Japanese PSA explaining Nuke disaster for kids is a whole new level of weird

Video featuring cute characters trying to avert nuclear disaster. The explanation of Chernobyl Boy is especially notable.

Because nothing in Japan is allowed to happen without its own cute icon.

Thinking of Totoro as the situation worsens

“May you live in interesting times.” – Ancient Chinese curse.

How to help – a list of organizations

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Idiots, Damn Idiots and Sarah Palin

“It’s unbelievable. Unbelievable. No administration in America’s history would, I think, ever have considered such a step that we just found out President Obama is supporting today. It’s kinda like getting out there on a playground, a bunch of kids, getting ready to fight, and one of the kids saying, ‘Go ahead, punch me in the face, and I’m not going to retaliate. Go ahead and do what you want to with me.'” — Sarah Palin on the Obama administration’s new nuclear strategy.

If you believe the NYTimes that policy says,

“For the first time, the United States is explicitly committing not to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear states that are in compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, even if they attacked the United States with biological or chemical weapons or launched a crippling cyberattack.”

In other words we’re limiting ourselves to only using conventional weapons to bomb them back into the stone age. In case you weren’t aware of this – we have conventional weapons with as much explosive power as the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. BTW, there’s an intentional loophole in this policy that still lets the US do whatever it wants.The policy explicitly excludes North Korea, Iran and other “outlier” nations which have violated or renounced the main treaty to halt nuclear proliferation.

The Prez had the comeback of the day: “I really have no response. Because last I checked, Sarah Palin’s not much of an expert on nuclear issues.”

Radiation poisoning is good exposure for UK restaurant

Bookings are way up at a UK restaurant named “Polonium Restaurant” following the death-by-radiation murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent and foe of Russian President-For-Life Putin. The owner of the restaurant, Boguslaw Sidorowicz, said he named the eatery after a band he was in.

“When I saw the restaurant’s name all over the papers — I thought someone had booked us an advert. We’ve had an incredible 728,000 hits on the Polonium website, and have been inundated with calls from around the globe,” he said.

Meanwhile in China … The Dayawan nuclear power plant located by the South China Sea in southern Guangdong province is opening up its doors to tourists. For 30 Yuan entry fee you get to learn about its construction and safety measures and get “access to ‘Lovers’ Island,’ a wharf and a lookout point offering a view of Dayawan and Lingao, another nuclear plant being built nearby.” No word on a gift shop or t-shirts yet but all proceeds will go to charity. Could amount to $3 a year…

… which could be used to repair a new hole in the Great Wall. The Hongji Landbridge construction company has been fined $62K for blowing up a chunk of the Wall and building a highway through it. Officials say they warned the company against doing this. And after issuing the warning they laughed all the way to the bank.

Technorati Tags: Litvinenko, Polonium, Restaurant, Dayawan, Nuclear, Power, Atomic, Great, Wall, China, UK, KGB