Today's edition of quick hits:
* Space Shuttle Discovery made its final flight today, and gave folks in D.C. a "spectacular aerial" show this morning. It will now be part of the Smithsonian's permanent collection.
* Remember in 2010, when congressional Republicans said "deem and pass" was an outrageous abuse and an assault on all that is good in the world? Well, they've changed their minds: "The House on Tuesday afternoon approved a rule deeming that the House Republican budget approved last month as being passed by both the House and Senate."
* Corporate profits are exceeding expectations: "Profits at Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson all beat analysts' estimates and lifted hopes for the rest of the earnings season. Of the 39 S&P 500 companies that have reported earnings, 74.4 percent beat estimates, according to Thomson Reuters data."
* As brutal as the weekend's tornadoes were, "a more vigilant and persistent warning system" helped reduce the number of deaths and injuries.
* Policymakers in Alabama have a chance to repeal their ridiculous anti-immigrant law, but "it looks like they're blowing it."
* I don't think this guy understands reward posters: "Mohammad Ashan, a mid-level Taliban commander in Paktika province, strolled toward a police checkpoint in the district of Sar Howza with a wanted poster bearing his own face. He demanded the finder's fee referenced on the poster: $100."
* Raise the minimum wage: "Here's an unhappy observation about the minimum wage: Congress last increased the rate in stages in 2006, topping it out at $7.25 an hour in 2009, or $15,080 a year. That amount, when adjusted for inflation, is actually lower than what a minimum-wage worker earned in 1968 and is too meager to offer anyone the chance to climb out of poverty, let alone afford basic goods and services."
* Retiring Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has a suggested bumper sticker for his party: "We're Not Perfect, But They're Nuts."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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* Remember in 2010, when congressional Republicans said "deem and pass" was an outrageous abuse and an assault on all that is good in the world? Well, they've changed their minds: "The House on Tuesday afternoon approved a rule deeming that the House Republican budget approved last month as being passed by both the House and Senate." That's shocking! The Democratic move was made after tons of inter-chamber negotiations, etc. This is almost Nazi Party-like. I assume Obama can veto?
Rachel,
When on God's green Earth are you finally going to start covering the truly most important story of the world: Spent Fuel Pool #4 at Fukushima? Are you aware that SFP#4 is near collapse? That it holds hundreds of tons of plutonium? That if it does collapse it will render the Pacific Ocean dead and threaten the entire Northern Hemisphere, let alone the entire globe?
Or that the former Japanese ambassador to Switzerland last week pleaded with the UN for international help because his own government is not taking this seriously?http://enenews.com/ambassador-murata-writes-secretary-general-exaggeration-fate-japan-world-depends-4-reactor-appeals-independent-assessment-team
That if the pool collapses, the fuel in it will return to meltdown and release radiation in excess of 85 times Chernobyl? http://enenews.com/nuclear-expert-fukushima-spent-fuel-85-times-cesium-released-chernobyl-destroy-world-environment-civilization-issue-human-survival-former-adviser
That physician Dr. Helen Caldicott said 2 weeks ago that if it does collapse, she's moving her family from BOSTON? http://enenews.com/caldicott-if-spent-fuel-pool-no-4-collapses-i-am-evacuating-my-family-from-boston-to-southern-hemisphere-video
That even today, Senator Ron Wyden has issued a call for international assistance in this matter? http://wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Ambassador-Fujisaki.pdf
While the Japanese government still behaves as though it does not have to move quickly on this matter, planning to move them BEGINNING in Fall 2013, even though its own scientists have said another major quake of 7.0 or higher is expected in the area this year? http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120417_15.html
This should be a call to arms yet no one is saying anything. The fate of humanity literally rests on the outcome of SFP#4. You are intelligent, give great analyses to current events, and are a Rhodes Scholar. I expect more out of you. Please do not be another in a long line of reporters/commentators giving mea culpas after the fact lamenting they didn't follow the facts when they should have. We've had enough of that in the last 12 years to last 2 lifetimes. Please start raising the awareness of this foreseeable and unmitigated disaster.
That's quite a sermon. And it's a shame that you so obviously do not watch the show, because Rachel has already given an update about the reactor situation. If you were more informed about who you were lecturing and what she has been covering, you wouldn't have made yourself look as foolish as you have done.
And even if you don't watch the show, there is the fact that clips are archived online. All you had to is to look and hey presto you would have found this recent story block (the segment about the rectors begins around the four minute mark). It's not hard to find, and you didn't even bother trying.
If you knew what you were talking about, I'd give your comment more credence. Her recent show had to do with only reactor 2 and it was couched within a story about politics unrelated. This is SFP#4 and is far more, FAR, FAR more pressing than even reactor #2. It's not hard to make that distinction, if YOU had actually paid attention to that segment. But it seems you were the one that didn't even try. I know, I know, you just thought "it's all Fukushima, it's all the same...", right? An unthinking response from someone not used to thinking, only responding. Waiting for the next cue to prattle on about something else to be against. Way to go. But keep posting without thinking. We don't have enough people doing that in this country.
Rachel,
When on God's green Earth are you finally going to start covering the most important story in the world right now? SPENT FUEL POOL #4 at Fukushima?
Were you aware that the pool is near collapse? That it holds hundreds of tons of plutonium and is mere tens of feet from the Pacific Ocean? Are you aware that last week the former Japanese ambassador to Switzerland went to the extraordinary step of publicly asking the UN to intervene in this situation because the fate of humanity rests on the outcome of SFP#4? http://enenews.com/ambassador-murata-writes-secretary-general-exaggeration-fate-japan-world-depends-4-reactor-appeals-independent-assessment-team
That physician Dr. Helen Caldicott said 2 weeks ago that if SFP#4 collapses she's evacuating her family from BOSTON? http://enenews.com/caldicott-if-spent-fuel-pool-no-4-collapses-i-am-evacuating-my-family-from-boston-to-southern-hemisphere-video
That if the pool collapses, its fuel rods and radioactive water will fall into the Pacific Ocean, killing it, and those fuel rods will proceed to meltdown thereby releasing 85 times the radiation of Chernobyl?http://enenews.com/nuclear-expert-fukushima-spent-fuel-85-times-cesium-released-chernobyl-destroy-world-environment-civilization-issue-human-survival-former-adviser
Also, if this happens, the Fukushima Complex will have to be evacuated and that humans and machines will not be able to get near it because it will be too hot? That means the other reactors (1,2,3,5, and 6) will then ALL proceed to meltdown? http://enenews.com/german-tv-armageddon-if-no-4-collapses-end-of-japan-as-we-know-it-could-change-the-world-interview-with-nuclear-engineer-video
Were you aware that even today US Senator Ron Wyden came out and publicly called for US intervention in this matter and that the Fukushima disaster is far worse that is being publicly told? http://wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Ambassador-Fujisaki.pdf
This should be the biggest story on all channels yet all we hear is about more useless political nonsense. You are intelligent, give intelligent analysis of current events, and are a Rhodes Scholar. I expect more from such an impressive woman. Please do not follow in the dismal footsteps of your media counterparts of the last 12 years and ignore the facts only to issue some kind of half-hearted mea culpa down the line and after the fact. Please start ramping up the coverage of this story. It truly affects us ALL.
I am so confused now. I mean after all spent fuel rods are immersed to keep them cool and prevent a "meltdown. They are kept in pools until they go through enough half lifes to be safe for transport. I also know of two nuclear subs that lay on the bottom of the ocean and the consensus is that the fuel rods if exposed would or by now have been encrusted with salt which is a good radiation shield.
Your experts seem to have different opinions about these fuel cells , perhaps because these are plutonium cells? Or could it be they are intentionally overstating their case so as to force action to be taken?
Ok, no they don't have differing opinions. They all say if the pool collapses, the rods fall into the ocean, destroy it, and much of the world soon thereafter. How can you so thoroughly misrepresent the information presented?
Well now it is nice to see you get your info from such scholars.
Raise the minimum wage? But then those 48%ers that the right claims don't pay taxes will actually make enough to live on and might even have to pay those darn taxes.
Re: more vigilant and persistent tornado warning system.
The same system along with volcano monitoring, hurricane warning systems, earthquake monitoring, etc., that the tealiban claim are expendable?
Isn't it going to make it more difficult for the tealiban to kill Americans if they can't start wars on lies and eliminate warning systems for natural disasters which save lives?
Tea party? There's a mixed bag for you. Old folks on social security demanding their SSI be cut off. Religious kooks demanding less government except when it comes to pushing their anti-abortion personhood religious crap. Anti-government militia types who insist Obama wants to take away their guns,which they need in case one of "those people" enters their neighborhood.Never before have so many been so duped by so few for so much.
Paul, a couple of things come to mind, taking pride in being ignorant and plutocracy.
The so-called "spectacular aerial show" of the shuttle was reminisicent of the military fly-overs occurring at sporting events, which in turn are reminiscient of May Day displays of military hardware in the former Soviet Union -- all amounting to the last vain attempts of a once-powerful nation to engender senseless pride in the expenditure of scarce resources on military hardware to maintain a dying empire for the benefit of corporations who pay no tax and the wealthy who endure no hardship.
I find it predictable that all this idiotic fawning over the militarization of space was underwritten by Exxon/Mobil.