I'm a Libertarian living in Humboldt County, CA. I've lived here in Eureka since 1973 and joined the Libertarian Party in 1992. This blog will mostly focus on local political issues, but I may stray into state and national issues as well, when I can't help myself. Please post your comments by clicking on the "comments" link at the bottom of each post. Although I do moderate comments, you need not be a registered user to post them.
Catastrophe might loom just around the corner, some folks think, with the moon coming the closest it has to Earth in 19 years on March 19. Scared yet?
posted by Fred Mangels @ 7:01 AM
13 comments
13 Comments:
Suddenly, I understand Fred. He gets his science news from the Daily Mail.
You might as well be reading the National Enquirer.
I'm scared! With all this global warming a moon coming too close might cause a flooding tide. (wink)
I like that Fred at least signs what he says.
Factoid: The distance between Earth and its moon grows by 38 mm a year. The Earth's spin is slowing while its moon's spin is increasing. Before we see any ill effects, our sun will have become a red giant, engulfing the Earth.
The Daily Mail is a mixture of real news and farce.
And with good timing and a wink, Ernie, knock on some wood.
Japan's earthquake and tsunami just a little while ago is very real at the moment. No warnings for our coast yet but the critical time-- if anything ever does occur-- would be around 6am today, Friday morning, I'm told. The tsunami early warning sirens in Oahu, Hawaii, have already sounded.
I doubt this is related to the moon coming too close, though, but your prediction is kinda uncanny, Ernie.
Did you hear the tsunami sirens go off around 4am ish this morning? I did. It took me a second but then I realized those had to be the tsunami sirens I was hearing.
I woke up as usual a bit before 5:30am expecting to see news of an earthquake somewhere and, sure enough, saw Japan got hit and tsunami warnings were out all over the world.
But before I could even read the story, the phone rang. I was surprised to pick up the phone and hear one of those phone alert deals advising me the tsunami was expected here around 7:30ish and to stay off the beaches.
Wow. What a way to start the day.
8.9. Massive damage, Huge tsunami, and another volcano eruption too - welllll............ hmmmmmmmmmm.............. maybe.....
Funny, captcha word is creezy
From your link - the story posted 3/09
It doesn't take much to get the Internet's lunar-tics out in force.
The web was yesterday awash with apocalyptic warnings that the movement of the moon will trigger tidal waves, volcanic eruptions and even earthquakes next week.
The conspiracy theorists claim that on March 19, the moon will be closer to Earth than at any time since 1992 - just 221,567 miles away - and that its gravitational pull will bring chaos to Earth.
So when was the last perigee and was there a swarm?
Maybe those disaster moons and tsunami sirens are important, but yours truly thinks something far bigger is on the way and in the wind, Fred.
Associated Press now reporting, "Japanese Government Warns of Fresh Explosion Threat":
"Date: Sun. Mar. 13 2011 3:15 AM ET"
"TOKYO — Japan's top government spokesman is warning of a fresh threat of explosion from a nuclear unit at a power plant in the country's earthquake-ravaged northeast.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Sunday that a hydrogen explosion could occur at Unit 3 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex. That would follow a blast the day before at the same power plant as operators attempted to prevent a nuclear meltdown of another unit by injecting sea water into it.
More than 170,000 people were evacuated as a precaution, though Edano said the radioactivity released so far into the environment is so small it does not pose any threat to human health."
Folks, stay tuned to your news and we'll see what Sunday brings.
Fred, news of Tokyo battling to avert a meltdown at three stricken reactors at the Fukushima plant in what is the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster is bewilderingly slim to none this morning and the news agencies scarce in reporting.
Fears of a nuclear meltdown at present are very real and terrifying Japan-- and the world-- as we speak.
Our local Times Standard newspaper was remarkably devoid mentioning this looming disaster today.
Heraldo and Readers have astoundingly moved to discussing the Eureka City Council and marijuana dispensaries as the topic du jour. Meanwhile, the biggest manmade disaster we've seen in the last 3 decades looms worldwide.
950 miles from Sendai's quake's aftermath, southern Japan's Shinmoedake volcano is blowing its top off sending ash 4700 feet up into the sky, as reported by article and video links.
Reports are slowly coming in indicating the major earthquake hitting Japan may have triggered volcanoes in Russia and Indonesia as well. While these reports are still vague, there's a strong correlation between the two occurrences. In Russia, there are reports that earthquakes were felt during the eruption.
Fred, if the above doesn't get your and reader's attention, Japan's Prime Minister Kan, the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times report Japan is clearly "facing its worst crisis since WWII."
That was a big war and crisis, Fred.
Bigger than disaster moons and mosquitoes?
Fred, just an update for you and your readers.
Kym Kemp and her website are doing an admirable job of sorting and keeping up with updates in Japan for Humboldt County.
Kym recently reported:
"New Hydrogen Blast at Fukushima; 1000 Bodies Found; Radioactive Particulates Found 60 miles From Japan's Nuclear Plant:"
"UPDATE @8:46 pm: 3 Injured 7 Missing in Explosion at the Unit 3 reactor of Fukushima says Associated Press.
UPDATE @ 8:15 :International Atomic Energy Agency says: Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) has informed the IAEA that there has been an explosion at the Unit 3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The explosion occurred at 11:01AM local Japan time.
BBC reports Hydrogen blast at Fukushima but containment wall has held. The video above (on Kym Kemp's site) shows the explosion.
New York Times reports: Pentagon officials reported that helicopters flying 60 miles from the plant picked up small amounts of radioactive particulates — still being analyzed, but presumed to include Cesium-137 and Iodine-121 — suggesting widening environmental contamination.
Tokyo stock market falls sharply as Japan starts new week. It’s Central Bank pumping $85.5 Billion into market.
