Japan's Tsunami @ 11 March 2011

[Hermite15]

the government there might be attempting to avoid a general panic, and that's understandable. But still this is not Russia in the 80's... Japan is a democracy and from what I read the authorities are doing their best to help and protect. This said yes, the nuclear situation is absolutely critical, this has been unfortunately confirmed by several analysts on most major channels, CNN, Reuters etc...

[Asyn]

I really hope that is an overreaction.

Honestly, I hope that, too..!!! But from what I know, it isn't.

...that doesn't stop the U.S. major news orgs totally focusing on "what if" scenarios for the U.S. populations and censoring the news from Japan.

Censoring..!!?? Why..
Btw, it seems Japan is also censoring.

[Hermite15]

lol there's no censorship, especially on US channels ... why would they censor anything from Japan, and what would they censor... take a look at CNN "iReport" web site or Citizen tube, these sites are full of raw videos coming over from anywhere in the world, videos that will be published or not, but will remain accessible in any case.

 This said there's little - public - info from Japan itself on the actual nuclear situation. But this doesn't stop them, the Japanese, to already collaborate very closely with the US - yes right now - in order to avoid a disaster. The US has already sent stuff to cool the reactors, or at least attempt to. And once again there's no need to pour oil and stigmatize the US (or Japan) by inventing stories

[YoKenny]

Look at Google's Resources related to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

Headline on CNN:
Japan races to tame nuclear plant, find survivors
Report: Half of town is missing
http://www.cnn.com
Japan struggles with nuclear reactors in wake of quake
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.nuclear/index.html?hpt=T1 <== videos

[NON]

The Japan Meteorological Agency corrected the scale of the earthquake: Magnitude 8.8 to 9.0.
And the agency also predicted that aftershock which is over magnitude 7 would happen at 70% possibility.

Another meltdown possibility at Fukushima Daiichi plant No.3 reactor, and trying to cool it now.

Got worse... :'( :'( :'(

[SafeSurf]

there's no censorship, especially on US channels

That's a joke!  Most of the channels are owned by a few companies, so there is major censorship.  Thanks goodness we get international news to get the real stories.  Things are slightly better now with the current Administration, but we have a long way to go!

[osants911]

Another meltdown possibility at Fukushima Daiichi plant No.3 reactor, and trying to cool it now.

They are now started to cooling it down using sea water.

[REDACTED]

Hello everyone,

Thanks to my god and all of you, I'm alive.

I heard this tsunami also attacks Hawaii, California and some other countries. I hope all people affected to this earthquake / tsunami survive too.

NON

Храни Вас Бог - God bless you.

[REDACTED]

Some devastating pictures

Sad to hear that things aren't getting better but still declining.
A nuclear disaster isn't something any one needs to go through.  :'(

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/massive_earthquake_hits_japan.html

[SafeSurf]

@ NON and everyone else in Japan, we are all thinking of you and wishing the best.

[osants911]

My deepest condolences to the victims and the people of Japan.  :'(

[Tarq57]

Some balance, folks.

The media love melodrama. At times, watching the various commentaries about this, I have felt the distinct impression that they would actually like a meltdown (or worse) to happen.

The reactors went into emergency shut-down as a result of the earthquake; a design feature in case of serious damage.
As a result, the power they had been supplying to the grid was no longer present (of course) and the power supply to the reactors failed in overload.
A reactor takes quite a long time to shut down and start cooling down; heat (serious heat) is still produced in the core for several hours afterward. A supply of cooling water is essential.
The water would have been pumped and there would have been no drama if the mains supply held up. It didn't. The generators used to supply emergency power were flooded shortly afterward by the tsunami. So, no coolant.

It appears the explosion at no. 1 reactor was as a result of cooling water being applied to the superhot core, which also produces hydrogen gas, which then exploded, blowing the roof off in a spectacular fashion. This was not a nuclear explosion.

