In Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, tea crops are contaminated with cesium. Five samples tested positive for cesium, as high as 780 becquerels. National safe limit is 300 becquerels, however, Kanagawa has set its own safe limit at 500.
The farms with the contaminated tea have been requested to stop shipping the tea to market.
Officials with Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency say it’s too late now that fuel rods in Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 1 have melted down! Tokyo Electric Power Company officials wanted to pump more water into the reactor, in the hopes of stopping the meltdown.
Nuclear Safety officials think the melted rods have cooled enough in the water at the bottom of the reactor, that there might not be too much concern. However, TEPCo believes that holes in the reactor vessel have been created by the meltdown, which is causing large amounts of radioactive water to pour into the Pacific Ocean.
The Agency suggested that TEPCo should inject water only to the point of keeping the bottom of the reactor filled.
Two prefectures bordering Fukushima Prefecture, have discovered that plants are contaminated with cesium.
Tochigi and Ibaraki Prefectures have cesium contamination well about safe limits. As much as 3,600 becquerels of cesium has contaminated pasture land, and crops! The government’s safe limit is 300 bequerels.
Farmers are being told not to feed their animals the grass. Crops are so contaminated that farmers are being told not to harvest, or ship their crops. Some contaminated parsley had already been shipped to market.
13 March 2011, Tokyo Electric Power Company has announced that fuel rods in reactor 1 have melted. Government officials think this might be the cause of holes where highly contaminated water is pouring from.
TEPCo officials say that most of the fuel rods have melted and are now melting through the bottom of the reactor. Officials think the melted rods are cooling down at the bottom of the reactor because there is still water there.
TEPCo is now trying to find out how much water is actually in the reactor, and come up with a new plan to address the meltdown.
“In a post-Gaddafi era, I think we will still have a role to play in assisting a new Libyan government in a transition to a sustainable democracy.”-Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General
Rasmussen explained that NATO will focus on rebuilding Libya’s security and military units.
Basically what Rasmussen is saying is that U.S. led NATO plans on setting up shop in Libya, after they kill off Gaddafi. What was that Obama said about this not being a long term adventure?
Another case of Afghan government forces shooting U.S. forces. This time a National Police officer shot four U.S. soldier, killing one of them. Very little details are available. The shooting happened in Lashkar Gah. Witnesses say it was an all out scuffle.
This is not the first time Afghan government employees turned their guns on U.S. forces. Last month a career military pilot killed several U.S. personnel, before being killed himself.
As for police forces, this is one of several incidents involving police officers; In April 2011, a total of 11 U.S. personnel were killed by Afghan police. In January 2011, a U.S. Marine killed a police officer. In November 2010, an Afghan border police officer killed six U.S./NATO troops.
Not only do U.S. forces have to deal with the Taliban’s spring offensive, but they have to watch their back for fear of Afghan government police attacking them.
“The President has the authority to use all necessary and appropriate force during the current armed conflict with al Qaeda, Taliban, and associated forces pursuant to the authorization of the use of military force.”-2012 Defense Authorization Bill
U.S. Congressman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, from California, has submitted the fiscal year 2012 defense bill (aka Authorization for the Use of Military Force). The bill expands the powers of the President to wage war, in the name of fighting terrorism.
The American Civil Liberties Union says the bill gives the President too much war making powers, and does not provide a clear end game policy.
A U.S. base in Iraq is being used to train Iranian dissidents for attacks on Iran.
The base is called Camp Taji Contracting Center. Iranian Arab separatists known as Khalq-e Arab, are given military training there. The Iranian government learned of the training after arresting five members of the group after they tried to assassinate Iranian police.
The Khalq-e Arab separatists are trying to take control of Iran’s southwestern oil fields in Khuzestan. Khuzestan has a large Arab population, and has been fought over in the past, by Iraq and Iran.
“Anytime Obama tries to put forward a policy to reform the system, or to do something for increasing wages, Wall Street crashes the sytem.”-Max Kaiser, former stock broker
Ever wonder why the stock markets suddenly drop, for no apparent reason, or for very weak reasons? Max Kaiser, a former stock broker, says it’s a sign that the United States is being manipulated by corporate America.
The reason that Wall Street wants to control the government, and the Federal Reserve, is to keep interest rates near zero, so corporations, and big speculators, can keep borrowing on the cheap.
“The cost for borrowing for hedge funds and players on Wall Street is actually negative 2% when you factor in all the subsidies, and give aways that the Obama administration has given the banking industry.”-Max Kaiser
If Kaiser is correct, then it means that corporate America is making money just by borrowing money.
“We are in the middle of a recession. We need to get out of the recession by moving forward with good jobs, not poverty jobs.”-Mike Chavez, Labor Expert
California has one of the highest unemployment rates in the U.S.; 12.3% as of March 2011. In Los Angeles County it’s 12.6%.
State workers are facing benefits cuts up to 30%. This week Californians are protesting the bad economy, and the state and local budget cuts, in a Week of Action.
“This is the 21st century, we need to go forward, not backward.”-protester