China Thread

[hog88]

I never heard of it myself.

It's interesting. In a nutshell an employee sued Duke Power because he couldn't pass the cognitive ability test to get into the management training program, claimed the test was racially biased. He won and companies that offered a path to management through training programs started requiring degrees. Way simplified but that's the meat of it.

 

[AM64]

Terrible term you are using, it sounds like you are blaming investors for wanting a return. A better label it is "retail investor fever" which has led to the "you're only as good as your last quarter" mentality.

In a way I have to side with AshG on this. At one time the business world turned on who actually produced the better product. Today it seems like the business world is much more in tune with who investors think is most likely to profit in the short term - quality and and usefulness of the products aside. An example is the thought of becoming reliant on electric vehicles ... somehow charged by power grids only a little less challenged by what TX faced last winter and western states face right now. A couple of cowboys and a few jet engines can pump out power using fossil fuel, and get on line pretty quickly with minimal regulatory concern. Nuclear power is better scientifically (for lack of a better word), but faced with regulatory and capital nightmares - investors aren't going to hop on that - they want short term gains.

 

[Orangeburst]

It's interesting. In a nutshell an employee sued Duke Power because he couldn't pass the cognitive ability test to get into the management training program, claimed the test was racially biased. He won and companies that offered a path to management through training programs started requiring degrees. Way simplified but that's the meat of it.

Dang..stuff like this is why we are where we are. Scary actually

 

[Orangeburst]

In a way I have to side with AshG on this. At one time the business world turned on who actually produced the better product. Today it seems like the business world is much more in tune with who investors think is most likely to profit in the short term - quality and and usefulness of the products aside. An example is the thought of becoming reliant on electric vehicles ... somehow charged by power grids only a little less challenged by what TX faced last winter and western states face right now. A couple of cowboys and a few jet engines can pump out power using fossil fuel, and get on line pretty quickly with minimal regulatory concern. Nuclear power is better scientifically (for lack of a better word), but faced with regulatory and capital nightmares - investors aren't going to hop on that - they want short term gains.

How have the French managed?

 

[AM64]

How have the French managed?

If I had to guess, it would be primarily two factors. Électricité de France is primarily state owned and not investor (short term profit) driven, and France doesn't have the natural resource base we have - they would be very much at risk for non national fuel supply. Old world colonialism made up for the resource problem - now states can't just take what they want; they have to pay world market rates.

 

[KB5252]

Zoom, live, synchronous. They were definitely able to ask questions. As future classroom practitioners, they wanted to be able to physically interact and view situations from multiple physical angles.

There is a certain level of maturity and discipline needed to learn in that type of setting. Young adults, especially today are behind that curve.

My wife works in an industry and with an employer who have about 90% of their workforce online. According to her almost all of the young people have not been very successful working remotely.

 

[Orangeburst]

If I had to guess, it would be primarily two factors. Électricité de France is primarily state owned and not investor (short term profit) driven, and France doesn't have the natural resource base we have - they would be very much at risk for non national fuel supply. Old world colonialism made up for the resource problem - now states can't just take what they want; they have to pay world market rates.

Sounds pragmatic to me. Ashamed that they get it and we dont. I would imagine tech has progressed well beyind 3 Mile Island. No one seems to care for Nimitz class scurrying around the world, well maybe the Japanese in port

 

[AM64]

Sounds pragmatic to me. Ashamed that they get it and we dont. I would imagine tech has progressed well beyind 3 Mile Island. No one seems to care for Nimitz class scurrying around the world, well maybe the Japanese in port

I worked for Babcock and Wilcox (the manufacturer of the Three Mile Island nuclear system) at the time of the accident. I was at TMI the next day and for the next couple of weeks doing diagnostics and determining the plant conditions, and then back in Lynchburg, VA to help prepare for a couple of big presentations the company set up. One presentation was made to the news media and the other to the investment community. Until that time, I never actually understood how critical the investment community was to a company - that investor perceptions were more important than actual situations. TMI disclosed some glaring issues, but the concept was sound; we learned a lot from the accident and made nuclear power wide changes to improve safety and reliability; the accident was costly economically but demonstrated much as far as safety aspects. Sometimes different groups of people infer different things from events. We're finding now that the US would have been better to follow a path to more nuclear power, and those of us in the industry saw the needs to the future, but TMI basically killed nuclear power construction overnight.

 

[Orangeburst]

I worked for Babcock and Wilcox (the manufacturer of the Three Mile Island nuclear system) at the time of the accident. I was at TMI the next day and for the next couple of weeks doing diagnostics and determining the plant conditions, and then back in Lynchburg, VA to help prepare for a couple of big presentations the company set up. One presentation was made to the news media and the other to the investment community. Until that time, I never actually understood how critical the investment community was to a company - that investor perceptions were more important than actual situations. TMI disclosed some glaring issues, but the concept was sound; we learned a lot from the accident and made nuclear power wide changes to improve safety and reliability; the accident was costly economically but demonstrated much as far as safety aspects. Sometimes different groups of people infer different things from events. We're finding now that the US would have been better to follow a path to more nuclear power, and those of us in the industry saw the needs to the future, but TMI basically killed nuclear power construction overnight.

