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The Perfect Plate for the Nuclear Family Car

In what must be a dream come true for some, Nevada has approved a License Plate commemorating the Test Site and the connections Nevada enjoys with Nuclear weapons in the United States. The Associated Press article on the subject notes that a lot of people are up in arms about the new design, as Nevada is embroiled in controversy over the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage facility. The license features an atom. a mushroom cloud as the background and the equation E=mc2 on the plate. I was unable to find a picture of the plate on the web (I saw it in my morning paper). I'm sure a picture must be on the web somewhere. I'll leave it to slashdotters to suggest the best personalized lettering for the plate. My entry: DUKNCVR?

143 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. I hope it comes with a lead dashboard by cscx · · Score: 1

    This is a disaster waiting to happen...

    1. Re:I hope it comes with a lead dashboard by dirvish · · Score: 1

      Apparently you can take tours of the test site...pretty scary.

  2. Pictures? by jesser · · Score: 1

    Anyone have a photo of the new plate?

    --
    The shareholder is always right.
  3. and why not? by nostromo_42 · · Score: 3, Funny

    since the test site is bigger than Rhode Island, and we let *them* have their own liscence plates....

  4. Here's a photo by headkase · · Score: 5, Informative

    CNN has one here.

    --
    Shh.
  5. Most plates are designed to attract tourism... by Dr.+Spork · · Score: 4, Funny
    I wonder how Nevada could be proud of being the official "most worthless place on the continent" as judged by the government which decided that if some place must be irradiated, it might as well be Nevada, because it's not really much of a loss.

    To commemorate this on a license plate is very strange.

    1. Re:Most plates are designed to attract tourism... by cscx · · Score: 1

      the official "most worthless place on the continent"

      That would be New Mexico, followed by Utah, with Nevada in a close third. How can you say that? Nevada has casinos, and legal prositiution!

    2. Re:Most plates are designed to attract tourism... by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I wonder how Nevada could be proud of being the official "most worthless place on the continent" as judged by the government which decided that if some place must be irradiated, it might as well be Nevada, because it's not really much of a loss.

      Nevada relies heavily on tourism. Of course there are the idiots who go to Vegas, and the people who are attracted by Nevada's marriage and prostitution laws. Aside from that, Nevada has a strong appeal as an extremely desolate place- and it's the right kind of desolation, with Indian reservations and weird rocks and nuclear testing grounds. Not flat desolation like you see in the Plains States.

      If you're wanting to see the Milky Way, or you're wanting to take some pictures with your new Canon D-30, or you're looking to justify your SUV purchase (and you don't realize that your Ford Explorer is going to need a tow truck), you could do a lot worse than Nevada. Of course, the nearest large population center is the west coast, and California itself has a lot of cool places to visit. Nevada's problem is that it's surrounded by states with similar terrain and features, so it doesn't get the fair share of tourists that it deserves. So they are always looking for things that make them stick out from AZ, CA, UT, etc., like gambling, prostitution, marriage laws, etc. (Utah might have funny marriage laws as well but if it does, they're of a different sort because I never heard of anyone going to Utah just to get married.)

      The Manhattan Project sites are great things to have in your state. The bomb test areas themselves might still be radioactive and nasty places, but they have the status of historical sites, which is great for attracting tourists and so you can build tourist traps around them at a safe distance.

      Yucca Mountain, on the other hand, is nothing but bad news because it cannot be leveraged to generate tourism at all- it's for waste, which repels tourists. As far as Nevada is concerned, the federal government might as well be dropping a smelly hog farm in the middle of Vegas. So you won't see Yucca Mountain plates anytime soon unless it's part of a political ploy during the next election, when Nevada's 4 electoral votes are up for grabs.

    3. Re:Most plates are designed to attract tourism... by Lardmonster · · Score: 1

      http://www.nv.doe.gov/nts/tours.htm

      Woo-hoo! You can get a tour of the whole area!

      But why would you want to?

      "No cameras, no recording, no pregnant women, no picking up rocks..."

      --
      The more advanced the technology, the more open it is to primitive attack
    4. Re:Most plates are designed to attract tourism... by AJWM · · Score: 2

      The Manhattan Project sites are great things to have in your state.

      Well perhaps, but that would be New Mexico (Los Alamos, and the Trinity site at White Sands), not Nevada. The original bomb test site (Trinity) is open to tourists one day a year, and is now negligably above background radiation. Somewhere in my collection of stuff I have some of the green, fused sand (melted by the explosion) called trinitite.

      --
      -- Alastair
    5. Re:Most plates are designed to attract tourism... by Jonathan · · Score: 2

      Not flat desolation like you see in the Plains States.

      The Plains States may be flat, and even boring, but they are certainly not desolate -- they are filled with farms and small towns for crying out loud.

    6. Re:Most plates are designed to attract tourism... by ncc74656 · · Score: 2
      Minor nitpick:

      So you won't see Yucca Mountain plates anytime soon unless it's part of a political ploy during the next election, when Nevada's 4 electoral votes are up for grabs.

      Make that 5 electoral votes...there'll be a 3rd congressional district beginning in 2003. (Visit this site to learn who not to vote for if, like me, you're in this new district.)

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
  6. New Mexico... by ghack · · Score: 1, Insightful

    ...is truly the only state that deserves such a license plate.

    The Trinity Site on white sands missile range.

    Just because there were nuclear tests in nevada, should they get a license plate featuring a nuclear blast? I think NOT!

    1. Re:New Mexico... by jimhill · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sadly, that goddamned balloon fiesta has commandeered any and all "Yay, NM!" stuff. Dollars to dildoes when our state quarter comes out it (like the license plates) will sport a Zia-marked balloon.

      --
      Learn to spell: nickel, missile, lose, solely, amendment, speech, kernel, probably, ridiculous, deity, hierarchy, versus
  7. (Incomplete) Picture by Raetsel · · Score: 2, Funny

    CNN has a story about it, with a (somewhat decent) picture.

    Makes me want to move to Nevada just so I can put these on my car. Too bad it's not a Delorean with a Mr. Fusion.

    --

    "...America's great minds of today, teaching America's great minds of tomorrow. Poor bastards." -- A Beautiful Min
    1. Re:(Incomplete) Picture by unitron · · Score: 2

      I think it looks pretty cool too, but it really needs to have been brought out 'back then' in time to go on stuff like '57 T-birds and 58 Caddys back when they were new.

      --

      I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

    2. Re:(Incomplete) Picture by dr_eaerth · · Score: 1

      Looks like the perfect plate for Homer Simpson's car.

  8. My Entry by TrumpetPower! · · Score: 1, Troll

    The only truly appropriate custom ID for such a plate:

    NEVRAGIN

    b&

    --
    All but God can prove this sentence true.
    1. Re:My Entry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
      We'll do the math, your casualties vs. our projected dead, and if you come up on the short end, enjoy the view.

      Ahem, the only math involved when your dearest politicians resolved to nuke Japan (even if it was on the edge of a surrender) was: your civilian casualties vs our projected military ones .

    2. Re:My Entry by AJWM · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "+1, interesting" -- as in: now there's an interesting example of historical revisionism.

      So Japan was "on the edge of a surrender"? Hardly. And while there may have been a faction that wanted an end to the war, the militarists in control were in no way going to allow a surrender, at least not without a bloody, massive invasion of the home islands that would make Normandy look like a seaside picnic. The nukes brought something enough radically different to the equation that a surrender could be negotiated with less loss of face.

      And in a technology-driven World War, there may be civilians, but there are no non-combatants. The "civilian" industrial complex was a key part of the war machine on all sides. As it was, fewer people died in Hiroshima or Nagasaki than in the "conventional" firebombings of various cities earlier in the war.

      --
      -- Alastair
    3. Re:My Entry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      ...there may be civilians, but there are no non-combatants.

