Large Fierce Mammal

My first article in this three part series, titled Bullshit Alert – Since 11 March 2011, If You’ve Ever Even Heard of Japan, You’ve Been Exposed dealt with my observations on the ass covering passed off as public information releases that have been streaming out of Japan since the 11 March earthquake and subsequent tsunami shut down backup power systems to a number of nuclear power generating stations. My second article, Radiation – Let’s Get It Straight, dealt with clarifying the facts of “radiation” – what it is, what it isn’t, and how it works. If you haven’t yet read those two pieces I strongly suggest that you take the time to read them both, in the order they were published, before going ahead with this one.

Nuclear reactors are built for a variety of reasons, but the ones affected in Japan exist for the purpose of generating electrical power, so it’s that function we’ll focus our attention on here.

Electrical power generating facilities fall into two categories:

1. Those that capture energy from natural sources existing within the environment, converting it either directly into electrical energy, or initially into mechanical energy by using it to turn a turbine connected to a generator which produces electrical energy; and
2. Those that liberate energy from consumption of a concentrated potential energy source, a fuel, use it to create thermal energy (heat) which is used to turn water into steam which is then converted to mechanical energy by using it to turn a turbine connected to a generator which produces electrical energy.

In the first category we have hydroelectric, tidal, and wind turbine stations, each of which employ means to capture the kinetic energy of moving water or air. In this category we also find photovoltaic generating stations which employ what are generally referred to as “solar cells” to absorb and convert energy radiated by the sun directly into electrical energy.

In the second category we have electrical power plants that burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas; and then of course, we have nuclear power plants which employ the thermal energy released by controlled nuclear fission.

Plants that burn hydrocarbon (fossil) fuels, like those that exploit the energy released by the slow, controlled breakdown of nuclear “fuel”, require that the fuel source be replenished periodically to replace fuel consumed. Like your car, a hydrocarbon burning plant needs its tanks refilled as fuel is burned. Similarly, the “fuel” used in a nuclear reactor will eventually become depleted to the point where it can no longer sustain a fission reaction of sufficient intensity to generate the required thermal energy output. This takes far longer than it would for a hydrocarbon plant of the same electrical output capacity, and hence the allure of nuclear power. (more…)

“The birch was obviously very special to your Father in Law, and the fact that you found the bark tells me that he was also very special to the birch. The next time you’re out in the woods, take an offering of some kind to the birch tree.” ~ Laurie Lacey

Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life. ~ John Muir

The twenty-fourth day of March marked the seventh anniversary of the death of Mrs. LFM’s father, Ryszard Kleszczynski. Much has been written here about Ryszard, but today I am inspired to tell yet one more story because this year’s celebration of his life came with a depth of meaning previously unseen. (more…)

Seven years ago today, my father succumbed to the ravages of cancer. I think of him throughout the year, almost every day, but especially on the days of his birth and his death.

My dad and I were always very close. He was understanding, encouraging, sympathetic, inspiring and above all, loving. He pushed me to work hard, but comforted me if I felt I failed. Unfortunately, the last two years of his life were very rocky for us. He didn’t approve of the direction my life was taking, or my choices. Despite this, I regularly visited him in the hospital on the days he was there for dialysis. My visits never ended well, but I kept going, hoping one day he would understand my decisions.

His health took a turn for the worse in November 2003. He went into a coma and the doctors tried pushing my mother to let nature take its course. She refused and told them to do whatever it took to keep him alive. She called me and Randy and we rushed into Halifax from Lunenburg, preparing for the worst. By the time we arrived, my dad had already come out of his coma and, fearing his time had come and that he would never see me again, wrote me a letter. Among other things, my dad asked for my forgiveness for being a “stubborn old goat”. Laughing and crying I told him there was nothing to forgive, it was forgotten.

My dad stayed with us for four more months. Four months that I tried cramming years into. I will always cherish them while simultaneously cursing that we didn’t have more time.

My grief today spilled out into creativity. It’s not my best literary work, but it’s from the heart.

With every passing year,
The pain recedes;
Yet still there are days
When my heart bleeds.

Maybe what happened
Was meant to be.
That doesn’t mean
I’m no longer angry.

I hate that cancer
With all my might!
To take you so soon
Just doesn’t seem right.

Precious months wasted
Because we argued.
What a stupid time
To have a feud.

There was still so much
Left to say and do,
I’m just happy you left
Knowing I love you.

So until the day
When again we meet,
My thoughts of you
Will be bittersweet.

A fond farewell to Ryszard, a true lady’s man. If you click the picture it will get bigger, but never as big as he was.

A stone monument makes a powerful statement, but it stays where it is so those of us to whom it matters must show our respect by going where it sits. That is a fact of necessity, but it doesn’t make a physical monument better than the ones built out of words and feelings.

Over the years I’ve erected a few monuments of my own, to fellow creatures who have touched my life in meaningful ways, and placed them here for people to find. Two years ago today I erected one to a man who played a vital part in bringing into my life all that is best in it.

