tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post7641687489417353401..comments2024-03-28T16:08:29.578-04:00Comments on Sardonicky: Duck and CoverKaren Garciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612731479365562803noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-13783940292103036742011-03-21T17:18:40.310-04:002011-03-21T17:18:40.310-04:00The bigger worry - even apart from spent fuel rods...The bigger worry - even apart from spent fuel rods and where to store them - is spent reactor shells. They remain radioactive for thousands of years, but aren't built to last nearly that long and can't be torn down without releasing ungodly amounts of radiation. <br /><br />What did Keynes say? In the long run we're all dead? Unfortunately what's long run for us is the short run for those in the future. Or those living along a fault line in Japan. Or, heaven forbid, downwind from Indian Point.John in Lafayettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06275757677286420987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-33767565363323052102011-03-19T16:18:21.313-04:002011-03-19T16:18:21.313-04:00Good for you for making the investment!Good for you for making the investment!Draft Spitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07347893160721545857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-18630471196830632582011-03-19T15:17:23.854-04:002011-03-19T15:17:23.854-04:00I built the house around 5 years ago and we didn&#...I built the house around 5 years ago and we didn't switch there are no utilities there. It cost about one hundred dollars per Sq Ft to build the house including the solar. The low cost is a result of a lot of DYI. Solar is about 1/2 the cost now of what it was when we put the system in 4 years ago. Currently you can put in a grid tie system for about $4/Watt and receive a federal tax credit and a credit from ConEd if they offer one that will cover about 80% of the system.<br /><br />FYI we didn't qualify for the credit because the house is not in the U.S.<br /><br />RichardAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-76779849631842834962011-03-19T13:33:42.610-04:002011-03-19T13:33:42.610-04:00Well, Richard, I'd say that living "off t...Well, Richard, I'd say that living "off the grid on solar" makes you a lot greener than me - and greener than most Times readers.<br />How long you been doing that for? Was it costly to switch?Draft Spitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07347893160721545857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-91670294299257150282011-03-19T12:36:49.316-04:002011-03-19T12:36:49.316-04:00@DS,
I was being serious! If you folks in the big ...@DS,<br />I was being serious! If you folks in the big city can adjust to the reduction in electricity then some of the other sub-standard power plants can be shut down too! <br />Indian point is run by about the dumbest power company in the U.S.! They are the people that burned out their conventional steam electric generators in the great blackout of '65 because the oil system for the generator bearings wasn't on the backup power bus!<br /><br />Personally we live "off the grid" on solar so I'm reasonably "green" for a Conservative.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-75142607681542999092011-03-19T10:06:04.159-04:002011-03-19T10:06:04.159-04:00Karen: I was going to ask why you keep beating you...Karen: I was going to ask why you keep beating your head against the NYTimes seeming indifference to voices outside the hive but then again the Times letters section brought me to your blog (just before the paywall) so apparently there's some usefulness there.<br /><br />If you read Glenn Greenwald, he's posted a column on how the media in Japan has protected the government and the nuclear power industry much the same way they do here.<br /><br />In the older neighborhoods you can still see the fading metal 'fallout shelter' signs still clinging to old brickwork. They were as usless then as now. I'm reminded of the scene in Dr. Strangelove where the President is asked whether he should activate Civil Defense. He shakes his head dismissively. That brief encounter spoke volumes and still does.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-44098932747867504722011-03-19T04:27:13.874-04:002011-03-19T04:27:13.874-04:00Okay, Richard, I'll take your bait. As an ex-N...Okay, Richard, I'll take your bait. As an ex-New Yorker, I know it would be all TOO EASY to reduce power consumption by 30% simply by adjusting the overly heated buildings in winter, and the overly cooled offices and subways in summer.<br />I used to have to bring a thick cashmere sweater with me to ride the subway in summer. Not to mention for the chilly summertime office. I used minimal a/c in my own apartment, which made me unusual in NY, where people famously A/C even their empty apartments. They were trained to do that; they can be UNTRAINED. <br />Being an all-weather runner, my body adjusted easily to extreme heat and cold. Most of the other runners and cyclists I knew in New York experienced a similar "liberty" from A/C. <br />You should try it... You might surprise yourself at what you can handle when you stop being a princess.<br />;-)<br />Just kidding, Richard (about the pricess part, but entirely serious about the activity part, and how easy it would be for New Yorkers to reduce electric power consumption.Draft Spitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07347893160721545857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-45312784984544883842011-03-19T03:19:31.626-04:002011-03-19T03:19:31.626-04:00Bob Hubert is in favor of shutting down nuclear po...Bob Hubert is in favor of shutting down nuclear power in general and Indian Point in particular. I think that you in the NYC area should try it first so the rest of us can see how it turns out. I understand that you will loose about 30% of the power in NYC with no local means of replacing the loss. It will be interesting to see how you reduce your usage to make up the loss.<br /><br />RichardAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-44244018128588145082011-03-18T16:16:45.952-04:002011-03-18T16:16:45.952-04:00There's a nice series of takedowns of Our Mr. ...There's a nice series of takedowns of Our Mr. Brooks on Balloon Juice this morning--don't miss the comments!Marinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-79248530508053912342011-03-18T12:05:22.878-04:002011-03-18T12:05:22.878-04:00My comment recommending that Burns and Garcia coul...My comment recommending that Burns and Garcia could replace Brooks' slots was submitted last night, but appears to have hit the cutting room floor at the Times.<br />I note that Burns made a comment to Paul K. about a Hooverville initiative in DC. I'd first heard that on Garcia's blog, and was glad to see it picked up by someone else.Draft Spitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07347893160721545857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-46194052440007475972011-03-18T03:03:17.642-04:002011-03-18T03:03:17.642-04:00Thanks for writing this.
I also just read your c...Thanks for writing this. <br /><br />I also just read your column (o.k., your comment, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a column), regarding Krugman's column--amazing! I'm glad you started building your brand, as it were, before the Times' pay wall kicks in.Marinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-60628427191390123352011-03-17T18:30:08.095-04:002011-03-17T18:30:08.095-04:00Karen,
Thanks much for this post. I lived in NY fo...Karen,<br />Thanks much for this post. I lived in NY for over a decade and didn't learn as much about Indian Point as I just did reading this brief piece.<br />Maybe a good thing to follow up on...? The<br />highway/nuclear waste situation is terrifying.<br /><br />Also So terrified for everyone in Japan.Draft Spitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07347893160721545857noreply@blogger.com