Partial meltdown likely underway at second Japanese nuclear reactor, govt says - 200,000 evacuated

Globe and Mail:

Japan's top government spokesman says a partial meltdown is likely under way at second reactor affected by Friday's massive earthquake.

The Japanese government said radiation emanating from the plant appeared to have decreased after Saturday's blast, which produced a cloud of white smoke that obscured the complex. But the danger was grave enough that officials pumped seawater into the reactor to avoid disaster and moved 170,000 people from the area within 20 kilometres of the plant.

More from the Washington Post:

While Japanese authorities tried to calm citizens, they also began evacuating more than 200,000 residents from a 12.5-mile radius around two nuclear power complexes, made preparations to distribute potassium iodide pills, and warned people in the vicinity to stay inside and cover their mouths if they ventured outdoors. Federal safety agency officials said that as many as 160 people had been exposed to radiation from the plants.

"Only the gravest danger would justify an evacuation at such a moment," said Peter Bradford, a former commissioner at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The evacuation, wider than announced the day before, followed an explosion Saturday that destroyed a building that housed both the reactor vessel and its containment building. Four workers were injured, but Japanese authorities said the containment building was intact.

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Emergency at second nuclear reactor in Japan following 8.9 earthquake, warning of 'Chernobyl in the making'

From CTV:

At least three patients at a hospital near the reactor have been exposed to radiation and require decontamination. The three reportedly have not yet shown any reaction or physical symptoms of the radioactivity. NISA said the number of people exposed to radiation could reach 160.

Japanese authorities say they are making preparations to distribute iodine pills to residents in the area of both plants. The pills can help protect against thyroid cancer, since they inhibit the thyroid's absorption of radioactive iodine from the atmosphere.

About 170,000 people living within a 20-kilometre radius around Fukushima Dai-ichi have been evacuated, reports the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Reactor 1, they fear, has already melted down.

A physicist says it could be a Chernobyl in the making - excellent video from ABC:



Air from reactor 3 is being released into the air. More here.

Radiation at the plant is 1000 times normal. Read the rest of this post...

Earthquake moved Japan 8 feet over, shifted earth 4 inches

This is amazing.

The powerful earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami Friday appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis.

"At this point, we know that one GPS station moved (8 feet), and we have seen a map from GSI (Geospatial Information Authority) in Japan showing the pattern of shift over a large area is consistent with about that much shift of the land mass," said Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Reports from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy estimated the 8.9-magnitude quake shifted the planet on its axis by nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters).

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GOP Rep. Gohmert: Obama's budget might lead to another Holocaust

Now there's an interesting take on getting a handle on the budget deficit. I wonder what he thinks about the GOP effort to crush the middle class and the transfer of wealth to the richest of the rich? Read the rest of this post...

Glenn Beck proves that O'Keefe's NPR video is basically a fraud

We should have all seen this one coming. Another conservative "gotcha!" video, and another case of a conservative editing the video to make it look like the "liberal" was saying things he shouldn't. Except that, as usual, the video was edited to make it look like the "liberal" was saying things he actually didn't say. I don't k now what to make of it being Glenn Beck's Web site that exposes this, other than to say perhaps this is O'Keefe's "Nixon goes to China" moment. If a raving conservative finds that raving conservative basically lied, then it's hard to refute the source.

Here's one example - where the NPR exec is supposedly amused that the Web site of the people he's meeting promotes "acceptance of Sharia" worldwide. What the video shows is that the exec was amused about something totally unrelated, but O'Keefe spliced the video to make it seem like the NPR guy was amused about the Sharia. This is classic for the far right, mixing and matching facts to "prove" something that isn't true - a tactic usually reserved for the religious right hate groups.



Beck's site goes on to show how at one point, when the NPR exec was supposedly calling the Tea Party "seriously racist," he was in fact quoting a GOP ambassador. But O'Keefe cut the part showing that the NPR exec was simply quoting a Republican, and made it seem like it was hit quote.

The Republicans have been caught red-handed, lying in order to try to cut NPR funding. Read the rest of this post...

GOP budget would cut tsunami warning program

The Republicans won't be happy until they've returned the country to the bad old days. Unless it's a cash grab for corporate America, they're going to be against it. If that means failing education, even more expensive health care, lack of safety, minimum wage jobs and dangerous conditions, so be it. Turning back the clock, one day at a time.

A spending plan approved by the House would slash funding for a tsunami warning center that issued an alarm after the devastating earthquake in Japan.

The plan approved by the GOP-controlled House last month would trigger deep cuts for the National Weather Service, including the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.

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Japan's building codes saved lives

If you listened to Republicans, you would think any kind of regulation or oversight was a terrible thing. They're wrong. There's nothing wrong with finding balance. In the case of Japan, the strict codes helped save lives. NY Times:

Hidden inside the skeletons of high-rise towers, extra steel bracing, giant rubber pads and embedded hydraulic shock absorbers make modern Japanese buildings among the sturdiest in the world during a major earthquake. And all along the Japanese coast, tsunami warning signs, towering seawalls and well-marked escape routes offer some protection from walls of water.

These precautions, along with earthquake and tsunami drills that are routine for every Japanese citizen, show why Japan is the best-prepared country in the world for the twin disasters of earthquake and tsunami — practices that undoubtedly saved lives, though the final death toll is unknown.

In Japan, where earthquakes are far more common than they are in the United States, the building codes have long been much more stringent on specific matters like how much a building may sway during a quake.

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Mental 99 - Mr. Reno

I had the great pleasure of meeting the members of Mental 99 a few years ago when they were in Tracy Chapman's band. The next time I make it to San Francisco, I have to time my schedule so I can see them play live.

We're taking another leap towards spring over here. The fruit blossoms are out everywhere around town and it's due to reach around 60F with lots of sunshine. Even my almond jasmine is in bloom. Perfect. Read the rest of this post...

Earthquake may have triggered nuclear meltdown in Japan

As if the earthquake destruction and damage wasn't enough, now this. It's not yet clear if a meltdown occurred but the signs suggest it may have happened. Even if it's minor, this can't be good news.

Workers are battling to stave off a possible nuclear meltdown at a plant in north-eastern Japan as the country struggles with the aftermath of Friday's enormous earthquake and tsunami.

Japanese media said officials had detected caesium, one of the elements released when overheating causes core damage, around the reactor at Fukushima No 1 plant in Futuba, 150 miles north of Tokyo.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company said it did not believe a meltdown was underway but Ryohei Shiomi, an official with Japan's nuclear safety commission, said that it was possible.

But experts and authorities played down the dangers of a Chernobyl-style disaster saying they believed a partial meltdown was controllable. The government urged people to remain calm.

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