nuclear-news

TODAY . Is the nuclear industry more desperate than we realised – now we have Canada calling nuclear energy “CLEAN”?

Amidst all the brouhaha about the danger that Ukraine’s nuclear reactors are in (not just Zaporizhia, but all of them) – suddenly the Canadian government comes out with a statement that nuclear energy is clean and deserving of investment tax credits.

No other industry poses the dangers and pollution risks , especially in war-time – that nuclear does. It’s not just the reactor – it’s the nuclear fuel supplies, the spent fuel wastes, the risk of loos of power and cooling water.

Nature reports – “Nuclear-power plants elsewhere in Ukraine are also under threat. Shelling has been reported at the Khmelnytskyy plant in Netishyn, and cruise missiles have overflown the South Ukraine plant in Yuzhnoukrainsk. And Ukraine’s energy infrastructure across the country is coming under attack, including substations linked to nuclear plants“

Right now , the Ukraine situation highlights just how dangerous and dirty this industry is.

But it’s dangerous and dirty in peacetime, too. The industry knows this. Governments know this, Apart from the eternal toxic waste problem, and radiation hazards, the whole nuclear industry emits lots of carbon.

But on November 3rd ,Canada’s  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland released the 2022 Fall Economic Statement including small nuclear reactors for  clean technology tax credits. The government also indicates in the statement that it will consult on “additional eligible technologies (eg large scale-nuclear )  It will announce the specific details on what those technologies will be in its 2023 budget.

Well, this pitch-on-nuclear-as-needed-against-global -heating is the current BIG NUCLEAR LIE. (They know it takes decades to set up), they know it’s unaffordable. They’re desperate to put it over us all with this “climate-fixing” nonsense – sneaking nuclear in along with genuinely clean strategies – energy conservation and renewables

November 5, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 2 Comments

TODAY Why can’t Americans THINK?

I suppose that some of them can. Probably quite a lot of them , really.

But you wouldn’t know that, from what comes across in the media. Its as if every American is compelled to think in black and white – there are no greys.

It goes like this: Ukrainians are good, sweet, and saintly people (and of course they will win). Russians are cruel and evil (and of course they will lose).

Then at home – everything that is said by the opposing political party is evil and wrong – doesn’t matter which party you support – it is obligatory to disagree with the other party – on every single thing.

I keep getting stuff from the Trumpian crowd, Qanon etc. – their whole aim being to demonise Joe Biden and the Democrats. But in amongst all this – I do find some sane and sensible criticism of America furthering the war in Ukraine.

Today, I found an article from The American Conservative. I suppose they support the Republicans and Trump. But their criticism of America’s role in this war makes sense.

I think that Donald Trump is a truly awful person – I would hate him to become President again. But – that is two years away. In the meantime, conservatives are saying some reasonable things. It is an awful pity that Americans won’t allow themselves to THINK, instead of blindly supporting their political party, and their apparently religious belief in America’s “righteous” wars.

November 2, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 10 Comments

Nuclear news – scary stuff this week, but we need to be aware.

some bits of good news. India headed towards 100% renewables power by 2050. Mini Wind Turbines For Rooftops: ‘Up to 50% More Power’ and No Spinning Blades    Ozone Hole Continues Shrinking in 2022.

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Oh dear. This newsletter is miles too long. I have put the most interesting items in larger, bold, green. Perhaps you might read just those, and any other topics of interest to you.

This week, I have been overwhelmed with the media tsunami of war-mongering events and articles – all gearing up to the supposedly inevitable war against China !!

But at the same time –    are you  noticing climate change, -global heating events and research? We might escape nuclear apocalypse, BUT –   I urge you to pay attention to Alex Smith’s Radio Ecoshock, the world-leading coverage of things climate .  This week’s episode is CLIMATE ENDGAME – “irreversible transition to Hothouse Earth”? – Greenland  sea-level rise – and a worrying Culture of Underestimation.

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CLIMATE. Climate summit – window for avoiding catastrophe is closing fast. Global heating levels threaten to destroy economies. “The voices in this world which have the most power belong to those who are destroying it”, writes Greta Thunberg.

Atmospheric levels of all three greenhouse gases hit record high. Rising Sea Levels Spell Disaster For America’s Coastal Nuclear Plants. Insect apocalypse looms as world warms

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Reporters Without Borders leads 16 organisations urging UK Home Secretary to intervene in extradition of Julian Assange.

ECONOMICS . French nuclear power group EDF to have a bigger loss than previously expected. Scotland ‘could fund England’s nuclear plants after independence‘ under “regulated asset base” (RAB) model. Sizewell C nuclear station to be funded 20% by French taxpayers, and 20% by British taxpayers. Rooppur nuclear power plant (Bangladesh) : Cost may rise for multiple factors. USA’s Westingouse likely to build and fund 49% of Poland’s first nuclear power station

EMPLOYMENT. About 100 Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant employees, including senior managers, agree to collaborate with Russian occupiers.

ENERGY. Nuclear power – a ‘religion’ in France. now turning out to be a curse..

ENVIRONMENT. This Abandoned Nuclear City Is Trapped Under Ice, What Happens If It Thaws? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9uW-8vPpAU Dounreay nuclear plant radiation scare over high numbers of ‘harmful’ radioactive particles. The Fukushima Area Has Seen Better Days as Nobuhiko Ito Shows. Long-lived radionuclides from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, and consequences for Pacific ecosystems and seafood consumers.

HEALTH. ‘The nuclear bomb was so bright I could see the bones in my fingers’: The atomic veterans fighting for justice. Meetings scheduled on compensation for Utah’s ‘downwinders‘ affected by nuclear testing.

LEGAL. US nuclear firm Westinghouse sues South Korean supplier over Poland reactor deal. Together Against Sizewell and other groups to fight on, despite legal setback.

MEDIA. All at once corporate media pundits push for World War III. Western military-industrial corporate-media show only the NATO-USA war-mongering side of the news. The biggest lie – ADDICTED TO WAR – what most American people don’t know and don’t want to know. Steps towards multilateral nuclear disarmament – but media silence.  Captive media: what does the submarine scandal tell us about Australia’s “defence correspondents”?

POLITICS. Kucinich Says Call for Diplomacy to end Ukraine-Russia War Must be Heard; Silencing of Congressional Progressive Caucus Casts Democrats as the “War Party” Progressives retract Ukraine letter to Biden after uproar. Worthless House Progressives Retract Mild Peace Advocacy Under Pressure From Warmongers. Democrats Should Not Make Support for War a Test of Party Loyalty – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f76p7NUbV5M Dennis Kucinich: Where Are the Pro-Peace Democrats? 

Government Confirms No Nuclear for Australia.

Crushing blow to French President Macron as EDF braces for £28billion hit over nuclear shortfall. Academics and industry questioned on UK nuclear power supply. Sizewell C nuclear could become low on the priority list of UK government projects. Minister Vows Response to Fukushima Reputational Damage.

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. New Study Finds The Rest Of The World Supports China And Russia. West must stop blocking negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Kremlin reveals possible basis for Putin-Biden talks. Zelenskyy blasts Israel, suggests Russia-Iran nuclear collusion. Russia suspends participation in grain deal after Ukrainian attack.   Australia changes policy tack – moves in the direction of supporting the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

SAFETY. Ukraine’s Biggest Nuclear Plant Needs a Safety Zone. France discovers ominous cracks in dozens of nuclear reactors. Every nuclear power plant is a ‘dirty bomb’ in waiting: watchdog. Cracks found in all four Olkiluoto Nuclear 3 feedwater pumps. Bulgarian nuclear reactor shut down after technical glitch. ‘Swarm’ of drones spotted flying above UK nuclear plan.

SECRETS and LIES. Meet the spooks, mercenaries s and chickenhawk politicos enlisting as “North Atlantic Fellas Organization” (NAFO) trolls.   Criminals in Finland obtain weapons from Ukraine – police. 

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. Rocket Lab: Helping the US wage endless wars from space. Rocket Report: Norway’s nuclear rocket concerns.   Russian delegation at UN calls on USA to join initiative to renounce weapons in space.

SPINBUSTER. War, propaganda, and blindness. George Monbiot leads the “left” into being cheer- leaders for USA’s endless wars.

WASTES and REACTOR SHUTDOWNS. Cocooning the past – Plutonium reactor in Eastern Washington encased in steel to protect the river. Bring voices from the coast into the Fukushima treated water debate.

WAR and CONFLICT. EU ‘dancing on edge of volcano’ with Ukraine – French ex-president. Allegations fly about plans to use “dirty bomb” and nuclear weapons in Ukraine war. ‘No need’ for nuclear strikes on Ukraine, Putin says. Kremlin diplomat assures that Russia has no intention of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. NATO primes 20 prospective new members for global strike force. NATO could deploy nuclear warheads to Poland: official.    60 years ago today, this man stopped the Cuban missile crisis from going nuclear. Cuban missile crisis, 60 years on: new papers reveal how close the world came to nuclear disaster. 

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. Cities should increase role in effort to abolish nuclear weapons.24 – 30 October UN Disarmament Week – don’t let the world powers normalise “tactical” nuclear weapons – demand abolition of nuclear weapons now! Tactical Nuclear Fantasists. Spokane poised to declare city a nuclear free zone. US, Japan, S Korea vow response if N Korea tests nuclear bomb. USA upgrades its B61-12 nuclear bombs in Europe. Biden to scrap Trump missile project but critics attack US ‘nuclear overkill’/ NATO adds to warplane, missile defense assets in Baltic Sea. A failure to review America’s nuclear posture.

