--- In
DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "E.L. Green" wrote:
>
> --- In
DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Jefferson Johnson"
> wrote:
> >
> > The Chinese must not be that quiet about it if you found out (that
> is unless
> > you are a Chinese uranium trading insider)
>
> Nope, the Chinese haven't been quiet about it at all. They're
planning
> to build over 75 pebble-bed reactors based on a South African design
> to replace some of the nasty coal-powered plants that currently are
> hazing over their country, and those reactors need uranium to fill
> them up. These plans have been widely publicized. BTW, the reason
> they're going pebble-bed is that, because of China's horrific safety
> record in other things, the maintenance requirements of regular
> light-water reactors simply doesn't appeal to them. (Pebble-bed
> reactors are gas-cooled rather than water-cooled and use a graphite
> moderator that's part of the pebble itself rather than a water
> moderator, and if properly designed are theoretically incapable of a
> Chernobyl-style meltdown).
>
> But this doesn't get much press, so I guess you could say that the
> Chinese are "quietly" collecting uranium. Just note that this is
going
> to be a short-term problem. Uranium is a fairly common element and
if
> the demand remains high long-term, more processing plants and mines
> will come online to meet the demand. Furthermore the uranium cycle
> isn't the only possible nuclear fission cycle that could be used for
> power plants, it's just the one we use due to current nuclear
reactors
> being derived from military ones originally intended to create
> plutonium for bombs. The supply of fissionables available to us are
> sufficient to provide energy for a technological civilization for
> thousands of years, if we dare to do it -- something that is not
true
> of any other form of energy currently available to us (solar and
wind
> are nice, but don't have the energy density to maintain a
> technological civilization).
>
>
> -E
Eric, and others-
I have been off list the past two weeks spending my stimulus check--
cough--smile--
and it was great!
For starters:
http://gohawaii.about.com/library/weekly/blhd052000a.htm
ending with
http://www.nps.gov/havo/
Both of these sites were on my lifetime-achievement/visit list. The
trip was planned before there was a stimulus check--it just made it
more 'justifiable'.
I did not ride a KLR or a Harley while in Hawaii but we did do a KLR
tech day on fellow poster, Phillip Benefield's KLR. While I was
gone, I noticed that you folks have been busy.
It always amazes me the depth of discussion that occurs NKLR. I for
one appreciate the time taken to explain and explore the difficult
and sometimes controversial subjects--be they motorcycle based or
(sic) ethical/moral/economic/etal questions that deeply effect all of
us.
Some offer 'proof', others rhetoric, some [even dare to] include
substantiation (my personal favorite), and others, offer the golden
face of fear. shrug and a sigh. And occasionally, we even see a ride
report. ie Message #183728. All of which is often laced with satire
and humor, which makes some of the discussion more 'palatable'.
For all who contribute to the fray, I for one say, Thank you.
For those of you at MOAB--WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN! Yeah, ask me why....
Now, go change the gas in your KLR!
revmaaatin. who changed some of the gas today, will change more
tomorrow, and 400 smiles more on Tuesday AND Friday. yes!