Blog 2: Inside Japan's Nuclear Power Plant

Brendan Forte

Blog 2

Inside Japan’s Nuclear Power Plant

Summary

March 11, 2011 was a horrifying day in Japan. This is when the 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s eastern coast causing a tsunami to follow. This tsunami had a wave over 40 feet high that hit the coast at 100 mph. Over twenty thousand lives were lost in the first  2 hours. These two events caused the destruction of the electricity supply and the cooling ability  to three of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors, which added more chaos.  Initially, no one was concerned because backup generators were installed , however due to the massive tsunami, they were all flooded  and rendered useless. Water that covered the nuclear  fuel pipes evaporated and this started a nuclear meltdown.  Hydrogen in the top of the buildings exploded and toxic radiation was being  released into the air. People living within a twelve mile radius of the power plants were immediately evacuated as the engineers tried to figure out how to stop the catastrophe.The containment vessels would explode if they were not able to be cooled with water and there was no means of getting water into them. The destruction was massive and the impending doom was horrible for all of Japan. If the reactors exploded, parts of Japan would be wiped out and millions could die. People were already exposed to high levels of radiation and their future was uncertain. They were in a horrifying situation that they never thought was possible. Eventually, the reactors were re hydrated and the explosion was averted, but not before tremendous devastation occurred.  

Body  

After the earthquake and tsunami, Japans government scrambled. The prime minister of Tokyo said “We were already in a huge disaster, but now with nuclear power plant problems, it made everything worse”. A company called Tepco, that ran the nuclear plant , had to try to avoid the nuclear disaster. They were unprepared because the plant was built to withstand earthquakes.  It was discovered that the owners had been warned that the tsunami defenses at the plant were insufficient and that the plant had stated they were still reviewing findings when this tragedy occurred. The diesel generators located in the basements that were there for backup were not functional after the tsunami so in effect, they had no way to get the necessary water into the containment vessels to cool the nuclear fuel. They also had no way to measure the mounting levels of radiation and radioactivity. A nuclear disaster was unfolding. They had no instruments. Workers with cars or company cars were asked to get back in to restore power to gauges. The readings of the pressure levels were shocking. The prime minister himself went to Fukushima Daiichi to demand that they vent the valves. Men were sent in for 17 minute intervals to release the steam of radioactive material into the air to prevent a worse explosion. It was not easy but they got it done. These men knew they were risking their lives and the lives of millions of people.
In the meantime, the tsunami had devastated the coastal towns. People were killed instantly by drowning and by the debris fields. The area was destroyed. In addition, a 12 mile evacuation zone was set  due to radiation levels. The American government got involved and warned our 90,000 Americans to stay 50 miles away and to plan to evacuate the country. In addition, our government, who felt that the prime minister was not telling them all they needed to know, sent a drone over the plant and realized that the hydrogen explosions that were occurring had exposed pools of discarded radioactive material to dry out which would cause fires and release more toxic radiation into the air potentially killing millions.

            The situation got worse and worse, and they even questioned fleeing the area. They feared the core exploding, causing radiation of ten times as much as there was already into the air. The prime minister was determined to not give up. He met with the leader of Tepco, and made a plan. They evacuated all except for about fifty men, to try to finish the job. They needed to get water into the core of the plant. The prime minister ordered helicopters to fly over the power plants and dump water on them. They got the water into the plant, but radioactivity did not decrease. Instead, the Japanese government ordered fireman to get water into the plant at all costs. The plan was to suck up water from the ocean, and then use 800 yards of hose to keep a continuous spray into the plant. Although they were at great risk, their plan worked. Radiation levels near the plant, started to fall.

Finally with radiation levels lowered, the workers were able to get into the plant and try to fix it. After days in fear of dying, they began to feel hope. Although, they had days of work ahead of them, their worst fear was over. They said that fighting was the only way. They did not give up, and they reached their goal. That problem was fixed, but the damage that was done could not be taken back. The radiation that was released  contaminated hundreds of square miles of northeastern Japan. It will remain uninhabitable for decades. The disaster was devastating  but thanks to many people who risked their lives, it was not worse.

Conclusion

            This natural disaster caused mass destruction. It effected a huge population of people who were left with nothing. Not only were they dealing with the debris everywhere but they also had to worry about the nuclear waste released into the air. Nuclear pollution caused people within a twelve mile radius to evacuate the area. Companies such as Tepco were fined hundreds of millions of dollars and are on the verge of bankruptcy.The prime minister  was forced to resign  and was accused of mishandling the situation.  Japan’s government also spent millions of dollars in disaster relief. Unfortunately, thousands of lives were lost as well. The lives of the workers who risked their well being is still uncertain as they are 100 times more likely to get cancer due to their exposure to high levels of radiation . They are the true heros.  In the end, Japan  learned many lessons about their will to survive. They continue to  move forward to recovery.

