Excellent day for a little run after work! Mid/high-70s and sunny and traffic wasn't too bad...

Some things I found interesting...

Definitely - http://www.universetoday.com/85797/dazzling-timelapse-canary-skies/

RIP Spirit Rover - http://tomsastroblog.com/?p=8736

A collection of (what the linked author believes are) some of the best pics from Endeavour's final mission - http://www.universetoday.com/85924/best-images-from-sts-134-endeavours-final-mission-part-1/


What happened in Congress yesterday? - http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/B?r112:@FIELD(FLD003+d)+@FIELD(DDATE+20110524)

Live stream from Endeavour - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts134/status.html

Top 10 items on THOMAS week of 5/22/11; NRC docs for Browns Ferry from 5/14/11 to 5/21/11; Nature's April Fury

Top ten legislative items searched on THOMAS, compiled on 5/22/2011 from weekly usage statistics

1. H.R. 1473 - [112th] - Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
2. H.R. 1540 - [112th] - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012
3. H.R. 754 - [112th] - Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011
4. H.R. 4173 - [111th] - Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
5. H.R. 3590 - [111th] - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
6. H.R. 1351 - [112th] - United States Postal Service Pension Obligation Recalculation and Restoration Act of 2011
7. H.R. 3 - [112th] - No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
8. H.R. 1 - [112th] - Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
9. H.R. 1380 - [112th] - New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2011
10. H.R. 3162 - [107th] - Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001

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1. ML11108A034 - Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3 - Resumption of Review of the Proposed Extended Power Uprate Amendment (TAC NOS. MD5262, MD5263, and MD5264) (TS-431).
2. ML11112A148 - G20110283/LTR-11-0230/EDATS: SECY-2011-0247 - E-mail, Dick Griest, Regarding Watts Bar Visit with Senator Lamar Alexander on April 18, 2011.
3. ML11129A187 - Browns Ferry, Unit 2, Response to NRC Request for Additional Information Regarding Relief Request 2-ISI-1, Updated Risk Informed Inservice Inspection Program.
4. ML111330758 - IR 05000259-11-002, 05000260-11-002, 05000296-11-002 & 07200052-11-002, on 01/01/2011 - 03/31/2011, Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 & 3, NRC Integrated Inspection and Notice of Violation.
5. ML102860126 - Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3 - Updated Reply to Notice of Violation; EA-09-307.
6. ML111380696 - Press Release-II-11-037: NRC Schedules Public Meeting for May 31 to Discuss Performance of Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant.
7. ML11132A121 - Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3, Boiling Water Reactor Vessel and Internals Project - Notification of Deviation from BWRVIP-25, "BWR Core Plate Inspection and Flaw Evaluation Guidelines."

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April was obviously a VERY rough month as far as tornadic storms were concerned. The previous monthly tornado record for the month of April (April '74) was 267. In April 2011, there were 875 tornadoes reported with 625 confirmed so far. The video at the link below shows the monthly satellite loop with red dots denoting where tornadoes formed.

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory - Satellites Capture Record U.S. Tornado Activity from April 1 - April 30

All I can say is wow!!!

I prefer a bit more sun, but the temperature and traffic weren't bad for 7.1 miles this afternoon...

Endeavour's final launch, NRC docs for BFN for last week, 2 weeks to the Cotton Row

Sitting here watching the last several minutes of Endeavour's last countdown/launch.

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NRC docs for Browns Ferry from 5/07 to 5/14. One interesting thing is the 5/31/11 public meeting @ 1300.

1. ML11124A150 - Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 and 3 - Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report - 2010.
   
   
2. ML111250450 - Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 and 3 - Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Report- 2010 for the period January through December 2010.



3. ML111230246 - EN-11-011 - Issuance of Final Significance Determination and Notice of Violation (TVA - Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 1).



4. ML111290482 - EA-11-018, Browns Ferry, Final Signficance Determination of Red Finding, Notice of Violation and Assessment Follow-up Letter 2011008.



5. ML111310131 - Statement of Continuation of Reasonable Assurance for Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant Restart.



6. ML111300213 - Press Release-II-11-034: NRC Finds Valve Failure at Browns Ferry to Be of High Safety Significance.



7. ML111310667 - 05/31/2011 Notice of Forthcoming Public Meeting to Present the Annual Assessment of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Performance and to Provide Opportunities to Discuss with the Public the NRC Reactor Oversight Process.



8. ML11126A096 - 06/08/11 Notice of Meeting with Petitioner Requesting Action Under 10CFR2.206 Regarding Immediate Suspension of Operating Licenses of General Electric Mark 1 Boiling Water Reactors.



9. ML11108A058 - Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1 And 3 Request To Use Subsequent Edition Of ASME Code Repair And Replacement Activities.



