At approximately 1 p.m. today, Idaho National Laboratory emergency personnel began responding to a radiological contamination event involving at least 17 [later corrected to 16] employees at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) on the INL Site.
The employees were conducting work inside the decommissioned Zero Power Physics Reactor (ZPPR) when a container was opened for normal scheduled work resulting in worker exposure to plutonium.
All 17 employees have been transported to the Central Facilities Medical Center on the INL site for further evaluation. The employees underwent initial decontamination at MFC.
There is no evidence of a release of contamination outside the facility. There is no risk to the public or environment.
Please note that INL is the official source for event information. Any information from other sources may be incomplete or inaccurate.
#3
..you understand that tens of thousands die every year from radiation exposure to the largest continuous nuclear reaction in the local neighborhood - skin cancer from sun exposure. Why are more people not excited about shutting that down? /rhet question
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Cash-strapped Swaziland will struggle to pay civil servants' salaries this month, Finance Minister Majozi Sithole told AFP on Wednesday, as the tiny kingdom slips deeper into crisis.
"We will do our best to pay at the end of November but it is difficult. We have serious fiscal challenges right now," Sithole said.
Swaziland fell into crisis after losing 60 percent of its revenue from a regional customs union last year, and has so far refused to take steps to rein in its spending.
The government wants to cut salaries for civil servants, who have taken to the streets in response, stoking anger at the lavish lifestyle of King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch.
The government had been paying civil servants by tapping its foreign reserves, which have fallen so low that the International Monetary Fund warned of risks to the local emalangeni currency, which is pegged to South Africa's rand.
Now Swaziland is paying its bills only through tax collection, which Sithole said would not generate enough money to pay the salaries for the kingdom's 35,000 civil servants.
"The revenue we are able to collect is not sufficient to cover our expenses," said Sithole.
Unions say they will continue to oppose salary cuts, lashing out at the IMF for not taking them seriously.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Are they not a large gambling center ... sort of like Vegas?
If so... why doesn't the gov. get some sort of cut/rake off the (A Fred filtered word starting with C and ending with O)?
Posted by: Water Modem ||
11/10/2011 1:57 Comments ||
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#2
Even the finance minister is named Major Shithole.
Seriously though, I bet the king has plenty of money for his many dozens of wifes to buy Gucci shoes and ride around in Limousins.
Canadas two major proposed oil sands pipelines have the potential to transform the global crude trade outlook, says a report by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
And thats just the tip of the iceberg: Non-conventional supplies will quadruple over the next 25 years and the Canadian oil sands and U.S. shale oil will lead the charge, says OPEC.
TransCanada Corp.s Keystone XL pipeline and Enbridge Inc.s Northern Gateway plan Screw up Keystone and guess where the energy goes.
have come under fire from environmentalists, but the forecast highlights the oil sands tremendous potential, and their ability to be a game changer in the global energy mix.
In both Canada and the U.S., a combination of domestic crude-oil production growth and a series of pipeline projects is leading to a situation that could have appreciable impacts on international crude oil markets and trade, says OPEC in its latest World Oil Outlook.
In North America, the Canadian oil sandss led non-conventional supply will nearly quadruple to 6.6 million barrels per day by 2035, from the current 1.7 million barrels per day, OPEC estimates.
Overall, North American production would rise to 16 million barrels per day by 2035 from 12 million in 2010, despite declining production from conventional oil wells. U.S. and Canadian production could account for nearly 80% of non-conventional supplies by 2035, says OPEC.
[Guardian UK]Greece was engulfed in political uncertainty as power-sharing talks aimed at forming a coalition government collapsed amid intense wrangling, ensuring that tortuous negotiations would drag on into a fourth day.
As Greeks -- and European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... officials -- looked on aghast, the presidential palace announced that the near bankrupt country's squabbling party leaders would reconvene under the auspices of president Karolos Papoulias .
Suggestions that Philippos Petsalnikos, Speaker of the parliament and a long-time confidant of outgoing socialist prime minister George Papandreou, would be the next leader appeared to torpedo the talks and last night well-placed sources suggested that sparring politicians were once again considering annointing former frontrunner Lucas Papademos to take control of the new government.
"This is an insult to democracy," lamented the veteran leftist Fotis Kouvelis who leads the small Democratic Left party.
"It is clear that, after this, whatever government emerges will be totally undermined," he said giving voice to fears that Athens had become rudderless as it navigates its worst crisis in modern times. "The only answer is elections here and now."
The talks collapsed after a day of farcical high drama, climaxing with the unexpected exit from the presidential palace of Giorgos Karatzaferis, leader of the populist far-right Laos party.
The politician, whose party's fortunes have risen dramatically on the back of Greece's debt drama, stormed out of the building denouncing the "tactical games" allegedly being played by Papandreou and Antonis Samaras, the conservative main opposition leader.
"I am very sorry. Very sorry for Greece," he said before being whisked off in a bullet proof car.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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Until some real leadership emerges in Athens that is able to rally the population to the fact that the days of milk and honey are over, nothing is going to happen.
What I see here is an entire nation in denial. They apparently still seem convinced they if they just tax the rich enough, they can still keep their social welfare state. They haven't yet come to grips with the notion that it is over. It's done. The days of getting money for nothing and chicks for free is over. People are actually going to have to work for a living and wait until they are actually old to retire.
