dee-luded

I like the sound of this.

Japan warns of nuclear safety 'myth' THE Japanese Prime Minister warned a nuclear security summit yesterday that the world must not be lulled into a ''myth of safety'', following lessons learnt from the tsunami and nuclear meltdown at Fukushima. Addressing more than 40 world leaders gathered in South Korea to tighten the global nuclear security regime, Yoshihiko Noda said a ''man-caused act of sabotage will test our imaginations far more than any natural disaster''. The Japanese tsunami last year killed close to 20,000 people and swamped Fukushima's nuclear power plant, causing national economic dislocation and severe nuclear contamination north-east of Tokyo. US President Barack Obama, who convened the first Nuclear Security Summit two years ago, yesterday underscored the risks of nuclear material falling into the hands of ''bad actors''. ''It would not take much - just a handful or so of these materials - to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people,'' he said. Prime Minister Julia Gillard pushed for the International Atomic Energy Agency to be given greater powers to contain the illicit trade of nuclear materials to non-state actors, following the third and probably final summit due in the Netherlands in 2014. She told leaders that Australia would open the Lucas Heights nuclear facility to inspectors from the IAEA next year. Australia would ratify the Nuclear Terrorism Convention, enabling terrorists to be brought to justice across jurisdictions, and host a regional nuclear security workshop, she said. The Seoul summit closed last night with all attending nations agreeing to a communique that outlined measures to minimise stockpiles of enriched uranium and plutonium, safeguard nuclear facilities and prevent illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials. Former Cold War adversaries have co-operated to lock down weapons-grade uranium and plutonium. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/japan-warns-of-nuclear-safety-myth-20120327-1vwgt.html#ixzz1rnrd3Z7x

Radioactive water from Fukushima power plant may have flowed into the Pacific Ocean ABOUT 12 tonnes of radioactive water has leaked at Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, with the facility's operator saying some may have flowed into the Pacific Ocean. Tokyo Electric Power Company said the leak was found early today from a pipe attached to a temporary decontamination system. The water had already gone through part of the cleansing process. After the water is used to cool the reactors it contains significant amounts of radioactive substances. It is then put into the water-processing facility so it can be recycled for use as coolant. "Our officials confirmed that cooling water leaked at a joint in the pipes," a TEPCO spokesman said, adding "it is possible that part of the water may have flowed outside the facility and poured into the ocean." The leak has been plugged and the utility was investigating the cause of the accident and how much, if any, water flowed into the Pacific, the spokesman said. The accident was the latest of several leaks of radioactive water at the troubled plant, undermining the government's claim made in December that the shuttered Fukushima reactors were now under control. In one incident last month, about 120 tonnes of radioactive water leaked at the plant's water decontamination system and about 80 litres seeped into the ocean, according to TEPCO. The plant about 220km northeast of Tokyo was crippled by meltdowns and explosions caused by Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami in March last year. Radiation was scattered over a large area and made its way into the sea, air and food chain in the weeks and months after the disaster. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes around the plant and swathes of this zone remain badly polluted. The clean-up is proceeding slowly, amid warnings that some towns could be uninhabitable for three decades.

The fight of his life. He's in for one massive battle.

I don't like the modern dramas or sitcoms. I prefer Mash or Cheers & Becker. Stuff like that. Also the news & our planet type doco's.

Albert King & freind (HD) > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KvSSFa7ESo Or youtube.com/watch?v=VqZ3Z-ArFHE (lesser def')

Japanese government 'kept meltdown risk secret ' JUST four hours after a tsunami swept into the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Japan's leaders knew the damage was so severe that the reactors could melt down, but they kept their knowledge secret for months. Five days into the crisis, then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan voiced his fears that it could turn worse than Chernobyl. The revelations were in documents released Friday, almost a year after the disaster. The minutes of the government's crisis management meetings from March 11 - the day the earthquake and tsunami struck - until late December were not recorded and had to be reconstructed retroactively. They illustrate the confusion, lack of information, delayed response and miscommunication among government, affected towns and plant officials, as some ministers expressed the sense that nobody was in charge when the plant conditions quickly deteriorated. The minutes quoted an unidentified official explaining that cooling functions of the reactors were kept running only by batteries that would last just eight hours. "If temperatures in the reactor cores keep rising beyond eight hours, there is a possibility of meltdown," the official said during the first meeting, which started about four hours after the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami hit the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, setting off the crisis. Apparently the government tried to play down the severity of the damage. A spokesman for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency was replaced after he slipped out a possibility of meltdown during a news conference March 12. The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., acknowledged a partial meltdown much later, in May. Top government spokesman Yukio Edano, who is now trade minister, urged other ministers to watch what they said to the public. "We must provide information fast, but it must be accurate," Edano said on March 14. "We must be clear about all our evaluations and judgment, and announce them only after we reach a decision." While then-trade minister Banri Kaieda suggested on March 11 that residents within a 10km radius might have to be evacuated, the government ordered 1800-plus residents within a 2km zone to leave. Then that expanded to 3km, then 10km within two hours, and finally to 20km the next day. Kan said a 20km zone would suffice. After seeing a series of explosions and fires at reactor buildings, Kan on March 16 cautioned his Cabinet about the possibility that the Fukushima crisis could be worse than the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Kan was particularly concerned about a spent fuel pool inside the No. 4 reactor building, which had the largest number of fuel rods and rising water temperatures. "We should worry about the Unit 4 pool, whose temperature has been on the rise," he said, adding that other spent fuel pools at Fukushima Dai-ichi, as well as four others at the neighbouring Dai-ni plant, could also deteriorate. "The amount of radiation that could be released from those reactors could be larger than Chernobyl. We must keep cooling the reactors, whatever it takes. It's going to be a long battle," he said, according to the minutes dated March 16. It was nearly 10 days before one of his top nuclear advisers produced a worst-case scenario at his request. The March 25 paper, produced by the head of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission, warned that a disaster of that scale would require evacuating 30 million people from the greater Tokyo area. Fearing panic, the government kept the report a secret, but The Associated Press obtained it in January. The failure to properly record the minutes of the government's crisis management meetings has added to sharp public criticism about how the nuclear crisis was handled, deepening distrust of politicians and bureaucrats. "Who is the leader of the actual operation? I get too many requests and appeals that are incoherent," Yoshihiro Katayama, internal affairs minister at the time, said at a March 15 meeting. "Nobody seems to be in charge." The minutes also showed top crisis managers were confused, causing miscommunication that left local officials and residents without crucial information needed for evacuation. http://www.heraldsun...f-1226295832848

Report slams Japan over nuclear disaster by: By Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo From: AP February 28, 2012 11:30PM THE Japanese government withheld information about the full danger of last year's nuclear disaster from its own people and from the US, putting US-Japan relations at risk in the first days after the accident, according to an independent report. The report, released today and compiled from interviews with more than 300 people, delivers a scathing view of how leaders played down the risks of the meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant that followed a massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The report by the private Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation also paints a picture of confusion during the days immediately after the accident. It says the US government was frustrated by the scattered information provided by Japan and was sceptical whether it was true. The US advised Americans to leave an area within 80km of the plant, far bigger than the 20km Japanese evacuation area, because of concerns that the accident was worse than Japan was reporting. The misunderstandings were gradually cleared up after a bilateral committee was set up on March 22 and began regular meetings, according to the 400-page report. The report, compiled by scholars, lawyers and other experts, credits then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan for ordering Tokyo Electric Power Co, the utility running the plant, not to withdraw its staff and to keep fighting to bring it under control. TEPCO's president at the time, Masataka Shimizu, called Kan on March 15 and said he wanted to abandon the plant and have all 600 TEPCO staff flee, the report said. That would have allowed the situation to spiral out of control, resulting in a much larger release of radiation. A group of about 50 workers was eventually able to bring the plant under control. TEPCO, which declined to take part in the investigation, has denied it planned to abandon Fukushima Dai-ichi. The report notes the denial, but says Kan and other officials had the clear understanding that TEPCO had asked to leave. But the report criticises Kan for attempting to micromanage the disaster and for not releasing critical information on radiation leaks, thereby creating widespread distrust of the authorities among Japanese. Kan's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report. Kan acknowledged in a recent interview with The Associated Press that the release of information was sometimes slow and at times wrong. He blamed a lack of reliable data at the time and denied the government hid such information from the public. It will take decades to fully decommission Fukushima Dai-ichi. Although one of the damaged reactor buildings has been repaired, others remain in shambles. A group of journalists, including a reporter from The Associated Press, were given a tour of the plant today. Workers have used tape to mend cracks caused by freezing weather in plastic hoses on temporary equipment installed to cool the hobbled reactors. "I have to acknowledge that they are still rather fragile," plant chief Takeshi Takahashi said of the safety measures. The area is still contaminated with radiation, complicating the work. It already has involved hundreds of thousands of workers, who have to quit when they reach the maximum allowed radiation exposure of 100 millisieverts a year. The report includes a document describing a worst-case scenario that Kan and the chief of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission secretly discussed two weeks after the disaster. That scenario involved the possibility of more nuclear fuel rods burning, causing the release of more radiation and requiring the evacuation of a much wider region, including Tokyo. The report also concludes that government oversight of nuclear plant safety had been inadequate, ignoring the risk of tsunami and the need for plant design renovations, and instead clinging to a "myth of safety". "The idea of upgrading a plant was taboo," said Koichi Kitazawa, a scholar who heads the commission that prepared the report. "We were just lucky that Japan was able to avoid the worst-case scenario. But there is no guarantee this kind of luck will prevail next time." http://www.heraldsun...x-1226284522535

Bump.

Bump.

What, you think so, against this hack attack, and side. No, a right & left hand opening combo with Warner to 3 or 4, IMO will be thew best. Cowan looks like a traditional opener, & Warner looks like someone who hasn't the best technique, but is a strokeplayer. Marsh is battling and we need a No 3 and a Keeper as well.

I'd like to see my dear Watson return to be a batsman, but as opener with Cowan, Warner to 3.

Is this Clarke's influence, Or, is it the Coaches? However I agree with you that he seems to have matured since the public outcry, Not wanting him as Captain prion to his elevation. He has Put to bed, that pretty boy,,,, bling image he had going. The team is traveling well, fortunately not being tested by India's poor output. But our young bowling stocks have invigorated more than the older bowlers and the public. IMO good brash fast bowling tyro's who don't take crap, make Everyone stand taller. Much like a footy team as well.

There's more left handed bowlers these days, who move the ball about. So I don't like it compared to a combo of Watson and Cowan.

If fully fit, Watson will walk back in to this team. IMO Siddle is a must test player. After 2 New ball strike bowlers we have to have a blood & guts, all heart workhorse to carry the big burden when the tracks are too flat. He is my Merv, can Bowl, can bat, & can field. He's the one who'll dig them in and Dig them out when others give up the ghost. Must keep. All grit & schitt.

Yep, I couldn't remember his name, Cummins, + Pattinson, + Siddle as the workhorse & one spinner, + an alrounder. Watson to Open for a year or two, then go back to the Mid order. I like what I'm seeing of Cowan. But don't like 2 Lefties opening the Innings. I think Cowan & Watson could be a good pairing? Maybe Warner can eventually be a No 3, David Boon type 3?

I pretty much agree Jack. I'd like to see both oldies to see out the 2012 Aussie summer, with one (1) of then to retire this Summer,,, and the other to retire the end of the 2013 Summer.I think, the same thinking is being applied to the bowling, as the other young quick recovers from injury. The worst thing we can do is fill the National Team full of inexperience all at once - see Hilfenhaus.

He's captain now & may well think of picking a stronger batting lineup. But then again he mightn't too. Maybe he's (clarke) is growing up and rising above childish fears and childish resentments.

Yep, no real interest, & I've also lost interest over the last 10 Years in our test team. I think it's the lack of characters & the 'statistical professionalism' thats detracted from the 'Game'. It seems to be tracking alongside the world of economists,,, boring... Time to step back towards the Human touch of individuals and Ego. Much more interesting and Real, Like Lillie & 'Thomo'... And Merv the swerve. Early Warne. Greg Matthews. PS: I have to say I'm regaining a little interest now in the New team with New players coming in, like Warner, Pattinson, etc.

Why?

Either that or we just Nickname him OAK... as some form of compensation, & we could give him a start @ the http://www.leighoak.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=53

Yet another 'Nuke' leak'. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/japan-plant-has-radioactive-water-leak/story-e6frf7jx-1226218856586 Japan plant 'has radioactive water leak' A RADIOACTIVE water has leaked inside a nuclear power plant in southwestern Japan but did not escape into the environment, report says. Kyodo News agency said on Saturday that 1.8 tons of radioactive water leaked in a pump at Kyushu Electric Power Co's Genkai plant. Yushu Electric issued a statement on Friday about a pump problem but did not mention a leak. Also on Friday, Japan's Prime Minister said work to stabilise a tsunami-hit nuclear power plant in the northeast is on track. Yoshihiko Noda said temperatures in three melted reactor cores at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant have fallen below the boiling point and radiation leaks have declined. A March earthquake and tsunami destroyed the plant's power and cooling systems. .............................................

Radiation traces found in baby formula TRACES of radiation spilled from Japan's hobbled nuclear plant have been detected in baby formula in the latest case of contaminated food in the nation. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/radiation-traces-found-in-baby-formula/story-e6frf7jx-1226215687243 Major food maker Meiji Co said overnight it was recalling canned powdered milk for infants, with expiration dates of October 2012, as a precaution. The levels of radioactive cesium were well below government-set safety limits, and the company said the amounts were low enough not to have any affect on babies' health even if they drank the formula every day. Experts say children are more at risk than are adults of getting cancer and other illnesses from radiation exposure. "There is no problem because the levels are within the government limit," Kazuhiko Tsurumi, a Health Ministry official in charge of food safety, said of the radiation in Meiji milk. The March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan sent three reactors into meltdown at Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, which have been spewing radiation into the air and ocean. Some of that radiation has crept into food, such as rice, fish and beef. But this was the first time radiation was reported in baby formula. Kyodo News said airborne radioactive cesium contaminated milk as it was being dried at a plant in Saitama prefecture in March, citing the company. The company was not immediately available for comment overnight. Meiji has about 40 per cent of domestic baby formula sales, but the amount of recalled formula wasn't disclosed. The product is exported to Vietnam under a different name, Kyodo reported. The levels of cesium-134 and cesium-137 in the milk were up to 31 becquerels per kilogram, which is below the government limit of 200 becquerels per kilogram set for milk. The government has been reviewing its food safety and other radiation standards because some of them were not clearly defined before the nuclear crisis. Not all food samples are monitored for radiation, and readings have been voluntarily reported by the manufacturers, including the latest by Tokyo-based Meiji. Many consumers are worried. Some stores are labelling where the food was grown or caught, allowing shoppers to opt for imports or products from parts of the country deemed safe.

Hughes has a poor technique. Doesn't play straight enough to be an Test Opener. Send him away to wake him up further, then bring him back as an slips field, and a No 5 or 6 bat.

Yep. Oils are Oils, & poison is poison. The old 'Play with Fire' rings true.