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The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

Cleanup of 70 year old thorium uranium waste site at Brookly/Queens border

Site on borough border being purged of radiation, Queens Ledger,  by Kathleen Lees Nov 20, 2012   A piece of property along the Brooklyn/Queens border, formerly owned and operated by the Wolff-Alport Chemical Company, is currently undergoing a process to help reduce levels of elevated radiation in the area.

During the 1940s, the organization imported monazite sand at its location at 1125-1139 Irving Ave., which contains thorium and small amounts of uranium byproducts. When the company closed in 1954 and went out of business, an EPA document stated that some waste products
from the site were disposed into a nearby sewer or buried at the location. Continue reading →

November 21, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear building dispute in Czech Republic

Czech nuclear tender dispute: Areva wins some breathing space Ft.com November 20, 2012 by beyondbrics The Czech authorities have temporarily blocked the state power company CEZ from signing a contract to build two nuclear reactors while they consider an appeal from France’s Areva against its disqualification from the tender.

The order from the Office for the Protection of Competition (UOHS) is not the body blow to the tender that Areva, angry at its exclusion, is trying to engineer.

But it injects more uncertainty into a process that was knocked sideways by CEZ’s surprise decision last month to drop Areva, leaving only Toshiba’s US subsidiary Westinghouse and a Czech-Russian consortium to contest the estimated €8bn-$10bn project for two reactors at the Temelin plant….. http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2012/11/20/czech-nuclear-tender-dispute-areva-wins-some-breathing-space/#axzz2CsZBwCx5

November 21, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear weapons plan for Egypt?

IS EGYPT PURSUING A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM? The Blaze November 18, 2012   by  Tiffany Gabbay As the Middle East rages out of control, great emphasis is placed on the Islamic Republic of Iran as it scrambles furiously to produce a nuclear warhead. A lesser known evil boiling beneath the surface, however, is that Egypt, now led by the Muslim Brotherhood via its newly elected President Mohamed Morsi, may indeed have nuclear weapons-ambitions of its own. During an exclusive panel discussion with Professor Raymond Stock, former visiting assistant professor of Arabic and Middle East Studies at Drew University, delved deeper into Egypt’s relationship with Iran and its plans to develop nuclear
weapons….. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/is-egypt-pursuing-a-nuclear-weapons-program/

November 19, 2012 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

Call for Israel- Palestine talks, not bombs

 Hold out a hand to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Stop with the “pinpoint assassinations” and look into the civilians’ eyes on the other side as well.

A message to Israel’s leaders: Don’t defend me – not like this  http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/a-message-to-israel-s-leaders-don-t-defend-me-not-like-this.premium-1.478105 As she listens to the rockets raining in her yard, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza asks the government to rethink its Gaza mission. By Michal Vasser | Nov.15, 2012 The first thing I want to say is: Please don’t defend me. Not like this. Continue reading →

November 17, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear costs ‘absurdly high and still rising’ – Al Gore

Al Gore: nuclear power will play ‘limited role’ in future energy mix  Former vice-president says cost of nuclear power is ‘absurdly high and still rising’ The Guardian   16 Nov 12 Nuclear power will only play a limited role in the world’s energy future because of its “absurdly high” cost, Al Gore said on Thursday.

Despite several countries, including the US, UK and China, pushing forward with plans for new nuclear reactors, the former vice-president said the economics of nuclear meant that it was unlikely to play a major role…..  he said that while nuclear was expensive, renewable energy technologies were fast becoming cheaper. “Meanwhile, solar PV [photovoltaics] is riding a ‘Moore’s Law Jr’ costdown curve. Wind and efficiency too, though not as steep. We need to get to scale on renewables quickly and make the transition.” Continue reading →

November 17, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Japan had massive tornadoes, November 15

AP: Massive tornados sweep through Japan — Filmed hovering along coastline — Warnings issued (VIDEOS) http://enenews.com/ap-massive-tornados-sweep-through-japan-filmed-hovering-along-coastline-warnings-issued-videos
Title:  Dramatic tornados sweep through Japan
Source: AP
Date: 15 Nov 2012
h/t Aonymous tip

Two massive tornados have swept through the western region of Japan. […]

Tornadoes are relatively rare in Japan and the agency has issued further warnings of strong winds, lightning and tornados. […]

Strong winds are expected to persist and the flow from western Japan is expected to continue pushing cool air into the northern regions, causing unstable weather.

