2 Peaches in Greater LA found high in radiation!!!!!!

Two Peaches in Greater Los Angeles found high in radiation

In Los Angeles, on Friday, July 8th, 2011, two peaches found at a local Santa Monica market were confirmed to have sustained radiation levels of 81 CPMs, or greater. The market's background radiation was said to be about 39 CPMs. The two peaches, thus, had significantly high radiation contamination equaling over two times site background levels.
http://www.enviroreporter.com/radiation-station-stats/
Another blogger noted that: "What makes this discovery especially significant is that the 2X background radioactivity detected in these peaches was likely significantly attenuated by their water content; when eaten the exposure rate may be significantly higher. Even worse, it is likely that the detected radioactivity is from a longer half life radionuclide; which when eaten, would irradiate a person from the inside out for potential years to come."
@Potrblog, July 10th, 2011, at 8:05 pm
http://www.enviroreporter.com/2011/03/enviroreporter-coms-radiation-station/
Additionally, it appears the Greater Los Angeles Basin is continuing to get intermittent low level elevated radiation readings. That is, radiation levels less than 100 CPMs, but elevated relative to normal background levels for the geiger counter testing station).
http://www.enviroreporter.com/radiation-station-stats/

Nuclear Whistle Blower, Engineer Walter Tamosaitis, demoted

Nuclear whistle-blower backed by watchdog agency

Engineer Walter Tamosaitis was sidelined by his bosses after raising concerns about the risks of dealing with radioactive waste near Hanford, Wash. A government agency supports him after a yearlong inquiry.

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Energy Secretary Steven Chu testifies before the Senate Appropriations… (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

July 06, 2011|By Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times

Walter Tamosaitis, once a top engineer in the nation's nuclear weapons cleanup program, has been relegated to a basement storage room equipped with cardboard-box and plywood furniture with nothing to do for the last year.
Tamosaitis' bosses sent him there when he persisted in raising concerns about risks at the Energy Department's project to deal with millions of gallons of radioactive waste near Hanford, Wash., including the potential for hydrogen gas explosions.

Failed post and Responsibility of Nations

 What causes a nation to take responsibility for its catastrophes?  It is not just  a matter of the wealth of a nation.  In the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan 200,000 buildings collapsed.  In the March 2011 Fukushima earthquake very few buildings fell (excluding those swept away by the tsunami).  Japan had taken extensive measures to reinforce buildings and infrastructure.  But they did not prepare for the nuclear catastrophe.



This blog refuses to post.  Guess it is a catastrophe.

A 2007 study by the economist Charles Kenny aruges that the construction industry is the most corrupt sector of the world economy.  And the more corruption that exists - whether the usage of substandard materials or the building in areas that are unsuitable or unstable - the more likely there are to be deaths.

Some countries have adopted strong laws with severe penalties.  The original owner (or builder) is held liable for any damage suffered during the first 10 years of the building's life.  The owner (or builder) can be charged with fraud and even murder.  With laws like this owners often exceed the provisions of the strict building code to avoid liability.

It's sad we just can't count on people to do "the right thing".  We have to have laws to hold them accountable.

Public Policy and catastrophes

Summer Sale at Amazon Kindle Ebooks

Summer Sale - ninety nine cents to download The Nuclear Catastrophe on Amazon.com Kindle Ebooks.
Get yourself up and running - don't miss out.  Downloads can be to a free kindle on your computer or smart phone or notepad - or a stand alone Kindle.

Explosion and fire at French Nuclear Plant July 2, 2011

Explosion and fire at French nuclear plant, Deutsche Presse Agentur July 2, 2011:

Google Translation

In the southern French nuclear plant Tricastin it came to French media reports of an explosion.
On the grounds of the southern French nuclear plant Tricastin, there have been media reports in France after a transformer explosion and fire. The fire department was able to bring the fire under control in the afternoon, it said on the website of the regional newspaper “Dauphine Libere” on Saturday. People were not injured. The management of the nuclear power plant north of Marseille on the incident itself did not immediately comment.
The transformer was part of the reactor block 1, which is currently shut down, and was located outside the nuclear zone. Residents had reported thick black smoke. The nuclear power plant Tricastin with four pressurized water reactors of 915 megawatts each is in operation since 1981.

Start fire in EDF power Tricastin, “Dauphine Libere”, July 2, 2011:

Google Translation

A fire broke out on the EDF power Tricastin, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux (Drôme). Residents, worried, said a column of black smoke rose into the sky.
This is the explosion of the transformer of Unit 1 plant, which is stationary. Installation is located outside the nuclear zone. No one was hurt and there was no damage to the environment.
As always when an incident affecting the nuclear site, a large number of firefighters and police converged the scene. The fire was contained to 15 h 55.

h/t Lucas Whitefield Hixson



Here is the June 15 video by Alex in Tokyo with English subtitles:

For background information about this video, see: Alex, Frenchman living in Tokyo: “All my videos regarding Fukushima have been cancelled from YouTube” — Not one left this morning