__7 CHUCK GREEN Who needs refrigerator lights? There’s an old joke about your refrigerator light and whether or not it goes out when you shut the door. Well, does it or doesn’t it? Who would know? Who would care? There are a lot of useless things— such as the light in your refrigerator —thatonewondersaboutafterstudy ing for three hours for a test, or while camping out in the library to do re search for a paper. After thinking about such things for a while, one realizes that the world could do without a lot of them. For instance: Drivers who don ’t turn right on red lights, no matter what. People who don’t flush toilets in public restrooms. People who do flush the toilets, but don’t need to because they barely managed to hit the bowl in the first place. People who unscrew salt and/or pepper shaker lids at restaurants for the benefit of the next person who uses them. People who don’t leave messages on answering machines. People who do leave messages, but neglect to leave a number where they can be reached. People who boast about their per fect driving records, citing the fact that they they’ve never been in a car accident, although you know deep down that their slow, scared driving habits have caused at least 10 fender benders in the past year. Smokers who say they’re worried about the environment. Smokers who smoke in movie theaters. Smokers who smoke in restaurants. Smokers. Period. Drug users. Mass murderers. The Miami Hurricanes football team. This kind of goes along with the last three. The UNL Parking Advisory Com mittee. f Technical difficulties during Game 7 of the World Series. Lincoln radio stations and their annoying air personalities. Top 40 music. Busy signals on telephones for hours and hours. The Reagans. Out-of-order automated teller machines. Grouchy receptionists. Pink lies. Men who tell sexist jokes just to get a rise out of female co-workers. Women who act offended at sex ist jokes, then repeat the same jokes to their friends, giggling hysterically all the while. Madonna. Political campaigns. Athletes who hypocritically speak out against the evils of drug use. Half of these guys usually wind up in jail on some drug charge. Arena football. People who arrive 30 minutes late at crowded football or basketball games. Cigarette butts in urinals. People who put rolls of toilet pa per in upside down. People who read into something what they want, regardless of the facts. Raking leaves. Shoveling snow. Nebraska’s fall weather. It’s a guess from day to day. Fast-food employees who, after you’ve Finished placing your order at the drive-through window, ask whether you’d like fries, hot sauce, anything to drink, etc., with what you’ve just finished ordering. Telemarketers. Not being able to recognize some one who obviously remembers, knows and loves you. Iraq. People who don ’ t look at you when you’re talking to them. Dan Quayle. People who don’t watch where they’re walking. People, especially on UNL’s campus, who mistakenly think pe destrians always have the right of way. Nose-pickers. Butt-pickers. Nit-pickers. Green is a news-ed itorial major, the Dail y Nebraskan’s assistant sports editor and a columnist. I_—_I There are a lot of useless things — such as the light in vour refrigerator — that one wooden about after studvine for thm. hours. Oil a test. QL while, camp ing out in the library to do research for a paper, After thinking about such things for a while, one realizes Nuclear power currently best option James Zank’s article (“Nuclear power not worth cost,” DN, Sept. 23) on nuclear power needs to be ad dressed on two issues: 1. Nuclear power does not reduce U.S. dependence on petroleum in regards to transportation. True, we probably can T put a reactor under the hood of your Buick. What we can do is make our existing engines more efficient, find new sources of energy and change our driving habits. Natu ral gas and propane are looked on as promising new sources of energy to fuel transportation. General Motors plans to begin selling a pickup truck that runs solely on natural gas, a fuel that releases significantly less of the “greenhouse gases.” 2. Nuclear power is not cost-effec tive and is not safe. Zank refers to the accident at Three Mile Island. To examine the hard facts, very little radiation was actually released dur ing the incident. A study commis sioned by Columbia University and the Audubon Society and published in the June issue of the American Journal of Health found no evidence of an increase in cancer in the Three Mile Island area as a result of the accident. Then you ask, “What about Cher nobyl?” Chernobyl was an accident resulting from the removal of safe guards on a Soviet reactor. In the wake of Chernobyl, the Soviet Union is now cooperating with international organizations in improving their nuclear facilities. Zank also stated that the estimated odds of a meltdown in a U.S. reactor was 45 percent. While this may shock some people, consider the following: What are the odds of a plane crash at a major U.S. airport in the next year? What are the odds of a fire striking a major national park? What are the odds of a major earthquake hitting the West Coast? All have flirty high odds, and all pose the threat of significant loss of property and life. Yet people still fly, visit Yellowstone (which is recovering nicely, thank you) and move to California. As for cost effectiveness, consider France. Nuclear power satisfies 75 percent of its nation*! power needs. In fact, it recently commissioned the building of another nuclear plant. Nuclear energy is not what you see on “The Simpsons” and it’s not the perfect solution to all U.S. problems. Nuclear energy is one alternative to the burning of petrochemicals, with both pros and cons. Research into alternative forms of energy is both desirable and necessary, but until alternative methods of energy pro duction become cost-feasible, Amer ica must use the methods that are cheap and acceptable for the greatest benefit to its populace. Nuclear en ergy is the best method available at the present time. Richard Case graduate student mechanical engineering Douglas Ehlcrs senior mechanical engineering Eric Poppc senior mechanical engineering FAT’s is where it’s AT!! I Live bands Wednesday!! I Featuring: Yard Apes & dema Gogues Weekly specials (for now and forever) MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY Free food 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Domestic Draws 35C LongnecksSl Import draws 90< Well drinks 65< Well drinks $ 1 Long Necks $1 THURSDAY FRIDAY Pitchers $3.25 Happy Hour 4-7 p.m. next one a penny Lemon drop $1.25 ....the college club for you! 227 N. Ninth St. _474-2112 Hours: 11 a.m.-l a.m. >'0 Let 's be «,*<* blunt. 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