Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tries to calm fears about war with North Korea as Donald Trump continues to puff up his chest like a middle school bully.

Courtesy of CNN:

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has sought to allay fears of a military confrontation with North Korea after President Donald Trump warned he could unleash "fire and fury" on the pariah state. 

Tillerson defended Trump's comments but said there was no sign that the threat level from North Korea had changed and that Americans should "sleep well at night." 

His unscheduled remarks, on a flight out of the region early Wednesday, appeared designed to dial back the unprecedented rhetoric from Trump.

Trump's remarks about  "fire and fury" has caused concerns all across the world, and especially in South Korea, Japan, and of course Guam which North Korea has specifically threatened.

However while Tillerson is desperately trying to put out these fires, Trump his running around with his leaky gas can.

My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2017

...Hopefully we will never have to use this power, but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2017

First off I don't think that seven months is really enough time to "renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal."

And secondly WTF?

You know if you do indeed have the biggest penis in the frat house, you do not have to go around whipping it out at every party. People know.

Donald Trump is sitting on perhaps the single most powerful nuclear arsenal on the planet, he does not need to flaunt that.

It is like his tiny little hands make him feel that he constantly has to prove he is a man.

Only in this case his insecurities can cost the lives of millions.

So exactly what was going on with Donald Trump's extremely uncomfortable meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister yesterday?

Did you see the Prime Minister pull away at the end of that handshake and then roll his eyes?

Shinzō Abe looked like a college girl who had finally managed to get away from a groping frat boy at a kegger.

And that was not the only bizarre moment from the meeting.

Trump does not appear to be wearing an earpiece to translate Prime Minister Abe's remarks. pic.twitter.com/zcN21DuXgm

— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) February 10, 2017

A number of other attendees pointed this out on Twitter, while also noting that Trump was trying to respond and even laugh at the appropriate moments by watching the reactions of those who WERE wearing their translation earpieces.

This confused at least one reporter enough to wonder if perhaps Trump knew how to speak Japanese.

Pres Trump doesn't appear to be wearing the translation earpiece during PM Abe's remarks. Wait, does POTUS speak Japanese? pic.twitter.com/MuHTDQjwhe

— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) February 10, 2017

That of course is ridiculous since Trump has not even managed to master the English language after 70 years of trying to speak it.

.@jeffzeleny on Trump not wearing his earpiece for a portion of the press conference https://t.co/uW1WUyK2nP

— Daniella Diaz (@DaniellaMicaela) February 10, 2017

In the end a CNN reporter summed the whole thing up for a bewildered Wolf Blitzer.

Remember THIS is the guy that the Russians chose to represent America to the world.

Clearly they still hate us for the cold war.

New human like robot is already creepy, but it also looks alarmingly like Sarah Palin. So you know, even more creepy.

Courtesy of The Daily Mail:

A humanoid robot named Yangyang is the latest to be revealed in China. 

Dressed in a full-length coat, the android can display a wide range of facial expressions and can speak, move its head, and raise its hands to greet people convincingly. 

And the machine bears an uncanny - yet apparently accidental - resemblance to former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. 

So the Japanese have made an emotionless humanoid like creature that looks vaguely like Sarah Palin.

Which is kind of ironic since today Sarah Palin appears to be an emotionless humanoid creature that looks vaguely like Sarah Palin.

Yeah, I'll take the robot.

Alaska fish processors have cum up with a new idea of how to spray more of their product over the face of Japan.

Courtesy of Alaska Dispatch:  

Let’s get one thing out of the way right now: This is a story about cod semen and the people who love to eat it. 

Right now, fishing boats are pulling Pacific cod from the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. According to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s guidelines, fisherman are allowed to catch up to 325,000 tons of cod this year. 

A lot of that cod will become fish sticks or batter-fried filets. 

But many processors in Alaska also remove the sperm sacs of male cod, a seafood product called cod milt. In Japan, a high-end market exists for cod milt, which goes by the unsettling literal name shirako, or “white children.” 

Virtually unknown in the U.S. outside certain bold Epicurean circles, the male counterpart to caviar is a delicacy in Japan, where it is tempura fried, dipped in ponzu sauce or served in hot pot soup dishes typically enjoyed in winter months, according to Akiko Yakata, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute’s representative in Japan.

Okay seriously, will Japanese people eat ANYTHING?

Well I guess this is good news for Alaska fishermen who have been beating, and beating, and beating themselves raw trying to come up with a new idea that will utilize more of the fish that they already catch.

