This is from Nuclear Information Resource Service.
UPDATE 7:30 pm, Monday, March 14, 2011. Tokyo Electric Power is holding a press conference at this hour. Video stream is here [but seems the event is over].
NHK TV reports that there has been an explosion at Unit 2 at Fukushima Daiichi. There is speculation that this explosion has damaged the primary containment (inside the concrete containment building, which is the secondary containment. Tepco is evacuating some non-essential personnel from the reactor site. 2.5 meters of the core are currently uncovered by water — which means it is almost certainly melting. Winds from the site are currently blowing toward the North. [End of NIRS update.]
Previously there have been problems with Unit-1 and Unit-3, both of which experienced hydrogen explosions. CORRECTION — I reported that Unit-2 of this facility is different in that it is fueled by a MOX, a mixture of uranium and plutonium. So far only Unit-3 has been confirmed to have been recently refueled with MOX.
Plutonium — a highly controversial atomic fuel — is far more lethal than uranium.
Kyla, back when I lived on the commune I had a friend from Germany come to stay with us for about a year, he was going to computer school in California. Because of my distaste in perception toward the German folk for wwII, we had many a debate regarding global perceptions. Back then it was lively, and polarized, at best. He tried to share with me the ‘understanding’ that the German people had undergone, having been so close to the atrocities, and so impotent themselves from an out of control war machine bent on control. His sorrow, if not shame, was palpable. But, he was born in ’75, long after the nazi b.s., and quite aware that he would stand up against the racist sheisse. We were friends.
America, doesn’t seem to have any shame (or humility!). In fact, the gun-toting self righteous attitudes seem to hold the most sway in its collective perception. As Cat Stevens once put it “..and you, aint hurt enough..”-Bad Penny. Damn man, I don’t want to hurt anymore.. I’m a global critter!..
..Anyway, it’s time for us to figure out a way, someway,.. for us to wrench the reigns of control from those suits, ties, “authority” figures, mommy daddy, dooshbag Buffet, Koch suckers, and all the other (and I won’t say capitalist, in essence it’s a great idea) greedy, narrow-minded, self centered FUCKS, that are blind and uncaring to the realities of a global environment.
Freakin’ Kudos to Germany.. (It’s an odd karma, aint it.. Germany, Japan…)
The Citizens of the U.S. are going to Have to step out of their comfort realms.. Another civil war is on, this one, is ignorance vs. awareness. (We’ve got bigger brains!!)
Activism.. (forgive the -ism, I’m a Sag.,..). More.. We have to do More.
Organization. We have to have a very tightly run, loosely tied, highly motivated (Millions..billions..) bunch of folk to disseminate info in the ‘Coolest’ of ways.
..Together we stand, divided we fall…-The Wall
Fellow tripper,
Jere
Germany is shutting down its older nuclear power plants:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-15/german-pre-1980-nuclear-plants-to-be-halted-merkel-says.html
“Germany is halting its seven oldest nuclear reactors as part of a nationwide safety review to run through June after the explosions at reactors in Japan, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
The federal government and premiers of the German states where nuclear-power stations are located agreed that facilities “that began operation before the end of 1980 are being stopped for the duration of the moratorium,” Merkel said after a meeting in Berlin today.
“This involves seven reactors,” some of which are already offline, she said at a news conference. The temporary shutdown may affect power prices in Europe’s largest economy, Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle said.
Germany, which relies on nuclear power for 23 percent of its energy needs, is the first European country to take such measures after explosions at Japan’s Fukushima plant sparked safety concerns….
graffiti — thanks to krall for the catch and you for sharing it here. the story behind the story is always telling and crucial.
E2 — yes! i vote for your shirt idea, too!
🙂
I love E2’s t-shirt idea! I would totally buy one.
Dear Eric,
I know you have characterized this period as making the sixties look like a walk in the park, and “everything, all at once” but the reality is still hard to grasp, and I have had the fortune of living through a number of disasters in my life already. On the other hand, a t-shirt with Everything, All At Once, would be fun. Maybe a set of “tour dates” with the dates of exact Uranus/Pluto squares on the back?
I am sorry to say that I do not believe we have seen the last of the major earthquakes just yet for this cycle. Sigh.
