After two weeks and three days following the earthquake in Japan, another large quake or aftershock hit us. At these sizes we can’t really tell the difference. It was a 6.5 to the north east out at sea and of course we felt it here in Tokyo. The start of another day. With all these shakes it appears that my confidence in Japanese buildings have been reinforced. Although they move and objects inside tremble, for the most part everything comes back to normal when the earth settles. They make the best earthquake resistant structures in the world likely.
Most if not all the damage we see in the north was primarily from the Tsunami; nuclear reactor included. Regarding that reactor, more and more issues keep arising with it. The news at times is likely as toxic and disheartening as the radioactive waste. One of which really breaks any confidence if I had any left in TEPCO.
The nuclear geniuses at TEPCO had reported yesterday that the radiation levels exposed at the plant was 10,000,000x times the normal limit. That’s 10 Million Times the normal limit. 10 Million times the normal limit for almost anything is frightening. But fortunately, after leaving this number posted and reported for quite some time. They realized it was a MISTAKE!
Well, thank God that instead of 10,000,000 it was only 100,000x the normal safe limit. Wow, I feel much better and reassured that the amount is 100 thousand times above the safe amount VS 10 Million; and me without my lead one piece jumpsuit that’s all the rave. Thank you very much TEPCO for the clarification. I’m sure those of us who were concerned about the 10 million we were able to turn down the concerned level a notch by at least .00001. Then there’s another development we discovered. TEPCO in their infinite wisdom claimed that they were over burdened this month and could not deploy enough man power in form of meter readers. So, they’ve billed us based on last month’s electric consumption. Sounds good right?
No. Last month our bills and usage was a lot higher because this month we’ve had imposed black outs and were asked to reduce energy usage. So, not only have they’ve put us through the fall out of their mistakes they are over billing us for it. We’ll it seems like the good folks at TEPCO have a bit of a problem with numbers and math. So I’m going to make it very easy for them tonight. From all of us out here in Japan here’s a number which all of us can cite as our confidence level in you guys; “0.”
That’s right, zero, big fat sumo sized “0”; see if any of your experts can count forwards and or backwards to that? So I’m going to close my entry tonight with less angst. I’ve put up a photo of this evenings’ sunset. I get some of the most amazing sunsets here from my terrace. So much that I keep a camera handy. This evening was brilliant. Staring at the sun at dusk made me think of this. I’m all for nuclear energy, but it’s human error that’s always attributed to major disasters. Thus far the best nuclear reactor is the thermonuclear one that’s burning 93,000,000 miles away; and that my friend is the sun and only something God can create and control.
Linh Vien Thai is Amerasian, born in Dalat, South Vietnam, where he continued to lived during the war. He left for the U.S. and is now an American living in Tokyo. He enjoys adventure traveling and doing what’s right to make the world a better place.
