Jay Bookman

By AJC/DNC Management

January 4, 2009 7:00 AM | Link to this

I was just fixing to compliment the Urinal on their recent honesty when out comes a new Bookman column, well, so much for that idea-

If the cost of the project soars, or if the project is abandoned for some reason after billions are invested, ratepayers will be stuck with the entire bill and Georgia Power will walk off scot-free.

“Some” reason, eh?

It’s almost like GA Power will just up and decide one day that they don’t want a new power plant, large successful companies are known to fly off the handle like that.

Or could the project be under constant threat from goofy environmentalists and mindless government regulations, gasp, gasp?

I ain’t even going to calculate this out or research a number but anybody want to bet the environmental terrorists are adding 50 cents to every dollar of construction costs?

For a proven technology?

Chicago, home of the unindicted felon, trashy streets, and bleach blonde, is the “greenest” metro area in the country, the smallest carbon usage per resident.

You know why?

Nuclear power.

duh

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 8:08 AM | Link to this

Wasn’t Georgia Power trying to pad the PSC with folks that see things their way. The people with sufficient money to actually invest in projects such as this will not do so because they are not interested in taking risk outside of something like accepting 15% return versus 25%. They would much prefer to see someone else take the risk while they take the reward. If the ratepayer and taxpayer do indeed shoulder the risk, then set it up like the TVA was set up originally and let the rewards be returned to the true investors and just treat Georgia Power like another contractor. Concerning their cost estimates, we’d have to consider ourselves lucky if they were only off by a factor of less than five. The assumptions that some of these people make in order to put forth a palatable cost estimate can be absurd at times. They remind me of Limbaugh-Republicans — completely out of touch with reality.

By spankmonkey

January 4, 2009 8:31 AM | Link to this

The only things not for sale in the land of the democrat are the things that Republicans have already sold.

By spankmonkey

January 4, 2009 9:10 AM | Link to this

Stop the press!!! Senate majority leader wants an appointment that will work with the majority in place, not a mavericky maverick, so he talked to the person making the appointment.

Certainly evidence of criminal activity… (at least in wingnut fantasy land…)

By DB, Gwinnettian

January 4, 2009 9:25 AM | Link to this

I like to think of myself as being pretty clear-eyed about the potential upsides and downsides of expanding Vogtle and building new plants elsewhere. contrary to what a certain presidential candidate would’ve had you thinking last summer, it’s a little more involved than waving a magic wand and saying “OK, 44 new plants! Make it so!”

And this bit of timely analysis from Jay, revealing what sure seems to be some sleazy socialize-the-risk scheme (I’ll have to read more, elsewhere, to render a personal verdict) is most welcome. Thanks.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 9:31 AM | Link to this

Here’s a link to some real work on the cost of nuclear power as opposed to the usual Limbaugh-Republican dribble. Chad is right — these Limbaugh-Republicans do nothing but whine.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 10:00 AM | Link to this

No link — so typical. Typical Limbaugh-Republican.

By Paul

January 4, 2009 10:08 AM | Link to this

Jay,

There’s a similarity with your column on taxpayers building sports stadiums - one really can’t blame the developers for asking. Even if they end up saying “I don’t believe it…. they actually fell for it….”

What’s that old saying about people getting the kind of government they deserve?

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 10:13 AM | Link to this

There’s even a serious shortage of welders and especially welders for the nuclear power industry. An experienced, certified welder can earn upwards of $60k per year. That’s probably better than Kia is paying Limbaugh-Republicans to assemble their little foreign cars.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 10:34 AM | Link to this

Andy — obviously one of the Limbaugh-Republican whiners — you cite a 1990 publication while calling a July 2008 publication “outdated”. Who’s kidding whom.

By the way, I don’t scroll over posts with the mouse looking for links. I assume that people use the AJC recommended approach that produced links with a blue font versus that difficult-to-read italic font that is best suited to emphasize an occasional short phrase such as a quote. But thanks for letting me know of your deviation from SOP (standard operating procedure).

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 11:16 AM | Link to this

By the way, Andy, you might want to keep reading that link of yours. The author does not seem to reach that scare mongering costs money conclusion that you so readily adopted. However, you might be pleased to know that some of those improvements in design and construction, as people ramped up the learning curve regarding nuclear power plants, helped to alleviate fears (that came about after 9/11/2001) of terrorists crashing planes into nuclear reactors and radiating large swathes of our country and its people. So, it may be more appropriate to conclude that increased safety — whether it be associated with a Chernobyl-type meltdown or plane crash or earthquake or spent fuel disposal, etc. — does have a necessary cost associated with it and it’s a cost that is initially high but reduced over time for many reasons.

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 11:20 AM | Link to this

You mean a company is going to manufacture a product and have the consumers of that product pay the cost???

No wonder you’re a fiction writer, Jay.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 11:24 AM | Link to this

As usual Ga. Power is threatening health and safety and gouging Georgians. Ga. Power is the #1 polluter cited in the mainstream medical literature impacting the cardiovascular and pulmonary health of Georgians. Hopefully the NRC will continue to force them to provide safety data via NRR. This has been crippled during Bush—who is gone in 16 days.

From NYT this morning:

Franken’s lead now stands at 225 votes after gaining 176 votes more than Coleman in Saturday’s review of the formerly sealed absentee ballots. Franken started the day with a 49-vote advantage.

Unless Coleman wins a pending court petition that seeks to add hundreds more ballots to the recount, the counting is done and the Canvassing Board can sign off on the result on Monday or Tuesday. The result cannot be certified for at least one more week under state law.**

For all you whiners yelling Acorn when it comes to put up or shut up, you’ve hired a private attorney to represent you at great expense in the Eleventh Circuit.

This private attorney, Mark Cohen who had spent most of his career doing electtion litigation among his duties when he was with Mike Bowers, and later the SOS office before going into private practice has refused to this second, an Eleventh Circuit order to produce evidence that Acorn or anyone else has perpetrated voter fraud in the state of Georgie or anywhere else.

Your attorney, Mark Cohen is not able to comply with Judge Birch’s order.

I’ve asked and can’t get besides stupidity like “Chad is a crossdresser” which I know Mark will not use in his brief in the Eleventh Circuit, for you to scan the documents you whiners believe implicate Acorn in Georgia Voter fraud and email them to Mark.

Just as Cohen has not complied with Judge Birch’s order, none of you whiners like AJC or S&T have been able to burp one scintilla of a sentence that offers proof of Acorn wrong doing to send to Mark.

Again b*** about Chad loses your court case.

Defying Judge Birch’s order loses your court case.

Right now Handel has taken a lot of money out of your pocket in litigation your going to lose.

Yeow—What can I do?* You can get off your badass and you can take the evidence of voter fraud you don’t have and send it to Cohen so he can include it in the brife he has taken your money to file, and refused to file because he can’t find the evidence.

What’s holding you up?

By Davo

January 4, 2009 11:34 AM | Link to this

It’s a shame, really, that this country has such a poor nuclear power capability. If it were better it would go along way to reducing our dependance on other nations for oil.

