*** Fukushima *** and other nuclear-----updates and links

US Admiral Mullen seeks China help on North Korea

America's top military officer on Sunday urged Beijing to use its relationship with Pyongyang to ensure regional stability, while warning North Korea against further dangerous provocations.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, stressed that Washington was in no way seeking to contain China's dramatic rise, but that the US would remain active in the Asia Pacific region for a long time.

"North Korea and the leadership of North Korea is only predictable in one sense and that is -- if you base it historically -- they will continue to provocate," Mullen told reporters after arriving in Beijing.

"The provocations I think now are potentially more dangerous than they have been in the past."

[link to www.google.com]

S. Korea's new nuclear reactor set to start operation in Dec. GYEONGJU, South Korea, July 10 (Yonhap)

-- South Korea's new nuclear power reactor under construction in the country's southeastern region is expected to start commercial operation in December ahead of schedule, its builder said Sunday.

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. originally planned to dedicate the New Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor located near this historic city, about 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, starting in March next year.

"The test run of the nuclear reactor is coming to a close," a company official said. "It is expected to be complete by yearend, enabling the reactor to generate electricity from the end of this year."

[link to english.yonhapnews.co.kr]

N. Korean group blasts SOFA, demands withdrawal of U.S. forces SEOUL, July 9 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean group dedicated to probing crimes committed by U.S. soldiers in South Korea renewed its attack on the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on Saturday and called for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the Korean Peninsula.

The statement by the spokesman for the North Headquarters of the Nationwide Special Committee for Probing the Truth behind the GIs' Crimes, stressed that 45 years have passed since Seoul signed the "humiliating" SOFA and that it is time for the agreement to be scrapped.

[link to english.yonhapnews.co.kr]

India begins work on 2nd nuclear submarine
[link to www.asianage.com]

Russian reactor reconnected to power grid after shutdown
[link to en.rian.ru]

Scandal: Japan Jailed Man For Collecting Radioactive Rubble


Continue reading on Examiner.com Scandal: Japan Jailed Man For Collecting Radioactive Rubble - Jersey City Civil Rights | Examiner.com [link to www.examiner.com]

California waits as debris from March tsunami drifts east

A tide of trash from tsunami-ravaged Japan is drifting across the Pacific Ocean and should reach California’s shores in three years or less, computer models show.

Marine researchers expect the flotsam will wash up in bits and pieces, not in the huge rafts of debris that formed off Japan’s coast shortly after the March disaster that started with a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Much of the material will sink or get pulled into the vast, swirling gyre of garbage in the mid-Pacific, but some buoyant pieces — particularly plastics — should make it from coastline to coastline given the prevailing eastward currents.

The debris’ journey from Japan to San Diego will cover about 5,500 miles.

[link to www.signonsandiego.com]

JAPANESE CONNECTING PALOMARES WITH FUKUSHIMA



The Japanese newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, has moved its Paris correspondent to the village of Palomares, where he is reporting on the plutonium waste that has been littering the area for over 45 years. He is said to be looking at possible similarities connecting the 1956 aircraft accident to the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster that occurred on 11 March last year following the Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

The Japanese journalist said that he was surprised at the" naturalness "with which people living near contaminated areas have come to quietly accept their situation, continuing to stay in Palomares after so many years with the radioactive soil.

The contaminated soil is the result of a nuclear accident which occurred on January 17, 1966 when two U.S. aircraft collided in mid air.

Of the four Mk28 type hydrogen bombs being carried by the B-52G aircraft, three were found on land near the Palomares. The non-nuclear explosives in two of the weapons detonated upon impacting the ground, resulting in the contamination of a 2-square-kilometer (490-acre) (0.78 square mile) area by radioactive plutonium. The fourth bomb, which fell into the Mediterranean Sea, was recovered intact after a 2½-month-long search.

[link to www.theleader.info]

- things that make you go...hmmmm.

Watch for a provocation

Moreover, the pattern of North Korean escalations, particularly on the missile and nuclear side, has much less to do with reacting to moves by Seoul or Washington - which are tactical considerations for Pyongyang - and much more to do with the North¡¯s unwavering ambition to develop a deliverable nuclear weapons capability.

