Anxiety about retirement -- for aging nuclear power plants

Public release date: 3-Apr-2013
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Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

Mention "high costs," "financing" and "safety" in the same sentence as "commercial nuclear power plants," and most people think of the multi-billion-dollar construction or operational phase of these facilities, which provide 20 percent of the domestic electric supply. Those concerns, however, are now emerging as aging nuclear power plants reach retirement age, and electric utilities confront the task of deconstruction, or decommissioning, nuclear power stations. That's the topic of the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

In the article, Jeff Johnson, C&EN senior correspondent, explains that a wave of nuclear power station retirements may be on the horizon. The average age of the 104 nukes in the United States, for instance, is 34 years only a few years short of and approaching their design life of 40 years. Almost 30 U.S. commercial and research reactors already have started decommissioning.

The article describes why decommissioning is a long, complex, costly process, with $400 million regarded as the bargain basement price tag for cleaning up a single reactor. It includes an informative sidebar, "Anatomy of a Decommissioning," describing why decommissioning is a big-ticket item, with special technologies and personnel needed for a safe retirement. Indeed, the coming wave of retirements likely will foster emergency of a new industry devoted to decommissioning.

###

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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Public release date: 3-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society

Mention "high costs," "financing" and "safety" in the same sentence as "commercial nuclear power plants," and most people think of the multi-billion-dollar construction or operational phase of these facilities, which provide 20 percent of the domestic electric supply. Those concerns, however, are now emerging as aging nuclear power plants reach retirement age, and electric utilities confront the task of deconstruction, or decommissioning, nuclear power stations. That's the topic of the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

In the article, Jeff Johnson, C&EN senior correspondent, explains that a wave of nuclear power station retirements may be on the horizon. The average age of the 104 nukes in the United States, for instance, is 34 years only a few years short of and approaching their design life of 40 years. Almost 30 U.S. commercial and research reactors already have started decommissioning.

The article describes why decommissioning is a long, complex, costly process, with $400 million regarded as the bargain basement price tag for cleaning up a single reactor. It includes an informative sidebar, "Anatomy of a Decommissioning," describing why decommissioning is a big-ticket item, with special technologies and personnel needed for a safe retirement. Indeed, the coming wave of retirements likely will foster emergency of a new industry devoted to decommissioning.

###

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Follow us:

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/acs-aar040313.php

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Model shows dramatic global decline in ratio of workers to retired people

Public release date: 20-Aug-2012
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Contact: Molly McElroy
mollywmc@uw.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington

A new statistical model predicts that by 2100 the number of people older than 85 worldwide will increase more than previously estimated, and there will be fewer working-age adults to support them than previously expected.

The findings, reported by researchers at the University of Washington and the United Nations, suggest an even greater decrease in the coming decades in support for social security programs for elderly adults.

Lead author Adrian Raftery, UW professor of statistics and sociology, was surprised by how dramatically the proportion of the world's "oldest old" will increase by the end of the century.

"This has been studied a lot in developed countries, but what we see with this model is that the increase in people over 85 will be a worldwide phenomenon," he said.

The study will be published Aug. 20 in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In China, the world's most-populous country, the number of working-age adults for each person 65 or older will shrink from 7.9 in 2010 to 1.6 in 2100. The ratio in India, the world's second-most-populous country, will decrease from 11.1 in 2010 to 2.0 in 2100.

The United States' ratio declines from 4.6 in 2010 to 1.8 by the end of the century. Other developed nations with low fertility rates show somewhat larger declines, including the Netherlands dropping from 4.0 to 1.6 and the United Kingdom dropping from 3.6 to 1.6 by century's end.

"The United States has more favorable numbers than other developed countries now, and will retain a slight advantage over other countries at the end of the century," Raftery said. He attributes the United States' relatively more-promising outlook to the country's higher levels of new births and to immigration.

The researchers did not produce population predictions for the 38 countries with generalized HIV/AIDS epidemics, because those nations require a different statistical method.

