Further weather update from the middle of America:
Large orange glowing thing now growing on the southeast horizon. We are about to see sun for the first time this year!
Trade-off being that the clear skies comes with temperatures in the teens. But, sun.
Son knew for some time that the alternator on his old car was going bad. And now...
"Dad, can you give me a lift to work this morning to begin management training?"
So tempting to employ Tough Love and say no, but as he's all growed up and thirty, I figure I'll just be a friend instead of Dad... today.
Besides, I needed an excuse to get out on this lovely 15°F weather, right? Oh, wait, it's gone up to 16. Positively balmy! Or I am.
Morning, Glories.
All of15°F but feels like 5, says here.
Think I'll go for a swim!
172 Not that any candidates are talking up nuclear, but....
Thorium reactors, anyone?
Bill Whittle's recent Afterburner
http://youtu.be/4qPKR2zoDuk
Posted by: mindful webworker - glowing at January 03, 2015 10:54 AM (ftdxp)
Nice video. Karl Denninger at the Market Ticker has been banging the drum for thorium for years.
Thorium is a naturally-occurring radioactive element that is found in trace amounts in coal. When coal is burned conventionally, that thorium goes up the smokestack and into the environment. But the coal could be processed to capture and refine the thorium for use in nuclear reactors.
A thorium reactor can be used to generate electricity, but it cannot be used to produce bomb-grade material. That may be the reason why the technology was not pursued during the Cold War. All the governments involved wanted bomb-grade material.
Without going too deeply into the details, experimental reactors have been developed that are fail-safe. They cannot melt down.
And once the thorium is extracted from the coal, the coal can be processed to make liquid fuels suitable for use in cars, planes, ships, and the like. This is proven technology that was originally developed in Nazi Germany during WWII in the 1940s when their oil supplies were disrupted.
So, between thorium reactors and the production of liquid fuels from coal, the United States could be energy-independent for centuries.
Not that any candidates are talking up nuclear, but....
Thorium reactors, anyone?
Bill Whittle's recent Afterburner
http://youtu.be/4qPKR2zoDuk
Morning, Glories!
I saw the morning thread was an hour and a half old, I thought there'd be way lots of comments to plow through. This is pretty casual.
Once again we are avoiding ice by being barely above freezing for this rain. I'll take it.
From Vic's links, a silly question:
"Why in the crap are 'pop stars' going to muzzie countries? Are they insane or just clueless?"
Both.
Today's top news:
BenK's head still hurts.
Morning, Glories!
Now to hunt down the Vic Report.
bbl
Ace: "I realize I'm springing this on you at 11:53 Eastern. I'll put up a similar thread tomorrow."
eventually...
Still just this thread? I'll find more things to do.
Oh, joy: Day 2 and the new tablet has become a dead brick. That's what I get for thinking I could improve anything in my life.
I guess I'll get up and do some stuff. Somebody has to be sacrificed to the new thread gods, might as well be me. bbl
Yay. A thousand comments... to reload and reload and reload and....
You know what? We haven't had a me thread all year!.
Mama AJ, where might you be moving? around the corner or different state?
May 2015 be a good year for you and your family, Carol.My prayer for you is health and happiness, as much as the lord permits.
And the same for the whole horde.
_____
My own New Year's resolution is to be less stupid and wrong about everything all the time. Since resolutions are made to be broken, figure I might as well resolve big. 
Vic: "That's what I thought yesterday and then Andy came in 5 min after I posted the links."
I'm telling you, that's policy now.
Morning, Glories, and Happy New Year. That fresh year smell is still good.
Happy New Year all ye hoardlings.
Less than two hours to go here in the Central Zone. I think I've had just about enough of 2014.
I raise my glass of bubbly to Maet, to all the Ace bloggers, including of course Mr. Of Spades hisself, king of the heap. Where is Ace tonight?
And I raise another glass *hic* to all the commenting rabble, an island of (relative) sanity, or at least distracting amusement, in a vast sea of hope-deadening discombobulation.
God help us in 2015!
