"Militarism is the way corporations maintain their access to their food supply — the planet." --Steve Martinot, Militarism and Global Warming"Militarism is the way corporations maintain their access to their food supply — the... more
Due to the use of massive amount of uranium munitions used by the US forces in the initial bombing and subsequently, massive amount of congenital deformities occur all over Afghanistan. The rate of various cancers has gone up significantly. Leukemia and esophageal cancers are very high among children. According to doctors at maternity and children hospitals in Kabul, the rate of various congenital deformities have increased by many folds since the US invasion. In fact, the magnitude of man made isotopes was established by the Uranium Medical Research Center after their investigators made to trips to Afghanistan and collected urine and soil samples. They established that the rate of man made isotopes was gone up 2000 times in some subjects located near the bombed areas.
Since uranium used in the weapons have a half-life of 4.5 billion years, the US forces ensured that generations of Afghans suffer from cancers and deformities. This is certainly not development. In fact, it is the biggest crime ever committed by anyone in the history of humanity.
Read the rest of this story, and whether you think it's true or not, there is no denying that our "heroes" are destroying afghanistan from every single angle.
We already know they torture civilians to death, and rape, but the effects of uranium and other chemicals on the mothers and children being born is setting the standard for a well deserved climate of hatred against the western world.Due to the use of massive amount of uranium munitions used by the US forces in the... more
Iran's negotiators have toughened their stance on the nuclear programme, signalling that Tehran will refuse to go ahead with an agreement to hand over 75 per cent of its enriched uranium.Iran's negotiators have toughened their stance on the nuclear programme, signalling... more
Tomorrow the U.S. will meet with Iran to seal the deal that could take the country's uranium away. Michael Adler on why the moment is the ultimate test of Obama's engagement policy.Tomorrow the U.S. will meet with Iran to seal the deal that could take the country's... more
Iran agreed in principle Thursday to ship most of its current stockpile of enriched uranium to Russia, where it would be refined for exclusively peaceful uses, in what Western diplomats called a significant, but interim, measure to ease concerns over its nuclear program.
The agreement was announced after seven and a half hours of talks in Geneva that included the highest-level official U.S.-Iranian encounter in three decades.
Iran also pledged that within weeks it would allow the inspection of a previously covert uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom, and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, announced that he'd head to Tehran to work out the details.
In Washington, President Barack Obama said the talks marked "a constructive beginning" and showed the promise of renewed engagement with Iran, but added that "going forward, we expect to see swift action. We're not interested in talking for the sake of talking."
Obama pointedly said that Iran must allow unfettered access to the Qom facility within "two weeks."
More @ linkIran agreed in principle Thursday to ship most of its current stockpile of enriched... more
Researchers have found that E. coli can be used to recover uranium from tainted waters and can even be used to clean up nuclear waste.
Using the bacteria along with inositol phosphate, the bacteria breaks down the phosphate--also called phytic acid--to free the phosphate molecules. The phosphate then binds to the uranium forming a uranium-phosphate precipitate on the cells of the bacteria. Those cells can then be harvested to recover the uranium.
In early research a very expensive additive was used and the low cost of uranium just didn't make it feasible. But the discovery of inositol phosphate being six-times more effective--as well as a cheap waste material--made the venture more viable.
Not too shocking. More countries are clearly looking to expand their nuclear technologies and the price of uranium is likely to increase. Another option for bringing down the cost of inostiol phosphate is that it can easily be obtained from agriculture waste.
"The UK has no natural uranium reserves, although a significant amount of uranium is produced in nuclear wastes. There is no global shortage of uranium but from the point of view of energy security the EU needs to be able to recover as much uranium as possible from mine run-offs (which in any case pollute the environment) as well as recycling as much uranium as possible from nuclear wastes," commented Professor Macaskie.Researchers have found that E. coli can be used to recover uranium from tainted waters... more
You might think of any given coal type as having relatively uniform properties: black, hard, carbon filled, and so on. However, dangerous mineral constituent concentration do vary widely; and, emissions of toxic constituents also vary greatly depending upon the design and operation of a combustion source. For example, some coal has trace levels of fluorides, while other deposits have highly hazardous levels of toxic fluorine compounds. The same is true for mercury, for arsenic, and for uranium and its radiological decay products. Relative to the radiological hazard, anecdotal evidence has emerged in India of children suffering from exposure to radionuclides associated with coal fired electricity production.You might think of any given coal type as having relatively uniform properties: black,... more
By now, everybody knows that Republican congressman Joe Wilson shouted "You lie" during President Obama's speech to congress. Wilson's breech of etiquette was obvious. What wasn't obvious was his lack of credibility when it comes to honesty.
