Before each jump, jumpers go through training sessions on a full-scale model of a steam generator
Deep in the bowels of the nuclear power plant, mere feet from the reactor core, sit the steam generators–areas so radioactive that only specially trained workers are allowed to enter. They’re allowed to stay inside for only a few minutes before exposure to dangerously high levels of radiation threatens their safety. And yet someone must enter in order to install a dam that stops the water from re-entering the generator while repairs and inspections are made.
“Nobody wants that job,” said Brett Allen, an instructor at Cuesta College who heads a PG&E training program. “It’s like a lifeguard specializing in 100-foot-wave rescues. You may not live as long.” Officially they are known as nozzle dam technicians, but to those in the industry, they are the “jumpers.”
The jumpers are hired by contractors like Atlantic Nuclear Services of Norfolk, Virginia or directly by reactor manufacturers which contract repair and maintenance services to more than half of the nation’s utilities.
“We’ve had people from a variety of backgrounds, from college professors to bartenders, work for us,” says Melvin Miller, a spokesman for Nuclear Services. “They do it because it pays well. Maybe they make a jump and then have some extra money for a vacation that year, or maybe it helps them through rough times in between jobs.” Other jumpers are recruited from the ranks of the construction unions who build the plants when construction work is slow. But the majority are typically people with few job skills and little or no prospects for jobs elsewhere.
Inside Containment, the large dome-shaped building that houses the reactor and four steam generators, the jumpers put on two sets of protective clothing and a hooded bubble suit. Dressed in the plastic yellow suits, the jumpers look primed for outer space. In actuality, they are ready to jump (hence the name) head first through a “manway,” a tight-fitting passage that leads to the generator channel head. The bowl-shaped channel head is a stifling-hot area about half the size of a Volkswagen bus. Within these cramped confines the jumper must assemble the three-piece nozzle dam and install it over a 42-inch diameter pipe that connects to the reactor. All the while the jumper is fully aware that if he goes too fast he may screw up, and if he goes too slow he is increasing his radiation exposure.
The monumental screw-up would be for a jumper to fall in the hole where the nozzle dam is placed–the hole that leads to the reactor. “It’s a long way down there,” said Jo Brasseaux, 39, one of the only female jumpers in the industry. “It’s really, really scary.” If someone were to fall down there, another jumper would have to enter the channel head, reach into the pipe and pull the person out–thus exposing both of them to amounts of radiation nobody wants to talk about. “It’s a possibility, but we don’t think about it,” Brasseaux said. Mike Nielsen, a jumper from Grover Beach, concurs. His attitude is, “If you’re that worried about it, you shouldn’t be here.”
At least one jumper, 21-year-old Jesse Powers, knows firsthand that falling in the hole is not an impossibility. The Central Coast native fell into the pipe during mockup, a training session held before each jump in which they practice for about a week on a full-scale model of a steam generator. According to Powers, at some plants the pipe is situated in such a way that if you slip upon entry into the channel head, “You’re going down there.”
A far more pressing concern, however, is the amount of radiation jumpers are exposed to. Just five minutes in the generator can expose the jumper to 1 rem of radiation, the equivalent of 50 chest X-rays. A rem is the measure of cell-damaging radiation absorbed by the body. “Jumpers get a good dose,” said Nielsen. “We get more than anybody.”Nevertheless, he said it is only the new guys who worry about it. Nielsen, who is 58, used to add to their fright by telling them, “I’ve been doing this three years, and there’s nothing wrong with me. And I’m 25 years old.” Eventually he was told, “Stop that! You’re scaring the kids!”
The seasoned jumpers take comfort in knowing that they are exposed to far less radiation than the limits set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The NRC limits worker exposure to 5 rem per year, the equivalent of 250 chest X-rays. Most plants limit workers to half that amount. There are those in the scientific community who contend that no amount of radiation is safe. Nuclear Information and Resource Service, an activist organization, puts out a pamphlet called “No Safe Dose.” In it, Dr. Karl Z. Morgan, dubbed the father of health physics, says, “There is no dose of radiation so low that the risk of a malignancy is zero.” An even more insidious risk to jumpers and others working near the generator is internal contamination from radioactive particles. Gary Olson, a former utility worker at Diablo Canyon Power Plant, said that when platform workers remove the manway cover, the sealing services have to be cleaned with a wire wheel before reassembly. As they are cleaned, clouds of radioactive particles can be seen. These particles are particularly dangerous if ingested. While a jumper lessens his radiation exposure the moment he exits the generator, an inhaled particle can become permanently lodged in the body. “You can walk away from radiation,” Olson said, “but the internal contamination stays with you.”
