Tag Archives: banks

International

Russia says attacking Libya will validate WMDs for extremists

Alexei Arbatov, the head of the International Security Center of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said attacking Libya will prove that obtaining WMDs is necessary to keep from being attacked by the West.

“An attack against Libya would be a gift for all violators of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. If Libya becomes an object of a military operation, it will lead some countries to believe that no one would think of threatening Gaddhafi with a military operation now if he had not voluntarily given up his nuclear program several years ago.”

In order to receive financing from western countries, and gain favor from western governments,  Gaddafi revealed his WMD program and allowed international inspection and dismantlement of that program.  That’s why President Bush Jr removed Gaddafi from the terrorist list.  Now the West is about to attack him.

Arbatov says “This will lead Iran, Syria, and some other countries violating the non-proliferation regime to make a new powerful step towards obtaining nuclear weapons.”

Fukushima

Japanese Milk & Spinach contaminated

Japanese Cabinet Secretary,  Yukio Edano,  announced that milk and spinach has tested positive for radiation contamination.

The milk tested came from Fukushima Prefecture.  The spinach came from Ibaraki Prefecture.   6 samples of spinach were tested.  The radiation levels exceeded Japanese Food Safety codes.  They are now trying to determine if any contaminated milk, or spinach was actually shipped out.

Ministry of Health officials will be issuing more detailed info later.

Fukushima

Radiation levels still a concern, more warnings for people near the plants

People outside the immediate Fukushima evacuation area, are being told that if they must go any where do so inside a vehicle.  Also they should wear clothing so that it covers all their body.  People are being told to stay out of rain or snow.

A concrete spraying truck, a type similar to that used at Chernobyl, is being brought in to be used to spray water.  When spraying water it has greater range and accuracy than the fire trucks.  The trucks are made in Germany.

 

Fukushima

Reactor 3 main concern

Water spraying with fire trucks resumed.  The target is the spent fuel pool on reactor 3, Fukushima Daiichi plant.  Temperatures are still rising.

They will attempt to spray water for 7 hours on Saturday for a total of 60 tons of water.  They also say the trucks are set up so they do not have to be manned while the spraying takes place.

Hopes for reactor 5 are increasing, as signs that cooling has resumed after workers got the cooling pump running.

Fukushima

New threat from Tsunami: Fire

Japanese scientist say there is a new threat associated with tsunamis: Fire.

Thanks to our reliance on petroleum products, especially fuel, coastal cities face destruction by fire, as well as water.

Several Japanese coastal towns burned to the ground because of fires started by the tsunami.  Boats, cars and fuel storage facilities hit by the tsunami, spilled fuel onto the water, catching fire, apparently by sparks from metal being clashed together in the tsunami, or electrical shorts in boats and cars.

Those fires then spread to buildings.  Local fire departments discovered that water lines for fire hydrants had been destroyed by the quake/tsunami.

Hardest hit by the fires, Kesennuma, suffered intense fire. Witnesses say that fire spread throughout the city in less than 3 hours after the tsunami hit. The city was still burning 5 days later.

Fukushima

Nuclear Safety Officials admit they never planned for multiple Reactor Failures

A nuclear safety expert in Japan admitted that no one prepares for more than one reactor failure.  Multiple reactor failures have always been considered highly improbable.

NHK obtained video of last year’s emergency training at a nuclear plant in Japan.  It is obvious that they did not expect anything but a low level emergency involving only one reactor.

Fukushima

Efforts to evacuate people still in evacuation zone finally begining

Japan government officials announced that efforts will be made to get stranded patients out of hospitals in the evacuation zone, as well as other people who did not have a way to self evacuate (remember Hurricane Katrina?).

Local city governments are now joining together to help each other,  now that it has become clear the national government is not prepared to help them.

Just like people in the United States are justified in questioning their government’s ability to help after a natural disaster (Hurricane Katrina), the Japanese have every justification to lose faith in their government.

I’ve said this before, it is clear that the most prepared nation in the world was NOT prepared.