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India’s nuclear propagandist, Abdul Kalam is a fake

 From our Antinuclear correspondent in India, 9 Nov 11  I was reading Kalam’s report on how Koodankalam was safe and why nuclear is the future for India when I had a suspicion about his educational background. All his rantings seemed very unscientific to me so I did some research and found out that HE IS A TOTAL FAKE! He has only a degree (bachelor’s in science) BSc and the prefix Dr. has been conveniently been added by him in front of his name to promote himself as a doctor of science. In fact he has not received even an honorary doctorate degree from any institution or group as they sometimes arbitrarily give someone a doctorate even if they have just a fifth standard education in India (as in the case of Kurananidhi, former chief minister of Tamil Nadu who according to a report in Facebook apparently  has stashed away 3500 crores of indian rupees in Swiss Banks (an astounding amount).
 Abdul Kalam and  his missile tests were actually a botched job covered up by the BJP govt to save their face. Kalam is probably under threat that he will be revealed if he takes a anti nuke stand on Koodankalam so I’m sure if We bring the truth out about him and make it public, this would help the Koodankalam movement a great deal.
‘What is so sacrosanct about A.P.J. Abdul Kalam?’
ARVIND SWAMINATHAN writes from Madras: The larger-than-life, conversation-stopping image of the former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the fruit of assiduous self-promotion, audacious political opportunism and pumped-up nationalism, combined with the gee-whiz ignorance of an uncritical media.
# A missile technologist who is routinely confused for a “nuclear physicist”.
# A scientist without a formal PhD—who was turned away from the Indian Institute of
Science (IISc) because he didn’t have the “requisite scientific credentials”—who happily uses
the appendage “Dr”. Continue reading →

November 10, 2011 Posted by | India, secrets,lies and civil liberties | 8 Comments

Kudankulam nuclear power plant good for the rich, and Russia, not for the poor

The nuclear debate Electricity for whom? Deccan Herald Bharat Jhunjhunwala, 10 Nov 11
Diversion of just 2 per cent of present power generation can meet the needs of all of India’s unelectrified households.
Local people are opposing construction of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu. People of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra are opposing the Jaitapur nuclear plant. Mamata Banerjee has scrapped the proposed nuclear power plant in Purba Medhinipur. Continue reading →

November 10, 2011 Posted by | India, politics | Leave a comment

Strength and determination of India’s anti nuclear movement

Protests galore expected in Kudankulam  IBN Tamil Nadu |  Nov 10, 2011   Press Trust of India Chennai: Extending support to locals agitating against Kudankulam Nuclear Power project, about 100 anti-nuclear activists will embark on a yatra from Madurai to the site on Thursday.

The activists, under the aegis of Chennai Solidarity Group for Kudankulam Struggle would start their journey from Madurai on November 10 and stop at towns and villages en route to Kudankulam to explain “the terrible environmental and health effects of nuclear energy.”

At Kudankulam, they would conduct a national seminar titled “National Conference on Safety issues at Nuclear installations in India.” The Yatra will culminate in Chennai on November 13, where a seminar for students would also be held. There are also plans to hold a photo-exhibition, depicting the horrors of nuclear energy, a press release from the group said.

The yatra has been organised by National Alliance of Anti-Nuclear Movements. Some of those attending the yatra are nuclear physicist Suvrat Raju, Prof Banwarilal Sharma, mathematician and former president of the International Congress of Mathematics and Thomas Kochery of National Fishworkers Forum, it said. (Watch CNN-IBN live on your iPad. IBN7 and IBN Lokmat too. Download the IBNLive for iPad app. It’s free. Click here to download now) http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tn-protests-galore-expected-in-kudankulam/200859-62-128.html

November 10, 2011 Posted by | India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Christian Bishop backs Kudankulam anti nuclear struggle

Tuticorin Bishop clarifies stand on Kudankulam nuclear plant row Christian Today, By: George Anthony, 10 November 2011, Rumours that the Church had distanced itself from the people’s movement against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu are just imaginary. The Bishop of the Tuticorin Diocese has affirmed that the Church backed the locals in the struggle….

The Bishop, however, clarified to media that the Church was in solidarity and is continuing to create awareness to warn the people about the environmental and health effects of nuclear energy.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Bishop said he was with the people “morally and spiritually”. “As per the Catholic Church’s teachings and the Tamil Nadu Bishop Council’s resolution, I continue to show my solidarity with my people who are under great fear and anxiety concerning the Kudankulam Nuclear Plant,” he said.
http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/tuticorin-bishop-clarifies-stand-on-kudankulam-nuclear-plant-row/6810.htm

November 10, 2011 Posted by | India, Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

Anti nuclear, anti war protest planned against Obama’s visit to Darwin, Australia

Local activists plan Obama protest News.com.au 10 Nov 11 LOCAL activists angry at US military bases in Australia are planning to protest US President Barack Obama’s trip to Darwin next week. Justin Tutty from Darwin Residents Against War says he expects at least 20 locals to stage a peaceful protest near Parliament when Mr Obama arrives on Thursday.

“Our message is that we don’t want US bases, we don’t want US nuclear warships in Darwin Harbour and we don’t want US troops in Darwin,” Mr Tutty said. There has been speculation Mr Obama will use the visit to make an announcement relating to increasing the US military presence in the Northern Territory.

Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith recently foreshadowed increasing the number of joint training exercises with America in Darwin and the US storing more equipment in the city for disaster and humanitarian assistance.

Already the US and Australia jointly run the Pine Gap spy base near Alice Springs in the Northern
Territory. Mr Tutty said there was little information about what a greater US presence in Northern Territory would mean.

“They have talked about a pre-positioning base and we are very sceptical about the nature of the base because of all the lies we have been told about Pine Gap,” Mr Tutty said.”For so many years they told us that Pine Gap was a communications base, but in the last few years it has come out about its offensive role and it was used to direct dozens of attacks on Iraq.”  http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/local-activists-plan-obama-protest/story-e6frfku9-1226190123963#ixzz1dLAjnMoG

November 10, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, politics international | 1 Comment

Canadian authorities turned blind eye to depleted uranium affected soldiers

Gulf War vets wounded and angry,CNews By Kris Sims, Parliamentary Bureau, 10 Nov 11 OTTAWA — All of Louise Richard’s hair fell out after she came home from the Gulf War. “Ninety-five percent of the casualties we dealt with were Iraqi prisoners of war,” the former army nurse said. “They were obviously totally contaminated with depleted uranium, they had shrapnel, we operated on them, so here we were — hands in guts and breathing all of these things.”
Gulf War veterans say they have been suffering for 20 years after being exposed to depleted uranium in the Persian Gulf in 1991.  Continue reading →

November 10, 2011 Posted by | Canada, depleted uranium, Uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear waste laboratory workers found to have plutonium in their lungs

Further lung examinations were ordered for two workers whose body scans tested positive for radiation in their lungs and for a third worker whose lungs showed an “anomaly,” 

More tests ordered for plutonium-exposed Idaho lab workers, By Laura Zuckerman, SALMON, Idaho   Nov 9, 2011  (Reuters) – Doctors at a nuclear research lab in Idaho on Wednesday ordered further medical tests of 16 workers accidentally exposed to low-levels of radiation from plutonium fuel in a decommissioned reactor. Continue reading →

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

Unwisdom of attack on Iran, and not much new in IAEA report

despite the rhetoric about last chances, there is still time for a peaceful way out of the crisis. The Obama administration has no stomach nor money for another war, and its generals insist that every way they game the scenarios, America comes out the loser.

The IAEA report: what does it really mean and will it lead to war with Iran?  by 9 November 2011 guardian.co.uk Tuesday’s IAEA report has rekindled the global debate over what to do about the Iranian nuclear programme with a familiar array of options on the table: engage, sanction or attack. The various protagonists are familiar too. Russia is complaining the IAEA report has spoilt the chance of renewed dialogue, the US, Britain and France want a new push towards tighter sanctions, and Israel is threatening to strike unless the international community sorts the matter out in the next few months.

There is something a little phoney about all the sound and fury. There is nothing in the report that was not previously known by the major powers. The West and Israel supplied most of the original tip-offs for the annex on weapons development, while Russia was briefed and no doubt knew one of its own scientists had been lecturing the Iranians on how to make explosive implosion devices (ostensibly for making tiny diamonds).

Furthermore, the bulk of the report is historical, referring to the years leading up to 2003. Continue reading →

November 10, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Taiwan urged to abandon nuclear power – unaffordable costs

   many people thought it was a waste of money to have spent NT$320 billion (US$10.6 billion) to construct the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District (貢寮), New Taipei City, and not allow it to operate, but it would actually cost twice that amount to retire the plant after it begins operations.

Writer urges Taiwan to abandon nuclear power Taipei Times, By Lee I-chia  /  Staff Reporter, 10 Nov 11 COSTLY:Japan-based writer Liu Li-erh said the rising costs of the crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant should be a warning, particularly around the Taipei metropolitan area

Saying that the compensation for damage caused by the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan was way beyond what Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) or the Japanese government could afford, a Japan-based Taiwanese writer yesterday urged Taiwan to abandon all nuclear power. Continue reading →

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

The battle to save the Grand Canyon from uranium mining

Grand Canyon uranium mining battle heats up , The Daily Miner, 11/8/2011 WASHINGTON – A bill that would open 1 million acres near Grand Canyon National Park to new uranium mining was hailed Thursday as an economic boon and derided as a threat to the park’s wilderness and tourism value.

More than a dozen people – including scientists, federal agency heads, Arizona congressmen, businessmen and northern Arizona locals – gave differing opinions at a House subcommittee hearing on the Northern Arizona Mining Continuity Act.

The bill would block the Department of the Interior from imposing a 20-year ban on new mines in the so-called Arizona Strip – a ban the department formally recommended last week……

Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, said the area must be approached with exceptional caution because, “It’s the Grand Canyon, stupid.” He introduced a bill earlier this year that would do the opposite of Franks’, by permanently blocking new uranium mines in the area. Continue reading →

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

David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy spells it out on decentralised renewable energy

A Power Company President Ties His Future to Green Energy ENVIRONMENT 360 09 NOV 2011: INTERVIEW David Crane, the CEO of one of the nation’s largest electric companies, has become a leading proponent of renewable energy. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he explains how, in the face of government paralysis, the private sector can help lead the shift away from fossil fuels.

David Crane, president and CEO of NRG Energy, is not your typical power company executive, as becomes clear when he calls climate change a “slow-moving catastrophe” and “the fundamental issue of our day.”
In an interview with Yale Environment 360 senior editor Fen Montaigne, Crane said he believes the U.S. electricity-generating market is on the verge of a profound transformation, not unlike the era two decades ago when the antiquated world of land-line telephones and “Ma Bell” companies was about to give way to cell phones and mobile communications.
The electricity future, says Crane, will be transformed by the widespread adoption of three innovations: solar panels on residential and commercial roofs, electric cars in garages, and truly “smart meters” that will seamlessly transfer power to and from homes, electric vehicles, and the grid. Continue reading →

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

Israel showed Iran the way to be deceptive about nuclear weapons

 “Hello Israel, might we talk about your nukes?”, ..

Now the international community has indicated that it is losing patience, I have some small hope that Israel too may do the unexpected, and bring its nukes to the negotiating table. Israel has the trump card in this; may Iran and the Arabs respond in kind. Relations in the Middle East are tense enough without the need for WMD.

Remember, Tehran’s nuclear ambiguity was learnt from Israel, Crikey.com November 10, 2011 –  by NAJ Taylor Consider this: you are a willing outcast, with few solid friends and many formidable enemies. How do you survive? By trying to convert enemies to friends, or by instilling fear in your many enemies?

More than any other state on earth, Iran is presently keeping her enemies on their toes – expertly.

Iran categorically and emphatically state to domestic and international audiences that they have no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons capability, and yet a significant amount of Western intelligence, including that by the peak UN body only yesterday, has contended for some time (to the chagrin of Tehran) that they do…. Continue reading →

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

500 abandoned uranium mines contaminated Navajo land

Summit focuses on uranium contamination on Navajo land, News 13 FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) – Tuesday marks the start of a yearly summit focused on the Navajo Nation’s problems with uranium contamination. Six federal agencies, along with tribal officials and others are gathering in Farmington, N.M., for the 3-day summit. Jared Blumenfeld of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Navajo President Ben Shelly are set to give keynote speeches.

The reservation has more than 500 abandoned mines. Federal and tribal officials have screened hundreds of structures for potential contamination, replacing some of them. They’ve also tested unregulated water sources. Officials who developed a 5-year plan to address the contamination are expected to give progress reports this week.

Concerns over safety and the health of its people led the Navajo Nation to ban uranium mining on the reservation in 2005. http://www.kold.com/story/15983987/summit-focuses-on-uranium-contamination-on-navajo

November 10, 2011 Posted by | indigenous issues, Uranium, USA | Leave a comment

Wind energy becoming competitive without subsidy, while bulk of subsidies go to fossil fuels

Onshore wind generators will become competitive without subsidies by 2020 in Europe and by 2030 in China, the agency predicted……

 Fossil fuel users’ subsidies six times those for renewable energy, Kansas City Star, By BEN SILLS, Bloomberg News, 9 Nov 11,  Fossil-fuel consumers worldwide received about six times the government subsidies given to the renewable-energy industry, according to the chief adviser to oil-importing nations.

State spending to cut retail prices of gasoline, coal and natural gas rose 36 percent to $409 billion as global energy costs increased, the Paris-based International Energy Agency said Wednesday in its World Energy Outlook. Aid for biofuels, wind power and solar energy rose 10 percent to $66 billion.

The figures don’t include subsidies for nuclear power or to producers of fossil fuels. Continue reading →

November 10, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs, ENERGY | Leave a comment

falsifying nuclear safety documents

Ex-supervisor for Tucker firm admits falsifying nuclear plant docs, AJC 9 Nov 11 “….John E. Delk, 40, a former crew supervisor for Williams Specialty Services, changed his not guilty plea at a hearing where he told a U.S. magistrate he certified work that he knew had not been completed at the nation’s only current reactor construction project…..

Records show that in August, 2010 a completed form falsely purported to state micrometer readings of cables installed to provide energy to equipment, including safety equipment inside the containment structure at Unit 2 of the Watts Bar nuclear plant in Spring City.

A court filing in Correll’s case said inspection records were falsified on the spur of the moment when Correll was told to “hurry up and get it done.” Delk was Correll’s supervisor…. http://www.ajc.com/business/ex-supervisor-for-tucker-1221283.html

November 10, 2011 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

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