That said…how long has the issue of ‘where to store the radioactive waste’ been banging around? Yucca Mtn. is the designated area for this stuff yet I don’t think a single barrel has found it’s way in there. All that nastiness is being stored on site of these reactors. If the govt and utilities can’t handle this comparably small issue they should not be allowed to build new plants. Whatever gains in efficiency from the power generated is offset by the huge cost of implementing the program.

Wind-power, geothermal, possibly tidal power would be a much better investment.

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 11:36 AM | Link to this

Chad,

One shouldn’t have to prove voter fraud has occurred to take a common sense approach to prevent it from happening. A valid ID is certainly a common sense approach. That being said, we also need to tighten up our absentee voter rules as they’re also rife with potential voter fraud problems. I don’t believe we should have to prove their has been absentee voter fraud to tighten those rules either.

By getalife

January 4, 2009 11:40 AM | Link to this

Perhaps they can use Stone Mountain to store the waste like Yucca Mountain.

The lgf is very happy with the Gaza war.

Red State chickenhawks are too funny

Freepers unhinged over Franken

Hilarious.

By Davo

January 4, 2009 11:51 AM | Link to this

“You mean a company is going to manufacture a product and have the consumers of that product pay the cost???”

You miss the point. The company wants the consumers(taxpayers) to build the factory (power plant) so that they can then sell them the product (power). Pretty good deal if your Georgia Power…not so good if your a taqxpayer.

By Mrs.Godzilla

January 4, 2009 12:02 PM | Link to this

“No nukes is good nukes.”

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 12:08 PM | Link to this

I think the nuclear waste needs to be stored at the personal residences of the CEOs of the companies that generate the waste and that the cumulative waste be passed on to each successive CEO. This is just a hunch on my part but I think that the industry will become self-regulating once this one simple rule is implemented. Of course, the fine print in the rule would include such items as the CEO being required to go home each day and that the personal residence be limited to a maximum of five acres and that all company executives must live in the same 5-acre neighborhood along with all Republican politicians….

By david wayne osedach, san diego/ U.S.A.

January 4, 2009 12:16 PM | Link to this

Even if there are cost overruns that can’t be anticipated - it would be nice to have a nuclear plant or two running the next time oil sells for $150/bbl.

By getalife

January 4, 2009 12:33 PM | Link to this

RW,

I don’t believe we should have to prove their has been absentee voter fraud to tighten those rules either.

I am shocked, shocked.

Just because you lost does not prove absentee voter fraud.

Like Blago, innocent until proven guity.

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 12:40 PM | Link to this

getalife,

I never said there was absentee voter fraud, only that the current system in Georgia is open to all sorts of potential fraud.

By equating it with guilt you’re basically saying there should be no laws until you could prove somebody broke one, but nobody could ever break one because they wouldn’t exist in the first place.

By getalife

January 4, 2009 12:49 PM | Link to this

RW,

Yes, folks look for loopholes but should they find a guilty case before changing the law?

Your logic looks like premptive war.

There could be nukes and WMD’s.

But there were none.

By spankmonkey

January 4, 2009 12:53 PM | Link to this

You know… the more you all respond to Andy, the more you encourage him.

You should all ignore him for a few days and see what happens.

I know it’ll be painful at first because he’ll just cut and paste his wildly irrelevant and inane links like mad, but then either he’ll have that anyeurism that he’s overdue for, or give up and go away since he no longer gets validation from his childish rants and indefensible (nay… nonsensical) posts… either way he’s back at boarding school or in the hospital and we’re rid of him….

By spankmonkey

January 4, 2009 12:58 PM | Link to this

ha ha ha… Andy is even attacking his own people now…

Unhinged

ew

By getalife

January 4, 2009 1:04 PM | Link to this

pf,

Roid rage? There are rules on this blog and a self appointed blog monitor.

This is not wingnut wooten’s where anything goes.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 1:17 PM | Link to this

RW-(the original) —

Here’s the way it works. When you get sued as Karen Handel and the State of Georgia have, by Common Cause in federal court, by a veteran litigator and named partner in a major firm, Emmet Bondourant, and your defense is that

1) Georgia is rife with voter fraud 2) Georgie is rife with potential voter fraud

(that was your defense in your case where you were sued RW) and you hire an attorney from Troutman, Sanders named Mark Cohen who has accumulated a lot of bills to you RW to defend you RW and your defense *was in fact both 1 and 2 in the brief filed on your behalf by your expensive private attorney then the Court has every right to order you to prove what you have claimed in court.

That doesn’t happen often enough.

So now your money is hemorrhaging to Mr. Cohen and Troutman Sanders because on your behalf Ms. Handel went outside the AG’s office to hire an expensive attorney who specialized in this type litigation for years working for Mr. Bauers while Mr. Bauers was doing his secretary in front of everyone from 12PM to 2PM every Monday- Friday.

Your Attorney RW has mounted the defense above that you are now invoking. The court has ordered you to prove it.

Filing a brief in the Eleventh Circuit that “I RW don’t think I should have to proove the claims that my expensive lawyer made in statements that he signed on my behalf” is not going to cut it.

So before you and Ms. Handel went out and hired Mr. Cohen and Troutman, Sanders to defend you in that law suit you should have discussed the trial strategy that you and Ms. Handel would be deploying.

Or shorter version—

Here on the comments section of Jay’s blog you can close your eyes and type. No one is going to penalize you.

But if you go into the Federal appellate courts and make claims and sign them there are consequences for your case and your cause. And one of them is always that the 3 judge panel may order you to proove your claims and this is the money shot for you

when you filed the reply brief and you didn’t prove your defense in the first place.

Maybe you should have a talk with your lawyer veteran attorney Mark Cohen and ask him why the hell he didn’t proove his claim and your claim since they are the same in that first reply brief. Because Judge Birch and the panel noticed he didn’t proove it as did Mr. Bondourant and oral argument, and they urged the court to make you, Ms. Handel, and Mr. Cohen proove those claims and now…

you can’t.

You see history counts just as in medicine.

And there happens to be a history of no voter fraud here.

There happens also to be a very large and very well known study from Harvard that researched the history of voting in the US and only found less than the ten fingers on your hand instances of votes that were fraudulent in the history of the US.

Acorn which Republicans love to mention without any proof, has never been legally implicated in a case of voter fraud. This past election, there were a handful (literally) of contractors for ACORN who registered jokingly with names like Batman and Mickey Mouse, and since Mr. Mouse and Mr. Batman could not be verified, these contractors were fired by ACORN without any prodding from 3rd parties whatsoever.

You might drive your car into your house or someone elses befpre the game is over in Minnesota, but no one is prohibiting you from driving basically because it is very unlikely you will aim your car at a house.

That’s the way it is. Birch and the panel weren’t doing their first rodeo. They read the papers. They know Handel had been claiming voter fraud without any specific proof for years. And they called her on it.

Now she’s facing the consequences as is her and your lawyer.

Enjoy.

By AJC/DNC Management

January 4, 2009 1:20 PM | Link to this

PULLED:

Management, you were asked not to post more than two off-topic posts in a thread. You exceeded that quota almost immediately. This post and most others have been pulled.

Please don’t post again today.

JAY

By GaLiberal

January 4, 2009 1:24 PM | Link to this

Jay has it almost right. Yes, having rate payers foot the bill for a new nuclear unit is too risky. I’m opposed to Georgia Power collecting CWIP without it being backed by some type of default insurance. If the plants are not operational within a certain time, the ratepayers get their money back. The PSC should require GP to get such a policy which normal for large projects.