This second factor is critical. Pyongyang has stated its intent to become a full nuclear weapons state by 2012. It will need to back its declaration with a demonstration of capability. North Korea¡¯s missile and nuclear programs are weapons systems, not just symbols, and the Korean People¡¯s Army no doubt intends to continue with its testing schedule in order to miniaturize nuclear devices, improve triggering mechanisms and prove the range and improved payload of its missiles. Those full capabilities could be one year away or 10 years away. Either way, Pyongyang knows that successful demonstration of new capabilities has historically forced Washington into negotiations and concessions. It is Washington that is the center of gravity for Pyongyang, not Seoul. That is one more reason why the current impasse in North-South talks will not be the real reason for further provocations by the North.

[link to joongangdaily.joins.com]

No date set


JAPANESE Prime Minister Naoto Kan has promised to resign, but has so far avoided committing to a date. The tenacity of the first-generation politician should not be underestimated, observers who know him say.
The possible date of Kan’s resignation has been hotly debated among lawmakers and in the media in recent weeks, attracting even more column inches than the victims of the March tsunami and radiation leaks from a damaged power plant.

[link to main.omanobserver.om]

US will maintain South China Sea presence: Mullen

“The US is not going away. Our enduring presence in this region has been important to our allies for decades and will continue to be so,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mullen urged Beijing to use its relationship with North Korea to ensure regional stability, while warning Pyongyang against further provocations.

“North Korea and the leadership of North Korea is only predictable in one sense and that is — if you base it historically — they will continue to provocate,” Mullen told reporters.

Six-party nuclear disarmament talks, grouping the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US have been stalled since the North abandoned them in April 2009. It staged its second nuclear test a month later.

“The Chinese leadership, they have a strong relationship with the leadership in Pyongyang and they exercise that routinely ... continuing to do that as they have done in the past is really important,” Mullen said.

Mullen’s trip coincided with a joint naval exercise with the US, Japanese and Australian navies in the South China Sea that began on Saturday.
[link to www.taipeitimes.com]

Fukushima plant operator uses modded robot vacuum to suck up radioactive dirt (video)

[link to www.engadget.com]

The ocean-radiated garbage should arrive just in time for the epidemic of realization, panic, guilt, and horror, as the first wave of fast-acting cancers start being diagnosed in droves of mostly children and teenagers.






Oh, fuck me.

I hate to say it but you are probably right.

Nitrogen injection at Fukushima plant faces setback.


Nitrogen injection has started at the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, but has yet to be done at the No. 3 reactor, where pipes that could be used for injection were lost. On July 6, TEPCO sent a robot inside mounted on top of a vehicle for tasks at high places and tried to inspect a pipe connection port at an altitude of 5 meters above the ground, but failed to photograph the location because of the placement of other equipment nearby. The radiation level was found to be as high as 50 millisieverts per hour near the pipes. This indicated that work on connecting the pipes, expected to last up to an hour, would require shielding the radiation with lead mats, and employees working in shifts.

[link to www.asahi.com]

Tepco Says 3 More Workers Exposed to Radiation Exceeding Limit

[link to news.businessweek.com]

Georgia PSC Can't Silence Nuclear Power Debate

Doug Everett, Member of the Georgia Public Service Commission, attempted to limit the scope of public remarks at a recent meeting of the PSC, on Wednesday, July 06, 2011, but could not prevent citizens from stating they do not want two new nuclear power reactors in Georgia at Plant Vogtle.

The majority who testified did not want expansion of nuclear energy in Georgia because of the dangers it poses to the environment and people's health.



[link to www.atlantaprogressivenews.com]

- can't say I blame them.

Strike at nuclear plant extends into second day
[link to www.syracuse.com]

Pakistan’s nuclear challenges

The writer is a former member of the Pakistan Foreign Service.

In his Naudero speech last month on the anniversary of Benazir’s birthday, Zardari claimed credit for the PPP for having started Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes, while denying any kudos to Nawaz Sharif for having carried out nuclear tests in 1998. Zardari was partly right.

As he said, the country owes a lot to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for starting Pakistan’s nuclear programme. Our nuclear capability has prevented Indian military adventurism and produced a measure of stability in the South Asian region.

[link to www.thenews.com.pk]

Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant north of Omaha pumping out water

The Omaha Public Power District has installed a new barrier around its Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant and is now pumping out Missouri River floodwaters.

OPPD installed the new 8-foot-tall, water-filled barrier around the plant to replace a similar one that failed two weeks ago after a worker inadvertently punctured it with a bobcat.