Analysis

            This documentary was very interesting. The idea that Japan did not only have to deal with the mess that the earthquake and tsunami caused, but nuclear waste as well was horrible. The area around them was completely destroyed, almost gone. It is hard to believe that they had no idea that they could be in that situation and I am hopeful that better safety precautions in nuclear plants are being put in place because of this disaster.  I give a lot of credit to those men who risked their lives to go near the power plants knowing the potential danger they faced. Japan faced struggles that no one could have imagined. Even when they thought there was no hope, they continued to search for a solution. I hope to never have to deal with a natural disaster like the tsunami and the earthquake . It changed their lives forever.  

Bibliography

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/japans-nuclear-meltdown/

This documentary is all about the nuclear power plant disaster in Japan following an earthquake and huge tsunami. Frontline did a great job at going behind the scenes of the disaster.

            

Extra Credit 7: "The Confessions" (1.5 hours)

Brendan Forte

Extra Credit (1.5 Hours)

The Confessions

Summary

            This documentary was about four men who confess to a brutal crime that they did not commit. There was a woman that was raped and murdered and the wrong people were accused. There is so much that goes wrong in this process. This shows the many things that goes wrong when innocent people got convicted.

Body

            Something that caused these men to confess was the long interrogation that they all faced. A man named Glenn Ford took them into the interrogation room for hours upon hours trying to get what he wanted to hear.  They were threatened by the death penalty. They thought that it was better to finally give in and confess although they did not do it, rather than tell the truth and die. Two of the men specifically said, it destroyed them emotionally. The interrogation made them feel caged scared, and they did not know what to do. They were worn down until they could not go anymore. He said his fear was not of what happen next it was of Ford. He also said in the interrogation room it was different. Ford told him what he wanted to hear and they repeated it back. One man even said he did not realize what he even said until after he heard the recording later.

            One arrest led to the next. Daniel, Joe, Eric, Derek, Polly, and Ferris. These were the six men accused of committing the crime. It started with Daniel, then he said Joe’s name, which led to the other four. With all six men arrested, there was still no DNA match. One day, a woman received a violent letter changed the story. It was from a man named Ballord, who had been in prison for 2 years. In the letter he wrote, “You know who killed her… It was me. HA, HA.” His DNA was tested, and it came back positive. He also admitted that he worked alone. The four men thought they would be let go, but that was not the case. The investigators tried to make it a group crime by tying them into it.

            The men started to believe that they actually did the crime. It was as if they were being brainwashed to say that they did it. The men went to trial and started to have positives thoughts. There was a time when Eric finally thought he was going to go home a free man, but there was a turning point. The audio tape of him confessing to the crime was played in court, and the jury eventually found him guilty, and he was sentenced to 8 years in prison. Next was Derek, and the same thing happened. The audio tape was played, and the jury found him guilty but he was charged with life in prison. The other two men, chose not to talk in front of a jury because one was afraid of the death penalty and one started to believe he did it. The only confession the jury did not believe was Ballord’s confession that he worked alone. When Frontline talked to Ballord on the phone, they found out there was a deal made that saved him from the death penalty. The deal was that he said he worked with the other four men. Even Ballord was confused. He did say that he was not surprised that the other men confessed. He said they confessed out of fear. On the phone, he said, “I committed the murder, and no one worked with me. That is the truth and it is what I stand by”.  The case became noticed worldwide. Petitions came in and the judge gave 3 conditional pardons to the three men still in prison. On August 10, 2009 Derek, Joe and Daniel were released from prison.

Geography & Demography

            There were seven men first accused. All seven men were white sailors. Later an African American man named Ballord was mentioned. He is the man who actually committed the crime.

Economics

            There was a lot of money put into the investigation of this crime. Even though the men knew they were innocent, they needed to pay lawyers to defend them. One man paid 22,000 dollars and was still proven guilty.

Politics

Although there were six men already accused, Ford pushed for another name. Joe mentioned another man named John was accused but had an alibi that was “airtight sealed”. Still, he had a trial to see if he was guilty or not. Many men said where was justice? When were people going to wake up? Glenn Ford could not change his story because it would make him look bad. Where is the justice? Why was this man trying so hard to make them confess to something they didn’t do? The justice system is suppose to be trustable, but this shows a case that would change that for many people.

Conclusion

            This story was extremely interesting and sad to watch. There were violent stories and images shown and it was sad to hear that these men were accused of something that they really did not do. I believed from the beginning that they did not commit the awful crime. The man that interrogated them have changed their lives forever. He made them confess to something they did not do. It was especially hard to hear Ballords voice over the phone. To know that he commited such a disgusting time was rough. The most amazing, and hard to hear part of this video, was when Ballord said “I committed the murders alone”. He explained that he felt like the investigators wanted the four men to be guilty. It is scary to put myself in their shoes, to think if I served time for something I didn’t do.  The video was interesting because it shows a glitch in the so called trustable justice system.