      That's a good thing to keep telling yourself while you are flying toward a skyscraper and thinking of ways to justify your actions.

    4. Re:My Entry by dirvish · · Score: 1

      The Japanese were about to surrender and the US government knew it. The war would have ended without the nukes.

    5. Re:My Entry by jo42 · · Score: 2, Funny
      Nah:

      BLOWME

      Is far more suitable for an NV plate: covers nuking and prostitution in NV.

    6. Re:My Entry by John+Miles · · Score: 1

      The Japanese were about to surrender and the US government knew it. The war would have ended without the nukes.

      Ah. That explains why it took not one, but two nukes to get our point across. They were about to surrender anyway, but not just yet, I guess.

      --
      Dahlmann tightly grips the knife, which he may have no idea how to use, and steps out into the plain.
  9. Definately. by Renraku · · Score: 1

    If you didn't mind sharing the area with lots of venomous creatures, nasty non-venomous creatures, aliens, secret government projects and a handful of radioactive yokels, it wouldn't be a bad place to live if you liked the heat. Front row seats to any nuclear accident that may occur in the area. Tickets go on sale now, call your local Ticketmaster for details.

    --
    Job? I don't have time to get a job! Who will sit around and bitch about being broke and unemployed then?
    1. Re:Definately. by NumberSyx · · Score: 2

      lots of venomous creatures, nasty non-venomous creatures, aliens, secret government projects and a handful of radioactive yokels

      Sadly, you just described my 20 year high school reunion.

      --

      "Our products just aren't engineered for security,"
      -Brian Valentine,VP in charge of MS Windows Development

  10. A shame for Einstein... by Darwin_Frog · · Score: 2, Insightful


    to have his most recognizable work put on a licence plate celebrating nuclear weapons - which he came to oppose.

    1. Re:A shame for Einstein... by AJWM · · Score: 2

      Very appropriate, actually. It was Einstein's 1939 letter to President Roosevelt (albiet at the request of Leo Szilard) that helped kick off fission research and later the Manhattan project.

      (Mind, this was in a political climate where it looked like nuclear research in Nazi Germany might get them there first.)

      --
      -- Alastair
    2. Re:A shame for Einstein... by kmellis · · Score: 1

      ...and mostly written by Szilard. Einstein wrote a quick introduction of his own.

    3. Re:A shame for Einstein... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      This equation is almost always misquoted. E=mc^2 is the non-relativistic form, the actual equation is: E^2 = p^2c^2 + m^2c^4 (afair).

      [p is the momentum of the object in question]

  11. Pictures of the plate by handsomepete · · Score: 1

    Here's a shot of the plate... looks like an explosion out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon or something.

    Also, if anyone's interested, here's the cached version of a supposedly related design contest for the plate. Sounds like they had virtually no requirements except for size. Neato.

    1. Re:Pictures of the plate by garcia · · Score: 2

      exactly, they want you to think of it much like a cartoon. That's exactly what the government did for 20 years after the first nuclear weapon was used in WWII. They would give information out to movie makers, authors, etc, but would limit this info to make a push for movies/stories that were centered on horrendous creatures. Attempting to move the public away from the truth that this is a devastating weapon that causes LONG-TERM, horrific damage to REAL fucking people.

      Thermonuclear war is NOTHING like the Acme rocket.

    2. Re:Pictures of the plate by AJWM · · Score: 2

      Actually the horrendous creature movies of the 50s and early 60s are probably what embedded some of the ridiculous notions about atomic energy in the public's mind.

      As for weapons that cause "LONG-TERM, horrific damage" -- one, weapons are supposed to cause damage, and two, dead is about as long term as you can get. If you look at the objective facts, nukes actually have a pretty good record for keeping the peace: they ended one world war, and have deterred any others in the nearly sixty years since -- precisely because they are so horrific.

      (It was Alfred Nobel's hope that his invention, dynamite, would make war so horrific that it would never be fought again. Didn't quite work out that way.)

      --
      -- Alastair
    3. Re:Pictures of the plate by handsomepete · · Score: 1

      Actually the horrendous creature movies of the 50s and early 60s are probably what embedded some of the ridiculous notions about atomic energy in the public's mind.

      Not to mention the duck and cover videos and the constant proliferation about the "safety and cleanliness" of nuclear power. It's like the two suddenly become one unit because they both have the word "nuclear" in them.

      (It was Alfred Nobel's hope that his invention, dynamite, would make war so horrific that it would never be fought again. Didn't quite work out that way.)

      Interesting that dynamite's something else that's looked at through cartoon goggles now...

    4. Re:Pictures of the plate by AJWM · · Score: 2

      Japanese government was willing to surrender

      Revisionism. A minority faction wanted to, but the militarists in control would have none of it, and were willing to -- as Churchill put it in a different context -- "fight them (the US) on the beaches,...in the streets," et bloody cetera.

      It has maybe deterred one or two, but not all as you claim.

      Did you flunk reading comprehension in school? How many world wars have there been since 1945?

      --
      -- Alastair
  12. Slow Day by DutchSter · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Wow, must be a slow news day on the ole /. But hey I'll bite anyway. I'm not surprised that members of the general public are all up in arms about it. My neighbor across the street works for NASA and he's a scientist working on the idea of nuclear propulsion in space. Their real task now is figuring out how to safely and efficiently get such an enormous reactor into space. Anyway his license plate is an MIT plate (my state has plates for almost any university that has an alumni association that can rustle up however many signatures you need) customized as "SPCNUKE" He's always getting honked at, cut off, sworn at and lectured by the obligatory mother with three kids in the grocery store parking lot. Seems everyone thinks that his project is really about one of two things. 1) How to get nuclear weapons into space. Or 2) Failing that, how to dump all our nuclear waste into outerspace.

    I've asked if he's ever considered changing the plate and he said no, he kind of likes the reactions he gets from people. (Lack of attention in grade school, perhaps?)

    Hey....I always knew there was something just a little bit 'odd' about those folks...

    As I see it, the real problem is that when it comes to something people don't understand that sometimes has the ability to maim or kill them they don't want to take the time to learn more about it. They want it banned, damnit, banned! Out of my children's face!!!

    When I see one of these plates crusing down the road I probably won't give it a second look, it's just too bad people can't see the larger issue (or more often, the lack of one) sometimes.

    1. Re:Slow Day by realdpk · · Score: 2

      Yeah, I agree with you here. Most people are upset at the very thought of any sort of nuclear research and any celebration of it.

      For me, I think it's pretty silly of Nevada to include a mushroom cloud on the plate, but I guess if that's what they want to be associated with, that's their choice. :)

    2. Re:Slow Day by DutchSter · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Exactly. If the plate sells, there must be a demand, and the group will get money for it. If not, it'll be yanked. In my state (Ohio), if you don't sell a certain number of custom plates every year it gets yanked.

      I certainaly understand that it wasn't exactly the highlight of the state's history, but hey... An earlier poster had a CNN link that said 800 of the 100,000 workers fell ill. I'm not an industry expert, but 0.8% illness/death for an industry seems pretty low. Back when this was all happening, industrial jobs were still pretty dangerous (heck some still are!), and it wasn't *that* uncommon for someone to have to quit on disability or be killed in a given year.

    3. Re:Slow Day by pi_rules · · Score: 2

      As I see it, the real problem is that when it comes to something people don't understand that sometimes has the ability to maim or kill them they don't want to take the time to learn more about it. They want it banned, damnit, banned! Out of my children's face!!!


      For further proof of this statement you only need to look at firearms control laws.

    4. Re:Slow Day by Jaycatt · · Score: 1

      Oregon State University is getting a small nuclear reactor for student study, if I recall my NPR correctly. Funny, since I know at least Eugene is a "nuclear free zone" (but is even that true?)