The Pentagon builds a network in Australian Department of Defence amidst media silence.  With nuclear-capable B-52 bombers in Australia, USA could make lethal nuclear attack on mainland China. US Air Force to deploy nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Australia. US deployment of nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Australia’s north likely to fuel China tensions. 

November 1, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. USA’s ‘Progressive” Democrats reveal themselves to be cowardly wimps

Wha-aa-aat? 30 USA Democrat Members oof Congress wrote an obsequious sycophantic letter to President Biden – congratulating him with fulsome praise on his management of the Ukraine war – and at the end – a timid paragraph – urging “vigorous diplomatic efforts in support of a negotiated settlement and ceasefire, engage in direct talks with Russia “

We – insignificant peasants – thought that, for the slavish mindless party loyalty of American politicians , this letter was a good idea.

But – no. Slavish mindless party loyalty beats good ideas – and within less than 24 hours  Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the Progressive Caucus, said the caucus was withdrawing the letter.

The problem is – the slavish mindless loyalty is really to the military-industrial-corporate- complex. They are America’s winners in all the wars over recent decades, inn the present Ukraine war, and the coming war against China – and further endless US wars if there’s anything left after that one.

October 26, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

This week’s nuclear news.

Some bits of good news :  Good News On The 2022 Climate Action Front.  
Undersea Cable to Funnel 3 Gigawatts of Solar Energy From Egypt to Power Millions of European Households

CLIMATE. Nuclear is on the front-line of climate change – and not in a good way – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJh_QheDN3E. Nuclear is Not a Climate Solution – Dr. Arjun Makhijani. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM-jMvUuLE4      Noisy support for an obvious failure. 

 Doomsday Greenland glacier on the brink as scientist sounds alarm. Least Developed Countries want ‘concrete action’ from rich nations at COP27 Climate Summit . COP27 climate change summit: World leaders urged to act as report reveals 768 million are underfed.

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Political Solution for Assange: Jennifer Robinson at the National Press Club. Group of 7 condemn Russian kidnapping of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant leadership. Russian language should become extinct in Ukraine – security chief.

ECONOMICS. The Economics Of European Nuclear Power Don’t Add Up. American companies might make highly enriched uranium fuel for small nuclear reactors, except that there seems to be no market for them. 

 ‘A nuclear waste dump and seaside resort don’t go well together’. What is Regulatory Asset Base and how will it affect future energy charges for Scots? Energy bills in Scotland set to rise to finance England’s nuclear power plants.

EMPLOYMENT. Strikes at French nuclear plants – what’s at stake?

ENERGY. How European countries are cutting power consumption. Renewable energy brings record savings to Europe. America’s new nuclear power industry has a Russian problem. France’s Nuclear Reactors Malfunction as Energy Crisis Bites.

ENVIRONMENT. An Elementary School Near a Nuclear Dump Site Is Teeming With Radioactivity. Marshall Islanders unwilling to sign economic agreement with USA – want redress first of their harmful nuclear legacy. The Nuclear Site That Can’t Be Cleaned Up.

ETHICS and RELIGION. Archbishop renews call for dialogue on ridding world of nuclear weapons.

HEALTH. Inhabitants of French Polynesian atolls call for support and compensation for the health and environmental harm from nuclear testing. NFLA urges UK government to distribute iodine tablets to help prepare for nuclear threat. How Iodine Tablets Block Some Nuclear Radiation. How Iodine Pills Can—and Can’t—Help Against Radiation.

HUMAN RIGHTS. UN Human Rights Council Presses US to Address Nuclear Legacy on the Marshall Islands.

LEGAL. Whistleblower’ says legal battle with nuclear site owners ‘almost broke me’.

MEDIA. The US Government Sees Silicon Valley As Part Of Its Propaganda Machine.

OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR. Nuclear Free Local Authorities urge the UK’s new Chancellor to scrap plan to invest in the Sizewell nuclear white elephant. Golden Rule sails for peace to Burlington.

POLITICS. Off the hook: UK government absolves nuclear operators from accident liability. Rishi Sunak’s Richmond constituency is one of the potential locations for a small nuclear reactor factory. Germany will still end nuclear power by April 2023. Kishida’s nuclear policy rekindles battle in small Japanese town.

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. The Ukraine war: the Europeans have been nicely played by the Americans. US billionaire proposes peace plan for Ukraine and Russia. Elon Musk supports Russia keeping Crimea—because he’s worried about nuclear escalation and World War III. The Profoundly Stupid Narrative That Nuclear Brinkmanship Is Safety And De-Escalation Is Danger.  How diplomacy averted nuclear war 60 years ago.

