Radiation at Fukushima Nuclear Plant at Lethal Levels, Reports of Sea Boiling

Photograph allegedly showing the sea boiling near Fukushima nuclear plant.

UPDATE: Typhoon Man-yi expected to hit:  Reports: Fears for Fukushima plant as typhoon now only a few hours away -- Officials warn of floods at site -- Storm gusting over 150 km/hr -- Workers frantically pumping up water -- Torrential rain to force more contamination into groundwater (MAP)


A troubling new report coming from the crippled Fukushima nuclear facility in Japan has revealed that radiation levels around its cooling tanks are up to 18 times worse than previously thought—high enough to kill a person within four hours of being exposed, the BBC is now reporting.

Although most of the world at large has completely forgotten about the nuclear accident—the worst in global history—the area around the plant has been shut off with only plant personnel given access to the highly radioactive zone. The plant was severely damaged in the March 11, 2011 earthquake—a 9.0 on the Richter scale and the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, and went into a full-scale meltdown after a ten-meter high tsunami swept across the region, causing at least one of the reactors to explode and damaging three others.

A disturbing photograph—allegedly taken within the last week—claims to show the ocean by the plant is boiling, possibly from the intensely hot waters poured into the remaining reactors to keep them from overheating. Although there is no confirmation that this photograph is accurate or taken recently, TEPCO, the agency responsible for the plant clean-up, maintains that the area is stable and under complete control. Independent corroboration is not possible, due to the zone being restricted with only government approved workers given access to the area. All workers must sign non-disclosure agreements regarding their work at the plant.

Another alarming report is claiming the radioactive waters that have already leaked from the reactor—estimated at more than 300 tons of radioactive material, will begin to reach the West Coast of North America early in 2014 and peak by late 2016. Officials insist that the radioactive materials from the water will be diluted to "safe levels" by the time they reach the highly populated region.

You've Been Slimed: Snail Beauty Facials!

The world is no secret to strange beauty treatments (kitty litter face scrubs, bird poop facials...) and now comes the latest beauty trick that is all the rage in Japan (where else?)... slimy snail treatments.

An exclusive salon in Tokyo has been charging a pretty yen for the privilege of allowing the creepy crawlies to slither around their clientele’s pampered faces... all in the name of beauty. Apparently, the slime the snails secrete contains an anti-wrinkle ingredient. According to The Telegraph UK:

"The secreted snail mucus is key to the facial, as it reportedly contains a beauty-boosting cocktail of proteins, antioxidants and hyaluronic acid, which help skin retain moisture, reduce inflammation and remove dead skin."

Indeed, the anti-inflammatory nature of the snail mucus was known centuries ago by certain indigenous South American tribes, but having snails crawl around one’s face? What is involved in that bird poop beauty treatment again? 

You can watch a demonstration of the icky beauty treatment in the video below:

Exposed: New Video from Japan Shows Off-the-Charts Radiation Levels

A new video has surfaced on YouTube that is bringing about some much-needed attention. The video is ostensibly from Japan—at this point we can only assume it was filmed near to the Fukushima Nuclear Facility that went into a full-scale meltdown event after the cataclysmic March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

The video from the unspecified location shows two handheld radiation detectors—one placed on the ground in a plastic bag with the other being held by an unknown person recorded the readings. The handheld detector immediately begins to register an intense rate of radioactivity, particularly when it is placed closer to the ground, where the other detector in the plastic bag remains.

The detector registers a rather alarming 6000 CPM (Counts Per Minute, which measures the amount of radioactivity in the vicinity.) It quickly spikes to over 8000 CPM. Normal, safe CPM levels would be between 20-30 CPMs. Long term exposure to the levels of radioactivity registered by the monitors would cause significant health risks—including death in people more susceptible.

Is the video genuine? That cannot be verified at this point. You can view the video that was posted on May 10, 2013, for yourself and draw your own conclusions below:

Feed Me, Seymour: New Species of Carnivorous Plant Discovered in Japan

 

For fans of the musical Little Shop of Horrors comes this news item...

According to the Japan Times, a new species of carnivorous plant has been discovered for the first time in Aichi Prefecture, on the central-southern coast of Japan's main island. The newspaper calls the discovery a "pitcher plant," , but experts are saying that it is actually of the Drosera species, commonly known as the sundew plant.

