NukeWorker Forum

News and Discussions => Nuke News => Topic started by: Laundry Man on Mar 19, 2011, 11:34

Title: Off to Japan
Post by: Laundry Man on Mar 19, 2011, 11:34
If nothing changes, I'm off on Tuesday.  Helping a client evaluate the conditions of their facility.  I did TMI, now this.
LM
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: sovbob on Mar 19, 2011, 11:47
Good luck.  Stay safe.   [salute]
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: JustinHEMI05 on Mar 19, 2011, 11:53
Good luck.  Stay safe.   [salute]

Agreed! Thank you and good luck!

Justin
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Already Gone on Mar 19, 2011, 12:37
Post some pictures and updates if you can.
Good Luck!
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Keln on Mar 19, 2011, 12:41
Good luck there! I'd love to go back to Japan myself (born there), but not necessarily for this reason. I think to see what it looks like there up north firsthand would hit me kind of hard.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: radbrat on Mar 19, 2011, 08:54
Be good JC, keep us informed.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: roadtechatlarge on Mar 19, 2011, 10:29
I'll be heading to Okinawa Friday (Previous engagement with client) and who knows where after that.  I'm curious to see what develops from this mess, they'll need lots of help and I'm always open to "Exploring new opportunities".  Good luck and take care.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: iiiisx349 on Mar 19, 2011, 11:24
my friend is there.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: RADBASTARD on Mar 20, 2011, 05:39
I WONDER WHAT RATES THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY TO GET TECHS TO WANT TO GO THERE?
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Sun Dog on Mar 20, 2011, 06:07
I WONDER WHAT RATES THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY TO GET TECHS TO WANT TO GO THERE?

Probably not as much as the US techs are hoping for.  There are qualified technicians who speak the language, can digest the cuisine, will work cheaper, and who are much closer to the problem.

You want to go play superhero and cash in on this disaster?  You better be really tough (body and soul) and have a unique skill set.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: playswithairplanes on Mar 23, 2011, 12:08
can digest the cuisine,

What's so hard about Japanese food? My wife is Japanese, and I've NEVER had a problem with ANYTHING she or my In-Laws have ever served. It's not that dreadfully different from what we have in the US actually. Lots of Fish, Veggies, and noodles. Just curious.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: matthew.b on Mar 25, 2011, 02:22
What's so hard about Japanese food? My wife is Japanese, and I've NEVER had a problem with ANYTHING she or my In-Laws have ever served. It's not that dreadfully different from what we have in the US actually. Lots of Fish, Veggies, and noodles. Just curious.

Miso causes me a severe digestive blowout.  I have no idea why, and I like the taste.  I guess it is something like lactose intolerance in Africans, I just don't have the right enzymes to digest it.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: wombat on Mar 27, 2011, 01:31
Just  baclk from  Japan (Civillian Navy)  God's  speed Laundryman
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: namlive on Mar 27, 2011, 05:58
No need to go to Japan. By the looks of the plume, it is coming to us.

(http://www.zamg.ac.at/pict/aktuell/20110325_Reanalyse-I131-Bild5_gr.jpg)
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: HydroDave63 on Mar 27, 2011, 06:08
If only we knew what the units are?
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: slym on Mar 28, 2011, 09:20
No need to go to Japan. By the looks of the plume, it is coming to us.

(http://www.zamg.ac.at/pict/aktuell/20110325_Reanalyse-I131-Bild5_gr.jpg)

Karma, could you please post a link to these radiation dispersal maps you have found? Domo arigato gozaimasu!
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: hamsamich on Mar 28, 2011, 09:53
yeah I would like to know what exactly the units mean too...people on the west coast are getting E-13 and that is in the gray area is all I can figure.....
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: HydroDave63 on Mar 28, 2011, 10:21
yeah I would like to know what exactly the units mean too...people on the west coast are getting E-13 and that is in the gray area is all I can figure.....