Your next breath will contain more than 400,000 of the argon atoms that Ghandi breathed in his long life. Argon atoms are here from the conversations at the Last Supper, from the arguments of diplomats at Yalta, and from the recitations of the classic poets. We have argon from the sighs and pledges of ancients lovers, from the battle cries at Waterloo, even from last year’s argonic output by the writer of these lines, who personally has had already more than 300 million breathing experiences.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Write, for example, ‘The night is starry and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance.’
The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.
Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.
She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.
To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.
What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is starry and she is not with me.
This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.
My sight tries to find her as though to bring her closer.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.
The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.
I no longer love her, that’s certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.
Another’s. She will be another’s. As she was before my kisses.
Her voice, her bright body. Her infinite eyes.
I no longer love her, that’s certain, but maybe I love her.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.
Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.
Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her.
While there are many ways to establish military power over a region, but the method favored by the United States is massive and overwhelming air superiority. Now, the question is, how will this be implemented in the establishment of a Libyan No-Fly-Zone (NFZ).
First, this will not be a solely US mission, it will be a joint mission with the US, France, and Italy as its major players. Italy will coordinate as a resupply and refuel base, as well as general staging area. However, the US will most likely form the main assault group with support from French Mirage-2000 fighter jets (these are analogous to the US F-16 fighter jet). However, I believe these will be for along the coast, as well as patrol of Rebel controlled areas, due to their relatively non-stealth profile. The main striking force will most likely consist of US F-22 Raptor air superiority fighters.
Now, a No Fly Zone is essential an air superiority mission on a massive scale. First, US E-3 Airborne Warning and Control Systems, which are basically 747s that have been modified to have top of the line radar and communications equipment, will fly over the Mediterranean Sea with their escorts, most likely F-16 fighters. The E-3 will be used as a command and control platform. It will locate Libyan aircraft and direct combat operations against them. The F-22 raptors would be selected for intercept, due to their high speed and stealthy profile. These make them perfect for reaching aircraft while avoiding Libyan SAM and Anti-Air sites.
The real question becomes, how far can US forces go? If it’s just in flight aircraft, then it might not make as much of a difference. But, if they are given a mission to only engage when attacked, then things get tricky.
The Libyans will see any foreign aircraft as hostile acts, which means they will fire on them. When the Libyans fire on a US or allied fighter craft will be when the real fun starts. At the point, the US will declare a mission to establish complete superiority over all Libyan airspace. When that order is given, there will be a mission to find and destroy all Libyan SAM and Anti-Air positions. There may also be orders given to destroy military airfields.
There are multiple ways to fill that role. First, the Ticonderoga Class destroyers located in the Mediterranean Sea will use Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles to strike targets. There will be two principle Tomahawk types used. The BGM-109C TLAM is a 1000 pound cruise missile. These can fly 1,553 miles and place the warhead within 3 feet of a target. These will see limited use however, used to target specific airfield structures. However, the BGM-109D TLAM, which carries sub-munitions, will see use. Sub-munitions are miniature bombs that are dumped over and air strip to blast chunks of it out so that no plane can use it.
The main stay of the assault will be the EA6-B Prowlers. These are carrier launched electronic warfare and intrusion planes, which is a fancy way of saying “Fuck up their radar coverage.” The Prowler is equipped with powerful electronics gear, as well as being armed with AGM-88 HARM missiles. These missiles are specifically designed to track down and destroy enemy Radar and SAM sites. It can use the extraneous signals from radar sites to home in on and destroy them. Think of Radar stations as a person waving a flashlight around in a dark, sure they can see a pretty good distance, but you can see them long before their light hits you. The HARM takes the same principle and applies it to anti-air systems.
Once the main radar centers are down, it becomes a simple matter of time before each Libyan AA site is hunted down and destroyed.
And that children, is how you establish a no fly zone.
Wisconsin is currently the site of one of the largest labor protests in the United States. Out of this, there has sprung a petition for recall eight of the Wisconsin state congressmen. They current targets of the campaign are Senators Robert Cowles, Alberta Darling, Sheila Harsdorf, Luther Olsen, Randy hopper, Glenn Grothman, Mary Lazich, and Dan Kapanke.
So, what exactly is a Recall Election?
The recall election dates back to the times of the Athenian Democracy. It is the basic principle that a group of people who elected a person to an office, may also through direct vote remove that person from office.
While recall was a part of the Athenian Constitution, it was uncommon in the US until the Progressive movement made it a priority in the late 19th/early 20th century.
Recall elections are uncommon, but not unheard of in local jurisdiction. It applies primarily to state officials, but two governors have been recalled, Gray Davis of California in 2003 and Lynn Frazier of North Dakota in 1921. However, there is no recall election on a national level.
So, what is the process for Wisconsin’s recall?
