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Archive for July, 2011

1 Billion Becquerels Per Hour Emission of Radioactive Materials from Fukushima I Nuke Plant at the End of June

07/20/2011 Leave a comment

“That’s an amazing reduction from the maximum emission of 2,000 terabecquerels per hour on March 15, it is actually one-2 millionth of the maximum, says TEPCO in the Reference No. 2 of the progress report on the ‘roadmap’ to God knows where.

Is this number, 1 billion becquerels per hour emission, good? TEPCO’s Matsumoto, in the press conference on July 19, avoided the judgment, and said he didn’t know, but it was one-2 millionth of what it had been on March 15.

On closer reading of the document, though, I noticed one strange thing about this emission number. TEPCO is talking about the radiation emission measured in cesium (cesium-134 and -137), not in iodine equivalence.

To come up with the iodine-131 equivalence, you have to multiply cesium-134 by 3, and cesium-137 by 40 (according to INES handbook). TEPCO doesn’t even give the breakdown of cesium 134 and -137 in its calculation of 1 billion becquerels/hour number. Other nuclides have even higher multiplier: americium-241 is 8,000, plutonium-239 is 10,000.

If half of 1 billion becquerels is cesium-134 and the other half is cesium-137, then in iodine-131 equivalence like in the previous calculations, the emission would be:

(0.5*3)+(0.5*40)=1.5+20=21.5 billion becquerels/hour

Instead of 1 billion becquerels/hour, it would be 21.4 billion becquerels/hour in iodine equivalence, or 516 billion becquerels in one day. In less than 2 days, we would be talking about over 1 terabecquerels.” Read more.

Categories: Man-Made Disasters

Author David Rubin Predicts a Death Sentence for Israel if …

07/20/2011 Leave a comment

“Upon taking office, President Barack Obama pledged to change the dynamics of America’s adversarial relationship with the Islamic world. Just seven years earlier, the terrorist attacks on September 11 had shattered the American sense of security like never before, severely impairing the optimism of a proud nation.

America’s leadership was unprepared to respond to terrorism of such devastating proportions. The shockwaves that reverberated across the nation diverted the American public’s attention away from its government’s inconsistent, morally ambiguous strategy. With no hesitation, the Islamic world asserted that American support for Israel was in fact the cause of horrible acts of terrorism. What is the origin of this glaring confusion? Could Israel truly be the cause of Islamic terrorism?

In The Islamic Tsunami: Israel and America in the Age of Obama, author David Rubin uncovers the mask of Islam: a dangerous, violent ideology that strives for world domination through terrorism and through what Rubin calls ‘non-violent aggression.’ Rubin reveals why Islamists choose terror over peace and explores Israel and America’s vital roles in combating the rampant spread of Islam.

This groundbreaking book explains why the rise of Obama has been so unsettling for the U.S. – Israel relationship. Examining the constantly evolving and often uneasy relationship between Christians and Jews with an eye on the future, The Islamic Tsunami merges history with current events to create astute analysis of the historically troubled trichotomy between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. With America’s Founding Fathers and the ancient but relevant biblical sources, David Rubin delivers a powerful and lucid battle plan for confronting the Islamic threat to our civilization; a bold strategy that will halt the Islamic tsunami once and for all.” Source.

Eight Weeks To Palestine?

07/20/2011 Leave a comment

By Tim Marshall – “To lunch with Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon where the talk is of little other than the proposed United Nations vote on full recognition of a Palestinian state as proposed by President Abbas.

The Minister opens with ‘The way to end the conflict is not unilateral action, they must not change the rules of the game’ . He continued ‘ It would be confrontational because it’s against the agreements we have made. By breaking the agreements they also release us from the agreements’.

The vote may not happen. Many countries oppose it knowing it would be only symbolic and could lead to violence. But President Abbas has boxed himself in. If there is no vote, the pent up frustrations of Palestinians could erupt against both the Israelis and the Palestinian leadership. If there is a vote, and nothing changes, the same could happen.

Mr Ayalon warned against a third intifada. ‘If there is violence they will lose all their achievements on the ground. Were the last two intifadas to their advantage? I don’t think so’. Behind that statement is the truth that there has been an economic boom in the West Bank albeit one built somewhat on sand. There are new hotels, cafes, restaurants and businesses. These would all likely be smashed if there was another round of fighting.” Read more.

Jailed Palestinian leader Barghouti calls for mass rallies to back UN statehood bid – “Jailed leader Marwan Barghouti has called on Palestinians to stage mass rallies in September in support of a diplomatic bid to gain UN membership for a state of Palestine. Barghouti, a figure widely respected among many Palestinians, said taking the statehood quest to the United Nations was part of a new strategy that would open the door to ‘peaceful, popular resistance’… Israel is wary that the September bid could serve as a trigger for protests inspired by uprisings across the region.” Read more.

