Fukushima Much Worse That Previously Thought

In other words - of course they were lying:

The Fukushima nuclear disaster released twice as much of a radioactive substance into the atmosphere as Japanese authorities estimated, reaching 40 percent of the total from Chernobyl, a preliminary report says.

The estimate of much higher levels of radioactive cesium-137 comes from a worldwide network of sensors. Study author Andreas Stohl of the Norwegian Institute for Air Research says the Japanese government estimate came only from data in Japan, and that would have missed emissions blown out to sea. 

The study did not consider health implications of the radiation. Cesium-137 is dangerous because it can last for decades in the environment, releasing cancer-causing radiation.

My Pub

Sigh. I have to walk a full six minutes from home to get to it.

Magpies With Chick; Crested Pigeons' Mating Dance

I got two nice videos yesterday.

In this first one I say that what we have here is two currawongs and their chick. Why? Because I'm an idiot. They're magpies, and I should have known that. (I've been told the way to distinguish the two is that the magpies have white on their beaks, and currawongs don't.)



Just minutes later a pair of Australian Crested Pigeons showed up on the same roof, and performed a beautiful mating dance, with tails rising and opening and heads bobbing. Really nice:

Cops Cheer Fellow Cops Indicted on Multiple Charges

From the annals of "We Really Have Lost Our Collective Minds, Haven't We?:

A three-year investigation into the police’s habit of fixing traffic and parking tickets in the Bronx ended in the unsealing of indictments on Friday and a stunning display of vitriol by hundreds of off-duty officers, who converged on the courthouse to applaud their accused colleagues and denounce their prosecution.

Think about that for a second. The people charged with enforcing the law cheer their fellow law-enforcement colleagues who are accused of breaking the law, and some of them on very serious charges, including "ticket-fixing and drugs, grand larceny and unrelated corruption," and in the case of four of the arraigned officers, "helping a man get away with assault."

How safe would you, as a citizen, feel in an environment like that? It'd be like a group of your country's soldiers cheering other soldiers arrested for helping the enemy.

Looking forward to the Jim Carrey film, "The Number 83"

Oh, it's coming alright:

The numerical figure of 83 centimeters may not, at first, seem all that amazing. But, according to Japanese archaeologist Saburo Sugiyama, that figure shows up just about everywhere at the site of the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan.

In presenting his findings at a special meeting of Teotihuacan experts, Sugiyama said there was a "constant presence" of 83 centimeters throughout the more than 7-square-mile city once inhabited by 100,000 people, more than 14 centuries ago, reported FOX News Latino.

U.S. Sending Armed Drones From Civilian Airport

Holy crap, that sounds on its face ridiculously irresponsible.

The US Air Force is flying armed drones from a civilian airport in southern Ethiopia as part of a growing battle against Al-Qaeda linked Shabab militants in Somalia, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

How'd you like to take a flight out of that airport? Nothing dangerous about that, right?

Chris Chandler and Paul Benoit: "One Percent / Ten Ton Shoes"

Chris Chandler says "Tear down that Wall Street, Mr. Bernake!" With Paul Benoit.