福島第一原発で汚染水漏れ
福島第一原発の大きな地下貯水槽から数万ガロンの放射性汚染水が漏えいした。汚染水を移送する作業途中で、さらに数千ガロンが漏れる可能性もある。そう話すのは福島第一原発の担当責任者だ。
Damaged Nuclear Plant in Japan Leaks Toxic Water
Tens of thousands of gallons of radioactive water leaked from a large underground storage pool at Japan’s crippled nuclear plant, and thousands more gallons could seep out before the faulty pool can be emptied, the plant’s operator said Saturday.
Hiring slowed to 88,000 jobs in March; unemployment rate drops to 7.6 percent
Businesses dramatically curtailed hiring in March, according to new government data, raising questions about the underlying strength of the economic recovery as the nation absorbs deep federal spending cuts.
The economy added a paltry 88,000 jobs last month, less than half the number expected. The healing housing market, resilient consumers and record highs on Wall Street had fueled hope that the recovery was finally taking off. That momentum was seen as essential to helping the economy overcome the drag of automatic government spending cuts known as the sequester over the next few months.
The numbers released Friday by the Labor Department clouded such optimism. Anemic job growth in March fell short of even lowball predictions, and economists were preparing for weaker results through the summer.
“We can’t break out,” said Stuart G. Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group. “This is the old two or three steps forward, one step back.”
March was the month that the sequester took effect, though most spending reductions aren’t expected until later this spring.
The employment data showed that professional services, which includes many government contractors, added 51,000 jobs in March. The federal government shed only 2,000 jobs, not counting the U.S. Postal Service. That agency lost 12,000 jobs, according to the Labor Department, though the cuts were not related to the sequester.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the sequester will cost the economy 750,000 jobs, though several private economists believe the loss will be significantly smaller.
In a statement, the White House warned of the impact of what it called Washington’s “self-inflicted wounds.”
“While the recovery was gaining traction before sequestration took effect, these arbitrary and unnecessary cuts to government services will be a head wind in the months to come,” said Alan B. Krueger, head of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers.
Businesses dramatically curtailed hiring in March, according to new government data, raising questions about the underlying strength of the economic recovery as the nation absorbs deep federal spending cuts.
The economy added a paltry 88,000 jobs last month, less than half the number expected. The healing housing market, resilient consumers and record highs on Wall Street had fueled hope that the recovery was finally taking off. That momentum was seen as essential to helping the economy overcome the drag of automatic government spending cuts known as the sequester over the next few months.
The numbers released Friday by the Labor Department clouded such optimism. Anemic job growth in March fell short of even lowball predictions, and economists were preparing for weaker results through the summer.
“We can’t break out,” said Stuart G. Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group. “This is the old two or three steps forward, one step back.”
March was the month that the sequester took effect, though most spending reductions aren’t expected until later this spring.
The employment data showed that professional services, which includes many government contractors, added 51,000 jobs in March. The federal government shed only 2,000 jobs, not counting the U.S. Postal Service. That agency lost 12,000 jobs, according to the Labor Department, though the cuts were not related to the sequester.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the sequester will cost the economy 750,000 jobs, though several private economists believe the loss will be significantly smaller.
In a statement, the White House warned of the impact of what it called Washington’s “self-inflicted wounds.”
“While the recovery was gaining traction before sequestration took effect, these arbitrary and unnecessary cuts to government services will be a head wind in the months to come,” said Alan B. Krueger, head of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers.
中国での販売低迷受け、フェラーリは日本の成長市場に目を向ける。
日本の市場がフェラーリの成長をもたらす。
日本自動車輸入組合によると、フィアット・オートモービルズは、超高級ブランドの前四半期の登録車数が日本で急増。40％増で144台へと増えた。
これは米国市場の成長を２倍以上上回るが、中国やイタリアを含むヨーロッパで需要は元気がない。
Japan is becoming Ferrari (FERI)’s next growth market.
Registrations of Fiat SpA (F)’s ultra-luxury brand surged 40 percent to 144 vehicles in Japan last quarter, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association yesterday.
That’s more than twice the growth in the larger U.S. market, while demand is slumping in China, at home and across Europe.
日本の市場がフェラーリの成長をもたらす。
日本自動車輸入組合によると、フィアット・オートモービルズは、超高級ブランドの前四半期の登録車数が日本で急増。40％増で144台へと増えた。
これは米国市場の成長を２倍以上上回るが、中国やイタリアを含むヨーロッパで需要は元気がない。
Japan is becoming Ferrari (FERI)’s next growth market.
