Tag Archives: disaster

Fukushima

One Year Later: More incompetence as Strontium pours into the Pacific Ocean off Japan!

March 27, 2012, Tokyo Electric officials say strontium 90 is pouring into the Pacific Ocean, from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant!

The latest leak was discovered March 26.  It’s coming from above ground tanks, which are holding radioactive water. They also admit leaks are coming from pipes connecting the water tanks.

On March 26, TEPCo detected 0.25 becquerels per cubic centimeters of strontium beta particles in the Pacific Ocean.

It turns out this happens often. TEPCo admits the first strontium leaks, from pipes and water tanks, happened in December 2011, and have continued since then!

International, U.S.

World War 3: Libyan Rebel leader says Western Powers wanted Gaddafi killed, because of his knowledge of the evil secrets of Europe & United States

“There are just too many parties who have real interests that Gaddafi doesn’t talk, that he should be silenced forever.”-Mahmoud Jibril, former Interim Prime Minister Libyan NTC

In an exclusive interview with Russia Today, Jibril said Gaddafi was not killed under NTC orders, they wanted him alive. He says it was Western Powers (United States and European Union) that wanted him dead.

Jibril even said: “I would love to know who was behind [Gaddafi’s] killing.”

Those who killed Gaddafi even used their cell phones to record video of their torture and finally killing of Gaddafi.  It was obviously meant to send a message (as was the cell phone video of Saddam Hussein’s ridicule before he was executed).

Jibril says the proof that the war in Libya was not about oil, but about killing Gaddafi, is the fact that Europe was getting oil while Gaddafi was in power. This is backed up by Jibril’s belief that Western Powers suddenly ignored Libya once Gaddafi was killed: “What I am saying is that after the regime fell down [Gaddafi killed] most of the Western countries felt that ‘mission has been accomplished’…we need the help to re-establish our national army…to re-establish our police…and prepare the country for elections…unfortunately the kind of assistance provided by our potential friends…are not a priority for the time being.”

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Three U.S./NATO troops killed by Afghan government forces!

March, 26, 2012, several U.S./NATO/ISAF troops being killed by Afghan government forces, or police officers!

British media reporting at least two British troops killed by a man who “tricked” his way onto a British base in Helmand Province.  He was killed by U.K. troops.

Afghan officials say the man traveled from Nangarhar Province, and had been in the Afghan army for 4 years.

A third ISAF troop, from the U.S., was killed by a local police officer at a police checkpoint in Paktika Province.

Fukushima

One Year Later: More incompetence; Reactor 2 overheating caused by guessing game, cooling water levels much lower than first thought, massive leak!

Disaster reactor 2 at General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi is overheating because Tokyo Electric officials miscalculated the cooling water levels!

Reactor 2 was the only active reactor that did not explode immediately after the March 11, 2011 natural disasters.  It has been a constant struggle for TEPCo to keep its temperature down.

On March 26, 2012, TEPCo discovered that one reason is there is much less cooling water in the reactor, than what they first guessed.  They thought there was three meters (9.8 feet) of water in the containment vessel.  There is only 60 centimeters (23.6 inches) of water in the reactor!!!

TEPCo discovered this on Monday, after they used an endoscope to check out the inside of the reactor.  TEPCo has been pumping about nine tons of water per hour, for months now, trying to keep the melted nuclear fuel cooled down.

This is only the second time TEPCo used an endoscope to look inside reactor 2.  The first time the endoscope was too short, and they couldn’t see anything!

The facts that after months of pumping nine tons of water per hour (sometimes more), and finding only 60 centimeters of water at the bottom of the containment vessel, means there is a massive leak!  It also means the melted nuclear fuel has been leaking out, into the Pacific Ocean, as well!

This revaluation comes after a March 15, 2012 report, in which TEPCo said they found “…there were no cracks in the suppression chamber [of reactor 2] and there were no changes in the shape.”

The suppression chamber is also known as the ‘wetwell’, or ‘torus’.  It is separate from the containment vessel.  However, TEPCo also reported high radiation levels coming from the wetwell.  It could be a sign that nuclear fuel is leaking out of the containment vessel and into the wetwell (suppression chamber/torus).

TEPCo also reported that the paint on the wetwell was peeling and the color of the paint had changed.

 

 

 

Fukushima

One Year Later: Local officials expand nuclear disaster zone, after meeting with military leaders

Officials with Shiga Prefecture have extended their nuclear disaster preparedness zone, around local nuclear power plants, beyond the 30 kilometer (18.64 miles) radius recommended by the central government.

They made their decision after meeting with officials from Japan’s Self Defense Forces.  The JSDF is actually the best trained for nuclear accidents, because of their NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical) warfare training.

