it was terrifying all right - i've been through dozens but this was something else. My kid was petrified (her first).
I have knocked work on the head for the day, fuck that noise
Pilon is twittering, so he's prolly fine.
Apparently I'm in Japan according to chrono
damn I just woke up. So uhh.. what are the chances of any "giant waves" hitting the california coast?Um. No...?
i think he's confusing Japan with Hawaii
The nighttime shots of the still-burning oil factory in Chiba looks like hell-on-earth.
As of a couple hours ago, it sounds as though most of the Tokyo trains are running.
So far, there are 59 confirmed dead, but they're not even showing numbers for Aomori, which is definitely the hardest hit. I've got a friend up there we haven't yet been able to reach. :-\
JR likes are still down! Looks like there's thousands of stranded people at the major stations, looking at overhead videos make it look like a movie or something, just people packed everywhere. Even if they were running I think I'd stay here anyway and avoid the insanity. Ah well, at least I have the internet to keep me busy! I guess I'm more fortunate than a lot of other stranded folks.
just saw a string of messages from Japanese people trapped or otherwise in need of help on twitter. 'Stuck under rubble, battery dying. Address is...please help'. Heartrending.
Any new developments concerning the nuclear reactor?
I saw some of those Tweets, pretty emotional stuff. I can't imagine what the Kobe quake would've been like if we had social networking back then.
The "Tsunami warnings" here in Washington are pretty ridiculous. We might get waves up to 3 feet on the coast. People need to stop freaking out.
Any new developments concerning the nuclear reactor?
I saw some of those Tweets, pretty emotional stuff. I can't imagine what the Kobe quake would've been like if we had social networking back then.
The "Tsunami warnings" here in Washington are pretty ridiculous. We might get waves up to 3 feet on the coast. People need to stop freaking out.
just a l'il bit US-centric isn't it
Man, this sounds/looks horrible. :-\spoiler (click to show/hide)Don't wanna derail the thread, but there was actually an anime series from 2009 about a massive earthquake hitting the Tokyo area. But the weird thing it was only an 8.0:
http://myanimelist.net/anime/6211/Tokyo_Magnitude_8.0[close]
any news on the nuclear reactor?
Apparently all the damages of the primary cooling system will be repaired today and they will go online tomorrow. Backup systems are holding up and if they fail there is diesel generators that can keep up with the cooling process.
The four Japanese nuclear power plants closest to the earthquake have been safely shut down, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told Reuters.
The United States has transported coolant to a Japanese nuclear plant affected by the massive quake and will continue to assist Japan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said.
"We just had our Air Force assets in Japan transport some really important coolant to one of the nuclear plants. You know Japan is very reliant on nuclear power and they have very high engineering standards, but one of their plants came under a lot of stress with the earthquake and didn't have enough coolant," Clinton said at a meeting of the President's Export Council.
No rest at Daiichi power plant. Unit 2 is almost at peak efficiency but now there is enormous pressure build in unit 1. This could end up in radioactive leak. They are doing all they can to lower the pressure but no word how it's going yet.
Can someone find out if Ichirou is safe?
Can someone find out if Ichirou is safe?
He's in New Zealand.
(http://i.imgur.com/MH5m1.jpg)
Distant :(
(http://i.imgur.com/MH5m1.jpg)
Distant :(
(http://img-cluster1.dannychoo.com/cgm/ecommerce/dannychoo/images/large/f0e1819e76a4ce4fb98e8b6b92c68c16.jpg)
is akihabara one big sinkhole now, please tell me it is, PLEASE
:dizzy :dizzy :dizzy :dizzy :dizzy :dizzyis akihabara one big sinkhole now, please tell me it is, PLEASE
some girl on my fb friends list posted this.
"I hope all my kindred spirits in the Akihabara district are doing well after the earthquake. Much love. I need you to keep taking DS pictures of the cosplay waitresses!"
she is a self proclaimed otaku.
delete from fb friends list? y/n
Look at the responses:
"The world does end with you shibuya.... How ironic would that be?"
"That Gundam Museum better be in tact or Gaia is gonna have to answer to me! I'm not planeteer!"
is akihabara one big sinkhole now, please tell me it is, PLEASE
some girl on my fb friends list posted this.
"I hope all my kindred spirits in the Akihabara district are doing well after the earthquake. Much love. I need you to keep taking DS pictures of the cosplay waitresses!"
she is a self proclaimed otaku.
delete from fb friends list? y/n
On a very important note Gizmodo reminds us once again that the Red Cross is a bloodsucking curse that sometimes uses money raised from one catastrophe and uses it for aid in another catastrophe:Where should I donate, then?
http://gizmodo.com/#!5781182/did-your-donation-really-reach-japan-probably-not (http://gizmodo.com/#!5781182/did-your-donation-really-reach-japan-probably-not)
On a very important note Gizmodo reminds us once again that the Red Cross is a bloodsucking curse that sometimes uses money raised from one catastrophe and uses it for aid in another catastrophe:
http://gizmodo.com/#!5781182/did-your-donation-really-reach-japan-probably-not (http://gizmodo.com/#!5781182/did-your-donation-really-reach-japan-probably-not)
Earth's axis has shifted 10 inches as a result of the quake. Japan's coastline has permanently shifted 2.4 meters.
apparently. Looking outside, it all seems much the same. All my friends seem to have made it home safe at some point in the night (or stayed overnight at work).
Where is your friend's workplace located, cormac? Also how many strong aftershocks followed (is still following?) a big one like this?
