Let's start off with some
Good News:
When the tsunami hit a house in Ishinomaki-shi (City of Ishinomaki) in Miyagi-ken, Japan on March 11, it swept it up and moved it 100 metres away. At the time, 16-year-old Abe Jin (surname first) and his 80-year-old oba-san (grandmother) Abe Sumi were in the house and were trapped within until March 20.
Jin was finally able to crawl through the wreckage and found a nearby police patrol.
"I'm so relieved to be rescued," says Jin to Japanese television station NHK from his hospital bed.
The two were stuck under fallen bits of their two-level home in the kitchen, and were close enough to the refrigerator to eat snacks and drink water until.
The Bad News:
After the earthquake shut down the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactors and the tsunami caused further problems, the reactors released some radioactivity in the air.
As reported HERE back on March 15, radiation levels in Tochigi-ken's capital city of Utsonomiya-shi - some 100-plus kilometres away - were some 33 times higher than normal.
As well, with the ejection of radioactivity, there are concerns that a lot of local water and food supplies may be tainted.
Right now Japanese Chief Cabinet spokesperson Edano Yukio (again, surname first) says: "Please do not overreact, and act calmly. Even if you eat contaminated vegetables several times, it will not harm your health at all."
Yeesh. Let's see... I've eat vegetables twice a day... and the word "several" implies "three"... so what is Japan saying? The Japanese eat rice with darn near every meal... what about any health risks there?
Right now, Japan has noted that radioactive Iodine has been the biggest contaminant found... but it does break down after a week.
On March 21, Japan's Health Ministry told the town of Iiate-mura (Village of Iiate) in Fukushima-ken to not drink the tap water as there are three times the normal level of Iodine. Iiate is about 30 kilometres northwest of the nuclear reactors. But, before everyone goes crazy, it's said that this level of Iodine in one litre of water is equivalent to 1/26th of a single chest x-ray. So this is bad, just not ugly.
However, traces of Cesium has also been detected in the atmosphere, which was generated and released when the nuclear reactor's fuel rods melted last week--well, this stuff is known to cause cancer, and it lasts for decades.
China, after reports that Iodine tablets were being given out to people close to the nuclear reactor as a means to prevent early radiation sickness (this was about 10 days ago), well, the general populace went crazy purchasing up all of the Iodized Salt it could get its hands on to protect themselves. That doesn't help, and created a salt shortage in China.
However, with concerns that some Japanese foods coming into China (China is Japan's biggest trade partner), may be contaminated, China is ordering the testing of all imports... hey, that's probably a very good thing to do.
Chief Cabinet spokesperson Edano notes that the nuclear power plant owner and operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., would compensate farmers affected by bans on the sale of raw milk, spinach and canola.
The Ugly News:
Just when you thought Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company had made some headway into getting the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors back under control comes news that on March 21, thick grey smoke poured from two reactor units (No. 3 and No. 2).
Of course, the smoke halted the effort to reconnect the power lines to the reactor and thus bring the cooling generators back on-line - an important step in halting a nuclear melt-down. What caused the smoke to billow first from Unit 3 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and later from Unit 2 is under investigation, nuclear safety agency officials said.
“Our crisis is still going on. Our crisis is with the nuclear plants. We are doing everything we can to bring this to an end,” states Fukushima-ken's governor Sato Yuhei (surname first!) “Don't give up. We know you are suffering.”
Despite the set-back, progress had been made at the facility, as workers have finished connecting three of the plant's six units... with hopes that the remainder will be completed within the next day.
But despite the hook-up, it's not going to be an instantaneous clearing of the problem. All of the equipment is going to have to be checked - thoroughly, as a lot of sea water was dumped into the facility to keep the fuel rods cool. Also, the reactors are going to have to vented of dangerous gas build-ups.
According to Nishiyama Hidehiko (surname... you got it, right?) with the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), a pump used to push water into Unit No. 2's reactor and spent fuel storage area needs to be replaced.
Did you know that a few days before the earthquake and tsunami, NISA reprimanded the Tokyo Electric Power Company for not inspecting some of the crucial cooling equipment at the Fukushima facility. Now, no one is saying that that is the reason for this disaster, but to this writer, it does seem a tad suspicious.
More Ugly News:
Reports from Japan estimate 18,400 dead, with 15,000 alone coming from Miyagi-ken where the tsunami hit at maximum strength. As well, nearly 500,000 people have been displaced, and are living in shelters.
Somewhere alee,
Andrew Joseph
There.. now you are all caught up.
