thereismore
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:07 PM
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Is it just me or are the 50 workers at the Daiichi plant left alone to fight this crisis while |
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the Japanese government, army, air force, has not mobilized to fight it? Are they just hoping for the best? Or are they leaving it up to the TEPCO corporation? Looks foolish to me to the highest degree. Something stinks in Japan and I think it's capitalism. It stinks everywhere.
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RKP5637
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:09 PM
Response to Original message |
1. IMO capitalism without strict regulation has and always will be the great destroyer. n/t |
Ghost Dog
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:22 PM
Response to Reply #1 |
GKirk
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:28 PM
Response to Reply #1 |
13. Much like the tragedy at Chernobyl |
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which was run by wait... no they weren't capitalists.
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Tommy_Carcetti
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:40 PM
Response to Reply #13 |
21. Soviet cronyism and Randian-style capitalists/corporatists are two sides of the same coin, IMHO. |
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Edited on Wed Mar-16-11 01:40 PM by Tommy_Carcetti
Both bred corruption and a lack of compassion in humanity.
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thereismore
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:02 PM
Response to Reply #13 |
23. You are missing my point. I am talking about the response. The Soviets actually mobilized |
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the army. There were 600 helicopter pilots flying sorties with bags of stuff to cover the reactor. Japan seems to be unwilling to do the sacrifice but risks damage to the entire nation.
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KatyMan
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:11 PM
Response to Original message |
2. I don't disagree with the body of your message, but |
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Edited on Wed Mar-16-11 01:11 PM by KatyMan
I would imagine those 50 workers are the most well trained and well equipped personnel to handle the crisis.
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Ghost Dog
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:25 PM
Response to Reply #2 |
12. One would hope they are all volunteers, |
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and motivated by the most pure possible sentiments.
And will be forever honored.
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KatyMan
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:37 PM
Response to Reply #12 |
18. Agree 100%....even 1000% nt |
flamingdem
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:11 PM
Response to Original message |
3. Latest reports have the police arriving with water canons |
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and they're saying it's a pool of 200 people they draw the rotating 50 from, that is good to hear.
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thereismore
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:03 PM
Response to Reply #3 |
24. Yes, thank you. That is good to hear! nt |
Turbineguy
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:11 PM
Response to Original message |
4. There are shifts of 50 |
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so it's actually around 200. This is highly specialized work. Warm bodies won't do.
I believe they can honestly say, "we've got our best people on it".
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Skidmore
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:13 PM
Response to Original message |
5. It is actually more than 50 men at that plant. I heard a report |
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on NPR this morning in which they said there are a couple of hundred men rotating in and out in shifts of 50 men. These men are technicians and are taken from the older workers at the plant because the health effects of radiation will likely not become full blown in their life span as they would for younger workers there.
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Abq_Sarah
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:17 PM
Response to Original message |
6. Capitalism split the first atom? |
marmar
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:30 PM
Response to Reply #6 |
14. No, but it's been splitting them on the cheap ever since....... |
bobbolink
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:38 PM
Response to Reply #6 |
20. Actually, yes. WAR INTERESTS. |
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Edited on Wed Mar-16-11 01:39 PM by bobbolink
You really think it would have been done if there were no profits involved????
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Recursion
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:19 PM
Response to Original message |
7. The military is mobilized |
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They were dropping water from the air and now they're working on getting boots on the ground with hoses (not something you can do at the drop of a hat in an area with destroyed infrastructure).
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Shagbark Hickory
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:21 PM
Response to Reply #7 |
9. Those watercopters were called off. Aborted. |
Recursion
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:37 PM
Response to Reply #9 |
17. Hence my use of "were" rather than "are" |
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They are currently working on a plan to get ground personnel there with hoses.
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thereismore
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:05 PM
Response to Reply #7 |
25. That is good to hear! Thank you. nt |
nadinbrzezinski
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:20 PM
Response to Original message |
8. The military is mobilized |
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who told you otherwise?
The people who most likely volunteered, know they are already dead
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Shagbark Hickory
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:21 PM
Response to Reply #8 |
10. Aborted. (per CCTV news) Too much radiation for watercopters. |
nadinbrzezinski
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:31 PM
Response to Reply #10 |
15. I really am scratching my head on that by the way |
Recursion
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:38 PM
Response to Reply #15 |
19. It's not just the radiation; there are roofs and debris in the way (nt) |
Shagbark Hickory
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Wed Mar-16-11 03:57 PM
Response to Reply #19 |
38. I didn't see any roofs or debris in the sky when the watercopters suddenly hightailed it outta there |
thereismore
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:05 PM
Response to Reply #8 |
26. I heard there were 50 people there. Until this morning that was true. Have you heard otherwise? nt |
nadinbrzezinski
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:15 PM
Response to Reply #26 |
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but they already had lethal doses... lord
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thereismore
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:28 PM
Response to Reply #29 |
32. Rotation helps. For any non-specialist task like spraying water there has to be military |
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with lots of people taking turns never staying long enough to sustain lethal dose and then being taken out of the area. I don't see that happening and it worries me that somewhere somebody is just hoping for the best.
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lapfog_1
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:31 PM
Response to Original message |
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It is very likely that many, if not all, of these volunteers know that they are going to die from this.
Second, do you really want a bunch of untrained police or military folks also committing suicide while not really being all that effective (throwing their lives away or at least their health for nothing).
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thereismore
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:08 PM
Response to Reply #16 |
27. No, I am talking about flying sorties, lots of pilots, rotating crews, rotating firefighters...not |
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50 men, for god's sake, this disaster is bigger than 50 men. I understand that the infrastructure is destroyed, but the government has to take charge. This is not a job for 50 men, the well-being of the whole country is at stake.
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lapfog_1
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:25 PM
Response to Reply #27 |
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water drops? You have fuel rods (even spent fuel rods) which are exposed to the air right now. It is very likely that there are holes in the pools where the spent fuel rods are located. Those fuel rods, once exposed to the air, oxidize very very quickly. This will compromise the metal cladding that surrounds the fuel pellets. Once the cladding is gone, the fuel pellets will "slag" and concentrate at the bottom of the pool. Once that happens, there is a likely increase of heat (dramatic) and a "China Syndrome" is possible. When that molten slag of uranium (and plutonium in one of the spent fuel pools) hits the water table, there will be an explosion (water turned into steam instantly) which will create the world's largest dirty bomb. That's game over.
Helicopter water drops are unlikely to prevent it. Repaired electric lines (recently announced) are also unlikely to prevent this as well because of damage to the pipes and to the pumping system. Not to mention that those pools have holes in the walls, therefore, trying to keep the rods covered with water is problematic.
It all sounds like desperation to me.
Throwing a bunch of people at it... not sure that they can even get a significant number of people to the site, much less have them do anything.
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thereismore
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:54 PM
Response to Reply #31 |
36. I thought getting water into the pools was a priority. Yes air drop is desperation but |
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wouldn't you try it, considering the alternatives you just outlined? This is not an academic problem. A desperate act may be the difference between life and death for many people. Chernobyl liquidators did a lot of desperate acts that saved us from an even greater catastrophe.
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Hubert Flottz
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Wed Mar-16-11 01:48 PM
Response to Original message |
22. Maybe those 50 patriots are from theTEPCO corporate boardroom? |
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But I doubt it. The fat cats from TEPCO are probably on their way out of the country.
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thereismore
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:11 PM
Response to Reply #22 |
28. I am sure they are just human beings sacrificing themselves for us. nt |
eilen
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:18 PM
Response to Reply #22 |
30. They are probably in Texas now |
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planning the two new nuclear plants the Whitehouse hired them to build.
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thereismore
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:28 PM
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Rex
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:32 PM
Response to Reply #30 |
34. Ya know, I would worry about that but the Gulf is already fucked |
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from BP gushing oil into the environment. I'm sure all the people pissing blood are lying and trying to get money from BP. :sarcasm:
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applegrove
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:47 PM
Response to Original message |
35. Someone said yesterday that each plant in that facility would normally have |
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100 workers. I cannot imagine what hell it must be to be one of those 50.
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cali
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Wed Mar-16-11 02:56 PM
Response to Original message |
37. TEPCO stinks but it's not 50 workers, it's several hundred in rotating shifts. |
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