Waving fronds of palms, they welcomed Him to Jerusalem. Before the end of the week, they would be shouting Him crucified. But this is no sermon on short memories and universal fickle-mindedness; sermons are better left to priest and sages.

Yesterday, Christendom welcomed Holy Week with Palm Sunday. To Pangasinenses, it was Domingo Ramos or Agew na Palaspas or simply Palaspas.

Palaspas roughly means: to cut a path through dense foliage or forest with a bolo or an instrument as sharply edged. On the other hand, palaspas also best describes: a steering of the air with a waving to-and fro of the fingers or its extensions (i.e. things that flop or swap). It was probably from this latter context that palaspas came to be associated with Palm Sunday; it was as near as near can be to refer to the palm fronds.

FULL STORY

retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for clear international standards on nuclear safety in light of the ongoing crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Speaking in Japan, he proposed that nuclear safety authorities from the G20 countries discuss the issue in May.

Radiation detected in the sea near the stricken plant has again risen steeply.

Meanwhile, the UN has advised Japan to consider expanding the evacuation zone around the reactors.

Mr Sarkozy is the first foreign leader to visit Japan following the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country on 11 March.

The disaster has so far claimed more than 11,000 lives, with at least 16,000 people still reported missing.

The French president said he wanted to see international standards on nuclear energy established by the end of the year, and that France would ask G20 nuclear delegates to lay the groundwork for a special meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in June.

“The problem is more about establishing safety norms than it is about the choice of nuclear energy, for this there is no alternative right now,” Mr Sarkozy was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“We must address this anomaly that there are no international safety norms for nuclear matters. We want international standards because the world is a village and what happens in Japan can have consequences elsewhere.”

The IAEA has nuclear standards, but they are not binding.

France is more dependent on nuclear power than any other country, using it to meet about 75% of its domestic needs.

French nuclear reactor maker Areva has been offering the Japanese help with containing contaminated water.

UN nuclear monitors advised Japan to consider widening the 20km (12-mile) evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi plant after the IAEA found safe radiation limits had been exceeded at the village of Iitate, 40km north-west of the nuclear plant.

But Yoshihiro Sugiyama, a nuclear safety agency official, said there were no plans to increase the size of the zone.

“At the moment, we do not have the understanding that it is necessary to evacuate residents there,” he said. “We think the residents can stay calm.”

The village mayor was quoted as saying he was “very worried” about the IAEA warning. “But the government immediately informed us that there is no immediate harm to human health, so I was relieved,” he added.
Contaminated seawater

A government spokesman said authorities would “continue monitoring the level of radiation with heightened vigilance” and “take action if necessary.”

Radioactive iodine levels in seawater near the plant reached a new record – 4,385 times the limit.

Radioactive material may be leaking from the damaged plant continuously, the country’s nuclear and industrial safety agency (Nisa) said.

Workers are continuing to try to stabilise four reactors by using water to cool fuel rods. They also face the problem of how to deal with highly radioactive run-off water that has accumulated in a tunnel.

Kyodo reported that the radiation level in a tunnel outside Reactor 2 was more than 10,000 times above normal levels.

The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), announced on Wednesday that the four stricken reactors would be decommissioned.

The US and UK earlier advised their citizens in Japan to keep at least 80km from the plant.

The US is to send a 140-member radiation control team to assist Japanese authorities, Kyodo News agency quoted Japan’s military chief, General Ryoichi Oriki, as saying.

retrieved from www.theengineer.co.uk

Following the horrendous earthquake in Japan and explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the German government is to subject all its nuclear power plants to a rigorous safety review.

For the safety reviews, operations at all nuclear power plants commissioned prior to 1980 are to be shut down. All others will be reviewed during normal operations.

German chancellor Angela Merkel also announced a three-month moratorium on a recently agreed extension to the operating lives of Germany’s nuclear power plants.

While the German Federal economics minister Rainer Brüderle did not believe that the temporary shutdown of some plants would jeopardise supplies, he did not discount the possibility that electricity prices might rise as a result.

At both European and international levels, Germany is pressing to have current safety standards reviewed. Merkel announced that she would be pushing for uniform and rigorous standards within both the European Union and the G20.

Seven of Germany’s nuclear power plants were commissioned prior to 1980: Biblis A and B in Hesse, Neckarwestheim I and Philipsburg I in Baden-Württemberg, Brunsbüttel in Schleswig-Holstein, Isar I in Bavaria and Unterweser in Lower Saxony.

