If anything good came out of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster that began last March, it is that regulators in the U.S. and elsewhere are paying more attention to the hazards of aging nuclear reactors. The unnerving outcome of this greater scrutiny is the knowledge that U.S. nuclear plants, especially reactors in the central and eastern U.S. are far more susceptible to earthquakes than previously thought. 

Plants built west of the Mississippi were built to withstand earthquakes because the risk was clear, but facilities in the Midwest and east were built when it was assumed that earthquakes in these regions were infrequent and minor.  However, today scientists aided by computers and satellites know that there have been many massive earthquakes in the past in the central and eastern regions of the country.

As a result of a new seismic map announced today by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), nuclear-plant operators will be required to conduct new seismic studies for 96 reactors east of the Mississippi River to determine if their plants could withstand the shaking predicted by the government's new seismic model. They have four years to conduct their studies, which critics rightfully argue is too long. Even when the studies are complete, it is unlikely that many reactors will be upgraded to withstand bigger quakes because it would be costly and could force some to close.

The lesson here is that you should be prepared to deal with the horrible consequences of the "low probability/high consequence" meltdown of a nuclear reactor if one is located within 200 miles of your home, which if you live east of the Mississippi, there almost certainly is. 

Below is a map showing the location of operational U.S. reactors:

The official U.S. NRC map of active nuclear reactors allows you to zoom in and provides the names and other important information about each facility. 

At the very least, to deal with the meltdown of a nearby plant your material preparations should include Potassium Iodide pills, quality NBC masks and suits, and plenty of plastic sheeting and duck tape to seal off living spaces. You might consider additional gear if the risk you face is critical, i.e., there is a nuke plant next door. Contingency plans should cover sheltering in place (sealing your house, providing clean water, food, etc.) and evacuating outside the hazard zone.

It might seem unlikely you will face a meltdown, but then again, that is what the folks in Fukushima thought.

The world is bracing for the impact of the largest solar storm in almost a decade. Eric Holthaus talks about what to expect for travel, electrical devices, and overall impact on human activity. It is worth paying attention to how this plays out, because according to NASA, 2012 is a solar maximum year, which means we might be in for a lot more solar storms during the next 12 months. Photo: AFP / Getty Images.

A recent article on the blog Zero Hedge makes the point that China now has four of the top 10 largest banks in the world, when as recently as 2005 it did not have one. While that may concern many, it does not overly concern me. What DOES concern me is the incredible growth of the largest banks in the past 20 years. 

Take a look at this chart:

In 1991 the world's largest bank had a market capitalization of $13B. Today, the world's largest bank has a market cap of $225B! And today the smallest of the top 10 largest is nearly 10 times larger than the largest bank in 1991

Peter Schiff of Euro Pacific Precious Metals (and former U.S. Senate candidate for Connecticut) explains in simple terms what yesterday's coordinated central bank action means for us and the world. Let's just say that the Wall Street rally isn't the end of the story, it's not back to business as usual for long. Schiff called the 2007/8 crisis while his peers were cheer-leading the defunct crony-capitalist model, so this is worth five minutes of your time. He succinctly explains why what happened "may be one of the most important economic events of the year" and what to do next.

On Friday, police used pepper spray on seated, peaceful protesters on the campus of the University of California Davis.

According to NPR News, "In a demonstration of support for the Occupy movement, a small group of protesters was sitting, arms linked together. Campus police told them to move. The students didn't. And that's when an officer walked down the line of seated men and women, pepper-spraying them. Some took it straight in their faces. Many of the several hundred others who were there screamed in terror and frustration."

See video of the incident here:

I would hope that regardless of political bent, people across the U.S. will recognize this for what it is: evidence that we live in a police state. If authorities can get away with using pepper spray on seated, peaceful protestors, what level of force will they be allowed to use against people marching in the street! This is a rhetorical question of course, because we have seen what they do. 

I am not against police. Most are honorable, valuable members of our society, yet we must be careful not to show deference to the uniform. Police, military, and all public servants must respect and uphold the Constitution, starting with the FIRST AMENDMENT:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Without this protection our Republic will fall.

In response to the police action at UC Davis and the University's failure to condemn it, a few hours after the first incident students assembled again to silently protest Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi as she walked to her car:

While this is all interesting and thought provoking, I am also posting it for a more practical reason: to urge you to prepare for increasing levels of political instability and civil unrest. With every incident like this one, more and more people join the ranks of the protestors. Winter may dampen the protests, yet I am certain they will reemerge when the weather warms. We are in for volatile Spring 2012.

FEMA will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System next Wednesday, November 9th at 2:00 pm eastern standard time. It will be the first time this system, which is often tested and used by officials at the local level, will be tested across the entire country.

The national Emergency Alert System is an alert and warning system that can be activated by the President, if needed, to provide information to the American public during emergencies. NOAA’s National Weather Service, governors, and state and local emergency authorities also use parts of the system to issue more localized emergency alerts. The test is an important exercise in ensuring that the system is effective in communicating critical information to the public in the event of a real national emergency. It is a critical communications tool that can provide alerts, warning and information rapidly across multiple television and radio platforms.

The video below explains what this test is and what people can expect: