Hilarity of the Day: Obama Releases "Long-Form" Birth Certificate

Here it is: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/birth-certificate-long-form.pdf

And someone opened it in Adobe Illustrator and found "layers". So what? you ask?

My question is not "so what?" but "why now?"

From Wireupdate.com (4/27/2011):

When the PDF file given from WhiteHouse.gov is opened in Adobe Illustrator it shows up in different layers.

Our analysis of the latest controversy: The original birth certificate was probably in a ‘negative’ form, and someone at the White House took it upon themselves to doctor it up so the form can be readable.

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Arnie Gunderson: Unit 3 Explosion May Have Been Criticality in Spent Fuel Pool

So, Christopher Busby may not be a total "fiction" after all?

Gundersen Postulates Unit 3 Explosion May Have Been Prompt Criticality in Fuel Pool from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Americium and Curium Found in the Soil

From the samples taken on March 27, from the same places where plutonium and uranium were detected. Now they tell us one month later.

From TEPCO's press release on April 27, 2011 (English):

As part of monitoring activity of the surrounding environment, we conducted an analysis of plutonium contained in the soil collected on March 21st and 22nd at the 5 spots in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. As a result, plutonium 238, 239 and 240 were detected.
(previously announced)

As the result of the plutonium analysis in the soil from the sample from the 3 periodic sampling spots on April 14th, plutonium 238, 239 and 240 were detected as shown in Attachment 1. In addition, as the result of gamma ray nuclide analysis from the same sample, radioactive materials were detected as shown in Attachment 2.

Besides, as the result of the americium and curium analysis in the soil from 2 samples among the 3 periodic sampling spots in which plutonium was detected on March 28th amerium [sic] 241, curium 242, 243, and 244 were detected.

We have reported the results of analyses to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and the government of Fukushima Prefecture.

We will continue to conduct the similar analysis.

Here's the Attachment 3 that shows the analysis:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/110427e16.pdf

Americium and curium do not exist in nature. Half-life of the nuclides are as follows:

Am-241: 432 years
Cm-242: 162.8 days
Cm-243: 29.1 years
Cm-244: 18.1 years

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: 1120 Milli-Sieverts/Hr Inside the Reactor 1 Bldg, But "Water Entombment" Has Started Anyway

(Picture from TEPCO: Packbot in Reactor 1 reactor building, 4/24/2011)

That high level of radiation would indicate the highly radioactive water from the Pressure Vessel may be leaking outside the Containment Vessel, but TEPCO has decided to go ahead with the plan.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (1:17 PM JST 4/27/2011):

　東京電力は２７日、福島第一原子力発電所１号機の原子炉に行っている注水の量を一時的に増やす試験を始めた。

On April 27, TEPCO started the test to increase the amount of water being injected into the Pressure Vessel of the Reactor 1 at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

　注水量の増加に伴う水位などの変化を調べるのが目的。格納容器の上部まで水を満たして原子炉ごと冷やす「水棺」の本格化に向けた作業となる。

The purpose of the test is to observe the change in water level by increased water injection. It is a step toward the "water entombment" that will involve filling the Containment Vessel with water to cool the Pressure Vessel.

　注水量は２７日午前１０時、従来の毎時６トンから１０トンに増加した。同午後４時過ぎには１４トンに増やす。この状態を１８時間続けた後、２８日朝に６トンに戻して試験を終了させる。その後、ロボットを使い、漏水などが起きていないか調べる。

The amount of water was increased from the previous 6 tons/hour to 10 tons/hour at 10:00AM on April 27. It is to be increased to 14 tons/hour starting at 4:00PM for 18 hours, and then to be decreased to 6 tons/hour again in the morning of April 28. After that, the robots will go in to check whether there is any leak.

　東電は、２６日のロボットを使った事前調査で、建屋内の数値としては最高の毎時１１２０ミリ・シーベルトの放射線量を記録した場所があったことを 明らかにした。原子炉からの高濃度の汚染水が漏れている可能性があるが、東電は約２時間にわたる調査で漏れ箇所が発見できなかったとして、水棺作業の実施 を決断した。

TEPCO disclosed that during the preliminary survey of the reactor building using the robots on April 26 there was a location that registered 1,120 milli-sieverts/hour, the highest so far for the radiation level inside the plant buildings. It is possible that the highly radioactive water is leaking from the reactor, but TEPCO decided to go ahead with the "water entombment" after no leak was found during the 2-hour survey.

