POST # 93
Waiting for November. In a few days they will begin the task of moving 1565 MOX fuel rods
at Fukushima.
What the result will be is anyone's guess.
Happy Trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
THOUGHTFUL: showing consideration for others; occupied with or given to thought; contemplative; meditative. WANDERER: moving from place to place without a fixed plan; or having no permanent residence; nomadic.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
TWO YEARS ON and THE PACIFIC OCEAN
POST # 92
Exactly two years ago today, The Thoughtful Wanderer began. At that time I was in Lake Oswego Oregon caring for a cat named Jill. Since then, I have travelled far and wide and during that time I have had the pleasure to take care of plenty of wonderful animals, and in addition to that I have met some very interesting people as well.
The journey continues. Yesterday I came across an article that I found difficult to read due to its content. As someone who has had the opportunity to spend time out in the open ocean, reading this article made me very sad indeed. I've included the link for anyone who wishes to read it.
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1848433/the-ocean-is-broken/?cs=12
The title of the article is "The Ocean Is Broken" and I think it is well worth the time to read.
Surrounded as I currently am by the same ocean mentioned in the above article, it feels like being in an oasis in the desert. Even the vastness of the Pacific is no match it seems for industrial civilization. And yet, the industrial machine continues to grind on and on. At some point, this civilization will come to an end as all do, however I wonder how much of our living planet will be left at that point.
And we call ourselves the wise ape. I'm not so sure about that any longer.
Happy Trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Exactly two years ago today, The Thoughtful Wanderer began. At that time I was in Lake Oswego Oregon caring for a cat named Jill. Since then, I have travelled far and wide and during that time I have had the pleasure to take care of plenty of wonderful animals, and in addition to that I have met some very interesting people as well.
The journey continues. Yesterday I came across an article that I found difficult to read due to its content. As someone who has had the opportunity to spend time out in the open ocean, reading this article made me very sad indeed. I've included the link for anyone who wishes to read it.
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1848433/the-ocean-is-broken/?cs=12
The title of the article is "The Ocean Is Broken" and I think it is well worth the time to read.
Surrounded as I currently am by the same ocean mentioned in the above article, it feels like being in an oasis in the desert. Even the vastness of the Pacific is no match it seems for industrial civilization. And yet, the industrial machine continues to grind on and on. At some point, this civilization will come to an end as all do, however I wonder how much of our living planet will be left at that point.
And we call ourselves the wise ape. I'm not so sure about that any longer.
Happy Trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Monday, October 14, 2013
FUKUSHIMA UPDATE
POST # 91
Try as I might, to get the subject of Fukushima off my mind these days, so far at least, I have been unsuccessful at this task.
The latest update has a few added twists. Up until just recently it was reported that beginning next month, TEPCO would begin the process of moving the highly radioactive fuel rods from the cooling pool which is perched precariously atop Reactor #4. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, this has never been attempted before, and due to the damage sustained during the initial accident, the task is fraught with uncertainties. But now it is being reported that the company may just decide to put this job into the too hard basket, leave the fuel rods where they now are, and hope for the best.
Japan is a land that is subject to numerous earthquakes, so the odds of another one happening are very high and it appears that it won't take much of a shake to bring the whole cooling pool crashing to the ground. To put it bluntly, this would be catastrophic. As I write this entry, Tropical Cyclone Wipha is currently tracking towards Fukushima with an anticipated arrival date in two days.
A spokesperson from the nuclear industry has recently stated that if even just one of the many hundreds of fuel rods was to ignite, the amount of radiation it could release would be enough to kill almost 2.9 billion people in a matter of a few weeks. So one would think with such a serious situation at hand, that experts from around the world would find it in their best interest to help out, however as time passes, it looks like Japan is on it's own. So much for helping a neighbor in need.
What can I personally do? Well, aside from writing this blog and talking to people, I'm not really sure what else I can do. Besides, this is information that most would like to pretend doesn't really exist.
Perhaps in the not too distant future, we are all going to learn what is REALLY important in our lives. That is a good thing.
A kiss, a touch of a hand, fresh air to breath, a warm sunny day, and all the other simple pleasures that make a life worth living.
That's enough for today.
Happy Trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Try as I might, to get the subject of Fukushima off my mind these days, so far at least, I have been unsuccessful at this task.
The latest update has a few added twists. Up until just recently it was reported that beginning next month, TEPCO would begin the process of moving the highly radioactive fuel rods from the cooling pool which is perched precariously atop Reactor #4. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, this has never been attempted before, and due to the damage sustained during the initial accident, the task is fraught with uncertainties. But now it is being reported that the company may just decide to put this job into the too hard basket, leave the fuel rods where they now are, and hope for the best.
Japan is a land that is subject to numerous earthquakes, so the odds of another one happening are very high and it appears that it won't take much of a shake to bring the whole cooling pool crashing to the ground. To put it bluntly, this would be catastrophic. As I write this entry, Tropical Cyclone Wipha is currently tracking towards Fukushima with an anticipated arrival date in two days.
A spokesperson from the nuclear industry has recently stated that if even just one of the many hundreds of fuel rods was to ignite, the amount of radiation it could release would be enough to kill almost 2.9 billion people in a matter of a few weeks. So one would think with such a serious situation at hand, that experts from around the world would find it in their best interest to help out, however as time passes, it looks like Japan is on it's own. So much for helping a neighbor in need.
What can I personally do? Well, aside from writing this blog and talking to people, I'm not really sure what else I can do. Besides, this is information that most would like to pretend doesn't really exist.
Perhaps in the not too distant future, we are all going to learn what is REALLY important in our lives. That is a good thing.
A kiss, a touch of a hand, fresh air to breath, a warm sunny day, and all the other simple pleasures that make a life worth living.
That's enough for today.
Happy Trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Monday, October 7, 2013
PRIORITIES
POST # 90
Cost of US military budget- $530 Billion
Cost of Iraq and Afghanistan wars- $4-6 Trillion
Listening to Coqui frogs at night- PRICELESS!
For everything else ( or so it seems) there is:
NO MONEY
Happy trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Cost of US military budget- $530 Billion
Cost of Iraq and Afghanistan wars- $4-6 Trillion
Listening to Coqui frogs at night- PRICELESS!
For everything else ( or so it seems) there is:
NO MONEY
Happy trails
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
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