Panos for Progress: Thoughts and Selections

[Part 1: Costco – Part 2: Amazon ] The “big news” in the 2021-2024 time period was inflation and the cost of products, foods, and household items. Most of the inflation occurred soon after the Covid pandemic was under control. The rise in prices was due to high demand and limited supply because of labor shortages and supply chain issues in the harbors, etc. We moved to South Reno in late 2021 from Honolulu. Establishing a new household requires many purchases, several of which from Internet retail giant Amazon. Actually, Amazon has a large warehouse in the Reno-Sparks area. Unlike the 4+ days it took even for small shipments to arrive at our place in Honolulu, several of our orders in Reno arrive within 18 to 36 hours! I looked at my orders in summer 2021 and then re-priced the same exact items in summer 2024. (This is why my table is not very long. Some items have been superseded by newer models.) The table below presents a sample of 21 items; click on it to see a clear version. As ex...

  “Nuclear energy accounts for 50% of the US’s carbon-free electricity” ( The Verge ). Four recent developments point to a renaissance. 1. Vogtle in Waynesboro, Georgia is the largest generator of clean energy in the US; it has two old (1980s) and two new nuclear reactors. Unit 3 entered commercial operation in July 2023, and unit 4 entered commercial operation in April 2024 . The combined power capacity is 4,536 MW! 2. The Diablo Canyon Power Plant near San Luis Obispo, CA was under closing procedures to conclude in 2025, but a $1.1 billion grant from US DOE to Diablo Canyon added to a $1.4 billion loan PG&E got from the state when Gov. Newsom signed a bill in September allowing the plant to stay open until 2030 . 3. A US DOE conditional commitment of up to $1.52 billion for a loan guarantee aims to bring back online the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan, which ceased operations in May 2022, and upgrade it to produce baseload clean power until at least 2051. 4. Constellatio...