brahmburgers

The plant is located by the sea. I assume Japan has fire boats in Tokyo Bay. Why not run them up the coast to the site? I'd venture fire boats pack stronger pumps than fire trucks. If the spray doesn't reach, then attach hoses. Innovation is not an Asian forte. It appears that the entire day has been wasted by not spraying essential water on the problem areas - other than a couple helicopter drops, which I knew wouldn't work before they started doing it.

Also: there could already be one or more core meltdowns going on, and we're simply not being told, as official media continues to try and downplay every facet of the calamity as much as possible.

re; the suffering survivors along the NE coast: Not enough is being done to get them survival essentials, period. There needs to be a greater concerted effort to get them blankets, food, water and medicine. The mayor of one stricken towns said 'thank you, but please send more' to the aid providers, but he was being typically Japanese exceedingly polite. Reading between the lines, you could see he wanted a lot more assistance for his people, but he felt somebody would lose face if he said plainly, something like: "Don't just bring us a few little things. We've got a thousand people in this tiny shelter. Some are injured, some are dying. This is a rich nation, please tell your bosses to send a decent amount of essential materials and food as soon as possible!"

I agree, a massive airlift and trucking/shipping of relief supplies should have been implement a.s.a.p. There must be a lot of miserable people in that region. cold, hungry, thirsty, wet, .....not to mention scores of wounded. Come on Japanese big shots, get off your high horses and do the right thing for your people. And donate the stuff, don't sell it!!!

If they pull this off, we're more or less out of the woods. The reactors themselves never really worried me much, as even a worst-case failure only means a very expensive site cleanup (contained melt-down). The open storage pools are a big deal though IMHO, once they get power and circulation back to them, it will be safe. Cleanup will be a long term operation though, I don't think anything at the Daiichi site will ever produce power again.

I'm no expert, but I can't see how it will be safe any time soon. If there was a partial melt down (#1 and #3) as reported earlier, then it would seem the meltdown continues, at least for awhile. For a meltdown to be stopped, it would seem that all the components would have to be lined up to mechanical tolerances, perhaps fractions of mm's - in order to move components (in to water reservoir, for example) as needed.

From all we've been hearing, much of the mechanical components at the reactors have been damaged.

Oh, upon re-reading the above post, it references 'Daiichi' - so perhaps that's a lot different scenario than Fukushima.

Also: there's still a better than even possibility that a strong aftershock (8 or more?) could strike, as that's been the pattern for pretty much all earthquakes off Japan. Sometimes the big aftershock doesn't hit for as long as a year later. It's even happened where an aftershock is mightier than the original earthquake.

Seeing as it is not minced as with Larb (lamb?), it does look more like a Nam Tok or perhaps a Yaam.

Getting back off topic, perhaps the silence has something to do with all the red ink lately.

....Silence of the Lamb .......perchance?

It has not stopped raining for 2 days where I live, I cant remember when the last time it rained in March like this . Certainly the weather in the world is changing, snow will be here later I think , it feels cold enough for it .

For sure, this has got to be very unusual for March, several days of light rain, and more to come. And it was so hot and dry just before. I did a control burn up a steep hillside last week, and I know that won't endear me with T.Visa members from C.Rai. It didn't endear me to the Aka neighbors who thought their houses might be threatened (there was no danger). However, the burn was useful for clearing out a lot of dead vines and bushes which weren't doing anyone or animals any good. Now, the hillside is clearer, and animals can forage easier, and trees can grow without hundreds of kilos of vines weighing them down. Plus, because it was a control burn, it gives a safety buffer for the nearby houses, in case a real burn comes along later - as we still have two months of drought ahead, even considering this odd rainy spell. Oh, and it makes it pleasant to scramble over the rocks there, whereas before it was near impossible due to the massive amounts of dead vines and brush. Ok, you'all don't have to agree, but that's that.

I also have sinus problems, mostly from hay fever. I get it twice a year here, Oct and March. The control burn didn't exacerbate it, indeed it helped. Reason: I got caught behind a rock while a wall of flame went by on the other side. I almost got literally flamed. It got my adrenaline going, and cleared my sinuses.

Some thoughts: let's hope, with multiple copters flying in hazardous and smoky areas, that they don't collide.

question: if a fuel rod is sitting dry on its own, will it heat up and emit radioactivity?

How much less problematical is a spent U rod compared to a relatively new rod?

As mentioned earlier, at least some of the fuel at #3 is plutonium - more dire than U.

Spraying water may be much more difficult in #4, where supposedly exposed fuel rods lie, as it sounds as though the containment structure is only partially breached (a small area?). This might sound extreme, but I wonder if authorities there have considered using tank rounds to blow off more of the covering, in order to get cooling water to the danger areas. Some reports here have said the outer containment structure is steel, but I would guess it's more likely reinforced and hardened concrete, don't know?