Bibliography

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-confessions/

Extra Credit 6: "Dropout Nation" (2 hours)

Brendan Forte

Extra Credit (2 hours)

Dropout Nation

Summary

            This Frontline documentary is about Sharpstown High School located in Houston, Texas and the high rate of student dropouts. The documentary describes the situations of four particular students who for the most part, have no guidance pointing them in the right direction. It shows the struggles, and challenges they face daily to stay in school and finally graduate.

Body

            The dropout rate of Sharpstown High School is very high. Teachers and faculty members of the school have a hard time making sure the kids are doing the right thing. They took action everyday to try to keep their students in check. Some examples are faculty members in the hallways making sure they didn’t skip, teachers that showed they cared about how the students were doing, and they even have faculty who prevent dropouts. One woman named Brandi was a dropout prevention worker who helped kids who weren’t doing well in school by making sure they attend school and keep their grades up. Brandi loves her job and goes out of her way to help. She does things such as picking kids up to go to school, or calling parents to find out where the children were if they weren’t in school. The faculty really does try to help their students to stay in school. They try to find major causes of teens that dropout and attempt to fix them so more students don’t make the same mistake.

            The four teens mentioned in the documentary have rough stories. A boy named Marcus had two parents that were alcoholics. He doesn’t have much motivation, but he is a good football player and football keeps him going to school. When football season is over, they see a change in his actions. He doesn’t care about school much, and he starts to slack. The faculty members see potential in Marcus so they try to get him to do well. He ended up getting arrested for possession of marijuana. When was let go, Brandi took him into her home to try to get him to finish school.

            Another case is of a 19 year-old named Lawrence. Lawrence was left back a year already because of his anger issues. Brandi sees that he had a large amount of absences and tries to prevent him from being another dropout. He has no family structure at home and no one is pushing him to get through school. He ended up dropping out but entered a Twilight program. This is a program that the High School created to try to help dropouts recover.

            In a third case, there is an African American Girl named Sparkle. She has no home and no one supporting her. She even told Brandi that she sleeps at friends houses on their couch. She said that she moves from place to place every night and nothing motivates her. She eventually has hopes of becoming a doctor but she doesn’t have help to get her there. She had a son that was taken from her because she was not ready to be a parent. Unfortunately, she dropped out of school.

 Economy

            Many families and children in this area are in poverty. In the documentary, there was a story of a Hispanic boy named Marco. He doesn’t have money and he works very hard to provide for him and his mother. He often works long hours and doesn’t have time to eat. His father was deported back to where he was from and he is afraid because his mother is at risk of being deported as well. Marco has a different story then the other three children mentioned in the video. His mother was motivation to him to push through school and eventually he graduated.

Demography & Geography

Houston, Texas is the third largest city in America. It is highly populated with many Hispanics and African Americans. Many families are poor and cannot afford much. The population is so high, which is also a factor to an extreme dropout rate.

Culture

            This affects many people who are in poverty. There are families who are not supporting their children leading them to dropout of school.

Conclusion

            This documentary has educated me about what is going on in other areas. The dropout rate is extremely high, but the back round information of the children influences that greatly. It is unfortunate to hear that they have no support helping them get through school leading them to a good future. I am fortunate to have support from my family and I hope that the drop out rate decreases in the future.

Bibliography

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/dropout-nation/

Extra Credit 5: "The Pot Republic" (1 hour)

Brendan Forte

Extra Credit

The Pot Republic

Summary

            Did you ever think that marijuana would become legal? Well in the city of Oakland, California, medical marijuana is. This documentary focuses on the legalization of this drug in California, the rules and regulations, and the process of the new medical marijuana growers.

Body

            In Mendocino County, medical marijuana has become legal and we see behind the scenes of a grower named Matt Cohen. He is a man who started growing weed illegally at first, and is now a legal grower. Although in this area it is legal, it is still federally illegal. There is controversy of whether or not marijuana should be legal at all. 

Economic

Matt Cohen is one of the legal medical marijuana growers. To grow, you must sign up for a licensing program that requires each plant to be tagged with a red zip-tie to show that it is legal. The zip ties are $50, being in the program costs $1,500 and every inspection is $500. As of right now there are about 80 people in this program. When this first started, they were receiving around $1 million in taxes but after a few years, they expected around $5 million to $8 million dollars in taxes. With the legalization of marijuana in certain areas, open doors for marijuana related businesses follow.

