Fukushima Updates

[MystifyingVol]

Well, Japan has finally decided to "upgrade" the nuclear disaster to Chernobyl levels: My Way News - Japan ups nuke crisis severity to match Chernobyl

IMO, it's much worse, the levels will probably be re-written to take this disaster into account.

Great resource for what's still going on at Fukishima and insight into what is not being said: Updates on Fukushima: | Fairewinds Associates, Inc

High-res pictures of Fukushima, Unit 3 is absolutely destroyed: Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Hi-Res Photos

Recent report that Iodine-131 and Cesium-137 from Fukushima is showing up in Water and Milk:
Radiation Detected In Drinking Water In 13 More US Cities, Cesium-137 In Vermont Milk - Jeff McMahon - The Ingenuity of the Commons - Forbes

[therealUT]

This story needs to cease being "news". The probability and recurrence of earthquakes of magnitude 8.5 and higher is extremely low; sh*t happens.

The reason this is news is due to simply to political agendas. There was a catastrophic earthquake in Japan, and, guess what, the results are catastrophic. Get over it, already.

[TennTradition]

Originally Posted by therealUT

This story needs to cease being "news". The probability and recurrence of earthquakes of magnitude 8.5 and higher is extremely low; sh*t happens.

The reason this is news is due to simply to political agendas. There was a catastrophic earthquake in Japan, and, guess what, the results are catastrophic. Get over it, already.

I'm confused by this. In what way do you mean it should stop being news. The situation is still developing, could actually get worse, is not under control, will continue releasing radiation at levels that are a function of the changing situation, and the local and regional populations (with a smaller chance of more final populations) will continue to be affected by the release and will/may need to alter behavior to respond. How does that not warrant news coverage?
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[therealUT]

Originally Posted by TennTradition

I'm confused by this. In what way do you mean it should stop being news. The situation is still developing, could actually get worse, is not under control, will continue releasing radiation at levels that are a function of the changing situation, and the local and regional populations (with a smaller chance of more final populations) will continue to be affected by the release and will/may need to alter behavior to respond. How does that not warrant news coverage?
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Then it should be local and regional news.

[IPorange]

I think it's one of the biggest stories out there, even a month later.

[WA_Vol]

The actual damage from Chernoyble was pretty minimal outside a 25 radius of the plant. I think inside a 15 mile radius it's bad and that area will be unliveable.

[TennTradition]

Originally Posted by therealUT

Then it should be local and regional news.

I would argue that it largely is. Very little time is spent each night on CNN discussing it. NHK spends a ton of time on it.

That doesn't mean that the US doesn't need to pay reasonably close attention. The effects on Japan are not isolated to that country. And, we are a region that could be impacted due to wind directions. I feel that the amount of coverage is appropriate-to-a-bit-light in the US at the moment, though the quality is sub-par. I actually feel that the situation may be worse than the media is portraying, which is a first for me. This is largely tied to a clamp down on information flow and limited investigative journalism that can be done.

I would also say that the political play on this hasn't been too bad so far. There gas been some movement, without a doubt, but there is also an understanding of the true improbability of this occurrence. However, it's improbability doesn't make it a non-story. There are still very real consequences to follow and understand their impact on us (whether they be direct dealing with radioactivity ot indirect with respect to commerce with irradiated areas).
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[VolsNSkinsFan]

Originally Posted by therealUT

Then it should be local and regional news.

Kinda like the royal wedding, but this isnt a story on a royal wedding, its a story on 5 nuclear reactors that are crippled beyond repair and are spewing raditation.


I guess you must believe that the tuna you buy in a can comes from the local pond down the street

[MystifyingVol]

Originally Posted by therealUT

Then it should be local and regional news.

Here you go: Reeling from quake, Japan automakers cut output in U.S. plants

Direct US consequence of the "Japanese regional news".

Our global economy makes this "regional" disaster have much more of an impact here in the US. That's not even taking into account long term effects on the food supply coming out of that region or possible long-term effects of radiation (you did know that it isn't under control yet, right?).

[therealUT]

Originally Posted by VolsNSkinsFan

Kinda like the royal wedding, but this isnt a story on a royal wedding, its a story on 5 nuclear reactors that are crippled beyond repair and are spewing raditation.

Do you think the media response, emphasis, and tone are benefiting the operations to control the radiation and the situation?

Do you think that the media response, emphasis, and tone are going to help the Japanese do what they need to do once they clean up and control the radiation coming out of Fukushima; i.e., build another nuclear reactor to continue to provide efficient, affordable, and clean (yes, I said "clean") energy to the citizens of Japan?

The media response, emphasis, and tone are going to create political pressures; the reaction will most likely be an indefinite moratorium on the construction of new nuclear facilities, akin to our moratorium on exploratory drilling in the Gulf.

Originally Posted by VolsNSkinsFan

I guess you must believe that the tuna you buy in a can comes from the local pond down the street

I don't buy canned tuna.

Also, I currently live in Seattle, so, the tuna I do buy does basically come from down the street.

[MystifyingVol]

Originally Posted by therealUT

Do you think the media response, emphasis, and tone are benefiting the operations to control the radiation and the situation?

I don't think that the media response, emphasis and tone are impacting TEPCO's or the Japanese gov't response to the situation at all.

[VOLatile]

Originally Posted by VolsNSkinsFan

Kinda like the royal wedding, but this isnt a story on a royal wedding, its a story on 5 nuclear reactors that are crippled beyond repair and are spewing raditation.


I guess you must believe that the tuna you buy in a can comes from the local pond down the street

The entire time I was in the gym locker room yesterday all Fox News was talking about was the stupid dress that the woman will be wearing. They even have a royal wedding correspondent...

[IPorange]

Originally Posted by MystifyingVol

I don't think that the media response, emphasis and tone are impacting TEPCO's or the Japanese gov't response to the situation at all.

Hmm, I'm not so sure about that. I do think some of the questions being asked are ones that should have clearly been asked a long time ago (plant location, better fail-safes for catastrophic failures). To say that the odds of these sort of events is low is true. But they're also inevitable. New Orleans was known to be vulnerable to a Cat 3 or greater hurricane for 30 years, but "the odds were low" that it'd receive a nearly direct hit. Low, but inevitable.

Interestingly enough, if a Cat 3 hurricane hit New Orleans this year, it'd fill with water again. "But the odds are low."

[VolsNSkinsFan]

Originally Posted by therealUT

Also, I currently live in Seattle, so, the tuna I do buy does basically come from down the street.

and that tuna you consume swims right by the plant every year

Radioactive Water in Japan Threatens U.S. Tuna Video - ABC News


The media response has zero effect on what is going on inside that plant

[IPorange]

But Anne Coulter said radiation is good for you.