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NUKE NEWS: March 13, 2010

Compilation:

1. What is Democracy in Canada? - March 20 – Saskatoon
2. The Canadian Institute's Nuclear Symposium - Saskatoon - March 23 - 24, 2010
3. NDP SUCCEEDS IN OBTAINING HEARINGS ON THE BUY AMERICAN TRADE DEAL
4. Skywalk wrong priority
5. (Federal) New Democrats on nuclear energy (with permission)
6. Expanding uranium exploration sparks concern, protests in Quebec
7. Feds power up AECL spending by 50%
8. No Nukes News - Mar. 12, 2010
9. Beyond Nuclear Bulletin - March 12, 2010
10. Design flaws in new nuclear reactors 'could lead to UK's Chernobyl'
11. Ban nuclear weapons from Arctic: Report
12. Canada urged to seek nuclear-free Arctic zone

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1. What is Democracy in Canada? - March 20 - Saskatoon

A Public Discussion on Canadian Democracy with
U of S Political Studies Professors Anna Hunter, David McGrane and Loleen Berdahl
Saturday, 20 March 2010
1:00pm to 4:00pm
St. Thomas More Auditorium - U of S Campus
1437 College Drive
Saskatoon, SK

Facebook event -
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=350543023171

Description

With the recent turmoil in Canadian politics many of us have realized that our knowledge and the knowledge of many Canadians is lacking in the principles and details of how our democracy works.

What is a prorogation? Why does a representative of the Queen of England have a say over our parliament? Can several political parties form a coalition government? Does our Prime Minister have the same powers as the President of the United States? What is the Senate and why are it's members not elected?

Many Canadians have also been asking themselves, with all of the inter-party conflict recently, if our democracy is broken. If it isn't functioning properly, are there reforms that could improve it?

These questions and many others will be addressed at this public discussion with University of Saskatchewan Political Studies professors Anna Hunter, David McGrane and Loleen Berdahl.

The event will begin with the three professors answering questions posed by the moderator. Shortly after, discussion will be opened up to everyone in attendance to pose questions to the professors or to other participants. At 2:30pm we will brake for refreshments (provided by the organizers) and following the break, resume with the discussion.

Participants may make statements or ask questions at a microphone or submit them in writing for the moderator to read.

Admission free - wheelchair accessible.

Sponsored by The University of Saskatchewan Political Studies Department, St. Thomas More Political Studies Department, Saskatchewan Chapter of Fair Vote Canada, CAPP Saskatoon (Canadians Advocating Political Participation, formerly Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament) and Grassroots Citizens' Democracy Group.

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2. The Canadian Institute's Nuclear Symposium - Saskatoon - March 23 - 24, 2010

On March 23 & 24, CNSC will participate in the The Canadian Institute's Nuclear Symposium at the Sheraton Hotel.

Two of the conference sponsors are Cameco and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.
Nuclear power is on a worldwide revival, as the energy sector is faced with the rising costs of fossil fuels and the threat of emissions regulations. In Canada, there is increased demand for utilities to provide clean energy as well as meet the growing demands of oil and gas development.

While there are significant business opportunities, there are major challenges to overcome. Daunting costs, a lengthy approvals process, the issue of nuclear waste disposal, and negative public perception are just some of these hurdles.
In the recent federal budget
, the government has given the responsibility of assessing new nuclear projects in Canada to the CNSC. Canadians need to understand that this public agency, actively engaged in promoting nuclear power, uranium mining and nuclear waste disposal in Canada, are now performing assessment, regulatory and approval functions. The nuclear industry's dream come true.

Learn how you can capitalize on the resurgence of nuclear energy at The Canadian Institute’s Nuclear Symposium. Nuclear industry stakeholders will convene at this executive-level forum to address the challenges the industry is facing. Hear from an outstanding faculty of industry experts and leaders on the projects, policies and practices that will define Canada’s nuclear future.

Get critical information on issues including:
Impact of the global nuclear revival on Canada
Saskatchewan’s role in expanding Canada’s nuclear industry
How nuclear process heat will alter the 21st century economy
New nuclear technologies that are candidates for oil sands applications
Meeting the construction, engineering and economic challenges of new nuclear builds
Integrating new nuclear plants into the transmission grid
Strategies for long-term nuclear waste management

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to network with and learn from the industry regulatory agencies and associations, nuclear utilities, engineering companies and contractors, equipment manufacturers, lenders and investors and legal advisors. You’ll not only gain a thorough understanding of the direction of the industry, which will change the energy landscape for years to come, but be better able to position yourself to capitalize on the vast opportunities that lie ahead.

Register today for this must-attend event by calling 1-877-927-7936 or on-line.

ALSO:
The President and CEO of Canada's nuclear regulator the CNSC will be speaking in Saskatoon on Thursday, March 25, 2010 in Room 241, Arts Building on the U of S Campus beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Michael Binder's talk is titled "Ensuring Nuclear Safety in Canada" and will discuss topics such as "The strong safety record of nuclear energy in Canada", "Global and domestic trends in the nuclear industry", and "Common misconceptions about the nuclear industry."
If you want to get a flavour of Binder's presentations, check them out:

http://www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca/eng/mediacen ... entations/
archive_presentations_2009.cfm#binder

More about the CNSC in the days to come.

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3 . NDP SUCCEEDS IN OBTAINING HEARINGS ON THE BUY AMERICAN TRADE DEAL

From: JuliaP@parl.gc.ca
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 12:50 PM

OTTAWA - NDP International Trade Critic Peter Julian secured full support for his motion pushing the Standing Committee on International Trade to hold hearings to review the Buy American agreement which was signed and implemented on February 16th by the Harper government while Parliament was prorogued. Mr. Julian will be calling on expert witnesses to provide answers to many of the questions that Canadian municipalities, companies and the public are asking.

“We seem to have given up a considerable amount of access to public procurement right across the country and these hearings should help determine how much we have given up and how much of the US market we can effectively access”, said Julian. “Assessing the impact on Canadian jobs and communities should have been the first step taken by the Harper government. I am pleased that members of the International Trade committee have agreed to go deeper into this issue”.

The Buy American program was brought about by the Obama administration under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in February 2009 to stimulate economic growth. However, the final draft of the Canada-US Agreement on Government procurement agreement was signed just a few days before the closing of the bidding for US stimulus funding. 98% of US stimulus money had therefore already been allocated. This left Canadian companies next to no time to bid on projects with no guarantee that they would win any significant business. Furthermore there is no mechanism to enforce Canadian Access to American contracts.

“The Harper government has fast-tracked a major agreement without due diligence; most particularly, Parliament has not been consulted on the agreement and has had no opportunity for oversight”, said Julian. “The fact that we have obtained only partial access to what is left of the Buy American program and yet seem to have given up considerable access to the Canadian public procurement market is a matter of real concern.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament:

http://www.facebook.com/
posted.php?id=260348091419&share_id=359963712947&comments=1
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Canadians Advocating Political participation: http://canadaparticipates.ca/about/

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Public pressure leads to public hearings on lopsided Canada-US procurement deal – Council of Canadians
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/

Friday, March 12th, 2010 – Stuart Trew

It’s not the apologetic policy reversal you might have been expecting (or not) from Trade Minister Peter Van Loan, but it is a victory nonetheless. And it is proof that public pressure on the government for parliamentary hearings into the Harper government’s embarrassingly one-sided ‘Buy American deal (the Canada-US Agreement on Government Procurement) has worked.
Starting next week, the Commons Committee on International Trade (CIIT) will hold hearings into the deal, announced by the Harper government the day it came into effect on February 16, thanks to a motion from NDP Trade Critic Peter Julian, one of a dozen MPs on the federal trade committee who received a copy of your letters to Van Loan based on our February 22 Action Alert, “We need parliamentary and provincial hearings on ‘Buy American’ deal”.
“We seem to have given up a considerable amount of access to public procurement right across the country and these hearings should help determine how much we have given up and how much of the US market we can effectively access”, said Julian in a press statement. “Assessing the impact on Canadian jobs and communities should have been the first step taken by the Harper government. I am pleased that members of the International Trade committee have agreed to go deeper into this issue.”
Despite a parade of positive news articles about the Harper government’s throw-away procurement deal with the Obama administration, there is actually no hard government data on how much of the US stimulus money has yet to be distributed, how much of that Canadian firms have a shot at winning, or the value of the Canadian subnational procurement market. The best assessment doesn’t come from the government at all but the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, which estimates only $4 to $5 billion of the original $275 billion was up for grabs as of February 16. And it is possible that even that sliver was accounted for as of February 17, based on news reports.
Watch this space for updates on next week’s parliamentary hearings. Congratulations to everyone who wrote the government demanding them. And congratulations to the NDP for securing them.

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4. Skywalk wrong priority

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/
todays-paper/Skywalk+wrong+priority/2664679/story.html

BY TERRY NEEFS, THE STARPHOENIX MARCH 10, 2010
I read with mixed emotions the article regarding Cameco's $1.5-million donation to the Saskatoon Health Region for the Royal University Hospital Skywalk.
SHR has a long list of more critical needs.
The RUH parkade, for instance, is in serious need of repairs. These could have been done several years ago at a cost of several million dollars. However, parking revenues were redirected elsewhere while the cost of repairs has mushroomed into tens of millions. This is part of a much larger problem, with SHR's overall deferred facility-maintenance liability well in excess of $300 million.
There also is a long list of aging clinical equipment in need of replacement. Donors of such could still get good visibility while patients directly benefit.
Exploding health-care costs already are consuming 42 per cent of the taxpayer dollar while also relying on supplemental funding from foundations and other benefactors. These funds require more thoughtful and strategic investment toward programs such as the electronic health record (EHR). Lack of progress in this area is negatively impacting patient care.
For public health care to provide sustainable value for service, it must embrace appropriate business principles. Never-ending discussions with a significant crisis looming is not an affordable strategy.
Terry Neefs
Saskatoon
© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

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5. (Federal) New Democrats on nuclear energy (with permission)

From: <laytoj@parl.gc.ca>
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:21 PM
Thank you for writing and for sharing your concerns regarding nuclear energy.
Canada's New Democrats view nuclear energy as being dangerous, prohibitively expensive, and far from a solution to climate change. At our 2006 convention, our Party adopted a comprehensive resolution on energy policy. The resolution not only recognizes the need for a secure supply of energy to meet our needs, but takes into consideration the
social and environmental impact of our current consumption and sources and promotes sustainable development.
Included in this policy resolution is a commitment to the development of a thriving renewable energy industry in Canada, particularly wind and tidal stream turbines and solar panel production to meet domestic needs and the export market, by all means possible including the creation of a Crown Corporation to assist community, commercial and industrial interests and help with research and development.
Again, I appreciate hearing from you.
Please visit our website at:
www.ndp.ca to learn the latest about our team of New Democrats.
Sincerely,
Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats

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6. Expanding uranium exploration sparks concern, protests in Quebec

http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/3226

by Chris Scott, The Dominion, March 11, 2010

SEPT-ILES, QC -- There is a region in northeastern Quebec that is renowned as a moose hunter's paradise: a country of blackflies, where outcroppings of billion-year-old granite poke through the veneer of trees and pristine rivers originating in the Labrador highlands tumble over escarpments to empty into the widening St. Lawrence. In small, blue-collar urban centres such as Port-Cartier and Sept-Iles, it seems locals spend every free moment on the land. Ski-Doo travel is a preferred recreational activity in winter and on the shores of mountain-ringed Lake Kachiwiss, located 15 km from downtown Sept-Iles, families on day trips stop to drink hot tea from thermoses.
But despite, or perhaps in light of, this popularity, Lake Kachiwiss has also become known as a point of interest for reasons other than Ski-Doo expeditions.
A Quebec government map outlining uranium exploration on the North Shore of the Saint Lawrence river. The number of claims for exploration has shot up in recent years.
It is here that Vancouver-based mineral prospecting company Terra Ventures has been drilling the granite bedrock of the Saint Lawrence North Shore for uranium since 2008. The procedure includes boring a 300-metre hole into the ground at a location previously identified by aerial survey as having uranium potential. The contents of each hole are then hauled to the surface and cut laterally into two hemispheres, the way one would slice a carrot. One hemisphere from each core sample -- which are typically radioactive -- is trucked to a lab, while the other half is left on site for classification.
According to Sept-Iles residents, the prospecting site is not fenced in, the drill holes, as of June last year, were uncapped, and the company has neglected to post signs to warn the population about potential radioactivity. The core samples are stored on open-air racks, exposed to the elements.
Marc Fafard, a logger and local activist, describes the result of leaving such unusual objects unattended, and essentially unmarked, in a frequented area.
“You've got these lovely core samples, soft, beautiful as fossils, nice to touch,” he explains. Samples "were showing up in people's living rooms”.
Fafard, who was a recent mayoral candidate, helped found the citizens' group Sept-Iles sans uranium (Sept-Iles without uranium; SISUR) after reading about the prospecting activity in the news. According to Fafard, this anecdote of souvenir hunting gone badly
wrong illustrates the degree to which the initial flurry of uranium prospecting caught Sept-Iles residents by surprise.
“Most folks don't know what radioactivity is,” he says. “We're asking for a moratorium while we inform people.”

MORE:
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/3226\

[Chris Scott is a community radio host, activist and writer with experience reporting from northern Quebec.]

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7. Feds power up AECL spending by 50%

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/
feds-power-up-aecl-spending-by-50/article1488992/

SHAWN MCCARTHY
OTTAWA ‹ From Thursday's Globe and Mail Published on Thursday, Mar. 04, 2010 12:00AM EST Last updated on Friday, Mar. 12, 2010 3:14AM EST
GLOBAL ENERGY REPORTER
The deficit-ridden federal government has plowed an additional $182-million into Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. to cover cost overruns in refurbishment projects and repairs to its isotope-producing research reactor at Chalk River.
As a result, Ottawa allocated $824-million in the current fiscal year to the problem-plagued nuclear flagship as the government prepares to restructure it and sell its commercial division, according to supplemental estimates released late yesterday.
That's a 50-per-cent increase from federal spending on AECL in the prior fiscal year. In today's budget, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will likely provide hundreds of millions more to support AECL's operating budget and design work on the advanced Candu reactor and refurbish Chalk River laboratories.
Ottawa has made special payments for cost overruns for refurbishments at New Brunswick's Point Lepreau reactor, Ontario's Bruce complex and a reactor in South Korea.
Yesterday's estimate indicated a further $110-million for AECL refurbishment work on commercial reactors, which extends their life about 25 years, and $72-million to fix the problem-plagued National Research Universal reactor, out of service since June.
AECL says it hopes to have repairs done on the NRU - and be producing isotopes again - by the end of April. Chief executive Hugh MacDiarmid said last week AECL has completed 85 per cent of the design work for the advanced Candu reactor, which it hopes to sell to Ontario and then market around the world.

MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/
feds-power-up-aecl-spending-by-50/article1488992/

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8. No Nukes News - Mar. 12, 2010

Increasing the risk of nuclear war brings us back to climate change.

Recent scientific research details the climatic impacts of nuclear warfare. The use of 100 weapons in nuclear warfare — just 0.03 per cent of the explosive power of the world's nuclear arsenal — would result directly in catastrophic climate change with many millions of tonnes of black, sooty smoke lofted high into the stratosphere. Needless to say the social and environmental impacts would be horrendous. – Scott Ludlam

Whether we like it or not, we all live near nuclear power plants. The mining of uranium and its processing and usage raises the background levels of radioactivity and this causes genetic damage worldwide. The good news is that nuclear is too expensive and too slow and the P.R fiction of the so-called "nuclear renaissance" put out by the industry will never happen. Real clean renewable energy will bypass the reactors, Obama's political decision notwithstanding. - Wolfe Erlichman

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Federal green strategy goes from bad to worse

Thud. You hear that sound? That’s the sound of nearly half a billion taxpayer dollars landing on the doorstep of Atomic Energy Canada Ltd.
Rudolph said the throne speech talked about the need to become a clean energy superpower and lead in green job creation, but the government is moving in the opposite direction. And nuclear power, he said, won’t achieve either objective in the near term. “There is nothing ‘shovel ready’ about investing in nuclear technology,” said Rudolph, pointing out the long timeframes required for regulatory approvals.
… Still, as the Pembina Institute points out, the United States plans to outspend Canada 14-to-1 per capita on renewable energy and 2-to-1 on energy efficiency in fiscal 2010. Even then, there’s concern by some south of the border that the United States isn’t doing enough compared to China and some countries in Europe.

http://www.thestar.com/business/cleanbreak/article/
776536--hamilton-federal-green-strategy-goes-from-bad-to-worse

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Federal Budget takes the wind out of clean energy sails

"Basically it means the federal government has no policy to encourage renewable energy whatsoever," Estill said. "That's shocking, isn't it?"
The throne speech this week said the government will continue investment in clean energy technologies, but the federal budget suggests the Tory vision relies on nuclear energy, which will receive $300 million this year, and cutting emissions from the oil and gas sector.
Critics say that nuclear power plants and technology to trap carbon emissions from the oilsands underground, an $800 million initiative announced in 2009, will take years to produce tangible environmental benefits. Renewable energy projects, in contrast, can be up and running just months after project approvals are completed.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/fede ... t/article/
775909--budget-takes-the-wind-out-of-clean-energy-sails

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Tory budget ‘walks away' from renewable energy, environmentalist says

When the Canadian government put money into environmental initiatives to stimulate the flagging economy, it focused on capturing the carbon emissions from the oil and gas industries and building “green” infrastructure like hydro transmission lines, landfills and sewage systems.
Other governments around the world, meanwhile, channelled their investments into the commercial development of renewable energy technologies. For some of them, this was not a new venture.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/budget/
tory-budget-walks-away-from-renewable-energy-environmentalist-says/article1496915/?cid=art-rail-politics

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Greenwash of the Week: Going Nuclear

5 minute youtube video - Bria and Robin take on the nuclear power industry. (a RAN Video)
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Tub1ROKTmzo&feature=channel

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N.B. reactor upgrade delayed again

The $1.4-billion refurbishment of the Point Lepreau nuclear reactor in New Brunswick is continuing to miss deadlines set by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd
The federal and provincial governments have been locked in a war of words over who should cover the costs of the delays, which the New Brunswick government says are the fault of AECL.
The Point Lepreau project is the world's first refurbishment of a Candu-6 facility, and AECL had hoped it would act as a model process that could be sold to other countries that purchased the same kind of reactor.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/ ... 010/03/10/
nb-aecl-point-lepreau-refurbishment-delay-258.html

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Challenging Conventional Wisdom on Renewable Energy's Limits

In making the case for a rapid conversion away from heavily polluting energy sources like coal and nuclear power to cleaner generation, renewable energy advocates often confront the argument that their scheme is impossible due to the intermittent nature of sun and wind.
But a groundbreaking study out of North Carolina challenges that conventional wisdom: It suggests that backup generation requirements would be modest for a system based largely on solar and wind power, combined with efficiency, hydroelectric power, and other renewable sources like landfill gas.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/08-3

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B.C. fuels fight with Ontario over bioenergy

British Columbia's quest to replace Ontario as the top destination for clean-energy investment dollars will now be headed up directly by Premier Gordon Campbell.
Ontario's new energy pricing strategy has left B.C. behind, with new contracts expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks under its "feed-in tariff" policy guaranteeing prices and long-term contracts for green power.
The B.C. Premier plans to introduce a new Clean Energy Act this spring to exploit his province's beetle-killed forests as a bioenergy alternative, and to open up new energy trading opportunities across Western Canada and into the U.S.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... -columbia/
bc-fuels-fight-with-ontario-over-bioenergy/article1495726/

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First FIT Projects cleared to proceed

The OPA has just announced its first release of approved FIT (feed-in-tariff) applications for capacity allocation exempt facilities.

510 projects approved range from 10 kilowatts to 500 kilowatts and have a total generating capacity of 112 megawatts.

About 95 percent of the projects are for solar generation. The remaining projects are biogas (20), water (4), onshore wind (3) and biomass (1).

Notable on the list was Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada’s largest grocery retailer, which has been approved for FIT applications for rooftop solar installations on 136 of its Ontario stores. The grocery retailer will initially launch four pilot projects in select stores across the province and then evaluate the next phase of rollouts.

The list of approved projects is available here:
http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/Storage/100/
10900_Listing_of_CAE_FINAL.pdf

The OPA press release is available here:
http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca/Storage/100/
10898_FIT_-_CAE_Event_News_Release_-_FINAL.pdf

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/
loblaw-to-tap-ontario-program-with-solar-panels/article1495770/

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Ontario Reaches 46 MW of Solar PV in 2009

The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) reports that 40 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) contracts were in commercial operation by the end of 2009 – about enough electricity for some 4,000 typical Ontario homes for the next 20 – 30 years. In a few short months Ontario has become a major market for solar PV in North America.

http://www.altaterra.net/members/
blog_view.asp?id=511177&post=93720

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Solar panel startup to lease residential rooftops
A Toronto startup has come up with a way to put solar power systems on the rooftops of new homes at no cost to the owners. In fact, the homeowner would get paid to let it happen.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/articlePrint/777492

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Forget Nuclear

By Amory B. Lovins, Imran Sheikh, and Alex Markevich
Isn’t it time we forgot about nuclear power? Informed capitalists have. Politicians and pundits should too. After more than half a century of devoted effort and a half-trillion dollars of public subsidies, nuclear power still can’t make its way in the market. If we accept that unequivocal verdict, we can at last get on with the best buys first: proven and ample ways to save more carbon per dollar, faster, more surely, more securely, and with wider consensus. As often before, the biggest key to a sound climate and security strategy is to take market economics seriously.

http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid467.php

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For those of you interested in learning more about nuke power, here are some highly recommended books:

In Mortal Hands - a cautionary history of the nuclear age by Stephanie Cooke, Bloomsbury, New York, 2009.

Atomic Accomplice - how Canada deals in deadly deceit, by Paul McKay, privately published, 2009 (You can order this through angela@cleanairalliance.org - $20 plus $3 postage)

Uranium - war, energy and the rock that shaped the world, by Tom Zoellner, Viking, 2009.
Order them from a book store or better yet, get your local library to order them.

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Ontario’s Green Future: How Ontario Can Move Towards a 100% Renewable Electricity Grid

With keynote speaker Jack Gibbons of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance

Monday March 15th, 5 - 6 p.m.
Room GB120 in the Galbraith Building, 35 St. George St. (just above College), U of T, Toronto

Sponsored by: Ontario Centre for Engineering and Public Policy

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The Power of Activism

A public forum on effective social change. Learn from successful social movements.

Thursday March 18, 7:30 PM
Friends House, 60 Lowther Ave, (St. George subway station) Toronto
With Lyn Adamson, Angela Bischoff and others
Free.
For more info: peaceworks@primus.ca

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We can stop burning coal today! - New leaflet

Ontario now has a large surplus of coal-free electricity and according to the Independent Electricity System Operator it will stay that way between now and the official coal phase out deadline of 2014. That means that Ontario can stop burning coal today and avoid releasing millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases and air polluting emissions simply by putting our remaining dirty coal plants on standby reserve.

This would be an excellent way to demonstrate to the world at the G20 Summit in June that Ontario is serious about meeting its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and that Canadians do care about climate change.

By not operating our coal plants except in the case of a true power emergency, we can proudly point to a major climate achievement when the world gathers on our doorstep in June!

Help us get the word out about this magnificent climate opportunity – order pamphlets, with postcards addressed to Premier McGuinty, to distribute to your friends, family and community calling for Ontario’s coal plants to be put on standby reserve immediately. Order now – they’re FREE! And thank you so much for helping us help the planet.

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Angela Bischoff
Outreach Director
Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Tel: 416 926 1907 x 246
625 Church Street, #402
Toronto, ON M4Y 2G1
angela@cleanairalliance.org
www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca
www.cleanairalliance.org
Our Facebook Group
Sign Our Petition
No Nukes News
Health Power

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9. Beyond Nuclear Bulletin - March 12, 2010

Top Stories

French nuclear reactor planned for U.S. could explode

Background:

Confidential documents revealed to French activist groups this week show that the design for the French Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR and known in Europe as the European Pressurized Reactor) presents a serious safety risk and could explode. The documents, leaked by a source inside the French national utility, Électricité de France (EDF), confirm that corporate profitability is being placed ahead of public safety in the rush to deliver a new reactor design at minimum cost. The documents show that the Areva-designed reactor has been approved for construction and marketed around the world, despite inside knowledge about the reactor's vulnerability to a major accident. Originally slated for six U.S. sites (and seven reactors) the EPR is currently on track only at the Calvert Cliffs site in Maryland, where it is very likely the next recipient of federal loan guarantees and is the reference application which would streamline the way for other EPRs elsewhere. It is under construction in Finland and France, where both sites are mired in huge delays, technical flaws and massive cost-over-runs. A group of scientific experts, retained by the French anti-nuclear network, Sortir du nucléaire, have analyzed the leaked EDF documents available in French, but being translated into English shortly.)
Our View:
These revelations come on the heels of earlier leaked disclosures showing the EPR is structurally vulnerable to aircraft impacts and the questions raised by the British, Finnish and French safety authorities about the design issues in the computer control of the reactor. This confirms the inherent dangers that still haunt this experimental nuclear technology. We see a pattern placing nuclear economics ahead of safety margins is still rife throughout a now global nuclear energy industry. It is unacceptable to place profits over public safety given the catastrophic consequences inherent in a nuclear accident. The EPR should not be built in the U.S., or anywhere else.
What You Can Do:
Please download our press release and the Sortir du nucléaire press release (in English) and distribute these to your media contacts. And please continue to use this information and our other materials on the French nuclear program to dispel the arguments in favor of replicating the French nuclear system.

Register now for Alliance for Nuclear Accountability's annual "DC Days"!

Background: Beyond Nuclear is a proud member of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA), a coalition of dozens of groups across the country with over 20 years of experience. A highlight of ANA's year is its annual "DC Days," four days of advocacy and training about nuclear weapons and power issues! At DC Days, you will learn from experts and maximize your impact, meet with Members of Congress or their staff and Administration officials, and network with activists from across the country. And, just as in previous years, DC Days participants will work to: oppose nuclear power and address radioactive waste concerns; increase funding and improve environmental cleanup standards at Dept. of Energy (DOE) weapons complex sites; oppose new nuclear bomb production plants; prevent the dirty, dangerous and expensive reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel; promote safer solutions for plutonium disposal; stop research and development of new nuclear weapons; create a fair and comprehensive waste cleanup plan at contaminated DOE sites; support Nuclear Non-proliferation (especially important this year, with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference coming up in May); and support long-term environmental protection at DOE sites. See ANA's website for more information about DC Days.
Our View: While many of ANA's member groups live in the shadows of DOE weapons complex sites, and devote themselves to watch-dogging them, Beyond Nuclear is honored to bring nuclear power watch-dogging expertise to the coalition. For this reason, we encourage all Beyond Nuclear supporters to consider attending this year's ANA DC Days, to add yet more anti-nuclear power activism to one of the best "lobby days" to take place in Washington D.C. each year. One of the best parts of all are the parties, an informal one for networking with fellow activists, and a formal one for awarding Members of Congress, journalists, Administration officials, and the activist of the year for exemplary efforts to address nuclear issues.
What You Can Do: Register now with ANA to attend DC Days. ANA's DC Days intern, Dan Yoken, stands ready to help you find low cost flights and affordable lodging. Some home stays are also available. Dan's email is dyoken@ananuclear.org, while his phone number is (202) 544-0217 ext. 2501. Kevin Kamps at Beyond Nuclear can also help answer your questions about ANA DC Days.

Added Bonus:
In addition, DC Days will be preceded by an important grassroots meeting about high-level radioactive waste policy in the U.S. in light of the demise of the Yucca Mountain dumpsite proposal and formation of Energy Secretary Chu's blue ribbon commission seeking a "Plan B" radioactive waste policy. The all-day meeting will be held on Saturday, March 13th, and will begin at 10 a.m. with coffee at the office of Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Suite 340, 6930 Carroll Ave., in Takoma Park, Maryland 20912. Mary Olson of NIRS has written about the agenda for this meeting, as well as other ways folks can take part in high-level radioactive waste activism. Phone Kevin Kamps, (240) 462-3216, to learn more about the radioactive waste meeting. We hope you can join us for both the radioactive waste meeting, as well as ANA DC Days!

The French Nuclear Medusa

Sarkozy calls on World Bank to fund nuclear power

Just before opening a conference on nuclear technology in Paris on March 8, French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said it should be mandatory that international banks finance civil nuclear power projects. According to an article in Platts, Sarkozy said it was "a 'scandal' that the World Bank and other development banks refuse to finance nuclear projects in developing countries." At the same time, the French anti-nuclear network, Sortir du nucléaire, called for a protest outside the meeting of 65 countries where France was promoting the use of nuclear energy.

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PLEASE DONATE TO BEYOND NUCLEAR TODAY! DONATE HERE
Beyond Nuclear aims to educate and activate the public about the connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the need to abandon both to safeguard our future. Beyond Nuclear advocates for an energy future that is sustainable, benign and democratic. Beyond Nuclear staff can be reached at: 301.270.2209.
Or view our Web site at:
http://www.beyondnuclear.org/
6930 Carroll Avenue Suite 400 | Takoma Park, MD 20912 US

======================

10. Design flaws in new nuclear reactors 'could lead to UK's Chernobyl'

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/11465

By staff writers 9 Mar 2010
Local authorities have written to the nuclear watchdog following new concerns over the design safety of nuclear reactors planned for the UK and of fears about a Chernobyl-type accident.
Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) sent a letter today (9 March) to the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) following the emergence of new allegations over the safety of the proposed European Pressurised Reactor (EPR).
The French nuclear group 'Sortir du Nucleaire' (French Network for Nuclear Phase-out) raised concerns in a press release yesterday over the safety of the proposed European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) design by EDF /Areva, which will be used to build a number of nuclear reactors in the UK.
In a press release issued on the 8th March, Sortir de Nucleaire said that they had received documents from an insider working in EDF. Sortir de Nucleaire claims that they show that "the design of the EPR presents a serious risk of a major nuclear accident - a risk deliberately taken by EDF to increase its profitability."
It further claims that the reactor is "potentially vulnerable to a situation which could have uncontrollable consequences."
Experts are quoted in the press release warning that some operating modes could cause the EPR reactor to explode. These operating modes are mainly related to an 'objective of economic efficiency', requiring the power of the reactor to adapt to electricity demand.
They say that the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) has been kept in the dark about the issues.
"So the EPR reactor design seems to increase the risk of a Chernobyl-type accident, which would lead to the destruction of the confinement and mass dispersion of radionuclides in the atmosphere" the experts are quoted as saying.

MORE: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/11465

======================

11. Ban nuclear weapons from Arctic: Report

http://www.ceasefire.ca/
?p=4273&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=
email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28
Ceasefire.ca%29

Wed, Mar 10, 2010 Nuclear weapons
Arctic and nuclear weapon states need to work together to rid the Arctic region of nuclear weapons, finds a new report by security analysts Michael Wallace and Steven Staples.
Ridding the Arctic of Nuclear Weapons: A Task Long Overdue was released today by the Rideau Institute and the Canadian Pugwash Group, the national affiliate of the Nobel Peace Prize winning Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs.
“Cold War–era nuclear weapon policies and practices in the Arctic, such as nuclear submarine patrols and over-flights by bombers, pose an environmental risk to the region, and an unnecessary security threat to the international community,” said Steven Staples, President of the Rideau Institute.
The report proposes greater security cooperation among the circumpolar states, including nuclear weapons states United States and Russia, with the ultimate goal of creating an Arctic Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. Six similar de-nuclearization agreements now cover much of the South Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia.
“No one can deny that these treaties have been an important part of efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons,” said Michael Wallace, Professor Emeritus of the University of British Columbia. “The Russian Federation might be persuaded to give up its Arctic-based nuclear forces if the United States was prepared to enter a significant, new arms strategic control treaty.”
In the meanwhile, there are steps that Canada could take right away. “The Canadian government could prohibit the transit of nuclear weapons through the Northwest Passage, and work with other Arctic non-nuclear-weapon states to create a regional agreement to be free of nuclear weapons north of the Arctic Circle,” noted Adele Buckley, environmental scientist and member of the international Pugwash Council.
ShareThis
Arctic Nuclear Weapons Free Zone, Canadian Pugwash Group, Mike Wallace, Nuclear weapons, Rideau Institute, Steven Staples

=====================

12. Canada urged to seek nuclear-free Arctic zone

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/
Canada+urged+seek+nuclear+free+Arctic+zone/2665223/story.html

By Juliet O'Neill, Canwest News ServiceMarch 10, 2010
Calling for the creation of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Arctic is not alarmist, says an academic report as foreign ministers of the world's Arctic nations prepare for a summit in Canada later this month.
While the threat of nuclear-weapon use in the Arctic may be nebulous now, the ground should be prepared for potential future confrontations over competing claims for sovereignty, power and resources in the region, say co-authors Michael Wallace and Steven Staples.
They also say the move would be a prudent step to safeguard the Arctic environment against nuclear accidents.
"By acting now we can probably save ourselves a lot of angst down the road," Staples said in an interview Tuesday. "As countries try to stake their claims in the Arctic and on the resources, let's do this in a blueprint way -- in a co-ordinated way -- and avoid a mad scramble that could lead to an accident."
Wallace, a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia, and Steven Staples, president of the Ottawa-based Rideau Institute, are executive members of the Canadian Pugwash Group -- a think-tank dedicated to the prevention and resolution of armed conflict.

MORE: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/
Canada+urged+seek+nuclear+free+Arctic+zone/2665223/story.html

Last edited by Oscar on Thu Dec 23, 2010 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: March 14, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:41 am

NUKE NEWS: March 14, 2010

Compilation:

1. Obama's Nuclear Dreams: Resurrecting a Noxious Industry
2. DON'T FORGET TO SIGN PETITION TO STOP OBAMA'S $54 BILLION NUCLEAR LOAN PROGRAM!
3. EU to table nuclear waste treatment law
4. Network phasing out the nuclear age
5. Ceasefire.ca Postings
6. Were depleted uranium weapons used at Falluja?
7. We Are All Accountable (***Caution)
8. Citizen's Arrest of Alleged War Criminal George W. Bush in Canada
9. POPULATION AND MORALITY: WHY THE DISCONNECTS? By Jim Harding
10. WATCH: Add It Up - Explore the Latest CASSE Resources
11. The climatic consequences of nuclear war
12. The Council of Canadians celebrates 25 years!
13. Controversy Grows Over Brier Corporate Sponsor Monsanto
14. Saskatchewan Politics – Never Dull!
15. U.S. lawmakers launch push to repeal NAFTA
16. The Most Powerful Destructive Corporate Business Club Most Americans Have Never Heard of
17. PMO attempts to appeal to Canadians with YouTube channel/Cartoon

=========================

1. Obama's Nuclear Dreams: Resurrecting a Noxious Industry

http://www.truthout.org/
obamas-nuclear-dreams-resurrecting-a-noxious-industry57507

Joshua Frank and Jeffrey St. Clair, Truthout: "He may soon be called the nuclear industry's Golden Child. No president in the last three decades has put more taxpayer dollars behind atom power than Barack Obama. And there may be good reason why the president is salivating over the prospect of building new nuclear power plants around the country."

MORE: http://www.truthout.org/
obamas-nuclear-dreams-resurrecting-a-noxious-industry57507

=======================

2. DON'T FORGET TO SIGN PETITION TO STOP OBAMA'S $54 BILLION NUCLEAR LOAN PROGRAM!

SENATE CLIMATE BILL TO BE UNVEILED SOON: TAKE NEW ACTION NOW TO STOP MORE NUCLEAR PORK!
www.nirs.org
March 11, 2010
Thanks to everyone who has signed the petition to Congress to stop President Obama's proposal for $54 billion in taxpayer loans for construction of new nuclear reactors.
More than 3,850 have signed so far, and that's great for the first week. But this list is now nearly 20,000 people, so many, many people haven't yet signed. If you're one of them, please sign here now.
Recent public opinion polls show that tens of millions of Americans remain opposed to new reactor construction, and even more are understandably concerned about nuclear safety, radiation exposures, and radioactive waste. Here is a link to a recent poll from UPI, and here is a posting about a recent poll from Pew.
We can't reach all these people on our own: we need your help. Please do everything you can to reach out, to forward the petition link to family, friends, colleagues and organizational mailing lists.

Here is the link:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5502/p/dia/action/
public/?action_KEY=2096

And we need only $300 more to buy an ad that will reach 1/2 million people! Can you help us with a small tax-deductible contribution so we can get that ad placed and running? (You can see the ad on the front page of our website--the yellow box that says "Tell Congress: Stop a Taxpayer Bailout of Nuclear Power"). Please contribute here--and thank you!
Meanwhile, we have our work cut out for us:
Published reports indicate that Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) will unveil their new climate bill in the next week or two. And these published reports (for example, this one from yesterday's New York Times) also indicate that the bill will be larded with taxpayer giveaways to the nuclear power industry. In other words, taxpayers would be subsidizing giant companies like General Electric, Progress Energy, Electricite de France, Exelon, Duke Power, Areva, Westinghouse and more.
Wasting taxpayer money on nuclear power--which is both ineffective at reducing carbon emissions (its carbon footprint is 6 times greater than wind power for the same amount of electricity, 2-3 times greater than solar) and remains the most dangerous and expensive electricity source available--is no way to fight climate change. In fact, it would be counterproductive.
Let's stop the climate bill from becoming just another taxpayer gift to huge energy companies. We need to keep up the pressure, so we've set up a new letter you can send to your Senators here. Tell them to reject nuclear power in a climate bill, and to come up with real climate solutions.
We can win these critical battles, but it won't be easy, it won't be fast, and it will take all of us working together to do so. Thank you for your activism, your support, your outreach, and all you do.
Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
nirsnet@nirs.org
www.nirs.org
6930 Carroll Avenue, #340, Takoma Park, MD 20912; 301-270-6477

============================

3. EU to table nuclear waste treatment law

http://www.euractiv.com/en/energy/
eu-table-nuclear-waste-treatment-law-news-322615

Published: 09 March 2010
The European Commission will table legislative proposals on the treatment of nuclear waste by the year's end, its president José Manuel Barroso announced yesterday (8 March) during a major OECD-hosted conference on civil nuclear power in Paris.
Speaking at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Barroso said the treatment of radioactive waste was a major issue of public concern which must be dealt with.
The new law would set standards for waste management that all member states would have to follow.
Moreover, the Commission president said he would start pressing for European safety standards for nuclear plants to become binding worldwide.
Barroso stressed that last June the EU became the first major regional actor to give legal force to the main international nuclear safety standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"Others must now follow suit," he said.
The IAEA's standards, called Fundamental Safety Principles, include the safe construction, operation and decommissioning of nuclear reactors, management of nuclear waste and level of preparedness for radiation incidents.
Efforts to decarbonise electricity production in order to curb global warming have led many European countries to restart their nuclear programmes, which had been phased out due to safety concerns ( EurActiv 25/2/09).
While renewable energies are at the heart of climate efforts, nuclear energy also has a role to play, primarily due to its lower cost, Barroso said.
MORE:
http://www.euractiv.com/en/energy/
eu-table-nuclear-waste-treatment-law-news-322615

============================

4. Network phasing out the nuclear age

http://www.sortirdunucleaire.org/
index.php?menu=english&page=index

Réseau "SORTIR DU NUCLEAIRE "
An alliance of 872 French organisations
Download our presentation document
If you are a group, please join us!
GATHERING TOGETHER TO CREATE A NUCLEAR-FREE FUTURE
The Network ‘SORTIR DU NUCLEAIRE’ is currently the main French antinuclear coalition, with a membership of 872 organizations and 26762 individual subscribers.
It is completely independent, entirely funded by donations and the subscriptions from its members.
Since 1997, 872 organizations have joined our Network “Sortir du nucléaire”.
Our mission is to unite everyone concerned with phasing out nuclear power.
Only by combining our efforts can we build up enough strength to achieve concrete results.
Our goal is to convince France to phase out nuclear power generation by :
rethinking its energy policy improving the efficiency of electricity use developing alternative and sustainable generation scenarios.
The Network SORTIR DU NUCLEAIRE :
supports actions for phasing out nuclear power, whether local, national or international, launches petition and information campaigns, is a resource center for nuclear power and sustainable alternatives : information, documents, access to experts and lecturers, informs the public about the dangers of nuclear power and solutions for phasing it out thanks to its website, its quarterly magazine Sortir du Nucléaire and the publication of thematic documents aimed at the general public, has a PR policy and close contact with the media for nuclear-related issues, aims to inform elected representatives, local decision-makers, trade-unions, associations about all nuclear related issues.
Why phase out nuclear power ?
A nuclear accident provokes countless victims and leaves vast tracts of land uninhabitable for thousands of years. Is such risk morally permissible ?
There exists no possibility of rendering nuclear waste harmless. It remains a hazard for tens of thousands of years and more.
The real cost of nuclear power is very high if all the expenses are honestly taken into account : public scientific research, decommissioning of nuclear power facilities, endless management of nuclear waste …
Part of the radioactive material produced in nuclear reactors has the potential and is used for hostile military use and for atomic bombs.
It may be that nuclear power contributes only small amount of greenhouse gases, but its waste contaminates the earth for millions of years. There is no choosing the lesser of two evils. The goal of a responsible, sustainable energy policy should be : no to nuclear, no to greenhouse gases.
The large component of nuclear energy in French power generation is an exception : we are the only country in the world to make such a confident bet on nuclear power. Neighbouring countries such as Italy, Germany, Belgium have already chosen to phase out nuclear power. Therefore it is also possible to do so in France.
How can we phase out nuclear power ?
Nuclear generation is not the only way to produce electricity.
Firstly, a sustainable transition period should rely on clean coal-fired or gas-powered plants, industrial cogeneration, fuel cells…with an emphasis on the least polluting and most efficient options. Then, the potential of clean and job-creating renewable energy options should be intensively developed. Solar, hydro and wind opportunities are sustainable and permit genuine self sufficiency
These are tomorrow’s reliable safe energy options which must be implemented straight away. Nuclear power currently monopolizes more than 90% of public research funding.
Why invest so much in such problematic dangerous energy ?
Research budgets must be rethought to benefit alternative technologies and enhance their efficiency and competitiveness. Only in this way will they be able to fully play their role in the foreseeable future.
Do we really need to use so much electricity to live comfortably ?
There are many ways of consuming less energy. According to a European study, electricity bills can be cut by half without giving up our comfort - just by using energy-efficient appliances and eliminating hidden consumption (for example, switching off unnecessary standby appliances). Using energy-saving building techniques will also contributes.
But we must look further : if we wish for a fair, sustainable and peaceful world, it is high time we realized how precious energy is. Our future depends on choosing more energy-friendly and socially benign lifestyles which do not waste resources that belong to our future generations.
Everywhere, in France and all over the World, organizations and people get mobilized for a nuclear-free future. Since 1997, more than 800 organizations have joined our Network “Sortir du nucléaire”.
Get informed! The Network offers a daily updated Internet site, a quarterly magazine and widely distributed documents (all in French for now) about nuclear power and alternative energy options. You can help by passing on this information.
You can support our network as an individual by signing our Charter.
More than 25 "foreign organizations" are members of our network, join the one closest to where you live.
Your organization can become a member of our Network, simply signing our Charter (click here to sign). You may want to contact us to propose mutual cooperation for an international campaign or other exchanges.
Last but not least, don’t forget the Network « SORTIR DU NUCLEAIRE » owes its independence to donations and the subscriptions from its members. Your contribution will help further our actions and the spreading of our information.
International contact :
Charlotte Mijeon : charlotte.mijeon (a) sortirdunucleaire.fr

=====================

5. Ceasefire.ca Postings
www.ceasefire.ca

Canadians want military spending cut: poll

http://www.ceasefire.ca/
p=4268&utm_source=feedburner&utm_
medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 07:03 PM PST
A poll conducted at the beginning of March by Leger Marketing shows that a majority of Canadians want military spending to be reduced following the end of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan (Thane Burnett, “Canadians want military spending cut back: poll,” Toronto Sun, 5 March 2010). Almost 60% of those polled felt that “Canada should take a [...]