For example, if you have worked for an employer for 10 years or have worked for 12 years for any number of employers, you are entitled to 25 days (5 freaking WEEKS) of paid vacation per year. That is in ADDITION to 12 public holidays that you MUST be paid for giving a total of 37 paid days off per year.
That compares to NO mandatory vacation in the US and 10 paid holidays. (15 days paid vacation is typical in the US for people with 10 years of service at an employer).
Depending on your occupation, you can retire in Greece at 50 if you are female and 55 if you are male.
It's just crazy. And no politician wants to be the one to tell people that the gravy bowl is empty lest they have riots because the people have been conditioned to believe that the status of their life is the government's responsibility.
Things are going to get a whole lot worse in Greece before they get better.
[Telegraph UK] About 25 tents were pitched next to Nelson's Column at 1.30pm after a group of 200 protesters broke free from the main march, which was protesting about the rise in university tuition fees and education cuts.
The breakaway group pledged to stay in the square indefinitely, mirroring the occupation at St Paul's Cathedral.
About an hour later police removed the protesters, saying they had breached section 12 of the Public Order Act by deviating from the official protest route.
The success of the policing operation was in part attributed to the fact that Scotland Yard had 4,000 officers on patrol, the largest single body of officers policing any event since the summer riots.
The attempted occupation was the only notable incident of an otherwise peaceful protest. Last night only 24 arrests had been made despite an estimated 10,000 protesters turning out.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/10/2011 00:00 ||
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Turkey was on Wednesday night hit by a second devastating earthquake in less than three weeks, killing at least three people and leaving dozens trapped in the rubble of toppled buildings, according to reports.
The 5.7-magnitude quake hit the city of Van, which was devastated last month by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that killed 600 people.
The state television channel TRT Haber showed images of several collapsed buildings and rescue workers searching through the rubble after the tremor struck at 9.23pm local time. It said at least 35 people were trapped.
Panicked residents could be seen running through the streets and ambulances rushed through the town with their sirens wailing.
Sky Turk television said one hotel was being used by journalists and aid workers. It was not clear how many people were inside, but at least one was brought out alive, NTV television reported.
NTV television said rescue teams were being sent to the region from the capital Ankara and other areas, a week after workers had begun clearing debris from the earlier quake.
About 1,400 aftershocks have rocked the region since the first earthquake hit the province on Oct 23.
Many residents had been living in tents, despite the cold, too afraid to return to their homes. Life has become hell. We are outside, the weather is cold. There are no tents, said Emin Kayram, 53. At least 2,000 buildings were destroyed and authorities declared another 3,700 buildings unfit for habitation. The airport in Van was also damaged, meaning planes were diverted to nearby cities and relief teams were forced to travel by road.
Octobers earthquake had a relatively shallow depth of 12.2 miles, according to the US Geological Survey, which made the damage worse.
Van province lies several hundred miles east of the East Anatolian fault, one of Turkeys most seismically active regions.
Timing this information is curious. Everything that would give us jobs and improve our way of life is attacked these days. Vast areas of the ocean are barren but around oil rigs life abounds.
If there is a problem correct it and move on with it.
Rooters summarized: at least three dead in magnitude 5.7 quake on Wednesday centred 16 km south of the Turkish city of Van. Two hotels and other buildings destroyed in the city, more in the region.
h/t Instapundit
After 10 days of saturation coverage by the media, we still don't definitely know any more about Herman Cain's alleged misdeeds than we did when Politico first broke the story. Media balance, anyone?
Since breaking the sexual harassment story about the presidential contender in late October, Politico alone has published more than 100 dispatches. TV networks aired a whopping 99 stories in the first nine days. And the Cain saga continues to merit front page treatment at major newspapers.
Yet with every news outlet working overtime to keep the Cain story alive, we still know next to nothing about what Cain allegedly did. Which is basically right where the story was when Politico broke it in late October.
#10
Coulter said today what I have been thinking. Where are the harrasment claims from his time at Coke, Pillsbury, Burger King, Godfathers just three years at the NRA and his make up completely changed?
#12
There were two stories floated a couple of years ago that the empty suit was having a personal relationship with one of his political advisors...it disappeared without much follow up.
Remember that the AP sent 12 fact checkers to Alaska to dig up dirt on Palin...
Of course it is all about allegations and appearances...the Trotskis and the Berias of the world as well as the MSM believe in the death of a thousand cuts...as well as name calling and smearing when they can't debate the facts.
It does seem peculiar to me that the MSM in the US bears a very vivid resemblance to Pravda, et al., during the 20's and 30's...
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
11/10/2011 10:32 Comments ||
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#17
Herman Cain proposed a flat tax which would be the beginning of the end for the public sector cartel. This was his crime, and this is the cartel's response.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
11/10/2011 13:37 Comments ||
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#18
MSM is carrying water for Obama--trying to deep six Cain. I think Obama has worries about Cain splitting off some of the black vote.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Cash-strapped Swaziland will struggle to pay civil servants' salaries this month, Finance Minister Majozi Sithole told AFP on Wednesday, as the tiny kingdom slips deeper into crisis.
Greece was engulfed in political uncertainty as power-sharing talks aimed at forming a coalition government collapsed amid intense wrangling, ensuring that tortuous negotiations would drag on into a fourth day.
About 25 tents were pitched next to Nelson's Column at 1.30pm after a group of 200 protesters broke free from the main march, which was protesting about the rise in university tuition fees and education cuts.