They are to be closed down for the duration of the three-month moratorium. Previously, it was planned to extend the operating lives of these plants by eight years, whereas the younger plants were to operate for 14 years longer.

Read more: http://www.theengineer.co.uk/sectors/energy-and-environment/news/fukushima-explosions-prompt-german-nuclear-power-review/1007890.article#ixzz1JiGV7L00

Pozorrubio Central School gate as of April 12, 2011

View photos as of April 12, 2011 of the construction progress on the proposed Pozorrubio Central School building.

DAGUPAN CITY, April 12 (PIA) – Nepeg ya aralen a maong no kasin sarag na bansa ya arapen so antokaman ya segsegang nilirad panangusar na nuklear.

Inimano nen Mayor Hernani Braganza na syudad na Alaminos ya mayaman tan abanten maong ed teknolohya so Japan balet ta siansian nanairapan ed pangontrol na isesengaw na radioactive ed adesyang ya planta nuklear tod Fukushima. “No sikaran adelantado ed panangusar na nuklear et siansia niran manpoproblema, sikatayo ni kasi?”

Intepet to met ed sakey a press conference nen Lunes dimad Tourism Welcome Center ed barangay Lucap ed saman a syudad no kasin say Filipinas so walaay nagnap ya kuarta o kagawaan pian abeten so antokaman ya probleman nagawad arapen ya singa sinagmak na Japan. “Akaparaan tayo kasi ya onabet ed ontan iran problema?”

Sakey nin bengatla ya nepeg a imanoen na saray mangipoproponi so pangipasabi na malaknaban ya impormasyon parad totoo pian amta ra so manepeg dan desisyon no bilang ta nipaarap ed sikara so isyu. “Kaukolan konsultaen tayo ra,” indanet to.

Inturo ton say pangipaalagey labat na bilding o antokaman a proyekto et kaukolan toy permit o ECC (environment compliance certificate) tan abobon na apektadon karaklan, manepeg labat sirin ya aralen a maong no kasin nakaukolan so pangusar na nuklear diad bansa.

Inamin ton aliwan magastos tan sankainotan so nuclear power no ikomparad arum a panlalapuay kuryente singa dagem, danum, agew tan krudo kanian sa Japan, Amerika tan arum niran mayayaman a bansad sagur so walaan na pigapigaran planta.

Balet ta say agawan desyang ed Japan nen agano ni ya intarok na yegyeg tan tsunami so mangitulak ed saray Filipino ya mannonot a maong no kasin abuloyan so panangusar na nuklear ed bansa.

Nanonotan ya say sangguniang panlalawigan so angipasay resolusyon ya kekerewen ed gobierno so panaral no sarag to diad Pangasinan so pangipasenan na planta. Si datin Kongresista Marcos Cojuangco so mangitutulak ed pangilukas la na apatundan Bataan Nuclear Power Plant tan pangiletneg na duaran planta ed luyag.

Kinontra balet na pigaran grupo so ontan iran plano. (ANL/DOS-PIA 1 Pangasinan)

retrieved from Sunday Punch Online, http://punch.dagupan.com

FORMER 5th District Rep. Mark Cojuangco may have taken a step back on his campaign to revive the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), but he is not giving up on his proposal to build nuclear plants in Pangasinan.

Cojuangco, speaking during a media forum in Dagupan last week, went as far as to say that if he could, he would host the nuclear plant right in his own backyard in Sison town in reaction to a challenge posted by retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz.

“Kung meron lang beach sa Sison doon na lang sa bahay ko,” he said at the first Media in Action forum of the recently-revived Pangasinan Press Club (PPC).

Cojuangco, whose family operates the Northern Cement Corporation plant in that town, explained that building a nuclear plant far from the sea is more costly.

Cruz was also invited but could not make it to the forum, which was moderated by PPC president Gonzalo Duque and former Anda Mayor Nestor Pulido who is now back as a broadcaster.

Cojuangco maintained that nuclear energy is a safer, more cost-efficient and durable power source despite the nuclear crisis in Fukushima, Japan.

He added that what is happening in Japan actually strengthens the cause of reviving the BNPP which, he pointed out, has more safety features than the Fukushima plant which is older by 10 years.

Cojuangco said his push for nuclear energy arises from the country’s need for more sources given the impending power crisis and the rising cost of electricity.

He said the country is losing out on economic opportunities with the power supply problem.

OPPOSITION

On the other hand, Akbayan partylist representative Zeus Salazar said his group is opposed to the use of nuclear power mainly because proponents have failed to explain the risks.

“Ang nababanggit lang yong mga kagandahan pero how about social acceptability and possible risks. Yong BNPP nakatayo sa bulkan,” said Salazar during the same forum.