There were several factors which drove construction costs for current nuclear plants. One big factor was the endless challenges from anti-nuclear groups. Another was the cost-plus contracting. Sky-high interests rates and burdensome regulatory changes after the TMI accident also contributed. The new plants are fixed price so contractors can’t charge more. The design has been preapproved by the regulator so there will be no regulatory required changes during construction. The licensing process cuts out the endless legal challenges by anti-nuclear groups. So the factors that drove the high costs of current plants have largely been eliminated. New plants could be built in 5-7 years vs. the 10+ for current plants. One thing the state could do is exempt the new plants from sales taxes to keep down construction costs. The Rethuglicons like nothing better than corporate welfare and it would ensure large political contributions from GP and it’s executives.

I have no objection to building new plants provided the ratepayers are safeguarded from excessive costs.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 1:34 PM | Link to this

Reprinted from above for Andy’s benefit (followed by commentary):

[[[By Taxpayer January 4, 2009 10:34 AM | Link to this Andy — obviously one of the Limbaugh-Republican whiners — you cite a 1990 publication while calling a July 2008 publication “outdated”. Who’s kidding whom.]]]

And,

[[[By Taxpayer January 4, 2009 11:16 AM | Link to this By the way, Andy, you might want to keep reading that link of yours. The author does not seem to reach that scare mongering costs money conclusion that you so readily adopted. However, you might be pleased to know that some of those improvements in design and construction, as people ramped up the learning curve regarding nuclear power plants, helped to alleviate fears (that came about after 9/11/2001) of terrorists crashing planes into nuclear reactors and radiating large swathes of our country and its people. So, it may be more appropriate to conclude that increased safety — whether it be associated with a Chernobyl-type meltdown or plane crash or earthquake or spent fuel disposal, etc. — does have a necessary cost associated with it and it’s a cost that is initially high but reduced over time for many reasons.]]]

After reviewing what I posted, I have determined that my position is not as you have prescribed in your 12:46 post. However, it is what it is.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 1:38 PM | Link to this

It was of course Mike Bowers not Bauers (typing too fast) who was doing his Secretary for lunch every day for ten years as everyone watched them on the way to their love nest out the windows of the Department of Law and the Gold Dome building. The pools were whether they would get back between 1-2PM or 2-3PM or make a whole afternoon of schtooping on the public dollar when Bowers was sworn to uphold the laws of the state. It wasn’t that he was violating the then on the books law against ectopic schtupping outside his marriage, but he was also being paid while he schtupped his secretary for hours a week.

Welcome to Jaw Jaw.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 1:48 PM | Link to this

And back on your comment about scare mongering, Andy. You did read through all of that 1990 book link of yours, didn’t you. I mean that author really slammed coal-fired plants for all the pollution and health-related problems and then he went on to slam all fossil-fueled plants because of their release of greenhouse gases and then he went on to slam the insane notion of terrorists ever gathering up nuclear fuel and using it as a weapon. I mean, this guy really takes the wind out of so many different Limbaugh-Republican sails. I surprised that you would cite him. You must be a closet liberal or something. Come on out. The weather’s fine.

By Midori

January 4, 2009 1:50 PM | Link to this

Getalife: that Freeper thread is a hoot!!

Oh, the irony!!!

Remember the “Brook Brothers” riot that took place during sElection 2000? How quickly the Freepers forget.

Funny - during 2004 it was established that all the vote flipping that occurred always, without a doubt, favored Bush. And not one peep from the Freeptards. If anything, they whooped and hollered and shot their guns in the air, a la Yosemite Sam.

Yet they have a problem with unjustly rejected ballots going to Franken.

They all need to be sent off to a concentration camp. Let God sort it out. Those people are absolutely worthless, and contribute nothing to mankind or public discourse.

By AJC/DNC Management

January 4, 2009 2:12 PM | Link to this

You notice how he left the jacks up?

But took down everything else including the on topic comments?

1) I must be a highly effective, devastating counter point to someone else’s view or

2) The liberal cry babies are calling the AJC again and whining about me.

Cause I know it ain’t “off topic-“

By Carbon Dates

January 4, 2009 10:00 AM | Link to this

They ran My Big Fat Greek Wedding against the Falcon Game.

By Carbon Dates

January 4, 2009 10:32 AM | Link to this

They ran My Big Fat Greek Wedding against the Falcon Game.

By Carbon Dates

January 4, 2009 12:37 PM | Link to this

Oil will never go back to 150.

By Carbon Dates

January 4, 2009 12:51 PM | Link to this

RW (the orawankwithall) couldn’t predict the outcome of a bowel movement, much less assess voter fraud scenarios.

By Carbon Dates

January 4, 2009 1:01 PM | Link to this

Of course you realize, spankwankey, that this means war…..

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 11:24 AM | Link to this

Franken’s lead now stands at 225 votes after gaining 176 votes more than Coleman in Saturday’s review of the formerly sealed absentee ballots.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 1:17 PM | Link to this

Here’s the way it works. When you get sued as Karen Handel and the State of Georgia have, by Common Cause in federal court, by a veteran litigator and named partner in a major firm, Emmet Bondourant, and your defense is that

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 1:38 PM | Link to this

It was of course Mike Bowers not Bauers (typing too fast) who was doing his Secretary for lunch every day for ten years as everyone watched them on the way to their love nest out the windows of the Department of Law and the Gold Dome building.

Got bias?

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 2:16 PM | Link to this

Chad,

That was quite the wordy response, but it was a real waste of space as you seem to have missed the very start of my response to your original off topic screed.

I’ll repeat, but somehow I doubt it will help you.

One shouldn’t have to

Respond if you must, but I’m out for the day.

By AJC/DNC Management

January 4, 2009 2:18 PM | Link to this

Oops, my bad, I didn’t see the “do not post again today.”

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 2:18 PM | Link to this

A good moral to take away from this story, Jay, is that Limbaugh-Republicans can preach the gospel of trickle down Reaganomics all day long (along with their other fantasies) but the truth is that it’s just another line item in a long list of Republican political hype that has been proven false over and over and over…The investors that Republicans rely so heavily on to fuel growth love to accumulate and horde wealth. The last thing that they want to do is part with any of it. They’ll even use child labor and illegal immigrants — whatever it takes — to feed their greed.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 2:36 PM | Link to this

The only good Hamas is dead Hamas.

The only good Hezbollah is dead Hezbollah.

No backing down this time. Dead men don’t launch rockets.

Put the hurt on Iran who is orchestrating this. The US is too stupid to involve themselves constructively in Middle East Peace. The closest Condi gets to rockets are Blahniks and Jimmy Choos on the Upper East side of Manhatten.

Take the US weapons and kill all Hamas and all Hezbollah. Take ‘em down this time.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 3:03 PM | Link to this

No more nuke revivals. No more nuke weapons. All the risk always — always — gets placed on the consumer — the recipient of all that stored up energy. Bombs away! I’ll bet that nothing would have made the Limbaugh-Republicans such as Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld happier than to have revived the nukes for their own special uses. Shockingly awesome preemptive strikes would have really been a blast with mushrooms clouding up the sky as far as the eye could see.

