No one thought the Interstate 35W bridge across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis would collapse. No one thought the Gulf of Mexico would be fouled to the horrible extent that it was by the BP oil spill. The awful convergence of disasters in Japan — a 9.0 earthquake followed by a tsunami and a devastating nuclear power emergency — seemed almost unimaginable.

Worst-case scenarios unfold more frequently than we’d like to believe, which leads to two major questions regarding nuclear power that Americans have an obligation to answer.

First, can a disaster comparable to the one in Japan happen here? The answer, of course, is yes — whether caused by an earthquake or some other event or series of events. Nature is unpredictable and human beings are fallible. It could happen.

So the second question is whether it makes sense to follow through on plans to increase our reliance on nuclear power, thus heightening the risk of a terrible problem occurring here in the United States. Is that a risk worth taking?

Concern over global warming has increased the appeal of nuclear power, which does not produce the high levels of greenhouse gases that come from fossil fuels. But there has been a persistent tendency to ignore the toughest questions posed by nuclear power: What should be done with the waste? What are the consequences of a catastrophic accident in a populated area? How safe are the plants, really? Why would taxpayers have to shoulder so much of the financial risk of expanding the nation’s nuclear power capacity, an effort that would be wildly expensive?

A big part of the problem at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power station are the highly radioactive spent fuel rods kept in storage pools at the plant. What to do, ultimately, with such dangerous waste material is the nuclear power question without an answer. Nuclear advocates and public officials don’t talk about it much. Denial is the default position when it comes to nuclear waste.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said again this week that the 40-year-old Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County, 35 miles north of New York City, should be closed. Try to imagine the difficulty, in the event of an emergency, of evacuating such an area with its millions of residents. “This plant in this proximity to New York City was never a good risk,” said the governor.

There are, blessedly, very few catastrophic accidents at nuclear power plants. And there have not been many deaths associated with them. The rarity of such accidents provides a comfort zone. We can look at the low probabilities and declare, “It can’t happen here.”

But what if it did happen here? What would the consequences be? If Indian Point blew, how wide an area and how many people would be affected, and what would the cleanup costs be? Rigorously answering such questions is the only way to determine whether the potential risk to life and property is worthwhile.

The 104 commercial nuclear plants in the U.S. are getting old, and many have had serious problems over the years. There have been dozens of instances since 1979, the year of the Three Mile Island accident, in which nuclear reactors have had to be shut down for more than a year for safety reasons.

Building new plants, which the Obama administration favors, can be breathtakingly expensive and requires government loan guarantees. Banks are not lining up to lend money on their own for construction of the newest generation of Indian Points.

In addition to the inherent risks with regard to safety and security, the nuclear industry has long been notorious for sky-high construction costs, feverish cost-overruns and projects that eventually are abandoned. The Union of Concerned Scientists, in a 2009 analysis of the costs associated with nuclear plant construction, said that once a plant came online it usually led to significant rate increases for customers:

“Ratepayers bore well over $200 billion (in today’s dollars) in cost overruns for completed nuclear plants. In the 1990s, legislators and regulators also allowed utilities to recover most ‘stranded costs’ — the difference between utilities’ remaining investments in nuclear plants and the market value of those plants — as states issued billions of dollars in bonds backed by ratepayer charges to pay for utilities’ above-market investments.”

The refrain here is familiar: “The total cost to ratepayers, taxpayers and shareholders stemming from cost overruns, canceled plants and stranded costs exceeded $300 billion in today’s dollars.”

Nuclear power is hardly the pristine, economical, unambiguous answer to the nation’s energy needs and global warming concerns. It offers benefits and big-time shortcomings. Ultimately, the price may be much too high. 

A column from the New York Times.

I don't exactly disagree with it, but what struck me is how short-sighted it is. Yes, nuclear power isn't the perfect solution to our energy needs, and probably will never be.

Now, people can say that the costs for using nuclear power may be too high to bear. But what can we say, or do, when there is no longer fossil fuels left for us to burn? Do we even have a choice then?

We need alternatives, and responsible ones for that.

Do something, before it is all too late. Don't seek the easy way out.

St Kilda's Beach is a really busy place. As the weather is getting warmer, there are many people sun-tanning, walking dogs, doing water sports. And it's a crazy party place at night, with so many pubs and night spots. It may get abit dodgy at night, so leave before the sun sets if you don't want to be caught in it. That's what we did, we left after dinner at one of the restaurants there. pretty awesome western food, at a reasonable price.

We took a tram back to CBD because we were all tired, and I must say the tram drivers there are humourous. They do communicate with the passengers via a PA system, and their comments are really funny. And the machine to buy the Metlink tickets is down, so we ended up taking the tram for free. Kudos to the tram driver!

Day 7 - State Library, Old Melbourne Gaol, Shopping at Smith Street, Dinner at Lygon Street

State Library was our first stop. Cool dome-shape architecture, good exhibits, and extremely condusive for studying. Old Melbourne Gaol is just nearby, it costs A$21 to get in, do get the 15percent voucher card if you can. Inside, you get to see how the very recently closed prison works. There's this guided part where you get treated as criminals, which is quite interesting.

Moving on, we walked to Smith Street, another duty factory outlet, where all the sports brands concentrate. it's not a shopping centre though, it's a street with many shops next to each other. What caught our attention, however, is not the sports outlets, but this shop called Lost & Found. You can find lots of vintage stuff there, from cameras to clothes to gramophone discs. Some of my friends spent 2 hours in there. There's also other flea shops along the street; I got a pair of 2nd hand D&G jeans for A$10. If you're meticulous enough, there're lots of hidden bargains to e found. They close at 6pm, so be there early.

Dinner was at Lygon Street, the famed street that sells awesome Italian Food. Tourists beware though, we got touted there when we were looking at their prices. Decide on which restaurants you want to go to, and go straight in. We ended up in DOC, a pizza shop out of Lygon Street. It's opened by native Italians, so it's really good. Other restaurants to recommed is Dolce Freddo, which is closed on Mondays, and a shop that has Ferrari decorations all over. For ice cream/coffee/hot choc, Brunetti is a good choice. We then took a half an hour walk back to our apartment.

Day 8 - Shopping at DFO Southwharf, Spencer Street

Today is shopping day! We spent the entire day at 2 DFOs, firstly at Southwharf, which houses the bigger one, and secondly at Spencer Street, located just above of Southern Cross Station. My friends had dinner at a Spanish restaurant, while I met up with a old friend. My friends said it wasn't that bad, but was a little pricey. Maybe because of the sparkling water - If you want plain water, say you want tap. Just a small tip.

Day 9 - Final Shopping + Coffee at Degraves Street

The pancakes at pancake parlour was so good, we went back for the second time. And then it was shopping. Some of us went back to Spencer Street, some to Chinatown to get nougats (slightly cheaper than Singapore), and some went to the casino at Crowne Plaza. Our last stop was Degraves Street, a small lane very near to Federation Square. It's a street famous for designer coffee, a cup of mocha only costs A$3.50, and it's really good.

And that ends our trip at Melbourne. It's a good place to be, good scenic views are just less than an hour's drive away. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, hope my friends feel the same.

I hope this post will be useful to those who are looking to go to Melbourne in the near future. If you need any clarifications just leave me a comment, I will try my best to answer. =)

Labels: travel