Although pitcher plants and sundews are both carnivorous and feed mostly on insects lured to their deaths inside their sticky "mouths", they are very different otherwise. While pitcher plants possess a slippery, bell-shaped flower that unsuspecting prey become trapped in, sundews have sticky tentacles topped with a single drop of "dew" that insects become hopelessly mired in with the slightest touch. Eventually, the insects die from exhaustion, dehydration, starvation, or suffocation, to be digested by the enzymes within the mucous the plant produces!

I'm sure there is no connection between the discovery of the new "meat-eating" plant and the Fukushima nuclear meltdown that took place after the horrific Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. At least,  I hope not...

Reports of Osaka Bay Turning Yellow Coming Out of Japan

Courtesy: Fukushima Diary

Reports have been coming out of Japan over the past nine hours that the color of Osaka Bay has suddenly changed color, turning into a shade of very pale yellow. Reports at first began on micro-blogging site Twitter before breaking out across the blogosphere as well.

Citizens in both the cities of Osaka and Kobe began noticing the phenomenon. One Twitter member posted the following to their feed today: “Moving from parents house to Mikage. Osaka bay looked yellowish when I saw from an eminence. Am afraid it’s a sign."

A similar occurrence took place in 1995, shortly before the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, which was responsible for the deaths of more than 7000 people in Kobe and the surrounding vicinity. The area also suffered a large scale fish kill only last week, when several tons of dead sardines inexplicably washed up on the beaches near the Japanese fishing port of Ohara in Isumi City of Chiba Prefecture. 


Seismologists have been issuing warnings over the past several weeks that the area is due for another large earthquake, perhaps comparable or stronger than the 6.8 1995 quake, which caused more than $100 Billion in damages. 

The yellowing Japanese waters comes only days after the skies over parts of China turned an ominous shade of yellow as well.

Sea of Garbage: Japanese Tsunami Island of Garbage Reaching North American Shores

Satellite imagery shows the massive size of the garbage "continent".

A portion of the estimated 1.5 million tons of debris, swept up by the catastrophic March 11, 2011, tsunami in Japan, has already started to arrive on North American shores.

The latest computer models using satellite imagery of the debris "continent", which stretches over 4,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean between North America and Japan, estimate that the larger portions of the garbage will begin hitting beaches as early as this October. This is several months earlier than previously predicted. The debris is expected to continue washing ashore until at least the end of 2013.

Last week, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle was found after it washed ashore in British Colombia, Canada, that had once belonged to a man in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. A few weeks earlier, a Japanese teenager who lost his home in the devastating tsunami was delighted after his soccer ball washed up on a remote Alaskan beach 3,500 miles from Japan. Misaki Murakami, 16, came forward to reveal that he was the owner of the ball discovered by American radar technician David Baxter on Middleton Island.


Washington, Oregon, Alaska and British Columbia are set to receive the brunt of the tsunami flotsam, while the majority of California will be protected by currents pushing objects back out to sea. The islands of Hawaii, however, are in line to receive several rounds of the floating refuse.

Potty Shy? New Gadget Hides Your Bathroom Noises

Do you hate to have to use a public restroom because of a phobia about other complete strangers hearing you do your business? Well, there's a new invention just for you...

The ever-industrious Japanese (who take toilets very seriously) have designed a new gadget that promises to conceal any bodily sounds you might make while using a public loo.

The new Eco-Otome Toilet Sound Blocker device is cleverly constructed to look like an ordinary key chain. When you are in the middle of making Number One or Number Two (depending on just how potty shy you are), simply push the button on the device and it will generate the loud, continuous sound of a high-pressure toilet flushing for twenty-five seconds, drowning out any unfortunate slips, grunts, plops or pooooots you might have released, sparing you any embarrassment and leaving you with your dignity completely intact. The person in the next stall won't have a clue about your bathroom habits, which is exactly the way it should be....

Ghost Ship: Trawler Swept Away by Japanese Tsunami Found Off Canadian Coast

A Japanese fishing boat lost in last year's horrifying tsunami has been found, over four thousand miles away off the west coast of Canada!

