japanese officials Archives - Where Is The Outrage?

Grab Bag – Friday

Really running late this morning. Sick patient on the way to the ER.

From Political Animal:

Japan: “Amid widening alarm in the United States and elsewhere about Japan’s nuclear crisis, military fire trucks began spraying cooling water on spent fuel rods at the country’s stricken nuclear power station late Thursday after earlier efforts to cool the rods failed, Japanese officials said. The United States’ top nuclear official followed up his bleak appraisal of the grave situation at the plant the day before with a caution that it would ‘take some time, possibly weeks,’ to resolve.”
President Obama offered an update this afternoon: “The White House sought Thursday to show it is on top of the Japanese nuclear crisis with a Rose Garden statement and a presidential-ordered review to ensure nothing like the Fukushima Daiichi disaster happens here at home.” He also urged an evacuation for Americans living within 50 miles of the facility.
Libya: “Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi warned Benghazi residents on Thursday that an attack was imminent, as the United Nations Security Council seemed headed for a vote Thursday on a resolution authorizing not just a no-flight zone but additional steps to halt the movement of Colonel Qaddafi’s forces.”
The Senate approved the House-passed budget extension this afternoon, with an 87-to-13 vote. It will soon receive the president’s signature, and impose a new, April 8 deadline. (Ed note: I’m not sure that we needed a new extension. We need our lawmakers to do what we hired them to do which is compromise and get something done.)
Getting better: “The number of people who filed applications for jobless benefits fell by 16,000 last week to 385,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.”
Of the funds lent to banks through TARP, 99% of the money has been paid back. At the time, it was widely assumed we’d never see that money again.
James O’Keefe thought he had another big scoop today. As it turns out, his “story” was not only dull, it was common knowledge months ago. (Ed note: I’m going to try to put together a post on this guy who the right continually listens to like he has earned someone’s trust.)
Those who thought applying to law school would be a great idea are starting to think otherwise.
In an interesting video, which you’ll probably be seeing again, Ronald Reagan proclaimed, “Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost!” It’s a reminder of how little Reagan-lovers have in common with Reagan, and if Democrats today said the same thing Reagan said 30 years ago, Tea Partiers would condemn the sentiments as radical liberalism.

What’s on your mind? What stories are you following?

Problems with Japan’s Nuclear Reactor

I know a little about nuclear reactors. This isn’t good.

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From NYT:

Japanese officials issued broad evacuation orders on Saturday for people living near two nuclear power plants whose cooling systems broke down as a result of the earthquake. The officials warned that small amounts of radioactive material were likely to leak from the plants.

The Fukushima nuclear power plant before and after a reported explosion that affected a building at the bottom, left on Saturday. More Photos »

Reuters quoted Jiji news agency as saying there had been an explosion at one of the plants — the 40-year-old Daiichi number one reactor — and television footage showed vapor rising from the plant about 150 miles north of Tokyo. The country’s nuclear safety agency did not confirm the reported incident.

The power plants, known as Daiichi and Daini and operated by Tokyo Electric Power, experienced critical failures of the cooling systems after the plants were shut down, as they were during the quake.

Ryohei Shiomi, an official with Japan’s nuclear safety commission, said that a meltdown was possible at one of the two Daiichi reactors, The Associated Press reported. Japanese television reported that the country’s Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency said it had detected cesium near one of those reactors.

An agency official said that a valve had been successfully opened to reduce pressure inside that reactor.

Naoto Sekimura, a professor at Tokyo University, told NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, that “only a small portion of the fuel has been melted. But the plant is shut down already, and being cooled down. Most of the fuel is contained in the plant case, so I would like to ask people to be calm.” (more…)