Japan Earthquake/Tsunami

[davek]

From the BBC

1214: The BBC's Colette Hume, in London, says the UK Foreign Office says it cannot offer each and every British citizen a free flight out of Japan as commerical flights are still available from Tokyo airport. It says to do so would be to undercut airlines offering those flights.

I know there's an argument that people working abroad should pay their own way becuase they're paying littleor no taxes on their earnings here, but what's the difference between this situation and Libya where people were alos in harms way and gotten out? Undercutting commercial airlines...imagine being preoccupied with that when people's well being are on the line?

 

[linglong]

From the BBC

1214: The BBC's Colette Hume, in London, says the UK Foreign Office says it cannot offer each and every British citizen a free flight out of Japan as commerical flights are still available from Tokyo airport. It says to do so would be to undercut airlines offering those flights.

I know there's an argument that people working abroad should pay their own way becuase they're paying littleor no taxes on their earnings here, but what's the difference between this situation and Libya where people were alos in harms way and gotten out? Undercutting commercial airlines...imagine being preoccupied with that when people's well being are on the line?

To say the least,the very least that does not look good on the government cut it any way you want it's petty and mean spirited at best,at worst well we'll see.

 

[davek]

To say the least,the very least that does not look good on the government cut it any way you want it's petty and mean spirited at best,at worst well we'll see.

Here's what they're saying in effect: they're telling people who they themselves are advising to leave the area for their own safety that they wont help them do so because British Airways or Virgin will take a hit in their profits. Incredible.

 

[Alio]

A clip from sea of the Tsunami

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12797471

 

[Dylan]

You know, I have been thinking about this nuclear meltdown and all of the fear mongering that is going on as a result. There is no fission happening, just a meltdown that will be contained. The only people *really* at risk is the guys working around the reactor itself.

The radiation that will kill you, the gamma radiation is very short lived and short ranged. It will not get past the reactor vessel. The longer ranged alpha radiation is what people are being 'contaminated' with is stopped by things like clothes and your skin. It is also the same type of radiation you get waking down highstreet at mid-day. There is no real worry for the general population short of a nuclear explosion (which won't happen, there is no fission taking place) pluming gamma rays into the atmosphere.

This is a classic example of FEAR MONGERING by the media. Yay. Can you believe that iodine tablets (by the way, useless for alpha radiation) are being sold on ebay for $500 a tablet right now thanks to the media hyping this up. You cant buy Iodine tablets on the west coast now because of this, even store as far east as Texas are sold out.

Source: My own background stemming from service in nuclear powered subs.

 

[Matt Damon]

You know, I have been thinking about this nuclear meltdown and all of the fear mongering that is going on as a result. There is no fission happening, just a meltdown that will be contained. The only people *really* at risk is the guys working around the reactor itself.

The radiation that will kill you, the gamma radiation is very short lived and short ranged. It will not get past the reactor vessel. The longer ranged alpha radiation is what people are being 'contaminated' with is stopped by things like clothes and your skin. It is also the same type of radiation you get waking down highstreet at mid-day. There is no real worry for the general population short of a nuclear explosion (which won't happen, there is no fission taking place) pluming gamma rays into the atmosphere.

This is a classic example of FEAR MONGERING by the media. Yay. Can you believe that iodine tablets (by the way, useless for alpha radiation) are being sold on ebay for $500 a tablet right now thanks to the media hyping this up. You cant buy Iodine tablets on the west coast now because of this, even store as far east as Texas are sold out.

Source: My own background stemming from service in nuclear powered subs.

The biggest victim of this D/D ?

Agriculture. It's going to have to monitored in Japan in that area for the next 30 years.

Even so, the monitoring process will keep dangerous levels of radioactivity out of the food chain.


Those reactors will be put into shut down probably encased in concrete and then cleanup will happen in the late 2020's.

 

[chicoazul]

Good point D-man, I seen it from the start. The Media were all over it hoping to drag out the maximum amount of airtime and get as many clicks on their sites as possible. It stinks. They're doing it maximise their advertising potential rather than delivering honest, real time news for the their subscribers. They were almost willing the nuclear plant to go up so their twitter obsessed, bad beaut post graduates can delight you with another text update.

 

[Elong]

A clip from sea of the Tsunami

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12797471

That would scare the crap out of me seeing that coming!!!

 

[Mutzo Nutzo]

Anyone wanna buy any Iodine tabs?

 

[linglong]

Good point D-man, I seen it from the start. The Media were all over it hoping to drag out the maximum amount of airtime and get as many clicks on their sites as possible. It stinks. They're doing it maximise their advertising potential rather than delivering honest, real time news for the their subscribers. They were almost willing the nuclear plant to go up so their twitter obsessed, bad beaut post graduates can delight you with another text update.

The media have been shameful in all of this,that first saturday morning after it happened i perchanced upon sky news,to me they seemed to be willing it to meltdown "live on sky!!!!"

I felt dirty watching it.

 

[bluebloodinmyveins]

Sky even added sound effects to it. I watched it totally amazed at what i was witnessing.

 

[linglong]

Sky even added sound effects to it. I watched it totally amazed at what i was witnessing.

I have never thought much of sky news but that hour i watched was disgusting i feel ashamed i watched an hour of it.

 

[teppic]

Good point D-man, I seen it from the start. The Media were all over it hoping to drag out the maximum amount of airtime and get as many clicks on their sites as possible. It stinks. They're doing it maximise their advertising potential rather than delivering honest, real time news for the their subscribers. They were almost willing the nuclear plant to go up so their twitter obsessed, bad beaut post graduates can delight you with another text update.

It happens with all the news.

Next time there is an exchange of fire across the DMZ in Korea watch for the 'on the brink of war' headlines the BBC churn out. One day someone will surely say "erm, didn't you say this exact thing last time, and the time before, and the time before..."

These 24 hour news stations are laughable. Reminds me of the Bond movie where the news company was trying to engineer a war to get the launch of their new channel off with a bang.

Trust me, as soon as Libya and Japan is out of the news and there is a lull in interesting stories there will be a nice Korean crisis to get the unknowing public all scared again.

 

[Dylan]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12814871

Power lines reconnected to the control rooms. Lightning restored......first step on the road to getting the primary coolant running again.

Good news for once.

 

[chicoazul]

No one in the media are arsed now, Libya has kicked off so they have their pound of flesh.

The f*cking blog loving tools.