      --
      "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy is increased. Thus we refute entropy" - Spider Robinson
    5. Re:Slow Day by bastion_xx · · Score: 1

      For me, I think it's pretty silly of Nevada to include a mushroom cloud on the plate, but I guess if that's what they want to be associated with, that's their choice. :)

      Why is it silly? The Nevada Test Site is part of southern Nevada's history. In the day of above ground testing, it was common to see the remains of mushroom clouds over mountain ranges to the north.

      During it's heydey in the 60s - 80s, the NTS generated a lot of jobs, both directly and indirectly for Nevada residents. Plus all them damn LASL (err, LANL), SNL, and LLNL folks coming over for the tests. :) Most Las Vegans probably remember the fleets of buses that headed out each morning up US-95 to the site. Sucked working in the forward areas though and having to get up at 4.30 to catch the early buses.

      There is some cool tech that went on out there too, especially in remote sensing and data communications in support of nuclear and non-nuclear activities. Driving the site to maintain these networks gave a real sense of cold war history, and the part that the NTS provided. Plus, some of the most pragmatic engineers and scientists I've had the please to work with.

      I'm glad to that my home state finally has a license plate that doesn't look like a smugde on a silver background. Too bad I live in Atlanta now and can't get me one o' those.
      Oh, if someone is going to burn down Atlanta, please, please, please make sure to do up to the perimenter so we can get some decent roads in/out of here.

    6. Re:Slow Day by Rick+the+Red · · Score: 2
      Your position is flawed. Yes, people often ban things they don't understand, but that doesn't mean they'd be OK with it if they only understood it. I have taken the time to learn more about guns, and the more I learn the more I support firearms control laws.

      I have also taken the time to learn more about nuclear waste, and the more I learn the more I oppose nuclear power plants. I think our only real hope is turning the waste into glass, but they refuse to do that because of cost, even though it will be far more expensive to clean up the Columbia river once those tanks at Hanford leak.

      --
      If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
  13. How about a /. plate? by elflet · · Score: 5, Interesting
    You too can request a custom plate design, if you can get 250 Nevadans to promise to buy it:

    A number of charitable organizations and causes have proposed special license plates which may or may not actually be issued, depending on public demand for them. These are called "Letter of Intent" plates. Motorists interested in seeing the plates produced fill out a Letter of Intent stating they would purchase a set. A given type of plate will be produced if the Department receives more than 250 requests for it before the date listed on the form.

    (See Nevada License Plates)

    On the other hand, you'd have to get the Legislature's approval...

    1. Re:How about a /. plate? by handsomepete · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It would never happen. Too many of the people interested would boycott it because they'd have to pay for it.

    2. Re:How about a /. plate? by 56ker · · Score: 2

      Except you'd have to have the word Slashdot instead of the symbols.

  14. This is just plain silly. by Order · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I wonder, should Ukrainian (for Chernobyl) and Japanese (for Hiroshima) license plates feature a similar design?

    --

    I am a genius; therefore, you suck.
    1. Re:This is just plain silly. by AJWM · · Score: 2

      Chernobyl wasn't a nuclear explosion, it was primarily a fire fueled by the graphite moderator of the reactor. Quite nasty enough, but after they got the fire out and thousands of cubic yards of concrete dumped on the debris, Chernobyl's remaining reactor (there were two) continued to produce power for many years. But yes, it did litter the countryside with radioactive material.

      (Power reactors elsewhere in the world use completely different designs, (non-positive void coefficients, or additional safety mechanisms) and can't catch fire.)

      --
      -- Alastair
    2. Re:This is just plain silly. by mkarpinski · · Score: 1
      I like your flippant comment -- "But yes, it did litter the countryside with radioactive material."

      According to many reports:
      30 killed immediately
      15,000 relief workers killed
      50,000 relief workers invalid
      5 million exposed to radiation
      52,000 fled the area around Chernobyl

      Deadly toll of Chernobyl

      --
      As below, so above and beyond, I imagine drawn beyond the lines of reason. Push the envelope. Watch it bend.
    3. Re:This is just plain silly. by Melantha_Bacchae · · Score: 2

      AJWM wrote:

      > (Power reactors elsewhere in the world use completely different
      > designs, (non-positive void coefficients, or additional safety
      > mechanisms) and can't catch fire.)

      Perhaps not, but safety measures have to be kept in place to be effective. The September 1999 accident in Tokai Japan (Japan's worst ever, though not as bad as Chernobyl) was due to a complete lack of safety mechanisms. To save money, somebody got the bright idea of preparing nuclear fuel by mixing it with nitric acid in a really big open bucket. None of the recommended cooling procedures were in place to make this remotely safe. Of course nuclear fission started in the open acid vat, and did a nice job of irradiating the neighborhood. It took a while to contain it, and there were fatalities. Needless to say, Japan is no longer fond of "safe" nuclear power.

      Funny thing is, this plant was filmed by Toho to be the subject of an attack by Godzilla in an upcoming movie. The movie mentioned Chernobyl by name (and the mention was by an actress born in Hiroshima) as Godzilla's attack on Tokai would have a similar effect. After most, if not all, the film was in the can, the accident occured. Three months later, "Godzilla 2000 Millenium" opened in Japan. The next summer it opened in the US as "Godzilla 2000".

      Nuclear plants are only as safe as the people who run them. When the people who run them are imbeciles, Godzilla will pay a visit sooner or later. Live and in person!

      Godzilla, Godzilla! God of Radioactive Fire:
      Come and save us! Please don't stomp us!

  15. and for New York by SysadminFromHell · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I propose the skyline-licence-plate. And as a primer, it should come in two kinds. On front of the car it pictures the New York skyline before september 11th, on the back you get the same picture, but without the WTC.

    1. Re:and for New York by Louis_Wu · · Score: 2

      I really like that. I propose that there be two versions - in-state and out-of-state. Those of us who don't live in NY and still want one could get official NY license plates (not valid for placing on a car and driving with, but still produced by NY state).

  16. If you don't like the plate - don't get it by ApheX · · Score: 1

    Nevada has at least 5 or 6 different license plate styles - just like California and various other states. Basically you pay more for one of these "themed" plates and part of the proceeds get donated to the cause. People like the idea bucause your talking about $50-$100 *extra* for a set of these themed plates. If you don't like the idea of the 'Nuclear' plates then get standard plates, or the Tahoe plates, or the Art for Kids plates, or the Firefighter plates or......

    Its just another revenue stream for this historical society - if enough geeks in Nevada banded together you could get some moronic "Slashdot.org Society" plates if you wanted. These plates neither support or oppose Nevadas desire to have Nuclear waste in the state. Its JUST a license plate!

    --

    -
    aphex
    I Steal Music!
  17. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful


    Second, how can we be proud of creating a weapon that caused such destruction and left our country (and the world) on the edge of destruction for nearly 50 fucking years (and currently, moving closer to the edge than ever before).

    Yes, because it would have been much better if someone other than the U.S. got the bomb first.

    I'm not sure if I feel it'd be a good idea to drive around with a mushroom cloud on my license plate, but you cynical assholes piss me off sometimes. Take a step back and seriously consider why people would be proud of the Nevada Test Site instead of coming off like a fucknaut toddler for a change.

  18. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by NixterAg · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Second, how can we be proud of creating a weapon that caused such destruction and left our country (and the world) on the edge of destruction for nearly 50 fucking years (and currently, moving closer to the edge than ever before).


    You know, the same weapon you claim has left our country on the edge of destruction is also responsible for keeping our country from destruction in those same 50 years. I very much like my life here in the US and whether you like it or not, nuclear weapons have played a big role in making sure I have that life to enjoy.

  19. Can't they find anything else to commemorate? by YouAreFatMan · · Score: 1
    Like scorpions, legal prostitution, Japanese tourists, organized crime, or Wayne Newton?