First, the official must be at least one year into their term. Then the petitioners must have signatures equivalent to 25% of the people who elected them, these signatures must come from eligible voters of the district the official represents.
Then the petitioners must simply turn the petition in to the office that accepts the candidacy forms for the officials election.
After filing, the official has ten days to post a rebuttal that shows why the petition should not go through, if he fails to do so or his rebuttal is denied, then an election will be held on the Tuesday, of the sixth week from when the form is submitted.
The US government has announced that it would provide all possible support to those rebelling against Gaddafi. This includes moving the USS Enterprise carrier group into the Mediterranean Sea. This projection of force brings to mind the question: Should the US use military intervention to assist the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. I believe this question is a resounding ‘Yes’.
One of the key reasons for intervention is in response to mounting civil rights violations. While the morality of such interventions is rarely disputed, the legality of them is a major point of contention. In the case of Libya, we must first establish that human rights violations have occurred. To do this we must examine what rights have been violated.
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every person has the right to freely and peaceably assemble, without interference from their government. Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi violated this on several occasion, and in the process, committed mass unjustifiable murder. As this number rises, so does the mounting political pressure for countries to intervene. While the moral and political need to intervene is shown easily, the legal justification to intervene is not.
For this, we must turn to the principle of Responsibility to Protect. Now, responsibility to protect is the standard belief that sovereignty of a nation is not a privilege, but a responsibility. RtoP focuses on preventing genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. RtoP is can be said to consist of three parts:
1. A State has a responsibility to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing (mass atrocities).
2. If the State is unable to protect its population on its own, the international community has a responsibility to assist the state by building its capacity. This can mean building early-warning capabilities, mediating conflicts between political parties, strengthening the security sector, mobilizing standby forces, and many other actions.
3. If a State is manifestly failing to protect its citizens from mass atrocities and peaceful measures are not working, the international community has the responsibility to intervene at first diplomatically, then more coercively, and as a last resort, with military force.
Now, while this is not a law, it is a standard practice. As Libya has failed multiple times to rectify the situation, and steadfastly refuses to stand down in the face of international pressure and UN order, the US must intervene through military force.
According to Georg Schwarzenberger, A Manual of International Law, Four conditions are required to be met to for unilateral military intervention to constitute an international illegal act. The breach must:
1. Be against the will of the complainant.
2. Not be justifiable as, for instance, by the exercise of the right of self-defense.
3. Be attributable or imputable to a subject of international law
4. And be voluntary
However, given the numerous and repeated violations of human rights, the US is morally obligated to intervene, and has the political and legal standing required to take action.
This is the rundown. Its a breakdown of the last week in the news. Major headlines, of course, as well as some interesting or amusing stories. Anyways, here it is, the rundown.
_________________________________________________________
First off, the prime minister of Tunisia, Mohammed Ghannouchi, has stepped down amidst massive protests against him. He announced his resignation during a press conference in Tunis. Prime Minister Ghannouchi served with Former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali since 1989. His resignation has been a key issues amongst demonstrators. His replacement was named soon after, Beji Caid-Essebsi.
_________________________________________________________
A bomb blast in Rangoon, Burma has left four injured, including the person carrying the bomb.
_________________________________________________________
Following complaints about her direct ties to the deposed leader of Tunisia, French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has resigned her post.
_________________________________________________________
The UN security council has decided unanimously to impose sanctions on Libya. Effective immediately, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, members of his family and inner circle have been issued travel bans and had their assets frozen. The Council also included unanimous recommendation to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
_________________________________________________________
Leaders of several Libyan protest groups have formed a Libyan National Council, to give a political face to the uprising. Mustafa Mohamed Abdel Jalil, the former Minister of Justice, who resigned following the shooting of protesters, is leading the council, and plans to lead the transition government when Gaddafi is finally removed.
_________________________________________________________
The joint military exercises between the US and South Korea began today. North Korea issued a statement Sunday calling the drills a “dangerous” plot aimed at toppling the North’s government. North Korea stated it would start a “full-scale” war with counterattacks against both South Korean and US forces.
_________________________________________________________
Cuban officials have begun a crackdown on dissidents across the country.
_________________________________________________________
Chinese police have begun using shrill whistles, sirens, and shouts to try and quell protests. They have also begun spraying them with water to get them off the streets.
_________________________________________________________
The White House is condemning what it calls an “organized intimidation campaign” by the Iranian government against opposition leaders and other activists.
_________________________________________________________
The Obama administration stands ready to offer “any type of assistance” to Libyans seeking to oust Moammar Gaddafi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday, also warning African nations not to allow mercenaries to be hired by Gaddafi. Clinton did not expand on whether military assistance would be available.
_________________________________________________________
And that’s it for now.
