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With increasing nuclear weapons the world grows closer to the brink

The nuclear strategies of countries are tied to one another in a relationship of response and counter-response. Current trends appear to be propelling the chain of responses toward greater, not less, reliance on nuclear weapons. 

 Under these circumstances, the only possibility of any change in the situation may come from a nuclear catastrophe – a deliberate planned nuclear attack by a state or non-state actor, or a nuclear launch as a result of an accident or miscalculation.

Will the world have to relive the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki before sense prevails? 

Same, Sad Nuclear Story,The Diplomat, By Manpreet Sethi, November 2, 2011 “……….The United States alone has been estimated to spend as much as $700 billion on its nuclear weapons systems, while Russia is likely to spend $70 billion on improving its delivery systems. Although the amount China will spend on modernizing its strategic capabilities is unknown, it’s evident that Beijing has its eyes set on enhancing the efficiency and survivability of its nuclear weaponry. This amounts to increasing the range, mobility and maneuverability of its missiles. India and Pakistan, too, are engaged in similar processes. Meanwhile, the UK and France may have reduced the numbers of their nuclear warheads, but they haven’t lost their appetite for retaining a robust nuclear capability to “hedge against future uncertainties.” Continue reading →

November 3, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Roosevelt would surely applaud saving the Grand Canyon from uranium mining

A 20-year ban on new uranium mining confirms what many of us here in Arizona have been saying for years: uranium mining doesn’t belong here. It would wreak havoc on our local economies, our water supply, and our beautiful, quintessentially Western landscape all while putting tens ofthousands of jobs in jeopardy at a time when so many continue to struggle.

 Standing with Roosevelt and Salazar: No New Yellowcake Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon HUFFINGTON POST, Kyrsten Sinema: 11/2/11 ” ………President Teddy Roosevelt said it best in a 1903 speech delivered at the Grand Canyon, saying in part:

“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which, so far as I know, is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to do one thing in connection with it in your own interest and in the interest of the country — to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is……
We have gotten past the stage, my fellow-citizens, when we are to be pardoned if we treat any part of our country as something to be skinned for two or three years for the use of the present generation, whether it is the forest, the water, the scenery. Whatever it is, handle it so that your children’s children will get the benefit of it.”

Now, more than 103 years after President Roosevelt declared the Grand Canyon a national monument, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has taken an important step towards heeding the former president’s admonition to “leave it as it is” by announcing a 20-year ban on new uranium mining on one million acres of federal land around this national treasure.

As a State Senator and native Arizonan, I can say without hesitation that this was the right thing to do. Continue reading →

November 3, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Radiation hot spots in USA – public kept in the dark

Fukushima deadly hot particles hit U.S., Health right violation (video)  , Human Rights Examiner November 2, 2011

West Coast, Seattle, Boston hot spots: Cancer to dramatically increase yet public kept in dark

On Monday, it was confirmed that the major human right to health is being violated in the United States by the public not being advised that Fukushima hot particles contaminated the United States and that West Coast cancer are due to surge, based on scientific analysis by Scientist Marco Kaltofen of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) of radioactive isotopic releases from Fukushima who presented his findings at the American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting in Washington DC as reported by nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen.

November 3, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Virgina nuclear plant still shut down after 10 weeks following earthquake

Nuclear power plant remains offline after August earthquake, Washington Post, by ,   November 1 Ten weeks after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake knocked a central Virginia nuclear power station offline, the plant’s operator, Dominion Virginia Power, is still waiting for the go-ahead from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to restart the facility’s two reactors.

“We want to make absolutely certain that there is nothing we haven’t evaluated yet,” said Roger Hannah, an NRC spokesman. He provided no timeline for when the NRC might allow a restart.

In mid-October, an NRC inspection team — the second sent to the site — examined the North Anna power plant near Mineral to evaluate its readiness to restart. The agency is still reviewing data collected then, Hannah said…… http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/nuclear-power-plant-remains-offline-after-august-earthquake/2011/11/01/gIQAFIBUdM_story.html

November 2, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Ammonia leak results in evacuation at USA nuclear plant

Evacuation after ammonia leak at US nuclear plant, Google News, (AFP) 2 Nov 11 LOS ANGELES — Workers were evacuated from an area of a California nuclear power plant Tuesday after an ammonia leak, but there was no immediate danger to the public, the operator said.

