University students, concerned with the fact that there is no official government soil testing around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, took some samples of their own.
They found plutonium-239 and 240, making up a total of 0.078 becquerels per kilogram. The samples were taken on 21 April 2011. Immediately after they took the samples the Japanese government declared the area an evacuation zone.
Idaho based women’s apparel retailer, Coldwater Creek, lost another $30 million. That’s their loss for the quarter ending April 2011. They also lost $37 million in the previous quarter.
Coldwater Creek has 371 stores, with 9,400 employees, across the U.S.
Recently Idaho newspaper circulation directors speculated that the increase in thefts of newspaper coupons were due, in part, to people trying to save money and deal with high gas prices.
Here’s a solution, that unfortunately for me ends up being free promotion for two stores; shop at Fred Meyer or Smiths.
Both these stores give away thousands of free in store coupons. Also, if you join their points club (free to join) you get discounts on their already competitive gas prices, and a quarterly rebate based on how much you shop during that quarter.
Actually, at the Fred Meyer in Pocatello, their gas prices are usually the cheapest, even before the points discount for club members (again the club is free to join). Take advantage, save some money, and don’t be a coupon thief!
“This is a new strain, O157 was almost certainly one of its parents. It’s also got material from another type of E-coli. So you’ve got this germ that’s like O157 but has this extra weaponry, that makes it more nasty.”-Paul Hunter, University of East Anglia in England
E-coli O157 destroys your blood cells and kidneys, and might be the parent of the latest, deadliest form.
German press reports say World Health Organization officials have identified the e-coli, that has killed 17 Germans so far, as a new mutant strain, spawned by two deadly forms of e-coli. The new strain has been seen before, but not at the level of an outbreak.
E-coli is a bacteria, and everyone has it (in our intestines), at least the non-lethal kind, but there are some very bad versions out there that will kill: “The vast majority of strains are harmless, but there are a select few that are armed and dangerous because of the particular genes they happen to have. These genes produce those toxins. If they produce these toxins, the outcome of infection, rather than just being a tummy upset, can be far more serious.”-Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading in England
Now health officials are trying to found out where the new e-coli spawned. Originally Spanish vegetables were thought to be the carriers (vegetables from Denmark and the Netherlands are suspect as well), but the epicenter of the outbreak is around Hamburg, Germany. More than 1,000 people in Germany are sick, 470 have reached the stage where kidney failure could occur.
Spain has two cases, but officials say those people had just returned from Germany, prompting Spanish politicians to point the finger of blame to Germany.
Sweden is now reporting cases; one death of a woman who went to Spain, 43 people sick. The United Kingdom reports seven cases. Denmark has 14. Netherlands has eight. Austria, France, Norway and Switzerland are reporting cases, most of the people had just got back from trips to Germany.
Russia and the United Arab Emirates have banned vegetables from European Union. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it’s increasing inspections of vegetables coming from Europe.
Since e-coli is usually found on the surface of vegetables, the best way to protect yourself is to wash them before eating.
“The people who are doing it, I guess they wouldn’t consider themselves a criminal. They are just trying to save money.”-Matt Davidson, publisher
The Idaho Statesman reporting a trend making an appearance in Idaho; people stealing newspaper coupons from newspaper vending machines.
“It is becoming a real problem on Sundays because of the value of the coupons and the local interest in couponing over the last few months.”-Frank Peak, newspaper circulation director
In the Boise area, newspaper staff, who stock the vending machines, noticed that many of the Sunday papers were still in the machines but missing the coupons. They eventually caught one woman, who tried to use the excuse that no one uses them anyway.
Frank Peak says there are several reasons people are stealing coupons, one being the new ‘reality’ TV show “Extreme Couponing”. Other reasons are the price of gas and the bad economy.
There’s been more news about the continued falling home prices in the U.S. One company that tracks those prices says Idaho is the biggest loser.
Corelogic reports that for April 2011, Idaho home prices fell 15.2% compared to April 2010. It’s also twice the current average for the entire United States.
According to the Center of Business Research and Economic Development at Boise State University, most of Idaho’s home sales, prior to the housing market bubble burst, were actually being driven by “second home” buying and real estate speculation.
When the bubble burst those kind of sales stopped. Now Idaho is looking at a more realistic picture of property sales, which is reflecting the overall bad economy.
Researchers in Japan have discovered that snow on mountains near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are contaminated with cesium.
Meteorology students from Fukushima University took 31 samples of snow. 14 samples showed high levels of cesium. The average level of contamination exceeds the safe limit of 200 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium. One sample, taken at 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) has 3000 becquerels of cesium.
Fukushima University Vice-President Watanabe Akira says the research shows that large amounts of cesium is spewing into the air.
Buhl Middle School, in Buhl, Idaho, is using model car kits to help students with reading and researching.
6th graders are not just putting together models, they’re spending time doing historical research about the cars they’re building. They’re also learning about different styles of customizing cars.
The building of model kits has made some huge progress in the past 4 decades. Many builders don’t just slap the kits together; they spend lots of time researching their subjects to create the most accurate representations they can. If you want to compete in the big time model contests it’s a necessity that you’re historically literate.
When it comes to the history of cars, it’s not just the technical history that kids can learn, it’s also the cultural history, especially when it comes the “fads” of car customizing trends. So don’t think of model kits as “toys” (especially when you realize how expensive they’ve gotten over the decades), think of them as “educational tools”.
Reports saying Tokyo Electric Power Company now saying it is likely the damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi will not be stabilized by the end of the year, as first hoped.
Problems range from TEPCo’s own faulty assessments, to the Typhoon season now hitting Japan.
This means highly radioactive isotopes will continue to be emitted into the air, and pour into the Pacific Ocean.
The heavy rains from a tropical storm that hit Japan, are flooding the damaged reactor buildings with more water.
That is creating the potential for even more contaminated water getting into the Pacific Ocean. Radioactive water continues to pour from the reactors, TEPCo has failed to stop it..