Christina's notes « nuclear-news

Nuclear radiation affects women more than men

NUCLEAR POWER and WOMEN – our focus for May 2010

Decisions on nuclear power, nuclear weapons, nuclear wastes are almost exclusively made by men.

Yet the brunt of nuclear-caused cancer is suffered by women and children, as is the brunt of nuclear war, and of depleted uranium spread.

Opinion polls over many years, and in many countries, consistently show that women are opposed to nuclear power and nuclear weapons.

More women than men are concerned about health and environmental effects of the nuclear industry.

Yet they are consistently reassured by narrowly educated nuclear physicists, and other technocrats, that nuclear power is safe, and that they have nothing to worry about in regard to ionising radiation.

April 28, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

Nuclear salesmen a jump ahead of the public and politicians

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19 April 2010, Now, AREVA and others have convinced the world’s political leaders that their gee-whiz (though only planned, and untested), nuclear systems to re-use old nuclear fuel, are the answer to nuclear terrorism

How many ordinary people understand the words in nuclear technology?

How easily are we ordinary mortals told that it’s all too complex for us to understand. We should trust “the nuclear experts”, – who, by the way, would be out of a job if this expensive way of boiling water (nuclear technology), were to be abandoned.

Re-using dirty, dangerous old radioactive stuff produces even more dangerous radioactive stuff, which terrorists would, of course, like to get their hands on.

AREVA and the rest of them can call it Recycling, Reprocessing, Fast Breeder, Integral Fast Reactor – any fancy term to confuse us, They’re still just trying to sell us still similar expensive ways to boil liquids

Safest would be to shut down the nuclear industry, clean up as best we can, and call it quits for this 70 year old failed energy experiment

April 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | antinuclear, AREVA, enriched, fast breeder, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radioactive, reactors, recycling, reprocessing, uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear industry jumps on the Nuclear Security bandwagon

The big pitch to get “nuclear security” (now there’s another oxymoron) is being taken up by the nuclear lobby, with fervour. Let’s get new gee-whiz reactors that can use the old nuclear weapons fuel!

The world still ends up with even more toxic waste from these reactors. And the transport of the enriched uranium and plutonium? Still plenty of scope there for somebody to get hold of it and make a bomb. Even a “dirty bomb” will do. – our theme for April – Nuclear Power and Peace

April 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radioactive | Leave a comment

Recycling nuclear fuel, dangerous and dirty

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by Christina Macpherson 15 April 2010, It all sounded so good – removing stockpiles of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) and plutonium from international sites, and using them to provide fuel for nuclear reactors in USA and Russia.

And one part is good. This program would end the dirty, dangerous, uranium mining industry.

However, nobody’s talked about :

1. the dangers of transporting this stuff, – risk of accident, as in the movement of HEU from Chile, theft, terrorist attack

2. what to do with the final resulting highly radioactive waste from this process of recycling . It all still ends up with even more toxic, dangerous nuclear wastes. Still a risk of theft. still a target for terrorists, still extremely long-lasting wastes, and no-one has found a way to safely dispose of nuclear wastes.

April 15, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes, spinbuster | antinuclear, enriched, fast breeder, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

The nuclear lobby jumps on the “peace” bandwagon

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Christina Macpherson.29 March 2010 In April-May there will be international conventions and conferences aimed at reducing the spread of nuclear weapons.
Unfortunately the nuclear lobby is well and truly on this bandwagon. The “peace” message will be joined with the message to increase “civil” nuclear energy, and the George W. Bush initiated plan of “cradle to grave” nuclear fuel cycle of leasing uranium.

Never mind that scientific opinion has already discredited nuclear power as “safe” or “clean”, and discredited George W. Bush’s plan – the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, The GNEP is still being touted as the magic formula that will not only “solve” the nuclear waste problem (by returning wastes to their uranium mining origin). Now the GNEP is going to promote peace too!

March 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes, spinbuster | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

“Peaceful Nuclear Power” – it’s an oxymoron

Harmonious relationships between people and nations cannot survive in a nuclear power society, with its atmosphere of secrecy, surveillance , suspicion, fear, and ever-present real danger. Nuclear Power and Peace – our theme for April 2010

March 28, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, Christina's notes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, peace, peaceful | Leave a comment

The hypocrisy of Australia selling uranium to Russia

It’s amazing, the way that elected leaders can just go back on the promises that got them elected in the first place. Australia, as a federal government, and states like South Australia, have this wonderful ability.

When it comes to helping their corporate overlords to make very many fast bucks, Kevin Rudd’s Australian government has no problem in ditching their own inquiry about selling uranium to Russia.

Just as Russia goes ahead promoting Iran’s nuclear power, and Kevin Rudd has the gall to continue to pose as a world leader in nuclear disarmament.

March 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear Colonialism: Selling nukes to India, etc

It’s a sad thing, that with all their energy and intelligence, the “developing world”, the “Third World” seem intent on copying the “First” and “Second” worlds, no matter whether this is a good idea or not.

So – the “First” and “Second ” worlds – (Britain, Europe – USA, Canada, Australia) – found out how bad cigarettes, asbestos and nuclear power are. So – what do they do? Now sell them to the Third World.

Colonialism all over again!