Doing a bit of ELT math and working backwards using the earlier numbers out of Hanford, I'm pretty sure the units are Bq/m3.

Going back through the hosting website, and watching the animated GIFs for current dispersion, Hawaii doesn't look like a fun place to go for this spring break  >:(
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: namlive on Mar 28, 2011, 05:04
Quote
Karma, could you please post a link to these radiation dispersal maps you have found? Domo arigato gozaimasu!

http://www.zamg.ac.at/aktuell/index.php?seite=1&artikel=ZAMG_2011-03-25GMT15:41
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: RAD-GHOST on Mar 28, 2011, 05:10
Dave,

How long did it take you to find the slide rule?   :old:

+ K...RG!
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: radtech4coin on Mar 29, 2011, 12:54
勤勉、丁寧な仕事をします。アララ: あなたの責任です。
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Marlin on Mar 29, 2011, 03:15
勤勉、丁寧な仕事をします。アララ: あなたの責任です。

ALARA is misspelled in translation.  [coffee]
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: dose4dollars on Mar 31, 2011, 05:34
Green Bay WI area, 1e-13/ml of  I-131
I also was in Eniwetok when Three Mile Island and China detonated the nuke in the storm. So we love our environmental air samplers.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Laundry Man on Mar 31, 2011, 09:24
Returned on Tuesday evening.  First of all I want to make it clear, though I may have done a lot of surveying, I wasn't there chasing dollars.  I went with a small team to assist a company in Japan with no nuclear experience.  To say the radiological conditions are challenging (from a US perspective) would be an understatement. Earthquake damage was quite apparent in the north and tremors (6.5 the highest) were also experienced.  The Japanese we interacted with were very nice and thankful we were there.  If you even consider working in Japan the following tidbits might be helpful, you have to pass a test to drive there or at least rent one.  It is used to see if you can read Japanese road sign (I can't). Not a lot of Japanese speak English or hide the fact that they do.  Living would not be close to the reactors.  Not a commute I would consider.

I'll post some more when I get caught up here.
LM
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Frankie Love on Mar 31, 2011, 11:45
You still working for uni-puke? Fuller go with ya?
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: HAIRDUDE on Mar 31, 2011, 01:30
-13 air? Big flippin' deal. Nothin' to worry about til you hit -8 and even then it's iffy. As for the "chasin' dollars" bit, going there isn't expected to be an altruistic feat. Leaving our respective families and loved ones behind to wade waist-deep into hell is worth whatever the market will bear. Should it be done purely for that reason? No. Of course not. But I would hope that those who choose to go to Japan and offer up whatever skills they have, in an effort to somehow make life just that little bit better for those who live there, aren't judged as mercenary. It isn't like all of our bills and responsibilities will evaporate in our collective absence.

And for those who DO choose to go ... Bear this in mind: Japan is cuurently post-apocolyptic for all intents of purpose. There are many dead yet to be recovered. The ravages of the earthquake and tsunami are everywhere across that region. Working the 20 kilometer check point may involve surveying body bags along with God knows what else. The infrastructure is still on the mend, so the "lush" life and surroundings we are accustomed to, may not exist there for the time being. It will more than likely make the toughest gig you've ever pulled state-side, look like a walk in the proverbial park. I've done my time up to my neck in excrament over these past 20-some-odd years swinging a meter, but I know my worst day would pale when held up next to any day swingin' a meter in Japan right about now.

I love what I do for a living. I love the muriade of characters I've worked for and with and over in this business over the years. And I know that what we do is highly specialized and NECESSARY. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It's times like these when we can be proud of what we have to offer in the way of helping make a genuine difference in the world.