Title: Rare tornado caught on tape in Japan
Source: NBC
Date: Nov. 14, 2012

A Japanese television crew captured a rare tornado hovering over a city along the country’s coast on Wednesday. […]

Japan’s meteorological agency has issued warnings of similar tornados across the country following freak hail storms and weather patterns, especially on the coast bordering the sea  of Japan.

Watch CBS video here

November 16, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Film “Nuclear Savage” exposes horror of Marshall Islands atomic bomb tests

Documentary brings a dark side of nuclear past to light
http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/11/11/blogs/documentary-brings-a-dark-side-of-nuclear-past-to-light.html By Adrian Gomez / Asst. Arts Editor, Reel NM on Sun, Nov 11, 2012 Adam Jonas Horowitz began his journey as a filmmaker more than 25 years ago. The Santa Fe resident traveled to the Marshall Islands in 1986 on a whim. What he discovered there was shocking. Continue reading →

November 12, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Flying through a nuclear mushroom cloud

What It’s Like To Fly Through A Nuclear Mushroom Cloud
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/11/what-its-like-to-fly-through-a-nuclear-mushroom-cloud/ CASEY CHAN 10 NOVEMBER, 2012   Joe Pasquini, a RAF flight navigator, had the unfortunate job of collecting samples of a nuclear bomb after it exploded. Which meant, Pasquini had to fly an aeroplane covered in wax through the mushroom cloud to capture the floating radioactive particles. That doesn’t sound fun.

Pasquini, who has had seven bouts with cancer since flying that plane through the cloud, describes the experience to the BBC . “It detonated at 8000 feet [2432m]. We had our eyes closed, but even with our eyes closed we could see the light through our eye lids. It
took 49 seconds for the light to stop… I think I saw the face of God for the first time. It was just incredible, it blew our minds away. These were things that had never been seen before, certainly not by English people.”

Flying at 46,000 feet (14km), Pasquini even saw radioactive rain pour over his aeroplane. Yeah, I’m glad I’ll never have to go through a freaking mushroom cloud for testing purposes. Pasquini, who’s now 79, is now helping veterans families get compensation for being put in
harm’s way during their military service

November 12, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Ahmadinejad’s call against nuclear weapons

The hardline conservative president said he was open to talks with Obama on forging peace around the world and called for the dismantling of all U.S. military bases abroad.

Obama’s re-election may open an opportunity for new negotiations with
Iran

‘The period of using nuclear weapons is over’: Ahmadinejad says nations stockpiling atomic bombs ‘mentally retarded’ http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/08/the-period-of-using-nuclear-weapons-is-over-ahmadinejad-says-nations-stockpiling-atomic-bombs-mentally-retarded/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NP_Top_Stories+%28National+Post+-+Top+Stories%29 Trisha Sertori, Reuters | Nov 8, 2012 NUSA DUA, Indonesia — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday the age of nuclear deterrence was long gone and any country still stockpiling nuclear weapons was “mentally retarded.” Continue reading →

November 9, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

That obsoltee, expensive, dangerous technology – nuclear power

Nuclear power: stuck in the past in more ways than one Greenpeace,  by Justin McKeating – November 8, 2012 “….. The nuclear industry continually claims the developing world needs nuclear reactors to be able to realise their potential.

We’re told nuclear power is a magic bullet for the creation of jobs and growth. This amounts to little more than propaganda as part of the sales pitch to build new reactors. Nuclear companies bring their own workers and keep the profits.

Look at Bulgaria where Russian, Chinese and Vietnamese workers were imported to work on nuclear projects there. Look at Niger that fulfils 40% of France’s uranium demands and yet languishes at the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index  which measures life expectancy, education, and incomes.

We’re told that nuclear power will provide “energy security”  and independency to those countries adopting it. But here we see starkly how that is a lie – countries buying nuclear reactors are dependent on a handful of

suppliers and countries who control the technology as well as the nuclear fuel supply.

Nuclear power is an old technology – its fundamental principles have hardly evolved since the 1950s. It looks like much the same could be said for some of its supporter’s views about nuclear power’s potential “customers”. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/nuclear-power-stuck-in-the-past-in-more-ways-/blog/42921/

November 9, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

NRC refuses environmentalists’request to amend SanOnofre’s operating license

 The NRC has said the approval process will continue into 2013, meaning the nuclear plant will not be restarted anytime soon.