The authorities are now using sea water to remove excess heat. This will probably work. It will also pretty much be the end of the useful life-span of the reactors. (They don't like salt water; a maintenance/longevity issue; it's not intrinsically hazardous.)

It would seem to me that the authorities are likely to be so busy trying to control this situation during a time of crisis, and take the precaution of an evacuation space around the plants, and monitor anyone who was there for effects of radioactivity (there has been radioactive gas released) that they are probably unable to offer a definitive and authoritative statement of reassurance to the watching media.

This could go to a melt-down scenario. My feeling is that it probably will not. If it does, it would be quite different from the Chernobyl situation, where the containment area was destroyed, allowing a vast radioactive release. Provided the containment area remains intact a melt down is very serious, but not catastrophic.

Catastrophic is better defined by the huge number of people near the coast that did not have time to escape the tsunami - it was too close, despite the warning system working correctly.

Please avoid scaremongering, and I'd suggest not buying into the "fear"  mantra that the worlds' media - as Safesurf mentioned, run by a very small number of organizations - are trying to sell us.

My sincere condolences to anyone who has lost loved ones in Japan. A horrid thing to happen. Best wishes.

[Hermite15]

there's no censorship, especially on US channels

That's a joke!  Most of the channels are owned by a few companies, so there is major censorship.  Thanks goodness we get international news to get the real stories.  Things are slightly better now with the current Administration, but we have a long way to go!

you got an example of a major info that was kept silent by CNN, just one - taking the current situation in Japan for instance -   well I guess the medias have to be owned by a few companies, it's the same here in France, so what? they wouldn't survive economically otherwise... the end result is that the US/Canada and(some countries in)the EU have anyway the freest press on the planet.

 Oh one last thing, when you mention "international" news, you mean who? if you don't trust CNN/BBC/Reuters/AFP/AP etc... then who do you trust?

[YoKenny]

there's no censorship, especially on US channels

That's a joke!  Most of the channels are owned by a few companies, so there is major censorship.  Thanks goodness we get international news to get the real stories.  Things are slightly better now with the current Administration, but we have a long way to go!

That's why I am glad I live in Canada:
Japan's nuclear crisis grows
Partial meltdown already underway at one reactor in quake region
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/03/13/japan-quake-nuclear.html

I agree with Tarq57

My sincere condolences to anyone who has lost loved ones in Japan. A horrid thing to happen. Best wishes.

[Iso-G]

The media love melodrama. At times, watching the various commentaries about this, I have felt the distinct impression that they would actually like a meltdown (or worse) to happen.

I agree with you.

Please remember the energy of earthquake is tremendous.

Using log E=4.8+1.5M to convert the magnitude to energy (where E is energy [J] and M is magnitude of an earthquake), the energy of this earthquake (M9.0) in Japan is 10^(4.8+1.5x9.0) = 10^18.3 = 2.00E+18 [J].

The energy of "Little Boy", the atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima, is 6.28E+13 [J], so that it is equal to x30,000 of Hiroshima.
Even if this earthquake brings the great deal of harm, it is not mysterious.

However, the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan is still enduring.
The current stage of the nuclear plant in Fukushima is still far from Three Mile Island.
Chernobyl is the farthest land.
Many people including the Self‐Defense Forces of Japan are working hard to make the reactor core cooling.
I wish and guess the nuclear power plant in Fukushima is made cool down by this week end.


Now excellent rescue parties from Europe (Swiss, German, UK ...), USA and the other countries came in Japan and they are rescuing the victims as well as they can.
And USA ships (an aircraft carrier, destroyers etc) were arrived and they are also  undertaking the duty of the rescue.
I wish to express our gratitude to them as one of Japanese and wish a lot of people are rescued.
I wish to express my gratitude for consideration of everybody to say nothing of me.

Iso-G

P.S.
@Trevor
I'm alive in Tokyo.
I'll send an email to you with the file tomorrow.