XIAM007 - Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World: 03/14/11

Monday, 14 March 2011

Gamma Radiation In Fukushima-Downwind Ibaraki Disclosed, 30 Times Above Normal -

For all who have been looking for realtime radiation data from Japan, you are in luck. Or maybe not, as the data unfortunately indicates nothing good. The System for Prediction of Environment Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI) releases gamma radiation data online. The site is jittery and apparently not suited for major traffic which is why we represent several screen captures of the data. While it is not surprising that according to the website both Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures are entirely "Under Survey" as it makes sense that the government does not want to generate panic, SPEEDI has disclosed some tell-tale data about cities in Ibaraki prefecture, which is just a hundred or so miles north of Tokyo, and is just south of the ill-fated Fukushima prefecture. And the data is stunning: based on a N, NE and NNE wind direction (where it originates), meaning all coming from Fukushima, with a normal reading in the 80 nGy/h range, the city of Kounosu Naka is at 3,024, Kadobe Naka is at 2,416, Isobe Hitachioota is at 1,213 and many others are in the mid to upper triple digit range! Again, this is based on wind coming out of Fukushima and ultimately headed toward the capital. Indicatively, normal terrestrial plus cosmic gamma radiation is about 80 nGy/h.

Below we present screencaptures as of moments ago, as apparently the Japanese government seems to believe that abnormal gamma radiation levels are perfectly notmal:

A map of all prefectures, showing maximum gamma radation readings. Note Ibaraki at 3,024 nGy/h, and Kanagawa right below it (and downwind) at 224 nGy/h compared to low double digts for all other prefecture.

Not surprisingly, Fukushima is completely N/A, as every single reading is Under Survey, also known as censored.

But the stunner is Ibaraki. We will let this one speak for itself:

As a reference, based on background radiation measurements in the lower atmosphere at different altitudes above sea level up to 1100 m and over the land were made at a temperate latitude (40°) in the Thessaloniki region, North Greece, before and after the Chernobyl accident (26 April 1986), using a portable γ-ray scintillation detector and a Cutie-pie survey meter with an ionization chamber, the average value of the total background radiation at ground level was 87 nGy h^-1 (10.0 μR h^-1, 25 cps), i.e. 60% from terrestrial radiation, 55 nGy h^-1 (6.3 μR h^-1, 15 cps) and 40% from cosmic radiation, 32 nGy h^-1 (3.7 μR h^-1, 10 cps), before the Chernobyl accident, while, after it, the total background radiation was doubled, due to the long-lived radioactive fallout suspended in the atmosphere and or deposited onto the ground.

Russia Hikes Price of Rocket Rides for U.S. Astronauts to $63 Million -

NASA, already committed to paying Russia millions of dollars to hitch rides into space, had some expensive news to announce Monday: Russia plan to start charging even more.
With the United States phasing out the shuttle program, the new way for U.S. astronauts to get to the International Space Station will be to catch a ride with the Russians, and NASA's existing contract for that transport priced each rocket ride at just under $56 million.
Now, Russia is hiking the price for each rocket ride to nearly $63 million in 2014. The contract extension with the Russian Space Agency totals $753 million, which covers trips for a dozen astronauts from 2014 through 2016.
Why such a price hike? NASA officials chalk it up to inflation.
NASA chief Charles Bolden says it's critical for U.S. companies to take over this transportation job. The space shuttles used to do that job are being retired this summer.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/14/russia-hikes-price-rocket-rides-astronauts-63-million/#ixzz1GccNod2x

Company to freeze dead people in liquid nitrogen then shatter them into dust - Terminator-style nitrogen shattering -

A Swedish company wants to make burials more eco-friendly, and they're doing it by freezing dead people in liquid nitrogen, shattering them into dust with focused sound waves, and then sucking all the leftover moisture out with a vacuum.

Traditional funerals are apparently pretty bad for the environment. Embalming fluid is toxic stuff. Coffins are often made of metal, which doesn't biodegrade, or wood finished with nasty chemicals. Tons of concrete are often poured into the ground to create a stable vault and protect against zombies. And even the cremation route uses scads of energy and releases mercury into the atmosphere.

A Swedish company called Promessa has come up with a crazy new way of handling the remains of the deceased, and it's straight out of science fiction. First, a body is chilled down to 18 degrees Celsius. Then it's entirely submerged in liquid nitrogen, which freezes it solid, and makes it brittle enough that it can be shattered and pulverized into dust using high power sound waves. Next, the dust (which is still about the same mass as the body was) is exposed to a vacuum which boils off all the moisture contained in the dust, reducing its mass by 70% or so. Lastly, all of the inorganic stuff that may be left over is removed with an electromagnet, and the dust is placed in a coffin made of corn starch, all ready for a shallow burial that'll turn everything into compost within a year.

Of course, this whole process is fairly complicated and certainly takes some amount of energy to perform on its own, but at the very least the end product is a bit better for the planet than some more traditional methods. Plus, unlike burial or cremation, it's also guaranteed to destroy killer robots.

Read more - http://dvice.com/archives/2011/03/the-latest-in-e.php

Aflac fired the voice of its duck, Gilbert Gottfried, after comedian made insensitive remarks about the disaster in Japan -

Aflac fired the voice of its iconic duck, Gilbert Gottfried, after the comedian made insensitive remarks about the disaster in Japan.

The decision by the insurer on Monday came after the actor, long known for making inappropriate comments, posted messages onTwitter that made light of the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

“Gilbert’s recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking in humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac,” Michael Zuna, the company’s chief marketing officer said in a statement. “Aflac Japan – and, by extension, Japan itself – is part of the Aflac family, and there is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times.”

Several of the tweets were sexual in nature, a common theme on Mr. Gottfried’s Twitter feed. The actor has previously used his account on the social media blogging site to post jokes, sometimes in questionable taste. The messages related to Japan have since been removed from Mr. Gottfried’s Twitter feed.

Mr. Gottfried is not new to controversy. Three weeks after 9/11 attacks, he made light of the tragedy at a Friars Club roast for Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. The comments prompted boos from the audience, one of whom said it was “too soon,” according to a New York Observer article at the time.

Aflacc is now conducting a nationwide search for a new actor to play its beloved duck. The company — which noted that Mr. Gottfried is not the voice of the duck in Japan — last week announced that it was donating 100 million yen to the International Red Cross for disaster assistance.

Hacking Times Square With an iPhone - How the hell did he do that? - Impressive Video -

Viral hoax in waiting or brilliant marketing display of the iPhone's hidden capabilities?

Watch and you decide. Maybe we are just one in an early list of sites to be duped by this bizarrely intriguing YouTube video, but we still couldn't help but watch it several times.

In a two-minute YouTube video posted on Sunday evening, BITcrash44 claims to have added a transmitter to his iPhone that allows him to take over any video screen.

If real, the trick is sure to get the attention of Apple's designers in Cupertino, Calif.

About his video, BITcrash44 writes:

the way it works is pretty simple: plug in my transmitter into theiphone 4 and play back any video clip. you can play it through the ipod feature or through the camera roll. the transmitter instantly sends the video signal to the video repeater and the video repeater overrides any video screen that it's being held next to. it doesn't matter what shape or size the hacked screen is because the hack video will simply keep its correct dimensions and the rest of the hacked space will stay black.

In Times Square, he chose some of the most famous video screens in the world to show off his technology. With just an iPhone, his transmitter, an HD camera and a little help from a red balloon, BITcrash44 creates a video that is sure to have people crying wolf.

Real or fake? You tell us.

United States Spend Almost Four Times More on Incarcerating Prisoners Than Educating Students -

An examination of state budgets has revealed a startling discrepancy: most states are spending three to four times more incarcerating prisoners than they are educating students.
According to research gathered from the Department of Justice, Georgia lawmakers, for example, dole out almost $18,000 a year to house one inmate in a state prison. But the National Education Association says the state spends about one-third of that to put a child through the public education system.
And other states have larger discrepancies.
In analyzing two separate reports from the Department of Justice and the National Education Association conducted over similar periods, research shows California spends about $47,000 per inmate while only spending about $9,000 for every student enrolled. New York State spends about $56,000 per inmate and approximately $16,000 for every student in the school system. Michigan pays about $34,000 for every prisoner and about $11,000 for a student.
“Education must compete with other state agencies and that would be child welfare agencies and prison funding,” said Tim Callahan, the spokesperson for PAGE, Professional Association of Georgia Educators.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/14/states-spend-times-incarcerating-educating-studies-say-464156987/#ixzz1GbQx8WKy

Internet will soon be top choice to get news in America as Internet overtakes Newspapers for first time -

The rapid growth of smartphones and electronic tablets is making the internet favourite for people seeking news, a report released today said.

News consumption online increased 17 per cent last year from the year before, the project said in its eighth annual State of the News Media survey.

Meanwhile, US local, network and cable television news, newspapers, radio and magazines all lost audience last year, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a research organisation that evaluates and studies the performance of the press.

Japanese officials say nuclear fuel rods appear to be melting inside all 3 of the most troubled reactors - look out LA! -

SOMA, JAPAN—Water levels dropped precipitously Monday inside a stricken Japanese nuclear reactor, twice leaving the uranium fuel rods completely exposed and raising the threat of a meltdown, hours after a hydrogen explosion tore through the building housing a different reactor.