Feds deny group’s request for San Onofre nuclear plant license amendment 89.3 KPCC By Ed Joyce | November 8th, 2012,  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission turned down a request Thursday from an environmental group that wanted the operating license for the San Onofre nuclear plant amended.

Friends of the Earth  said the license granted to Southern California Edison (SCE), which operates the plant, should have been amended when new generators were installed two years ago. Continue reading →

November 9, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Update: Emergency shutdown after water level inside NY reactor dropped — NRC: Cause unknown; Recovery procedures in effect http://enenews.com/emergency-shutdown-after-water-level-inside-new-york-reactor-dropped-unknown-recovery-procedures-effect
  
November 6th, 2012 
Title: Event Notification Report
Source: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Date: Nov. 5, 2012
AUTOMATIC SCRAM ON LOW REACTOR WATER LEVEL
“On November 3, 2012 at 0823 EDT, Nine Mile Point Unit 1 experienced an automatic reactor scram on low reactor water level. All control rods fully inserted and all plant systems responded per design following the scram. Prior to the automatic scram, an unexpected high Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) water level was experienced, followed by a turbine trip and subsequent lowering of RPV water level to the RPV low level scram set point. The cause of the water level transient is unknown. […]

“Nine Mile Point Unit 1 is currently in Hot Shutdown, with reactor water level and pressure maintained within normal bands. Since the scram, there have been no anomalies observed with feedwater system operation. Decay heat is being removed via steam to the main condenser using the bypass valves. The offsite grid is stable with no grid restrictions or warnings in effect. The unit is currently implementing post scram recovery procedures.

“The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector.” […]

“A scram or SCRAM is an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor” – –Wikipedia
See also: TV: Problem during reactor restart process at New York nuclear plant damaged by Sandy

November 9, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Tepco: Cooling system suspended at Fukushima Spent Fuel Pool No. 3

Tepco: Cooling system suspended at Fukushima Spent Fuel Pool No. 3 — Will not resume until weekend http://enenews.com/tepco-cooling-system-suspended-at-fukushima-spent-fuel-pool-no-3-will-not-resume-until-weekend   Title: Daily Report
Source: TEPCO : Press Release
Date: November 6, 2012

At 9:53 AM on November 6, Unit 3 spent fuel pool alternative cooling system was stopped in order to check the change of visibility inside the spent fuel pool (clarity of the pool) during system suspension as a preparation for debris removal from the pool (The pool water temperature when the system was stopped: 17.5℃). The system will be suspended until November 10. Since the pool water temperature increase rate is estimated to be approx. 0.17℃/h and there will be a sufficient margin to the maximum allowed temperature of 65℃, there will be no problem with the pool water temperature control.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Plant Parameters  as of 5:00 on November 7, 2012: Alternative cooling equipment of the Fuel Pool of Unit 3 is stopped. Therefore, Temperature in the spent fuel pool and FPC skimmer surge tank level of Unit 3 show close data. The expected temperature increase at the SFP water is around 0.166℃/h

November 9, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Foodstuffs from Japan – safe?

Occupy the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) We have a major problem. Japan doesn’t care what they send out. They will send out whatever to continue pushing their economy. They are trying to pretend their economy has not been destroyed by the nuclear disaster there. NEWSFLASH: THIS INCLUDES FOOD AND IT IS COMING TO YOUR FOOD SUPPLY TOO… http://www.newsforyourfamily.blogspot.com/2011/08/corporate-responses.html
A quote from the blog above from PEPSICO, parent company to Quaker products, Frito-Lay, Gatorade, etc.

“With specific reference to you concerns about ingredients which may be sourced from Japan; * PepsiCo’s Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs team is closely monitoring any potential issues related to the safety of raw material we purchase from Japan. * PepsiCo has taken proactive steps to further ensure the safety of raw materials we purchase from Japan, including strict surveillance of all food and beverage ingredients produced near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. * Our  suppliers have confirmed that despite the recent disaster, the materials we purchase are safe and suitable for consumers.”

THIS REALLY NEEDS TO STOP: http://www.change.org/petitions/mr-president-us-senate-congress-tell-us-where-our-food-is-from
Screen capture from this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWy3BkF7tQ4&feature=player_embedded #!

November 9, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Sandy aftermath: New York City is rotting at the core
Beneath the destruction brought by superstorm Sandy lies a more insidious problem. Rising sea levels are corroding the very foundations of the Big Apple
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22471-sandy-aftermath-new-york-city-is-rotting-at-the-core.html    subscription only

November 7, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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