As a scientific rationalist I get irritated when people argue without understanding all the facts, but as a student of history I get more irritated when people with the facts argue without understanding their limits. One of the things that engineers tend to do incorrectly is assess risk factors largely independent of each other: if X happens then part 1 will address it and if Y happens then part 2 will address...

While the disaster in Japan impacted the Pacific Coast of the US, here in Oregon a few million dollars damage at Depot Bay and Brookings, it was mostly a reminder that a subduction zone like the one responsible for earthquake and tsunami in Japan can be found 75 miles of the Oregon Coast. An earthquake of similar magnitude occurred along that zone on January 26th, 1700.  We also know that such events occur...

STRATFOR Red Alert: Nuclear Meltdown at Quake-Damaged Japanese Plant [March 12, 2011 | 0827 GMT] A March 12 explosion at the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Japan, appears to have caused a reactor meltdown….. MORE

UPDATE: Washington Post, 20:12 ET, March 15: New assessments of the explosion at Unit 2 of Japan’s stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant Tuesday heightened fears that it will begin spewing large amounts of radiation. The explosion probably damaged the main protective shield around the uranium-filled core inside one of the plant’s six reactors. Such a breach would be the first at a nuclear power plant...

After my first initial reaction of pure horror, this was one of my first thoughts after hearing about the earthquake in Japan:

Raw footage — photographs and video — of the tsunami and its aftermath, and an extensive list of online resources for those who want to follow earthquake-related news and information.

On Friday, an earthquake, the largest in at least 100 years (1000 years?), struck Japan 130 kilometres east of Sendai on the main island of Honshu. It triggered a local tsunami with waves of 30 feet. The combined calamity killed hundreds. In addition, the 8.9-magnitude earthquake triggered tsunami alerts across the Pacific from Indonesia and New Zealand to Russia to the coasts of Alaska, Oregon and California. Initially,...

In my youth, it was popular to say, “The revolution will be televised.” At that time, it seemed magical that we could witness unrest in countries from around the globe almost in real time, not to mention videotape of riots and demonstrations here in the states. The technology of recording video at the time was laughably primitive. The professional grade video recording equipment may have been “portable”...

An earthquake measuring 7.9  (new reports now say 8.8) on the Richter scale has struck Japan. The quake was centered 60-80 miles off the coast nearest to the Miyagi Prefecture. Reports are of a 24 km depth which is relatively shallow. There are reports that a tsunami could have been created, possibly as high as 20 feet and of course this could come in several waves. Areas all over the Western Pacific could...

If you’re pissed off about gas prices, here’s some good news for the future: one day if you’re pissed off it could run your car. The Guardian reports: The shower is well known as a source of good ideas. But the toilet? Equally promising, says Gerardine Botte, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio University who has developed a technology to generate hydrogen fuel from...

Are Western journalists, who have been reporting attempts by people in China to demonstrate against their government, aspiring for China’s “collapse”? This editorial from China’s state-run Global Times tells its readers hopefully, ‘Chinese society has no interest in resolving problems through revolution.’ The editorial from the Global Times says in part: “A few Western...

Is the office of the U.S. Trade Representative cracking down on Chinese search engines Baidu and Taobao for being ‘notorious markets’ for pirated goods – or is it simply retaliating for Google’s controversial withdrawal from the China market? According to this news item from China’s state-controlled Finance East Day, one Chinese analyst suggests that Beijing must stand up to the...

It sounded like a Cinderella story come true. A high school basketball team with a 19-0 record going into the final game of the season. They were behind but manage to make it into overtime and at the last second of overtime their star player hits a winning shot. The gym erupts in celebration. But this celebration was cut short as the player, 16 year old Wes Leonard, suddenly collapsed to the floor with cardiac...

Texas Governor Rick PerryWhat would happen if your Governor — not the press secretary but the Governor — suddenly blocked specific journalists from attending press conferences? In a perfect world, newspaper editors and TV station news managers would tell the Governor that he didn’t get to decide who reports on the business of the state. Down in Texas, we have a one-step-removed situation that...

Is this a seminal moment in human history – beyond which the major powers no longer pay lip service to freedom and human rights, while simultaneously backing friendly dictators? According to this editorial from Russia’s Vedomosti, diplomats will from now on have to recognize that the use of ‘our son’s of bitches’ – as Franklin D. Roosevelt is rumored to have called them...

Whether fundamentalist or not – how grateful are young Arabs for the emergence of Facebook and Twitter – which are, after all, the inventions of America’s open society? Dar al-Hayat columnist Jameel Theyabi writes of the new lease on life social networks have provided young Arabs and their elders, and expresses his deep thanks for these powerful tools that have enabled people to take down...

From a fascinating email exchange between Independent science editor Steve Connor and Princeton scholar and climate change skeptic Professor Freeman Dyson: From: Steve Connor To: Freeman Dyson …You have written eloquently about the need for heretics in science who question the accepted dogma. There are a number of notable instances in science where heretics have indeed been proven to be right (Alfred Wegener...

The headline sounds good: New Study Shows That Offshore Drilling Could Make Alaska the Eighth Largest Oil Producer in the World – Ahead of Libya and Nigeria (CNSNews.com) – A new study says drilling on Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) could make Alaska the eighth largest oil resource province in the world — ahead of Nigeria, Libya, Russia and Norway. The report — by the consulting...

West Texas Intermediate reached the magic $100 a barrel mark today and then backed off a bit while Brent Crude rose to over $110 a barrel. All because of unrest in Libya which produces a measly 1.6 million barrels a day.  Tom Whipple: It has taken two months for the contagion that began with the immolation of a fruit seller in Tunisia to reach the first significant oil producing nation. As oil production...

A challenge to the US auto market? by Prairie Weather Considering how much more popular lately WalMart has been compared to GM, the new little Chinese hybrid sedan may just clean up in a bruised American economy. Here’s some of what the New York Times reviewer has to say about his ride in the little 4-door BYD (“Build Your Dream”): …If BYD clears the regulatory hurdles, its F3DM plug-in...

The website DefendWisconsin.org, which supports union protesters, could not be accessed on the Wisconsin Capitol wifi network on Monday and part of Tuesday, according to various news reports. According to CNN: The Capitol internet service, which restricts access to certain websites considered inappropriate for lawmakers, revealed a “blocked page” when users tried to access the site using the building’s...

In a salvo directed at Netflix, with Apple and the cable networks, perhaps, as collateral damage, Amazon announced today that AmazonPrime customers now have free (bundled) access to thousands of movies and TV shows. When it launched in the United States in 2005, the Amazon Prime membership program touted unlimited fast shipping on all eligible purchases for an annual membership fee. Subsequently, Amazon extended...

It’s been slightly more than 24 hours since Twitter reinstated API access to UberMedia for its twidroyd and UberSocial for Blackberry applications. According to TwitterSource data for the past hour (at 6.30 pm Pacific), Ubersocial for Blackberry (formerly known as Ubertwitter) is currently the third most popular client for reading Tweets (6.181%). Twitter’s Blackberry client has dropped back to number...

Fat chance.

What can we expect from the uprisings that have suddenly erupted in Muslim lands? Highlighting the confusion over Egypt, La Jornada columnist Jose Steinsleger, who appears to be a confounded, left-wing revolutionary from Latin America, writes that whatever the risk that their dreams may be thwarted – he sides with the young people who have faced down a tyrant. For Mexico’s La Jornada, columnist...