Re: News Article: Scary? You Bet It Is

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

The only point I will agree with, as far as similarities, is that there 

are statistics, and, as with all statistics, they can be shaped to 

support whatever hypothesis is desired.



As far as substituting nuclear power with shark, I will take 

exception. Having had the fortune and experiences of swimming 

with sharks, one must always be attuned to the surroundings and 

all the movements going on around you. It is true, that sharks 

generally only attack when they mistake a person as fish, seals or 

other marine life. There are precautions one should take. The 

majority of the recent attacks that occurred in FL, and I know these 

waters well, were the root cause of surfers, who in my opinion were 

mindless, ignoring the fact that there are and had been attacks in 

the current area, and refused to accept the beach closings. In other 

words, they exacerbated the attacks. The sharks were there, they 

were feeding and, when you go into a feeding area, you're going to 

get bit. Pure and simple. I equate this to walking into a burning 

building. If you stay long enough, you're going to get burned. The 

result is directly proportional to your efforts. 



Therefore, I don't equate the fear of shark attacks, the use of 

statistics that state shark attacks are rare, with the perception of 

nuclear power. I am a fervent proponent for more nuclear power in 

the US. However, an accident can be caused by many factors; i.e. 

human, machine and process. That is why we require procedures, 

QA, training and experience for staff.



In general, the public fears sharks, and they fear nuclear power. 

Beyond that, I see no comparison.



**************************************************************************

Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	

Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    

ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.			E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/scperle

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

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