You see, back in 2002, congressman Wilson helped peddle the biggest lie of them all; The lie that helped kill thousands of people and emptied our nation's coffers.By now, everybody knows that Republican congressman Joe Wilson shouted "You lie"... more
The thing that burns, never returns.
Taking away those we have...
Wise men say that coal is a 19th century solution for 21st century problems. But burning coal to produce energy is even worse than a lag in time and technology, or that its being unsustainable. Coal is outright dangerous, for various reasons, such as:
* Burning coal emits harmful waste such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphuric acids, arsenic and ash (twice as much carbon dioxide when compared to natural gas) and increases GHG emission.
* It causes heavy pollution.
* The burning of coal in large quantities, such as in factories can lead to acid rains.
* Coal can be cleaned and/or turned into a liquid of gas but this technology has yet to be fully developed and adds to the expense of creating fuel via coal.
* Coal mining is harmful to the landscape and the large and noisy equipment used for mining may affect local wildlife.
* Transporting coal requires an extensive transportation system and can also cause additional pollution in the form of emissions from transportation vehicles.
* There are limited stocks of coal remaining, it is non-renewable and projected to be depleated this millenium.
* Lastly, it is not very well known but releases from coal combustion contain naturally occuring radioactive materials - mainly, uranium and thorium. To give a comparison, coal fired power plants produce 100 to 400 times as much radioactive material as nuclear power plants are permitted to.
It is not hard to visualize how harmful the uranium ore is. Observer investigation, recently uncovered a link between dramatic rise in birth defects in Punjab, India and pollution from coal-fired power stations.
"The children had massive levels of uranium in their bodies, in one case more than 60 times the maximum safe limit. (...)
An Observer investigation has now uncovered disturbing evidence to suggest a link between the contamination and the region's coal-fired power stations. ...
The findings have implications not only for the rest of India – Punjab produces two-thirds of the wheat in the country's central reserves and 40% of its rice – but for many other countries planning to build new power plants, including China, Russia, India, Germany and the US. In Britain...." Gethin Chamberlain reports for the London Observer, August 30, 2009.The thing that burns, never returns.
Taking away those we have...
Wise men say... more
Their heads are too large or too small, their limbs too short or too bent. For some, their brains never grew, speech never came and their lives are likely to be cut short: these are the children it appears that India would rather the world did not see, the victims of a scandal with potential implications far beyond the country's borders.
Some sit mutely, staring into space, lost in a world of their own; others cry out, rocking backwards and forwards. Few have any real control over their own bodies. Their anxious parents fret over them, murmuring soft words of encouragement, hoping for some sort of miracle that will free them from a nightmare.
Health workers in the Punjabi cities of Bathinda and Faridkot knew something was terribly wrong when they saw a sharp increase in the number of birth defects, physical and mental abnormalities, and cancers. They suspected that children were being slowly poisoned.
But it was only when a visiting scientist arranged for tests to be carried out at a German laboratory that the true nature of their plight became clear. The results were unequivocal. The children had massive levels of uranium in their bodies, in one case more than 60 times the maximum safe limit.
The results were both momentous and mysterious. Uranium occurs naturally throughout the world, but is normally only present in low background levels which pose no threat to human health. There was no obvious source in the Punjab that could account for such high levels of contamination.
And if a few hundred children – spread over a large area – were contaminated, how many thousands more might also be affected? Those are questions the Indian authorities appear determined not to answer. Staff at the clinics say they were visited and threatened with closure if they spoke out. The South African scientist whose curiosity exposed the scandal says she has been warned by the authorities that she may not be allowed back into the country.
But an Observer investigation has now uncovered disturbing evidence to suggest a link between the contamination and the region's coal-fired power stations. It is already known that the fine fly ash produced when coal is burned contains concentrated levels of uranium and a new report published by Russia's leading nuclear research institution warns of an increased radiation hazard to people living near coal-fired thermal power stations.
The test results for children born and living in areas around the state's power stations show high levels of uranium in their bodies. Tests on ground water show that levels of uranium around the plants are up to 15 times the World Health Organisation's maximum safe limits. Tests also show that it extends across large parts of the state, which is home to 24 million people.
endTheir heads are too large or too small, their limbs too short or too bent. For some,... more
Almost everyone knows Amazon.com for its bargain deals on books and electronics. Amazon is also a good source for discount groceries. We like their DRM-free MP3 store (even more than iTunes). And we love their Amazon Kindle. But Amazon also has a surprisingly large selection items that defy categorization, from the odd to the downright wacky.
