Any engineer will tell you that given the same needs, specifications, resources, budgets, and time constraints competing engineering teams (working in secrecy and with no connections to each other) will always come up with the same design. In short, great minds think alike.
 

The polls had scarcely opened on November 2, 2010 when our intrepid CEO Don Gillispie stuck his proverbial neck out and issued a press release saying that a change of majority in the Congress would be a boon for nuclear power in the United States.

His decision to publicly release the article Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc. CEO Don Gillispie Predicts Resurgence for Nuclear Power Following National Election (http://www.alternateenergyholdings.com/news/press-releases-all-news/press-releases-all-news-2010.aspx?udt_15184_param_detail=4002) before the votes were counted was risky. It is never possible to predict the future (especially in politics) and the election could have gone the other way.

Had the results gone the other way, it would have been embarrassing for Don. In all honesty, had it been me, I would have waited until the votes had been counted. Still, the title of this entry is that great minds think alike and in keeping with my theme I’d best get to the point.

The day after the election, once the votes had been counted, two very prestigious publications ran articles that gave credence to Don’s article the day before. It seems that Don was not the only industry watcher who could read the hand-writing on the wall.

Bloomberg and Pennwell’s POWERGEN WORLDWIDE, two of the most respected names in this or any other industry ran articles the next day titled Nuclear Power Benefits From Republican Wins, NRG Says (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-03/nuclear-power-gains-clout-in-republican-house-takeover-nrg-says.html) and The fate of nuclear power after midterm elections (http://www.powergenworldwide.com/index/blogs/Brian_Wheeler_blogdisplaypage/blogs/pgww-blogs/Wheeler_Blog_PE/post987_7186937499348139245.html) respectively.

“Nuclear Power Benefits From Republican Wins, NRG Says” was written by Jim Efstathiou Jr. and Jim Snyder, while “The fate of nuclear power after midterm elections” was penned by Pennwell’s Associate Editor Brian Wheeler.

Now please don’t misunderstand my point here. I am NOT criticizing Jim Efstathiou Jr., Jim Snyder, and Brian Wheeler for waiting for the votes to be counted before they published their work. I’ve worked in publishing for over 20 years and there isn’t a managing editor on Earth that would have permitted those stories to be published until the election was over and the results verified.

Rather, I am congratulating all of these great writers and great minds for having the courage to write what they knew would be unpopular truths in many literary and political circles. In addition, choosing to publish their articles at such a politically-charged time (so close to the election) took great courage as well. The following day John McCormick at News Blaze added his name to my list of great minds when he published Outlook for Nuclear Power Changed by Election (http://newsblaze.com/story/20101104074025mcco.nb/topstory.html).

What all of these great minds have in common, from my perspective, is that they all follow the scientific, political, economic, and social dynamics of this topic very accurately. In the end, they all saw that there is great opportunity here now and we would all do well not to squander it. So I applaud great minds everywhere that have the courage to speak out, even if it means that they are taking risks to do so.

Interestingly enough, Don penned and published an article on November 22, 2010 entitled Wake Up America! We’re Falling Behind in Nuclear Power (http://www.alternateenergyholdings.com/news/11222010.aspx).

The following day, Industrial Info Resources released U.S. Falling Behind China and Russia in Nuclear Power Plant Renaissance, on Electric TV, an "Industry Today" Webcast on Industrialinfo.com (http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/US-Falling-Behind-China-Russia-Nuclear-Power-Plant-Renaissance-on-Electric-TV-Industry-1358028.htm).

I guess great minds never really rest.