OK, so this one was off-topic in some ways but not in other ways. It’s more a matter of perspective.

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 3:05 PM | Link to this

Jay B,

You really should come up with a better lie about why you want Andy off the board. If you haven’t pulled his 2:12 yet it makes you look like a complete fool for using the “off topic” excuse and he only used this thread. You could go back to yesterday and find a lib blatantly saying they had no intention of commenting on your topic because it didn’t interest him or her. That comment never got a peep out of you.

I’ve resisted going where a lot of my conservative friends have gone on here, but you really are showing yourself to be nothing more than a partisan hack.

Later

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 3:16 PM | Link to this

RW—

You have three choices since right now you do have to.

1) Provide proof and you can’t. The result is you’re defying the order of the Eleventh Circuit and that’s going to lose the Voter ID requirement.

2) Spend a lot of time telling the wall you can’t or type it on some comment thread.

3) Since you don’t like the current Article III of the Constitution which seems to disagree with you and says you should comply with the federal court order imposed upon your lawyer chosen with your money by Ms. Handel, you could try to amend the Constitution.

You can google the number of your Senators Sax and Johnnie, or your reps and see how gung ho they are to amend the Constitution’s Article III (I assume you want to wipe out the Judicial Branch) and get their read on the likelihood of this happening.

Again—you can say and advocate anything you want on some comment thread. All you need is a connection to the net, one finger, and some way to shove around the mouse or you can try tab + the arrow keys the way Mr. Husted did before mice were around.

But the lawyer your money was used to defend Ms. Handel’s Voter ID filed a reply brief in the Eleventh Circuit and argued voter fraud. In most of my English courses, I was taught among other things that when I made a claim in some paper to butress it with examples.

When little law students are taught to brief, they are taught that they can’t just make wild and crazy claims. They have to butress every claim they make, preferably with substantive proof by example, by citation of authority including case law and code section, and possibly parsing legislative intent and analyzing it.

Shorter version Handel made the lynch pin of her defense of voter ID fraud in her reply brief written by Mark Cohen who filed it and signed it. Cohen said that Handel stood behind the brief. Now he has been asked to do what he should have been taught to do in a grade school English class. In college English courses at Emory, before Mr. Cohen (who is a full partner at Troutman Sanders and the former Chairman of the Administrative Law Section of the Georgia Bar) atteneded Emory School of Law this should have been taught. I expect it was.

Using a word Mr. Cohen knows well it was extreme chutzpah to file a reply brief with the Eleventh Circuit claiming voter fraud prevention mandated Voter ID without providing any proof whatsoever that voter fraud existed or has a likelihood to happen given the Harvard study of voting in the US for over 200 years, and given the fact that voter fraud has not existed in Georgia since voting started in Georgia some time near 1788.

Early voting is here to stay and needs to be expanded. In the neighboring states of Tennessee and Alabama, voting is not confined to the ridiculously inconvenient day of Tuesday. It is allowed at ectopic sites and on weekends.

Republicans want to restrict access to the polls to the affluent and elitists they believe will vote their way. They want to make it as inconvenient as possible to vote. This was done in part this year, because very few people voted on election day relative to early voters. Lines became hours long as early voters procrastinated until the last days.

People who voted early on in the process had a few minutes wait at the longest.

Early voting has not been shown to promote fraudulent voting. That’s a fiction of Republicans as well. Mr. Cohen was invited to make a showing of this in the brief he was ordered to file and has not been able to do so.

I have no doubt that since you seem to have new information you’ll forward it to Mark Cohen at Troutman Sanders so he can file the best brief your money is buying.

By Midori

January 4, 2009 3:22 PM | Link to this

gee RW — bitter much?

It appears the only reason “you” guys show up here is to gripe about Jay’s blog and call him names.

I’m quite sure that goes over real big with him, and lends tons to your “credibility”.

By JAY BOOKMAN

January 4, 2009 3:37 PM | Link to this

RW:

I had asked earlier that Management limit himself to no more than two off-topic posts per thread. I did not bar off-topic posts. I merely requested some moderation.

Yet this morning in this thread he posted four of the first five posts; three of them were off topic.

Again, if he wants to start his own blog, he is free to do so. This one has my name on it. It has nothing to do with ideology, and everything to do with basic respect for other people.

I had not seen that earlier namejacking. I apologize. It is now gone.

By sunshine and thunder

January 4, 2009 3:42 PM | Link to this

JAY

You wrote:

Something’s not right about that. It’s hard to have faith in a chef who refuses to eat his own cooking.

Puuuhleeeeze, Jay. Do you have any idea the regulatory hurdles that power companies have to jump through to build s nuclear plant?

Of course you do.

Why would you expect Ga. Pwr to take all of the GOVERNMENT risk? How can a company operate that way?

I don’t blame them. In the middle of a multi billion dollar expenditure some liberal weenine congress woman can decide that she might get a whiff of radiation up in Massachusettes and ban all construction of plants in Georgia.

It’s a rigged game, the power companies need something to protect their investors.

By DB, Gwinnettian

January 4, 2009 4:02 PM | Link to this

Chad, I did a little catching up and saw this from you over in the dead thread:

“Franken did a 3 hour show for years where he had nothing but heavy hitters who were experts in every conceivable field, economics, Iraq, government, the courts and he did a great job of doing his homework on the issues.”

I’m glad someone seems to have noticed this. Virtually every news story I’ve seen about Franken has him pegged as a “comedian” first and foremost, as if the guy hadn’t done precisely the kind of work you described but also penned some fairly astute (if deliberately lightweight, at times) collections of essays that wound up on the bestseller lists.

By the way, since Franken left his noon-3pm slot, Thom Hartmann’s been doing that shift over at AAR. If you’ve never heard any his stuff it’s worth a listen; he comes similarly well-prepared and more than willing to host conservatives who’ll keep him honest.

(Here’s a Green960 link to Thom’s podcasts.)

Also, since you mentioned it, I don’t know if anyone’s got an archive of Franken’s AAR stuff—I’d like to dig in and hear some of it again, myself—if only to experience the magic that was The Oy Oy Oy Show one last time.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 4:04 PM | Link to this

Those weenie Limbaugh-Republicans won’t even keep a commitment to build another over-polluting coal-fired plant here in Georgia because they’re so scared that they’ll have to build the thing to meet stricter environmental requirements once those idiots, Dubya and Dick (the double Ds), are out of the way. The thought of accepting the risk associated with building anything just seems to fly right over the heads of these so-called free market capitalists. They sure do want all the rewards though. It must have something to do with their perverted sense of just what a free market should look like. For instance, they probably whine about the prospect of actually building something that does not have an unacceptable risk of killing people associated with it because that just does not fit with their interpretation of a free market. Then again, since when has killing people stopped a Limbaugh-Republican. They’re really into that sort of thing with their preemptive attacks on other sovereign nations, Uzis in the hands of five-year old kids, destruction of EPA regulations…anything for a buck.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 4:09 PM | Link to this

It’s intriguing to see all these Georgia Power boosters who seem unaware that besides the other risks that have Georgia ranked as one of the top states for cardiovascular morbidity and death in the country, Georgia Power has been a major contributor to putting people in CCUs and subsequently the ground because of their pollution.