Total 312 tons of water is to be injected before the test is over. We'll find soon enough if there's more Murphy..

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Charts Showing Release of Radioactive Iodine and Cesium into Air May Be Going Up Again

Found them @Physics Forums, posted by clancy688 today. The poster doesn't link to the original site where the charts came from. Labels are in German, so they could be from DWD (Deutscher Wetterdienst), as CTBTO does not have a mandate to disclose the data.

CTBTO stands for "Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization", and "38" is their Takasaki Station in Gunma Prefecture in Japan.

It looks as if something had happened around April 18, and both cesium 137 and iodine-131 are on the rise again in a volatile fashion in Japan. The US West Coast is following suit.

I do not know and do not guarantee the authenticity of the charts.

Unit is becquerels in cubic meter, and the red dotted line indicates the highest daily amount in Germany (May 1, 1986 in Bavarian Forest) during the Chernobyl accident.

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Contamination Map (Survey Map) by TEPCO

TEPCO has put the Survey Map (radiation contamination map) online. Maps for March 23, 31, April 7, 12, 14, 17, 23 are available for your viewing pleasure.

Maps in English:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/index3-e.html

Maps in Japanese:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/fukushima-np/f1/index3-j.html

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Picture of Reactor 3 Containment Vessel in 1972

From Mainichi Shinbun. More pictures at the link.

Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant Reactor 3 Containment Vessel, May 1972.

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor 1 "Water Entombment" - Same News, Different Spin

First, the Kan administration's favorite Yomiuri Shinbun (4/26/2011):

東電によると、建屋の外壁は先月１２日の水素爆発で大破したが、格納容器に目立った水漏れは見当たらず

According to TEPCO, [Reactor 1] building's outer walls were severely damaged by the hydrogen explosion on March 12, but there is no discernible water leak on the Containment Vessel...

Never mind that the hydrogen explosion only blew up the 4th and 5th stories, above the Containment Vessel.

Now, not so favorite but still major news Mainichi Shinbun (4/26/2011):

また東電は２６日、ロボットによる１号機原子炉建屋内の調査について格納容器の損傷箇所を特定できなかったことを明らかにした。

Also, TEPCO disclosed on April 26 that the survey by the robots inside the Reactor 1's reactor building could not pinpoint the location of the damage on the Containment Vessel.

But no matter. TEPCO and NISA are going with their "accidental entombment" and about to gradually pour over 7,000 tons of water in the Reactor 1 Containment Vessel.

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor 4 Spent Fuel Pool May Be Leaking

Uh oh. The water level in the Reactor 4 Spent Fuel Pool is not rising enough, and TEPCO suspects a leak.

That's by the way what AREVA said in their presentation in March.

From Mainichi Shinbun (9:57PM JST 4/26/2011; links, emphasis added):

　東京電力は２６日、福島第１原発４号機の使用済み核燃料プールから水が漏れている可能性があることを明らかにした。プールへの放水を続けているが、想定ほど水位が上昇していないという。今後、新たな作業が必要になり、事故収束に向けた工程表に影響する恐れがある。

TEPCO disclosed on April 26 that there was a possibility of water leaking from the Reactor 4 Spent Fuel Pool. TEPCO has been injecting water into the Pool, but the water level hasn't risen to the level that they anticipated. [If there is a leak] it would require additional works to remedy the problem, and that may affect the "roadmap" to wind down the crisis.

　東電によると、プールには、使用済み核燃料集合体が１～３号機より多い１３３１体入っている。コンクリート圧送車での放水は、２４日１６５トン、 ２５日２１０トン、２６日１６０トン。しかし、１日の推定蒸発量約７０トンを差し引いても水量が想定より１２～４８トン少ないという。東電は「格納容器へ 流れ出している可能性もある」と説明している。

According to TEPCO, the Reactor 4 Spent Fuel Pool contains 1,331 spent nuclear fuel rods, more than the Spent Fuel Pools in the Reactors 1 through 3. Using the concrete pump, 165 tons of water was injected on April 24, 210 tons on April 25, and 160 tons on April 26. Subtracting the daily estimated evaporation of 70 tons, the amount of water in the pool is 12 to 48 tons less than expected. TEPCO says it is possible that [the leaked] water is going into the Containment Vessel.

