All posts by Hutchins AAron

Born in Deutschland 1965, hometown was Bütthart, parents were not U.S. government employees. However, when father was tricked into joining the U.S. Air Force Civil Service, in 1969, with the promise that we could remain in Germany, we were promptly shipped off to Iran. Due to one of my Iranian educators being disappeared, along with her husband, by the U.S. ally Shah of Iran's Israeli & U.S. created Savak (for the then official terrorist act of promoting the idea that women can vote), and due to my U.S. citizen mother being placed on Savak's Terrorist Arrest List (for supporting the idea that women should vote, at that time the U.S. ally Shah of Iran did not allow women to vote, now they can) we left Iran for the United States in 1973, literally in the middle of the night. At the U.S. Embassy airbase the CIA operated Gooney Bird (C-47) was so packed with other U.S. citizens fleeing our ally Iran (because the Shah gave the OK to arrest any U.S. citizen for such terrorist acts as promoting the concept of voting) that we were turned away by the Loadmaster and had to take a chance on a civilian flight out of Tehran's airport. My father told me he and my mother had three culture shocks; first when they arrived in Germany as civilians, then after being shipped off to Iran as U.S. government employees, then again returning to the United States as unemployed civilians (because so much had changed in the U.S. while they were gone, their only news source was the U.S. Armed Forces Radio & Television Service which heavily censored information about the home front). Since I graduated high school in 1982 I've worked for U.S. government contractors and state & local government agencies (in California), convenience store manager in California, retail/property management in Georgia, California and Idaho. Spent the 1990s in the TV news business producing number one rated local news programs in California, Arizona and Idaho. 14+ years with California and Idaho Army National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. Obtained a BA degree in International Studies from Idaho State University at the age of 42. Unemployed since 2015, so don't tell me the economy has recovered.
Fukushima

Nuke plants not designed to withstand 9.0 quake, concern over strong aftershocks!

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of Japan, has asked three nuclear power plants to inspect their reactors for damage.  This after the agency realized that the 11 March earthquake was stronger than what many nuclear power plants were designed to withstand.

Since then Japan has had more than 400 aftershocks, several in the 5 to 6 magnitude range, and at least two of magnitude 7.  There is concern that nuclear plants already damaged by the 9.0 quake, will be further weakened by the aftershocks.

Work at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant has been continually interrupted by aftershocks.  Currently employees are moving diesel generators to higher ground, because there is concern that there could be another big quake caused tsunami.

Fukushima Daiichi is not the only nuke plant damaged by the 11 March quake.  Fukushima DaiNi, just a few miles away, has been struggling to keep its reactors cool, using external power.  Also, in Miyagi Prefecture, there is Onagawa nuclear plant (owned by Tohoku Electric, not to be confused with Tokyo Electric).  It too, has been struggling to keep its fuel pools cool with external power.  One aftershock cut the power lines running to the plant.  Onagawa had all its reactors shut down for maintenance prior to 11 March, so all the active fuel rods are in the spent fuel pools.

 

 

 

Fukushima

Japanese Prime Minister wants to follow Germany’s Green City model

Matsumoto Kenichi, special adviser to Prime Minister Kan Naoto, says they are looking at using Germany’s eco-friendly city models to build a new home for refugees from the failed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The concern is that so much contamination has spread around the 30km (18.6 miles) danger zone, that people will not be able to return for 30 years or more (just like Chernobyl).

The proposed refugee city would be based on eco-friendly projects undertaken by several German cities.  The city should be self sustaining, and have no more than 100,000 residents.   As in the German experiments, residents would grow their own crops, and produce their own electricity, which could be sold on the power grid.  There would also be no car zones, and pedestrian only zones.

Japan should consider the German model for all its cities, not just a refugee city.

Fukushima, U.S.

Subaru halts production in United States

Subaru (also called Fuji in Japan) is stopping production in Louisiana.  Just like other car makers, it’s because of lack of parts.  The production shut down will take place on April 15, April 18 and April 25.

Subaru says the employees will be given other work on those days, so they can still be paid.

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Iran announces they have their own Nuclear Fuel

“Our scientists took action to supply fuel for the Tehran research reactor and this fuel which is the fruit of the efforts made by our country’s scientists will be loaded into the Tehran Research Reactor this year.”-Ali Baqeri, Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Undersecretary

Iran decided to provide its own nuclear fuel, after several deals to get fuel from Western countries fell through, due to complaints from the U.S. and France.

In April 2010, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered the domestic production of nuclear fuel. They claim to have produced uranium fuel at 20% purity.

International, U.S.

Israeli officer says he was ordered to kill U.S. citizen

More than eight years ago U.S. citizen Rachel Corrie was bulldozed to death by Israeli troops.

In court testimony, on April 4, 2011, the Israeli captain in charge of the demolition operation, of Palestinian homes, says he questioned his orders to bulldoze while civilians stood in the way.  He said he was ordered to continue the operation anyway.

“Today’s testimonies provide further strong evidence regarding the Israeli military failure to take necessary and reasonable measures to protect Rachel’s life and prevent her avoidable tragic death. They also underscore the systemic inadequacy of the military investigation system which in this case, was nothing but a whitewash.”-Hussein Abu Hussein, attorney for the Corrie family.

