In 1979 Three Mile Island experienced a partial meltdown of one of its reactor cores due to a coolant system failure and operator error.   The actual reactor vessel, though internally damaged, held, and the additional layers of protection offered by the containment structure also held, but were not even needed.   Nobody died, nobody was injured, no property outside the plant was damaged.   To this day, many hold it up as an example of the horrors of nuclear energy.

Meanwhile, a form of “renewable” energy around the country has been destroying homes and snuffing out lives from the very beginning with little fanfare.

The Lake Delhi dam was built in the 1920’s as a hydroelectric generating facility.   In the late 1960’s, the facility began to show its age and the operator didn’t have the capital to replace or refurbish the turbines, leading to most of the electrical generating capacity going offline in 1973.   Had the Delhi dam been a nuclear facility, the owners would have been required to have a fund set aside for its decommissioning, thus assuring that it would not be left a derelict hulk that endangers the community.

But it wasn’t nuclear, so there it sat, turbines rusting and no power being produced.   Instead, operations of the dam were turned over to the “Lake Delhi Recreational Association,” who apparently had no interest in generating electricity  and was not at all equipped to maintain or repair the dam.  The former hydroelectric dam, which held back a ten mile long lake seems to have sat under the control of the equivalent of a neighborhood association, and received little if any maintenance or inspection.

Although hydropower is a good economic and renewable source of energy, no government subsidies jumped in to repair the dam and thus several private attempts to repair the dam and put it back into service generating power went bust over the years.

Finally in 2008, it seemed that the plant would be brought back online.   It had the potential to generate electricity, but since it was not wind or solar, it took a while to get regulatory approval to even begin the refurbishment for power generation.   Yes, that’s right, the process to just get approval to begin refurbishment takes years!

By 2010, it looked like the plant was about ready to come back online.   Unfortunately, as it was being refurbished it was discovered that the years of neglect had not been kind to the Delhi dam and was in worse shape than anyone could have imagined.   Sediment had built up against the dam, at least one gate was severely damaged by a past flood and the integrity of the dam was called into question.  In 2009, the Federal Government allocated 2.5 million for critical repairs on the dam, in part because of the safety issue it presented.   The state of Iowa came up with another one hundred thousand dollars to begin a dredging and improvement plan last April.

But apparently, it wasn’t enough, because this morning, this happened:

Right now, how much damage this dam failure has caused remains unknown.   Details are sketchy, but officials are already calling it “catastrophic.”    At least a few homes are already reported destroyed and upwards of 700 could be in danger.    At least fifty homes have already reported some level of damage and the flood has also been blamed for extensive power outages.  Due to evacuations, it is hoped that deaths will be avoided.

The dam was not a nuclear facility, however, so don’t expect to read about this on the front page of the newspaper.  In fact, don’t expect to read about it on the second page either.   It may not even make the first section of your newspaper and if you don’t live in the US, it likely won’t make it to your newspaper at all.    After all, it’s just a dam and those fail all the time.   Small consolation to those whose lives have been washed away.

At least it was only water and not coal ash.

Having returned from Las Vegas and The Amazing Meeting, an annual conference on skepticism hosted by the James Randi Educational Foundaton, I’ve been very eager to start posting about my experiences at the meeting.   Unfortunately, I’ve been fairly busy, as apparently going to Las Vegas for a week tends to result in a lot of work piling up.   In general, the meeting was attended by mainstream skeptics, who may not agree on everything but tended to agree on well proven things, like the fact that the US Apollo program did indeed send men to the moon and back.

This was not quite 100%, however, as at least one conspiracy-obsessed heckler did attend, and attempted repeatedly to heckle Phil Plait and Adam Savage.   Jarrah White is about as committed to the belief that the Apollo moon landings were faked as one can be.   He’s already produced (at last count) 393 Youtube videos on the subject – all of them absolutely stunning in their lack of technical and scientific knowledge.

I recognized White’s voice from the videos as soon as he got up to question Adam Savage. That snooty, nasal, sharp whine with an Australian accent was hard not to recognize, especially as I’ve seen plenty of his videos before. Apparently he came all the way from Australia to try to get up in the face of those who he considers the conspirators behind the faked moon landing

His behavior was about as strange as one might expect. I was concerned initially that he might try to rush the stage or do something else completely crazy – after all, Apollo conspiracy theorists have been known to physically threaten astronauts and do all manner of other crazy things. I alerted the staff and security to his background to be on the safe side, but luckily he didn’t try anything too violent.

