Samuel Beckett in Paris

Wednesday Morning EDT/
Wednesday Evening Japan Time
We Must Cater To The Rich Update

With The Help of Samuel Barclay Beckett 
13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989

"My mistakes are my life."–How It Is

TEPCO admitted today that they have no plan on how they are going to solve the problems presented by the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi complex and that they have basically been pulling ideas out of their ass as they go along as we read in the Telegraph.UK today.


"As instructed by Prime Minister (Naoto) Kan, we are working out the specific details of how to handle the situation so they can be disclosed as soon as possible. We are making the utmost effort to bring the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi to a cold shutdown and halt the spread of radiation."-Masataka Shimizu, the president of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) yesterday

Reuters gives us the nuts and bolts of the state of the site today. They are still dealing with the endless problem of dealing with the radioactive water that is constantly being produced by their efforts to prevent meltdowns and the ignition of radioactive waste.

“Humanity is a well with two buckets,” said Wylie, “one going down to be filled, the other coming up to be emptied.”–Murphy, Chapter 4

Meanwhile in the United States nuclear operators are on a public relations blitz to reassure the public that it can't happen here. This article from The State, South Carolina's Newspaper titled "'Nothing to Hide' Tour of Jenkinsville Nuclear Plant" is a perfect example.

"Stephen Byrne, SCE&G’s chief operating officer and head of generation and transmission of power, noted that Jenkinsville, in Fairfield County about 25 miles northwest of Columbia, was about 150 miles from the South Carolina coast and not located near the intersection of planetary tectonic plates where the world’s most intense earthquakes and tsunamis, such as the ones that struck Japan, occur.

“Jenkinsville is not a tsunami zone,” he told the media Tuesday. He said the tour was arranged to counter the public’s “fear of the unknown.”
“We have nothing to hide,” he said. “The plants are safe.”

Perhaps Mr. Byrne has missed the point. In the universe there is an infinity of unknown and unforeseen events that can happen. When just one of these events happens to damage your plant, Mr. Byrne, you still will be able to say that it is safe from tsunamis and earthquakes.  


"How agreeable it is to be confirmed, after a more or less long period of vacillation, in one’s first impressions. Perhaps this is what tempers the pangs of death."–Molloy, Part I

There was another fire at plant 4 yesterday as another aftershock knocked out power for a time to Fukushima Daiishi. It is unknown if the two events were related. TEPCO's stock price has fallen 75% since the earthquake. Their stock is still overvalued unless the government bails them out further, but that is what governments do to the people. They take their money and give it to incompetent corporations.

Bloomberg reported today that Japanese Bonds rose on lowered government assessments of the economy due to effects of the earthquake. 

Toyota's problems in Japan are interrupting supplies of parts to plants in the United States, Europe and the Philippines. 

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that losses to insurers could reach $34 billion as a result of the events in Japan. 

"We are all born mad. Some remain so."–Waiting for Godot

Kirstie Alley said someone tampered with her shoe in the dressing room prior to her fall on Dancing With the Stars Monday night but she was only joking says People Magazine.
The many deals are going down at the IMF meetings this week in Washington.
The plans that are not going down are just as interesting.
Serbia seeks "precautionary loans".
The IMF is warning the USA and other advanced economies to cut  budget deficits. The USA has the biggest deficit and the IMF would rather see it dealt with now rather than later. Of course, dealing with budget deficits will hurt the "recovery" but that really doesn't matter. A US recovery is just not in the cards. The IMF is also said to be whining about the mortgage interest and home tax deductions in US law. It has called the mortgage tax break "expensive and regressive" in the past.
Ireland and Greece were left on the rack when the IMF informed them they will not have their debt loads restructured.
The IMF is doing a "technical assessment" of Portugal this week.
The IMF made reassuring noises to Spain after they made positive moves to "overhaul" their pension system.
The IMF is giving Egypt $500 billion in "soft loans". Egypt is planning to build a huge superhighway and water pipelines with the money.
No doubt the IMF has plans for these assets when Egypt ultimately fails to make payments on the "soft loans".

NELL: One mustn’t laugh at those things, Nagg. Why must you always laugh at them?
NAGG: Not so loud!
NELL (without lowering her voice): Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, I grant you that. But–
NAGG (shocked): Oh!
NELL: Yes, yes, it’s the most comic thing in the world. And we laugh, we laugh, with a will, in the beginning. But it’s always the same thing. Yes, it’s like the funny story we have heard too often, we still find it funny, but we don’t laugh any more.
–Endgame

Example of  'superflat' art by Takashi Murakami

More on Takashi Murakami here: https://www.artsy.net/artist/takashi-murakami/works