Floyd
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: namlive on Mar 31, 2011, 05:38
Returned on Tuesday evening.  First of all I want to make it clear, though I may have done a lot of surveying, I wasn't there chasing dollars.  I went with a small team to assist a company in Japan with no nuclear experience.  To say the radiological conditions are challenging (from a US perspective) would be an understatement. Earthquake damage was quite apparent in the north and tremors (6.5 the highest) were also experienced.  The Japanese we interacted with were very nice and thankful we were there.  If you even consider working in Japan the following tidbits might be helpful, you have to pass a test to drive there or at least rent one.  It is used to see if you can read Japanese road sign (I can't). Not a lot of Japanese speak English or hide the fact that they do.  Living would not be close to the reactors.  Not a commute I would consider.
I'll post some more when I get caught up here.
LM

A couple of quick questions. The electricity. I understand it is 50 Hz. It would ruin a cell phone charger? Computer? And how easy is it to score pharmaceuticals? At my age I mean things like Lipitor etc.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Sun Dog on Mar 31, 2011, 05:53
-13 air? Big flippin' deal. Nothin' to worry about til you hit -8 and even then it's iffy. As for the "chasin' dollars" bit, going there isn't expected to be an altruistic feat. Leaving our respective families and loved ones behind to wade waist-deep into hell is worth whatever the market will bear. Should it be done purely for that reason? No. Of course not. But I would hope that those who choose to go to Japan and offer up whatever skills they have, in an effort to somehow make life just that little bit better for those who live there, aren't judged as mercenary. It isn't like all of our bills and responsibilities will evaporate in our collective absence.

And for those who DO choose to go ... Bear this in mind: Japan is cuurently post-apocolyptic for all intents of purpose. There are many dead yet to be recovered. The ravages of the earthquake and tsunami are everywhere across that region. Working the 20 kilometer check point may involve surveying body bags along with God knows what else. The infrastructure is still on the mend, so the "lush" life and surroundings we are accustomed to, may not exist there for the time being. It will more than likely make the toughest gig you've ever pulled state-side, look like a walk in the proverbial park. I've done my time up to my neck in excrament over these past 20-some-odd years swinging a meter, but I know my worst day would pale when held up next to any day swingin' a meter in Japan right about now.

I love what I do for a living. I love the muriade of characters I've worked for and with and over in this business over the years. And I know that what we do is highly specialized and NECESSARY. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It's times like these when we can be proud of what we have to offer in the way of helping make a genuine difference in the world.

Floyd

I really don't care to read that twice, so, on the off-chance there was something worth knowing embedded in that montage could you please provide a Reader's Digest version?
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Laundry Man on Apr 01, 2011, 08:30
Electricity is 50 hertz and I did not have a problem using the laptop or any other electrical device.  You do need an adapter due to all the wall receptacle not accepting the standard US plug.  Not sure about the pharmaceuticals though there are pharmacies in abundance at least in the larger cities I visited.
LM
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: leroygm on Apr 04, 2011, 11:01
anyone hiring?? A 2o plus year Rad Tech??
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: studmeistersreveng on Apr 04, 2011, 12:09
Denuke has immediate openings for Sr.Techs to go to Japan. 
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: walstib on Apr 05, 2011, 06:16
Bear this in mind: Japan is cuurently post-apocolyptic for all intents of purpose. There are many dead yet to be recovered. The ravages of the earthquake and tsunami are everywhere across that region. ...The infrastructure is still on the mend, so the "lush" life and surroundings we are accustomed to, may not exist there for the time being.

Came across this clip of the tsunami shot from the street level.

The photographer has to keep moving up the stairs as the rushing ocean continues to rise and move everything by on up the hill and into the countryside.  Stick with this video.  Things get worse.

                                                Puts perspective on the water part.


 
=c3rqPPJPwLg
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Melrose on Apr 06, 2011, 09:35
Mike R,
I wish there was a smiley putting a gun to his head....   :-\
Word of advise, if a company is sending you now or sooner than several months, I'd question their feeling about their workforce.
Consider, sanitation, lack of clean water, lack of commodities, lack of food, when the weather warms the inevitable sick that will ensue, due to insect, pest infestation, not to mention undiscovered bodies that will surely announce their presence once warmed up and decomposing plus least of all the expense IF you found a place to stay within 2.5 hours of the site, it just doesn't make for the trip that alot of folks I've talked to have set in their minds.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: atomicarcheologist on Apr 06, 2011, 11:28
I have heard that Bechtel, Shaw, and Entergy have contracts in place for support in Japan on the Daiichi site.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Melrose on Apr 06, 2011, 12:27
C'mon Melrose, people are smart enough to consider those factors versus compensation without tossing it off at the feet of the contract company being questionable on their feelings towards their employees.

