News from the South Pacific
I have no idea who that fellow in the pink bathrobe is, but I’m sure he’s there to just goof off. Tourists!!
In the US Marshall Islands, a ceremony at Memorial Park was held on December 4, 2017,. marking the 4th anniversary of the death of USAF CPT David Lyons in Afghanistan (12/4/2013) when the ship bearing his name docked at Saipan in the Marshall Islands. http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/101260-saipan-veterans-join-commemoration-of-capt-david-i-lyon-s-death-anniversary
Local members of the Saipan VFW and CNMI Veterans Affairs personnel participated in the ceremony.
Also in the MI, NOAA has announced plans for coordinating with US Fish & Wildlife to implement recovery plans for various Pacific sea turtle species. http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/101258-noaa-bares-recovery-plans-for-endangered-sea-turtles
In Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, the Trust Corporation of the Marshal Islands (TCMI) has deregistered Billions Bunker Group, a Taiwan-based company with ties to North Korea. http://www.mvariety.com/regional-news/101266-marshall-islands-de-registers-corporation-with-n-korea-link
The Red Cross has now given the Marshall Islands official recognition as its 191st member, which gives them a greater global voice. https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/347447/red-cross-recognition-of-marshall-islands-gives-it-greater-global-voice
There is some concern, voiced back in November 2017, that a cleanup of nuclear waste was not done properly in 2012-2013. The cleanup project included about 400 lumps of plutonium, stored on Runit Island, a US nuclear test site back in the 1960s, and seawater is now leaking into the storage vault.
Guess whose administration cut the cleanup budget for that project? No, really?
Busy week there in the Marshalls.
The Marianas (not a US territory) are busy working on attracting tourists and tour groups and are offering tour guide certificates. http://www.mvariety.com/special-features/my-marianas
A new Gallup poll shows that a majority of Filipinos view DTrump favorably, although he doesn’t quite outrank Vlad Putin just yet. http://www.mvariety.com/regional-news/101220-poll-majority-of-filipinos-view-trump-favorably
On Thursday Jan. 4, 2018, US Amb. Nikki Haley warned North Korea against another missile test. She added that Washington (Pres. Trump) would not take seriously any talks between Norkiland and South Korea if Pyongyang (meaning Rocketman) does not give up testing missiles. http://www.mvariety.com/regional-news/101219-us-warns-north-korea-against-new-missile-test-plays-down-talks
As for news from Guam: Tourism may be suffering a slight decline because of Fatty Kim da T’ird’s threats to use Guam as a test target for his rocket science experiments. In the beginning, Pres. Trump said Norkiland would meet with hellfire, and so far, nothing has been aimed at Guam and the Gaumanians that we know about, but you never know what that fat bastard is up to, do you? http://www.newsweek.com/north-korea-threat-impact-guam-tourism-industry-2018-767849
So to ease your minds, I’m providing another link to a recipe from Annie’s Chamorro Kitchen, and one of her Chamorro recipes, this time for Chamorro Bistek (Bisteak). It looks good to me. Give it a try. If you’re not sure where to get the ingredients, visit a Hispanic mercado. They can probably be found there. She’s a retired Army vet, so give her a nod. http://guam.stripes.com/news/annies-chamorro-kitchen-chamorro-bistek-or-bisteak
So far, all is quiet on the Western Front. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Category: Politics
“Also in the MI, NOAA has announced plans for coordinating with US Fish & Wildlife to implement recovery plans for various Pacific sea turtle species. ”
I assume they’re still too radioactive to eat?
No, I don’t think so. Not yet, anyway. The loggerhead turtles have been split into nine different categories for identification. That’s probably to confuse people as much as possible.
Dunno. For some strange reason I’m wondering how you’d say “rode hard and put up wet” on the Island of Lost Daves…
He never answers his messages, either.
Thanks Ex. One hardly hears anything from that neck of the woods except for The Dork of da Nort rattling his saber. Lots of history there.
You’re very welcome, Ed. It seems very quiet, but you never know.
That nuke clean up (sarc) operation is interesting to look up. The engineers recovering the scattered plutonium from the misfire and dome construction on Runit Island had little to no protective gear, and are not considered atomic veterans even though they have all the illnesses and symptoms.
Yes, and the budget for it was cut, so the pit wasn’t lined properly. Now it’s got seawater leaking into it. No surprises left for me. They are – what? – just peons in the game.
Hmmm Plutonium, chunks o’ and some water…if the geometry works out can you say: “Criticality”?