    Come to think of it, maybe a mushroom cloud is the best thing to come out of Nevada. Never mind...

    --
    Robotiq.com is heavily tested on animals
  20. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by garcia · · Score: 2

    Very, very, true. Not the point. The other problems associated w/the weapons far outweigh it's positive impact on our domination.

  21. Other Possable Plates by The+Donald · · Score: 1
    I wonder if Nevada will aprove a plate for all the casinos there.

    The real interesting plate will be the one Nedava's DMV will make celebrating prostitution; I would love to see that plate. It would probally cut down on road rage too!

    --
    You know who I think is crazy? All my ex-girlfriends!
    1. Re:Other Possable Plates by ApheX · · Score: 1

      1.) It is illegal to advertise brothels or prostitution in Nevada other than a sign outside the facility

      2.) Prostitution is only legal in a couple counties in Nevada - even then those counties COMBINED all have a population LESS than 250 people :P

      Even if enough people got together to make a Prostitution plate it would be illegal because it would be 'advertising'. Not to mention - who would the proceeds go to? Health Clinics for hookers?

      --

      -
      aphex
      I Steal Music!
    2. Re:Other Possable Plates by the+phantom · · Score: 2
      Prostitution is only legal in a couple counties in Nevada - even then those counties COMBINED all have a population LESS than 250 people

      No. This is not true. While prostitution is legal here on a county by county basis, many counties allow prostitution, including Elko, Wite Pine, and Nye counties. The only places that I know of right off where prostitution is not legal are Las Vegas County, and perhaps Carson County. It may also be illegal in Reno, as there are no brothels in town here, but there are several "bunny ranches" just outside of town. Elko County alone has a population of at least 20,000 (with some 10,000 in Elko alone). In Elko County, there are at least five brothels, three in Elko and two in Wells, 60 miles east of Elko.
    3. Re:Other Possable Plates by glitch! · · Score: 2

      Prostitution is only legal in a couple counties in Nevada - even then those counties COMBINED all have a population LESS than 250 people

      Just what the hell are yout talking about? I don't know about Storey county, but the
      census figures for Lyon county show 34501 for this county alone. Although the median family income is only $33k, the economy here is moving ahead pretty well...

      --
      A dingo ate my sig...
    4. Re:Other Possable Plates by bastion_xx · · Score: 1

      And interestingly enough, Lathrop Wells, where prostitution is legal in Nye County, NV, is only 35.42 from the Test Site. So sayeth the MaqQuest

    5. Re:Other Possable Plates by ncc74656 · · Score: 2
      Prostitution is only legal in a couple counties in Nevada

      It's the other way around. It's illegal in Clark County (which includes Las Vegas) and Washoe County (which includes Reno). It's legal nearly everywhere else in the state.

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
  22. License plates dont have to be politically correct by shoppa · · Score: 5, Insightful
    License plates don't have to be universally approved or politically correct to have meaning and relevance. If that were the case, we'd have nothing but boring "beige" plates on all the cars.

    Let's see, off the top of my head:

    • New Hampshire - Live Free or Die. Luckily this resonates strongly on both sides of the aisle.
    • District of Colubmia - Taxation without Representation. Makes a point, does so with historical relevance, yet the possibility of a DC vote in congress is hated and despised by the majority of congress - who are forced to view it every day :-)
    Excising the Manhattan Project and the Cold War from history is something I'm sure that a certain fraction of the world would like to do. But face it, millions of Japanase civilians and probably a million US serviceman would've died if the conventional war had continued. If Nevada wants to take pride in this, it's fine by me.
  23. Nevada can't change its past by dfn5 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    In Nevada's past nuclear testing happened. It led to a Nuclear weapon that helped put an end to WWII which ultimately led to fewer lives lost on our side. That, in turn, led to a form of power generation that is, I hate to say, cleaner to the environment than fossel fuels. The waste merely needs to be dealt with responsibly.

    So if Nevada wants to be proud of their history instead of ashamed of it, more power to them.

    --
    -- Thou hast strayed far from the path of the Avatar.
    1. Re:Nevada can't change its past by jimhill · · Score: 3, Informative

      Actually, Nevada played no role in the development of the weapons that ended the war. The Test Site was established afterwards when the cost of going out to the South Pacific to blow up islands got exorbitant and someone pointed out that we had a Big Empty right here at home.

      --
      Learn to spell: nickel, missile, lose, solely, amendment, speech, kernel, probably, ridiculous, deity, hierarchy, versus
    2. Re:Nevada can't change its past by nukebuddy · · Score: 2, Informative

      dfn5 wrote:
      In Nevada's past nuclear testing happened. It led to a Nuclear weapon that helped put an end to WWII

      The Trinity Test was performed at Trinity Site, New Mexico. Nevada had nothing to do with it.

      (And, incidentally, the type of bomb dropped on Hiroshima was not tested before being used since it was of the simpler Uranium 235 gun type. The Trinity Test involved the Plutonium 239 implosion type which was the same as the type dropped three days after Hiroshima on Nagasaki.)

      -nukebuddy

  24. paraphrased from cnn ... by -=Izzy=- · · Score: 1, Redundant

    More than 100,000 workers helped develop the nation's nuclear arsenal in Nevada, and more than 800 fell ill for their efforts.

    If they're talking about the legacy of the Test Site, I don't think they should use a mushroom cloud unless they show what it did to the people who live here and worked out there,

    1. Re:paraphrased from cnn ... by neurovish · · Score: 1

      800 / 100000 = 0.008
      That's not a bad percentage of workers who fell ill, especially considering what they were doing (the 800 doesn't include civilians in the surrounding areas of course, blah, blah), the rate of coal miners who fell ill because of their work was probably higher...the 800 workers contrasted against the 100000 total really isn't that significant.

  25. Glow in the dark? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Do they glow in the dark?

  26. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by ghack · · Score: 1



    There really isnt that much...you seem to not know what the hell you are talking about. I'd much rather test nukes, say, in the nevada desert than the ocean..and radiation in itself isnt dangerous, only too much..

    Sorry, but the nuclear weapon may have prevented a war between the soviet union and the US! It is called "mutual fear"...

    Hardy har har. Radiation would kill you long before it would cause noticable brain damage..

  27. Nuke Nevada by Spankophile · · Score: 3, Funny

    Maybe it's actually a hidden agenda campaign, trying to rally support for simply nuking Nevada off the map, and all it's sinful habits (guns, gambling)

    (kidding)

  28. Nuclear waste in outer space by dillon_rinker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Its amusing that people are opposed to nuclear waste in outer space...after all, the mass of all nuclear waste in the sun is probably greater than the mass of everything on earth. For that matter, the mass of radioactive materials on earth is probably orders of magnitude greater than all the radioactive materials mined/produced/enhanced by human beings.

    Only idiots are fundamentally morally opposed to radioactive material or its production. The only rational basis on which to oppose it is safety. Not that this is a trivial basis =)

    1. Re:Nuclear waste in outer space by moonbender · · Score: 1

      Only idiots are fundamentally morally opposed to radioactive material or its production. The only rational basis on which to oppose it is safety. Not that this is a trivial basis =) I don't think there is any significant number of people who are "fundamentally morally" opposed to the use of radioactive material, mostly everyone I know is opposed to it for safety reasons. I don't really know what you mean by "morally" opposed - I don't like nuclear power plants because I don't want the Uranium to be hurt?

      --
      Switch back to Slashdot's D1 system.
    2. Re:Nuclear waste in outer space by Rick+the+Red · · Score: 2

      I think putting nuclear waste in space is a grand idea, once you can ensure 100% success getting it there :-)

      --
      If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
  29. What's next? by Ratso+Baggins · · Score: 1
    Perhaps the US Schools Board (or whatever) will adopt the crossed M-16 and AK-47 as the official emblem/coat-of-arms?

