Tag Archives: war

International

Studies say cutting back on salt does not reduce death rates

“Cutting down on the amount of salt has no clear benefits in terms of likelihood of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease.”-Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

No fewer than seven international studies have concluded that reducing salt in your diet does not reduce the chance of death.

A moderately low salt diet might reduce your blood pressure, but there is no evidence it will prolong your life.  However, there is evidence that people who have congestive heart failure might increase there chance of death with a low salt diet.

This makes sense to me, because salt, along with potassium, helps prevent your muscles from cramping.  Your heart is a muscle.

The studies looked at 6,000 people.  Researchers admit they need to do more detailed studies, like looking at cardiovascular morbidity in people with normal or high blood pressure.

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: More Japanese tea farms contaminated with Cesium!

Another tea growing prefecture is now contaminated with dangerous levels of cesium.  Tochigi prefectural government says 1,810 becquerels per kilogram of cesium is contaminating the harvest, piked earlier this week.

The levels are three times the safe limits set by the Tochigi government.  Tochigi Prefecture is 160 kilometers (99.4 miles) from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

This latest prefecture is part of a growing list of prefectures that have stopped tea shipments because of cesium.  Others include Chiba, Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefectures. Shizuoka is Japan’s largest tea producer.

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: TEPCo admits airborne radiation still being emitted in high doses!

Tokyo Electric Power Company announced it will increase monitoring of airborne radiation levels around the damaged reactors at its Fukushima Daiichi plant.

TEPCo will especially focus on reactors 1 and 4.  High levels of contamination are being found in dust and steam emitted from the reactor buildings.

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: Another nuclear reactor in trouble in Japan, failed to meet its own company standards!

Looks like it was the right move, for the Prime Minister to order standard safety stress tests of all nuke plant in Japan.  The Tokai Daini nuclear plant in Ibaraki Prefecture has failed earthquake safety tests for its electronic equipment.

The amazing thing is that the earthquake safety standards for Tokai Daini were created by the very company that runs the nuclear plant.

The Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says many of the nuclear plants in eastern Japan are failing their own earthquake safety standards for their electrical equipment.  In one case it was discovered that the metal frames holding electric motors were made of such inferior metal that they could be easily broken by twisting.  The agency also says they still don’t know the true reason why the electrical systems at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant failed.

Fukushima, Technology

Nuclear & natural disasters inspire Mitsubishi to make a car you can cook with

Mitsubishi announced their new electric car can keep you from starving after a major disaster.

They claim that in case of major power loss to your home you can use the electric car to power your home appliances.  Supposedly the batteries in the car can hold enough power to run your house for one and a half days.

Well, I guess they weren’t thinking of a really big natural disaster, like what happened on 11 March 2011.  But getting through the first day after such a disaster is critical.

What we really need is someone to come up with a portable solar panel that’s powerful enough to cook with, and charge up the batteries on your electric car.  Then who needs utility companies?

Mitsubishi plans to start selling their electric survival car in 2012.

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japan will create new national rules for nuclear reactor safety, that can be overriden!

06 July 2011, Prime Minister Kan Naoto has ordered those in the government, who’re in charge of nuclear reactor safety, to create new rules.  Kan says the numerous and growing complaints from the people have made it clear a new system of rules for reactor start ups need to be created.  Many prefectures are refusing to allow reactors to be re-started.  Gee, I would’ve thought it was the fact that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster is still ongoing.

Under current rules the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, and the Industry Minister, decide when it is safe to start up a reactor.

Prime Minister Kan wants the new rules to include stress tests, and be in compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Kasai Akira, of the opposition Communist Party, pointed out that it is useless to create new rules when local prefectures have the right to override those rules, as they are in not allowing reactors to re-start.

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japan finally adopts standardized reactor stress tests, will adopt European system

On the night of 05 July 2011, the Japanese Prime Minister issued an order to conduct stress tests on all nuclear reactors in Japan.

The tests are based on European Union standards.  The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says Japan’s reactors are safe, but many Japanese citizens think otherwise.  Several prefectural governments are refusing to allow reactors to re-start.  The new EU based tests are meant to ease any remaining fears among the people.

International, U.S.

No more open borders in Europe, no thanks to the U.S. & European wars in the Middle East & North Africa

Denmark announced that starting July 5, no more open borders.  They blame drug trafficking and illegal immigrants.

Since the U.S. led invasion of Afghanistan drug trafficking has skyrocketed across Central Asia and into Europe.  Many of the drugs come from U.S. occupied Afghanistan.

The NATO attacks on Libya have greatly increased what European governments are calling illegal immigration (most of whom are actually war refugees, no thanks to the European/U.S./NATO war on Libya).

Denmark is not the first EU member to close its borders.  France and Italy closed their borders with each other, for the same reasons as Denmark.  In the case of France and Italy, French officials discovered that Italy was giving refugees (I mean illegal immigrants), mainly from Tunis and Libya, EU visas then putting them on trains bound for France.

Other EU members are complaining about the violation of the European Union’s “open borders” policy, but Denmark claims their border closure will not affect commerce.

International, U.S.

Saudi Prince tells U.S. led NATO to invade Iran or give Saudi Arabia nuclear weapons

A British newspaper reports that a secret meeting was held between NATO and Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal.  The subject was nuclear weapons, and how Saudi Arabia could get some.

The Guardian quoted an unnamed Saudi official as saying: “We cannot live in a situation where Iran has nuclear weapons and we don’t.”

The meeting concerned Saudi fears that Iran will develop nuclear weapons.

Saudi Arabia is a Semitic country.  Iran is technically Aryan (Aryans originate in Central Asia, and spread from India to Europe, the politically correct term in the West is Indo-European).  Also, most of the Saudi royal family are Wahhabi (aka Salafi) Muslims (the main stream western media incorrectly says most Saudis are Sunni Muslim).  Most Iranians are Shia Muslims.  Al Qaeda, also made up of mainly Wahhabis, declared jihad against Shia Muslims.  The dominating tribe of Saudi Arabia (the royal family) considers Iran a mortal enemy.

One analysts says what’s really happening is that Saudi Arabia is trying to push the United States closer to going to war with Iran: “I think the point is less that Saudi Arabia is really planning to make nuclear weapons, it’s about impressing on the U.S. how urgent it is to react to Iran’s nuclear program.”-Guido Steinberg, German Institute for International and Security Affairs

 


Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japanese government focusing all resources on Fukushima, is this a case of too little too late?

Almost four months after the world’s worst nuclear accident, is the Japanese government finally taking serious action in Fukushima Prefecture?

On 04 July 2011, the Japanese government announced they will take over all radiation monitoring in Fukushima, including the monitoring being done by Tokyo Electric Power Company.

This comes after growing complaints by residents of Fukushima Prefecture, that the government wasn’t doing enough.  Already several cities have begun their own decontamination efforts.  One city, Date, said they were going to bill the government and TEPCo.

Residents are also upset about the government’s targeted evacuations.  They’re based on radiation levels, however there are different groups taking those readings, and it’s confusing residents.

Before the government decision to take over radiation monitoring, testing was being done by local governments, independent groups, universities and Tokyo Electric.  Residents felt it was about time for some standardization.

The Japanese central government will use their monitoring data to determine future evacuations.