Monday, April 25, 2011

ELECTION: No Surprises - Critical Bay of Fundy Issues Split Along Party Lines

Pic for WikiProject Political parties and poli...Image via WikipediaMany voters are loyal party followers who vote for the same party over and over regardless of the candidate or platform of their party. Some believe that jobs take precedence regardless of the impacts on communities, the risks and the effects on future generations. But others place more value on the character of a candidate, the philosophy of their party, and the future impacts of the actions they pursue.

THE QUESTIONS

We asked all candidates running in New Brunswick Southwest to respond to 3 simple but profoundly important questions and have reported their responses on this blog, Facebook, and Twitter. The responses broke the questions out further to the issue of legislation to protect Head Harbour Passage.

Briefly the questions were:
1. Will you move to decommission Point Lepreau?
2a. Will you continue the current stance and ban LNG tankers from Head Harbour Passage?
2b. Will you pass legislation to preclude the passage of certain ships and dangerous cargoes through Head Harbour Passage?
3. Will you pass legislation to protect important areas like Quoddy/West Isles for future generations?

Several profound and important questions for sure and the answers tell us much about the candidates and their loyalties.

WHO RESPONDED

All candidates except Conservative John Williamson responded.

DECOMMISSIONING OF POINT LEPREAU

If you are concerned about the local, regional, and world impacts of nuclear power, only NDP and GREEN party candidates will move to decommission Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station. The CHRISTIAN HERITAGE PARTY candidate would decommission but consult first. Both candidates from LIBERALS and CONSERVATIVES will continue with the present policy but tried to balance this position by backing alternate energy developments.

BANNING LNG TANKERS FROM HEAD HARBOUR PASSAGE

All candidates agreed to continue the federal stance. It appears that the current position will be maintained by whichever party wins the election and, presumably, that party will have the support of the other parties in the House on this issue. Consequently, this is a non-issue.

PASSING LEGISLATION FOR FUTURE PROTECTION OF HEAD HARBOUR PASSAGE

Only the GREENS and CHP have clearly stated that protective legislation will be enacted. The NDP response was unclear. The LIBERALS will examine future challenges on a case-by-case basis. The CONSERVATIVES did not respond and have not during their time in office. Nor did the Liberals in their time in office before them.

CREATING A MARINE PROTECTED AREA OR MANAGEMENT ZONE TO PROTECT THE RESOURCES OF THE QUODDY REGION.

Only the GREENS have clearly stated that they will pursue protection of the Quoddy area as well as the important outer Bay of Fundy ecosystem. The NDP and CHP responses was unclear.The LIBERALS did not respond to this question. The CONSERVATIVES did not cover this issue in published materials, but they have made no moves in this direction during their terms in office, even though major initiatives have been made to move forward with an MPA or Management Zone.

WHO DO YOU VOTE FOR?

Well it seems clear and there are no surprises here really ...

If you wish to protect the area for the future, only the GREEN PARTY candidate Janice Harvey has made clear statements in this regard on all questions while NDP candidate Andrew Graham, and Christian Heritage Party candidate Jason Farris made clear statements on some of the issues.

If you want to maintain the status quo then choose between the LIBERALS and CONSERVATIVES.

You can review the candidate responses at the following links and presented in the order received.

ANDREW GRAHAM, NDP: http://fundytides.blogspot.com/2011/04/politics-straight-answer-from-ndp-on.html
JANICE HARVEY, Green Party: http://fundytides.blogspot.com/2011/04/politics-straight-answers-from-greens.html
JASON FARRIS, CHP: http://fundytides.blogspot.com/2011/04/politics-answers-on-lng-and-nuclear-in.html
KELLY WILSON, Liberal: http://fundytides.blogspot.com/2011/04/election-nb-southwest-liberal-candidate.html
JOHN WILLIAMSON, Conservative: Did not respond.

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Saturday, April 23, 2011

ELECTION: NB Southwest Liberal candidate responds to questions on Point Lepreau NGS, LNG in Quoddy, and MPAs

I am pleased to provide the following responses from Liberal candidate Kelly Wilson.

QUESTION 1. Will you oppose the development of heavy industry, specifically LNG terminals, in Passamaquoddy Bay by prohibiting the passage of LNG tankers through Head Harbour Passage?