Standard population projection methods yield just one estimate without giving a sense of wiggle room. In contrast, Raftery and his co-authors developed a Bayesian statistical approach that produces a low and high estimate for each country's population as well as the likelihood that the actual population will fall in that range. The method makes population predictions based on countries' previous fertility and mortality rates and immigration patterns.

This probabilistic strategy allows policy-makers to make better-informed decisions, such as determining whether to build new schools.

"We don't know for sure what will happen in the future, but this model gives us a better sense of the accuracy of the projections," Raftery said.

Raftery hopes to use the model to help the United Nations make its 2012 prediction of world population growth, which will be released in February 2013.

Previously, he used a similar statistical model with the United Nations' 2010 population prediction. That model projected a world population of 10.1 billion by 2100, which is 1 billion more than previously thought.

###

Hana ev?kov of UW's Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences is a co-author of the paper. Other co-authors are Nan Li, Patrick Gerland and Gerhard Heilig of the population division in the United Nations' Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

A grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development funded the work.

For more information, contact Raftery at raftery@uw.edu or 206-543-4505.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 20-Aug-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Molly McElroy
mollywmc@uw.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington

A new statistical model predicts that by 2100 the number of people older than 85 worldwide will increase more than previously estimated, and there will be fewer working-age adults to support them than previously expected.

The findings, reported by researchers at the University of Washington and the United Nations, suggest an even greater decrease in the coming decades in support for social security programs for elderly adults.

Lead author Adrian Raftery, UW professor of statistics and sociology, was surprised by how dramatically the proportion of the world's "oldest old" will increase by the end of the century.

"This has been studied a lot in developed countries, but what we see with this model is that the increase in people over 85 will be a worldwide phenomenon," he said.

The study will be published Aug. 20 in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In China, the world's most-populous country, the number of working-age adults for each person 65 or older will shrink from 7.9 in 2010 to 1.6 in 2100. The ratio in India, the world's second-most-populous country, will decrease from 11.1 in 2010 to 2.0 in 2100.

The United States' ratio declines from 4.6 in 2010 to 1.8 by the end of the century. Other developed nations with low fertility rates show somewhat larger declines, including the Netherlands dropping from 4.0 to 1.6 and the United Kingdom dropping from 3.6 to 1.6 by century's end.

"The United States has more favorable numbers than other developed countries now, and will retain a slight advantage over other countries at the end of the century," Raftery said. He attributes the United States' relatively more-promising outlook to the country's higher levels of new births and to immigration.

The researchers did not produce population predictions for the 38 countries with generalized HIV/AIDS epidemics, because those nations require a different statistical method.

Standard population projection methods yield just one estimate without giving a sense of wiggle room. In contrast, Raftery and his co-authors developed a Bayesian statistical approach that produces a low and high estimate for each country's population as well as the likelihood that the actual population will fall in that range. The method makes population predictions based on countries' previous fertility and mortality rates and immigration patterns.

This probabilistic strategy allows policy-makers to make better-informed decisions, such as determining whether to build new schools.

"We don't know for sure what will happen in the future, but this model gives us a better sense of the accuracy of the projections," Raftery said.

Raftery hopes to use the model to help the United Nations make its 2012 prediction of world population growth, which will be released in February 2013.

Previously, he used a similar statistical model with the United Nations' 2010 population prediction. That model projected a world population of 10.1 billion by 2100, which is 1 billion more than previously thought.

###

Hana ev?kov of UW's Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences is a co-author of the paper. Other co-authors are Nan Li, Patrick Gerland and Gerhard Heilig of the population division in the United Nations' Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

A grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development funded the work.

For more information, contact Raftery at raftery@uw.edu or 206-543-4505.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-08/uow-msd081612.php

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Palatial Home on Ocean Parkway ? $14000000

2134 Ocean Parkway, Gravesend, New York, United States, 11223

Comfortably situated on the most desirable stretch of Ocean Parkway at the border of Gravesend and Sheepshead Bay and just moments from Brighton Beach lies this nearly 10,000 square foot Colonial styled home.

