March 2021

Nuclear Reactors 879 - Problems With Welds Discovered At The Flamaneville EPR In France

     EDF is a major nuclear company in France. They notified the nuclear safety regulator of France which is the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASN) on March 3rd of a significant event related to a design anomaly on three nozzles of the main primary system of the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) currently under construction at Flamanville.

Nuclear Reactors 878 - Lightbridge To Concentrate On Fuel For Small Modular Reactors

Lightbridge Corporation has decided to prioritize the development of fuel for future small modular reactors rather than producing fuel for current large power reactors. The company is also considering a zirconium-plutonium version of its fuel. Seth Grae is the President and CEO of Lightbridge. He made these comments in a public statement before a webcast.

New Starbucks Spring Drinks

Oh Starbucks. Why am I such a sucker for all of your new drinks? I don't even love them all of the time (although I do most of the time)! When I cut out sugar, you can always count on Starbucks to pop its mermaid head around the corner and say, "Hey there, how about something fun?" It's like the ex that won't go away.

Two new drinks for spring are definitely delectable. I'd order both again, although I'm going to try not to:

Spring Must-Reads

Right now I'm finishing up my winter must-read list and I must admit that I went ahead and moved a few to next winter's lists. I never get though the whole list I create for myself, and honestly I think it's a fun problem to have! I will never run out of books that I want to read, for sure. According to Goodreads, I'm one book ahead of schedule for my goal of reading 121 books for the year, so I think it's fair.

An Ounce of Prevention

Any healthcare worker knows the importance of overall wellbeing. People are often blamed for "waiting until the last minute" to see a doctor but when they have to choose between rent and that bill, what do they pick? People are shamed for unhealthy bodies when they live in food deserts, work multiple jobs and/or sit at a desk for most of the day, among other complex issues in modern society.

Selfies With Deadly Animals

It's always terrible when a tourist unwittingly takes a selfie with a large animal only to be mauled or worse. While you have empathy for them not knowing better, you always wish they'd done a little research. Remember the young woman who was disappointed because she found out that mastodons were extinct and she thought she'd get to see one someday? A little research goes a long way.

Cage-Free Eggs are on the Rise

Did you know that global meat production has increased by 100 percent since 1988? That makes me so sad. I'm not a practicing vegetarian anymore but it makes me consider expanding my meatless days to most of the week instead of just three days. Wow, is that a lot of meat. And much of it is now produced via the American factory farm model, which is just awful.

Yummy Easter Beverages

Easter is almost here, so it's time to make those springy, flavorful drinks to celebrate! Personally we are thinking of getting Mexican for Easter this year--just as something different since we won't be able to be with family again--and I have jalapeno margaritas on the brain. Even so, there are so many other yummy concoctions that it's hard to narrow it down to just one.

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