As a practical matter, nuclear energy as a solution to the West's declining petroleum supplies is a dead issue, at least in my lifetime. The time frame for substantial declines in petroleum availability is short and it is upon us... and the time frame for a nuclear answer to that problem is long and any attempt to ameliorate petroleum's decline with nuclear power has been put on hold indefinitely.
Indefinitely.
In reality, nuclear power was the only energy source that had any chance whatsoever of cushioning the energy shock. Now, that cushion is gone.
Take a moment and wrap your mind around that. Let it wander where it will. The are a great many permutations of outcomes to come from this.
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It would seem that with cross boarder forces entering Bahrain that Pioneer's analysis has been borne out in the short term. I must say that I had not even considered that this could happen... I need to give it some thought.
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On an entirely different subject... and please don't take this out of context...
I don't watch T.V. for the most part, and I (almost) NEVER watch news (propaganda) channels as there is enough news to be had on the Web absent the commercial pitch (well, at least I can ignore and click away from the commercial pitch online). I have to question how healthy it is for people to be bombarded with the misery one can find in the world - earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, Tsunami's in Indonesia and Japan, wolves eating children in India, Shark attacks in Egypt, car crashes, murders, rapes, child molestations... while I don't watch T.V., that is not true for the rest of my family, and I watch the impact this rolling disaster menu has on them... not to mention the voyeur "news" media, who couldn't possibly care less about anything - except ratings and the rate that they can sell advertising time for for hooking us into events that are beyond our ability to control or influence but that do effect us quite negatively.
It would seem that tuning into disasters on T.V. is not helpful for the victims or the individual watching. If unaffected individual want to do something, it seem to be better to turn off the T.V. and do something to prepare for the day when you and yours are confronted by the unthinkable.
Yours for a better world,
Greg