Ramen.

Spousal unit says, " I'm surprised Randy isn't out in his fire boat covering the reservoirs and raising the water rates".

Well according to the 'experts' I read, iodide would only protect the thyroid anyway. The main thing they said was to not drink milk from animals living near the highest levels of radiation. That we take the radiation in through food. Who knows. It will definitely impact those closer to the source whatever the case.

Japanese Prime Minister warns of high radiation levels:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703908304576201382455819162.html?mod=djemalertNEWS

"Substantial amounts of radiation are leaking in the area," Mr. Kan said on television at 11 a.m. in Tokyo.

Yikes.

Latest phrase to worry about: "Spent-fuel pool."

If the spent fuel pool water drains out, apparently there will be a fire. Then we are talking Chernobyl.

In fact, this one looks as though it is going to be worse than Chernobyl. The Oregon bureaucrat types will be singing a different tune quite soon.

Website streaming live Tokyo TV station:

www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

Click the 'Now On Air' box.

In other websites there is news developing about plans to evacuate Tokyo, or not.
17+ million souls there.

Reports say radiation levels in Tokyo are 30 times greater than 'Dangerous.' In another thread (yesterday) I supplied a link to a live geiger counter display in Tokyo -- latest reports say that website has gone dark.

Meanwhile closer to home KGW reports, "Portland bridges vulnerable to major earthquake". I would really like to respond to that headline but I'm afraid my response is not printable in a family blog.

I saw a transcript from one press conference that answered one of my questions. The number of employees at the plant is normally 800. All but 50 have taken off. So we have around 12 people wrestling with each of the 4 reactors that is in trouble, plus an unknown number of first responder types.
My guess? Upper management has mostly gone on a leadership retreat.
No matter what happens these 50 are showing us something truly heroic. When you see those haz-mat suits with the exposed skin around this much radiation, it's pretty certain that these remaining 50 brave employees will be dead in a few days or maybe weeks.
And they probably know that.

Japan faces potential nuclear catastrophe
By Eric Talmadge And Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press – 1 hr 24 mins ago

SOMA, Japan – Japan's nuclear crisis deepened dramatically Tuesday. As safety officials sought desperately to avert catastrophe, the government said radioactive material leaking from reactors was enough to "impact human health" and the risk of more leaks was "very high."

In a nationally televised statement, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that radiation has spread from four reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima province that was one of the hardest-hit in Friday's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami.

He urged anyone within 19 miles (30 kilometers) of the plant to stay indoors or risk getting radiation sickness.

Con't at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake_nuclear_crisis

It was the same at Chernobyl. Rather than evacuate, a crew of line workers stayed and gave their lives trying to limit the wider impact.

I can't see this event resolving itself without military intervention. You wonder who's up for the suicide mission, though.

If radiation is detected in Oregon, what would you do? Would you leave town? Where would you go, and what would you take with you? I you felt you had to leave, when would it be safe to return to your home? I believe that the EPA will give us the facts about radiation exposure, but what course of action should gov. officials suggest for the public? This isn't orderly Japan, so if one leaves town, assume that their home is vulnerable. No good choices here unless disaster is imminent.

So where do we get the iodine pills?

So where do we get the iodine pills?

~~~>Nobody has the in stock, and can't get any! Seaweed or kelp as a substitute. Amazon.com had some earlier.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014H1KP2

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0725: Philip White, of the Citizens' Nuclear Information Center in Tokyo, tells the BBC he honours the courage of some 50 workers remaining in the nuclear plant, saying they are risking their lives by exposing themselves to what are conceivably very high doses of radiation. Says the authorities' unwillingess to listen to past advice about the dangers of quakes and tsunami has led to this situation, and they should have taken these well-founded critiques seriously.

#
0738: More on the fire at a spent fuel pond at Fukushima: It is at the number 4 reactor and "radioactivity is being released directly into the atmosphere", AFP quotes the IAEA as saying.

#
0740: The threat from a nuclear reactor damaged by Japan's huge earthquake is judged "extremely high," AFP quotes France's foreign minister as saying as Japan met with other Group of Eight powers.

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0746: The BBC's Vivek Raj in northern Japan says people there are very concerned with the Japanese government finally admitting that radioactive leaks could affect public health.

So the media and our government wants everyone to get cancer? I having a hard time with that.

Not that the government 'wants' everyone to get cancer, its that they don't care if anyone gets cancer.

There is no possibility that those in charge will be honest.

It was the same at Chernobyl. Rather than evacuate, a crew of line workers stayed and gave their lives trying to limit the wider impact.

That most likely was an order, not a humanitarian gesture.

The thing I found odd is there are entire families that stayed in the area, and continue to live there to this day.