• Latest

Pandora’s Promise ****

April 14, 2014
Student Artwork Graces Downtown Storefront

Student Artwork Graces Downtown Storefront

May 17, 2022
Vermont Plants Sunflowers for Ukraine Solidarity Update

Vermont Plants Sunflowers for Ukraine Solidarity Update

May 17, 2022

Upper Valley Everyone Eats Returns to Gifford in May

May 17, 2022
African Queen (1951)

Some Like it Hot (1959)

May 17, 2022
Just Some Thoughts

A Million Little Miracles

May 17, 2022
Young Wildlife Belong in the Wild

Young Wildlife Belong in the Wild

May 10, 2022
Make-A-Wish® Crowns Best Beard in Vermont and Raises Over $90,000 at Sixth Annual Vermont Beardies

Make-A-Wish® Crowns Best Beard in Vermont and Raises Over $90,000 at Sixth Annual Vermont Beardies

May 10, 2022
“Washington WORLD” Turns 50

“Washington WORLD” Turns 50

May 10, 2022
African Queen (1951)

Late Spring (1949)

May 10, 2022

Vermonters Turn In Nearly 3.5 Tons of Unneeded Medication on Prescription Drug Take Back Day

May 10, 2022

Legislators Condemn Anti-LGBTQ+ Violence

May 3, 2022
African Queen (1951)

The Lost Weekend (1945)

May 3, 2022
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Sunday, May 22, 2022
The World Online
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

Pandora’s Promise ****

vt-world by vt-world
April 14, 2014
in Max's View
0

 

Now Available on Netflix

 

I just watched an eye-opening documentary on Netflix about nuclear energy and how wonderful it is for mankind.

“Come on, Max. Why did you let yourself get bamboozled by that right-wing corporate propaganda?”

I didn’t. Believe it or not, this is an environmentalist movie. Made by environmentalists, for environmentalists.

The documentary’s narrators are five former activists who used to protest nuclear power plants until they learned the other side of the argument.

“If you are against nuclear power,” one narrator decisively concludes, “you are in favor of the expansion of burning fossil fuels for electricity.” That is the crux of the film’s argument. And it’s the inconvenient truth that most environmentalists don’t want to hear.

We have to get our electricity from somewhere. You may want to think that our demand for power can be met with solar panels and windmills. But that just isn’t the way the world works. The actual alternatives to nuclear power are natural gas, oil, and coal.

Especially coal. Old-fashioned, disgusting coal burning is the number one source of electricity for planet earth. And the amount we are burning isn’t falling; it’s skyrocketing. Only nuclear power plants can stop the coal fires from burning.

If you are concerned about global warming but instinctively suspicious about nuclear energy, “Pandora’s Promise” will give you a lot to think about.

Director Robert Stone doesn’t ignore the risks of nuclear meltdowns. He tackles the issue head on.

Older readers remember the 1979 incident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. What they may not remember is that nobody died. It was frightening, but ultimately not very destructive. And there hasn’t been an incident like it in the United States in the 35 years since.

People definitely did die in the dreadful nuclear explosion at Ukraine’s Chernobyl plant in 1986. Chernobyl is the ultimate weapon in the anti-nuclear activist’s arsenal.

The movie argues, however, that an incident like Chernobyl could not possibly happen in the United States. The Soviets failed to build a steel or lead containment structure around the reactor as is standard procedure in all American facilities.

Chernobyl was a deadly nightmare for the people working at the plant and an unimaginable horror for the clean-up workers who died of radiation sickness. But, surprisingly, its effect on the general population has been minimal.

The film demonstrates this by taking us to the town of Pripyat, Ukraine. In 1987, while the Soviet government was still blocking the roads, a handful of brave locals sneaked through the woods to return to their homes.

We see an interview with an elderly Eastern Orthodox clergyman who was one of the first to return. A quarter century of living in the shadow of the burnt out reactor has had no effect on his health or the health of his neighbors.

The future of nuclear power looks bright. Nuclear technology is advancing in exciting and earth-friendly ways. Newly built reactors can use the recycled nuclear waste from old reactors as fuel.

They can also use old nuclear weapons as fuel. In fact, this is already happening. According to film, half of the fuel used in American nuclear reactors is from dismantled nuclear warheads. Some people fear that more nuclear plants equals more nuclear weapons. Apparently the opposite is true.

“Pandora’s Promise,” as you can tell, is a propaganda film. It makes no effort to give equal time to the anti-nuke crowd.

But, propaganda or not, the film is very convincing. If you are concerned about global warming, you need to seriously consider the benefits of nuclear power.

 

Previous Post

Graves-Lusignan

Next Post

Hunt Safely in Turkey Season

Next Post

Hunt Safely in Turkey Season

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In