Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor

[Crushdepth]

It's not nuclear power that I fear, it's the cretins that run the reactors.

[elcent]

The company said on Sunday evening that the data for iodine-134 announced earlier in the day was actually for another substance that has a longer half-life.http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/27_24.html?play

I just saw the sentence. This is a ridiculous statement. Is this the way to downplay a even more dangerous situation there? In fact they are not denying the 10 million times of higher radiation but say now that it is a even from a more dangerous substance. Can't they figure out what it is and provide the data?

[atsiii]

Here is the latest I can find tonight...

The utility company is "re-analyzing the figure after it was pointed out internally and also by the Nuclear Safety Commission that it might be calculated incorrectly." The spokesman, Hiro Hasegawa, said a new figure would be issued sometime after midnight Japan time.

Highlighting the inability of authorities so far to confidently pinpoint the source of the leaks, a key step to stanching them, the government's chief spokesperson said Sunday morning that he wasn't sure where the water was coming from. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, speaking on national broadcaster NHK Sunday, said only that "we will analyze where the highly radioactive water is coming from."

The lack of unity in the message from authorities, with Mr. Nishiyama speculating that the water is likely from the reactor core while Prime Minister Naoto Kan's spokesman declined to go that far, may also add to concern over the government's response nearly two weeks after Mr. Kan appointed himself chief of a crisis team.

[elcent]

Greenpeace radiation monitoring team begins Fukushima assessment

Media Advisory

On this page Press release - March 26, 2011 Fukushima, March 26, 2011: A group of Greenpeace radiation experts has today started monitoring locations around the evacuation area that surrounds the crisis-stricken Fukushima/Daiichi nuclear plant, in order to assess the true extent of radiation risks to the local population. “Since the beginning of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, the authorities have consistently appeared to underestimate both the risks and extent of radioactive contamination. We have come to Fukushima to bear witness to the impacts of this crisis and to provide some independent insight into the resulting radioactive contamination”, said Greenpeace team leader and radioactivity safety advisor Jan van de Putte.

“By providing honest, transparent and independent analysis of the threats to public health, we aim to provide an alternative to the often contradictory information released by nuclear regulators in the two weeks since the Fukushima disaster began unfolding.”

“Any attempt by authorities to play down the effects of the current crisis should be considered a dangerous deceit. In addition to coming clean on the true dangers of nuclear power, the smartest move for governments around the world is heavily invest in energy efficiency, and redouble their efforts to harness safe and secure renewable energy sources.”

The team are also making contact with and documenting the impacts on communities that have been evacuated from the area around the Fukushima nuclear plant.

ENDS

Contacts:

For more information about Greenpeace radioactivity monitoring work in Fukushima please contact:

Kaoru Narisawa, Greenpeace media, in Japan, +81 (0) 80 6558 4446

Greenpeace International Press Desk Hotline, Amsterdam, [email protected], +31 (0) 20 7182470

Photography and video from the radiation monitoring will be made available as soon as possible. For more details contact Kaoru Narisawa (above) in Japan, or

Greenpeace Picture Desk (Amsterdam): [email protected] +31 624 941 965

Greenpeace International Video Desk (Amsterdam): +31 6 46 16 2015

Notes:

Scope of the monitoring: This preliminary monitoring work sees the team spend several days documenting radioactive contamination and dose rate levels in the areas north-west of the Fukushima evacuation zone (20km radius from nuclear plant) that have been most affected by the radioactive releases.

The team is lead by Jan van de Putte (Belgium), an experienced radiation expert who qualified at the Technical University of Delft, and has participated in environmental surveys of radioactive contamination in Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Belgium and France.

Also in the team is radiation expert Jacob Namminga (Netherlands), who also qualified at the Technical University of Delft, and has taken part in environmental surveys of radioactive contamination in Ukraine, Spain, and France.