The trawler is part of the estimated five million tons of debris swept up by the mammoth, twenty-four foot tsunami that devastated countless cities and villages along the Japanese coast following a powerful 9.0 earthquake in March 2011. Now, more than a year after the cataclysm, Canadian military air patrol have spotted the ghost vessel, unmanned since the disaster, near the Queen Charlotte Islands, off the coast of British Colombia. The ship, which was used for squid fishing, was moored near the city of Hachinohe in the Aomori prefecture when the tsunami hit, said Toshiro Yoshinaga, an official with the Japanese Coast Guard. Canadian agencies are monitoring the ship for marine pollution.

A massive "floating island" of debris from Japan is steadily making its way across the Pacific Ocean, and is hovering close to the western coasts of both the United States and Canada. Experts believe the toxic debris could start washing ashore within the next year.

The Giant Wakes: Japan's Mt. Fuji Volcano Shows Signs of Awakening

Mount Fuji, the scenic volcano that has long been the symbol of Japan, is now showing signs of increased activity. Reports coming out of Japan claim that Mount Fuji (Fujiyama) is now exhibiting signs of an imminent eruption.

The volcano, the highest point in Japan, is located only sixty-two miles from the capital of Tokyo and can be seen from the metropolis on a clear day. Fuji last erupted in 1707, when a violent eruption took place, which destroyed many villages located at the flank of the mountain and covered nearby Tokyo in a thick layer of ash. Many towns are currently located in the lava flow of the 1707 eruption and would be in danger of being destroyed should the volcano erupt again.

A moderate-sized earthquake located slightly to the west of Fuji took place a few days after the devastating 9.0 earthquake struck near Tokyo in March of last year. According to the report, which includes an unclear photo of the area, a row of new craters, the largest 50 meters in diameter, has appeared on the eastern flank of the volcano at 2200 meter elevation. Steam was observed erupting from these vents.

Mount Fuji is one of the Three Holy Mountains of Japan, which also includes Mount Tate and Mount Haku. Japanese scientists and authorities are currently monitoring the situation for any changes in the volcano's status.

Godzilla Vs. The World: Classic Original Film Released in Restored Version

The original classic Godzilla film is getting a spectacular new release, with a digitally restored version on DVD and Blu Ray from the highbrow Criterion Collection. The company plans to release the full version of the original 1954 Japanese production, titled Gojira as well as the 1956 American edition of the movie, Godzilla: King of Monsters, which starred Perry Mason actor Raymond Burr.

Unlike the 27 subsequent sequels and remakes, the original film was a stark and disturbing parable about the dangers of atomic and nuclear powers. The film's darkness came directly from the Japanese experience, which had endured the dropping of atomic weapons on two of its cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, during the final moments of World War II. The film was seen as a way of purging the fear and heartbreak the Japanese people suffered from the atomic nightmare.

Disturbing scenes cut from the original Japanese version have been restored and added to the new version, including one of a terrified mother as she huddles in an alleyway, clutching her small child in the shadow of the fire-breathing creature. In another deleted scene, a fleeing woman sobs, "I barely survived the bombing of Nagasaki. And now this!" Both scenes were thought to be too intense for American viewers during the Cold War years of the 1950s.

The fact that the film's iconic creature would go on to play the hero in countless follow-ups is a testament to the impact the film has made on not only the Japanese people, but the entire world. The film remains even more relevant today, in light of Japan's recent nuclear meltdown at the stricken Fukushima nuclear facility, after March's devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Come One, Come All: Japanese Store Has Big F***'in' Sale

The Big Fuckin' Sale Only Offers a 20% Discount? WTBF?

Engrish.com has a new entry to its collection of hilarious Japanese signs printed with odd, sometimes incomprehensible English words and phrases...

A department store in Osaka, Japan, has offered a highly original new sales strategy. Not just any sale, but a Big Fuckin' Sale (dropping the "G" and adding the apostrophe gives the entire sale some serious street cred). I can just imagine all the big fuckin' things one could purchase at just such a sale: Big fuckin' pink polka-dotted Crocs. A Big fuckin' Paula Deen skillet with a big fuckin' spatula. A big fuckin' box of yummy Godiva chocolates. You can even save an extra 15% by opening up a new big fuckin' credit card account with the department store. Big Fuckin' A!!!

