must send the completed deal, approved by the IAEA and the NSG, to the US Congress before early September, or it is effectively dead. Congress must have the bill for thirty days before it can vote on it. It is currently scheduled to adjourn in late September and if the favoured candidate in the presidential election, Barack Obama, wins the November vote, the deal will not be resurrected after he takes office.

How do we know that? Because Obama really doesn't like nuclear weapons. Late last year, he rashly promised that he would never use nuclear weapons against civilians. Then, when he was criticized for that 'gaffe' who ever heard of a president who wasn't willing to kill civilians? he went flat out and said that the United States should seek 'a world in which there are no nuclear weapons.' Not even American ones."

E-Bike Problems

I'm still using my little Currie Tech E-Zip Trailz mountain bike quite a bit. I just love being able to zip up those hills. Today when I came out of the cinema the infernal device started sputtering.

Turned out that there was a couple of bad connections between the battery and the two little probes that make the connection with the battery. If I put my foot on the battery so that the connection points shifted, it worked fine.

Mostly it was a downhill run home so not a big deal either way. Also I found a nice alternative route to a big mall south of me to take that avoids so much sidewalk riding. Sidewalks can be seriously bumpy compared to the street.

I think what's happening is that I hit so many bumps that there's a momentary disconnect at that connection and some arcing which has pitted the contact areas not unlike you might find with the old points on a mechanically timed ignition system. Hopefully a bit of emery paper action will clean up that problem for another six months or so.

E-Bike Problems

I'm still using my little Currie Tech E-Zip Trailz mountain bike quite a bit. I just love being able to zip up those hills. Today when I came out of the cinema the infernal device started sputtering.

Turned out that there was a couple of bad connections between the battery and the two little probes that make the connection with the battery. If I put my foot on the battery so that the connection points shifted, it worked fine.

Mostly it was a downhill run home so not a big deal either way. Also I found a nice alternative route to a big mall south of me to take that avoids so much sidewalk riding. Sidewalks can be seriously bumpy compared to the street.

I think what's happening is that I hit so many bumps that there's a momentary disconnect at that connection and some arcing which has pitted the contact areas not unlike you might find with the old points on a mechanically timed ignition system. Hopefully a bit of emery paper action will clean up that problem for another six months or so.

For My Cheezy Friends - Wallace and Gromit Shorts on Hulu

I see that Hulu.com has Wallace and Gromit - Cracking Contraptions (10 shorts) on the free movie listing. Also the first two Karate Kid movies, Liar Liar and the Spy Game are temporarily available for free viewing (with short commercials).

For My Cheezy Friends - Wallace and Gromit Shorts on Hulu

I see that Hulu.com has Wallace and Gromit - Cracking Contraptions (10 shorts) on the free movie listing. Also the first two Karate Kid movies, Liar Liar and the Spy Game are temporarily available for free viewing (with short commercials).

Yet More Fun in Nuclear Finland

It's just one darned thing after another there.

Finland to Re-examine Safety at New Nuclear Plant - Reuters - 13 Aug 08

"Finland's nuclear safety authority said it plans further studies on safety in the building of the country's fifth nuclear reactor, after a Greenpeace report raised questions over welding works. The authority (STUK) rejected the environmental group's claims it had found cases of misconduct in the approval of the safety-critical parts of the structure, but said it expects to launch a quick study on other weldings at the project."

"Areva said the consortium was 'amazed' by the allegations on welding, and said there had been discussions about the organisation of the work. The French company said subcontractor Bouygues had taken actions, but that the quality of the work and the product were never in question."

BREAKING NEWS: Safety Procedures in Disarray at Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 Nuclear Construction Site - Greenpeace - 13 Aug 08

"Documents seen by Greenpeace show that French company Areva is failing to implement vital safety procedures in the troubled construction of its prototype European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR) in Olkiluoto, Finland. As well as being 2-3 years behind schedule, 70 per cent over budget, and experiencing 1,500 construction defects along with a damaging fire, the reactor’s safety cannot be guaranteed."