My only question is WHO was the first person who thought to themselves, "Gee I wonder what fish sperm tastes like?"

Because THAT guy kind of concerns me.

America only highly developed nation that thinks belief in God is essential for morality.

Courtesy of The New Civil Rights Movement:  

America is the only highly developed country where a majority of citizens think you have to believe in God in order to live a moral life. 

Here’s a portion of the international breakdown in response to the question, “is belief in God essential to morality?” 

China: 14% 
France: 15% 
Spain: 19% 
Australia: 23% 
Britain: 20% 
Italy: 27% 
Canada: 31% 
Germany 33% 
Israel: 37% 
Japan: 42% 
America: 53%

As many of you know the name of this blog is essentially to spit in the eye of those who claim that only those who embrace a certain religious belief are capable of being moral people.

It has always been my position that Steven Weinberg was right when he said:

“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.” 

Besides it is incredibly arrogant to suggest that any one group have the market cornered on morality, and in fact morality itself is a rather mercurial concept, that shifts and changes based on circumstances and needs.

Are Christians. Jews, or Muslims willing to say that they are the moral superior to the Hindus? The Buddhists? The Sikhs? The Jains?

What incredible egos it must take to believe that out of all of the thousands of religions and gods that mankind has worshiped throughout our history that you have figured out the one true religion, and the one true God.

And how convenient that it is, more than likely, the most readily accessible religion for you to access in your community.

In so many ways our country is a shining example of progress, tolerance, and acceptance. But in other ways it is anything but.

The future of car manufacturing is just around the corner.

Courtesy of BBC News:  

Japanese carmaker Toyota has said it is looking to start commercial sales of fuel cell-powered cars by 2015. 

Toyota set the target as it unveiled a concept fuel cell powered car, called the FCV, at the Tokyo Motor Show. 

Its cells can be recharged within minutes and it can cover about 500km (300 miles) on a single charge, according to the firm. 

Earlier this week, rival Hyundai said it plans to start mass production of such cars as early as next year. 

The South Korean company has announced plans to start commercial sales of a fuel cell-powered version of its sports utility vehicle, the Tucson, in the US market. 

Honda Motor is also expected to unveil its latest concept version of a fuel cell-powered vehicle later this week. 

Many carmakers have been looking to develop the fuel cell technology further and bring it to mass production. 

One of the main reasons is that it is emission-free. 

The technology uses hydrogen to generate electricity to power the engine and the waste products are heat and harmless water. 

At the same time, fuel cells charge much faster and travel a longer distance after being charged, compared with battery-operated electric cars.

I have to admit that I have been waiting for some real movement on this front for quite some time now.  As a matter of fact I have been keeping my Durango tuned up and in good repair hoping that it will last long enough for me to move to a non-fossil fuel powered car with my next purchase.

I had some hopes of going electric, but this actually sounds much more promising. IF they can work out the issue of getting enough hydrogen filling stations built to meet demand.

Oh well, here's hoping that the oil companies don't do everything in their power to destroy our chances of moving to this new technology like they once did in response to the electric car.

By the way this is one of the few topics these days on which my daughter and I are in complete agreement.

Amazing footage taken by Japanese film crew just as the tsunami hit.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

You know I watch Rachel Maddow because her command of the pertinent facts usually has a calming effect on me. This is not keeping me calm.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Yes the radiation cloud from Japan's crippled nuclear plant IS headed toward Alaska. But NO it should not present a health hazard to its residents. (He says hopefully.)

There is a lot of information about this to be found over at  Jeff Master's Wunder Blog, and the proprietor, Mr. Masters, has a PHD and is a well respected expert on Meterology, so I am pretty sure he knows what he is talking about.

Here is a diagram of the anticipated trajectory of the radioactive cloud.

And for Alaskans here is the pertinent information.

There will be some radiation from Japan lofted to high altitudes today by the low pressure system affecting the region, and if the radiation manages to escape being rained out, it could potentially be transported thousands of miles over the next week. A run of the HYSPLIT model following the path of a radioactive cloud emitted at 12 UTC (8am EDT) this morning shows the radioactivity being lofted 4 - 5 km in altitude and being transported over Alaska over the coming week. After a week of transport, this cloud will be considerably diluted, and I strongly doubt the radioactivity would be harmful to human health if rain or snow were to carry it to the ground over Alaska or Canada, assuming that the radiation levels currently being advertised at ground level in Japan are correct.

