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America’s bloated military spending, with trivial cuts planned

our military is not bloated because the U.S. faces threats to its security. It is bloated because of the military-industrial-Congressional complex that President Eisenhower warned about more than fifty years ago….
Planned Pentagon Cuts Are Trivial, HUFFINGTON POST, by Aaron Belkin: 11/6/11  Poor, poor Leon Panetta. Our Secretary of Defense has to find a way to cut $45 billion per year out of our $700 billion military budget. That’s right, five percent. Continue reading →

November 10, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Alarm about cracks in Davis Besse nuclear plant

Ohio: Scientists Sound Alarm on Nuclear Plant, NYT By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS November 8, 2011 A watchdog group is questioning the soundness of a nuclear plant where a 30-foot hairline crack was recently discovered. The crack was found in the thick concrete on the outside of the reactor containment building at the Davis-Besse plant outside Toledo. Further inspections found numerous, tiny cracks on the building’s facade. The Union of Concerned Scientists has written the Nuclear Regulatory Commission asking whether the concrete walls were built to adequate engineering specifications. The plant’s owner, the FirstEnergy Corporation, says that the walls were designed properly and that the building has been inspected thoroughly. The plant has been shut down for installation of a new 82-ton reactor head, replacing one that cracked… http://www.nytimes.co/2011/11/09/us/ohio-scientists-sound-alarm-on-nuclear-plant.html

November 10, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Doctors who own radiation stress machines order more tests on healthy patients

“We have to remember that unnecessary testing puts patients at
unnecessary risk of exposure to radiation …

Doctors Who Own Stress Machines More Likely to Order Heart Test,    By Pat Wechsler Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) –– Doctors who own and bill for nuclear cardiac stress-test technology are twice as likely to order the procedure as those who aren’t paid for it, researchers said.

The widest variation in whether a doctor prescribed a nuclear stress test, which uses radiation to track blood flow, occurred when patients had no symptoms of coronary disease following bypass surgery or other heart procedures, according to a study published today in the Journal
of the American Medical Association. Physicians who owned the equipment ordered tests in 10 percent of the cases versus 4.3 percent
for those who didn’t…… Continue reading →

November 10, 2011 Posted by | health, USA | Leave a comment

Accident risk makes nuclear costs even more expensive

 Japan study factors accident risk into nuclear power cost estimates Nov 8 (Reuters) – The cost of generating nuclear power in Japan would rise by up to 1.6 yen per kilowatt hour if the risk of a serious nuclear accident like the one in Fukushima is factored in, a government panel of experts estimated, providing a key element for the government to decide on its post-Fukushima energy policy.

Lawmakers and officials are working to come up with a new energy policy after the Fukushima radiation crisis made it difficult, if not impossible, to build more reactors in the world’s third-biggest generator of nuclear power…..

now that the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant forced its operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co , to pay compensation for residents who have been evacuated and extra costs to decommission the crippled reactors, a new estimate on the cost of nuclear power was needed to include these factors…..

The cost for the risk of an accident could rise further if compensation payments to help evacuees and cover other damages increases from the current estimate, based on actual payments related to the Fukushima Daiichi plant, of 5 trillion yen ($64 billion) for a model reactor, the panel said…. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/08/nuclear-japan-estimate-idUSL4E7M81Q620111108

November 10, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Nuclear crisis as Indian villagers reject bribes

N-plant crisis: Villagers reject Kalam’s proposals, Hindustan Times 8 Nov In a major setback to the central government, which is trying to resolve the Kudankulam nuclear plant crisis, villagers protesting against the plant have dismissed former president APJ Abdul Kalam’s endorsement of the project. They have also refused to accept Kalam’s proposals on the development of Kudankulam and neighbouring areas.

The former president had visited the project site in Tirunelveli district on Sunday. Kalam had also come up with a 10-point development plan, which includes building of four-lane highways, houses, schools, hospitals as well as cold storages, in Kudankulam and surrounding areas.

“If anyone thinks that he or she can bribe the villagers like this, they are sadly mistaken,” said anti-nuclear activist SP Udayakumar on Monday.

Villagers who had been on a relay hunger strike for weeks at Idinthakkari village, continued their protest on Monday.

They said Kalam was speaking for the government. “Is Kalam a president, PM or a minister to come out with a plan? Whose sanction has he got to make such recommendations?” questioned a protester.”The plan does sound great. But why a 500 bed hospital? Do they think that so many people will fall ill,” asked a villager. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/TamilNadu/N-plant-crisis-Villagers-reject-Kalam-s-proposals/Article1-765800.aspx

November 8, 2011 Posted by | India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Call for better “marketing” of nuclear power

Market N-technology properly: Kalam to scientists IBN Live, 8 Nov New Delhi: “Market nuclear technology properly.” This was the brief message former President APJ Abdul Kalam had for nuclear scientists.

“Today the nuclear technologists are all doing
great work for the world, but it is essential for the services of nuclear science and its future prospects to be marketed as the only
continuously available clean energy source,” he told an international conference.

Kalam’s message comes in the backdrop of protests over the Kudankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu following concerns over safety and environmental issues.

The Department of Atomic Energy had admitted that it had not succeeded in reaching out to the locals on the safety aspects of the Kudankulam nuclear project…http://ibnlive.in.com/news/market-nuclear-technology-properly-kalam/200165-3.html

November 8, 2011 Posted by | India, marketing | Leave a comment

Need for Japan to monitor health of workers and others exposed to Fukushima radiation

Fukushima health concerns Japan Times, 8 Nov 11 As efforts to end the nuclear disaster at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant drag on, it is important for the central and local governments to step up their efforts to closely examine the health conditions of people concerned and to decontaminate areas contaminated by radiation.

 The people who have been most affected by radiation from the Fukushima plant are workers, both from Tepco and from subcontractors, who have been trying to bring the radiation-leaking plant under control. Continue reading →

November 8, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Global nuclear industry in turmoil – uranium company’s profit drops 60%

Cameco reduces production forecast, Globe and Mail, BRENDA BOUW — MINING REPORTER, VANCOUVER, Nov. 07, 2011 Uranium giant Cameco Corp.  lowered its annual production forecast and reported third-quarter financial results below expectations amid continuing upheaval in the nuclear power industry.

Saskatoon-based Cameco, in a bidding war with Rio Tinto PLC for Hathor Exploration Ltd. during the current uranium price slump, cited “unfavourable market conditions” for the earnings underperformance…..

Production of uranium used to fuel nuclear power plants fell 5 per cent to 5.3 million pounds in the quarter, and for the year it is expected to drop 1 per cent to 21.7 million pounds, Cameco said. It also lowered guidance for UF6, a compound used to make enriched uranium, by 6 per cent….

profit fell 60 per cent…… Cameco shares closed down 6.5 per cent to $20.35 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday, a sign investors are worried that Cameco will continue to suffer from volatility in the sector following the Japanese nuclear disaster.

“We expect the current uncertainly in the uranium market to linger for the near to medium term,” Mr. Gitzel warned.

Driving industry concerns are forecasts for excess uranium inventories in Japan and Germany, which represent 12 and 5 per cent of global nuclear generating capacity, respectively. Germany is phasing out its nuclear program, and Japan is operating only 11 of its 54 reactors since a tsunami and earthquake destroyed its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant this past March…..

China, too, is slowing its rapid nuclear power expansion plans as it takes extra measures to ensure its facilities are safe….

November 8, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Canada, Uranium | Leave a comment

Radiation airport scanners – US govt backs corporate profit rather than public health

Incredibly, the government has continued to dismiss the medical and scientific community’s concerns about these X-ray machines, relying instead on safety assurances from profit-driven corporations such as Rapiscan.

The ProPublica/PBS NewsHour report, which is available at propublica.org, traces the history of the scanners, details exactly how the decision to deploy these scanners came about, and documents the gaps in regulation that allowed them to avoid rigorous safety evaluation. This report is a damning indictment of the extent to which the American people have been sold to the highest corporate bidder by government leaders……

Cancer-Causing Airport Scanners? Enough Is Enough, NJ TODAY , November 7, 2011, By John W. Whitehead Just when you started to think it might be safe to fly again…  Remember those whole-body, X-ray scanners the government installed in airports across the country and kept insisting were so safe? It turns out that they’re not so safe, after all. According to an investigative report by ProPublica/PBS NewsHour, anywhere from six to 100 U.S. airline passengers each year could get cancer from the machines. Continue reading →

November 8, 2011 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | 1 Comment

Kudankulam activists withstand pressure to drop their anti nuclear protest

the activists have also alleged that a person who was in no way connected with the ongoing protests was included in the expert panel formed by the state government to represent the protestors. PMANE had suggested M Pushparayan, convener of Coastal People’s Federation and M P Jesuraj as members of the panel. But Udayakumar alleged that another person was inducted into the panel as people’s representative

Safety of nuclear plant ‘old wine in new bottle’ : Activists – Times of India TNN | Nov 7, 2011, KUDANKULAM : Activists protesting against thenuclear plant at Kudankulam brushed aside the justifications by former president Abdul Kalam on the safety of the nuclear plant and termed them as ‘old wine in a new bottle.’ They also and stated that they would not hold talks with him.

Protestors also maintained that their agitation against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) would continue till the plant is shut down. Continue reading →

November 8, 2011 Posted by | India, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Solyndra solar power failure now backfiring on nuclear industry

The nuclear lobby rejoiced when the solar company Solyndra went bankrupt.  You see, Solyndra had received a nuclear loan guarantee from the U.S. government.  As the nuclear lobby righteously said – the conditions for that loan were not strict enough – the government should not have provided Solyndra with the money.   The trouble is – the conditions for the nuclear loans are not strict enough either.  So the whole Solyundra solar power failure was a matter for nuclear rejoicing – but it’s now backfiring on them! – Christina Macpherson 
As former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission member Peter Bradford told Technology Review’s Peter Fairley: “The Republican rhetoric is every bit as applicable to nuclear loan guarantees as it is to poor old Solyndra.”
Nuclear Industry Fears Fallout from Solyndra Story  Seattle PI, 7 Nov 11, Solyndra’s $0.5 billion loan default will seem a drop in the bucket if and when $8.3 billion in nuclear loan guarantees make similar headlines. And the nuclear industry knows it.

As conservative broadcast outlets make hay of taxpayer loan guarantees to the failed solar module manufacturer Solyndra, more guarantees to the nuclear industry are awaiting approval.

Points made as vociferous politicians and others decry green energy loan guarantees will apply to the nuclear industry, and that makes some people very nervous about almost identical — and much, much bigger — loan guarantees made and pending for new nuke plant construction. Continue reading →

November 8, 2011 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

“Occupy” joins forces with clean energy movement, against dirty politics

Occupy Asheville marching in solidarity with renewable energy conference this afternoon Mountain Express By David Forbes on 11/06/2011 Occupy Asheville Stands in Solidarity with SE Student Renewable Energy Conference Asheville, NC- Occupy Asheville is participating in a solidarity action on Sunday, Nov. 6th with the Southeastern Student Renewable Energy Conference that was held this weekend at UNCA.

Occupy Asheville will be fielding a group of ‘1%ers’ and a radical cheerleading squad.
The march is gathering on Montford Ave., next to Todd’s Tasties , at 12:45 pm.

Occupy Asheville recognizes the correlation of our struggles. Dirty energy is inextricably linked to the dirty money influencing our political structures. Our common goals will be won together or not atall.
Occupy Asheville will hold an emergency General Assembly at Pritchard Park following the action to discuss Saturday’s arrests and our reaction.

Occupy Asheville is dedicated to liberating public space in peaceful protest and coordinating networks of resistance to corporate dominance with our sister cities across the nation and globe. http://www.mountainx.com/article/37191/Occupy-Asheville-marching-in-solidarity-with-renewable-energy-conference-this-afternoon

November 7, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Japan, and USA, have practical and profitable alternatives to nuclear power

  Lovins and colleagues, in a new book, extend the argument to the U.S. as well:

For the United States, Rocky Mountain Institute’s new synthesis “Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era” shows how to run a 2.6-fold bigger 2050 economy with no oil, no coal, no nuclear energy, one-third less natural gas, and $5-trillion lower cost than business-as-usual. 

DOES JAPAN REALLY NEED NUCLEAR?, New Yorker,  by , November 4, 2011 “……….As I described in the magazine last month, polls show mounting opposition to nuclear power, but many of Japan’s most influential thinkers and politicians have concluded that the country simply cannot afford to give it up. Continue reading →

November 7, 2011 Posted by | resources - print | Leave a comment

Finally some justice for Spokane Tribe uranium workers

a recently completed epidemiology study of the 2,700-member tribe conducted by the state Department of Health and the Northwest Indian Health Board concluded there were high rates of cancer among tribal members who worked at the mine. 

Women of the tribe have contracted cancer from cleaning the clothes of the men who worked in the mines,

Progress made toward cleaning up uranium mine, Canadian Business By AP  | November 06, 2011 SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The Spokane Tribe of Indians has recently won big victories in its long fight against uranium contamination, including a deal reached this fall between the federal government and mining companies to clean up the long-closed Midnite Mine on the reservation.

In addition, tribal members in September became eligible to receive federal compensation if they became sick while working at the mine. Continue reading →

November 7, 2011 Posted by | indigenous issues, Uranium, USA | Leave a comment

Scotland’s opposition to depleted uranium weapons testing

The Labour MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, Katy Clark, said she would be concerned if DU tests resumed. “There remain health concerns about these weapons and we should be concentrating on getting an international ban on their production and use,” she said.

Anger as depleted uranium shells to be test-fired again Depleted uranium shells are blamed for causing radioactive and heavy metal pollution and are used by Challenger tanks, HERALD SCOTLAND EXCLUSIVE BY ROB EDWARDS ENVIRONMENT EDITOR, 6 Nov 2011 HIGHLY controversial depleted uranium shells are set to be test-fired in Scotland again, the Sunday Herald has learned. Continue reading →

November 7, 2011 Posted by | depleted uranium, politics, UK, Uranium | Leave a comment

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