"The documents show that, during the construction of the steel framework in the base of the the world's largest nuclear reactor, welders had no specifications as to how the welding should be properly performed for an entire year and, furthermore, tests to ensure the quality of the welding have not been carried out.

Bouygues, an Areva sub-contractor, has had no qualified welding supervisors at the site for over a year and still does not have any. Staff are given a mere two weeks’ training instead of having the international standard university degree. The company also listed people who had not worked in the role as welding supervisors."

Yet More Fun in Nuclear Finland

It's just one darned thing after another there.

Finland to Re-examine Safety at New Nuclear Plant - Reuters - 13 Aug 08

"Finland's nuclear safety authority said it plans further studies on safety in the building of the country's fifth nuclear reactor, after a Greenpeace report raised questions over welding works. The authority (STUK) rejected the environmental group's claims it had found cases of misconduct in the approval of the safety-critical parts of the structure, but said it expects to launch a quick study on other weldings at the project."

"Areva said the consortium was 'amazed' by the allegations on welding, and said there had been discussions about the organisation of the work. The French company said subcontractor Bouygues had taken actions, but that the quality of the work and the product were never in question."

BREAKING NEWS: Safety Procedures in Disarray at Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 Nuclear Construction Site - Greenpeace - 13 Aug 08

"Documents seen by Greenpeace show that French company Areva is failing to implement vital safety procedures in the troubled construction of its prototype European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR) in Olkiluoto, Finland. As well as being 2-3 years behind schedule, 70 per cent over budget, and experiencing 1,500 construction defects along with a damaging fire, the reactor’s safety cannot be guaranteed."

"The documents show that, during the construction of the steel framework in the base of the the world's largest nuclear reactor, welders had no specifications as to how the welding should be properly performed for an entire year and, furthermore, tests to ensure the quality of the welding have not been carried out.

Bouygues, an Areva sub-contractor, has had no qualified welding supervisors at the site for over a year and still does not have any. Staff are given a mere two weeks’ training instead of having the international standard university degree. The company also listed people who had not worked in the role as welding supervisors."

Child Labor Issues - Olympic Style

Anyone who watched the women's gymnastics finals last night had to wonder how old those little kid gymnasts from China were. It's bad enough that these kids are turned into national pride products. Anyone seriously think these kids are all 16?

IOC Refuses to Doubt China's Kid Gymnasts - Sports Illustrated - 13 Aug 08

"The Chinese gymnasts could have picked out their leotards from Thumbelina's closet as they performed gymnastics in miniature on Wednesday. Wearing blue eye shadow with their hair pulled back, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Yang Yilin looked like girls who had just rummaged through their mothers' makeup. This was a ladies' final, though. Somehow, it was hard to see how they qualified as women.

Amid pre-Olympic hand-wringing over why the birthdates of He, Yank and Jiang didn't jibe with other registration materials that showed they might be as young as 14, China swore on its stars' passport stamps that the tots are the legal tumbling age of 16. But while the tiny trio helped their nation whisk the gold medal away from a suddenly clumsy U.S. group in the team competition, it was impossible to deny the visual evidence of something unjust in China. Take a look at these photos and judge for yourself."

Child Labor Issues - Olympic Style

Anyone who watched the women's gymnastics finals last night had to wonder how old those little kid gymnasts from China were. It's bad enough that these kids are turned into national pride products. Anyone seriously think these kids are all 16?

IOC Refuses to Doubt China's Kid Gymnasts - Sports Illustrated - 13 Aug 08

"The Chinese gymnasts could have picked out their leotards from Thumbelina's closet as they performed gymnastics in miniature on Wednesday. Wearing blue eye shadow with their hair pulled back, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan and Yang Yilin looked like girls who had just rummaged through their mothers' makeup. This was a ladies' final, though. Somehow, it was hard to see how they qualified as women.