Good News:
When the tsunami hit a house in Ishinomaki-shi (City of Ishinomaki) in Miyagi-ken, Japan on March 11, it swept it up and moved it 100 metres away. At the time, 16-year-old Abe Jin (surname first) and his 80-year-old oba-san (grandmother) Abe Sumi were in the house and were trapped within until March 20.
Jin was finally able to crawl through the wreckage and found a nearby police patrol.
"I'm so relieved to be rescued," says Jin to Japanese television station NHK from his hospital bed.
The two were stuck under fallen bits of their two-level home in the kitchen, and were close enough to the refrigerator to eat snacks and drink water until.
The Bad News:
After the earthquake shut down the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactors and the tsunami caused further problems, the reactors released some radioactivity in the air.
As reported HERE back on March 15, radiation levels in Tochigi-ken's capital city of Utsonomiya-shi - some 100-plus kilometres away - were some 33 times higher than normal.
As well, with the ejection of radioactivity, there are concerns that a lot of local water and food supplies may be tainted.
Right now Japanese Chief Cabinet spokesperson Edano Yukio (again, surname first) says: "Please do not overreact, and act calmly. Even if you eat contaminated vegetables several times, it will not harm your health at all."
Yeesh. Let's see... I've eat vegetables twice a day... and the word "several" implies "three"... so what is Japan saying? The Japanese eat rice with darn near every meal... what about any health risks there?
Right now, Japan has noted that radioactive Iodine has been the biggest contaminant found... but it does break down after a week.
On March 21, Japan's Health Ministry told the town of Iiate-mura (Village of Iiate) in Fukushima-ken to not drink the tap water as there are three times the normal level of Iodine. Iiate is about 30 kilometres northwest of the nuclear reactors. But, before everyone goes crazy, it's said that this level of Iodine in one litre of water is equivalent to 1/26th of a single chest x-ray. So this is bad, just not ugly.
However, traces of Cesium has also been detected in the atmosphere, which was generated and released when the nuclear reactor's fuel rods melted last week--well, this stuff is known to cause cancer, and it lasts for decades.
China, after reports that Iodine tablets were being given out to people close to the nuclear reactor as a means to prevent early radiation sickness (this was about 10 days ago), well, the general populace went crazy purchasing up all of the Iodized Salt it could get its hands on to protect themselves. That doesn't help, and created a salt shortage in China.
However, with concerns that some Japanese foods coming into China (China is Japan's biggest trade partner), may be contaminated, China is ordering the testing of all imports... hey, that's probably a very good thing to do.
Chief Cabinet spokesperson Edano notes that the nuclear power plant owner and operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., would compensate farmers affected by bans on the sale of raw milk, spinach and canola.
The Ugly News:
Just when you thought Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company had made some headway into getting the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors back under control comes news that on March 21, thick grey smoke poured from two reactor units (No. 3 and No. 2).
Of course, the smoke halted the effort to reconnect the power lines to the reactor and thus bring the cooling generators back on-line - an important step in halting a nuclear melt-down. What caused the smoke to billow first from Unit 3 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and later from Unit 2 is under investigation, nuclear safety agency officials said.
“Our crisis is still going on. Our crisis is with the nuclear plants. We are doing everything we can to bring this to an end,” states Fukushima-ken's governor Sato Yuhei (surname first!) “Don't give up. We know you are suffering.”
Despite the set-back, progress had been made at the facility, as workers have finished connecting three of the plant's six units... with hopes that the remainder will be completed within the next day.
But despite the hook-up, it's not going to be an instantaneous clearing of the problem. All of the equipment is going to have to be checked - thoroughly, as a lot of sea water was dumped into the facility to keep the fuel rods cool. Also, the reactors are going to have to vented of dangerous gas build-ups.
According to Nishiyama Hidehiko (surname... you got it, right?) with the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), a pump used to push water into Unit No. 2's reactor and spent fuel storage area needs to be replaced.
Did you know that a few days before the earthquake and tsunami, NISA reprimanded the Tokyo Electric Power Company for not inspecting some of the crucial cooling equipment at the Fukushima facility. Now, no one is saying that that is the reason for this disaster, but to this writer, it does seem a tad suspicious.
More Ugly News:
Reports from Japan estimate 18,400 dead, with 15,000 alone coming from Miyagi-ken where the tsunami hit at maximum strength. As well, nearly 500,000 people have been displaced, and are living in shelters.
Somewhere alee,
Andrew Joseph
There.. now you are all caught up.
