Selasa, 27 Desember 2011
Heroes, criminals and victims of 2011
Heroes for 2011
My heroes for 2011 are Arnie and Maggie Gundersen of Fairewinds Associates who have gone over and beyond their professional mandate, and at personal cost to themselves, to ensure that information about Fukushima is placed in the public arena.
Criminals of 2011
Although there is no international law covering peace time genocide there should be. My candidates, if ever this law is put in place, are the Japanese government and TEPCO.
Victims of 2011
Absolutely, the children of Japan and then of the Northern Hemisphere.
A living, breathing child is the potential of the future, voiceless, unprotected and vulnerable.
Sadly, the most silent in this catastrophe are those who claim that they are right for lifers. If they truly were pro life then the outcry against the deliberate and conscienceless destruction of the innocent would have filled the vacuum of protest in the wake of Fukushima.
The children remain undefended.
Closing 2011 opening 2012
December 21, 2012, is predicted to be the end of life on Earth. It certainly seems that the majority, including the body politic and big business, believe this to be true because everyone is acting as if there is no tomorrow.
For myself, I doubt seriously that there is any universal design which will bring our species to a close. I do not believe that we will be lucky enough to be destroyed by a giant red planet lurking behind the sun, but 2012 will bring to an end many of the things we have taken for granted up until now.
We are likely to spiral into the abyss of 2012 carrying all the familiar baggage, and to enter 2013 lesser than we are now, bereft of health, wealth and happiness. If that qualifies for an end of world experience, then, yes, the scryers are right.
Einstein, I think, said that we will go out with a whimper not a bang, and I tend to go with this statement.
A bang would be something glorious, a thing of legend. As a species we don't deserve to be immortalized even in the untold story. With the way we treat each other we deserve to be chased into a corner whimpering and fearful, and left there to rot.
No species responsible for acts of gross stupidity like Fukushima, or for incomprehensible acts of aggression like war, animal abuse and bullying, deserves to be remembered.
For myself, I doubt seriously that there is any universal design which will bring our species to a close. I do not believe that we will be lucky enough to be destroyed by a giant red planet lurking behind the sun, but 2012 will bring to an end many of the things we have taken for granted up until now.
We are likely to spiral into the abyss of 2012 carrying all the familiar baggage, and to enter 2013 lesser than we are now, bereft of health, wealth and happiness. If that qualifies for an end of world experience, then, yes, the scryers are right.
Einstein, I think, said that we will go out with a whimper not a bang, and I tend to go with this statement.
A bang would be something glorious, a thing of legend. As a species we don't deserve to be immortalized even in the untold story. With the way we treat each other we deserve to be chased into a corner whimpering and fearful, and left there to rot.
No species responsible for acts of gross stupidity like Fukushima, or for incomprehensible acts of aggression like war, animal abuse and bullying, deserves to be remembered.
Jumat, 23 Desember 2011
The statistical myth that is Fukushima
After a little more look-see I discovered a video in which Arnie Gundersen refers to a model used to project the one million deaths from Fukushima.
Although I have a great respect for Mr. Gundersen, I do have a problem with the source he quotes.
My personal feeling is that if we really wanted to understand the human toll from Fukushima, qualitative scientists like anthropologists should be hired to perform a long term observational study in the areas mapped by European tracking systems which followed the spread of radiation during March/April onwards.
I can guarantee that their outcomes would be horrendously higher than a million because of the cumulative nature of observational research, and there is nothing more cumulative than radiation - especially when it is still seeping, and will continue to seep into our seas, our air, and onto our land and food sources for an unknown period, perhaps decades.
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The feeling among quantitive scientists is that we will never know if diseases are caused by Fukushima radiation or some other factor. Observationally, I would argue that we can by studying the society itself.
Although I have a great respect for Mr. Gundersen, I do have a problem with the source he quotes.
Models are projections, nothing more, nothing less. They are the what if factor often present in the absence of raw primary data. They anticipate possible statistical outcomes only and should never be viewed as substitutes for actual research data.
My personal feeling is that if we really wanted to understand the human toll from Fukushima, qualitative scientists like anthropologists should be hired to perform a long term observational study in the areas mapped by European tracking systems which followed the spread of radiation during March/April onwards.
I can guarantee that their outcomes would be horrendously higher than a million because of the cumulative nature of observational research, and there is nothing more cumulative than radiation - especially when it is still seeping, and will continue to seep into our seas, our air, and onto our land and food sources for an unknown period, perhaps decades.
*
The feeling among quantitive scientists is that we will never know if diseases are caused by Fukushima radiation or some other factor. Observationally, I would argue that we can by studying the society itself.
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