　４号機では今月、原子炉建屋の地下が深さ約５メートルの汚染水でほぼ水没しているのが見つかったほか、タービン建屋地下にたまった汚染水の放射性物質の濃度が１カ月で約２５０倍上昇していることも判明、大量の汚染水の処理が新たな課題となっている。

Earlier this month, the Reactor 4's reactor building's basement was found to be almost completely flooded with 5-meter deep contaminated water. Radioactive materials in the contaminated water in the turbine building was found to be 250 times as much as 1 month ago. The large amount of contaminated water [in the Reactor 4] poses a new challenge.

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Busby: One of the #Fukushima Explosions Was Nuclear

Christopher Busby speaking with Russia Today on April 25.

He thinks one of the "hydrogen" explosions that took place in Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant was not hydrogen but nuclear. He thinks it was the Reactor 3; the explosion was not inside the Containment Vessel but in the Spent Fuel Pool.

He sticks by his words that Fukushima is much worse than Chernobyl.

He's been having a shouting match (figuratively) with his fellow British nuclear scientists over the gravity of the Fukushima accident, whom he accuses of being in the pocket of the powerful nuclear industry and downplaying the accident.

Busby also called the Guardian writer George Monbiot "criminally irresponsible" for downplaying the Fukushima accident. George Monbiot is the one who wholeheartedly embraced nuclear power BECAUSE OF FUKUSHIMA, back in March 21 in his Guardian article:

As a result of the disaster at Fukushima, I am no longer nuclear-neutral. I now support the technology.

Mr. Monbiot should have a PR job waiting for him at the Japan's Prime Minister's Office with his pro-nuclear, anti-CO2 stance, a perfect fit for the embattled PM.

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No Foreign Correspondent Showed Up On April 25 Press Conference But the Show Must Go On

NISA's Nishiyama, representatives from other government agencies and TEPCO's representatives gave their regular press conference in English for the foreign correspondents in Japan, except on April 25 no one showed up. They went ahead anyway, reporting the details of Fukushima I Nuke Plant status, asked for questions, and ended the presser.

I find it immensely sad.

(Screenshot from Nico Nico Live video (members only)):

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williambanzai7: ARe You EXPeRieNCeD?

By williambanzai7 at Zero Hedge: "There's a White House over yonder... "

Go Dr. Paul!

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OT: #Fukushima I Nuke Plant Mascot Bird Was an Ostrich

I'm sorry for the birds but I couldn't help noticing the irony. Sort of "Schadenfreude".

Ostrich was the symbol bird (or mascot bird) for Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant...

(The photo is NOT one of the poor birds in Fukushima.)

Yomiuri Shinbun (in Japanese; 4/26/2011) reports that 30 ostriches in the ostrich farm in Ookuma-machi in the no-entry zone are left to die, because there will be no one to feed them. Already 15 of them died.

The ostrich farm is owned by a former council member of the town nearby (Futaba-machi).

Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, which straddles Ookuma-machi and Futaba-machi, started to keep ostriches on the plant compound in 2000 as part of the PR campaign. The reason for picking the ostrich as the symbol for the plant?

「少しの餌で大きく育つダチョウのように、少しのウランで大きな電力を得られる原発」

"Just like an ostrich that grow big on small feed, the nuclear power plant that generates large amount of electricity with small amount of uranium"

Well, the plant had over 1,700 tons of uranium and MOX fuels when the earthquake/tsunami hit on March 11 which don't seem "small", but never mind.

The ex-councilman decided to raise ostriches himself at about the same time.

The owner, according to the article, having visited nuclear power plants in Japan and abroad, knew immediately that it was a very serious accident when the hydrogen explosion happened, and he escaped immediately.

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#Japan #Earthquake: Ground Noise in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture

Yonezawa City is in southern-most part of Yamagata Prefecture, bordering Fukushima Prefecture.

A curious bit of news from Yomiuri Shinbun (in Japanese; 4/26/2011), that Japan Meteorological Agency's Yamagata Branch has been receiving reports of loud ground noise in Yonezawa City since early April.

JMA Yamagata Branch speculates that the noise may be caused by small, shallow earthquakes that have been happening very frequently since March 18 in the adjacent Kitakata City and Kita Shiobara-mura in Fukushima Prefecture, and is telling the Yonezawa residents to remain calm.

There is no marked volcanic activity in the Mount Agatsuma on the south of the city.

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PM Kan's Incoherent Op-Ed on Fukushima I Nuke Plant Accident

Why did he bother?