Response to Question 1
I will oppose any LNG tankers through Head Harbour Passage or in the Passamaquoddy Bay.

QUESTION 2. Head Harbour Passage/ West Isles has been identified as an important and special ecological area of Canadian Significance. Will you pursue the establishment of a Marine Protected Area or some other type of management zone at this location to protect it from unsuitable and unsustainable future developments while honoring the traditional fishery, small-scale shipping, tourism and light manufacturing that currently exists? 

Response to Question 2
I will honor the traditional fishery, small-scale shipping, tourism and light manufacturing that currently exists in the Head Harbour Passage / West Isles. I will examine anything else that comes up when it arises, however will not support LNG tankers.

QUESTION 3. Since nuclear development has been clearly demonstrated to be the single most destructive force on this planet, will you strive for the immediate decommissioning of the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station?
Response to Question 3
I will not support the decommissioning of Point Lepreau, however I will support other research and development into greener energy projects in NBSW such as tidal, wind, solar and biomass.

All of my answers may not be what you want to hear. But I am trying to be very honest with you. I will speak for the best of the riding and the province as a whole. I do not feel at this time that the province of NB wants to see Point Lepreau decommissioned. We need this as a power source for our province.

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NUCLEAR: Chornobyl: 'Nothing To Worry About! ... the authorities tried to show the world that everything was normal.

Chornobyl Through The Eyes Of A Ukrainian Schoolgirl

Natalia Churikova (right) with her stepfather Oleksandr Pavlenko and mother Valentyna Pavlenko on holiday in Crimea in 1987.
Natalia Churikova (right) with her stepfather Oleksandr Pavlenko and mother Valentyna Pavlenko on holiday in Crimea in 1987.
April 23, 2011
By Kristin Deasy
A quarter of a century ago, 14-year-old Natalia Churikova was enjoying the outdoors in Kyiv the day after the Chornobyl disaster, unaware that every breath of fresh spring air she inhaled contained harmful radiation. The sun was out, she says, the sky was blue, "it was a perfect day."

Things were great until a phone call came later that evening that left her stepfather looking "very worried," says Churikova, who now works as a broadcaster for RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.

Her father, she recalls, hung up the phone and looked at his daughter.

"He said, 'Look, we all need to take a shower,''' Churikova says. "I said: 'Why? I want to go to bed. I'm tired. I'm too tired to go to shower.' He said, 'Look, you do need to take a shower because there was some kind of an explosion at a nuclear plant not far from Kyiv, and you need to take some kind of precaution.'"

Churikova says that this was "first time I heard the name of Chornobyl, and it was the first time I heard about radiation."

The deadly accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986, released huge amounts of dangerous radiation into the air, contaminating millions and leading to the relocation of more than 300,000 people.

Thousands of children were born with birth defects or complications such as genetic cardiac disease, with scientists expecting that thousands more could still die from radiation-induced cancer.

Kremlin Kept Quiet

The Chornobyl site is now surrounded by a 30-kilometer exclusion zone where people are forbidden to live. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the affected area on April 20 to mark the event's upcoming anniversary, which comes in the wake of the nuclear catastrophe at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant.

At the Chornobyl site, UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for "full transparency" from governments during such disasters.

Describing his visit as an "extremely moving experience," Ban also pushed for new international standards that would hold countries accountable for nuclear safety, calling on governments to implement better information sharing and stressing the need for "full transparency."

Transparency was not on the agenda in Soviet-era Ukraine when the Chornobyl disaster struck. Information was kept to a minimum as the Soviet government in Moscow appeared more concerned with protecting its reputation than protecting its citizens. In the crucial early days after the explosion, the authorities did their utmost to cover up the immensity of the disaster.

Churikova's family knew about the incident more quickly than many Ukrainians, thanks to her father's ties to the military. At the same time, the lack of information led to an atmosphere of intense paranoia in Kyiv, which is located just 100 kilometers south of Chornobyl.

For the latest news on an event that happened so close to home, Churikova says everyone relied on foreign media -- collectively referred to as "the voices" in Soviet Ukraine.

One day, while listening to foreign radio broadcasts in the hopes of learning more about what happened, the inquisitive 14-year-old heard an announcement that high levels of radiation had been detected in Sweden.