Just saw this on Twitter:
Recap : 8.9 6.4 6.4 6.8 3.2 7.1 6.3 6.3 5.8 5.9 6.3 6.1 6.1 3.2 5.9 5.8 5.7 5.6 5.9 5.5 6.2 6.2 6.5 6.1 5.9 5.5 5.4 4.6 5.2 3.3 5.4 2.8 2.5 5.5 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.0 5.4 5.2 2.7 5.5 5.2 6.0 5.6 5.9 5.3 5.5 5.0 3.2 5.1 5.6 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.7 6.5 5.8 5.8 5.1 5.5 5.1 5.9 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.3 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.3 2.5 5.1 5.8 2.5 5.1 5.6 4.9 5.6 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.5 5.2 2.6 5.1 5.4 5.1 5.4 5.8 5.0 6.2 5.6 5.2 4.9 5.4 5.0
Holy shit
A guy I know just put this up - this is pretty much what it was like for us.
[youtube=560,345]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hjDxjQeH4U&feature=player_embedded#at=97[/youtube]
Japan has now been hit by 24 6.0-plus quakes since the big one. And Tokyo is almost completely unscathed! (5 deaths, 10 injured at this point). Hard to believe so many people have been so lucky. If more densely-populated areas had been hit, this could have been apocalyptic.Not so much luck as they purposefully build for this
So, nuke meltdown or not?Nobody would tell you that anyway.
In these tough economic times, isn’t it nice to know that calamitous natural disasters needn't have an adverse affect on your investment portfolio? After the 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan failed to induce a market nosedive, CNBC’s Larry Kudlow expressed his relief in terms that seemed to appall even his fellow cheerleaders for capitalism: “The human toll here,” he declared, “looks to be much worse than the economic toll and we can be grateful for that.” (Skip ahead to 0:38 on the video after the jump.)
| (http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5889/1299928687001.jpg) |
Different type of reactor if I'm not mistaken, so a meltdown wouldn't be nearly as bad.
Good to hear that the nuclear reactor is getting under control.
On a mindnumbingly distinguished mentally-challenged note:spoiler (click to show/hide)
(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5889/1299928687001.jpg) [close]
:usacry
Good to hear that the nuclear reactor is getting under control.two atomic bombs, earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown still not enough for pearl harbor!
On a mindnumbingly distinguished mentally-challenged note:spoiler (click to show/hide)
(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5889/1299928687001.jpg) [close]
:usacry
Good to hear that the nuclear reactor is getting under control.two atomic bombs, earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown still not enough for pearl harbor!
On a mindnumbingly distinguished mentally-challenged note:spoiler (click to show/hide)
(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5889/1299928687001.jpg) [close]
:usacry
it's absolutely hiliarious that (presumed) white christians now believe in karma!
Good to hear that the nuclear reactor is getting under control.two atomic bombs, earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown still not enough for pearl harbor!
On a mindnumbingly distinguished mentally-challenged note:spoiler (click to show/hide)
(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5889/1299928687001.jpg) [close]
:usacry
I hear Putin is gonna ride in barechested and wrestle the nuclear reactor into submission. With his cock.
http://video.l3.fbcdn.net/cfs-l3-snc6/81489/34/1605260179420_2624.mp4?oh=ac31b4d8738221641ba490396dc19636&oe=4D7F9F00&l3s=20110313100648&l3e=20110315101648&lh=0a6cfa5eeaecd6dc12abf
Insane video. Really shows how powerful the water is.
Guess I'm lucky that central Tokyo isn't affected by the blackouts. Ah well, guess I'll try to conserve energy either way, at least it's not a cold day today.
Why is it that foreign media is only focusing on Tokyo with reporting and interviews?
Guess I'm lucky that central Tokyo isn't affected by the blackouts. Ah well, guess I'll try to conserve energy either way, at least it's not a cold day today.
Why is it that foreign media is only focusing on Tokyo with reporting and interviews?
Most of what I'm seeing on the American media is out in Sendai. Not a whole lot of focus on Tokyo.
As the scale of Japan’s nuclear crisis begins to come to light, experts in Japan and the United States say the country is now facing a cascade of accumulating problems that suggest that radioactive releases of steam from the crippled plants could go on for weeks or even months.
...
But Pentagon officials reported Sunday that helicopters flying 60 miles from the plant picked up small amounts of radioactive particulates — still being analyzed, but presumed to include cesium-137 and iodine-121 — suggesting widening environmental contamination.
Japanese reactor operators now have little choice but to periodically release radioactive steam as part of an emergency cooling process for the fuel of the stricken reactors that may continue for a year or more even after fission has stopped. The plant’s operator must constantly try to flood the reactors with seawater, then release the resulting radioactive steam into the atmosphere, several experts familiar with the design of the Daiichi facility said.
That suggests that the tens of thousands of people who have been evacuated may not be able to return to their homes for a considerable period, and that shifts in the wind could blow radioactive materials toward Japanese cities rather than out to sea.
Re-establishing normal cooling of the reactors would require restoring electric power — which was cut in the earthquake and tsunami — and now may require plant technicians working in areas that have become highly contaminated with radioactivity.
More steam releases also mean that the plume headed across the Pacific could continue to grow. On Sunday evening, the White House sought to tamp down concerns, saying that modeling done by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had concluded that “Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. Territories and the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity.”
Also, supermarkets and convenience stores still have a lack of bottled water and certain food items. Bloody hell...
The Pentagon was expected to announce that the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, which is sailing in the Pacific, passed through a radioactive cloud from stricken nuclear reactors in Japan, causing crew members on deck to receive a month’s worth of radiation in about an hour, government officials said Sunday.
The officials added that American helicopters flying missions about 60 miles north of the damaged reactors became coated with particulate radiation that had to be washed off.
it'd take more than this, Smooth
it'd take more than this, Smooth
Not even in the Hollywood adaptation?
Also, supermarkets and convenience stores still have a lack of bottled water and certain food items. Bloody hell...
Lolz, my convenience store at everything except for alcohol (ANY alcohol) and porn last night at around midnight... seems the salarymen gotta hit the essentials.
Also, here is a nice level-headed, plain-speaking explanation of what's going on with the nuclear reactors and why nobody should panic, the most significant part of which is at the beginning: "There was and will *not* be any significant release of radioactivity."
http://theenergycollective.com/barrybrook/53461/fukushima-nuclear-accident-simple-and-accurate-explanation
Just woke up to the radio saying there's been another hydrogen/steam/whatever explosion in plant #1. Also an interview with a friggen GREENPEACE nucular expert that was about as subtle about their agenda as a kid wanting candy on Halloween. Fucking vulture. At least after reconfiguring my radio clock to another station I was able to resume raving about inbreeding and bovine tendencies in general populace at a brisk pace and with renewed vigour.
And still the containments hold. Can't put into words how thankful I am for the guys that designed and built them. :bow2
I sincerely hope they find a solution to the cooling/steam problem. And soon.
Really considering playing it safe and heading to Kansai until all of this unfolds, if anything to avoid the mass of people lining up to get out of here if something really does go down (which is unlikely). BUT, since it appears I won't be going back to work any time soon, I might as well head south.
Why the fuck are all these people outside Japan telling people in Tokyo to evacuate the city?
Is it just a worry of not enough food coming in to meet the demand of its large population so they're worried people will starve? It just seems really odd since from what everyone IN Tokyo is saying, Tokyo wasn't damaged too bad and all the radiation stuff is being blown out of proportion from foreign countries.
Tokyo wasn't damaged too bad and all the radiation stuff is being blown out of proportion from foreign countries.Exactly. The nuclear plant situation is horribly overblown. If there's any country that's got their stuff together in this case, it's Japan.
it'd take more than this, Smooth
Not even in the Hollywood adaptation?
If Nisshin Ramen paid enough in sponsorship to get me played by Pitt, I guess maybe I could sign off on that.
Smooth Groove, that was awesome. The Road?
BREAKING: Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano has told a media conference the number 4 reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant is on fire.
Mr Edano said the reactor was not in operation at the time of the earthquake and has no active fuel rods. But it does contain spent rods.
He said the rods have been heated, releasing hydrogen. He said authorities are asuming that radioactive material is also being released.
He said high radioactivity levels near the plant may be a result of the fire in reactor number 4. But he also said the fuel rods at the reactor are not on fire, the building is on fire.
Mr Edano said the figures that have been released to date measuring the level of radiation around the plant have been misquoted as micro sieverts. He said the unit attached to the figures should have been milli sieverts which are much more damaging to human health.
He confirmed that the containment vessel around reactor 2 may have been damaged. But he said he believes this reactor has not contributed greatly to the rise in levels of radioactivit
A hydrogen explosion has been confirmed at the number 4 reactor at the Fukushimo nuclear plant in Japan's north-east, Kyodo is reporting.
Having serious talks with the wife about leaving the country until this (possibly literally) blows over.
By the time it becomes clear that we should move, it will likely be too late. It may be too late already. Tough decision.
Having serious talks with the wife about leaving the country until this (possibly literally) blows over.
By the time it becomes clear that we should move, it will likely be too late. It may be too late already. Tough decision.
(title says 8.8, I've read 9 somewhere). That is crazy.
Well, they found 9,700 of the 10k missing people from minami sanriku safely evacuated. Very good news.
Having serious talks with the wife about leaving the country until this (possibly literally) blows over.
By the time it becomes clear that we should move, it will likely be too late. It may be too late already. Tough decision.
Well, they found 9,700 of the 10k missing people from minami sanriku safely evacuated. Very good news.
aaaaaand now they say it was a miscommunication and 8,000 are still missing
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110315/k10014683531000.html
fuck
I'm guessing this has been discussed before, but it's been bugging me for a while now. Why did the Japanese build their plants in clusters at sealevel along the coast without any dikes - or why not on hills?
It's clear why they went to the coast (cheap and abundant water for cooling), but re-watching some old footage I can't say I see anything that strikes me as particularly tsunami-proof with these plants. That seems to be kind of an oversight, with Japan being Tsunami/earthquake central. Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but still... didn't anybody raise an eyebrow at this? Were there any reasons for this particular placement?
I'm guessing this has been discussed before, but it's been bugging me for a while now. Why did the Japanese build their plants in clusters at sealevel along the coast without any dikes - or why not on hills?
It's clear why they went to the coast (cheap and abundant water for cooling), but re-watching some old footage I can't say I see anything that strikes me as particularly tsunami-proof with these plants. That seems to be kind of an oversight, with Japan being Tsunami/earthquake central. Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but still... didn't anybody raise an eyebrow at this? Were there any reasons for this particular placement?
I can't deal with this anymore, I'm running to Osaka as soon as possible, hopefully within a few hours.
Any Kansai J-bores, does anyone have a place I can crash at or something? I don't really have many contacts there and am getting pretty desperate.
all this stuff from experts is all very convincing and all but y'know...LeBron James isn't wearing a Knicks jersey right now. Experts get it wrong all the fucking time.My advice
I find it hard to grasp that you cannot cool a reactor if you want to. Why cant you just freeze it with Liquid nitrogen or something?