The Year of the Drone

http://www.ceasefire.ca/
p=4228&utm_source=feedburner&utm_
medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29

Posted: 09 Mar 2010 10:14 AM PST
A recent report by Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann of the New America Foundation provides a detailed examination of the “secret” U.S. drone war in Pakistan. The report, Year of the Drone: Analysis of US Drone Strikes in Pakistan, 2004-2010, looks in particular at the civilian cost of the drone strikes. Estimates of the number of [...]

===================================

6. Were depleted uranium weapons used at Falluja?

http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2010/03/07/
were-depleted-uranium-weapons-used-at-falluja/

March 7, 2010 Phil Twyford

VIDEO: www.uruknet.info?p=63965

Five years after fierce battle battles left the Iraqi city of Falluja in ruins a surge in birth defects is raising questions about the weaponry used by US forces.
A heart breaking report by the BBC’s John Simpson screened on TV One on Friday. Simpson talked to doctors in the Falluja hospital who estimate around 1000 birth defects per year. You can hear his BBC radio report here. Late last year the Guardian reported Iraqi doctors had recorded a 15-fold increase in deformities in infants over the past year. Local medics were not ready to blame the war saying that there were many possible causes but a committee of Iraqi and British doctors has petitioned the UN General Assembly asking for an independent operation to clean up toxic materials left over from war.
The International Campaign to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW) is concerned by the press reports and is calling on the US Government to clarify to what extent uranium weapons were used at Falluja, and to fund independent scientific research to establish the cause of the birth defects. It has long been thought that the use of depleted uranium weapons is linked with the rise in birth deformities and cancer and other illnesses after the wars in Iraq of 1991 and 2003.
Depleted uranium is nuclear waste. It is the by-product from processing uranium for nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors. It is very hard and heavy and is inserted into ammunition for its armour-piercing properties. It ignites on impact, burning at a very high temperature, dispersing a cloud of radioactive dust which can pass through gas masks and into the human body.
The problem with this issue is that it is near impossible to conduct scientific experiments in a war zone during or after the battle. And military authorities (the US in this case) are not exactly transparent. The ICBUW advocates a precautionary approach and says depleted uranium weapons should be banned until definitive research has been done.
I agree. I have a member’s bill in the ballot that would prohibit the use of depleted uranium weapons in the same way that we ban nuclear weapons. New Zealand forces don’t use depleted uranium weapons but they could be exposed to them in the battlefield. If New Zealand was to follow Belgium, the only country in the world so far to ban DU weapons, it would be a helpful step towards outlawing such inhumane weapons.
A similar bill has just had its second reading in the Irish senate and attracted warm cross-party support.

==========================

7. We Are All Accountable (***Caution)

http://www.countercurrents.org/gatto110310.htm

By Timothy V. Gatto March 11, 2010
We not only occupied Iraq, but we have poisoned the soil and made the place uninhabitable because of our use of depleted uranium in our munitions. We can deny that depleted uranium is harmless, but the facts coming in about the deformed babies being born in Iraq says otherwise. We must all come to the conclusion that not only was the invasion of Iraq a crime against humanity, but turning Iraq, Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia into a radioactive wasteland are even larger crimes against humanity

MORE:
http://www.countercurrents.org/gatto110310.htm

=========================

8. Citizen's Arrest of Alleged War Criminal George W. Bush in Canada
SPS versus "W" in Court Hearings in Calgary

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18005

By Carol Brouillet Global Research, March 8, 2010 Indybay
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
LISTEN : Splitting the Sky and Anthony J. Hall will be on the new weekly radio show, Community Currency, hosted by local activist, Carol Brouillet Thursday, March 11, 2010, 2 pm - 3 pm PST, on the Progressive Radio Network
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com
http://dailycensored.com/2010/03/07/the-tr...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For Anthony J. Hall's entire article and speech, see http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=16377 .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
More details about Splitting the Sky are posted at http://www.splittingthesky.net/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Splitting the Sky, indigenous activist, seized by security forces in Canada last year when he attempted to make a citizen's arrest of George W. Bush will have his day in court on Monday, March 8th. According to Professor Anthony J. Hall, this case will demonstrate whether Canada is ruled by law or fear and highlight the need for new principles, the Calgary Principles to amend the victor's justice of the Nuremberg Principles, in light of the new impunities for high level crimes against humanity and the Earth in this era, and the need to protect and honor civil resistance to those high crimes.

MORE:
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18005
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
LISTEN : Splitting the Sky and Anthony J. Hall will be on the new weekly radio show, Community Currency, hosted by local activist, Carol Brouillet Thursday, March 11, 2010, 2 pm - 3 pm PST, on the Progressive Radio Network
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com
http://dailycensored.com/2010/03/07/the-tr...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
For Anthony J. Hall's entire article and speech, see http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=16377 .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
More details about Splitting the Sky are posted at http://www.splittingthesky.net/

=============================

9. POPULATION AND MORALITY: WHY THE DISCONNECTS? By Jim Harding

http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/
viewtopic.php?p=1591#1591

Published in R-Town News March 12, 2010
We’ve come a long way as a species. There were only one million of us, today’s Saskatchewan population, on the whole planet prior to the agri-cultural transformations 10,000 years ago. Population growth was slow as empires rose and fell while far-away indigenous peoples carried on with their steady-state lives. World population escalated after 1400, largely due to the availability of more food from the spread of colonialism and improved living conditions in the homeland. Between 1730 and 1830 the number of children in London dying before five was cut by more than half.
In 1798 Mathus argued that if population grew exponentially it would outstrip food production. He was wrong in the short run as food production grew along with population, but this challenge is revisiting us with climate change. Population continues to be associated with many ideologies, e.g. that it increases prosperity or military might. Fears of the European elite about being out-bred by non-whites or the lower classes led to the push for eugenics, which was embraced by the Nazis and thankfully discredited. But deep double standards remain. U.S. foreign policy in the 1960s promoted population control abroad as a means to foster economic development. The opposite has proven truer.
DEVELOPMENT AS CONTRACEPTION
Population and economy are more than chicken-and-egg, and in the 1970s we learned that enhanced quality of life leads to smaller families. The lowering fertility rates in many developing countries attest to this. By the 1990s the UN was focusing on women’s rights – including reduction of infant mortality, access to education and, most contentiously, reproductive health. However, the climate crisis has brought back concerns about population and food security. The lucrative market for bio-fuels to “feed” the military-industrial complex has already pushed up the price of staple foods in many regions.
There’s lots to disentangle. What might we find if we bracket some of our moral beliefs? In sub-Sahara Africa there is a cluster of high fertility and maternal mortality rates, low contraception use, high incidence of unsafe abortion and escalation of the ravages of HIV. It is very challenging to sort out correlation from causation. Some people carry memories of coercive population control programs. Disinformation about HIV sometimes undercuts prevention programs, including the promotion of condoms. Worldwide, abortions have dropped since 1995, but not in Africa, and they remain highest where abortion is illegal, such as Catholic areas of Nigeria. According to the Guttmacher Institute the rate is at least 29 per 1,000 in Africa compared to 12 per 1,000 in Western Europe. The WHO estimates that one-seventh of all maternal deaths in Africa result from unsafe abortions.
Disinformation is always rampant with prohibition; in some places fear of contraceptive side effects leads to reliance on unsafe abortions for birth control. There are many factual surprises in this highly charged matter, and religion doesn’t necessarily shape outcomes as stereotypes might expect. The country most successful in lowering fertility rates, from 6.6. in 1970 to 1.9 per women today, is Iran. The Islamic leaders initially opposed family planning, interestingly to ensure enough soldiers to fight Iraq, but Iran ultimately launched a quality of life campaign based on family planning and availability of contraception. This campaign largely succeeded due to women’s rising educational status; from 1976 to 2006 the literacy rate among young rural Iranian women went from 10% to 90%.
Discussion of reproductive health easily gets polarized into controversies over conception, contraception and women’s rights. Can we get beneath these differences and find a view that better unifies humans in our quest for a sustainable population? I think so. There is little doubt that the main reason why family planning is working is because it enhances equality of women. When young girls go to school, they delay and better space childbearing. In other words, building up public education and healthcare is the way to reduce population growth. And this also improves population health; the chances of survival of children increase in smaller families and these children are generally healthier.
IS PATRIARCHY SUSTAINABLE?
Various groups nevertheless oppose different aspects of family planning as immoral and a threat to “human dignity” and “creation”. Abortion is not the only issue. A woman’s right to say “no!” to aggressive male sexuality is still very much in dispute worldwide. Yet there is no doubt that, if women are better protected from violence and rape, abortion goes down. Abortion is also directly tied to lack of contraception; according to the February New Internationalist, 40% of women worldwide who desire contraception don’t have access. Often opposition to women’s reproductive rights and women’s heath cloaks the defense of patriarchy. So it seems that traditional morality will continue to be challenged by the shift towards sustainability.
What might happen if human morality were better linked to consequences rather than treated as being abstractly right or wrong? If the move towards women’s equality is the most fundamental factor in lowering fertility, and averting a population crisis, and if this shift to equality lowers the need for abortions, dangerous or safe, then perhaps we are moving in the right direction. The sanctity of human life must include consideration of what the needs of 16 billion humans by mid-century would have done to the degradation of the planet and the quality of life, if not for family planning. The UN’s population estimates for 2050 still range from below 8 billion humans to over 11 billion, and what we do now will shape the impact for our future kin. Perhaps the sanctity of life and creation has to become more about protecting, preserving and restoring habitats and biodiversity which will contribute to human betterment. Is it time for a rethink?
Next time I’ll explore why Hollywood’s Academy didn’t give Avatar the award for best film.
~ ~ ~ ~
Jim Harding is a retired professor of environmental and justice studies who lives in the Qu’Appelle Valley.
Past columns and other non-nuclear resources available at http://jimharding.brinkster.net
See previous articles also posted at: http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=692

===========================

10. WATCH: Add It Up - Explore the Latest CASSE Resources

http://steadystate.org/discover/video-a ... entations/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qriegoXcbQ

From: Canadians for Action on Climate Change Canadians | Toronto Chapter ;
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 8:19 AM
Subject: FOR LISTS: Explore the Latest CASSE Resources

You’ll want to check out these exciting new offerings from our friends at CASSE…Centre for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

First, CASSE is about to launch a new blog called The Daly News. Each week, The Daly News will provide a thought-provoking feature essay that challenges the predominant economic paradigm and explores creative solutions to our profound economic and environmental problems. Herman Daly, the award-winning economist and incisive writer who developed the concept of the steady state economy, will kick it off on March 1. In addition to Professor Daly, the core rotation of authors at The Daly News includes Brian Czech (wildlife biologist, ecological economist, and author of Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train), Brent Blackwelder (former president of Friends of the Earth and founder of American Rivers), and Rob Dietz (environmental scientist and executive director of CASSE). You can access the blog on CASSE’s website or via RSS feed:
http://steadystate.org/learn/blog/
http://steadystate.org/feed/

Second, CASSE has an entertaining animated short called Add It Up that tells the truth about pursuing perpetual economic growth. The animation, produced by film students at the University of Southern California, is available on CASSE’s website and YouTube:

http://steadystate.org/discover/video-a ... entations/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qriegoXcbQ

Third, the new version of steadystate.org is here! CASSE has an improved website with up-to-date material, revamped graphics, and user-friendly navigation.
For more information about these resources and other news about the steady state economy, please read the most recent edition of The Steady Stater newsletter:
http://steadystate.org/wp-content/uploads/
SteadyStater_vol3_iss1.pdf

============================

11. The climatic consequences of nuclear war

http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/
the-climatic-consequences-of-nuclear-war

By Steven Starr, Scientific American, 12 March 2010

Article Highlights

• Nuclear war of any kind would devastate the Earth's environment and cause incredible cooling in surface temperatures.

• Yet these climatic consequences are never considered by the nuclear weapon states when they are formulating their nuclear doctrines.

• To change this dynamic, the scientific community should pressure countries such as the United States and Russia to better consider the catastrophic potential of their nuclear arsenals

Although the ongoing Nuclear Posture Review is supposed to include all aspects of the strategy and doctrine that govern the use of U.S. nuclear weapons, it once again will not consider one crucial question: What would be the long-term consequences to Earth's environment if the U.S. nuclear arsenal were detonated during a conflict?
This isn't a question to be avoided. Recent scientific studies (PDF) have found that a war fought with the deployed U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals would leave Earth virtually uninhabitable.
In fact, NASA computer models have shown that even a "successful" first strike by Washington or Moscow would inflict catastrophic environmental damage that would make agriculture impossible and cause mass starvation. Similarly, in the January Scientific American, Alan Robock and Brian Toon, the foremost experts on the climatic impact of nuclear war, warn that the environmental consequences of a "regional" nuclear war would cause a global famine that could kill one billion people.
Their article, "Local Nuclear War: Global Suffering," (PDF) predicts that the detonation of 100 15-kiloton nuclear weapons in any number of Indian and Pakistani megacities would create urban firestorms that would loft 5 million tons of thick, black smoke above cloud level. (This smoke would engulf the entire planet within 10 days.)
Because the smoke couldn't be rained out, it would remain in the stratosphere for at least a decade and have profoundly disruptive effects. Specifically, the smoke layer would block sunlight, heat the upper atmosphere, and cause massive destruction of protective stratospheric ozone.
A 2008 study (PDF) calculated ozone losses (after the described conflict) of 25-45 percent above mid-latitudes and 50-70 percent above northern high latitudes persisting for five years, with substantial losses continuing for another five years. Such severe ozone depletion would allow intense levels of harmful ultraviolet light to reach Earth's surface -- even with the stratospheric smoke layer in place.
Beneath the smoke, the loss of warming sunlight would produce average surface temperatures colder than any experienced in the last 1,000 years. There would be a corresponding shortening of growing seasons by up to 30 days and significant reductions in average rainfall in many areas, with a 40-percent decrease of precipitation in the Asian monsoon region. Basically, the Earth's surface would become cold, dark, and dry.

MORE:
http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/
op-eds/the-climatic-consequences-of-nuclear-war

=======================

13. The Council of Canadians celebrates 25 years!

http://www.canadians.org/
From: Brent Patterson
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 11:15 AM

Twenty five years ago today, a news release was issued announcing the formation of The Council of Canadians, which has since grown into Canada’s largest member-based social justice organization.
Over the years, the Council of Canadians has led the campaigns that defeated the Multilateral Agreement on Investment and the Security and Prosperity Partnership, successfully fought the mergers of Canada’s big banks, helped block the introduction of bovine growth hormone in Canada, won bottled water bans in over 60 communities and, most recently, helped to protect the Alliston Aquifer from contamination.

To see our media release marking this anniversary, please go to http://www.canadians.org/media/other/20 ... ar-10.html.

Additionally, at
http://www.canadians.org/about/history/index.html
you will find:
- The Council of Canadians: 25 years of action
- The Council of Canadians: 25 years of accomplishments
- 1985 Media release - Our first day.

We have a very busy and exciting 25th anniversary year planned, including as a highlight our intervention at the G20 summit in Toronto on June 25-27.

Also, be sure to note that our 25th annual general meeting will take place October 22-24 in Ottawa. That is the same week as the fifth and critical round of Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement negotiations in this city. This means we have a real opportunity to have our members from across the country directly protest these talks and advocate for trade justice.

To get an additional good sense of the spirit of the Council of Canadians today, please see this 7-minute video of our 2009 in review at

http://www.canadians.org/about/AGM/index.html.

Happy 25th everyone!

Brent Patterson
The Council of Canadians
www.canadians.org/campaignblog

==========================

14. Controversy Grows Over Brier Corporate Sponsor Monsanto

http://halifax.mediacoop.ca/newsrelease/3023

Press Release For Immediate Release
Halifax, Thursday, March 11, 2010 – The corporate sponsor of this week’s Brier, biotechnology company Monsanto, is under intense scrutiny from environmental, consumer and farmer groups in Nova Scotia, and across Canada and the world.
“Many curling fans might be shocked to learn that the Brier sponsor Monsanto is at the centre of farmer and consumer battles over genetically engineered seeds and increasing corporate control in farming,” said Marla MacLeod of Ecology Action Centre, a Nova Scotia-wide environmental group. “We are saddened that the great Brier championship is now associated with this relentlessly controversial company,” said MacLeod.
Earlier this year, the Curling Association of Canada signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Monsanto that includes championships through to 2013. Monsanto has sponsored the Brier since 2006. This week’s Brier runs until Sunday March 14 in Halifax.
Monsanto is the largest seed company in the world and owns approximately 86% of all the genetically engineered (GE) seeds sown across the globe. GE corn, canola, soy and sugar beet (white) are grown in Canada and Monsanto dominates the market in all four crops.
“Curling is being used to soften the image of a company that takes farmers in Canada to court for alleged patent infringement, for saving seeds,” said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN). Monsanto now puts farmers that it sues onto an “Unauthorized Grower List” which prohibits them from buying Monsanto products in the future. “The Curling Association should not be providing a platform for Monsanto’s corporate public relations,” said Sharratt.
Monsanto’s GE seeds are causing havoc for many farmers in Canada. Saskatchewan organic grain farmers tried to establish a class action lawsuit to seek compensation from Monsanto and another corporation for loss of organic canola due to GE contamination. A Private Members Bill – Bill C-474 - will be debated in the House of Commons on Wednesday March 17, to address the issue of export market harm caused by GE seeds.
Groups across the country are engaged in various struggles to stop Monsanto’s GE seeds from harming farmers’ livelihoods and the environment. Just last week, farm groups and consumers from across Canada wrote to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to try to stop the lifting of an injunction on planting Monsanto’s GE alfalfa. “The release of Monsanto’s GE alfalfa would be an immediate threat to organic food and farming in Canada,” said Cammie Harbottle, Youth Vice President of the National Farmer Union and a farmer in Nova Scotia.
“We don’t want the great sport of curling marred by association with the harm that can be caused by genetically engineered seeds,” said MacLeod. -30-
- - - -
For more information: Marla MacLeod, Ecology Action Centre, 902 442 1077; Lucy Sharratt, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, 613 241 2267 ext.6 or cell 613 263 9511; Cammie Harbottle, National Farmers Union, 306 652 9465. For background on Monsanto: www.cban.ca/Monsanto

======================

15. Saskatchewan Politics – Never Dull!

Canadian lawmakers won't apologize for Twin Tower 'pig roast' flier

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/
canadian_lawmaker_apologizes_for_ZpE41oqzxPSFV4FK6HgRJK

By CHUCK BENNETT Last Updated: 5:21 PM, March 11, 2010

No offense, eh.

A cadre of small-town Canadian politicos is standing by its invitation to a “pig roast” fundraiser that depicts the fiery moments after United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into the World Trade Center South Tower.
The horrific imagery was nothing more than an invite for a $50 a head Saskatchewan Party barbecue featuring 9/11 hero Richard Picciotto — a man billed as the highest-ranking firefighter pulled alive from the WTC rubble.
Both Picciotto and the FDNY denounced the use of 9/11 imagery as in “bad taste” but the organizers were not deterred.
“An apology? No, I don’t think we are the ones offending people,” Rick Gorelitza, a fundraiser with the center-right party told The Post.
“People should be offended, but they should be offended by the terrorists who committed such a heinous act and took so many souls that day,” added Gorelitza.
He then blamed the opposition center-left New Democratic Party, which just lost an election in the oil-rich western province, for the ruckus.

MORE:
‘http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/
canadian_lawmaker_apologizes_for_ZpE41oqzxPSFV4FK6HgRJK
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Saskatchewan premier apologizes for pig-roast flyer with 9/11 photo

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/
Saskatchewan+premier+apologizes+roast+flyer+with+photo/
2669857/story.html#ixzz0htGEb8wZ

BY JAMES WOOD, CANWEST NEWS SERVICEMARCH 11, 2010
A flyer that used a photo of the Twin Towers burning on 9/11 to advertise a Saskatchewan Party pig roast drew condemnation Wednesday in the province's legislature, prompting Premier Brad Wall and one of top ministers to apologize.
The flyer advertises New York Fire Chief Richard Picciotto — who was in the north tower during the 2001 terror attack that killed nearly 3,000 people — as the featured speaker at an April 11 fundraising dinner for the Martensville constituency association.
The event is a pig roast, with those words featured on the flyer over top the flames coming from the building.
While Wall said he hadn't seen the advertisement, he admitted there may be an issue of "juxtaposition."

MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/
Saskatchewan+premier+apologizes+roast+flyer+with+photo/
2669857/story.html#ixzz0htGEb8wZ

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Saskatchewan cabinet minister ripped for 9/11 image on fundraiser poster

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/
saskatchewan-cabinet-minister-ripped-for-911-image-on-fundraiser-poster/article1496352/

Patrick White
Globe and Mail Update Published on Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2010 2:13PM EST Last updated on Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2010 2:42PM EST
Saskatchewan’s Environment Minister is under attack after an image of the 9/11 attacks was used to advertise a Saskatchewan Party fundraiser in her riding.
The poster promotes the “2nd Annual Spring Fundraising Dinner” in Nancy Heppner’s Martensville riding and promises a pig roast as well as a speech from Chief Richard Picciotto, the highest-ranking firefighter to be pulled from the rubble of New York’s World Trade Center.
A bright colour image that forms the poster’s backdrop shows the WTC’s south tower exploding into flames. The New York Times photo was taken moments after hijackers flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the building’s upper floors.
Over 2,600 people died in the ensuing carnage.
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/
saskatchewan-cabinet-minister-ripped-for-911-image-on-fundraiser-poster/article1496352/

=======================

16. U.S. lawmakers launch push to repeal NAFTA

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6233MS20100304
Thu Mar 4, 2010
(Reuters) - A small group of U.S. lawmakers unveiled legislation on Thursday to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement in the latest sign of congressional disillusionment with free-trade deals. The bill spearheaded by Rep. Gene Taylor, a Mississippi Democrat, would require President Barack Obama to give Mexico and Canada six months notice that the United States will no longer be part of the 16-year-old trade pact.
"At a time when 10 to 12 percent of the American people are unemployed, I think Congress has an obligation to put people back to work," Taylor said. He argued NAFTA has cost the United States millions of manufacturing jobs and hurt national security by encouraging companies to move production to Mexico. The high unemployment rate makes it the "perfect" time to push for repeal even though past efforts have failed, he said. "You'll see the American people rally behind this, in my humble opinion," said Rep. Walter Jones, a North Carolina Republican who is one of about 28 co-sponsors of the bill.
Business groups like the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly support NAFTA, which they say has spurred U.S. economic growth by tearing down trade barriers between the three countries. The repeal proposal comes as Obama says he wants to resolve problems blocking congressional approval of long-delayed trade deals with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. The strongest opposition to those agreements comes from Obama's fellow Democrats.

MORE:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6233MS20100304

========================

17. The Most Powerful Destructive Corporate Business Club Most Americans Have Never Heard of

http://www.alternet.org/story/
145996/the_business_roundtable3A_the_most_powerful_corporate_
business_club_most_americans_have_never_heard_of

QUOTE: "The Economic Elite dominate US intelligence and military operations. Other than the obvious geo-strategic reasons, the never-ending and ever-expanding War on Terror’s objective is to drain the US population of more resources and further rob US taxpayers, while using our tax money to create a private military that is more powerful than the US military."

The Business Roundtable, an organization representing Fortune 500 CEOs, is at the heart of the Economic Elite's power center.

March 12, 2010 Amped Status / By David DeGraw

Editor's Note: The following is Part III of David DeGraw's report, "The Economic Elite vs. People of the USA." AlterNet previously ran Part I and Part II.
DeGraw writes in the introduction to his report:
"It has now become evident to a critical mass that the Republican and Democratic parties, along with all three branches of our government, have been bought off by a well-organized Economic Elite who are tactically destroying our way of life. The harsh truth is that 99% of the US population no longer has political representation. The US economy, government and tax system is now blatantly rigged against us.Current statistical societal indicators clearly demonstrate that a strategic attack has been launched and an analysis of current governmental policies prove that conditions for 99% of Americans will continue to deteriorate. The Economic Elite have engineered a financial coup and have brought war to our doorstep. . . and make no mistake, they have launched a war to eliminate the US middle class."
***
Part III: Exposing Our Enemy: Meet the Economic Elite
I don’t view the Economic Elite as a small group of men who meet in secrecy to control the world. They do feature elements of conspiracy and are clearly composed of secretive organizations like the Bilderberg Group -- this is not a conspiracy theory, this is a conspiracy fact - but as a whole the Economic Elite are primarily united by ideology. They’re made up of thousands of individuals who subscribe to an ideology of exploitation and the belief that wealth and resources need to be concentrated into the fewest hands possible (theirs), at the expense of the many.

MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/story/145996/
the_business_roundtable%3A_the_most_powerful_corporate_business_club_most_americans_
have_never_heard_of

=======================

18. PMO attempts to appeal to Canadians with YouTube channel/Cartoon

Stephen Harper's handlers are working to make Canadian Prime Minister appear more approachable by introducing a YouTube channel where users can submit questions to the PM.

MORE:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/288972

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cartoon:
C:\Documents and Settings\Elaine\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\7YYJ2T20\4b98ea0b4df188cbdc76a081bc9c.jpg

Last edited by Oscar on Thu Dec 23, 2010 10:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: March 20, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:21 am

NUKE NEWS: March 20, 2010

Compilation:

1. TODAY!!! What is Democracy in Canada? - Saskatoon
2. Water: Challenges and Opportunities Monday, March 22 – Vancouver
3. OPPORTUNITY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS AND NGO'S
4. Bolivia creates a new opportunity for climate talks that failed at Copenhagen
5. Saskatchewan Eco-network 7th Annual Environmental Activist Awards
6. CDN Environmental Network - This Week's Headlines: March 17, 2010
7. BRINGING THE NUCLEAR CONTROVERSY INTO THE LIGHT by Dr. Jim Harding
8. Why the French Like Nuclear Energy
9. Germany's Greens protest re-opening of nuclear waste dump
10. No Nukes News - Mar. 19, 2010
11. Public pressure leads to public hearings on lopsided Canada-US procurement deal – Council of Canadians
12. Military Aggression and the Police State
13. Close Combat Vehicle project revived?
14. McCain and Lieberman's "Enemy Belligerent" Act Could Set U.S. on Path to Military Dictatorship

=========================

1. TODAY!!! What is Democracy in Canada? - Saskatoon
A Public Discussion on Canadian Democracy with
U of S Political Studies Professors Anna Hunter, David McGrane and Loleen Berdahl

Saturday, 20 March 2010

1:00pm to 4:00pm
St. Thomas More Auditorium - U of S Campus
1437 College Drive
Saskatoon, SK

Facebook event - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=350543023171

Description

With the recent turmoil in Canadian politics many of us have realized that our knowledge and the knowledge of many Canadians is lacking in the principles and details of how our democracy works.

What is a prorogation? Why does a representative of the Queen of England have a say over our parliament? Can several political parties form a coalition government? Does our Prime Minister have the same powers as the President of the United States? What is the Senate and why are it's members not elected?

Many Canadians have also been asking themselves, with all of the inter-party conflict recently, if our democracy is broken. If it isn't functioning properly, are there reforms that could improve it?

These questions and many others will be addressed at this public discussion with University of Saskatchewan Political Studies professors Anna Hunter, David McGrane and Loleen Berdahl.

The event will begin with the three professors answering questions posed by the moderator. Shortly after, discussion will be opened up to everyone in attendance to pose questions to the professors or to other participants. At 2:30pm we will brake for refreshments (provided by the organizers) and following the break, resume with the discussion.

Participants may make statements or ask questions at a microphone or submit them in writing for the moderator to read.

Admission free - wheelchair accessible.

Sponsored by The University of Saskatchewan Political Studies Department, St. Thomas More Political Studies Department, Saskatchewan Chapter of Fair Vote Canada, CAPP Saskatoon (Canadians Advocating Political Participation, formerly Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament) and Grassroots Citizens' Democracy Group.

=====================

2. Water: Challenges and Opportunities Monday, March 22 – Vancouver

CEP: UN World Water Day - March 22nd
UN World Water Day, March 22, aims to draw attention to global water issues. In response, a number of local and international organizations have collaborated to host an evening event in Vancouver, focusing on water challenges and opportunities in Western Canada and abroad.

Water: Challenges and Opportunities Monday, March 22 at UBC Robson Square, HSBC Hall.
Doors open at 6 pm with presentations beginning at 6:30 pm.
Admission: $5 and all are welcome to attend.
For more information call 604-657-1070.

Seats are filling up fast. To reserve your seat, please RSVP to: info@cepvancouver.org

The opening guest speaker is Canadian author Andrew Nikiforuk (Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent). Nikiforuk will discuss three issues in particular: the impact of the tar sands on water, the Enbridge (Gateway) pipeline project, and hydrofracturing – a water-intense process that is used to release shale gas. Nikiforuk will then join a panel with Chief Bob Chamberlin, chair of the Musgamagw-Tsawataineuk Tribal Council, and Patrick Lucas, an environmental scientist and returned CUSO-VSO volunteer.
The panel will be moderated by Dr. Karen Bakker, director of the UBC Program on Water Governance and author of Eau Canada: The Future of Canada’s Water.

Event hosts include Connecting Environmental Professionals, Amnesty International, Tides Canada, Program on Water Governance (UBC), Council of Canadians, Oxfam Canada, The Water Team, and the Sauder School of Business (UBC).
Light refreshments will be served.
Books by Andrew Nikiforuk and Dr. Bakker will also be available for purchase.
This event is Bullfrog powered.
--
Diana McKenzie
CEP Coordinator
Geoff Senichenko | Director of Research and Mapping
Wilderness Committee | Canada's largest citizen-funded membership-based wilderness preservation organization
Subscribe for free weekly E-lerts: http://www.wildernesscommittee.org/take ... erts_sign/
office: 604-683-8220 | email: geoff@wildernesscommittee.org
web: www.wildernesscommittee.org !
DSPAM:13784,4ba26906177551034110589!

=======================

3. OPPORTUNITY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS AND NGO'S

You are cordially invited by The Ministry of Environment & Meyers Norris Penny
To be a part of consultations specifically for Environmental Groups and Non-Governmental Organizations on the proposed climate change regulations in Saskatchewan
Regina
Travelodge Hotel Travelodge Hotel
4177 Albert Street South
March 29, 2010
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Individuals who confirm their attendance will receive an electronic copy of summary background materials.
The Ministry is undertaking an in-depth consultation process with key stakeholders across Saskatchewan. The purpose of the above noted plenary sessions are to provide an overview of the draft regulations for the Government's climate change legislation and to hear feedback and suggestions in advance of their finalization. Participants will also have the opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions through written submissions following the plenary meetings.
RSVP by March 19, 2010
To Logan Harris at Logan.Harris@mnp.ca
or by phone at 306.751.7991
Meyer Norris Penny has been retained by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment to host a series of consultations related to the regulations for its climate change legislation and program. The timeframes for the consultation are based on the Ministry's plans to approve legislation before end of the spring session in May.
If you are not able to attend, please nominate an appropriate person from your organization.
If you have any questions about the consultation sessions, please contact Craig Gates, Project Manager and Lead Consultant at 306.790.7943 or craig.gates@mnp.ca.
RSVP confirmations can be retuned to the attention of
Logan Harris, BBA
DIRECT 306.751.7991
FAX 306.790.7990
Suite 900, Royal Bank Building
2010 - 11th Avenue
Regina, SK S4P 0J3
mnp.ca

====================

4. Bolivia creates a new opportunity for climate talks that failed at Copenhagen

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/c ... 10/mar/19/
bolivia-conference-on-climate-change

Bolivia will host an international meeting on climate change next month because it is not prepared to 'betray its people'

* Pablo Solón Romero
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 19 March 2010

In the aftermath of the Copenhagen climate conference, those who defended the widely condemned outcome tended to talk about it as a "step in the right direction". This was always a tendentious argument, given that tackling climate change can not be addressed by half measures. We can't make compromises with nature.
Bolivia, however, believed that Copenhagen marked a backwards step, undoing the work built on since the climate talks in Kyoto. That is why, against strong pressure from industrialised countries, we and other developing nations refused to sign the Copenhagen accord and why we are hosting an international meeting on climate change next month. In the words of the Tuvalu negotiator, we were not prepared to "betray our people for 30 pieces of silver".

========================

5. Saskatchewan Eco-network 7th Annual Environmental Activist Awards

Press Release: March 6, 2010
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
- The Path Less Trodden – Robert Frost
Three Saskatoon residents and one Saskatoon organization received the Saskatchewan Eco Network’s Environmental Activism Awards at the “See the Change Be the Change Environmental Film Festival” Friday, March 5, at 7 p.m. at the University of Saskatchewan, in the Neatby Timlin Theatre.
Writer, Candace Savage, former MLA and Cabinet Minister Peter Prebble and environmental organizer Karen Weingeist are this year’s (2010) recipients of the Saskatchewan Eco-Network’s 7th Annual Environmental Activist Awards. The Coalition for a Clean Green Saskatchewan is the organization that has taken this year’s Saskatoon Group Award.
“The recipients of these awards would not be likely to receive recognition for their community work from any other awards ceremony, the work they do has significant political ramifications. These people have taken the path less trodden.
These are people who spend virtually every spare moment devoting their lives protecting Saskatchewan’s environment, speaking out about endangered species, habitat loss, water conservation, climate change, alternative energy and the dangers of nuclear energy. These thoughtful people ask themselves who needs to hear this information? How can I tell this story so people will hear? How can I make a difference?” says Paul Trottier, Board Member of the Saskatchewan Eco-network.
Over the last thirty years, Candace Savage has written dozens of books and articles that have carried the conservation message across the province, across the country and beyond. Over the last thirty years, Ms Savage’s books, many of them award winners, have been published in North America, England, Spain, Italy, Germany and the United States. Ms. Savage served as a nature correspondent for National Public Radio in the U. S. Closer to home, she has served on the board of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and is currently an active and effective Director of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Saskatchewan Region who nominated her for this award. Her master work, Prairie: a Natural History , has sold out of its first edition and will be re-released, revised and updated in 2011. A prairie person, born and bred, she has been a co-sponsor of a scholarship in grassland ecology at the University of Saskatchewan and is currently undertaking the restoration of a quarter section in the Carpenter Hills, in collaboration with her partner, Keith Bell.
Candace Savage's contribution to environmental awareness has been recognized by the Rachel Carson Institute, Chatham College in Pennsylvania. The Board of Directors of SEN believe that it is time to recognize Ms. Savage in her home province.
Those serving in public life are often not given the formal recognition they sometimes deserve. Peter Prebble is a good example of a public servant that deserves a very public thank you. It would be virtually impossible to go into the entire contribution that Peter has made to the environment, but his nominator David Forbes has cited the following:
Peter’s work on Saskatchewan protected areas, in particular Dore Lake and the Great Sand Hills. Over 140 hectares were protected due to Peter’s diligence and commitment over the years to the Great Sand Hills. Peter worked on water conservation plans for Saskatchewan. Peter’s determination that this be a success was truly admirable. Renewable Energy work is in many ways Peter’s passion. No one has quite the depth of knowledge and yet the commitment to learn more. He is a champion of renewable energy, travelling throughout the province giving talks and presentations. People in Saskatchewan are truly benefitting from his very balanced and well-researched information. Mr Prebble’s other contributions are in his efforts to re-establish the Office of Energy Conservation (now closed for the third time) and the work that he did to arrange for the purchase of Tipperary Creek, which is now the Wanuskewin Heritage Park
One of Peter’s most enduring qualities is that of “our work is not yet done” and daily he brings that to his work. He is a kind and gentle man who is always interested in what a person has to say – a truly good listener! He recognizes that though he has taken a large role, the work to which he has been given credit could not have been accomplished without the support and assistance of many others: ranchers, farmers and residents of Saskatchewan.
Karen Weingeist was one of the founders of the Coalition for a Clean Green Saskatchewan (CCGS) in 2006, established with the dual purpose of opposing the expansion of the nuclear industry in Saskatchewan, while promoting alternative
renewable, clean energy. The goals of the Coalition were formed with the intention of contributing to environmental sustainability through protecting all living beings, waters and soils from the radioactive toxicity that result from nuclear operations, accidents, and waste storage. Karen has tirelessly worked ever since the inception of the Coalition to maintain (CCGS’s) direction providing a major proportion of the day-to-day, month-to-month administration of the Coalition on a volunteer basis.
Karen played a major role in organizing meetings throughout the province with internationally renowned speakers such as Helen Caldicott, Gordon Edwards, Tim Weiss and others. Ms. Weingeist played a key role in arranging debates between nuclear industry representatives and opponents of nuclear energy. Karen worked many nights on impossibly short deadlines to write and print handbills and pamphlets, and organize meetings. She set up displays for many public events where the aims and goals of non-nuclear energy sustainability were promoted. Karen works behind the scenes to make
sure that information is available, written in clear and understandable language, accurate in detail and timely. She is unassuming and prefers working behind the scenes to advance the cause of sustainable, renewable clean energy.
The Coalition for a Clean Green Saskatchewan too is being recognized. As an entirely volunteer-run organization, hundreds upon hundreds of hours are donated to researching and disseminating information on nuclear energy at a time when nuclear energy is being promoted in the province of Saskatchewan. Pamphlets and letters to the Editor appear
everywhere focussing on the comparative costs on nuclear energy vs. cleaner, accessible alternatives; on the hazards of nuclear waste and the contamination of land and water that occurs for hundreds of thousands of years. The Coalition was effective in creating a groundswell of opposition to nuclear reactors and a similar groundswell of support for alternative energy on a smart grid. The Coalition put sustainable energy solutions into the language and on the lips of average citizens.
Ms. Savage, Mr. Prebble and Ms. Weingeist and the Coalition for a Clean Green Saskatchewan are Saskatoon recipients of the Environmental Activist Awards.
For more information, please call Lynn Hainsworth at the Saskatchewan EcoNetwork at 652-1275.
Lynn Hainsworth, Saskatchewan Eco Network

=========================

6. CDN Environmental Network - This Week's Headlines: March 17, 2010

http://www.cen-rce.org/archives/pdfs/eebe170310.pdf

Calls for Delegates:
Policy Dialogue on the Way Forward on Climate Change Internationally

ENGO International Year of Biodiversity Champions

Announcements:
Survey on Chemical Exposures and Women's Health

Delegate Selections:
ENGO Participation in International Biodiversity Day Activities

ENGO Participation in the Food Regulatory Advisory Committee

Consultation on Pollution Prevention Planning Notice in respect to Toluene Diisocyanates

Action Alerts:
CBAN - Support Bill C-474 and Canada’s Farmers! Take action today before 5pm

Sierra Club Canada – Save the Blanding’s Turtle

Resources:
International Year of Biodiversity Factsheets Now Available

Events:
Webinar: Gender-bending and Environmental Justice

Conference / Webcast - North America's Energy Market: Aligning Policies and Managing Carbon

Summit on Biodiversity and the Greening of Montreal

Employment:
Pembina Institute - Technical Analyst
- - -
Canadian Environmental Network
39 av. McArthur Ave., Level 1-1
Ottawa, Ontario K1L 8L7

========================

7. BRINGING THE NUCLEAR CONTROVERSY INTO THE LIGHT: how have attitudes and worldviews changed over a third of a century?

By Jim Harding, Retired Professor and past Director, School of Human Justice and Prairie Justice Research, and Adjunct Professor of Justice Studies, University of Regina

Prepared for presentation with Brett Dolter and Katherine Arbuthnott, “The Nuclear Debate in Saskatchewan Across the Generations”, at Sustainability Fair, Campion College, University of Regina, March 1, 2010
During 2009 the Uranium Development Partnership (UDP) consultations showed a groundswell of opposition to nuclear power and other recommended expansions of the nuclear fuel system in Saskatchewan. [1] For government, the Chamber of Commerce and the big city media this all came as a surprise. There had been no widespread opposition to uranium mining since the federal-provincial inquiries of the 1990s, proponents had come to accept the superficial polling results suggesting people here were ready to embrace nuclear power, and the governing Saskatchewan Party and the opposition NDP both supported some version of value-adding to the uranium industry.
The UDP process was the first extensive public airing on the nuclear controversy since the uranium inquiries of 1977-1980. Until the NDP government under Premier Blakeney embraced the uranium industry as a pillar of its public ownership and economic development plan in the late 1970s the uranium mining had gone on in the secrecy of the nuclear arms race. Until then the Saskatchewan people knew next to nothing about where uranium was mined, where it was sent and what it was used for. Under such circumstances it was impossible to form informed opinion or democratic consent.

MORE:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/vie ... =1594#1594

===========================

8. Why the French Like Nuclear Energy

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline ... /readings/
french.html

by FRONTLINE producer Jon Palfreman
Civaux in southwestern France is a stereotypical rural French village with a square, a church and a small school. On a typical day, Monsieur Rambault, the baker, is up before dawn turning out baguettes and croissants. Shortly after, teacher Rene Barc opens the small school. There is a blacksmith, a hairdresser, a post office, a general store and a couple of bars. But overlooking the picturesque hamlet are two giant cooling towers from a nuclear plant, still under construction, a half-mile away. When the Civaux nuclear power plant comes on line sometime in the next 12 months, France will have 56 working nuclear plants, generating 76% of her electricity.
In France, unlike in America, nuclear energy is accepted, even popular. Everybody I spoke to in Civaux loves the fact their region was chosen. The nuclear plant has brought jobs and prosperity to the area. Nobody I spoke to, nobody, expressed any fear. From the village school teacher, Rene Barc, to the patron of the Cafe de Sport bar, Valerie Turbeau, any traces of doubt they might have had have faded as they have come to know plant workers, visited the reactor site and thought about the benefits of being part of France's nuclear energy effort.
France's decision to launch a large nuclear program dates back to 1973 and the events in the Middle East that they refer to as the "oil shock." The quadrupling of the price of oil by OPEC nations was indeed a shock for France because at that time most of its electricity came from oil burning plants. France had and still has very few natural energy resources. It has no oil, no gas and her coal resources are very poor and virtually exhausted.
French policy makers saw only one way for France to achieve energy independence: nuclear energy, a source of energy so compact that a few pounds of fissionable uranium is all the fuel needed to run a big city for a year. Plans were drawn up to introduce the most comprehensive national nuclear energy program in history. Over the next 15 years France installed 56 nuclear reactors, satisfying its power needs and even exporting electricity to other European countries.
There were some protests in the early 70s, but since then (with one important exception discussed below), the nuclear program has been popular and remarkably non controversial. How was France able to get its people to accept nuclear power? What is about French culture and politics that allowed them to succeed where most other countries have failed?
MORE: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline ... rench.html
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
***NOTE: (Rec’d. Date of Article from FRONTLINE as April 1997 - Ed.)

===========================

9. Germany's Greens protest re-opening of nuclear waste dump

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5352992,00.html
DW-WORLD.DE 14.03.2010
After a 10-year moratorium, exploration into the future of the Gorleben nuclear waste dump is to resume. The Green party and environmental leaders are protesting the decision.
Environmentalists and member of the Green party responded with sharp criticism to reports that the German Environment Ministry would reopen talks on the future of the Gorleben nuclear waste dump.
Greenpeace activists projected the phrase "Gorleben: unsuitable for nuclear waste, Mr. Roettgen" onto a tower at the disused salt mine in the early hours of Sunday.
Green party leaders sharply criticized the decision to resume talks to make the Gorleben salt mines a permanent nuclear waste dump.
A ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on the report and said Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen would be holding a press conference on the topic of Gorleben on Monday.
Discussions regarding using the underground salt mines in Gorleben in Lower Saxony have been on hold since 2000.
According to a report in Der Spiegel newsmagazine, exploration of the salt dome could take eight to 10 years.
During the exploration, the mining legislation would apply rather than nuclear legislation, which requires broader civic participation in the decision-making process, the magazine wrote.
Sharp criticism
The Green party expressed outrage over the decision and accused the environment minister of having the interests of the nuclear industry closer to his heart than people's health and safety.
"He's following in the tradition of the previous administration, attempting to fool the people of Gorleben with tricks and targeted manipulation," said Green party parliamentary leader Renate Kuenast.

MORE: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5352992,00.html

============================

10. No Nukes News - Mar. 19, 2010

Nuclear power grew out of the nuclear weapons program, and the nuclear fuel cycle still produces the elements — uranium and plutonium — which can be used to make nuclear weapons or radioactive “dirty bombs”. The nuclear industry argues that any nation or terrorist does not need a nuclear power plant to make a bomb, they just need uranium enrichment. This is true. However, the only “legitimate” reason to enrich uranium is to use it in a nuclear power plant. The continued promotion and sale worldwide of “civilian” nuclear reactors thus gives nations the excuse to operate uranium enrichment programs, as we have seen in Iran. - Craig Severance
----------------------------------------------------------------
Nuclear Power Makes No Business Sense
New nuclear power likely cannot succeed as a business proposal and thus would require massive government support. This begs the question however — should not Due Diligence also be applied to the proper use of taxpayer monies? If so much is at stake for the U.S. and the world, should the U.S. really be leading the way in throwing taxpayer monies at an industry without asking the right questions
http://climateprogress.org/2010/03/15/w ... -decision/
----------------------------------------------------------------
Greening Ontario can afford to switch off coal power now
Op Ed by Jack Gibbons, OCAA
Ontario now has a very comfortable surplus of coal-free electricity generation capacity. The upshot is that we can put our four remaining coal plants on standby reserve today without jeopardizing the reliability of our electricity system. A decision to idle these plants would result in a virtual end to their emissions that destabilize our climate and pollute our air.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/
780865--greening-ontario-can-afford-to-switch-off-coal-power-now
----------------------------------------------------------------
ACTIONS – We can stop burning coal today!
Order your FREE leaflets now. Get your friends and colleagues to send these postcards to Ontario’s Premier McGuinty asking him to shut down our existing 4 coal plants before the G20 this summer.
Read and order our new leaflet here: http://www.cleanairalliance.org/get_inv ... _pamphlets
Also, please email Minister Duguid and ask him to phase-out coal before the G20 Summit; brad.duguid@ontario.ca
----------------------------------------------------------------
Why paying more for electricity is good for you
How do jurisdictions with more expensive electricity cope? It's simple: they use less of it. That's the remarkable thing about higher prices. It's an efficient way to squeeze waste out of the system.
http://www.thestar.com/Business/CleanBr ... cle/779813
----------------------------------------------------------------
Don’t buy Obama’s greenwashing of nuclear power
…the Vermont Yankee situation demonstrates that from the mining of uranium ore to the storage of radioactive waste, nuclear reactors remain as dirty, risky, and as costly as they ever were
http://www.grist.org/article/
2010-03-08-dont-buy-the-greenwashing-of-nuclear-power/
----------------------------------------------------------------
CLIMATE CHANGE: In Canada, No News is Bad News
Canada's climate researchers are being muzzled, their funding slashed, research stations closed, findings ignored and advice on the critical issue of the century unsought by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, according to a 40-page report by a coalition of 60 non-governmental organisations.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50682
----------------------------------------------------------------
The climatic consequences of nuclear war
Nuclear war of any kind would devastate the Earth's environment and cause incredible cooling in surface temperatures. Yet these climatic consequences are never considered by the nuclear weapon states when they are formulating their nuclear doctrines.
http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/
the-climatic-consequences-of-nuclear-war
----------------------------------------------------------------
Nuclear plants need real security
Charles S. Faddis is the former head of the CIA's unit focused on fighting terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction.
The stakes here are enormous. A team of terrorists, which was able to seize control of a nuclear power plant, could cause it to melt down with relatively basic knowledge of the plant's operation.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/15/
faddis.nuclear.plant.security/
----------------------------------------------------------------
India withdraws nuclear power bill
The Indian government withdrew the introduction of a bill that seeks to limit the liabilities of companies setting up nuclear power plants in the country. India's opposition parties say the bill was being pushed through because of U.S. pressure, that it does not protect Indian citizens in case of a nuclear disaster and that most of the burden for any cleanup falls on taxpayers.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resourc ... 010/03/16/
India-withdraws-nuclear-power-bill/UPI-63071268762099/
- - - -
Editor’s note: Sound familiar? This is the same story in every country that has nuclear power – nuclear companies are protected while taxpayers take on the liability risks, not to mention health and environmental risks.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Nuclear bailout
Taxpayers will assume 100 percent of the risk of the expansion of Plant Vogtle
Nuclear power cannot be financially viable without taxpayer support, which includes not only federal loan guarantees but also risk insurance and production tax credits that manipulate the cost of nuclear generated energy.
The shareholders won’t have to worry though, because the state legislature has ensured that all of Georgia Power’s customers will pay any “prudent” construction costs for the construction of Plant Vogtle. The surcharges will appear on most customers’ monthly bills starting in January 2011.
http://www.connectsavannah.com/news/article/101961/
- - - -
Editor’s note: Sound familiar? Ontarians are still paying the stranded debt of our reactors built in the 70’s and 80’s - $150 per person per year, and we will be for yet another decade.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Canada risks missing out on the new green economy
Ottawa's wrong to cut back on research spending
The United States outspends Canada on renewable energy by a per-capita ratio of 14 to 1, a gap that is expected to widen to as much as 17.8 to 1 under the Harper government's new budget, the Pembina Institute estimates.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/
Canada+risks+missing+green+economy/
2699692/story.html#ixzz0idJ9MFyL
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ban nuclear weapons from Arctic: Report
Arctic and nuclear weapon states need to work together to rid the Arctic region of nuclear weapons, finds a new report by security analysts Michael Wallace and Steven Staples. “Cold War–era nuclear weapon policies and practices in the Arctic, such as nuclear submarine patrols and over-flights by bombers, pose an environmental risk to the region, and an unnecessary security threat to the international community,” said Steven Staples, President of the Rideau Institute.
http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4273&utm_sou ... _campaign=
Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29
----------------------------------------------------------------
Cheap, and green
The Ottawa Citizen, Editorial
But sometimes we forget the little things that our grandparents knew: The cheapest energy is the kind you never have to generate.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Cheap+gree ... story.html
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150 German towns want nuclear power ended
Local power utilities in Germany have formed an anti-nuclear power alliance saying that planned longer running times for nukes are endangering their plans to invest billions in climate-friendly green energies.
The local utilities are pressuring the federal government to either drop the nuclear extension or shut down coal burning stations instead.
http://de.indymedia.org/2010/03/275960.shtml
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thinking about solar panels? Want to assess your site and the financial and environmental benefits?
The Toronto Renewable Energy Coop (TREC) has recently launched their ‘Our Power’ program to help residential homeowners with the assessment and purchase of PV solar panels for their rooftops. With Ontario’s new microFIT program in place, homeowners can get paid to generate renewable electricity on their roofs; directly offsetting fossil-fuelled power generation.
Find out how much you can make and how many tons of GHGs you will offset. Membership is free and your site assessment is only $25. Sign-up today at www.ourpower.ca
----------------------------------------------------------------
Life After Growth: Why the Economy Is Shrinking and What to Do About It
A talk by author, journalist and educator Richard Heinberg. Mon. Mar. 22
6:30 pm Primer and overview of Peak Oil issues by members of Post Carbon Toronto
7:00 pm Richard Heinberg
Trinity St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor (West of Spadina)
Richard Heinberg is widely regarded as one of the world’s most effective communicators of the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. With a wry, unflinching approach based on facts and realism, Mr. Heinberg exposes the tenuousness of our current way of life and offers a vision for a truly sustainable future.
For more info: http://www.meetup.com/PostCarbonTorontoMeetup/calendar/
12703066/#comments
----------------------------------------------------------------
Climate Change and Environmental Decline as a Moral Issue
A 2-day Retreat in Toronto - April 16-17, 2010
Program: http://ucalgary.ca/oikos/Retreat/Toronto/Program
Register now: http://ucalgary.ca/oikos/retreat/Toronto
----------------------------------------------------------------
Angela Bischoff, Outreach Director
Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Tel: 416 926 1907 x 246
625 Church Street, #402, Toronto, ON M4Y 2G1
angela@cleanairalliance.org
www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca
www.cleanairalliance.org
Our Facebook Group
Sign Our Petition
No Nukes News
Health Power

=====================

11. Public pressure leads to public hearings on lopsided Canada-US procurement deal – Council of Canadians
Friday, March 12th, 2010 – Stuart Trew
It’s not the apologetic policy reversal you might have been expecting (or not) from Trade Minister Peter Van Loan, but it is a victory nonetheless. And it is proof that public pressure on the government for parliamentary hearings into the Harper government’s embarrassingly one-sided ‘Buy American deal (the Canada-US Agreement on Government Procurement) has worked.
Starting next week, the Commons Committee on International Trade (CIIT) will hold hearings into the deal, announced by the Harper government the day it came into effect on February 16, thanks to a motion from NDP Trade Critic Peter Julian, one of a dozen MPs on the federal trade committee who received a copy of your letters to Van Loan based on our February 22 Action Alert, “We need parliamentary and provincial hearings on ‘Buy American’ deal”.
“We seem to have given up a considerable amount of access to public procurement right across the country and these hearings should help determine how much we have given up and how much of the US market we can effectively access”, said Julian in a press statement. “Assessing the impact on Canadian jobs and communities should have been the first step taken by the Harper government. I am pleased that members of the International Trade committee have agreed to go deeper into this issue.”
Despite a parade of positive news articles about the Harper government’s throw-away procurement deal with the Obama administration, there is actually no hard government data on how much of the US stimulus money has yet to be distributed, how much of that Canadian firms have a shot at winning, or the value of the Canadian subnational procurement market. The best assessment doesn’t come from the government at all but the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, which estimates only $4 to $5 billion of the original $275 billion was up for grabs as of February 16. And it is possible that even that sliver was accounted for as of February 17, based on news reports.
Watch this space for updates on next week’s parliamentary hearings. Congratulations to everyone who wrote the government demanding them. And congratulations to the NDP for securing them.

===========================

12. Military Aggression and the Police State

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18137

Selected Articles Global Research, March 15, 2010

NATO Boss: Nuclear Weapons Still Needed for 'Credible Deterrence'
Preemptive Nuclear War prevails
- 2010-03-13

Impending Environmental Disaster: Uranium Mining Begins Near Grand Canyon
- by Klee Benally - 2010-03-14

4 NATO Jets Trail 2 Russian Bombers Over Arctic, Atlantic
- 2010-03-12

Attempted Citizen's Arrest of Alleged War Criminal George W. Bush in a Canadian Court
- by Anthony J. Hall - 2010-03-11

VIDEO: Splitting The Sky versus War Criminal George W. Bush
Cynthia McKinney Meets Splitting the Sky
- by Prof Anthony J. Hall - 2010-03-14

Citizen's Arrest of George W. Bush Justified, Court Hears
- by Kevin Martin - 2010-03-09

Bush Citizen's Arrest in Canada: Judge Manfred Delong Meets Splitting the Sky
- by Joshua Blakeney - 2010-03-09

VIDEO: Bush is a War Criminal
- by Spliting the Sky - 2010-03-09

VIDEO: Citizen's Arrest for President Bush?
by Michel Chossudovsky - 2010-03-09

US-NATO "Strategic Concept": Global Warfare
Missile Shield And Nuclear Weapons
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18121
By Rick Rozoff Global Research, March 15, 2010 Stop NATO - 2010-03-14

Ukraine Geopolitics and the US-NATO Military Agenda: Tectonic Shift in Heartland Power - Part I
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18128
By F. William Engdahl Global Research, March 16, 2010

A decisive vote against NATO
On February 14 Ukraine's Election Commission declared Viktor Yanukovych the winner in that embattled country's Presidential runoff vote, defeating former Prime Minister and Orange Revolution instigator Yulia Tymoshenko. Contrary to the positive spin Washington is trying to put on the events, they mark the definitive death of Ukraine's much-touted “Orange Revolution.“

Iraq: Marking 7 Years of an Unjust War
Global Research Selected Articles
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18213
Global Research, March 19, 2010

=========================

13. Close Combat Vehicle project revived?

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4310&utm_sou ... m_campaign
=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29

Posted: 14 Mar 2010 10:19 PM PDT
The Close Combat Vehicle project, which was recently reported to have been shelved, is now said to be back on the Army’s priority list: David Pugliese, “Plans for new fleet of armoured vehicles back on track,” Ottawa Citizen, 14 March 2010.

===========================

14. McCain and Lieberman's "Enemy Belligerent" Act Could Set U.S. on Path to Military Dictatorship

http://www.alternet.org/story/146081/mc ... ctatorship

Glenn Greenwald calls the bill "probably the single most extremist, tyrannical and dangerous bill introduced in the Senate in the last several decades."READ MORE
Liliana Segura / AlterNet

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: March 22, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:22 am

NUKE NEWS: March 22, 2010

Compilation:

1. CNSC Is Coming To Town! - Saskatoon: Two Events: March 23/24 and March 25
2. CNSC (Binder) response to the opinion article published in Le Nouvelliste on March 1, 2010 entitled "Les Québécois peuvent encore dire non"
3. Send Your Letter Today: Nuclear Weapons – PM Harper & Ambassador Marius Grinius
4. Isotope shortage puts patients at risk
5. The impact of Militarism on Climate Change must no Longer be Tolerated or Ignored
6. Pentagon Eyes More Than $800 Million for New Nuclear Cruise Missile
7. The climatic consequences of nuclear war
8. Preparations for a Hit against Iran: Stopping Israel’s Next War
9. Happy World Water Day - March 22 - Watch, Play, Act - 2 new videos!
10. WATCH: “Water On The Table”, featuring Maude Barlow, this week in Ontario
11. 10 Ways Mother Earth Will Strike Back If We Don't Stop Our Wanton Destruction of the Environment

====================

1. CNSC Is Coming To Town! - Saskatoon: Two Nuclear Events: March 23/24 and March 25

1) The Canadian Institute's Nuclear Symposium - March 23 & 24

On March 23 & 24, CNSC will participate in the The Canadian Institute's Nuclear Symposium at the Sheraton Hotel.
Two of the conference sponsors are Cameco and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.
Nuclear power is on a worldwide revival, as the energy sector is faced with the rising costs of fossil fuels and the threat of emissions regulations. In Canada, there is increased demand for utilities to provide clean energy as well as meet the growing demands of oil and gas development.
While there are significant business opportunities, there are major challenges to overcome. Daunting costs, a lengthy approvals process, the issue of nuclear waste disposal, and negative public perception are just some of these hurdles.
Learn how you can capitalize on the resurgence of nuclear energy at The Canadian Institute’s Nuclear Symposium. Nuclear industry stakeholders will convene at this executive-level forum to address the challenges the industry is facing. Hear from an outstanding faculty of industry experts and leaders on the projects, policies and practices that will define Canada’s nuclear future. Get critical information on issues including:
Impact of the global nuclear revival on Canada
Saskatchewan’s role in expanding Canada’s nuclear industry
How nuclear process heat will alter the 21st century economy
New nuclear technologies that are candidates for oil sands applications
Meeting the construction, engineering and economic challenges of new nuclear builds
Integrating new nuclear plants into the transmission grid
Strategies for long-term nuclear waste management
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to network with and learn from the industry regulatory agencies and associations, nuclear utilities, engineering companies and contractors, equipment manufacturers, lenders and investors and legal advisors. You’ll not only gain a thorough understanding of the direction of the industry, which will change the energy landscape for years to come, but be better able to position yourself to capitalize on the vast opportunities that lie ahead.
Register today for this must-attend event by calling 1-877-927-7936 or on-line

= = = = = =

2) "Ensuring Nuclear Safety in Canada" - March 25

The President and CEO of Canada's nuclear regulator the CNSC will be speaking in Saskatoon on Thursday, March 25, 2010 in Room 241, Arts Building on the U of S Campus beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Michael Binder's talk is titled "Ensuring Nuclear Safety in Canada" and will discuss topics such as "The strong safety record of nuclear energy in Canada", "Global and domestic trends in the nuclear industry", and "Common misconceptions about the nuclear industry."

= = = = = =

Found in the "latest news" page of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission website:
"Presentation by Dr. Michael Binder at the 22nd Annual Regulatory Information Conference PDF" dated March 09, 2010.

http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/pdfs/
Regulatory_Information_Conference_Presentation_by_
Michael_Binder_9_March_2010_e.pdf

= = = = = =

Binder Presentation to Cameco Board of Directors – May 28, 2009:

http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/pubs_catalogue/uploads/
edocs_3383007_cameco_20092805_e.pdf

= = = = = =

Binder Presentation to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) – November 24, 2009:

http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/
pubs_catalogue/uploads/2009-11-24_NWMO_Board_Presentation_E.pdf

= = = = = = =

More Binder Presentations:

http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/medi ... entations/
index.cfm#binder

=======================

2. CNSC (Binder) response to the opinion article published in Le Nouvelliste on March 1, 2010 entitled "Les Québécois peuvent encore dire non"

http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/mediacentre/issues/
letters_to_the_editor/Le_Nouvelliste_Response_March_5_2010.cfm

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) would like to clarify some of the misrepresentations contained in the opinion article published on March 1, 2010 entitled ³Les Québécois peuvent encore dire non².
The Canadian nuclear industry has over 30 years of safe operation, driven in no small part by the stringent standards set by the CNSC. While it will not be for the CNSC to decide on the future energy mix of any province, it will not stand for unsupported criticisms of the strong safety and environmental record of nuclear facilities operated under its watch.
Uranium mining is the most heavily regulated mining activity in Canada. Instead of criticizing uranium exploration and mining activities that have been shown to have no adverse impact on health, the authors should direct their efforts to lobbying to bring all other industries up to the high standards imposed on the nuclear industry.
All waste generated by nuclear activities is currently, and will continue to be, stored safely and securely at facilities licenced by the CNSC. Through the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act, the industry was charged with developing a long term solution for the permanent storage of used fuel. It was successful and a sound, government-approved plan is in place.
Under the plan, the construction and operation of the eventual facility, is being entirely funded by the industry that is producing the waste. The CNSC, through its regulation of financial guarantees for major nuclear facilities, ensures that appropriate plans, and money to fund them, will be available when needed.
The CNSC relies on the expertise of scientists, engineers, doctors and accredited experts in fields relevant to its work. It is disappointing to observe the unfortunate fear mongering of some local medical doctors who have been circulating misinformation to the community. While they make a point of citing their credentials or affiliations in the article, the statements in the article are based on unsubstantiated beliefs rather than scientific fact. It is disappointing to see the respected David Suzuki Foundation granting the use of its name in the promotion of junk science.
The CNSC goes to great lengths to fulfil its mandate of protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians and the environment, basing its decisions on science rather than ideology. It would never grant a licence unless a facility has been proven to be safe.
Michael Binder
President
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
- - -
Editor's NOTE: (there have never been any comprehensive human health studies done on populations in Northern Saskatchewan since the dawn of the nuclear age)

=================================

3. Send Your Letter Today: Nuclear Weapons – PM Harper & Ambassador Marius Grinius

Physicians for Global Survival – Spring 2010 Newsletter: Turning Point – Page 10 & 11:
http://pgs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2008/0 ... gPt_Spring
2010-v3a.pdf

This letter below can be signed and sent to the Prime Minister postage free.
If you feel so inclined, both of the following like to be informed about what Canadians think and appreciate receiving letters. (Postage to Geneva is $1.70 + tax)
Jonathan Tan
Senior Policy Officer | Agent principal des politiques
Non-Proliferation and Disarmament | Direction de la
non-prolifération et du désarmement
Tel: 613-944-2343
Fax: 613-944-1835
125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0G2
Ambassador Marius Grinius
The Canadian Permanent Mission in Geneva
5 Avenue de l’Ariana, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
= = = = =

SAMPLE LETTER: (Date, Copy & Paste)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa K1A 0A2

Re: Nuclear Weapons

Canadians have always been proud of the fact that Canada does not have nuclear eapons. We want Canada to champion a Nuclear Weapons Convention.

There are currently more than 22,000 nuclear weapons around the world, most of them in Russia and the United States and some of them in a Launch on Warning status. A nuclear detonation over any city would make the devastation wrought by the Haitian earthquake look small. It is a weapon of mass destruction.

We urge the Government of Canada to:

- Host a gathering of states to begin preparatory work on a Nuclear Weapons Convention – much as was done with the Land Mines Treaty.
- End the reliance of NATO on nuclear weapons.
- Urge an immediate end to the “Launch on Warning” status of weapons in Russia and the United States.

Canadians have been pleased to see that the Prime Minister is championing the health of women and children. Supporting a Nuclear Weapons Convention will send a strong signal to the international community that Canada is serious about the health of humanity.
As host of the G8 and G20 meetings this June, we believe that you, Mr. Harper, have an unprecedented opportunity to become a leader in developing a non-proliferation policy that strengthens peace and security.

Please communicate your intentions on this matter to me.

Yours sincerely,

(Your Name and address)

=============================

4. Isotope shortage puts patients at risk

http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/
cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=23676951

By The Canadian Press, cbc.ca, Updated: March 18, 2010 9:55 PM
The health of thousands of Canadian and U.S. patients could be put in jeopardy by a critical shortage of radioactive isotopes over the next few weeks, nuclear medicine experts say.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) said there will be a severe worldwide shortage of Technetium-99 used in imaging tests for cardiac, cancer and other patients for a two- to three-week period starting Sunday.
MORE:
http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/
cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=23676951

========================

5. The impact of Militarism on Climate Change must no Longer be Tolerated or Ignored

http://www.pej.org/html/
modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=8140&
mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

By Joan Russow, Ph.D., Global Compliance Research Project
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) must address the contribution by militarism to greenhouse gas emissions, and that an important source of funding would be the reallocation of the military budget.

EXCERPT:

“Governments, coerced into inaction by industry, industry-front groups, industry-funded academics and industry-controlled states, have failed to address the urgency of the crisis through their reluctance to enact effective legislation.
If citizens are willing to do their part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, their governments, must stop subsidizing the fossil fuel and military industries; must redirect military expenses; and must discontinue the promotion of nuclear energy - the most hazardous and expensive form of energy known - as the solution to climate change.
Corporations and policy-makers are talking openly about nuclear energy as the solution to climate change. However, in 1991, a Canadian parliamentary committee, issued a report, "Out of Balance: the Risks of Irreversible Climate Change", which affirmed the principle that a solution that is worse than the problem it is intended to solve is not a solution. Nuclear energy, with its radioactive footprint and its inextricable link to the development of nuclear arms, including depleted uranium in weapon systems, is not a solution. Gore must not be ambivalent about nuclear energy.”

MORE:
http://www.pej.org/html/modules.php?op= ... de=thread&
order=0&thold=0

============================

6. Pentagon Eyes More Than $800 Million for New Nuclear Cruise Missile

http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20100309_8124.php

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 By Elaine M. Grossman Global Security Newswire
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Air Force plans to spend more than $800 million to build a new nuclear-armed cruise missile for its bomber aircraft, according to little-noticed details buried inside the Obama administration's fiscal 2011 budget request delivered last month to Capitol Hill (see GSN, Dec. 16, 2009).
A "Follow-on Long-Range Stand-off Vehicle," or LRSO for short, would replace 375 aging AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missiles, expected to retire from the fleet by 2030. The Defense Department has estimated the new effort could cost a total $1.3 billion, Global Security Newswire has learned.
"The current system is experiencing obsolescence of parts [and] components," the Air Force stated in one budget document. "Missile components and support equipment are becoming non-supportable."

MORE: http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20100309_8124.php

=====================

7. The climatic consequences of nuclear war

http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/
op-eds/the-climatic-consequences-of-nuclear-war

By Steven Starr | 12 March 2010
Article Highlights
Nuclear war of any kind would devastate the Earth's environment and cause incredible cooling in surface temperatures.
Yet these climatic consequences are never considered by the nuclear weapon states when they are formulating their nuclear doctrines.
To change this dynamic, the scientific community should pressure countries such as the United States and Russia to better consider the catastrophic potential of their nuclear arsenals.

MORE:
http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/
the-climatic-consequences-of-nuclear-war

=====================

8. Preparations for a Hit against Iran: Stopping Israel’s Next War

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18235

By Muriel Mirak-Weissbach Global Research, March 20, 2010
“A new war in the region is inevitable.” This is the pronouncement made by Mohammad Seyyed Selim, political scientist and professor at the universities of Cairo and Kuweit. Prof. Selim delivered his forecast on February 13, in a program on Nile TV’s “Cairo Watch,” in which I also participated. The moderator, Mohamed Abdel-Rahim, started off by asking what crisis situations in the region were most acute; Iran and the Arab-Israeli conflict were the obvious answers.

That war is on the agenda, Selim noted, is beyond doubt. Israeli political and military leaders have been broadcasting such bellicose intentions loudly enough for the deaf to hear. Yossi Peled said he thought conflict with Hezbollah was inevitable. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned the Syrian government that if it were to intervene in an Israeli-Lebanese conflict, it would disintegrate. As if that were not sufficient, the Israeli Mossad had staged a Hollywood-style extravaganza to murder Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai on January 20. Four days later, Netanyahu declared that Israel would maintain control over parts of the West Bank for all eternity. He followed up with the announcement that Israel would designate three sites on the West Bank as part of Israel’s national heritage. These were all deliberately crafted provocations, aimed solely at eliciting a violent response from the other side: perhaps that Hezbollah would kidnap an Israeli soldier, or that Hamas would lob a few rockets across the border to Israel. Fortunately, to date, their response has been measured.

Whenever Israel threatens military action against Hamas, Hezbollah, and/or Syria, it is certain that the actual target is Iran. This was the case in the 2006 war in Lebanon, and in the 2008 year-end aggression against Gaza. (See: “The Target is Iran: Israel’s Latest Gamble May Backfire,”). As a preparation for a hit against the Islamic Republic in both cases, Tel Aviv was attempting to remove from the scene, or at least weaken, those factors in the region which could respond militarily and politically. Israel lost both wars, albeit at a heavy price for the civilians of the targeted populations. Now it is gearing up for renewed attacks, in tandem with an artfully orchestrated international campaign around Iran’s alleged nuclear bomb program.

MORE : www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18235

=====================

9. Happy World Water Day - March 22 - Watch, Play, Act - 2 new videos!

1) WATCH: Story of Bottled Water Video

Posted: March 18, 2010
http://www.insidethebottle.org/story-bo ... ater-video

Bottled Water Free Day Update:
Thank you to everyone who helped make Canada’s Bottled Water Free Day such a huge success! On March 11th thousands of Canadians from coast to coast participated in events that highlighted the negative impacts of bottled water. In the end more than 60 universities and campuses organized events, there were over 60 media stories covering the day, and nearly 4000 Canadians signed a personal pledge to not drink bottled water.

Stay tuned for updates at www.bottledwaterfreeday.ca

WORLDWIDE RELEASE – The Story of Bottled Water – Watch it NOW

http://www.insidethebottle.org/story-bo ... ater-video

RELEASED TODAY! The Polaris Institute is proud to co-release the Story of Bottled Water – a 7 minute animated film exposing the truth about bottled water. Co-produced by the Story of Stuff Project, the Polaris Institute and other leading organizations, the film exposes the bottled water industry and makes the case for the public tap.

WATCH IT NOW

Take action now in 3 easy steps:
1. Watch the video online – click here to see the film
2. Visit www.storyofbottledwater.org for additional resources and information
3. Send this email to 5 friends and encourage them to find out the real Story of Bottled Water

Thanks,

The Polaris Institute InsideTheBottle.org campaign team
Tony, Joe, Richard, Elly, Tanya, Daniel, and Cam

= = = = = = = = =

2) PLAY!!! Canada’s First Tar Sands Video Game

http://www.tarsandswatch.org/tar-nation-play-game-now

Like many Canadians from coast to coast, at the Polaris Institute we have become increasingly worried that both Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff are stuck in the tar sands. So, we decided to do something about.

TAR NATION – play the game!

In collaboration with Insidious Design we created Tar Nation to allow YOU to help us get Stephen TARper and Michael “Oil” RIGnatieff out of the tar sands.

Take ACTION NOW IN 3 EASY STEPS

1. Play Tar Nation and send a message to Canada’s leaders
2. Join other Tar Nation supporters on facebook – visit the group: Tar Nation - The Video Game!
3. Send this email to 5 friends and encourage them to play Tar Nation
Thanks,
The Polaris Institute TarSandsWatch.org campaign team,
Tony, Joe, Elly, Richard, Tanya and Daniel

========================

10. WATCH: “Water On The Table”, featuring Maude Barlow, this week in Ontario

A must-see TV event coming to TV Ontario. March 22 is World Water Day, and marks the start of Water Week (March 22-28) on TVO during which we will celebrate the premier of an important new movie about water justice called Water On The Table. The documentary, by Ontario-based filmmaker Liz Marshall, follows the life, travels and water fights of Council of Canadians National Chairperson Maude Barlow during her year as Senior Advisor on Water to the 63rd President of the United Nations General Assembly.

You can watch the premier of Water On The Table on TVO, Wednesday, March 24 at 10 p.m. and then again at 1 a.m.
It also airs on Sunday, March 28 at 10:30 p.m. For more on the film, check out the film’s website at: http://www.wateronthetable.com/.

TVO is also screening other water films:

WATER WEEK BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Sun. Mar. 21 @ 8:00PM A World Without Water
Sun. Mar. 21 @ 10:30PM Toxic Trespass
Wed. Mar. 24 @ 7:00PM Strait Through the Ice
Wed. Mar. 24 @ 10:00PM Water on the Table
Sat. Mar. 27 @ 7:00PM Extreme Ice
Thanks to Doug Hayes of the Windsor Essex chapter for sending on this schedule.
Want to organize for water justice? Why not hold a World Water Day (Week) house party?! It’s easy – record Water On The Table during one of the scheduled times, invite some friends, family, and allies over and watch it together. We can send you materials and action pieces – just click http://www.canadians.org/water/issues/W ... index.html to check out what’s available on our website, and let us know what we can send you. Send your requests to inquiries@canadians.org.
On our website we also have a full listing of chapter activities for World Water Day – check out an event near you!
For more information about Water on the Table, visit: www.wateronthetable.com. To read Maude’s thoughts on the film visit www.wateronthetable.com/reflections-by-maude-barlow/.
For those of you on this list NOT in Ontario (and there are many!), look out for opportunities to see Water On the Table – we’ll keep you posted!
Best,
Carleen
Carleen Pickard
Director of Organizing/Council of Canadians
#700 - 170 Laurier Ave W Ottawa, ON K1P 5V5
t. 613.233.4487 x 223/1.800.387.7177
c. 613.301.8346
Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians is Canada's largest advocacy organization, with members and chapters across the country. If you believe that our social programs and public services should be strengthened, not privatized; that our foreign and trade policies should be independent, not subservient to the United States; and that our water and natural resources should be protected, not exploited, please join us as a member.
www.canadians.org

=========================

11. 10 Ways Mother Earth Will Strike Back If We Don't Stop Our Wanton Destruction of the Environment

http://www.alternet.org/story/146080/

By Scott Thill, AlterNet Posted on March 21, 2010, Printed on March 22, 2010
And if the ground's not cold/Everything is gonna burn/We'll all take turns/I'll get mine too. -- Pixies, "Monkey Gone to Heaven."
Bad news. Thanks to perfectly timed, premeditated reality assassinations like so-called ClimateGate, nearly half of Americans may now believe that the various threats of climate change are exaggerated. That's the highest quotient ever since polling on the issue commenced. But there is good news: They're on the wrong side of history and science, and Earth will still get the last laugh on all of them, and us for that matter.
Welcome to our existential nightmare. From rising seas and runaway droughts and storms to the outer limits of dystopian catastrophes like the fart apocalypse -- I'll explain later -- our planet has no shortage of ways to bitch-slap us back into our dangerous reality, whether we want it to or not.
Of course, we could stave off some of the more egregious probabilities of extinction, if we acted now to limit global warming's inexorable rise to 2 degrees. But that means a determined destruction of the status quo, and that's always messy for those who like things just the way they are, thank you very much. But they'll still get theirs. How? Let us count the ways.
1. Envirogees: If you're one of those righteously indignant climate change deniers who also hates immigration, you're in for a world of hurt. According to scientists and scholars, climate refugees could hit 50 million this year and explode to 150 million over the next 50. Hordes of these envirogees, as I call them, will be turned out of their environmentally sensitive homes in China, India, the United States and elsewhere.
They will doubtless end up in the backyards of disgruntled citizens who like to mumble or scream about things they won't settle for in their backyards. If you think immigration is a problem now, just wait until Mother Earth starts cleaning house.

MORE: http://www.alternet.org/story/146080/

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: March 24, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:23 am

NUKE NEWS: March 24, 2010

Compilation:

1. TOMORROW!!! Binder (CNSC): "Ensuring Nuclear Safety in Canada" - March 25 – Saskatoon
2. Resolutions on Nuclear/uranium/energy issues - SK NDP Annual Convention – March 26-28 – Prince Albert
3. Nuclear Genocide in Canada by Pat McNamara
4. Toshiba eyes Gates for nuclear alliance
5. Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power
6. Sweden eyes nuclear revival 30 years after ban.
7. China 2020 nuclear capacity to double from earlier plan.
8. Nuclear terror risk to Britain from al-Qaeda
9. The nuclear debate: waste plans attacked
10. German Nuclear Waste Decision May Take 25 Years, Minister Says
11. Dirty water bigger killer than war: UN
12. WHY AVATAR COULDN’T WIN THE BIG OSCAR by Jim Harding
13. WWF Mines The Green Gold Rush To The Amazon: Making $60 billion From Fear
14. We Cannot 'Techno-Fix' Our Way to a Sustainable Future
15. UPDATE: NAFTA Highway – March 23, 2010

===================

1. TOMORROW!!! Binder (CNSC): "Ensuring Nuclear Safety in Canada" - March 25 - Saskatoon

The President and CEO of Canada's nuclear regulator the CNSC will be speaking in Saskatoon on Thursday, March 25, 2010 in Room 241, Arts Building on the U of S Campus beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Michael Binder's talk is titled "Ensuring Nuclear Safety in Canada" and will discuss topics such as "The strong safety record of nuclear energy in Canada", "Global and domestic trends in the nuclear industry", and "Common misconceptions about the nuclear industry."
= = = = = =
Found in the "latest news" page of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission website: "Presentation by Dr. Michael Binder at the 22nd Annual Regulatory Information Conference PDF" dated March 09, 2010.

http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/pdfs/
Regulatory_Information_Conference_Presentation_by_Michael_Binder_9_March_2010_e.pdf

======================

2. Resolutions on Nuclear/uranium/energy issues - SK NDP Annual Convention – March 26-28 – Prince Albert

http://www.saskndp.ca/convention

Resolutions that will be put forward to the annual NDP convention this weekend (March 26 -28) in Prince Albert include several which deal with nuclear, uranium and energy issues.
It looks like resolutions will be debated on Friday afternoon.
If you are an NDP member, you might want to attend and participate in the debate.
For more information, please contact Karen Pedersen at karen.pedersen@sasktel.net

=============================

3. Nuclear Genocide in Canada by Pat McNamara

http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=777

Introduction

Take a moment and list off the nuclear issues in Canada you are aware of; radioactive waste, medical isotopes, radioactive leaks and new nuclear reactors will come to mind. The media reports on little more. Few Canadians know how many communities and environments have been contaminated forever by the nuclear industry. Even fewer know the number of radiation-induced illnesses and premature deaths the Canadian Government has knowingly caused through its actions and inactions.
MORE: http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=777

=====================

4. Toshiba eyes Gates for nuclear alliance

http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Toshiba+eyes+Gates+nuclear+alliance/
2719978/story.html#ixzz0j8CTLDYZ

FROM HERALD NEWS SERVICES MARCH 24, 2010
Reactors - Toshiba Corp. is in talks with a company backed by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates to jointly develop advanced nuclear reactors, the Japanese electronics-maker said, helping send its shares higher.
----SNIP----
Toshiba, which owns U.S. nuclear firm Westinghouse, said it was in preliminary talks with the Gatesbacked firm TerraPower to develop so-called travelling-wave reactors, which are designed to use depleted uranium as fuel.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

=====================

5. Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power

http://energylegislation.blogspot.com/2010/03/
managing-nuclear-fuel-cycle-policy.html

Thursday, March 18, 2010
Mary Beth Nikitin, Coordinator - Analyst in Nonproliferation
Anthony Andrews - Specialist in Energy and Energy Infrastructure Policy
Mark Holt - Specialist in Energy Policy
After several decades of widespread stagnation, nuclear power is attracting renewed interest. New license applications for 30 reactors have been announced in the United States, and another 160 are under construction or planned globally. In the United States, interest appears driven, in part, by tax credits, loan guarantees, and other incentives in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, as well as by potential greenhouse gas controls that may increase the cost of fossil fuels. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Energy is spending several hundred million dollars per year to develop the next generation of nuclear power technology.
Expanding global access to nuclear power, nevertheless, has the potential to lead to the spread of nuclear technology that could be used for nuclear weapons. Despite 30 years of effort to limit access to uranium enrichment, several undeterred states pursued clandestine nuclear programs, the A.Q. Khan black market network's sales to Iran and North Korea representing the most egregious examples. Concern over the spread of enrichment and reprocessing technologies, combined with a growing consensus that the world must seek alternatives to dwindling and polluting fossil fuels, may be giving way to optimism that advanced nuclear technologies may offer proliferation resistance.

MORE:
http://energylegislation.blogspot.com/2010/03/
managing-nuclear-fuel-cycle-policy.html
- - - -
Date of Report: March 5, 2010
Number of Pages: 45
Order Number: RL34234
Price: $29.95
Document available electronically as a pdf file or in paper form.
To order, e-mail congress@pennyhill.com or call us at 301-253-0881.
Posted by Alerts at Thursday, March 18, 2010

============================

6. Sweden eyes nuclear revival 30 years after ban.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62L35F20100322

Sweden's election-year push to overturn a 30-year-old ban on new nuclear reactors will test how much green concerns on atomic power still resonate in a modern European state seeking cheap and carbon-free electricity. Reuters

MORE: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62L35F20100322

=====================

7. China 2020 nuclear capacity to double from earlier plan.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62L13J20100322

China's nuclear power generating capacity will grow to at least 70 to 80 gigawatts by 2020, twice the level in earlier plans, an energy official said Monday. China has about 9 GW of nuclear capacity and a record number of new projects have been approved since early last year. Reuters

MORE: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62L13J20100322

=======================

8. Nuclear terror risk to Britain from al-Qaeda

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/
terrorism-in-the-uk/7500719/
Nuclear-terror-risk-to-Britain-from-al-Qaeda.html

Britain faces an increased threat of a nuclear attack by al-Qaeda terrorists following a rise in the trafficking of radiological material, a government report has warned.
By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent Published: 10:20PM GMT 22 Mar 2010
Bomb makers who have been active in Afghanistan may already have the ability to produce a "dirty bomb" using knowledge acquired over the internet.
It is feared that terrorists could transport an improvised nuclear device up the Thames and detonate it in the heart of London. Bristol, Liverpool Newcastle, Glasgow and Belfast are also thought to be vulnerable.
Lord West, the Security Minister, also raised the possibility of terrorists using small craft to enter ports and launch an attack similar to that in Mumbai in 2008, when more than 150 people were killed.
The Government is so concerned about the threat that it is setting up a command centre to track suspicious boats.
The terrorism threat level was raised from "substantial" to "severe" in January after the failed attempt to blow up an aircraft over Detroit on Christmas Day.
Three separate reviews of the country's ability to prevent a major terrorist attack were published simultaneously yesterday, before an international meeting on nuclear security in Washington next month.
Downing Street released an update to the National Security Strategy in which it stated that "the UK does face nuclear threats now" and added that there was "the possibility that nuclear weapons or nuclear material [could] fall into the hands of rogue states or terrorist groups".
The International Atomic Energy Authority recorded 1,562 incidents where nuclear material was lost or stolen between 1993 and 2008, mostly in the former Soviet Union, and 65 per cent of the losses were never recovered.

MORE:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/
terrorism-in-the-uk/7500719/
Nuclear-terror-risk-to-Britain-from-al-Qaeda.html

=====================

9. The nuclear debate: waste plans attacked

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... y_sectors/
natural_resources/article7071952.ece

From The Times March 23, 2010
Government plans to hold Britain’s nuclear waste in storage for 160 years before burying it permanently underground were condemned as “bizarre” yesterday.
Paddy Tipping, acting chairman of the Parliamentary Energy and Climate Change Committee, made the remarks as the cross-party group published a highly critical report on the Government’s handling of recent UK energy policy. He said that the Department for Energy and Climate Change had failed to consult MPs or the public properly on a range of matters, including the handling of spent nuclear fuel, and he called for a full parliamentary vote, preferably before the general election that is expected on May 6.
Mr Tipping told The Times it was “rather odd” that Britain was pressing ahead with a fleet of new nuclear reactors the first of which is due to enter service in 2017 at Hinkley Point in Somerset with only a vague idea of what would happen to their waste. “It’s really not good planning is it?” he said. “There really needs to be greater debate about this.”
The criticism was one of several contained in a report from the committee on National Policy Statements new government planning guidelines for new energy projects. These are being finalised to accompany the creation of the Infrastructure Planning Commission, an agency to fast-track planning decisions on big energy and transport schemes. The guidelines will form the basis for approving up to £200 billion of new investment in energy projects over the next ten years, including wind farms, nuclear reactors and coal-fired power stations equipped with carbon capture and storage.
The committee said that there had been a lack of proper public consultation, particularly in relation to greenfield nuclear sites, and said that the late publication of the guidelines just before a general election had also served to stifle debate.

MORE:
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... y_sectors/
natural_resources/article7071952.ece

==========================

10. German Nuclear Waste Decision May Take 25 Years, Minister Says

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-15/
german-nuclear-waste-decision-may-take-25-years-minister-says.html

March 15, 2010, 10:31 AM EDT By Jeremy van Loon
March 15 (Bloomberg) -- Germany‚s plan to develop a site to store its most dangerous radioactive waste may require 25 more years before a decision can be made, the environment minister said.
An initial phase of the plan will look into safety issues at Gorleben, a proposed repository for high-level radioactive waste from power plants, as well as the necessary approvals required from state and regulatory bodies, Norbert Roettgen said today at a briefing in Berlin.
Germany, like the U.S., has struggled to find how to dispose of cancer-causing wastes from its 17 nuclear power plants. The country has said it may extend operation of some of its newest nuclear plants that produce yet more radioactive material.
”We’ve been producing nuclear waste for years, for decades, and we simply can’t use excuses about what’s the best alternative to avoid taking responsibility,” Roettgen said.
Germany has spent more than 1 billion euros ($1.37 billion) of taxpayers’ money since the 1980s to determine whether the Gorleben site is appropriate to store waste. A previous government of Social Democrats and Greens placed a 10-year moratorium on further research at the site that expires this year.
--Editors: Randall Hackley, Stephen Cunningham
To contact the reporter on this story: Jeremy van Loon in Berlin at jvanloon@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net

==========================

11. Dirty water bigger killer than war: UN

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4355&utm_sou ... m_campaign
=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 09:24 PM PDT
Contaminated water is a bigger killer than all forms of violence, including war, says a new UN report. Sick Water? The Central Role of Wastewater Management in Sustainable Development was compiled by the UN Environment Programme and UN-HABITAT, the UN Human Settlements Programme. According to the report, “Globally, two million tons of sewage, industrial and agricultural [...]

=====================

12. WHY AVATAR COULDN’T WIN THE BIG OSCAR by Jim Harding

http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/vie ... =1608#1608

BY Jim Harding http://jimharding.brinkster.net

Saskatchewan Sustainability Published in United Newspapers of Saskatchewan on March 19, 2010
David Suzuki says Avatar creates “a world that is instantly believable”, explaining, “the indigenous inhabitants of Pandora are clearly alien but not so profoundly different that we can’t identity with them.” Actually, they are tall, agile humanoids with tails like some of our primate relatives. They are splendid virtual-reality archetypes. And without the credible story line, the visual effects wouldn’t draw anyone so far into the fantasy. It’s superficial to compare Avatar to Dances With Wolves, or other movies countering Cowboy-and-Indian stereotypes. Sure, Avatar’s audience enters into the devastation of resource colonialism through the eyes of a male “going native”, but this doesn’t keep the viewer from going all the way. A disabled soldier, left legless from Earthling warfare, being transformed into the body of a Na’vi, is grounded science fiction at its best.
The invading Earthlings are out to destroy the gigantic sacred tree, at the centre of Na’vi life, so they can extract a precious metal. And they undertake this commercial exploit with all the military might of the Pentagon. It’s impossible not to be reminded of napalm bombing of Vietnam, or the shock and awe of Cruise Missiles raining over Bagdad. The gargantuan bulldozers grinding down the lush rainforests will be unsettling to anyone who knows what is happening on this planet now. It’s an action-packed, futuristic eco-fantasy, but the markers are clear. At the end, the Earthlings, defeated by Na’vi, on flying reptiles, are banished back to their dying planet. No wonder many youth experience resistance leaving the theatre, having to face the realities of endangered species and other ecocide.
The film has been attacked as anti-military, anti-capitalist and pagan. And there’s no reason why those who support business-as-usual warfare or ecocide should like it. The question to consider is why Avatar has resonated so widely. Over 200 million people have already seen it. It’s the most seen film, ever. The audiences in France are second only to the US, and Germany isn’t far behind. Avatar is the most seen film, ever, in Russia. Two-thirds of the viewers are from outside the US, which may have something to do with director, James Cameron, being Canadian, for his intent was clearly not to appease the American Empire. Normally such a stunning blockbuster would be duly awarded, but in spite of record $2.5 billion box-office sales, Avatar’s message is too contentious to get Hollywood’s highest honour.

MORE:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/vie ... =1608#1608

=====================

13. WWF Mines The Green Gold Rush To The Amazon: Making $60 billion From Fear

http://www.recentnews.co.uk/394797/
WWF-Mines-The-Green-Gold-Rush-To-The-Amazon-Making-$60-billion-From-Fear/

March 21, 2010
Appearing in the Booker column (and on Watts up with that?) is an account of how the “conservation” group WWF hopes to turn Amazonian trees into billions of dollars, all in the name of saving the planet. The background briefing on which Booker relied is posted below, detailing how the rainforests are to become a monstrous cash-making machine, writes Richard North:
The Amazon – a “green gold-rush”
The WWF and other green campaign groups talking up the destruction of the Amazon rainforests are among those who stand to make billions of dollars from the scare. This “green gold-rush” involves taking control of huge tracts of rainforest supposedly to stop them being chopped down, and selling carbon credits gained from carbon dioxide emissions they claim will be “saved”.
Backed by a $30 million grant from the World Bank, the WWF has already partnered in a pilot scheme to manage 20 million acres in Brazil. If their plans get the go-ahead in Mexico at the end of the year, the forests will be worth over $60 billion in “carbon credits”, paid for by consumers in “rich” countries through their electricity bills and in increased prices for goods and services.
The prospect of a billion-dollar windfall explains the sharp reaction to the “Amazongate” scandal, in which the IPCC falsely claimed that up to 40 percent of the rainforest could be at risk from even a slight drop in rainfall.
Here, the IPCC was caught out again making unsubstantiated claims based on a WWF report. But unlike the “Glaciergate” affair where its claim that Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035 was conceded to be an “error”, the IPCC stood firm on its Amazon claim, stating that the assertion was “correct”. What makes the difference is that there is no serious money locked into melting glaciers. Amazonian trees, however, are potentially worth billions.
In standing its ground, the IPCC was strongly supported by the WWF, and by Daniel Nepstad, a senior scientist from the US Woods Hole Research Centre. Relying on an assiduously fostered reputation as a leading expert on the effects of climate change in the Amazon rainforests, Nepstad – who works closely with the WWF – posted on the Centre’s website a personal statement endorsing “the correctness of the IPCC’s statement”. Bizarrely, his own research failed in any way to substantiate the claim.

MORE:
http://www.recentnews.co.uk/394797/
WWF-Mines-The-Green-Gold-Rush-To-The-Amazon-Making-$60-billion-From-Fear/

========================

14. We Cannot 'Techno-Fix' Our Way to a Sustainable Future

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/23-4

by Rachel Smolker
Published on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
This week, California will host the Asilomar International Conference on Climate Intervention Technologies [1]. The conference follows hearings last week in the US House of Representatives and a report from the UK Committee on Science and Technology, as well as a recent report from the Government Accounting Office, all following on the heels of earlier reports from the Royal Society. In short, there is a lot of high level interest in the topic.
Given the failure of Copenhagen, the sellout of US Congress to special interests and the stalemated international negotiations, the "last resort" of geoengineering is gaining support. This is especially true as many are either in a state of panic or paralysis following recent announcements of methane seeping from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, on top of the ongoing reports of emissions rising, ice melting, and temperatures reaching all time highs.
There are good reasons to be quite worried. But there may be good reasons to be even MORE worried by the climate geoengineering proponents and what is going on at Asilomar this week.
The conference holds as its intent to develop "voluntary guidelines" for further research on climate geoengineering technologies. Voluntary guidelines are most often designed to fend off "involuntary" regulation. The conference is organized by Margaret Leinen, who happens to be the mother of Dan Whaley, founder and CEO of Climos, a company with patents currently pending for methods to profit by selling carbon offsets from ocean fertilization, one proposed geoengineering technology. Other major players in geoengineering, some of whom will be at Asilomar, similarly have vested interests in ensuring cash flows for funding, experimentation and commercialization of their pet technologies.
We can pretty well guess that whatever "voluntary guidelines" they come up with for themselves will be designed with "don't take no for an answer" as their underlying mantra.
A letter signed by dozens of civil society groups was submitted to the conference organizers, challenging the entire premise of the conference in stating: "The priority at this time is not to sort out the conditions under which this experimentation might take place but, rather, whether or not the community of nations and peoples believes that geoengineering is technically, legally, socially, environmentally and economically acceptable."
Asilomar seeks to step right on past any process for determination of acceptability, assume it as a given, and carry on with business.
This is deeply troubling on many fronts given the technofixes being put on the table, the scale of their impacts, and the track record so far.
The technologies for "climate intervention"(aka, geoengineering) fall into two broad categories: Carbon sequestration and solar radiation management. Ocean fertilization falls into the former. The idea is to dump iron particles into ocean waters to stimulate plankton blooms. The plankton absorb CO2, and when they die, (hopefully) carry their carbon to the ocean floor to remain sequestered. There are many known risk factors, including one newly discovered and described just last week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This study revealed that the kinds of plankton that are stimulated by iron fertilization include those that produce domoic acid, cause of shellfish poisoning in humans and lethal to marine animals. Oops.

MORE: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/23-4

===========================

15. UPDATE: NAFTA Highway – March 23, 2010

http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/vie ... =1607#1607

1) BACKGROUND: Winnipeg – North American Union Trade Hub

http://nauresistance.org/archives/1094

By 0spp Published: August 29, 2009Posted in: Deep Integration, NAFTA Superhighway, North American Union
From Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico — in the name of reducing travel time, transport and trade processing costs.
The Mid-Continent Trade and Transportation Corridor consists of a series of interconnected transportation systems, including: rail, road, air and marine shipping, that run through the centre of North America from the Arctic Port of Churchill in Manitoba, though the American Heartland to Mexico.
The key cities along the Corridor include: Winnipeg, Minneapolis, Kansas City (Kansas), Kansas City (Missouri), Oklahoma City, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City. This would be part the Corridor system that Canadian Prime Minister denied existed to the Canadian people.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) focuses on the development and maintenance of efficient and safe transportation systems, a goal shared by the the Province of Manitoba and it’s NGO supporters, seeks to develop the Corridor but fails to see it’s long term ramifications for Canadians, Americans and Mexicans alike.

MORE:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/vie ... =1607#1607

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: March 31, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:25 am

NUKE NEWS: March 31, 2010

Compilation:

1. Press release on GAO Report re: Sick Nuclear Workers
2. A miracle or a meltdown... one or the other... by Ace Hoffman
3. Nuclear revival may lift uranium price
4. Tritium Leak Stopped At Vermont Yankee - Officials Say 2 Underground Pipes Were Leaking
5. Beyond Nuclear Bulletin - March 25, 2010
6. Will France and Britain share nuclear power?
7. Ceasefire.ca Bulletin – March 31, 2010
8. Full Circle: NATO Completes Takeover Of Former Yugoslavia
9. Disturbing findings of toxic uranium levels in Gaza
10. VICTIMS OF URANIUM MUNITIONS USED BY THE US FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN
11. Armoured vehicles adopted by B.C. RCMP
12. Council of Canadians @ ACTIVList – March 31, 2010
13. ACTION ALERT: Liberals must reject the 'Brison deal' on the CCFTA!
14. TILMA by any other name is still TILMA
15. AEEL Minister Rob Norris brings shame to Saskatchewan by insulting United Nations International Labour Organization
16. What exactly is a Transition Town?
17. Harper's Humiliating Muzzle on Scientists
18. CCPA (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) National Update – March 26, 2010
19. The DNPP* saves us all – Part 1 by John Keen

====================

1. Press release on GAO Report re: Sick Nuclear Workers

From: Gordon Edwards
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 10:15 PM
Subject: Press release on GAO Report re: Sick Nuclear Workers

Background:

In the USA, Atomic Workers employed by the Department of Energy are entitled to no-fault compensation for illnesses potentially caused by their radiation exposure on the job.
The law that provides this compensation is the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000.
The illnesses that are covered include a large number of cancer types, and the workers that are covered include uranium workers in uranium enrichment plants.
Recently, the US General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report criticizing the way in which this law is being administered. In Canada, however, there is nothing remotely like this law in place.
The GAO Report can be found at this site:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10302.pdf
Gordon Edwards
======================

Tri-Valley CAREs & Alliance of Nuclear Worker Advocacy Groups call on Congress, to Fix the Federal Law Designed to Help Sick Nuclear Workers

http://trivalleycares.presstools.org/node/35142

Press Room | for more information,
Scott Yundt, Staff Attorney, Tri-Valley CAREs, (925) 443-7148
For immediate release, March 24, 2010
Livermore, CA -- After almost two years of investigation, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report on the problems reported by claimants and advocates with the implementation of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000, as amended (EEOICPA).
While it will take some time to comprehend the report in its entirety, the Alliance of Nuclear Worker Advocacy Groups (ANWAG) fully supports GAO's recommendation for the creation of an independent advisory board to oversee the Department of Labor's (DOL) responsibilities under EEOICPA.
ANWAG also supports GAO's recommendation for transparent public access to the Site Exposure Matrices (SEM) utilized by the DOL claims examiners to adjudicate claims.
"The GAO's call for scientific oversight of Part E is no small matter. It challenges the current program leadership's understanding of the complexity of the issues and highlights their unwillingness to assure the scientific integrity of the decision. GAO's recommendations support ANWAG's contention that program decisions are often arbitrary and capricious, and without scientific basis. Moreover, it supports the advocates' concerns and those of the program's last medical director, who was forced out of his job
when he raised these very issues. The current DOL leadership could administratively implement independent oversight without a Congressional mandate. However, their unwillingness to do this on their own suggests that it is time for a change in DOL leadership," stated Scott Yundt, Staff Attorney of Tri-Valley CAREs.
"I am disappointed that the GAO has only recommended a few changes within EEOICPA, "stated Antoinette Bonsignore, Linde Ceramics SEC Action
Group. "Particularly, almost exonerating NIOSH for the huge administrative costs of the Part B program because of the complex scientific issues involved."
Ms. Bonsignore added, "The complexity of the scientific process used for Part B should not provide NIOSH with a pass. NIOSH must consider the burden placed on sickened workers that were systematically lied to about radiation exposure when reconciling the proper limits of science within a reparations program. Furthermore, a claimant friendly reparations program should not incentivize the denial of claims by the government contractor hired by NIOSH to process those same claims."
ANWAG urges Congress to act immediately to realize the reforms recommended by the GAO without delay. ANWAG also urges Congress to hold hearings as soon as practicable to address the other issues raised and not raised in the GAO report.
Tri-Valley CAREs is based in Livermore, CA and participtes in ANWAG. Tri-Valley CAREs also facilitates a support group in Livermore for workers at the Department of Energy's Livermore Laboratory and nearby Sandia/CA Lab who have been made ill by on the job exposures.

Marylia Kelley, Executive Director
Tri-Valley CAREs
2582 Old First Street, Livermore, CA, USA 94551
Ph: (925) 443-7148
Fx: (925) 443-0177
Web: www.trivalleycares.org
Email: marylia@trivalleycares.org or marylia@earthlink.net
"Stopping nuclear weapons where they start..."

=================

2. A miracle or a meltdown... one or the other... by Ace Hoffman

http://acehoffman.blogspot.com/

March 24th, 2010
Dear Readers,
Tonight in Dana Point, California, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be holding its annual hearing on the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station's recent performance, which has been lousy. They'll give San Onofre an overall "B" where it should be getting a failing grade. San Onofre should never have opened, and should be closed for good immediately. For safety. For economics. Forever.
At the hearing, the public will be allowed to speak for two, maybe three minutes each. Nothing said by the public will be considered. Nothing will be under oath. Nothing will be officially recorded. Only a few reporters will show up, who will dutifully interview the spokespeople for San Onofre and the NRC, and perhaps one or two of the most staid activists, and then they'll report whatever platitudes are said as if they are facts. The plant is safe, they'll say.
But the plant isn't safe. Not even close. A trillion-dollar accident, costing America a million lives, waits quietly for the perfect opportunity... The plant is a nightmare, and numerous workers from the plant have come forward in recent months, to myself, to other activists, to the media, and to the NRC, at great risk to their careers (in fact, usually knowing ANY exposure will mean the end of their careers) to say that THEY are scared.

MORE: http://acehoffman.blogspot.com/

======================

3. Nuclear revival may lift uranium price

http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Nuclear+revival+lift+uranium+price/2724451/story.html#ixzz0jDMbcf6Q

REUTERS MARCH 25, 2010
Uranium prices are likely to rise in the next year or two due to a building boom in nuclear power plants, an executive of Spanish nuclear fuel maker Enusa said Wednesday.
Spot uranium prices have tumbled from a peak of $136 US a pound in June 2007 to around $40 currently, partly due to Kazakhstan raising production of the metal, which is used as fuel in nuclear power plants.
"The forecasts are for it to be around $40 for the next year or two, and then it may rise due to the nuclear renaissance," said Francisco Tarin, purchasing manager at Enusa.
"If it goes up to $50 or $60, that would be reasonable, because we have seen much higher prices in recent years and the industry could withstand them," he added in an interview at Enusa's plant in Juzbado, 230 kilometres west of Madrid.

MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/
Nuclear+revival+lift+uranium+price/2724451/story.html#ixzz0jDMbcf6Q

=====================

4. Tritium Leak Stopped At Vermont Yankee - Officials Say 2 Underground Pipes Were Leaking

http://www.wmur.com/news/22953641/detail.html

POSTED: 12:14 pm EDT March 25, 2010
VERNON, Vt. -- Officials from Entergy said they have identified and stopped a tritium leak at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.Concerns were raised in early January when a holding tank sample showed elevated levels of the radioactive material.As authorities investigated further, they determined that two underground pipes, one with gas and another with liquid, were leaking. Because of a clogged drain tube, the liquid went through another crack in the concrete and into the soil and groundwater.

MORE: http://www.wmur.com/news/22953641/detail.html

======================

5. Beyond Nuclear Bulletin - March 25, 2010

Top Stories

With hasty stroke of a pen, Bush DOE transferred billions of dollars in radioactive waste liability onto taxpayers

Background: Between November 4, 2008 (the day Barack Obama was elected President) and January 22, 2009 (two days after he took the Oath of Office), the George W. Bush administration’s Department of Energy (DOE) hurriedly signed new irradiated nuclear fuel contracts with utilities proposing 21 new atomic reactors. This obligates U.S. taxpayers to ultimate financial liability for breach of contract damages if DOE fails to take possession of these estimated 21,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste by ten years after the new reactors’ licenses terminate. DOE signed these contracts despite the fact that it has already cost taxpayers $565 million in damages for past breached contacts involving old radioactive waste at commercial reactors, with $790 million more soon to be transferred from the U.S. Treasury to atomic utilities. In fact, DOE estimates that by 2020, taxpayers will have paid $12.3 billion in damages to nuclear utilities for waste contract breaches, while the nuclear industry itself estimates the ultimate taxpayer damage awards will top $50 billion. These new contracts will only add to that crushing burden.

Our View: President Obama and Energy Secretary Chu have wisely canceled the geologically unsuitable Yucca Mountain, Nevada dumpsite for high-level radioactive wastes. This is not only a tremendous victory for sound science and environmental protection, but also for environmental justice – Yucca belongs to the Western Shoshone Indian Nation, as recognized by treaty rights. There is already enough commercial waste to have filled Yucca to its legal limit, 63,000 metric tons. Old reactors are predicted to generate another 42,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste in decades to come; the 21 proposed new reactors will generate enough additional waste to fill a second Yucca Mountain-sized repository to its legal limit. Secretary Chu’s blue ribbon commission on radioactive waste begins deliberations on March 25th about what to do now that Yucca has been canceled. Environmental groups across the country agree that, as an interim measure, wastes must be safeguarded against accidents and leakage, as well as fortified against terrorist attacks, at the reactors that generated them in the first place. 170 groups representing every single state in the country have signed updated “Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors,” calling for hardened on-site storage and expressing united opposition to dirty, dangerous, and expensive reprocessing.

What You Can Do: Beyond Nuclear has helped break this major news story. See the media release, backgrounder on new waste disposal contracts (authored by Beyond Nuclear’s Kevin Kamps), Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors, and the new contracts themselves. Then Call the White House (202-456-1111) and DOE (202-586-6210) to thank President Obama and Energy Secretary Chu for their wise decision to cancel the scientifically, legally, and morally flawed Yucca Mountain radioactive waste dumpsite once and for all. Urge them to require hardened on-site storage as an interim measure, and to oppose reprocessing.

Citizen petition seeks to prevent another Three Mile Island nuclear accident

Background: On March 28, 1979, the United States of America experienced what was thought to be an inconceivable event when the Three Mile Island Unit 2 reactor near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania had a nuclear meltdown. The nuclear industry and its champions still insist that there have been no human health consequences from the accident despite convincing evidence to the contrary. Two compelling commemorative presentations on the TMI accident and its consequences can be viewed on the Three Mile Island Alert website. However, current industry practice and the lack of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) oversight are setting the stage for the next core melt accident at any one of the 104 reactors operating in the United States by selectively cherry picking through experimental test data that otherwise points to less than adequate safety margins for maintaining the first protective boundary against a catastrophic radiation release, the nuclear fuel rod cladding.
A citizen filed petition for rulemaking now before the NRC seeks to raise technical safety margins for old and new reactors alike against another accident. The formal petition raises the concern that the nuclear power industry does not now have adequate safety margins against the consequences of a Loss of Coolant Accident and similarly risks core melt accidents and potentially large radioactive releases worse than what occurred at TMI. The petition & abstract authored by Mark Edward Leyse focus on two critical and credible technical issues that regard such a Loss Of Coolant Accident at a US reactor: 1) the temperature at which these nuclear fuel rods must be maintained by emergency core cooling systems to prevent another meltdown and; 2) the rate at which emergency cooling water is introduced to re-flood the reactor vessel to cover the reactor core following a significant loss of reactor coolant. Current NRC regulations require that following a loss of coolant accident fuel cladding temperatures be maintained by emergency cooling systems to remain below 2200O Fahrenheit (F). This temperature is calculated by NRC and industry as an adequate safety margin against a core meltdown or “runaway oxidization.” Mr. Leyse argues that the NRC regulations need to be revised to lower the fuel cladding temperature (Peak Cladding Temperature) to at least 1800O F to maintain an adequate safety margin. Mr. Leyse has based his argument for the revised regulation of the fuel cladding temperature margin on extensive documentation of actual mock-up experiments including those sponsored by the NRC in 1985 that demonstrated that such a runaway oxidization of Zircaloy fuel cladding can occur at 2060OF, well below the current legal safety margin limit of 2200O F. The experiment demonstrated that once the fuel cladding temperature exceeds 2060O F runaway oxidation can occur and within less than 60 seconds increase to 3000O F, the melting point of the cladding material. The Leyse’s petition for rulemaking also argues that NRC must also shorten the re-flood delay time and increase the re-flood rate within the reactor vessel to recover the core with water before a runaway fuel melt accident can initiate. The nuclear industry uses Zircaloy, an alloy of zirconium, as the cladding material for its uranium fuel rod assemblies. If ignited in a nuclear accident, the Zircaloy fuel cladding will burn in an intensely hot flare-like reaction and in a water/steam rich environment generate explosive hydrogen gas that can detonate and endanger a nuclear reactor containment structure and downwind communities. In fact, this is what happened during the Three Mile Island accident as expertly explained by Arnie Gunderson in the above commemorative presentation.

Our View: The Leyse petition raises serious concerns that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the nuclear industry have selectively excluded multiple-rod severe fuel rod damage test experiments to arrive at their calculated “conservative” safety margins. Leyse likens the NRC/industry action and result to “studying a burning match to predict what would occur in a forest fire.” Not surprising. For decades, the nuclear power industry has prioritized raising the thermal energy and narrowing safety margins in its reactors to build more steam and more power by as much as 18% to 20% in a process called “power uprate.” As such, the nuclear industry views the Leyse petition as a direct threat to these increased power levels at old reactors, higher projected power levels for new reactors and more profitable energy production margins.

What You Can Do: You can support the Mark Leyse petition (PRM- 50-93) by sending your comments in a letter or on a postcard to the Secretary, United States Nuclear Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001 Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff, or by email to Rulemaking.Comments@nrc.gov, or by FAX to 301-415-1677 by April 12, 2010. Be sure to include “PRM-50-93” on your comment.

Beyond Nuclear In the News
Kevin Kamps appeared in Oregon’s Salem News, Earth Times, and The Free Press, as well as in Censored News on March 24 and 25, and the Christian Science Monitor quoted from Kevin’s report, regarding rushed Bush administration contracts making high-level radioactive waste from new reactors a taxpayer burden to the tune of billions of dollars. The press event garnered additional media coverage, including on Clean Skies TV.

===================

6. Will France and Britain share nuclear power?

http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/news- ... rnational/
will-france-and-britain-share-nuclear-power-5396/

The French shouldn’t trust the Brits on this one
Published March 25, 2010 by Gwynne Dyer in International
As a general rule, we should all encourage and support international co-operation. Once in a while, however, a proposal comes along that is so disconnected from reality that you check the date in case it’s April Fool’s Day. There is now such a proposal on the table.
The French government, according to a recent report in The Guardian, suggested that France and Britain pool their ballistic missile-firing submarines (“boomers”), in effect merging their nuclear deterrent forces. This would allow some savings on operational costs, since at the moment each country always has at least one “boomer” at sea.
Under the French proposal, they could just keep one submarine at sea, hidden and invulnerable in the mid-ocean depths, ready to retaliate against an attack on either Britain or France. That would leave the other crew, safely ashore, with plenty of time to contemplate the huge can of worms that this strategy would open.
The whole policy of always having one boomer at sea is a leftover from a different era anyway. During the Cold War, when countries worried about the other side launching a nuclear Pearl Harbour, it made sense never to have ALL your missile-firing subs in port where they could easily be destroyed.

MORE:
http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/news- ... rnational/
will-france-and-britain-share-nuclear-power-5396/

===================

7. Ceasefire.ca Bulletin – March 31, 2010

http://www.ceasefire.ca/

Canadian military quietly stops reporting wounded
Posted: 24 Mar 2010 09:45 AM PDT
The Canadian military has quietly stopped reporting when soldiers are wounded on the battlefield (Murray Brewster, “Canada forbids reporting of battlefield wounded,” Globe and Mail, 23 March 2010). In order to satisfy the public’s right to know what is going on in Afghanistan, the military says it will instead provide an annual report on battle-related injuries. The policy [...]

Petition: Make Canada a UN Peacekeeper again
Posted: 26 Mar 2010 07:32 AM PDT
Once the world's top contributor of troops for UN Peacekeeping, Canada has fallen far down the list as the military has turned away from the UN. Urge Prime Minister Harper, the political party leaders and your Member of Parliament to make Canada a proud UN Peacekeeeper once again.

U.S. to ask Canada to keep troops in Afghanistan
Posted: 26 Mar 2010 11:15 AM PDT
The Globe and Mail reported on Thursday that the United States will ask Canada to keep as many as 500 to 600 soldiers in Afghanistan following the scheduled end of the mission in July 2011 (John Ibbitson, “U.S. to press for Canada to keep troops in Afghanistan,” Globe and Mail, 25 March 2010

Canada's post-Afghan role crucial
http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/
story.html?id=2cee2297-b878-4791-8ad6-8350235c7e1e
John Ivison, National Post Published: Wednesday, March 31, 2010

= = = = =
ACTION:

I was astonished to read this on the front page of the newspaper: “U.S. to press for Canada to keep troops in Afghanistan.”
We can be certain that the retired generals and the defence contractors in the pro-war lobby are cheering, because this will put pressure on Canada to keep fighting the war even longer.
We need to act now, to tell Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff that we do not want to extend the war, and want Canada to be a UN peacekeeper again.
Please send your letter to Prime Minister Harper, opposition leaders, and your local MP, right away.

We have also prepared a campaign kit for you, if you want to help spread the word. After you have sent your letter, consider ordering your Peacekeeping Campaign Kit, or visit our Ceasefire.ca Gear page directly.
Steven Staples,
Ceasefire.ca

= = = = = = = =

U.S. and Russia agree on modest nuclear cuts

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4375&utm_sou ... fire.ca%29

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 08:31 PM PDT
The United States and Russia have reached agreement on the terms of a new strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty, the White House reported on Friday (”Key Facts about the New START Treaty,” Whitehouse.gov, 26 March 2010). The new treaty, which will be signed in Prague on April 8th, will replace both the 1991 START Treaty [...]

Fowler scorches Canadian foreign policy

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4425&utm_sou ... fire.ca%29

Posted: 30 Mar 2010 12:58 PM PDT
Former Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler launched a blistering attack on the foreign policy of recent Canadian governments during a speech to the Liberal Party’s “thinkers’ conference” on Sunday (video of speech here). Fowler, now retired, was a senior member of the Canadian foreign policy establishment for decades, serving in a wide variety of posts, including [...]

===================

8. Full Circle: NATO Completes Takeover Of Former Yugoslavia

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18318

By Rick Rozoff Global Research, March 25, 2010
In 1991 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a nominally defensive military bloc with sixteen members that, as the cliche ran, had never fired a shot.
In 1991 the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the only simultaneously multiethnic and multiconfessional nation (entirely) in Europe, consisting of six federated republics with diverse constituencies.
By 2009 NATO had grown to 28 full members and at least that many military partners throughout Europe and in Africa, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Asia and the South Pacific. Next month NATO is to hold a summit in Estonia to be attended by the foreign ministers of 56 nations. Last month a meeting of NATO's Military Committee in Brussels included the armed forces chiefs of 63 nations, almost a third of the world's 192 countries.

MORE: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18318

=====================

9. Disturbing findings of toxic uranium levels in Gaza

http://www.uruknet.de/?p=64400

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES - READER DISCRETION ADVISED, YOU MAY FIND SOME IMAGES DISTURBING

Middle East Monitor March 22, 2010 - Studies conducted by a group of Italian researchers have revealed the presence of dangerous levels of toxins in the bodies of Palestinian victims of Israeli bombings during operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009. The results of tests conducted on a sample of 15 dead and wounded victims of the war on Gaza, in addition to another sample of 95 citizens, showed the presence of 30 toxic components, notably high levels of uranium. A senior Ministry of Health official in Gaza, Medhat Abbas, confirmed the findings during a press conference last Thursday...

MORE: http://www.uruknet.de/?p=64400

====================

10. VICTIMS OF URANIUM MUNITIONS USED BY THE US FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=64423

WARNING: Graphic Photos

Islamic Emirat Of Afghanistan
March 22, 2010 - These photos of newly-born infants have been taken by Dr. Mohammad Daud Miraki, a well-known Afghan researcher, anthropologist, sociologist and scholar. He visited Afghanistan to find out about the situation after the American invasion of Afghanistan. The deformed infants are the result of the uranium munitions used by American troops and bomber aircrafts all over Afghanistan under the pretext of fighting terrorism. However, the majority of deformed babies cases have been found in Pashtu-speaking areas which are bearing the brunt of the American attacks. American troops use weapons like white phosphorus bombs and depleted uranium which are banned on world level. For the past eight years when American and Allied invading troops invaded our dear country Afghanistan, more than one hundred thousands Afghans have lost their lives during American aerial bombardment and ground attacks. No night passes without the American special operations force, joined by the CIA and Blackwater operatives launch raids on civilian houses and kill innocent people including children, women and old men...

MORE: http://www.uruknet.de/?p=64423

=========================

11. Armoured vehicles adopted by B.C. RCMP

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columb ... 010/03/24/
bc-rcmp-rtactical-armoured-cougars.html

March 24, 2010

The RCMP in B.C. are rolling out their newest crime-fighting tools — two surplus tactical armoured vehicles (TAVs) that were given to them by the Canadian Armed Forces.
The Cougars, as the military called them, were gathering dust and out of service, so the Canadian Forces decided to turn them over to the RCMP for free. The six-wheel vehicles will be stationed in the Vancouver-area for the emergency response team to use in dangerous situations.
When the vehicles last saw military service, they were armed with heavy guns and grenade launchers, but all the weapons were removed from the 32-year-old vehicles before they were handed over to the RCMP.
"It contains absolutely no special weapons inside. There's no secrets here," said RCMP Sgt. Peter Thiessen.

MORE:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columb ... 010/03/24/
bc-rcmp-rtactical-armoured-cougars.html

======================

12. Council of Canadians @ ACTIVList – March 31, 2010

This ACTIVlist email compiles daily blog posts of the Council of Canadians, media releases and actions you can take for social justice.
More information about our campaigns, how to get involved and how to become a member can be found at www.canadians.org.
Please forward this email on and encourage others to join our list! Thank you for your interest and support.
To unsubscribe or update your profile visit
http://lists.canadians.org/mailman/options/activlist
_____________________
In this update:
Harper government moves to limit environmental assessments
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3189

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
The Globe and Mail reports this afternoon that, “The federal Conservatives are giving Environment Minister Jim Prentice clear legal authority to avoid ordering full assessments of environmentally controversial projects, such as major mines and oil sands operations, according to a provision contained in the bill implementing details of the government’s new budget.” Read more…

WIN! Duncan city council backs climate change motionhttp://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3191

Williams Lake chapter defends Teztan Biny (Fish Lake)
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3185

British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan pursue an expanded TILMA
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3183

European Union says Ontario the biggest obstacle to CETA
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3181

=====================

13. ACTION ALERT: Liberals must reject the 'Brison deal' on the CCFTA!

From: Stuart Trew
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 7:57 AM
Liberals must reject the 'Brison deal' on the CCFTA
As we suspected, a proposal was made in the House of Commons yesterday that would fast-track ratification of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. But it wasn’t the Harper government who proposed it – it was the Liberal trade critic!
Scott Brison stood in the House yesterday to propose an amendment to the FTA that would only do human rights assessments once an agreement was in place, and that would allow the Colombian and Canadian governments do the assessing! This is not what anyone understands as a truly independent, pre-ratification human rights impact assessment, which a parliamentary committee recommended in June 2008 with Liberal support.
Brison reportedly developed his new idea in a private meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe during the World Economic Forum in Davos this January. The proposal was seconded in the House of Commons by Liberal Bob Rae and accepted by Trade Minister Peter Van Loan. But from the debate so far, it’s far from clear that all Liberals think this is a good idea. We need to convince the Liberals not to support this deal!
CONTINUED VIOLATIONS AND ELECTION FRAUD IN COLOMBIA
Recent UN and Amnesty International reports show escalating violence against Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, including murder and forcible displacement from communal lands. The National Labour School (ENS) of Colombia has also accounted for the murders of 45 trade unionists in 2009. These accounts, and unacceptably high impunity rates, have been enough to stall and even stop similar free trade agreements in allied countries, including Belgium and the United States.
During recent legislative elections in Colombia, in which President Uribe’s allies were the big winners, polling stations in one-third of the country’s municipalities were at risk of violence, corruption or fraud, according to the ombudsman's office and election observers, who reported vote-buying and pressure on voters. This situation was predicted by an international pre-election observation mission to Colombia, which issued a report earlier this month.
“Canada entering into a free trade agreement with Colombia now not only sends the wrong message to Canadians and the Colombian regime, it also may make Canada and Canadian companies complicit or passive supporters of continued violence in Colombia,” said the final report of the pre-election monitoring group, which is available to read here: www.canadians.org/trade.
A POLITICAL, NOT ECONOMIC, AGREEMENT
Finally, we know from reports in the Globe and Mail and statements in the House of Commons by Bloc and NDP MPs that there is very little to gain economically in either Colombia or Canada from this free trade agreement. So why are the Liberals rushing it through without assessing its impact first? In fact, the agreement could have more to do with backing the few remaining neoliberal regimes in Latin America against a rising tide of more interventionist governments who are putting development and rights before corporate profits.
TAKE ACTION – Demand an independent human rights assessment before any agreement is ratified

Brison told the House of Commons that those Members of Parliament opposing the Canada-Colombia FTA “do not support free trade, and get this foil that it is throwing over this that this is somehow an issue of human rights. This is their latest tactic in an ideological fight against free trade that has nothing to do with human rights.”

But the point of raising human rights concerns is precisely because “free” trade between developed and developing countries has and will continue to impact significantly the rights of people’s in the developing country, almost always in a negative way. It makes more sense to figure out how before we sign the deal than after, when it’s too late.

We need to continue to write the Liberals to tell them that a flip-flop on an independent human rights impact assessment won’t fool Canadians. It just removes any human rights credibility from the Liberal party, and trade critic Scott Brison and Bob Rae in particular. You’re encouraged to write all Liberal MPs but a list of key MPs is under the sample letter below.

Good luck and thank you,

Stuart Trew, Trade Campaigner

---------------------

Sample Letter

Dear Liberal Member of Parliament,

The proposal by Liberal trade critic Scott Brison to Members of Parliament this week that the Colombian government should be able to fairly assess its own human rights record lacks any credibility. Why would the Liberal party backtrack so quickly from its earlier position that a full and independent human rights impact assessment should be carried out before a final free trade agreement is ratified with Colombia.

Nothing has changed in Colombia since then. Recent UN and Amnesty International reports show escalating violence against Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, including murder and forcible displacement from communal lands. The National Labour School (ENS) of Colombia has also accounted for the murders of 45 trade unionists in 2009. These accounts, and unacceptably high impunity rates, have been enough to stall and even stop similar free trade agreements in allied countries, including Belgium and the United States.
During recent legislative elections in Colombia, in which President Uribe’s allies were the big winners, polling stations in one-third of the country’s municipalities were at risk of violence, corruption or fraud, according to the ombudsman's office and election observers, who reported vote-buying and pressure on voters.
A pre-election observation mission to Colombia in February predicted this would happen based on a tour of the country. The mission’s Canadian members concluded that entering into a free trade agreement with Colombia now would not only “send the wrong message to Canadians and the Colombian regime, it also may make Canada and Canadian companies complicit or passive supporters of continued violence in Colombia.” Why does Mr. Brison think we can trust this government, or any government for that matter, to police itself.
I urge you to challenge Mr. Brison’s recommendation to the Harper government. There is no chance that rights assessments could fairly be carried out after ratification of the free trade agreement, and then by the Colombian government.
Your party’s original position was the right one. The Liberals need to respect the Standing Committee on International Trade’s June 2008 recommendation that an “impartial human rights impact assessment be carried out by a competent body, which is subject to independent levels of scrutiny and validation… before Canada considers ratifying and implementing an agreement with Colombia.”
Sincerely,

[Your name]

KEY LIBERAL CONTACTS:

Scott Brison (BrisoS@parl.gc.ca)
Alexandra Mendes (Mendes.A@parl.gc.ca)
Bob Rae (Rae.B@parl.gc.ca)
Brian Murphy (MurphB@parl.gc.ca)
Frank Valeriote (Valeriote.F@parl.gc.ca)
Gerard Kennedy (Kennedy.G@parl.gc.ca)
Irwin Cotler (cotlei@parl.gc.ca)
Joe Volpe (VolpeJ@parl.gc.ca)
Justin Trudeau (Trudeau.J@parl.gc.ca)
Keith Martin (martik@parl.gc.ca)
Maria Minna (MinnaM@parl.gc.ca)
Michael Ignatieff (lewisr@parl.gc.ca)
Paul Szabo (SzaboP@parl.gc.ca)
Peter Donolo (donolp@parl.gc.ca)
Ruby Dhalla (DhallR@parl.gc.ca)

VIDEO: Anti-Colombia FTA picket draws a crowd outside Liberal MP Bob Rae’s Toronto office

http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=750

Friday, March 26th, 2010 – Stuart Trew - http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=750
Today at noon, about 30 people picketed outside Toronto Liberal Bob Rae’s constituency office in response to his incredible statements in the House of Commons on Wednesday, March 24 that the Colombia government can be trusted to perform its own human rights assessments once a free trade agreement is fast-tracked through Parliament. This is a flip-flop on the Liberal’s previous position, shared by Parliament’s international trade committee, that the Canada-Colombia FTA should not be ratified until an independent human rights impact assessment can be carried out.
We chanted “Bob Ray and Uribe, Time to Stop the FTA” and sang songs outside Rae’s office. John Barber of the Toronto chapter of the Council of Canadians set up an appointment to meet with the Liberal MP, along with members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) and Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). Below are some video clips of yours truly, along with Patty Ducharme, national executive vice president of PSAC, and Jennifer Giroux, executive board member for Region 6, Local 668 of OPSEU.
You can help reverse this Liberal flip-flop by writing to Liberal Members of Parliament here:

ACTION ALERT: Liberals must reject the ‘Brison deal’ on the CCFTA

To see video of today’s picket outside Bob Rae’s office in Toronto: http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=750

=======================

14. TILMA by any other name is still TILMA

http://larryhubich.blogspot.com/2010/03/
tilma-by-any-other-name-is-still-tilma.html

Today (March 30, 2010) in the British Columbia legislature, a Notice of Motion was tabled in the "Orders of the Day" that advises Douglas Horne (MLA from the right-wing Gordon Campbell government) would be moving the following:
4 Mr. Horne to move —

Be it resolved that this House support the creation of the New West Partnership with Alberta and Saskatchewan which will foster free trade, investment and labour mobility through the development of unified and mutually beneficial purchasing, procurement and licensing opportunities. (see here.....)
http://www.leg.bc.ca/39th2nd/orders/o100330p2.html

Don't be fooled, this is already a done deal. Brad Wall, Gordon Campbell, and Ed Stelmach will be signing (if they haven't already signed it) a "New" TILMA, http://www.tilma.ca/

and are trying to get away with calling it something else i.e. "The New West Partnership". It's the Trade Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) that Brad Wall promised he would not sign.

The truth of the matter is, that they've just changed the name and are trying to spin it as something else.

I have some questions: What's in this agreement? When did Brad Wall get a mandate to enter into it? Who negotiated it?

=====================

15. AEEL Minister Rob Norris brings shame to Saskatchewan by insulting United Nations International Labour Organization

http://owlsandroosters.blogspot.com/2010/03/
aeel-minister-rob-norris-brings-shame.html

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2010

StarPhoenix, Mar. 30, 2010
Advanced Education, Employment and Labour (AEEL) Minister Rob Norris brought shame to Saskatchewan recently when he devalued and dismissed out-of-hand the ruling by a well respected United Nations agency that promotes social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights.
In June 2008, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), on behalf of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union (SGEU/NUPGE), filed a complaint against the Saskatchewan Party government with the International Labour Organization (ILO) alleging that the Public Service Essential Services Act and changes to the Trade Union Act impede workers from exercising their fundamental right to freedom of association by making it more difficult for workers to join unions, engage in free collective bargaining and exercise their right to strike.
A similar complaint was also filed by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) on behalf of more than a dozen other unions in the province.
On March 25, 2010, the ILO, of which Canada is a founding member, issued a decision supporting the unions’ claims and makes six non-binding recommendations for appropriate action by the provincial government.
In its ruling, the ILO said it “expects” the Wall government “will ensure that the provincial authorities hold full and specific consultations with the relevant workers’ and employers’ organizations in the future at an early stage of considering the process of adoption of any legislation in the field of labour law so as to restore the confidence of the parties and truly permit the attainment of mutually acceptable solutions where possible.”
The agency “requests” that the Wall government “ensure that the provincial authorities take the necessary measures, in consultation with the social partners, to amend the Public Service Essential Services Act so as to ensure that the [Labour Relations Board] may examine all aspects relating to the determination of an essential service, in particular, the determination of the sectors in question, classification, number and names of workers who must provide services and act rapidly in the event of a challenge arising in the midst of a broader labour dispute.” The agency “further requests that the Public Service Essential Services Regulations, which sets out a list of prescribed essential services, be amended in consultation with the social partners. It requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged in this respect.”
The ILO also wants the province “to amend the Trade Union Act so as to lower the requirement, set at 45 per cent, for the minimum number of employees expressing support for a trade union in order to begin the process of a certification election.”
The Wall government has been instructed to keep the ILO informed of the progress it makes in implementing the recommendations.
The ILO Governing Body approved the recommendations (contained in the 356th Report of the Committee on Freedom of Association) in their entirety at its meeting held March 24, 2010, in Geneva.
The ILO is the only ‘tripartite’ United Nations agency in that it brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers to jointly shape policies and programmes.
On March 29, 2010, the SFL held a press conference at the Delta Regina where labour leaders commented on the ILO ruling.
According to the StarPhoenix, SFL president Larry Hubich said he was “pleasantly surprised” at the depth and strength of the decision.
“It vindicates the position we’ve been advocating. We expect the government will comply with the recommendations and request of the ILO.”
If the government does not comply with the recommendations, Hubich said the SFL has every intention of proceeding with a court case it began filing last year.