I’m taking the day off from my usual beaten path and spending it instead with Mrs. LFM, our Dogs, my mind, and all that’s in it. While that’s going on, dear reader, whether you’ve done it before or not, please take a moment to visit one of today’s significant monuments by clicking here.

I’m also proud to announce that today Mrs. LFM has erected a monument of her own, right here along with mine. Please visit it by clicking here.

Yesterday’s article, Bullshit Alert – Since 11 March 2011, If You’ve Ever Even Heard of Japan, You’ve Been Exposed, introduced this and the article that follows, and explained my motivation for writing both. If you haven’t yet read my intro, please go and do so now before coming back here and moving forward.

Media coverage of the recent nuclear reactor explosions and linked disasters in Japan has not taken the science of the situation with anything approaching the degree of seriousness it deserves. My own take on this is that, as usual, ratings aren’t built on truth – they’re built on hype and tension so people keep watching for the latest update.

While all this is going on, an atmosphere of apprehension builds, even among people who have nothing to fear from the situation. Why? For the usual reason – fear of the unknown. (more…)

As the late unpleasantness in and around Japan continues to unfold, I’m seeing more and more media coverage that has a net information content of zero. On at least two cases, rather than informed, I actually felt stupider after listening to it.

The constant soothing wordage and disclaimers like “slightly radioactive material” and “a small amount of radiation was released” are meaningless and simply calculated to assuage the fears of a justifiably suspicious audience that even now, after so short a time, is hearing what is not said far louder than what is.

The King James Bible quotes John 8:32 as, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Ironically, that passage is the motto of the US Central Intelligence Agency, inscribed right there in stone for all the world to see, in the foyer of CIA headquarters. That speaks volumes about the way governments define “truth”. (more…)

I could paint a poem on your back
With a Chinese brush and India ink.
And then, with a razor or pin or sliver of bamboo
And a stolen hotel towel (to daub the blood and excess black),
I could make it Permanent.
I have seen this done before in my dreams.
But You would never allow this violence of obligation,
This enduring itch of commitment.
You could never abide my words on your skin.

Tattoo by Timothy Main (more…)

While representing a bottomless pit of unreality, the internet can still be relied on as a source of Reality and Truth for those prepared to unflinchingly see Nature as She is, and not filtered through rose coloured glasses. The only way the lion will ever lay down with the lamb is so it can be comfortable while eating its dinner.

As unrepentant carnivores, we approve this message.

Image source http://p90x.iamcanadian.org/?p=484

Remember Chernobyl? This kid does.

The damage control dweebs who frame the wordage spoken by media talking heads have been outdoing themselves with the  bag of shit the recent earthquake in Japan has handed to the nuclear power plant industry. A couple days ago I heard a reporter explaining that to cool an overheating reactor core, officials at one plant had found it necessary to vent some “slightly radioactive steam”. He said that exact phrase three times, each time stressing the “slightly” part of it. I’ve studied enough physics to interpret this as a question of how many years it will take for that steam to give you cancer, and whether or not people exposed to it should instantly terminate pregnancies and resign themselves to giving up any hope of breeding in the future.

Japan exists in the world mind as a fount of technological expertise, where what’s in the labs now is twenty-five to thirty generations ahead of what’s in the stores. Revelations of what’s happened to them recently, specifically the nuclear power plant problems, has all the ear marks of a story that is being revealed under protest, little by little, with snippets being dragged kicking and screaming in to the light. As of now, my sense is that they are more than a little fucked, and what’s not being said about it is speaking louder than what is.

I remembered this poem, first heard while I was in university, while watching the nuclear news from Japan this morning, and an interview with an alleged scientist who clearly had no idea of how a nuclear reactor actually operates:

This is the story of Frederick Werms,
Whose parents weren’t on speaking terms,
So when Fred wrote to Santa Clause
It was in duplicate because
One went to Dad and one to Mum –
Both asked for some plutonium.
And so it was, father and mother,
Without consulting one another,
Purchased two lumps of largish size,
Intending them as a surprise,
Which met in Frederick’s stocking and
Laid level ten square miles of land.

Every day a new “study”. Yesterday I read a blog article celebrating the health benefits of coffee consumption. I don’t drink anywhere near as much coffee as I used to, but that came about by a process of evolution rather than conscious thought about what caffeine might or might not do to me.I particularly enjoyed the line, “One analysis of nine studies found that every 2-cup increase in daily coffee intake reduced liver cancer risk by 43 percent.” I’m planning a study of my own based on this and have the half completed application for a research grant sitting on my desk as I write this. I’m wondering if I up my daily coffee intake enough, and then nudge it even higher, can I not only eliminate my risk of getting liver cancer, but actually give it to one or more other people of my choosing? That risk has got to go somewhere, and I have a list.

Subject matter aside though, that article brought to mind how much the endless onslaught of “study results” has come to affect public habits, and how big a loser that makes anyone who blindly buys into what some “expert” tells them they should be doing, eating, drinking, inhaling, or whatever. Never forget that there was a time not all that long ago when doctors were quoted in tobacco advertisements touting the healthy benefits of cigarette smoking. (more…)