As part of the monitoring work, the team will be using a selection of standard radiation monitoring equipment:

- Gamma spectrometer: GEORADIS Identifier RT-30 (Super Ident)

- Geiger counter: Radex RD 1503

- Contamination monitor: RADOS MicroCont

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Greenpeace-radiation-monitoring-team-begins-Fukushima-assessment--/

[elcent]

Greenpeace radiation team pinpoints need to extend Fukushima evacuation zone

Need to protect pregnant women and children

On this page Press release - March 27, 2011 Fukushima, March 27, 2011: Greenpeace radiation experts have confirmed radiation levels of up to ten micro Sieverts per hour (1) in Iitate village, 40km northwest of the crisis-stricken Fukushima/Daiichi nuclear plant, and 20km (2) beyond the official evacuation zone. These levels are high enough to require evacuation. “The Japanese authorities are fully aware (3) that high levels of radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have spread far beyond the official evacuation zone to places like Iitate, yet are still not taking action to properly protect people or keep them informed them about the risks to their health”, said Greenpeace radiation safety expert Jan van de Putte.

“It is clearly not safe for people to remain in Iitate, especially children and pregnant women, when it could mean receiving the maximum allowed annual dose of radiation in only a few days. When further contamination from possible ingestion or inhalation of radioactive particles is factored in, the risks are even higher.”

“The authorities must stop choosing politics over science and determine evacuation zones around the Fukushima nuclear plant that reflect the radiation levels being found in the environment. In addition to coming clean on the true dangers of the current nuclear crisis, the smartest move for Japan and governments around the world is heavily invest in energy efficiency, and redouble their efforts to harness safe and secure renewable energy sources.” http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Greenpeace-radiation-team-pinpoints-need-to-extend-Fukushima-evacuation-zone-especially-to-protect-pregnant-women-and-children-/

[elcent]

Note for TEPCO

To get correct readings of radiation you'll need Gamma spectrometers, Geiger counters, Contamination monitors and other.

To seek advice from stock market.indexes is not recommended. Please stop and restrain from using it.

[unblocktheplanet]

We haven’t heard from core commenters (pun intended) dietz & chandler who are certainly our resident experts. We hope you haven’t bailed on us! And we continue to hear from innocent bystanders who did not weigh in early on this conversation. But it’s crucial we all work together here for accurate information and to avoid hysteria.

Many may think that Greenpeace has arrived on-scene with a biased agenda. No doubt. But if they really have trained scientific monitors and up-to-the-minute measuring equipment, their input should be welcome.

We’ve seen the US military trying to help the situation at Fukushima. It doesn’t take a nuclear scientist to think they are pursuing a US agenda to protect the nuclear industry as well as saving lives. At least those untold trillions can be used for doing something other than world domination.

Geriatrickid, I have not seen here that anyone is accusing GE, in particular, or any other manufacturer of ‘malfeasance’. The GE reactors are simply a system outmoded by decades. GE reactors of the same type are currently in use in the US and probably elsewhere in the world.

At Fukushima, seawater cooling is not the issue; these reactors were ready for retirement so nobody’s losing any money. (Is TEPCO a public company? Are shareholders losing sleep?) You may be right that CANDU reactors are the real deal in terms of safety but they seem to be so expensive, nuke companies worldwide are choosing second- or third-best alternatives.

Any system is only as good as its maintenance, operating standards and safety. I believe nuclear power is so inherently dangerous that no amount of training can prepare workers for every eventuality. Humans are fallible and accidents can happen anywhere. But if a coal or oil or natural gas plant suffers a catastrophe, there are fewer casualties downstream.

The fat lady definitely still has laryngitis, whether measured in REMs or Banana Equivalent Doses.

Regardless of what happens at Fukushima, the entire nuclear industry has been called into question. I think it’s about bloody time. To continue to think Fukushima is just an aberration to a basically safe reliance on nuclear power is, well, lunacy.

[elcent]

US Developing Radiation Sickness Drug

Ex-Rad could be used before or after exposure

Vidushi Sinha | Washington, D.C. March 24, 2011

Photo: AP

Evacuees are screened for radiation contamination at a testing center Tuesday, March 15, 2011, in Koriyama city, Fukushima Prefecture, northern Japan, four days after a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the country's north east coast.

The serious radiation leaks at Japan's damaged Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant have reawakened public fears about radiation sickness. But what if there were a drug that could not only protect people from dangerous levels of radiation exposure but also heal those actually exposed to damaging nuclear radiation?