MORE:
http://owlsandroosters.blogspot.com/2010/03/
aeel-minister-rob-norris-brings-shame.html

=================

16. What exactly is a Transition Town?

http://www.transitionnetwork.org/

A Transition Initiative (which could be a town, village, university or island etc) is a community-led response to the pressures of climate change, fossil fuel depletion and increasingly, economic contraction.
There are thousands of initiatives around the world starting their journey to answer this crucial question: "for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly rebuild resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil and economic contraction) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)?"
MORE: http://www.transitionnetwork.org/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Transition Towns – the art of resilience

http://www.newint.org/features/2010/03/ ... bon-world/

Before corporate globalization crashed, the transition towns movement had already started making waves on a more human, local scale. Rowenna Davis reports on the ‘engaged optimism’ that looks for positive solutions.
MORE:
http://www.newint.org/features/2010/03/ ... bon-world/

==========================

17. Harper's Humiliating Muzzle on Scientists

http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2010/03/25/HarpersMuzzle/
?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=250310

Canada is becoming a global joke as our world-class experts are prohibited from speaking. Canada's scientists: bound to silence.
By Mitchell Anderson, 25 Mar 2010, TheTyee.ca

The scandal is growing at Environment Canada of how Canadian climate researchers are being "muzzled" by draconian policies of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
This week the Montreal Gazette reported on a leaked document showing that the information restrictions brought in by the Harper government have severely restricted the media's access to government researchers.
"Scientists have noticed a major reduction in the number of requests, particularly from high-profile media, who often have same-day deadlines," said the Environment Canada document. "Media coverage of climate change science, our most high-profile issue, has been reduced by over 80 per cent."
Since 2007, Environment Canada has required senior federal scientists to seek permission from the government prior to giving interviews, often requiring them to get approval from supervisors of written responses to the questions submitted by journalists before any interview.
"Many [federal climate change] scientists are recognized experts in their field, have received media training, and have successfully carried out media interviews for many years," said the document, leaked by an Environment Canada employee who asked not to be named.
"Our scientists are very frustrated with the new process. They feel the intent of the policy is to prevent them from speaking to media... There is a widespread perception among Canadian media that our scientists have been 'muzzled' by the media relations policy."
Control at its worst: scientist
The leaked document came to light through research done by the Climate Action Network for a scathing report on the laundry list of restrictions on climate researchers since the Harper regime came to power.

MORE:
http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2010/03/25/HarpersMuzzle/
?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=250310
- - - -
Background:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/vie ... =1615#1615

=======================

18. CCPA (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) National Update – March 26, 2010

https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignP ... 121958605/
rid:77282a19da61658ff89565e53ca69f8c

Test your knowledge of the 2010 federal budget and the state of Canadian finances. Click here or the above image to launch our 2010 Budget Quiz, written by the CCPA's Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan and Alternative Federal Budget Coordinator David Macdonald.
Armine also produced a commentary that was featured in Canadian Business magazine. Now is the wrong time for fiscal frugality claims the Harper government pressed the wrong panic button — prematurely tackling the budgetary deficit before resolving the jobs crisis.
And finally, the following articles from the March isssue of The Monitor are available online:
A Terrible Trade Deal : Harper’s Buy American “cure” worse than the disease. - Jim Stanford
Creating a Just Society : Reducing poverty, inequality will spur economic recovery. - Seth Klein and Armine Yalnizyan
Fuelling Wars, Supplying the Warmongers : Canadian gov’t heavily subsidizing our military companies. - Richard Sanders
Future Transportation Will Rely on Bikes and Buses, Too : Electric cars helpful, but not sole advance in mobility. - Peter Berg
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
410-75 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7
tel: 613-563-1341 fax: 613-233-1458
email: info@policyalternatives.ca
http://www.policyalternatives.ca

===================

19. The DNPP* saves us all – Part 1 by John Keen
(* Damn Near Perfect Party)

http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/vie ... =1614#1614

It is alarmingly obvious that the financial world, (intent on increasing profit to the maximum), will not lead the working world out of the morass. Why would a culture that exists by charging interest, and buying and selling paper, rescue the real world?
During a collapse there are huge opportunities to gain wealth by buying low priced assets, especially if governments are providing low priced money. Any improvements to general finance could mean lost profit.
Solving a problem is often not too difficult. Finding out what the problem is may be the real problem. We are told a lack of credit has caused this crisis. Au contraire, a surfeit of credit has caused the crisis. The mountain of debt, world wide, and the cost of carrying that debt, has exceeded the carrying capacity of the productive side of society.
The answer is simple -as indeed most answers are… reduce debt and/or the cost of that debt. But to do that means impinging on the ability of those with large amounts of money to make large amounts of money. This will not make those people happy, and they have influence. We reformers will have to convince government that wide spread prosperity is better than unstable elitism.
First we fix Canada!
To do that we need two road maps. One showing the path we followed into trouble and another showing the way out. Most of what is being said here will apply to Canada starting in 1968. But could be used widely.

MORE:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/vie ... =1614#1614

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: April 3, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:26 am

NUKE NEWS: April 3, 2010

Compilation:

1. EVENT: Solar Outpost will be presenting WIND, SOLARTHERMAL, GEOTHERMAL, SOLAR? - Hillmond, SK - April 18 - 2 p.m.
2. Canada government rejects idea of building new isotope reactor
3. Isotope reactor decision disappoints province
4. Invitation to the CNSC Small Reactors Webinar Workshop – April 28
5. Alarms raised over 'fire sale' of nuclear Crown corporation
6. ALBERTA WANTS TO EASE ISOTOPES SHORTAGE
7. Presentation (Now Posted): Nuclear Safety in Canada – Michael Binder, president, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission – March 25, 2010
8. WATCH: One Expensive Hole
9. Yucca Mountain out: Hanford nuke waste has nowhere to go
10. No Nukes News - Mar. 30, 2010
11. Beyond Nuclear Bulletin - April 1, 2010
12. Patrick Moore, Proud Heretic
13. You Are Now Paying for the Next 3 Mile Island
14. Nuclear Waste Piles Up, and It's Costing Taxpayers Billions
15. WATCH: "Iraq For Sale" Banned in Congress in May, 2007

=======================

1. EVENT: Solar Outpost will be presenting WIND, SOLARTHERMAL, GEOTHERMAL, SOLAR? - Hillmond, SK - April 18 - 2 p.m.

With so many options how do you know which one is best?

Solar Outpost is a locally owned and operated clean energy company operating out of Saskatoon. We are dedicated to public education and the promotion of environmentally conscious living. We have products ranging from grey water recycling systems to large scale wind turbines.
Come find out what will work best for you, at your site, in your area.

WHEN: Sunday April 18th, 2010

WHERE: Hillmond Hall Hillmond, Sk. (Located centrally - a short drive from Lloydminster, Paradise Hill, St. Walburg, Marwayne, Etc.)

TIME: 2pm (Doors open at 1:30)

*Admission is Free!! Donations will be accepted to cover the hall cost with any proceeds going to S.O.S. Save Our Saskatchewan

Meggan Hougham
Secretary/Treasurer
S.O.S. Save Our Saskatchewan

=====================

2. Canada government rejects idea of building new isotope reactor
Sask. gov't 'disappointed in the decision'

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/
Canada+government+rejects+idea+building+isotope+reactor/
2749006/story.html

By Andrew Mayeda, Canwest News Service,
with files from James Wood, The Star Phoenix March 31, 2010
The province's hopes for a research reactor to produce medical isotopes at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon appear to have been dashed.
The federal government on Wednesday announced it will not build a medical-isotope reactor to replace the Chalk River, Ont., facility that has been shut down since last spring.
"We are aware of the decision the federal government has made and we are disappointed in the decision", Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd told reporters at the provincial legislature.
In a report released in December, an expert panel appointed by the government recommended that Ottawa move "expeditiously" to build a "multiuse research reactor" to replace the aging facility. The panel said a new reactor represented the best way of creating a sustainable supply of the medical isotope used globally to diagnose cancer, heart disease and other conditions. The isotope has been in short supply since the shutdown of the Chalk River reactor.
However, in a response to the report released Wednesday, the government notes a new reactor would be costly and take years to build.
MORE:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/
Canada+government+rejects+idea+building+isotope+reactor/
2749006/story.html

=====================

3. Isotope reactor decision disappoints province

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/
Isotope+reactor+decision+disappoints+province/2752016/story.html

By James Wood, The Star Phoenix; with files from Canwest News Service April 1, 2010
The Saskatchewan plan for a research reactor producing medical isotopes in Saskatoon is dead.
The federal government announced Wednesday it will not build an isotope reactor to replace the Chalk River, Ont., facility that has been shut down since last spring.
The decision goes against the government's own expert panel, which recommended late last year that Ottawa move "expeditiously" to build a "multi-use research reactor" to replace the aging facility.
That recommendation matched up almost perfectly with the proposal submitted by the Saskatchewan Party government and the University of Saskatchewan last summer calling for an isotope-producing reactor to be located at the university.
It called for the federal government to cover most of the $500 million to $750 million price tag for construction costs and $45 million to $70 million in annual operating costs.
But the federal Conservative government now says it plans to transform isotope production into a commercial business that can survive without taxpayers' money.

MORE:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/
Isotope+reactor+decision+disappoints+province/2752016/story.html

===============

4. Invitation to the CNSC Small Reactors Webinar Workshop – April 28
http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/getinvolved/
sessionworkshop/april_28_2010/index.cfm

Invitation to the CNSC Small Reactors Webinar Workshop The CNSC invites you to attend a Webinar workshop on small reactors to take place on April 28, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT.
There is renewed interest in small-scale nuclear reactors for research, isotope production or electricity generation to support a community. The CNSC is taking steps to address the regulatory implications of small reactors.
The CNSC defines small reactors as those with a thermal power output of less than 200 megawatts.
The workshop is part of a pre-consultation phase for the development of two regulatory documents:
Deterministic Safety Analysis for Small Reactors (RD-308)
Design Requirements for Small Reactors (RD-367)
The objective of the workshop is to seek feedback on the development of these RDs.
The workshop will discuss:
what new small nuclear reactors are and how they differ from existing nuclear reactors (small and large)
the proposed scope for RD-308 and RD-367
key regulatory concepts surrounding small reactors, including the notion of “graded approach”, “dose acceptance criteria”, “safety goals”, “probabilistic safety assessment”, “safety and engineering” and “security and robustness considerations”.
The discussions will provide some background information to help you provide comments during the public consultation process of RD-308 and RD-367. The consultation period will begin during the summer of 2010.
Registration:
Participation in this Webinar will require registration. We encourage you to register soon, as participation is limited. Registration deadline is April 23 if the Webinar capacity is not full by then.
Please register by sending an email to smrw-apr@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca and provide us with the following information:
First and Last Name
Name of Organization and Position
Telephone Number
E-Mail Address
Language Preference for Webinar participation: French or English
Your registration will be confirmed with information and a code for logging on the day of the Webinar, on April 28.
If you have any questions or require additional information, please send us an email to smrw-apr@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca .

====================

5. Alarms raised over 'fire sale' of nuclear Crown corporation

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/
Alarms+raised+over+fire+sale+nuclear+Crown+corporation/
2747296/story.html#ixzz0jmuawHoe

Canwest News Service March 31, 2010
The opposition is accusing the Harper government of trying to ram through any sale of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. without proper oversight.
Under a bill tabled this week in Parliament to implement budget measures, the Harper government would gain the authority to sell part or all of AECL "on any terms" the cabinet "considers appropriate."
At present, the sale of a Crown corporation requires an Act of Parliament. In the minority Parliament, that means at least one of the opposition parties would have to support a sale.
The Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois have all opposed the government's proposal to sell the Candu reactor division of AECL.

MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/
Alarms+raised+over+fire+sale+nuclear+Crown+corporation/
2747296/story.html#ixzz0jmuawHoe

======================

6. ALBERTA WANTS TO EASE ISOTOPES SHORTAGE

Federal grant offers hope for particle project

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/
Alberta+wants+ease+isotopes+shortage/
2747342/story.html#ixzz0k3Up5QIn

A team of researchers is attempting to solve the ongoing shortage of radioactive medical isotopes by building a new particle accelerator in Edmonton.
The federal government approved the initial $3-million grant for the project this week.
But Dr. Sandy McEwan, chair of oncology at the University of Alberta, and his team are still searching for a warehouse space large enough to hold the bedroom-sized machine and its two-metre-thick walls of protective concrete.
They hope to have the particle accelerator, a miniature version of the Franco-Swiss Hadron Collider, ready to start spinning and colliding protons within a year.
- - - SNIP - - -
The cyclotron works by accelerating protons through a loop until they travel at about 90 per cent of the speed of light, McEwan said.
Then a technician defects the high-energy proton into a target site filled with the element molybdenum-100.
The force of the collision changes some of the element to technetium-99, one step down the periodic table, and once the remaining molybdenum and technetium are separated, the latter can be shipped to hospitals.
An added challenge is technetium's radioactivity. It has a half-life of only six hours, which means it degrades quickly.

MORE: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/
Alberta+wants+ease+isotopes+shortage/
2747342/story.html#ixzz0k3Up5QIn

================

7. Presentation (Now Posted): Nuclear Safety in Canada – Michael Binder, president, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission – March 25, 2010

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission – www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca
PDF version:
http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/pdfs ... ewan_e.pdf

Flash version:
http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/medi ... entations/
presentation_uos_flash.cfm

===========================

8. WATCH: One Expensive Hole

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/03/27/
mattingly.yucca.mountain.cnn?hpt=Sbin

The Yucca Mountain nuclear depository is shut down, but there's no plan B for the land. CNN's David Mattingly reports.

Panel to study what to do with U.S. nuclear waste - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/25/ ... index.html

===================

9. Yucca Mountain out: Hanford nuke waste has nowhere to go

http://tinyurl.com/ycvo4n8

By Craig Welch
Seattle Times environment reporter
The tanks are still there, 177 in all, packed with 53 million gallons of radioactive waste. One million gallons have leached into the desert soil.
A decade from now, this byproduct of the atomic age at Hanford nuclear reservation was to be turned into 14-foot-long glass rods, loaded in steel canisters and shipped to Nevada, where it could sit forever beneath a mountain. An additional 2,300 tons of spent nuclear fuel would go with it.
But now the worst waste from the country's most polluted place has nowhere to go.

MORE: http://tinyurl.com/ycvo4n8

=========================

10. No Nukes News - Mar. 30, 2010

“What we’re seeing is a well-orchestrated international public relations campaign by a very desperate nuclear industry… I think it is really important to realize that there is an element of stampeding the herd in the direction of nuclear power, when in fact it may be a cliff we are heading to, not a bridge to the future.” ~ Dr. Gordon Edwards, CCNR
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ontario Electricity Consumers Subsidize OPG to Burn Coal

Catch this: In 2009, OPG received a $412 million subsidy from Ontario’s electricity consumers to compensate it for the operating losses of its Nanticoke and Lambton coal-fired power plants. Why, you ask? As a result of the coal plants’ high fixed costs and low volumes in 2009 (their lowest level in 45 years), the average cost of producing a kWh of coal-fired electricity is now greater than the wholesale market price of electricity and therefore the coal plants are no longer profitable.. We’re actually paying OPG to pollute our air! To add insult to injury, Ontario’s coal-fired electricity generation in 2009 caused 246 deaths, 342 hospital admissions, 406 emergency room visits and almost 123,000 minor illnesses (e.g. asthma attacks) in Ontario.

To find out more see: http://www.cleanairalliance.org/files/active/0/
phaseout%20progress%202010.pdf

What is wrong with this picture?
We can stop burning coal today! Please send an email to Premier McGuinty asking him to speed up the coal phase-out and shut all ON’s coal plants down by the G-20 this June (and send me a copy) https://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/ ... sp?Lang=EN
And if you’re up for distributing FREE copies of our leaflets on coal or nukes with postcards to politicos, please order them here: http://cleanairalliance.org/get_involve ... _pamphlets
Thank you!
-angela@cleanairalliance.org
----------------------------------------------------------------
Nuclear waste piles up, and it's costing taxpayers billions
"Fifty-three years into commercial nuclear power ... the US still has no safe, sound, permanent storage plan for high-level radioactive waste," he told reporters. Meanwhile, the spent fuel stacking up at the sites is a terrorist target, he and others said.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0324/
Nuclear-waste-piles-up-and-it-s-costing-taxpayers-billions
----------------------------------------------------------------
Nukes pollute water
This being a blog about nuclear power we’d like to mark World Water Day by reminding us all of the places around the world where drinking water supplies have been put at risk by the nuclear industry.
http://weblog.greenpeace.org/nuclear-re ... r_day.html
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What To Do With Nuclear Waste After Yucca Mountain
The tasks facing the commission are daunting, given the renewed pressure to build new nuclear power reactors, maintain a large and antiquated federal nuclear infrastructure, and placate U.S. voters opposed to nuclear waste sites in their backyards.
http://www.counterpunch.org/alvarez03262010.html
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Anti-uranium doctors renew threat to resign
Nearly two-dozen doctors in Sept-Îles, Que., are renewing their threats to resign and leave the province after the government rejected calls for a moratorium on uranium mining and exploration in the region.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/03/22/
mtl-uranium-sept-iles-doctors.html
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The Order of the Liberator San Martin: Recognition, Remembrance, And Solidarity
Thirty years ago, a workers' blockade in New Brunswick stopped the Argentinian dictatorship from bringing a nuclear reactor online. The longshoremen of Saint John refused to load a $120-million cargo of heavy water bound for Argentina. The blockade also shone an international spotlight on Argentina's tyranny and its political prisoners, and helped force the release of 11 jailed trade unionists. Argentina's democratic government is now honouring the Saint John longshoremen with the highest award it can give them.
http://transmontanus.blogspot.com/2009_ ... chive.html
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/ ... cle/651909
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Wind Energy Investment of $65 Billion May Curb Fossil Fuel Use
China WindPower Group Ltd., Iberdrola SA and Duke Energy Corp. will lead development of an estimated $65 billion of wind-power plants this year that let utilities reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. The estimate from Bloomberg New Energy Finance assumes a 9 percent increase in global installations of wind turbines this year, adding as much as 41 gigawatts of generation capacity. That’s the equivalent of 34 new nuclear power stations.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-21/
wind-energy-investment-of-65-billion-may-curb-fossil-fuel-use.html
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Pay more for energy
Bullfrog Power has just launched a campaign is to increase the level of dialogue in homes across the country related to renewable energy and energy pricing. The campaign is intended to provoke discussion on two issues: first, why it makes sense to pay more for renewable energy, and second, why it makes sense to pay more for conventional energy.
The campaign will run for approximately 8 weeks across much of the country, and offers a spectrum of answers to the why pay more question from the perspectives of our customers presented largely in testimonial-style formats.
Check it out: www.paymoreforenergy.ca
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Solar energy hotbed
As winter melts into spring, Southwestern Ontario is quickly powering up to become Canada's biggest solar energy hotbed. From small rooftop solar cells and pole-mounted panels that swivel like sunflowers, to a Sarnia venture that's touted to become the largest energy producer of its kind on the continent, the region is in a sunshine state of mind.
http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2010 ... 93966.html
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Oregon town uses geothermal energy to stay warm
Geothermal wells in Klamath Falls, Ore., mark one of the nation's most ambitious uses of a green energy resource with a tiny carbon footprint and could serve as a model for a still-fledgling industry.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/
2011406843_geothermal22.html
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Post Carbon Exchange
Encouraging to see these deep-thinkers hopeful about progress in shutting down coal and ramping up clean energy around the world.
10 min. video discussion between Richard Heinberg (Post Carbon Institute) and Lester Brown (Earth Policy Institute).
http://www.postcarbon.org/video/
83004-post-carbon-exchange-1-richard-heinberg
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Making Your Home More Energy Efficient
5 minute you-tube video – addresses the blower-door test, windows, weather stripping, water-heaters, furnace wrapping, lights, energy audits and more
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_HVvbej3aI
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Future Earth - Addicted to Power

The Passionate Eye, CBC TV News Network
Modern life would be impossible without enough energy, but it's an addiction that could cost the Earth. We rely on fossil fuels - oil, coal, and gas - which all emit the carbon that contributes to global warming. The dilemma is how to keep the lights on without cooking the planet. Future Earth: Addicted to Power illustrates the disastrous consequences of continuing our addiction to power through photo-real CGI, but it also includes gripping interviews with experts who explore how adopting new technologies and making changes to the way we live can avert these disasters.
Watch it online! http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyeshowcase/
2010/futureearthpower/

Future Earth - 2025
The Passionate Eye, CBC TV News Network
Its estimated the world's ever growing population will need 50% more water in the next 20 years. Future Earth 2025 creates credible disaster scenarios based on changing weather and rain patterns, and uses the testimony of world leading scientists and engineers to project the future, and explore how these disasters can be diverted by adopting new technologies and making changes to the way we live. Future Earth 2025 is produced by UK based Darlow Smithson.
Watch it online! http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyeshowcase/
2010/futureearth2025/
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Back issues of No Nukes News can be found here: http://ontariosgreenfuture.ca/nonukesnews.php
You can also subscribe here.
---
Angela Bischoff, Outreach Director
Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Tel: 416 926 1907 x 246
625 Church Street, #402
Toronto, ON M4Y 2G1
angela@cleanairalliance.org
www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca
www.cleanairalliance.org
Our Facebook Group
Sign Our Petition
No Nukes News
Health Power

========================

11. Beyond Nuclear Bulletin - April 1, 2010
Top Stories

Fires break out at US reactors on Three Mile Island accident anniversary

Background: The 31st commemoration of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident (March 28, 1979) was marked by a series of fires at US nuclear power stations in South Carolina and Ohio. A five-hour fire burned at the H.B. Robinson nuclear power plant near Hartsville, SC involving two consecutive high-energy electrical fires that left portions of the reactor’s switchgear room scorched and heat-buckled and melted steel electrical conduits and junction boxes. Robinson Unit 2 automatically shut down following what Progress Energy initially reported as a “non-emergency” event but upgraded to an emergency “ALERT” level following a second fire that threatened redundant reactor safety-related electrical circuits in the same area. The cause of the fire is under investigation but Progress Energy assured the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that “There was no explosion or steam line break,” this time. A fire at the Perry nuclear power plant in Ohio burned for more than three hours following ignition of lubrication oil coming from a failed reactor feed pump turbine. Another fire at Brunswick nuclear power station in Georgia occurred on March 26, 2010 in the plant’s turbine building. The fire burned for more than 15 minutes after electric blankets being used in station repairs for a post-weld heat treatment ignited the tape binding the blankets together.

Our View: NRC studies document that the highest risk events for a nuclear meltdown start with a fire at the atomic power plant. Yet violations of prescriptive federal fire protection regulations adopted in 1980 following the March 22, 1975 Browns Ferry Fire go unresolved now for 30 years and remain widespread among the nuclear industry. The NRC continues to defer enforcement in the hopes of persuading industry to adopt a questionable alternate compliance strategy that likely will further stymie enforcement actions against violations. Meanwhile, the risks from a fire-initiated nuclear meltdown are greater as reactor systems age and become more vulnerable to failure.

Disrespecting Navajo ban, federal court approves uranium mining

Background: A federal appeals court moved to allow uranium mining in Church Rock, a Navajo community just east of Gallup, New Mexico, acknowledging that groundwater may be left contaminated after mining operations cease, but that NRC and the uranium mining company had met their commitment under the laws in question. This ruling fails to recognize that the Navajo Nation outlawed uranium mining in 2005 and fails to account for contamination and disease already left by previous uranium mining in this same area. One judge on a three-judge panel dissented saying “Because the majority’s decision compounds past injustice by committing legal error, I respectfully dissent.” Meanwhile, a lawsuit brought by conservation groups challenging uranium mining on public lands in Colorado and Utah was bolstered when a judge required the US Department of Energy (USDOE) to disclose documents on how mining would affect these areas.

Our View: The federal court’s discounting of the Navajo ban is troublesome because Native American Nation sovereign status is thought to be greater than that of states or local jurisdictions. This decision could set a horrible precedent for states such as Utah and Colorado who are actively fighting uranium mines. It also decides that contaminated water is acceptable for the Navajo while not accounting for the community’s past exposure, continuing contamination or the unwillingness of past mining endeavors to clean up their mess. Church Rock was the scene of the worst radioactive spill in U.S. history, therefore re-endangering this community is the ultimate insult.

New radioactive contamination found at Vermont Yankee

A second radioactive isotope has been found at the already embattled Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. In addition to tritium contamination, test samples show cesium 137 at levels twelve times higher than expected. Experts label it a “significant leakage.” Reactor spokesmen say it is unclear where it came from but a fuel failure eight years ago could be responsible. An invitation-only meeting between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, industry, and certain government officials to discuss the circumstances of Vermont Yankee, has outraged many, forcing the NRC to arrange an additional public meeting on this topic now scheduled for April 12.
It’s déjà vu all over again
“Ultimately, we need to move beyond the tired debates between right and left, between business leaders and environmentalists, between those who would claim drilling is a cure all and those who would claim it has no place. Because this issue is just too important to allow our progress to languish while we fight the same old battles over and over again.” President Obama announcing massive offshore oil drilling plans on March 31, 2010.
"On an issue which affects our economy, our security and the future of our planet, we cannot continue to be mired in the same old debates between left and right, between environmentalists and entrepreneurs." President Obama announcing $8 billion in federal loan guarantees for two new reactors in Georgia on February 16, 2010.
What you can do: Sign this petition at Friends of the Earth and help support real, sustainable energy solutions, not current failures.

The French Nuclear Medusa
Another attempt to silence a nuclear critic
French activist, Michel Guéritte who drew unwavering attention to the threat to two towns in Aube destined to get the country’s so-called “low-level” nuclear waste, will be brought up on criminal charges in a French court on April 7th. Guéritte, who was instrumental in the eventual decision by both towns – Pars-les-Chavanges and Auxon – to reject the waste dump, is accused of being “dangerous” by the towns’ mayors. To protest yet another example of state obstruction of free speech, a rally was organized on March 17 in front of the Troyes town hall to support Guéritte and the right to oppose nuclear power in France. Carrying a banner reading: “No: the Champagne region is not the nuclear dustbin of France,” the support group held a press conference boycotted entirely by the French media. However, a video of the event (in French) can be viewed on line.

========================

12. Patrick Moore, Proud Heretic

http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/03/26/Pa ... ign=290310

Why did fellow Greenpeace founders shun him? He defends nuclear power, corporate forestry and other eco-bugaboos. A Trees and Us podcast. By Mark Leiren-Young
Friday, March 26, 2010

========================

13. You Are Now Paying for the Next 3 Mile Island

http://www.alternet.org/story/146223/
you_are_now_paying_for_the_next_3_mile_island

The nuclear industry wants us all to pay hundreds of billions for the joy of living downwind from still more 3 Mile Islands for which they intend to assume no liability. READ MORE By Harvey Wasserman / AlterNet

=====================

14. Nuclear Waste Piles Up, and It's Costing Taxpayers Billions

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0324/
Nuclear-waste-piles-up-and-it-s-costing-taxpayers-billions

Mark Clayton, The Christian Science Monitor: "The Bush administration agreed to store nuclear waste from 21 new reactors. But the federal government still can't meet its commitment to find permanent storage."

=====================

15. WATCH: "Iraq For Sale" Banned in Congress in May, 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cJlJudDtVE

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: April 6, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:27 am

NUKE NEWS: April 6, 2010

Compilation:

1. Saskatchewan Government Violates International Human Rights Laws
2. EVENT: Solar Outpost presents: WIND, SOLARTHERMAL, GEOTHERMAL, SOLAR? - Hillmond, SK - April 18 - 2 p.m.
3. G8/G20 Call Out - Defenders of the Land
4. How the Corporations Broke Ralph Nader and America Too
5. U.S. to reduce role of nuclear weapons
6. WATCH: Helen Caldicott: Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Global Warming (must-see)/Comment - Rempel
7. LISTEN: Graham Thomson on the carbon capture & storage fraud; William Rivers Pitt on the right-wing think tank behind the 2003 Iraq War
8. Carbon-Free & Nuclear-Free - Road Map for U.S. Energy Policy: Creating a Carbon Free & Nuclear Free Energy Future
9. LISTEN: Dr. Caldicott's Weekly Radio Program: If You Love This Planet
10. LETTER: Gagne: Don't promote nukes
11. Tuareg Activist Takes on French Nuclear Company (Photos)
12. Second Radioactive Substance at Vermont Yankee
13. Afghan censors to target Taliban's website because it published an article by an Afghan researcher about depleted uranium
14. Depleted Uranium Radiation resulting from NATO Bombings in Serbia: High Incidence of Cancer
15. Cartoon: Obama-Nuke-Offshore Oil
16. Ukrainian government and people recognize Cuban treatment of the children of Chernobyl
17. VIDEO: Maude Barlow on trade and the environment
18. Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Update: March 29, 2010
19. Harper government moves to limit environmental assessments
20. LISTEN: THE WAYFINDERS: WHY ANCIENT WISDOM MATTERS IN THE MODERN WORLD: THE 2009 MASSEY LECTURES
21. Comment: Hughes: 15th Race for Recovery – Saskatoon – April 25

========================

1. Saskatchewan Government Violates International Human Rights Laws

http://www.yorku.ca/ddoorey/lawblog/?p=1827

April 6, 2010 | Posted by admin
Once again, a provincial government has embarrassed Canada at the International Labour Organization. This time it is the Saskatchewan government that has been chastised by the ILO’s expert body on freedom of association.
Here is the story from the Star-Phoenix.
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/
finds+province+labour+laws+lacking/2742310/story.html

Here is the report of the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association released last week.

http://www.sfl.sk.ca/pdfs/ILO%20DECISIO ... 202010.pdf

Following in the not-so-proud footsteps of other anti-union governments in Canada (like Mike Harris’ Conservatives in Ontario and Gordon Campbell’s Liberals in B.C.), the Saskatchewan government passed legislation designed to water down the right to strike in the public sector and to make it very difficult for workers to organize unions at their workplaces. The ILO has repeatedly singled out these Canadian governments for their complete disregard of internationally accepted labour rights. In fact, Canada has been found in contravention of ILO Conventions and principals more than any other country in the world over the past twenty years since the neo-conservative agenda swept across the country.
In the newest case, the ILO Freedom of Association Committee found, among other things, that:

· the government had an obligation to consult with the labour movement and it failed to do so;
· that the new essential services legislation contravened the ILO’s principles on freedom of association by granting authority in the government itself to define what services are “essential” rather than an independent third party; and
· that the requirement for workers to have to collect union membership evidence on behalf of at least 45% eligible employees was too high since it would make it exceedingly difficult for workers to organize.

MORE: http://www.yorku.ca/ddoorey/lawblog/?p=1827

=======================

2. EVENT: Solar Outpost presents: WIND, SOLARTHERMAL, GEOTHERMAL, SOLAR? - Hillmond, SK - April 18 - 2 p.m.

With so many options how do you know which one is best?
Solar Post: http://www.solaroutpost.ca/
Solar Outpost is a locally owned and operated clean energy company operating out of Saskatoon. We are dedicated to public education and the promotion of environmentally conscious living. We have products ranging from grey water recycling systems to large scale wind turbines.
Come find out what will work best for you, at your site, in your area.
WHEN: Sunday April 18th, 2010
WHERE: Hillmond Hall
Hillmond, Sk. (Located centrally - a short drive from Lloydminster, Paradise Hill, St. Walburg, Marwayne, Etc.)
TIME: 2pm (Doors open at 1:30)
*Admission is Free!! Donations will be accepted to cover the hall cost with any proceeds going to S.O.S. Save Our Saskatchewan
Meggan Hougham
Secretary/Treasurer
S.O.S. Save Our Saskatchewan

========================

3. G8/G20 Call Out - Defenders of the Land

http://www.defendersoftheland.org/

Tell the world the truth about Canada's record on Indigenous rights
Call from Defenders of the Land for a day of action on Indigenous rights, June 24, 2010
When the G8/G20 comes to Canada in June let's tell the world the real story about Canada's record on Indigenous rights: a continued policy that aims to terminate Indian Peoples by removing our land and resource base and denying us the right to self-determination, under the power of the Indian Act and the Department of Indian Affairs. Canada is the only country still opposing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the other three countries opposed to it have changed their vote or are reconsidering. Canada continues to criminalize Indigenous activists who stand up for Aboriginal and treaty rights - even though these rights have been affirmed by the Canadian constitution and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Canada's policies of dispossession and control continue to create extreme poverty and social distress for Indigenous Nations across Canada. Finally, Canada and the provinces have done nothing to investigate and stop the disappearance and murder of hundreds of Aboriginal women across the country. That is the record on Indigenous rights that lies behind the show of Aboriginal culture that Canada put on at the Olympics, and it is time the whole world came to know it.
We reject the G8 and G20 as decision-making bodies. They don't operate on behalf on Indigenous peoples and don’t recognize or respect Aboriginal and treaty rights. The G8 and G20 are implicated in the ongoing colonization and destruction of Indigenous Peoples and their lands. This ongoing colonization in Canada and abroad is based on the racist doctrines of Discovery and terra nullius.

MORE: http://www.defendersoftheland.org/
Contact: Arthur Manuel
e-mail: amanuel@telus.net
cell: 1 (250) 319-0688

====================

4. How the Corporations Broke Ralph Nader and America Too

By Chris Hedges
April 05, 2010 "Truthdig" - - "Ralph Nader’s descent --- - "

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/
how_the_corporations_broke_ralph_nader_and_america_too_20100405

Ralph Nader’s descent from being one of the most respected and powerful men in the country to being a pariah illustrates the totality of the corporate coup. Nader’s marginalization was not accidental. It was orchestrated to thwart the legislation that Nader and his allies—who once consisted of many in the Democratic Party—enacted to prevent corporate abuse, fraud and control. He was targeted to be destroyed. And by the time he was shut out of the political process with the election of Ronald Reagan, the government was in the hands of corporations. Nader’s fate mirrors our own.

MORE: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/
how_the_corporations_broke_ralph_nader_and_america_too_20100405

- - -

Comment: Jacob Rempel - To All Opposition MPs --- copies to other contacts
Much the same happens in Canada. During the 80s and 90s and after 2000, all those who then and now struggle against Nuclear industrialization, against corporate chemical and GMO agriculture, the Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, SPP, and against War, all such persons and organizations are marginalized by corporate management of all major mainstream news channels ---- paper, radio, and television. As well, the organization of major US owned Canadian corporations, called the Council of Canadian Chief Executives, now headed by John Manley, are in continuous close consultation with key members of the government of Canada Critics of main policies have no access at all. Result? All our critical national policy accommodates deeper US/CANADA integration, especially corporate industry and war.
Jacob Rempel,
Vancouver.

=======================

5. U.S. to reduce role of nuclear weapons

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4443

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 08:49 PM PDT
The United States will reduce the role assigned to nuclear weapons in its national security strategy, the New York Times reports (David E. Sanger & Peter Baker, “Obama Limits When U.S. Would Use Nuclear Arms,” New York Times, 5 April 2010). The Obama administration’s much-delayed Nuclear Posture Review is to be formally released on Tuesday, [...]

=========================

6. WATCH: Helen Caldicott: Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Global Warming (must-see)

http://vodpod.com/watch/
3369296-helen-caldicott-nuclear-power-is-not-the-answer-to-global-warming?pod=dandelionsalad

Posted: 04 Apr 2010 06:32 PM PDT
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/ Helen Caldicott’s talks are always a must-see. ~DS talkingsticktv April 02, 2010 — Talk by Helen Caldicott speaking with Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility March 25, 2010 in Seattle and videotaped by Todd Boyle. Helen Caldicott: Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Global Warming see Another Corporate Bailout: Obama Goes Nuclear by Glen Ford Nader Calls Obama’s [...]

= = = =

Comment: Helen Caldicott: speaks to The Physicians for Social Responsibility, March 25, 2010
From: Jacob Rempel
To: Michael Ignatieff ; Gerry Byrne ; Scott Andrews ; Todd Russell, ; Scott Simms ; Wayne Easter ; Lawrence MacAulay ; Shawn Murphy ; Denis Coderre ; Stephane Dion ; Joyce Murray ; Hedy Fry ; Keith Martin ; Sukh Dhaliwal ; Ujjal Dosanjh ; Larry Bagnell ; Carolyn Bennett
Cc: Jack Layton MP ; Libby Davies ; Davies.D@parl.gc.ca ; Alex Atamanenko ; JuliaP@parl.gc.ca ; DucepG@parl.gc.ca
Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 12:47 PM
Uranium and radiation: the gift that keeps on giving!
TO all House of Commons Opposition MPs --
I provide a link to an address spoken to doctors, given by Dr. Helen Caldicott
http://vodpod.com/watch/
3369296-helen-caldicott-nuclear-power-is-not-the-answer-to-global-warming?pod=dandelionsalad

Helen Caldicott here speaks to scientifically informed people. This is not trivial scuttlebutt. John Carney just today told us how indifferent Corporate CEOs are toward the public interest.
We have just had the most massive international exposure of international corporate dishonesty and malignant mis-information. Canadian corporations and boardrooms are largely international.
The nuclear industry CEOs and board rooms are grossly more indifferent to truth and consequence relating to collateral damage --side effects-- of the uranium mining and other nuclear power industrial proliferation, not to mention nuclear weapons proliferation. Their every phrase is suspect.
The House of Commons is the board room for Canada, for about 34, 000,000 people. As our elected servants, you are first of all responsible for the physical safety and health of the environment and life, that's us.
I therefore ask you to hear a physician's diagnosis of the radiation hazard's to our health of nuclear industry proliferation.
--- Jacob Rempel, Vancouver

=======================

7. LISTEN: Graham Thomson on the carbon capture & storage fraud; William Rivers Pitt on the right-wing think tank behind the 2003 Iraq War

http://ifyoulovethisplanet.org/?p=2537

March 15th, 2010
Listen Now Download the show by right-clicking the link.
Dr. Caldicott says carbon capture is "greenwashing." (Getty Images)
In the first segment on this week’s program, Dr. Caldicott interviews Canadian columnist Graham Thomson of the Edmonton Journal about the environmental and economic impacts of the Alberta tar sands project to drill for oil, and the fallacy of carbon capture and storage as a solution to global warming. Thomson is the author of the peer-reviewed report, Burying Carbon Dioxide In Underground Saline Aquifers: Political Folly or Climate Change Fix? for the Munk Centre for International Studies.
Dr. Caldicott starts off by asking Thomson how carbon dioxide from chimneys in coal-fired plants could be captured and turned into liquid, the basic idea of carbon capture and storage. Thomson explains how the technology has only been tried out on a very small scale, despite politicians’ blind enthusiasm for carbon capture as a climate-change panacea. He describes how “clean coal” is a misnomer and how carbon capture requires 30%-40% more energy to store the carbon.
MORE: http://ifyoulovethisplanet.org/?p=2537

======================

8. Carbon-Free & Nuclear-Free - Road Map for U.S. Energy Policy: Creating a Carbon Free & Nuclear Free Energy Future

http://carbonfreenuclearfree.org/

Download the book [Large file, PDF 4.4 MB] Download is free, donations are welcome
To prevent climate change, the United States must phase out fossil fuels and nuclear energy by 2050. We can do this, according to both science and economics--all we need is the political will to make it happen.
The Plan: We can eliminate carbon emissions from the US energy system by 2050 without relying on nuclear power, and we have a plan to do it! The Carbon-Free, Nuclear-Free Roadmap for US energy policy shows in detail, step-by-step, how to get from here to the world we want to live in.
http://carbonfreenuclearfree.org/plan
The Clean Dozen: The 12 most urgent policies to get to a Carbon-Free Nuclear-Free energy system.
http://carbonfreenuclearfree.org/plan/i ... lean-dozen
Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free makes sense in the United States, and around the world.
MORE: http://carbonfreenuclearfree.org/

=====================

9. LISTEN: Dr. Caldicott's Weekly Radio Program: If You Love This Planet

http://www.helencaldicott.com/radio.htm

If You Love This Planet with Dr. Helen Caldicott delivers an hour each week of in-depth discussion about urgent planetary survival issues such as global warming, nuclear weapons, nuclear power, deforestation, toxic pollution, ozone depletion, hunger and poverty, and species extinction. Each program features one major topic, allowing for an extended conversation with our guest or guests. Clips of lectures by Dr. Caldicott are also part of the mix.

=======================

10. LETTER: Gagne: Don't promote nukes

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/technology/
promote+nukes/2763638/story.html

Edmonton Journal April 5, 2010
I was most concerned today to learn of a letter sent out to Peace River businesses by the Peace River Chamber of Commerce urging them to speak out strongly in favour of bringing nuclear power to the region, as is fervently hoped for by the project's proponent, Bruce Power.
It also seems odd that this has happened only a couple of days after a visit to Peace River by Premier Ed Stelmach.
It's ironic that this letter speaks of China having plans for 60 to 70 reactors, when China's renewable energy sector is already seven times larger and growing seven times faster than their nuclear program.
Like many of the reactors planned for construction here in North America, I'm sure the Chinese have plans to never take these reactors from paper to reality.
Nuclear power is expensive, slow in construction, and dangerous both in it's routine operations and in the uncertain disposal of its waste.
As Kevin Kamps, a spokesman for the U.S. group Beyond Nuclear, recently said, "Fifty-three years into commercial nuclear power ... the U.S. still has no safe, sound, permanent storage plan for high-level radioactive waste."
Nor does Canada, or any other country in the world.
Roger L. Gagne, Calgary
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

=====================

11. Tuareg Activist Takes on French Nuclear Company (Photos)
Uranium Mining in Niger

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/
0,1518,686774,00.html#ref=nlint

4/02/2010 By Cordula Meyer
For the past 40 years, the French state-owned company Areva has been mining uranium for Europe's nuclear power needs in Niger, one of the poorest countries on Earth. One local activist is taking on the company, claiming that water and dust have been contaminated and workers are dying as a result of its activities.
The man from Niger had come to speak with the CEO of Germany's biggest bank. Last May, Almoustapha Alhacen was sitting in Frankfurt's Festhalle convention center as he listened to Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackermann tell his audience that despite the financial crisis, his bank was doing better again. Ackermann spoke of responsibility, and he said that "the market and morality" were not contradictions, but would "harmonize with each other for the benefit of everyone."
But in the desert region where Alhacen comes from, there is no harmony between markets and morality. He wanted to tell Ackermann about it, after a group of critical shareholders had invited him to attend the Deutsche Bank shareholders' meeting. Alhacen, wearing a traditional Tuareg robe, a face veil and a turban, stood out among the other people attending the meeting. He was calm as he walked up to the lectern, his face projected onto a large screen on the wall.