March 15, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | antinuclear, AREVA, cancer, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes | Leave a comment

Governments seriously pursue nuclear power despite unsolved waste problem!

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The response below should be widely read. It is relevant for all places where new nuclear projects are planned, (as well as where longer life for aging reactors is planned.)

As a simple member of the “peasantry” “the great unwashed”, the “hoi polloi”, I am puzzled that the Experts and the Powers That Be – anywhere, can seriously contemplate going ahead with this new nuclear charade.

I fear that their inability to deal with existing nuclear waste is somehow propelling them into making more of the stuff – just so that future generations will have to cope with the problem, – as if, somehow, that gets today’s leaders off the hook, for now.

I know that this is weird and twisted logic – but IS IT THEIR LOGIC, anyway?

January 25, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes, politics, UK, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Anxiety as the Western world losing dominance of the nuclear industry

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First and Second World countries are starting to look better, when compared with what is coming.

With very dubious safety and occupational health regulations, and with a big lack of transparency, South Korea embarks on a nuclear sales program to the Middle East.

China and India enthusiastically aim for nuclear power – also both with dubious safety, and secrecy.

Nuclear opponents have become accustomed to criticising France, UK, USA, Russia, Japan, Israel. But these First and Second World countries are starting to look better, when compared with what is coming.

For the U.S.A. and U.K. we have a chance of learning through free media about nuclear incidents. And possibly even for France. Not so sure about Russia. But at least they’ve all had experience of this so very dangerous industry. But for China, and the Asian and Middle East nations there’s likely to be an unhealthy combination of inexperience and news censorship.

Now we have countries with little experience or expertise and with dubious or no oversight of plants and of waste dumps, or uranium mines. And – countries that purport to want only ‘peaceful’ nuke power, Yet with obvious other power resources – e.g. Saudi Arabia, why would they want nukes? The answer that springs to mind is – for nuclear weapons.

And nuke weapons are not the only worry. How vulnerable are these “non-Western” nukes to accident, theft of plutonium, terrorism, and response to mistaken attack?

January 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes, politics international | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactor, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear disarmament nonsense

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Now really – does this make any sense to you? The International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament offers this change to a “no first use” policy – encouraging countries to make an initial statement to this effect – “the sole purpose of the possession of nuclear weapons is to deter the use of such weapons – “

This kind of stuff from world leaders shows us, as does Copenhagen, that we really can’t expect much sense from them. Let’s not feel too unkindly about well-meaning individuals such as Obama Barack, and Australia’s Kevin Rudd. They are, as Ralph Nader explained recently – “corporate prisoners”

December 16, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes, weapons and war | antinuclear, Copenhagen, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Why don’t they count radioactive wastes in nuclear costing?

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In today’s news we learn that the USA’s existing nuclear wastes could cost $225 billion. Of course, the government is up for these costs, not the nuclear industry. So somehow – well, then, the pretty well eternal waste storage and security is not part of the costing for nuclear power!

That’s a pretty nice bit of sleight of hand, isn’t it? But the non-democracies do it even better. Nobody has any idea what are the real costs of France, Russia, China’s nuclear wastes, nor who actually ends up paying for them.

December 10, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, Christina's notes | antinuclear, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radioactive, uranium, wastes | Leave a comment

Time we all woke up to the pro-nuclear con!

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On today’s page I include an article on India and the planned nuclear reactors there. I was struck by the fact that it will be a “multi-billion dollar market to American firms” . But, at the same time, those firms want to make sure that the Indian government (i.e the Indian taxpayer) will pay for any “industrial accident”. (Quote ‘ India’s multi-billion-dollar nuclear market to American firms. US firms already worry over delays such as writing a new Indian law to limit US firms’ liability in case of an industrial accident’)

The nuclear industry wants the money – but not the responsibility. They must think that the danger is important, to be concerning themselves so much about such liability. Yet at the same time, they’ll tell us all that the industry is so very safe.

Do we take note of these contradictions? Is this a new and so much more sophisticated version of Western colonial oppression?

December 9, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes, India, spinbuster | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, radiation, radioactive | 2 Comments

The GNEP and the myth of ‘clean’ nuclear power

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Could it be that the nuclear powers are in so deep that they just don’t know how to get out? Despite the cost, despite the mounting unsolved waste problem, despite the countries seeking nuclear weapons, the Big Powers forge on with the myths of “clean” “cheap”, “climate friendly” nuclear power.

From the statement of Gordon Brown, and the US China joint statement (both quoted below) it looks as if the myths will continue to be perpetrated, and that even the failed idea of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership might get a re-run.

November 18, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Grand global hogwash about nuclear power

‘We can lead construction of a new global order’ Public service.co.uk November 17, 2009 The UK can shape the world of the future by leading in global co-operation, the Prime Minister said in his annual speech on foreign policy at the Lord Mayor’s banquet. Gordon Brown – “………..Britain must continue to lead the renewal of a grand global bargain between nuclear weapon and non-nuclear weapon states. A fair and balanced deal in which non nuclear weapons states must accept clear responsibilities to end proliferation by renouncing nuclear weapons in return for the right to access civil nuclear power;…..

‘We can lead construction of a new global order’ – Public Service

November 18, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, Christina's notes, spinbuster | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes | Leave a comment