The other bad thing about this mess is the Department of State's decision to call the evacuation "Voluntary" but everything was funded by the government. They stopped short in ordering a mandatory evacuation so as not to rattle the Japanese sentiment. We will definitely not look good if we pulll out all of our forces and dependents from the island of Honshu. Right now, the base is like a ghost town according to people who chose to stay. Rolling blackouts are common and so is hoarding of bottled water.

I hope this situation will stabilize as soon as possible so everyone can focus on the clean-up and rebuilding of the inundated places.

Your right about that.
 

Yea your right about that. Making it voluntary allows it to look as if our Gov is not trying to scare or panic anyone by making it manditory. Still in any situation such as this one if it looks even remotely serious and has the potential to become in any way life threatening I would not wait for any Gov to tell me that things are worse and that now I have to leave. If even a hint of trouble shows, and they offer to pay your way out, then you are a fool if you do not leave.

We all know that local Gov lie just to keep from panicing its people and also covering its own a$$. There is always hope for a resolution, but I would have to go on the side of caution when lives are at stake. I am sure that most of the people around the world are hoping that Japan gets things under control and that it will not end up contaminating other countries by accident. Still I have to think that there is an awful lot of ground to cover on their part before this looks even remotely under control and we can all feel safe from danger. With the predictions of this looking like it may takes months or even years to contain and clean up I would have had something more perminant cooling wise set in place by now. They could easily build some water cannon stands around the complex with huge portable pumps in place that are capable of spraying a very large amount of water on these reactors to keep them under the temp limits that make them so dangerous. Once that is in place then begin formulating a plan to go in and recover regular cooling systems at least to the point of relieving some level or pressure from this whole situation.

The other problem with spraying so much water on this mess is that the water becomes contaminated itself, and where do you think it is going? Yea that's right, probably right into the Ocean contaminating all of the sea life in the area. And there is no way to control that. Once its in the sea it will travel everywhere over time. Before this is over with the entire planets Oceans will have a higher radiation level. This may very well become a global seafood catastrophy.

28/march/2011 updates
 

Here is the latest. It is already Monday morning here in Prague as we see the third week of nuclear issues in Japan. We all know that things have been coming out of Japan long after they find things out as the Gov continues to cover up just how bad things really are.

TOKYO – Highly radioactive iodine seeping from Japan's damaged nuclear complex may be making its way into seawater farther north of the plant than previously thought, officials said Monday, adding to radiation concerns as the crisis stretches into a third week.

Mounting problems, including badly miscalculated radiation figures and no place to store dangerously contaminated water, have stymied emergency workers struggling to cool down the overheating plant and avert a disaster with global implications.

Like I stated previously this is going to become a world wide issue that could change the eco system and damage the way we live around the globe. From where I am sitting it looks to me as if Japan is losing their grip on this issue all together. This nuclear disaster is going to get a whole lot worse before and if we ever see a positive change to the situation. If they do not make some sort of progress soon things are going to get so hot that no one will be able to get close enough to do anything. Everyone who is in the know and can do something to help them better get onboard soon or it is going to be too late for all of us.

thanks for the update... It is amazing that here in teh UK, the news from Japan has been completely cancelled out by Libya. Which, yes is fair enough, but it is as if the problems in Japan never occurred!

Whats that about?
 

Yea whats that about? I mean Libya is hardly a world issue of concern that can effect the global majority, but Japan is quickly becoming like the new plague of our planet, and it seems like everyone is turning a blind eye to the news there as if its just going to quietly go away. The only place I have seen anything is on the web. I just keep digging up what I can find and sharing it in here.

Even the Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami recovery efforts seem to have faded into the background like nothing ever happened over there. The whole Katrina incident was plastered all over the news for months. We have not seen one word about aftershocks or anything since the Libya chrisis started. The people of Japan are in some deep doodoo and the world as a whole are going to feel the effects of this disaster on a big scale for many years to come. And yet everyone is quietly acting as if it is not happening. Our major food source of seafood may soon disapear to the point that it will no longer be safe to consume, and yet no one is talking about this. Radiation has already began traveling up the east coast of Japan and will soon travel across the Oceans contaminating every body of saltwater around the globe. This should be the biggest headliner of all time, and yet no one is reporting this major story. Is it because everyone is dumfounded as to how very bad this may become? Better eat what seafood you can while it is still safe to eat. If things do not change soon it may be 100 years or more before anyone gets to eat it again.

the governments are just doing a good job of keeping things out of the news...