Here’s our look at some of the weirdest items for sale on Amazon and the solution they provide to some of life’s most common problems . . .Almost everyone knows Amazon.com for its bargain deals on books and electronics.... more
Target: U.S. House of Representatives
Sponsored by: Sierra Club
Before he left office, Bush-era Secretary of the Interior Dick Kempthorne ignored scientists and Congress and authorized destructive uranium mining on 1 million acres of land around the Grand Canyon. Soaring uranium prices have led mining companies to stake more than 10,600 claims on federal land - right along the Colorado River.
We can't let this uranium mining destroy the Grand Canyon! The mining would threaten the drinking water for 30 million people living in the western United States and could devastate tourism, which generates more than half a billion dollars for the economy.
Urge your Representative to work with new Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to permanently protect the Grand Canyon from uranium mining and pass the Grand Canyon Protection Act.
Please, take action and sign the petition
LiAnna
Care2 and ThePetitionSite TeamTarget: U.S. House of Representatives
Sponsored by: Sierra Club
Before he left... more
The Bureau of Land Management has authorized several new uranium exploration permits near the Grand Canyon despite a congressional resolution last year barring new claims near the national park.
According to documents released yesterday [pdf] by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Grand Canyon Trust, BLM on April 27 authorized Quaterra Alaska Inc. to conduct eight uranium mine exploration operations at five separate projects north of Grand Canyon National Park and west of the Kaibab Plateau.
"Our understanding is that exploration can begin immediately," said Taylor McKinnon, director of CBD's public lands program.
Quaterra Alaska is a subsidiary of Vancouver-based Quaterra Resources Inc.
All of the projects are within the 1 million acres of BLM and Forest Service land that the House Natural Resources Committee ordered to be withdrawn from new uranium mining claims in June 2008, according to the groups.
The committee employed its rarely used emergency declaration authority to withdraw the lands, but then-Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne rejected the panel's request, saying the committee did not have a quorum on the vote, which was taken after Republicans walked out in protest, arguing that there was no emergency to prompt the move.
The department also disputed the committee's authority under the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act to issue emergency withdrawals and later issued a new rule that limited its ability to carry out such orders.
Michael Taylor, deputy director of resources at BLM's Arizona state office, disputed the groups' claims that this action authorized new drilling operations.
He explained that the documents reflect the company's shift in reclamation bond funds from one set of exploration sites that the company was no longer interested in exploring to the new set of sites that were not previously bonded. "It was a transfer of bonding money between the notices," Taylor said. "There is no on-the-ground exploration authorized."
Describing the action as a "paper shuffle," Taylor said the company has not given any indication that it plans to explore the newly bonded sites and that the agency has not authorized any new exploration permits. "We haven't done anything out there, anything that would be contrary to what the committee had requested," he said.
But Richard Mayol, director of communications and government affairs for the Grand Canyon Trust, said the transfer still constitutes a new authorization. "The fact they shifted the bonding to these sites means they can begin this exploration drilling," he said.
The trust and CBD, along with the Sierra Club, filed a lawsuit against Interior last fall to force it to comply with the committee's order.
While the case has yet to go to court, McKinnon said the groups were not informed of BLM's authorizations, and that he was unsure how they would affect the lawsuit.The Bureau of Land Management has authorized several new uranium exploration permits... more
Uranium Mining, Native Resistance, and the Greener Path
The impact of uranium mining on indigenous communities
by Winona LaDuke
Published in the January/February 2009 issue of Orion magazine
"IN A DINE CREATION STORY, the people were given a choice of two yellow powders. They chose the yellow dust of corn pollen, and were instructed to leave the other yellow powder—uranium—in the soil and never to dig it up. If it were taken from the ground, they were told, a great evil would come.
The evil came. Over one thousand uranium mines gouged the earth in the Dine Bikeyah, the land of the Navajo, during a thirty-year period beginning in the 1950s. It was the lethal nature of uranium mining that led the industry to the isolated lands of Native America. By the mid-1970s, there were 380 uranium leases on native land and only 4 on public or acquired lands. At that time, the industry and government were fully aware of the health impacts of uranium mining on workers, their families, and the land upon which their descendants would come to live. Unfortunately, few Navajo uranium miners were told of the risks. In the 1960s, the Department of Labor even provided the Kerr-McGee Corporation with support for hiring Navajo uranium miners, who were paid $1.62 an hour to work underground in the mine shafts with little or no ventilation.
