2011/05/23
The Big Shark Swallows The Little Fish
2011/04/22
Friday night...
Cam
This breaks my heart
http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/all-gone-2#comments
This town is in the 20km illegal-to-enter zone.
It will eventually find water, but food will likely be a different matter. And dogs are domesticated; they do best with human interaction. This breaks my heart. And this is only the tip of the iceberg.
'Divorce ceremony' gives couples chance to make clean break
'Divorce ceremony' gives couples chance to make clean break
TOKYO Some divorce-bound couples in Japan are smashing their wedding rings at ‘‘divorce ceremonies,’’ vowing to make a clean break and a fresh start in front of friends and family.
"Congratulations on your divorce.’’ Guests wish the former bride and groom well on their separate lives at the ceremony, which involves smashing wedding rings using a wooden hammer, held by the soon-to-be ex-spouses, a ritual antithesis to cutting the cake at weddings...
Read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/SmashThatWeddingRing
You can read my comments on this as TheBigRiceBowl in the comments section. In a nutshell? Well, aside from being overpriced (most ceremonies in Japan are), I think this is a very good idea; it actually allows the divorced couple PHYSICAL CLOSURE which is often missing from divorce. It allows them a link to actually let go of the anger, rage, and ugliness that builds in 95% of all divorces. Since divorce rates in the US are 50% (1st marriage), 60% (2nd marriage), 75% (3rd marriage), if someone imports this to the USA and adapts it to American culture, it could actually be a good business. I'm serious; it isn't exploitation. It's hard to admit but most divorced people really do have a lot of pent up anger, frustration and rage inside them that is rotting them. Who wants to have a new relationship with a rotten person? If you can physically release this anger, you can renew yourself, move on, stop living in the past, and begin to rebuild your life. I personally know people who could have used some serious closure ...
I love you!
Cam
TEPCO Really Deserves a Ginormous Spanking
Friday 22nd April, 07:00 AM JST
Tokyo Electric Power Co is considering cutting annual salaries of its employees by around 20% as part of its restructuring effort to make compensation payments over the emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex, company sources said Thursday.
The utility is now under negotiations with its labor union to reach an agreement by the end of this month, they said.
The proposal targets around 33,000 union members and does not include a workforce cut, the sources said, adding that TEPCO is also considering reducing remunerations for company executives.
The utility, meanwhile, is mulling selling off its assets to secure funds to pay compensation for people affected by the nuclear crisis, triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
TEPCO, for example, will try to acquire hundreds of billions of yen by selling securities it holds such as KDDI Corp stocks and real estate it owns, the sources said.
The link is here: http://tinyurl.com/TEPCOisUGLY
My thoughts are in the comments section as TheBigRiceBowl (that's me! - Until I leave Tokyo)
Have a great day.
I love you! (but I don't love TEPCO)
Cam
2011/04/20
I KNEW that one day my notebook computer would serve a legit purpose!
It makes the perfect music stand! I can angle it as I like and the music books aren't suddenly going to slip off the stand and fall to the ground!
Praise the gods for the invention of the notebook computer!!! Love!Cam
Fukushima heros are treated like dogs by their employer TEPCO
I am embarrassed to even show this to the world, but you need to see, that the big, money-hungry companies in Japan are not so different from their counterparts around the world. Rather than giving the Tepco employees risking their lives to solve the Fukushima Nuclear Radiation problem a hero's welcome, the company treats them like... well, like Japanese dogs.
"Nuclear plant workers at risk of depression, death from overwork: doctor"
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/nuclear-plant-workers-at-ris...
Ticker-Tape Update on Japan for Wed, Apr 20th, 2011
* Tokyo Electric Power Company has begun transferring highly radioactive water from the No.2 reactor to a waste processing facility at the damaged Fukushima plant.
* Tokyo Electric Power Company says radioactive debris and high humidity in reactor buildings are hampering the investigation by robots at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
* Delegates have discussed nuclear safety at an international conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster on April 26.
* A senior official of Japan's Foreign Ministry says that although the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant is ranked at the highest level of severity, it is less serious than the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
* SDF personnel sent to nuclear zone who flees in panic has been dismissed on disciplinary grounds.
* The IAEA will send a team of experts to investigate the cause of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
* French nuclear firm Areva says it has agreed with the Tokyo Electric Power Company to build a facility to decontaminate radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex.
* Electronics maker Toshiba has developed a TV set with a rechargeable battery to help Japanese viewers cope with expected power outages this summer.
* The world's oldest man, who lives in the prefecture of Kyoto in western Japan, has turned 114.
* The vast majority of deaths (92%) in the March 11th disaster were caused by the tsunami and most of the victims were seniors.
* The northeastern Japanese city of Sendai has started removing wrecked vehicles from tsunami-hit residential areas.