Also i doubt any journalists want to go and try and get a sneek peak of what is really going out there due to the radiation!

This is a catastrophe, and you know it is serious when things go silent, just before things errupt once again! News of this type of situation does not go this silent that quickly!!

Concerns me
 

Yea thats what concerns me. Usually in matters this big there are hourly reports to share how the recovery is going and what the next step is going to be, so as not to panic anyone. This one is so utterly quiet that you have to wonder just how bad are things, and how much worse are they going to get. I try to keep up with the latest progress reports, but there is hardly anything out there to watch or read. I mean this really has the potential to become a world wide disaster that can devestate the entire planet and no one is talking about it. I would think that the world leaders of today should be shadowing this every second of the way and preparing for worst case scenarios. Where the hell are our leaders, and what are they doing to help in this situation? That is what I would be writing about if I were a journalist. This is the biggest story of the human race to date. The recovery efforts at this Nuclear plant should have become a world wide effort to get things under control, not just a Japan problem. Surely the Nuclear experts have weighed in enough with information to let our world leaders know that this needs a huge effort on everyones part. Japan is quickly losing control and then these four reactors will become one very big problem that will harm us all.

Latest news update.
 

Here is the latest news update that I just pulled off of the internet just a few minutes ago.

TOKYO – Workers discovered new pools of radioactive water leaking from Japan's crippled nuclear complex, officials said Monday, as emergency crews struggled to pump out hundreds of tons of contaminated water and bring the plant back under control.

Officials believe the contaminated water has sent radioactivity levels soaring at the coastal complex and caused more radiation to seep into soil and seawater. Crews also found traces of plutonium in the soil outside of the complex on Monday, but officials insisted there was no threat to public health.

Plutonium — a key ingredient in nuclear weapons — is present in the fuel at the complex, which has been leaking radiation for over two weeks, so experts had expected some to be found once crews began searching for evidence of it this week.

[Related: 32 years: Three Mile Island anniversary]

Tokyo Electric Power Co. official Jun Tsuruoka said only two of the plutonium samples taken Monday were from the leaking reactors. The other three were from earlier nuclear tests. Years of weapons testing in the atmosphere left trace amounts of plutonium in many places around the world.

What annoys me is that everytime something bad happens the government provides a reason as to why we shouldnt worry. I read something about a radiation reading that was 10,000 times greater than normal and then everyone came back and said that it must have been a mistake. Then they talk about the contaminated soil, but they they claim that it wont harm anyone. Then the radioactive water, that really wont harm anyone as long as you dont step on it. There is a lot of covering up going on right now.
I agree with you guys that ,lately you cant even find any updates on the web about what is going on. A lot of the articles are older and they are not providing any type of meaningful updates so we can see whats going on. I read another article that the isotopes have made their way to Nevada now so we are detecting some radiation here. If those plants go into a full meltdown, I would hate to think about whats going to be unleashed into the atmosphere and how far it will go.

Last night my wife showed me a website that shows a map of Japan, the tectonic plates and size and severity of earth quakes since the big one. For lack of a better word it was like fireworks. More than 800 quakes in the last few weeks happened just off the east coast.:surprised:

More bad news
 

Just picked this up in one of the news reports. They seem to be burying these very important notes deep in old statements as if they are trying to hide them.
Because one of the things that I noticed was how they are starting off in new reports using one or two paragraphs of new news, and then just adding old news over them to make it look like a huge story. Pretty shoty journalism if you ask me.

The discovery of plutonium, released from fuel rods only when temperatures are extremely high, confirms the severity of the damage, Nishiyama said.

When plutonium decays, it emits what is known as an alpha particle, a relatively big particle that carries a lot of energy. When an alpha particle hits body tissue, it can damage the DNA of a cell and lead to a cancer-causing mutation.

Plutonium also breaks down very slowly, so it remains dangerously radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years.

"If you inhale it, it's there and it stays there forever," said Alan Lockwood, a professor of Neurology and Nuclear Medicine at the University at Buffalo and a member of the board of directors of Physicians for Social Responsibility, an advocacy group.

The latest news sat/02/04/11
 

Now this will show you just how desperate this situation truly is. Even they are realizing that if this is not brought under some level of control soon that the entire island of Japan will become unlivable.


The mother of one of the atomic "samurai" working to bring Japan's stricken nuclear plant under control has said her son and his colleagues expect to die as a result of their efforts. Meanwhile, there are reports that additional workers are being offered big money to dash into the radiation-drenched heart of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, perform a job, then withdraw.

In a phone interview with Fox News, the tearful mother of a 32-year-old worker said: "My son and his colleagues have discussed it at length and they have committed themselves to die if necessary to save the nation."

"He told me they have accepted they will all probably die from radiation sickness in the short term or cancer in the long term," the woman added.

"They know it is impossible for them not to have been exposed to lethal doses of radiation."

The woman did not give her name, because she said the workers had been asked by management not to speak publicly about their ordeal, in order to minimize panic.

There are also indications that the workers aren't being provided with some crucial safety equipment. Japan's interior minister said that not all of the workers were given lead sheeting to protect themselves from the floor--which may be contaminated by radiation--while sleeping.

"My son has been sleeping on a desk because he is afraid to lie on the floor. But they say high radioactivity is everywhere and I think this will not save him," said the mother.

In another bleak sign, there are reports of additional workers being offered up to $5,000 a day to act as "jumpers"--so called because they "jump" into highly radioactive areas to quickly perform a task before fleeing with minimal exposure. But even at those rates, many candidates are turning the work down, Reuters reports.

"My company offered me 200,000 yen ($2,500) per day," one subcontractor in his 30s told a reporter."Ordinarily I'd consider that a dream job, but my wife was in tears and stopped me, so I declined."

And Ryuta Fujita, 27, told the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper he was offered $5,000 to go into Reactor 2, but likewise declined.

"I hear that guys older than 50 are being hired at high pay," Fujita said. "But I'm still young, and radiation scares me. I don't want to work in a nuclear plant again."

Last week two workers in Reactor 3 were taken to hospital after their feet were exposed to 170-180 millisieverts of radiation. The average dose for a worker at a nuclear plant is 50 millisieverts over 5 years.

Because so few workers want to venture into the plant, it's proving hard for TEPCO, that company that runs it, to assess whether efforts to cool the fuel rods are working, or even to fully diagnose the problems.

Robots are usually used for this type of work, but Fukushima's interior is so filled with debris that it's difficult for robots to operate there.

thanks for this update..

THIS IS TERRIBLE!

Im speechless!

While its no doubt a disaster, and one that peopple need to learn from and not follow in the stupidity of TEPCO and Japanese govt, this is a bit of extreme; it is just fear mongering. It is one thing to be concerned, rightly so, and understand what is going on and be truthful and forthright (an issue with the gov/TEPCO, and usually most governments anyways), but another to listen and pass on the yammerings of the over sensationalized media or reports from yokels no matter what country they are from.

This has turned out worse than Three Mile Island, but it is still not anywhere near Chernobyl.

But nonetheless, as always there are those individuals that one must be impressed with; the workers who are braving serious health risks to resolve this very serious problem. These men and women are on the same scale as the 9/11 responders and those of any major (or even minor) disaster.

Wow really?
 

This has turned out worse than Three Mile Island, but it is still not anywhere near Chernobyl.

But nonetheless, as always there are those individuals that one must be impressed with; the workers who are braving serious health risks to resolve this very serious problem. These men and women are on the same scale as the 9/11 responders and those of any major (or even minor) disaster.[/QUOTE]


WOW REALLY? Are you trying to compare what these poor souls are going through (certain death) to save an entire population to those of the 9/11 NYC recovery crews? Are you kidding me. Look no one is for any reason douting that what the crews went through in NYC was a terrible situation. Certainly the death toll of those who perished in the subsiquent collaps of the twin towers was awful. All of this being casued not by Mother Nature, but by morons who are surely set on hurting the American way of life. Recovery yes was difficult, but nothing on the level of what these workers are faced with. Even if they do get in and out without having any of the structure fall on them they will more than likely either get extremely sick from radiation poisoning, or they will die a painful death from an invisible killer that causes cancer and the like.

This tiny Island nation was hit by one of the largest natural disasters to date being a 9.0 Earthquake, followed by part of their island sinking two feet leaving them wide open for a Tsunami that wiped out what will more than likely turn out to be over 20K to 25K people, and also crippling this nuclear power site to the point of nuclear disaster that is unrivaled in size and possible level of contamination involving not one, not two, not even three, but four damaged reactors, along with all of their spent fuel rod pools which involves a very large number of dangerous nuclear fuel.

No this has not reached the level of disaster of Chernobyl yet, but it can surely get much worse if things keep encountering setbacks that are making things impossible to overcome the damage already created after three weeks of attempting to get things under control. 9/11 was ten years ago, and we have long since recovered from that. Not sure what your point is here, but this is far from over and there has been nothing so far that points to the resolution of the growing problems that these reactors present to the nation of Japan or that of the world who are all extremely worried about the very real posibilities that this has the potential of causing. Lets just say for the sake of arguement that Japan keeps working at this for another month and finally just says we do not know what we can do. By then we would be in what like the 7th week of radiation leakage. From all of the conflicting reports up to now I really do not believe that anyone knows just how much contamination is actually leaking out of this plant. This is relitively new ground for most of the world and exactly how much damage can be done by these reactors probably won't even make it to the surface until long after the damage is done. Life in Chernobyl is still desolate and many many people have died and have been adversely affected by that disaster. How high will those levels reach in this one. No one yet knows and that is why we are here discussing this situation. If you do not like reading about it on here, or seeing it on TV, then don't.

I did say the FIRST RESPONDERS, not necessarily the recovery crews but nonetheless the did face consequences to their actions. The point was that just as many FIRST RESPONDERS do they went in and have done their jobs putting others, instead of their own safety, first.

And I generally don't pay attention to the majority of the media, because time and again they are proven to be misleading, over sensationalized, and just often plain wrong.

Just to clarify the first responders of the 9/11 terror attack never expected the towers to collaps on top of them. They went in (yes risking their lives) thinking that they could save hundreds of people, which they did, and then hopefully get out alive. It did not work out that way. It was a very sad moment in the history of the USA and we all suffered the losses in our own way ten years ago. The heros of that event have been and will be celebrated for many years. None of this discussion has had anything at all to do with that disaster.

The workers at this Japanese nuclear power plant come to work every single day and try their best to keep themselves and that of the general public out of danger by doing their job well. Today they know that they will more than likely die working in these reactor buildings, and yet day after day they are sacrificing their lives to try and avert a complete meltdown of this facility. I am sure that they are well aware of the catostrophic damage this facility can create if it is not brought under control not just for them, but for the world at large. They are being asked to give their lives for the future of their families, their people, and their country, as well as the safety of our planet as their families watch. It seems from your post that all you hope to do is downplay their sacrifice as if it does not deserve recognition, or equal that of the 9/11 responders. Comparing this to 9/11 as if it is no more of a sacrifice is completely irrelivant to their efforts in Japan today. I dout seriously if the twin towers were left to lay where they fell that it would have had any negative affects on the rest of New York or that of the world to the level that this could. So once again what is your point?

Please don't take offense but I do not understand what you are trying to say. Oh and if the information that we share on here is fear mongering than what relative facts do you have to share in this thread that will lead anyone to follow your thinking? What details about this facility do you have that should help us all believe that this is nothing at all for us to worry about? Please share your professional assessment of the current situation that contradicts what is being shared in the news, and in this thread. Please help us understand what your point is and how it is relative to this discussion. Please shed some devine light on this matter that will eleviate everyones fears on the matter and we can all just go home and forget about it. Just to add some of us have family and friends still in Japan.

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that is amazing reno...I have to share it!! :D :D LOL

I just read that the threat level was raised from 5 to 7. Does anyone have anymore news on this one? Anyone know if things are getting worst?

^^^^^^^^^^

Scroll down a bit on the main site.

Or go back a few posts.

http://www.radiationnetwork.com/index.htm

Worse
 

Yes things are getting worse, just because Tepco has not made any significant progress to resolving this incident. The level of global radiation leakage is now expected to exceed that of Chernobyl. This is not good and the bigger problem is that they still do not have a resolution. The longer this goes on the more radiation that leaks into our environment casuing effects on the planet that can take decades to disapate. No one kows to what level this desaster will affect anyone else yet, because this is totally new ground for a nuclear disaster of this magnitude. More so for the people of Japan this may create a very large dead zone on their island for 100 years or more. It will be months or longer before anyone really knows the overall effects of this situation.

Japanese people in the aftermath reflect.
 

This is just one piece of a story being told at villages throughout the northeastern shores of Japan. It is about hundreds of stone markers placed as a sort of warning barrier telling people not to build anything below those markers because of the histroy of Japan's repeated tsunami's over the centuries. Some are said to be dated back over 600 years telling of these freak waves that destroy homes and kill people, and yet they keep on building there. Over time we forget about these disasters and violate natures undaunted warnings. This is no different then the people who keep building in New Orleans on ground that is lower than the sea around it. How many times does humanity have to suffer great disasters like these to realize that it is not smart trying to beat the awsome power of this planet and its environment? How many thousands of people have to lose their lives needlessly before the message is understood? Seems pretty obvious to me.

The tightly-knit community of Aneyoshi, where people built homes above the marker, was an exception.

"Everybody here knows about the markers. We studied them in school," said Yuto Kimura, 12, who guided a recent visitor to one near his home. "When the tsunami came, my mom got me from school and then the whole village climbed to higher ground."

Aneyoshi, part of Miyako city, has been battered repeatedly by tsunamis, including a huge one in 1896. Isamu Aneishi, 69, said his ancestors moved their family-run inn to higher ground more than a hundred years ago.

But his three grandchildren were at an elementary school that sat just 500 feet (150 meters) from the water in Chikei, a larger town down the winding, cliffside road. The school and surrounding buildings are in ruins. Their bodies have not been found.

Farther south, the tsunami washed away a seven-foot (two-meter) tall stone tablet that stood next to a playground in the middle of Natori city. Its message was carved in giant Japanese characters: "If an earthquake comes, beware of tsunamis."

That didn't stop some people from leaving work early after the earthquake, some picking up their children at school en route, to check the condition of their homes near the coast.

Many didn't make it out alive. More than 820 bodies have been found in Natori, some stuck in the upper branches of trees after the water receded. Another 1,000 people are still missing.

Hiroshi Kosai grew up in Natori but moved away after high school. His parents, who remained in the family home, died in the disaster.

"I always told my parents it was dangerous here," said the 43-year-old Kosai, as he pointed out the broken foundation where the tablet once stood. "In five years, you'll see houses begin to sprout up here again."

You are right though that people forget over time. Even if they dont forget the memories get lessened over time.

I was hoping that the lack of information being posted on the power plants meant that things were getting better, but it seems like everyone is really just trying to keep whats going on quiet.

Bingo, I love what our EPA is doing on the matter. Quite funny actually. Raising the levels that are considered safe. Saying that they had a buffer on the previous numbers.

All the while they state that you should not go outside as the sun causes cancer, and that those under 18 should not be allowed to sun bath in a cancer coffin.

Its okay because this radiation is good radiation, and besides the pacific ocean is huge it will dilute the radiated material. Duh! :lol:

Found this today
 

Found this report this morning floating around the web.

Are the Fukushima 50 doomed to death?

Japan's nuclear heroes are credited with protecting their nation from a catastrophic meltdown. But at what cost to themselves? An instant guide

About 50 workers stayed behind at the Fukushima plant, enduring horrendous conditions and potentially signing themselves up for certain death, to prevent a total nuclear meltdown. Photo: CorbisSEE ALL 37 PHOTOS

Employees at Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant have been hailed as heroes for subjecting themselves to dangerous levels of radiation while they desperately labor to prevent a massive meltdown. Now, details of the conditions and fears of the so-called Fukushima 50 — the small group that stayed behind when most of the plant's workers were evacuated after the March 11 tsunami — have begun to emerge. Here, a glimpse of the life-threatening ordeal of the Fukushima 50:

Are their lives in danger?
Yes. Distraught relatives say that many of the plant's workers assume they are undertaking a suicide mission. They have been exposed to extremely high doses of radiation, and several have been treated for radiation burns. Through tears, the mother of a 32-year-old worker told Fox News by phone that her son and his colleagues know they are probably sacrificing their lives, and could have only weeks or months to live. "They have accepted they will all probably die from radiation sickness in the short term or cancer in the long-term," she said. "They know it is impossible for them not to have been exposed to lethal doses of radiation."

Can they protect themselves?
The Fukushima 50 wear protective suits, and those working in highly radioactive areas, such as the fuel rod containment chambers, can only stay there for 15 minutes at a time. They sleep in conference rooms, hallways, and stairwells, where each worker gets one blanket, and a lead mat to shield them from radiation. "My son has been sleeping on a desk because he is afraid to lie on the floor," said the woman who spoke to Fox News. "But they say high radioactivity is everywhere and I think this will not save him."

How bad are conditions at Fukushima?
Horrendous. The Fukushima 50 aren't on their own anymore — there are now about 400 Tokyo Electric Power Co. employees inside the plant. They work in rotating 12-hour shifts. The high levels of contamination make it hard to get supplies to them, so food and water are scarce. They get two meals a day: Typically, vegetable juice and 30 crackers each for breakfast, and instant rice for dinner. "I just wanted people to understand that there are many people fighting under harsh circumstances in the nuclear plants," one worker wrote in an email. "That is all I want. Crying is useless. If we're in hell now all we can do is to crawl up towards heaven."

Is the pressure getting to them?
Yes. In a note thanking fellow TEPCO employees for their hard work, one Fukushima supervisor broke down. "My parents were washed away by the tsunami and I still don't know where they are," he wrote. "I'm engaged in extremely tough work under this kind of mental condition. ... I can't take this any more!" Another worker, named Emiko Ueno wrote in an email quoted in The New York Times: "My town is gone,. My parents are still missing. I still cannot get in the area because of the evacuation order. I still have to work in such a mental state. This is my limit."

Its pretty sad to hear that. I thought everything I had read so far said that they were protecting workers, and that they were limiting their exposure to radiation. I guess we really dont know whats going on over there.

They must've got more people because they came to the understanding that the situation is beyond the ability of 50. Also I think the gov't would've pushed to have as many people as possible clean this up as quickly as possible not only for the obvious but also to save face on an international scale. If they had the infrastructure I'm sure they would be telling all the workers there families would be in for a big package so give it your all, but given that most lived and worked in the area's worst hit, it seems like a logistical mess (let alone emotional mess).

And that is what I was reading from teh people who are involved. A lot of them have lost everything, and even lost whatever friends and family they did have to the Tsunami. So they already feel as if they have nothing left to live for so why not commit to something that has real meaning to it. Saving Japan. Those who do still have family still lost everything they owned so they are doing it to ensure that their families will at least have something when this is all over with. Sacrificing for ones family is a human tradition that dates back hundreds of years, and is done by just about every culture on the globe.

From what I have been able to read on the internet, and gather from their movements at this plant they are already making plans to bury this stuff with a few feet of concrete, and set a perimeter around this plant that will pretty much be in affect for at least the next 100-200 years. I believe any hopes of getting this under control towards the clean up stage are long gone. They have been working hard to seal up any ground leakage so that once it is sealed in concrete that will be it.

Dumb question, not a Physicist, can these type of things lead to a nuclear explosion?

Just came to mind. Anyone care to shed some light?

Yes
 

YES, but not likely. Under the wrong circumstances there could be an explosion just like the one at the Chernobyl Nuclear plant in 1986. I am not exatly sure what caused that one to blow up, but it showed just how bad things can get in these reactors if things do not go as planned. When that one blew it litterally threw radioactive material out in a circular arc up to a mile away. The clean up was incredibly dangerous and took weeks and months to gather up as much of the debris as possible and throw it back into the reactor building before covering it up with concrete slabs, and just leaving it to die in what the scientists claim will be 150 to 250 years.

The problem I see with the reactor issues in Japan is that if left un-cooled the nuclear material just keeps heating up and giving off higher and higher levels of radiation that will contaminate the surrounding area for many, many, many years even if it is burried and sealed in concrete. The one thing that is not known is how big of an affected area that will be if they burry it now. It will all depend on how strong the power of the remaining rods still is at this point. Just like a battery it looses its power over time as it is used. If not used it can generate great amounts of heat (radioactivity) for hundreds of years.

Unfortunately, some radioactive materials have a half-life in the thousands of years. And that's just where it gets half as radioactive.

No matter what they do, they have to be able to control the nuclear reaction or the fuel will continue to heat more and more until it burns through pretty much anything that is containing it, and then it goes into the ground where it contaminates the water table.

With all the reactors around the world and the dangers they could possibly create in disasters such as this, it's too bad they couldn't put the reactors in space (far enough away from earth so any explosions won't throw debris back into the atmosphere) and "transmit" the power back to earth.

On that note, I wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper in the long run (especially taking into account cleanup costs after this type of disaster) to somehow focus sunlight over a large area into a relatively small area to provide the heat. We all know what a magnifying glass in the sun can do...

I have heard of this being an idea to dispose of radioactive waste in the past, I have never scene it used or even made practical that I know of.

Interesting thought though since the suns energy can be used to destroy just about everything, just not there yet I guess because I have only seen this practical on very small scales.

On an off note,the Nazis had multiple plans in ww2 to make a space born deathray that could do just that.it focused the suns rays using a giant mirror,and they also had a prototype space shuttle that's design features we used on our own.freaky considering what the war could've come to!

Now back on topic,japan is in a state I couldn't imagine right now,it makes me wonder where the rest of the world is? You would think there would be a massive outpour of help dontcha think?

Help is there.
 

Apparently the USA has several professionals on site along with several other countries who are trying to lend intelligent assistance to the problem, but Japan wishes to handle the physical aspects of the recovery themselves. The Japanese people and its Gov are a very proud race and want to keep things in house, as do most contries in regards to sensitive matters of state. From all accounts there have been specialists from around the world on the ground in Tokyo from the start trying to lend good advice to help, but this situation is just not as easy as it may look from the the view of any third party observers.

I think the reason for the hush hush approach to all of this now is that they already know just how hopeless this situation really is, and do not want to panic Japan or the world for that matter. I really do not think there is going to be a happy ending to any of this. The only question that has to be resolved is just how wide spread this disaster will be when its all said and done. How much of our planet is going to be affected by this situation, and for how long?

Besides, some problems cannot be solved simply by throwing people at it. Sometimes, it's better to have just a few fully qualified experts than a bunch of people, even though intentions are good, getting in the way.

Improvements.
 

This was the first positive report I have read on this matter since it first began. According to Tepco they have laid out a nine month long plan that in the end will allow them to reach a complete cold shutdown of the entire plant. It started this morning with them completing a temporary storage facility for pumping out contaminated water from the plant and ciculating it into a cooling pond. This will allow them to get back into the basement of one of the reactors to make repairs to the first stage cooling system in order for them to get that system back on line soon. Once this is accomplished they can return to cooling the ractors and begin reducing the temps to a point where high levels of radiation is no longer being released.

Once they get to that phase they can begin removing the rods and radioactive material from the cores one by one, and placing it into a safe zone. Once all of the material is removed they will beging the long process of clean up and permanant shutdown of the plant. From the sounds of it they have no intentions of rebuilding this plant or replacing it any time soon. Once this level is reached they will allow people to return to their homes in the area and begin rebuilding their lives.

I am sure that there will be a very large study and long term reorganization of these nuclear plants across Japan in order to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. They admit that there is a lot of improvements and redesigning that needs to be done in order to make these plants safe and avoid any further disasters down the road. I hope that this incident moves other countries to do the same.

Update 05/05/2011
 

It was great to hear some good news coming out of Japan these days after such devistation. Lito we are all happy that you and your family are back together and safe from harm. Please share with your family that our hearts have been with you through all of this, and that we wish you nothing but the best over the next year during your transition from Naval life to civilian life.

Today an update was televised stating that things are finally begining to look a whole lot brighter. Thur/05/05/2011 it was reported that cooling continues and that progress has been made. Also stated was that they have been able to enter one of the reactor buildings for the first time in many weeks in order to do some up close observations and strategic planning for the next phase of their plan. The plan at this point is to recover/rebuild the entire designed cooling system so that it can be put back in operation in order to bring the temperature of the reactor cores to a point which will allow them to enter the facilities and remove the fuel rods one by one until the cores are empty. Once that phase is reached the reactor can be shut down completely and clean up can begin. The statement was made that eventually all of the fuel will be removed and stored in a controlable environment, and the Dai ichie plant will be shut down and closed for good.

Progress is slow moving, but TEPCO is continuing forward and hopefully the entire plant will be shut down before New Year 2012. The death toll from the earthquake/tsunami is reported to be over 25,000, with an additional 11,000 still missing. Approximately 200,000 people are still living in shelters awaiting new housing promised by the Japanese Gov. The Gov is looking for suitable locations on higher ground to build and house these people. Our kids have been involved with a fund raiser within their school and are now wearing I love Japan "T" shirts in support of the Japanese people. They wear them with pride.

Latest update
 

TOKYO (Reuters) – At age 72, Yasuteru Yamada believes he has a few more good years ahead.

But not so many that the retired engineer is worried about the consequences of working on the hazardous front line cleaning up the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

"I will be dead before cancer gets me," said Yamada, who has organized an unlikely band of more than 270 retirees and older workers eager to work for nothing but the sense of service at the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Yamada, who spent 28 years at Sumitomo Metal Industries, says the Fukushima clean-up job is too sprawling, too complex and too important to be left to Tokyo Electric Power, the Fukushima plant's embattled utility operator.

Instead, he wants to see the Japanese government take over at Fukushima with his group of graying volunteers with expertise in civil engineering and construction stepping in on an unpaid basis, "like the Red Cross."

Japanese government officials were initially cool to the unsolicited proposal. Goshi Hosono, an aide to Prime Minister Naoto Kan, dismissed Yamada's volunteers as a "suicide corps."

But in a late May meeting at Tokyo Electric's headquarters, Hosono seemed more receptive to the suggestion amid mounting concern about the health risks for younger workers already at Fukushima.

Three unidentified workers collapsed at Fukushima from apparent heat stroke over the weekend. Meanwhile, at least two plant workers have exceeded the government's limit for radiation exposure by a wide margin, putting them at a higher risk of cancer and other disease.

"The problem is that the first wave of workers came for the money. And they didn't - they couldn't - object to the conditions," said Yamada, who has been running his project from a tiny office above a beauty shop a short walk from Tokyo Electric's headquarters.

"Because we don't expect a fee we can speak to (Tokyo Electric) as equals," he said, adding that his team would press the utility to uphold the highest safety standards.

Tokyo Electric aims to bring three reactors at Fukushima that experienced a meltdown to a stable shutdown by January. After that, experts see a project of a decade or more to remove the uranium and plutonium fuel and secure the site.

Kazuhiko Ishida, a 63-year-old construction worker in Shiga prefecture, has volunteered to join Yamada's team. As a young worker, he helped build the Fukushima No. 1 reactor's outer shell and says he had "complicated feelings" watching it blown apart by a hydrogen explosion after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami as its reactor melted down.

"I told my wife I wanted to go," he said. "She told me to do what I had to do."

Yamada met on Monday with Trade Minister Banri Kaieda, whose ministry oversees Japan's nuclear safety agency. Kaieda seemed receptive to the proposal of a volunteer corps, he said.

"Depending on the situation, there might be a need for a suicide mission. But that is the last resort," Yamada said. "I myself would volunteer for that, but everyone must make up their own mind."

that is impressive.