10. ML111330509 - Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant - NRC Temporary Instruction 2515/183 Inspection Report 05000259/2011009, 05000260/2011009, 05000296/2011009.

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Two weeks to the 2011 Cotton Row Run. I hope the weather cooperates!

Caught the beginning of SNL last night and saw this hilarious fake ad...

NRC stuff 4/23 - 5/7 and...

NRC stuff regarding Browns Ferry first:

1. ML111170549 - NUREG/CR-4413, Loss of Control Air at Browns Ferry Unit One - Accident Sequence Analysis.
2. ML072210342 - LTR-07-0521 - Ltr. Vanessa Quinn, re: Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency s Identification of a Deficiency During the Browns Ferry Radiological Emergency Preparedness Exercise Conducted on 7/25/07
3. ML100680452 - Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant Exercise - November 2009, Final Report - Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program.
4. ML11105A151 - Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3, Response to Request for Additional Information Regarding Technical Specifications Change TS-474 - TS 3.7.3, "Control Room Emergency Ventilation System," Dated March 10, 2011.
5. ML11109A118 - Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3, Sequoyah, Units 1 and 2, Watts Bar, Units 1 and 2, and Bellefonte, Units 1 and 2, Service List Update for Documents Containing Official Use Only and Safeguards Information.
6. ML11115A039 - Notice of Deviation Pursuant to 10 CFR 21, NPKC-7-21A(N) Splice Kit with Possible Compromised Jacket Seal.
7. ML11115A099 - LER 10-003-02, for Browns Ferry, Unit 3, Regarding Multiple Test Failures of Excess Flow Check Valves.
8. ML111180005 - PNO-II-11-003 - Preliminary Notification of Event or Unusual Occurence.
9. ML111180062 - Press Release-II-11-030: NRC Monitors Events at Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant After Loss of Offsite Power and Unusual Event Declaration.
10. ML11118A002 - 2011/04/27 NRR E-mail Capture - Acceptance review results: Request for relief 3-ISI-26
11. ML111190004 - PNO-II-11-003A - Preliminary Notification of Unusual Event due to Loss of Offsite Power (Update).
12. ML111230070 - PNO-II-11-003B, Preliminary Notification of Event or Unusual Occurrence.
13. ML11125A029 - Browns Ferry, Notification of Inspection and Request for Information.
14. ML11118A154 - Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 and 3 - Request For Additional Information Regarding Completion Time Extension for TS 3.8.1 Required Action B.4 - Emergency Diesel Generators A, B, C, D, 3A, 3B, 3C, And 3D (TAC No. ME5036, ME5037, And ME5038).

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Well, come Wednesday, it will have been two weeks since storms unlike many of us have seen (and/or experienced) in our lives RAVAGED the southeast US. First and foremost, hundreds of people were killed. A large number of people had their homes and EVERYTHING ELSE swept away. I didn't have the slightest clue about what to say and, frankly, I still don't. It's awesome to see people coming together to clean up and start to rebuild. In general, it seems that this is a frequent pattern in humanity. Destruction comes (in many assorted forms) and communities bond through the catastrophe. What always boggles me is how these same communities seemingly drift back apart in the months and years following the rebound...

To all of you moms out there....

Happy Mother's Day!

Check out this map from the April 15th severe weather (much of which was centered in Alabama)....

View April 15, 2011 Tornado Outbreak in a larger map

NBC Nightly News corrects typewriter demise story; Chernobyl at 25; BAD Weather April

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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As I'm sure most folks are aware, today is the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl Accident. Just about three weeks ago, we hit 32 years post-TMI. And we are currently in the consequence mitigation and clean-up phase of the only other nuclear accident to rank with Chernobyl (the linked article includes all the Japanese nuclear plants affected by the earthquake but Fukushima Daiichi is the only other INES 7). However, there are differences. TMI was largely a result of poor maintenance/operation and needed improvement in training and information sharing. Many documents concerning TMI are available, but here is the TMI-2 Lessons Learned Task Force Final Report (NUREG-0585). Chernobyl was also mainly caused by people. Here's the NRC's Report on the Accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station (NUREG-1250). We've still got a long way to go and a lot to learn from Japan. However, at present, the bulk of the problems still appear to have been caused by Mother Nature. Mind you, we will probably discover mistakes made by people in the handling of the Japanese accidents. Speaking of which, the first and second public meetings regarding the NRC's Response to the Japanese events are coming soon. I think that the US nuclear industry will see quite a few changes.

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Well, I'll leave with the news of a record-breaking April regarding severe weather. Keep in mind, there are more serious storms wreaking havoc in the US as I type. Keep an eye to the sky!!!