Agreed, I would hope for the same.
But, there has been occassion when the topic arises, that the ONLY thing in mind, is how much money is being paid.  During the discussion nothing is ever mentioned of the conditions that they're headed in to.  When I make mention, all I get is the 'deer in the headlight' look.
As far as companies not caring, if the question doesn't come to mind, IF companies start sending bucket loads of people over to 'help', at this time when conditions are such that they aren't conducive to hygienic habitation, then dollar signs are hindering reasonable thinking.

Is this the case?  I don't think so.  It appears to me the resumes are simply being requested in the event that a call is placed, when things are in order, then folks will be moving over.
Isn't the Gov and their military taking care of things right now?

thanks for the input
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: retired nuke on Apr 06, 2011, 12:54
And if you don't wanna go overseas:
http://www.nukeworker.com/job/view.php?job_id=14358 (http://www.nukeworker.com/job/view.php?job_id=14358)

That's federal PD for the area, apartments within commuting distance for ~1000/mo, and they want juniors too -
good opportunity for summer work for somebody... ;D
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Dave Warren on Apr 08, 2011, 02:51
So, have we heard the exposure totals on some of these so-called Japanese jumpers that are getting paid $3k-5k a day?

This was something I read in an article from MSNBC. Does anybody know someone who is divin in the Daaichi?
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: HydroDave63 on Apr 08, 2011, 04:53
So, have we heard the exposure totals on some of these so-called Japanese jumpers that are getting paid $3k-5k a day?

A dollar per millirem?
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Incline on Apr 08, 2011, 09:29
I heard from one of our staff scientists that the jumpers are getting $5k per day and dose per jump is just under 25R. Not bad for 1 day of work for a local, too bad it's only for 1 day. Of course, i'm sure there is some folks that are there for a week before they are burnt out, but that is probably a select few who have connections.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: cajunbaby84 on Apr 08, 2011, 11:43
Yes that would not really be worth a trip over there for just one day of work and be burned out for the year. 
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: RAD-GHOST on Apr 09, 2011, 03:43
Reminds me of the Old Steam Generator days........

OK Buddy, you got three minutes and we'll see you next quarter!    ;)

RG



Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: Mike McFarlin on Apr 09, 2011, 05:38
Or catch them at the end of the quarter and tell them to come back tomorrow....for 3 more minutes.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: HenryBlack on Apr 11, 2011, 08:10
I believe I rather jump in the ocean and retrieve some of the money that is washing up on shore.
Title: Re: Off to Japan
Post by: namlive on Apr 11, 2011, 05:41
I have been looking at the overseas tax break down for Japan. Please correct me if I error as this stuff is hard to figure sometimes.. If you are working in Japan for a US company (up to 6 months) Japan will tax you at a rate of 10-20%. You will not pay local Japanese tax or into their SS system. Your tax status changes after 6 months in Japan. You will still pay US taxes on this income, however you can use Japan's taxes as a credit, up to the full percentage you would pay in the US. Per diem does not have to be declared as long as it is within the guidelines. However if your employer pays for your hotel room in lieu of per diem, then you must declare the fair market value (FMV) as income and pay taxes on it.

You can get up to $90,000 tax free overseas, subject to the host nation's tax laws, if you stay there 1 year and establish residency, i.e. you must stay there 330 days out of 12 months. Now if you go to Japan in June and you plan on staying for more than a year, you will have to apply for a tax entension to qualify. You can get an extension for up to 30 days past your expected one year point.

Any overseas gurus?