Earlier today on Fox News' Your World With Neil Cavuto, this map popped up detailing the locations of Japan's nuclear power plants:
One name seems out of place on the graphic -- that of "Shibuyaeggman."
It doesn't show up on the International Atomic Energy Agency's list of Japanese nuclear power stations, and this map of Japanese nuclear installations from the Department of Energy's International Nuclear Safety Center doesn't have any listing for "Shibuyaeggman," and doesn't show a nuclear power plant anywhere near the location on the Fox News map. So I did a little research.
A quick Googling of "shibuyaeggman" turned up no meaningful results. A Nexis search was also fruitless. However, further inquiries revealed that Eggman is the name of a dance club in a trendy neighborhood of Tokyo called... Shibuya. And, it just so happens, the Fox graphic appears to place the alleged reactor in Tokyo. Here's a photo of Eggman -- as you can see, it's right below The @ Super Suits Store. And Johnny Hi-Fi played there in 2006.
Sounds like a fun place. But it doesn't sound like a nuclear power plant.
A writer on animated comedy series Family guy has been forced to apologize for insensitive remarks he made about Japan's earthquake disaster following a storm of criticism on the web.
Scriptwriter Alec Sulkin took to his Twitter.com page following Friday's huge earthquake and tsunami, which devastated the country's eastern coastline and left over 2,000 dead, with the death toll tipped to reach 10,000 as the relief effort continues.
Sulkin wrote, "If you wanna feel better about this earthquake in Japan, google 'Pearl Harbor death toll.'" Sulkin was referring to the Japanese attack on U.S. forces in Hawaii during World War II, which killed over 2,500 people.
After a series of criticisms from his fellow Twitter followers, Sulkin decided to delete the 'Tweet' and apologize for his comment.
He wrote, "Yesterday death toll = 200. Today = 10,000. I am sorry for my insensitive Tweet. It's gone."
Sulkin is not the only star to come under fire for remarks made following Japan's disaster - 50 Cent was also slammed for making crude comments on Twitter, while comic Gilbert Gottfried's 'Tweets' lost him his job as the voice of insurance company Aflac's duck mascot.
I find it hard to grasp that you cannot cool a reactor if you want to. Why cant you just freeze it with Liquid nitrogen or something?
For cooling inside the pressure vessel, you have to use a substance with good characteristics for heat/pressure resistance, and that also works in an environment with high ionizing activity without creating harmful isotopes. You can't just use anything.
I find it hard to grasp that you cannot cool a reactor if you want to. Why cant you just freeze it with Liquid nitrogen or something?
For cooling inside the pressure vessel, you have to use a substance with good characteristics for heat/pressure resistance, and that also works in an environment with high ionizing activity without creating harmful isotopes. You can't just use anything.
Apparently Twitter turns everyone into a raging idiot:QuoteA writer on animated comedy series Family guy has been forced to apologize for insensitive remarks he made about Japan's earthquake disaster following a storm of criticism on the web.
Scriptwriter Alec Sulkin took to his Twitter.com page following Friday's huge earthquake and tsunami, which devastated the country's eastern coastline and left over 2,000 dead, with the death toll tipped to reach 10,000 as the relief effort continues.
Sulkin wrote, "If you wanna feel better about this earthquake in Japan, google 'Pearl Harbor death toll.'" Sulkin was referring to the Japanese attack on U.S. forces in Hawaii during World War II, which killed over 2,500 people.
After a series of criticisms from his fellow Twitter followers, Sulkin decided to delete the 'Tweet' and apologize for his comment.
He wrote, "Yesterday death toll = 200. Today = 10,000. I am sorry for my insensitive Tweet. It's gone."
Sulkin is not the only star to come under fire for remarks made following Japan's disaster - 50 Cent was also slammed for making crude comments on Twitter, while comic Gilbert Gottfried's 'Tweets' lost him his job as the voice of insurance company Aflac's duck mascot.
http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/tv/2011/03/15/17617836-wenn-story.html
smh
:rofl
This guy is smart enough to be a writer? What a fucking asshole.
They probably weren't anticipating a 9.0 quake. The fact that anything is holding together at all is pretty stunning, though of little comfort.Yeah, the quake rattled them, but everything went well since the reactors were designed and specially reinforced to cope with that. Then the Tsunami came and fucked things up. I'm just wondering why they evidently built the reactors in a way so they would survive quakes, but somehow completely overlooked the danger of a tsunami right on the heels of said quake. They even built the damn buildings in a way that a tsunami could cause the most terrible mayhem by flooding the diesel engines AND cutting the power between the reactors in one fell swoop.
in other news, I can get a flight to the US tomorrow for a not-too-painful price. Trying to talk the wife into it but it's hard (she doesn't want to leave her pet and her business) and is buying the news reports that Tokyo is in no immediate danger for now. A friend suggested I pull a 'B.A.' on her - anyone know what the A-Team used?
You don't need the news to know that the situation is still scary. :(
I know some of you are very attached to your homes, jobs, friends, etc but it really makes sense to get away until this disaster is truly under control.
There's an argument for humor for levity, but that pearl harbor statement just sounded hateful.
Apparently Twitter turns everyone into a raging idiot:QuoteA writer on animated comedy series Family guy has been forced to apologize for insensitive remarks he made about Japan's earthquake disaster following a storm of criticism on the web.