From the Op-Ed piece that Kan wrote, no doubt in Japanese, and had it translated and appeared in the International Herald Tribune/New York Times on April 15, 2011, taken from the Prime Minister's Office website:

I take very seriously, and deeply regret, the nuclear accidents we have had at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Bringing the situation at the plant under control at the earliest possible date is my top priority. Leading a unified effort by the government, I have mobilized all available resources to combat the risks posed by the plant, based on three principles: first, give the highest priority to the safety and health of all citizens, in particular those residents living close to the plant; second, conduct thorough risk management; and, third, plan for all possible scenarios so that we are fully prepared to respond to any future situations. For example, we continue to make the utmost efforts to address the issue of outflow of radioactive water from the plant into the ocean. In addition, the government has taken every possible measure to ensure the safety of all food and other products, based on strict scientific criteria. We have taken great precautions to ensure the safety of all Japanese food and products that reach the market and will continue to do so. To assure domestic and foreign consumer confidence in the safety of Japanese food and products, my administration will redouble its efforts to maintain transparency and keep everyone informed of our progress in the complex and evolving circumstances at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

"I take very seriously, and deeply regret"

Well that's good to know.

"Leading a unified effort by the government,"

Then why is it that the "Unification headquarters" of his to deal with the accident had its first presser on April 25, more than 6 weeks after the accident started? And why is people like Nishiyama of NISA saying at every awkward question that "it is basically the problem of a private company, TEPCO"?

" first, give the highest priority to the safety and health of all citizens, in particular those residents living close to the plant"

This is the most cynical statement of the whole thing. Why? Because...

• This government hasn't even checked the health of the residents closest to the plant since the accident started. For the residents in the now-planned evacuation zone like Iitate-mura, this government had been telling them and everybody else that the radiation there did not pose serious negative effect on health, and this government laughed at the IAEA's recommendation on March 31 to evacuate the residents of the village ASAP.

• This government is more than willing to expose toddlers and small children in Fukushima to radiation higher than what nuclear plant workers in the normal operation are exposed, and feed school children in Fukushima with lunches made from foodstuff made and harvested in Fukushima Prefecture, insisting they are safe.

• This government sent its shills (prominent professors in prominent national universities) to cities and towns in Fukushima preaching safety as long as they were outside the 20-kilometer radius from the plant, when the government was flying blind in the late March regarding the true situation of the plant.

• This government didn't bother telling the citizens that the enormous radioactive materials had been released after a series of explosions because they didn't feel like announcing it, exposing residents in Kanto and Tohoku to high radioactive iodine and cesium without them knowing it.

• This government didn't bother sharing over 2,000 simulations done by one of the Ministries as to where radioactive iodine and cesium may fly. They finally agreed to release the data on April 25, when for all intent and purposes it was too late by 40 days.

• This government didn't bother alerting the foreign governments about the huge release of airborne radioactive materials, or the dumping of the radioactive water into the ocean. It kept attacking (still does) the foreign media for "sensationalizing" the accident. Now the whole northern hemisphere has been wrapped in the radioactive plume from Fukushima.

• This government is still lying to the citizens of Japan that the natural radiation exposure per year is 2.4 milli-sieverts, which is the international average; the Japanese average is much lower at 1.4 milli-sieverts per year, with Tohoku and Kanto average less than 1 milli-sievert per year.

So what does Kan propose to do now, to ensure the safety and health of all citizens? What does he say?

Other than testing the food, not much. So much for his "concerns" for citizens.

He talks about the effort to stop the leak into the ocean, and how they are scientifically testing the food for radioactive materials (i.e. scrubbing the vegetables under running water before testing) so that people have "confidence" in consuming Japanese foods. As if anyone with a brain cell left would believe the government numbers, other than those who want to believe.

The next paragraph shows Kan has no intention of winding down the nuclear power generation in Japan. He claims all it takes is the safety precaution. Uh huh. And he still babbles about global warming.

I pledge that the Japanese government will promptly and thoroughly verify the cause of this incident, as well as share information and the lessons learned with the rest of the world to help prevent such accidents in the future. Through such a process, we will proactively contribute to the global debate to enhance the safety of nuclear power generation. Meanwhile, regarding a comprehensive energy policy, we must squarely tackle a two-pronged challenge: responding to rising global energy demand and striving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming. Going forward, I would like to present a clear vision to the world that includes the aggressive promotion of clean energy that may contribute to solving global energy issues.