Earthquakes continue to rock Japan the latest a little after 6pm our time. This was a 5.8. Here is a constantly updating map of earthquakes.
Voice of America Bureau Chief Steve Herman is reporting that 1000 bodies have been found on Ojika Peninsula. He’s also reporting that a tsunami alert is in Sendai. Other sources say 2000."
Thank you for sorting through this information and keeping us up to speed, Kym. Your site rocks for Humboldt.
That's one timely badass disaster moon you reported on, Fred.
Peace, everyone... it's going to be a bumpy week... skips
Hope you have room for one more, Fred?
Updates:
The Hindu News: Meltdown Threat After Hydrogen Blast and Japanese Nuclear Plant Water levels dropped precipitously leaving the uranium fuel rods completely exposed and raising the threat of a meltdown. The fuel rods in all three of the most troubled nuclear reactors appeared to be melting.
BBC News: Meltdown Alert at Reactor The latest hydrogen blast was felt 40km (25 miles) away and sent a huge column of smoke into the air. Nearly 185,000 people have been evacuated from a 20km (12 mile) exclusion zone around the plant. The US said it had moved one of its aircraft carriers from the area after detecting low-level radiation 160km (100 miles) offshore.
New York Times: More bad news. Crews prepared Monday to pump seawater into a third reactor in order to prevent a meltdown. Experts called the injection of seawater into the site's three crippled reactors units a desperation move never attempted before in the industry...describing this as a Hail Mary Pass...
Christian Science Monitor:"Oil Prices, World Markets Affected The natural disaster in Japan has put an end to the recent rise in the price of oil. Crude oil tumbled over $4 to below $100 per barrel as Japanese refiners shut plants. This drop was dramatic, and traders took advantage of the natural disaster to go ahead and take profits on the higher oil prices.
Google Crisis Response Information: Quake, Tsunami, Nuclear Resources Page is found here: Listing shelters, aid agencies, phone numbers, transportation and flight status out of Japan, Disaster Message Boards, Power and Blackout Status, etc.
Newsweek: Is Our Next Big Earthquake Going to Be California? The scariest earthquake is yet to come-- the tsunami that struck Japan was the third in a series of events that puts California at risk:
"Now there have been catastrophic events at three corners of the Pacific Plate—one in the northwest, on Friday; one in the southwest, last month; one in the southeast, last year. That leaves just one corner unaffected—the northeast. And the fault line in the northeast of the Pacific Plate is the San Andreas Fault, underpinning the city of San Francisco."
Current reports indicate 500,000 individuals evacuated from tsunami, quake, and nuclear areas. Japan's Nikkei stock index closed down 6.18%, the worst drop in two years.
Fred, it's gonna be bumpy... disaster moons, Mayan calendars, iodine tablets and Geiger counters aside...keep those emergency supplies ready at home.
Latest update, Fred and folks.
Associated Press: "Japanese Agency: Explosion Heard at Power Plant"
Posted: 03/14/2011 05:45:22 PM PDT
SOMA, Japan (AP) "-- A third explosion in four days rocked the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeast Japan early Tuesday, the country's nuclear safety agency said. The blast at Dai-ichi Unit 2 followed two hydrogen explosions at the plant as authorities struggle to prevent the catastrophic release of radiation in the area devastated by a tsunami. The troubles at the Dai-ichi complex began when Friday's massive quake and tsunami in Japan's northeast knocked out power, crippling cooling systems needed to keep nuclear fuel from melting down.
The latest explosion was heard at 6:10 a.m. Tuesday (2110 GMT Monday), a spokesman for the Nuclear Safety Agency said at a news conference. The plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said the explosion occurred near the suppression pool in the reactor's containment vessel. The pool was later found to have a defect. International scientists have said there are serious dangers but not at the level of the 1986 blast in Chernobyl. Japanese authorities were injecting seawater as a coolant of last resort, and advising nearby residents to stay inside to avoid contamination..."
...Surprisingly enough, this AP article appears at the Times-Standard site. To note, the T-S has been remarkably negligent of any coverage of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant-- and readers going elsewhere-- for information on the worst manmade disaster in 30 years.
As well as your site, Kym Kemp's RedHeaded Blackbelt and Heraldo's Humboldt Herald have been maintaining updates. Stay tuned. Keep those emergency supplies ready at home, Fred. Even if you've touched a nuclear rod you probably haven't developed immunity that I'd be banking on, Fred.
Fred, here's some news for the readers:
Times-Standard’s Mighty Thadeus Greenson in his article, “State, Feds: No Current Nuclear Risk from Japan; California Hotline Set up to Field Questions” reported today:
“As the risk of a nuclear meltdown increases in Japan, numerous media outlets reported that winds in the island nation are carrying any radioactive material being released east into the Pacific Ocean…there is no need for alarm, according to state and federal agencies. ”Given the thousands of miles between the two countries… the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity,” stated a release from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
…Robert Lima, owner of Lima’s Pharmacy, said a customer actually started screaming at one of his store’s pharmacists Saturday when it was discovered the tablets Lima’s had on its shelf were expired. ”We’ve got several calls,” Lima said Monday. “We are trying to get some more in.”
…U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Mary Simms said in an e-mail to the Times-Standard that the agency has testing stations set up throughout the West Coast and throughout California that would pick up any radioactive particles in the air. There’s a station in Eureka, according to the EPA’s website.
“…At this time, there is no indication that materials from the incidents in Japan have the potential to have any significant radiological effect on the U.S.,” the (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) list states. …The California Department of Public Health has set up a hotline to field questions, which can be reached by calling:
916-341-3947 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.”
Take care, Fred. Japan is suffering one terrible blow after another.
Post a Comment
<< Home