U.S. Radiation Risk

U.S. Radiation Risk

Radiation threats to the US

With reports that a radiation plume from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant could reach Southern California, worried citizens have been hoarding certain pills , wondering if it's OK to go outside and otherwise fretting over an invisible, and somewhat unpredictable, threat.

But all that worrying might cause more harm than the radiation itself, experts say. Here are some answers to common concerns.

The Cockerels Who Crow Ten Times A Minute

The Cockerels Who Crow Ten Times A Minute

For the particularly proud country dweller perhaps, having a cockerel quintet who make their raucous dawn squawks 74 times in seven minutes might be something to crow about.

But not for the neighbours of Roy and Valerie Rylands.

Their complaints that the noise wakes them as early as 2.30am were placed before magistrates yesterday.

Neighbour Roger Morgan called in council noise abatement officials, who logged the farmyard five-piece crowing 112 times in 20 minutes and 74 times in a seven-minute period.

The council officer ordered the Rylands to keep their birds quiet after agreeing that the crowing was intrusive, incessant and would disturb sleep.

But the Rylands, of Bwlch-y-ffridd, near Newtown, mid Wales, went to court to appeal against the ruling.

Jonathan Salmon, for Powys county council, told magistrates in Welshpool yesterday: ‘Its very easy to be flippant about it but that doesn’t do justice to any party in these proceedings.