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Old 03-17-2011, 11:07 AM   #120
mlmpetert
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Join Date: Nov 2006
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Re: Massive quake hits Japan; Tsunami in Pacific, nations on alert

Quote:
Originally Posted by Angry View Post
After he sent the email he posted it on an MIT blog and then falsely played the ethos card by allowing everyone to believe that he is an expert on the subject simply by putting in with the blog. This page, whether they have an agenda or not did point out two facts that totally discredit this PHD's "expertise" on the situation.

1. They point out that he is in fact not a Nuclear Scientist or a Physicist which is what the premise of his whole argument was. If it wasn't his intent then, why did he have to play the "MIT PHD" card?

2. They point out that the people who run the blog had to put a disclaimer out there stating that

Furthermore, I would like to point out that several qualified experts on the subject such as Japanese Physicists and nuclear scientists stated just today that the amount of radiation that seeped out of the number 3 reactor durring a one hour surge was 800 times the amount that is acceptable for human contact in a day. The Japanese government has ordered everyone within 18 miles of the plant to stay indoors and make their homes air tight.
Japan suspends work at stricken nuclear plant - CharlotteObserver.com

I'd say that there is substantial evidence to debunk your "Risk Management Scientist".
The problem is that this was originally a email sent out to friends and family and then got posted on a MIT message board (by a family member). Im sure his friends and family knew he wasnt a nuclear engineer. When i originally read it, i didnt get the impression that he was definitely a nuclear engineer, but rather that he just really knew what was going on. I know that GMscud doesnt work for the Redskins as their salary cap numbers guy, but i do know he knows his stuff when it comes to the Redskins salary cap. Sometimes people have an inexplicable interest in stuff that most people have no desire to learn or understand in depth. Their thoughts however can provide great insight when debating a potential FA signing or wondering if the people in Northern Japan are about to become nuclear stir fry…..

And yeah, 800x the amount of radiation that’s safe amount for humans got released, but the originally email/blog from “Dr.” (phd) Oehmen said that radiation was going to get released, but the kind that does also happens to break down extremely fast. It seems like the MIT community is sticking behind this guy to some degree. It doesn’t seem like anyone else out there is really offering detailed information on whats going to happen and whats the likelihood. I definitely don’t trust the headlines from Yahoo! or Fox News to tell me the nitty gritty of whats going on, but I count on them to tell me the scary details of whats currently happening.

For me personally I find that I connect and empathize with the people from certain countries more so then others because our identities seem more similar. Japan for me is number 1 or 2 on my list. An earthquake and tsunami over there almost feels like its happening on the otherside of the country here. Maybe im reading this email/blog and just hoping for the best…..


Also the Phd's (in business) response to all the attention:

Quote:
I am a mechanical engineer and research scientist at MIT. I am not a nuclear engineer or scientist, or affiliated with Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT, so please feel free to question my competence. The text is based on an email that I send to family and friends in Japan the night of March 12. It was posted on this blog by my cousin Jason, went viral and has been equally popular with people who hate it and love it ever since. It aimed at explaining the events surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi-1 reactor. Great lengths of the text are dedicated to explaining how the reactor works, what the different types of radiation sources are, and what safety features have been implemented. I then continue to describe how these safety features were operated to secure the reactor. To the extent that I could, I have verified this information with experts in the field, while the responsibility for any errors remains with me. The version on mitnse.com is the most accurate, and as you can tell in many parts different to the version that appeared here on Jason’s blog. This post is not keeping track of or explaining events after Mar 12. Events kept developing, and many people keep sharing their discovery with me that one is always smarter after the fact.

In my email, preserved through various copies of Jason’s first post around the internet, I expressed my strong believe that my family and friends are safe. This keeps both annoying and reassuring a great many people. Whether my unwavering trust in my fellow engineers of 50 years ago who designed and build the plant, or my complete trust and admiration of my fellow engineers who are currently operating the reactors makes me a level-headed guy or right-out stupid is also hotly debated. Most people hope for the former, but some opt for the latter.

As far as I am concerned, I was just doing my job. Fixing things. In this case, a complete lack of understandable context information that would have allowed my family and friends in Japan to make an informed assessment of their situation.
Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors. | Morgsatlarge – blogorific.
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