Just how deep does the rabbit hole go?
Posts tagged disaster
Ron Paul: America has already gone over the fiscal cliff
36 months ago
Source: http://rt.com
Former Republican presidential candidate, Representative Ron Paul (T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images/AFP)
US President Barack Obama demanded from Congress immediate action to prevent America from falling of a so-called fiscal cliff, but Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) says it might be too late to keep the country afloat.
Speaking with Bloomberg Television on Thursday, the lawmaker who ran against Pres. Obama during the last two elections said he expects that America’s financial woes are beyond repair.
“We’re so far gone,” said the congressman, who will retire from the Hill this year after serving 12 terms in the House. “We’re over the cliff. We cannot get enough people in Congress in the next 5 to 10 years who will do the wise things. We have to prepare for having already fallen off the fiscal cliff.”
On the campaign trail leading up to the Nov. 6, 2012 election, Rep. Paul proposed an array of ideas he said would save the country from economic disaster, including returning to a gold standard and abolishing the Federal Reserve, America’s central bank. On his part, Pres. Obama vowed to keep the company in tact if elected to a second term, and Friday told reporters at the White House that he expects Congress to come to his side and do what’s right to prevent what Rep. Paul says is inevitable now.
Japanese brain wave-controlled robotic suit could help make Fukushima cleanup effort safer
07 months ago
Source: http://endthelie.com
By Madison Ruppert
Editor of End the Lie
A robot suit entitled HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) is displayed at the Japan Robot Week exhibition in Tokyo. The brain wave-controlled robot suits that allow wearers to don heavy radiation protection without feeling the weight were unveiled in Japan (Image credit: AFP/Raw Story)
Contrary to popular belief, the horrific nuclear disaster at Fukushima is far from over. Indeed, as Agence France-Presse (AFP) points out, “The decommissioning of the crippled plant is expected to take several decades.”
However, the “profoundly man-made” disaster at Fukushima and the dangers associated with the ongoing cleanup effort could be mitigated, at least in part, by robotic suits controlled by the brain waves of the operator known as the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL).
It is worth noting that the true state of the Fukushima plant remains largely mysterious because outside experts are not allowed to actually inspect the plant and give an independent report on the status of the reactors. Furthermore, the spent fuel rods in the pool at reactor four – which are currently in a precarious state – will not be moved until late next year.
HAL is outfitted with a network of sensors that pick up the electrical signals from the operator’s brain thus synchronizing the movement of the robot’s limbs with those of the wearer.
On a somewhat humorous note, HAL not only shares the name of the truly evil supercomputer in “2001: A Space Odyssey” but also is being developed by Cyberdyne, the fictional company that made the Terminator robot in the 1984 “Terminator” film.
Thankfully, it seems that this technology is at least slightly less wicked than the fictional ones mentioned above.
Indeed, according to Yoshiyuki Sankai, professor of engineering at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, the outer layer of the robotic suit helps block radiation while internal fans circulate air, keeping the operator comfortable, and an onboard computer monitors the operator’s heart-rate and breathing for signs of fatigue and distress.
10 Best Survival Foods At Your Local Supermarket
17 months ago
Source: http://rtr.org
As food prices continue to skyrocket, having a bulk supply of food is a great investment. But it also provides security and peace of mind against potential emergencies.
By now most people should be aware that grocery stores only have about 3 days of food in stock when crises strike. So if anything was to disrupt the food supply chain for an extended period of time, there would be untold chaos in most communities.
Any number of events could trigger mass disruption to a fragile food system, many of which are well documented and even predicted. Even NASA has warned its staff to prepare for potential disasters with survival foods and other precautions with their “Family Preparedness Program.”
Prepping for disasters can seem overwhelming with so many aspects to be considered. However, for those just beginning to recognize how perilous these times are and are new to prepping, you can find many great survival foods at your local grocery store.
There are many fancy freeze-dried food companies offering light-weight storable meals. These are cost effective and great for new preppers. But if you don’t have $1000 laying around to by a large supply, it may be better to pick up a few key items each week at the supermarket to build up your food bank gradually. And by buying base foods at the store, you’ll ultimately save money.
It’s best to keep your survival food list simple, and concentrate on storing foods with the highest amount of calories and the longest shelf life. This list is geared toward foods that will help you survive a crisis that lasts for extended periods of time.
Here are the ten best and cheapest survival rations available at any store:
Taiwan mobilizes its drones for the first time
011 months ago
in Global News
Source: http://www.rawstory.com
By Agence France-Presse
TAIPEI — Taiwan has mobilised its drones, which were introduced to the army earlier this year, for the first time to survey natural disasters, local media reported Sunday.
The unmanned aircraft were sent to areas inundated by flash flooding and mudslides sparked by a monsoon last week, the Taipei-based China Times said.
“The real-time flooding information they collected was transmitted immediately to the disaster command authorities to use in their dispatching of rescue troops and equipment,” the paper quoted an unnamed military source as saying.
Operators Admit Fukushima Radiation Levels Exceed 2 1/2 Times Announced
012 months ago
Source: http://naturalsociety.com
http://naturalsociety.com
Fukushima plant operators are now admitting that the Fukushima radiation levels emitted from the disaster exceeds almost two and a half times the initial ‘estimate’ produced by Japanese safety regulators. The announcementcomes after independent researchers exposed the true amount of radiation leaked from the plant back in October of 2011. The study revealed that significantly more radioactive caesium was released into the atmosphere as a result of the Fukushima explosion than many nuclear experts previously told the public.
Fukushima Radiation Levels: A Cause for Concern
The researchers from this study went against the official explanations (now confirmed as bogus by the operators themselves), and stated that the amount of radioactive isotope caesium-137 released at the height of the crisis was equivalent to 42% of that from Chernobyl. And that’s just the amount released at the height of the event. Many experts have actually labeled the Fukushima event to be even more catastrophic than the Chernobyl incident. Scientists who challenged the official report published their findings online in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, and authors state that Fukushima radiation levels truly began flooding the environment between being struck by the magnitude-9 earthquake on March 11th and being hit with a tsunami 45 minutes later.
Maxim Shingarkin, an expert in nuclear and radiation security, commented on the situation in Fukushima:
“In fact, this statement came with a big delay. The operating company deliberately concealed this information. The explanation is simple – the company is afraid that any checking by competent experts would reveal its inability to save the situation. Only recently, foreign experts founded a consultative body for the clean-up of the accident’s consequences. Moreover, the company is concealing the information about the amount of pollution of the environment.”
The plant now states that the meltdowns which took place at three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant released about 900,000 terabecquerels of radioactive substances into the air. But what happened to the majority of the radioactive contamination? According to the earlier report, 20% of the caesium-137 fell on Japanese land, and about 2% ended up on land outside the country. The remainder came down in the Pacific Ocean. Is it any wonder that ‘hidden’ deaths are now being reported by scientific research?
Health and radiation experts are now admitting that radiation stemming from the Fukushima disaster is leading to an unknown number of deaths as a result of increasing cancer rates around the globe. They are also stating that these deaths will be ‘hidden’ from the public eye due to a lack of accurate identification when it comes to targeting Fukushima-related cancer deaths.
It seems that Japanese government officials and plant higher-ups are now being forced to reveal certain details of the Fukushima disaster. From concealing integral information from the public to ignoring the real threat to public health, there is sincere lack of honesty and communication between many worldwide health officials and the citizens of the world. As information continues to surface, more and more truths will be expelled from the mainstream media and ‘health’ officials alike regarding the troubling event.
Coast Guard sinks Japan tsunami ‘ghost ship’
01 year ago
in Military Action, New
Source: http://www.rawstory.com
By Agence France-Presse
The US Coast Guard sunk a Japanese “ghost ship” with bursts of heavy gunfire when it drifted into Alaskan waters more than a year after being set adrift by a devastating tsunami.
The deserted trawler, seen as a shipping hazard, was first spotted off the coast of Canada on March 24, having drifted thousands of miles (kilometers) across the Pacific Ocean on the current following the March 2011 tsunami.
The Ryou-Un Maru fishing vessel, which appeared about 180 miles off the coast in 6,000-foot (2,000-meter) deep water, was a significant navigation hazard, officials said.
“It’s between 150 and 200 feet long, it’s unmanned and unlit and adrift. In the dark, it presents a significant danger to other vessels transiting that area,” Sara Francis, a spokeswoman for the Alaska Coast Guard, told AFP.
The Japanese owners of the ship had said they did not want it back. Early Thursday, a Canadian crew had tried to save it, but after a closer inspection they abandoned the idea and the operation to sink the ship began.
“It’s between 150 and 200 feet long, it’s unmanned and unlit and adrift. In the dark, it presents a significant danger to other vessels transiting that area,” Sara Francis, a spokeswoman for the Alaska Coast Guard, told AFP.
The Japanese owners of the ship had said they did not want it back. Early Thursday, a Canadian crew had tried to save it, but after a closer inspection they abandoned the idea and the operation to sink the ship began.
The Coast Guard fired an initial salvo of 25 mm explosive rounds, causing the ship to catch fire and list slightly, according to Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow, in the Alaskan capital of Juneau.
A second salvo was fired later in the afternoon, he said, and the Coast Guard confirmed the vessel sank at 6:15 pm Thursday (0215 GMT Friday).
It released pictures of the rusty-hulled vessel on fire, with a column of black smoke rising into the air.
The Coast Guard said that there was no risk that pollution from the ship would threaten the pristine Alaskan and Canadian coasts.
“If there is any fuel on board it’s expected to be diesel fuel, which will disappear very quickly and pose limited risk to the environment,” Francis said.
The boat was the largest piece of debris so far to appear off the US coast after the March 11, 2011 tsunami.
Some 20 million tons of debris have washed up since the disaster, and researchers in Hawaii have developed computer models to forecast its movement and predict where and when it could come ashore.
Japan marks 1 year since quake, tsunami disaster
0Source: http://xfinity.comcast.net
By MIKI TODA and MALCOLM FOSTER, AP
A family observes a moment of silence in front of what is left of a disaster...
RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan — For 70-year-old Toshiko Murakami, memories of the terrifying earthquake and tsunami that destroyed much of her seaside town and swept away her sister brought fresh tears Sunday, exactly a year after the disaster.
“My sister is still missing so I can’t find peace within myself,” she said before attending a ceremony in a tent in Rikuzentaka marking the anniversary of the March 11, 2011, disaster that killed just over 19,000 people and unleashed the world’s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century.
Across Japan, people paused at 2:46 p.m. — the moment the magnitude-9.0 quake struck a year ago — for moments of silence, prayer and reflection about the enormous losses suffered and monumental tasks ahead.
Japan must rebuild dozens of ravaged coastal communities, shut down the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant and decontaminate radiated land so it is inhabitable again.
These are enormous burdens on a country already straining under the weight of an aging, shrinking population, bulging national debt and an economy that’s been stagnant for two decades.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda reminded the Japanese people that they have overcome many disasters and difficulties in the past and pledged to rebuild the nation so it will be “reborn as an even better place.”
“Our predecessors who bought prosperity to Japan have repeatedly risen up from crises, every time becoming stronger,” Noda said at a ceremony at the National Theater attended by the emperor and empress.
Later, he told a news conference he hoped to see the disaster-hit areas fully rebuilt when “babies born on the day of the disasters turn 10 years old.”
The earthquake was the strongest recorded in Japan’s history, and set off a tsunami that swelled to more than 65 feet (20 meters) in some spots along the northeastern coast, destroying tens of thousands of homes and causing widespread destruction.
All told, some 325,000 people are still in temporary housing. While much of the debris along the tsunami-ravaged coast has been gathered into massive piles, only 6 percent has been disposed of through incineration.
Maddow: Proof Ron Paul Was Robbed In Maine
01 year ago
Rachel Maddow lays out some of the evidence of fraud that robbed Dr. Paul of the official win in Maine.
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