MORE: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/
0,1518,686774,00.html#ref=nlint

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

WATCH: Uranium radiation threatens people of Niger

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/
uranium-radiation-threatens-people-niger

======================

12. Second Radioactive Substance at Vermont Yankee

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10245294

Test results confirm a second radioactive isotope in soil around Vermont Yankee nuclear plant The Associated Press By DAVE GRAM Associated Press Writer
Test results have confirmed the presence of another, more dangerous, radioactive substance in the soil at Vermont's only nuclear power plant, officials said Tuesday, five days after announcing they had found and stopped tritium leaks at Vermont Yankee.
The state Health Department said Tuesday that cesium-137 was found at the site. The substance has a half-life of 30 years, about 2 1/2 times that of tritium, which was found in early January. A half-life is the time it can be expected to take for a substance to lose half its radioactivity. Unlike tritium, cesium-137 does not occur naturally in the environment; it is a product of nuclear fission.
Both radioactive substances can increase the chances of developing cancer depending on the intensity of exposure.
The presence of trace amounts of cesium-137 was first reported Feb. 24, but Vermont Yankee officials said it was "consistent with what would be found in soil" due to atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons in the 1950s and '60s and the accident at the Chernobyl reactor in the Soviet Union in 1986.
The Health Department statement on Tuesday said the cesium-137 found in the Vermont Yankee soil samples was three to 12 times as high as the background levels attributed to the other causes, meaning it "appears likely the Cs-137 comes from Vermont Yankee reactor related sources."

MORE: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10245294

========================

13. Afghan censors to target Taliban's website because it published an article by an Afghan researcher about depleted uranium

Read the full article / Leggi l'articolo completo:
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=64441
From Aljazeera.net
March 23, 2010 -Aljazeera: Shocking images of deformed babies born in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion have been displayed on the Taliban's website to support accusations that the American army has illegaly used depleted uranium weapons in the country - which US authorities have denied... But now Afghan authorities say they plan to censor the Taliban website, which they claim "promotes terrorism and glorifies violence". Actually the Taliban's website republished an essaay written in 2006 by an Afghan researcher, Prof. Mohammad Daud Miraki, PhD, Director of Afghan DU & Recovery Fund...

Read the full article / Leggi l'articolo completo:
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=64441

========================

14. Depleted Uranium Radiation resulting from NATO Bombings in Serbia : High Incidence of Cancer

Read the article at: http://www.globalresearch.ca/
index.php?context=va&aid=18432

========================

15. Cartoon: Obama-Nuke-Offshore Oil

http://cagle.com/politicalcartoons/PCca ... lehart.asp

======================

16. Ukrainian government and people recognize Cuban treatment of the children of Chernobyl

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2010/abril/vier2/
children-of-Chernobyl.html

• Machado Ventura presides over official ceremony in Tarará
ELSON CONCEPCIÓN PÉREZ APRIL 2, 2010
A distinction for Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, chief inspiration of the humane project constituted by the treatment program in Cuba for Ukrainian children and their families affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, was presented during a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the first patients’ arrival.
José Ramón Machado Ventura, first vice president of the councils of State and Ministers, received the distinction from Dr. Julio Medina, director of the program in the city of Tarará.
During the ceremony, former Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma announced the conferral on Fidel of the Order of Merit, First Class, and on President Raúl Castro, the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, First Class.
Kuchma also presented distinctions to Minister of Public Health José Ramón Balaguer and other doctors, diplomats and collaborators who have contributed to the program’s success.
In closing remarks, Balaguer said that the treatment program for these children was an example of what a people without great material resources can do when it has the great spiritual wealth of having been educated in solidarity, unconditional dedication, and love for other peoples.
MORE:
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2010/abril/vier2/
children-of-Chernobyl.html

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fidel and Raúl decorated for helping Ukrainian children

http://www.periodico26.cu/english/news_cuba/
march10/cuba-ukraine033010.html

March 29, 2010
KIEV. — Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych decorated Commander in Chief Fidel Castro and Cuban President Raúl Castro for the help provided to child victims of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the Ukrainian presidential office announced.
According to a press release, Yanukovych awarded Fidel Castro with the Order of Merit in the First Degree, and Raúl with the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, also in the First Degree, for their "significant contribution to restoring the health of the children of Chernobyl."
Likewise, Cuban Public Health Minister José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera was decorated with the Order of Yaroslav the Wise in the Fifth Degree.
Approximately 23,000 Ukrainian have received medical treatment at the Tarará rehabilitation center in Cuba for conditions resulting from the worst nuclear accident in history, which occurred in 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, the press release said.

MORE:
http://www.periodico26.cu/english/news_cuba/march10/
cuba-ukraine033010.html

===========================

17. VIDEO: Maude Barlow on trade and the environment

http://www.canadians.org:80/campaignblog/?p=3199

April 1, 2010
To hear why Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow describes Canada as an eco-outlaw and why she would prefer Portugal, rather than Canada, to win the upcoming seat on the UN Security Council, go to this recent interview with Allan Gregg on TVO at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UTSviTfD-I.

You can read more on our position on the UN Security Council seat at www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=209.

Additionally, to hear Maude explain the shortcomings of the ‘Buy American’ procurement agreement, go to the next part of her TVO interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhS4SexNbvk.

More Council of Canadians analysis on the Canada-US procurement agreement is at www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=2862.

Combined the video clips are just under six minutes in length.

=======================

18. Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Update: March 29, 2010

From: Matthew Ramsden
This ACTIVlist email compiles daily blog posts of the Council of Canadians, media releases and actions you can take for social justice.
More information about our campaigns, how to get involved and how to become a member can be found at www.canadians.org.
Please forward this email on and encourage other to join our list! Thank you for your concern.
To unsubscribe or update your profile visit
http://lists.canadians.org/mailman/options/activlist

In this Update:

Who represents the EU at the G20?
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3165

NAFTA challenge launched against measures to protect Canada’s caribou herds
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3162

Hydraulic fracturing and water concerns in New Brunswick
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3160

Arctic Summit told to leave it in the ground!
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=209

Updated intellectual property chapter from Canada-EU trade negotiations leaked
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=757

VIDEO: Anti-Colombia FTA picket draws a crowd outside Liberal MP Bob Rae’s Toronto office
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=750

=====================

19. Harper government moves to limit environmental assessments

http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3189

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
The Globe and Mail reports this afternoon that, “The federal Conservatives are giving Environment Minister Jim Prentice clear legal authority to avoid ordering full assessments of environmentally controversial projects, such as major mines and oil sands operations, according to a provision contained in the bill implementing details of the government’s new budget.”
“The new provisions weren’t publicly announced at the time the budget was unveiled earlier in March, and only came to light late Tuesday after the release of the bill implementing financial aspects of the government new economic measures.”
“Federal environmental assessments are usually applied to big and controversial industrial projects, such as pipelines, mines, and marine terminals. They’re typically ordered in cases where a project might harm fish habitat or have other impacts on wildlife.”
“The key provisions of the legislation will give Mr. Prentice the power to order reviews of only small aspects of potentially damaging projects, and not the entire undertakings, as is now usually the case.”
“By placing the items in a budget bill, the environmental measures can only be repealed if the legislation is defeated, triggering an election call.”
“The Mining Association of Canada has been lobbying the government for nearly 15 years to have quicker assessments and reviews by only a single level of government, according to Justyna Laurie-Lean, vice-president of environment and health for the Ottawa-based trade group.”
Last week the Council of Canadians presented to a federal environmental assessment panel in Williams Lake, British Columbia in an effort to stop the destruction of Teztan Biny (Fish Lake) by Taseko Mines Ltd., which is proposing to drain the lake in order to stockpile rock waste from a gold-copper mining project called Prosperity Mine.
At that time the Williams Lake Tribune reported that (even), “Fisheries and Oceans Canada raised concerns about Taseko Mines Ltd.’s fish compensation plan for the proposed prosperity mine while at the federal review panel hearings…”
“(Adam Silverstein, regional manager of the Habitat Management Division for Fisheries and Oceans Canada) said Taseko has focused on re-creating the biomass of the 85,000 fish in Fish Lake at Prosperity Lake but doesn’t account for the remaining estimated 80,000 fish in the associated tributaries and Little Fish Lake.”
“He also noted other concerns at the hearing… including risks to streams, wetlands, fish habitat, spawning channels, and the First Nations fishery. ‘There’s a risk that First Nations will not be able to meet their food, social and ceremonial needs for fish,’ he said.”
The new measures placed in the budget bill by the Harper government would further weaken current environmental assessment processes and further endanger lakes and rivers in Canada.

The full article is at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/
tories-curtail-key-environment-provisions/article1518844/.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ottawa revises rules of environmental review regime

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... 44/?servic

Environment Ministry given power to minimize assessment of projects, leaving larger number in provincial hands
Martin Mittelstaedt and Gloria Galloway
From Thursday's Globe and Mail Published on Wednesday, Mar. 31, 2010 12:50PM EDT Last updated on Thursday, Apr. 01, 2010 8:16AM EDT
The Harper government is rewriting the rules of environmental assessments, handing the Environment Ministry the power to minimize reviews of projects from open-pit mines to municipal construction along with other changes that critics claim will “gut” the environmental review process.
Suggestions of change to the environmental review regime were contained in the March federal budget, but the extent of the changes came to light with the release of the bill that implements financial aspects of the government’s new economic measures. Placing the reforms inside a budget bill forces the opposition parties to either accept them or bring down the minority government.
Environment Minister Jim Prentice said the changes to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act will ensure “that we get good environmental outcomes” while “not delaying and frustrating projects through unnecessary red tape.”
MORE:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... 44/?servic

==================

20. LISTEN: THE WAYFINDERS: WHY ANCIENT WISDOM MATTERS IN THE MODERN WORLD: THE 2009 MASSEY LECTURES

http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey/massey2009.html

CBC Radion One - Ideas
Monday, March 29 - Friday, April 2
Anthropologist Wade Davis argues that the myriad of cultures that make up our world are “humanity’s greatest legacy…the product of our dreams, the embodiment of our hopes, the symbol of all we are and all that we have created as a wildly inquisitive and astonishingly adaptive species.” In the 2009 Massey Lectures, Wade Davis takes us on an astonishing journey through some of the great cultures and civilizations on earth, fragile and endangered, yet essential to our survival as a species.
Listen: http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey/massey2009.html
You can listen to all five lectures here. Please note: these are streaming files only.
This Massey Lecture can also be purchased from
Adobe Flash Player is required to listen to audio files. You can download it for free.
Listen to Lecture 1 - Season of the Brown Hyena
Listen to Lecture 2 - The Wayfinders
Listen to Lecture 3 - Peoples of the Anaconda
Listen to Lecture 4 - Sacred Geography
Listen to Lecture 5 - Century of the Wind

===========================

21. Comment: Hughes: 15th Race for Recovery – Saskatoon – April 25

From: Elaine Hughes
To: hopesaskatoon@sasktel.net
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 11:17 AM

Hello, Hope Cancer Help Centre
http://www.hopecancerhelpcentre.com/

Below is:

1) Announcement of your Race for Recovery which will be distributed, along with this letter, in my NUKE NEWS today

2) VIDEO: Dr. Helen Caldicott: Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Global Warming - Presentation to Physicians for Social Responsibility - March, 2010

3) Related Information

= = = =

1) Race for Recovery Sponsorship of Areva and Cameco

The fact that Areva and Cameco are sponsors of your 15th Race for Recovery leaves me baffled and in shock!

Can we not protect the integrity of organizations such as yours, which deal with cancer victims, by not accepting money from corporations such as Areva and Cameco - money they've made off taxpayers’ money and the backs of miners in their uranium mines and workers at their nuclear facilities?

Uranium – in all its forms – sickens and kills people!

Further, not only do corporations use their sponsorship as a tax write-off, (which greatly enhances their ‘bottom line’) but they can also parade their sponsorship in front of the public to show what ‘good community citizens’ they are – a cruel form of ‘greenwashing’ of their abhorrent, deadly industry.

Why would an organization such as yours (which provides care and support for victims of the epidemic we call cancer) associate itself with corporations whose total reason to exist is to make money off uranium - which CAUSES CANCER?!?!?

There is NOTHING socially, morally or environmentally clean, green or sustainable about the uranium/nuclear industry and I really do not see the wisdom behind the decision to have them sponsor this otherwise worthwhile event.

= = = = =

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Hope Cancer Help Centre - 15th Annual HOPE Race for Recovery
http://www.hopecancerhelpcentre.com/rac ... overy.html
From the web site of the “All money raised stays in Saskatchewan to bring
hope to the individuals with cancer and their families and loved ones... participating in this event enables you to raise money, show your support for persons with cancer, have fun, and maybe even win an awesome prize!”
15th Annual HOPE Race for Recovery
General Information:
Where: Rotary Park, Saskatoon, SK
(Between Sid Buckwold Bridge and Victoria on South Side of River)
TIME: April 25, 2010 @ 2 p.m.
- - - -
SPONSORS: http://www.hopecancerhelpcentre.com/ack ... ments.html

Areva
(French uranium & nuclear giant and owner of the reactor currently under construction & over budget in Finland and others. - Editor)

Cameco Caring Community Grants

http://www.saskatooncommunityfoundation ... aring.html

(“Cameco Caring Community Grants- a granting partnership of Cameco Corporation and Saskatoon Community Foundation-helped to provide a retreat for individuals with cancer and/or significant support people.” - Editor)

Other sponsors

= = = =

2) MUST WATCH: Helen Caldicott: Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Global Warming

----- Original Message -----
From: Elaine Hughes
To: Edwards, Dr. CCNR ; Prime Minister Harper ; Council of Canadians ; SK Premier Wall ; AB Premier Stelmach ; Toxic Nation
Cc: Ignatieff M. - Lib. ; Layton, J. NDP ; May, E. GPC ; SK Liberal - Leader - Ryan Bater ; SK Green - Leader - Larissa Shasko ; SK NDP Caucus ; SK Party Caucus
Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 9:29 AM
Subject: MUST WATCH: Helen Caldicott: Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Global Warming Video

Please WATCH THIS!!! ...much to learn here - again!

We DO NOT need more uranium clawed out of the ground - we DO NOT need more nuclear power plants - the answer remains NO NUKES!!!

Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK
Saskatchewan - the 'Saudi of Arabia' of Uranium!
Uranium: the gift that keeps on giving!

- - - - -

MUST WATCH: Helen Caldicott:
http://vodpod.com/watch/3369296-helen-c ... elionsalad

- - - -

3) Related Information:

Dr. Helen Caldicott: http://www.helencaldicott.com/

Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility – Dr. Gordon Edwards:
http://www.ccnr.org/

Nuclear Genocide in Canada by Pat McNamara:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=777

NUKE NEWS:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=894

If I can provide you with additional information, please contact me.

I welcome your comments and I thank you for your time.

Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: April 9, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:29 am

NUKE NEWS: April 9, 2010

Compilation:

1. Virus F1 Key on your computer (Snopes says it’s true. Ed.)
2. ACTION ALERT: Crucial Vote on federal Bill C-311 (the Climate Change Accountability Act) – April 14
3. Stand against Project Hero and the glorification of war
4. Experts agree: Peacekeeping is alive!
5. New START treaty signed
6. Take Action: Help stop new reactors in Romania
7. Press Release: Radiation Exposure Debate Rages Inside EPA
8. CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON HOW SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS THE BOTTOM LINE – With 2 Comments
9. No Nukes News April 8, 2010
10. Beyond Nuclear Bulletin - April 8, 2010
11. French-Style Nuclear Reprocessing Will Not Solve U.S. Nuclear Waste Problems
12. New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty Factsheet – Union of Concerned Scientists
13. Russell-Einstein Manifesto, 1955 by Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein
14. Saskatchewan Environmental Society Newsletter March/April, 2010 – 2 articles by Ann Coxworth
15. Feds Fire Back at Tyee's 'Muzzled Scientists' Column
16. Web 2.0 versus Control 2.0
17. Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Updates - April 6, 7 and 8, 2010
18. Climate Denialism a 20-Year-Old Industry?

=======================

1. Virus F1 Key on your computer (Snopes says it’s true. Ed.)
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/f1key.asp

=======

2. ACTION ALERT: Crucial Vote on federal Bill C-311 (the Climate Change Accountability Act) – April 14

I wanted to update you on the dramatic results of what happened at last Wednesday’s C-311 (the Climate Change Accountability Act) debate in the House of Commons. Please feel free to tell this to others you know that might be interested in saving Canada’s only federal climate change legislation.
You may know that it was passed by the Committee without amendment back to the House, where a final debate and vote should have commenced. But because of a surprise procedural motion foisted upon the House of Commons by the government side just as the final debate on Bill C-311 was about to begin, things are drastically different from what was originally expected.
The debate on the bill was cancelled, and there will now be a crucial vote in the House on April 14 that will determine its fate. It will be a simple vote: support the Climate Change Accountability Act going forward to final Third Reading debate, or not. If the vote fails, the bill dies. Our fear is that with a procedural vote coming with so little notice, many MPs won't realize the significance of the vote. We are hoping to mount a campaign to make sure everyone is aware of the importance of this vote in the coming week.
We know the NDP and Bloc caucuses will be there on April 14 to vote in support of C-311. But many years of work on the only climate change bill in Parliament will come to an end, in obscurity, if Liberal MPs are not there in force to support it too. We need as many people contacting Liberal MPs as possible. They must be made aware of the significance of this vote for climate change action in Canada. If this bill is defeated on April 14, the government could keep stalling action, without opposing legislative proposals. Worse, as a country Canada could be set more precious years behind because the legislative process would have to start from scratch for any new legislation.
I am hoping that you may be able to help bring the importance of this vote to the attention of the public, environmental organizations, and MPs. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss this further.
Andy Blair
Legislative Assistant,
Bruce Hyer, MP Thunder Bay - Superior North
T 613.996.4792
F 613.996.9785
= = = =

Here is a list of the Liberal MPs email addresses:

Murphy.S@parl.gc.ca, MacAulay.L@parl.gc.ca, Easter.W@parl.gc.ca, Foote.J@parl.gc.ca, Coady.S@parl.gc.ca, Simms.S@parl.gc.ca, Russell.T@parl.gc.ca, Andrews.S@parl.gc.ca, Byrne.G@parl.gc.ca, Savage.M@parl.gc.ca, Brison.S@parl.gc.ca, Eyking.M@parl.gc.ca, Cuzner.R@parl.gc.ca, Regan.G@parl.gc.ca, Murphy.B@parl.gc.ca, Damours.J@parl.gc.ca, Leblanc.D@parl.gc.ca, Zarac.L@parl.gc.ca, Trudeau.J@parl.gc.ca, Mendes.A@parl.gc.ca, Garneau.M@parl.gc.ca, Scarpaleggia.F@parl.gc.ca, Rodriguez.P@parl.gc.ca,
Pacetti.M@parl.gc.ca, cotler.i@parl.gc.ca, Jennings.M@parl.gc.ca, Patry.B@parl.gc.ca, Proulx.M@parl.gc.ca, folcor1@parl.gc.ca, Dion.S@parl.gc.ca, Coderre.D@parl.gc.ca, Oliphant.R@parl.gc.ca, Duncan.K@parl.gc.ca, Valeriote.F@parl.gc.ca, Crombie.B@parl.gc.ca, Kania.A@parl.gc.ca, Kennedy.G@parl.gc.ca, Rae.B@parl.gc.ca, Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca, Pearson.G@parl.gc.ca, McGuinty.D@parl.gc.ca, Dryden.K@parl.gc.ca, Rota.A@parl.gc.ca, HallFindlay.M@parl.gc.ca, Bains.N@parl.gc.ca, Wrzesnewskyj.B@parl.gc.ca, Ratansi.Y@parl.gc.ca, Silva.M@parl.gc.ca, DhallR@parl.gc.ca, Holland.M@parl.gc.ca, McCallum.J@parl.gc.ca, Tonks.A@parl.gc.ca, Simson.M@parl.gc.ca, Sgro.J@parl.gc.ca, Bennett.C@parl.gc.ca, Wilfert.B@parl.gc.ca, Volpe.J@parl.gc.ca, szabop@parl.gc.ca, Minna.M@parl.gc.ca, Milliken.P@parl.gc.ca, McTeague.D@parl.gc.ca, McKay.J@parl.gc.ca, Malhi.G@parl.gc.ca, Lee.D@parl.gc.ca, Karygiannis.J@parl.gc.ca, Guarnieri.A@parl.gc.ca, Cannis.J@parl.gc.ca, Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca, Belanger.M@parl.gc.ca, Neville.A@parl.gc.ca, Goodale.R@parl.gc.ca, Bagnell.L@parl.gc.ca, Murraj1@parl.gc.ca, Dosanjh.U@parl.gc.ca, Dhaliwal.S@parl.gc.ca, Martin.K@parl.gc.ca, Fry.H@parl.gc.ca

= = = =

Here is a sample letter written by one individual, which you may want to use as a template:

Dear Mr. Ignatieff,

I have just learned that because of a surprise procedural motion foisted upon the House of Commons by the government side just as the final debate on Bill C-311 was about to begin, the debate on the bill was cancelled, and there will now be a crucial vote in the House on April 14 that will determine its fate. It will be a simple vote: support the Climate Change Accountability Act going forward to final Third Reading debate, or not. If the vote fails, the bill dies. Our fear is that with a procedural vote coming with so little notice, many Mps won't realize the significance of the vote. I hope you are aware of the significance of this vote for climate change action in Canada.
I hope that you will make sure the Liberal MP's are there to support the Bill next Wednesday.
(Your Name and Address)

****
Scott Harris
Prairies Regional Organizer | Council of Canadians
Tel. 780.429.4500 / 1.877.729.4500
Fax. 780.429.4501
#34, 9912-106 Street | Edmonton, AB T5K 1C5
www.canadians.org

Join the ACTIVlist to receive the latest campaign updates, action alerts and news items from the Council of Canadians: http://lists.canadians.org/mailman/listinfo/activlist

====================

3. Stand against Project Hero and the glorification of war

Please forward far and wide…

Please take a moment to sign this petition expressing your opposition to Project Hero and the glorification of Canada's participation in the occupation of Afghanistan.
For background info, please read:

John Conway, "Regina 16 say common folk won freedoms," Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Regina%20common%20folk%20freedoms/2767446/story.html

Stand against Project Hero and the glorification of war
We the undersigned urge Canadian universities and colleges not to participate in "Project Hero," a program in which post-secondary institutions waive tuition and course fees for "children of fallen soldiers." Children of deceased members of the Canadian military already have access to benefits through the Children of Deceased Veterans Education Assistance passed in 1953. These benefits cover course fees and tuition as well as a monthly living allowance.
Project Hero is not about aid to the children of deceased soldiers, as their needs are already being met. Rather it is a political effort to justify Canadian participation in the war in Afghanistan and glorify militarism on our campuses. We do not believe our colleges and universities should be participating in this kind of political campaign masked as a student aid program.
We support the effort by University of Regina faculty members to raise the issue of Project Hero on their campus. We are deeply concerned about the response they have met in the form of hate mail, threats and calls for their dismissal. They have every right to raise these issues, and it is essential that free discussion and debate about foreign policy and the role of the military be allowed without vilification and threats of retribution. The University of Regina Administration and the broader community must strongly defend the academic freedom of these faculty members.
The very name of "Project Hero" demonstrates its fundamentally political nature. We believe participation in this project threatens to align our universities and colleges with a particular political message about militarism and the war in Afghanistan. We therefore urge university and college administrators to reject participation in this project.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/7/
stand-against-project-hero-and-the-glorification-of-war

===============================

4. Experts agree: Peacekeeping is alive!

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4454&utm_sou ... tm_medium=
email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28
Ceasefire.ca%29

Posted: 07 Apr 2010 09:57 PM PDT
Four years ago, David Bercuson, Director of the DND-funded Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, declared that UN peacekeeping was dead: As far as UN-led operations,… there just aren’t any left in the world today and you ought to really know that. These old Blue Helmet operations which our army stopped doing back in the early [...]

======================

5. New START treaty signed

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4468&utm_sou ... email&utm_
campaign=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 02:02 PM PDT
The United States and Russia signed the “New START” strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty today in Prague (Peter Baker, “Russia and U.S. Sign Nuclear Arms Reduction Pact,” New York Times, 8 April 2010). http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/world ... xy.html?hp

Text of treaty (17 pages)
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/140035.pdf

Treaty protocol (165 pages)
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/140047.pdf

Ceasefire.ca comments on the treaty (bottom line: a modest, but still important, step forward)
= = = = = =
U.S. Nuclear Posture Review released

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4449&utm_sou ... email&utm_
campaign=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29

Tue, Apr 6, 2010 Nuclear weapons
The new U.S. Nuclear Posture Review was released on Tuesday.
Full text of the report (72 pages)
NPR summary factsheet (2 pages)
Obama statement on NPR
Other U.S. government background information
Commentary
Ceasefire.ca’s report on NPR contents, 5 April 2010
Statement on Nuclear Posture Review, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, 6 April 2010
David E. Sanger & Thom Shanker, “Obama’s New Nuclear Strategy Is Intended as a Message to Iran and North Korea,” New York Times, 6 April 2010
Mary Beth Sheridan, “New nuclear arms policy shows limits U.S. faces,” Washington Post, 7 April 2010
= = = = =

WATCH: Obama and Medvedev sign landmark nuclear weapons treaty

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8608993.stm
April 8, 2010
US President Obama and Russian President Medvedev have signed a historic nuclear weapons treaty which could reduce their stockpiles significantly.
Once ratified by both country's governments, each will have to limit their deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 - 30% lower than previously - and the number of deployed "launchers" to no more than 700.
President Obama said it showed both nations were serious about showing "responsible global leadership."

READ MORE: US and Russia sign nuclear deal
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8608993.stm

===================

6. Take Action: Help stop new reactors in Romania

From: Michael Mariotte
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 11:20 AM
Romania has currently one nuclear power plant with two functional reactors in Cernavoda (South-East of Romania). Cernavoda is situated in an area with high earthquake risk. The Romanian Government plans to build two more nuclear reactors (Cernavoda 3 and 4). These reactors are of an outdated Canadian design, the CANDU 6.
The Romanian government proposes yet another nuclear power plant in the North of the country, in Transilvania. It announced that it chose three sites on the Somes River, but keeps the information secret because of fear for protests.

Please sign the petition here and spread the word!
http://www.greenpeace.org/romania/campaigns/nucleare/
signthepetition

Michael Mariotte
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
nirsnet@nirs.org
= = = =
Jan Haverkamp
Greenpeace energy campaigner- expert on energy issues in Central Europe
tel. Brussels: +32 2 27419 21
tel./fax CZ: +420 242 482 286
mobile B: +32 477 790 416
mobile CZ: +420 603 569 243
e-mail: jan.haverkamp@diala.greenpeace.org
GREENPEACE EU Unit
http://www.greenpeace.org http://eu.greenpeace.org

=====================

7. Press Release: Radiation Exposure Debate Rages Inside EPA

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/04/05-0

Plan to Radically Hike Post-Accident Radiation in Food & Water Sparks Hot Dissent
CONTACT: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) [1]
Kirsten Stade (202) 265-7337
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 5, 2010 10:22 AM
WASHINGTON - April 5 - A plan awaiting approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that would dramatically increase permissible radioactive releases in drinking water, food and soil after "radiological incidents" is drawing vigorous objections from agency experts, according to agency documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). At issue is the acceptable level of public health risk following a radiation release, whether an accidental spill or a "dirty bomb" attack.
The radiation arm of EPA, called the Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA), has prepared an update of the 1992 "Protective Action Guides" (PAG) governing radiation protection decisions for both short-term and long-term cleanup standards. Other divisions within EPA contend the ORIA plan geometrically raises allowable exposure to the public. For example, as Charles Openchowski of EPA's Office of General Counsel wrote in a January 23, 2009 e-mail to ORIA:
"[T]his guidance would allow cleanup levels that exceed MCLs [Maximum Contamination Limits under the Safe Drinking Water Act] by a factor of 100, 1000, and in two instances 7 million and there is nothing to prevent those levels from being the final cleanup achieved (i.e., it's not confined to immediate response of emergency phase)."
Another EPA official, Stuart Walker of the Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, explains what the proposed new radiation limits in drinking water would mean:
"It also appears that drinking water at the PAG concentrations...may lead to subchronic (acute) effects following exposures of a day or a week. In a population, one should see some express acute effects...that is vomiting, fever, etc."
"This critical debate is taking place entirely behind closed doors because this plan is ‘guidance' and does not require public notice as a regulation would," stated PEER Counsel Christine Erickson. Today, PEER sent EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson a letter calling for a more open and broader examination of the proposed radiation guidance. "We all deserve to know why some in the agency want to legitimize exposing the public to radiation at levels vastly higher than what EPA officially considers dangerous."
The internal documents show that under the updated PAG a single glass of water could give a lifetime's permissible exposure. In addition, it would allow long-term cleanup limits thousands of times more lax than anything EPA has ever before accepted. These new limits would cause a cancer in as much as every fourth person exposed.
PEER obtained the internal e-mails after filing a lawsuit this past fall under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) but the EPA has yet to turn over thousands more communications. "EPA touts its new transparency but when it comes to matters of controversy the agency still puts up a wall," added Erickson, who filed the FOIA suit. "Besides the months of stonewalling, we are seeing them pull stunts such as ORIA giving us rebuttals to other EPA documents they have yet to release."

Examine the Office of General Counsel e-mail [2]
Look at the Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation concerns [3]
Read the PEER letter to Administrator Jackson [4]
See tables detailing how many times more radiation the PAG would allow [5]
View the PEER lawsuit and additional background on the issue [6]
###
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) [1] is a national alliance of local state and federal resource professionals. PEER's environmental work is solely directed by the needs of its members. As a consequence, we have the distinct honor of serving resource professionals who daily cast profiles in courage in cubicles across the country.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) Links: Homepage [1]Press Center [7]

=====================

8. CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON HOW SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS THE BOTTOM LINE – With 2 Comments

http://www.planetsmag.com/content.php?v ... =1504&sc=2

The Business of Green by Charles Hamilton NEWS · MAR 25 2010
ROADMAP SASKATOON 2010 FORUM March 25 and 26 TCU Place
In terms of public awareness, environmentalism has clearly gone mainstream: climate change is a newspaper headline staple, polls continually show a majority of Canadians are concerned about the environment, and cities everywhere are looking for ways to go green. But to truly appreciate just how deeply entrenched the green movement has become, one needs to look no further than the fact that of late, environmental organizations have been finding allies in the most unlikely of places.
Take like Cameco, the world’s largest uranium company, for example, or Suncor Industries — a company responsible for a huge portion of Canadian tar sands developments: both are being touted by some environmentalists as among the key figures in creating a cleaner, greener and more sustainable business world. Moreover, both are being held up as examples of the fact that sustainability is not only a moral imperative, it makes damn good business sense.
Matthew McCulloch is the director of corporate consulting services for the Pembina Institute, a non-governmental organization that focuses on environmental advocacy on issues like climate change and green energy. Pembina also does environmental consulting for companies like Cameco and Suncor — who in the wake of public awareness and the resulting outcry against companies that are heavy polluters, are doing their best to improve their corporate image and become more green.

MORE:
http://www.planetsmag.com/content.php?v ... =1504&sc=2

~ ~ ~ ~

Sustainability Champions Tackling Climate Change

http://www.roadmap2020.ca/champions/cha ... vities.php

Road Map's Sustainabilty Champions are all contributing in various ways to reducing their GHG emissions or helping others to reduce theirs.
Avoiding Waste Helps Cameco Reduce GHG Emissions
In designing Cameco's new Exploration Group facility, architect Reg Squires faced an interesting challenge. The nature of Cameco's exploration business means office space has to be reconfigured frequently, resulting in recurring renovations. But as a Sustainability Champion, Cameco wanted to minimize construction wastes resulting from these renovations.
Squires solved the problem by using modular office partitions and furniture.
Now space can be reorganized without tearing down walls and rebuilding. This saves building materials and related GHG emissions. Cameco also included many additional energy conservation features in the facility.
Cameco is currently working to align itself with the City of Saskatoon's GHG reduction goals. The company will conduct a thirdparty emissions study that will be used to set corporate targets to lower GHG emissions at its Saskatoon offices.
~ ~ ~ ~
See List of Sustainability Champions at: http://www.roadmap2020.ca/champions/cha ... vities.php

= = = =

Comment: Hughes: Re: CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON HOW SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS THE BOTTOM LINE

From: Elaine Hughes
To: Pembina Institute
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 6:25 PM
Hello, Pembina Institute . . . .
Excerpt: "Pembina also does environmental consulting for companies like Cameco and Suncor — who in the wake of public awareness and the resulting outcry against companies that are heavy polluters, are doing their best to improve their corporate image and become more green."

Reading the Planet Magazine article, CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON HOW SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS THE BOTTOM LINE, left me confused and shocked.
In this email, I will address the obvious relationship between Pembina Institute and Cameco and leave the matter of Suncor for another time.
First, I didn't realize that the Pembina Institute was working with Cameco "to improve their corporate image and become more green." and, needless to say, I am at a total loss as to what the Pembina Institute could possibly do to make the above preposterous statement possible!
The Institute's "Greenwashing" of Cameco in an attempt to 'improve their corporate image' falsely portrays the uranium industry as a 'good community partner' and greatly improves its bottom line - for which I'm sure it will thank you - on both counts.
It also destroys the integrity of Pembina Institute!
There is NOTHING 'green' about uranium and the industry it supports - how can Pembina Institute possibly believe in what it's doing here? The GHG produced in uranium mining, milling, transporting, building nuclear power plants are off the charts!
To say nothing of the fact that . . . Uranium – in all its forms – maims, sickens and kills people!
I would request that you forward this message to whomever did the interview for this article. He or she may find that the information I have included below supports my dismay on this issue.

Related Information:

Helen Caldicott: Video: Nuclear Power is not the Answer to Global Warming:
http://vodpod.com/watch/3369296-helen-c ... -power-is-
not-the-answer-to-global-warming?pod=dandelionsalad

Dr. Helen Caldicott: http://www.helencaldicott.com/

Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility – Dr. Gordon Edwards:
http://www.ccnr.org/

Nuclear Genocide in Canada by Pat McNamara:
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=777

NUKE NEWS: http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=894.

I welcome your comments and thank you for your time.

Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK

Saskatchewan - the 'Saudi of Arabia' of Uranium! – Premier Wall
Speech in Calgary on January 21, 2008 – Page 7
http://www.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMed ... &PN=Shared

Uranium: the gift that keeps on giving!

~ ~ ~ ~

Letter to Editor of Planet Magazine re: Cameco ‘greenwashing’

From: Elaine Hughes
To: editor@planetsmag.com
Sent: Saturday, April 03, 2010 6:04 PM
Dear Editor – Planet Magazine

Your article entitled “CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON HOW SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS THE BOTTOM LINE” of March 25, 2010 contained the following mind-boggling statement: “. . . . McCulloch’s pitch will be aimed primarily at medium-sized companies, hoping to show them that they too can become socially and environmentally sustainable."

I’m wondering when ANY part of Cameco would EVER become socially and environmentally sustainable!

Would that be before or after Saskatchewan’s uranium no longer causes the unspeakable deformities in babies born wherever our modern armies land and use bullets coated with Depleted Uranium to kill the inhabitants?
Come on, people – get real and stop sucking up to this abhorrent entity!
Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK

===========================

9. No Nukes News April 8, 2010

Help Us Shut Down Coal and Nukes!
Volunteer Orientation
Ontario Clean Air Alliance - with Jack Gibbons, Chair, and Angela Bischoff, Outreach
Learn about our campaigns to shut down all Ontario’s coal plants by the G-20 (June, 2010), and prevent any more nuclear bail-outs. Find out how you can help get Ontario onto a 100% green energy path.
Tues. April 13, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
519 Church St. Community Centre, Toronto (Church and Wellesley)
All welcome. Snacks galore.
For more info and to rsvp: angela@cleanairalliance.org, 416 926 1907 x 246
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The Ontario Clean Air Alliance invites you to a book launch and seminar on the new book: Atomic Accomplice: How Canada Deals in Deadly Deceit With author Paul McKay
Thursday April 15th, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Hot Shot Gallery, 181 Augusta Ave. (just north of Dundas in Kensington Market)
Free, all welcome.
A new book by award-winning journalist Paul McKay exposes Canada’s continuing role in abetting atomic arms proliferation world-wide.
“While most world leaders are seeking an exit strategy from the atomic arms race, Canada is underwriting an encore,” says McKay. “It is still selling essentially unsafeguardable reactors, increasing global flows of uranium, and even undermining the Non-Proliferation Treaty by courting countries like India which flaunt non-proliferation efforts.”
By continuing to bankroll reactor and uranium exports, Canada is courting calamity – increasing the potential for atomic proliferation, and diverting precious support for safer, more sensible and sustainable energy alternatives.
For more info: angela@cleanairalliance.org, http://paulmckay.com/

Read Paul’s latest piece entitled Nuclear Power: the Proliferation Problem, published online at:
http://paulmckay.com/AA%20in%20D&IC.pdf
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Nuclear Waste Across Canada: Yellowcake Trail Pt 4
Nuclear waste is the Achilles’ heel of the nuclear industry. The wastes created along the yellowcake trail, be it from mining, processing, refining, or use, are a legacy for hundreds of thousands of years. Every single nuclear facility in the world is a waste site, whether it is operating or not.

http://www.watershedsentinel.ca/content/
nuclear-waste-across-canada-yellowcake-trail-pt-4

Note: Parts 1, 2 and 3 are also posted on the website of this magazine. The Watershed Sentinel is celebrating 20 years of reporting environmental news – Support independent media and take advantage of their special subscription offer: http://watershedsentinel.ca/purchase/pr ... php?cat=13
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You Are Now Paying for the Next 3 Mile Island
The nuclear industry wants us all to pay hundreds of billions for the joy of living downwind from still more 3 Mile Islands for which they intend to assume no liability.
Fueled with more than $600 million public relations slush money, they demand a risk-free "renaissance" financed by you and yours. AS IF!

http://www.alternet.org/story/146223/
you_are_now_paying_for_the_next_3_mile_island/
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Green energy push in Ontario with $8 billion in contracts for renewable sources
A green energy push in Ontario will see $8 billion awarded to dozens of companies in a major shift toward renewable sources that environmental groups said will see the province exceed its own targets.
If the government wants to keep attracting investment it will need to make more space by backing off their current commitment to nuclear energy, Stensil said.
The projects announced Thursday will generate enough energy to power 600,000 homes, and are part of a larger initiative to shut down the province's coal plants by 2014.
http://www.thewesternstar.com/index.cfm ... y=83746525
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Second radioactive material found at Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant
Vermont health officials said they have detected a second type of radioactive material in soil near the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. This comes days after Vermont Yankee officials said they had stopped tritium leaks in monitoring wells at the plant that led to the state Senate rejecting a proposal to let the plant keep running beyond 2012. Levels of cesium-137 (Cs-137) were between three and 12 times higher than would be expected.

http://www.powergenworldwide.com/index/ ... ledisplay/
9581514557/articles/powergenworldwide/nuclear/waste-and-decommissioning/2010/03/vermont-yankee-new-radioactive.html
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A Quarter of U.S. Nuclear Plants Are Leaking a Radioactive Material Linked to Cancer
At least 27 of America's 104 aging atomic reactors are known to be leaking radioactive tritium, which is linked to cancer if inhaled or ingested through the throat or skin.
http://www.alternet.org/story/145663/
a_quarter_of_u.s._nuclear_plants_are_leaking_a_radioactive
_material_linked_to_cancer/
----------------------------------------------------------------
Coal is Clean – huh?
Wow – check out this brilliant spoof coal site:
http://www.coal-is-clean.com/#
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Canada government rejects idea of building new isotope reactor
The federal government on Wednesday announced it will not build a medical-isotope reactor to replace the Chalk River, Ont., facility that has been shut down since last spring.

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/
Canada+government+rejects+idea+building+isotope+reactor/
2749006/story.html
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Human Chain (re)Action
There is a huge anti-nuclear protest planned in Germany for April 24. Close to 100 organizations - churches, unions, youth and nature clubs, opposition parties and renewable energy organizations are rallying their members to form a human chain 120 km long from Brunsbuettel reactor through Hamburg to the infamous Kruemmel reactor and the Gorleben storage site. Special trains are bringing in protesters from all over the country, to oppose the extension of operating licences. In southern Germany protesters will circle the oldest reactors, Biblis A&B, to demand closing them immediately.
If you can read German: www.anti-atom-kette.de
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The Woman Who Knew Too Much: Alice Stewart and the Secrets of Radiation
By Gayle Greene. The University of Michigan Press. 1999. 321pp.