Some American store should adopt this clever sales campaign, big fuckin' ASAP!!!

Godzilla Eats Christmas: Giant Radioactive Lizard Christmas Tree Inspires Holiday Fear

Godzilla on his way to trample the mall's Nativity scene. (Photo Credit: BuzzFeed)

Holiday shoppers in Aqua City's Odaiba mall in Tokyo, Japan, have an extra incentive to hurry up and get their shopping done: a monstrously-sized, fire-breathing, radioactive Godzilla Christmas tree!

Not content with terrifying the local children by throwing them on the lap of a strange man dressed in a fake beard and red suit, the mall decided to place the massive topiary in the center of the fashionable retail paradise. Funny, in all the films I've seen of Godzilla, hoards of people are always running away from the giant lizard with a look of abject terror on their faces, the look that says "I just peed my pants" as they run forward screaming while looking back at the massive beast!

No word if Godzilla's winged archenemy Rodan will be making an appearance in the mall as the Baby New Year...

All Dogs Go to Heaven II: World's Oldest Dog Dies at 26

Photo Credit: Reuters/The Daily Mail

A dog that was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the oldest living canine on the planet has died at the age of 26.

Pusuke, a male cross breed, died peacefully on Monday afternoon at Sakura in Tochigi prefecture, Japan, according to the dog's owner Yumiko Shinohara. At 26 years of age, he would have been the equivalent of a 125-year-old human, animal experts say. 


Shinohar told Japanese press that Pusuke had maintained a healthy appetite and was able to complete several walks a day for exercise until earlier in the week when he suddenly stopped eating and became listless and had difficulty breathing. He died after Shinohara had returned home from running errands, prompting his owner to believe, "I think [Pusuke] waited for me to come home [to die]." 

The beloved pet was born in March, 1985, when Ronald Reagan was President. Before Pusuke's inclusion in The Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest dog listed was a beagle born in the United States, who died in 2003 at the age of 25.

Teetering on the Brink: World to Face Years of Social Unrest As Global Economy Falters

As the "Occupy Every City in the US" movement continues to grow, the United Nations International Labor Organization has issued a sobering report about the future stability of the global economy and how this will continue to incite the rise in civil unrest currently being witnessed around the world.

The UN think tank has warned that the international economy is on the brink of a deep new economic crisis that could cost hundreds of millions of jobs around the globe and trigger mass social unrest, the world's most powerful nations were warned yesterday with the UN report. The report pointed to the civil unrest currently being unleashed in Greece and Spain as the unhappy citizens of those nations took to the streets, sometimes in violent clashes with local authorities, to express their angers and frustration against the hardline-imposed austerity measures the governments have been enforcing. 


Similar protests have taken place in the United Kingdom, France and Portugal, as the European debt crisis continues to be of great concern, with near constant "emergency meetings" being convened to tackle the situation. The "Occupy Wall Street" movement has quickly blossomed from its origins in New York, gaining momentum and spreading to at least twenty other cities across the US. Riot police have engaged protesters in San Francisco and many politicians running for office have used the movement to try and win votes from a frustrated and angry constituency. 


All of this comes after the Arab Spring Revolution, which started last winter in Egypt and quickly spread throughout the Middle East, with violent uprisings witnessed in Syria and Libya. Similar unrest has occurred in Chile and Argentina in South America, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets to express their own anger over what is viewed as an ineffectual government's inability to respond to the needs of its people. The cataclysmic Japanese earthquake and tsunami earlier this year also took a devastating toll on the already ailing global economy.


The USDA issued a stark warning this week that is almost certain to add to the possibility of unrest in the future: A startling report about the rising cost of food. The agency warned that freak weather conditions have devastated food producing areas on all continents on the planet, including extreme flooding, drought, and damaging storms. The disasters have put tremendous pressure on the global food supply, which is also coupled with the continuing rise in the cost of fuel to transport needed goods. Food riots have already taken place this year in Africa and South America. With news that the world's population has reached a record high of seven billion people, the report warns that the cost of food will see a sharp increase over the next two years, estimating that prices for basic food staples could go up by as much as 4.5 percent, a shocking increase that will without a doubt put extreme pressure on people already struggling to pay their bills and support their families.