    I doubt there has been (or could ever be) enough time for this to be tactful or even mildly humerous.

    Of all the things to be proud of....

    --

    --
    "we live in a post-ideological world..." - Billy Bragg.

  30. Re:Plug?!? by Animats · · Score: 2

    At least Fark rates stories. Slashdot doesn't let you moderate an entire story down, just comments. Just being able to note "redundant" on the duplicate stories would be a plus.

  31. Other Nevada Plates by batobin · · Score: 5, Informative

    I found this page at Nevada's DMV sites. Doesn't have the nuke one, but it has others:

    http://nevadadmv.state.nv.us/platesmain.htm

    Someone else posted the new nuke one:
    http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2002/ALLPOLITICS/04/26/atomic . icenseplates.ap/story.nevada.license.ap.jpg

    1. Re:Other Nevada Plates by the+phantom · · Score: 1

      Hey, those are a lot better than the plates we have now! Stupid scene with ugly yellows, blues, and greys. I can't wait to put one of these on my truck!

  32. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by hij · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I spent a year in the mountain west, and there is a very strong anti-us government undercurrent there. Last year a Utah congressman aired commercials saying that his father was a "down-winder" (local parlance for those downwind of the Nevada test sites). This was his way of making sure everybody knew he had the requisite distrust of government needed for someone in the government.

    The license plate is the sort of thing that serves as a reminder for many people who in the words of one former governor "fear the government in Washington DC more than the one in Moscow." Many people see this as a symbol of the way they have been abused and is not a symbol of pride in any sense!

    --
    Believe nothing -- Buddha
  33. Hey there chrisd by SmittyTheBold · · Score: 1

    You are aware the "Nuclear Family" has nothing to do with nuclear weapons, right?

    Just checking.

    --
    ± 29 dB
    1. Re:Hey there chrisd by zCyl · · Score: 2

      You are aware the "Nuclear Family [columbia.edu]" has nothing to do with nuclear weapons, right?

      You are aware the word "pun" has nothing to do with such witty retort, right?

  34. Re:I have reservations by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    You lack cluefulness.

    The Bomb was Einstein's idea (among others). Sure, he recanted his advocacy of it in later life, but if he hadn't laid the groundwork for it in the first place, he, along with many of the rest of us, might have died with altogether different thoughts.

  35. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by garcia · · Score: 2

    if we hadn't begun development and let the Russians develop it w/us in the first place, there is the small possibility that they would not have been able to complete their weapons in the short time-frame that they did. Thus creating a longer time before their development of more advanced thermo-nuclear weapons and thus our heated confrontations in the future.

  36. Reno Gazette story w/pic by mellonhead · · Score: 4, Informative
  37. what about whores and blackjack? by gelfling · · Score: 5, Funny

    they're as big a part of NV history as big ass bombs

  38. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by repvik · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's not the effect of the bomb that they are proud of. It's not the state of the land that they're proud of.

    What they are proud of is the patriotic effort that was made, the sacrifices. It's part of keeping track of the history of that particular state. Noone wants to be history-less, even though the history might not be all about greatness and cheerfulness. Remember, history is a way to avoid making the same mistake over and over and over (ad nauseam) again.

    The plate should contain what people actually associate with the bomb. Nobody would think of a nuclear device if you created a rushing fire-storm, both flash and radiation burns, sickness, and cancer' (which would be nearly impossible to depict on a licence plate anyways).

    You might not have been infiltrated by radiation, but you have been infiltrated by ignorance, which I personally think is worse.
    As a side-note. I'm not from Nevada. I'm not even from the states. I don't think highly of the nuclear devices. I don't even think highly of the states (There goes my karma). But one thing I care about, is that people are allowed to express themselves freely, without ignorant idiots preaching their "truth", which is clearly superior to others'.

  39. Nuclear? by alexandre · · Score: 1

    Does that mean we'll have to wear nuclear suits to go to defcon this year? :-)

  40. It's not even so much the storage... by RyanFenton · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's not even so much the storage of nuclear waste in the Yucca mountain are that annoys many - but rather the transportation of the material across the U.S.

    The current proposals to move said waste involve using barges across many waterways including the Great Lakes.

    Not only that, but a new transportation would be starting every four hours, using trucks that haven't even finished the design stage yet, designed each to move at only an average of 20-30 miles an hour, carrying 75 or 125 tons at a time

    Not that storing the material in one central area isn't a good idea - but moving it in this manner may be more dangerous than anything we've ever encountered with nuclear material - especially the responsibility is handed over to the private sector.

    Ryan Fenton

    1. Re:It's not even so much the storage... by Brian+Stretch · · Score: 2

      Take a look at the casks the waste is stored in. They can survive a direct hit from a 747 fully loaded with fuel.

      The engineering problems with nuclear waste storage have been worked out. It's just a matter of dealing with the political problems associated with the word "nuclear".

    2. Re:It's not even so much the storage... by conway · · Score: 1

      Tons of nuclear waste are already being transported on the roads and rivers of the US.
      How do you think weapon's grade uranium, or the fuel for power plants is transported?
      The transport methods are not new and untested, but tried-and-true methods used for 50 years.

    3. Re:It's not even so much the storage... by nukebuddy · · Score: 1

      RyanFenton wrote:
      Not that storing the material in one central area isn't a good idea - but moving it in this manner may be more dangerous than anything we've ever encountered with nuclear material...

      Could you characterize the risk for us, please?

      Thanks,
      -nukebuddy

  41. Nukes might be the best thing that happened.. by imsirovic5 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sure.. Nukes are bad... But you can argue that they are the best thing that happened to us and that its the Nukes themselves that saved human race from ultimate destruction.. How?? You could argue that nukes serve as deterrent that keeps all the major world powers from going into the war.. think about it.. Without Nukes to serve as deterrent US and Russia would have probably went into a war that would have costed millions of lives.. So as bad as they are, you could argue that nukes brought STABILITY since no country is willing to risk complete destruction.. So when u look at the nukes as pacifying factor in world today then really it does not seem as bad. Few times Nukes have been used in Japan probably prevented an all out ground war between Japanese and Americans that could have resulted in far greater number of casualties then it was the case in Hiroshima and Ogasaki..

    1. Re:Nukes might be the best thing that happened.. by D_Gr8_BoB · · Score: 2
      Sure, as it turns out, nukes served as an effective deterant to war and possibly prevented a significant number of deaths. However, the amount of risk associated with nukes is mind-boggling. What would the world be like had Kennedy ordered nuclear strikes during the missle crisis? Nukes were seriously considered for use during Vietnam, where they would arguably have led to a full-scale nuclear war. These are just two incidents which our government has let slip - think of how many more there have been that our government or the USSR have successfully kept under wraps.

      As it turns out, nukes might arguably have been good for humanity, but at the cost of how many close calls? And of course, the possibility of nuclear war is far from over. As more countries develop nuclear weapons, there will be more and more chance of an lunatic or terrorist getting ahold of one.

  42. Associating Nukes with Cars by hanway · · Score: 4, Insightful

    One could probably make a case that gasoline-powered automobiles have had much more devastating negative effects on the world than nuclear weapons and nuclear energy put together: pollution, global warming, urban decay, and so on. If you buy that argument, then it's denigrating to nuclear testing to depict it on an auto license plate.

    1. Re:Associating Nukes with Cars by PlaysByEar · · Score: 1

      Don't forget the biggest negative effect of automobiles--loss of life! How does the number of deaths due to auto accidents compare to the number due to the use of nuclear weapons?

  43. What Yucca Mountain controversy?? by Ars-Fartsica · · Score: 2
    There really isn't a controversy surrounding Yucca Mountain - the federal government is going to take a mountain in an area that has already been nuked to death and store waste there. Sure there are protests, but in reality the government made the final decision on Yucca Mountain the moment they proposed the project.