 Russia is funding its war on Ukraine by selling $billions of uranium to Europe’s nuclear industry– no sanctions on that! USA’s planned small nuclear reactors will need special uranium fuel – from Russia! 

Russia says U.S. blocked its participation in nuclear conference. The West Has Failed: North Korea Is a Nuclear State. Biden’s diplomatic nuclear faux pas regarding Pakistan.

PUBLIC OPINION. The Generational Divide Over Nuclear Power.

SAFETY. Moscow says it now runs Europe’s largest nuclear plant, causing chaos and confusion. IAEA chief hopes to return to Ukraine ‘soon‘ over nuclear plant talks, 

 A European scramble for nuclear energy is hampered by risks of terrorist and cyber attacks, as well as the wastes problem. Damage to feedwater pumps delays the operation of Finland’s massive new Olkiluoto nuclear reactor. U.S. Nuclear Reactors Among The Oldest In The World . M5.0 quake shakes Japan’s Fukushima, no damage reported.

SECRETS and LIES.

Scandalous conflicts of interest in Australia’s advice from USA on nuclear submarines.

 Elon Musk – arguably the world’s biggest conman and egoist. How the pro-Ukraine “North Atlantic Fellas Organization” (NAFO) troll operation crowd-funds war criminals.

SPACE: EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. New Zealand MP says Rocket Lab launches could betray country’s anti-nuclear stance.

WAR and CONFLICT. NOWHERE TO HIDE -How a nuclear war would kill you — and almost everyone else. “Present Danger: Nuclear Power Plants in War” Zelensky denies ordering attack on Crimean Bridge. Terror on Crimea Bridge and Russia unleashing shock’n awe. Why the US must press for a ceasefire in Ukraine. 

SCOTT RITTER: Nuclear High Noon in Europe. Rehearsal for ‘Armageddon’ Underway as NATO and Russia Hold Nuclear Exercises. US rehearses dropping nuclear bombs in Europe. NATO Chief  Raises Nuclear War Fever. Would the use of a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine lead to all-out nuclear war? US could directly intervene in Ukraine – ex-CIA chief Petraeus.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. International mayors’ group calls for nuclear abolition at Hiroshima conference

October 24, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. The tangled web of deception about small nuclear reactors (SMRs).

It’s been a mess from the start . Nobody wants to admit that the only real purpose for small nuclear reactors (SMRs) is to keep the nuclear weapons industry going.

The big propaganda lie is that SMRs will fix climate change. If that worked (a huge “If”) the world would need millions of SMRs dotted about the planet in a very short time.

The pretense is that they’re needed for electricity production – despite the continuing success of relatively quick establishment of much cheaper and cleaner renewable energy.

The absurdity that SMRs will be cheap. That goes along with the reality that very few investors want to fund them So – NuScale had to set up a rather dodgy, complicated investment body

And UK’s Rolls Royce had to set up and even more complicated one

With no chance of getting real private investors, the nuclear lobby relies on billionaires (Bill Gates for USA, the Perrodo family for UK) – but even they want tax-funded development of SMRs.

Oh, by the way – there are safety, terrorism, and weapons proliferation dangers in SMRs. And they produce wastes that are even more toxic than that produced by large reactors.

But the bit they really like to leave out – is that the whole thing absolutely needs high assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) bought from Russia

October 22, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

TODAY. Ya gotta laugh – the global nuclear lobby spin NEVER GIVES UP! -” Re-imagining Nuclear: Inspiring Youth”

In the midst of near nuclear apocalypse, of Zaporizhia crisis, climate extremes hitting nuclear reactors, astronomic nuclear costs – they think up this ridiculous art spin for the young-modern-cool -supposedly-pro-nuclear enthusiasts

In the picture above, you see at top right the latest “nuclear-reimagining” bit of fluffy spin, -in artwork sponsored by so-called “non-profit grassroots” nuclear propaganda group Generation Atomic

Yeah – the nuke lobby has gone all touchy-feely. Amazingly the generally sober IAEA has gone for this spurious rubbish – even touting the likes of “Isodope” – Isabelle Boemeke, and Zion Lights

Art contest prizes are sponsored by the well-known art authorities International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC), Électricité de France (EDF), and NuScale Power

The nuclear lobby’s timing is exquisite. As the IAEA’s safety expert Rafael Grossi is now tearing his hair out over the Zaporizhia crisis, and the world teeters on the brink of nuclear war – they expect the young to fall for this soft, sweet, lying pro nuke spin. I don’t think that today’s young people are that stupid.

October 20, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 3 Comments

Nuclear, and some other, news – week to 11 October.

Some bits of good news –  What went right this week: an iconic river reborn, plus more.   Around 90 per cent of the plastic in our oceans could be gone by 2040-(they claim, anyway).

A tragic and predictable story.  Another Australian, Wilfred Burchett went to Hiroshima in the first days following the atomic bomb. He photographed the victims, the devastation, the horror, done by the USA. and he wrote about it all.
What happened to Burchett’s  record of this –   it disappeared, then came the never-ending persecution of him, and his banishment from his own country.
They’ll do it more subtly to Assange. They’ll aim to break his spirit and his mental health.  
For Australia, America’s lackey – the best face-saving outcome will be – to make Assange plead guilty. Then he spends some time in the cruellest USA prison. then a “kindly” U.S. President  magnaminously lets him go to an.. Australian gaol. Some years later, a completely discredited and broken Julian is released, when they’re sure he’s forgotten by the public.
But world-wide journalists won’t forget- they have been shown how they must toe the USA line.

Coronavirus.COVID-19 world weekly cases drop 7% but European nations rise 2%  .(Governments in Covid denial?)  International task force finds COVID-19 origins ‘most likely zoonotic’ and warns of a failure to reduce animal-to-human transmission.Julian Assange tests positive for COVID-19.

Rotting in jail’: Thousands march for Julian Assange’s release as his brother urges Anthony Albanese to act. Assange protesters rally for his release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-l5-PXo0qY The CIA, the corporate state, and the persecution of Julian Assange – democracy being destroyed.

Nuclear War and Moral Sanity. Why We Need To Teach Nuclear War. Nothing’s more important than avoiding nuclear war. 2022 Nobel Peace Prize award violates the purpose of the prize .

Media hide the fascist ideology of Ukrainian militia who visit U.S. Congress.

The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2022 (WNISR2022). Nuclear share in energy generation falls to lowest in four decades-report.

The risk of nuclear disaster grows every day.

Radioactive releases from the nuclear power sector and implications for child health.

Particle radioactivity linked to pollution-associated heart attack and stroke death.

Renewables need minerals. Can their pollution and public health challenges be overcome?

UKRAINE. 

• Ukraine behind Crimean Bridge blast – US media . Crimean Bridge explosion ‘just the beginning,’ Ukraine warns. Lavrov explains why Russia sees Ukraine as a threat – Zelensky asked NATO for a pre-emptive nuclear strike. Zelensky aide attempts to walk back call for ‘preemptive strike’. US comments on Zelensky’s ‘preemptive strike’ appeal. 
•  ‘We’re hunting them down and shooting them like pigs’: How the Ukrainians are taking brutal revenge on pro-Russian collaborators
• Ukraine War Exposes Risks to Deploying Small Nuclear Reactors. Ukraine’s ZNPP Must Be Urgently Protected, IAEA’s Grossi Says After Plant Loses All External Power Due to Shelling. Zaporizhzhia on the brink: How deteriorating conditions at the nuclear power plant could lead to disaster. 
• Black pigmentation in Chernobyl’s Eastern Tree Frogs. Crops growing 30 miles outside of Chernobyl are still contaminated with dangerous levels of strontium .

POLAND. Poland suggests hosting US nuclear weapons- ‘nuclear sharing’.

RUSSIA. Are Putin’s nuclear threats really likely to lead to Armageddon?

UK   

• 7,000 form human chain in London to protest treatment of Assange.
• The great ratepayer robbery: how UK new nuclear rips off its customers.  Liz Truss and Emmanuel Macron get together on promoting nuclear power, especially Sizewell C. Will Sizewell C nuclear really go ahead? EDF’s €60bn debt, and €52bn costs for French nuclear build. 
• Liz Truss blocks a plan for UK citizens to reduce their energy use. Truss sees energy conservation measures as making Britain a ‘nanny state’.
•  Scotland government will double down on opposition to new nuclear power stations north of the border. Truss call for Scottish nuclear power is to make up for UK mistakes. 
• Nuclear fusion – public money wasted on this unproven technology. Britain’s new Energy Secretary suffering from the ‘nuclear fusion delusion’. 
• Nuclear test veterans: Stik sculpture unveiled at Kent army museum. 
• First containers sealed into Dounreay low level waste vaults. UK’s Nuclear Free Local Authorities urge the South Copeland Geological Disposal Facility to make meetings more “accessible and transparent”.

FRANCE . France’s nuclear energy strategy — once its pride and joy — faces big problems this winter. France and UK to take joint control of Sizewell C nuclear plant. Macron’s nuclear dream means attacking environmental law, and is no help to the climate. As France’s nuclear power production is failing, the government aims to cut the nation’s electricity consumption.