Researchers say they are developing such a drug - one that can both prevent and repair human cell damage from all types of radiation exposure.

Such a healing medication has the potential to lessen panic and fear generated by catastrophic reactor accidents. Plant workers trying to make repairs near a crippled reactor's radioactive core might be less fearful if they could take a pill to repair their own radiation-damaged cells.

Ramesh Kumar, the CEO of a U.S. drug research firm called Onconova, says his company has just such a wonder drug in the works.

The company has been collaborating on the drug, called Ex-Rad, with scientists at a U.S. Defense Department research laboratory. Kumar says early animal trials have been promising. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/US-Deveoping-Radiation-Sickness-Drug-118575759.html

Good to know that there will be pills for everything. NOT!

A placebo would have the same effects.

[atsiii]

Some Monday morning updates...

* A magnitude 6.5 earthquake shakes northern Japan, the latest in a series of aftershocks two weeks after the disaster. Officials warn it will trigger a 50-cm (two-foot) tsunami wave.

"This news story is far from over," said Akira Tokuhiro, professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering at the University of Idaho. "It's not like a flooded basement, you don't just pump it into the street."

The radiation level at the No. 2 reactor yesterday was measured at 1,000 millisieverts an hour, Japan's nuclear safety agency said. A single dose would cause radiation sickness, according to the World Nuclear Association.

This one is good... now it seems that TEPCO is blaming the PM's visit for getting off to a slow start in responding to the crisis...

* Kyodo news agency, quoting a government source, says Prime Minister Naoto Kan's visit to the affected region the day after the disaster delayed TEPCO's response to the unfolding situation because of fears he could be exposed to radiation.

Edited March 28, 2011 by atsiii

[atsiii]

TEPCO now says the reading in error that sent workers fleeing from Unit #2 was not 10 Million times normal, but only 100,000 times normal. That certainly makes me feel better!

The Tokyo Electric Power Company has announced that it is investigating a radiation reading that sent workers fleeing the Number 2 reactor over the weekend.Officials initially said the water was found to contain 10 million times the amount of radioactive iodine that is normal in the reactor.

They later said the reading was erroneous, adding that number should be 100,000 times, far better than the first results, though still very high.

The air in Unit 2, meanwhile measured at 1,000 millisieverts per hour - four times the limit deemed safe by the government.

Edited March 28, 2011 by atsiii

[elcent]

The company said on Sunday evening that the data for iodine-134 announced earlier in the day was actually for another substance that has a longer half-life.http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/27_24.html?play

TEPCO is running zig-zag now.

Too many contradicting statements in the past 24 hours. Time for them to quit and have real experts taking over. It's not a game ...

[elcent]

Vapour and white to grey smoke is gushing out from reactor unit 1, 2, 3 and 4. See the latest footage made yesterday here http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/27_26.html

[atsiii]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/28/japan-idUSL3E7ES03620110328

"I think maybe the situation is much more serious than we were led to believe," said one expert, Najmedin Meshkati, of the University of Southern California, adding it may take weeks to stabilise the situation and the United Nations should step in.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. has conceded it faces a protracted and uncertain operation to contain overheating fuel rods and avert a meltdown. "Regrettably, we don't have a concrete schedule at the moment to enable us to say in how many months or years (the crisis will be over)," TEPCO vice-president Sakae Muto said in the latest of round-the-clock briefings the company holds.

But radiation levels in the nearby sea, which had soared on Sunday to 1,850 times normal, had come down sharply, Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director general of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, told a news conference on Monday.

Question: Could these highly variable sea readings indicate a plume in the ocean that is being moved back and forth and diluted by currents, etc.?

[elcent]

Containing the radiation

A Japanese government spokesman has pledged all-out efforts to contain high-level radiation at the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano spoke to reporters on Monday as efforts continued to remove highly radioactive water from buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

High levels of radioactive substances were detected in a puddle of water at an underground level of a building housing a turbine of the No.2 reactor.

Edano said the Nuclear Safety Commission is assuming that some nuclear fuel may have temporarily melted and come into contact with water in the vessel containing the reactor before leaking out through an unknown route.

