That omninous glow...

You wanna know what I like? National Geographic Magazine. We just got a subscription (or membership, which makes me feel even better about it) and received our first issue, and I freaking love it. This issue has an article about light pollution, which we became very aware of after moving here. Just check out this image and you'll see what it's about. The magazine actually has a map that identifies different degrees of darkness and where you can still find really dark skies.

Other than that, not too much is going on. I found some Ohio Players records at a flea market a few weeks ago, and that is some funky stuff, let me tell you. Now this is not counting as a proper review, but Pleasure, Skin Tight, Fire and Honey are all pretty good. There was something else I observed the other day, but I forgot what it was. Sorry.

Instead I'll tell you why I'm not an Obama fan. Sure, he probably was the better choice, but let's remember one thing: He's just a politician. And history has taught us that you can't rely on them to do anything that's really great. I guess it's part of the job, but still, everything is not suddenly going to be awesome because of one guy moving to a new house. I don't see myself ever being a fan of any politician. That's reason number one.

Reason number two is his endorsement of nuclear energy (which for some reason the German media chooses to ignore or at least downplay, but instead claims he supports only renewable energy). And what's worse, his endorsement is part of a disturbing discourse that has only recently crept its way into the political debate. Somehow and for some reason, it's really beyond ludicrous, nuclear energy is being touted as clean these days. CLEAN! There is absolutely nothing clean about it.

When it comes to matters of politics I try to base my opinions on reason and follow lines of arguments that are logical and can be applied to other circumstances and issues as well. So that overall, arguments are consistent and make sense. And whenever possible, I try to base my opinion on scientific fact.

But claiming that nuclear energy is clean defies all reason and known fact, while ignoring the lessons of history. Uranium is strip-mined in the 3rd World and incidents at nuclear plants can have disastrous consequences. But worst of all, we don't know what to do with the waste. And I don't consider the current "solution" to be even remotely feasible. Cause burying it in a abysmal hole in a really thick-walled box is not a way to get rid of nuclear waste at all. Actually, it's a preposterous suggestion that defies all reason and displays a irrational and arrogant faith in science I thought humanity had long overcome. Those containers will have to last longer than recorded human history to safely contain the hazardous materials within them (assuming I understand the science behind this correctly). They will need to last longer than anything man-made has ever lasted, and survive whatever political and social change lies ahead of us. Further ahead of us than we recorded our past. They're having problems with these containers and the people that run the storage facilities in technologically advanced and politically stable nations such as my home country. This somehow reminds me of this boat they once built that was unsinkable, and that big balloon that blew up with a bunch of people in it.

Yeah, you're catching my drift. If abandoned underground mines stuffed full of nuclear waste (remember that the effectiveness of gamma ray blockers is measured by how thick the material has to be to block 50% of radiation, so the radiation is never completely blocked, as I understand) don't make you feel uncomfortable, maybe the increased risk of nuclear material falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue nations does. The more of that stuff is around, the easier it will be for people to get a hold of it. I wish I had something more cheerful to say, but the resuscitation of the nuclear debate has been bothering me for a while now. Sure, it might be cheap and easy now, but if we dedicate our efforts to renewable sources and cleaner fossil fuel plants, I think it's not hard to pick the lesser evil. Heck, I'd rather flood a few valleys, as devastating as it can be, than build any nuclear plants.