Scriptwriter Alec Sulkin took to his Twitter.com page following Friday's huge earthquake and tsunami, which devastated the country's eastern coastline and left over 2,000 dead, with the death toll tipped to reach 10,000 as the relief effort continues.
Sulkin wrote, "If you wanna feel better about this earthquake in Japan, google 'Pearl Harbor death toll.'" Sulkin was referring to the Japanese attack on U.S. forces in Hawaii during World War II, which killed over 2,500 people.
After a series of criticisms from his fellow Twitter followers, Sulkin decided to delete the 'Tweet' and apologize for his comment.
He wrote, "Yesterday death toll = 200. Today = 10,000. I am sorry for my insensitive Tweet. It's gone."
Sulkin is not the only star to come under fire for remarks made following Japan's disaster - 50 Cent was also slammed for making crude comments on Twitter, while comic Gilbert Gottfried's 'Tweets' lost him his job as the voice of insurance company Aflac's duck mascot.
http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/tv/2011/03/15/17617836-wenn-story.html
smh
:rofl
This guy is smart enough to be a writer? What a fucking asshole.
He writes for Family Guy.
You have to build them where there is an abundance of water. Where do you think that steam is coming from?Already acknowledged that right in that very same post. Of course they went there because of the coolant. That wasn't really what's bugging me.
A good start would have been designing a reactor and plant layout that doesn't get fucked all to hell because a tsunami happens to rampage through - just like they did with regard to quakes. My first instinct would have been shoveling some dirt and fortifications between the water and the plant so at least parts of a tsunami would be redirected, or maybe lessened in force. Just to begin with.
I dunno, really. I'm not a plant or reactor designer. It just seems completely baffling that the plants were safeguarded from quakes but not from tsunamis.
Anyone else trying to watch niconicos NHK International stream? Only getting a black image right now. Probably knocked offline by the above snippet causing half of the internet to hop on.
(http://i54.tinypic.com/2ajrvpz.jpg)
Our very own Spencer owns thesulk :bow
Aflac Inc. has fired comedian Gilbert Gottfried, the voice of the Aflac Duck, for insensitive remarks he tweeted about Japan after the major earthquake and tsunami on March 11.
Gottfried tweeted: “Japan is really advanced. They don’t go to the beach. The beach comes to them.” He also posted: “I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, ‘They’ll be another one floating by any minute now.”
“Gilbert’s recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking in humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac,” Aflac Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna said in a statement. “Aflac Japan — and, by extension, Japan itself — is part of the Aflac family, and there is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times.”
The workers are being asked to make escalating — and perhaps existential — sacrifices that so far are being only implicitly acknowledged: Japan’s Health Ministry said Tuesday it was raising the legal limit on the amount of radiation to which each worker could be exposed, to 250 millisieverts from 100 millisieverts, five times the maximum exposure permitted for American nuclear plant workers.
The change means that workers can now remain on site longer, the ministry said. “It would be unthinkable to raise it further than that, considering the health of the workers,” the health minister, Yoko Komiyama, said at a news conference.
Gilbert Gottfried fired as Aflac DuckQuoteAflac Inc. has fired comedian Gilbert Gottfried, the voice of the Aflac Duck, for insensitive remarks he tweeted about Japan after the major earthquake and tsunami on March 11.
Gottfried tweeted: “Japan is really advanced. They don’t go to the beach. The beach comes to them.” He also posted: “I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, ‘They’ll be another one floating by any minute now.”
“Gilbert’s recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking in humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac,” Aflac Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna said in a statement. “Aflac Japan — and, by extension, Japan itself — is part of the Aflac family, and there is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times.”
http://www.wcqj.com/stern-regular-gilbert-gottfried-fired-as-aflac-duck/
Meanwhile, my crazy friend Beau continues to kick ass - he has an official permit to travel blocked roads to deliver food and supplies to affected areas. And has bought thousands of dollars of food from Costco to deliver. The guy is just :bow
Australians have been told to leave Japan's capital as the earthquake and tsunami-hit country hinges on the verge of nuclear disaster.
So far attempts to bring temperatures down in four reactors at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have failed and the US will fly a spy plane to the region to take a closer look at the reactors.
High levels of radiation have been detected at the plant and low levels have been detected wafting over Tokyo, 250 kilometres to the south.
The situation is described by the International Atomic Energy Agency as "very serious" and US officials now say radiation levels at the plant may give emergency workers "lethal doses" in a short period of time, meaning their ability to take corrective measures will be hampered.
New York Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter tweeted on Saturday: "What if God was tired of the way they treated their own people in there own country! Idk guys he makes no mistakes." "u just never knw! They did pearl harbor so u can't expect anything less."
Pondexter posted an apology Monday:
"I wanna apologize to anyone I may hurt or offended during this tragic time," the tweet said. "I didn't realize that my words could be interpreted in the manner which they were."
An apology is required for nothing but misinterpretation? ???
QuoteAustralians have been told to leave Japan's capital as the earthquake and tsunami-hit country hinges on the verge of nuclear disaster.
So far attempts to bring temperatures down in four reactors at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have failed and the US will fly a spy plane to the region to take a closer look at the reactors.
High levels of radiation have been detected at the plant and low levels have been detected wafting over Tokyo, 250 kilometres to the south.
The situation is described by the International Atomic Energy Agency as "very serious" and US officials now say radiation levels at the plant may give emergency workers "lethal doses" in a short period of time, meaning their ability to take corrective measures will be hampered.
This isn't good.