About two years ago, facing a major regulatory hearing, Southern Company abruptly closed a plant hours before the hearing was scheduled.

Using your money—a long line of people seem to do that don’t they—Southern Company is the #1 contributor to utility lobbyists in the US.

There seem to be a lot of advocats here of getting people to develop diseases that get them into a CCU courtesy of Southern Company.

When their nuclear facility Vogtle on the banks of the Savannah river was built over 30 years ago, after off the wall cost overruns, 2/4 plants were actually built.

Southern company has done essentially nothing to explore the safety of more nuclear plants, nor have they ever explored energy efficiency. They are the SooooooVeees of power production.

GP still has not given regulators, that’d be state and federal a specific cost estimate. There haven’t been any new nuclear plants in 30 years, and a cost estimate might not be possible.

What will happen is that utility rates will go the way gas prices will soon be headed as they again creap towards $6-$9 per gallon. As the week old column from Tom Friedman used in today’s AJC says, that’s already happened 3 times in recent years.

As this article outlines “Southern Company” is the “most regressive” company in regards to the use of energy in the country.

Ga. Power Takes a Fresh Look at Nuclear Energy

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A291119

By JAY BOOKMAN

January 4, 2009 4:10 PM | Link to this

Sunshine, nowhere in that piece do I suggest in any way that Ga. Power assume all the risk. I advocate that they merely share SOME of the risk. Under the company proposal, they would shoulder none of it. There’s a big difference between none and some and all.

Furthermore, if the game is rigged, it is in Ga. Power’s favor. It is almost certainly the most powerful corporation in state politics, and unlike other private companies it is essentially guaranteed a return on equity f at least 11.25 percent, even in times such as these.

Nice work if you can get it.

By JAY BOOKMAN

January 4, 2009 4:17 PM | Link to this

Also, Analchord/Carbon Dates etc., the author of the abusive namejacking post, is now barred for the day as well.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 4:21 PM | Link to this

DB Gwinnetian—

I appreciate your comments. Franken did great work at Air America, and his show was not cancelled as Wing Nuts claim, but he made the decision to run for the Senate and ended the show. I listen to Air America from time to time, and I was sorry to see Randi Rhodes leave Air America although she blogs and does Podcasts and is now on NovaM radio.

http://www.novamradio.com/live/

Could you please show me how to make a link by simply showing the name I want to use for a link as the link the way you just did? I’ve tried a few possibilities and can never make them work. I’m not putting the name I want to show as the link in the right place.

Thanks.

By Joe

January 4, 2009 4:24 PM | Link to this

Pulled, Carbon/Anal. If you want to act like a jerk, we’ll ban this and any other IP address you use.

JAY

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 4:29 PM | Link to this

I had asked earlier that Management limit himself to no more than two off-topic posts per thread. I did not bar off-topic posts. I merely requested some moderation

Jay B.,

Thanks for the response. It would appear that the policy is now that one particular poster is limited to two off topic comments while the others are free to do as they wish. Frankly I think Chad Harris hijacking your comment thread to write his own lengthy columns are far more rude, but as you say, it’s your name atop this blog.

That being said and acknowledged, it isn’t just your name atop the blog. It also says Atlanta Journal Constitution up there and I would think a policy that treats all the readers of this newspaper equally would be a better policy.

By Midori

January 4, 2009 4:33 PM | Link to this

DB and Chad,

also add to the mix that Franken always walked the walk, and talked the talk.

He went overseas NUMEROUS times to entertain the troops, unlike his wingnut brethren, Hannity and O’Reilly.

He also contributed big bucks to soldier and sailor causes.

I, as well, really miss his show.

And I completely love Thom Hartmann. Hartmann always makes me feels as if I’m sitting in a classroom when I’m listening to his show.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 5:01 PM | Link to this

RW (the original)—

I understand the concept of hijacking, and have tried to stick to the topic out of respect for Jay. I’m not trying to hijack any thread and don’t think I have.

I haven’t known about any “rule” that Jay is enforcing though as to “two off topic posts”, because as far as I can tell, comments seem to be all over the place.

In addition, on all blogs I have known, if a new thread goes up, people seem to home to the new thread which probably contributes somewhat to the more than one topic per thread trend situation. Some people want to respond to someone who said something on a prior thread, and they’re afraid that although they could link it, the person they want to continue a conversation/dialogue with might not see it.

Jay isn’t shy about expressing himself. It’s been his living for years, and if there are rules, I’m sure he’ll make them clear and I’m happy to follow them.

When Jay made it clear to limit other columns to a couple paragraphs or to link them, I did just that.

Some day soon, with a little help, I’ll figure out how to name a link and just put up the name as the link. I’ve asked for help doing that, but haven’t figured it out yet. You have to put the link in the brackets “text to be linked”, but I can’t put the name I want to give the link in any place so that it shows up correctly without screwing up the link.

Again, I’m not intending to hijack any thread or unintentionally doing so IMHO. I’ve made at least 3 comments on the Southern company nuclear plant situation. I did make an update comment referencing a previous dead thread because the NYT updated Franken’s status before the Minnesota papers did early this morning and I happened to read it.

There seemed to be interest in Franken. It is a shame that people don’t realize that Franken has been an extremely effective advocate for his viewpoint, whether you agree with it or not, and has gone out of his way for years on his radio show to have the best and brightest guests, including regulars like Melanie Sloan who used to be an AUSA, and several other attorneys who head up watchdog groups in D.C. and elsewhere and do great work. Norman Ornstein who is one of the brightest Congressional analysts in the country was a regular.

My point here, is that Franken did discussions with these people that lasted from 15 to 45 minutes and sometimes more. In order to do those discussions he had to brief himself on the issues and he did that, day after day. That’s what Midori meant by “walking the walk.”

He had extremely well regarded journalists on his show regularly including Joe Conasan, several from WaPo and NYT. He began the show with Katherine Lanpher as a co-host. He could have stayed in New York but he chose to go to Minnesota because he seriously was thinking about running to represent Minnesota where he grew up.

Jonathan Alter, David Brock, Joe Conason, James Fallows, Howard Fineman, Christy Harvey, Paul Krugman, Thomas Oliphant, Norman Ornstein, George Packer, Melanie Sloan, David Sirota, and Lawrence O’Donnell.

George Packer has written for New Yorker for 5 years and wrote a highly aclaimed book on Iraq. Among that lists are top journalists with several years if not decades of experience, and several attorneys who are active in watchdog groups.

Again characterizing Al Franken as a comic, is like characterizing Donavan McNabb as someone who is best known as a chunky soup eater because his Mom Wilma did Campbell’s commercials. McNabb can throw a football as well and you’ll see that tonight.

I don’t even remember when he had a comedian on the show. He may have had a few of his show biz contacts on once in a blue moon, but I don’t even remember him doing that.

I think Franken prepared himself well for the Senate. He’s definitely up on the issues and he is up in depth.

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 5:05 PM | Link to this

Chad,

[Do this]*(http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/bookman/entries/2009/01/04/nukerevivalputsallrisk_on.html)

Now take out the asterisk and you’ll have this

Do this

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 5:12 PM | Link to this

Chad,

[Don’t do this.

