Tracking radiation levels in Tokyo: A minorly scary photo

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Photo of the day: “A radiation detector marks 0.6 micro-sieverts, exceeding normal levels Tuesday, near Shibuya train station in Tokyo. Concern over possible radiation exposure has increased after a fourth reactor released radiation, Tuesday.” To compare – this level is higher than average, but only a tiny percentage of what’s happening at the plant. 1,000 micro-sieverts per hour equals one milli-sievert per hour. So this is high, but still minor. (Kyodo News/AP) source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Mar 2011 10:28

11.9 the current peak radiation count, in milli-sieverts per hour
400 the peak radiation count in milli-sieverts per hour – which was hit last night
300k the peak mSv/hour count at Chernobyl – to keep things in check source

» It’s no longer at its peak, and that’s a good thing: The International Atomic Energy Agency says that the decrease happened over a six-hour period. And the IAEA makes a good point that you should keep in mind. “This is a high dose-level value, but it is a local value at a single location and at a certain point in time,” they say. In other words, even if you’re within the 20-mile radius where radiation is likely to hit, the level will most assuredly be far lower than these peak levels. It’s still high, though – one milli-sievert per hour is equal to the yearly legal limit of radiation you’re supposed to get. (see our earlier posts about this topic here and here)

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

Due to the ongoing circumstances in Bahrain … King Hamad has announced a state of national emergency as of Tuesday for three months.
An announcement on Bahraini state television • Announcing a “national state of emergency” in the country. The announcement comes a day after troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates entered the country to help quell the protests. The U.S. government has called for restraint in the wake of fresh military action. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

I did not come to the U.S. Senate to be part of some absurd political theatre. I will no longer support short-term budget plans.
Sen. Marco Rubio • Letting off some steam about Congress’s refusal (or, perhaps more accurately, inability) to pass a long-term budget. The House and Senate will (likely, but not assuredly) pass another continuing resolution tomorrow in lieu of an actual budget. This one will fund the government for the next three weeks; after that, it’s either another continuing resolution, a budget for the full fiscal year, or a government shutdown. Let’s hope Congress can actually figure something out this time, and not just postpone the inevitable again. source

Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

Democrat Evan Bayh, who was both Governor of and Senator from Indiana, has signed up to be a Fox News contributor. Bayh declined to run for re-election in 2010, and some thought he might become a lobbyist after his exit. They were wrong, though, and now he’s primed to become Fox’s new token Democrat. (Alan Colmes! What, what?) Now, some might say that any Democrat would be crazy to join (and, in doing so, help promote) a place like Fox News, given that it’s, well, Fox News. Others, however, argue that people like Bayh are doing an invaluable service to the Democratic cause in providing a liberal perspective to an audience that would not otherwise hear one. What do y’all think? Is Bayh a sell out, or will his stint at Fox help open some eyes? source

Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink