Wednesday February 15, 2012

escape_artist's past comments

  • 6

    escape_artist

    Just a quick "thank you" to zichi and some others for their helpful & thoughtful posts. I like following a discussion where I can walk away feeling like I've learned something.

    Posted in: Fukushima's No. 2 reactor may be reheating

  • 1

    escape_artist

    @gifu...

    If the vast majority of nuclear plants are offline now, isn't Japan already nearly nuclear-free?

    It definitely needs to remain the long-term goal, IMO, but being truly "nuclear-free" won't happen anytime soon for those that use/have nuclear power. Even if all plants are shut down or decommissioned, the fuel rods will still require some sort of power for decades or longer to stay cooled, until such time their radioactivity has decayed enough to dispose of in a safer manner. This doesn't even address the ongoing problem of what to do with the growing amounts of radioactive waste.

    This is why building such plants in an earthquake-prone locale like Japan has been amazingly short-sighted and just plain idiotic, a gigantic boondoggle in other words, from the very beginning. We've all been hoodwinked to have faith & believe that nuclear power is "clean", "safe" and "cheap" when it's never been any of those in reality. And based on its history, likely never will.

    Meanwhile, Unit 2 at Fukushima Daiichi hit 82 C [176 F] earlier today and is still rising. Tepco's boric acid and water fixes don't seem to be working. And somehow this is supposed to make us all feel even more eager to put our trust in technology and the same folks controlling it? Yeah, uh-huh.

    I hope these protests get bigger and bigger, and spread all over Japan, to the point where those who seem to hate democracy like Ishihara will be forced to listen.

    Posted in: Thousands in Tokyo march against nuclear power

  • 0

    escape_artist

    I find it rather telling that a source from outside Japan is reported here as the first word about the protests. Surely the Japanese media are reporting on it too, no? And no doubt differently, as well? Can these sometimes be translated and reported here, be they Asahi or Sankei Shimbun? That would be a lot more interesting it seems than what likely is mainly a gaijin viewpoint here (considering it's AP), at least in this kind of story where there's often a clear polarity between what's being reported & reality.

    @Disillusioned

    Where were these protesters 40 years ago when Japan instigated its nuclear program?

    Why are you so, um, disillusioned? That was then, this is now. It's become increasingly clear that nuclear -- using whatever newfangled technology that's of course more foolproof than everything before -- doesn't jibe with the sustainable, safe and careful use of earth's resources, i.e. with life on the planet as we know it. Any attempts to get rid of it and gradually shift, or evolve, to safer alternatives should be heralded and supported. Sure it's later than it could've been, but but it's better than waiting another 20-30 or more years.

    @zichi...

    Instead, they pursued the line of clean, safe and cheap.

    Those last three terms should be in quotes methinks.

    Posted in: Thousands in Tokyo march against nuclear power

  • 2

    escape_artist

    Maybe more Japanese are finally waking up to how they've been lied to for so long, thanks in large measure to social media like Twitter...

    http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2012/01/slow-and-rude-awakening-of-japanese.html

    As usual, the Japanese MSM twisted the facts here to purposely make the citizens attending look bad or at fault. The public attend a public hearing? How dare they!

    These meetings have long been just a formality, with just the image of public outreach or participation. The powers that be, especially those connected to the nuclear industry, have never had any intention of letting anything as unpredictable or uncontrollable as public sentiment get in the way of their what they want.

    Posted in: Stress test

  • 0

    escape_artist

    The fact that the govt has to ask a company's permission here shows who is really in control. And it's sure not the government. Reminds me of Kyushu Electric recently saying simply "No, we don't want to" when asked by the prefectural govt there to submit a report on their recent problems. WTF? Is this a democracy or a corporatocracy?

    Posted in: TEPCO asked to consider coming under temporary state control

  • -1

    escape_artist

    Upton Sinclair comes to mind at times like this (which seem to be many recently!), be it Fukushima or TMI... with a little added wording...

    "It is difficult to get a man to understand [or be truthful about] something when his salary depends on his not understanding [or being truthful about] it."

    i.e. if the money is to keep flowing, the charade must go on.

    Posted in: TEPCO reveals new contaminated water leak at Fukushima plant

  • 0

    escape_artist

    @GW... totally agree, and I have the same problem at home whenever I mention anything Fukushima/Tepco-related now. It's frustrating to say the least, especially when she says she can get all her news from TV, namely NHK. :-|

    I guess I muttered something because it just was so surprising and irresponsible that they'd be so blatantly advertising a big shipment of Fukushima salmon right at the front of the store. The savings actually didn't seem so great to me, either, maybe a couple hundred yen by weight. This isn't Seiyu or some other lower-priced market here, where housewives pinch yen to save 20, 30 yen overall. So a couple hundred yen difference doesn't seem like much to me given the store.

    Posted in: TEPCO reveals new contaminated water leak at Fukushima plant

  • 0

    escape_artist

    @smithinJapan... thanks for the elaboration. You're right, being cheaper is only part of the dynamics going on. We have long bought, and will continue buying, only Norway salmon (not to mention a lot more foreign foods than before too, and we're in Kansai). Assuming we can trust the labels.