QuoteAustralians have been told to leave Japan's capital as the earthquake and tsunami-hit country hinges on the verge of nuclear disaster.
So far attempts to bring temperatures down in four reactors at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have failed and the US will fly a spy plane to the region to take a closer look at the reactors.
High levels of radiation have been detected at the plant and low levels have been detected wafting over Tokyo, 250 kilometres to the south.
The situation is described by the International Atomic Energy Agency as "very serious" and US officials now say radiation levels at the plant may give emergency workers "lethal doses" in a short period of time, meaning their ability to take corrective measures will be hampered.
This isn't good.
Holy fuck
Rough Translation : My father is heading to Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant tomorrow. He is due to retire in 6 months but volunteered for the assignment. I cried. But father told me : “The fate of the power plant rests on us now. This is our destiny. This is our responsibility.” I can only pray for father to return home safely.
Most of the Fukushima 50 are not employees at the site, are senior engineers and the most experienced employees (some either retired or near retirement age). Most volunteered for this assignment and see it as their destiny and duty because they are the most experienced engineers.
And the Australian Embassy is still advising their citizens to follow the advice of the Japanese government and says no such thing about "abandoning Tokyo". The misinformation flying around is getting fucking ridiculous.
It's okay man, shit is scary. But even in scary times it's important to maintain calm and behave rationally. That's why the scaremongering some people are engaging in, even if well-meaning, is dangerous. It would be a rare situation indeed that is made better by large crowds of people panicking.
Seriously Hyoushi what do you do for a living? if you're not an engineer I'm gonna jump off a cliff.
:fbmSeriously Hyoushi what do you do for a living? if you're not an engineer I'm gonna jump off a cliff.
I work IT, mainly Mac-related. My education is in graphic design.
Yes, why waste your high intellect on helping dumb Mac users?
Why?Even at high level physics institutions most people are scared of experimental nuclear stuff.Yes, why waste your high intellect on helping dumb Mac users?
I wouldn't regard myself as particularly intelligent.
I just have a side interest for nuclear technology
Seeing some ambiguous translations of the helicopter drops and firetruck spraying saying that they are for "cooling the reactors". These operations are for the spent fuel pools and nothing else. Not for cooling the cores, since they are three thick layers of concrete and steel away and won't be affected by this water. Some are also reporting that the spent fuel could "catch fire" if the pools dry out. The zircaloy coating is the only likely source, since the fuel pellets themselves should be incombustible. But could still release hot particles and carry them airborne.
Have seen very little scare talk about the MOX fuel at reactor #3, but it's worth noting that all sources I found point to the reactor starting using MOX in september 2010, so there should be no MOX fuel in the spent fuel pool at all.
You ought to get the hell out of Tokyo for now, originalz...didn't you say that your new job is based out of KZ anyway?
Why the fuck are dominicans freaking out about radiation getting here!? This country becomes dumber by the week.
This country becomes dumber by the week.
A United Nations forecast of the possible movement of the radioactive plume coming from crippled Japanese reactors shows it churning across the Pacific, and touching the Aleutian Islands on Thursday before hitting Southern California late Friday.
...
The projection, by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, an arm of the United Nations in Vienna, gives no information about actual radiation levels but only shows how a radioactive plume would probably move and disperse.
Thankfully, operating experience with melted fuel speaks favorably. At Three Mile Island, approximately 50% of the core’s nuclear fuel melted, and just 5/8 inch (out of 9 inches) of the reactor pressure vessel’s internal surface was ablated. During the corium’s contact with the bottom of the vessel, the vessel glowed red-hot for about an hour. The heat to which the vessel was exposed induced metallurgical changes in the steel, rendering it more brittle. Instrumentation penetrations in the lower vessel head also suffered damage. Nevertheless, the molten core was contained by the vessel.
So, with regard to that Tweet, we can no longer say "Shikata ga nai," because now Shikata himself is tweeting shikata ari.
Please, Hyoushi. "Spam" away. You're one of the coherent sources of information on this topic. I'm thankful that you're posting here.
Here, have some lighthearted poop references:
[youtube=560,345]O1aH2-MhEko[/youtube]
who is good at chemistry? here is a timelapse graph from ZAMG in Austria of the release of 131I from Daiichi
(http://www.zamg.ac.at/pict/aktuell/20110317_fuku_I-131.gif)
I'm guessing "units m^-3" refers to mole mass? So 131g^-3 is the base unit and then the graph displays the concentration to various exponents?
Hmm, the power cable is only for units 1 and 2? It sounds like 3 is the one that needs the cooling most, but I guess they are mostly on the way to achieving that. It's amazing what this country has managed to achieve in a week. I'm seriously humbled.
who is good at chemistry? here is a timelapse graph from ZAMG in Austria of the release of 131I from Daiichi
(http://www.zamg.ac.at/pict/aktuell/20110317_fuku_I-131.gif)
I'm guessing "units m^-3" refers to mole mass? So 131g^-3 is the base unit and then the graph displays the concentration to various exponents?
http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/crime/2011/03/21/ng.japan.radiation.hln (http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/crime/2011/03/21/ng.japan.radiation.hln)
Who is this woman, and why is she allowed to be on TV ???
http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/crime/2011/03/21/ng.japan.radiation.hln (http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/crime/2011/03/21/ng.japan.radiation.hln)
Who is this woman, and why is she allowed to be on TV ???
Wow, she personifies the kind of blind ignorance I hate more than anything. Nothing bugs me more than people who are absolutely wrong and aren't open to further information.
