Iodine pills are flying off the shelves in the Pacific Northwest. Why? It protects against only one type of radioactive isotope affecting the pituatary. In many cases the iodine is more dangerous than any trace elements found in the air. We in Eastern Washington have been living with the Hanford Nuclear Site in our back yards since 1944. Anyone who has done a bit of homework can find the cancerous side effects of living downwind from the plant. But the government claims it is coincidental... I'm afraid the Japanese will never get the straight story.

As to alternative energy Kittitas County, Washington has been putting up windmills left and right (I feel like Don Quixote) because the wind always blows, but it blows too damn hard so they remain tied down, not spinning at all. But as long as the government keeps subsidizing this waste they will continue to build them. Hydroelectricity is the best option in this area, but it destroys the salmon runs. So pick your poison, sometimes literally.