Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Dutch Tulip Round-Up




Japanese fixed roads in 6 days?!


On March 11 the biggest earthquake in the country’s history shook Japan. Six days later construction workers and engineers arrived at the Great Kanto Highway in Naka, which had a 150 meter crater-like crack. By March 23 the road was completely fixed.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Mystery Twins

© August Sander

© Alice Hawkins

© Anders Petersen

© Loretta Lux

© Andrej Glusgold

© Chantal Michel

© Diane Arbus

© Robin Hann

© Chadwick Tyler

© Polly Gaillard

© Roger Ballen

© Ariko Inaoka

© Jane Evelyn Atwood

© Tony Notarberardino

© Mary Ellen Mark

© Elin Høyland

© Louis Faurer

© Ingar Krauss

© Elene Usdin

© Richard Kalvar

© Jacques-Henri Lartigue

© Ed van der Elsken

© Janette Beckman

© Maja Daniels

© George Holz

© Aaron Huey

© Mary Ellen Mark

DR

DR

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Friday, March 25, 2011

Picture of the Day: Abraham Lincoln Riding a Grizzly Bear, Plus Other Presidents Looking Awesome

Abraham Lincoln riding a grizzly bear.jpg
Because you can't win the Civil War, end slavery, and heal the nation without a grizzly bear and an M-16.

Artist Jason Heuser, who goes by SharpWriter at the art website deviantART (and signs his illustrations as such), wants you to buy this and other prints, including George Washington ZombieHunter and Teddy Roosevelt VS. Bigfoot:

Washington zombiehunter.png
Roosevelt Bigfoot.jpg

The "Fukushima Fifty"

Whatever one thinks about the near-criminal strategy taking place behind the scenes as to how Japan is handling the bailout, one thing is certain: the 50 Tepco workers who are currently laboring at Fukushima, doing all they can to restore the plant back to life, even at the cost of their own lives, are doing a tremendous service to their fellow citizens (futile or otherwise), and deserve to be called heroes. The Mail has compiled what little information is available about these impromptu martyrs, of whom five are believed to have already died and 15 are injured while others have said they know the radiation will kill them, in a piece that everyone should read, especially those who are wondering just who it is that is doing everything in their power to offset Hitachi's criminal conduct in the construction of the power plant as disclosed earlier. 'The darkness is broken only by the flashing torchlight of the heroes who stayed behind. These first images of inside the stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant reveal the terrifying conditions under which the brave men work to save their nation from full nuclear meltdown. The Fukushima Fifty - an anonymous band of lower and mid-level managers - have battled around the clock to cool overheating reactors and spent fuel rods since the disaster on March 11.'

Conundrum: Two of the Fukushima Fifty pour over plans as they try to work out how to fix the stricken plant

Darkness: A worker looks at gauges in the control room for Unit 1 and Unit 2 at the plant
Grainy: Workers collect data in the control room for Unit 1 and Unit 2. They must wear rubber suits to prevent as much radiation from entering their bodies as possible
Teamwork: Outside the men connect transmission lines to restore electric power supply to Unit 3 and Unit 4


Damage: A collapsed eave lies outside the security gate for Unit 1 and Unit 2. Much of the plant was destroyed by the tsunami
Water spray: Workers at Fukushima yesterday try to cool the plant
More from the Mail:
Despite sweltering heat from the damaged reactors, they must work in protective bodysuits to protect their skin from the poisonous radioactive particles that fill the air around them.

But as more radiation seeps into the atmosphere minute by minute, they know this job will be their last.

Five are believed to have already died and 15 are injured while others have said they know the radiation will kill them.

The original 50 brave souls were later joined by 150 colleagues and rotated in teams to limit their exposure to the radiation spewing from over-heating spent fuel rods after a series of explosions at the site. They were today joined by scores more workers.

Japan has rallied behind the workers with relatives telling of heart-breaking messages sent at the height of the crisis.

A woman said her husband continued to work while fully aware he was being bombarded with radiation. In a heartbreaking email, he told his wife: 'Please continue to live well, I cannot be home for a while.'

One girl tweeted in a message translated by ABC: 'My dad went to the nuclear plant, I've never seen my mother cry so hard. People at the plant are struggling, sacrificing themselves to protect you. Please dad come back alive.'

But it is becoming even more pressing that the Fukushima succeed after it was revealed today that Tokyo's tap water has been contaminated by unusual levels of radiation.
While only praise can be showered on these 50 or so volunteers for the true greater good, the biggest punishment possible should be doled out for those who knowingly let this catastrophe occur, if indeed corners were cut in the design of the NPP, and also for those who continue to lie to the population in an attempt to prevent a panic (yes, we have all heard the Mutual Assured Destruction lies of a government that does 'what is best for everyone') while simply allowing an ever greater number of people to succumb to radiation poisoning or worse.