Tag Archives: economy

Fukushima

Cesium contamination building in Japan, tea harvests contaminated!

In Shizuoka Prefecture, about 300 km (186 miles) away from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, cesium contamination has continued to build up.  Now tea production has been halted.

On 10 June 2011, cesium levels on tea leaves hit 679 becquerels per kilogram.  The official limit is 500 becquerels.  The local government ordered a halt to tea shipments.  Tea is Shizuoka Prefecture’s main industry.

Last month cesium levels were 460 becquerels.  The latest readings show cesium is continuing to be spewed by the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant.

 

 

Fukushima

Strontium 90 more widespread than first thought!

Japanese Science Ministry has finished a survey of Fukushima Prefecture.  They were looking for evidence of strontium 90, they found plenty.

Strontium 90 is created during nuclear fission.  It has a half life of 29 years, and can cause bone cancer.

Samples were taken at 11 locations, all 11 tested positive.  The furthest location from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, that tested positive, is Fukushima City at 60 km (37 miles) away.  The highest reading was 250 becquerels per kilogram, at Namie City.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Beige Book shows New York, Philly, Atlanta and Chicago Slow Down

The big bank known as Federal Reserve released its “Beige Book” of economic conditions (aka Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions).  Four districts of the United States show a slow down in economic activity.

Activity in the New York (district 2), Philadelphia (district 3), Atlanta (district 6) and Chicago (district 7) regions are slowing down.  The Federal Reserve blames the down turn on everything from the March 11 disasters in Japan, to a weak housing market, to increasing food and energy prices.

Their are 12 Federal Reserve districts in the United States.  The Beige Book will be presented at a Federal Reserve meeting on June 21.

Fukushima

Radiation spreading in Japan, Evacuation Zone could be expanded

Two Japanese cities outside the current evacuation zone, now have radiation levels above safe limits.

Date and Minamisoma cities show increasing radiation levels, prompting calls for evacuation by the residents.  Government officials say they are working quickly on the possible expansion of the evacuation zone.

International, Opinion

Government Incompetence: Germany gets it wrong with deadly E Coli. Could it be a modern day Typhoid Mary?

First Germany blamed Spanish cucumbers; wrong!  Then Germany blamed locally grown sprouts; wrong!  Now Germany is facing a lawsuit by Spain, and German vegetable growers are tossing tons of fresh produce in the trash.  On top of that people are still dying!

By June 8, 25 people in Germany, and one person in Sweden had died.  More than 2,600 people in Germany are sick.

A new twist; back to cucumbers.  This time German health officials say they’ve found traces of the new strain (similar to 0104:H4) on cucumber leftovers belonging to a family that was among the first to get sick.

Here’s an issue: E. Coli (Escherichia coli) does not originate on vegetables!  It comes from the intestines of animals (humans included).  Vegetables would only get infected if they came into contact with infected fecal matter (i.e. crap).

Some possibilities:  Vegetables were for some reason being shipped along side products containing infected fecal matter?  Some Fertilizers used on crops contained infected fecal matter?  How about someone infected didn’t do a good job of cleaning themselves up after taking care of business, and, didn’t wash their hands thus spreading their particular strain of E-Coli to others, by handling produce being eaten by a lot of people (a modern day Typhoid Mary)?  Maybe German officials should be looking at people who handle fresh produce prior to it being sold to consumers (specifically someone who handled cucumbers)?

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Diesel Fuel usage new Canary in the Coal Mine, Recovery is Dead

“I was optimistic we’d have a better month, but it looks now like the recovery ended last summer, which means we’re just idling.”-Ed Leamer, University California Los Angeles economist

If you use diesel fuel you might have noticed that the price has been slowly going down.  That’s good for those of use who pay at the pump, but for the economy as a whole it’s a Canary in the Coal Mine of worse to come for our economy.

Diesel fuel prices are dropping because of a huge drop in demand.  That drop has been ongoing since last year, and in the past four months has been picking up speed.

Most users of diesel are transportation industries.  They ship products all over the country, but shipments of new products have dropped so much in eight of the past 12 months, that trucks, ships and aircraft are sitting idle.

According to the Ceridian-UCLA Pulse of Commerce Index, the drop in diesel fuel demand is proof any economic recovery that might have been, is over.

Ed Leamer says the two main reasons demand is down: Low wages/lack of jobs and high debt.  Notice they’re the two things our elected officials, across the board from local leaders to the White House, can’t seem to deal with.

Leamer also says such a drop in demand, in the U.S., is a first in world history: “U.S. demand has been such a key for the rest of the world for so long. This is sort of uncharted territory.”

 

 

Business/Economics, International

Government Incompetence: Greece has been paying thousands of dead people money

The insolvent government of Greece has just discovered that 4,500 dead people have been receiving government retirement pay, for years.

The government is now investigating whether there was a slip up on their side, or the families never filed notifications of death.  At least $23 million was paid out to dead people.

The Greek government is also investigating another 9,000 possible dead recipients of retirement money.

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Greenpeace & IAEA say radiation levels in Pacific Ocean too high

The nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi has resulted in hundreds of thousands of tons of radioactive water being spilled into the Pacific Ocean, and it hasn’t stopped.

Greenpeace says they’ve found ocean species with unsafe levels of radiation, 50 km (31 miles) from the nuke plant.

The International Atomic Energy Agency announced they will begin monitoring the Pacific Ocean for radiation contamination.  Australia, South Korea and Indonesia will make up a team that will sample water from the Pacific Ocean, and the East China Sea.  They expect the process to take four years.

The contamination of the Pacific Ocean would not have reached this level, if Tokyo Electric Power Company, and the Japanese government, took the nuclear disaster more seriously at the beginning.  Chernobyl was handled in a matter of weeks, not ongoing after many months like Fukishima Daiichi.

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Radiation levels far higher than first “thought”!

As proof that the Japanese government, and Tokyo Electric Power Company, were just wild ass guessing about the radiation levels being released from Fukushima Daiichi, a new report says the levels are more than double.

The governmental Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is now saying the initial radiation release from the damaged nuke plant was 770,000 terabecquerels.  The independent Nuclear Safety Commission said they put the amount of radiation released, in the first month, at 630,000 terabecquerels.

The level of radiation being spewed from the plant has not let up.  On Saturday, 04 June 2011, radiation emitted from Reactor 1 hit 4,000 millisieverts per hour!