Registrations of Fiat SpA (F)’s ultra-luxury brand surged 40 percent to 144 vehicles in Japan last quarter, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association yesterday.
That’s more than twice the growth in the larger U.S. market, while demand is slumping in China, at home and across Europe.
Walking and running have about the same health benefits, researchers found – you just have to walk more to get them.
Spending the same amount of energy yielded similar reductions in the risks of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and coronary heart disease, according to Paul Williams, PhD, of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., and Paul Thompson, MD, of Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Conn.
By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: April 04, 2013
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
But analysis of two large cohorts suggested that runners usually expend about twice as much energy as walkers and therefore reap greater health benefits, Williams and Thompson reported online in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
"The more the runners ran and the walkers walked, the better off they were in health benefits," Williams said in a statement. "If the amount of energy expended was the same between the two groups, then the health benefits were comparable."
"Walking may be a more sustainable activity for some people when compared to running," he added. "However, those who choose running end up exercising twice as much as those who choose walking ... probably because they can do twice as much in an hour."
Walking and running, the researchers noted, involve the same muscle groups and the same motions, but are performed at different "intensities" – where intensity is defined in terms of "metabolic equivalents," or METs.
Exercise has moderate intensity if it uses 3 to 6 times the oxygen needed to sit at rest, usually defined as 3.5 ml of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute. That amount is 1 MET.
On that scale, walking is moderate intensity exercise and running, which uses more than 6 METs, is vigorous, they noted.
What hasn't been clear is whether equivalent doses of moderate and vigorous physical activity have the same health benefits over time. To help fill that gap, Williams and Thompson turned to the National Runners' Health Study II and the National Walkers' Health Study.
In those cohorts, they looked for any associations of incident hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and coronary heart disease with reported exercise, with energy expenditure measured in MET-hours per day.
After excluding people with those conditions at the start, they were left with 15,945 walkers (21% of them men) and 33,060 runners (51.4% men). During 6.2 years of follow-up, there were 3,874 cases of incident hypertension, 6,637 cases of high cholesterol, 647 new cases of diabetes, and 530 cases of coronary heart disease.
Overall, they reported, male runners expended an average of 5.29 MET-hours per day while female runners expended 4.74. In contrast, male walkers expended 2.2 MET-hours per day and females expended 2.14.
The difference in average energy expenditure was reflected in lower health risks for runners, compared with walkers -- 38% lower for hypertension, 36% lower for hypercholesterolemia, and 71% lower for diabetes, they reported.
coronary heart disease:
冠状動脈性心臓病、冠動脈性心疾患◆【略】CHD
Spending the same amount of energy yielded similar reductions in the risks of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and coronary heart disease, according to Paul Williams, PhD, of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., and Paul Thompson, MD, of Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Conn.
By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: April 04, 2013
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
But analysis of two large cohorts suggested that runners usually expend about twice as much energy as walkers and therefore reap greater health benefits, Williams and Thompson reported online in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
"The more the runners ran and the walkers walked, the better off they were in health benefits," Williams said in a statement. "If the amount of energy expended was the same between the two groups, then the health benefits were comparable."
"Walking may be a more sustainable activity for some people when compared to running," he added. "However, those who choose running end up exercising twice as much as those who choose walking ... probably because they can do twice as much in an hour."
Walking and running, the researchers noted, involve the same muscle groups and the same motions, but are performed at different "intensities" – where intensity is defined in terms of "metabolic equivalents," or METs.
Exercise has moderate intensity if it uses 3 to 6 times the oxygen needed to sit at rest, usually defined as 3.5 ml of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute. That amount is 1 MET.
On that scale, walking is moderate intensity exercise and running, which uses more than 6 METs, is vigorous, they noted.
What hasn't been clear is whether equivalent doses of moderate and vigorous physical activity have the same health benefits over time. To help fill that gap, Williams and Thompson turned to the National Runners' Health Study II and the National Walkers' Health Study.
In those cohorts, they looked for any associations of incident hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and coronary heart disease with reported exercise, with energy expenditure measured in MET-hours per day.
After excluding people with those conditions at the start, they were left with 15,945 walkers (21% of them men) and 33,060 runners (51.4% men). During 6.2 years of follow-up, there were 3,874 cases of incident hypertension, 6,637 cases of high cholesterol, 647 new cases of diabetes, and 530 cases of coronary heart disease.
