Nuclear explosion in Japan

[Mich the Tester]

Reactor #2 is showing somewhat familiar symptoms to #1 and #3 now, before their explody bits exploded. A bit odd considering it should have cooled off a bit by now. They are having trouble keeping the cooling pumps working and keeping the water levels high, for reasons I don't know.

The local water infrastructure has probably been destroyed and possibly some of that great wave of sludge and junk has got into the pumps and damaged them.

[BlasterBates]

The meejah will say all sorts of stupid things to sell papers. Luckily Germany is run by people who are a bit smarter than 'the meejah', unlike several other countries that come to mind.

Unfortunately the Reds and Greens, already ahead anyway, are probably now going to get a thumping great majority in the next election and embark the most ambitious de-industrialisation programme ever seen in a Western country.

Of course to compensate for the high unemployment and dwindling tax base I've no doubt tax will be put up to excruciating high rates.

Scary.

[Mich the Tester]

Unfortunately the Reds and Greens, already ahead anyway, are probably now going to get a thumping great majority in the next election and embark the most ambitious de-industrialisation programme ever seen in a Western country.

Of course to compensate for the high unemployment and dwindling tax base I've no doubt tax will be put up to excruciating high rates.

Scary.

Germany's had a red-green coalition before, and the SPD have governed before; the red-green coalition wasn't brilliant, but wasn't a disaster either. I don't see why that should be different this time.

[Doggy Styles]

In this case, global warming is definitely a more plausible explanation

I've had to laugh at some of the attempts to link it in the press!

[TimberWolf]

The local water infrastructure has probably been destroyed and possibly some of that great wave of sludge and junk has got into the pumps and damaged them.

Why isn't the site teaming with international nuclear scientists laden with pumps, hoses and generators after all this time? An electrician or two probably wouldn't go amiss either.

Last I heard they were using fire hoses to fill the reactors with sea water.

[Ardesco]

Stuff in the media is mainly bulltulip.

Here's a good explanation of what happens in this situation:

Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors. | Morgsatlarge – blogorific.

If anything this should just show how safe a nuclear reactor can be when it's hit by an earthquake 5 times more powerful than the station was designed to deal with and then hit by the worst tsunami we have seen for generations.

[Mich the Tester]

Why isn't the site teaming with international nuclear scientists laden with pumps, hoses and generators after all this time? An electrician or two probably wouldn't go amiss either.

Last I heard they were using fire hoses to fill the reactors with sea water.

Don't know; perhaps they have their own nuclear scientists who can do the job. Perhaps everything's such a mess that nobody can do much to help. Generators aren't much use if you can't get diesel to them. Pumps and hoses aren't much use without the generators. Electricians aren't much use without electricity.

[AtW]

[TimberWolf]

Stuff in the media is mainly bulltulip.

Here's a good explanation of what happens in this situation:

Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors. | Morgsatlarge – blogorific.

If anything this should just show how safe a nuclear reactor can be when it's hit by an earthquake 5 times more powerful than the station was designed to deal with and then hit by the worst tsunami we have seen for generations.

And old reactor designs to boot. Ones that wouldn't be allowed today.

Edit: incidentally, good as the article is, you might want to also read Wulf C. Krueger's comment.

[AtW]

If such explosion did not break the containment then the reactor was pretty damn well designed... apart from backup power generators!

WTF was it build so close to the shore though?!?!