Amid pre-Olympic hand-wringing over why the birthdates of He, Yank and Jiang didn't jibe with other registration materials that showed they might be as young as 14, China swore on its stars' passport stamps that the tots are the legal tumbling age of 16. But while the tiny trio helped their nation whisk the gold medal away from a suddenly clumsy U.S. group in the team competition, it was impossible to deny the visual evidence of something unjust in China. Take a look at these photos and judge for yourself."

UK Can Fill Future Energy Needs With Renewables, Efficiency

Yet another study on the topic this time from a group called Pöyry for the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace.

Renewables And Energy Efficiency Could Plug the "Energy Gap" - WWF (UK) - 01 Aug 08

"The report considered six scenarios for meeting Britain's commitments to deliver on the binding EU renewable energy commitments for 2020, and for future electricity demand (drawing on both EU and UK targets for energy efficiency), and assessed whether any additional capacity from conventional sources such as coal and gas would be needed to secure the UK's electricity needs.

It concluded that there would be no role for such plants, even taking into account the very few days when there is little or no wind. These scenarios represent a radical shift away from the 'business as usual' pathway (under which new power stations may indeed be needed). But such a radical shift is precisely what is required by the Government's stated ambitions on renewables and energy efficiency."

The full report, "Implications of the UK Meeting Its 2020 Renewable Energy Target", in PDF format.

UK Can Fill Future Energy Needs With Renewables, Efficiency

Yet another study on the topic this time from a group called Pöyry for the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace.

Renewables And Energy Efficiency Could Plug the "Energy Gap" - WWF (UK) - 01 Aug 08

"The report considered six scenarios for meeting Britain's commitments to deliver on the binding EU renewable energy commitments for 2020, and for future electricity demand (drawing on both EU and UK targets for energy efficiency), and assessed whether any additional capacity from conventional sources such as coal and gas would be needed to secure the UK's electricity needs.

It concluded that there would be no role for such plants, even taking into account the very few days when there is little or no wind. These scenarios represent a radical shift away from the 'business as usual' pathway (under which new power stations may indeed be needed). But such a radical shift is precisely what is required by the Government's stated ambitions on renewables and energy efficiency."

The full report, "Implications of the UK Meeting Its 2020 Renewable Energy Target", in PDF format.

Good News on Wind Power Predictions

I know there has been a lot of work with neural nets and other sophisticated software to help utilities better predict wind power production but this seems like a major break through. This is a big deal because predictable wind power means more valuable wind power to the utility. No costly surprises of over- or under-supply.

Software Predicts Electricity Output for Wind - Renewable Energy World - 11 Aug 08

"Thanks to a new system developed by a German university spin-off, it's now possible to obtain an accurate forecast of the energy output from wind parks for up to ten days in advance.

The Previento system, developed at Oldenburg University in northern Germany in cooperation with researchers from Denmark's Riso National Laboratory, can predict not only how much electricity a specific wind park in Germany will produce but also the total amount of electricity the 20,000 or so wind parks dotted around the country will generate in the coming days and with a high level of accuracy."

Good News on Wind Power Predictions

I know there has been a lot of work with neural nets and other sophisticated software to help utilities better predict wind power production but this seems like a major break through. This is a big deal because predictable wind power means more valuable wind power to the utility. No costly surprises of over- or under-supply.

Software Predicts Electricity Output for Wind - Renewable Energy World - 11 Aug 08

"Thanks to a new system developed by a German university spin-off, it's now possible to obtain an accurate forecast of the energy output from wind parks for up to ten days in advance.

The Previento system, developed at Oldenburg University in northern Germany in cooperation with researchers from Denmark's Riso National Laboratory, can predict not only how much electricity a specific wind park in Germany will produce but also the total amount of electricity the 20,000 or so wind parks dotted around the country will generate in the coming days and with a high level of accuracy."