    Any dissnet at the state level is going to be overridden at the federal level. Yucca Mountain is a done deal.

    1. Re:What Yucca Mountain controversy?? by fdiv(1,0) · · Score: 1

      The controversy isn't necessarily over Yucca Mountain itself as it is over politics. During his campaign tour, G.W. Bush promised Nevada he wouldn't put a nuclear waste facility in their state. Now he is. That's why everyone's so pissed. Unfortunately for the people of Nevada, they're fighting an uphill battle. Bush has said "put it there", and not a single member of Congress (except those representing Nevada) is going to say word against it because they don't want the facility to end up in their state. Basically, Nevada's fscked no matter what. There are some extenuating circumstances, such as the fact that some researchers say Yucca Mountain will fsck up the local water table and stuff, but the primary problem here is the broken campaign promise.

      --
      --- "...And everybody died!!! Except for me, of course...you know why? Because I had my tray table up...and my seat ba
    2. Re:What Yucca Mountain controversy?? by jo42 · · Score: 1

      The problem with Yucca mountain is that it is around 100 miles from Vegas (one of the fastest growing areas in Yankeeland). There are far more remote places in Nevada where the US Gooberupment could be dumping radioactive waste. Like Groom Lake. Or GW's TX farm

  44. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by Ktuluvic · · Score: 1

    Man you people are ignorant. You're horribly exploited by those who you say protect you. They only thing they protect is their money, they give a shit about the people.

    --
    "Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious."
  45. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by Brian+Stretch · · Score: 2

    So if we'd never bothered then the Soviet Union wouldn't have either? And the nuclear programs of National Socialist Germany and Imperial Japan weren't a worry because...?

    We rebuilt National Socialist Germany and Imperial Japan into prosperous, pacifist democracies. We're working on doing that with Afghanistan. Yeah, we're awful people.

    (Nazi == National Socialist Workers Party.)

  46. The license features an atom... by BlueFall · · Score: 3, Funny
    The license features an atom

    Big deal, my license plate features a lot of atoms. ;)

  47. nother plate proposition--funny :-) by JimBobJoe · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm a huge licene plate fan...here in Ohio...I've assisted with several license plate projects.

    For the amusement of the /. crowd, I submit an article, written last year, in which I half seriously proposed another plate for the great state of Ohio. Any Ohioans out there wishing to help me...please send me an email.
    ___________________
    Every time I see a bumper sticker or a t-shirt that says, "Don't mess with Texas" I find myself snickering. It's not that I do not like Texans, on the contrary, I've met a bunch of them, and they are quite an independent lot. (A Texan I know, in protest of his local school taxes, intends to pay his property tax in person with 63,000 nickels. It's that type of ballsy bravado that does Texas, and America for that matter, proud.) Regrettably, most Texans these days are just as milquetoasty as people from any other state.

    But Texans do make a good marketing campaign. The Alamo has become a fantastic tourist trap in spite of being a horrific military failure. We Ohioans have much to learn about marketing our own state.

    A great example of this is our license plates. Finally, with the introduction of the new Bicentennial Plate on October 1, we can actually put a halfway nice looking license plate on our cars. However, it is still encumbered by the "Birthplace of Aviation" slogan. The problem is, another state claims to be the birthplace of aviation, and they're doing a better job marketing it. (The North Carolina plate is a more elegant salute to the Wright Brothers than our half-ass'd slogan.) Unfortunately, the slogan on the plates is state law, and will require action by the state legislature to change (and that is akin to an act of God.)

    Perhaps we should go into our history books and find something of consequence to feature on a special plate--something which encapsulates Ohio, its people and its history. You wouldn't need to look far, because Lancaster's own Gen. William T. Sherman blessed Ohio history with the type of achievement over which other states regularly drool.

    In November 1864, he burned Atlanta down.

    In commemoration of this event, work should begin immediately on a special license plate devoted to this incident in history.

    First, we must find an appropriate tagline and graphic. If we choose a graphic that's, say, a little building burning, then a good tagline may be "Sherman burning Atlanta --Nov. 1864." I guess the plate could be devoted to General Sherman himself, with a little picture of him and the tagline "Gen. Sherman--the man who burned down Atlanta."

    I am however much more in love with a tagline saying, "Don't mess with Ohio or we'll burn down Atlanta...again." (Consider the new tagline a swipe not at Georgia, but at Texas--I mean, what have they ever burned down?) I think that nicely summarizes this feat in Ohio history, in addition to describing the feistiness that Ohioans should be known for. (Admittedly burning Atlanta down today would require a lot of work--its metropolitan area now extends into Tennessee and Florida.)

    There is precedence for acridity on license plates. New Hampshire started it all with "Live Free or Die"--homage to our Revolutionary roots. Washington DC's new plates are emblazoned with "No Taxation without Representation"--another commemoration of America's Revolutionary history, not to mention the District's unique political situation. Even "Birthplace of Aviation" is a passive-aggressive swipe at North Carolina. Not all Ohioans may wish to have the Sherman plate; some may wish to drive south of Covington, Kentucky. But for those who do, I don't see why "Don't mess with Ohio or we'll burn down Atlanta...again" cannot be issued to the proud Ohioan interested in memorializing our state, and our nation's, history.

    To the critics who say that license plates are meant only for vehicle identification purposes, my response is that special plates are doing an adequate job identifying vehicles. However, they are a medium for so much more. Pennsylvania's ex-Governor Tom Ridge said that license plates are moving billboards for a state. Ohio must learn to leverage this advertising space in its favor in order to establish a unique state identity. The new Bicentennial plate is a start.

    A petition must be circulated to collect 1000 names, addresses and current plate numbers of individuals willing to buy the plate when it is introduced. Contact me if you're interested in helping get the petition started.

    1. Re:nother plate proposition--funny :-) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "The Alamo has become a fantastic tourist trap in spite of being a horrific military failure"

      Err, no. The stand at the Alamo delayed the Mexian troops while the Texas army finally got it's act together. Not to mention galvanizing them as well. Also, lets not forget that the number of casualites inflited by the Alamo defenders against the vasty larger Mexican army were nothing less than amazing.

      So, we lost the battle but won the war.

    2. Re:nother plate proposition--funny :-) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      How about

      Gen Sherman Inventor of Urban Renewal

      I just came back from Atlanta. It definitely neeeds another renewing.

    3. Re:nother plate proposition--funny :-) by Thenomain · · Score: 1

      Can we have our Columbus Crew license plate before we get our Gen. William T. Sherman license plate? More people in the state probably know about the Crew than Gen. William T. Sherman. I think.

      Er, I hope.

      Well, they should. And confused motorists would think we were celebrating Ohio's Constant Road Construction, and that can't be a drawback. ("The Crew" is a construction crew. Get it?.)

      To everyone else, don't mind me, I'm just showing my soccer (as in football) stripes.

      -Thenomain (Off Topic And Proud)

      --
      This now concludes our broadcast day.
    4. Re:nother plate proposition--funny :-) by Zarquon · · Score: 2

      I am however much more in love with a tagline saying, "Don't mess with Ohio or we'll burn down Atlanta...again." (Consider the new tagline a swipe not at Georgia, but at Texas--I mean, what have they ever burned down?) I think that nicely summarizes this feat in Ohio history, in addition to describing the feistiness that Ohioans should be known for. (Admittedly burning Atlanta down today would require a lot of work--its metropolitan area now extends into Tennessee and Florida.)


      So can we just mess with Ohio now and get it over with? Atlanta is overdue for another burning.. and this time it needs to be flattened, so they don't try to route the roads around the rubble again.. And while we are at it, forbid the name 'Peachtree' from being used in any public road/building/work.
      --
      "'Tis great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults, greater to tell him his." --Poor Richard's Almanac
    5. Re:nother plate proposition--funny :-) by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 2

      > > The Alamo has become a fantastic tourist trap in spite of being a horrific military failure"

      > Err, no. The stand at the Alamo delayed the Mexian troops while the Texas army finally got it's act together.

