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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's inspector general points to significant flaws in reporting of equipment problems at U.S. nuclear plants. There is ambiguity in the reporting requirements, with one section Part 21 of the reporting law requiring reporting defects that can cause a loss of safety functions, and another section requiring reporting only the actual loss of safety functions. As a result 28% of the nuclear plants are not reporting safety defects in equipmment unless this leads to an actual breakdown. This represents an unacceptable level of risk for nuclear plant operations, and the inspector general calls for increasing the margin of safety. In fact the NRC is aware of these lapses in reporting since 2009. NRC has identified 24 such instances between Dec 2009 and Sept 2010, and yet no penalties have been assessed or corrective action taken to make the law clear about the reporting requirements. The lack of a good reporting system complicates things further, because early indentification of defects and defect resolution for equipment problems is critical to effective quality assurance for nuclear operators. Safety defect spotted at one plant could come up in other plants. For this reason the Inspector General's report calls this "a substantial safety hazard."...

LyrArc Article Gist
The new Apple iPhone 4S failed to impress analysts looking for further advances in design and capabilities. This is the fifth generation of the iPhone that was first introduced in 2007. It has a speedier processor, an improved camera, and voice-command services. The iPhone generated $13.3 billion out of total Apple revenue of $28.6 billion, in second quarter 2011. Analysts estimate Apple sold 22 millon iPhones in the third quarter 2011, and is expected to sell 25 million iPhones in the fourth quarter. The 4S iPhone uses the same Apple A5 processor chip that is found in the iPad 2 tablet, with twice the earlier speed for downloading data, and seven times faster speed for graphics enabling better videogame display. A personal assistant software Siri enables voice commands for checking weather and responses to text mesages. Prices start at $199 for 16 gigabyte models with a two year contract. Sprint, AT&T and Verizon will offer the phone.

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The learning loss for elementary school children is much worse than projected after 18 months being out of school. In this school in Pheonix, Arizona, teachers were surprised to see children behind by almost 2 years. The pandemic has turned a growing literacy problem into a crisis.This could be true for other parts of the world, in Europe, India, Latin America, other Asia and Africa too. Students from poorer neighborhoods consistently fare much worse.

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As the heat wave in Spain, in western Canada and in other parts of the world shows, the situation is not getting better. Climate change action needs a new urgency.

LyrArc Article Gist
The name on the bill says it all -The Bipartisan Debt Agreement 2023. As Budget Director Shalanda Young says if you look at it as Democratic or Republican, you have lost already. It is truly bipartisan with the support of the Minority Leader of the Senate, Republican Mitch McConnell, and the Speaker, House Majority leader Kevin McCarthy. Strange as it may sound it sets the stage for other wins as the President in the end stakes his legislative achievements, a strong economy, and a renewing America in the world, for a national bipartisan win for the presidency against his challenger Mr. Trump's purportedly national yet deeply personal agenda. It shows traces of the fights in the past of TR, of FDR, of Lincoln, and Washington, alternately Republican and Democratic but truly American in imagination and foresight.