All told, more than three thousand Navajos worked in uranium mines, often walking home in ore-covered clothes. The consequences were devastating. Thousands of uranium miners and their relatives lost their lives as a result of radioactive contamination. Many families are still seeking compensation. The Navajo Nation is still struggling to address the impact of abandoned uranium mines on the reservation, as well as the long-term health effects on both the miners and their communities, many of which suffer astronomical rates of cancer and birth defects.
As a college student, I worked for Navajo organizations, trying to inform their people about the uranium-mining industry and the large corporations—EXXON, Mobil, United Nuclear—that proposed to mine their lands. It was a humbling experience, seeing some of the richest corporations in the world faced by courageous peoples who fought for the two things that mattered to them more than money: their land and their identity. The Navajo people joined with many others across the country who felt that there was a much better way to make energy. In the end, the people did prevail—new mining proposals evaporated as tribal resistance and legal and administrative battles merged with economic forces. Eventually, contracts for uranium were canceled by utilities, which no longer sought to build unpopular nuclear power plants.
Now I feel like I am having very bad déjà vu—only this time nuclear power is seen as the answer to global climate destabilization. In 2005, the Navajo Nation passed a moratorium on uranium mining in its territory and traditional lands, which was followed by similar moratoria on Hopi and Havasupai lands, where mines are proposed adjacent to the Grand Canyon. “It is unconscionable to me that the federal government would consider allowing uranium mining to be restarted anywhere near the Navajo Nation when we are still suffering from previous mining activities,” Joe Shirley Jr., Navajo Nation president, explained at a congressional hearing on opening uranium mines in the Grand Canyon area. To the north, the Lakota organization Owe Aku (Bring Back the Way) is an intervener in a Nuclear Regulatory Commission hearing to allow the Canadian corporation Cameco to expand its Crow Butte uranium mine, just over the Nebraska border from the reservation."
continued.... at link or belowFor God's sake leave the yellow powder alone!
Uranium Mining, Native Resistance,... more
An 'expert' from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) has predicted that Iran will have the amount of enriched uranium to make a single nuclear weapon by the end of 2009.
"During 2009, Iran will probably reach the point at which it has produced the amount of low-enriched uranium needed to make a nuclear bomb," he said.
"But being able to enrich uranium is not the same as having a nuclear weapon."
The IISS's survey also placed doubt over the US intel that claimed Iran halted any work on nuclear weapons six years ago.
Uh oh.
For more on the story check the link: http://tinyurl.com/djzatvAn 'expert' from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) has... more
Western powers believe that Iran is running short of the raw material required to manufacture nuclear weapons, triggering an international race to prevent it from importing more.
Diplomatic sources believe that Iran’s stockpile of yellow cake uranium, produced from uranium ore, is close to running out and could be exhausted within months. Countries including Britain, the US, France and Germany have started intensive diplomatic efforts to dissuade major uranium producers from selling to Iran.Western powers believe that Iran is running short of the raw material required to... more
Nuclear Power has received an undeservedly bad reputation since it's early childhood in the 1960's, but the Chernobyl Disaster was the nail in the coffin. One single incident under extreme conditions condemned a perfectly reasonable means of generating power.
Now nuclear power is getting a second look, but there are many naysayers. To those, I present this article on ten of the most pervasive myths of Nuclear Power.Nuclear Power has received an undeservedly bad reputation since it's early childhood... more
Uncompetitive Costs
The Economist observed in 2001 that “Nuclear power, once claimed to be too cheap to meter, is now too costly to matter”—cheap to run but very expensive to build. Since then, it’s become several-fold costlier to build, and in a few years, as old fuel contracts expire, it is expected to become several-fold costlier to run. Its total cost now markedly exceeds that of other common power plants coal, gas, big wind farms.Uncompetitive Costs
The Economist observed in 2001 that “Nuclear power, once... more
How the nuclear lobby is spinning liberals, lawmakers, and grassroots environmentalists
by Jason Mark, from Earth Island Journal How the nuclear lobby is spinning liberals, lawmakers, and grassroots... more
Mining is returning to the Uranium Capital of the World. But do people really want it back again?Mining is returning to the Uranium Capital of the World. But do people really want it... more