Edano pledged all-out efforts to prevent the highly radioactive water from leaking into the ground water or the ocean.

The radiation poses a risk to workers trying to restore the reactor's cooling functions.

High levels of radioactive substances were also detected in water puddles in the turbine buildings at the No. 1 and No.3 reactors. On Thursday, 3 workers were exposed to high radiation while working in the puddle at the No.3 reactor's turbine building.

Edano said he has received a report that the radioactive substances are assumed to be either condensed steam from the reactor containment vessel or radioactive substances diluted by the water released into those facilities as part of cooling efforts.

Monday, March 28, 2011 14:12 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/28_19.html

In other words, it's getting worse by the hour.

[atsiii]

http://edition.cnn.c...clear.reactors/

Japanese officials on Monday worked to determine what to do with highly radioactive water collected at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant as they tackled other problems, including rising temperatures in one of the nuclear reactors. As of Monday morning, there was no place to put water pooled in the basement of the No. 2 reactor's turbine building, said

That water is giving off radioactivity at a level of 1,000 millisieverts per hour, said an official with the plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co. This equates to more than 330 times the dose an average person in a developed country receives per year, and four times the top dose Japan's health ministry has set for emergency workers struggling to prevent a meltdown at the damaged plant. But Tokyo Electric said that figure is a mere 100,000 times normal levels for reactor coolant, not the 10 million times normal reported Sunday.

Despite reduced alarms in recent days, Nishiyama noted Monday that the temperature is rising inside the No. 1 reactor. T

he spike in heat at the No. 1 unit could be a sign that nuclear fuel rods are overheating.

If those fuel rods are fully or partially exposed, that could lead to a buildup of pressure that could cause an explosion or the release of more radiation into the air, soil or water. That's what experts fear has happened at the No. 2 reactor, after high levels of radioactive materials that are biproducts of the nuclear fission process were found in its turbine building's basement.

The radioactive material that is found in that water is either from the reactor itself or the spent fuel pool," Nishiyama said. "At the moment, we consider that the possibilities are higher that the water is from reactor."

Edited March 28, 2011 by atsiii

[elcent]

Edano warns TEPCO on mistakes

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says he has strongly instructed Tokyo Electric Power Company to avoid the release of erroneous data on radiation leaks at its troubled nuclear power plant.

TEPCO on Sunday corrected an earlier announcement about the radiation levels in water leaking from the Number 2 reactor's turbine building, saying a water analysis had been incorrect.

Edano said radiation analyses serve as the basis for ensuring safety at the plant, where workers are struggling to safely cool the reactors and other machinery.

He said he also urged TEPCO to secure adequate back-up personnel for the workers.

The government spokesman then referred to a report that some residents are temporarily returning to their homes in areas within 20 kilometers of the nuclear plant, despite the fact that the areas are under an evacuation instruction.

He strongly asked the residents not to enter the areas, noting that their safety cannot be ensured due to possible radioactive contamination.

Monday, March 28, 2011 14:12 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/28_21.html

[elcent]

We haven't heard from core commenters (pun intended) dietz & chandler who are certainly our resident experts. We hope you haven't bailed on us! And we continue to hear from innocent bystanders who did not weigh in early on this conversation. But it's crucial we all work together here for accurate information and to avoid hysteria.

Some have left the board after realizing that it is not after a Holywood script and victory of people trashing the planet thingy happy ending.

It's reality we're dealing with and with all the consequences.

[atsiii]

We haven't heard from core commenters (pun intended) dietz & chandler who are certainly our resident experts. We hope you haven't bailed on us! And we continue to hear from innocent bystanders who did not weigh in early on this conversation. But it's crucial we all work together here for accurate information and to avoid hysteria.

Some have left the board after realizing that it is not after a Holywood script and victory of people trashing the planet thingy happy ending.

It's reality we're dealing with and with all the consequences.

It is obvious many have quit contributing to this thread; but only they can know why. I do think many of the posts got off-topic in taking up the more general issues and arguments of nuclear power. That is not to say that these issues and arguments are not important; but simply that this thread was specifically intended to track the developments at Fukushima--and many of the posts got off that topic.

That said, I also think many of the intial contributors were sharing a lot of unfounded optimism about Fukushima, and about nuclear industry engineering and technology, in general. Many were honestly convinced (perhaps by blind faith) that the world was over-reacting, and there really was no significant danger. This opinion was further facilitated by TEPCO and the Japanese authorities continually trying to downplay the severity of the crisis.

At this point, even those same TEPCO and government officials are grudgingly having to discuss the likelihood of partial meltdowns, and that the cleanup and containment effort will probably take months or years--at best. Thus, there is little room remaining for unsubstatiated optimism.

At the same time--faced with what could become a catastrophic ecological disaster--and in addition to the staggering natural disasters already experienced (20,000 dead & missing and $300 Billion in property damage), this is certainly not the time for unbridled pessimism and/or for people to toot their "I told you so" horns. It is a crisis in every sense of the word--and it's evolving hourly.

I have family and many friends in Japan. At this point, they are all okay--but I'm worried. I really can't fathom the destruction I'm seeing in photos and videos online. I love Japan, and my heart is heavy.

Edited March 28, 2011 by atsiii

[JetsetBkk]

Some have left the board after realizing that it is not after a Holywood script and victory of people trashing the planet thingy happy ending.

It's reality we're dealing with and with all the consequences.

<snip>

In other words, it's getting worse by the hour.

That's your idea of reality?

[atsiii]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/world/asia/29japan.html

Citing the country’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Kyodo reported that radioactive iodine 131 was detected Sunday at a concentration 1,150 times the maximum allowable level in a seawater sample taken about a mile north of the drainage outlets of reactor units 1 through 4.

Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the nuclear agency, said there were no health concerns, Kyodo reported, because fishing would not be conducted in the evacuation-designated area within about 12 miles of the plant.

I most certainly hope they have explained to all the fish not to feed within the evacuation zone and then swim outside the zone where they can be caught. Being Japan, I'm sure the fish will cooperate fully (the protruding nail gets hammered down, etc.). Sorry for my sarcasm!

[bkkjames]

Attsi-i left cause I have other things like family and work-certainly not due to any optimism-the opposite opinion is what I still hold over the whole situation.

Coming up on 3 weeks now and the situation has gotten worse-not better, sadly.

[atsiii]

Attsi-i left cause I have other things like family and work-certainly not due to any optimism-the opposite opinion is what I still hold over the whole situation.

Coming up on 3 weeks now and the situation has gotten worse-not better, sadly.

Yea... worse and not better. And now on the Google-o-meter; Libya, Charlie Sheen, Amy Adams and Reece Witherspoon all rank higher than Fukushima. Perhaps two weeks is about all the more the world can focus on one disaster. After that, it's just "old news."

[elcent]

Attsi-i left cause I have other things like family and work-certainly not due to any optimism-the opposite opinion is what I still hold over the whole situation.

Coming up on 3 weeks now and the situation has gotten worse-not better, sadly.

Yea... worse and not better. And now on the Google-o-meter; Libya, Charlie Sheen, Amy Adams and Reece Witherspoon all rank higher than Fukushima. Perhaps two weeks is about all the more the world can focus on one disaster. After that, it's just "old news."

... until it strikes at ones door-steps.

[elcent]

The stock index for TEPCO fell 17.73% today.

Maybe now and only maybe we can get some real data coming it's way?

Edited March 28, 2011 by elcent

[elcent]

More radioactive substances found in seawater

More high levels of radioactive material have been found in seawater near the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says samples collected 30 meters from one of the plant's water outlets on Sunday contained 46 becquerels per cubic centimeter of iodine-131. That's 1,150 times higher than the regulated standard level.

On Friday and Saturday, water samples collected 330 meters south of another outlet showed levels of iodine-131 that were higher than 1,000 times the standard level. However, on Sunday the levels had dropped to 250 times the standard level.

The government's nuclear safety agency says radioactive materials may have leaked from the plant and drifted with the current from south to north.

TEPCO is struggling to remove highly radioactive water from the turbine buildings of 3 reactors before work to restore their cooling systems can begin.

