Kalle:

Nicely said Sir.

If the first world even had a conservation plan that would help greatly.

but sadly, in the United States three car families are common; turning the air conditioner on at 80 degrees F;
the heater on at 50 degrees F; The SUVs and gas-guzzlers are still commonplace;

I find it ironic when our politicians criticize China/India for their pollution when the U.S. has done more to pollute the
earth than any country on this planet.

Sadly, until we all live a 'greener' lifestyle I don't think the energy source matters all that much.

Unfortunately, SongCraft, you appear to be correct.
There really might be areas that are now just simply below the water level... permanently (for all intents and purposes). Don't know yet how much, if any, but it seems to be a real long-term issue for some areas.

We're still weeks or months away from getting the accurate picture of all this. Perhaps there are some geological folks that know, but finding the data through the stream of constant information has proven a daunting task, at least for me.

Where was your aunt living in Japan?
We're actually planning on moving to the Koriyama, Fukushima area in a couple of years (and for a couple of years) so our sons can have total immersion for a while. They're dual citizens, and I want them to be both, rather than half-half.

I haven't personally heard much new. A windstorm took out our phone/dsl line last night, so we missed the chance to speak with anybody.

- zevo

WASHINGTON March 16, 2011, 03:57 pm ET
The chief of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday that all the water is gone from one of the spent fuel pools at Japan's most troubled nuclear plant, but Japanese officials denied it.
If NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko is correct, this would mean there's nothing to stop the fuel rods from getting hotter and ultimately melting down. The outer shell of the rods could also ignite with enough force to propel the radioactive fuel inside over a wide area.
Jaczko did not say Wednesday how the information was obtained, but the NRC and U.S. Department of Energy both have experts on site at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex of six reactors. He said the spent fuel pool of the complex's Unit 4 reactor has lost water.
Jaczko said officials believe radiation levels are extremely high, and that could affect workers' ability to stop temperatures from escalating.
Japan's nuclear safety agency and Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the complex, deny water is gone from the pool. Utility spokesman Hajime Motojuku said the "condition is stable" at Unit 4.