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

Decommisioning Fukushima Daiichi will take at least 10 years: Toshiba

Tearing down, and cleaning up Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant will take ten years, according to the builder of the GE designed reactors, Toshiba, and that’s not until the current situation is brought under control.

Toshiba’s plan involves the help of four U.S. companies as well.

Phase one will likely to take several months to years. It involves cooling and stabilizing reactors and spent fuel pools, while preventing radioactive water from increasing.

Phase two could take five years: Safe removal, and storage, of nuclear fuel rods from the pools and pressure vessels.

Final phase another five years: Dismantling the reactors and clearing the land, will take another 5 years.

Fukushima

Ground Water Contaminated, TEPCo dealing with 80,000+ tons of contaminated water!

”As there is believed to be around 20,000 tons of water (in the No. 2 reactor turbine building and the trench connected to it), we’re feeling the difficulty of lowering the level of the water in a stable manner.”-Nishiyama Hidehiko, Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency

It’s not just 20,000 tons of contaminated water in Reactor 2,  there is another 60,000 tons in reactors 1 and 3 to deal with,  and no mention of how much water is leaking from Reactor 4.  Now Tokyo Electric Power Company confirms the local ground water, not just the ocean, is contaminated.

TEPCo says radiation in ground water has risen several dozens of times in one week.  It includes iodine-131 and cesium-137.  On 06 April cesium levels were at 1.4 becquerels, on Wednesday it had risen to 53 becquerels.  The readings for iodine-131 are much higher, on Wednesday it had hit 400 becquerels.

Just how much contaminated water has TEPCo been able to safely remove?  660 tons, that’s all.  Thousands of tons has spilled out into the ocean, and into local ground water.   One official thinks it will take three months to remove the tens of thousands of tons of contaminated water, and that needs to be done before they can deal with anything else.

The United States is sending several huge water storage tanks to help with the contaminated water removal.  It must be put somewhere safe, because the water is nuclear waste.

The problem of the spilling waste water is being blamed on the dumping of sea water, as an emergency cooling operation.

Fukushima Daiichi is still showing temperature problems, but employees say they can not trust the instrumentation.  One employee says one gauge will show overheating while another gauge shows normal!

International, Opinion, U.S.

NATO and Coalition members will openly fund Libyan Rebels

Despite the fact that UNSCR 1973 doesn’t say anything about taking sides, and supporting a militant group (it’s supposed to be about protecting civilians), NATO, and other UN coalition members say they are now going to give money to the Libyan rebels (where’s the money coming from? taxpayers?).

They’re calling the funds a “temporary financial mechanism”.

The coalition has already recognized the non-elected rebel council as the new government of Libya.

Rebels say they want more weapons as well, but coalition members still say, officially, they are not supplying weapons.  Here’s what one rebel leader said publicly: “We’re discussing weapons deals with countries that officially recognised the council; we’ve been getting positive replies.” They also said: “…participants in the contact group agreed to continue to provide support to the opposition, including material support.”

Sounds to me like the rebels are trying to tell the truth and the coalition members (including the U.S.) are flat out lying.  It makes you question the motive of the coalition for supporting the rebels.   It wouldn’t be the first time western powers supported one group, only to put another group into power once the dirty work was done. 

Franco Frattini, the Italian foreign minister,  was most honest when he demanded: “…either we make it possible for these people to defend themselves, or we withdraw from our obligation to support defending the population of Libya.” Many analysts say the UNSCR 1973 includes an arms embargo, but Frattini doesn’t interpret the resolution that way.  This is an example of the continued division within the UN coalition, which is proof of the lack of coalition building by Sarkozy and Obama.  Which, again, is another reason to question this whole adventure into North Africa.  Where’s Erwin Rommel?


Fukushima

Hitachi making money off nuke disaster

Hitachi is rushing to fill orders for giant turbine power generators. One of their first orders was sent off today.  It’s being sent to Ibaraki Prefecture.

The turbine generator weighs 50 tons, and took an hour and a half to be hauled nine miles to the shipping yards.

Hitachi says it is being swamped with orders since it’s become clear the problems with nuclear generated power will last well into summer.

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.