Sounds like a lot of cocks..I changed my mind.

 

[Velo Vol]

Nuclear power is better scientifically (for lack of a better word), but faced with regulatory and capital nightmares - investors aren't going to hop on that - they want short term gains.

Is the stuff I see about an improved, new-generation of nuclear reactor really going to happen? Or is it hype?

 

[AM64]

Is the stuff I see about an improved, new-generation of nuclear reactor really going to happen? Or is it hype?

I don't know; since retirement, I really haven't paid serious attention. Somebody somewhere is going to have to make a decision about the future of power in the US, and there don't seem to be signs that it's happening. You can't seriously even consider a future with electric vehicles without the decision in a rational world, but it's like Santa and the Easter bunny are going to fix it.

We're going in a myriad of directions - killing coal, burning natural gas, planting wind and solar farms (that usually don't work when you most need them). Fusion has been "lurking" as the next thing for a few decades, and people keep talking about releasing hydrogen from it's bonds ... without a lot of energy. Then there are the nuclear issues - Carter killed spent fuel reprocessing, so there's a problem with spent fuel; and almost every nuclear plant is in overtime. PLEX (plant life extension) is allowing plants to operate past their original licensed design - with testing and newer knowledge as justification. Right now we manage without making a decision partly because we exported our industry (and the energy it needed), but that won't last long, and all that added to the subterfuge about what could be over what really can be. This is where our form of government fails; we lack the will, the way, and the foresight to be decisive before the emergency arrives because politicians think about their future and not our future.

 

[AM64]

Is the stuff I see about an improved, new-generation of nuclear reactor really going to happen? Or is it hype?

Once, we had leaders who said "we will harness the atom" or "we will put a man on the moon". Now, I don't know what we have, but it sure isn't that.

 

[Electric Orange]

Article Link

 

[BreatheUT]

This administration is weak! It's a shame. China is pulling the bull in a china shop.

Participation trophies has reached our highest office.

 

[Velo Vol]

Once, we had leaders who said "we will harness the atom" or "we will put a man on the moon". Now, I don't know what we have, but it sure isn't that.

I get what you're saying about the political environment, but if the technology truly arrives, won't it create its own demand?

 

[headhunter15]

The invasion of Taiwan is coming at some point soon. It’ll take a coalition of America, Japan, South Korea, India, and Australia to fight back against the Commies.

 

[Velo Vol]

The invasion of Taiwan is coming at some point soon. It’ll take a coalition of America, Japan, South Korea, India, and Australia to fight back against the Commies.

Is China invading Taiwan any different than Russia invading Ukraine?

 

[headhunter15]

Is China invading Taiwan any different than Russia invading Ukraine?

Well, considering Taiwan has one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, I’d say economically the US & allies would take an immensely greater stand.

 

[BreatheUT]

The invasion of Taiwan is coming at some point soon. It’ll take a coalition of America, Japan, South Korea, India, and Australia to fight back against the Commies.

The fact that China feels emboldened in the first place is a problem. They see the milquetoast adminstration in the US. Even if we stand up to them it is questionable what the mission and strategy would look like. They have a legion of spies within the US who have had the visa policy changed by the Biden adminstration.

Also, South Korea won't get involved until North Korea does.

 

[Velo Vol]

Well, considering Taiwan has one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, I’d say economically the US & allies would take an immensely greater stand.

In this hypothetical worst case, how many American lives would this be worth?

 

[BreatheUT]

Well, considering Taiwan has one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, I’d say economically the US & allies would take an immensely greater stand.

You also have to defend democracy otherwise you may as well pull a Napoleon.

 

[BreatheUT]

In this hypothetical worst case, how many American lives would this be worth?

Do you not get that weakness and the SJW bs are emboldening China?

 

[headhunter15]

In this hypothetical worst case, how many American lives would this be worth?

It isn’t worth one single life. However, you and I both know that money talks.

 

[AM64]

I get what you're saying about the political environment, but if the technology truly arrives, won't it create its own demand?

At one time the answer would probably have been yes; I don't think so now because of the time factor. We, and particularly investors, are currently all about immediacy - we want it all and we want it NOW. If you get into regulatory and siting issues, there's probably no assurance that the newer plants would do much better than licensing for older plants. Look at roads and the sudden decision that roads are racist - just another NIMBY spin with a woke flavor. So you are looking at investing millions at least for something that likely wouldn't operate for a decade or close and the possibility that "concerned citizens" might shut it down before it ever nears a fiscal break even point. That's just the more rational look at the investment. The irrational view would be strictly quick financial returns like globalism - sell your soul and your future for a quick buck today and tomorrow somebody owns you.

I just don't see the business and investment communities doing anything today without promise short term profits.

 

[AM64]

Well, considering Taiwan has one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, I’d say economically the US & allies would take an immensely greater stand.

Globalism strikes again. If you don't manufacture what you need, then you have to protect your sources; and when they are Asian, we are in deep doo doo. Falling for globalism with it's promise of short term profits is probably the biggest false step this country has made ... and it's likely to be terminal.