Water levels were restored after the first decrease but the rods remained exposed late Monday night after the second episode, increasing the risk of the spread of radiation and the potential for an eventual meltdown.

The cascading troubles in the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant compounded the immense challenges faced by the Tokyo government, already struggling to send relief to hundreds of thousands of people along the country's quake- and tsunami-ravaged coast where at least 10,000 people are believed to have died.

Later, a top Japanese official said the fuel rods in all three of the most troubled nuclear reactors appeared to be melting.

Of all these troubles, the drop in water levels at Unit 2 had officials the most worried.

“Units 1 and 3 are at least somewhat stabilized for the time being,” said Nuclear and Industrial Agency official Ryohei Shiomi “Unit 2 now requires all our effort and attention.”

In some ways, the explosion at Unit 3 was not as dire as it might seem.

The blast actually lessened pressure building inside the troubled reactor, and officials said the all-important containment shell — thick concrete armour around the reactor — had not been damaged. In addition, officials said radiation levels remained within legal limits, though anyone left within 12 miles (20 kilometres) of the scene was ordered to remain indoors.

“We have no evidence of harmful radiation exposure,” deputy Cabinet secretary Noriyuki Shikata told reporters.

On Saturday, a similar hydrogen blast destroyed the housing around the complex's Unit 1 reactor, leaving the shell intact but resulting in the mass evacuation of more than 185,000 people from the area.

So the worst case scenario still hung over the complex, and officials were clearly struggling to keep ahead of the crisis.

Late Monday, the chief government spokesman said there were signs that the fuel rods were melting in all three reactors, all of which had lost their cooling systems in the wake of Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami

“Although we cannot directly check it, it's highly likely happening,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters.

Some experts would consider that a partial meltdown. Others, though, reserve that term for times when nuclear fuel melts through a reactor's innermost chamber but not through the outer containment shell.

By contrast, a complete reactor meltdown, where the uranium core melts through the containment shell, would release a wave of radiation and result in major, widespread health problems.

The Monday morning explosion at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant's Unit 3 injured 11 workers and came as authorities were trying to use sea water to cool the complex's three reactors.

While four Japanese nuclear complexes were damaged in the wake of Friday's twin disasters, the Dai-ichi complex, which sits just off the Pacific coast and was badly hammered by the tsunami, has been the focus of most of the worries over Japan's deepening nuclear crisis. All three of the operational reactors at the complex now have faced severe troubles.

Operators knew the sea water flooding would cause a pressure buildup in the reactor containment vessels — and potentially lead to an explosion — but felt they had no choice if they wanted to avoid complete meltdowns. Eventually, hydrogen in the released steam mixed with oxygen in the atmosphere and set off the two blasts.

Japan's meteorological agency did report one good sign. It said the prevailing wind in the area of the stricken plant was heading east into the Pacific, which experts said would help carry away any radiation.

Across the region, though, many residents expressed fear over the situation.

Make That 15 Trillion; BOJ Raises Liquidity Injection To JPY12 Trillion ($146 Billion) - QEIII? -

Update: make that JPY15 trillion:

The BOJ offered a combined 15 trillion yen ($183 billion) into the banking system on Monday in its first same-day market operation since the Greek debt crisis in May last year, to soothe market jitters in the wake of a devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck northeast Japan on Friday. The central bank's policy board will likely discuss whether the sharp fall in Tokyo stock prices and the potential damage from the quake to corporate profits warrant an immediate policy response, the sources said.

We have since learned that the extra 3 trillion will be use to buy government bonds. Hello QE, my old friend.

Original post

Total reactionary panic everywhere now as the BOJ hikes the liquidity injection from 2 to 7 to 12 trillion yen. And this is likely hardly the end: "BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa told reporters late yesterday he’s ready to unleash “massive” liquidity starting this morning in Tokyo." From BusinessWeek:

"The Bank of Japan said it will pump a record 12 trillion yen ($146 billion) into the financial system to help stabilize the market after the nation’s biggest earthquake on record last week threatened an economic recovery.
The emergency measure represents the bank’s first same-day repurchase operations since May, when the central bank added funds to help stabilize the market after the Greek debt crisis set off a plunge in stocks worldwide. BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa told reporters late yesterday he’s ready to unleash “massive” liquidity starting this morning in Tokyo.

“The Bank of Japan will provide plenty of liquidity and there are no disruptions in the interbank market,” said Toshiaki Terada, a researcher at Totan Research Co. in Tokyo. “The bank will probably add more funds if needed."

It is possible that following the latest reactor explosion this amount will be raised once more before the US night is over. We are somewhat skeptical that throwing infinite capital at a clusterflock of black swans will do much, but are happy to be proven wrong.