Instead, he repeatedly insisted that he get a sit-down interview with Phil Plait. Phil was quite civil, and informed him that to get scheduled interview time he would need to register as press. The Amazing Meeting does not have very exclusive standards for who is given press status – bloggers and podcasters can easily get it. When he was asked for his information on this topic, he repeatedly made a scene about not wanting to reveal his background. I’m not sure how things worked out, but eventually he got a press pass and thus could get his interview. Unfortunately for him, Phil Plait decided to decline the request. After rudely interrupting Phil, who was trying to converse with others at the conference, the Little Dude from the Moon finally started yelling at Phil that he thought his answers were dishonest and he was a liar. Phil said something about how he didn’t believe he could say anything that would change the Little Dude’s mind and that if the Little Dude felt that way, he was not interested in sitting down for an interview.

I’m just glad that no punches were thrown. As he came from Australia, it seemed a reasonable concern that he would not want to make such a trip without getting in at least one dramatic moment or big confrontation. I did challenge him openly to a debate. He never responded to this. Surprised? In fact, I only saw him around on the first day of the three-day event. No word on whether he left early or went into hiding or what.
He has also already posted at least one video from the event:

It should be noted that Adam Savage is not an absolute expert on this topic. There is actually a greater context to this. Phil Plait may have been able to answer this, but Jarrah managed to burn that bridge a long time ago.

Debunking his ridiculous claim:

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The Catholic church has a number of… interesting… traditions. One of them is the veneration of the mortal remains of those considered to be saints by the Church. In many cases, the bodies of saints have been dug up years or centuries after their death to be reburied in places of honor or to be chopped up into holy relics. Sometimes, they’re never even buried in the first place, if they’re believed to be holy enough to begin with.

When this happens, the bodies are sometimes found to be in a state of relative preservation. Having not been reduced to bones or dust in a matter of decades, as bodies often are, this is traditionally seen as a miraculous action and proof of their holiness and the special treatment that god has given their bodies even after death. It is believed that their spiritual purity transcends the physical, and apparently makes them unpalatable to bacteria (although the role of microbes in decay was not known in centuries past.)

The term incorruptibility is used to describe these alleged supernaturally preserved bodies.   Many are also claimed to produce the Odour of Sanctity – a pleasant floral smell, rather than the smell of decay.  However, this remains unverified and, even if true, could just be an example of unusual smelling mold.

Despite the increasing understanding of how material decays, today many in the catholic church continue to venerate the bodies of saints, which can be viewed in gilded glass coffins around the world. Many see this is proof of the work of god and the holiness of the saints themselves.

Yet a closer look at some o the best known examples shows that things are not really so miraculous and most of the bodies are far from perfectly preserved.

To this day, the allegedly preserved bodies of saints

Things that can prevent decay:

• Drying – By far the most common form of natural preservation, if a body is placed in a dry area or has air circulation, such as might be the case if it is not buried, the tissues may dry out.  This stunts microbial activity and keeps the body from decaying.
• Adipocere – Also known as “grave wax” or “mortuary wax”, the process occurs when bacterial hydrolysis converts body fats into a stable organic substance composed of fatty acids. The material is described as being similar to wax or soap. The process occurs in cold damp environments and may be exacerbated by mineral activity.
• Intentional Embalming - Embalming of one type or another has been around for centuries.  Modern embalming is done primarily to prevent decay of a body while it is transported to burial or during a time that it lays in state.   It includes the infusion of the body with chemicals such as formaldehyde, which can fix tissue and inhibit decay.  This type of embalming has been around for more than a century.
• Other environmental conditions – Numerous compounds and conditions are known to occur which may result in decay being inhibited.   Toxic heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury may have been used in years past in caskets or burial preparations and can inhibit microbial activity.  Acidic conditions, such as those found in peat bogs are well known for their ability to preserve organic material.   Other local minerals or conditions may play a role.

Some famous examples and the reality of what likely caused the bodies from decaying:

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The disappearance  of Harold Holt has come up at least twice in recent weeks on comments in this blog.   Thus it may be worth mentioning for those who do not know about it.   The event is well known in Australia and has spawned its own conspiracy theory subculture, in some ways paralleling the Kennedy Assassination in the US.

Harold Holt was the prime minister of Australia from 26 January 1966 until 17 December 1967, when he went out for a swim in the surf of Cheviot Beach and never came out. No body was ever found, despite the largest land, sea and air search in Australian history. Of course, this was a huge event, as the death of any sitting high ranking elected office holder who acts in a leadership capacity of a major country is. The search effort and the lack of any final resolution to the fate of Holt only contributed to the story. As is often the case with such events, it called into question the effectiveness of the protection measures taken to assure the safety of important government officials.

