Suzy Hobbs Baker is the founder and director of PopAtomic Studios. She is a professional, talented artist and the daughter of a nuclear engineer. She recently gave a TEDx talk titled Art & Nuclear Energy. In the video you will find out more about how Suzy found herself at a key intersection between liberal arts […]
Atomic Advocacy
Real story about nuclear plant liability insurance
At least twice in the past few days, I have been challenged about the value of nuclear energy with something close to the following comment posted on during a recent Google+ discussion about energy choices. A good way to measure the safety of nuclear power in America, using objective criteria, would be to require nuclear […]
Is nuclear industry guilty of “Failure to Launch?”
Following the afternoon session of the public meeting about the Lee nuclear power station draft environmental impact statement, I had an interesting conversation with a man from the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). He had spoken during the meeting about the large amount of taxpayer money that had been wasted on building and then not […]
Supporters of nuclear energy development face off with antinuclear activists in Gaffney, SC
On January 19, 2012, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers held a joint public meeting to solicit comments about the draft environmental impact statement for the William States Lee nuclear power station that Duke Energy is proposing to build about 8 miles outside of Gaffney, SC. The meeting included two […]
A Day to Think About Atomic Dreams
A frequent participant in discussions on Atomic Insights submitted the below as a way to stimulate a conversation in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King. He thought of it as an outline, but with just a little editing it was good to go. I have a dream. I have a dream that access to copious […]
The Conundrum – do we really have to give up a high energy lifestyle?
I received an invitation by email to read and review a post on a blog called “TXCHNOLOGIST”. The invitation was well worded and inviting, most likely composed by a trained expert in public relations. The subject post, titled Your Prius Won’t Save You: Questions for David Owen, Author of The Conundrum intrigued me. It was […]
Cautionary story for nuclear plant vendors and prospective plant owners
Florida state Rep. Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey), who voted in favor of Florida’s 2006 Construction Work in Progress (CWIP) advanced cost recovery law, has become the prime sponsor of a new law to overturn that rule. According to a January 11, 2012 op-ed published by the Tampa Bay Times titled No more blank checks […]
Markey is lying. The AP1000 design certification has been anything but “fast tracked”
A letter to the editor of the Asheville Citizen-Times published on January 6, 2012 got me riled up. The letter is intended to encourage people who live in Asheville to organize to resist the William States Lee nuclear power plant development project proposed for a site in Gaffney, SC., which is about 60 miles from […]
Put Nuclear Power in your stockings
I know, I am like one of those people who are still sending out Christmas cards in January. However, I just ran across this brief little video that I thought was worth sharing. The good news, bad news story is that Amazon lists Nuclear Power: How a Nuclear Power Plant Really Works as temporarily sold […]
Empowering a more prosperous world – one atom for peace at a time
I spent New Years Day 2012 engaged in an activity that reminded me how much fun it can be to rapidly consume energy for what some may consider to be a frivolous purpose. I joined a group of successful, relaxed and energetic members of the Smith Mountain Lake Water Ski Club to participate in the […]
Open letter to advocates of Generation IV reactors (IFR, LFTR, NGNP, PBHTR)
I participate in a number of email lists and forums populated by people who have an incredible optimism for a wide variety of nuclear fission power systems including sodium cooled Integral Fast Reactors, molten salt based Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors, helium cooled Next Generation Nuclear Plants, the molten salt cooled Pebble Bed High Temperature Reactor […]
Reflections on the 69th anniversary of anthropogenic sustained nuclear fission
By: Cal Abel (submitted for publication on December 2, 2011, but slightly delayed by an inept editor.) Today marks the 69th anniversary of CP-1 criticality and 54th anniversary of Shippingport criticality. Perhaps with too much time to think I wrote some thoughts and observations about my brief experience with nuclear power. It began in 1996 […]