* It's a nice spring day in Tokyo (and the election candidate's loudspeaker announcements are very annoying) **
To see more news and video visit: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/
** This was not a paid news brief from NHK World News (as if you couldn't guess).
2011/04/18
Meeting Strangers
Cam
2011/04/17
My Mt. Everest
Cam
2011/04/16
Check out the HTC Evo WiMax Android 3.0 smartphone if U see it & tell me what you think.
Cam
2011/04/15
This Tsunami Reporter has True Grit!
Imagining My Daily Breakfast Just Got Easier
I eat this kind of breakfast every day. The meat changes and the style off the eggs vary, but the variety and the volume is aleways like this.
I eat this much at lunch as well as dinner, too. There are twelve different foods on my plate. I love variety! And I love you!Cam
2011/04/14
Follow Up to the Sheltie Photo Shoot in Fukushima: Many Rescued
Good news, eh?!
I love Japan!
Cam
2011/04/13
Unbelievable Japan: Sendai Airport Operational Again!
Cam
2011/04/12
Wow that was a good aftershock!
2011/04/11
2011/04/10
Second Time on the Skates was Better than the First
Cam
2011/04/08
One Minute of Love Energy Output to Tohoku
A "Strange" Photo in the "Evacuation Zone" for Paula
I really feel sorry for all these gorgeous dogs because the location is deserted due to it being within the radioactive evacuation zone. What will they eat? What will they drink? What will happen to them?
Who took the picture? Did they just leave them all like that or herd them together and get them out? We want answers! We want actions!! Dogs are people too!!! Oh, sorry. The link: http://tinyurl.com/RadioactiveCollies
Cam
Worried about a radioactive ocean? A reality check
2011/04/06
NHK's TickerTapeNews for April 6th, 2011
. * Tokyo Electric Power Company says highly radioactive water stopped leaking into the sea from a concrete pit at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant on Wednesday morning. (Cam: Nobody here seems to be talking about this topic any longer... but it's still hard to buy staples in the supermarket, so they must be 'thinking' about it... (or the next "big one"))
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* Tokyo Electric Power Company says it will inject nitrogen into the containment vessel of one of its reactors at the Fukushima power plant as early as Wednesday evening to prevent a possible hydrogen explosion. (Cam: Ho hum....)
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* Most fishery cooperatives in Ibaraki Prefecture are suspending all activities after small fish caught in local waters were found to contain radioactive cesium above the legal limit. (Cam: There goes another industry... I wonder if Japan will become a country of ... meat eaters? Oh, wait! They already ARE eating tons more meat than they used to do.)
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* Many members of the International Renewable Energy Agency say Japan's nuclear crisis will lead to increased promotion of alternative energy sources. (Cam: In Japanese we say "fukouchuu no saiwai", or "happiness comes from disaster". This is in harmony with The Universe's teachings. We humans often learn the most through the biggest hardships. This hardship is a doozy, so let' s hope what we learn from it is exponentially highly rewarding as well.)
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* The official death toll from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan has risen to 12,468, with 15,091 people still listed as missing. (Cam: Let's hope that the "listed as missing", is eventually reported as "zero".)
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* The environment ministry says the massive March 11th earthquake and tsunami has left 24.9 million tons of debris in its wake in the 3 hardest-hit prefectures. (Cam: Want to start a new garbage collection company?)
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* The minutes of a US Federal Reserve meeting show policymakers plan to keep a close watch on the effect of Japan's earthquake on the US economy. (Cam: As are all the other countries around the world.... Today there was some news that said a Japanese person was traveling in Europe, and was sitting beside a European. The European asked the Japanese if he was Japanese. When he responded, yes, the European got up and moved away from the Japanese person. Could there be some overly hysterical fear of "spreading nuclear radiation"? Methinks so.)
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* Anti-government forces in Libya have rejected Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi's proposal to hand over power to one of his sons. (Cam: It's time to close the books on this character. Where's the CIA assassination team when you need them?)
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* Cote d'Ivoire's President Laurent Gbagbo may soon be forced to give up power after opposition forces backed by the UN launched a major attack to close in on his stronghold in Abidjan. (Cam: More war crimes trials at the Hague coming soon, to a theatre near you...)
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* China's central bank says it will raise its key interest rates by 0.25% starting Wednesday. (Cam: What goes up, must come down. Eventually.)
. Have a great day!
I love you!!
Cam
2011/04/04
Thoughts on the Japanese High Voice Sales Pitch
Cam
2011/04/01
Yamato Courier: Full-On Eco
I love how Kuroneko has embraced the Eco Drivewith respect to deliveries in Tokyo.They kill so many birds with one stone!
A couple of years ago the government started ticketing everyone who stopped illegally and that included couriers stopping briefly to deliver packages. They all had to find a new way to deal with the new regulations. It took a while and included some tweaking but now they deliver using battery-assisted bicycles pulling trailers as you can see in this photo taken outside my office. Good work!Asia-bound Teachers Face Grammar/IQ Tests on Arrival
The measures, proposed by education department officials in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), are intended to prevent large numbers of unemployed foreigners from countries including the US, the UK and Australia from flooding the local job market in search of employment as “native English teachers”.
http://eslblogs.englishclub.com/blog/news/asia-bound-teachers-face-grammar-iq...
It may feel like a kick in the gut, but many of the Asian countries have a much tougher scholastic curriculum than those in North America.
I am not particularly in favour of the applicant footing the bill for the battery of tests, and wonder if the sponsor school might consider doing so as a responsibility. That way, the schools would also be more strict in their vetting of applicants for teaching positions in their programs, and eliminate those not up to the requirements from the beginning.
Charles, what do you think?
Any other TEFL language educators out there in the world have any thoughts on this?
Cam
Here's why we have rolling blackouts in Tokyo when only 2.5% of the total energy source is compro
http://tinyurl.com/JapanEnergy
If you aren't interested in reading the article, here's a quick summary:
Japanese electric companies are extremely greedy, do everything possible to prevent competition, and should all get slammed for anti-competition infractions!
I recommend taking a look at the article; it's quite an eye-opener.
Cam
TickerTapeNews from NHK for 2011/04/01 a.m.
Have a great day.
I love you!
Cam
***********************
* The IAEA says radiation levels twice as high as its criterion for evacuation were detected in a village 40 km from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. (Cam: I wonder if Japan will re-evaluate it's criterion after this?)
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* A Japanese researcher has explained how radioactive substances that leaked from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have spread and reached Tokyo and other parts of the Kanto region.
(Cam: Will that cause more panic, or will people look at it objectively? Or, will they simply ignore it and continue on with life?)
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* Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, has not provided every worker at the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant with radiation monitors, breaking government rules.
(Cam: More news that shows TEPCO deserves a really severe spanking after this mess is all cleared up.)
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* The death toll from the March 11th quake and tsunami in northeastern Japan rose to 11,532 as of Thursday night. The National Police Agency says 16,441 others are missing.
(Cam: The death toll will continue to rise, until the missing toll approaches zero.)
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* The US military is sending Marines specialized in responding to nuclear emergencies to Japan to help deal with the trouble at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
(Cam: Go Marines!)
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* Japan's Meteorological Agency advises continued caution due to powerful aftershocks 3 weeks after a magnitude 9.0 quake hit Japan.
(Cam: It's been pretty quiet in Tokyo, but this site shows that the world is anything BUT quiet: http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/ Did you realize that there are tons of earthquakes occurring daily over in the USA as well?)
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* Video footage of the March 11th tsunami, apparently taken by someone at a thermal power plant in Fukushima prefecture, has been posted on YouTube.
(Cam: Great! More death and destruction for the TV media to latch onto!!)
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* The Health Ministry says radiation exceeding safety standards has been detected in beef from Fukushima and vegetables from Ibaraki, Tochigi and Chiba prefectures.
(Cam: So, being a vegetarian is not healthy, and being a carnivore is not healthy... What's a poor sap to do?)
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* Britain has hailed the defection of Libyan Foreign Minister Mousa Kousa as a blow to leader Muammar al-Qadhafi.
(Cam: Why do these guys all have such catchy sing-song names?)
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* New York Stock Closing on Thursday: Dow Jones 12,319.73, down 30.88 from Wednesday. NASDAQ 2,781.07, up 4.28.
(Cam: Just thought I'd add something other than death and destruction for those of you not "into" it.) .
Read the details here: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/31_19.html .
2011/03/31
TickerTapeNews for Japan 2010/03/31
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* Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA detected higher than the standard levels of radiation in soil at Iitate village in Fukushima outside of the evacuation area from the damaged Daiichi nuclear power plant.
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* Workers are still struggling to resolve the problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant where the disposal of radioactive water is hindering cooling efforts.
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* Teams working on the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant are going to use a synthetic resin to try and prevent radioactive dust from becoming airborne or being washed into the sea.
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* The UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA, has decided to dispatch a marine environmental expert to Fukushima to analyze seawater around the troubled nuclear power plant.
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* US President Barack Obama has reiterated his support for more nuclear power despite growing public concern in the wake of the crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant.
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* The number of dead continues to rise in quake and tsunami-hit eastern Japan. Police say the confirmed death toll rose to 11,417 as of Thursday morning while 16,273 people remain missing.
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* Disaster-hit northeastern Japan still faces acute shortages of gasoline and other fuels due to damaged transportation and distribution systems.
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* Honda Motor will reduce vehicle production at its 5 plants in North America from Wednesday, due to expected shortages of car parts from Japan.
