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Domain: theithacajournal.com

Stories and comments across the archive that link to theithacajournal.com.

Comments · 8

  1. Re:Egg on James Bamford's face by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on NSA Had Domestic Call Monitoring Before 9/11?

    I have seen it. In fact I have all the evidence in existance neatly folded into my back pocket. Also, there's this.

  2. Re:...USA has not built nuclear plants since 1970s by True+Grit · · Score: 1 · on Amec Working on Long-Term Nuclear Waste Solution
    Of course, nothing ever goes wrong


    Chernobyl is not a good example, because nothing like it was built outside the USSR, and nothing like it will ever be built anywhere else (Chernobyl's plant didn't have a containment structure around it, something every NPP in the western world has - and thats just for starters). Use a more reasonable example, say 3MI. Now ask yourself how many people died from the 3MI accident versus the people dying every year due to problems related to the mining, processing, and burning of coal or oil? While you're discovering that, also ask yourself which is really worse for your health: a NPP or a coal fired plant? You may be really surprised (read the description of what a "modern" coal plant emits to the environment and its effect on people's health).

    Conclusion: Chernobyl is a straw man, used by those too lazy to come up with a serious argument against *modern* nuclear power(1), or simply because fearmongering has worked well so far.

    1: By modern I'm not referring to the old 1st generation plants we have in the US, but the 3rd and 4th generation plants the rest of the world is still building. New designs which are inheriently safer and more efficient.
  3. Re:The absentee process has two parts by Politburo · · Score: 1 · on Absentee Ballots by Email?

    Umm, this happens a lot. Usually only in smaller races, because in those races absentee ballots can represent a sizable percentage of the vote. Absentee ballots generally aren't very different from the 'in-person' vote distribution, as well, so it is very, very rare, but it does occur that it takes a week to finally determine the winner. See here, here, here, etc. All gleaned from a yahoo search for "absentee ballots change outcome of election".

  4. The Gawds Must Be Crazy by jmorse · · Score: 1 · on Can Cell Phones Ignite Gasoline Vapors?

    Maybe it's God's (TM) retribution for the mayor of New Paltz allowing gays to marry. At least, that's what Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell would say.

  5. Here is better than a statistic by javab0y · · Score: 1 · on Operation FastLink Yields Three Arrests

    Here is some proof:

    Piracy--> DirecTV pirate to possibly get 30 years

    Murderer--> Reckless skier homicide gets 90 days jail

    Piracy--> Pirate to get 50 months prison

    Drugs and Prostitution--> Darryl Strawberry get 18months for drugs and prostitution solicitation.

    Priorities are in line, wouldn't you agree?

  6. Article links by pen · · Score: 4, Informative · on University of Wisconsin Wins FutureTruck Competition
    Two WVU students from Greene participating in national competition (Observer-Reporter)
    CU team ready to truck into SUV hybrid vehicle competition (Ithaca Journal)

    I think that instead of really cool but really expensive and impractical solutions, it would be much more useful (at least in the short term) to just make current designs more efficient. Kudos to the teams using biodiesel.

  7. "We dont get earthquakes" -- hah by Preposterous+Coward · · Score: 2 · on Sili-Hudson Valley?
    Don't fool yourself. Every part of the country gets earthquakes. They may not be as frequent as in California -- rare enough that you may even live your life without experiencing one -- but they do happen. Example: "The biggest earthquake on record in New York rolled underneath Massena and Cornwall, Ontario, early on Sept. 5, 1944, toppling chimneys, collapsing roofs and splitting open the ground. It registered 5.9 on the Richter Scale - strong enough to be felt in Detroit - and caused $2 million worth of damage." Or this: "Certainly, seismic activity on the East Coast is much less than the West Coast. But, if you look at the risk, the potential is just as great because of the population along the eastern seaboard."

    It's true that 5.9 isn't particularly big by west coast standards, but really really huge earthquakes do sometimes strike in surprising places. Example: "In the winter of 1811-12, the central Mississippi Valley was struck by three of the most powerful earthquakes in U.S. history." What's more, "Because of differences in the geology east and west of the Rocky Mountains, the effects of a magnitude 7 quake in the midcontinental United States could be far worse than those of the 1989 magnitude 7 Loma Prieta, California, earthquake."

    So don't get complacent. Earthquakes in east coast states aren't as common, but they can be nearly as large and are often shallower (causing more surface damage); furthermore, the structures, people, and emergency systems are not as well prepared to handle these infrequent events as they are in places like California where they happen all the time.

  8. Mobile Pants by caheinz · · Score: 1 · on Is This How to Carry Your Gadgets?

    Saw this story in the local paper this weekend.

    Gist: Dockers has a new line of their khaki pants, specially made with pockets for your mobile phone, iPaq, etc.

    More info (not much) here.