At this point, I think the rest of the world would rather have Japan burning away fossil fuels and create CO2, rather than spewing endless amount of radioactive materials into the air, the soil, and the ocean.

Ability to handle nuclear power generation is not in the DNA of the Japanese. Not, when they needed a secret manual of how to transport liquid uranium in a bucket (the 1999 accident of Tokai Nuclear Power Plant). Smoking cigarettes at the same time was optional.

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BBC: Chance of a Big One in Tokyo

Is it time for the Philippine Plate to get active?

Also, the Japanese researchers have gone very quiet on the subject, says BBC's Richard Black and Jonathan Amos.

From BBC News (4/21/2011):

...Seismic activity has definitely increased since the M 9.0 event, with the incidence of small earthquakes registered in some parts of Japan, hundreds of kilometres from the source, increasing by a factor of 10.

Hazard assessment in the region is therefore a pressing priority for researchers; but it is far from easy.

"The Kanto region is very complex, and the size of quakes triggered there is probably going to be limited by that complexity," says Chris Goldfinger from Oregon State University in the US, who works in collaboration with Japanese researchers.

"But given the proximity to Tokyo, even a limited quake there would be damaging."

Kanto sits very close to a tectonic triple junction - a point where vast slabs of the Earth's surface grind past each other.

The tectonic plate making up the Pacific Ocean floor is moving westwards under Japan towards Eurasia.

The Pacific plate is being pulled down (subducted) underneath Japan; and crowding in on this collision is the Philippine Plate, further south, also trying to get under Japan.

Ross Stein from the US Geological Survey (USGS) is one of a US/Japanese team that has modelled the region around the triple junction to help gauge future risks.

They used seismic signals from 300,000 tremors of various sizes to build a three-dimensional view of what was going on deep in the Earth, much like a doctor might use X-ray tomography to scan tumours in the brain.

They found a 25km-thick fragment broken off one of the plates that they now believe plays a significant role in shaping seismic activity in the Kanto region - and by implication, the outlook for Tokyo.

"When it comes to Tokyo, things get immensely complicated," said Dr Stein.

"There seems to be broken pieces of plate that are jammed under Tokyo like a pill that won't go down your throat. And on top of that we have the two different slabs of plates beneath it, so there's really a triple stack of faults beneath Tokyo."

To make matters more complicated, there is some disagreement among researchers about the most important geological factors around Tokyo, with some pointing to the Sagami Trough (a subduction zone leading off the triple junction) as the likely cause of big earthquakes, and others citing Dr Stein's "pill", known as the Kanto Fragment.....

And lastly,

One curiosity is that Japanese researchers are currently very reluctant to talk on the issue.

Scientists we contacted - in one case, someone known to one of us for years - did not want to go on record.

Given the devastation caused by the tsunami and the fact that an event near Tokyo could do even more damage, the reluctance to talk is eminently understandable.

It can, however, be interpreted as a signal of real concern.

(They've been probably told by the Japanese government not to talk without permission.)

The BBC article has an audio of the interview with Dr. Stein of USGS.

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor 4 Turbine Bldg Basement Contaminated Water Rising Rapidly, Cesium Increased 250-Fold from 1 Month Ago

From Yomiuri Shinbun (10:57PM JST 4/25/2011) reporting on the first "joint" press conference of Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Nuclear Safety Commission, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and Tokyo Electric Power Company including Mr. Hosono, Secretary General of the Unification headquarters of measures for Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident, which apparently went on and on and on for hours.

"Unification headquarters" - their words and their English translation, not mine. Doesn't that sound awful?

Here's Yomiuri Shinbun, no doubt the reporter jotting down information in the presser as best as he/she could, fighting fatigue:

　福島第一原子力発電所の４号機タービン建屋地下の汚染水について、東京電力は２５日、約１か月前に比べ、放射性セシウムで２５０倍の高濃度になっていることを、事故対策統合本部の記者会見で公表した。

TEPCO announced on April 25 press conference of the Unification headquarters for the Fukushima I Nuclear Plant accident that the water in the Reactor 4 turbine building basement at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant has 250 times more radioactive cesium than a month ago.

　３号機タービン建屋から流入している可能性がある。水位も上昇しつつあり、原子炉の安定冷却に向けた工程に影響を及ぼす恐れがある。

It is possible that the water is leaking from the Reactor 3 turbine building [the two turbine buildings share a wall]. The water level is also rising. This may affect the process [outlined in TEPCO's roadmap] to cool the reactors at the Plant in a stable manner.

