Tag Archives: war

Business/Economics, Fukushima

No farming in parts of Japan thanks to radiation

Some farming villages that escaped the tsunami, did not escape radiation from Fukukshima Daiichi nuclear plant.

What has people amazed is that these farming villages are outside the government’s 30km nuclear disaster zone.

Soil samples have revealed that radiation levels are more than 1,000 times normal.  Wind and rain is suspected for bringing the radiation outside the 30km zone.

This is proof that nuclear disasters affected far greater areas than what most people think.  This will just add to the world’s growing food supply problems.

Fukushima

Despite main stream media reports, Progress NOT being made at Fukushima Daiichi

TEPCO officials report more problems with trying to get their nuclear plant under control.

Reactor 2 continues to emit more and more radiation.  Officials are unable to find out why, because radiation levels are so high that no one can go near the reactor.

Several works have been sent to the hospital because of exposure to high radiation. One worker is said to have “Beta Burns”.  At least two workers were standing in radioactive water in reactor 3, trying to connect power lines.  The water contains radiation levels as high as 180 millisieverts.

Fukushima

Nuclear plant disaster plan did not include Tsunami

Despite the fact that Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is built on the coast line, TEPCO, and government officials, dismissed concerns over possible tsunami.

Seismologist, Okamura Yukinobu, warned of a debilitating tsunami in June 2009. He also requested that nuclear plant disaster plans be reviewed for tsunami readiness.

Japanese officials dismissed his request because they did not think a tsunami was a threat.

Fukushima

Reactor 4 built with defect says former engineer, making it a “time bomb”!

Tanaka Mitsuhiko is an engineer who helped build reactor 4’s containment vessel in 1974.  Tanaka says he helped hide a defect in the steel used to make the containment vessel.

Reactor 4 at the Fukushima Daiichi was shut for maintenance when the March 11 quake triggered a tsunami that lead to explosions and radiation leaks.

Tanaka has called reactor 4 a “time bomb”.

Fukushima

Smoke from 4 Reactors, pressure increase

NHK reporting that their helicopter crew confirms that there is white smoke come from reactors 1, 2, 3 & 4.  This is the first time smoke has come from reactor 1.

Cabinet Secretary, Yukio Edano, announced that reactor 1 is showing pressure increase, even after temperatures were brought down with water.  The problem now is that every time they inject water into the cooling system it results in higher pressure in the containment system, which is also bad.

International, Opinion, U.S.

Germany throws wrench into NATO taking lead role against Libya

Germany, a member of NATO, pulled out of Mediterranean operations against Libya.

Germany, along with Turkey,  are reasons why NATO can not take the lead in actions against Libya. NATO must have all members on board, which it does not. It’s sure looks like Obama (U.S.), Sarkozy (France) and Cameron (U.K.) fail when it comes to coalition building.

This is why Obama will not keep his promise to Congress.  He stated that the U.S. would relinquish its role in the attacks on Libya in “days”.  It now looks like it could be weeks.

Sarkozy is such an idiot his people think the “coalition” can not only carry on without the U.S., but without any unified command and control. In other words, everyone in the coalition does their own thing.

This is looking more and more like a literal circus of war mongering clowns!

Oh, Germany says it’ll increase its presence in Afghanistan so other NATO countries can pull their troops out of Afghanistan to fight the Libyans. Kind of a roundabout way of supporting the attacks on Libya, while denouncing the attacks at the same time.

International, U.S.

Russian Duma Demands Attacks against Libya Stop

The majority of the lower house of the Russian Duma (Parliament) approved a resolution condemning the military action against Libya, and demanding it be stopped.

“The State Duma expresses concern over the scale and form in which the military force is used against Libya and calls for parliaments of France, Great Britain, United States, Italy, Canada and other states that are conducting the military operation to assist the immediate end of combat that damages the peaceful Libyan infrastructure and most importantly causes new casualties among civilian population.”

Russian politicians point out that UNSCR 1973 does not have specific limits on military action. Also, each of the UN coalition members are interpreting it differently, which is why the operation looks so haphazard.

This lack of specifics in the UN resolution is partly why President Obama is still trying to work out who will take the lead from the U.S., days after he told Congress that the U.S. involvement would end in a few days.


International, U.S.

U.S. Soldier Pleads Guilty to Murdering Afghans

Trying to provide the accused soldier with an “out”, the military officials asked Army Specialist, Jeremy Morlock, if his unit was just trying to scare the locals, and it “got out of hand.” Morlock’s reply: “The plan was to kill people.”

Morlock pleaded guilty to murder. Four other soldiers face murder charges as well.  All together 12 U. S. soldiers are charged with murder and conspiracy to cover it up.  Charges also include drug use, mutilating bodies, keeping body parts as trophies and taking photos of dead bodies.

Fukushima, International, Technology

Radiation NOT an IMMEDIATE Threat? What do they mean?

The Japanese government has told people not to eat the vegetables, and not to drink the water, because of radiation contamination.  At the same time they say “There is no immediate threat.”

What they mean by that is, that the levels, and types, of radiation contamination is such that you will not notice any bad effects “immediately”.  However, if you continue to eat, drink, or expose yourself to even the lowest levels of contamination, over time you will suffer bad effects.

For example: Iodine-131 is a short life span radioactive isotope. It collects on your thyroid glands (just like iodide), and if it builds up will cause cancer. Even low levels of iodine-131 will build up on your thyroid if you keep eating, drinking, or exposing yourself to the contamination.  This is why the Japanese government is telling people to stop eating the vegetables, and stop drinking the water, even though there is no “immediate” threat.

In other words, it’s still bad, bad, bad!

Fukushima

Do NOT boil radioactive water, update

Japanese have been told that tap water is contaminated. They’ve also been told not to feed the water to their babies.

The level of contamination is too high for infants.  The contamination is mainly short life span Iodine-131.  Iodine-131 collects on your thyroid gland, and can cause cancer.

The Japanese government will be issuing clean water to parents with infants, who are, I believe they said, 12 months and younger.

Some people think they can boil the water. The problem is that the radioactive isotopes in the water then become air born in the steam rising from the boiling water, and you breath them in.  Also, if you boil for a only a short time there will still be contamination in the water.

The Consumer’s Guide has a web page that explains how to make water safe to drink. Scroll down until you get to the title “More Rigorous Purification Methods”. This section talks about distilling to get rid of radiation fallout in water.  It’s more complicated than just boiling.  When you distill you’re basically capturing the steam rising off the boiling water, then funneling it into a cup, or pot, to collect it.  The article then suggests you filter the water as well.