Salazar, a resident of Dagupan City, said Pangasinan is hosting enough power plants with the existing hydro-plant in San Roque and the coal-fired plant in Sual.

He also pointed out that even Japan, a developed country, is now faced with the perils of using nuclear power source.

Cojuangco countered that while the Fukushima Plants were built near the sea, it was not placed at an elevated area that would make it safe from tsunami.

The BNPP, on the other hand, was built at about 18 meters above sea level in Morong, Bataan.

“May tsunami-designed factor po ang BNPP, unlike the Fukushima plants,” he explained.

He also said the seismic design load basis of Fukushima plants is 0.18G whereas the BNPP has 0.4G, or three times more, which means it will not crumble under any high-magnitude quake. .

Cojuangco underscored that the BNPP is newer than 70 percent of the 104 running nuclear plants in the United States.

Cojuangco again presented his position before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) last April 1.

The SP last year already passed a resolution supporting the possibility of setting up nuclear plants in the province.

Some members of the provincial board, who signed the resolution, have said they maintain that position despite the recent situation in Japan.

However, new members of the board, particularly those allied with President Benigno Aquino III’s Liberal Party, are opposed to nuclear energy as a power source.–LM

retrieved from BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13047267 ; April 12,2011

The nuclear crisis in Japan has revived fears over the safety of nuclear power and the potential danger posed to public health when things go wrong.

There have been a number of serious nuclear incidents since the 1950s. Below are details of the most serious.

Chernobyl nuclear power plant after the explosion in April 1986 The dramatic explosion at Chernobyl and the resulting widespread fallout has made it a reference point for evaluating severe nuclear incidents
Mayak or Kyshtym nuclear complex (Soviet Union): 29 September 1957-A fault in the cooling system at the nuclear complex, near Chelyabinsk, results in a chemical explosion and the release of an estimated 70 to 80 tonnes of radioactive materials into the air. Thousands of people are exposed to radiation and thousands more are evacuated from their homes. It is categorised as Level 6 on the seven-point International Nuclear Events Scale (INES).

Windscale nuclear reactor (UK): 7 October 1957. A fire in the graphite-cooled reactor, in Cumbria, results in a limited release of radioactivity (INES Level 5). The sale of milk from nearby farms is banned for a month. The reactor cannot be salvaged and is buried in concrete. A second reactor on the site is also shut down and the site decontaminated. Subsequently part of the site is renamed Sellafield and new nuclear reactors are built.

Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (USA): 3 January 1961. A steam explosion in reactor SL-1 during preparation for start-up destroys the small US Army experimental reactor and kills three operators.

Three Mile Island power plant, Pennsylvania (US): 29 March 1979. The Three Mile Island accident was the United States’ worst of its kind

A cooling malfunction causes a partial meltdown in one reactor, resulting in a limited release of radioactivity (INES Level 5).

The site’s first reactor (TMI One) on the Susquehanna river was closed for refuelling. The second was at full capacity when two malfunctions occurred: first there was a release of radioactive water, then radioactive gas was detected on the perimeter. No deaths or injuries were reported.

It is considered the United States’ worst nuclear accident and led to major safety changes in the industry.

Chernobyl power plant (Soviet Union): 26 April 1986. One of four reactors explodes after an experiment at the power plant (INES Level 7). The resulting fire burns for nine days and at least 100 times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima is released into the air. Radioactive deposits are found in nearly every country in the northern hemisphere.

Two people die in the explosion and another 28 from acute radiation sickness in the immediate aftermath. Some experts predict thousands of extra cancer deaths as a result of the disaster.

A huge cover, known as the New Safe Confinement, is being built over the existing sarcophagus. It is expected to cover the site by 2013.

Severesk, formerly Tomsk-7 (Russia): 6 April 1993. A tank at a uranium and plutonium factory inside the plant explodes, resulting in radioactivity being dispersed into the atmosphere contaminating an area of over 120 sq km (INES Level 4). A number of villages are evacuated and left permanently uninhabitable.

Tokaimura nuclear fuel processing facility (Japan): 30 September 1999. Workers in radiation suits after the 1999 Tokaimura incident The Tokaimura accident shook confidence in the industry in Japan

Workers break safety regulations by mixing dangerously large amounts of treated uranium in metal buckets, setting off a nuclear reaction (INES Level 4).

Two of the workers later die from their injuries, and more than 40 others are treated for exposure to high levels of radiation.

Hundreds of residents living nearby were evacuated from their homes while the nuclear reaction continued, but were allowed home two days later.