The Supreme Court of Georgia has twice commented on Grace's conduct as a prosecutor. First, in a 1994 heroin drug trafficking case, Bell v. State, the Court declared a mistrial, saying that Grace had "exceeded the wide latitude of closing argument" by drawing comparisons to unrelated murder and rape cases.[13]
In 1997, the court was more severe, overturning the murder-arson conviction of businessman W. W. Carr in the death of his wife. While the court said its reversal was not due to these transgressions, since the case had turned primarily on circumstantial evidence, it nevertheless concluded "the conduct of the prosecuting attorney in this case demonstrated her disregard of the notions of due process and fairness, and was inexcusable."[14] Carr was freed in 2004 when The Georgia Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Fulton County had waited too long to retry him.
Despite upholding the conviction she sought, a panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in a 2005 opinion that Grace "played fast and loose" with her ethical duties and failed to "fulfill her responsibilities" as a prosecutor in the 1990 triple murder trial of Herbert Connell Stephens.[15] The court agreed that it was "difficult to conclude that Grace did not knowingly use ... [apparently false] testimony" from a detective that there were no other suspects, despite the existence of outstanding arrest warrants for other men.[15]
Grace interviewed Duckett less than two weeks after the child went missing, questioning her for her alleged lack of openness regarding her son's disappearance, asking Duckett "Where were you? Why aren't you telling us where you were that day?"[18] Duckett appeared confused and was unable to answer whether or not she had taken a polygraph test. When Grace asked her why she could not account for specific details, Duckett began to reply, "Because I was told not to," to which Grace responded, "Ms. Duckett, you are not telling us for a reason. What is the reason? You refuse to give even the simplest facts of where you were with your son before he went missing. It is day twelve." According to the CNN transcript, Duckett replied, "(INAUDIBLE) with all media. It's not just there, just all media. Period." Grace then moved on to a media psychologist who asserted that Duckett was "skirting around the issue."[17][18]
The next day, before the airing of the show, Duckett shot herself, a death that relatives claim was influenced by media scrutiny, particularly from Grace.[17][19] Speaking to The Orlando Sentinel, Duckett's grandfather Bill Eubank said, "Nancy Grace and the others, they just bashed her to the end. She was not one anyone ever would have thought of to do something like this."[17] CNN has also been criticized for allowing the show to air in the wake of Duckett's suicide.
Grace took a pro-prosecution position throughout the 2006 Duke University lacrosse case, in which Crystal Gail Mangum, an African-American stripper and North Carolina Central University student, falsely accused three members of Duke University's men's lacrosse team of raping her at a party. Prior to Duke suspending its men's lacrosse team's season, she sarcastically noted on the air, "I'm so glad they didn't miss a lacrosse game over a little thing like gang rape!" and "Why would you go to a cop in an alleged gang rape case, say, and lie and give misleading information?"[25] After the disbarment of District Attorney Mike Nifong, Attorney General Roy Cooper pronounced all three players innocent of the rape charges made by Mangum.[26] On the following broadcast of her show, Grace did not appear and a substitute reporter, Jane Velez-Mitchell, announced the removal of all charges.
During the Elizabeth Smart case, when suspect Richard Ricci was arrested by police on the basis that he had a criminal record and had worked on the Smarts' home, Grace immediately and repeatedly proclaimed on CourtTV and CNN's Larry King that Ricci "was guilty," although there was little evidence to support this claim. She also suggested publicly that Ricci's girlfriend was involved in the cover-up of his alleged crime. Grace continued to accuse Ricci, though he died while in custody.[27]
It was later revealed that Smart was kidnapped by Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, two individuals with whom Richard Ricci had no connection.[28]
When CourtTV confronted Grace seven months later to ask whether she was incorrect in her assertion that Ricci was guilty, and whether or not she felt bad about it in any way, she stated that Ricci was "a known ex-con, a known felon, and brought suspicion on himself, so who could blame anyone for claiming he was the perpetrator?" When Larry King asked her about the matter, she equated criticism of herself with criticism of the police in the case. She said: "I'm not letting you take the police with me on a guilt trip."[29]
In July 2006, while interviewing Smart, Grace repeatedly asked her for information regarding her experience. Smart told her she didn't feel comfortable discussing it, despite Grace's persistence in the matter. Finally, Grace stopped when Smart said she "didn't appreciate [Grace] bringing all this up."
Uh, not as in "I buy yellowcake and do criticality experiments in my backyard reactor pile"
More as in "I read a lot of info on the subject and watch documentaries"
Oh, so Nancy Grace was the inspiration for that one episode of Leverage where a woman reporter with a scarily similar haircut? Interesting.
She's horrible.
I don't think I can deal with the amount of anger she would generate in me right now. I'll check it when I'm more fatigued and inured to humanity's inherent filthiness.Oh, so Nancy Grace was the inspiration for that one episode of Leverage where a woman reporter with a scarily similar haircut? Interesting.
She's horrible.
Her Wikipedia article gives a pretty good summation of the kind of person she is: an egotistical witch absolutely convinced that she has the right to be judge and jury.
"Your mouth to God's Ear, Bernie. Your mouth to God's Ear"She should be required to change that to "Liar, liar! Pants on fire!" It's just as logical and has an equal amount of relevance.
I am gonna use that line whenever someone disagrees with me on the internet now. I mean it - don't y'all ever try to contradict me with your so-called well reasoned arguments.
Oh, so Nancy Grace was the inspiration for that one episode of Leverage where a woman reporter with a scarily similar haircut? Interesting.
She's horrible.
