Culture

A power line to the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in Japan was completed Thursday, which will allow cooling systems at one of the facility's reactors. The new line, roughly one kilometer (0.6 miles) in length, connects the power grid to the power plant's second reactor. It was completed at about 1730 local time (0830 UTC) on Thursday, and will be energized once spraying of seawater over reactor three is complete. According to a Tokyo Electric Power Company spokesperson, once the power line is energized "we will be able to activate various e

As the nuclear crisis in Japan's crippled Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant appears to worsen, Japan’s nuclear safety agency raised their assessment of its severity from 4 to 5 on the 7-level International Nuclear Event Scale, the same rating given the 1979 Three Mile Island crisis. Japan's Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said bluntly that the situation at the nuclear power plant was "very grave". Weather forecasts indicate changing winds may begin moving radiation closer to Tokyo by March 30. Efforts thus far to cool nuclear fuel in the reactors a

United States rap star Nate Dogg has died at the age of 41. The cause of death was reported by his attorney as complications from two strokes that Nate Dogg, whose real name is Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, had suffered in the past few years. During his career, Hale collaborated with several big names including Eminem, Dr Dre, and Ludacris. Rapper and actor Snoop Dogg who went to school with Hale paid tribute to his friend on Twitter, "We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb. One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at

Owsley Stanley, mass-producer of LSD, the drug underlying much of the culture of the 1960s California hippie era, died Sunday in a car accident in Australia at the age of 76, his family announced on Tuesday. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Stanley lent the ’60s a great deal of its color — like White Lightning, Monterey Purple and Blue Cheer, the varieties of his LSD that were among the most popular." Stanley, a talented, self-taught chemist who was known for the purity of his LSD, supplied the drug to such music groups as the Grateful

Raymond Davis, a contractor for the CIA, has been released from Pakistan after a ruling by a Pakistani court. He was detained after killing two citizens carrying weapons on January 27, 2011. Davis was freed after agreements to pay "blood money" as compensation for the two lives were handled. Blood money, defined as compensation paid by a murderer, is required under Islamic law. CIA official George Little said, "When issues arise, it's our standing practice to work through them. That's the sign of a healthy partnership—one that's vital to bo

Japanese military helicopters have begun to drop water on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in an effort to cool reactors. The operation began at 0948 local time (0048 UTC) today, after similar efforts were ended early yesterday due to radiation. Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters dropped four loads of water on reactors three and four, with officials planning up to twelve more drops before crews are forced to leave the area due to radiation. The water drops are intended to both cool the reactors and add water to pools that hold fuel rod

The Darkness, a musical group of the hard rock genre based in England, has made the decision to reunite. They have been separated since 2006. The group are reportedly to perform at the upcoming Download Festival, which is due to occur in June of this year. The four members are anticipated to proceed recording a new album during the months of April and May 2011. Speaking on Twitter, Justin Hawkins, a singer in the group, expressed his "[t]hanks for all the lovely messages of support" from supporters. "I'm gobsmacked and overwhelmed by all the

Fires broke out at the Fukushima Daiichi plant's No. 4 reactor in Japan on Tuesday, according to the Tokyo Electric Power Company. The first fire caused a leak of concentrated radioactive material, according to the Japanese prime minister, Naoto Kan. The first fire broke out at 9:40 a.m. local time on Tuesday, and was thought to have been put out, but another fire was discovered early on Wednesday, believed to have started because the earlier one had not been fully extinguished. In a televised statement, the prime minister told residents near

An explosion was reported at 0610 local time Tuesday morning at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's second reactor. The blast is feared to have breached the pressure chamber. The explosion is thought to have been in the reactor's "pressure suppression room" — part of the cooling system. It damaged the area that contains water to cool the reactor, but it is not yet clear whether it affected the containment structure near the core. Government officials have said that there was limited damage as a result of the explosion, and efforts to

An explosion has been reported at Japan's stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after its cooling system was damaged by a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit off the North-East coast of Japan on Friday. The explosion occurred at around 3:00pm local time (6:00am UTC). According to the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, four workers were injured in the explosion. The explosion occurred as workers were attempting to cool a reactor by injecting water into its core. Local media are reporting that the plant's exterior wal

Japan's government has declared its first ever "nuclear emergency" after pressure rises in the No. 1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, combined with a minor radiation leak, caused a 10 km radius around the plant to be evacuated. An attempt to relieve the pressure inside the containment vessels of the plant has been delayed. The Tokyo Electric Power Company's 40-year old nuclear facility, 270 km NE of Tokyo, reported mechanical difficulties with its cooling system, although the automated shutdown systems worked correctly. With the c

US pop and country duo The Bellamy Brothers are accusing pop music singer Britney Spears — also from the United States — of plagiarism in her latest single "Hold It Against Me". The group believes that Spears is "ripping off" one of their songs, a 1979 track entitled "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me"; they are thought to be attempting to have Spears prosecuted. Howard and David Bellamy claim that Britney Spears' single, the first to be released from her upcoming album Femme Fatale, is "too close" to The Bellam