EUROPE. No nuclear power ‘renaissance’ as Europe wrestles energy crisis. Russia’s €200m nuclear exports untouched by EU sanctions. 25 years ago Australia’s Paul Keating warned against expanding NATO.

AUSTRIA. Austria has filed a legal case against European Union’s inclusion of nuclear and gas as “clean” in the EU “taxonomy.

GERMANY. Lasting peace in Europe only possible with Russia’s input – Angela Merkel. State ministry reports leak at German nuclear plant, experts investigating.

USA. 

• Chris Hedges: the corporate state, the CIA, and the lynching of Julian Assange.
• Jeffrey Sachs: end Ukraine proxy war or face “armageddon” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g57ViSqmRFM . Biden must deal on Ukraine . Joe Biden warned of nuclear ‘Armageddon’ amid Russia’s threats. The White House isn’t so sure.  US purchases $290 million of drug for use in radiological and nuclear emergencies .  
• ‘Now, All of You Are Azov’: ‘openly neo-Nazi’ Ukrainian delegation meets Congress, tours US.
• NextEra Energy finds that small nuclear reactors (SMRs) really are the biggest boondoggle of all. 
• Lessons from Hiroshima and nuclear power. 
• Does Russia sell nearly $1 billion in uranium to the U.S. a year?- (If you can follow all this – well good luck to you!)
• Kerr McGee: Is the thorium danger over?

MARSHALL ISLANDS. Marshall Islands to receive U.N. support over nuclear legacy. ‘We want to thank them’: Local Marshallese community welcomes anti-nuclear testing ship.

SPAIN. The government’s price isn’t right for plutonium-contaminated land in Palomares (Almeria)

BELGIUM. Two Belgian nuclear reactors fail in a week.

MYANMAR. Myanmar Junta’s Nuclear Ambition Timeline.

AUSTRALIA. The Australian Radioactive Waste Agency (ARWA) shows that the planned Kimba dump is predominantly for ANSTO’s wastes, NOT for medical wastes. Coalition nuclear power bill “dead on arrival,” but somehow the debate lives on. What do you think the arms trade is, a charity? Actually yes, that’s what it is.

October 10, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Fluoride in drinking water has no effect on child brain development

Am I pleased to find this article. I have spent much time over the years in studying this fluoride question.

All that I’ve found is that fluoridation of water, (where it is deficient) is almost certainly the best public health measure ever.

I can’t understand the fuss made by people who accept iodised salt etc, where it’s needed, but go into panic about fluoride.

Being anti-nuclear does not automatically mean being anti-fluoride, anti-vaccination etc.

Fluoride in drinking water has no effect on child brain development

The UQ research found no difference in brain development between children who drank fluoridated water and those who didn’t.

October 9, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

Another week in nuclear AND CLIMATE news

Some bits of good news – UN declares healthy environment a human right.  – and other good developments – collated by Greenpeace.   World’s Largest Container Line is Rerouting its Fleet to Avoid Collisions with Endangered Blue Whales..  Patagonia company Gives Away Its Entire $3 Billion Worth to fight climate change  .  Climate.   The world in denial about the climate crisis.Tipping Point Hell Approaches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxoyaCSWFGs

Coronavirus. The pandemic has gone away – yeah, right! – 

 Health leaders urge vaccination and return to mask-wearing as hospitalisations rise by 37 per cent in a week.

Nuclear. I got distracted from  this main subject this week-  because of the climate’s urgent reality.  It was about King Charles – being told, by that apparently mindless flibbertigibbet Liz Truss,  not to attend the COP 27.  And he obeyed . Isn’t that just symptomatic of the whole damn problem?  We’re all supposed to be ‘nice’ don’t rock the established boat –   even though the bloody boat is on fire!.

Here comes the catastrophocene…

“End War in Ukraine” Say 66 Nations at UN General Assembly.

What are tactical nuclear weapons? An international security expert explains and assesses what they mean for the war in Ukraine.

US, UK sabotaged peace deal because they ‘don’t care about Ukraine’: fmr. NATO adviser. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T0zaYncvFQ

 These ‘nuclear bros’ say they know how to solve climate change.

UKRAINE. 

• Zelensky pledges never to talk to Putin. 
• Interviews With Donetsk Residents After Joining Russia – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq-pM-JPBCQ 
• JOHN PILGER’S 2014 WARNING ABOUT UKRAINE. Both sides need to acknowledge their mistakes, especially regarding Crimea and the Donbass. “Eva Bartlett describes Ukraine’s unspeakable genocide of Donbass FULL INTERVIEW (Graphic Content Warning)” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TiC0w8JLu4
•  ‘Not wise’ to let Ukraine join NATO – Kissinger.   U.S. has not seen acts indicating Russia contemplating nuclear attack. NATO chief throws cold water on Ukraine’s bid to join NATO.       The New York Times on Ukraine: Vietnam Déjà Vu.
• Missile strike near Ukrainian nuclear plant raises new fears. But the real question is why is it there at all? Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: Energoatom denies fire in power unit 2.  Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant director general detained by Russian patrol (since released).
• Zelensky Reveals How Much US Taxpayers Give Ukraine Monthly. 
• Why Donbass residents voted to join Russia – the pro-Russian point of view.  
• Chernobyl’s Radiation Turned Its Local Frogs Black.