"Then I thought, 'Oh gosh, I didn't wash my hair in vain if they have radiation somewhere in Sweden -- that's very far from Kyiv,'" she says.

'Nothing To Worry About'

Basically, the authorities "tried to show the world that everything was normal," Churikova says, adding that they even "organized a cycling championship in Kyiv" in which people were expected to take their bicycles out and spend time outside. But she says people were already trying to escape the city.

Widows of Chornobyl victims attend a memorial ceremony in Kyiv in 2007.

The government appears to have spared no effort in convincing citizens to stay. Churikova says the 6-year-old grandson of Ukraine's then-Communist Party leader, Volodymyr Shcherbitskiy, was paraded around the capital as part of the annual May Day festivities in an effort to calm panic-stricken parents.

Meanwhile, rumors circulated about the best ways to offset the contamination. Churikova's grandmother would slip iodine into her food in one popular treatment that turned out to be largely ineffective.

People would believe almost anything. They were "drinking red wine," she says, "believing that it was cleaning the system because they have heard that Soviet submarine sailors, they were given red wine as part of their daily diet to clean the system from the radiation."

"But some people," she adds with a laugh, "took it further and they just decided that any alcohol will do the job."

The authorities, for their part, joined the rumor mill by airing TV segments with "so-called experts," Churikova says, who would appear on screen "and with a straight face explain that small doses of radiation were beneficial for rats' health."

Churikova says the reasoning went that "it could be beneficial for human health, too."

However, the charade convinced no one. Fear abounded in Kyiv and a new word, "radiophobia" was being used to describe the panic setting in.

"I've heard stories of people sending [off] their children," Churikova says, "packing them away into trains with notes that [said], 'Here is the name of my kid, take care of him.'"

Churikova went to Crimea on Ukraine's Black Sea coast. She later left Ukraine to study in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Chornobyl's Children

The children who were in Chornobyl at the time of the accident, meanwhile, were the subject of an international campaign aimed at providing them with world-class medical treatment abroad -- something that worried the Soviet authorities, who were then fearful of foreign influences.

Ukrainian children and adults, some of them victims of the Chornobyl accident, undergo medical treatment at a hospital in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk.

The Chernobyl Children International project, an Irish-led initiative, which was eventually brought under the wing of the United Nations, ultimately provided 21,000 children with some form of medical treatment.

Churikova herself accompanied a group of them to Australia. She says this encounter with the non-Soviet world produced "a whole generation" of young people who were less easily persuaded by the Soviet narrative.

But at the time, Churikova wasn't thinking about the geopolitical ramifications of the disaster. She was more concerned about losing one of her favorite T-shirts because of the radiation, explaining that as soon as they arrived after traveling to a city far from Chornobyl they were taken to a medical facility for testing.

The clothes they arrived in had to be destroyed because they had accumulated too much radiation, she says, recalling, "I had a beautiful blue T-shirt, acrylic T-shirt, which I had to say goodbye to."

Beloved personal belongings were just the beginning. In the end, the victims of Chornobyl had to part with much more, as some saw the disaster take their very lives.

RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, as well as correspondents Grant Podelco and Pavel Butorin contributed to this report

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Thursday, April 21, 2011

HILARIOUS: POINTLESS UPSTAGES IGY ... FABULOUS PR!

Without a doubt one of the best photographic political satires ever ... send it on!!!


Photo credit: http://www.facebook.com/sharonmurphyflatt
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POLITICS: LePage wants to re-establish child labor.

LePage wants to re-establish child labour? Is there no end to this guy's darkness?


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NUCLEAR: Harper makes no mention of Lepreau on N.B. visit

Stephen Harper, Canadian politicianImage via WikipediaCBC News
Posted: Apr 21, 2011 8:28 AM AT
Last Updated: Apr 21, 2011 8:28 AM AT

N.B. Premier David Alward said Stephen Harper privately promised him that if re-elected, he would talk about compensating the province for delays at Point Lepreau. (CBC)

Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff both campaigned in New Brunswick on Wednesday, but only Ignatieff was talking about compensation for refurbishment delays at the Point Lepreau generating station.

