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21 Mar 2011 13:47

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U.S.: Diablo Canyon nuclear plant called a “near-miss”

  • 18 months until staff found a safety flaw in a CA nuclear plant source
  • » So, here’s the deal: The Diablo Canyon nuclear reactor in California is situated in what’s widely known as a rather earthquake prone area (as we illustrated a few days ago — Diablo Canyon is the reactor closest to the edge of the Pacific Ocean). Which is why it comes as such an unwelcome surprise that their emergency valves, designed to automatically pump water into the reactor core if systems fail, were flawed and would have done no such thing in such a crisis. This deficiency went undetected for eighteen months before being discovered, a lapse in the plant’s emergency response capabilities that, we imagine, the people of the surrounding area are none too pleased with.

15 Mar 2011 14:25

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World: Subsequent quakes, aftershocks are keeping Japan understandably nervous

  • 2 more earthquakes struck throughout Japan on Tuesday source
  • » Obviously, they’re softer than the big one. That said, two more earthquakes (there have reportedly been dozens of lesser quakes and aftershocks since the 9.0 cataclysm last week) shook Japan Tuesday, clocking in at 6.1 and 6.2 on the Richter scale. The latter quake struck an area roughly seventy miles south of Tokyo, while the former hit about sixty miles from the Hamaoka Nuclear Plant, which as you might expect made people a little nervous. Hamaoka has, thankfully, been functioning properly and without incident since the quake, but with the myriad of tragedies and fears the Japanese people presently have, we somehow doubt any rumble has the capacity to feel minor anymore. Here’s hoping the ground will stay still for a while.

14 Mar 2011 15:00

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World: Donations flood in for Japan’s earthquake relief effort

  • $7.75
    million
    the amount donated to the Red Cross specifically for the Japan quake
  • $1.1
    million
    the amount donated to the Red Cross via text messaging alone source

14 Mar 2011 13:53

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World: As Japan’s post-quake realities worsen, U.S. commits military aid

  • U.S. warships join Japanese relief effort: This is the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, which is currently aiding in relief efforts in Japan, serving as a fueling station for helicopters. The U.S. has several warships in position, with more to arrive in the coming days. This is welcome news, as the picture in Japan looks increasingly grim by the day; as we mentioned earlier, the government now believes a horrific 9,500 may have died in Otsuchi. This is a horrible reminder that for many Japanese citizens, what’s happening with the country’s nuclear reactors is yet a more abstract concern in the face of the massive, physical devastation that’s racked the land. We sincerely hope that our military can be of any and all assistance to the people of Japan. source

13 Mar 2011 21:17

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Biz, World: After the Tokyo quake, stocks aren’t exactly doing so hot

  • 5% decline in Tokyo’s main stock index in its first few minutes source

11 Mar 2011 15:53

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World: Video shows Japanese skyscrapers wobbling during quake

  • Three cheers for structural integrity: Although it’s pretty harrowing to see high-rises sway back and forth, it does look like the buildings managed to survive – at least for as long as the camera was running. The title of the video could provide a clue; any of our Japanese-speaking readers care to translate? [hat tip: FrumForum] source

28 Feb 2011 15:32

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World: Christchurch, New Zealand begins burying their dead


  • The sorrow in Christchurch: We won’t add anything to this, except to offer the deepest sympathies possible. source
 

14 Nov 2010 12:09

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World: Haiti’s cholera outbreak tops 900, spreads throughout country

  • 917 the current death toll from waterborne cholera in Haiti as of Friday
  • 14.7k the number of hospitalizations caused by the outbreak
  • six of the country’s ten provinces have had cholera outbreaks source

05 Nov 2010 23:08

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World: Hurricane Tomas latest disaster to ruin Haiti’s year

Dear higher power…. can you find another group of people to royally screw over multiple times? Even a modest disaster like Tomas totally sucks for them. Thanks, rest of world. source

30 Oct 2010 09:30

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World: Finally, some good (OK, better) news from the Indonesia quake

  • 135 missing people were found alive so far; whew source