Technically speaking, anything in the periodic table over Pb208 (Lead) is radioactive. It's just some of these elements have REALLY long half lives. And the longer the half life, the lower the radioactivity...

The higher the temperature of your working fluid, the higher your possible theoretical efficiency can be. The best out there are hitting 60% with a very high temp gas turbine with a steam generator hooked to it's exhaust and a rankine cycle attached to that.

There are some advanced reactor designs that can hit 50% if built, mostly due to higher working temperatures.

PRISM is a commercialized version of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR). I personally would rather that plutonium be used for LFTR start charges than used in a big tank of liquid sodium. But since we taxpayers have already spent $35 billion on the IFR and related tech since 1965, it would be nice to get some use out of all that money, even of it is GE that benefits. Just hope there are no major sodium leaks.

The PRISM is based on the IFR. One big f'n tank of liquid sodium. No thanks, I would rather see the plutonium used for LFTR start charges.

So he was 85% correct.

They can continue to deduct 85% of the union dues as long as you work in that union job. By quitting the union you forfeit your right to vote in any union elections, and your dues are reduced by 15%. That 85% covers the supposed cost to the union to provide negotiation and worker protection benefits (what a joke). But sorry you cannot negotiate on your own, or try and provide a cheaper alternative to the union in non-right to work states. And you are still bound by that union contract, i.e., senority limits on your raises, offers for promotions and so on.

Solution: Try and find a job in a right to work state like Nevada or South Carolina, etc.

At one time Unions had a necessary reason for forming and existing. But with the advent of OSHA their main reason for existing (worker safety and working conditions) is redundant. Now they are pretty much just another cash cow of the Democratic Party and senior Union bosses and also a PAC/lobby. Incidentally that 15% that you can reduce your union dues by is supposedly what unions spend on political activities. Yeah right.

This one:

http://www.energy-northwest.com/generation/cgs/

"The problems in Fukushima had jackshit to do with tsunamis, and a lot to do with incompetence, greed and political pressure, during plan construction, during operation and, finally, during the disastrous handling of the incident after the earthquake. Those problems are universal problems that tend to plague the nuclear sector everywhere, because many view it as prestigious, there are "national security" concerns, the orders are large and a lot of money is swapped under the table in deals that cut various corners, etc.

Since fission nuclear power, if done for safely and accounted for properly, is insanely expensive to begin with, and the costs multiply many times over in the case of a nuclear fuckup, coming up with better alternatives is not a bad idea."

You throw out many accusations for which you WOULD need detailed knowledge of the industry. On the face of it your post is FUD because there is no way "under the table deals" would not have been leaked, you have provided no data that indicates in any way you have the knowledge or skills to objectively judge competence or incompetence of operations, construction, or handling of the post event emergency response. You could not possibly know about fictitious "deals to cut corners", if you did you would have notified authorities.

In short, you are offering up your personal opinions as facts without any basis, and worse, not stating plainly up front that this is your opinion.

Thats why I said FUD.

Now this post I can agree with. Well put.

And yes I am in the commercial nuclear industry. Have a strong culture of nuclear safety is of paramount importance. Everything follows from it.

Nope, your just another opinionated person that spews shit about stuff they have never studied in depth. Like most, you are not dumb, quite the contrary. But because you are presumably smart in your area of expertise, you think you are an expert in another highly technical field.

Except 31 years operating nuclear power plants.

Whups, I gave myself away as one of those evil souless drones coopted by eeeeevil corporations to make fat $ at the expense of safety. Yep, thats us, evil greedy fuckers who don't give a shit about safety, we gots matching jackets with dollar signs embroidered all over them....

Nope...still FUD.

"but that they leave a severe risk of exposure for many generations to come."

You didn't study logarithimic mathmatics in school did you?

Let me summarize your post: FUD

"Internet morons"

Irony.

There is already a wiki entry for the earthquake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Virginia_earthquake

"The 2011 Virginia earthquake was a magnitude 5.9 (Mw) intraplate earthquake that occurred on August 23, 2011. Steven Seagal ate too many cheeseburgers that day and jumped heavily on the ground, causing the initial earthquake. The focus is reported by the USGS to be about 64 km (39 mi) northwest of Richmond, Virginia near the town of Mineral, Virginia."