In fact, while the disappearance of Holt was a shocking story, the incident appears to be a mundane but tragically straightforward accident. The area where Holt was swimming was well known for strong riptides and heavy surf, and the day when Holt vanished was especially rough. Holt himself was not in the best shape to take on such currents. At 59 years old, Holt had been fairly athletic for most of his life and was an experienced skindiver, but at the time, he was far from being in prime health. Holt had collapsed a year earlier and was suspected of having a heart condition. He also had recently been treated for a shoulder injury and was receiving opiate pain killers for the condition. His doctors advised him no to swim until the shoulder had a chance to heal up, but he did anyway.

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Recently someone sent me an email asking me “Do you really believe Oswald killed Kennedy?”   This is probably due to the recent post I made about the assassination.   I have to admit that I’m not really an expert on the topic, but I have always been fascinated by it, especially in the context of how the events mushroomed into what might be called the granddaddy of all conspiracy theory topics.   It is true that a huge number of people believe there was a conspiracy involving the government, mafia, Cubans, Soviets or others, and it has spawned its own kind of subculture and a veritable cottage industry of books, documentaries and websites.

The writer of the email asked me a few basic questions about the evidence against Oswald.   The questions are interesting in that they point to some very fundamental points of evidence in the case, which are often lost on many who have looked at the assassination.   In many ways, the public is most ignorant of just how compelling the case is against Oswald.

Question 1:   Was there any forensic evidence that tied Oswald to the assassination?

Yes, tons of it.   Very very compelling forensic evidence.   Here are just some of the more important pieces of evidence.

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At the risk of being called an environmental blasphemer, I’d like to propose something shocking:  the extinction of a species, entirely due to human activity may not always be a bad thing.  In fact, it may be a very good thing.   We have come to be taught that all species deserve to exist (not sure where the “deserve” comes from) and as such, any species that reaches the point of being critically low in number may qualify for the designation endangered species, providing it with protection under both national laws and international conventions.

In many, perhaps most cases, this protection is well warranted.   Many species are enjoyed by humans for their unique properties or their place in nature.  Others are vital to the balance of ecosystems or play a vital role in nature.  Still others may provide vast amounts of data to science on matters of evolution, biology or even practical data, applicable to medical treatment or biological control of pests.   It would be unwise to slate any species for intentional extermination without first considering whether it might have such importance and perhaps preserving some specimens, yet this does not preclude the possibility that extinction may be the best thing for humanity and nature, at least with a few species.

Numerous species of plant, animal, fungus and microbe are, dare I say it:  useless and better off wiped off the face of the planet.  Pathogens rank high here as do some parasites, such as intestinal worms, which are not prey or food for any species and play little role in the ecosystem, other than occasionally causing extreme pain, disease and death, often to humans.  Disease vectors, such as some breeds of mosquito also may be best off being dispensed of, if it is possible to do so.

If this makes me sound a bit human-centric, I have no apologies.   I happen to be a human and I also like my species quite a lot.  I have no problem dispensing with little nasties that cause my fellow main to suffer or die.

So to the Rocky Mountain Locust and the Small Pox virus I say only this:  Good riddance!

Extinct, believed extinct (no recent sightings) or critically near extinction and not really missed:

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There are many people who believe John F. Kennedy was killed as part of an elaborate conspiracy.   Some polls indicate most Americans don’t buy the lone gunman theory.  Many believe Lee Harvey Oswald had nothing to do with the assassination and was just picked as a fall guy.   If there is anyone in the world who would benefit from such a conspiracy being true, it would be those closest to Oswald, who could hope to regain the good name and respect of Lee Harvey Oswald and restore the good family name.   Nobody could possibly be more motivated to believe Lee Harvey is not guilty than his brother Robert Oswald.

Yet Robert Oswald, who knew his brother so well and who has had nearly half a century to consider the circumstances and investigate the facts can come to only one conclusion.   He believes without doubt that his brother was the lone assassin.

Robert Oswald is still very much alive.   He is a private person who rarely makes appearances in the media.   In 1981 he fought to try to stop his brother Lee from being exhumed as part of an investigation by some who insisted that Oswald was replaced by a double from the Soviet Union.   Other than that, Robert Oswald has avoided attention, only occasionally granting interviews or commenting on issues relating to his brother.

