Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (March 11, 2011)

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

And SoL, here is for example a Geiger counter in Tokyo: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geiger-counter-tokyo

I'm not expecting significantly higher radiation levels in Tokyo atm and hopefully never. Distances from Ground Zero of 20 km to, say, 100 km are the interesting zone. Especially regions that lay in wind direction when it briefly turned land inwards.

[WanderingKnight]

I'm pretty certain there will be higher radiation levels even past the evacuation zone. The reason for not telling people to move even farther might have to do with the current state of nationwide crisis and the cost of relocating the people, though. After all, over 450 000 people are being sustained more or less as refugees throughout northern Japan.

There's still no way of knowing unless we have someone with a geiger counter in those places. And then again, the real damage might not be evident until a few dozen years have passed. There's no agreement on the extent of the damage caused by Chernobyl yet.

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by Slice of Life

Then you tell me why radiation data for three prefectures isn't posted anymore.

If you want I'll be gladly look into the prefectures you are talking about since there is no doubt that it is posted on the web somewhere.

Here is an interesting comment I found posted on another site.

The culture in the US toward public safety tends toward very risk adverse. There are a lot of reasons for this: lawyers looking for work, people trying to blame others for their own stupidity, lack of training to avoid accidents when technology can substitute for skill, etc. I would expect the US experts to issue all sorts of dire warnings. It's the nature of the beast. The fact that this makes the situation in Japan worse is of no consequence to the bureaucrats. They have covered their butts and that's all that matters. That's called adding insult to injury. Quite irresponsible of the US bureaucrats, IMHO. They should be sending help, not predicting disaster.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

Tepco conference right now. Twitter translation here: http://twitter.com/TepcoDisaster

And SoL, here is for example a Geiger counter in Tokyo: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geiger-counter-tokyo

I don't actually know if there is a site that tries to collect data actively, though I'm pretty sure there must be. Also, by my personal account, that number which right now is showing 13 cpm was 16 cpm two days ago.

Here's another live geiger site (translated). This one shows a reference from last year for comparison.

As of now, background rads are 13.3 CPM in Tokyo. A typical sea-level reading is 13.5 CPM.

[j0x]

Japan worst-case scenario unlikely to cause catastrophic radiation release: expert

While exposed spent fuel rods at the failing nuclear reactors in Japan pose new threats, the worst-case scenario would still be unlikely to expose the public to catastrophic amounts of radiation, says a University of Michigan nuclear engineering professor who is an expert on this particular kind of reactor.

continuation of reading here -> http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-...ic-expert.html

[WanderingKnight]

Can't get this song out of my head whenever I think about getting power to the plant:

[bayoab]

Originally Posted by Slice of Life

Then you tell me why radiation data for three prefectures isn't posted anymore.

TBS published a radiation reading from somewhere in Fukushima (12uSv) earlier today so the problem seems limited to the site. Possibly that some of the places are in damaged areas/the exclusion zone and are thus offline? Also Tepco is publishing data from both plants every day.

[Green²]

"Radiation levels peaked Friday at 20 millisieverts per hour near where workers were trying to reestablish electrical power, "the highest registered so far," the TEPCO spokesman said.

Radiation levels Thursday morning at the plant were nearly 3.8 millisieverts per hour -- more than a typical resident of a developed country receives in a year. But Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said 17 of 18 workers checked Thursday morning tested normal, and the one who received a higher dose of radiation required no medical treatment."
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapc...ors/index.html

[Vexx]

Showing my Cold War age... I need to reset my brain from milliREMs to millisieverts. Conversion: 100 rem = 1 Sv

[flying ^]

just fresh off the presses!

Litany of mishaps in Japan's nuclear industry

the world now gets to peek inside their industry and see how they work behind the scenes

[sa547]

Originally Posted by flying ^

just fresh off the presses!

Litany of mishaps in Japan's nuclear industry

the world now gets to peek inside their industry and see how they work behind the scenes

Once this crisis is over, heads will roll after the Wrath of Kan goes over those responsible for gross negligence.

OBTW, an NYT OP-ED piece about the Great Sendai Triple-Whammy from from Ryu Murakami:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/op...7Murakami.html

But for all we’ve lost, hope is in fact one thing we Japanese have regained. The great earthquake and tsunami have robbed us of many lives and resources. But we who were so intoxicated with our own prosperity have once again planted the seed of hope. So I choose to believe.

QFT.

[Nihokon]

We can't get enough sensational stories, aren't we?
http://jpquake.wikispaces.com/Journalist+Wall+of+Shame

[WanderingKnight]

This guy is really funny. Should've taken the red pill instead of the blue one. Or smoked a joint or something.

The French accent makes it all the better.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Narukahana

We can't get enough sensational stories, aren't we?
http://jpquake.wikispaces.com/Journalist+Wall+of+Shame

It really starts looking bad for "journalism" when you start lining this all up. Where do these people get their degrees? What is the flipping curriculum? I could almost pick up random people off the street and get better reporting results.

And its just as bad at the high budget national levels if not worse.

[msg]

omg...It's the end of the world!!!

Guess those journalist desperately needs or seeks attention from us the audience and save them from obscurity lol

[GundamFan0083]

Originally Posted by Vexx

It really starts looking bad for "journalism" when you start lining this all up. Where do these people get their degrees? What is the flipping curriculum? I could almost pick up random people off the street and get better reporting results.

And its just as bad at the high budget national levels if not worse.

Ya know...I'll bet there are people out there outside of the "journalistic world" who'd do a better job than the current crop on the major Cable and TV news circuit.

[Guardian Enzo]

From the BBC. How can this not make you crazy?

Stephen O'Toole, from Tokyo, Japan, writes: "Just attended my daughter's kindergarden graduation ceremony in Nishi, Tokyo. Everyone is calm, happily taking photos. I come home and read about the UK and US embassies and their advice to leave, or at least go south, and that they state an 80km evacuation zone. Totally contradicting John Beddington's (Britain's chief scientific officer) statement that the 30 km radius is fine and those still in Tokyo are completely safe. So what do I believe, knowing I have a family of five depending on me protecting them and limited financial resources to do it with?"

[Tsuyoshi]

Originally Posted by Vexx

It really starts looking bad for "journalism" when you start lining this all up. Where do these people get their degrees? What is the flipping curriculum? I could almost pick up random people off the street and get better reporting results.

And its just as bad at the high budget national levels if not worse.

You'd be surprised at how many journalists have degrees that don't always relate to journalism (english literature, theater arts, even history).

[saya_leviathan]

Anime industry's first quake victim:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...-away-in-quake

RIP

[solomon]

Originally Posted by Slice of Life

It's a crisis, not a "crisis". but if you mean that living people in Libya and Bahrain deserve more of the world's attention than already dead tsunami victims and a reactor that is out of control anyway then I'd agree.



Then you tell me why radiation data for three prefectures isn't posted anymore.

TBS Newsbird has been giving periodical radation readings on television.

Honeslty, this journalism storm is a mess. With pressure to earn ad dollars and eyeballs, costs are cut, beureaus are cut and likely less time and incentive to cross and fact check at each independent news outlet. I understand people's anxiety based off the press. You should understand though is that it's only likely to get worse as they loose more readers/viewers.