Tuesday, March 11, 2003

Interoperability in Meat and Poultry The Meat and Poultry Data Standards Organization (mpXML) has a vision for how XML and interoperability can enhance their operations.  The creation of web-based standards can improve supply chain management facilitate other types of productivity gains that will really benefit their industry.  I hope that the Department of Food and Agriculture is aware of their efforts and supports the active implementation of standards that will not only facilitate industry objectives, but also make it easier for industry to do business with government at the same time.  This is certainly an industry where there is both state and federal regulation and data collection. 6:16:18 PM    comment []

Nuclear Waste Storage in Skull Valley The Atom Safety and Licensing Board issued a ruling yesterday that temporarily derailed PFS' efforts to approve a nuclear waste storage facility in Utah's Skull Valley.  A primary rationale for the ruling was the likelihood of an F-16 (a single-engine military jet) crashing into the facility.  The Skull Valley facility sits under the airway that pilots use to fly thousands of F-16s a year from Hill Air Force Base down Skull Valley to the military’s Utah Test and Training Range. The NRC maintains an online document library (Agency Documents Access and Management System - ADAMS).  ADAMS is full searchable and contains hundreds of documents related to the Skull Valley case. The Licensing Board’s ruling leaves room for the facility to receive later NRC licensing approval if either: (1) PFS can convince the Air Force to reduce the number, and/or to alter the pattern, of F-16 flights over Skull Valley; or (2) PFS can show that the design of the facility’s storage structures is so robust that an F-16 crash would not have appreciable health and safety consequences. Skull Valley is proposed to be a temporary storage facility awaiting the completion of Yucca Mountain in Nevada.  "Why Yucca Mountain" brochure Check where you live in relation to Yucca Mtn. nuclear waste disposal transportation routes. 11:44:19 AM    comment []

Member of Parliament Starts Blogging Voxpolitics points out that Tom Watson is the first member of the British parliament to put up a weblog.  Watson represents West Bromwich East and is a member of the Labour party.  He doesn't have much content there yet.  Today, the party website is promoting the e-Envoy's efforts to get more citizens to use the internet. I can't think of a better way for a politician to communicate with his/her constituents than with a weblog.  Then, they can incorporate the RSS feed into their regular website.  Yesterday, CNN published an article entitled, "Blogging Goes Mainstream."  The article suggests that blogging may provide the platform for the next wave of innovation. 7:23:41 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 David Fletcher.