There was mention yesterday that #1 had a partial meltdown. If there's no coolant going in there, then it would seem the meltdown in #1 is continuing (and worsening?), as there would seem to be nothing to slow it down.

Incidentally, it used to be against Burmese law for a foreign man of any age to marry a Burmese woman , may still be. But back to Cambodia: it's a clumsy way to try and stem sham marriages or trafficking. They should try and deal with abuses on a case by case basis. Plus, it doesn't say much for the intelligence of Cambodian females, if they're so easily duped - same for the people (family, etc) who should be watching out for their sisters and daughters.

(PhysOrg.com) March 16 -- Tokyo may be at serious risk from a massive aftershock and associated tsunami as a result of the devastating March 11 earthquake near Sendai, Japan, according to UC Davis seismologist John Rundle.

Friday's magnitude 9.0 temblor has been followed by hundreds of powerful aftershocks that have migrated southwards, noted Rundle, who is professor of geology and physics at UC Davis.

"Initially, the major aftershocks were confined to the region near Sendai, but the steady southward march of the aftershocks is cause for alarm for Tokyo and surrounding regions," Rundle said.

There is historical evidence of major earthquakes off the coast of Japan being followed by another similarly large earthquake nearby within a relatively short period of time, he said. (more at link below)

details and 2 videos

It seems to depend on who's talking and when...

Sometimes it's Reactor 3 because of its plutonium fuel component...

Sometimes it's Reactor 2 because it's apparently had the greatest actual reactor/core damage.

Sometimes it's Reactor 4 because of fears about the large pool of nuclear fuel rods stored and overheating on its roof area.Take your pick...

It could be #1 as it's already suffered a partial core melt-down, if we're to believe an earlier report.

Also, there's an infra-red telescope orbiting the earth called Herschel (named after the British scientist who first identified infa-red spectrum). Could that be directed at the damaged reactors?

Addendum: am not sure if Herschel is still orbiting, since its launch in 2009, as a search online only seems to have news of its launch - and nothing after that.

The chairman of Exelon Corp., which is America's largest operator of nuclear power plants, said his company would not be building any more nuclear plants because they cannot compete with natural gas plants - at current and projected prices. He made that statement three days before the big quake struck Japan. (NPR News - National Public Radio, USA).

Also: we've all seen footage of fire boats (is that what they call them?) shooting water for long distances. Would that be feasible at the stricken N power site? The plant looks like it sits somewhat near the shore - could boats get within range? ....though they might be downwind of the radioactive plume. Surely there must be fire boats at least as close as Tokyo. If they couldn't shoot that distance, then perhaps their pumps could be used to funnel water to the danger areas.

over 100 000 children homeless in Japam.

Sad as that is, it's at least heartening to hear that 100,000 children survived - assuming they were children from town worst hit by the tsunami.

What about Iran, it is a country prone to strong quakes. Iran would keep it a secret and let nobody in? North Korea? Burma? China? ...This should be the end of nuclear power plants.

For many more reasons that potential quakes, nuclear should be phased out. China is probably the most likely problem area, as they have earthquakes often, and their safety standards are lower than Japan's and there is scant little transparency in China. Plus, prevailing winds from China blow to Taiwan and/or Japan. Future headlines will show terrorists targeting N plants - it's inevitable.

what an interesting party - as you call it. No, I couldn't have been there because I don't have a white rump. Indeed, no tan lines, because I lounge in the sun totally nude. I bet you're glad you're not around for that.

I looked at the link for big trees, but it was a Bangkok Post link with an article, and it seemed to deal just with trees in Bangkok. That's ok, but my site deals with trees anywhere in Thailand. Plus the article mentioned there's a site on Facebook, but didn't give the link, and I'm too lazy to look for it. All in all, it's good to create a bit more awareness of trees and plants here in Thailand, particularly among Thais. It's their country. Trees are their heritage. Would be nice to see them planting bunches of them, and not just monoculture (one type per parcel).

Currently on my parcel in Chiang Rai, there are several types of trees found nowhere else in Thailand - as far as I know.

Ask the average Thai about trees, and that person might be able to name about three types, and then smirk and draw a blank. A person might be a more important species than a tree, but you won't get me to agree. Hey, that rhymes!

I'm a tree hugger from waaaay back - since before I started having lucid dreams about flying though their branches. I've also seen pine with multicolored flickering colors on their barks - granted that was seen through psychosomatic addled eyes, but hey - we get our kicks any way we can.

Reminded me of a biker bar in California where my band used to play. The owner was always groping the young girls who strayed within groping distance. He had terminal cancer, so people gave him some leeway. One gal didn't like it, and came by one busy night and splashed patchouli or lavender oil all over the premises. Can't remember the exact name of the oil, but the whole bar stank like stale flowers for months after that. You could even smell it in the street out front.