Dozens Injured as Typhoon Ma Hits Japanese Coastline, Brings Record Rainfall to Kochi Prefecture

07/20/2011 Leave a comment

“TYPHOON Ma hit Japan early thismorning, injuring dozens as it crossed the southern part of Tokushima prefecture on Shikoku, Kyodo News reported.

Torrential rain and lashing winds from the typhoon injured at least 47 people in 15 prefectures, while another person was reported missing and public transportation was disrupted, Kyodo News reported.

In Okayama prefecture, a man collapsed and fell unconscious during the storm, while in Kochi prefecture, an 84-year-old man went missing after going to check on a boat.

Powerful winds also overturned a truck on the Seto-Chuo Expressway, with the driver suffering slight injuries, police told Kyodo,

Stars and Stripes reported that the typhoon had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

But as of 8:30am local time today, as the typhoon moved north-northeast, it was still packing winds of up to 120kph near its centre, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.” Read more.

Categories: Natural Disasters

Italy: Mt. Etna Puts On Spectacular Eruption with Fountains of Lava 1600 Feet into the Air

07/20/2011 Leave a comment

By Elizabeth Weise – “Iceland’s gotten all the press of late, but there are other volcanoes in the world. One of the more famous ones, Italy’s Mount Etna, spent Monday night into Tuesday morning sending up cascading fountains of lava and throwing out car-sized molten rocks.

The volcano’s southeast crater began to show fractures on the Monday afternoon, says volcanologist Tom Pfeiffer, who leads volcano tours through Volcano Discovery. At just after midnight Tuesday morning it began to mildly erupt and the tour group walked to a viewpoint on the rim of the Valle del Bove.

At around 2:30 am the volcano began to send up fountins of lava 1,600 feet into the air, Pfeiffer said via email from Italy.

‘At the peak of the eruption at around 3 am, the fountains pulsated between an estimated 500-800 m height, with large incandescent bombs visible more than 1 kilometer above the vent and landing behind southeast crater,’ he wrote.” Read more.



Categories: Natural Disasters Tags:

Iran to Install More Advanced Centrifuges and Accelerate its Nuclear Program, Western Capitals ‘React Angrily’

07/19/2011 Leave a comment

What else does the oh-so-angry West expect when they’ve allowed the Iranians to get away with everything they have ever said or done? …

By Julian Borger – “Western capitals have reacted angrily to an announcement by Iran that it is installing more advanced centrifuges in a uranium enrichment plant with the aim of accelerating its nuclear programme.

‘The installation of new centrifuges with better quality and speed is ongoing,’ Ramin Mehmanparast, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters at his weekly press briefing.

‘We have announced it and the agency [the International Atomic Energy Agency] has full supervision of them. They are fully aware that Iran’s peaceful nuclear activity continues to progress. This is another confirmation of the Islamic republic’s successful strides in its nuclear activities.’

However, France said Iran’s move – which Tehran claims could triple the rate at which it enriches uranium – confirmed suspicions that the Iranian nuclear programme had ‘no credible civilian application’. The French foreign ministry said: ‘Iran has just given in to another provocation by announcing the imminent installation of next generation centrifuges.’

‘This is a new violation of six security council resolutions and 10 resolutions by the council of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA].'” Read more.

Iran claims to have shot down a US spy plane over nuclear site – “Iran has shot down an unmanned U.S. spy plane over its Fordu nuclear site, a state-run website reported Wednesday, a day after it confirmed it was installing a new generation of advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges. ‘An unmanned U.S. spy plane flying over the holy city of Qom near the uranium enrichment Fordu site was shot down by the Revolutionary Guards’ air defense units,’ MP Ali Aghazadeh Dafsari was quoted as saying by the Youth Journalists Club, affiliated to Iran’s state TV.” Read more.

Strong Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake Shakes Kyrgystan Near the Uzbek Border

07/19/2011 Leave a comment

Richter Magnitude 6.2 – KYRGYZSTAN
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 01:35:42 AM
40.130°N, 71.435°E
Depth: 9.2 km (5.7 miles)

Casualties Confirmed After Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan Quake – “At least 13 people have been confirmed killed and more than 70 others injured after a strong earthquake struck the southwestern Kyrgyzstan and eastern Uzbekistan border area on early Wednesday morning, officials said.” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes

Canada: Fukushima Fallout Causing Highly Radioactive Rain to Fall in British Columbia

07/19/2011 Leave a comment

If this high level of radiation is falling in British Columbia, imagine the accumulating effect this is having on crops, meat, milk and anything else we put into our bodies from the northwest, and all affected areas …


Flashback: Doctor: Fukushima Fallout Will Result in Millions of Baby Deaths and New Cancer Victims, We Have Created a ‘Valley of Death’ – “… the prestigious Doctor Mark Sircus released a new report concurring with a host of scientists and other doctors giving evidence that people of Japan and United States have been subjected to dangerous levels of radiation since Fukushima nuclear plant meltdowns, and also subjected to a tight cover-up by authorities and media, the result of which will be millions of baby deaths and new cancer victims. Japanese and American children are already suffering with symptoms that appear to be the first signs of Radiation Sickness.” Read more.