Because the link does not process the breaks or something correctly.](http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/bookman/entries/2009/01/04/nukerevivalputsallrisk_on.html)

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 5:20 PM | Link to this

Taxpayer,

Good point, and the same thing goes for bolding and italics on this board. The formatting gets lost at the paragraph break, which is nuts since all it should be doing is converting the marks to HTML and HTML survives the breaks anywhere else I’ve ever used it.

Then again, I shouldn’t be too surprised when they can’t even get comments to post in real time.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 5:24 PM | Link to this

RW and Taxpayer—

Many thanks. I’m deep into software as a hobby, but definitely not a developer and I don’t know much about creating web pages (Dreamweaver, ect., and I use html for links ect. only when I have a recipe and have used “converters” rarely.

I’m not sure exactly what you call the format for this kind of linking, if it has a name, but I have the link formula down now. I appreciate the help.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 5:38 PM | Link to this

Chad,

I’m deep into software as a hobby too. There’s Myst, Quicken, Word, Excel, TurboTax, Mathematica…The list just goes on and on. 8>)

By CommunistAJC

January 4, 2009 5:43 PM | Link to this

Jay Bookman, Is there anything in life that you don’t complain about?

Anyway, looks like anything Jimmy Carter touches falls apart. His presidency and his hand built houses.

Charity homes built by Hollywood start to crumble

John Harlow in Los Angeles

RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart.

Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day “blitz” organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity.

Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

A forthcoming legal battle over Fairway Oaks threatens the reputation of a charity envied for the calibre of its celebrity supporters, who range from Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt to Colin Firth, Christian Bale and Helena Bonham Carter.

The case could challenge the bedrock philosophy behind Habitat for Humanity, claiming that using volunteers, rather than professional builders, is causing as many problems as it solves.

April Charney, a lawyer representing many of the 85 homeowners in Fairway Oaks, said she had no problems taking on Habitat for Humanity, despite its status as a “darling of liberal social activists”. She said the charity should have told people that part of the estate had been built on a rubbish dump.

One man pulled up his floorboards to find rubbish 5ft deep under his kitchen. Other complaints include cracking walls and rotting door frames that let in rats and ants. Many residents have complained of mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

One resident said her children were suffering from skin complaints. “The intentions are good, but when the politicians and big-shot stars have left we’re stuck with the consequences. This house looks pretty but inside it either stinks or sweats,” she said.

Judy Hall, the charity’s local development director, said recently that it had been dealing with about 30 complaints. She added that skilled work was carried out by professionals.

Some residents dismiss their neighbours’ worries. Diennal Fields, 51, said people did not know how to look after their homes: “It’s simple stuff: if there is mildew, don’t get a lawyer, get a bottle of bleach.”

By Dusty

January 4, 2009 5:57 PM | Link to this

Well, I thought this was the Bookman Blog but it turns out to be the Harris/Taxpayer Lengthy Losers Homily. Bookman is only referee.

Guess I will go back to reading “nuclear” in The Citizen, publication of the School of Public & International Affairs at UGA. They have a piece on “the Growing WMD Threat”. It is almost as boring as Bookman’s borscht & contributors but smarter and no name calling.(SUBJECT=NUCLEAR!)

What’s this about banning Andy all the time. He is more interesting than what the snoozer-cruisers present here and keeps the blood boiling for the sleep inducer producers. KEEP ANDY GOING SO WE CAN STAY AWAKE HERE.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 6:01 PM | Link to this

qship—

I don’t want to veer off course but I help on newsgroups with software a lot—mostly MSFT Windows related software problems (probably several thousand posts in the last several years), and most of the time when people think they’ve been hacked they haven’t been “hacked” but are having problems caused by spyware, not defragging enough, or some other conflicts at least in “Windoz”.

If you were pinpoint specific about what problem you were having, someone could easily help you. I’d post it on a MSFT, Mac or Linux group depending on what flavor of OS you’re using and what specific problem you’re seeing. You’re connected to the web, and you’re booted into whatever OS you’re using unless it’s a different box, so things don’t sound all that bad to me.

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 6:07 PM | Link to this

Chad,

qship is the same guy that posts under dozens of names and had several posts eventually pulled from this thread today. He was using the name Political Foreskin when he first started that routine about being hacked or fed a virus a few years ago.

Your help might be worthwhile to others, but it’s completely lost on “qship.” His problems go far deeper than his computer.

By GodHatesTrash

January 4, 2009 6:10 PM | Link to this

Dumpy, why don’t you just head back over to the Woo-ten Klan blog?

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 6:22 PM | Link to this

Taxpayer—

Maybe I exaggerated with the word “deep.” But I like to tweak Windows and Beta test a lot of MSFT stuff. I’m interested in Office, especially Word but have not (my own fault) learned to use Excel although I have tons of tutorials and plenty of books that would make it easy.

I don’t use the server software although I try to keep up with them a bit (there are about 300 of them from MSFT). I don’t really need to use them. I also try to follow what can be done with Hyper-V in enterprises at least enough to context them although I’ll never have to manage that.

What I’ve focused on is fixing Windows or “hacking” Windows to make it do what I want it to do via the reg or some other way—helping people speed it up, and I can pretty much fix a no boot whatever the cause from long distance unless it’s got a hardware component that’s causing the BSOD—and that has to be troubleshot with your hands on the box or getting someone to do that.

I’m running Windows 7 on one box—uses less CPU and faster than Vista. I love Mac boxes and their software, but there is only so much time. I can open files on any of my boxes at home from anywhere using an Itouch or an Iphone using Win Live Sync formerly Foldershare without having to use Mobile Me although it might do more things than I can using a Windows web site on the Itouch/phone.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 6:34 PM | Link to this

RW—

Thanks for the headsup. I would’ve thought that unless he was using a different network that his IP address would be used to keep him from posting under so many different names.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 6:37 PM | Link to this

Chad,

That’s cool. I’m an end-user of software and I use many programs much less since my retirement but I still do a little bit from time to time. We’ll have to talk more some time but now I’m being summoned to supper.

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 6:40 PM | Link to this

Chad,

Most likely he uses a proxy server or two, so Jay B will be chasing his tail if all they can do is block IPs here.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 7:10 PM | Link to this

Must be a proxy server I guess. I don’t know how common the setup is to check more than IP’s—it’s out of my area although I wish I understood more/or better.

By danjonglee

January 4, 2009 7:12 PM | Link to this

Thank God for Drudge or we wouldnt have a clue of what’s goin on in the world. www.Drudgereport.com

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 7:34 PM | Link to this

Chad,

Most real blogs check deeper than IP addresses for blocking someone because anybody with any clue how this stuff works knows blocking an IP address on a blog with no registration is utterly worthless. Even with registration it’s worthless unless the windows for registering are extremely limited.

I won’t go into what they need to do for a couple of reasons. 1) The AJC isn’t getting my services for free, and more importantly 2) there are ways around the best blocking method too and if I discuss it then someone as determined as the demented one we affectionately call Polly on most AJC blogs will google his way around that too.

By Paul

January 4, 2009 7:40 PM | Link to this

DB Gwinnettian 4:02

I don’t have much use for Franken after that Air America stint. Strikes me as another “me first” guy talking about his concern for the ‘little guy’ while going to extraordinary lengths to look out for numero uno. All the while AA was operating on donors (seemed to have a tough time with the marketplace funding it) Franken put himself first with his ever-escalating over a million dollar salary. With, if I recall correctly, some clauses that’d make an American CEO proud (he demanded and got his salary in advance - knowing the cash flow problems AA was having .

What gets me is this happened at a time when AA was slashing people from their jobs because some donors finally wanted things to get under control. What was that movie- Network? - where the Jack Nicholson character was asked by an employee if he’d just knock a million off his salary they could keep a bunch more workers on the payroll? Nicholson’s character said “naw.” Franken strikes me as the same kind.

Actions speak louder than wordy rhetoric.

Hartman’s done some good work. He strikes me as the type who’s actually worth his salary.

By Tank

January 4, 2009 7:53 PM | Link to this

Give me nuclear power, offshore drilling, drilling in ANWR, coal, wind power, geothermal, tidal power. Let’s have more fuel efficient vehicles. Anything that reduces our dependency on foreign oil.

As far as an unskilled workforce and unprepared suppliers. Let’s get those welders trained and working. It’s the change we asked for.

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 8:01 PM | Link to this

Seriously off topic

Paul,

Did that coffee maker you bought survive the newness and continue to make great coffee? If so what was it again?

By Paul

January 4, 2009 8:09 PM | Link to this

RW-(the original)

Yes, it did. It’s one of those purchase that after a bit of use, I’d make again. I have to say I could tell the difference.

Technivorm. Dutch at technivorm dot com. I got the Moccamaster KBT-741. Insulated carafe. No hot plate.

I could tell the difference. My wife, she of heavy half and half, really couldn’t but thought the coffee tasted at least as good as before. A friend who loves coffee was over. I didn’t say anything about the new pot, just brewed and served. He changed the conversation to ask about the coffee.

Hey, some guys buy 4X4s, bass boats, latest video gear when the three month old stuff is just fine, hunting stuff, etc etc etc. Me, I go for this stuff.

At least my wife accepts that line -

By Paul

January 4, 2009 8:16 PM | Link to this

RW-(the original)

Technivorm reprinted the Cook’s Illustrated article that caught my eye:

Link: Cook’s Illustrated Coffee Maker Test

And I’d bought a couple of coffee makers over the past few years as newer tests (CI and Consumer Reports, among others) came out. I’m confident this is the last one I’ll buy for a long, long time.

By Hillbilly Deluxe

January 4, 2009 8:22 PM | Link to this

This is the way Georgia Power has always operated. It’s nothing new. Thankfully I’m not one of their customers.

By DB, Gwinnettian

January 4, 2009 8:37 PM | Link to this

Paul, I tried replying to your post, but the AJC site didn’t seem to like the NYTimes link I’d included.

Suffice to say that yes, while Al Franken did draw the highest salary of the AAR on-air talent, he also voluntarily worked without pay during some of the rough times; I’m pretty sure what you’ve heard actually has it backwards.

In any case, glad to hear you’re familiar with Thom Hartmann; I’d be curious to hear what you think of his treatment of conservatives who appear on his show. I’ve always felt that he treats them respectfully and, moreover, won’t allow callers to take cheap after-the-whistle shots at the guests after the guests have signed off.

Of course others might hear it differently…

Chad, like you I find Randi entertaining, but I haven’t really heard much of her since she went over to Nova-M. She has a way with the audience (and tends to do well in the ratings when she gets a decent signal to work with) although she has a maddening tendency to do the Limbaugh-ish strawman argument thing.

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 8:42 PM | Link to this

Paul,

Good to hear it and thanks. Your link took me so far into oblivion I think I met Polly in cyberspace, but a reload got me back here.

By Midori

January 4, 2009 8:47 PM | Link to this

DB,

I love Randi — haven’t listened to her in a while, but my pet peeve with her is she won’t let her callers talk.

sorta like Tweety in that respect.

By Paul

January 4, 2009 8:47 PM | Link to this

DB

I like the way Hartmann conducts his interviews. Then again, I’m a fan of Diane Rehm on NPR. One does not have to agree with all these folks - but finding someone who states their case well and gives a fair shot to the opposition can be difficult. One can be a passionate advocate without insulting my intelligence.

RW-(The original)

Even though the price seems high, I suppose the copper element could always be sold if times get any tougher!

G’night, all -

By Dusty

January 4, 2009 8:50 PM | Link to this

Is it time for a new topic yet, Bookman?

How about ^Richardson’s Retreat*? “Obama’s Charmer Aint Got No Karma”?

Or “If a tree falls in the forest, does anyone cut it for firewood?”

Or “If Mombay is Bombay, are terrorists teetotalers?”

Well, so much for great philosophical thoughts. I guess I will go watch TV’s “24” instead of Bookman’s “24”. A little more action there. Oh NO!!! A rerun!! But Jack is still shootin’ em up!! Attaboy!!

RW….8:01

We have a Cuisinart coffee maker that looks like a baby juke box, a noble gift indeed. It makes good coffee when I remember to buy coffee beans which is not often. So it is usually the old’ Mr. Coffee who wakes us in the morning. He does OK with lotsa cream.

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 9:00 PM | Link to this

Dusty,

Thanks, but I’m not really interested in the coffee for myself. I have very pedestrian tastes and the Mr. Coffee is a step up from a cup of instant that I’m likely to have. My daughter has a more vested interest in which coffee makers hold up and surprisingly few of them keep their consistency through the first few brewings.

Next time I’m in Dallas I’ll stop by Paul’s and rip the copper out of his though.

How have you been? And a very Happy New Year to you.

By getalife

January 4, 2009 9:02 PM | Link to this

What kind of weapon is this?

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 9:24 PM | Link to this

We don’t need no steenking nuke power. All we need to do is eat more chicken…no…eat more beef…no…eat more camel and kangaroo and greenhouse gases will drop enough to allow us to keep burning fossil fuels while feeding the world’s hungry at the same time. It’s a two-fer just like Obama wants.

By Dusty

January 4, 2009 9:31 PM | Link to this

Dear RW-(the original),@9:00

I’m going to tell your daughter that you are drinking instant coffee! What kind of betrayal is that??

Thanks for the good wishes and the same to you. How many years have we weathered these blogs? As ‘tis often said: Time flies when you’re having fun.

The holidays were great in many ways. Turkey and ham for Christmas and thick steaks on the grill for New Years and I didn’t cook half of it. EVERYBODY was pleased over that!! (I remember you cook up great things!) I’m still the plain Jane of cooking.

We don’t use the Cuisinart enough to be of any help on it’s taste over time. Sounds like your daughter enjoys her work. She may have to “reform” her father’s koffee-klatching. NO instant for believers!!

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 9:58 PM | Link to this

RW—

That’s always good info to know. Yet another of the many areas that I should know more about but don’t. I imagine because of what I’ve read that some blocking of people from sites involves the host file and some way to modify what shows up in the user’s host file, but that’s a vague guess and I could be off base.

I don’t have any doubt that if you have some expertise, you can find your way around most any blocking from a site.

