October 2019

Nuclear Reactors 723 - Moltex Energy Turns To Crowdfunding For Its Molten Salt Reactor - Part 1 of 3 Parts

Part 1 of 3 Parts
     There are many problems with nuclear power but one of the biggest is the cost of licensing and construction a nuclear power reactor. The cost of nuclear construction is steadily rising while the cost of renewables and natural gas. Now a group in the U.K. is trying to pioneer a new method of funding a molten salt reactor.

Vice President Mike Pence Opened the International Astronautics Congress In Washington, D.C. This Week

     A few days ago, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence spoke during the opening session of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Washington, D.C. Pence is the chairman of the White House’s National Space Council. More than six thousand people registered for the event and many of them had to stand in line for security checks to get into the opening ceremony. 

Radioactive Waste 420 - Scientists At The Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf Discover A New Stable Form Of Plutonium

     All fifteen previously known forms of the element plutonium are radioactive. This means that they are unstable and decay into lighter elements. Now an international team led by the Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has discovered a new compound of plutonium with a surprising pentavalent oxidation state. They made this discovery on the European Synchrotron in Grenoble, France (ESRF).

Delving Into A Sonnet

My teen is currently working on a sonnet project for a class, and each week the class delves deeper into the sonnet each youth has chosen, uncovering more layers until they fully understand what the sonnet means--not only in terms of Shakespeare's intent but their own interpretations. The teens will be performing them at the end of the semester for parents and other guests, and my teen, as creative as the kid is, has yet to come up with a plan for the presentation.

Marshmallow Goodness

I am in love with a new marshmallow trend that I see popping up everywhere. People are adding little ghost peep marshmallows to their coffee, hot chocolate and other hot drinks and it's just adorable! I've seen people add eyes and mouths to make regular marshmallows into ghosts as well, and it's also pretty cute. It got me wondering if any of our Good Drinking friends put marshmallows in their drinks, especially if it's something other than cocoa?

Are Evening Meds Better?

For years, people would take their medicine without much cause for worry. If anything, they might wonder whether or not they need food with the medicine, or maybe whether it would interact with other medications, but time of day hasn't usually been a concern until recently. Today we have learned that many meds interact (antibiotics can make birth control useless, please spread that around!), some make others more potent and that taking them at the same time every day can be beneficial, not to mention help you remember to take them.

Cold Weather Cocktails

Now that cold weather is upon us, it's time to start whipping up a few cold weather cocktails! I love the cooler weather so much, but I do get really cold these days to the point where I wear layers. I remember in my teens being so warm all of the time that I rarely even wore a jacket, and now adult me is admiring peacoats and layering my socks when I go outside in the winter.

Crock Pot Fever

Crockpot season is here, Hungry Bloggers, and I couldn't be more excited if I tried! How about you? I love so much about this season, but I love crockpot cooking because it's so simple and delicious. The slow cooking ensures a really tender meal, and I can make super easy soup without having to stand over the stove (which, let's be honest, is a treat when it's cold). It's easy to do, and you can cook while you do other things, which is my ultimate dream.

Outlaw Conversion Therapy Now

As a parent, I'm appalled that spanking remains a legal form of punishment for a child. It's illegal to spank anyone from a convicted felon to a dog, which is how it should be, yet our most vulnerable members of society are perfectly fine to knock around? No. It's not okay, and neither is conversion "therapy" for gay kids, which is just as harmful. Both need to be outlawed immediately.

Fit Ring Games

Nintendo's Fit Ring launched last week, prompting us to ask out of intense curiosity: what are you playing, and what's good for game night? Apparently there are plenty of options for group game play, and it's even better than Super Mario Party because you can just get a game going within your group without having to plan ahead of time. Ring Fit Adventure is supposed to be really fun, and, according to the linked review, even more fun for tipsy players! 

Chytrid Fungus Can Grow In More Places

Frog lovers who follow Frog Source know that we've talked a lot about the deadly chytrid fungus that wipes out frogs at an alarming rate, and today we found out about some disturbing news regarding the fungus. The one consolation that we had regarding the disease was that it only survived in cold climates, which would have kept it contained to the mountainous areas researchers previously found it in.

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