Words are spoken an, while we may understand the meaning, it is strange to our ears when they are mispronounced. Worse than that is by whom they are mispronounced and how they get to be accepted as correct because of the status of the one who mispronounces. Nuclear ( adj \ˈnü-klē-ər, ˈnyü-, ÷-kyə-lər\) not nooc-uh-lar as has been pronounced by so many, especially G W Bush.
The English have a word for adornments, it is jewellery. However, in American English it is jewelry with the root being from gem or jewel. However, I too often hear people pronounce it as: jew-lery.
Yet another is realtor: \ˈrē(-ə)l-tər, -ˌtȯr, ÷ˈrē-lə-tər also rē-ˈal-tər\ It is not pronounced real-a ter. Eventually dictionaries bow to the worst of us and change the dictionaries. Nauseated used to be an adjective that because of its misuse is now accepted in dictionaries as a synonym for nauseous. Nauseous used to mean a person was disgusting.
Add to those who guess.at the meaning of words they hear and go through life using them inaccurately to the point that the rest of us question our own understanding of the word.
There are many more of these but I will have to start keeping a list of them before I can come up with Part 2.
Showing posts with label radioactive danger for nuclear power disasters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label radioactive danger for nuclear power disasters. Show all posts
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, August 6, 2010
WHEN DANGER CATCHES UP WITH YOU
Sometimes things take a long time to work themselves up to real danger. Today I heard about the two and a half million wild boars that are being caught and eaten in Germany. Chernobyl had scattered radiation which has gotten into the earth and has contaminated the meat of the boars which is then eaten by humans. The boars are rampaging. They usually have litters of six to eight.piglets. Listen to the story on NPR.
These are mutant wild boars and are plaguing Germany as their litters have again or double the litters in other countries. Read more here
The Spiegel report also says that German government payments compensating hunters for lost income due to radioactive wild boar meat have quadrupled since 2007. Last year , about $555,000 was paid to hunters who found themselves with inedible boar meat, due to its radioactivity. The hunters would have otherwise sold the meat, but it was deemed unfit for human consumption.
The report also explained that wild boars are specially susceptible to radioactive contamination due to their predilection for chomping on mushrooms and truffles, which are particularly efficient at absorbing radioactivity. Experts are predicting the problem of radioactive wild boars will plague Germany "for at least the next 50 years." More here.
We have politicians pushing for more nuclear power stations. The wild boars in Germany don't make me feel more attracted to the idea than allowing BP to dig more oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. The potential for major catastrophic harm ultimately to humans loom too greatly for me to feel comfortable about the idea. So far, energy produced pretty much solely by Nature, such as water, wind, solar, seems safer. These elements for power require no toxic waste storage such as spent radioactive material.
The idea of using radioactive material was seen as a 'glowing' success (pun intended) but like the Valdez and BP oil spills among others. Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and a few more we could mention, if I could think of them, just as a straight line is the shortest route between two points, the simplest way with no toxic residue is the way to go with our power needs for the future...keeping it as renewable energy...very green!
The Spiegel report also says that German government payments compensating hunters for lost income due to radioactive wild boar meat have quadrupled since 2007. Last year , about $555,000 was paid to hunters who found themselves with inedible boar meat, due to its radioactivity. The hunters would have otherwise sold the meat, but it was deemed unfit for human consumption.
The report also explained that wild boars are specially susceptible to radioactive contamination due to their predilection for chomping on mushrooms and truffles, which are particularly efficient at absorbing radioactivity. Experts are predicting the problem of radioactive wild boars will plague Germany "for at least the next 50 years." More here.
We have politicians pushing for more nuclear power stations. The wild boars in Germany don't make me feel more attracted to the idea than allowing BP to dig more oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. The potential for major catastrophic harm ultimately to humans loom too greatly for me to feel comfortable about the idea. So far, energy produced pretty much solely by Nature, such as water, wind, solar, seems safer. These elements for power require no toxic waste storage such as spent radioactive material.
The idea of using radioactive material was seen as a 'glowing' success (pun intended) but like the Valdez and BP oil spills among others. Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and a few more we could mention, if I could think of them, just as a straight line is the shortest route between two points, the simplest way with no toxic residue is the way to go with our power needs for the future...keeping it as renewable energy...very green!
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