Posts Tagged ‘japan’

NRT: Spying for the whales

Written By: - Date published: 1:29 pm, April 26th, 2017 - 20 comments

I/S at No Right Turn: “spies are corrosive of our values. Its one thing to spy in wartime, out of military necessity. Its quite another to do it in peace, on your friends, for self-advantage.

Dead Hands

Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, August 20th, 2015 - 11 comments

Time worn patterns and predictable decisions.

While Labour Burns Bright…

Written By: - Date published: 3:20 pm, November 3rd, 2013 - 47 comments

While some hold that the Labour Party conference being held this weekend could mark a watershed in NZ politics, something else that might constitute a somewhat more marked watershed is happening across the Pacific.

Emergency housing

Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, April 22nd, 2011 - 46 comments

Here’s some images of emergency housing from Japan and from Christchurch.  I wonder if you can spot the difference.

Brownlee, you’re doing a heck of a job

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, April 8th, 2011 - 56 comments

The Nats are taking far too long to act on accommodation after the Christchurch quake.  Japan accomplished more in 2 weeks than we have so far managed in 6 weeks and counting.  While they build, we dither…

Continuing nuke crisis in Japan

Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, March 16th, 2011 - 63 comments

Every day brings a new disaster from the Fukushima No 1 nuclear power plant. Four reactors have now experienced an explosion and/or fire and/or partial meltdown. Yesterday saw the first significant radiation release, from Reactor 4. It’s a complex situation, so I’ve tried to summarise it as it stands this morning.

Go well

Written By: - Date published: 5:33 pm, March 14th, 2011 - 18 comments

Forty two Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) workers left New Zealand this morning for Japan.  Straight off the back of three hard weeks in the rubble of Christchurch, they are flying in to help out with an even bigger disaster.

Earthquake news round-up

Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, March 14th, 2011 - 22 comments

The destruction wrought by the 9.0 Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami is truly appalling. Untold lives have been lost. Thousands of square kilometres were obliterated by the water which swept up to 20km inland.Updates second explosion at nuke plant. New tsunami warning. 70% chance of 7+ aftershock within days.

Nuclear Free

Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, March 14th, 2011 - 72 comments

As the nuclear disaster continues to unfold in Japan there is a risk of a Chernobyl style event and a huge release of radiation.  Coming as it does on the heels of the Christchurch earthquake, it is all too easy to imagine the same scenario playing out here.  New Zealand must remain nuclear free forever. We need a plan for a nuclear free and oil constrained future, and we need it now.

Meltdown

Written By: - Date published: 12:13 am, March 13th, 2011 - 186 comments

The Sendai Earthquake cut the power supply to the pumps at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. With no cooling water being pumped through the reactors, the nuclear fuel rods heated themselves until reactor 1 melted. But it should have been OK. The containment building should have kept the radiation from escaping. Then an explosion blew the containment building apart.

Disaster in Japan

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 pm, March 11th, 2011 - 111 comments

A 8.9 Richter-scale earthquake has struck just off the coast of northeastern Japan. At a depth of just 24km and only 60km offshore, it released 8,000 times more energy than the second Christchurch earthquake. The Kurihara seismic station recorded a 7 on the destructiveness scale, the maximum reading. Swathes of 70K city of Kesennuma ablaze. Death toll unknown. $100 billion to $1 trillion damage. 20+ aftershocks over 5.5 are reported so far. Tsunami warnings across the Pacific.

Commercial whaling plan to be announced

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, April 23rd, 2010 - 11 comments

A deal to re-introduce commercial whaling is about to be announced. Anti-whaling groups are organising a snap protest at Parliament, today at 12. Be there. Japan has agreed to lower its ‘quotas’. But since it never kills its full quotas this will not save a single whale. Key will proclaim himself saviour of the whales. The reality is he is legitimising the slaughter and saving nothing.

Key accidentally calls open season on whales

Written By: - Date published: 12:29 pm, April 13th, 2010 - 34 comments

We know John Key made up his commercial whaling policy off the cuff. His recklessness has left our allies aghast. Now things are really getting out of control. Korea has said that they want in on commercial whaling too. Key’s declared open season on whales. This is what you get from a government that has no vision, no plan, and no understanding of complex issues.