After watching CNN for the last fifteen minutes about the government’s and TEPCO’s briefing on the events at Daiichi, I thought it might be a good idea to post the EPA’s protocol for Risk Communication and the role of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and the EPA in coordinating response and communication in the event of a transnational nuclear event. Here it is:
There are seven cardinal rules of Risk Communication developed by the EPA . These are:
1. Accept and involve the public as a legitimate partner.
2. Listen to the audience.
3. Be honest, frank, and open.
4. Coordinate and collaborate with other credible sources.
5. Meet the needs of the media.
6. Speak clearly and with compassion.
7. Plan carefully and evaluate performance.
In the instance of this event, the EPA is the United States’ coordinating agency for our country’s response in the event of a transnational nuclear event. Coordinating agencies have primary responsibilities for federal activities related to the nuclear/radiological aspects of the incident.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA’s Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident (1987) addresses the potential for radioactive releases in one country to affect another country. It applies to actual or potential releases that may threaten the public health or environment in another country. Such releases are known as “transboundary releases.” It applies to releases from facilities and activities, such as nuclear reactors and fuel cycle facilities; transporting, storing, or managing radioactive materials for agriculture, industry, or research; and the use of radioisotopes to generate power in space objects.
The country in which the accident occurs must immediately notify any country that is potentially affected. They may do this directly or through the IAEA. They must provide the following information:
* time, exact location (if appropriate), and nature of the accident
* facility or activity involved
* assumed or established cause
* foreseeable development of the accident and transboundary (cross-border) release of radioactive materials
* general characteristics of the radioactive release, including its nature, probable physical and chemical form, as well as the quantity, composition, and effective height of the radioactive release
* current and forecast meteorological and hydrological conditions necessary to estimate the progress of the transboundary release
* results of relevant environmental monitoring
* off-site protective measures taken or planned
* the release’s predicted behavior over time.
Each country must respond, as promptly as possible, to requests for information and advice on minimizing the consequences of the accident. Each country must also identify a point-of-contact. The U.S. point of contact for receiving information is the Department of State. The U.S. point-of-contact for notifying IAEA and neighboring countries is the Coordinating Federal Agency (in this case, the EPA) for an accident that occurs in the U.S.
For the EPA, this means that the Agency works with the Department of State to receive information from the IAEA and neighboring countries and then passes it on to responders in other federal departments and agencies, Regional EPA responders, as well as state and local responders.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110315/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake_nuclear_crisis
SOMA, Japan – Radiation is spewing from damaged reactors at a crippled nuclear power plant in tsunami-ravaged northeastern Japan in a dramatic escalation of the 4-day-old catastrophe. The prime minister has warned residents to stay inside or risk getting radiation sickness.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Tuesday that a fourth reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex was on fire and that more radiation was released
Prime Minister Naoto Kan warned that there are dangers of more leaks and told people living within 19 miles (30 kilometers) of the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex stay indoors.
Eric, your words written in the Uranus in Aries article keep coming back to me:
” it’s about breaking free from the structures that merely eat energy and feed negativity.”
This heart says thank you for all you do and who you be.
There have been no exact contacts yet. Repeat, the first is in June 2012. I have reported this in PW many, many times.
Eric: Thank you for this post. Thank you for the integrity and hard work. Thank you for caring enough to carry such an astounding load. Jiminy Crickets. Mother of Pearl. Godfrey Dandridge.
pwoodard: Assume you mean Uranus square Pluto. The next exact square will be next year. They were exact twice last year. Five more exacts to go over the next several years. In functional terms, the two planets have been in square aspect continuously for at least a couple years.
June 2012 is the first exact.
Here is a reference:
http://serennu.com/members/aspectsearch.php?b1=7&angle=90&b2=9
When is the square with pluto?
Just jumping in here to share a really bad mistake in the New York times caught by freelance reporter Rob Kall.
In the paper’s March 12 piece, called “Crisis Underscores Fears About Safety of Nuclear Energy,” Nils J. Diaz is cited as a nuclear engineer who suggests that Japanese engineers did not make the best choices in managing the crisis.
In fact, however, Diaz is much more than an engineer — he is an executive at a Provo, Utah, firm that invests in nuclear power plants, called Blue Castle Holdings.
Diaz has a dog in this fight — he would presumably suffer financially if more regulatory requirements were made of nuclear facilties. So when asked by the Times what he makes of the situation at Fukushima, he skirts all safety or regulatory issues and says instead that the Japanese simply didn’t make the right engineering choices.
This is symptomatic of what happens all the time in the press — they get bamboozled by industry tricksters. The reporters don’t check people out and they they end up getting led around by the nose.
Here’s the Times story and below that the Rob Kall article that caught the Times mistake:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/world/asia/13nuclear-industry.html?scp=1&sq=Nils%20J.%20Diaz&st=cse
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Get-Ready-for-The-Nuclear-by-Rob-Kall-110313-77.html