Atlantic Canada's only nuclear reactor was supposed to be back generating power by September 2009 after the $1.4-billion refurbishment project was completed. The project is now $1 billion over budget according to N.B. Power officials, who hope the plant will be generating power by the fall of 2012.

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said he supports nuclear power and on Wednesday he repeated his promise that if he wins the election, he will negotiate some kind of settlement for the Lepreau delays by Atomic Energy of Canada.

"The government of Canada has responsibilities in respect of AECL and we have to shoulder our responsibilities," said Ignatieff.
Harper quiet on Lepreau

During his visits to Fredericton and Edmundston, Conservative leader Stephen Harper talked about government funding for a new Fredericton YMCA and the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, but made no public mention of Point Lepreau.
'You know you just can't, carte blanche, snap your fingers and say 'we're going to do this' before you know what the hell you're doing.'—Keith Ashfield, Conservative candidate

However Premier David Alward said Harper told him in a private conversation on his campaign bus that he is prepared to look at a full costing of the delays and talk about the issue.

"We are looking to be able to provide him with that information," said Alward. "He realizes that and he is open to discussing, and we will be getting that information to him."

Conservative candidate Keith Ashfield said voters shouldn't expect his leader to make any promises about Point Lepreau during the election campaign.

"You know you just can't, carte blanche, snap your fingers and say `wer'e going to do this' before you know what the hell you're doing," said Ashfield. "So we have to have all the information, and we'll see what happens after the process has taken place."

Alward said in his view, Harper's private promise matches Ignatieff's public commitment to do the same.

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NUCLEAR: NB: Liberals support nuclear power: Ignatieff

Michael IgnatieffImage via WikipediaNB: Nuclear power will provide energy baseload, but more renewable needed: IgnatieffPublished on April 21, 2011Staff ~ The Canadian Press

[SAINT JOHN, NB] - Michael Ignatieff says he supports nuclear power, but a Liberal government would do more to harness renewable energy, including New Brunswick tides.

Speaking in Saint John, N.B., Ignatieff was asked about nuclear power as a protester wearing a white, papier-mache elephant head stood behind him.

The protester wore a sign reading, “Pointless Lepreau,” referring to Point Lepreau, Atlantic Canada's only nuclear power plant, where a refurbishment project is three years behind schedule and $1 billion over budget.

Ignatieff says the crisis in Japan has people waking up to the risks of nuclear power, but he adds that it has helped keep the lights on safely in Canada for 50 years.

He says he would like to see it continue to provide some of the baseload of energy generation, but with a greater focus on renewables such as solar, wind and tidal power.

Ignatieff says he would also talk with premiers about improved interprovincial energy-sharing.

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

ENVIRONMENT: Conservatives Flunk the Environmental Report Card

Just in from Sierra Club Canada:
************************

Sierra Club Canada releases its 2011 Federal Election Environmental Report Card


OTTAWA - In response to an overwhelming demand from members and supporters, Sierra Club Canada is today releasing its 2011 Election Report Card.
The five major parties are awarded grades based on their platforms, statements and actions.


The final grades are as follows:
Green Party: A
NDP: C+
Bloc: C
Liberals: C-
Conservatives: F
"Using and online survey tool, we asked our members what action we should take in the election," said John Bennett, Executive Director of Sierra Club Canada. "Over 1000 people responded in less than 48 hours - a strong majority of them requesting we provide information based on fair and accurate comparisons of the environmental positions of the parties."
The first draft of the Report Card was emailed to 12,000 supporters on Sunday, April 17 for their review and input.
"The feedback we received helped make the report card a much stronger document," said Bennett. "We have never seen such interest from our supporters. They are clearly disappointed the environment is not being discussed in this election."
The Election report Card was produced by experts, volunteers and staff from across Canada. The information provided by the parties was fairly compiled, scrutinized and judged against what needs to be done to protect Canada's natural environment.
The report card was not intended to be a comprehensive review of all the environmental issues of concern to Sierra Club Canada, but based on environmental policies touched on by the parties in this election.
"The report card was truly a cooperative, participatory effort from beginning to end. I want to thank everyone involved," said Mr. Bennett. "We look forward to the next opportunity to engage our grassroots supporters. They are a wealth of knowledge and an inspiration to us."
John Bennett, Executive Director
Sierra Club Canada
jb@sierraclub.ca
(613) 291-6888



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Thursday, April 14, 2011

NUCLEAR LOBBIES: Getting NB provincial politicians onside for decommissioning of Point Lepreau NGS will be a tough sell.