REVIEW:
http://iopscience.iop.org/0952-4746/20/ ... =migration
By Richard Wakeford

This thorough biography of one of the world’s leading epidemiologists is a valuable addition to our understanding of radiation and therefore of the hazards of nuclear energy. “The slow leakage of nuclear waste could do more harm to the human gene pool than all the bombs that have been set off”, says Stewart.
For the health of you, your children and grandchildren, add this book to your reading list.
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Fires Reported at Three Nuclear Power Plants
Three US nuclear power plants have reported fires in recent days. Two of the fires occurred at plants owned by Progress Energy in the Carolinas. The third occurred near Cleveland, Ohio at a plant owned by FirstEnergy. Two firefighters were injured in the Ohio blaze. The fires come at a time when the Obama administration is pushing for the construction of the nation’s first new nuclear power plants since the early 1980s.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/30/headlines/
fires_reported_at_three_nuclear_power_plants
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The Insidious Nature of Nuclear Power
The abatement of global warming should never depend on the proliferation of nuclear power. True green energy technology should never carry with it the risk of Armageddon, let alone dangerous radioactive contamination.
While analyzing the nuclear paradigm, three separate types of risk become immanent: the contingent relationship of the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear weapons, nuclear accidents, spills, leaks, contamination, meltdowns and system failures, and the safe disposal of nuclear waste.

http://www.visionmagazine.com/archives/1004/
1004_Earthwatch_The%20Insidious%20Nature%20Of%20Nuclear%20Power%20Neil%20Pine.html
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Dirty Energy Sector Wages a State-by-State War on Solar and Wind Technology
The CEOs of big energy corporations, who rely on coal, gas and nuclear plants to create the bulk of their energy, nod alongside the administration. But on the local level, they appear willing to block these developing (renewable) industries through a combination of lobbying and monopoly. Two recent stories illustrate how traditional energy companies are keeping wind and solar energy companies from gaining a local foothold.
http://blog.buzzflash.com/analysis/1015
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No Hot Cargo – Radio Documentary
There was a formal diplomatic ceremony last week, in a community hall in Saint John, New Brunswick. The Ambassador of Argentina addressed the crowd of local and provincial dignitaries. He then took a gold medal with a red ribbon and pinned it on the chest of longshoreman, Pat Riley. The Ambassador was awarding the Order of May, the highest honour the government of Argentina can bestow on a foreign citizen, and one rarely given out.
This was the first time a Canadian ever received it. And he received it on behalf OF all the dock workers, trade unionists, church members, environmentalists and activists who came together to make a bit of history 31 years ago.
In 1979, a brutal military regime ruled over Argentina, torturing and killing tens of thousands of its opponents. Thousands more were languishing in jails as political prisoners. To protest against the Argentine dictatorship, and to seek the release of political prisoners, the longshoremen of Saint John refused to load a cargo of heavy water bound for a Candu reactor in Buenos Aires.
The protest brought together some unique forces - the courage of dock workers, the strategic savvy of Canadian activists, the vulnerabilities of a billion-dollar nuclear industry, and a new minority Conservative government in Ottawa. And it made a difference - in lives saved, and lives changed
Bob Carty's documentary is called, No Hot Cargo.
Listen online: http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/show ... 00321.html
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Nuclear proliferation – the hypocrisy of the western nuclear powers
By Dave Martin, Greenpeace Blog
The problem is that the international system to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, as enshrined in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and administered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), promotes nuclear power. It is a task that is condemned to failure by its inherent contradiction. Nuclear reactors produce plutonium that can be used to make bombs, and nuclear power provides effective cover for uranium enrichment (the other means of manufacturing nuclear bombs)
And so the world drifts towards increasing numbers of nuclear armed states, as well as the possibility of nuclear-armed, sub-national organizations.
The great news is that by shifting investment away from nuclear power, the G8 countries could afford to invest in a green energy future.

http://blogs.greenpeace.ca/?p=2610
----------------------------------------------------------------
Institute for Energy Research Admits It Was Behind Anti-Wind Study
Danish journalists have confirmed that The Institute for Energy Research commissioned and paid for the anti-wind energy study released last year by a Danish think tank that claimed Denmark exaggerates the amount of wind energy it produces (it doesn’t), questioned whether wind energy reduces carbon emissions (it does), and asserted that the U.S. should choose coal over wind because it’s cheaper (it’s not when you count the true costs of coal).

http://www.desmogblog.com/
institute-energy-research-admits-it-was-behind-anti-wind-study
----------------------------------------------------------------
Back issues of No Nukes News can be found here: http://ontariosgreenfuture.ca/nonukesnews.php You can also subscribe here.
---
Angela Bischoff, Outreach Director
Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Tel: 416 926 1907 x 246
625 Church Street, #402
Toronto, ON M4Y 2G1
angela@cleanairalliance.org
www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca
www.cleanairalliance.org
Our Facebook Group
Sign Our Petition
No Nukes News
Health Power

======================

10. Beyond Nuclear Bulletin - April 8, 2010
Top Stories
Chicago grassroots gathering in June to challenge Obama/Chu “Blue Ribbon Commission” on radioactive waste
Background: On Feb. 1st, President Barack Obama’s Fiscal Year 2011 Energy Dept. budget request fulfilled his campaign pledge to cancel the Yucca Mountain, Nevada high-level radioactive waste dumpsite proposal, by zeroing out funding for the project. Energy Secretary Steven Chu followed quickly thereafter by motioning to withdraw the construction and operations application from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing proceeding. Obama and Chu announced the formation of a “Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future,” supposedly to find a “Plan B” for the radioactive waste crisis. The Blue Ribbon Commission held its first public meeting on March 25th and 26th in Washington, D.C. Video webcasts, meeting transcripts, and presentations by Energy Dept., Congressional Research Service, and U.S. Nuclear Navy officials are posted at the Blue Ribbon Commission’s website.
Our View: While President Obama and Energy Secretary Chu deserve thanks for their wise decision to cancel the geologically unsound Yucca dumpsite, their Blue Ribbon Commission – by its name and its explicit mandate – ironically is more devoted to expanding atomic power (and thus generating yet more radioactive waste) than it is to solving the over 50 year old high-level radioactive waste crisis. More than a dozen representatives from environmental groups spoke out at the meeting, including Beyond Nuclear’s Kevin Kamps, who called on the Blue Ribbon Commission to end, once and for all, the shameful practice of targeting Native American communities for radioactive waste dumps – which the Nuclear Energy Institute is doing yet again, as we speak.
What You Can Do: Send your comments about the radioactive waste crisis to the Blue Ribbon Commission via the following email address: commissionDFO@nuclear.energy.gov. For example, you could endorse and cite the Statement of Principles for Safeguarding Nuclear Waste at Reactors, urging hardened on-site storage and opposing reprocessing, signed by over 170 groups, representing millions of Americans in every state in the country. Also, consider attending a national grassroots gathering in Chicago, June 4-6, to address the high-level radioactive waste crisis. This event is being co-sponsored by Beyond Nuclear.

New York State denies Indian Point water permit creating a legal impasse to license renewal
Background: The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has denied Entergy Corporation permission to extend its permit to draw 2.5 billion gallons of water per day from the Hudson River to cool Indian Point nuclear power station’s Units 2 and 3. The water usage permit is a prerequisite for a federal license extension Entergy is seeking to operate Units 2 and 3 twenty years beyond their license expiration dates in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Unit 1 was permanently shut down October 31, 1974 and still waits on decommissioning. According to the DEC, the diversion of tremendous amounts water, fish and biota into the Indian Point nuclear reactors along with the equally destructive super-heated water discharge is significantly harming the river environment and depleting several species of fish. New York State had earlier denied Entergy permission to spin off six reactors including the two-unit Indian Point and single-unit Fitzpatrick reactors in New York under a shell corporation. Entergy has recently decided to shut down the Enexus and EquaGen Limited Liability Corporation effort, altogether. Entergy was similarly seeking to shelter its holdings in Vermont Yankee in Vermont, Pilgrim in Massachusetts and Palisades in Michigan.
Our View: Our congratulations and three cheers to Pete Seeger, Hudson Riverkeeper and the many others whose long struggle to protect the river and fight for safe energy in New York has resulted in this victory. No doubt, the pitched battle will continue as Entergy will huddle with the rest of the nuclear industry and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to defiantly plan their appeal and continued reactor operations. More than half of US reactors use the same destructive once-through cooling system that continues the abuse of water resources and destroy aquatic and marine habitats.

US NRC asks National Academy of Sciences to perform a cancer study around nuclear reactors
Background: The NRC announced that it has asked the NAS to perform a study on cancer risks around nuclear facilities. The study will begin this summer. The division of the NAS slated to conduct this study is the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board (NRSB) which has as its chair, Richard Meserve, a former NRC Chair. NRSB has planned a public meeting for April 26 (ironically, the day Chernobyl exploded) at the NAS in Washington, DC. A skeletal agenda has been posted. Beyond Nuclear will make available further details as they are released.
Our View: Citizens' groups have already expressed aggravation that NRC would have control of such health studies since this presents a conflict of interest between NRC's role as both creator and assessor of its own health protection regulations. In their letter, the groups also expressed concern over inadequate study protocols that US government agencies have used in past studies.

Higher birth-defect rate seen in Chernobyl area counters UN reports
Reuters reports that higher-than-normal rates of certain birth defects plague one Ukrainian region affected by fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power reactor explosion. The findings were reported in April’s journal of Pediatrics and counter a 2005 United Nations report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which stated that there was no increase in birth defects. Dr. Wladimir Wertelecki, researcher at the University of Southern Alabama, says that this official conclusion had a “chilling effect” on study of prenatal disease and that these findings show more research is needed into congenital defects, especially in regions of chronic, low-dose radiation.

White House inches along toward disarmament
The Obama administration released its Nuclear Posture Review on April 6, revealing a cautious approach to reduce U.S. reliance on nuclear weapons. The U.S. will not attack a non-nuclear state with nuclear weapons, even if that state attacks with biological or chemical weapons, a change from previous policy. However, a loophole allows for such an attack on a non-nuclear state if it is not “in compliance with the non-proliferation treaty and its obligations.” The Obama policy also rules out the development of new nuclear weapons. However, weapons are not removed from hair-trigger alert as many in the arms control community have demanded, and the myth of deterrence – and the assumption that nuclear weapons could be used – remain.
CORRECTION: The April 1, 2010 Beyond Nuclear Bulletin story regarding a string of reactor fires on the TMI Anniversary incorrectly stated that the Brunswick nuclear power station is in Georgia. In fact, Brunswick is sited near Southport, North Carolina, no fooling.

The French Nuclear Medusa

Greenpeace blocks nuclear waste shipments to Russia
Greenpeace activists in France this week ripped up train tracks around the vast Tricastin nuclear site in southern France to prevent shipments of uranium hexafluoride to Russia. The shipments go by train to the port of Le Havre, by ship to St. Petersburg and then by train to Siberia where it is supposedly processed. However, according to Vladimir Tchouprov, Greenpeace Russia’s energy campaign director, “after such recycling, 90% of the initial volume remains in Russia forever,” creating a de facto waste dump.

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Beyond Nuclear aims to educate and activate the public about the connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the need to abandon both to safeguard our future. Beyond Nuclear advocates for an energy future that is sustainable, benign and democratic. Beyond Nuclear staff can be reached at: 301.270.2209. Or view our Web site at: http://www.beyondnuclear.org/
6930 Carroll Avenue Suite 400 | Takoma Park, MD 20912 US

========================

11. French-Style Nuclear Reprocessing Will Not Solve U.S. Nuclear Waste Problems

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/04/08-11

France Uses Less than 1 Percent of the Natural Uranium Resource, Has Higher Waste Volume; Reprocessing Still Requires a Repository and Increases Costs, Proliferation Risks
CONTACT: Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER) [1]
Ailis Aaron Wolf, for IEER, (703) 276-3265 or aawolf@hastingsgroup.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 8, 2010 4:32 PM
TAKOMA PARK, Md. - April 8 - Contrary to some prevailing opinion, reprocessing would not eliminate the need for a deep geologic disposal program to replace Yucca Mountain. It aggravates waste, proliferation, and cost problems. The volume of waste to be disposed of in deep geologic repository is increased about six times on a life-cycle basis in the French approach compared to the once-through no-reprocessing approach of the United States.
A new report by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER), a nonprofit scientific research group, shows that France uses less than 1 percent of the natural uranium resource, contrary to an impression among some policy makers. The report has several recommendations for President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, which was created to address U.S. nuclear waste issues after the administration's cancellation of the Yucca Mountain program.
IEER President Dr. Arjun Makhijani, the author of the report: "In recent years, a 'French fever' has gripped the promoters of nuclear power in the United States. Praise of France's management of spent fuel by reprocessing, including its use of the extracted plutonium as fuel in its nuclear power reactors, is now routinely heard. But it is a fantasy on the scale of the 1950s "too cheap to meter" mythology about nuclear power to imagine that 90 or 95 percent of the "energy value" of U.S. spent fuel can be extracted by reprocessing."

MORE: http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/04/08-11
###
On March 24, 2010, IEER held a news conference to release documents acquired under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) showing that the outgoing Bush Administration inked 11th-hour agreements with more than a dozen utilities involving 21 proposed nuclear reactors. As IEER noted, between the output of existing commercial nuclear reactors and the 21 proposed nuclear reactors covered by the agreements quietly signed by the outgoing Bush Administration, the U.S. already has agreed to store enough spent (used) reactor fuel to fill the equivalent of not one, but two, Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste repositories. For more information on the March 24th news event, go to http://216.250.243.12/ieer/032410.cfm [2].
The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research provides policy-makers, journalists, and the public with understandable and accurate scientific and technical information on energy and environmental issues. IEER's aim is to bring scientific excellence to public policy issues in order to promote the democratization of science and a safer, healthier environment.

============================

12. New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty Factsheet – Union of Concerned Scientists

http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_weapons_a ... _security/
nuclear_weapons/policy_issues/START-follow-on-factsheet.html?utm_source=SP&utm_medium=more&utm_campaign=new-start-03-29-10-more

Union of Concerned Scientists – Nuclear Weapons & Global Security
Our scientists and policy experts work to reduce some of the biggest security threats facing the world today, including the risks posed by nuclear weapons, nuclear terrorism, and space weapons. We work with scientists around the globe to increase international understanding of these issues and to foster and strengthen efforts to increase international security.
Features
The Obama Administration’s New Nuclear Policy (April 2010)

http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_weapons_a ... _security/
nuclear_weapons/policy_issues/obama-administrations-npr.html

Obama Administration Sets New Course for Post-Cold War Nuclear Weapons Policy (April 2010)

http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/
obama-administration-sets-new-nuclear-weapons-policy-0369.html

What the New START Treaty Numbers Mean (March 2010)

http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/
new-start-treaty-numbers-0365.html

New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) Factsheet (March 2010)
http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_weapons_a ... _security/
nuclear_weapons/policy_issues/START-follow-on-factsheet.html

Download: START Follow-On Fact Sheet
http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/nwgs/
start-follow-on-fact-sheet.pdf

Union of Concerned Scientists, 2 Brattle Square Cambridge, MA 02238-9105
phone: 800-666-8276
Fax: 617-864-9405 | ucsaction@ucsusa.org | www.ucsusa.org

=======================

13. Russell-Einstein Manifesto, 1955 by Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein - The Perils of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Historic Declaration against Nuclear War End to the Human Race; or shall Mankind Renounce War?

Global Research, April 4, 2010 The Nuclear Review - 1955-07-09

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=18480

In the tragic situation which confronts humanity, we feel that scientists should assemble in conference to appraise the perils that have arisen as a result of the development of weapons of mass destruction, and to discuss a resolution in the spirit of the appended draft.
We are speaking on this occasion, not as members of this or that nation, continent, or creed, but as human beings, members of the species Man, whose continued existence is in doubt. The world is full of conflicts; and, overshadowing all minor conflicts, the titanic struggle between Communism and anti-Communism.
Almost everybody who is politically conscious has strong feelings about one or more of these issues; but we want you, if you can, to set aside such feelings and consider yourselves only as members of a biological species which has had a remarkable history, and whose disappearance none of us can desire.

MORE:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=18480

======================

14. Saskatchewan Environmental Society Newsletter March/April, 2010 – 2 articles

1) At the Table with the G8 - What are the messages we’d like them to hear? By Ann Coxworth – Page 3

In late June Canada will be hosting the G8 Summit in Huntsville, Ontario. The G8 is an informal grouping of 8 rich nations - Canada, the United States, Japan, Italy, France, Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom. They gather periodically to discuss some of the largest issues in the world, including global crises such as climate change, the economy, AIDS and HIV.
The UN’s Millennium Goals are also part of the G8’s mandate. This Huntsville meeting will be followed immediately by a gathering in Toronto of an expanded group, the G20.
The G20 countries jointly represent 90% of the world’s economic output and their discussions focus almost entirely on matters concerning the international financial system.
Across Canada a network of development, social justice and environmental organizations will be meeting during the lead-up time to the G8 to talk about what we would say if we were present at the G8 table. What are the issues we feel they should be dealing with? What are the messages we’d like them to hear? In Saskatoon Oxfam has pulled together a group of women to form ‘the W8’ to be part of this At the Table process.
I’m honoured to have been named to be a member of this group, and will be participating in some local events. My contributions will focus on the need for concrete action to achieve a fair, ambitious and legally-binding agreement on climate protection, and for Canada to play a responsible role in addressing the need both to reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions and to support the countries that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The launch of W8 takes place on March 6th during the Environmental Film Festival.

~ ~ ~ ~

2) Minding Our Mines – Coal mine seeks expansion on to habitat protected land by Ann Coxworth – Page 21

“Approximately 472 hectares of the proposed disturbed area is covered with native vegetation that will be completely eliminated by mining activities.”
Currently under review by Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment Environmental Assessment Branch is a proposal to extend the Poplar River North coal mine near Coronach. This mine, owned by Prairie Mines and Royalty Ltd., provides fuel for SaskPower’s Poplar River power station. The proposed extension encompasses about 3,000 hectares of land, and would yield about 3.5 million tonnes of coal a year for 20 years. A conventional dragline strip mining method is proposed. Approximately 472 hectares of the proposed disturbed area is covered with native vegetation that will be completely eliminated by mining activities. Several provincially sensitive plant species are present within the disturbance boundary. Of significant concern is the fact that 233 hectares of this native grassland are designated Wildlife Habitat Protection Act (WHPA) land.
SES has communicated to the Environmental Assessment Branch our concerns about permitting such industrial disruption on land that has been specifically set aside for habitat protection. We have asked that, if the development is allowed to go ahead, in addition to restoration of the mined area, a new, ecologically similar area double this size be designated for WHPA protection. We have also requested that possible alternatives to the development are thoroughly explored and reviewed before a decision is made regarding approval – whether this means an alternative mine site, an alternative fuel for the power station or an alternative power source to provide the supply currently met by the Poplar River station.

======================

15. Feds Fire Back at Tyee's 'Muzzled Scientists' Column

http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/04/01/FedsFireBack/
?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_
campaign=050410

And the column's author responds to Environment Canada's defence of its practices.
By Charles Slowey and Mitchell Anderson, 1 Apr 2010, TheTyee.ca

=====================

16. Web 2.0 versus Control 2.0

http://www.salon.com/technology/comcast/
index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/04/06/
open2010_fcc_net_neutrality

Published on 18 March 2010
The fight for free access to information is being played out to an ever greater extent on the Internet. The emerging general trend is that a growing number of countries are attemptimg to tighten their control of the Net, but at the same time, increasingly inventive netizens demonstrate mutual solidarity by mobilizing when necessary.
The Internet: a space for information-sharing and mobilizing
MORE:
http://www.salon.com/technology/comcast/
index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/04/06/
open2010_fcc_net_neutrality

On the same subject

6 April 2010 - Israeli media forbidden to report case widely covered internationally
http://www.rsf.org/Israeli-media-forbid ... eport.html

3 April 2010 - In intimidating move, police question two journalists, search homes, seize files
http://www.rsf.org/In-intimidating-move-police.html

2 April 2010 - Website editor facing 50 years in jail
http://www.rsf.org/Website-editor-facin ... 36939.html

= = = = =

Net neutrality ruling is a call to arms

http://www.salon.com/technology/comcast/
index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/04/06/
open2010_fcc_net_neutrality

April 6, 2010
Why a court decision that the FCC can't enforce equal Internet access for all users should scare us into action By Jenn Kepka This post originally appeared on Jenn Kepka's Open Salon blog.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled today
[PDF]
http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/common/opinions/
201004/08-1291-1238302.pdf

that the Federal Communications Commission doesn't have the authority to enforce "net neutrality," which requires companies to treat all traffic over their networks equally.
The case was brought by Comcast. A little history: The initial case started in 2007, when Comcast customers noticed the company was "throttling," or slowing/stopping, peer-to-peer network sharing. (Peer-to-peer network sharing has many legitimate uses, but it is
most known, of late, for being the way that BitTorrent and other media downloading apparatuses make illegal sharing of copyrighted materials possible.)

MORE:
http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/common/opinions/201004/
08-1291-1238302.pdf

===========================

17. Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Updates - April 6, 7 and 8, 2010
This ACTIVlist email compiles daily blog posts of the Council of Canadians, media releases and actions you can take for social justice.
More information about our campaigns, how to get involved and how to become a member can be found at www.canadians.org.
Please forward this email on and encourage others to join our list! Thank you for your interest and support.
To unsubscribe or update your profile visit
http://lists.canadians.org/mailman/options/activlist
_____________________
In this update: April 6, 2010

UPDATE: Council of Canadians stands with Grassy Narrows
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3220

Council of Canadians calls for improved pension benefits
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3218

The Robin Hood tax and the right to water
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3216

Ambassador Bridge owner launches $3.5 billion NAFTA challenge
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3214

Canada’s auto emission goals integrated with the United States
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3212

VIEW: ‘Human rights critics sounding alarm on Colombia FTA with good reason’, says Diebel
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3222

Mzymta River watershed endangered by 2014 Olympic Games
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3210

Opposition growing to Harper’s bid for UN seat
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3224

Quebec proposes health care user-fees
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3206

Media releases:

Council of Canadians calls for logging moratorium on Browns Creek watershed
http://www.canadians.org/media/water/20 ... pr-10.html

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Council of Canadians ACTIVlist - April 7, 2010
_____________________

UPDATE: Council at public talk on Grassy Narrows
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3237

UPDATE: The Council of Canadians tracking Chapter 11 challenges
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3233

Is a free trade deal with China next?
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3231

Council of Canadians, CUPE, labour council hold public event in Windsor
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3229

Canadian government must be at historic climate conference in Bolivia
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/04/07-3

Grassy Narrows emblematic of water injustice in Canada
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/mvk/2010/04/
grassy-narrows-emblematic-water-injustice-canada

Media releases:

Canadian government must be at historic climate conference in Bolivia
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/04/07-3

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Update - April 8, 2010
_____________________

UPDATE: Council team prepares to depart for Bolivia
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3256

250 march for water justice for Grassy Narrows
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3244

UPDATE: The Council of Canadians in the New Internationali

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: April 14, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:30 am

NUKE NEWS: April 14, 2010

Compilation:

1. Book launch and seminar on Atomic Accomplice: How Canada Deals in Deadly Deceit with author Paul McKay
2. Native Warriors Seek Sponsors for Bolivia Summit
3. PETITION: Arms Down!
4. Petition: Rid the world of nuclear weapons
5. LISTEN: A feature interview with Mohammed ElBardei : The Quest for Nuclear Peace
6. (SK) Business park in the works/Letter/Background
7. INQUIRY INTO SASKATCHEWAN’S ENERGY NEEDS – April 5, 2010
8. (AB) Bruce Power looks for help
9. (AB) 'No nukes' sign removal politically motivated: critics
10. LISTEN: New targets for fewer nukes
11. WATCH: Obama and Medvedev sign landmark nuclear weapons treaty
12. The Nuclear Security Summit
13. WATCH: Clinton Touts US Nuclear Dominance Ahead of DC Summit
14. What About Israel?
15. Canada to ship spent enriched uranium back to U.S.

==========================

1. Book launch and seminar on Atomic Accomplice: How Canada Deals in Deadly Deceit with author Paul McKay - Toronto - April 15

Thursday April 15th, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Hot Shot Gallery, 181 Augusta Ave. (just north of Dundas in Kensington Market)
Free, all welcome.
A new book by award-winning journalist Paul McKay exposes Canada’s continuing role in abetting atomic arms proliferation world-wide.
“While most world leaders are seeking an exit strategy from the atomic arms race, Canada is underwriting an encore,” says McKay. “It is still selling essentially unsafeguardable reactors, increasing global flows of uranium, and even undermining the Non-Proliferation Treaty by courting countries like India which flaunt non-proliferation efforts.”
By continuing to bankroll reactor and uranium exports, Canada is courting calamity – increasing the potential for atomic proliferation, and diverting precious support for safer, more sensible and sustainable energy alternatives.
For more info: angela@cleanairalliance.org, http://paulmckay.com/

Read Paul’s latest piece entitled Nuclear Power: the Proliferation Problem, published online at: http://paulmckay.com/AA%20in%20D&IC.pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------
Angela Bischoff, Outreach Director
Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Tel: 416 926 1907 x 246
625 Church Street, #402
Toronto, ON M4Y 2G1
angela@cleanairalliance.org
www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca
www.cleanairalliance.org
Our Facebook Group
Sign Our Petition
No Nukes News
Health Power

=================

2. Native Warriors Seek Sponsors for Bolivia Summit

http://canadianclimateaction.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/
urgent-native-warriors-without-funding-for-bolivia/

We've had no luck finding sponsors for the Native activists, leaders in the movements, who want to go to the Bolivia Climate Summit. Please contact the individuals below directly if you can sponsor them, time is running out.
Native activists seek sponsors for the Bolivia Climate Summit:
--Michelle Cook, Navajo youth ambassador earlier to Iran and scholar in New Zealand (email) cookmichelle7@gmail.com
--Elouise Brown, Navajo director of Dooda Desert Rock, (e-mail) thebrownmachine@hotmail.com (Navajoland/New Mexico).
Elouise is on the front lines of the climate battle, fighting the proposed power plant in her homeland on Navajoland. Michelle is a vital voice for Indigenous youths globally.
--Jose Matus, Yaqui director of the Indigenous Alliance without Borders, (email) jrmatus@aol.com are seeking financial sponsors so they can participate in the conference. (Tucson/Sonora, Mexico) Jose is trilingual, Yaqui/Spanish/English, and has volunteered to help with radio broadcasts at Earthcycles. We are connecting with many Native radio stations in the Americas to provide coverage.
--Western Shoshone Carrie Dann also hopes to go. (Western Shoshone land, northern Nevada) They all have so much to offer, hope they can make it. –Brenda

SPONSOR NATIVE ACTIVISTS: For a complete list of 20 Native environmentalists to sponsor, leaders in the movements, who want to go and are without funding, contact Tom Goldtooth, director, Indigenous
Environmental Network: TOM GOLDTOOTH: ien@igc.org

Brenda Norrell, Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
Censored Blog Talk Radio
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Brenda-Norrell
LIVE video and archives:
http://www.livestream.com/earthcycles

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Bolivia creates a new opportunity for climate talks that failed at Copenhagen
*To live…
Bolivia: We Must Support a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth
Bolivia Expects 5,000 Foreigners at Climate Forum

==================

3. PETITION: Arms Down!

https://secure3.convio.net/rfp/site/Adv ... amp;id=115

This year-long global multi-religious youth campaign will focus on advancing shared security by:

· abolishing nuclear weapons,
· stopping the proliferation and misuse of conventional arms,
· reducing military expenditure by 10% to make the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) possible by 2015.

JOIN OUR CALL!

Global military expenditure reached the unprecedented level of $1.464 trillion in 2008*.
Only 10% (ten percent) of the total global military budget would be sufficient to enable the full achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)**.
Religions for Peace invites you to join leaders of the world’s religious traditions in our year-long global campaign for shared security. Our target number of petitions is 50,000,000 (fifty million). Signed petitions will be delivered to the United Nations Secretary General, the permanent members of the Security Council, as well as to Heads of State and Members of Parliament in your country.

Your signature CAN make a change!

Please sign the petition by clicking the button above or by clicking here and join our call.

* Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI): http://www.sipri.org/yearbook/2009/05
* The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the world's time-bound and quantified targets, with a deadline of 2015, for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions - income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion - while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. They are also basic human rights - the rights of each person on the planet to health, education, shelter, and security. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

======================

4. Petition: Rid the world of nuclear weapons

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4471&utm_sou ... _campaign=
Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29

Posted: 11 Apr 2010 05:56 AM PDT
There are still more than 23,000 nuclear weapons in the world. It's time to finally achieve a nuclear weapon-free world. Now is the time to act. Urge Prime Minister Harper, the political party leaders and your Member of Parliament to support a new international treaty banning nuclear weapons.

=======================

5. LISTEN: A feature interview with Mohammed ElBardei : The Quest for Nuclear Peace

http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/show ... 00411.html

CBC Radio - The Sunday Edition - April 11, 2010 - Hour One
When the largest military power on the planet declared war on Iraq, George W. Bush invoked these three threatening letters - WMD. The world learned, of course, that Iraq held no stash of Weapons of Mass Destruction, but not until after the war was in full throttle.

Mohamed ElBaradei was one of the first, and one of the most prominent, public officials to question that war and the motivation behind it. He led - along with Hans Blix - a team of U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq, whose report confirmed Saddam Hussein and Iraq posed no real military threat.
George W. Bush did not exactly heave a sigh of relief. His top ranks, including the Vice President Dick Cheney, Pentagon hawk Paul Wolfowitz, Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice all joined the President's ongoing campaign to discredit Dr. ElBaradei. The CIA even bugged his phone.

The Bush White House also lobbied actively against the renewal of Dr. ElBaradei's term as Director General of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is the U.N. group that promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and strives to limit its use as a military weapon. It was a position he held for a dozen years.

In 2005, the Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize jointly to Dr. ElBaradei and the IAEA, and prompted some of his White House adversaries to recant their condemnation of the new Nobel Laureate.
More than six decades after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we continue to live with the fear that we may see another nuclear war. U.S. President Barack Obama says he envisions a planet without nuclear weapons.

Although Mohamed ElBaradei shares Obama's nuke-free vision, he's been focusing on a different kind of reform lately, in Egypt. There is a growing movement in his homeland for change, and Dr. ElBaradei - who has yet to declare his candidacy - is seen as the best hope to replace Hosni Mubarak in next year's Presidential election.

Michael Enright was in conversation with Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei from his home, in Cairo.
Scroll down to Podcast Icon at: http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/show ... 00411.html

================

6. (SK) Business park in the works/Letter/Background

http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Busi ... s/2786466/
story.html

Regina Leader Post (also in the S’toon Star Phoenix)
By Cassandra Kyle, Saskatchewan News Network; Canwest News Service April 10, 2010
The Whitecap Dakota First Nation could see construction start within a year on an industrial business park housing aerospace and defence companies on its land south of Saskatoon.
Darrell Balkwill, chief economic officer with the Whitecap Development Corp. (WDC), said Friday 40 acres of land have been set aside at the intersection of Chief Whitecap Trail and Dakota Dunes Way for the development of the first phase of the Whitecap Trail Business Park. The initial stages of the project could create 50 jobs and 10 new businesses on the First Nation, but first, the WDC wants an assessment done on the feasibility of the project.
"There's a number of companies out there doing research on technology but then need to move to the commercialization stage and we think we can offer them that type of thing," Balkwill said.
Lynne Yelich, Blackstrap MP and minister of state for Western Economic Diversification, announced $92,000 in federal funding toward the assessment of the business park at a news conference Friday at the Dakota Dunes Casino.
The WDC is putting $58,000 toward the assessment.
Balkwill said a third-party consultant will likely be in place within two weeks. The study's recommendations will be in the WDC's hands two to three months later, he added.
The CEO hopes the proposed industrial park will be able to build off the relationships in place between the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology and aerospace and defence companies including Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
"We're thinking that now that those companies have a presence here maybe we can piggy-back on that for manufacturing and production," he said.
MORE: http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Busi ... s/2786466/
story.html
= = = = =
LETTER: Hughes: What kind of research?

What kind of research?

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/opinion/W ... h/2909233/
story.html
April 15, 2010

Re: Sky’s the limit for Whitecap (SP, April 10). Looks like the second shoe has fallen in Saskatchewan’s nuclear saga.
What with Whitecap Dakota First Nation’s association with Lockheed Martin/Boeing (makers of nuclear war machines), and Premier Wall’s agreement with the Idaho National Laboratories (which does nuclear research, including war machines), one can’t help but wonder what kind of “research on technology” will be carried out on the outskirts of Saskatoon. So, what’s it going to be? After trucking that handy uranium from northern Saskatchewan down the centre of Saskatoon, maybe they’ll build a uranium upgrader to make fuel for a nearby nuclear power plant?
Or, being close to the South Saskatchewan River, maybe they’ll just build their own nuclear power plant. Are 40 acres big enough for one? Or, maybe they’ll go into the business of producing medical isotopes?
Or, will Lockheed-Martin or Boeing set up shop to produce a few nuclear warheads or bombs to drop on innocent civilians wherever the drones and other war machines go next?
Either way, it’s an interesting but heinous way to care for Mother Earth and her people, don’t you think?

Elaine Hughes
Archerwill

= = = = = =

Background:

Saskatchewan Taxpayers now involved in nuclear military research!
http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=788
It would appear that the Saskatchewan government has entered into an agreement with a USA research centre that conducts military research. Indeed, nuclear military research!
- - - - -
Idaho National Laboratory - Nuclear Energy
https://inlportal.inl.gov/
Scroll down to “Nuclear Energy”
- - - -
Provincial gov’t signs agreement with nuclear energy research laboratory
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/energyresources/
Provincial+signs+agreement+with+nuclear+energy+research+laboratory/1400530/story.html
Saskatoon Star Phoenix March18, 2009, C7

=======================

7. INQUIRY INTO SASKATCHEWAN’S ENERGY NEEDS – April 5, 2010 - The Standing Committee on Crown and Central Agencies Tables Final Report

http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/committees ... lAgencies/
Reports/CCA_9_Report_April_5_2010_Revised.pdf

The final report outlines the information gathered by the Committee during the public hearings held in October 2009 and January 2010. These hearings were held in Regina, Saskatoon La Ronge, Lloydminster, Prince Albert, Yorkton and Estevan. In total, the Committee held 18 days of public hearings and heard testimony from 63 witnesses and received 42 written submissions.
The Committee appreciates all those who have taken time out of their busy schedules to make presentations and to write letters expressing how they believe Saskatchewan should meet its energy needs in a manner that is safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable.
The final report summarizes witness testimony and written submissions, outlines themes from all of the public hearings and makes recommendations.
Based on the information presented, the Committee has made 20 recommendations.
- - - -
c) Nuclear - - Pgs. 16 & 17
In October, the debate around nuclear power continued in the public hearings and in the written submissions but in January, much of the debate around nuclear power had subsided because the Government of Saskatchewan formally responded to the UDP report in December 2009. Some representatives from social justice and environmental groups came before your Committee to reiterate their opposition. While those that support nuclear power acknowledged that a large nuclear plant would not be appropriate at this time.
MORE:
http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/committees ... lAgencies/
Reports/CCA_9_Report_April_5_2010_Revised.pdf

====================

8. (AB) Bruce Power looks for help

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business ... ooks+help/
2876906/story.html

Edmonton Journal April 13, 2010
Bruce Power has asked the Alberta government for a 30-year "power purchase agreement" -- a type of assurance for new technology power plants -- or it says it won't be able to proceed with its proposed nuclear power plant. This has fired up the local chamber of commerce to lobby its members to write letters of support for Bruce Power.
However, within Alberta Electric Service Operators (AESO), this doesn't fit into the program of deregulated power, so it would require a change in legislation.
The Coalition for a Nuclear Free Alberta considers any such support to be an indirect subsidy for nuclear power and feels the government would be reneging on its commitment to Albertans to stay out of the private energy business. Obviously, we feel that new technology would more appropriately mean solar, wind, or geothermal, rather than the aging nuclear technology.
Adele Boucher Rymhs , president ,
Coalition for a Nuclear free Alberta
© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

====================

9. (AB) 'No nukes' sign removal politically motivated: critics

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/04/13/
edmonton-no-nukes-signs-investigation.html

Government e-mails obtained by CBC indicate political interference
Last Updated: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 | 7:33 PM MT Charles Rusnell CBC News Alberta Transportation ordered the removal of anti-nuclear signs in the Peace River area after the local Progressive Conservative MLA raised the issue with the minister and the department's regional manager, internal government documents show.

The documents, obtained by CBC News through Freedom of Information legislation, include an Aug. 26, 2009, e-mail from the transportation department's Peace River regional manager, Wayne Franklin, to the assistant deputy minister. In it, Franklin describes statements made by Peace River Tory MLA Frank Oberle during a meeting in August at a public function in Peace River.

"Frank Oberle raised the issue of advertising signs again yesterday when we were with the minister," the e-mail states. "Frank's comments were that we don't seem to have taken any action against the 'no-nukes' signs."
Many of the no-nukes signs were subsequently torn down because Alberta Transportation said they were illegal. But as a CBC investigation confirmed in February, other signs that violated provincial regulations on where they could be placed were ignored. In fact, in some cases, highway workers walked right past other illegal signs to tear down the no-nukes signs.

MORE:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/04/13/
edmonton-no-nukes-signs-investigation.html

=======================

10. LISTEN: New targets for fewer nukes

http://www.cbc.ca/dispatches/

CBC Radio – Dispatches – April 8, 2010

(Click on Podcast at the end of the text one-third of the way down the page.)
We're entering a significant period for global security. Call it, nuclear spring.
Russia and the U.S. recently agreed to cut back on warheads.
The Americans just cut back on targets, and the circumstances under which they'd attack them.
Next week Washington hosts the world at the Nuclear Security Summit. Then comes a U.N. conference on non-proliferation.
"What's it matter?" you ask -- when Russia and the U.S. still have thousands of warheads pointed at each other and ready to fire.
And that's not even the biggest nuclear threat these days.
Keeping nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists is. And it's the challenge facing more than 40 world leaders attending next week's Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.
President Obama set his tone with a shift in American nuclear posture.
To assess where all this is pointing, here's CBC's Washington correspondent Michael Colton.
Michael, from our Washington studio...

=====================

11. WATCH: Obama and Medvedev sign landmark nuclear weapons treaty

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8608993.stm

April 8, 2010
US President Obama and Russian President Medvedev have signed a historic nuclear weapons treaty which could reduce their stockpiles significantly.
Once ratified by both country's governments, each will have to limit their deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 - 30% lower than previously - and the number of deployed "launchers" to no more than 700.
President Obama said it showed both nations were serious about showing "responsible global leadership."
READ MORE: US and Russia sign nuclear deal
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8608993.stm

=====================

12. The Nuclear Security Summit

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/opinion/12mon1.html

New York Times, Editorial, April 11, 2010
After 9/11, the world was forced to contemplate an even more terrifying nightmare: the possibility that terrorists could buy or steal a nuclear weapon. Far too little has been done since to head that off.
The vulnerabilities run from thousands of poorly secured short-range nuclear weapons in Russia to poorly guarded nuclear reactors or fuel storage sites in far too many states. There are no mandatory, international security standards for nuclear facilities or for hospitals whose radioactive waste could be used in dirty bombs.
On Monday, President Obama holds a summit meeting in Washington to address these dangers. His very ambitious target is to secure all weapons-useable nuclear material within four years.
The president and his aides worked hard to get 46 other countries to attend. (Iran, North Korea and Syria were not invited; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel pulled out, but his deputy will be there.) They will have to work even harder to get key participants — Pakistan and India are suspicious of any perceived interference and determined to expand their nuclear programs — to commit to serious actions.

MORE: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/opinion/12mon1.html

==================

13. WATCH: Clinton Touts US Nuclear Dominance Ahead of DC Summit

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/12/headlines#5

President Obama is hosting scores of world leaders in Washington today for a summit focusing on unsecured nuclear materials. On Sunday, Obama began a series of meetings with visiting delegations from forty-six countries. Ahead of the summit, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the aim is to keep nuclear weapons away from terrorist groups.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “The risk of nuclear attack has actually increased. And the potential consequences of mishandling this challenge are deadly. We are trying to make this summit the beginning of sustained international effort to lock down the world’s vulnerable nuclear materials within four years and reduce the possibility that these materials will find their way into the hands of terrorists.”
As the Obama administration pledged nuclear cooperation around the summit, it also took pains to reassert the predominance of the US nuclear arsenal. In an interview with ABC News, Clinton said the US is spending $5 billion this year to “modernize” its nuclear weapons.
Secretary of State Clinton: “We intend to maintain a robust nuclear deterrent. Let no one be mistaken. The United States will defend ourselves and defend our partners and allies. We intend to sustain that nuclear deterrent by modernizing the existing stockpile. In fact, we have $5 billion in this year’s budget going into that very purpose. And with this emphasis on our nuclear stockpile and the stewardship program that we are engaged in, that we’ll be, you know, stronger than anybody in the world, as we always have been, with more nuclear weapons than are needed many times over, and so we do not see this as, in any way, a diminishment of what we’re able to do.” . . . . End of Clip

================

14. What About Israel?

DATE: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:28:01 -0700
FROM: lagran <lagran@shaw.ca>
TO: Prime Minister/Premier ministre <pm@pm.gc.ca>, Layton, Jack - M.P. <Layton.J@parl.gc.ca>, iggy <ignatieff.m@parl.gc.ca>
CC: mccallum <mccallum.j@parl.gc.ca>, goodale <goodale.r@parl.gc.ca>, <dnd_mdn@forces.gc.ca>, <acameron@neb-one.gc.ca>

The interesting thing about these U.S. meetings regarding nuclear energy is not what the Ukraine, Russia, Iran or North Korea intentions is. The underlying interest is to what degree the U.N. can hold Israel responsible for their acquired weaponry, and how ballsy Obama will be in demanding some change with Israel before Iran can be expected to slow their progression in nuclear ambitions!!

======================

15. Canada to ship spent enriched uranium back to U.S.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada ... z0l5LZTT4D

Sheldon Alberts, Washington Correspondent, Canwest News Service Published: Monday, April 12, 2010
WASHINGTON -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Monday said Canada will begin shipping spent supplies of highly-enriched uranium back to the United States, where it will be made unusable for nuclear weapons.
Announcing the plan as he arrived in Washington for a global nuclear security summit, Mr. Harper said uranium is currently being stored at Ontario's Chalk River Laboratories north of Ottawa.
The Chalk River reactor, which has been a leading producer of medical isotopes for radiation treatment, has been shut down for a year as it undergoes repairs.
Mr. Harper said the project to return stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium will take place over eight years, ending in 2018.

MORE:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada ... z0l5LZTT4D

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS(1): April 16, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:32 am

NUKE NEWS(1): April 16, 2010

Compilation:

1. CNSC Open House: Tritium Studies Project (2 Sessions) – April 28 – Ottawa
2. [NWC Update] From arms control to abolition – [Intl Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons / ICAN]
3. Transforming Saskatchewan's Electrical Future (Part 1)
4. Opening for Public Policy Research Manager (Calgary) – Parkland Institute
5. (Federal) New Democrats support nuclear disarmament
6. No Nukes News - April 16, 2010
7. Help Oppose CANSEC, Canada's Top Weapons Bazaar!
8. Obama: Risk of nuclear attack from terrorists 'has gone up'
9. Don’t expect much progress on nukes Israel hasn’t yet come clean about its weapons
10. A spate of earthquakes, a documentary about a plane crash, and an old power plant...Hoffman
11. Small Is Beautiful - Nuclear Industry Pins Hopes on Mini-Reactors
12. America's Imperial Design. Prompt Global Strike: World Military Superiority Without Nuclear Weapons

==================

1. CNSC Open House: Tritium Studies Project (2 Sessions) – April 28 – Ottawa

http://www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca/eng/getinvol ... l_28_2010/
tritium_openhouse.cfm

On April 28, 2010, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is hosting an Open House for members of the public and stakeholders on the results of its Tritium Studies Project.

Open House - April 28, 2010

2 Sessions: 1 - 4 p.m. and 6 - 9 p.m.
Presentations: 2 pm and 7 pm
RCAF Officers' Mess
158 Gloucester Street
Ottawa ON K2P 0A6
Registration: ann.lake@cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca

In January 2007, the Commission Tribunal directed CNSC staff to initiate research studies on tritium releases in Canada. In response, staff initiated the Tritium Studies Project with several information gathering and research activities extending to 2010. The objective of this major research project is to enhance the information used in the regulatory oversight of tritium processing and tritium releases in Canada.

Four of the reports are currently completed and posted on our Web site:

Tritium Drinking Water Standards and Guidelines
Tritium Releases and Dose Consequences in Canada in 2006
Investigation of the Environmental Fate of Tritium in the Atmosphere
Evaluation of Facilities Handling Tritium

The remaining reports are being finalized. The results of all these studies and related recommendations will be presented to the Commission in June 2010.
The Open House will be an opportunity to come and hear a presentation on the health effects of tritium, read study posters, and ask questions of staff on the reports.

