Wednesday February 15, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Farmboy's past comments

5

FarmboyFeb. 04, 2012 - 11:10AM JST

He said no one was injured and the leak stopped after bolts were tightened on a tank.

So... the bolts mysteriously became loose? Or was this an old leak?

Officials have not detected any signs of radioactive water from the leaks reaching the surrounding ocean.

Have the officials LOOKED for signs of radioactive water reaching the ocean?

“a cold shutdown condition”

I remember that this is a newly-coined term designed to describe the Fukushima plant. Fukushima is NOT in "cold shutdown" but in "cold shutdown condition." There was a link to a story about this clever distinction, but I don't have it at the moment.

Posted in: More radioactive water leaks found at Fukushima nuclear plant
5

FarmboyFeb. 03, 2012 - 11:16AM JST

So the Dairy Association will be testing its own milk? I predict absolutely no radiation will be found. It will be a very reassuring report.

Posted in: Dairy association to test products for radiation
0

FarmboyFeb. 03, 2012 - 10:43AM JST

KFC should start the custom of giri-chicken ... sure to be a big hit.

The commercial would cut to an office manager receiving box after box of giri-choco, given with a perfunctory set phrase, and received with a curt nod. Then someone would come into the office with a box of chicken ... smiles all around...maybe an instant promotion or a cut to the two people eating together?

Posted in: Lots of chocolate, but little love on Valentine’s Day in Japan
2

FarmboyFeb. 03, 2012 - 10:38AM JST

KFC should start the custom of giri-chicken ... sure to be a big hit.

Posted in: Lots of chocolate, but little love on Valentine’s Day in Japan
0

FarmboyFeb. 02, 2012 - 11:35AM JST

it appears that either the end of the pipe has sheared off, or they did not allow enough pipe length when they assembled the joint.

Well, I don't think so. That's a compression fitting. The pipe should fit snugly into it until it bottoms, and then the fitting should be tightened. It should look exactly like the one next to it, and my guess it that it once did. Once the pipe is seated and the fitting tightened, it should stay put unless it is hit with a forklift, so it's myterious how it got into its present state.

Posted in: 8.5 tons of radioactive water leak from Fukushima plant
1

FarmboyFeb. 02, 2012 - 10:31AM JST

From Mainichi, "According to the utility known as TEPCO, about 6 liters of water were found to have leaked onto the floor of the No. 4 unit building at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. The leak was stopped at 10:43 p.m. by closing a valve, officials said."

So .... 1. evidently the estimate of water went from 6 liters to 8.5 tons 2. We are expected to believe that 8.5 tons of water can leak out of the pipe in zichi's picture in ten minutes. 3. Tepco is saying the problem is related to cold weather (or to previous explosions), but in zichi's picture, a pipe is shown out of its connector in an upward direction. If a freezing water line were the cause, wouldn't the pipe be split lengthwise?

Something isn't right...

Posted in: 8.5 tons of radioactive water leak from Fukushima plant
8
FarmboyFeb. 02, 2012 - 09:10AM JST
Clearly this is employee error. There it was on BillyBob's to-do list for Monday:
1. Check for explosions.
2. Check to see if any pipes have dropped off.
3. Refill toilet paper.
4. Empty trash.
Posted in: 8.5 tons of radioactive water leak from Fukushima plant
18

FarmboyFeb. 02, 2012 - 07:57AM JST

after a pipe connected to the reactor dropped off

Not enough duct tape.

Posted in: 8.5 tons of radioactive water leak from Fukushima plant
0

FarmboyFeb. 01, 2012 - 11:16PM JST

So level with me... are demons really afraid of beans?

Posted in: Chase the demons away with beans on Setsubun
0

FarmboyFeb. 01, 2012 - 08:31PM JST

They remember your order, don't mess up the math, and never, never sit down next to you and say, "Hi, I'm Ralph, and I'll be your waiter tonight." Service is pretty good, I think.

Posted in: What do you think of the quality of waiters in Japanese restaurants?
12

FarmboyFeb. 01, 2012 - 07:32AM JST

If I were 70 years old, I might go home, but I would advise my younger family members to just visit once in a while. I wouldn't want them to risk health problems. If there is a choice between 20 milliseiverts a year and almost no milliseiverts a year, why take the chance?

Posted in: Mayor of village near Fukushima plant urges residents to return to homes
0

FarmboyJan. 31, 2012 - 05:07PM JST

Video link about it: http://www.ktva.com/home/top-stories/Tsun-136296058.html

Posted in: Japanese official checks for tsunami debris in U.S.
2

FarmboyJan. 31, 2012 - 04:48PM JST

Farmboy green-lights this article, or he might greenlight this article, but he would never green light this article. In any case the IAEA has Atomic Energy as its middle name, so that should tell you that they aren't going to be pushing solar radios.

Posted in: IAEA green lights Japan's reactor tests
0

FarmboyJan. 30, 2012 - 09:38AM JST

This sounds like it will be fun, though a bit geriatric.

Posted in: Monty Python members to re-unite for new film
5

FarmboyJan. 30, 2012 - 08:59AM JST

Wherever the incineration is taking place, there will be an increase in toxic emissions, and corresponding health problems. This has been the case in the past, at least. Toxic emissions will not necessarily be radioactive, as a lot of the debris is sufficiently far from Fukushima, but that does not mean that it will be healthy to breathe this stuff, or to have residue settling into the ground water.

Plus, there is the cost of transportation of the debris. This will be higher according to the distance travelled, so minimizing distances between the debris site and the incinerator makes sense.

Certainly, any prefectures receiving debris will no doubt also be receiving a great deal of money, so saying "yes" to debris might be tempting, especially to key officials in the loop, but it also might be tempting because it could answer some of the financial needs of the prefecture.

I would say the best plan would be to build or expand incinerators closest to the biggest part of the debris.

Posted in: Should prefectures outside the Tohoku area accept tsunami rubble for incineration or disposal?
1

FarmboyJan. 29, 2012 - 07:46PM JST

no invisibility would have been seen.

Is this one of those "one hand clapping" things?

Posted in: New material takes 3D 'invisibility cloak' a step closer
1

FarmboyJan. 29, 2012 - 04:39PM JST

I remember this guy....

http://abcnews.go.com/International/us-diplomat-kevin-maher-replaced-outrage-surrounding-okinawa/t/story?id=13100614

Posted in: Ex-U.S. diplomat Maher pulls no punches on Japan
10

FarmboyJan. 29, 2012 - 07:30AM JST

I don't think the system would have to be changed so much. Charges would be assessed normally. When the child goes to pay, though, the bill should be sent to the appropriate fed office for payment. This would also allow the government to apologize in a real way for allowing the problems at Fukushima to occur, and continue to be a risk, under its watch. It would be a huge price to pay, but would have a potentially huge impact on restoring trust.

Posted in: Gov't says no to free medical care for children under 18 in Fukushima
-1

FarmboyJan. 28, 2012 - 10:24AM JST

Iwate Ken is pretty perky today, too.

http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/20120128092617391-280922.html

Posted in: M5.5 quake hits Koshin, Kanto areas
0

FarmboyJan. 27, 2012 - 03:46PM JST

And then, within a few months, people would be gaming Overseer program (gotta call it something), just to see if they can get a couple of agents to come to their door. This would be a lot of fun for 15-year-old computer nerds in particular.

Posted in: FBI seeking social media monitoring tool