Politics

            The politics of pot are currently at a stalemate.  Still, California’s marijuana market place, legal and illegal, are still thriving. To seek out and cease illegal marijuana, there is a special agency in California that makes sure everyone growing pot is legal. This agency has confiscated about $17 billion worth of marijuana plants. A sheriff from California believes that marijuana is all a black market and it is illegal no matter what. Some people argue differently and say they hope that the little legalization in California would pave a way to the end of prohibition. As of right now, medical marijuana is legal in certain places but as a whole, it is still federally illegal. The main problem is that in California it is legal and it is influencing drug dealers across the country.

Geography & Demography

            Geography is important in marijuana growth. Many people grow marijuana crops, and some attempt to grow it in random areas where they think they will not get caught. Marijuana is a drug used by a large percentage of the population. 14 states have approved medical marijuana when this video aired. The legalization in some places is causing drug dealers to become fluent nationwide.

Culture

            Marijuana legalization and production in California effects the low to middle class culture. These are the people who are trying to produce and sell their marijuana and usually.  Medical marijuana can help people by opening business opportunities, and for others, they get the satisfaction of smoking their favorite drug.

Conclusion

            After watching this documentary, I have learned that the legalization of marijuana in one area can affect other areas as well. Although it is legal in Oakland,  many people disagree because it is still against the federal law. A positive effect that I got from this was the money that they received in taxes. If the United States legalized marijuana, they would be able to get a lot of money in taxes. I am curious to know if any new states will legalize it in the upcoming years.

Bibliography

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-pot-republic/

Extra Credit 4: "Ten Trillion and Counting" (1 hour)

Brendan Forte

Extra Credit

Ten Trillion and Counting

Summary

            This video was based on all of the government’s success and failure throughout the past years. The United States of America is suffering a huge economic crisis, and it is only expected to get worse. For example, the National debt is expected to reach 21 trillion dollars by 2017. Ten Trillion and Counting magnifies Obama’s duties as president, and trying to get the United States out of the turmoil left from Bush’s two-term presidency.

            It is recognized that Obama was brought into an economic disaster caused very much by President Bush, and this video specifies in detail, Obamas reality the day he was inaugurated into presidency. Throughout the Bush administration there were two wars, including the war in Iraq, two huge tax cuts, many deficits, and the constant increase in the national debt. All of these events during the bush administration was the beginning of political and economic weakness in America.

Body

            Obama walked into a bad time period. It was a financial meltdown, stock market crash, and a recession capable of becoming a depression. After he signed, $787 billion dollars of Nation debt continued. Obama has tried to tackle the health care problem, which many people believe is the biggest plan that consisted of 3.5 trillion dollars. Of that 35 trillion, 630 billion dollars was the first crucial step to reforming health care. After all, 48 percent of the federal budget is put towards Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Economic

            This documentary mentions many economic issues. Obama walked into presidency while the country was already in debt. His economic challenge included a frozen financial system (no credit), a rate that has not been seen since 1982, and an unemployment rate reaching double digits and still increasing. Obama believed health care was a big problem, and he invested about 630 billion dollars into it. Some say that by 2019, our expected debt is to be close to $23.1 trillion. Obama’s plan includes borrowing more money, to get back to where we want to be down the road. While money is still being spent, debt is going to continue to increase, and hopefully with more money, the problems can be fixed.

Political

            There is a lot of talk about politics. In the documentary they talk about how Bush brought the economy down. During his presidency there were two wars, tax cuts, and a constant increasing debt. After Bush’s two terms, Obama stepped in as President, during a rough time period. He now has to re-gain peoples confidence. Obama said, “We are in this position due to the greed and irresponsibility on the part of some”. He has also said “There has been failure in the ability to make hard choices”. He faces challenges that he must try conquer in order to fix the debt problems of our nation.

Demography

            This situation effects a huge population of people. It a problem faced by our nation. Debt is ongoing and influences American people’s lives in several ways. Some people can’t get jobs, cant pay taxes, and some cannot afford needs to live. With our nation going into deeper debt, it is not helping the situation. The entire population is affected one way or another and some people are in worse conditions then others.

Culture & Geography

            These two topics were not mentions directly in the video. Although it is not mentioned, it is seen that in our culture, we feel that there has to be a solution, or an answer. Many people argue over what the right solutions to our problems are. People from all over the United States are struggling and are strongly opinionated about the choices of our President.

Conclusion

            From watching this documentary, one can understand the harsh economic reality America is suffering through. At one point, in recent years, America was weak enough to go into a depression, and the stock market was also ready to crash. It is now understandable how many important decisions are made in government and how greatly these decisions can effect everyday life. Hopefully in the future, Obama can find a solution to try to decrease the national debt.

Bibliography

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tentrillion/view/