On Tuesday, the company intends to pump fresh water, instead of sea water, into spent fuel storage pools of 2 reactors.

Fresh water was pumped into the reactors by Saturday, to prevent the salt water from corroding the cooling system.

Radioactive levels in the air are decreasing at most observation points in the surrounding areas on Monday.

The reading in Fukushima City, 65 kilometers northwest of the nuclear power plant, was 3.84 microsieverts per hour at 1 AM.

The annual total limit of radiation exposure considered safe for humans is 1,000 microsieverts based on standards set by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.

Monday, March 28, 2011 14:26 http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/28_17.html

that gives us an idea what wobbling means. Up and down - up and down ... until? ...

[elcent]

Nuclear watchdog's view

Japan's nuclear safety watchdog says it believes radioactive elements from melted nuclear fuel have found their way from one of the reactors at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant to a turbine building here.

Radiation levels 100,000 times that found in water in an normally operating reactor were detected in water puddles in the Number 2 reactor's turbine building on Sunday. High radiation figures were earlier recorded at similar locations at the Number 1 and 3 reactors.

The Nuclear Safety Commission, an independent body, says the radiation level at the Number 2 reactor was dozens of times that of the other two reactors.

The commission says that radioactive substances from temporarily melted fuel rods at the Number 2 reactor had made their way into water in the containment vessel and then somehow leaked out.

The commission says the radioactive water should be removed as soon as possible to ensure the safety of workers.

The commission says the most immediate concern is the possibility of highly radioactive water seeping into the ground and the ocean. It said it has asked Tokyo Electric to monitor radiation levels in the ground water and seawater more closely.

The commission added that injecting water into the Number 2 reactor from outside should be continued because the high levels of radiation are being detected only inside the turbine building.

The watchdog said pumping water into the Number 2 reactor will not be affected even if highly radioactive water continues to leak from the containment vessel.

Monday, March 28, 2011 14:26 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/28_20.html

[elcent]

And more earth-quake warnings

Weather agency warns of aftershocks

The Meteorological Agency has called on people to remain on alert after a tsunami advisory was issued for coastal areas in Miyagi Prefecture on Monday.

The advisory was released following an earthquake earlier in the morning and was later lifted.

The earthquake registered an intensity of 5 minus on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7. It is believed to have been an aftershock of the March 11th quake.

The official says although the number of aftershocks has decreased, tremors registering intensities of 5 minus to 6 plus may hit again, triggering tsunami.

The official says the shoreline along the Pacific coast sunk in the massive earthquake and areas from Tohoku to Kanto are now more susceptible to flooding.

He called on people working and living in coastal areas to confirm the whereabouts of the highest point of land closest to them in case they need to quickly evacuate.

Monday, March 28, 2011 11:21 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/28_15.html

[elcent]

And more earth-quake warnings

Weather agency warns of aftershocks

The Meteorological Agency has called on people to remain on alert after a tsunami advisory was issued for coastal areas in Miyagi Prefecture on Monday.

The advisory was released following an earthquake earlier in the morning and was later lifted.

The earthquake registered an intensity of 5 minus on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7. It is believed to have been an aftershock of the March 11th quake.

The official says although the number of aftershocks has decreased, tremors registering intensities of 5 minus to 6 plus may hit again, triggering tsunami.

The official says the shoreline along the Pacific coast sunk in the massive earthquake and areas from Tohoku to Kanto are now more susceptible to flooding.

He called on people working and living in coastal areas to confirm the whereabouts of the highest point of land closest to them in case they need to quickly evacuate.

Monday, March 28, 2011 11:21 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/28_15.html

[metisdead]

Thai Visa is an English language forum, English is the only acceptable language, except within the Thai language forum, where of course using Thai is allowed.

Post links to English language sites, thanks.

[atsiii]

... until it strikes at ones door-steps.

5555 Yea, but that's the beauty of GADD (Global Attention Deficit Disorder). When it finally does come knocking on your own front door, you simply claim to be "shocked" and "outraged" (at somebody... it doesn't really matter whom!), and demand to know who is responsible--which of course is not you.

Edited March 28, 2011 by atsiii