IEMA Finds Trace Amounts of Radiation in Metro-East (via CBS St. Louis)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This is alarming. Still it is within currently recognized standards of safety.

James Pilant

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KMOX) – Trace amounts of radioactive iodine has been found in air, grass, milk and rainwater samples in the Metro-East. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency said Friday the radiation found in Madison, Clinton and Bond Counties in Illinois is from the Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan. However the agency stresses that these findings are still far below established limits and present no health hazard to citizens in Illi … Read More

via CBS St. Louis

Atomic Energy Regulatory Committee Constructive Criticism (via ideainvestmentinnovation)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

A very reasonable, measured analysis of the crisis and its likely effects on future regulation.

Impressive.

James Pilant

Recent events have put a spotlight on the World’s nuclear engineering board and the safety mechanisms that have been instituted since the incident at Chernobyl. There seems to be one missing piece to the puzzle. There are world standards that demand all nuclear facilities to have multiple safety mechanisms in place. Such as in Japan’s case with the first mechanism being shock sensors that immediately pushed steel rods in-between the enriched uran … Read More

via ideainvestmentinnovation

Are Nuclear-Powered Plants Safer Than Those Powered by Coal? (via Beneath the Oaks)

On By southwerkIn business ethics
Courtesy of Bethesday Software

I have discussed before the nuclear industries fascination with actual death tolls. When it comes to the actual death rate, nuclear power wins the debate over what is the best means of producing electricity.

Unfortunately, there are 10,800 square miles of land near Chernobyl no one can visit for more than some few hours and the families near the Fukushima plant will probably never be able to go home. You cannot measure the safety of one form of energy over another based purely on directly cause deaths. It is only one factor.

It is the difference between one sided, intellectually bankrupt propaganda and intelligent understanding.

James Pilant

I knew the nuclear apologists would get around to making this argument sooner or later, and sure enough, The Washington Post published a thoughtful and well-researched article by David Brown on April 2, 2011, entitled, “Nuclear power is the safest way to make electricity, according to study.” Brown made a good case for the overall safety of nuclear power plants as far as the workers are concerned. Coal-fired plants are responsible for five times … Read More

via Beneath the Oaks

Barack Obama – a President for the nuclear industry (via nuclear-news)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I’ll let the article speak for itself and you decide.

James Pilant

Barack Obama - a President for the nuclear industry One of Obama’s largest campaign donors since 2003 has been the Exelon Corporation, a nuclear power company. Obama’s former chief of staff, David Axelrod, previously worked as a consultant for Exelon. As a state Senator in Illinois, Obama skillfully played both sides of the nuclear debate, but ultimately did the industry’s political dirty work after a leak at an Exelon plant was exposed, causing public outrage. Obama put forward a bill requiring l … Read More

via nuclear-news

USA sending huge concrete pumps to Fukushima nuclear plant (via nuclear-news)

On By southwerkIn business ethics2 Comments

This is certainly evidence of how seriously the United States is taking the nuclear crisis in Japan.

James Pilant

Massive pumps departing U.S. for Japan nuclear plant, By Vivian Kuo, April 8, 2011 Atlanta (CNN) — Two of the world’s largest concrete pumps will depart the United States later this week as part of the effort to resolve the crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, officials said. Each pump weighs 190,000 pounds and has a boom reach of over 227 feet, and can pump water and concrete at massive rates. They will be loaded aboard enor … Read More

via nuclear-news

Shake and bake (via The Mex Files) – Mexican Meltdown!?

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Apparently not all current nuclear problems are in Japan. Mexico too has nuclear power and it does not seem to prosper there.

This is a fascinating article which was very much a surprise to me. But that’s the great pleasure of the thousands of internet sites – the opportunity to learn.

James Pilant

Yikes… yesterday’s 6.5 – 6.7 Richter scale earthquake in Veracruz State (felt throughout the southern and eastern parts of the country, but certainly not here on the northwest coast) did only “minor” damage to Mexico’s one and only nuclear power plant… or so we’re being told. Laguna Verde is “only” twenty plus years old, and has supposedly been being upgraded the last few years.  Officially it has a good safety record, although, just over a w … Read More

via The Mex Files

Even if you don’t oppose nuclear power, questions have to be asked and things need to be rectified PDQ (via Eslkevin’s Blog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I really enjoyed this blog.

I think we can all join in the thoughts enunciated in the letter sent below to nuclear regulators in the United States.

It’s a call to learn from the Japanese disaster and to address the problem of nuclear waste.

James Pilant

Dear Kevin, On the morning of March 11, I watched with horror as the news came in from Japan about the tragic earthquake and tsunami and their many victims. The power outage at a Japanese nuclear power plant was a footnote to these first reports, so it was hard to comprehend that the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl was underway. Over the last four weeks, the workers at the Fukushima nuclear power facility have acted heroically to g … Read More

via Eslkevin’s Blog

ALLOWING A SCIENTIST (rather than a politician) TO SPEAK (via Eslkevin’s Blog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I found this provocative.

I believe our blogging friend wanted that effect.

Why don’t you see if it has that effect on you?

James Pilant

Can We Produce Enough Energy with Green Sources or Must We Rely on Coal, Oil, and Nuclear? Ask a Scientist – April 2011 J. Fishman from Scottsdale, AZ, asks “Can we produce enough energy by using green sources, such as wind and solar power, or must we continue to rely on coal, oil, and/or nuclear energy?” and is answered by Jeff Deyette, Assistant Director of Energy Research and Analysis. In the past year we’ve seen too many examples of just how … Read More

via Eslkevin’s Blog

Strong aftershock rattles disaster-weary Japan (via Mannaismayaadventure’s Blog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Excellent news story well illustrated.

Look at it if only to observe the beautiful layout of the blog.

James Pilant

Strong aftershock rattles disaster-weary Japan Strong aftershock rattles disaster-weary Japan By JAY ALABASTER and TOMOKO A. HOSAKA, Associated Press – Thu Apr 7, 7:07 pm ET SENDAI, Japan – A big aftershock rocked quake-weary Japan late Thursday, rattling nerves as it knocked out power to the northern part of the country and prompted tsunami warnings that were later canceled. The quake was initially measured at magnitude-7.4, though the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., later downgrade … Read More

via Mannaismayaadventure’s Blog

Ethical Solutions Don’t Come Easy (via Scott’s Thoughts on Marketing)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Here is a fellow business professor. Always a pleasure to find another blogging teacher. He enjoys his students and finds their attention drawn to ethics. That’s wonderful, you’d be surprised how many teachers are less than fond of their students.

I like his thoughts on ethics, and I want you to read them.

James Pilant

Ethical Solutions Don't Come Easy Remember that Willie Nelson song “Always On My Mind? Well, sometimes it feels like ethics is always on the mind of marketers – which of course is a good thing! When I look at the traffic on this blog, the posts on ethics always get the most hits, by a long shot.  And while I can never identify who, specifically, lands on these pages, I can see what search engine terms lead people here.  Phrases like “marketing ethics” and “examples of legal but u … Read More

via Scott’s Thoughts on Marketing