In the days immediately following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the JSDF were brought in because it became clear they were the only ones who had the specific training to get close enough to the GE designed disaster reactors.

They were the ones that said Fukushima Daiichi was a Chernobyl level disaster, especially after one of the reactors blew up as the JSDF NBC teams moved in.  One of their vehicles was destroyed, luckily the crew got out.

They then tried dropping water by helicopter, but the radiation levels blasting straight up into the sky was too much, and they called off the water drops. The JSDF had learned from the Chernobyl disaster, and tried bolting extra metal plates to the bottom of their helicopters, but it wasn’t enough.

It was then the firefighters were sent in, essentially as suicide teams, to get water pouring onto the exposed spent fuel pools.

So, when Shiga prefectural leaders talked to the JSDF about how big a nuclear disaster zone should be, they were talking to people who know first hand.  Not like those BS artist corporate officials.

Their disaster zone is now 43 km (26.7 miles) radius.  They’ve also changed their policy regarding the distribution of iodine. Before, it was to be distributed to people within 50 km (31 miles) of the nuclear reactors.  Now it will be distributed to the entire Prefecture!

Fukushima

One Year Later: Japan down to just 1 operating nuclear reactor. Domestic economy threatened by lack of electricity!

Since the March 11, 2011, natural disasters led to the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, 53 of Japan’s 54 nuclear reactors are now off line.

On March 25, 2012, Reactor 6 in Niigata Prefecture was shut down for regular inspections.  The next, and last reactor to shut down will be Tomari in Hokkaido.

Reactor 3 at Tomari nuclear power plant was supposed to be shut down permanently in April, but the operator, Hokkaido Electric Power Company, decided to delay until May 5, 2012.

While the Tomari reactor is not scheduled for re-start, those that are have been blocked by local governments.  In Japan the local governments have the final word on reactor re-start, and because of the on going disaster reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, the majority of people in Japan are against re-starting any reactors.

For the summer of 2011 Japan’s domestic industries suffered greatly because of an electrical power shortage, even with only about 37 reactors operating.  Attempts were made at other sources of electricity, but it wasn’t enough with such short notice.

Individuals, as well as industries had to deal with power black outs.  This caused many industries to close up, since they needed at least eight continuous hours of electricity (or longer).   As an example, a bread factory needs at least eight hours of electricity to make bread on an industrial scale.  The power black outs took place about every six hours.

Some individuals say they handled the summer without air conditioning well, because it didn’t get that hot (what was that about global warming?).

Now Japan is heading into summer 2012, with not one nuclear reactor up and running.  Officials are scrambling to find ways to convince the local governments to re-start reactors, even bringing in international inspectors to reassure local leaders.

This is one reason the Obama Administration recently exempted Japan from the U.S. oil sanctions against Iran.  Japan will be using a lot more oil to run petroleum fired power generators.

There has been a push for wind power, but, just like here in the United States, there’s been a backlash of people who are against it because those windmills are “eyesores” and reduce property value.

It just doesn’t look good for Japan going into the summer of 2012.

 

International, U.S.

Terror Drones: March 18-25

“The President’s counter terrorism campaign is about stealth power, rather than hard power or soft power. He is a Jekyll and Hyde president; he is the king of covert because there are not many military options available now.”-Laura Blumenfeld, German Marshall Fund

On March 25, 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama was labeled “Jekyll and Hyde”, at the annual Brussels Forum. Analyst say Obama has increased the use of terror drones in order to save money!

Pakistan’s President says Parliamentary demands that the U.S. stop using terror drones against Pakistan, is a sign of democracy.

On March 25, President Asif Ali Zardari met with Marc Grossman, Special U.S. Representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Zandari said the U.S. had to respect the demands of the Pakistani members of parliament.

Zandari also brought up drug trafficking, which has increased ever since the United States started the so called War on Terror.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Senator Joe Libierman and Senator Dianne Feinstein refused demands from Afghan leaders, who’re calling for a stop to terror drone strikes in their country.

“Drone strikes are critically important to America’s national security. So obviously, I do not believe they should stop.”-Joe Libierman, Senator for Connecticut

“I think the key is whether Pakistan will go into North Waziristan and other places and take out those terrorist leaders who are essentially fueling and leading attacks against our troops in Afghanistan.”-Dianne Feinstein, Senator for California

In the Philippines the government there is denying that the U.S. is using terror drones to help the Philippine government fight mujahideen in the southern islands: “They are here as advisers. They are here as trainers. They can not participate in combat operations.”-Benigno Aquino, President of Philippines

The United States began sending troops back to the Philippines ever since the beginning of the War on Terror.  In the past two years U.S. troop numbers have increased, and could actually be due to the growing tensions over the oil rich South China Sea (especially in an area called Reed Bank).