      Err, yes. The Alamo was an indefensible site with no military importance. The defenders could've delayed the Mexican army better elsewhere. Not that the Mexicans did any better; Santa Ana was so impatient that he ordered ill-prepared infantry assaults that predictably got slaughtered. All he had to do was wait for his artillery to catch up and the Texans were doomed (which is what happened in the end). The Alamo was an amazing display of military incompetence by both sides.

      Chris Mattern

    6. Re:nother plate proposition--funny :-) by chainsaw1 · · Score: 1

      As a texan, I feel the need to speak...

      Possible Ohio Licence plate themes:

      Land of Burning Rivers (Chiahoga River)
      Ohio--It's One Big Theme Park
      Ohio--Highest automobile per lake content of any state

      --
      - Sig
  48. They Don't Have to Be Symbols of Pride, Either by GuyMannDude · · Score: 1

    I agree with you and would like to add that license plates don't have to symbolize some proud moment or accomplishment. I see a lot of comments here along the lines of "can't Nevada find something else to be proud of?" Pride is irrelevant. The tests are something that happened and involved their state. It's a piece of history. Therefore it's worth putting on a license plate. There's a lot of postal stamps that simply represent history without trying to make some kind of "pride" statement.

    And the fact that the opposition to the license plates seems to love citing the current Yucca Mountain plan is annoying to me. That's confusing two different issues. If you're against nuclear weapons, fine. If you're against nuclear energy and the waste produced, fine. But don't start mixing the two issues. I understand that many of the people against the weapons are against the storage facility as well. But the plates commerate the weapons and the testing -- not nuclear energy. The objectors should keep their objections focused on the correct issue. To not do so muddles their argument and allows people (such as myself) to dismiss them as uninformed anti-nuke-reactionists.

    GMD

    1. Re:They Don't Have to Be Symbols of Pride, Either by M-G · · Score: 2

      And the fact that the opposition to the license plates seems to love citing the current Yucca Mountain plan is annoying to me.

      Well, opposition or not, I think most people think it's just pretty damn ironic for the state to be issuing nuke plates to commemorate all the nuclear tests there but be fighting tooth and nail to keep Yucca Mountain from being finished.

      Guess what folks, Yucca Mountain can't be used for much else. The Nevada test site is hot enough that you have to wear radiation badges to even visit the place, and there's no waste there yet.

  49. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by jimhill · · Score: 2

    Uhh, we didn't "let" the Russians develop it with us, unless your definition of "let" involves failing despite heroic effort to keep the hows and such secret.

    --
    Learn to spell: nickel, missile, lose, solely, amendment, speech, kernel, probably, ridiculous, deity, hierarchy, versus
  50. My Custom Slashdot Plate by Enonu · · Score: 2

    I'd have mine say: "MPAARLS". I'd kick ass, like unicorns.

  51. Re:Looks nice, and choice is always good! by khuber · · Score: 2
    But it was a big part of their past and they deserve to celebrate it if they so choose.

    Gee, I hope Germany follows with plates commemorating gas chambers and crematoriums. Or what about a plate depicting people burning in the Dresden and Tokyo fire bombings? People with limbs shot off by guns or blown off by landmines? People dying of secondary nuclear effects? Maybe some black slaves whipped bloody.

    I think that's the stuff we should remember, the innocent people who suffered and died horrible deaths so we could have minivans, wall to wall carpeting, and a corporate-run government to build roads for us to drive around with cartoon pictures of nuclear blasts. Kaboom!

    -Kevin

  52. much worse than that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    American Ground Zero by Carole Gallagher

    She set out to debunk the allegations of high illness rates associated with the Manhattan Engineering District.

    She instead wrote a book about the "downwinders." Extremely sobering, even heartbreaking.

  53. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by tssm0n0 · · Score: 1

    Second, how can we be proud of creating a weapon that caused such destruction and left our country (and the world) on the edge of destruction for nearly 50 fucking years (and currently, moving closer to the edge than ever before).


    Of course such weapons are very very bad, BUT we can be proud of creating such a weapon. Look at the world at that time. The Germans were working on such a weapon, as well as other countries (our allies AND out enemys). Using the bomb was of course a horrible thing, BUT it did save an huge number of American lives. Just based on how many lives were lost fighting in the pacific, imagine how many thousands of Americans would be lost invading mainland Japan? It did bring a quicker end to a horrible war and forced the surrender of a brutal enemy. The "cold war" that followed was a scary time, but at least there was a balance that has prevented the use of such weapons for over 50 years.

  54. And for Califonria by DarkHelmet · · Score: 2, Funny
    Doesn't anyone find it funny that people in Nevada celebrate Nuclear Power, while people in California suffer lack of power.

    I can envision California's new license plate: California: Blackout Capital of the world

    --
    /^[A-Z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z]{2,4}$/i
  55. Re:Looks nice, and choice is always good! by ArsSineArtificio · · Score: 2

    Gee, I hope Germany follows with plates commemorating gas chambers and crematoriums. Or what about a plate depicting people burning in the Dresden and Tokyo fire bombings? People with limbs shot off by guns or blown off by landmines? People dying of secondary nuclear effects? Maybe some black slaves whipped bloody.

    I think that's the stuff we should remember, the innocent people who suffered and died horrible deaths so we could have minivans, wall to wall carpeting, and a corporate-run government to build roads for us to drive around with cartoon pictures of nuclear blasts. Kaboom!


    You're right! A license plate commemorating trolls would be a great idea!

    --
    All employees must wash hands before seeking equitable relief.
  56. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by NixterAg · · Score: 1
    Where, pray tell, is a society you would consider generally superior? Where is a society whose population feels safer than the average American?


    You socialists are all the same.

  57. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 2
    Maybe the anti-US government poeple who live in those areas should consider where the land came from in the first place. The US government appropriated it from natives or bought it from colonial empires, then gave it away or sold it (or still rents it) at absurdely low prices to homesteaders, ranchers and miners.

    Now people are unhappy that the government is less than an ideal neighbor. Maybe the old sayings "caveat emptor" and "you get what you pay for" are proved right again.

  58. Michigan by DeadBugs · · Score: 4, Funny

    Here in Michigan the license plate used to say "Winter Wonderland". A constant reminder as to how our weather sucks. To me this would be like Florida having a plate that said "Hurricane Target"

    --
    http://www.kubuntu.org/
  59. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by spike+hay · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Blockquoth the arguing posters:


    "It's kind of like the issue of gun control. If you know that somewhere, someone in society is going to own a gun and they cannot be trusted with it, you better damn sure have one yourself."

    With the mentality like this one, no wonder the society in the US looks like it does.


    The world is a violent place, it is like a society where you do have to carry a gun to be safe.

    In response to the second poster, the Soviets would have still developed the bomb if we never did. They would have been much more willing to drop the bomb if they knew we couldn't strike back.

    Have you ever heard of MAD (mutaully assured destruction), in which if one nuclear power strikes another nuclear power, it is assured that both countries would be destroyed. This was the main detterent during the cold war.

    If we didn't have nukes, somebody would set us up the bomb.

    Damn good thing we used the bomb in WW2 also. We saved many lives by dropping the bombs. While there were some moderates, the vast majority of the Japanese gov't was planning to fight to the last man. They were training women and children to kill our soldiers with homemade spears.

    We would have had to invade if we didn't drop the bombs. We would have firebombed the shit out of everything in Japan to soften it up for our troops. That would have killed a couple million right there.

    Then, hundreds of thousands of our troops would have been killed. Since the Japanese civilians would have been very hostile, our troops would be forced to kill millions of Japanese citizens. Also, many, many more Japanese would have commited suicide as our troops advanced, as we saw in Okinawa.