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* Libyan foreign minister Mousa Kousa has conveyed to the British government his decision to resign.
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* A senior North Korean official has indicated the country would agree to have its uranium enrichment program on the agenda at the 6-party talks on the North's nuclear program.
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* Tokyo stocks at Thursday morning close: Nikkei 225 9,705.91 down 2.88 TOPIX 865.94 down 0.15 from Wednesday.
2011/03/29
Japan Disaster TickerTape Update 110329 13:55
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One other bit of news that keeps showing up, is that TEPCO seems to be continually apologizing for their errors, discrepancies, poor reporting, etc. in spite of being spanked a few times by Yukiyo Edano (that guy in the blue work uniform who shows up all the time for the news conferences). But... they apparently continue to resist outside, international oversight, and visits to the actual site. .
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* Tokyo Electric Power Company says plutonium has been found in soil samples from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. But it says the level detected is the same as that found in other parts of Japan and does not pose a threat to human health.
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* Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says the detection of trace amounts of plutonium in ground at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant means the situation there is extremely serious.
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(Cam's Note: Do the above two reports not seem slightly ... contradictory?)
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* The government's nuclear safety agency has ordered Tokyo Electric Power Company to closely monitor radiation and water levels in tunnels outside the turbine buildings for 3 damaged reactors.
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(Cam's Note: It's time that the work be taken out of TEPCO's incompetent hands, and given to another body, methinks.)
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* Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says water must be pumped continuously into the No.2 reactor at the troubled Fukushima nuclear plant, despite the leak of highly radioactive water from the unit.
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* Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa says Self-Defense Forces troops if asked would work to remove highly radioactive water found leaking at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
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* Prime Minister Naoto Kan has rejected views that his visit to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant a day after the earthquake delayed the crucial initial response to the developing disaster.
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* Japan's semi-public Geospatial Information Authority says the March 11th tsunami flooded a total 443 square kilometers of land in the 4 prefectures of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.
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* Japan's Land Ministry has found that the tsunami on March 11th ran more than 40 kilometers upstream from river mouths.
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* A government study has found that dramatic changes in tide levels in the sea off northern Japan continued for about 6 hours after a massive tsunami struck on March 11th.
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* Over 28,000 people are dead or missing following the huge earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's northeastern coast on March 11th.
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* Electric power companies in Japan have put on hold plans to restart nuclear reactors now undergoing checkups, and to build new ones.
2011/03/28
Update on Japan for 2011/03/28 (13:00)
* At the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant, high radioactive density detected in 3 turbine buildings may further delay work to restore the cooling systems for the overheated fuel rods.
* An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.5 occurred off Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan at 7:24 A.M. on Monday. A tsunami evacuation advisory for the coastal areas was issued, but later lifted.
* Japan's Defense Ministry has released a new aerial video of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which shows the damage to the reactors more clearly than previous footage.
* The death toll in Japan's devastating March 11th earthquake has climbed to 10,872 people, with more than 16,200 missing. More than 190,000 people are still in shelters.
* An increasing number of residents have reportedly returned to their homes in suburban areas surrounding the troubled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
* Toyota has resumed production of hybrid vehicles in Japan, 2 weeks after the auto manufacturer halted all domestic output following the March 11th quake. * Secretary General Katsuya Okada of the governing Democratic Party of Japan has suggested that his party may review the proposed corporate tax cut as part of its effort to raise funds to rebuild quake-ravaged areas.
* The Tokyo University of Foreign Studies is providing on its website information in 16 languages about radiation arising from the nuclear incidents in Japan.
* Tokyo stocks at Monday morning close: Nikkei 225 9,501.64, down 34.49 TOPIX 857.58, up 0.20 from Friday.
* It's sunny today turning to cloudy later in the day with highs of 11C and a low of 5C.
2011/03/27
The Smallest/Narrowest Restaurant in The Multiverse
Today I cycled 15km to Jimbocho and bought the K2 Inline-Skates I looked at last weekend (finagled a 5% Discount). I also got palm/wrist, elbow, knee pads. Then I rode over to Ochanomizu Stn to exchange the train ticket for Kobuchizawa on 3/14 (earthquake etc stopped all trains so I couldn't go) but the lines are all still affected by planned power outages and JR could not issue me a ticket.
So I went to look for something to eat instead. That's a reasonable alternative, don't you think? I found the smallest/narrowest restaurant I have ever seen. The stairs were so narrow that I had to take my pack off and my shoulders brushed both walls on the way up. This place has been in operation since 1954 which is cool in itself. It was so narrow that when I leaned slightly back to take this photo I almost touched the guy behind me eating against the opposite wall. Unfortunately the food didn't quite suit me (loaded with pasta and rice), though it was tasty. Now I'm suffering dry mouth from the carbs. I'll likely have insulin-induced nightmares tonight and wake up with two inches of cotton on my teeth and tongu tomorrow morning. But it was worth it! Have yourself a very merry Sunday. Glowingly Yours,Cam P.S. The nuclear situation still sucks.