Her Wikipedia article gives a pretty good summation of the kind of person she is: an egotistical witch absolutely convinced that she has the right to be judge and jury.
hyoshi: on cnn last night i saw something about radiation levels near the fukushima reactor being 1000x legal levels?
Japan destroyed American families with their cars and technology, this is just the country once again stickin' it to michigan and the american car industry and the american family. And never forget, pearl harbor.:lol -- sadly, there are thousands of people online who would twat this seriously. Twats.
[youtube=560,345]Cy-MOZwr5G0[/youtube]Yeah, that would freak me out. I love her understatement: "Chotto mazui..." -- I'd have said, "Oh, fuck! I am shitting my pants! If only I could use my own shit to fill these damned holes!"
damn this is crazy. liquefaction of reclaimed land at Urayasu City in Chiba during the earthquake
Japan destroyed American families with their cars and technology, this is just the country once again stickin' it to michigan and the american car industry and the american family. And never forget, pearl harbor.:lol -- sadly, there are thousands of people online who would twat this seriously. Twats.
hyoshi: on cnn last night i saw something about radiation levels near the fukushima reactor being 1000x legal levels?
Tepco spokesperson Yoshimi Hitosugi said that the utility company did not know about the contaminated water in the No. 3 unit until the injuries occurred. "There was no water in No. 3 the day before when our staff checked same place," Hitosugi said. “So we thought it would not be problem on next day.”
One subcontracted worker who laid cables for new electrical lines March 19 described chaotic conditions and lax supervision that made him nervous. Masataka Hishida said neither he nor the workers around him were given a dosimeter, a device used to measure one’s exposure to radiation. He was surprised that workers were not given special shoes; rather, they were told to put plastic bags over their street shoots. When he was trying on the gas mask for the first time, he said the supervisor told him and other subcontractors, “Listen carefully, I’m only going to say this one time” while explaining how to use it.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4411946789896689299# (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4411946789896689299#)That's sickening.
Unlike in newer reactor designs, the older boiling-water reactors at Daiichi are pierced by dozens of holes in the bottoms of their reactor vessels. Each hole allows one control rod — made of a neutron-absorbing material that quickly stops nuclear fission inside the reactor — to slide into the reactor from below, as happened when the earthquake shook the plant March 11. During normal operations, a graphite stopper covers each hole, sealing in highly radioactive primary cooling water, said Arnie Gundersen, a consultant at Fairewinds Associates with 40 years of experience overseeing boiling-water reactors.
But at temperatures above 350 degrees Fahrenheit, the graphite stoppers begin to melt.
Really creepy video from APF News, filmed inside the 20km exclusion zone at Fukushima Daiichi on friday the 25:th.
http://www.apfnews.com/whatsnew/2011/03/apf_news_326_20.html (http://www.apfnews.com/whatsnew/2011/03/apf_news_326_20.html)
I was kinda creeped out when there's suddenly another car ahead of them. I also like that he still uses his turn signals in total no mans land. Lots of :'( moments in here too
Really creepy video from APF News, filmed inside the 20km exclusion zone at Fukushima Daiichi on friday the 25:th.
http://www.apfnews.com/whatsnew/2011/03/apf_news_326_20.html (http://www.apfnews.com/whatsnew/2011/03/apf_news_326_20.html)
I was kinda creeped out when there's suddenly another car ahead of them. I also like that he still uses his turn signals in total no mans land. Lots of :'( moments in here too
Do you know what they're talking about with the people in the truck?
Saw this at gaf. Unbelievable!
[youtube=560,345]cmTb8y84KEQ[/youtube]
Saw this at gaf. Unbelievable!
[youtube=560,345]cmTb8y84KEQ[/youtube]
I'm always amazed at the calmness of the Japanese people. No screaming or yelling, just looking on.
That video is probably one of the craziest things I've ever seen (and I did two tours in Iraq).
One more survivor in Japan has been rescued.
The Japanese coast guard on Friday rescued a dog floating in the debris off the coast of Kesennuma, northern Japan. It's unclear if the canine, which was scrambling on the roof of a house that had been washed away, had been at sea for the entire three weeks since the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
The rescue did not come easy. After coast guard rescuers descended from a helicopter onto the house, the dog retreated under the roof and disappeared. The rescuers were unable to lure the dog out but according to NTV, the canine was eventually pulled to safety by a coast guard boat that relieved the helicopter, which was running low on fuel.
The rescue came as Japanese and U.S. military ships and helicopters trolled Japan's tsunami-ravaged coastline looking for bodies. It was part of an all-out three-day search that could be the last chance to find those swept out to sea nearly three weeks ago.
And text:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42420250/ns/world_news-disaster_in_japan/
Yep, it's all over BBC, SkyNews and CNN here in Amsterdam. I know Tokyo-Bore is fine physically, but this stuff really takes a toll on one mentally.
I think he meant those living in Japan.
I think he meant those living in Japan.
Yeah, but, doesn't there have to be danger involved? Maybe it's just hindsight talking, but it seems like the data has consistently pointed to "Yeah, it's bad at Fukushima, but it's not going to affect you unless you're really near Fukushima."
Am I wrong?
lol, it's the same boat / house, but it reminded me of a funny....
apparently some UK TV morning news program got some mails saying that even the japanese are vandals and it's not just the UK! Look at the red graffiti all over the place!
Err... yeah, that's the emergency services marking cars/buildings that have been checked. FAIL.
Actually, this is how baby houseboats are made.
(http://i.imgur.com/73MNb.jpg)
YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD