CNN An 8.8-magnitude earthquake has struck Japan

[exopolitician]

Tsunami warning up for Hawaii.

They also added the rest of the Pacific, does that include the West Coast as well?

[exopolitician]

MSNBC just reported the West Coast is under the warning too, a friend in Washington was just notified.

[exopolitician]

Warning sirens in Honolulu. boo....not Hawaii.

[exopolitician]

Just got this:

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Crazy.

[exopolitician]

Just got this:

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Crazy.

A warning is more serious than a watch.

Watch: The west coast, and parts of Alaska
Warning: a ton of places, including freaking Antarctica

Yeah, this isn't winning any awards for consistency.

I feel like the West Coast would be first to be alerted in a situation like this, since the proximity is closer. Especially now since parts of Hawaii are being evacuated.

[exopolitician]

http://www.weather.gov/

They've got random Tsunami Warnings issued from San Francisco up to Oregon, but Washington and Los Angeles are just advisories.

[exopolitician]

I found this part of the Hawaii Warning message somewhat interesting: "A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF LONG OCEAN WAVES...WHICH ARE NOT SURFABLE."

Just have to make sure I guess, you know there are going to be some idiots out there.

[exopolitician]

It is tossing boats around in Santa Cruz.

Apparently it's been reported that the Harbor has been completely destroyed.

[exopolitician]

Japan just had another Earthquake, this one a 6.6 magnitude.

[exopolitician]

It is tossing boats around in Santa Cruz.

Apparently it's been reported that the Harbor has been completely destroyed.

There was damage, but it is far from completely destroyed.

I'm going off AP Reports.

Apparently Radiation levels have surged at that power plant.

[exopolitician]

2011 is just not the year for Japan.

[exopolitician]

What exactly makes the Memphis, TN-area so earthquake-likely ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1812_New_Madrid_earthquake

[exopolitician]

My friend in Tokyo just told me believes one or two of her friends in Sendai have died.

How terrible, my condolences.

[exopolitician]

According to The Japanese Times, the magnitude of the quake has been revised to 9.0.

[exopolitician]

Fox:  Three reactors likely in meltdown.

Goddamn.

[exopolitician]

No idea, none of the so-called experts on TV even here have been really explaning what a worst-case scenario would look like in detail. They have all been dancing around it.

The meltdown may stop the reaction.

Are you saying there could be a nuclear explosion if the meltdown doesn't stop the reaction?

No, I'm asking that if the density of the melted core changes, i.e. it becomes less dense, will the reaction stop?

It would certainly make sense. Plus, exposure to environmental temperatures should gradually lower the temperature inside the ruptured containment vessel. But I'm using 6th grade science here.

As am I (plus my snow removal techniques). 

You could accelerate the cool perhaps, with liquid nitrogen.  The T-2 method. 

I feel like that would be too cold too fast, would it make it worse?

[exopolitician]

The winds are blowing WSW inland/towards Tokyo for the next 2-3 days. Jezus, they can't catch a break.

Source?

[exopolitician]

This thread has become unreadable.

Please, grace us with your presence more often so that the thread can once again be readable for all.

The level of pretentiousness in this thread and everywhere else these last few days is ridiculous, and the fact everyone thinks their an expert on Nuclear Energy all of a sudden just makes it all worse. Plus suddenly it has become a topic of debate AGAIN whether nuclear energy is safe or not in America or any other place on Earth, when that's not what any of this is about.

On topic: Honestly, I agree and disagree with what Polnut said. Such an event like that can have massive repercussions, even if this can't be comparable on a level of Chernobyl. I think it's somewhat silly to treat it so casually, when it definitely is not something you can brush off. The entire country of Japan is in a state of shambles, and a nuclear crisis now a potential threat doesn't help the situation either. There isn't going to be a massive explosion no, but still radiation is leaking and has seeped into the atmosphere. That alone is cause for concern, especially since the proximity to Tokyo is dangerously close. No, Tokyo isn't going to turn into a toxic ghost town, but a threat still lingers that something could be swept towards the city. It's never a bad thing to be prepared for the worse, and since Japan has suffered through so much these past few days, its not a bad idea to think about it and be as fully prepared as possible. +Nobody said we should evacuate one of the largest cities in the world, that would be almost impossible.

[exopolitician]

They are letting those workers back in now apparently.

[exopolitician]

Close up of damaged No.4 Reactor.

[exopolitician]

What exactly should the US do? Do we have the power to solve this? Ernest is right, the US doesn't always have the answers. Yes, the Japanese government should be more honest, but I doubt the US government has better ideas to actually avert the crisis.

Maybe we just need to send Jmfcst there.

obama, acting on the assumption japan would accept our help, could have put together an array of teams to deal with different scenarios.  and have equipment for each of scenarios flown to air bases in japan.

For example, it is inexcusable to allow the spent fuel water pools to run dry...those pools are open (non pressurized) and are pretty simplistic as they can be fed from the top, there could have been external pumps brought to the site to pump sea water into those tanks while the real brains dealt with the reactors.

The United States has already put together a team of military and civilian technicians who specialize in Nuclear disasters and response and are transporting them to Japan currently. All this fake outrage about how Obama hasn't handled the situation, when there isn't really much he can do, is kinda ridiculous.

It doesn't help that the Japanese Government hasn't been so cooperative about the situation, and is still being very sketch about what is really happening.

[exopolitician]

Footage of the tsunami hitting Kamaishi, Japan. Disturbing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCn6H3JKY4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRDpTEjumdo

Absolutely insane.

[exopolitician]

Interesting article about Japanese leadership during this crisis.  I can only imagine the media $hitstorm that there would be had this occurred in the US. Also the US populace would be calling for heads.  That is a general drawback to Japan's rather pliant culture- they have not been demanding information and consistent answers.  I think that is changing. Of course, the positive cultural aspects of people being more cohesive are that there is little panicking, looting etc etc.  Well enough generalizations for now.

Flaws in Japan’s Leadership Deepen Sense of Crisis
TOKYO — With all the euphemistic language on display from officials handling Japan’s nuclear crisis, one commodity has been in short supply: information.

When an explosion shook one of many stricken reactors at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Saturday, power company officials initially offered a typically opaque, and understated, explanation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/world/asia/17tokyo.html?_r=1&ref=world

There jmfcst, if you were wondering where to direct your phony outrage...those are the ones accountable.

[exopolitician]

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I believe them when they say there is no danger, but it's still disheartening to think about.

[exopolitician]

7.5 quake around the same location as the 9.0 a month ago. This is the 2nd major quake just this morning.