importance of studying options--what is the best way to accomplish something

• what is the best route/location/design
• who is going to be affected
• what the best size
• trying to do something quickly costs more (high quality, low cost, speed--pick any two

Map of major railways in Russia, with Trans Siberian Railway shown in red,
the Baikal-Amur Mainline in green and the Amur–Yakutsk Mainline  shown in orange

Baikal-Amur Railway

• use of soldiers to do the worst labor
• cheating by construction supervisors, eg. using lighter rails
• harm to a fragile permafrost environment

Chernobyl

• reactor designs were standardized (and large)
• safety was not a very high priority, reactors were not in containment buildings
• winds carried radioactive material into Europe

Don Basin coal mines

• strikes in 1989 give us a window into conditions for coal miners
• pay was good but extra work was expected
• shortage of key consumer goods such as soap
• poor housing--no hot water, 1/4 not connected to a sewer
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