Articulately customized in the finest finishes of marble, granite, wood and lacquers, this massive residence is truly one of a kind. The home is touched with limestone accents and finished in two-tone stucco and an authentic green terracotta style Spanish roof. ?Immediately upon entry, one is greeted by a grand multi-level art-nouveau staircase accented by artisan wrought iron panels finished with newel posts. Above this, a substantial dome skylight allows natural light to permeate all three levels and a Vienna imported, hand-etched, crystal chandelier.

The stunning tile inlay marble entry is flanked by living and dining spaces and encapsulated by a barrel ceiling supported by decorative, candlestick lit sconces and accented by traditional wainscoting. This room subtly leads to a kitchen equally apt for large families and entertaining.

The main kitchen, one of two within the home, offers two sets of each essential appliance. The equally practical and pleasing space is finished in Shaker style maple cabinets, finished in granite tops, follow the contour of the picture window at the sink. There is also a separate family room adjacent to the main kitchen, separated by the entry hallway.

?

Built to accommodate many, of the five bedrooms, most notable is the Master Suite. ?Unrivaled in size, the bedroom features a front facing French-doored balcony, and skylights on motorized shades. ?It has been finished in classical style with panel moldings and a cathedral ceiling. ?The integral 5-fixture master bath, which includes a bidet and elevated soaking tub, is clad entirely in marble with inlays and finishes of crotch mahogany.

Second to this is the library and bedroom on the third floor. ?Fitting as well adorned guest suite, the library is herringbone floored in rift and quarter sawn white oak inlaid with mahogany and practically appointed with built-in bookshelves.

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The lower level is full-height and finished in radiant heated tile. Boasting a game room, a second full kitchen, more than ample storage and a commercial food-grade walk-in cooler, this area is truly an entire living floor. ?The added practical conveniences within the home are innumerable, but include an elevator serving all floors, a walk-in commercial grade refrigerator, central vacuum system, interior and exterior radiant heating, and an outdoor kitchen.

Price: $14,000,000
Size: 9,200 Sq. Ft.
Bedrooms: 7
Bathrooms: 6 Full, 1 Half
Specialty Items: 8,120 Sq. Ft. Lot, 15 Rooms, Grand Staircase, Domed Skylight, Two Kitchens, Library, Elevator, Walk-in Commercial Refrigerator.
Address: 2134 Ocean Parkway, Gravesend, New York, United States, 11223

Source: http://priceypads.com/palatial-home-on-ocean-parkway-14000000/

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Democrats target Paul Ryan on women's issues (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/242087266?client_source=feed&format=rss

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LaurnSmith: Today?s ?I Miss Football? game is the 2010 Auburn v. UT-Chattanooga homecoming game. A real nail biter! #WarEagle

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://twitter.com/LaurnSmith/statuses/237275370557161473

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Ned Barnett Named in Top 100 Trial Lawyers Fourth Year in a Row ...

Houston, TX (PRWEB) August 17, 2012

Ned Barnett, a top-notch criminal defense attorney serving clients in Houston, Texas, has been named in the Top 100 Trial Lawyers for 2012 by the American Trial Lawyers Association. This is the fourth consecutive year the Mr. Barnett has achieved this ranking and is proud of his reputation as an exemplary defense litigator. His inclusion in this list is a reflection of Mr. Barnetts dedication to giving clients the best legal representation he can offer. Whether standing up for the rights of a client in the courtroom or simply helping someone understand their options in a case evaluation, he is willing to go the extra mile to give clients the legal assistance they need.

Mr. Barnetts practice areas are extensive. He is well-versed in domestic violence cases, drunk driving defense, drug crimes, internet-related cases, grand jury proceedings, probation violations, sex crimes, theft crimes, violent crimes and white collar cases. As a defense attorney, Mr. Barnett is focused on the wellbeing, rights and freedom of the individuals he represents. He is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a well-respected litigator in his field. Mr. Barnett has devoted all of his legal practice to litigation, focusing whole-heartedly on helping clients to the best of his ability.