　東電は２１日に、４号機タービン建屋地下の汚染水を採取し、放射性物質の濃度を測定した。通常運転時の炉水の１０倍の濃度の放射性ヨウ素や、ヨウ 素濃度を上回る放射性セシウムなどを検出。３月２４日に同じ場所で採取した汚染水と比べると、長期にわたり高い放射線を出すセシウム１３４が７８００ベク レル、同１３７も８１００ベクレルで、それぞれ約２５０倍に濃度が上昇していた。また放射性ヨウ素１３１も約１２倍だった。

TEPCO took the sample of water in the Reactor 4 turbine building basement on April 21 to measure the amount of radioactive materials. Radioactive iodine was found 10 times the amount found in the cooling water in the Pressure Vessel during the normal operation; radioactive cesium was found in greater concentration than radioactive iodine. 7,800 becquerels [per cubic centimeter?] cesium-134 and 8,100 becquerels cesium-137 were found, each 250 times the amount found in the sample taken on March 24 at the same place. Iodine-131 was found to be 12 times the amount of the March 24 sample.

　建屋地下の水位は徐々に上昇しており、４月２５日午前１１時で、床から最大１・１５メートルの水深が計測されるなど、前日に比べて５センチ上昇。１週間前に比べて１５センチも増えるなど、水量全体も増加しつつあるという。

The water level in the basement is steadily rising. As of 11:00AM on April 25, the water depth was 1.15 meters from the basement floor at the deepest part. It was an increase of 5 centimeters from the previous day, and an increase of 15 centimeters from a week ago.

　また、３号機タービン建屋地下の高濃度汚染水についても、改めて２か所で濃度を調べ直したところ、１か月前に比べて１・５～２倍以上になっていた。

Water samples were taken at two places in the Reactor 3 turbine building basement that has the highly contaminated water, and the radioactive materials detected in the samples were 1.5 to 2 times as much as one month ago.

Neither TEPCO nor Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has the data posted on their sites, and this Unification HQ doesn't have a website, nor does it release the minutes of the meetings they have had.

Asahi Shinbun says the water in the Reactor 3 turbine building basement is 200 times more contaminated as the water in the Reactor 4 turbine building basement. I suppose Asahi is talking about the amount of cesium, but the article doesn't specifically say. All reporters, MSM and freelance alike, must have been very tired.

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: NHK WORLD English Screws Up Big Time, Reporting "Radioactive Debris on the Nearby Mountainside"

Although it is possible that TEPCO is hiding that one, but as far as the official news goes which NHK reports dutifully, there is no 300-milli-sievert/hr debris on the mountainside but that's what NHK WORLD reported already, both in news video and on the article on their website.

As if a highly radioactive debris flew from the Reactor 3 and landed on the mountainside. I've found some English sites already quoting NHK as saying exactly that.

The original Japanese version of the news only talks about the debris located near the Reactor 3 reactor building, on the side that faces mountains - i.e. west. There's also an "ocean-side", the side that faces the ocean - i.e. east.

Oopsy.

I guess the NHK translator doesn't know the plant orientation yet, and neither do the editors. Thus, NHK World inadvertently joined foreign news organizations spreading "false and malicious rumors"..

From NHK World (4/24/2011) "TEPCO discloses radiation map":

... Radiation levels around the Number 3 reactor building, which was damaged by a powerful hydrogen explosion, are higher than in other locations, and 300 millisieverts per hour of radiation was detected in debris on a nearby mountainside.

In the accompanying video, the announcer reads exactly the same text with absolutely no hesitation or doubt.

And this is the original Japanese news, from NHK Japanese:

...激しい水素爆発があった３号機の原子炉建屋周辺は、ほかよりも全般に放射線量が高く、山側のがれきからは１時間当たり３００ミリシーベルトの高い放射線量が検出されています。

(My translation) Radiation level is higher around the Reactor 3's reactor building that suffered a powerful hydrogen explosion. From debris found on the side of the Reactor 3 building facing the mountain, 300 milli-sievert/hour radiation was detected.

I have sent an email to NHK WORLD warning them of the translation mistake. Maybe I should call them and warn that they are spreading a "false rumor" to the entire English-speaking world...
　