Last Typewriter Factory in the World Shuts Its Doors - The Atlantic

Last Typewriter Factory in the World Shuts Its Doors - The Atlantic

I remember using a typewriter and now they are dying...

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For what it's worth, the NRC didn't post any documents regarding Browns Ferry in their online repository last week. If you have a particular nuclear plant you are keeping track of, I'll provide my example query and you can change it to your needs. First, go to the NRC ADAMS page. One you're there, click on the "Advanced Search" tab. Here's the query I used to find stuff about Browns Ferry (any of the three units) posted between 4/16/11 and 4/23/11:

e_create_date:{04/16/2011 TO 04/23/11} Docket_Number:(05000259 OR 05000260 OR 05000296)

The fields are pretty obvious. The info in the brackets with e_create_date is the date range and the numbers in the parentheses with Docket_Number are the Docket Number(s) you are interested in. Here's one place you can readily find docket numbers. Happy searching!

3 new footbags

I ordered these 3 new footbags from http://www.worldfootbag.com/ on 4/18/11 and received them in Alabama (from Colorado) on 4/21/11. If you're in need of footbags (aka hacky sacks), juggling equipment, Frisbees or a few other assorted items, give these guys a look!

One word...

PIZZA!!!

I hate it when...

I set my alarm to wake me up 3-1/2 hours before I'm supposed to be at work and I wake up half an hour before the alarm. By this point, many folks ask "Why 3-1/2 hours early?"...

I like to get up and pour/drink my first quart of coffee, check the news/e-mail, knock out several miles on the treadmill and get ready for work and do so at an "ease into the day" pace.

Oh well, it beats the heck out of yesterday when I woke up one hour before I was supposed to be at work...

Here we go!!!

Weird Al smacks it with Perform This Way (Gaga parody)

No earth-shattering info here. My new sacks are on the way.

I just ordered a Mr. Sandbag Footbag, Mr. Sandbag Facile Footbag and a SandBlaster Footbag. My old Stally® footbags were (and still are) rapidly approaching the great hack circle in the sky...

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Well, it's time for sustenance. As an accompaniment to our salmon, we've got this "Artichoke Casserole" from a Justin Wilson recipe:

4 cans artichoke hearts, drained
½ c. dry white wine
¼ c. olive oil
1 c. parmesan cheese
2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 t. onion powder
½ t. garlic powder
Cayenne pepper, to taste

Grease casserole dish
Quarter artichoke hearts
Combine everything but bread crumbs
Put in dish and top with bread crumbs
Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees

Weekly top 10 @ thomas.loc.gov & SUCKAGE

First, the weekly top 10 from thomas.loc.gov"

Top ten legislative items searched on THOMAS, compiled on 4/17/2011 from weekly usage statistics

1. H.R. 1473 - [112th] - Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
2. H.R. 1363 - [112th] - Department of Defense and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
3. H.R. 1 - [112th] - Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
4. H.R. 1380 - [112th] - New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2011
5. H.R. 1217 - [112th] - To repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund
6. H.R. 4 - [112th] - Comprehensive 1099 Taxpayer Protection and Repayment of Exchange Subsidy Overpayments Act of 2011
7. H.R. 1255 - [112th] - Government Shutdown Prevention Act of 2011
8. H.R. 25 - [112th] - Fair Tax Act of 2011
9. H.R. 1351 - [112th] - United States Postal Service Pension Obligation Recalculation and Restoration Act of 2011
10. H.R. 4173 - [111th] - Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

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If the cloud cover would cooperate, the International Space Station is supposed to be doing a North Alabama transit tonight (and a few more nights between now and May 2). I think viewing tonight is going to be right out...

Quickie here....

For all of you Alabama folks, if you're ever looking up the status of Alabama legislation and don't remember who your elected Senator/Representative is, you can use this:

Find Your Legislator

Enter ZIP Code

   

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While I'm at it...

Alabama taxpayer money funds the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL). You used to have to get a specific card from your local library. Now, the AVL uses Geographic IP guessing (Geotargeting). Geotargeting is generally pretty good, but if (as an example) you work at a place whose network address originates outside of Alabama, you'll need a username/password (i.e. AVL card). Hence, a card is still useful.

Sunny and comfortable and not too windy...

Time for about 7 miles

Dang!!!

Between 4/14 and 4/16 (according to preliminary data), there were 217 tornadoes (as of the time of posting this). If you click the image, you'll be taken to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center's storm report page for 4/15/2011. From there, it's easy to click and see the reports for the day before and the day after...

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I've posted here about the Yahoo! News Topics pages before. Here are two of interest regarding the Japanese quake and tsunami and the ensuing nuclear plant problems:

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Japan Nuclear Crisis