    When you look at it, the bombings killed several hundred thousand people but prevented the loss of millions of lives.

    Anyway, remember how fiercely we fought at Okinawa? That isn't even the Japanese homeland. Imagine how bad it would have been in mainland Japan.

    --
    If you don't understand any of my sayings, come to me in private and I shall take you in my German mouth.
  60. Re:Die Bambi! by spike+hay · · Score: 1

    Actually, the radiation is not bad at all in this site. Much less radiation comes from the spent bombs than Bambi gets from the sun. Just look at the facts with nuclear power. It has an excellent safety record.

    Hanford, in WA, is another great wildlife area in a nuclear waste storage area.

    --
    If you don't understand any of my sayings, come to me in private and I shall take you in my German mouth.
  61. Wow, amazing design by t_allardyce · · Score: 1

    "Nevada being Nevada, this is a unique subject," said Rick Bibbero, 55, a real estate agent who won $500 with his design for the license tag.

    What kind of person is original, and creative enough to think up i design for Nevada incorporating a mushroom cloud and an atom? He is, in my opinion, a genius of einstinien proportions. No, if it was me, i would of designed something crap like i dunno - a picture of someone with their skin burnt off. or maybe a small child dieing of radiation sickness and choking on their own vomit.

    --
    This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
  62. Unfair by Sivar · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't think it's fair to associate Albert Einstein's theory of relativity with a mushroom cloud. The theory and Einstein himself were about advancing the state of human knowledge, not destroying it. It was even Einstein himself who made the famous quote, ""I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

    --
    Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. --E. W. Dijkstra
    1. Re:Unfair by cryptochrome · · Score: 2

      It's perfectly relevant though. Energy = Mass x Speed-of-light squared is the essence of the awesome power of the nuclear bomb.

      --

      ---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?

    2. Re:Unfair by minusthink · · Score: 2

      it doesn't matter what einstein wanted.

      you need something science-y on the license plate.

      This is america, man. knowledge isn't required.

      --
      "when life gets complicated, I like to take a nap in a tree and wait for dinner" - Hobbes.
  63. Re:Die Bambi! by joib · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Uh, it's quite logical when you think about it. Military gunnery ranges are usually off limits for civilians => less human activity there (they don't shoot _that_ much there...) => animals like it. Why not call it a wildlife range at the same time and make some tree-huggers happy.

    Off course there will be incidents when animals are killed by shells, but I think they are quite rare after all. There are exceptions though. Reindeers during winter being a famous one. Now, contrary to what you might have understood from watching xmas movies, reindeers are not very smart animals. In fact, they are fucking stupid. No survival instinct whatsoever.

    Now for a short introduction to artillery. Usually you fire calibration rounds to calibrate the tubes. Only when you know the rounds hit the target you shoot with all you got.

    So, during winter artillery firing exercises, the calibration shells blow away the snow cover. This often leads to reindeers arriving at the scene to eat the newly exposed undervegatation. Usually just in time for the "big arty barrage" to hit them...;) IIRC, there was a case in Finland a few years back when an entire herd of like 50 reindeers were blasted in one go.

  64. I'm moving to NV! by phillymjs · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just so I can get one of these plates, with "DUKNCVR" on it. :-)

    ~Philly

  65. D'OH! by phillymjs · · Score: 2

    So I see I'm not the only one who wants that...

    Maybe they should sell replica plates with that on it to anyone, whether they live in Nevada or not-- like those ones from Universal Studios that read "OUTATIME" like the one on the DeLorean in Back to the Future.

    ~Philly

  66. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by cryptochrome · · Score: 2

    It saved many Japanese lives too, you know. Everyone in Japan was prepared to do their civic duty and die with honor, whether they wanted to or not. Fat Man and Little Boy did what no other method could do - shocked Emperor Hirohito into ending the war.

    --

    ---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?

  67. Schrodingers equation by trippy · · Score: 1

    I think that Schrodingers equation would be better suited for this. I mean, E=mc^2 is really pretty general and doesnt look anywhere near as cool as Schrodingers.

    Plus, all the psi's / phi's or whatever symbol you learned with look a hell of a lot cooler.

  68. Reminds Me Home by owlicks58 · · Score: 1

    I live in Central WA right near the Hanford Nuclear Facility. This reminds me of a High School in the near by town of Richland. Their school sports name is the "Richland Bombers" and their logo is an R with a mushroom cloud behind it. Strange enough, I've never heard anyone mention complaints about it, in fact I'm not sure if people even realize the significance of it. Though a college here who's mascot was an "Indian" (native american) was forced to change their logo and mascot because it was deemed too offensive, go figure.

    --
    -Alex
  69. How about... by Joel+Ironstone · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nevada: First in...First Out

  70. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by dirvish · · Score: 1

    There are always better solutions than violence, especially violence to the scale of nuclear weapons. I am sure as hell not moving to Nevada...I hear nuclear radiation is bad for you. I would not be proud of having a nucleur test site in my state and I am not proud of having nucluar test sites in my country. The US is going to seriously regret messing with nuclear weapons oneday. This story about nuclear testing and cancer says: 'Fallout from US tests in Nevada spread substantial amounts of radioactivity across many states, particularly Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.'

  71. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by Warped-Reality · · Score: 1

    I believe Truman and his staff estimated the American casualties for invading mainland Japan to be 1 million+.
    Because of how the Japanese were (are?), every SINGLE person (save a very small minortiy... less than 1% probably) in the country would defend the Emperor to the death... We would have to have basicly killed everone in the entire country.

    Face it, if it wasn't for the nukes, Japan wouldn't exist.

    --
    This is not the greatest sig in the world, no. This is just a tribute.
  72. DUKNCVR by crazney · · Score: 1

    call me stupid, but what does this stand for? (DUKNCVR)?

    --
    stuff
    1. Re:DUKNCVR by Ziviyr · · Score: 3, Informative

      call me stupid, but what does this stand for? (DUKNCVR)?

      DUcK aNd CoVeR. As in look at the pretty light, I'd better duck and cover because that will protect me from the car thats about to fly into me when it starts to get windy. :-)

      --

      Someone set us up the bomb, so shine we are!
    2. Re:DUKNCVR by phillymjs · · Score: 2

      While our fearless leaders would have been riding out World War III in the comfort and safety of places like the shelter under the Greenbriar resort in WV, the Joe and Jane Taxpayers of the country were mostly left with the "duck and cover" method.

      ~Philly

  73. Nevada by sulli · · Score: 2

    Parts of Nevada are quite beautiful. I go to Black Rock City every year, and enjoy views like this and this and this (the last is Pyramid Lake, about 50 miles south of BRC). Anyone who claims that Nevada is a wasteland is just fucking wrong - it's well worth the visit for the scenery alone.

    --

    sulli
    RTFJ.
  74. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by spike+hay · · Score: 2

    good point. I have never been able to understand why people think that dropping the bomb was a bad idea.

    --
    If you don't understand any of my sayings, come to me in private and I shall take you in my German mouth.
  75. Re:License plates dont have to be politically corr by tetraminoe · · Score: 1

    Here in Florida, we have a "Choose Life" plate...

  76. Re:ahh, something to be proud of. by Fig,+formerly+A.C. · · Score: 1

    Ya, I bet Germany with it's restrictive gun control laws feels really safe after that school shooting last week. Maybe if they let citizens carry guns someone could have stopped that idiot before he killed all 13 teachers. Obviously gun control laws do a wonderful job of stopping violence... Thank you, I'll keep my gun and my safety.

    --
    Murphy was an optimist.
  77. Alabama's Got You Covered... by TheMostBob · · Score: 1
    Nothing says "I served" like Alabama's Nuked Veteran plate....(right side - 2nd down):
    http://www.ador.state.al.us/motorvehicle/militaryv iew.html
    --
    -- Bob