In Japan: Testing shows that radioactivity levels are 1,250 times higher than normal in the seawater off the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, while US barges loaded with freshwater head to Japan to help cool the plant’s reactors.

In Libya: NATO has agreed to take over command of the no-fly zone and coalition airstrikes to protect civilians from Gaddafi’s forces, and rebel forces have made a strategic victory in reclaiming control of the eastern town of Ajdabiya.

Meanwhile, in Ivory Coast: The BBC reports that up to 1 million refugees have fled in response to violence following disputed elections.

Crazy Eyes for America: Michele Bachmann gets even more earnest about running for president.

Newt Gingrich’s new BFF: David Barton, an Evangelical Christian historian who claims that Jesus would have opposed the minimum wage.

In other (terrible) Jesus-related news: The Society of Jesus of the northwest will pay a $166 million settlement to 470 people who were sexually abused as children at the Catholic order’s boarding schools on Indian reservations.

The understaffed skies: In response to flaky air-traffic controllers whose negligence forced pilots to land without assistance at Reagan National Airport earlier this week, the FAA plans to revise air traffic control rules.

The OED continues its losing battle with teh internets: The “words” OMG, LOL, and FYI just joined words Shakespeare made up in the Oxford English Dictionary.

To be fair, this should happen to all movies on Lifetime: Amanda Knox wants the Lifetime movie based on her trial removed from TV and internet streaming in Italy.

Finally, yesterday was patron saint of feminism Gloria Steinem’s 77th birthday. To celebrate, here she is, baking a pie with Jane Fonda and Stephen Colbert in a Salute to the American Lady. Good morning!

9 replies on “Morning News”

  1. Nothing – nothing – would make me happier than seeing Michelle Bachman as the Republican party’s nominee for President of the United States in 2012. Or Sarah Palin, or Ron Paul or Rand Paul, or any other whack-job tea party extremist who would drive the national Republican party right off the cliff. Just like Ellen Craswell did to the Republican Party here in Washington State.

    The Republican party, of late, has been dominated by a very loud, extreme, and thoughtless mob. And, while that is bad for democracy and bad for electoral politics, it is very, very good for Real Americans who believe in Real American Values like Freedom of Religion, and the proper role of government.

  4. Michelle Bachman should try to recruit Amanda Knox for her campaign in some way, even though she’s in prison in Italy. I think they deserve each other.

  6. This might explain “heroic” efforts to save Fukushima.

    They aren’t so much there to fix a reactor, as to rescue a bank vault!

    This has to do with the cheapness of nuclear power.

    What we have been told is the cheapest energy source…coal…has actually taken off in price such that nukes are 25 percent cheaper to run…and much much cheaper than oil or natural gas plants (see charts in article).

    This cost difference makes old nukes, that have paid their capital costs and probably have lower regulatory requirements (especially if they are non-US) “cash machines”:

    It is important to distinguish between the economics of nuclear plants already in operation and those at the planning stage. Once capital investment costs re effectively “sunk”, existing plants operate at very low costs and are effectively cash machines.

    Their operations and maintenance (O&M) and fuel costs (including used fuel management) are, along with hydropower plants, at the low end of the spectrum and make them very suitable as base-load power suppliers. This is irrespective of whether the investment costs are amortized or depreciated in corporate financial accounts – assuming the forward or marginal costs of operation are below the power price, the plant will operate.

    No wonder they don’t want to just entomb it in concrete…how would you get the cash out!!

    http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf02.…

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