Gary, I know you're very proud of your Nipponese heritage, and that this disaster must disturb you greatly. Good thoughts and prayers for the safety of your family, and the speedy restoration of normalcy in the country.
As to the nuclear power discussion, I certainly don't want to glow in the dark. Nor do I want to be in the dark. Safer, more sustainable power sources exist all around us but, as is often the case, the devil is in the details and economics. I read somewhere not long ago that a single moderately-sized thunderstorm generates enough electricity to theoretically power the entire US for something like an hour. Capturing and storing that energy? Not feasible - at least not yet. Nuclear-oil-coal-gas will be with us for quite a while to come, despite their various flaws. Hobson's choice.