2011/03/25
In the Blink of Luxury
Cam
2011/03/24
Reading of environmental radioactivity level by prefecture
A Good Link for Recent News in Japan
This Medscape article's title put a smile on my face this morning (but not the content)
"Study Examines Factors Leading to CAM Use for Vaginitis"
2011/03/23
Tokyo's Tap Water is Poisoned
TOKYO - The Tokyo metropolitan government warned Wednesday that infants should not drink tap water as radioactive iodine exceeding the limit for them were detected in water at a purification plant.. http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/radioactive-iodine-exceeding...
2011/03/22
Apparently I look like Clark Kent with these glasses
Lucky 5.7 Strikes in Chiba
2011/03/21
A New Challenge
I really don't find riding in the city much to my liking and haven't been able to do nearly as much riding as I would like.
I have also been thinking for some time now that in-line skating, as much as I sucked at ice skating, might be a new exercise to start up. Also, it might mean that once I got stable and safe enough on them to actually do it with some confidence, I could consider takimng them to work and then skate home the 12km once in a while, when the weather is good (which is often in Tokyo). There was really nowhere to skate any distance safely in Fukui and the Edogawa walking/cycling path would be a great way to easily get in a good workout. So yesterday I bought a book for beginners (Amazon) and plan to read it when it arrives. Today I went to Jimbocho/Ochanomizu and looked at some skates. I also asked a ton of questions. There was some big hesitation after while I thought about it over coffee and when I looked up the sleeve, it came down to this: fear of being seen a novice, worry that I won't be able to do it, and the memory of hating and sucking at ice skating (for a Canadian prairie boy that's a big admission). Once I realized what these hesitations were all due to, I could see that they are all foundless and that if I put my mind and body to it, and realize that nobody is going to ridicule me here for looking foolish, I was able to conclude that I will do this. (I also want to relearn how to play the guitar and have a ton of unfounded excuses for not having started that years ago as well). So... I will read the book when it arrives, then go and buy the skates and just do it. My old lunchbag that finally melted away said this on it in big, bold letters: "Do one thing a day that scares you." So I will! I love you!Cam
2011/03/20
Lost in The Big RiceBowl
The "Great" ... Outdoors?
Well I made it to Shinjuku by bike. It's my first time to really ride any semi-long distance in Tokyo. The route is extremely simple: one highway straight for 20km. It took 45 minutes of riding and a total of 55minutes from door to door. The extra 10 minutes were due to traffic signals. I guess I'll finish my latte from Starbucks and then start the ride back.
It sure is nice to get out of my hammock-apartment into the great "outdoors".* I love you!Cam * Consisting of concrete, steel, automobiles, infinite amounts of people and auto exhaust!
2011/03/18
A nice way to end a horrific week.
A Rational Perspective of the Whole Shebang
Here is a great article by Reuters Health with some thoughts from "other" nuclear radiation specialists in the UK. It helps to put things back in perspective a little bit.
Again, BE CALM, THINK, ACT APPROPRIATELY in all emergency situations.
I love you!
Cam
P.S. Sorry if this all gets poorly formatted in the posting, as I can't post directly to FB or my blog from work (blocked from access for obvious reasons...)
********
From Reuters Health Information
Japan Radiation Fears Mask Worse Threats to Health
By Kate Kelland
LONDON (Reuters) Mar 16 - Panic over radiation leaks at Japan's earthquake-damaged nuclear plant may be diverting attention from potentially worse threats to public health from a tsunami, like the cold and disrupted supplies of water.
Experts said efforts in Japan should focus on ensuring safe drinking water and the disposal of sewage to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as typhoid and cholera, although the likelihood of any such epidemic was remote so far.
"People are getting so concerned about what are at the moment pretty low levels of radiation as far as the general public is concerned. But the real problems ... are in dealing with the earthquake and the tsunami," said Dr Richard Wakeford of Britain's University of Manchester.
"If this was a developing country, we'd have people going down (by) hundreds and thousands with the likes of typhoid and cholera by now. The questions should be: Where is the sewage going? What is the state of the drinking water? If I were a public health official, that would be my principle concern."
Japan was hit by a massive earthquake on Friday that triggered a tsunami along its northeastern coast, leaving about 850,000 households without electricity and 1.5 million households without running water. More than 440,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, Japanese media said.
But it is the radiation emerging from the Fukushima nuclear plant in northern Japan that has preyed on people's minds, playing on fears of something that cannot be seen, touched and is poorly understood.
Experts say these fears could leave a lasting legacy.