In spite of the rocky history of the Point Lepreau NGS which has included labour conflicts, questionable construction practices, reported sabotage, leaks, planned releases of radionuclides, questionable geological issues, inadequate monitoring, recent delays in refurbishment and a cost overrun of a billion plus dollars, it is unlikely that provincial politicians will lobby for decommissioning without a huge push from the concerned and knowledgeable citizens that will be affected by this untried and untested refurbished Candu reactor. And, as the Japanese and Russian and other nuclear disasters have shown, the affected citizens are not just those that live in the immediate vicinity of this reactor ... they include the citizens of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine and New England ... everyone who lives and draws their livelihood from the waters of the Bay of Fundy, Gulf of Maine and Scotian Shelf and the world ...  should a major event occur resulting from unforeseen or unpredicted events, including terrorism.

As is happening around the world, it is only by the actions of citizens that any change will be affected. Over 30,000 concerned citizens rallied to prevent the sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec. The passion that was shown was truly amazing. Yet, when all is said and done, the ownership of NB Power will have little or no impact on our planet. However, nuclear events are already having serious global impacts. Yet people are hesitant to show as much passion for the destruction of their planet as they were over who owns a small public utility. It is, most say, all about jobs. OMG, we would destroy our planet for jobs that can be replaced by sustainable, environmentally friendly alternate energy sources.

The answer is for us to educate ourselves about the true dangers of radionuclide releases into our environment and to ban together by the thousands to get the attention of our politicians and force them to rethink their nuclear position at Point Lepreau NGS, as well as other Canadian and global nuclear sites.

Please join "No Candu" and add your voice to the plea to roll back our dependence on nuclear power generation while keeping in mind the value of nuclear techniques in medicine and science. We will continue to offer the information that people need to make informed judgements.

Join the "No Candu Group" at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_203254803041614&ap=1

For a recent view of the position of NB politicians, review this article just out:
N.B. politicians united in call for Ottawa to pay extra costs of reactor refit
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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

EVENTS: Tiny Beards on Women Day may be cancelled in Maine.

Legislature OKs ban of BPA chemical

The state Legislature has passed a bill that would ban the chemical BPA from reusable food and beverage containers as of Jan. 1, 2012.
The Maine Senate yesterday voted 35-0 to phase out the use of the chemical, following the House of Representatives' vote of 145-3, according to a press release from the Environmental Health Strategy Center. The vote supports the Board of Environmental Protection's December proposal to ban BPA beginning next January, following the Legislature's 2008 approval of the Kid Safe Products Act, which established a process for the Department of Environmental Protection to ban the sale in Maine of certain products containing BPA and other harmful chemicals. However, Gov. Paul LePage singled out the proposal as part of his regulatory reform package and pushed for its repeal, arguing Maine should defer to federal regulations, according to the Bangor Daily News. In February, LePage amended LD 1 to remove that proposal.
The bill now goes to LePage for his signature. A veto of it would likely be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote by the Legislature, according to the Sun Journal.




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POLITICS: Straight Answer from NDP on Nucs and LNG. No answers from Greens, Libs, and Cons

I put the following questions to all 4 candidates from NB southwest. The following answers come from Andrew Graham, NDP. No answers yet from Greens, Conservatives or Liberals. More at Facebook. Search for Andrew Graham, Art MacKay

QUESTION 1
Hi Andrew. Looking for answers from all southwest Candidate. 1) What is your position on LNG development in Passamaquoddy Bay and the passage of tankers through Head Harbour Passage. What is your position on establishing an MPA or Management Zone to protect this area from unsuitable developments in the future?


