Tag Archives: war

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: TEPCo still can’t get its water decontamination system to work

For at least the third time Tokyo Electric Power Company had to stop water decontamination at Fukushima Daiichi, this time because pipes were leaking.

You might not think that’s such a big deal, but how does one ton of radioactive water leaking out within two minutes sound?  That’s what happened. But to make that worse it didn’t have to happen.  Turns out that TEPCo decided to skip what should have been a routine check of pipe fittings before starting the decontamination.  According to an NHK report, four kilometers (8 miles) of pipe were loose (that’s how you dump one ton of water in two minutes).

Fukushima

Radioactive Cesium still being found at Japanese waste incenerators!

A few months ago it was reported that waste incinerators (which is how Japan handles its trash) were finding high levels of radiation in the ash of the burned trash.  The disaster at Fukushima Daiichi was blamed.

Today, waste incinerators as far south as Tokyo are still emitting cesium through their exhaust stacks.  One incinerator in Edogawa ward registered 9,740 becquerels of cesium per kilogram!  The incinerator handles only household trash.  This is an indicator that cesium is still being spewed into the air, and it’s settling as far south as Tokyo.

Fukushima

Strontium 90 found in Pacific seabed!

For the first time strontium 89 and 90 have been found on the seabed near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Tokyo Electric Power Company tested the soil at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, on 02 and 03 June 2011, at locations 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the nuke plant.

While this is the first time strontium has been found in the seabed, it is not the first time it’s been found in the water.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Obama about to send $145 million in military aid to Africa, $200 million for Yemen

Last week the Pentagon presented Congress with a plan to provide African countries with up to $145 million in military aid.  The aid, in money and equipment, is for so called counter terrorism operations.

The $145 million, to be split between several African countries, doesn’t compare to what just one country got last year.  Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula, got $155 million in aid last year, paid for by taxpayers.  And this year the Pentagon wants give Yemen $200 million!

Out of the $145 million in military aid going to African countries, only $600,000 is for ‘human rights training’.

 

Fukushima, U.S.

Corporate & Government Incompetence: Nebraska flood knocks out power to Nuclear Plant, no thanks to workers not paying attention

26 June 2011, an accident at the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant resulting in the expanding Missouri River flooding into the compound.  The water hit the nuke plant’s electrical transformers, cutting off power.

Electricity is still needed to keep the spent fuel pools cool.  Plant officials say they are now running on back up generators.

Forth Calhoun officials ordered the installation of a water filled artificial levee (berm).  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission did not approve the artificial levee.  At about 1:25 am, 26 June, workers broke the water filled berm, allowing the Missouri River to flood in.

This natural disaster is the latest bad news for the Fort Calhoun nuke plant.  In April plans to refuel its reactors were halted, over concerns of flooding by the Missouri River.  Then, on 07 June, a fire broke out in one of the reactor control rooms.  An inspection two years ago revealed that plant operators were not properly prepared for a flood.

Fukushima

Boric Acid to be Poured into Fukushima Daiichi Reator 3

After several months of spewing radiation all over northern Japan, Tokyo Electric Power Company is finally going to use boric acid on one of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors.

Actually TEPCo is pouring a borci acid/water mix into the spent fuel pool above Reactor 3.  By Monday evening, 27 June 2011, they will have used 90 tons of the mixture.

What is happening in the fuel pool is that radioactive concrete debris, from the hydrogen explosions, were stored in the fuel pool.  TEPCo has discovered that calcium hydrate from the concrete debris has made the water highly corrosive, increasing the chances of structural failure of the fuel pool.  They fear the racks holding the spent fuel rods will collapse, causing the rods to crash into each other, thus causing “re-criticality”.

 

International, U.S.

Syria moves troops to border with Turkey, U.S. issues warning, Turkey massing troops

So what if Obama is actually going to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, they’re just going to be used somewhere else.

In response to continued attacks against Syrian police and army troops (three mass graves filled with hundreds of Syrian cops and soldiers have been found), and the fact that Turkey is allowing the build up of NATO forces on a Turkish air base, the Syrian government is massing troops along the Turkish border.

There are reports that Syrian forces attacked impromptu refugee camps along the border.  The United States is warning Syria that their actions could escalate the situation (as if that isn’t what the U.S. wants).

“Unless the Syrian forces immediately end their attacks and their provocations that are not only now affecting their own citizens but (raising) the potential of border clashes, then we’re going to see an escalation of conflict in the area.”-Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

The Syrian refugees fled into Turkey.  Last week Turkey said it could handle the refugee situation, up to a point.  A Turkish official said they could handle about 10,000 refugees, if the refugee situation escalated beyond that Turkey would have to take action (the official didn’t specify what “action” would be taken).

According to a BBC report, Turkey (a member of the U.S. led NATO) is now massing troops on the border.

Fukushima

Doctors say don’t eat Japanese vegetables, they’re radioactive!

A group of doctors tested people living in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan.  That’s where the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is.  They discovered people living outside the evacuation zones are internally contaminated with radiation.

The doctors tested people in two cities; Iitate Village and Kawamata Town.  They are about 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the nuclear plant.  They tested their urine, to check for internal radiation contamination.  They found the people have three times what is considered normal exposure for one year.

The doctors are telling the people of Fukushima Prefecture to stop eating the locally grown vegetables.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Obama’s order to release U.S. oil reserves is BS, 27 other countries to release oil reserves is also BS, blame war on Libya

All indicators are that global demand for oil is going down, despite the oil “experts” continuing to say it’s going up.  The fact that oil and gas prices are going down is proof of the decrease in demand.  One study says oil should be at $70.00, based on actual consumer demand.

Yet President Barack Obama, and 27 other members of the International Energy Agency, are ordering the release of their respective strategic oil reserves.

The official reason the Obama administration gives, is to ease the supply problems with oil from Libya.  First off, the U.S. is a minor user of oil from Libya, secondly the U.S. is partly to blame for the oil supply problems in Libya!

The U.S. uses about 1% of oil produced in Libya, according to a USA Today report.  The U.S. has been supporting rebels who destroyed Chinese run oil fields in Libya, according to the Chinese government.

As I’m writing this U.S. crude oil prices are at $91.00 per barrel.  Why release U.S. oil reserves now, and not back when it was more than $100.00 per barrel?

Here something interesting; the U.S. Department of Energy reports that the strategic oil reserves are at record highs, 727 million barrels to be exact.  Why would that be? Because demand is down?

The IEA (not to be confused with the United Nations IAEA) is made up of 28 oil consuming countries, including the United States.  The decision of the IEA to release 60 million barrels of oil reserves, is to benefit the countries that get most of their oil from Libya, ie Europe.  One report showed that almost all of Italy’s oil comes from Libya.

In other words, Obama’s decision to release U.S. strategic oil reserves is for the benefit of the Europeans, not the United States!

It is also totally because of the U.S. supported European war on Libya, the aggressors (U.S. and Europe) brought it upon themselves.

 

 

 

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: TEPCo shuts off wrong valves!

Yesterday I speculated that Tokyo Electric Power Company probably installed their water radiation filters backwards.  Today NHK reporting that incorrect settings of the system are the cause of TEPCo’s problems.

At least twice TEPCo had to stop their decontamination of water, at Fukushima Daiichi, because they were getting the reverse effect; an increase in radiation levels in the water.  Another time they stopped because they broke a water pump.

It turns out all those problems were caused by the incorrect setting of valves.  The result was that less than half of the filter chambers were being used.  TEPCo blames their throwaway workers for misunderstanding the “open” and “shut” indicators on the U.S. designed system!