The leak occurred in a steam system used to drive the turbines at the San Onofre nuclear plant between Los Angeles and San Diego, said Southern California Edison (SCE), its majority owner. “As a precaution, the company evacuated employees in the area near where the leak was found,” it said in a statement after the incident occurred shortly after 3:00 pm (2200 GMT…. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gKAcb3zlu5Bn9FTnnYxZty24JR7Q?docId=CNG.276d0d2174cdd5ece8f4386a68f0b386.b1

November 2, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

A global program to rid the world of the nuclear power chain

FREE THE WORLD FROM THE NUCLEAR CHAIN By Xanthe Hall*  IDN-InDepth NewsViewpoint  27 Oct 11 Nuclear Power and the Bomb are inextricably linked through an atomic chain. The nuclear era began in Germany, so we have a specific responsibility to end it sooner rather than later.

BERLIN (IDN) – We talk about abandoning nuclear energy or abolishing nuclear weapons. But this is not enough. They are only the visible products of a whole chain of production that binds us – the nuclear chain. This chain does much more damage than we are aware of. Continue reading →

October 28, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Keep Virginia’s ban on uranium mining, say students

 

Uranium and UMWFredericksburg.com  Rusty Dennen, 26 Oct 11, About 75 students, some hoisting “Keep the Ban” signs gathered in front of a podium at the university’s Ball Circle to voice their displeasure about the possibility of the Virginia General Assembly lifting a 1982 moratorium on uranium mining. Graham Givens, student organizer with the Sierra Club-Virginia Chapter exhorted the assorted students, dogs and older activists to make their objections known, calling the mining a “destructive and wasteful process” that will leave a legacy of radioactive waste if allowed by Virginia Uranium Inc. at a site in Pittsylvania County…..

October 27, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Unlike its government, India’s people prefer clean energy, not nuclear

Uncommon India, Dissident Voice, by Nidhi Zakaria Eipe / October 15th, 2011 “……..Instead of criticizing Australia’s decision not to ” sell uranium to India, both India and the United States would do well to take a page from Australia’s book, one of the earliest ratifiers of the CTBT. India’s long-touted ‘impeccable record of non-proliferation’ does not provide a moral warrant for it to circumvent internationally established instruments of law and co-operation.

Moreover, when India has already declared a unilateral moratorium on nuclear weapons testing, what is the profound difficulty in making this commitment legally binding? Continue reading →

October 18, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

USA and North Korea to hold nuclear talks

N.Korea, US to hold nuclear talks next week: report, Google News, (AFP) – 17 Oct 11,  SEOUL — North Korea and the United States will hold a second meeting next week in Geneva to discuss ways to restart stalled six-nation talks on the North’s nuclear disarmament, a report said Monday.

“I have learned that a high-level dialogue between North Korea and the US will be held in Geneva,” Yonhap news agency quoted a diplomatic source as saying, adding the meeting may be on October 26.

The South Korean foreign ministry said it had no information on the reported talks. The two sides held a first round of discussions in New York in late July to assess the chances of resuming the talks, which also include South Korea, China, Russia and Japan.

South and North Korean nuclear negotiators met separately, in Bali in July and in Beijing last month, but no clear progress was reported from the Beijing meeting. The North abandoned the six-party talks in April 2009 and staged its second nuclear test a month later. It now wants an unconditional resumption.

The US and South Korea say the communist state must first take steps to show it is serious about the process, for example by shutting down its uranium enrichment programme, which could be reconfigured to make atomic weapons…..

October 18, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Japan’s Occupy protest is an anti nuclear demonstration

Occupy in Japan has anti-nuclear focus, Market Watch  – Kate Gibson, October 15, 2011,NEW YORK – Unlike demonstrations in many cities around the globe, the Occupy protest in Japan seems to be less of a youth-directed movement, with recent events also drawing an anti-nuclear crowd.

In Tokyo, about 100 protesters, including children and senior citizens, marched on Saturday, shouting “Occupy Tokyo!”, according to Dow Jones Newswires, which cited the Kyodo news service.

The demonstrators included anti-nuclear slogans while walking by the offices of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the damaged Fukushima plant…..

One university student, 22-year-old Tomoko Horaguchi, who also came to protest nuclear power, said she was inspired by the demonstrations on Wall Street, telling Agence France Presse “I feel the same anger. In particular I am angry at nuclear power plants. Only one percent of people want to run them still.”  http://blogs.marketwatch.com/specialreport/2011/10/15/occupy-in-japan-has-anti-nuclear-focus/

October 16, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

16% rise in renewable energy investment in third quarter

Clean-Energy Investment Rises Annual 16% in Quarter, BNEF Says, Bloombeerg, By Marc Roca – Oct 13, 2011  New investment in clean energy rose 16 percent in the third quarter to $45.4 billion, aided by a surge in wind and solar plant financing as low equipment costs drive installations, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said.Asset financing of utility-scale renewable-energy projects jumped to a record $41.8 billion in the quarter, the London- based research company said today in a statement….. Continue reading →

October 16, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

USA should save money by cutting back on nuclear weapons programs

Ed Markey Leads Coalition to Cut Nuclear Weapons Budget, Joe Cirincione, HUFFINGTON POST, 15 Oct 11 As the congressional “supercommittee” moves toward recommendations to cut over $1 trillion from the government’s budgets, House members have squared off over whether some savings can come from the hundreds of billions of dollars planned for nuclear weapons over the next 10 years. Continue reading →

October 15, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Southern California meeting- warm reception for nuclear whistleblower Arnie Gunderson

REGION: Anti-nuclear sentiment strong at San Clemente meeting, NC Times , 12 Oct 11  An anti-government, don’t-believe-what-you’re-told message about the potential dangers of nuclear power seemed to resonate with about 200 Southern California residents who came to a San Clemente meeting hall Tuesday night.
The crowd applauded a presentation by former nuclear executive and whistle-blower Arnold “Arnie” Gundersen and from others who gave presentations outlining the dangers of radiation emitting from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which had a severe accident this spring after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami inundated the coastal power plant.

Tuesday’s meeting was hosted by the San Clemente City Council and was organized by local environmental group San Clemente Green, which has taken an aggressive anti-nuclear energy stance in recent years.

The meeting follows a previous gathering on Sept. 28 where the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and representatives from Southern California Edison presented the council and public with reassurances that Edison’s San Onofre nuclear plant would be able to withstand the worst earthquake and tsunami that local conditions are likely to throw at the region.

At Tuesday’s meeting, however, speakers like Gundersen, a nuclear engineer, took exception with some often-cited statements made by the government and the utility.

Gunderson told the crowd that the real battle for the future of nuclear energy in California is over the “design basis” of existing nuclear plants. He said that the computer programs that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission uses to calculate the cost and benefit of using nuclear power instead of other sources of energy production are set up to favor utilities.

Gundersen urged the local public to hold regulators’ feet to the fire when they calculate the true risk of earthquakes and tsunamis to San Onofre, especially when it comes time to re-license the plant.

“Unless citizens’ groups force that program to be used properly, it will be distorted by the agency as it has (been) in the past,” he said.    http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_9f265564-21ce-592c-80d0-e8752b114806.html#ixzz1ahySLekw

October 13, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

A good move for Obama to accept Iran’s offer on enriched uranium

Obama urged to accept Iranian nuclear offer Guardian Uk Julian Borger, 10 Oct 11 Experts say US should agree to the sale of medium-enriched uranium to Iran in return for a halt to Iranian production, but such a deal could be politically fraught for the Obama administration

There is a growing chorus of approval among US experts for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s offer of a new uranium deal. So far the enthusiasm has failed to catch on inside the Obama administration or among the rest of the six-nation group that handles nuclear negotiations with Iran. But that could change as the months go by and the Iranian government builds up its stockpile of low enriched and medium (20%) enriched uranium. Continue reading →

October 11, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

With Global Zero, officials renew effort for nuclear weapons free world

reducing nuclear weapons stockpiles to zero would lead to the first universal verification programs which would only increase the international resolve in preventing countries like Iran and North Korea from pressing forward with nuclear weapons programs.   ”We can never get on that path unless we bring all parties to the table.”…..

Reagan-Era Officials Seek Nuclear Free World, ABC News By Luis Martinez, Oct 10, 2011  Using the 25th anniversary of the historic Reykjavik Summit where Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev almost reached an agreement to completely eliminate their nation’s nuclear weapons stockpiles, a global disarmament group is launching a campaign to begin multilateral talks that would do away with all of the world’s nuclear weapons by 2030.

Beginning Tuesday, Global Zero, an arms control group, is hosting a  commemoration of the Reykjavik Summit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.  The event will include a gathering of a hundred prominent political, military and business leaders — including former secretaries of state George Shultz and James Baker — who will  call for the first multilateral arms talks aimed at full nuclear disarmament. Continue reading →

October 11, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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