I am choosing to be comforted by Doctor Master's assurances, but I would personally feel much safer without the "assuming that the radiation levels currently being advertised at ground level in Japan are correct" qualifier. I am not saying I don't trust the Japanese exactly, it is just that they have demonstrated a desire to downplay the potential danger since the beginning of this catastrophe, and that makes a me a little uneasy.

I will feel tons better once scientists on the ground in Alaska test the air and determine whether it presents a legitimate danger or not. And let me just go on record as saying that nuclear energy has just become my LEAST favorite alternative to fossil fuels.  Just in case anybody is taking a survey.

Rachel Maddow explains what is happening with the nuclear reactors in Japan. And it is NOT good.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As many of you may have noticed, Rachel has become my go-to person to explain what is happening in the world.  To my mind NOBODY breaks the information down and makes it as easily digestible as Rachel Maddow.

And this is extremely horrifying information, so having somebody as clear headed and well informed as my favorite MSNBC host explain it to us, may not make it less frightening, but it does allow us to know exactly what we are facing.

Update:

Officials say dangerous levels of radiation were detected after a third explosion rocked a nuclear plant damaged in last week's earthquake.

People living within 19 miles of the facility are being told to avoid drinking tap water, and keep their houses air tight.

This reminds me of the instructions children in the US received to hide under their desks in the event of a nuclear attack.  It does not seem like sufficient protection to keep families safe this close to the reactors. They should evacuate these people in my opinion.

Teabagger response to the devastating earthquake in Japan.

What a classy bunch of Twitards.

Earthquake in Japan reveals frightening concerns about safety of nuclear energy.

From CNN:

An explosion at an earthquake-damaged nuclear plant was not caused by damage to the nuclear reactor but by a pumping system that failed as crews tried to bring the reactor's temperature down, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Saturday.

The next step for workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant will be to flood the reactor containment structure with sea water to bring the reactor's temperature down to safe levels, he said. The effort is expected to take two days.

Radiation levels have fallen since the explosion and there is no immediate danger, Edano said. But authorities were nevertheless expanding the evacuation to include a radius of 20 kilometers (about 12.5 miles) around the plant. The evacuation previously reached out to 10 kilometers.

You know it may just be that I am a product of my time, but I have always become very uncomfortable when politicians start pushing the idea of building more reactors in America to ease our burden on foreign oil and to move us toward more modern energy solutions.  I have even heard nuclear energy rebranded as a "renewable energy source" in order to make it seem more palatable.

Of course I still remember how panicked we all were during the incident at Three Mile Island, and have watched the China Syndrome at least a half dozen times, so perhaps my perspective is skewed.

What do all of you think about nuclear energy making a resurgence in America?  Do you feel it is safe?  And considering what is happening in Japan, has that altered your point of view?

Tsunami hits Japan after major earthquake. Update!

From The Telegraph:

An earthquake measuring 8.9 struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, shaking buildings in the capital Tokyo, causing "many injuries", major tsunami damage and at least one fire.

The Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed cars, trucks, houses and buildings being swept away by tsunami in Onahama city in Fukushima prefecture. Black smoke was seen billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country were halted.
Television showed cars bobbing in water along side fishing boats. A 50 cm tsunami hit Japan's northern coast.



Tsunami warnings have also been issued for the west coat of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and British Columbia.

The exact magnitude of this quake still seems to be in question as I have seen 7.9, 8.8, and 8.9.  However what is clear is that it was a big one with a substantial amount of damage.

(BTW I was awakened to this news by the Emergency Broadcasting System. So I am letting all of you know as well)

Update: The earthquake is now officially measured at 8.9. And it is the largest earthquake to hit in Japan's history.

Here is more video of the devastation.



As I stated before there are still Tsunami warnings in place up and down the west coast of America, and it has already hit Hawaii

The President has released his official statement on this disaster:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2011

Statement By The President On The Earthquake In Japan And The Resulting Tsunami Warning Throughout The Pacific

"Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the people of Japan, particularly those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake and tsunamis.

The United States stands ready to help the Japanese people in this time of great trial.

The friendship and alliance between our two nations is unshakeable, and only strengthens our resolve to stand with the people of Japan as they overcome this tragedy.

We will continue to closely monitor tsunamis around Japan and the Pacific going forward and we are asking all our citizens in the affected region to listen to their state and local officials as I have instructed FEMA to be ready to assist Hawaii and the rest of the US states and territories that could be affected."