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No agreement between USA and South Korea on enriching uranium

South Korea and U.S. Fail to Reach Deal on Nuclear Energy, NYT, By CHOE SANG-HUN, April 24, 2013 SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and the Obama administration delayed the deadline for a deal that Seoul had hoped would allow it to begin making its own fuel for its civil nuclear energy program, but that the United States feared would undermine its attempts to curb nuclear proliferation. It had appeared that a deal might be reached this year, but officials in both countries said the deadline would slip until 2016.

The government of President Park Geun-hye has been pushing hard for the United States to lift a ban, part of a treaty signed in 1972, that prevents South Korea from enriching uranium and reprocessing spent nuclear fuel.

But the same technologies are also used to make material for nuclear weapons. American officials have said that lifting the ban would have complicated diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programs and to stop any attempt by Iran to develop atomic weapons….. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/asia/south-korea-and-us-fail-to-reach-nuclear-energy-deal.html

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April 25, 2013 Posted by | politics international, South Korea, Uranium | Leave a comment

Radiation is “good for you”claim by Australian uranium mining company

Stuff to do with Hormesis, Paul Langley’s Nuclear History Blog, 25 April 13, “Addressing the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy in Adelaide, chair of the uranium company Toro Energy Erica Smyth said the true cost of coal was not yet being paid for by the community. She also said that there was a strong argument that some radiation “was good for you” …..” Adelaide Advertiser newspaper, August 13, 2011 page 7.

Smyth, representing her employer, a uranium miner, states that a “strong” “argument” claims that “some radiation” was “good for you”.

How much uranium is required to produce this “good radiation” ? And how is that “good radiation” to delivered to the people of this state? Via the milkman? The radiation emitted by uranium and its decay products have to be present within the human body to have any effect. How would a purchaser of the product know that the radiation emitted was “good”?

What are the “arguments” Smith refers to? She does not say.
How “strong” are these arguments? We don’t know, Smyth does not debate the issue, she merely states her position in relation to the “strong argument”. Smith is obviously all for the idea that “some” radiation is “good for you”. If one is not thinking, but listening as if the information were an advert for a desirable product, one might really want it……

The substances extracted by uranium mining consist of uranium and its decay products. So let’s have a look at these substances and the radiations they emit. Continue reading →

April 25, 2013 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, radiation | Leave a comment

Rejection of evacuation claim for Japanese children – is this justice?

questionJapan court rejects demand to evacuate children while acknowledging radiation risks on health  http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/04/24/japan-court-rejects-demand-to-evacuate-children-while-acknowledging-radiation/#ixzz2RWzeEca2 April 24, 2013 Associated Press

TOKYO –  A Japanese court has rejected a demand that a city affected by the fallout of the country’s 2011 nuclear disaster evacuate its children.

The unusual lawsuit was filed on behalf of the children by their parents and anti-nuclear activists in June 2011. The Sendai High Court handed down its ruling Wednesday.

The case had drawn international attention because it touched the uncertainties about the effects of continuous low-dose radiation on health, especially that of children.

The court acknowledged radiation exceeded levels deemed safe prior to the disaster. But it said the government shoulders no responsibility for evacuating the schools as demanded — in effect, telling people to leave on their own if they were worried.

April 25, 2013 Posted by | Japan, Legal | Leave a comment

Upgrading B61 tactical nuclear bombs – irrelevant goldplating?

If B61 nuclear bombs’ strategic purpose is unclear, why spend more on them? Heather Hurlburtguardian.co.uk,  24 April 2013  The controversy about upgrading US tactical weapons is a microcosm of unresolved issues over Pentagon budget cuts

The Obama administration’s 2014 defense budget, with its proposal to cut $460m from nuclear non-proliferation activities and use that money to pay for new features on its B61 tactical nuclear bombs, has sparked heated debate. Is the modernization desperately needed or irrelevant goldplating? Continue reading →

April 25, 2013 Posted by | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

New legislation could boost renewable energy investment in USA

The New Alphabet of Renewable Energy Investing: MLPs and REITs, Forbes, 24 April 13, Institutional investors manage more than $70 trillion in assets globally. But when it comes to renewable energy, a large portion of that capital is sitting on the sidelines.

It’s not that renewable energy is a bad investment—in fact, as I’ve explained before, clean energy projects provide exactly the kind of stable, consistent returns that long-term investors love. For example, when Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary MidAmerican Energy Holdings issued a $850 million bond offering for its Topaz Solar Farm last year, it was oversubscribed by nearly $400 million.

Investors want in on renewable energy investments; however, the types of investment vehicles available today are limited. Some of these limitations can be addressed by extending the same benefits that fossil fuel and real estate developers have enjoyed for years. New legislation and a call for clarity from the Internal Revenue Service could make two investment structures, Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts(REITs), the new alphabet of renewable energy investing. Continue reading →

April 25, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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