Wine judges fail the taste test (stream or podcast)

Turns out that "professional" wine tasters are no better at differentiating expensive wine from the cheapest plonk than anyone else.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-22/wine-blind-taste-testing/4835208 / study Great Britain England United Kingdom has found wine judges no better than general drinker picking most expensive wine lind taste test Oxford University psychologists finding research study found wine experts can judge faults quality maybe vintage year wine was made not always select top price top-priced bottle Professor Charles Spence Britain's top wine writers judges taste champagnes champagne turned out they had no idea what grape composition was which sounds shocking couldn't pick price their preferences were just flat 400 pounds $600-$700 tasted no better than 15-pound ($30) champagne alcohol /

Fukushima is leaking radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean after all

Credit: Gizmodo

Nuclear industry — broken promises — surprised?

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/07/fukushima-is-leaking-radioactive-water-into-the-ocean-after-all/ / operator Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated ground water likely been flowing into sea acknowledging leakage first time Tokyo Electric Power Co Tepco came under fire Monday revelation number plant workers thyroid radiation exposure times exceeding threshold levels increased cancer risks ten times number released previously deep apology causing grave worries for many people Masayuki Ono Fukushima plant general manager Tepco repeatedly blamed overlooking early signs covering delaying disclosure problems mishaps head Japan's new Nuclear Regulation Authority created since March 2011 earthquake tsunami wrecked Fukushima contamination sea had been continuing since the accident admission came company general manager Masayuki Ono told news conference plant officials come believe that radioactive water leaked from wrecked reactors likely seeped into the underground water system escaped into sea atomic nuclear officials experts suspected leak Fukushima Dai-ichi earl crisis Tepco previously failed to confirm ground water leakage more than two years offer our deep apology causing grave worries for many people, especially for people in Fukushima soaring radiation Tepco based water sample tests any impact of the leakage appeared to be contained by silt fences erected near the devastated reactors utility is already injecting the chemical sodium silicate into part of the seawall separating the ocean from the plant site to prevent ground water from seeping through March 2011 earthquake tsunami knocked out cooling systems Fukushima plant triggering fuel rod meltdowns causing radiation leakage food contamination mass evacuations Tepco this month acknowledged levels radiation groundwater had soared suggesting highly toxic materials from the plant were getting closer to the Pacific uranium /