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Trial in France May Have Affected the Japanese Government's Decision to Upgrade to INES Level 7

Or may not, as people involved in the trial seem to think the case will be dismissed anyway.

It is an almost a decade-long trial of the ex-director of the Central Service for Protection against Ionizing Radiation (SCPRI) who famously (allegedly) said "the cloud stopped at the border." He was referring to the radioactive fallout cloud from Chernobyl in May 1986.

Checking a Japanese site that has the Fukushima-related links submitted by the site members, I found a link this morning to a blog site that had a curious link. The member who submitted the blog link thought this was part of the reason the Japanese government decided to raise the accident level to INES Level 7.

The link at the blog site goes to a site called "Iran Japanese Radio IRIB World Service", and the news, in Japanese and dated 4/7/2011, talks about a trial in France of the ex-chief of the French agency for radiation protection, who is accused of having suppressed the relevant data from the Chernobyl nuclear accident and misled the public by underestimating the severity of the accident.

That's interesting. So I looked for the confirmation of the news from other sources, and I found one AP article written on March 31:

PARIS (AP) — A French prosecutor wants to drop a decade-long investigation into the fallout in France from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, citing lack of proof that it caused health problems.

The prosecutor argued in a Paris hearing Thursday that the probe has been inconclusive and should be abandoned, according to a judicial official. The official was not authorized to be named because the hearing was closed to the public.

The hearing came amid global worries about the risks of fallout from Japan's nuclear disaster, as Japanese authorities struggle to contain radiation from reactors destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami earlier this month.

Investigators said that the head of the French radiation safety agency at the time of the Chernobyl accident deliberately misled the public by minimizing the health risks in France from the radioactive cloud it produced.

The safety agency chief, Pierre Pellerin, is the only person who has been handed preliminary charges in the case. He has insisted on his innocence, and the prosecutor said there was no evidence he misled the public on purpose.

Researchers and cancer victims accuse the government of downplaying the effects of the Chernobyl explosion, partly to protect France's powerful nuclear industry. A few dozen people, including thyroid disease victims, staged a protest Thursday near the courthouse.

French authorities have been widely ridiculed for insisting after the Chernobyl accident that the radiation did not reach France, though neighboring countries all said it passed through their skies. Other European countries pulled milk from shelves or recommended that children take iodine tablets to reduce radiation risks, while France took none of these steps.

French government agencies have adjusted some of their initial radiation estimates since the accident, but deny any intentional deception.

The Paris appeals court will decide Sept. 7 whether to abandon the investigation. Until that decision is made, the probe is effectively frozen.

Since the Japanese nuclear troubles began, French nuclear safety authorities have taken pains to soothe the French public about potential risks, holding daily press conferences for two weeks after the tsunami.

The court hearing comes amid renewed questions about the safety of nuclear plants, and second thoughts by many countries about re-investing in nuclear energy. France is the world's most nuclear energy-dependent country, with more than 70 percent of its electricity coming from nuclear reactors and has been at the forefront of a recent so-called nuclear renaissance.

Further looking for additional information, I got to the article by Le Figaro, in French, dated 4/1/2011 (with Google translation, sentence by sentence; French in blue):

At the head of the Nuclear Protection Authority in 1986, the scientist is accused of having minimized the fallout over France.

Il aurait certainement souhaité meilleur calendrier. He would certainly want better timing. En pleine catastrophe nucléaire au Japon, la responsabilité du Pr Pierre Pellerin dans la gestion qu'eut la France des retombées du nuage de Tchernobyl voilà vingt-cinq ans, est étudiée par la justice. Full nuclear disaster in Japan, the responsibility of Professor Pierre Pellerin in the management of France What would the benefits of the Chernobyl cloud these twenty-five years, is considered by the court. Une étiquette colle à la peau du Pr Pellerin : celle d'avoir été l'homme qui aurait déclaré que «le nuage s'est arrêté à la frontière». A label is stuck with Prof. Pellerin: that of being the man who reportedly said that "the cloud stopped at the border." S'il n'a en réalité jamais prononcé cette phrase, celui qui était alors le directeur du Service central de protection contre les rayonnements ionisants (SCPRI), est accusé d'avoir minimisé l'impact des retombées radioactives sur la France et des risques encourus par la population. If he never actually uttered this sentence, the then director of the Central Service for Protection against Ionizing Radiation (SCPRI), is accused of having minimized the impact of radioactive fallout over France and Risk incurred by the population. Une attitude qui, selon les parties civiles, serait responsable d'une hausse des cancers de la thyroïde. An attitude which, according to plaintiffs, would be responsible for an increase in thyroid cancers.

