Originally posted at California Vs. Peterson, my blog about the Peterson case. The Peterson material is not included in this FDL publication.
CB

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TV news is not necessarily about the truth, as we’ve seen, and when it comes to lies of omission, it’s the champ at this point. But it’s not just TV. Keeping company are all or most major media outlets. It’s just how it is. Those who work for them do their best. They have bosses who decide what they do. They’re employees too–unionized, in fact, yes, even at Fox, where they bash unions! I wonder how the anchors feel bashing unions when they’re represented by AFTRA (American Federation of Radio and Television Artists).

So that’s got to mess with your head a little.

Also–the crushing schedule of TV news is designed to curdle the brain cells of anyone. I think I’ve mentioned here that my ex worked for one of the big 3 networks here in LA editing video for a popular nightly news program. They do pay you well—but you’re worked like slaves. I don’t know how it is for anchors, but if they need a union, it’s a sure bet that they’re so busy with their jobs that they genuinely don’t have time to research.

However–that’s really no excuse.

Not when life and death are in the balance. Not when you can influence public opinion with a raised eyebrow.

Here’s an example of a story of great importance that is (so far) getting no play on the news—though it probably will, and should. At some point it’s not going to be a secret anymore. But this happened in November and there’s almost nothing. However, Daily Kos did pick up this story.

When I tell you about it, please think about whether this is something important that you would want to know about on the news. It’s not pretty, and in fact it’s the most disturbing development to come out of Japan in some time.

The architect of reactor 3 at the Dai-ichi plant said in a November 17th interview (and I can’t find the original interview, which is probably in Japanese) that since things have not improved at the plant since 3/11, it’s likely that the hot reactor core material has seeped into the ground.

Uehara Haruo, the former President of Sawa University in Tokyo, said Tepco’s explanation does not make sense, and that what’s known as the “China Syndrome” may be inevitable. (The sites publishing this information have him saying straight-out “inevitable”.) Since I haven’t heard the interview, and don’t speak Japanese, I can’t comment.

He added, if the fissioning core material reaches an underground water vein, it will cause a massive contamination of ground water, and seep into the soil and sea as well. Moreover, if the underground water vein keeps being heated for a long time, it will cause a “massive hydrovolcanic explosion.”

He also said that “tons” of radioactive derbris has reached the Marshall Islands as of 11/15/2011.

No major media has picked this up. So why do I think it’s an important story?

Well-first of all—this is a specific, qualified, credible person who’s said this.

If he didn’t say this, and it’s been on the Net since November 19th (the date of the Daily Kos story)–then he’d be yelling his head off about it.

Daily Kos is a very popular site.

I think that if he didn’t say it, we’d have heard something out of Japan by now.

That’s why I think it’s a story.

Also consider that getting information about Fukushima, even online, is like pulling teeth.

Haruo’s statement does not impress everyone. This website states that “his level of nuclear illiteracy is severe.” It states that Haruo did not design the nuclear components of the reactor, but rather the outer building structures.

However—looking over that site (and now knowing the credentials of the writer), it looks a lot like a pro-nuke site dedicated to discrediting people who’ve been bold enough to speak up about what’s going on.

Example:
“Edwin Lyman, of the decidedly anti-nuclear Union of Concerned Scientists, said, “I think that a prediction of thousands of cancer deaths as a result of the radiation from Fukushima is not out of line.” On a more rational note, Seiji Yasumura of the state-run Fukushima Medical University, and head of the prefecture’s 30-year cancer study of its residents, said people probably received too little radiation from Fukushima to cause cancer, but was immediately downplayed because distrust in the government. Thus, fear-generating statements went unchallenged while a realistic comment was attacked.”

But wait—state-run Fukushima Medical University.

Conflict of interest?

The site also attacks a a visiting professor at the University of Ulster in the U.K. I’m not familiar with Christopher Busby’s commentary, though I’ve been aware of him. The Guardian reports that Busby has been marketing radiation pills at very high prices through a website.

That’s not good.

Looks bad.

But there are very few people speaking out about the dangers of Fukushima. All we are hearing is that everything’s OK. But it’s not OK in Japan–not by a long shot.
A colleague of mine the other day said to me: “Oh, is that thing still going on?”

–Meaning the disaster/meltdown/melt-through at Fukushima.

But what’s not in dispute, even by Tepco, is the melt-through scenario.

That means the live core material has eaten through the base of the pressure vessels and is eating into the outer containment vessels.

NHK, a Japanese TV network, has reported:

“TEPCO said that in the “worst case,” all fuel rods in the plant’s Number 1 reactor may have melted and dropped through its bottom into a containment vessel. The bottom of the vessel is concrete covered with a steel plate.

“The utility said the fuel may have eroded the bottom to a depth of 65 centimeters. The thinnest part of the section is only 37 centimeters thick.

“TEPCO also said as much as 57 percent of the fuel in the plant’s Number 2 reactor and 63 percent in the Number 3 reactor may have melted, and that some of the melted fuel may have fallen through reactor vessels.”

Here’s the deal: TEPCO is as much as saying the fuel “may have” eroded the bottom to a depth of 65 centimeters.

The thinnest part of the section is only 37 centimeters thick.

That suggests two layers have been breached, and makes it likely that Dr. Haruo in fact may not be blowing smoke here.

“TEPCO also said as much as 57 percent of the fuel in the plant’s Number 2 reactor and 63 percent in the Number 3 reactor may have melted, and that some of the melted fuel may have fallen through reactor vessels.”

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported something similar December 2nd.

If the officials who run the plant are saying the above, then I have no problem believing Haruo. These are two mainstream Japanese sources.

The problem with live nuke fuel is that you can’t get too close to it. Workers can’t get too close, and the reactors are wrecked.

The workers are flying blind.

If you read here about the first 24 hours at Fukushima, you will find that, without power to run the display panels, the plant’s engineers went to the parking lot and gathered all the car batteries and used them to take readings. Unfortunately, the machines were completely out of whack, and the readings were not near accurate.

I would call these guys heroes, and I’d call the US media’s lack of attention to them disgusting.

If you view these high-res drone photos of Fukushima from above, you will see that it’s a very large, very dangerous, complete mess.

I’d be curious to hear if anyone thinks differently about all this. This is too serious a subject to mess around with—or to ignore.

And media has ignored Fukushima strenuously since a week and a half after the disaster. All of a sudden, there was no news coverage. None at all. Gone silent.

“Media blackout” was one search term that brought people to my other blogger site, which discussed Fukushima in detail for many months. “Why no news on Fukushima” –another example.

A curious thing about that blog is that I was getting some 150-200 search hits a day–mostly NOT for Fukushima–and at some point months ago the hits dropped, all in one day, to 20. After I said something to Google about it on their blog, the hits dropped to about 8/day. The site doesn’t get too many hits now. But the funny thing about the searches is that the vast majority of people come to my blog seeking information about Monica Lewinsky. My boyfriend saw her out and about one night, and I wrote about it….and people all over the world –not so much in the U.S. –are fascinated with Monica, apparently. (shrug)