While the Philippines says no terror drones are being used there, they admit  helping the United States, and the Malaysian government launch air strikes against mujahideen in Malaysia.

 

 

 

 

U.S.

Dumb ‘Mericans: Investigation reveals U.S. Schools continue to FAIL, standardized test scores off the charts

“These findings are concerning.”-Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) has published the results of their investigation into standardized test scores across the United States.

Sompin’ fishy in Denmark! The chilins ain’t gettin’ an edjumacation!

Scores from 69,000 public schools, in 49 states, were compared.  Standardized test scores should not vary greatly from year to year.  The norm is considered 5%.  Yet the AJC found percentages in variation as great as 29.17% (a school district in Rhode Island)!

In many cases, students who scored well one year absolutely crashed and burned the very next year!  If teaching was consistent from grade level to grade level, and the students are answering the questions honestly, something like that shouldn’t happen.

Such high variance suggests the test result were falsified, although the AJC is not going so far as to make that claim.  Investigators are asking the U.S. Department of Education to look into it.

Idaho, U.S.

Dumb ‘Mericans: South East Idaho’s School District 25 “flagged” for “suspicious” test scores, again!

In an independent investigation into public school federal test scores, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found the Southeastern Idaho School District 25 had suspicious test scores three years in a row.

The Pocatello/Chubbuck/Bannock County school district was “flagged” because it had test results that varied from year to year “outside the norm”.

A normal variance is considered 5% from year to year.

In 2008 there was a 13.1% variance.  In 2009 it was 8.54% variance.  In 2010 it jumped to 14.29% variance in test scores from the previous year!

Compare School District 25’s test score variance to Eastern Idaho’s School District 91 (aka Idaho Falls district): 2008; 1.28%. 2009; 6.41%. 2010; 6.41%.  Much closer to the 5% “normal” variance.

Researchers say if education is consistent, and the children taking the tests are answering the questions from their own knowledge, then there shouldn’t be such high shifts in Idaho School District 25’s test scores from year to year. 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government Incompetence: More U.S. citizens renounce their citizenship, American exodus continues, if you leave you are now a terrorist

“What we have seen is a substantial change in mentality among the overseas community in the past two years. Before, no one would dare mention to other Americans that they were even thinking of renouncing their U.S. nationality. Now, it is an openly discussed issue.”-Jackie Bugnion, American Citizens Abroad 

Since 2008 the numbers of U.S. citizens rejecting their citizenship has only gone up.

2008: 235

2009: 743

2010: 1,500+

And these are the people who left the United States and officially rejected their citizenship.  The number of people who still have U.S. citizenship, after leaving,  are in the millions!

The exodus has got government leaders so riled up that they’ve passed tax laws (like FATCA & FBAR) that essentially makes anyone who leaves the United States a tax evading terrorist.

This is redundant because expatriates are already required to pay U.S. taxes even though they live in another country: “The U.S. is the only developed nation in the world that taxes its citizens on income they earn abroad.“-William McGurn, Wall Street Journal

By one count, 5.2 million U.S. citizens live outside the United States, and pay taxes to the United States!

Recently a U.S. citizen, who’s been living in Sweden for 25 years, got hit with a huge FBAR fine: “I was potentially looking at a seven figure fine.”-‘Pamela’

‘Pamela’ also explained how she was treated like a suspected terrorist: “I was treated like a criminal. I was told that even in the Voluntary Disclosure Program it would be assumed I was a ‘willful violator’ of the tax laws and would need to pay 25% of all my overseas assets, based on the highest balance in the sum total of all my bank accounts, retirement accounts, apartment, car, etc. over the last eight years.”

The U.S. government even puts pressure on other countries to go after the U.S. expats: “We have heard of banks calling in mortgages and refusing pension fund and insurance coverage for U.S. citizens.”-Mary Louise Serrato, American Citizens Abroad

Serrato says the U.S. government is even going after people who were born in the U.S., to foreign parents, but then left immediately afterwards never to return: “Many individuals are not even aware that they are American and should be filing, such as Green Card holders and ‘accidental’ Americans (born in the U.S., left when they were three and never returned), children of Americans now living overseas (even if U.S. citizenship was never claimed)!”

“I really can’t believe it! This nice country that I respect, have they gone mad?”-Peter Hallworth, U.K. citizen, who’s two adult sons (raised in Britain) are being forced to pay U.S. taxes because they were born in the United States

U.S. expats living abroad, yet paying U.S. taxes with little or no representation.  Isn’t that what the U.S. Revolution of 1776 was all about?