Monthly Archives: March 2011

Everything is Local Now

One of my freshman year college roommates moved to Tokyo shortly after graduating, and eventually settled there, married, had kids.  There’s a mailing list in which people from my residential college keep in touch, and he used it to let us know that he and his family were OK after the earthquake.

Tokyo is less than 130 miles from the damaged reactors.  Some of us suggested he get some potassium iodide pills, but by the time  it became clear that the Japanese government had underplayed the size of the crisis and he decided to look into a local supply, there were none available.  So we’re sending him some, hoping FedEx will be delivering in Tokyo, and that customs will let them through.  (They were not easy to find online, even the US suppliers are selling out as people here do panic buying.)

Posted in Internet, Science/Medicine | 3 Comments

U.S. States ‘Poorly Prepared’ For Radiation Emergency | TPMMuckraker

Apparently, we’re not very well prepared for a radiation emergency here.

The study found several gaps in states’ radiation emergency preparedness. For one, the survey reports that 73% of states “reported having minimal (53%) or no (21%) plans to conduct population-based exposure monitoring.” Meanwhile, only 13% of states surveyed reported having “any written or detailed operations plan for radiologic analyses of biological or clinical samples.” And 42% of states reported little or no planning to test first responders for radiation contamination.

“Few reported having sufficient resources to do public health surveillance, radiation exposure assessment, laboratory functions and other capabilities,” the study says.

(Previous relevant post — don’t miss the comments —We Live Near Nuclear Power Plants Too.)

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Brad Rosenblatt Interview

Last Friday, just before leaving town for Spring Break, I had a phone conversation with Brad Rosenblatt, supplemented with his written statement yesterday, as quoted below.

Mr. Rosenblatt offers himself as someone who supports local business in everyone’s interest.  “What I bring that is a bit different is that I have been active downtown since 2003.”  It’s important, he argued, to “make sure downtown doesn’t underperform” because downtown’s performance affects everyone in the city.  “It has a very clear link to the financial success of the whole city since they pay over 50%” of local taxes.  “This affects the taxes that residents pay: when the downtown performs, it keeps resident taxes low, and services high.”  Specifically, the city needs to maintain the garage, the elevators, the greenery, the sidewalks. “If people go elsewhere, it impacts everyone in Coral Gables.”

I asked if he had an endorsement in the Mayor’s race.  “I know who I’m voting for. I’ll tell you April 12. I’m voting for someone has good experience to lead our city for the next two years.”

I asked Mr. Rosenblatt to reply to the allegations about him in the push-poll.  He talked faster than I can type, so he kindly emailed emailed me a statement.

Recall that the push poll said something to the effect of

  1. He has a history of financial problems including an IRS lien for payroll taxes and filed for bankruptcy
  2. He was arrested for embezzlement and grand larceny and pleaded no contest

Here’s the formal reply:

A decade ago I helped my father with some financial obligations. Shortly thereafter he became ill and his ability to keep up with his obligations was affected. I did my best to take care of him but the burden became too great. At the advice of my attorney, I filed for bankruptcy. In the midst of this, I chose poor business partners who in retaliation for a hostile breakup, made false accusations against me. I have NEVER been guilty of anything. We settled the dispute and I was able to clear my good name and preserve my reputation. Since that time I have built a successful international business and have served my community. It is shameful that some of my campaign opponents choose to distort my record to win an election. I’m confident the voters will support me because of my qualifications and desire to be a public servant for our city.

During our talk, I asked about the Channel 10 article.  Did Mr. Rosenblatt really think this wouldn’t come out in a campaign?  That quote, he said, is accurate, but is ripped from context.  He was 25 at the time.  (Rosenblatt is 35 now.)  He relied on his friend and business partner’s father, who was also an investor in the project and the project’s attorney.  He “represented his son and me”.  Then it started to go wrong.  “I sued them. They made false accusation against me.”  What Channel 10 left out, Mr. Rosenblatt said, is that the main witness against him ten years ago, the office manager, has since recanted.  “They pressured her to sign a statement. … She provided a sworn affidavit ten years later that she was pressured … and I never did anything wrong.”

Mr. Rosenblatt says there’s a second witness too: “There was an operations manager at the time…he also has gone on the record…all monies were accounted for…there was backup for everything…there was no wrongdoing on anyone’s part.

“Coral Gables voters will be disgusted that someone will try to use something [like this]…they don’t have a tolerance for dirty politics, for slander.”

I asked if Mr. Rosenblatt had any idea who paid for the survey, but he said he did not, other than it had to be one of the well-financed candidates.

 


I hope to speak to the other candidates after I get back next week. Then I may offer some thoughts of my own about the race.

 

Posted in Coral Gables | 4 Comments

Miami Tsunami is a Low-Probability Event

Apparently, there’s a real risk of tsunamis on the West Coast but while the risk of an East Coast tsunami swamping Miami (and maybe New York) is not zero, it’s a much lower-probability event.

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We Live Near Nuclear Power Plants Too

The world’s eyes are on the nuclear scare verging on disaster in Japan. It’s easy to forget that we here in Miami-Dade also live close to a nuclear power plant, and that the nice people at FPL who run them are working hard to install two more reactor cores.

Eye on Miami reminds us, in two related blog posts, Nukes: In Japan and Turkey Point and Japan nuclear plant disaster: rescuers should include the Miami Dade County Commission … that there are real risks here.

Let’s start by admitting that there are at least two important differences between Japan and South Florida. First, unlike with earthquakes, you can usually see a hurricane coming, so it ought to be possible to shut a reactor down in advance of a disaster; I don’t know that this is how they operate, but I sure hope so. Second, the prevailing winds around here tend to be out towards the ocean, but even so, you can’t rely on that after a hurricane strong enough to knock out the power and create a Japan-like situation here. (There’s a third issue about the extent to which our design is like Japan’s; I’m sure there are at least some differences given the age of the Japanese plants, but I’m not sure how significant those are to the problem of coping with unexpectedly large disasters not to mention expected but unspeakable ones like water levels rising from global warning.)

There are some things you can do to protect yourself and your family, and crazy as it may sound, one of the greatest is to lay in a small stock of iodide tablets. In the event of a release of radioactive gas, one of the greatest risks of even a limited exposure is thyroid cancer. In an emergency (don’t take them otherwise!), taking pills like Iostat can play a major role in protecting any people downwind of a radioactive release from this danger.

There may be a national stockpile of Iodide pills with plans to rush them to the scene of a disaster, but I never heard of it, and somehow I rather doubt it. And if the stockpile does exist I’m sure either Governor Voldemort or the the Republicans in the House are planning to defund it any minute now. So it may make sense to get a small number of these pills to have around.

Posted in Science/Medicine | 7 Comments

Bankruptcy Filings Stalk the Coral Gables Commission Election

The Miami Herald weighs in to the Coral Gables Commission Group 4 race with Past finances dog Gables commission candidate: “Coral Gables political circles are abuzz with talk of a candidate’s past financial woes. Turns out he isn’t the only one.”

So now we have two candidates — both Sanabria and Rosenblatt — arguing that their bankruptcies have made them better.  Here’s Sanabria’s version:

Sanabria said his bankruptcy was an embarrassing situation, but it taught him to be careful with partnerships and be debt free.

“It gave me the greatest lesson – I have become a multimillionaire,” Sanabria said.

At this rate, next thing you know, bankruptcies — once seen in England and the US as disqualifying you from polite society — will be seen as a prerequisite to elected office…

Posted in Coral Gables | 7 Comments