In this remarkable interview, Robert Oswald and a few others who knew Lee very well go on the record for the ABC documentary “Kennedy Assassination – Beyond Conspiracy.” If you have not seen the whole thing, I highly recommend it.  It is an uncommonly rational, tasteful and thorough look at the events of November 22 1963.  It includes priceless footage of interviews with many who were there and who knew Oswald, Jack Ruby and others involved.   It’s a true example of television at its best.

If you can’t view the embedded video, click here for the full version

Via Reuters:

Americans “bombarded” with cancer sources: report
Americans are being “bombarded” with cancer-causing chemicals and radiation and the federal government must do far more to protect them, presidential cancer advisers said on Thursday.

Although most experts agree that as many as two-thirds of cancer cases are caused by lifestyle choices like smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise, the two-member panel said many avoidable cancers were also caused by pollution, radon gas from the soil and medical imaging scans.

“The incidence of some cancers, including some most common among children, is increasing for unexplained reasons,” wrote the two panel members, Dr. LaSalle Leffall, professor of surgery at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington and Margaret Kripke, an emeritus professor at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Cancer is the No. 2 killer of Americans, after heart disease. Kripke and Leffall, both appointed by President George W. Bush, decided in 2008 to focus a report on potential environmental links to cancer.

“The American people — even before they are born — are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures,” they wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama at top of the report.

“The panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase healthcare costs, cripple our nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

A White House spokesman indicated he had not yet seen the report and the National Cancer Institute declined comment.

KNOWN RISKS

…

The report, available at pcp.cancer.gov, offered some of its own advice to consumers.

For instance, the report said that although large studies have found no links between cell phone use and cancer, people would be prudent to wear headsets and make calls quickly.

I have to say that this is one of the worst federally sanctioned science reports I have ever seen. The panel in question was made up of only two individuals, which hardly constitutes a panel. The panel is also not entirely an Obama creation, it actually was formed by George W. Bush. President Obama could have appointed more to the panel but didn’t. At this point all I can say to President Obama is that he should repudiate this report and disavow any relation to the panel.

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Earlier this year, something amazing and baffling happened in Fort Worth Texas.   A box containing dozens of generally unknown historical photos was found discarded under a highway underpass. The photos were apparently stolen from the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society several years ago by persons who remain unknown.   The collection includes photos from numerous historical events during the 1950’s and 1960’s.   Some were published in news papers but most were not.   Some of the subjects photographed include political campaigns, sports and cultural events.   A few photos show a young George H. W. Bush during his early political career.

One photo, however, has gained a great deal of attention, with much of it being for dubious reasons.

This photograph was taken by an unknown photographer in Dealey Plaza shortly after John F. Kennedy was assassinated.   Some of the spectators in the photo appear to be those from other photos taken that day.   However, most telling is the fact that there are no memorial flowers or wreaths in the area of the shooting.   By November 23 1963 numerous individuals had turned the area into a makeshift shrine.  This and other items in the photo confirm that it was taken the day of the assassination, November 22, 1963.

This photo can be placed very precisely because it contains its own time stamp.   The clock on the Hertz billboard can be seen (although is difficult to make out in this copy.)  It reads 2:09.    It is an unusual stroke of luck that the photo can be so surely dated and timed.

Clearly, the photograph has historic value. It shows how the investigation began and the stunned spectators who continued to mill around the area even an hour and a half after the shooting. It would be a significant find even without the added idiocy of some UFO chasers.

Here is where Richard Hoaglund gets involved and, needless to say, it gets dumb from here on.

You may notice that there’s a defect in the photo. It looks like a small area that may have gotten wet or been smudged. It could be a defect on the film or the print. While it’s hard to tell exactly what it is, even to the untrained eye, it looks more like a photographic defect than an actual object in the image.

But according to Hoaglund and others, this is nothing short of an alien UFO!   In fact, this is nothing short of a misshapen alien craft, apparently blowing out a lot of smoke (UFO’s didn’t have catalytic converters in those days and emissions standards were not what they are today, you see.)

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If there’s anything that can be said in favor of this idiotic procedure, it’s that at least it usually tends to be self-inflicted by those who actively seek it and is not normally something that quacks convince people, who would otherwise not do such an act, to do.   However, this is not always the case.   In 2000, at least two men were arrested in Utah for practicing medicine without a license after preforming trepanations on several individuals. The practitioners claimed that they could provide relief for a variety of conditions ranging from depression to addictions.  There is, of course, no scientific evidence of this being the case.

Warning: The following video contains some slightly graphic scenes of an actual medical trepanation. It’s only brief and relatively clinical, but if you’re really squeamish you may not want to watch. However, the second of the two videos is not graphic at all.

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