The Israeli captain, as well as the driver of the bulldozer, both contradicted the official report by the Israeli army.  They both said it was clear Corrie was run over by the bulldozer, which the official Army report denies.

The Israeli captain also testified that the order to continue bulldozing, with civilians present, violated the Army’s own policies.  Standard practice on the ground was to stop if someone was within five meters of the bulldozer.  He also confirmed that the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) had video of the incident.

International, U.S.

War in Iraq not over, U.S. forces attacked 3rd time in a week

After Defense Secretary Roberts Gates announced that the United States would NOT be leaving Iraq, as planned, U.S. troops have come under fire.

April 13, a U.S. base in southern Iraq was hit with mortar fire.  Photos show the base burning after the attack.  No word on casualties. This is the third attack in a week.

The U.S. was supposed to get combat troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011. But last week secretary Gates announced to troops that we will be staying.  Many Iraqis began protesting.  Gates claims the Iraqi government asked the United States to keep troops in Iraq, but foreign media say many Iraqi politicians want the U.S. out.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Iran strikes back at Europe, refuses to fuel European airlines

“In a retaliatory move, we have stopped providing fuel to European aircraft.”-Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi

For some time several European countries have refused to fuel up Iranian passenger planes that land at their airports.  After repeated requests by Iran, countries like Germany and United Kingdom, still refuse on the grounds that they are following the latest sanctions placed against Iran by President Obama.

Iran now says it will not fuel passenger planes from those countries, that land in Iran.

Germany’s Lufthansa says they will have to come up with a plan, because they can no longer get fuel in Tehran.  Netherland’s KLM says they’re not worried because they fuel up in Greece on their way back from Iran.

The sanctions placed on Iran by Obama do not specifically say that Iranian airlines can not be fueled.

Fukushima

Off line Nuke plants wont start up ’till end of year

Tokyo Electric Power Company operates several nuclear power plants in Japan, not just Fukushima Daiichi.  Some of those plants went off line because of the 11 March disasters. In fact many nuclear plants run by other companies are off line, that’s why the electricity shortage in Japan is so bad.

TEPCo announced that they will restart one reactor at their Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant, in Niigata Prefecture.  The KK plant has four reactors.  Reactor 1 is operational, but 2 through 4 are shut down.

They hope to get Reactor 3 up and running by the end of the year.  Part of the delay is from a government ordered earthquake reinforcing program for the reactor buildings.

 

Fukushima

Emergency shelters turn away people for fear of contamination, if your a “Hibakusha” then stay away!

“Children have been rejected from evacuation centers. It’s really sad for them to be told, ‘Don’t come near, don’t come near’.”-Abe Sadayasu, Minamisoma City official

Adding insult to injury, many Japanese evacuees are reporting they’re being turned away from emergency shelters for health reasons.

The latest evacuees are coming from recently expanded nuclear evacuation zones.  Emergency shelter operators believe the new evacuees are contaminated with radiation, and think it will spread to the other people in the shelters.

Surprisingly it’s not just shelters that have a fear of radiation, it’s Japanese hospitals.  An 8 year old girl, with a skin condition, was refused treatment at a hospital for fear it was caused by radiation.

The current round of evacuees must show official ‘radiation free’ documents, or go through radiation contamination screening, before being let into shelters. Prefectural governments are now issuing radiation free certificates.

A shelter operator, who doesn’t want his name published, said they are doing it for “peace of mind” of the evacuees already in the shelters.

Even hotels are refusing customers from areas that are near the nuclear evacuation zones. “When I explained that I was from an area that was not even in the voluntary evacuation zone… the clerk responded: ‘You can’t stay here unless you have been tested and can prove you’re not a ‘hibakusha’.”-evacuee from Fukushima

Hibakusha is a term originally applied to survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, by the U.S., during World War 2.  It’s a negative term, and you’re treated like a Leper (someone with Leprosy).  The discrimination that’s taking place, against evacuees from radiation zones, shows how ignorant the Japanese people are when it comes to radiation. Which is amazing since they’ve experienced first hand nuclear attacks.

Fukushima

Conflicting data delayed raising the Fukushima Daiichi severity level!

The government of Japan says conflicts between government agencies, not just TEPCo, delayed the raising of the nuclear crisis to the highest level of 7.

‘‘The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan said they could not vouch for the certainty of their estimates, so I told them to make a thorough, reliable analysis as soon as possible.’’-Edano Yukio, Chief Cabinet Secretary

The Fukushima Daiichi disaster would have been raised to level 7 on 23 March.  It turns out that not only was Tokyo Electric Power Company’s data faulty, but two government agencies had limited their radiation readings to just three locations.  On top of that they weren’t even sure their data was correct.  This is what the Japanese taxpayers pay for?

Several times the IAEA, and Greenpeace, said radiation readings at many sites, were too high, and evacuation zones should be expanded.  At one point a Japanese official said the data from Greenpeace would not be considered because Greenpeace was not a reliable source.

Chief Cabinet Secretary, Edano Yukio, indicated that Japan’s current safety standards are not the problem. It’s the enforcement, and lack of implementation of the standards that is the problem.