I have seen sites or blogs that were changing their servers and after many users couldn’t reach them, and different advice given to modify the hosts file. I’ve seen MSFT MVP sites on modifying the host file to block people but may that’s the manager’s host file rather than the person they are trying to block.

I do wonder why in the world with the wherewithall of AJC you can’t post in real time. Many many many sites without the resources of Cox allow you to post in real time. I wonder whazzup with that?

Surely whatever someone would post that they deem that offensive could be pulled.

I hope for AJC or Cox’s sake the reason that you can’t post in real time is not because they are IT challenged but I’m not sure.

Thoughts on that?

By Tank

January 4, 2009 10:09 PM | Link to this

What is it with you losers? Talking about coffee and coffee makers on an editorial blog…

Haven’t you heard of instant messaging, texting, etc? Reading your comments is like going to a restaurant and having the person at the next table yak it up on their cell phone.

Get a life…

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 10:14 PM | Link to this

Chad,

I happen to know that the AJC server is capable of real time posting, but it’s specifically the fault of the IT department that it doesn’t happen.

They demand that certain filters that are totally unnecessary be run when we’ve all seen that any post that gets deemed offensive only gets pulled after the fact. It’s inconceivable that posts are being screened out in advance without us ever knowing because an offending poster would modify their posts until they got through.

Jay B has a new topic up above.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 10:47 PM | Link to this

RW—

Yes sound’s like your right. It seems like their IT is being simply sloppy with filters they shouldn’t be “deploying.”

The situation ought to be that the bloggers and I think they have one blog with general topics for discussion ought to demand that real time posting happen since they aren’t prescreening them.

It seems to me, bizarre that they don’t facilitate real time posting.

By The Corporal

January 4, 2009 11:20 PM | Link to this

The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use in the first place.

Sheryl Crow

YAWN

By ken beauhrt

January 5, 2009 12:01 AM | Link to this

Bookman is writing fiction - the cost of the nuclear plants varies, but has NEVER been $17 billion per 2000 MWs of capacity. The cost overruns in Finland were because 1) there is but a single plant, which leads to high design costs due to too small an amortization. 2) That plant in Finland was a PROTOTYPE and anyone that knows squat about engineering will tell you that a prototype’s cost is irrelevant in figuring future costs. I also note that China just completed two nuclear plants at less than $1700 per kilowatt, whioch would result in a cost for the two plants cited as less than $3.5 billion, not the preposterous and fictional $17 billion claimed. That figure also included financing costs, which , I might add, are now far, far lower than when those estimates were made. But suppose that things were really as bad as Bookman claims - those AP 1000 reactors actually produce around 1150 megawatts, and can go higher, say to 1200 megawatts. At $8.5 billion per reactor, that would be around $7 million per megawatt. A typical windmill can produce 1/2 a megawatt and costs around $3 million, or about $6 million per megawatt. But the windmill only lasts 20 years while the nuclear plant is good for at least 60 years, making the windmill costs now three times $3 million, or $9 million. And the windmill has no ability to meet peak demand and thus must be duplicated by a disposable power generator. Now we’re talking well over $10 miilion. Think that the windmill will cost much less to operate because it uses no fuel? You guessed wrong : the nuclear plants today only spend .4 cents per kilowatthour for fuel and less than 1/2 cent to finance the shutdown costs 60 years from now. Wind costs over 10 cents per kilowatthour and isn’t worth anyehre near that much - it is unreliable, uncontrollable and requires excess carbon emissions in order for the grid to back it up. Solar is even more costly. Alternative energy technologies, except for hydroelectric, are universally obsolete and useless. Anti-nukes are those bright folks responsible for global warming - they blocked nuclear power for the past 30 years, resulting in excessive carbon emissions. Bookman is simply not competent about the subject and has no credibility. Costs are available for well over 20 nuclear plants now under construction, and he cherrypicks by far and away the hight cost estimate to use in determining costs. Overall over 300 nuclear plants are in planning or construction stages. Citing a prototype plant, obviously selected because it has by far the higest cost overruns, is pure BS on Bookman’s part. He obviously has no desire to impart knowledge, not that he could even if he wanted to. If you want anystraight info about nuclear costs, look to nuclearinfo.net, an Australian website. There’s no reason Bookman should be allowed to publish such demonstrably silly opinions.

By Jerry Chery

January 5, 2009 12:11 AM | Link to this

Apparently Bookman thinks that a prototype in Finland means something. It doesn’t. ALL proptotypes cost way more than production units. And I might add that over 100 companies are planning to use those same AP1000 reactors. I might also point out to the obviously knowledge-hungry Bookman that the AP1000 is a REACTOR, NOT a power plant. The overruns concerned the POWER PLANT, not the reactor. I also note that $17 billion estimate is pure fantasy - it also includes interest costs, which is a no-no when attmepting to compare technologies. Also I might add that nuclear plants have loan guarantees, so I see little risk to any consumers on that score. And $17 billion , even if true, is still far cheaper thna any other alternative energy technology, by a wide margin, even when compared to the lowest alt energy technology: wind. If Bookman had any knowledge about power technologies, it’s certainly no apparent ro this poorly reasoned article. It power technologies 101 for Bookman , I’m afraid.

By Taxpayer

January 5, 2009 7:27 AM | Link to this

I think Jay made his point very clear for those that want to read and understand versus complain. Where are the trickle-down economics type investors at? Why isn’t the business community stepping up to the plate and taking on some risk instead of pushing it all off on others. If profitable businesses don’t reinvest in the communities that made them profitable in the first place, then what good are they? NO GOOD AND GREEDY. We would be better off with Hugo Chavez’s approach if businesses are not going to work with the people that make their existence possible in the first place. It takes two to tango.

By Taxpayer

January 5, 2009 7:53 AM | Link to this

Corporal,

Yawning is a response that your brain triggers in order to increase oxygen intake. Try getting more exercise and quit smoking.

By The Corporal

January 5, 2009 9:47 AM | Link to this

Taxpayer

I walk a couple of miles everyday and have never smoked.

I yawned because of the boring responses on this thread.

YAWN

By JHV

January 6, 2009 10:58 AM | Link to this

It amazes me that the length’s anti-nukers will go through to fool the public into non rational thinking. The downfall of this country in the last two decades has been the liberal, anti-progressional propaganda that has been shovel fed to America. Unfortunately, American’s have become for the most part stale, non-thinking, ignorant sheep who follow instead of lead. We must start to do our own thinking and understanding instead of following morons who spew unfounded thoughts to the people. What is it going to take? Will we need utter confusion, brown outs, caos, something we have never seen the likes of to finally get the point across? We need nuclear, it should become a portfolio of Americas energy , along with coal and renewables, do not put all your eggs in one basket. It is time to once again work towards our own independance on foreign nations in so many ways. It would be nice if America was totally self reliant again, I would assume it would spur the economy to the point we require.

By Pulpwood Smith

January 7, 2009 2:06 PM | Link to this

PSC Utility Finance Director Tom Newsome is a very wise and handsome man.

By Martin A. Kopp

January 7, 2009 3:21 PM | Link to this

While I was at the 2nd night of the Passover Service and Dinner, I saw my Cousin who I haven’t seen for many many years. Athough he was very much older than myself, he and his wife Florence were very kind to me when I was young and I was sooo happy to see him. However this time he was with his second wife!