OPPD pumped out about half the water behind the new barrier Sunday. It will continue pumping to create a dry area around the plant to make it easier for workers to get around.

[link to www.therepublic.com]

YUCCA MOUNTAIN – WHAT’S REALLY THERE?


• To construct a repository at Yucca Mountain would require at least 44 miles of
tunnels.
• To date, DOE has spent approximately $8 billion studying the site and
constructing the exploratory tunnel.
• To construct an operating repository at Yucca would cost almost $97 billion,
according to DOE’s latest estimate.
• To even begin actual construction, DOE would need a construction authorization
from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission – something that is being – and will
continue to be – vigorously contested by Nevada.
• The site today has been abandoned.
• Nothing exists but a boarded up tunnel to nowhere.

[link to www.state.nv.us]



- well that is good to know. 8 billion.....

Latest temp readings at Fuku Daiichi

Unit 1- at water supply nozzle 117.6

2- 112.3

3- 150.9

Analysis of Unit 3 SFP



[link to www.tepco.co.jp]

Fukushima fuel rods removal can begin in 10 years

He said the situation in Fukushima is 10 to 20 times worse than what happened at Three Mile Island, where only a small portion of the fuel rods melted down, all of which remained inside the reactor.

He said with experience gained from the Three Mile Island accident, the planned 10-year span is possible.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]

Nuclear workers to take counseling

Workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will begin receiving psychological care on Sunday.

The workers have been asking for counseling to address their worries about radiation exposure. Many of them also lost their houses in the March 11th disaster.

The taskforce of the government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company decided to send psychiatrists or other experts to Fukushima once a month.


[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]

Long-term response needed for radioactive water

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is struggling to deal with radioactive water that is pooling in reactor buildings as the crisis goes into its 5th month.

Water being injected to cool reactors is becoming highly radioactive and accumulating in the basements of reactor buildings. In some facilities, contaminated water is just 20 centimeters from filling the basement.


[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]

Challenges remain 4 months after March disaster

Four months have passed since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan. A large number of people are still living in evacuation centers and removal of debris is moving ahead slowly.

More than 111,000 people are still living in shelters after losing their homes in the disaster, or having to flee the effects of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.


[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]

Japan Forced School Children To Clean Radioactive Dirt From Swimming Pools

Japan schools forced students to clean radioactive dirt from swimming pools in locations designated as hot spots with radiation levels 4 times Chernobyl evacuation limits.

In another propaganda show meant to convince the public there is no threat from radiation in Japan, local schools forced children to clean radioactive dirt from the bottom of the schools swimming pools.

One PTA member who didn’t trust the assertions from the school and the government kept a sample of the dirt collected from the pool and decided to have it tested for radiation.

According to a the Mainichi Daily News (Japanese), that sample was found to contain 17,020 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium.



Continue reading on Examiner.com Japan Forced School Children To Clean Radioactive Dirt From Swimming Pools - Jersey City Civil Rights | Examiner.com [link to www.examiner.com]

Fukushima government eyes drastic measure on cattle after cesium scare

Cattle shipments from the zones were temporarily suspended after the nuclear accident, but in late April the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said shipments could resume if the prefectural government took certain safety steps, such as inspecting the surface of the cattle’s bodies.

Of the 11 cattle that contained excessive levels of cesium, six were shipped in May and June, meaning they likely passed the prefectural government’s inspections.The slaughterhouse in Tokyo where those six cattle were butchered also tests some meat for radioactive substances, but not all.

According to the Tokyo metropolitan government’s food standards section, the six cattle were sold at a market held on the premises of the slaughterhouse.

[link to news.bostonherald.com]

Aerial Radiological Survey for King and Pierce Counties


Are you doing the survey to find out how much radioactive material came from Japan?

This project is looking for radioactive material that exists in our environment. The survey isn't focused on radioactive material from Japan. The amount of material from Japan was extremely low and will not be detected by equipment on the helicopter.

Did the nuclear reactor damage in Japan lead to this project?

This project isn't related to the disaster in Japan. It began in September 2009, well before the earthquake in Fukushima. The helicopter flyover is part of a multi-phase project to improve our state readiness to respond to radiation emergencies.

Are you going to provide the survey results, and if so, how?

The survey results will be provided after all the reports have been completed and the quality of the information has been verified. The Department of Health will work with the agencies that are part of the survey to determine how the results will be shared.

[link to www.doh.wa.gov]



- yeah. Nothing to see here....