Overall, they reported, male runners expended an average of 5.29 MET-hours per day while female runners expended 4.74. In contrast, male walkers expended 2.2 MET-hours per day and females expended 2.14.
The difference in average energy expenditure was reflected in lower health risks for runners, compared with walkers -- 38% lower for hypertension, 36% lower for hypercholesterolemia, and 71% lower for diabetes, they reported.
coronary heart disease:
冠状動脈性心臓病、冠動脈性心疾患◆【略】CHD
Caroline Kennedy Is Seen as Likely Choice for Japan Envoy
WASHINGTON — Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, is likely to be the next United States ambassador to Japan, according to people familiar with the appointment process.
The New York Times
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
Published: April 1, 2013
The vetting of Ms. Kennedy by the White House is almost complete, and an appointment could be announced in the coming weeks, along with the names of several other choices for important diplomatic posts. Ms. Kennedy, 55, was an early supporter of President Obama in the 2008 presidential election and offered forceful backing as he battled Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination. She also served as a co-chairwoman of Mr. Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
The diplomatic assignment would vault Ms. Kennedy, a lawyer and the author of 10 books, into the kind of public life that her family has embraced for several generations, including in the diplomatic corps. Ms. Kennedy’s grandfather Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. served as ambassador to Britain from 1938 to 1940.
WASHINGTON — Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, is likely to be the next United States ambassador to Japan, according to people familiar with the appointment process.
The New York Times
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
Published: April 1, 2013
The vetting of Ms. Kennedy by the White House is almost complete, and an appointment could be announced in the coming weeks, along with the names of several other choices for important diplomatic posts. Ms. Kennedy, 55, was an early supporter of President Obama in the 2008 presidential election and offered forceful backing as he battled Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination. She also served as a co-chairwoman of Mr. Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
The diplomatic assignment would vault Ms. Kennedy, a lawyer and the author of 10 books, into the kind of public life that her family has embraced for several generations, including in the diplomatic corps. Ms. Kennedy’s grandfather Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. served as ambassador to Britain from 1938 to 1940.
Japan is planning to start the world's first futures contract for liquefied natural gas, marking the latest step toward creating a global market for the fuel.
The Wall Street Journal
By DAN STRUMPF and MARI IWATA
The market for LNG—the chilled and exportable form of natural gas—is poised to expand rapidly in the coming years, analysts say, as the U.S. increases its exports of the fuel and global demand rises.
The price of gas varies widely across regions. Japan, the world's biggest importer of LNG, pays about $18 per million British thermal units, versus $4 for the product in gaseous form in the U.S.
Japan's LNG imports rose after the March 2011 Fukushima disaster sidelined most of the country's nuclear reactors.
The Wall Street Journal
By DAN STRUMPF and MARI IWATA
The market for LNG—the chilled and exportable form of natural gas—is poised to expand rapidly in the coming years, analysts say, as the U.S. increases its exports of the fuel and global demand rises.
The price of gas varies widely across regions. Japan, the world's biggest importer of LNG, pays about $18 per million British thermal units, versus $4 for the product in gaseous form in the U.S.
Japan's LNG imports rose after the March 2011 Fukushima disaster sidelined most of the country's nuclear reactors.
Utility that operates Fukushima cites own shortcomings as main cause of Japan's nuclear crisis
TOKYO – The utility that operates Japan's crippled nuclear plant says it deserves most of the blame for the crisis, in the company's strongest remarks about its own shortcomings.
FOX NEWS
Published March 29, 2013
Associated Press
Tokyo Electric Power Co. acknowledged in a report Friday that it was not prepared to deal with the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged northeast Japan in March 2011, causing meltdowns at its Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. TEPCO had earlier maintained that the tsunami was mostly to blame for the crisis.
The report said that TEPCO's equipment and safety measures were insufficient and that the meltdowns should have been avoided. It also said TEPCO did not try to inform the public of risks and troubles at the plant.
The report is part of an internal investigation into the crisis that TEPCO launched last year.
TOKYO – The utility that operates Japan's crippled nuclear plant says it deserves most of the blame for the crisis, in the company's strongest remarks about its own shortcomings.
FOX NEWS
Published March 29, 2013
Associated Press
Tokyo Electric Power Co. acknowledged in a report Friday that it was not prepared to deal with the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged northeast Japan in March 2011, causing meltdowns at its Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. TEPCO had earlier maintained that the tsunami was mostly to blame for the crisis.