After graduating with BBA from the University of Texas in Austin, he went on to earn his Juris Doctorate at the University of Houston Law Center in Houston, Texas. Since graduating law school in 1987, Mr. Barnett has dedicated himself to becoming the best litigator he can be. He is a founding member of the National College for DUI Defense, board certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a member of the national Association of Criminal Defense lawyers, the State Bar College, the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, and the supporting member of the National Child Abuse Defense Center.

He has worked at the United States Attorneys Office in Houston as an assistant United States attorney and at the Galveston County Criminal district Attorneys Office. Mr. Barnett comes from a tradition of criminal defense litigators. His father, grandfathers and great-grandfather were defense attorneys before him and he has earned the respect of his legal peers by carrying on the tradition of high-quality defense representation that came before him. To learn more about Mr. Barnett and his legal practice, visit http://www.NedBarnettLaw.com.

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Source: http://rachel-long.com/ned-barnett-named-in-top-100-trial-lawyers-fourth-year-in-a-row/

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Brahimi to become new Syria conflict envoy

Lakhdar Brahimi, a veteran diplomat troubleshooter, will take over from Kofi Annan as the international envoy on the Syria conflict, the United Nations said Friday.

UN leader Ban Ki-moon appealed to the divided international powers to give "strong, clear and unified" support to the new envoy, who in turn said he was not confident he could end the 17-month-old civil war.

Annan announced this month that he was standing down. The former UN secretary general complained about the lack of international support shown for his six-month campaign to make President Bashar al-Assad and opposition fighters end their hostilities.

Brahimi, 78, has vast experience handling conflict-stricken states.

He was Algeria's foreign minister from 1991-93 and later became a UN envoy in Afghanistan before and after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and in Iraq after the 2003 invasion.

Representing the Arab League, Brahimi helped end the Lebanese civil war in the 1980s, negotiating with the Syrian government of the time.

UN deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey said Brahimi would come to New York "soon" for talks. Annan is to step down on August 31.

"The violence and the suffering in Syria must come to an end," Ban said in a statement released by his spokesman.

"The secretary general appreciates Mr. Brahimi's willingness to bring his considerable talents and experience to this crucial task for which he will need, and rightly expects, the strong, clear and unified support of the international community, including the Security Council," the spokesman added.

Russia, Assad's main ally, and China have vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions on Syria, accusing western nations of only seeking forced regime change.

Brahimi has been in prolonged talks with Ban on the role and at times there has been doubt whether he would take the post.

Seeking to distinguish himself from Annan, Brahimi will be known as the Joint Special Representative instead of Joint Special Envoy. But he will still act for the United Nations and the Arab League even though Assad's government has refused to recognize Arab League involvement in the mediation.

Brahimi said again that the UN Security Council must overcome its bitter divisions on Syria, where activists say more than 23,000 people have died.

"We are going to discuss very, very seriously how they can help," Brahimi told the France 24 news channel. "They are asking me to do this job. If they don't support me, there is no job so I am looking forward to discussing with them."

Asked whether he was confident the civil war could be ended, Brahimi said: "No, I'm not. What I am confident of is that I am going to try my utmost, my very, very best."

Diplomats said Brahimi had sought a sign of "strong support" from the Security Council before accepting.

In a letter to Ban on Thursday, the 15 Security Council members said they "reiterated their support to your good offices and to the Mission of the joint special envoy for Syria."

But in a new sign of the international divisions over the conflict, western and Arab nations boycotted a meeting called by Russia in New York. Russia postponed the meeting.

Russia invited the countries which attended a June 30 Geneva meeting of an international action group on Syria. Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said his government had wanted to discuss a possible appeal to Assad and the opposition to end the fighting.

But the United States, Britain, France and Arab nations Qatar and Turkey told Russia they would not attend, diplomats said. Only China and the United Nations accepted the invitation to attend. Iraq was the only Arab nation to express an interest in the meeting, diplomats said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brahimi-become-syria-conflict-envoy-un-170242153.html

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