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Doctor ejected from airport for refusing radiation scanning

Airport Boots Doctor for Refusing Radiation Assault, (NEWSER) 2 July 11– An eye specialist on his way to treat child patients in Switzerland was escorted out of Britain’s Manchester airport by police after refusing a full-body scan. Tony Aguirre declined the scan on both medical and ethical grounds, calling the technology a “radiation assault,” reports the Daily Mail. Fliers at the three British airports that have installed the scanners are not offered the dreaded “pat-down” option offered to American travelers who refuse the scan.

“X-rays are known to cause cancer and I think somebody will get cancer from this body scanner whether it’s me or someone else,” the doctor told officials. The “no scan, no fly” rule “raises the suspicion that perhaps it’s more expensive to do a manual search and that’s why they are forced to go through an X-ray,” he says. The doctor eventually flew to Switzerland from Liverpool airport, which does not have the scanners…..http://www.newser.com/story/122386/airport-boots-doctor-for-refusing-radiation-assault.html
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July 2, 2011 Posted by | civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

Push for decentralised renewable energy to meet the needs of rural India

“The centralised grid based approach of RGGVY has not been able to meet people’s aspirations. Rural areas have always been neglected in this energy hierarchy. Decentralised renewable energy can break this hierarchy and provide quick, reliable and sustainable power to people. 

Decentralised renewable energy holds the key to rural electrification, Business Standard, India, July 01, 2011,  National consultation on RGGVY demands revamp of scheme Continue reading

July 2, 2011 Posted by | decentralised, India | Leave a comment

TSA workers exposed to radiation from backscatter airport scanners?

TSA Workers Fear Radiation Dangers From Scanners, 9 News Now, 2 July 11WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) — After wading through documents he secured with a Freedom Of Information Act filing, the Executive Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Marc Rotenberg told 9NEWS NOW, “We think that the Department of Homeland Security has not been forthcoming with the public about the true extent of radiation risk with the airport body scanners.”

The release of new documents follows concerns of TSA workers that they are being exposed to dangerous levels of radiation as they conduct the screenings. Union representatives in Boston cite an increase in cancer cases among the TSA workforce there and have asked the agency to allow its members to wear radiation monitoring devices……..

“It’s one branch of government that’s made the decision to deploy these devices and it’s the same branch of government which is evaluating its own program. That’s a recipe for a problem,” Rotenberg said… http://wusa9.com/news/article/156513/373/TSA-Workers-Fear-Radiation-Dangers-From-Scanners

July 2, 2011 Posted by | health, USA | Leave a comment

Six people arrested in Moldova for smuggling Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU)

A New Nuclear Scare Rocks Eastern Europe , The Daily Beast, 30 June 11 Wednesday’s arrest of six suspected nuclear smugglers in Moldova followed a four-month, multination investigation. It also offers a chilling reminder that dangerous material may be loose. June 30, 2011 , Police in the former Soviet republic of Moldova have arrested six people for allegedly trying to sell at least a kilo of weapons-grade uranium to undercover officers. Four of the suspects detained are Moldovans, and two are Russian passport holders from the neighboring republic of Transnistria. According to Moldova’s Interior Ministry spokesman Vitalie Briceag, the material on sale was Uranium 235, the weapons-grade isotope of uranium, which in high concentrations is known as highly enriched uranium, or HEU. If that proves true, Wednesday’s arrests would mark one of the biggest nuclear security breaches of the last decade…… Continue reading

July 2, 2011 Posted by | EUROPE, safety | Leave a comment

Nuclear industry leads on to global warming

VIDEO   http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2011/6/30/nuclear_hubris_christian_parenti_on_what_japans_nuclear_disaster_means_for_the_us_energy_industry  Democracy Now, 3 July In part two of our conversation with journalist Christian Parenti he discusses his recent article, Nuclear Hubris: Could Japan’s Disaster Happen Here?, about what the meltdown of three nuclear reactors in Japan means for the expansion of the nuclear power industry United States. “I think its important to problematize atomic power because some in the Green Movement look to it as a solution,” says Parenti. “But there is no way that this economy can create enough power from atomic energy in a cost-efficient manner in the time necessary.” Parenti argues the focus on developing atomic power diverts funds from the transition to clean technology and pushes the world closer to global warming — a topic he explores in his new book, Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence.

 

July 2, 2011 Posted by | Resources -audiovicual | Leave a comment

Financial start for renewable energy, energy efficiency, in 10 Spanish regions

Spain Launches Fund To Promote Energy Efficiency And Renewables In 10 Regions,  by: Eurasia Review, July 2, 2011 The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Spanish Energy Saving and Diversification Institute (IDAE) have concluded a finance agreement to launch a JESSICA holding fund designed to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in an innovative use of EU structural funds. …… http://www.eurasiareview.com/spain-launches-fund-to-promote-energy-efficiency-and-renewables-in-10-regions-02072011/

July 2, 2011 Posted by | renewable, Spain | Leave a comment

Fort Calhoun Nuclear Reactor is Safe, well Sort Of

The plant faces two other challenges, however. One is that the flowing water, four feet deep in some spots around the plant, may have undermined some structures. Already, plant workers have stopped moving heavy vehicles over paved surfaces because they may have been weakened, the managers say….

A Long Road Ahead for a Flooded Reactor, NYT, By MATTHEW L. WALD, 28 June 11, Federal officials say that the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant, which is surrounded by floodwaters from the Missouri River, is safe for now, as I wrote in Tuesday’s Times. But it may be a very long way from reopening. Continue reading

July 2, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Legal battle- South Carolina’s nuclear waste not to go to Nevada

A federal report issued early in June said the U.S. has generated more than 82,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste, which it was storing at 80 sites in 35 states.

The amount of waste is expected to double by 2055, the Government Accountability Office said.

Appeals court dismisses nuclear waste suit, Macon.com  By NEDRA PICKLER and DINA CAPPIELLO – Associated Press, 1 July 11, WASHINGTON — The Obama administration won a legal battle Friday in the long-standing fight over where to bury the nation’s nuclear waste, but it’s not likely to be the last.  The federal appeals court in Washington ruled against South Carolina, Washington state and others that want to ship radioactive spent nuclear fuel they are temporarily storing to a repository 90 miles from Las Vegas at Yucca Mountain. Continue reading

July 2, 2011 Posted by | Legal, USA | Leave a comment

Evacuation not really practical in the case of nuclear meltdown

What Would It Take To Evacuate A Nuclear Meltdown? Gizmodo By Kwame Opam on June 28, 201 1 Nuclear plants in the US are getting older and becoming more unstable with age, even as we demand more power of them. Meanwhile, population growth around these powerhouses has skyrocketed, by as much as a factor of four in some places. Say you live in one of these cities. In the event of an emergency, how likely is it that you’ll get out in time? Continue reading

July 2, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Desmond Tutu warns on the system of nuclear weapons apartheid

We must not tolerate a system of nuclear apartheid, in which it is considered legitimate for some states to possess nuclear arms but patently unacceptable for others to seek to accquire them. Such a double standard is no basis for peace and security in the world. The NPT is not a license for the five original nuclear powers to cling to these weapons indefinitely. The International Court of Justice has affirmed that they are legally obliged to negotiate in good faith for the complete elimination of their nuclear forces…

Ending nuclear evil, Pakistan Observer, Desmond Tutu 3 July 11 , ELIMINATING nuclear weapons is the democratic wish of the world’s people. Yet no nuclear-armed country currently appears to be preparing for a future without these terrifying devices. In fact, all are squandering billions of dollars on modernisation of their nuclear forces, making a mockery of United Nations disarmament pledges. If we allow this madness to continue, the eventual use of these instruments of terror seems all but inevitable. Continue reading

July 2, 2011 Posted by | Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

Vermont citizens rally to support closure of Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor

Vermonters rally to support their state’s efforts to close VermontYankee,  Greenpeace, by Jarred Cobb – June 27, 2011  Entergy Nuclear’s efforts to run their aging and dangerous reactor past its scheduled closure date were rebuffed again in Vermont last week. Citizens rallied outside the federal courthouse where Entergy is seeking an injunction to keep Vermont Yankee operating despite the state’s decision to close it down. Many of the folks present at the vigil live within the 10-mile evacuation zone, and know firsthand of Entergy’s incompetence and Vermont Yankee’s history of accidents. From carpenters to mothers and teachers to activists, Vermonters stood shoulder-to-shoulder todeclare: “We Support Vermont.”

Entergy’s refusal to accept Vermont’s decision to close the reactor is an affront to the democratic process and the demands of a majority of Vermonters.  Last year, after an ongoing tritium leak, lies about underground piping, and a desire for a renewable energy future, the state senate voted overwhelmingly (26-4) to close Vermont Yankee as scheduled in March 2012. But now, the multibillion-dollar energy company has turned to high-priced lawyers and a federal court…. http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/vermonters-rally-to-support-their-states-effo/blog/35460


July 2, 2011 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, USA | Leave a comment

Things just keep getting worse for the nuclear industry

..Between Vienna and labor woes, its enough to make an Israeli nuclear official wish for something more manageable, like a plague of locusts
Worldwide Nuclear Industry Woes Deepen The year 2011 will go down for the nuclear industry worldwide as an annus horribilis. Minyanville, By Oilprice.com Jun 29, 2011 Add an Israeli nuclear plant work stoppage to Fukushima and the flooding Missouri River, and it paints a grim atomic picture. Continue reading

July 2, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Ricky Thomason lists the safety failures of TVA’s nuclear power plants

We’re playing with a nuclear Beelzebubba, HUNTSVILLE, Alabama _ We are playing with the devil’s own fire – but the devil ain’t playing, and even if he were he plays for keeps.Al.com By Ricky Thomason , July 03, 2011

That’s easy to forget when the Tennessee Valley Authority warms and cools our homes and powers industries that buy our groceries. It’s also easier kept out of sight and mind when powerful nuclear energy concerns downplay, minimize, hide and deny clear and present dangers. Mama Nuke rocks us sweetly with low energy prices and soothes, “Shhhhh – everything is all right. TVA will save the day. Go back to sleep.”….. Continue reading

July 2, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Persistent lying by governments, regulators, and nuclear power companies

true in America and elsewhere – governments, regulators, and power companies suppressing vital truths, instead of shutting down inherently unsafe plants, making all of them ticking bombs. 

Lies, Damn Lies, and Safe Nuclear Power – by Stephen Lendman, 1 July 11 
“……..Anti-nuclear activist/expert Professor Karl Grossman agrees, calling “Atomic Energy: Unsafe in the Real World” in his June 29 article, saying: Continue reading

July 2, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear weapons goal of new al-Qaeda leader

New al-Qaeda Chief Zawahiri Has Strong Nuclear Intent,  Forbes, 29 Jule 11………We should be especially worried about the threat of nuclear terrorism under Zawahiri’s leadership. In a recent report titled “Islam and the Bomb: Religious Justification For and Against Nuclear Weapons, which I researched for and contributed to, lead author Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, former director of intelligence and counterintelligence at the U.S. Department of Energy, argues that al-Qaeda’s WMD ambitions are stronger than ever. And that “this intent no longer feels theoretical, but operational.”……

Among several important findings, Zawahiri sophisticatedly weaves identical passages, sources and religious justifications for a nuclear terrorist attack against the United States previously penned by radical Saudi cleric Nasir al Fahd. Indeed, the language used, research cited, and arguments put forth are nothing short of detailed and deliberate……
http://blogs.forbes.com/rahimkanani/2011/06/29/new-al-qaeda-chief-zawahiri-has-strong-nuclear-intent/

 

July 2, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, safety | Leave a comment