«Tromperie aggravée» "Deception aggravated"

Le dossier dans lequel Pierre Pellerin âgé de 88 ans est mis en examen depuis 2006 pour «tromperie aggravée» était étudié jeudi à huis clos par la cour d'appel de Paris. The folder in which Pierre Pellerin aged 88 was indicted in 2006 for "aggravated deception" was examined Thursday in closed session by the Court of Appeal of Paris. Elle dira si la juge Marie-Odile Bertella-Geffroy peut poursuivre son enquête commencée en 2002. She [referring to the dossier] says if the judge Marie-Odile Bertella-Geffroy may continue its investigation began in 2002. Le parquet général qui requiert un non-lieu estime, que, à ce jour, l'accident de Tchernobyl du 26 avril 1986 n'a pas eu de conséquences sanitaires mesurables en France. The Prosecutor General's Office which requires a non-place [dismissal] is estimated that, to date, the Chernobyl accident of April 26, 1986 had no measurable health consequences in France. À l'issue de l'audience, même l'avocat des parties civiles, Me Bernard Fau, pronostiquait la fin prochaine de l'enquête. Following the hearing, even the plaintiffs' lawyer, Bernard Fau, prognosticated the end of the next survey. La décision sera rendue le 7 septembre. The decision will be made on September 7.

(The article continues.)

Le Figaro's article quotes the member of the French association of thyroid cancer patients, who says "En cas de non-lieu, nous irons plus haut." In case of dismissal, we will go higher [to appeal].

I also found this old AFP article from December 2005 that French authorities deliberately suppressed information about the radioactive fallout from the May 1986 Chernobyl disaster:

PARIS, Dec 15 (AFP) - French authorities deliberately suppressed information about the spread of radioactive fallout from the May 1986 Chernobyl disaster over France, according to details of an experts' report leaked Thursday.

Two independent physicists say in the report that the state-run Central Service for Protection against Radioactive Rays (SCPRI) knew of high levels of contamination in Corsica and southeastern France but kept the details under wraps.

The study was commissioned by magistrate Marie-Odile Bertella-Geffroy, who since 2001 has been examining allegations that the atomic cloud from Chernobyl caused a surge in cases of thyroid cancer in parts of France.

This week Bertella-Geffroy handed over the report -- originally completed in March -- to civil plaintiffs in the case, who passed details to AFP.

"Now we have proof that there was a breakdown in the system. So now the judicial case will succeed -- I can't see how it can do otherwise," said Chantal Hoir, president of the French Association of Victims of Thyroid Cancer.

The report states that the SCPRI issued imprecise maps that concealed the high levels of fallout in certain areas, according to sources who saw the document.

It also states that with full information health authorities could have taken targeted steps to reduce the exposure of vulnerable people such as children and pregnant mothers.

It was the first time an independent study gave substance to long-standing accusations from anti-nuclear groups that the French government deliberately played down the risk posed by the nuclear cloud.

(The article continues.)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was awfully quick to come to Japan and offer assistance. The French company AREVA quickly won the contract to build a nuclear waste processing facility at Fukushima I Nuke Plant to process highly radioactive water in the buildings. Maybe President Sarkozy also quietly advised the Japanese government to avoid future trials by upgrading the Fukushima accident to the maximum Level 7. There is no higher level, so the Japanese won't be accused of minimizing the accident..

It's interesting to note that both France and Japan have very long tradition of the elite bureaucrats running the country.

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant "Contamination Map" Emerges, Sort Of...

(UPDATE: Sankei Shinbun has the TEPCO Map. h/t anon)



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These maps are not created by TEPCO but by the Japanese MSM based on the TEPCO's map, which may have more precise numbers and more locations (see the Kyodo article in my previous post).

But the masses don't need to know, say TPTB, so we are fed with half-a_s maps made by the MSM.

First, the map made by Yomiuri Shinbun. It shows the approximate radiation levels at 12 different locations out of "230" locations where the radiation is measured (according to Yomiuri). The numbers are in milli-sievert/hour:

Here's one by Asahi Shinbun. Slightly better, as it shows more locations, but there are no precise numbers. Again, the numbers are in milli-sievert/hour:

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