RUSSIA. Kremlin steps back from call to use nuclear weapons. Russia open to in-person talks with U.S. on nuclear arms treaty. Russia’s oil and gas sanctioned, – but its profitable nuclear trade allowed to roll on!

CANADA. Canada and the International Fools-Based Order.

EUROPE NATO ‘not obliged’ to assist Ukraine — German ambassador. NATO in the horns of a dilemma after former Ukrainian regions vote to join Russia. 

Nuclear power classed as “amber”, not “green”. Is it officially accepted as Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG) ? EU parliamentarian calls to sanction Vanessa Beeley and all observers of Donbass referendums. Sanctions against Russian exports – but that doesn’t apply to NUCLEAR EXPORTS, (while they bring in funding for Russia’s war!).

POLAND. Poland starts handing out anti-radiation tablets as battle rages around Ukraine nuclear power plant.

SWITZERLAND. Swiss Government wants command centre in case of ‘nuclear event’.

USA. 

• Don’t nuke the future . Subsidies to Nuclear Power in the Inflation Reduction Act still won’t save the poor economics of nuclear power – Cato Institute. 
• Uncle Sam’s Long Trail of Wreckage. Washington split over Ukraine’s NATO bid – Politico. USA government, Pentagon, happy to escalate to a nuclear war – at the behest of Volodymyr Zelensky ? The real Winners of Ukraine war – the USA weapons manufacturers! U.S. Announces $1.1 Billion In Aid For Building Ukraine’s Military. US Senate Approves $12 Billion In New Aid For Ukraine Amid War. White House requests Ukraine nuclear security funding to expand assistance due to nuclear power plant concerns.   The Insanity That Grips Washington – militarism applauded in New York Times. 
• America’s nuclear industry remains dependent on Russia for enriched uranium fuel. 
• How can Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant stay open? ‘It’s not a done deal’.
•  Pilgrim power plant owner still considering dumping nuclear waste into Cape Cod Bay. Nuclear Waste: DOE Needs to Improve Transparency in Planning for Disposal of Certain Low-Level Waste. 
• Maryland couple pleads guilty to selling nuclear-related secrets. US intel wants to improve low-dose radiation detection. Climate pragmatism or Faustian bargain?

UK.S UK Government to speed through nuclear development by making a bonfire of existing environmental regulations. Labour’s ‘Great British Energy’ Company likely to be a nuclear turkey. Giant pensions group Phoenix considers investing in nuclear, but wary of the financial risks. 

Save the fish: Nuclear Free Local Authorities call for acoustic deterrent at Sizewell C. Sizewell C nuclear plan – an insane legacy for our grandchildren. Two UK nuclear stations were due for closure in 2014. Now EDF wants to extend their lifetime yet again. 

‘People’s Plan for Nature‘ – a response to UK government’s attack on environmental protection laws. King Charles abandoned plans to speak at Cop27 climate summit, now will not attend, on instruction from Prime Minister Liz Truss. 

Honouring Britain’s nuclear testing veterans. Truss caves in to Mirror’s demands to mark ‘Plutonium Jubilee’

JAPAN.   Fukushima Reaches a Turning Point . Current State of Post-Accident Operations at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (Jan. to Jun. 2022).     Fukushima: Novel Fixes Fail, Waste Dumping Threatens Pacific Ocean. Japan asking world to pay too high a cost.  Fukushima radioactive sludge storage container will be full of nuclear wastewater purification may be hindered. Businesses worry about reputational damage from Fukushima water discharge.    

Inside the Primary Containment Vessel of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 1.   The TEPCO Shareholders’ Lawsuit: Why TEPCO Executives Have Been Ordered to Pay 13 Trillion Yen in Compensation. Nuclear fuel reprocessing plant hit by 26th postponement. New head of nuclear regulator vows to maintain ‘transparency‘.

SOUTH KOREA.  Seoul asks IAEA for verification of Japan’s plan to discharge treated water from Fukushima plant

FRANCE. Electricite de France, (EDF) loaded with debt and safety problems , gets a new CEO.

CHINA. India makes sure that China withdraws proposal against AUKUS nuclear submarines plan at IAEA.