Flashback: US: Doctors Say 35% Spike in Infant Mortality in Northwest Cities Since Meltdown May Be the Result of Fukushima Fallout – “… a physician (Janette D. Sherman, M. D.) and epidemiologist (Joseph Mangano) have penned a short but horrifying essay asking whether a spike in infant deaths in the Northwest are due to Fukushima” Read more.

Categories: Man-Made Disasters

Hedge Fund Founder Ray Dalio Expects Currency Collapse in 2012 or 2013

07/19/2011 Leave a comment

By John Cassidy – “… Dalio believes that some heavily indebted countries, including the United States, will eventually opt for printing money as a way to deal with their debts, which will lead to a collapse in their currency and in their bond markets. ‘There hasn’t been a case in history where they haven’t eventually printed money and devalued their currency,’ he said. Other developed countries, particularly those tied to the euro and thus to the European Central Bank, don’t have the option of printing money and are destined to undergo ‘classic depressions,’ Dalio said. The recent deal to avoid an immediate debt default by Greece didn’t alter his pessimistic view. ‘People concentrate on the particular thing of the moment, and they forget the larger underlying forces,’ he said. ‘That’s what got us into the debt crisis. It’s just today, today.’

Dalio’s assessment sounded alarmingly plausible. But when one plays the global financial markets a thorough economic analysis is only the first stage of the game. At least as important is getting the timing right. I asked Dalio when all this would start to come together. ‘I think late 2012 or early 2013 is going to be another very difficult period,’ he said.” Read more.

Categories: Man-Made Disasters

Mystery: Large Schools of Fish are Dying in Cape York River in Australia

07/19/2011 Leave a comment

“Queensland’s Department of Environment and Resource Management says it cannot explain why large schools of fish are dying in a Cape York river.

The department says it received reports of about 1,000 dead fish floating in parts of the Normanby River, at the Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park, last week.

Most of the dead fish were barramundi and jewfish.

The department has been testing the river’s water quality but says acidity, salinity and dissolved oxygen levels are all normal, and there is no evidence of contamination.

A spokesman says fish deaths can occur naturally in water courses with rapid changes to water temperature.” Read more.

Categories: Mass Animal Deaths

Somalia on the Verge of Famine

07/19/2011 Leave a comment

“The United Nations is poised to declare a famine in parts of Somalia as a humanitarian emergency persists in drought-affected communities across the Horn of Africa.

More than 10.7 million people are in need of assistance as the Horn of Africa experiences its driest period in 60 years, says the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Several humanitarian groups have estimated the number at risk is already over 11 million, as people struggle to cope with persistent drought, high food prices and conflict.

The UN has not yet declared the current food crisis a famine, but Brian Stewart, a distinguished senior fellow at the Munk School for Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, told CBC News that the UN is expected to declare a famine in some areas of Somalia within 48 hours.

In parts of the Horn of Africa, food insecurity has already reached emergency levels — one level below famine. ‘Famine/catastrophe’ is the worst-case scenario on a five-level scale used to gauge food security.

The scale uses several indicators to declare a famine, including acute malnutrition in more than 30 per cent of children, at least two deaths per 10,000 people every day and access to less than four litres of water a day. Large-scale displacement of people, civil strife and pandemic illness are also taken into consideration.” Read more.

Arizona: Giant Dust Storm Again Moves Through Phoenix Area

07/19/2011 Leave a comment

PHOENIX (AP) — A giant wall of dust rolled through the Phoenix area on Monday, turning the sky brown, creating dangerous driving conditions and delaying some airline flights.

The dust, also known as a haboob in Arabic and around Arizona, formed in Pinal County and headed northeast, reaching Phoenix at about 5:30 p.m.

The dust wall was about 3,000 feet high and created winds of 25 to 30 mph, with gusts of up to 40 mph, said Austin Jamison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Visibility was down to less than a quarter-mile in some areas, he said.

‘You have suddenly very poor visibilities that come on with all the dense dust in the air,’ he said. ‘With poor visibilities, that makes for dangerous driving conditions and that’s arguably the biggest impact.'” Read more.