18 hours ago ·  ·  · See friendship

    • Art MacKay Thanks Andrew. I'll spread the word that the NDP will maintain Canada's opposition to the LNG developments in Passamaquoddy.
      about an hour ago · 

    • Andrew Gordon Graham 
      Hello Art, I have never accepted that LNG development has any sane rationale for existence in Passamaquoddy Bay since the first meeting I attended at the Eastport Commons in August of 2003. Charting the LNG tankers (and their security!) through Head Harbour Passage, when you consider the fog, tides, and the existing traffic of fishing boats is simply an unacceptable risk, and an intrusion into the life and economy of the in-shore fishermen and tourism industry here. In regard to MPA, I was just talking to Peter Stoffer, NDP Fisheries Critic a couple of nights ago, and he brought up the benefits of having a protected zone for fisheries stocks that need a "fallow" area. Of course he also said we have to fight back against the corporatization of our fisheries, though some would say this is too late. But if we can bring in regulations to protect small fish harvesters, as Peter has fought for, and develop co-management and community consultation models, then I believe there is hope.

      59 minutes ago · 

    • Art MacKay Actually the fishery was corporatized not that many decades ago. I was in the middle and watch a complient government alter regulations that were designed to kill the individual and community fisheries ... the original idea was to bring them all under the control of the "big3" companies. The companies actually couldn;t handle it and government had to bail them out ... twice.
      16 minutes ago · 

    • Art MacKay That said, a serious government could reverse that by using the same approach and allocating protected areas associated with breeding and spawning as well as community controlled areas similar to some of the New England states. It's doable ... if there is will ... and the power.
      13 minutes ago · 


QUESTION 2



Next question. Do you support the decommissioning of the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station?
18 hours ago ·  ·  · See friendship

    • Andrew Gordon Graham 
      Hi again Art! What is disturbing about this problem is the position of our provincial governments in defiance of common sense. When our own NB Public Utilities Board recommended against refurbishment we had an opportunity to make a break from the past and begin researching and investing in renewables and conservation. What was so difficult about that? So, yes, let's stop throwing good money after bad and start developing a real energy plan, that emphasizes diversity and community control, not this corporate energy hub nonsense.

      47 minutes ago · 

    • Art MacKay I'm with you. Thanks Andrew. Now let's see what your competitors say. They were contacted with the same answers. I think we can assume the Greens agree. Now what about the Cons and Libs? So far no answers.


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NUCLEAR CONCERNS: Remember Strontium 90? I do and it's now part of the radioactive cocktail out of Japan.

WMD world mapImage via Wikipedia

Well, I do remember Strontium 90 from way back in the nuclear testing age. It was well understood then that there is no such thing as a small dose, since S-90 accumulates in the bone and more and more is deposited as your intake rises ... regardless of the dose levels in the air.

Nevertheless, "officials" in Japan say there is no risk to human health. Garbage!

My thoughts today. Art

*********************


Radioactive strontium detected more than 30 km from Fukushima plant

TOKYO, April 12, Kyodo
Minute amounts of radioactive strontium have been detected in soil and plants in Fukushima Prefecture beyond the 30-kilometer zone around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the science ministry said Tuesday.
It is the first time that radioactive strontium has been detected since the Fukushima plant began leaking radioactive substances after it was severely damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
There is no safety limit set by the government for exposure to strontium, but the amount found so far is extremely low and does not pose a threat to human health, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said.
Experts, however, expressed concern that the accumulation of strontium could have adverse health effects. When strontium enters the human body, it tends to accumulate in bones and is believed to cause bone cancer and leukemia.
Samples of soil and plants were taken March 16 to 19 from a number of locations in Fukushima Prefecture.
The government has designated the area within a 20-km radius of the plant as an evacuation zone, while people residing in areas in the 20- to 30-km ring have been asked to remain indoors. On Monday, the government expanded the evacuation zone to some municipalities beyond the 20-km radius where residents will evacuate in around a month.
==Kyodo


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Monday, April 11, 2011

NUCLEAR CONCERNS: But we are smarter than the Japanese and CANDUs are better?

Internationally recognized symbol.
As the tragedy deepens in Japan, the impacts begin to spread around the world as the links below attest ... But I still hear people saying we are better, ours is safer, it's about the jobs ... While the earth moves closer and closer to the brink we will "fiddle while the earth burns."

It appears that locals are buying dulse to make sure their thyroids are are well stocked with iodine. Yet ... records show that local seaweeds take up the dreaded radioactive iodine-137. Are you folks really sure that you are not ingesting radioactive dulse? Really? It's important. Do you really know?

Look at the results for milk below. It's not funny. And then there is the water leak at Pickering ... another no big deal really! More on that here ...
Art
****************
Japan Nuclear Radiation In Hawaii Milk 2033% Above Federal Drinking Water Limits :theintelhub.com
New EPA milk samples in Hawaii show radiation in milk at 800% above limits for C-134, 633% above limits for C-137 and 600% above EPA maximum for I-131 for a total of 2033%, or 20.33 times, above the federal drinking water limits.
Japan Mulls Raising Nuclear Accident Severity Level To Highest -Kyodo - WSJ.comonline.wsj.com
Japan Crisis Intensifies Doubts on Turning Plutonium Into Mox Fuel www.nytimes.com
The nuclear crisis in Japan has intensified a conflict over a project to turn weapons-grade plutonium into a commercial fuel called mixed oxide, or mox.
New radiation highs in Little Rock milk. http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon/2011/04/10/epa-new-radiation-highs-in-little-rock-milk-philadelphia-drinking-water/

Image via Wikipedia
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Friday, April 8, 2011

POLITICS: The farce IS with us!!

Red and White Darth Vader Figures


This just in from one of my favo/urite US Departments. Really shutting down or even pretending to, is not good for your international image folks. Time to get it together and back the President YOU elected at least until YOU vote him out. These potpourri budgets make no sense. Argue the contentious issues separate from the OPERATIONAL issues. Please!!! WE are walking the edge of too many cliffs!

Art

**********************
Dear friends of the Earth Observatory, As you may know, the U.S. government is facing a shutdown due to the end of funding. As a result, the Earth Observatory site will not be updated for the duration of that shutdown (and may not be available at all) which may begin tomorrow, Saturday April 9. We hope that there will be a quick resolution to this crisis and we thank you for your continued patronage. Kevin Kevin Ward Team Leader NASA's Earth Observatory Sigma Space Corporation

Image by Chris Pirillo via Flickr

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ENERGY: Quebec continues to block Labrador transmission to the south.

So this makes the cable to Nova Scotia even more vital. Now the hidden question that no one is asking. Will the Newfoundland Labrador and Nova Scotia energy company bypass New Brunswick's transmission lines and build a tiny cable across to Maine ... AND bring Maine into the partnership?  New Brunswick may have screwed itself to the wall by trying to sell our NB Power to Hydro Quebec. Business hates partners that can't be trusted. Did NB earn that label thanks to Shawn Graham? Perhaps.

My opinions this morning
Art
***********************
centre
NL: Quebec energy agency rejects N.L. appeal for access to electricity grid

Published on April 8, 2011Staff ~ The Canadian Press

[ST. JOHN'S, NL] - Newfoundland and Labrador's government says Quebec's energy regulator has upheld a decision to deny access to the province's electricity transmission system for power generated by the Lower Churchill project.

The ruling follows an appeal filed by Nalcor Energy, Newfoundland's Crown-owned utility, against an earlier decision on complaints filed by the Labrador project against Hydro-Quebec.

Shawn Skinner, Newfoundland and Labrador's minister of natural resources, says the Quebec ruling doesn't address the province's arguments for open transmission access.

Skinner says Newfoundland and Labrador strongly disagrees with the decision and the actions of Hydro Quebec to block the ability of the Atlantic province to export electricity from the proposed Lower Churchill Falls project at Muskrat Falls.

He says in a news release that Newfoundland and Labrador is reviewing its options, including a judicial review.

The minister says a Quebec legislature motion on Wednesday criticizing federal support for the Lower Churchill project shows Quebec is blocking access
Image via Wikipedia
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Thursday, April 7, 2011

NUCLEAR CONCERNS: Should Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station be decommissioned?

Nuclear WasteImage by svale via Flickr
Have your say! Facebook Poll:

 http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=question&id=10150528465250655&qa_ref=qd
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ENERGY: CBC Special Report shows how Quebec has won with hydro while NB diddled with nuclear!

A quick look at this map show how well Quebec has done in moving to hydroelectric power while NB and NS continued to waste time and resources with oil, coal and nuclear. Same coin ... smart on one side ... stupid on the other.
Click for larger view

Get more details at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/features/power-switch/index.html  Well worth the visit.


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