NEW ZEALAND . New Zealand Calls It Quits On Aiding Ukraine’s Military. Opposition in New Zealand to Military Space Launches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XZzYm04xjE

IRAN. Conditions for Fair Nuclear Deal Outlined Iran Nuclear Deal Talks at Dead End, Biden Admin Tells Congress in Classified Briefing.
SWEDEN. Amid increased threats to military and civilian targets, Sweden increases security around nuclear power stations.

AUSTRALIA. War Powers Reform: those in favour say aye … or maybe “no comment”. Who are the war criminals? Taiwan “is not a vital Australian interest — we do not recognise it as a sovereign state”. 

October 4, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. Going blindly into the climate apocalypse

Yeah- I promised myself that my websites and articles would stick to the nuclear threat, and to exposing nuclear lies. Yeah – forget climate – everybody else is doing it.

Trouble is – they’re not!. The rich, powerful, influential people are not paying attention to global heating.

Today – the perfect example of corporate control over our planet’s future! King Charles, of the UK and British Commonwealth of Nations, caves in and obeys Prime Minister Liz Truss – he will now not attend the Cop 27 Climate Summit, where he was scheduled to give a speech.

King Charles will shut up about climate, the environment and our future. That is symbolic of what is happening world-wide –

good, supposedly educated, quite affluent people in the so-called developed world are being “nice”, not rocking the boat, not causing others to be anxious, not discussing unpleasant things like global heating – that would be bad taste!

Never mind that our teenagers don’t read books etc, spend their lives on TikTok, with their dwindling attention spans. But some of them are depressed and suicidal. Could that be because those who do think , see that we are giving them a terrible future?

Meanwhile – in the “undeveloped” i.e poor countries, – well, along with drought, hunger, sea level rise, extreme weather, flooding ……. it is a struggle to stay alive, not much energy to deal with climate change. And anyway, their “betters” – powerful , mainly white, people will make their decisions for them. Just a pity that the “betters” are too busy making money, increasing material “goods”, and entertaining themselves.

I still think that I must stick to nuclear. But then again, perhaps it won’t matter – as extreme weather might put a stop to the nuclear industry, along with everything else. Now there’s a silver lining to the gloomy climate picture!

October 2, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

TODAY. My biased coverage of Ukraine war and Donbass referendums.

Why do I repeatedly give the pro Russian view of these events?

Well, it’s simply because the avalanche of Ukraine news and views in the prevailing English-language media is stridently anti-Russian, and heroically pro-Ukraine..

Think about it. We, the anglophone nations, plus Europe, are NOT at war with Russia. There might be some excuse for this appallingly bad coverage if we were formally at war.

Universally, it would seem, we swallow the story that the Donbass referendums are a sham. And where do we get our news from – it’s always Kiev – the heart of pro Ukraine propaganda, and hundreds of kilometres away from the Donbass region.

And what is our news avalanche like in style and content? Well on Australian TV media they showed the effect of the gas leak (attributed of course to Russian sabotage), as a close-up of a baby crying.! All we get is emotional coverage of unhappy people. Now this is true, and Ukrainian people are suffering. But it’s not a factual picture, and not the whole picture, of how the war is going.

And as for the history, the background to this war, and why it came about – forget it! All we get is unrelenting USA and NATO propaganda.

And for the future – like silver-tongued Anthony Blinken, and his Australia’s mimic Richard Marles – all we get is the mantra we must keep the “Global-Rules-Based-Order” !

Somebody has to raise questions about a view that differs from this avalanche. So that is why I, and a few others, do it

October 1, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 3 Comments

TODAY. Don’t be fooled by the sly inclusion of nuclear as “clean” energy. NUCLEAR POWER IS DIRTY POWER.

Sometimes I think that the Tories are just more honest. They don’t give a damn about the environment, whereas UK Labour, (and the USA “progressives, Democrats etc) use weasel words to sneak nuclear in amongst genuinely clean systems like solar.

“A Labour government would set up a “Great British Energy” company to generate more clean power for the nation – a “100 per cent clean power system” with wind, solar, tidal, energy efficiency, and including nuclear.

It’s a lie, and they know it – having sold their soul to the powerful nuclear lobby.

Nuclear power is dirty. Above all – its sole real purpose is to further the nuclear weapons industry, and thus increase the risks of destroying the environment and its species (us included).

Even without accidents, the entire nuclear fuel cycle from uranium mining through to accumulation of dead reactors and toxic wastes emits ionising radiation that causes cancer, other diseases and birth defects. For most of this fuel cycle, much carbon is emitted. The risk of accidents is ever present, – as illustrated in today’s dangerous situation in Ukraine, as sell as in past history.

Nuclear power leaves toxic wastes that will remain toxic for many many centuries, and they don’t know how to get rid of it. No real toilet for nuclear – how dare they call this “clean”!!

September 28, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment