Goal For The Green

We have been conditioned to believe that we are in the midst of a severe energy shortage.  Yet, if we were to take a closer look at Thorium, element # 90 on the Periodic Table, we would discover that we have more energy available than we will ever use.

Until he died, Dr. Petr Beckmann, ( Czech refugee from the Nazis) spent much of his career in America promoting nuclear power.  Unfortunately, he was treated as demon by the environmental movement, and much of his work was ignored.

Many green leaders are now admitting to the mistake of rejecting this clean, safe and relatively cheap technology. President Obama, has promised to make energy conservation and the environment among his top priorities.   He has chosen several “climate change” activists to serve as his top officials.   Among them is, Harvard physicist, John Holdren as his presidential science advisor.  He could have a huge impact on our country’s future energy policies.  In his career he has focused on climate change,  nuclear disarmament, and next generation nuclear energy.

As we know it today, nuclear power is obsolete.  Currently our light water reactors use uranium-235.  Not only is this fuel expensive, but it’s byproducts create political problems. The byproducts are a hot topic, because they can be used to create nuclear weapons.  The very reason we adopted uranium-235, was because America needed the materials for nuclear weapons.  Our power plants at the time, provided those materials, thus pushing aside the more superior fuels such as thorium.

Pluses for thorium, is that it is by far more abundant than uranium-235.  Thorium reactors do not produce hazardous waste materials that are useful in manufacturing nuclear weapons.  The waste is far less hazardous and much cheaper and easier to dispose of.  In general, thorium reactors are safer to operate because they produce little radioactive threat outside their shielding.  In fact, thorium reactors cannot experience a catastrophic meltdown.  The fact that thorium plants can’t melt down, suggests that the total energy cost to operate would be much lower.

Another plus, is that thorium reactors can be almost any size.  There have been prototypes made small enough for military aircraft.  This fact alone, makes them more feasible for developing countries to afford, saving the cost of a large-scale infrastructure. They would also be much more appealing internationally, because they cannot be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.  To learn more about thorium energy, read this.

It is my hope that the Obama administration, will reduce reduce barriers to the production of thorium, by taking a serious look at the positive impact it can make.  A shift to thorium as a source of energy, could help create “green jobs”, facilitate economic recovery,  and help environmental and nonproliferation causes.

Update:http://www.energyfromthorium.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7t=1258

If you have any further questions about Thorium there is a very active discussion found at the link above.

When it comes to saving money and the environment, I jump at the chance to champion a cause I believe in. The thing I like about this program, is you are saving storage space and cutting down on clutter around the house. You are saving time by not having to recycle, and most importantly you are saving trees and helping the environment. I think this is a win-win answer for anyone’s reading pleasure. Read the rest of this entry »

The older I get, the more my health becomes a priority. Since the year 2000, five members of my family have passed away. Four of them were diabetic. We all know that diet and exercise go together. It seems as though you  can’t just do one or the other. It takes the combined effort to accomplish the goal to lose weight and avoid this disease. The battle can be won, even though statistics keep growing every day.

The Pancreas, which is located next to, and somewhat behind the stomach normally secretes the vital hormone called insulin.  The job of insulin, is to digest the sugars that are broken down in the digestive system and convert them into fuel for the body. In a normal person, the Pancreas produces insulin in islets of tissue inside the organ. That is it’s function. In the diabetic, this does not happen, therefore, they need to take the synthetic form of insulin. 

Here are some facts you should know:

      A normal blood sugar reading is between 80-120 mg. Anything above or below these numbers, you are in a danger zone! Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar happens if a person’s blood sugar dips below 70 mg. The symptoms are shaking, fast heartbeat, sweating, anxiousness, dizziness, hunger, impaired vision, weakness, fatigue, headaches and irritability. What causes this is too little food, too much insulin or diabetes medicine, and too much or extra exercise. The onset may be sudden and progress to insulin shock. Drink a cup of orange juice or milk, or eat several hard candies. Within 30 minutes after symptoms go away, eat a peanut butter or meat sandwich and drink a glass of milk. Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar happens if a diabetic person’s sugar is above 200 mg. or more. The onset is gradual, but may progress to diabetic coma. It happens if they have consumed too much food, or they don’t have enough insulin in their system, they are ill or are under too much stress. They become very thirsty and experience frequent urination, along with dry skin, hunger, blurred vision and nausea . If the blood sugar is over 240 mg. after testing several times , call the doctor.

      If you, or anyone you know has these symptoms, encourage them to visit a doctor. This disease effects all organs of the body, over a period of time. It is a $92 billion a year disease that effects millions, and often goes undetected. Take charge of your life and your health by getting screened for diabetes and cholesterol. It is important to know your numbers. It could prolong your life!