Nick Pidgeon, a professor of public understanding of risk at Britain's Cardiff University, said nuclear radiation has several particular factors that make people uniquely and disproportionately afraid of it:
"It's invisible, it's insidious, its effects are often very difficult to isolate and remain unclear many decades later, and its main risk -- cancer -- is itself a highly-dreaded disease.
"When you get all of those things together, it's almost a perfect storm of fear factors," he told Reuters.
This leads to what is known as the "social amplification of risk", he added. "And if people believe a risk to be real -- then it becomes real in its consequences."
Studies of previous nuclear accidents have found the psychological impact of anxiety about radiation, and the rush to try to get away from it, is very real -- even if the actual health risks from radiation exposure are limited.
Experts on the perception of risk, and others who have spent years studying the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl reactor disaster say there is good reason for this.
"A key risk at present is public panic in response to this incident," said Professor Jim Smith, a specialist in earth and environmental sciences at Britain's Portsmouth University. He was speaking from Chernobyl where he has studied the effects of radiation for more than 20 years.
"Experience from past nuclear incidents has shown that the stress and panic caused by these events can be as bad as, or worse than, the direct threat from radiation."
One U.N. study said Chernobyl may eventually cause up to 9,000 deaths, mainly from extra cancers near the plant. Smith and others also point to repeated studies that have found that people exposed to the fallout from Chernobyl had anxiety levels that were twice as high as people unaffected by the accident.
A 2006 United Nations report found that those exposed to radiation were also three to four more likely "to report multiple unexplained physical symptoms and subjective poor health than were unaffected control groups".
Smith puts the additional risk of fatal cancer for those working around Chernobyl during the cleanup at around 1% over a lifetime, and compares it with the added cancer risk posed by passive smoking or bad air pollution in cities.
"And that is Chernobyl," he said. "From what I understand, we're not in that kind of sphere or anywhere near it in Japan at this stage."
Reuters Health Information © 2011
2011/03/17
Water Air Drop has NO Effect
Technology & Disaster
News from the TV Now 14:20
Confusing "Timely" Updates
3/17 9:48 BUT... at 9:48 the news says that the SDF have started to drop water down the holes in the same reactor.
And then earlier news said that the SDF gave up the helicopter idea because it seemed too technically difficult and that the success rate was low.
So as you can see, news is coming in minute by minute but it is also changing... no sense trying to give a play-by-play show... My boss just arrived and brought batteries from Osaka because apparently you can't buy batteries in Tokyo now as everyone is stockpiling them.
Cam
2011/03/16
Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plants
Wednesday 16th March, 03:00 PM JST
TOKYO —
The following is the known status as of Wednesday afternoon of each of the six reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and the four reactors at the Fukushima No. 2 plant, both in Fukushima Prefecture, which were crippled by Friday’s magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the ensuing tsunami.
Fukushima No. 1 plant
—Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, building damaged Saturday by hydrogen explosion, seawater being pumped in.
—Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, seawater being pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, building damaged Monday by blast at Reactor No. 3, damage to containment vessel on Tuesday, potential meltdown feared.
—Reactor No. 3 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater being pumped in, building damaged Monday by hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby on Tuesday, plume of smoke observed Wednesday, damage to containment vessel likely.
—Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, fire Tuesday possibly caused by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, pool water level not observed, fire observed Wednesday at building housing reactor, no water poured in to cool pool.
—Reactor No. 5, No. 6 - Under maintenance when quake struck, temperature slightly rising in spent fuel pool.
Fukushima No. 2 plant
—Reactor No. 1, No. 2, No. 4 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.
—Reactor No. 3 - Cold shutdown.
© 2011 Kyodo News.
HOT News Flashes from Japan at 14:40
* Japan's Foreign Ministry has received inquiries about 500 foreign nationals missing since Friday's earthquake. * The US-based General Electric Company, GE, will send 10 gas turbine generators to Japan to help replace power generating capacity lost when nuclear reactors were damaged in Friday's mega-quake. * The UN General Assembly held a moment of silence for the victims of Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan at the opening of its meeting on Tuesday. * The Bank of Japan on Wednesday is supplying an additional $62 bil. to calm financial markets in the wake of the massive earthquake. * Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says the radiation level at the quake-hit nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, north of Tokyo, rose briefly on Wednesday morning. * Japan's nuclear safety agency says a possible radiation leak from the No.2 reactor may have caused the sharp increase in radiation levels on Wednesday at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, north of Tokyo. * S.Korea says it will provide Japan with boric acid for the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. * The number of dead and missing from Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami has exceeded 11,000.
US Military Offers Help
Update: At 16:16 the Japanese SDF began preparing their helicopters to send them into the skies above the reactors in order to drop water on the reactors.
Comment: I guess the water pump trucks aren't having the desired effect...