Mihama power plant (Japan): 9 August 2004. Five people die in an accident at the plant in the Fukui province (INES Level 1). Seven people are also injured when hot water and steam leaks from a broken pipe.

Officials insist that no radiation leaked from the plant, and there is no danger to the surrounding area.

Fukushima Daiichi power plant (Japan): 11 March 2011.A powerful tsunami generated by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake out at sea slams into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, damaging four of six reactors at the site.

A series of fires are set off, after cooling systems fail. Venting hydrogen gas from the reactors causes explosions, forcing engineers to use seawater in an effort to cool overheating reactor cores.

Originally classified as INES Level 5, the severity was raised to INES Level 7 on 12 April 2011 when a new estimate suggested higher levels of radiation than previously thought had leaked from the plant.

Despite the classification, the incident is said to be much less severe than Chernobyl, and officials insist there is only a minimal risk to public health.

DAGUPAN CITY, April 4 (PIA) – Angapoy gastos na syudad ed Miss Magic beauty contest.

Saya so impalinew nen Kosehal Brian Lim nen Lunes ed agawan press presentation na 20 magaganan kandidata parad Miss Magic 2011 diad central office na Magic Group of companies diad barangay Malued.

Angaman nibana so contest ed panselebra na Dagupan ed Bangus Festival ed sayay bulan na Abril tan nibilang bilang sakey ed saray ebento, inkuanen Lim ya pribadon aktibidad so beauty pageant tan pupundoan na saray sponsors. “Kaaruman labat la ed saray nabantayan ed Bangus Festival bilang suporta ed satan ya okasyon,” inkuanto.

Getma na Miss Magic ya iparungtal iray positibon kalidades tan talento na saray bibii ed lugar ya walay branch na Magic. Komasiam la natan ya edisyon so nagawad sayan taon, inkuan na saray pageant organizers. Sakey met ya marketing vehicle so nagawan pakontes tinaon diad pitutulongan na saray isponsor, inyarum da.

Angapoy agawan beauty pageant nen 2007 tan 2010 lapud panaoy eleksyon.

Nilinew nen Lim, chief executive officer na Magic group, ya angapoy nagagawan exploitation na saray malimgas iran kandidata. Inyarum ton pigara met lan datin contestants so akaloob tan akapila met ira ed mas prestisyoson beauty contest singa Miss Earth tan Binibining Pilipinas.

Say grand winner so makagamor na premyon P100,000. Saray runner-ups so makalay P60,000, P40,000, P30,000 tan P15,000. Ontan met walay 30 minor awards ya mankantidad na P3,000 so kada premyo.

Si 17-anyos ya Sandra Mae Grate na baley na Bani so akalay atensyon na saray managpalapag lapud katagey ton 5’ 8” tan gangana to. Komaduan taon tolad kurson turismo diad Lyceum-Northwestern University. (DOS-PIA 1 Pangasinan)

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, April 1 (PIA) — The provincial government will hold more competitions in various fields to hone the talents of Pangasinenses.

Gov. Amado Espino, Jr. said that in the future the provincial government will sponsor contests on essay writing, editorial writing, feature writing and other writing competitions to tap the skills of Pangasinan youths.

Espino made the remarks when he spoke before participants in the oratorical contest provincial championship dubbed “Patalisiwan na saray Orador” on Tuesday at the Sison Auditorium here.

The competition, the first activity for this year’s Agew na Pangasinan celebration, drew participants from the school divisions of Urdaneta City, San Carlos City school division, Alaminos City, Dagupan City, Pangasinan I and Pangasinan II. Mara Athena Venenciano of Urdaneta emerged as the champion.

Ervil Somera of Pangasinan II came in second while Daryl John Bungay of San Carlos City finished third.

Espino expressed elation over the theme of this year’s competition, “Pangasinan….My Home, My Pride” because it bespeaks love and patriotism to our beloved province.”

Recalling memories of his youth, the governor said: “When I was young, I thought of staying, growing up in Pangasinan, retiring in Pangasinan and to be buried in Pangasinan simply because this province of ours is very beautiful.”

The province is very fortunate for having young Pangasinenses who are very artistic and nationalistic, he said as he acknowledged the talents of Pangasinenses not only in academics and arts but also in other fields like sports. He cited the honor that Pangasinan got by dethroning Ilocos Norte, the champion for 11 straight years in the Ilocos Region Athletics Association (IRAA) meet now renamed, Region I Athletic Association. (ANL/DOS-PIO/PIA 1 Pangasinan)