14 March 2011

you may be new to insomnia

[insomniacs click image]

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I would have NO way of knowing.
38 mins ago

Radiation leaked from a crippled nuclear plant in tsunami-ravaged northeastern Japan after a third reactor was rocked by an explosion Tuesday and a fourth caught fire in a dramatic escalation of the 4-day-old catastrophe. The government warned anyone nearby to stay indoors to avoid exposure.

Tokyo also reported slightly elevated radiation levels but officials said the increase was too small to threaten anyone in the capital.

In a nationally televised statement, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said radiation has spread from four reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima province, one of the hardest-hit in Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami that has killed more than 10,000 people.

"The level seems very high, and there is still a very high risk of more radiation coming out," Kan said. "We are making utmost efforts to prevent further explosions and radiation leaks."

42 mins ago

In a sign of mounting fears about the risk of harmful radiation, Air China said it had canceled flights from Beijing and Shanghai to Tokyo, but there was no sign that people were rushing en masse to the capital's airports to leave.

"There has been a fire at the No. 4 reactor and radiation levels in the surrounding area have heightened significantly. The possibility of further radioactive leakage is heightening," a grim-faced Kan said in an address to the nation.

"We are making every effort to prevent the leak from spreading. I know that people are very worried but I would like to ask you to act calmly."

The French embassy in Tokyo warned in an 9 p.m. ET advisory that a low level of radioactive wind could reach the capital — 240 km (150 miles) south of the plant — in about 10 hours.

Winds over the facility are blowing slowly in a southwesterly direction that includes Tokyo but will shift westerly later on Tuesday, a weather official said.
But I figure now is a good time to show you the ropes.

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UPDATE 1AM, PDT: The fire in the fourth unit has caused it to explode. The evacuation radius has been upped to 30km and there is a big danger of a meltdown. This is getting all the way out of hand.

I don't know if I can stay on this all night. Please leave links if they add anything substantive... or, OUD, please call if I have to get up and run....

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love, 99
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15 comments:

  1. Good time to be an iodine salesman.

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  2. Man, oh, man. And I think this is them downplaying it. Wind headed for Tokyo and rain expected, which will drop it right down on them. I think I'd be flipping in Vladivostok about now too... but then I'm flipping in Smith River. So....

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  3. I'm not worried about any significant radiation making it here. But I'm old.

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  4. I don't mean this in a crabby way, but I'm getting so tired of everyone I know invoking their age lately. It gets worse as you go along. Mom waves off almost anything involving any difficulty. Dad finally had to throw up his hands when his brain stopped obeying him. My Gramma. My great aunt. Everyone stops caring about what matters more and more as they get older and older. It may be normal. Hell, it may be natural, but it still drags on my heart.

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  5. I was thinking of the worry of siring mutant offspring due to radiation exposure. Nothing of concern for me there.

    In local news, The ukiah natural foods store sold out of potassium iodide.

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  6. You know, I haven't seen that movie since I was 19 and I still hate Joan Baez's voice....

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  7. natural foods store sold out of potassium iodide

    OMG, no shit?

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  8. I guess you called it on the salesman gig then. Sheesh.

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  9. When in doubt , Go Green

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  10. Also a must-have for people who don't want cops to smell booze on their breaths. It seems to me I should get some just to try to keep the infection in my mouth down to a dull roar. Thanks.

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  11. "US-based firms selling potassium iodide, a radiation sickness preventative, completely ran out of stock and pharmacies across the country's Pacific-facing West Coast had a rush on the over-the-counter pills."
    http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-health-experts-iodine.html

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  12. Don't be surprised if it actually heals your tooth :)

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  13. I would be surprised, because the infection is all the way down to the bottom of the root. It STILL hurts, and I can't get the root canal until April 19th... but it would be great to go in there and have her say, "Oh, well, never mind, your tooth seems to have recovered...."

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  14. There has never been a case where the information about nuclear plant breakdown has been accurate, believes Dr. Robert Jacobs from the Hiroshima Peace Institute.

    The government always tries to manipulate public opinion, trying to present the situation as being fully under control, but usually a more correct perception of the situation will be available in some time, Jacobs says.


    Sums it pretty well, doesn't it.

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  15. It sure does. I was really hoping the Japanese would be less reluctant to report the facts as they came in than ours and the Soviets' were, but even when something like solid comes out of them, subsequent reports water it back down into mush.

    I tell you, officials of ALL countries should be lined up and shot the minute they start exhibiting this behavior. Just for ONE instance, people start panic buying shit that doesn't even help BECAUSE they can't trust the information and/or lack thereof from officialdom.

    I'm NOT kidding. The ONLY way to get these fucks to start functioning in good faith is to make them terrified of being summarily shot.

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