Light My Fire

With thousands protestors in the streets without the obvious dirction of nationalist or labor organizations, an unprecedented and unforeseen explosion of grassroots discontent (E), operators of the Oi Nuclear Power Station flicked the ON switch at the plant at 21:00 last night, with the #3 reactor going critical at 06:00 this morning. (J)

The nuclear fight in Japan is not over. It is just beginning. This is the battle going on its summer break.


Later - Okumura Jun of the Eurasia Group and GLOBALTALK 21 has bet me a lunch at Aux Bacchanales if next week's Friday night protest draws even 75% of the number who showed up at the June 29 protest.

I have taken that bet.

Unless he 1) opens his mouth only to insert food or drink or 2) intentionally babbles complete nonsense or lies, win or lose, I come out ahead.

Now if I could only get Gerald Curtis, Naomi Fink, Gillian Tett, Oshima Tadamori, Prime Minister Noda, Egawa Shoko or Aida Masae (a.k.a. Hara Setsuko) to make the same bet...