Ok with that above said; it would take just the “right” conditions for there to be a criticality, however, if you do some webbinizing and look up Tokaimura (I may have spelled that wrong) you can see where criticalities can inadvertently happen. (For you real curious types I think you can also did out a report the Nuclear Regulatory Commission did at the archives of NRC.gov)
Im wondering if the other elements in seawater would mitigate any kind of reaction or just add more radioactive isotopes to the situation…
Again, mostly with a metric boatload of /sarc there…
Yikes I let out the nerd.
HOPE YOU ALL ARE ENJOYING 2018.
There are huge corals and plenty of fish in the lagoon at Bikini, so how are they not dreadfully mutated into Sharkman or Coelacanths or something?
It’s not that radiation isn’t dangerous. It is. But why is it less lethal to crabs and sharks than it is to humans?
the Chernobyl area is teeming with wildlife. It remains unhealthy for humans.
Exactly.
Sturdier DNA, maybe?
Super good questions! 🙂
Im thinking that Jonn wouldn’t be too wild about this becoming the TAH Science Corner.
Despite what “experts” will tell you, and Im still learning about radioactivity and its impacts on people and the environment after 21 years in radiation protection. WE ARE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE THIS STUFF OUT! I know I just hollered heresy. 🙂 Bummer huh?
Part of me thinks that areas that have been impacted by radiation, recover environmentally due to the lack of people being there.
I have heard that the fish populations near Fukushima are present in record numbers. Again, after only about 7 years.
If youre interested in this stuff drop me a note. Always good to learn what other people think.
Hmm… the TAH Science Center. Not a bad idea, but it’s up to the Platoon Sergeant. Science includes rocket science, doesn’t it?
I’m just wondering if there’s something in aquatic denizens’ DNA that makes it less vulnerable to the damage caused by rdiation. In the video program about Chernobyl, there was an enormous catfish (about 8 feet long, nose to tail ) videoed in one of the lagoons near the reactor site. I know that fish grow more slowly than other animals an the bigger they are, the older they are but that was one gynormous freshwater fish! Also, the wolves the researchers were following seemed bigger than usual, but it may have been due to a lack of competition for game from other species.
That makes it more interesting.
Wait. Since when are the Marianas not a US territory?
Also, it looks like the link to the article about clean up is broken…
I don’t know what happened to that.
Copy the lines below into the search block. The Australian article comes up.
marshall-islands-concrete-dome-holding-nuclear-waste-could-leak
Wierd.
Technically, the Marianas aren’t a US territory. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is in political union with (and in practice, close to a territory of) the United States. The islands are in the Micronesia region of the Pacific Ocean, between Japan, the Philippines, and Palau. – Wiki
Thanks for the concise but wide ranging briefing, Ex-PH2. I didn’t know how mush I needed that until I read it. DOUG out
You’re very welcome, DOUG.
Two comments:
1) My cousin’s husband was involved in the clean up at one of those islands…he passed away a couple of years ago due to deteriorating health that my cousin attributes to the clean up. (PPE was virtually non-existent, but the pay was good.)
2) I tried like hell for years to get a job on the Kwajalein Missile Range (Reagan Test site) when I was working Delta Rockets at the Cape. Too many unaccompanied jobs were available, I thought it would be a great way to save up a lot of money by the time I moved on.
I don’t think all the HAZDU pay in the world can make up for bad health from on the job exposures.
No really, thanks for all of that.
I need to keep up on a lot of stuff and that was a good mil style dump of good info.
VR,
Richard Weed
You’re quite welcome, Dick.
OMFG. Did you just assume ze’s gender???????!!
gigglesnorrrttt!!!
That dude in the pink bathrobe, I assume that’s what his Household Soviet makes him wear while she has him handcuffed until he decides to behave?
Looks like He went to bed very drunk, got up at 11.30 and shuffled into the shower were He used the wife’s black hair dye as shampoo & grabbed that robe off the door as He shuffled out dripping wet, and that look…it says time for another drink.
My but things have changed since I was a brat on Saipan shortly after VJ Day….Nobody wearing pink outfits………..all Navy or Marines then.
Some day, I’m going to ‘take the tour’ of those islands. I think it’s worth the time.
Save your money and go to Palau or Chuuk.
Especially if you want to go diving. Very easy to learn and the wrecks are incredible.
I know nothing about radiation and animals
In people in low doses it can cause cataracts, higher doses cause th thyroid to shut down and blood cancers like leukemia
Still higher doses can cause brain cancer
These may all take 10 years or more to occur after exposure
Of course a very high dose can cause acute radiation sickness and death in a few hours or days
We see occaisonal cases of radiation induced esophagitis and gastrointestinal bleeding after radiation therapy
I’ve seen lung fibrosis after chest irradiation
That is an awful disease to have
Wear your radiation exposure badges people!
https://youtu.be/3VKzqAefBVY