Tag Archives: economy

Business/Economics, International

For the first time since 1959 Cubans can buy & sell homes, get access to Credit

Cuban President Raul Castro announced that Cubans can now sell, and buy homes.  Up ’till now Cubans could only pass on their homes to children, or arrange complicated trades.

Raul Castro warned that Cubans will not be allowed to collected large amounts of property, under the new rules.

Fidel Castro approved of the communist party decision.  The Cuban communist party also agreed to let the general population have access to credit.  Since October 2010 more than 200,000 Cubans have started businesses.

The Cuban communist party also made the revolutionary statement that they will not be involved with the administration of the state government.

Fukushima, Technology

Black Week in Ukraine, Chernobyl anniversary, still seeking funds with ongoing clean up efforts

25 years after the deadly nuclear accident at the Chernobyl plant, the Ukraine is still struggling to deal with the disaster.

This week is Black Week, the official anniversary of the nuclear accident, which happened on 26 April 1986.  31 people were killed, as a direct result of the disaster, and many more have suffered cancers, and children being born with defects.

The amazing thing is that clean up efforts continue, and the Ukraine is struggling to pay for it.   Officials are trying to raise U.S.$ 1 billion for future clean up projects.

Fukushima

Japan nuke workers suffer Heat Stroke!

Tokyo Electric Power Company will now put air conditioners in the worker’s rest stations,  after at least one worker succumbed to heat stroke.

Temperatures inside their protective suits are hot after only 30 minutes of wearing them.  Unlike some military NBC masks, that can allow you to drink water, the nuke suits used at Fukushima Daiichi do not allow the workers to drink water.

There is only one building on the compound that still has working air conditioning.  TEPCo will bring in more air conditioning units.

Fukushima

TEPCo testing for Plutonium in Pacific Ocean!

Tokyo Electric Power Company officials say they will test the ocean for plutonium.  They have already found soil samples to be contaminated with the toxic isotope.

TEPCo official Matsumoto Junichi says because plutonium was found in the ground around Fukushima Daiichi, then it’s possible it is getting into the ocean.  They will check the ocean floor, because plutonium is heavier than other isotopes, and probably sank.

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

Former U.S. official says don’t blame China for U.S. economic problems, yet

“If we didn’t import from China, we’d import from somewhere else.”-Henry Paulson, former U.S. Treasury Secretary

Henry Paulson is saying that if U.S. corporations didn’t have China to ship jobs to, they’d ship off U.S. jobs somewhere else.  He, and others, believe that by shipping off U.S. jobs to other countries, it helps to keep inflation down.

Of course it does, because that means less people working which brings down consumer spending which helps keep inflation down.  Inflation traditionally goes up when the economy is good and people spend more money, which is what is happening in China right now.

There is worry that the fast growing inflation in China could spread to the rest of the world.  For those countries whose economies are in trouble it’s not a good thing: “If China has problems, our problems would be more difficult.”-Henry Paulson

 

Fukushima, Idaho

Idaho robot succefully measures Radiation in Reactors

NHK reporting that the robot sent by the Idaho National Laboratory has measured radiation levels inside reactors 1 and 3.

The robots were sent to Japan to help deal with the damaged Fukshima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The max radiation level inside the Reactor 3 building is 57 millisieverts per hour, while max level in Reactor 1 building is at 49 millisieverts per hour.  The readings were taken on the first floor of the buildings.

Normal safe limits, for nuclear employees, are 100 millisieverts, but the Japanese government raised it to an emergency limit of 250 millisieverts.  Even at the emergency limit, a worker would exceed it within four and a half hours of exposure.

They will check Reactor 2 building next.  NHK video

Fukushima, Idaho

Robot from Idaho now working at Japan Nuke Plant

Robots from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) are about to start work in the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Originally developed to assist with high-risk reconnaissance and the disposal of explosives and hazardous materials, The TALON has been modified for its new job.

The INL is also supplying Japan with radiation-sensing packages for Japanese robots, and a four person team to provide training and advice.   NHK video

Fukushima

Chernobyl clean up still a work in progress, 25 years later! Nuke disasters never end!

Japanese media recently listened intently to officials describing their plans to deal with the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.  If the Japanese are expecting a specific time line, they shouldn’t hold their breath.  Clean up of the Chernobyl nuke plant, in Ukraine, is still ongoing, 25 years later.

The current phase of clean up, for Chernobyl, involves building a new radiation proof containment building for the damaged reactor.   The graphite fueled reactor is still emitting high levels of radiation.

In 1986 the Soviets (Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union then) buried the reactor in sand, lead, concrete and boric acid.  Then they built a concrete tomb around the building.   But that’s not enough, over time the tomb is breaking down.

The new containment building is an 18,000 ton metal arch, 110 meters (360 feet) high, 200 meters (656 feet) long and 257 meters (843 feet) wide.  They have recently laid the concrete pad for the building, it’s more than one meter (3.2 feet) thick.

The lesson is that when you’re dealing with a nuclear disaster, it’s never ending.