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| View of Chernobyl taken from roof of building in Pripyat Ukraine. Photo Taken by Jason Minshull, then digitally zoomed. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| US Navy Barge YON-287, carrying 851,000 litres (225,000 gallons) of fresh water, departs Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) to support cooling efforts at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. YON-287 is the second of two barges supplied by the U.S. Navy to the government of Japan to aid in the cooling efforts. The two barges supplied a total of 1.89 million liters (500,000 gallons) of fresh water. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| English: Localisation of towns NW of Fukushila Daiichii whose evacuation has been decided on April 11th, 2011 Français : Situation des localités au nord-ouest de Fukushima-Daiichi dont l'évacuation a été ordonnée le 11 avril 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| Heavy black plume of smoke streams southeast from Sendai, Japan (Photo credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video) |
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| Illustration of post-accident state of 1-4 reactors, all but 2 display obvious damage to secondary containment (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| Fukushima I nuclear power plant before the 2011 explosion. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
May 18, 2012 3:31 AM
Humanity At The Height Of Folly Nuclear Power And Earthquake Zones
By Richard Wilcox5-17-12
“Every living thing could use a little mercy now
Only the hand of grace can end the race
Towards another mushroom cloud
People in power, well
They’ll do anything to keep their crown
I love life, and life itself could use some mercy now
Yeah, we all could use a little mercy now
I know we don’t deserve it
But we need it anyhow
We hang in the balance
Dangle ‘tween hell and hallowed ground
Every single one of us could use some mercy now”
- Mary Gauthier, “Mercy Now”
We have heard much about Japan’s Fukushima Unit 4 nuclear spent fuel pool and the huge amount of radioactivity that could be released if that pool were to go dry, crack, fall apart or collapse (1; 2). As former Japanese diplomat to the United Nations, Akio Matsumura, recently warned the world:
“The highly radioactive spent fuel assemblies at the Fukushima-Daiichi power plants present a clear threat to the people of Japan and the world. Reactor 4 and the nearby common spent fuel pool contain over 11,000 highly radioactive spent fuel assemblies, many of which are exposed to the open air. The cesium-137, the radioactive component contained in these assemblies, present at the site is 85 times larger than the amount released during the Chernobyl accident. Another magnitude 7.0 earthquake would jar them from their pool or stop the cooling water, which would lead to a nuclear fire and meltdown. The nuclear disaster that would result is beyond anything science has ever seen. Calling it a global catastrophe is no exaggeration. If political leaders understand the situation and the potential catastrophe, I find it difficult to understand why they remain silent. The following leaves little to question:
1. Many scientists believe that it will be impossible to remove the 1,535 fuel assemblies in the pool of Reactor 4 within two or three years.
2. Japanese scientists give a greater than 90 percent probability that an earthquake of at least 7.0 magnitude will occur in the next three years in the close vicinity of Fukushia-Daiichi.
3. The crippled building of Reactor 4 will not stand through another strong earthquake.
4. Japan and the TEPCO do not have adequate nuclear technology and experience to handle a disaster of such proportions alone” (3).
It really does make one wonder how all of the world’s aging reactors will be dealt with if there is a global economic collapse. What we are witnessing as events race forward appears to be the convergence of socio-economic collapse–the 500 year old banking system based on fraudulent accounting tricks–together with the crumbling and cracking of the faulty technostructure put in place in the last century. Roads and bridges fall into disrepair and cities like Detroit will simply revert to green farmland, a natural process of the cycling of ecosystems where humans play their role and then bow out once they have exhausted their industrious energies. In the case of nuclear power plants, the waste remains radioactive for a good 10,000 years and the process for safely storing it has not yet been invented (4).
Let’s go back in time to relive the astounding events of 3/11 in order to put this situation in context. On the 11th of March, 2011 at 14:46 JST, a Magnitude 9.0, “the largest earthquake recorded in Japan,” occurred with the epicenter approximately 70 kilometers east of the Oshika peninsula in Tohoku, at an ocean depth of 32 kilometers. The Japan Meteorological Agency Seismic Intensity – JMA SI measured at 7 in Kurihara City of Miyagi Prefecture and 6+ in 28 cities and towns including in Fukushima Prefecture. The trembler lasted six minutes (5; 6). Typically, the Japanese measurement of intensity is about half to a quarter as large a number as magnitude (7). The JMA SI is derived from the Mercalli intensity scale which is:
“a seismic scale used for measuring the intensity of an earthquake. It measures the effects of an earthquake, and is distinct from the moment magnitude usually reported for an earthquake (sometimes described as the obsolete Richter magnitude), which is a measure of the energy released. The intensity of an earthquake is not totally determined by its magnitude” (8).
According to the Wall Street Journal which reported the research of Tohoku University geologists, the following points are worth noting:
* “[S]eismic risk at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has increased because the magnitude 9 earthquake jolted the plates underneath the area into a more precarious position”
* “[O]ver 24,000 tremors around Iwaki, in the seven and a half months following March 11. That number is far higher than the 1,300 quakes detected in the same area in the nine years before then”
* “Given that a large earthquake occurred in Iwaki not long ago, we think it is possible for a similarly strong earthquake to happen in Fukushima”
The only ray of hope I could glean from this scenario is that “seismicity near the FNPP plant is relatively low compared to that near Iwaki,” but Iwaki is only a few miles to the south of the FNPP. “A fault line that runs close to the plant could be weakened by” shifting seismic fluids (9).
The Tohoku University geologists make clear the daily quakes Japan experiences are not anomalous but according to a well studied and documented pattern:
“The Iwaki earthquake (M 7.0) occurred in a previous seismicity gap on 11 April 2011 and it was one of the major aftershocks following the Tohoku-oki mainshock and the strongest one hit the Japan land area….The compressional stress regime is therefore expected to continue to build up in the overriding plate in NE Japan, which has potential to cause reactivation of the reverse faults and therein generate large crustal earthquakes, such as the 2008 Iwate-Miyagi earthquake that occurred about 200 km north of FNPP and the 2007 Niigata earthquake (M 6.8) in the back-arc area of NE Japan. Therefore, much attention should be paid to the FNPP seismic safety in the near future” (10).
Their report is supported by other research that claims “[a]ftershocks along Fukushima, Ibaraki borders may take over 100 years to subside [and this region is] relatively close to the damaged Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant” (11).
As Kobe University seismologist Katsuhiko Ishibashi noted to a government panel in 2005, “[a]n earthquake and its seismic thrust can hit multiple parts” of a nuclear plant and result in a “severe accident” (12). No one listened to Professor Ishibashi then (ironically his name is translated as “stone bridge”) but they sure the heck should have!
In addition, Tokyo University geologists have now warned that chances of “a new big earthquake” in Japan are 75 percent in the next four years, and that Japan has drastically underestimated the power of earthquakes in their building standards. Nuclear plants are vastly under prepared for the magnitude of large quakes, having been based on projections that are now outdated and debunked. In essence, it is impossible to build nuclear power plants to withstand major earthquakes (13).
From the official Japanese sources themselves we can see that the 3/11 earthquake intensity was 6+ and that it was indeed strong enough to destroy at least Unit 1 at the FNPP. According to at least two reputable sources Unit 1 was destroyed primarily due to seismic activity and not the tsunami or failed back up generators (although those events contributed) (14).
Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and the Japanese Government–the Keystone Cops teamed up with the Larry Curly and Moe outfit– is still telling us that we should not worry. Tepco recently complained to critics that:
“The No. 4 reactor building is not tilted and it, including the storage pool, will not be destroyed by a quake…TEPCO officials also explained that the steel support at the base of the pool and concrete wall had been reinforced by last July, which has increased by 20 percent the leeway against a possible quake. In addition, the utility conducted a simulation exercise using analytical models that showed that even if a lower -6 intensity quake were to strike the plant again, it would not collapse” (15).
It sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo to me– “20 percent” improvements do not inspire confidence in a region ridden with constant seismic activity. Such statements are absurdly overconfident on the face. The FNPP complex looks like a war zone which is at any rate not as fit as it originally was, and even if in pristine condition may not handle a major earthquake. Nevertheless, let’s hope the fools are right this time because we could all use a little Mercy Now. Short of the Hand of Grace intervening, people of good conscience had better act quickly to solve this problem.