The report said that TEPCO's equipment and safety measures were insufficient and that the meltdowns should have been avoided. It also said TEPCO did not try to inform the public of risks and troubles at the plant.
The report is part of an internal investigation into the crisis that TEPCO launched last year.
Japan’s crude imports from Iran rose 16 percent in February from a year earlier to the highest level since March 2012, boosting its intake despite sanctions against the Middle Eastern nation.
２月のイラン産原油輸入が前年比で16％増え、2012年３月以来最高となった。対イラン制裁の中で輸入量を増やした形。
２月のイラン産原油輸入が前年比で16％増え、2012年３月以来最高となった。対イラン制裁の中で輸入量を増やした形。
Japan Manufacturers See Rebound After Deepest Slump Since Quake
Japan’s manufacturers predict a rebound in production this month after the deepest slide since the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake, with the central bank poised to step up monetary stimulus next week.
Bloomberg
By Andy Sharp & Keiko Ujikane - Mar 29, 2013 9:32 AM GMT+0900
Industrial output will rise 1 percent in March after a 0.1 percent drop in February from the previous month, according to forecasts submitted for a Trade Ministry report released in Tokyo today. Production tumbled 11 percent in February from a year earlier, reflecting last year’s recession.
A Bank of Japan (8301) survey April 1 also may show a brightening outlook as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to reflate the world’s third-largest economy, with the Tankan large manufacturers’ index set to rebound by the most since 2011, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Abe needs companies to boost investment and wages as a complement to new BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s campaign to end deflation.
Japan’s manufacturers predict a rebound in production this month after the deepest slide since the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake, with the central bank poised to step up monetary stimulus next week.
Bloomberg
By Andy Sharp & Keiko Ujikane - Mar 29, 2013 9:32 AM GMT+0900
Industrial output will rise 1 percent in March after a 0.1 percent drop in February from the previous month, according to forecasts submitted for a Trade Ministry report released in Tokyo today. Production tumbled 11 percent in February from a year earlier, reflecting last year’s recession.
A Bank of Japan (8301) survey April 1 also may show a brightening outlook as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to reflate the world’s third-largest economy, with the Tankan large manufacturers’ index set to rebound by the most since 2011, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Abe needs companies to boost investment and wages as a complement to new BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s campaign to end deflation.
TOKYO — Japan's economy has stopped weakening and should show signs of recovery by midyear, the newly appointed central bank governor said Thursday, as weaker-than-expected retail sales for February underscored the challenge he faces in restoring consumer confidence.
HUFF POST
ELAINE KURTENBACH | March 28, 2013 12:56 AM EST | AP
"The bank currently assesses that the economy has stopped weakening," Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda told lawmakers in presenting the bank's semiannual report. But he said there was still "a high degree of uncertainty" about the economy because of the crisis in Europe, the tenuous state of the U.S. recovery and often testy relations with China.
Kuroda has pledged to work with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government in achieving a 2 percent inflation target, preferably within two years, and ending years of growth-inhibiting deflation. However, the success of that program will hinge on ensuring that domestic demand is strong enough to spur investment and hiring by companies that are sitting on huge cash reserves.
Exports, battered by feeble demand in the key U.S. and European markets and by anti-Japanese protests in China, appear to have stopped declining, Kuroda said, while private consumption has remained resilient.
on the mend
1 〔体調が〕快方に向かって
・My uncle is on the mend after his traffic accident. : 交通事故に遭った叔父の容態は快方に向かっている。
2 〔事態が〕好転して
HUFF POST
ELAINE KURTENBACH | March 28, 2013 12:56 AM EST | AP
"The bank currently assesses that the economy has stopped weakening," Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda told lawmakers in presenting the bank's semiannual report. But he said there was still "a high degree of uncertainty" about the economy because of the crisis in Europe, the tenuous state of the U.S. recovery and often testy relations with China.
Kuroda has pledged to work with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government in achieving a 2 percent inflation target, preferably within two years, and ending years of growth-inhibiting deflation. However, the success of that program will hinge on ensuring that domestic demand is strong enough to spur investment and hiring by companies that are sitting on huge cash reserves.
Exports, battered by feeble demand in the key U.S. and European markets and by anti-Japanese protests in China, appear to have stopped declining, Kuroda said, while private consumption has remained resilient.
on the mend
1 〔体調が〕快方に向かって
・My uncle is on the mend after his traffic accident. : 交通事故に遭った叔父の容態は快方に向かっている。
2 〔事態が〕好転して