The Numbers Don't Add Up
2011/03/15
Radiation detected in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama; Kan blasts TEPCO's handling of crisis
Tuesday 15th March, 03:30 PM JST
TOKYO —
Radiation levels shot up in Tokyo and its vicinity Tuesday following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan that was triggered by last week’s massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami, local governments said.
But those levels did not pose immediate danger to human health, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said.
In Tokyo, small amounts of radioactive substances, such as iodine and cesium, were detected, the metropolitan government said.
In Ibaraki Prefecture, adjacent to Fukushima Prefecture where the troubled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is located, the amount of radiation at one stage reached 5 microsievert per hour, 100 times higher than usual, the Ibaraki prefectural government said.
In Kanagawa Prefecture, the radiation level shot up 10 times higher than usual.
In Saitama, capital of Saitama Prefecture, the amount of radiation reached 1,222 nanosievert per hour—a figure about 40 times higher than usual.
In Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, the amount of radiation showed a two- to four-fold increase, the Chiba prefectural government said.
The amount of radiation rose to 1.318 micro sievert per hour—a figure 33 times bigger than usual—in Tochigi Prefecture’s capital of Utsunomiya, the Tochigi prefectural government said.
The science ministry said it had asked prefectural governments to observe radiation levels as frequently as possible.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the radiation level reached 400 millisievert per hour near the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 plant Tuesday morning. The amount is 400 times higher than the allowable limit for citizens in a year.
On Monday, the radiation level near the No. 3 reactor peaked at 3,130 microsievert or about 3 millisievert per hour.
Steam containing radioactive substances was released from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant as part of efforts to reduce pressures within the reactor container there.
Northerly winds brought radioactive substances from Fukushima Prefecture to Tokyo and its vicinity, nuclear experts said.
The crisis at the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant reached a critical phase Tuesday with radiation feared to have leaked after apparent hydrogen blasts at two more reactors, triggering growing fears of widespread contamination.
In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Naoto Kan urged people living between 20 and 30 kilometers of the plant to stay indoors, after radiation equivalent to 400 times the level to which people can safely be exposed in one year was detected near the No. 3 reactor in the plant.
Residents within a 20-km radius have already been ordered to vacate the area following Saturday’s hydrogen blast at the plant’s No. 1 reactor.
‘‘The danger of further radiation leaks (from the plant) is increasing.’’ Kan warned the public at a press conference, while asking people to ‘‘act calmly.’‘
Edano said the high radiation level detected at 10:22 a.m. after the explosions at the No. 2 and No. 4 reactors ‘‘would certainly have negative effects on the human body.’‘
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said the problem could develop into a critical ‘‘meltdown’’ situation after part of the No. 2 reactor’s container vessel was damaged following the apparent hydrogen explosion at 6:10 a.m.
TEPCO ordered some workers at the site to temporarily evacuate the area, but the utility has been continuing operations to pour seawater into the troubled No. 2 reactor to prevent overheating and further damage to its container.
The possibility of a meltdown, in which fuel rods melt and are destroyed, ‘‘cannot be ruled out’’ as the fuel rods have been damaged, the utility said.
Also, a fire occurred around 9:40 a.m. at the plant’s No. 4 reactor, where spent nuclear fuels are stored, but it was extinguished later, according to TEPCO. Edano said it was likely caused by another hydrogen explosion.
The nuclear agency said the explosion at the No. 2 reactor may have damaged the ‘‘suppression chamber,’’ a facility connected to the reactor’s container which is designed to cool down radiation steam and lower the pressure in the reactor. It said a sharp decline in the pressure level of the chamber suggests damage.
Given that the building that houses the No. 2 reactor has already been damaged by Monday’s hydrogen blast at the neighboring No. 3 reactor, a spread of radiation outside the plant has become a serious threat, experts say.
The cores of the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors at the plant are believed to have partially melted following Friday’s magnitude 9.0 earthquake that hit northeastern and eastern Japan.
The country’s biggest recorded quake, which is also one of the largest in global history, caused the three reactors, which were all operating at the time, to automatically shut down. The No. 4 reactor and two others at the plant were not then in service.
Earlier in the day, the government and TEPCO set up an integrated headquarters, headed by Kan, to tackle the nuclear crisis.
‘‘A worrisome situation remains but I hope we can overcome this crisis,’’ Kan said of the nuclear power plant. ‘‘I will take all measures so that damage will not expand.’‘
Kan also strongly criticized TEPCO for its handling of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
‘‘The TV reported an explosion. But nothing was said to the premier’s office for about an hour,’’ a reporter overheard Kan saying during a meeting with executives of the power company at its head office. ‘‘What is going on?’‘
Kan strongly ordered the company not to withdraw its employees from the power plant, which has been facing a series of problems since Friday’s massive quake, ranging from explosions to radiation leaks.
