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

Snag with Nitrogen Injection, Increased Pressure for Reactor 1!

Tokyo Electric Power Company officials have to back off their six day plan of injecting nitrogen into the damaged containment vessel of Reactor 1.  After a full day of nitrogen injection they say pressure is increasing in the reactor.  The nitrogen does seem to have counteracted the hydrogen build up.

TEPCo said the latest 7 quake did not do additional damage Fukushima Daiichi, or Fukushima DaiNi plant.

TEPCo officials say they will trying injecting nitrogen into reactors 2 & 3, since they are now showing similar problems as Reactor 1 (hydrogen gas build up).

 

Fukushima

Big 7 Aftershock, ‘nother nuke plant down, cooling may become an issue

Just before midnight, Japan time, north east Honshu got hit with the biggest “aftershock” yet, between 7.1 and 7.4.

At first there were tsunami warnings, but they were canceled when it was realized it was not the type of quake that would cause tsunami. But this latest quake puts another nuclear plant in trouble.

Onagawa nuke plant, in Miyagi Prefecture, was already struggling to keep itself cool using outside power. According to NHK this latest quake cut three of the two power lines running to the plant. There are some confusing reports as to how the plant is keeping its reactors cool; NHK says Onagawa is using power from one external electrical line. Reuters says Onagawa is running off back up generators.

The Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is rushing to confirm the status of the plant.

International, U.S.

Body of JET teacher from Alaska found after Tsunami

Monty Dickson, 26, teaching in Japan as part of the JET program, was swept away the March 11 tsunami.

His family in Alaska recently received an email, then a phone call, notifying them that his body has been found.

According to reports, Dickson was on the third floor of a building when the huge tsunami washed over the building. He was in Japan on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.

An Alaskan businessman gave the family a days proceeds to help them go to Japan.

 

Fukushima

Fukushima Daiichi was an experiment!

“The Fukushima No. 1 plant was a practice course for Toshiba and Hitachi Ltd. to learn about GE’s design on a trial-and-error basis.”-former TEPCo executive

asahi.com reporting that Fukushima Daiichi (aka Number 1 Plant) was designed as “trial and error” experiment.  This might explain why it’s neighbor, Fukushima DaiNi (aka Number 2 Plant), is not having the same problems.

Tokyo Electric Power Company officials recently compared the design plans of the two plants.  Their conclusion was that the safety features of Fukushima Daiichi are so different, and weaker, than Fukushima DaiNi, that it must be the reason for the current crisis. I find it amazing that TEPCo didn’t already understand the fundamental differences between their nuclear plants.

A former TEPCo engineer said even upgrades, made to Number 1 Plant, were not sufficient: “First of all, there was the judgment that the reactor core buildings were in a safe location in relation to the expected height of any tsunami that might strike the plant. However, even if they wanted to move the generators, there was no space within the reactor building, so that would have meant a major revision in design. At the time, no one considered making such changes.”

A unnamed midlevel TEPCo official said just getting a nuke plant built was all that mattered: “The blueprints for the reactor cores at the No. 1 plant were bought ‘as is’ by Toshiba Corp. from General Electric Co., so the priority at that time was on constructing the reactors according to those blueprints.”

Remember, there are six reactors at Fukushima Number 1 Plant.  So far reactors 1, 2, 3 & 4 are in trouble. Why not reactors 5 & 6?  Those reactors are of a later more improved design than the 1, 2, 3 & 4 reactors. 

Some TEPCo officials admit that making the decision NOT to make proper improvements was a matter of pride; it would have meant admitting that the work already done was faulty.

General Electric’s current involvement in the crisis might be due to the fact that they could be sued, under Japanese law, for their faulty design.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Opinion, U.S.

Thinking about a trip to Japan? Good timing!

Tourism numbers are looking really bad for japan, thanks to the ongoing nuclear disaster. Don’t let that stop you from taking a trip to Japan.

In fact, because of the huge drop in tourist money coming in, you’ll probably get some really good deals in the near future. Even the Japanese airlines will start making unbelievable deals. JAL just got out of bankruptcy and now they’re in trouble, again, because of the ongoing nuke crisis.

The nuke disaster is taking place in northern Honshu.  The prevailing winds blow east of there, offshore to the Pacific. Think about visiting southern Honshu (south of Tokyo), and Shikoku & Kyushu.  Their locations mean they will avoid most or all airborne (waterborne contamination might be an issue) radiation contamination from northern Honshu.

Also, they are least affected by power outages.

Not only could you get a good deal on a vacation to Japan, but your tourist money will really help Japan to recover.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Toyota Parts employees in United States told to take time off, without pay

I know an employee of the Ontario, California, Toyota North American Parts Center distribution warehouse.

He says they have been ‘requested’ to take “leave without pay”, due to the parts shortage in Japan.

While they are enjoying time with their families they are concerned about how long their time off without pay will last, they can’t go too long without getting paid.  Toyota is not certain about when parts will start flowing into the U.S. again.

International

Volcano coming back to life, Korea to hold second round of talks about what to do

A couple of weeks ago the governments of North and South Korea met over the resurrection of a dormant volcano, Mount Paekdu (Baekdu).  The Korean volcano stirred to life after the 9.0 quake off the Pacific Coast of Japan on March 11.  The last time it erupted was in 1903.

Korean officials have decided the situation is urgent enough to have another meeting about it. The volcano sits on the border of North Korea, and China.

South Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research said that an eruption now could drop temperatures by two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) for two months, devastating agriculture.