Do not worry. The radiation will not affect California. Whew! That’s a relief! Had me worried there for a second. At the risk of being accused of poor taste, because clearly there’s nothing wrong with worrying about California when the death toll in this could hit five figures in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki probably dumped more radiation on California than this incident will, and that’s not even mentioning all the atmospheric tests in New Mexico and the South Pacific during the 50s and 60s. This has me wondering if we weren’t better off as a society when we were lighting off nukes like our own radioactive Fourth of July, and encouraging young men to “Yes, get out of your foxhole and march toward the mushroom cloud,” because I’m honestly not sure which extreme is worse.
I’m utterly amazed that the LA Times has the gumption to write an article that conveys “California is fine, everyone, nothing to worry about,” when the death toll in Japan could hit five figures, and there are plenty of people who are worried about trivialities like food and water tonight, and would probably be happy to drink water with a few dozen bananas worth of radiation dose, as long as it didn’t come with a side of dysentery.
Meanwhile the international media hypes the trouble at the reactors to try to ride the anti-nuclear hobby horse as much as humanly possible. Everyone needs to relax, and eat some brazil nuts.
UPDATE: Now we’re totally screwed. There are sushi shortages in the Bay Area.
I’m not sure if I get your point Sebastian. Given the poor level of science education in this country, I’m glad someone is pointing out why people here on the West Coast should not panic about radiation at this point. There has already been a run on iodide pills in the US.
As I am reading this I am listening to the talking heads on TV discuss whether we should donate money to the Japanese disaster fund. Haiti? Absolutely, they say, they are a poor nation, but Japan doesn’t need the money???
ARE you kidding me?
The Media, not just the MSM, needs to stand back and report, not sensationalize the incident.
I agree with Ash. The hysteria on the internet has been astounding, with all kinds of fake news reports and infographics floating around. It’s good to see something trying to spread real information.
I live in Southern California and while my thoughts and prayers are with the Japanese victims, I’m not ashamed to say that the health of my wife and kids is MUCH more important to me. In this case I appreciate the “gumption” of the L.A. Times in accurately reporting on a potential threat to the community they’re supposed to serve.
For a brief moment, I was thinking Tam guest wrote an article here.
And that is *definitely* a compliment!
I can see his point when another California media outlet is worried about the shortage of sushi bought from Japan.
Journalists and libs have two great bogeymen – guns and nukes. They understand neither, and react to both with fear, loathing, and panic.
Trying to explain either to them is a waste of breath.
Local news is always about … the locality.
I see nothing wrong with a Californian news source analysing and reporting the impact on California – especially since it’s also been reporting on the humanitarian situation in Japan constantly, no?
(Besides what Ash said, which is also useful and true.)
Hell, you can get Sushi at Safeway! It’s cold, dead, fish – and there’s a little guy who’ll roll you some during your lunch break a the Safeway Deli.
Who cares what the big-dollar SF sushi joints charge. You can get sea bass, tako (octopus), as fresh-catch ALL along the coast – and even tobiuo (flying fish) from Mexican waters.