    Posted in: TEPCO reveals new contaminated water leak at Fukushima plant

  • 5

    escape_artist

    Saw Fukushima salmon in a Seijo Ishii store a few days ago in Umeda, Osaka, commented to others nearby that one would have to be slightly crazy to buy such food and was met by stares of amazement and subtle scorn. Not sure if it was because I simply spoke out or that those who heard me truly believe eating possibly contaminated salmon is A-OK. Lots of denial around here, apparently simply because such food from Tohuku/Fukushima, especially near offshore (where I'm guessing the salmon is from), is cheaper.

    Posted in: TEPCO reveals new contaminated water leak at Fukushima plant

  • 2

    escape_artist

    Isn't this the same guy who kept insisting early on that Fukushima Daiichi wasn't leaking anything? And we're supposed to believe him now? Yeah, right. He has no creditability.

    Posted in: Edano says Japan's corporate governance on par with U.S.

  • 4

    escape_artist

    The Japanese version of the "bailout". Tepco must be too big to fail too.

    Posted in: Government approves Y900 bil aid to TEPCO

  • 1

    escape_artist

    Kudos to Lady Gaga. But what's next? Will she now get her mug on a postage stamp in Japan too, like the USPO may be considering with their recently relaxed rules?

    Posted in: Lady Gaga, Fukushima Hula Girls given Japan Tourism Agency awards

  • 2

    escape_artist

    @Piltdown Man...

    The lack of details that readers of Western media are so used to seems to be a general characteristic of news reporting in Japan, which is why I would call such reporting "poor". If a reader is left guessing afterward or has to turn to other sources to get basic info that should've/could've been covered in the article if the reporter had been thorough (IMO, doing his/her job), then that particular piece of writing is simply not up to snuff.

    Posted in: 2 arrested after teenage girl dies in 'exorcism'

  • 0

    escape_artist

    zichi,

    as we all know, the stated law is one thing, and the desires of the nuclear industry (in Japan or anywhere else) is quite another. The "local support" in Japan, for all its talk of being democratic, tends to fall pretty far behind both of these. We'll see if your constant faith (since it is like a religion) in the nuclear powers that be in Japan turn out to be true. Only time will tell. I think the sooner all the nuke plants in Japan are shut down and start decommissioning, the better.

    Posted in: Second Fukushima plant unlikely to reopen: Edano

  • 0

    escape_artist

    "I do not believe that we can obtain local approval,"

    Uhh, since when did anyone in Japan's nuclear industry or govt truly care about local approval when it comes to siting or operating plants? What about the few plants that are being used to support Japan's supposed secret nuclear weapons program, centered supposedly in Fukushima Pref.? Perhaps those in control don't want any public scrutiny of what's going on down at No. 2?

    There's probably a lot more going on here than this article says.

    Posted in: Second Fukushima plant unlikely to reopen: Edano

  • 1

    escape_artist

    Part of the complicity I was referring to above is seen in the 1959 agreement WHO signed with the IAEA, as the Guardian says (see bit ly wsHsd, inserting the period & slash), gives

    the IAEA an effective veto on any actions by the WHO that relate in any way to nuclear power -- and so prevent the WHO from playing its proper role in investigating and warning of the dangers of nuclear radiation on human health

    or as another site says, gives "the unequivocally pro-nuclear IAEA a veto over WHO research into the effects of radiation". Unless this agreement has been revised since then, this could be yet another reason why the nuclear industry continues to wield so much power across the globe.

    The fact that the current IAEA head is a Japanese national shouldn't matter (in a perfect world), but probably doesn't help.

    I wonder what the relationship is between similar organizations/bureaus in the Japanese government, i.e. that which promotes nuclear power and that which is supposed to research & warn citizens of health effects & dangers.

    Posted in: Japan to seek IAEA advice before restarting reactors

  • 0

    escape_artist

    I wouldn't expect too much here hindering Japan's desire to restart anything. The IAEA is complicit in any and all nuclear accidents worldwide just as much as those running the affected units, here kind of like a fox seeking advice from a committee of fellow foxes before raiding a chicken coop.

    Posted in: Japan to seek IAEA advice before restarting reactors

  • -4

    escape_artist

    Ditto what Asagao says. I hope there will be more doctors trained in treating diabetes to coincide. Just as with smokers and the way most of them ravage their bodies for the sake of self-pleasure, those who produce the products can run off pocketing the money while society has to pick up the tab for those who can't learn how to control themselves.

    Posted in: Krispy Kreme to open 73 more stores in Kanto, Kansai and Chubu

  • 0

    escape_artist

    What about Yahoo Japan mail? Gotta be one of the slooowest sites on the Net.

    Posted in: Yahoo ready to deliver on promise to upgrade email

  • 0

    escape_artist

    The UN and especially the IAEA, which reports to the UN, are in the business of promoting the use of nuclear power. These are not unbiased observers and anything they say should be taken with that in mind. So-called "experts" are a dime a dozen, too, especially in times of crisis. Follow the money and their agenda.

    Posted in: U.N. expert: Fukushima not as bad as Chernobyl

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