Wife isn't a good cook, plus now she's gone (not only for that reason).

However, I make a decent salad. cucumber, hard boiled egg, yellow sweet pepper, with olives and raisins. Dressing is olive oil and a dash of Kikoman soi sauce (the only soy sauce without MSG).

That's it, with few variations.

When I try eating just about anything at a Thai restaurant, I wind up feeling ugh - probably MSG, but could be other ingredients that don't suit me well.

Beware, the Ides of March

The Agency says it can adjust the water levels by using the No.6 reactor's generator, which wasn't damaged by the tsunami. Workers are currently pumping water into the No.5 and No.6 reactors.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 07:34 +0900 (JST)

conflicting reports, for sure. How can workers pump water in to #5 and #6 if there are no workers on site?

Workers suspend operations, told to evacuate after radiation levels rise at Japan nuclear plant-NYT http://nyti.ms/e4IcA4 /via@BreakingNews:

seriouser and seriouser, .....sad news.

One use for spent uranium: can be used to tip warheads, because they're the densest metal - able to pierce tank armor or for 'bunker busters'.

Since the main reactor containment buildings survived both the quake and Tsunami, it seems that *IF* the back-up generators powering the emergency cooling system had been located on the roof of the containment structures - where the Tsunami could presumably not get to them, the whole disaster would have been avoided.

Not necessarily. The quake, by itself, may have cracked the containment vessel and/or floor, thereby enabling coolant to leak out. Additionally, the quake itself could easily have broken/bolloxed up any of the myriad pipes fixed at the plants - some of those pipes used for water.

A simple design flaw? If so, could the hundreds of similar nuke-plants around the world be retrofitted to avoid the next big disaster? Maybe including Indian Point, only 35 miles from New York City?

http://www.nbcnewyor...-117983419.html

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There are N plants along America's west coast, one south of San Francisco. Not only are they v. close to the San Andreas fault, they're also upwind from large populations. Sacramento (California's capital) had a N power plant called Rancho Seco. Though it was new and functioning, it was closed down by a vote of the residents. Can you imagine a Thai N plant, up and running safely, being closed down by a vote of nearby residents? Impossible.

Here's a hint of why: Just yesterday, Mr. Kurujit, a member of the Thai Nuclear Power Project Development Office said (in response to a demonstration by villagers against an N plant there) "The government will be the one making the decision to build or not to build a nuclear power plant."

In other words, Mr. VIP Kurujit says it's the government, not the little people who live in the adjoining villages, who will make the decisions about where and whether to build N power plants in Thailand.

That said, it doesnt excuse how they allowed one of the reactor pumps post quake to runout of fuel becuz they werent monitoring it..and thus the reactor ran dry...

Just a guess but I imagine the people looking after the pumps are trying not to get a gamma ray suntan, and are probably sheltering somewhere in between observations.

I suspect that the remaining workers at the site are going through major trauma. When do they sleep? Each one knows, just by being at the site, they're putting their lives in danger. I'm sure lots of emotional scenarios. I don't think it's right for us to sit back in our comfy computer chairs from hundreds of miles away, and belittle their efforts.

Example: generators powering pumps running out of fuel. It could have been negligence, but I think it's more likely they simply didn't have enough fuel on hand. How many thousands of liters of fuel would you predict would be needed at a nuclear power facility - before the earthquake struck? Sure, it's easy to be Monday morning quarterbacks, but those guys are like the Kamikaze fighters of WWII, literally putting their lives on the line to try and make the best of a dire situation.

The color chart is good, and the translation is appreciated (interesting, the Japanese adopt the X symbol).

However, the effects mentioned are near term. Hardly any mention of cancer causing, and no mention of reproductive problems that can stem from radiation exposure.

There's one in every crowd....

Ishihara apologizes over 'divine punishment' remark TOKYO, March 15, Kyodo

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara apologized Tuesday for his remark that the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck eastern and northeastern Japan represented ''divine punishment'' of the Japanese people who have been tainted with egoism. ''I will take back (the remark) and offer a deep apology,'' Ishihara told a news conference, adding he should have thought about the feelings of victims.

Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai showed displeasure with Ishihara, who will seek his fourth term in the upcoming election, telling reporters that he hopes the Tokyo governor will pay consideration to disaster victims.

On Monday, Ishihara told reporters, ''Japanese politics is tainted with egoism and populism. We need to use tsunami to wipe out egoism, which has rusted onto the mentality of Japanese over a long period of time.''

''I think (the disaster) is tembatsu (divine punishment), although I feel sorry for disaster victims,'' he said.