References
1. Mary Gauthier, Mercy Now
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6819176/a/Mercy+Now.htm
2. Japan’s Near Miss With Massive Nuclear Catastrophe: The Crisis Continues
http://www.rense.com/general95/nuclearcatss.html
3. Fukushima Daiichi: It May Be too Late Unless the Military Steps in
http://akiomatsumura.com/2012/05/fukushima-daiichi-it-may-be-too-late-unless-the-military-steps-in.html
4. The Doomsday Machine: The High Price of Nuclear Energy, the World’s Most Dangerous Fuel
http://www.amazon.com/The-Doomsday-Machine-Nuclear-Dangerous/dp/0230338348
5. The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake -Portal-
http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/2011_Earthquake.html
6. 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami
7. Earthquake Information
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/quake_local_index.html
8. Mercalli intensity scale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercalli_intensity_scale
9. Could Fukushima Daiichi Be Ground Zero for the Next Big One?
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2012/02/15/could-fukushima-daiichi-be-ground-zero-for-the-next-big-one/
10. Tomography of the 2011 Iwaki earthquake (M 7.0) and Fukushima nuclear power plant area
http://www.solid-earth.net/3/43/2012/se-3-43-2012.pdf
11. Aftershocks along Fukushima, Ibaraki borders may take over 100 years to subside
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120515p2a00m0na008000c.html
12. Earthquake and Nuke Fatigue
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/04/13/earthquake-and-nuke-fatigue
13. The Fukushima Lie (Die Fukushima-Lüge – English Subtitles)
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14. Tepco’s Cheapskate Tactics Put World at Risk
http://dissidentvoice.org/2012/04/tepcos-cheapskate-tactics-put-world-at-risk/
15. Doomsday scenarios spread about No. 4 reactor at Fukushima plant
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ20120510005
Byts and Bytes
- President Hugo Chavez and race: The shift from avoidance to inclusion
- The Good, Racist People
- Hugo Chavez: New World Rising
- Rebels Stand Alone
Mar 8, 2013 (yesterday)
Maduro sworn in as Venezuela acting president
Inauguration of Hugo Chavez's hand-picked successor comes just hours after late leader's state funeral in Caracas.
Mar 8, 2013 (yesterday)
Kenya vote count 'gives Kenyatta victory'
Provisional figures show deputy prime minister winning presidency with slim margin of 50.03 percent of votes cast.
Mar 8, 2013 (yesterday)
US job report stirs economic recovery hopes
Number of people out of work falls further, with unemployment rate recording the lowest it has been in four years.
Mar 8, 2013 (yesterday)
Ferguson dismisses Rooney speculation
United manager says striker will remain at Old Trafford, as City rival Carlos Tevez is arrested for driving offences.
Mar 8, 2013 (yesterday)
Marches in Egypt's Port Said as verdict looms
Security tightened in Suez Canal city and Cairo as protests intensify ahead of Saturday's verdict in football riot case.
Mar 8, 2013 (yesterday)
US defence chief Hagel arrives in Afghanistan
New secretary of defence, on first trip abroad, will meet with Afghan president and US commanders to "assess" situation.
Mar 8, 2013 (yesterday)
Vatican sets date for pope election conclave
Cardinals will on Tuesday submit first round of balloting in secret process meant to choose successor to Benedict XVI.
Transitions: Altmuslim joins Patheos
Brace
yourself for some good change: altmuslim is joining the Patheos family.
Before Illume, before Islamicity added news and essays to its site,
before Beliefnet and later Patheos and Huffington Post Religion created
robust Islam sections and/or expanded their coverage of Muslims, there
was altmuslim, the cutting-edge website created by Halalfire Network
founder Shahed Amanullah. The website was developed to be “an
introspective voice that helps promote a critical (and self-critical)
analysis of issues regarding the Muslim world.” In its 11 years of
existence, it has done just that. From the insightful and intelligent
news articles and op-ed pieces published in the months after the tragedy
of 9/11 to stunning slide shows to providing incisive coverage of a
plethora of issues facing Muslims, altmuslim has been the destination to
feel the pulse of the American Muslim and global Muslim world.
Jan 19, 2012 9:52 PM
Confronting extremism: Mind over jihad
The
US has taken an initiative to spread the counter-extremist message
across Pakistan to prevent the breeding of extremism and to deradicalize
militants who were completely taken by the jihadist ideology, which is a
tough battle because Pakistan is, perhaps, the only country where the
state, with funding from U.S. and Saudi Arabia, financed and trained
jihadis to fight Soviet Russia and did nothing to deprogram the
mujahideen after the war was over. The one-of-its-kind three-person
unit, whose aim is to support grassroots groups and moderate religious
leaders to counter extremist ideology, started operating in Pakistan
last July.