‘‘In the event of withdrawal from there, I’m 100% certain that the company will collapse,’’ Kan said. ‘‘I want you all to be determined.’‘
The government, as well as the public, has been dissatisfied with the company’s way of releasing information regarding the crippled nuclear plant.
In an attempt to work more closely together, the government and the company launched Tuesday a joint headquarters of the crisis involving the Fukushima No. 1 plant.
The headquarters set up at the company’s head office is headed by Kan, with industry minister Banri Kaieda and TEPCO President Masataka Shimizu serving as its deputy chiefs.
The development follows hydrogen blasts at both of the plant’s No. 1 and No. 3 reactors on Saturday and Monday.
The cooling system for the No. 2 reactor broke down on Monday, causing water levels to rapidly fall and fully exposing its fuel rods for several hours.
As of 6:28 a.m., the water level had recovered to cover about 1.2 meters of the fuel rods, about one-third of their height, TEPCO said.
The No. 4 reactor of TEPCO’s Fukushima No. 2 nuclear plant, which is adjacent to the No. 1 plant, has successfully cooled down, meaning the plant no longer has a reactor in an emergency situation after three of its four reactors were once in that state after the quake, the firm said.
Japan has asked the United States to provide more cooling equipment to help deal with the crisis, Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said in Washington. The NRC has already sent two technological experts and is fully supporting Japanese efforts, he said.
Meanwhile, the transport ministry banned aircraft on Tuesday from flying within 30 kilometers of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The move, imposed under the Civil Aeronautics Law, excludes aircraft engaged in search and rescue operations, and is not expected to have a large impact on scheduled commercial flights in the country, according to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry.
Similar irregular flight bans have been imposed three times before, including one for the Group of Eight summit meeting in Hokkaido in 2008 and another for meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama last October.
8 Times...
Nuclear Update
A Donation
Cam
2011/03/14
And That's Only The Half Of It!
Look at how packed the train that arrived was!
I'll await the next one.
= Affect, Influence
I'm waiting for my usual train home.
But it's anything but usual!
Look at the number of people waiting to get on!
Another Fukushima nuclear plant blast injures 11
Before & After
Now it's time to take a look at the "forest". Everything, and I mean EVERY THING has been obliterated. http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm Wow....
Nuclear Reactor Plant #3 Bows its Top
2011/03/13
A Guy's Gotta Look Good When the Black Rain Comes!
Tokyo is much quieter than usual today and the big shops will probably close at six to cut back on energy use so that it can get shunted to the heavily-affected areas.
The hairstylist I am at (Heavens is the name) has cut their lightnibg back by 50% and are not using the AC. Good good... I love you!Cam PS I'm hungry...
2011/03/12
You'd Never Know
You'd never know that disaster struck the world's third largest economy yesterday (I wrote it in that way as that is how a newsfeed described this country full of 137 million people...) Now we see what can e done to help the people up north. And let us pray that any leaky nuclear reactors don't take this disaster to our future generations.
Thanks everyone for keeping an eye on Japan. I love you.Cam PS I'll let you know when the next one hits, but in the meantime I guess I should finish hanging my laundry and then start up breakfast.
2011/03/11
Working Its Way Down The Island
More aftershocks!
Mayu and her apartment are OK.
My apt is OK. Wow...
We All Walk
All the train lines are shut down so all of thjer Tokyo mass transit users are walking home. The sidewalks are a snarl of pedestrian gridlock...
We Made It Outside...
The ground started shaking again... vertical quakes are really dangerous... the road is really shaking... the office building windows are vibrating...
But we are out in the center of the street... Let's hope the buildings don't tilt and collapse.It Started Again!
Big Earthquake!!
Studies find Facebook impacts self-esteem
2011/03/09
Clone Your Self
They also make women's clothes, for those women interested in the challenge.
Recently I wrote them and asked if they can make cotton dress pants.
They sent me a reply saying they can but I would need to order through their sister site
(it looks the same) which is www.makeyourownjeans.com. Aside from nearly shooting my wad when I innocently followed the "brazilian jeans" link,
I found another link that allows you to clone your own Jeans: http://tinyurl.com/CloneYourJeans.
I shortened it up for you. Actually, they allow you to clone pretty much anything, simply by sending one of your items to them,
and ordering two pairs.
Now we can input all of the measurements, or just send them something we want cloned.
I like that! You can read more at this link: http://tinyurl.com/CloneYourJeans I am writing this, thinking of Scooter over in Kansas who told me that one day he might consider giving
them a try because I seemed to be quite impressed with their work, and the way they looked. So, Scooter, if you're out there, why not send them something and see what they can do for you?
It might be nice to have something that actually CUSTOM fits that gorgeous body of yours, eh? I love you!
Cam