That was a very stupid thing for Tokyo's governor to say. Psychological injuries involved with this tragedy are as important as any other injuries: to limb, to finances, etc. Such injuries will play out for years and decades. Already, tens of thousands of Japanese are traumatized. The governor should either shut up or else say and do things that might be helpful.

on the wind: Hearing reports of wind blowing west or south (two earlier posts) is alarming, given the radiation breaches we've been hearing about. Seeing the photo of the floating garbage at sea is also sobering. For all we see floating, there's probably ten times as much submerged. Sad times for wildlife in that region, not to mention the many pets that were killed.

I predict this tragedy will play a historical role, similar to the Concorde jet catching fire and crashing in Paris. This is the 'swan song' for building new N power plants - for most countries, at least.

Is this to be believed or not ?

" Special USAF aircraft have detected large amounts of Radioactivity over the mid-north Pacific region. The radiation cloud could make landfall in western North America within 24 hours.The WC-135 Constant Phoenix is a special purpose aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 and used by the United States Air Force. Its mission is to collect samples from the atmosphere for the purpose of detecting and identifying nuclear explosions. It is also informally referred to as the “weather bird” or “the sniffer” by workers on the program. " http://quinetiam.com/?p=125

It appears now that the above paragraph is a hoax. Yet it, and the earlier report of one or two US aircraft carriers raising concern is a reflection of how US authorities can sometimes overreact to perceived toxicity. Example; a friend of mine had a fleet of new trucks in California for his distribution business. One day, a very small puddle of motor oil (less than a liter) was discovered near a truck, apparently from a sloppy oil change. From that, the EPA was called in, wearing hap-haz suits, and the friend was fined $2,000 for having a toxic spill on his commercial property.

All this talk about hydrogen mixing with oxygen and causing explosions. I'm not a chemist, but last time I checked, H + O = water.

Last time I checked hydrogen was quite flammable, and oxygen is required for burning. Remember the Hindenburg.

Individually they're flammable, yet when they combine, seems to me they would form water vapor or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) which is highly reactive, thereby devolving to water and oxygen. However, the Kursk explosion (Russian Sub) was caused by leaking H2O2 which, when it touched iron, exploded. Perhaps someone with chemical knowledge can clear up some of the chemical intricacies of what's causing the explosions at the damaged reactors in Japan.

Similarly, sodium and chlorine are toxic individually, yet when combined, form salt.

added note: Men and women of childbearing age (or those planning to make babies) might be well advised to get far away from radiation, as it could conceivably (no pun intended) <deleted> up reproductive cells.

The bit that caught my eye in this report was how the motorcycle taxi drivers along with the other beach vendors were laughing their heads off at yet another victim of this legalised extortion, they must teach all thais that farang are fair game and if you net one screw him for as much as you can because the police will help you do it.

The very sad irony here is that countless members of the private sector – hotels, airlines, travel agents and other businesses which depend on tourism, do nothing to protect their own clients. There are numerous long-established collectives such as the Thai Travel Agents Association (ATTA) the Thai Hotels Association (THA) the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the regional SKAL Clubs, all of which have a highly respected membership, amongst whom are many influential and highly respected personalities representing the Thai tourism sector.

Despite their obvious potential to bring professional, collective and sustained pressure on the powers that be, nothing happens, they all sit on their hands, attend meetings, and socialise, whilst the abuse of their own customers continues unchallenged, not only in Pattaya, but in the multiple tourist scams and rip-offs elsewhere. The Bangkok Gem Scam has been going on successfully for decades, with known complicity in high authority.

Kudos therefore to Tim Bull. The only one, apparently, with the balls to do something, single-handed.

agree! VIP Thais and their VIP farang apologists are only interested in feathering their own nests. They either don't give a flying fug for the little people (the suckers who get extorted by jet-ski and taxi operators every day), or they adhere so tightly to the system of 'don't rock the boat' 'don't bite the hand that pats you on the back' mentality - that they look the other way.

Interesting that the most expensive real estate in Thailand for farang to reside - are also the places with most extortion and crime and least friendly locals. Doesn't say much for the intelligence of retired farang, does it?

so they keep spent fuel rods in water tanks on top of the containment structures? Sounds odd. I pictured spent fuel rods were normally kept at ground level water basins.

Imagine if one or more of China's or Korea's many nuclear facilities were breached - prevailing winds (west to east) would likely carry the radioactivity over Japan. Similarly, if one of the proposed Thai N plants were to leak, the radiation would likely go in the direction of Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and possibly Philippines and southern China, HK and Taiwan. Who says it couldn't happen? Just a month ago, nuclear experts would have told you that Japanese N plants were among the safest in the world - virtually fail-safe. Would anyone familiar with Thai safety & security standards expect Thai N plants to be near as safe as Japanese plants? About once a month, an armory blows up or a bunch of weapons & ammo gets stolen from a Thai military facility. The same military that would be charged with providing security for a Thai N plant.