Jan 16, 2012 7:55 AM
Remembering MLK: Why my daughter should have MLK day off
The
fact that my daughter's Islamic school does not take MLK day off
bothers me. All Islamic schools, except perhaps those established by
African-American Muslims, have been built by Muslims who have immigrated
to this country from abroad. They, even more than many
African-Americans themselves, have benefited from the struggles of the
civil rights movement. But for brave Americans like Dr. Martin Luther
King, Rev. Jessie Jackson, Rosa Parks, and countless others, immigrant
Muslims would not have been able to come to this country, establish
themselves economically, live in peace and security, and build those
mosques and Islamic schools.
Jul 15, 2012 4:53 PM
How I Became An Anarchist
Mel, known for the excellent Broadsnark blog, explained her evolution back in 2009.
It remains well worth reading in its entirety today. Here's an
excerpt that provides a provocative insight into the origins of Occupy:
. . . . . But, in the end, the nonprofit work wasn’t much better than the for profit work. We were helping people, but not as many as we should have been. We were government funded. When I calculated the percentage of tax dollars that actually went to direct services, it made me want to cry. Some of the grants went through so many agencies that, by the time each agency shaved their overhead costs off the top, there was virtually nothing left.In other compelling parts of this post, she relates her inability to attain fulfillment through her family and her subsequent work as a manager with a private law firm. In other words, she encountered, as many have, a world of social dead ends. Occupy is full of such individualistic, imaginative, independent minded people. And, as long as they continue to experience the hypocrisy and lack of opportunity experienced by people like Mel, social unrest in the US will intensify under a proliferation of banners.
And even though the organization I worked for made a good pretense of listening to and caring about staff, much of it was for show. Additional funding we received went straight into raises for my boss and a fat consulting fee for a wealthy board member. Meanwhile, we were short-staffed and asking employees to start paying a portion of their rising health care costs.
Worse than the frustration, overwork, and disillusionment was how being a manager changed my relationship with all the people I worked with. Although I felt like I spent most of my day battling with my boss on behalf of the staff, in the end I was just one of the managers who was making decisions behind their backs – decisions they often did not like, decisions that were sometimes bad. It didn’t matter if I had fought the decision in those meetings. Once it was made I had to stand behind it.
I’ve worked for other nonprofits since that one. And while I have steadfastly avoided any more management positions, I have seen the same dynamic in every place I have worked. Larger nonprofits, especially here in DC, have the added issues of ivy league elitism and grotesque hierarchy (which they are in denial of). Yet somehow they think that they are going to make the world a more democratic, egalitarian, and just place from within an organization that is anything but.
It ain’t gonna happen.
Jul 3, 2012 7:36 AM
People's School @ Lakeview Elementary Raided
For information, go to the Twitter hashtag @Lakeviewsitin.
All but two people left the school voluntarily. Rally planned for 5pm
in front of the school. It has been reported that the police, a
combination of Oakland school district and city officers, threatened to use dispersal agents after issuing a dispersal order at around 4:15 PST. For background about the People's School, go here.
Sep 20, 2012 10:35 AM
Is This You?
Tom Scott did a presentation on what privacy (or lack of it) will be like in 10 years time:
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Sep 1, 2012 12:54 AM
Edinburgh Pirate Party meeting, Wed 5 September
Edinburgh Pirates will be having an informal meeting on 5 September starting at 7pm in the Regent Pub.All Pirates are welcome, as is anyone interested in the Pirate Party or who just wants to talk with us.
Details are on the Edinburgh Pirates website.
Feb 17, 2013 8:28 AM
Sino-Russian Strategic Bomber Cooperation–Good Reading
For the discerning reader, the work of Dr. Stephen Blank has always been a favorite.Dr. Blank has recently published an article, which may be obtained free of charge, here, at the Jamestown Foundation’s webpage. Of particular note is the attention he draws to the potential sale of Russian heavy bombers and ALCMs to the PRC. And of particular interest to the reader may be this quote: ”China apparently now argues the main requirement for such a bomber is that it carries more long-distance cruise missiles.”
And further,
[I]f Moscow supplied the Kh-22 (NATO designation: As-4 Kitchen) supersonic air-delivered cruise missile, this long-range anti-ship cruise missile could change the balance in the South China Sea (OSC-FBIS, January 26; China News Center, January 24; Vzgliad Online, January 22).It is worth thinking about the present state of both ALCM and SLCM technology, the world over. A good deal has been said in the past year about increasing tension in Asia, be it Chinese territorial claims, strains between U.S. allies, and of course, the DPRK. But not much is said about the kind of technology the PRC would need, and from where it is getting it, to enable it to deal with the U.S. “pivot.”
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