==================

2. [NWC Update] From arms control to abolition - [Intl Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons / ICAN]

From: Tim Wright
Sent: April 12, 2010 12:52 PM

Nuclear weapons issues dominated global headlines last week, with the release of the long-awaited US Nuclear Posture Review and the signing of a new US-Russian arms reduction treaty in Prague. And nuclear issues will remain in the headlines this week also, with heads of state and government from 40 countries now meeting in Washington, DC, to discuss nuclear security. All of this activity provides us with an important opportunity to promote our basic message to the public and government officials: the only way to eliminate nuclear threats is to eliminate nuclear weapons themselves. It's time for all governments to begin work on a legally binding, verifiable ban. Here's an update on what is happening towards that end:

1. New ICAN Global Update document

ICAN has put together a four-page Global Update document for April showcasing worldwide efforts to strengthen political support for a Nuclear Weapons Convention. We're calling on governments to agree at the NPT Review Conference next month to begin negotiations or preparatory work on a convention, backed by a strong system of verification. The Global Update looks at public opinion, the UN Secretary-General's five-point plan on disarmament and lobbying efforts in 30 countries. It will be distributed to
all government missions in New York, and will be available to NGOs at the Review Conference.
* Download the ICAN Global Update:
<http://t.ymlp105.com/jqanamesaxabmbjaoaubej/click.php>

2. Lobbying efforts at the UN in New York

As ICAN teams work in capitals around the world to build support for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, we are also working in New York to inform diplomats about our campaign aims. Recently we hosted an event in partnership with Reaching Critical Will and the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy during the UN Disarmament Commission. It focused on the need for a convention, and how to get there. Roughly 40 diplomats attended. We are also holding one-on-one meetings with many of the government missions to the UN, and are maintaining regular contact with the rest. Our aim is not only to improve understanding of the need for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, but also to show to decision makers that publics around the world overwhelmingly support abolition.

* <http://t.ymlp105.com/jyaxamesacabmbjadaubej/click.php>
Download our briefing paper for diplomats

3. Preparations for the May 2 rally in New York

The momentum is rapidly building for the May 2 rally in New York City. As many as 2500 people from around the world are expected to join local residents in a mass demonstration and peace festival the day before the NPT Review Conference begins. Dozens of local and international peace groups are working together to spread the word. A two-day peace, justice and nuclear abolition conference will also be held from April 30 to May 1. The organizers are looking for volunteers to help out at both events. You can register your availability online.
* Visit the May 2 rally and conference website
<http://t.ymlp105.com/bsaaamesalabmbjaaaubej/click.php>

4. Growing support for Nuclear Abolition Day, June 5

June 5 this year has been designated as a one-time Nuclear Abolition Day. It is our opportunity to respond around the world to the outcome of the NPT Review Conference, whether it's good or bad. Already actions have been registered in the United States, Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Syria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Hungary, the Philippines, Mauritius, Norway and Guinea. Please join in this global initiative sponsored by ICAN and more than a dozen other international civil society groups. Register your action online, and help build the momentum for a Nuclear Weapons Convention.
* Visit the Nuclear Abolition Day website
<http://t.ymlp105.com/buacamesapabmbjadaubej/click.php>

5. New book calls for real action towards abolition

Ray Acheson from Reaching Critical Will has released a new book, Beyond Arms Control: Challenges and Choices for Nuclear Disarmament, which critically examines the mainstream discourse on nuclear weapons and calls for a comprehensive nuclear abolition treaty. Its publication is well timed to provide new ideas on nuclear disarmament going into next month's NPT Review Conference. It argues that in order to abolish nuclear weapons, we must effect changes in the systems that sustain and promote nuclear weapons.
* Download or order Beyond Arms Control
<http://t.ymlp105.com/beazamesarabmbjaraubej/click.php>

6. ICAN chair recognized for dedication to nuclear abolition

The chair of ICAN, Associate Professor Tilman Ruff, has been featured in a recent issue of The Age newspaper in Australia. He describes to the interviewer the logic of a Nuclear Weapons Convention: "Every class of indiscriminate and inhumane weapon that has been abolished has been dealt with in this way: through a treaty. Dum-dum bullets, chemical and biological weapons, landmines, cluster munitions -- why not nuclear weapons? Don't tell me this can't be done."
* Read the article about Tilman Ruff
<http://t.ymlp105.com/bmalamesaxabmbjanaubej/click.php>

With only three weeks to go until the NPT Review Conference, now is a crucial time to put all of our efforts into building political support for a Nuclear Weapons Convention. It is time to shift the debate from arms control to abolition.
In peace,
Tim Wright
NWC Project Coordinator
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
http://www.icanw.org

======================

3. Transforming Saskatchewan's Electrical Future (Part 1)

http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/
transforming-saskatchewans-electrical-future-part-1

Sustainability is Achievable, But How Do We Get There?

by Mark Bigland-Pritchard, Peter Prebble
Saskatchewan Office | Reports & Studies
Issue(s): Energy policy, Environment and sustainability
April 16, 2010
About this Publication
This is the first in a series of CCPA Saskatchewan papers, written by Green Energy Project Saskatchewan researchers, on the options for sustainable electricity generation in the province. Future papers will consider each of the principal components outlined in the text below, explain the meaning and the relevance of some of the commonly-used technical terms (such as “baseload” and “smart grid”), and explore the policy options available to encourage the transition to sustanability.

Download (866 KB) pdf: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/
transforming-saskatchewans-electrical-future-part-1

=====================

4. Opening for Public Policy Research Manager (Calgary) – Parkland Institute

* Please forward and disseminate broadly *

Public Policy Research Manager (Calgary)
Faculty of Arts - Parkland Institute
Competition No. - A107311174
Closing Date - Apr 30, 2010

The Parkland Institute is inviting applications for the position of Public Policy Research Manager.

http://parklandinstitute.ca/news/comments/
parkland_institute_employment_opportunity/

The Parkland Institute is a socially-engaged Alberta network that applies a political economy perspective to understand public issues so that the forces of change can be harnessed for the common good. Parkland values its cooperative relationships with progressive thinkers from universities and colleges, social movements, labour and professional organizations and the private sector, as well as independent researchers and the general public. For more information about the Institute, please visit the website at www.parklandinstitute.ca. Ideally this position will be located in Calgary, however other locations in Southern Alberta may be a possibility.
Details:
http://parklandinstitute.ca/news/comments/
parkland_institute_employment_opportunity/

==========================

5. (Federal) New Democrats support nuclear disarmament

From: <laytoj@parl.gc.ca>
To: <laytoj@parl.gc.ca>
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2010 2:16 PM
Subject: New Democrats support nuclear disarmament

Thank you for writing to raise your concern over nuclear weapons.
Like you, New Democrats share the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. My NDP colleague Bill Siksay (MP Burnaby-Douglas) is the current chair of the Canadian section of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
(http://www.gsinstitute.org/pnnd/index.html).
I respect PNND`s work as a network dedicated to providing parliamentarians worldwide with up to date information on nuclear weapons policies and supporting their engagement in nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament initiatives.
Bill has been working with his domestic and international Parliamentarians to craft policies that meet the security needs of their citizens.

The following link highlights his participation in an UN visit last fall:
http://www.ndp.ca/press/disarmament-sup ... delegation

In addition, you may be interested in a recent question I raised during Question Period regarding the federal government's commitment to limiting nuclear proliferation.
Please see below for the text of my question.
I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this matter. I invite you to visit our website at www.ndp.ca to read the latest about the New Democrats. All the best.
Sincerely,
Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats
~ ~ ~ ~
Monday, April 12, 2010
Hon. Jack Layton (Toronto-Danforth, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, the nuclear summit is opening today in Washington.
The Conservative government does not seem to have learned from the mistakes of the past, the mistakes that brought India into the nuclear club in the first place, and it is out there flogging technology without having ensured that all of the proper safeguards that we need are in place.
Canadians are expecting that we would be an active part of preventing nuclear proliferation. Even former Conservative Senator Roche has been saying that Canada is off-side.
Will the government support the proposals of President Obama to put a limit on nuclear proliferation in the state we are in right now?

===================

6. No Nukes News - April 16, 2010

“I think one of the concerns is that, by definition, as you have expansion of nuclear programs, peaceful programs, there is going to be an increase in the nuclear by products that come out of those facilities, as well as the expertise that is available to run them.” - John Brennan, Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser
----------------------------------------------------------------
Loophole in nuclear summit: spread of nuclear power?
President Obama's nuclear summit aims to keep terrorists from procuring nuclear weapons. But the US is encouraging countries to develop civilian nuclear power. But what are the proliferation risks?

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2010/0413/
Loophole-in-nuclear-summit-spread-of-nuclear-power
----------------------------------------------------------------
Risks outweigh potential benefits of nuclear power
The Nuclear Research Service reports that "in comparison to renewable energy, nuclear power releases four to five times more carbon dioxide per unit of energy produced taking into account the whole fuel cycle."
The risk of a horrific accident, no safe long term repository for million-year radiation of spent fuel, the risk of nuclear proliferation that would make not only nuclear war more likely but also a terrorist use of a nuclear bomb, and the astronomical cost of nuclear power compared to efficiency and renewables leads many to question the wisdom of new nuclear power - especially when the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other research endeavors seem well on the way to resolving the intermittency problem for renewables that is used as the reason for the need for new nuclear power.

http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/opinion/
article_2c469bfe-4815-11df-8b8d-001cc4c03286.html
----------------------------------------------------------------
Nuclear Power: the proliferation problem - Canada must truly become an honest broker and stop its deceit about nuclear power
By Paul McKay, author of Atomic Accomplice http://paulmckay.com/
Despite belated, growing alarm about world stockpiles of fissile fuels, Ottawa continues to sell uranium as a commodity no less benign than wheat, wood or potash, and to pitch reactors which are also plutonium production machines.
Yet physics tells us uranium and plutonium are as innately conjoined as fire and smoke, or the twisted double helix of DNA. By promoting a nuclear export policy which gives primacy to closing current sales while assuming future world security is irrelevant, Ottawa is compelling Canadian diplomats and consular officials to practice a brand of deep denial which is pathological, and promote a commerce without any conscience.
http://paulmckay.com/AA%20in%20D&IC.pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------
Q+A: Obama's big summit on preventing nuclear terrorism
WASHINGTON Nearly 50 world leaders meet in Washington next week for a summit aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism. It will be one of the largest such gatherings on U.S. soil since World War Two.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6370MZ20100408
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Rid the World of Nuclear Weapons
Please join me in writing to Prime Minister Harper, urging him to work for a world free of nuclear weapons.
http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4471
----------------------------------------------------------------
Sign the petition against CANDU 6 nuclear reactors
Romania has currently one nuclear power plant with two functional reactors in Cernavoda (South-East of Romania). Cernavoda is situated in an area with high earthquake risk. The Romanian Government plans to build two more nuclear reactors (Cernavoda 3 and 4 ). These reactors are of an outdated Canadian design, the CANDU 6.
The design of CANDU 6 is under critique because of several key flaws:
- It has a positive reactivity coefficient – one of the design factors leading to the Chernobyl catastrophe. Because of this, CANDU reactors are not allowed inthe USA, Germany or France;
- Because it uses heavy water, it leaks more of the radioactive substance tritium into the environment than other designs. This could be dangerous for vulnerable people like pregnant women and children under four years old living in the nearby town of Cernavoda;
- It is relatively easy to divert spent fuel from the reactor. India used a similar design to obtain plutonium for its nuclear bomb in 1974. We don't want Cernavoda to become a model for other countries who may be interested in nuclear weapon production.
Sign the petition here: http://www.greenpeace.org/romania/campa ... hepetition
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A World Without Nuclear Weapons – Sign the Declaration
On Wednesday, President Obama signed a historic treaty with Russian President Medvedev to cut nuclear arsenals by a third and get serious about preventing other countries from moving forward with their nuclear programs.2 And next week, world leaders will come together for a historic summit to tackle this very challenge.
But the right-wing hawks are up in arms. They're trying to scare the country into thinking that having more nuclear weapons makes us safer.3 President Obama needs to know we have his back as he takes a bold stand on this issue. Can you sign this petition from our friends at Global Zero to support eliminating these dangerous weapons from the face of the earth?
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=87797&id=1977 ... pr2A4x&t=3
----------------------------------------------------------------
Fantastic letter to the editor
While it is bad economics to distort the market by subsidizing green energy, it is equally unfair to ignore the hidden health-care and climate-change costs of coal-fired electricity and the externalized costs of nuclear power.
It should be acknowledged that subsidies to dirty electricity are hidden while green energy subsidies are fully costed, giving green energy an unjustified bad rap as uneconomical.
If consumers paid the true cost of coal-fired electricity, as reflected by a carbon tax, and if the accurately costed nuclear power included the hidden liabilities of limited insurance liability, reactor decommissioning costs, stranded debt charges and opportunity costs, then conservation and renewables like wind would become economically viable without subsidies.
Frank de Jong, past leader, Green Party of Ontario
----------------------------------------------------------------
Leaders Gather for Nuclear Talks as New Threat Is Seen
The New York Times: Three months ago, American intelligence officials examining satellite photographs of Pakistani nuclear facilities saw the first wisps of steam from the cooling towers of a new nuclear reactor. It was one of three plants being constructed to make fuel for a second generation of nuclear arms.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/world ... gewanted=1
----------------------------------------------------------------
Glow-in-the-Dark Exit Signs Made with Toxic Tritium
Find out everything you wanted to know about the dangers of tritium.
Tritium Primer: http://www.tapcanada.org/tritium-primer/
One-page fact sheets produced by the Tritium Awareness Project: http://www.tapcanada.org/key-tritium-resources/
The Tritium Awareness Project is gathering signatures on the following petition which requests that the federal government phase out the use of tritium exit signs in Canada:
http://www.tapcanada.org/petition/
----------------------------------------------------------------
When Ontarians conserve power, wind farms will be first to shut down
Despite its recent investment in wind energy, Ontario will periodically ask wind operators to turn off their turbines, leaving gas and nuclear operating.
http://this.org/blog/2010/04/13/exclusi ... his.org%29
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Let’s give our grandkids a powerful legacy
Hydro in Niagara: A century ago, naysayers said renewable energy was too expensive for Ontario AP
A century ago, naysayers said renewable energy was too expensive for Ontario. But Niagara Falls is still paying dividends.
If there is a lesson worth remembering, it is that the investments being made today in modern forms of renewable energy can be for this century what the turbines at Niagara Falls were for the last: the foundation of our future prosperity and a source of pride.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/
opinions/lets-give-our-grandkids-a-powerful-legacy/article1533429/
----------------------------------------------------------------
The ECO wants to hear about your energy conservation experiences
Ontario's Environment Commissioner, Gord Miller, wants to learn about barriers and incentives you've experienced in conserving energy. Report your pleasure or frustration:
http://www.ontarioenergyconservation.ca/
----------------------------------------------------------------
~~ EARTH DAY EVENT ~~ Toronto
WHAT IS IN THE AIR YOU ARE BREATHING?
Thursday, April 22, 7 pm
Koffler House, U of T, 569 Spadina Ave, Room 108 (North of College), Toronto
Free!
Speakers:
Dr. Pieter Jugovic, CommunityAIR
Angela Bischoff, Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Lin Grist, Clean Trains Coalition
Toronto Island Airport, Metroxlinx diesel trains, coal power plants—how do these affect the air we breath? Join the Toronto Climate Campaign on Earth Day as we hear from climate campaigners on the safety of Toronto air and what we can do to improve it!
For more info: Toronto Climate Campaign: http://www.torontoclimatecampaign.org/, info@torontoclimatecampaign.org
----------------------------------------------------------------
~~ Earth Day Eve Event in Toronto ~~
Finding Hope: Confronting Climate Wars - with Gwynne Dyer & Elizabeth May
Wednesday, April 21st at 7:30 pm
Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church , 427 Bloor St. W. (1 block west of Spadina Rd. ), Toronto
Join us the night before the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day for an amazing event. Two of the strongest voices on the planet speaking to the climate crisis will join forces to demand action. Gwynne Dyer, award winning author, journalist and Elizabeth May, author, environmental lawyer, and leader of the Green Party of Canada, collaborate to rebuild energy toward global climate action through the theme Finding Hope: Confronting Climate Wars. Ralph Benmergui broadcaster, performer and host of Jazz FM in Toronto will be master of ceremonies.
Gwynne Dyer’s most recent book Climate Wars warns of the security threat posed by the climate crisis. The Pentagon and British intelligence service understand the threat; Canada 's government does not. Elizabeth May whose book, co-authored with Zoe Caron, Global Warming for Dummies explains the science, the threat and outlines hopeful solutions, will lead us through the politics and find hope to avert that threat.
Book signing will follow. Tickets are $15 each. Order your tickets online or call 1.866.868.3447 x 239 http://greenparty.ca/node/14247
----------------------------------------------------------------
Angela Bischoff, Outreach Director
Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Tel: 416 926 1907 x 246
625 Church Street, #402 Toronto, ON M4Y 2G1
angela@cleanairalliance.org
www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca
www.cleanairalliance.org
Our Facebook Group
Sign Our Petition
No Nukes News
Health Power

====================

7. Help Oppose CANSEC, Canada's Top Weapons Bazaar!

http://coat.ncf.ca/CANSEC2010/OpposeCANSEC.htm

This is a call for help! Please look over the list below to see how you might participate in our campaign to expose and oppose CANSEC.
CANSEC is Canada's largest weapons trade exhibition, and it will be held in Ottawa, June 2-3, 2010. Many thousands of buyers, sellers, users and promoters of the latest military technologies will be rubbing shoulders at this war industry extravaganza. Ottawa's fairgrounds will be bristling with displays set up by hundreds of companies to showcase cutting-edge military hardware used in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, and all-too-many other killing fields.
CANSEC exhibitors make everything from air-launched missiles and high-tech electronic components for the world's deadliest warplanes, to offensive armoured battle vehicles, multi-million dollar gizmos for the militarisation of space, and down-to-earth automatic weapons, tear-gas rifles and other handy crowd-control devices for keeping pesky protesters in their place. Most of Canada's military production is exported, and -- of course -- most of Canada's war exports go to the United States.
Make no mistake, war is big business, and business will be booming at CANSEC 2010! In fact, making a killing on war has probably never been more lucrative. Ask the so-called "Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries." This Canadian government-funded lobby group, which organises CANSEC, has never been stronger. It now boasts a membership of 800 corporations.
The Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT) has brought together a network of activists from many different organisations to focus on CANSEC, and we are now asking for support. Please join us in raising awareness about CANSEC and what it symbolises about Canada's role in helping to fuel wars and repression around the world.
Here are some of the ways that you can join our efforts:
http://coat.ncf.ca/CANSEC2010/OpposeCANSEC.htm

=======================

8. Obama: Risk of nuclear attack from terrorists 'has gone up'

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/a ... id/157571/

Published April 13 2010
President Barack Obama told assembled leaders at the 47-country Nuclear Security Summit Tuesday the risk of nuclear attack — not by an enemy nation, but from terrorists — was on the rise despite the end of the Cold War.
By: Steven R. Hurst, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama told assembled leaders at the 47-country Nuclear Security Summit today the risk of nuclear attack — not by an enemy nation, but from terrorists — was on the rise despite the end of the Cold War.
In his opening address to the first full day of the summit, Obama described the new nuclear reality as a "cruel irony of history." He called the conference with the goal of locking down all nuclear materials worldwide in four years.
"The risk of a nuclear attack has gone up," Obama said, as terrorist organizations like the al-Qaida network try to get their hands on nuclear materials.
By Monday night, when Obama hosted assembled presidents and prime ministers for a dinner, the summit had already paid early dividends: China's agreement to work with the U.S. on possible sanctions against Iran and Ukraine's decision to rid itself of nuclear bomb-making materials.
Obama had already held two days of meetings with selected leaders from among the 47 countries assembled to recharge efforts to keep nuclear material out of terrorist hands. It ends today with a joint declaration to guide future work toward locking away and cleansing the globe of materials still too easily accessible to terrorists.

MORE: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/a ... id/157571/

=========================

9. Don’t expect much progress on nukes Israel hasn’t yet come clean about its weapons

http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/news- ... rnational/
dont-expect-much-progress-on-nukes-5497/

Published April 15, 2010 by Gwynne Dyer in International
The international agenda is jammed with high-level meetings on nuclear weapons: a U.S.-Russian treaty on cutting strategic nuclear weapons last week, a Washington mini-summit on non-proliferation this week and a full-dress review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) next month. It’s tempting to believe that we are making real progress in getting rid of the things, but you shouldn’t get your hopes too high.
The “New Start” treaty between Washington and Moscow sounds impressive, committing the two powers to reducing their “deployed strategic nuclear weapons” to 1,550 each. That’s a 30 per cent cut on what the two powers last agreed, in their 2002 treaty — but it’s not as impressive as it seems, because most of their nuclear weapons are not “deployed strategic” ones.
The two countries currently have over 8,000 other nuclear warheads “awaiting dismantlement,” plus an unknown number of “tactical” warheads that are operationally available. They admit to having about 2,500, but those numbers are completely unverified and probably much lower than reality. Unofficial estimates suggest that Russia and the U.S. really have at least 10,000 tactical nukes.
Add at least a thousand Chinese, British, French, Indian, Pakistani and Israeli nuclear warheads (plus a couple of North Korean ones that sort of work), and there are probably around 25,000 nuclear warheads on the planet. That’s fewer than there were at the height of the Cold War, but it’s still around one nuclear weapon for every 250,000 people on the planet.

MORE: http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/news- ... rnational/
dont-expect-much-progress-on-nukes-5497/

=====================

10. A spate of earthquakes, a documentary about a plane crash, and an old power plant...Hoffman

http://acehoffman.blogspot.com/ April 12th, 2010
Dear Readers,
A pair of old nuclear reactors operates -- most of the time -- about a dozen miles from where I live. I'm downwind of them a lot of the time.
Recently, two events -- an ongoing series of local earthquakes, and a documentary about a local plane crash -- reminded me what a nightmare-waiting-to-happen nuclear power plants really are.
"SONGS" (as the radiation factory calls itself) stands for San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. I call it SONWGS, which stands for San Onofre Nuclear Waste Generating Station. The waste from "SanO" has been building up since the first reactor opened in 1967. That unit operated until 1992, but nearly all its fuel remains on-site and is expected to stay there for the foreseeable future. (The proposed national repository, Yucca Mountain, has been all but cancelled by the Obama administration and in any case, is inadequate -- and was more than a decade behind schedule when it was mothballed.)
The strongest of the recent earthquakes (and the only one I felt) was a 7.2, centered in northern Mexico, less than 100 miles from San Onofre. San Onofre is only built to withstand a 7.0 earthquake whose epicenter is no closer than about five miles away. That's hardly the same as a 7.2 earthquake directly underfoot. It's one thing to be shaken, it's another to be ripped apart.
MORE: http://acehoffman.blogspot.com/

====================

11. Small Is Beautiful - Nuclear Industry Pins Hopes on Mini-Reactors

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/
0,1518,687641,00.html#ref=nlint

By Philip Bethge April 9, 2010
The nuclear energy industry hopes to secure its future through miniature nuclear reactors. The small underground plants will supposedly be safer than large plants, and would lower the cost of electricity from nuclear power. But critics say that the electricity the plants produce will be too expensive and warn of the risk of proliferation.
In Galena, a town in icy central Alaska, energy is indispensable -- but expensive. Although diesel generators provide plenty of electricity, the town's roughly 600 residents regularly receive monthly electric bills in the hundreds of dollars.
But the future could soon arrive in this tiny town on the Yukon River. "Super-Safe, Small and Simple," or "4S," is the name of a machine that could soon be buried 30 meters (98 feet) below the icy soil and placed into service.
The hot core of the device, developed by the Japanese company Toshiba, measures only 2 meters by 0.7 meters (6 feet 7 inches by 2 feet 4 inches). But despite its diminutive size, it is expected to deliver 10 megawatts of electricity. "4S" is a nuclear reactor, and Galena could become a test case for a new kind of electricity generation.
The nuclear power industry hopes to secure its future with miniature reactors for civilian use. The concept of mini nukes that could produce up to 300 megawatts of electricity has been remarkably well received, particularly in the United States. Nine designs are competing for the attention of electric utilities and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the government agency that regulates nuclear power plants.
*The Nuclear PR Machine*
Critics, like physicist Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, are convinced that the projects are all in the "stage of fantasy." Jim Riccio, a nuclear expert with the environmental organization Greenpeace, blames the "hype" on the "well-oiled PR machine of the nuclear industry."
But the movement has prominent supporters. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, for example, has invested in a company called TerraPower, which plans to build innovative small reactors. US President Barack Obama has pledged
<http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,678774,00.html> to provide $54 billion (€40 billion) in loan guarantees for the nuclear industry.
And for Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who is a winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, it goes without saying that a portion of these loan guarantees will be available for miniature reactors of what he calls the "plug and play" variety. Small modular reactors are "one of the most promising areas" in the nuclear industry, Chu wrote recently in an enthusiastic opinion piece

<http://online.wsj.com/
article/SB10001424052748704231304575092130239999278.html> in the /Wall Street Journal/.

MORE:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/
0,1518,687641,00.html#ref=nlint

****************************************
"New" Nuclear Reactors, Same Old Story

http://www.rmi.org/rmi/Library/2009-07_ ... meOldStory

AUTHOR: Lovins, Amory DOCUMENT ID: 2009-07 YEAR: 2009
DOCUMENT TYPE: Journal or Magazine Article
PUBLISHER: RMI
Excerpt from Lovins article:
Small reactors
Toshiba claims to be about to market a 200-kWe nuclear plant (~5,000x smaller than today’s norm); a few startup firms like Hyperion Power Generation aim to make 10¢/kWh electricity from miniature reactors for which it claims over 100 firm orders. Unfortunately, 10¢ is the wrong target to beat: the real competitor is not other big and costly thermal power plants, but micropower and negawatts, whose delivered retail cost is often ~1–6¢/kWh.11 Can one imagine in principle that mass-production, passive operation, automation (perhaps with zero operating and security staff), and supposedly failsafe design might enable hypothetical small reactors to approach such low costs? No, for two basic reasons:
• Nuclear reactors derive their claimed advantages from highly concentrated sources of heat, and hence also of radiation. But the shielding and thermal protection needed to contain that concentrated energy and exploit it (via turbine cycles) are inherently unable to scale down as well as technologies whose different principles avoid these issues.
• By the time the new reactors could be proven, accepted by regulators and the public, financed, built, and convincingly tested, they couldn’t undercut the then prices of negawatts and micropower that are beating them by 2–20x today— and would have gained decades of further head start on their own economies of mass production.

=======================

12. America's Imperial Design. Prompt Global Strike: World Military Superiority Without Nuclear Weapons

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18595

By Rick Rozoff Global Research, April 11, 2010
A war can be won without being waged. Victory can be attained when an adversary knows it is vulnerable to an instantaneous and undetectable, overwhelming and devastating attack without the ability to defend itself or retaliate.
What applies to an individual country does also to all potential adversaries and indeed to every other nation in the world.
There is only one country that has the military and scientific capacity and has openly proclaimed its intention to achieve that ability. That nation is what its current head of state defined last December as the world's sole military superpower. [1] One which aspires to remain the only state in history to wield full spectrum military dominance on land, in the air, on the seas and in space.
To maintain and extend military bases and troops, aircraft carrier battle groups and strategic bombers on and to most every latitude and longitude. To do so with a post-World War II record war budget of $708 billion for next year.
Having gained that status in large part through being the first country to develop and use nuclear weapons, it is now in a position to strengthen its global supremacy by superseding the nuclear option.
The U.S. led three major wars in less than four years against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq from 1999-2003 and in all three cases deployed from tens to hundreds of thousands of "boots on the ground" after air strikes and missile attacks. The Pentagon established military bases in all three war zones and, although depleted uranium contamination and cluster bombs are still spread across all three lands, American troops have not had to contend with an irradiated landscape. Launching a nuclear attack when a conventional one serves the same purpose would be superfluous and too costly in a variety of ways.
On April 8 American and Russian presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) agreement in the Czech capital of Prague to reduce their respective nation's nuclear arsenals and delivery systems (subject to ratification by the U.S. Senate and the Russian Duma). Earlier in the same week the U.S. released its new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) which for the first time appeared to abandon the first use of nuclear arms.
The dark nuclear cloud that has hung over humanity's head for the past 65 years appears to be dissipating.
However, the U.S. retains 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 2,200 (by some counts 3,500) more in storage and a triad of land, air and submarine delivery vehicles.

MORE: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18595

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS (2): April 16, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:33 am

NUKE NEWS (2): April 16, 2010

Compilation:

1. HARPER TO TALK NUKES AT G8 SUMMIT
2. Comment: Rempel: Re: How do we shut down nuclear industry?
3. Washington Threatens Iran: US to Retain 90 Nukes on Iran Border
4. Iran to Take US to UN Over Obama's Threat to Use Nuclear Weapons against Iran
5. Dissenting judge says decision puts Navajos health at risk
6. Depleted Uranium Radiation resulting from NATO Bombings in Serbia : High Incidence of Cancer/Comment
7. THE ORIGIN OF NUCLEAR POWER - Parts 1 & 2
8. Cleaning our own house
9. Uranium Mining in Niger - Tuareg Activist Takes on French Nuclear Company
10. STRAIGHTFORWARD, NO FRILLS VIDEOS ON CLIMATE SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, FOOD SECURITY, BOLIVIA and MORE.
11. Nobel Winner Talks Common(s) Sense
12. Harper government must act on environment motion passed by Parliament

========================

1. HARPER TO TALK NUKES AT G8 SUMMIT

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Harpe ... es+summit/
2784634/story.html

BY JULIET O'NEILL, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE
April 9, 2010
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper will invite countries at a Washington nuclear summit next week to join a G8 global partnership program to clean up nuclear sites around the world and prevent nuclear material from falling into terrorist hands.
A Canadian official said at a background briefing Friday that the program, in which 23 countries now participate, is a "super tool" to help implement the key goal of the summit hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The program was launched by the Group of Eight industrialized countries at their summit in 2002 in Kananaskis, Alta., and is on the agenda when Harper hosts the G8 in Muskoka, Ont., in late June.
Canada has spent about $640 million of $1 billion over 10 years the then-Liberal government committed to the program in 2002.
About $20 billion has been committed to the program by participants and G8 foreign ministers are reviewing the results for prime ministers and presidents in time for the Muskoka summit.
Much of the Canadian money so far has been spent in Russia on projects ranging from decommissioning nuclear-powered submarines and neutralizing submarine reactors to upgrading protection at nuclear facilities and providing safe transport of nuclear material.
"All the countries around the table are of the view that securing nuclear material in Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union is very, very, very, very relevant to global stability, not only to Russian-U.S. strategic stability but to the global stability," the official said.

MORE:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Harpe ... story.html

=================

2. Comment: Rempel: Re: How do we shut down nuclear industry?

From: Jacob Rempel, Vancouver
To the Editor, CANADIAN DAILY DIGEST:
In your feature item about the proposed sale of AECL's reactor division, you close with a pose:
THE QUESTION THAT MUST BE POSED: "So with the future looking bright for CANDU in China, should the Canadian government reconsider its recent plans to sell AECL’s reactor division off?"

http://www.canada.com/business/
Tories+want+sole+authority+over+sale+AECL/2744971/story.html?

utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3a+canwest%2fF75+(canada.com+National+News)

No, Joe. That's the wrong question.
The question that should be posed is "How do we in all Canada safely shut down the entire Canadian nuclear industry, the mining, processing, transportation, power generation, and the sale of all uranium products?
Saskatchewan last year proposed a nuclear power station -- CANDU of course.
At hearings, many strong articulate voices rose in opposition. One such voice was that of David Orchard, who presented to the hearing and also was published in several newspapers.
The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon), Thursday, June 18, 2009 (also published in the Nipawin Journal, Moosoomin World-Spectator, Yorkton News-Review, SK and the Edmonton Journal).
"Uranium poses ethical, moral issues for Saskatchewan" by David Orchard
Saskatchewan has already embarked on uranium mining. Now our government is proposing a nuclear reactor, which will place the province squarely on the nuclear road.
The implications do not appear well thought out.
continued...
EXCERPT: "Canada, i.e. Saskatchewan, is the largest supplier of uranium to the U.S. One byproduct, when refined there, is depleted uranium. The U.S. military has used hundreds of tonnes of radioactive depleted uranium munitions in Iraq, Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia.
Upon impact, DU-hardened missiles burst into flames and vaporize. Inhaled DU smoke is an agonizing death sentence for many, as the escalating cancer rates in the countries mentioned have shown.
The subject of DU weaponry has been a virtually taboo topic in Canada, but we cannot pretend our uranium is not responsible for massive suffering that will go on for generations.
This is an ethical and moral question facing us as a province.
Decades ago, B.C. imposed a moratorium on uranium mining and exploration. Nova Scotia followed. New Brunswick's Opposition leader has repeatedly called for a ban in that province, because of "the risk associated to public health."
During the debate over the proposed Warman uranium refinery in the early 1980s, prominent Cree leader Senator John B. Tootoosis spoke eloquently about the power of uranium, which, he said, had been placed in the ground by our Creator and which, he told us, should never be disturbed.
I believe we should heed Senator Tootoosis's warning.
= = = =
I sent this to Joe Hueglin with copies to about twenty Liberal MPs and a few NDPers.
--JR

=====================

3. Washington Threatens Iran: US to Retain 90 Nukes on Iran Border

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=18602

Global Research, April 11, 2010 Press TV - 2010-04-10
As Washington and Moscow sign a new arms reduction treaty, skepticism arises in Turkey as to whether those cuts will include US atomic warheads stored in the country.
US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in Prague on Thursday, which requires both sides to reduce their nuclear arsenals to 1,550, or about one-third below current levels.
This is while the Obama administration has revised US policy on atomic weapons, as part of a new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) that, among other things, is said to be aimed at reducing the US stockpile.
But silence over anticipated US plans to withdraw nuclear bombs deployed in the Incirlik Air Base in southern Anatolia, has left many speculating on whether Washington has any intentions to remove the weapons at all.
When asked about a possible US move to withdraw its nuclear weapons from five European countries, including Turkey, Turkey's Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said that Ankara had no information about such plans.
“No information has been officially announced,” Gonul told reporters on Wednesday.
The US has positioned a total of 200 B61 thermonuclear gravity bombs in Turkey, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany since the Cold War. Turkey is believed to be hosting 90 bombs at Incirlik Air Base.
On April 2, The Times reported that the United States may remove tactical nuclear weapons deployed in five NATO member European countries, including Turkey.
However, the possibility of the White House seriously considering a decision to withdraw the B61 gravity bombs seems unlikely, as it has not consulted Ankara on the issue so far.
In the latest NPR, while the Obama Administration has reduced the threat of using nuclear weapons against signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it has excluded NPT signatory Iran from threat reduction.
During the release of the current NPT today, the US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, "the NPR has a very strong message for both Iran and North Korea, because whether it's in declaratory policy or in other elements of the NPR, we essentially carve out states like Iran and North Korea that are not in compliance with NPT."
"Basically, all options are on the table when it comes to countries in that category," he elaborated.
Washington, which accuses Iran of having the "intention" of developing nuclear weapons, is leading a push for a fourth round of sanctions against Tehran at the United Nations Security Council in a bid to hinder the nation's drive for a nuclear energy program.
Iran, as a signatory of NPT, insists that it neither believes in atomic weapons, nor, as a matter of religious principles, does it intend to acquire nuclear or other weapons of mass-destruction.

MORE : http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=18602

=================

4. Iran to Take US to UN Over Obama's Threat to Use Nuclear Weapons against Iran

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=18620

Global Research, April 12, 2010 Al Jazeera - 2010-04-11
Iran has said it will file a formal complaint with the UN against the US, citing what it calls President Barack Obama's threat to use "nuclear attack" against it.
Obama's implicit threat to use nuclear weapons against Iran was a "threat to global peace and security", Ramin Mehmanparast, a foreign ministry spokesman, was quoted by Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency as saying.
He said that members of the Iranian parliament had asked the government to take the issue to the US.
The US said on Tuesday it would use atomic weapons only in "extreme circumstances" and would not attack non-nuclear states, but singled out "outliers" Iran and North Korea as exceptions.
The US defence secretary said in a television interview on Sunday that Washington was making exceptions of Tehran and Pyongyang because they had defied repeated UN Security Council ultimatums over their nuclear programmes.
"Well, because they're not in compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. So for them all bets are off. All the options are on table," Robert Gates said.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, for her part, argued that Washington's "patience" had helped build international support for sanctions against Iran.
Clinton told NBC that "what we have found over the last months, because of our strategic patience, and our willingness to keep on this issue, is that countries are finally saying, 'You know, I kind of get it ... they're the ones who shut the door, and now we have to do something'".
'Disgraceful statements'
The US statements on the nuclear issue were condemned on Sunday by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who described Obama's language a proof that the US cannot be trusted.

MORE: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=18620

======================

5. Dissenting judge says decision puts Navajos health at risk

By Staff reports Story Published: Apr 9, 2010 Story Updated: Apr 6, 2010

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/southwest/
89998517.html#sf58804

SANTA FE, N.M. – A federal appeals court judge has condemned a decision of two of his colleagues that upholds the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s license allowing Hydro Resources, Inc. to mine for uranium in Churchrock and Crownpoint chapters of the Navajo Nation.
Judge Carlos F. Lucero, in a stinging dissent, disagreed with the majority’s decision upholding the NRC’s administrative ruling that HRI did not have to comply with federal limits on radiation releases from existing mine waste at the Churchrock Section 17 proposed in situ leach mine site.
“Because the majority’s decision in this case will unnecessarily and unjustifiably compromise the health and safety of the people who currently live within and immediately downwind from Section 17, I must respectfully dissent,” Lucero wrote. “The NRC’s erroneous decision and the majority’s endorsement of that decision will expose families [living near Section 17] to levels of radiation beyond those deemed safe by the NRC’s own regulations, jeopardizing their health and safety.”
The 2-1 ruling upheld the license NRC issued to HRI in January 1998, after which a lengthy administrative hearing that lasted through 2006 considered the scientific and legal validity of the license. Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining, Southwest Research and Information Center, and two Navajo women from Pinedale Chapter intervened in the case in 1995, participated in the entire administrative proceeding, and were plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit decided March 8 by the three-judge panel.
ENDAUM and SRIC were represented by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center and the community members were presented by DNA-People’s Legal Services of Window Rock, Ariz.

MORE: http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/southwest/
89998517.html#sf58804

========================

6. Depleted Uranium Radiation resulting from NATO Bombings in Serbia : High Incidence of Cancer/Comment

www.uruknet.info?p=64719

by Ljubica Vujadinovic Article nr. 64719 sent on 02-apr-2010 05:09 ECT
All Voices, April 1, 2010
A leading Serbian expert in the field says the NATO's use of depleted uranium ammunition in it's aggression on Serbia has caused enormous increase in cancer rates and number of newborns with genetic malformations.

Silent killer

"Depleted uranium is not only radioactive, it is very toxic as well," says doctor Radomir Kovacevic, an expert of the Institute for radiology protection "Dr. Dragomir Karajovic" in Belgrade. In an interview for VJ Movement, he explains "Primary it is nephrotoxic, so it affects kidneys, then liver and spleen. Actually, the whole organism is affected from the aspect of toxicity, it is poisoned."
Four studies conducted so far, on both civilians and those who worked on the spots' decontamination, have shown that the DU exposure causes typical and specific changes on genetic material.
"DNA molecule is very sensitive on aggression - in this case it is radioactivity. Experimental oncology has shown 18 years ago that in the etiopathogenesis of malignity precedes one genotoxic stadium and that is exactly what is visible on those chromosomes," tells doctor Kovacevic, stating that the information obtained so far is enough to link the DU contamination to increase in cancer rates.

Threat to newborn lives

MORE: www.uruknet.info?p=64719

~ ~ ~ ~

WATCH: Balkans: Depleted Uranium in NATO Bombs Remains Deadly

http://www.vjmovement.com/truth/656?m=8 ... c77032cb4d

~ ~ ~ ~

COMMENT: From: Elaine Hughes
To: Breitkreuz, G. MP ; Prime Minister Harper ; SK Premier Wall
Cc: SK Green - Leader - Larissa Shasko ; SK Liberal - Leader - Ryan Bater ; SK NDP Caucus ; SK Party Caucus ; Council of Canadians ; Edwards, Dr. CCNR ; Dr Meridale Dewar
Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2010 12:36 PM
Subject: Depleted Uranium Radiation resulting from NATO Bombings in Serbia : High Incidence of Cancer

Premier Wall - I am SO ashamed ….another gift from Saskatchewan!

Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK

Saskatchewan - the 'Saudi of Arabia' of Uranium!
– Premier Wall Speech in Calgary on January 21, 2008 – Page 7
http://www.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMed ... &PN=Shared

===================

7. THE ORIGIN OF NUCLEAR POWER - Parts 1 & 2

http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/vie ... =1625#1625

The Origin of Nuclear Power - A series of articles by Fredrik Loberg with photos by Mattias Rubin

http://www.nyheterna.net/kaernkraftens/ ... ear_power/
uranium_has_forced_people_to_move

As in many other countries much of the electricity in Sweden is based on nuclear power. Threee of the biggest nuclear power plants are placed in southeast of Sweden, outside the city of Oskarshamn. In Oskarshamn the local newspaper Nyheterna is covering the production at the nuclear power plants, but also much of the discussion how to handle the waste from the plants. That is why Nyheterna's journalists Fredrik Loberg and Mattias Rubin went to Canada.

MORE: http://www.nyheterna.net/kaernkraftens/ ... ear_power/
uranium_has_forced_people_to_move

====================

8. Cleaning our own house

http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/ ... ing+house/
2908232/story.html

THE OTTAWA CITIZEN APRIL 17, 2010
While the Harper government is right to want a leadership role in securing the world's highly enriched uranium waste, we must also remember that there are unresolved questions of nuclear waste here in Canada. And nuclear safety, like charity, begins at home.
The federal plan on the world stage makes excellent sense, of course. Canada is a leading nation in nuclear energy and research.
We have more than 20 big nuclear reactors, supplying electricity in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.
Before that, we had experimental reactors at Chalk River. There are small research reactors scattered across many university campuses.
We mine uranium. We turn it into fuel. We've handled the waste for half a century.
But we haven't done this last part well enough, and three instances stand out. Each of these examples of mismanagement has been tucked away in a rural area with a small population, where the vast majority of Canadians (and therefore their elected representatives) can conveniently forget it exists.
The used uranium fuel from 40 years of commercial power production has no home, and there seems to be no rush in finding one for it.
These are the bundles of used fuel from commercial power reactors: 20 in Ontario, two in Quebec, one in New Brunswick.
They have been in temporary storage since the early 1970s, which is stretching the word "temporary."
But with no permanent disposal site yet, that is where this high-level radioactive waste must continue to sit, in deep pools of water to contain both the heat and the radiation.
The plan was to bury it permanently by the year 2000.

MORE:
http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/ ... ing+house/
2908232/story.html

====================

9. Uranium Mining in Niger - Tuareg Activist Takes on French Nuclear Company

http://www.spiegel.de/international/wor ... 74,00.html

By Cordula Meyer, Der Spiegel on-line, April 2 2010
For the past 40 years, the French state-owned company Areva has been mining uranium for Europe's nuclear power needs in Niger, one of the poorest countries on Earth. One local activist is taking on the company, claiming that water and dust have been contaminated and workers are dying as a result of its activities.
The man from Niger had come to speak with the CEO of Germany's biggest bank. Last May, Almoustapha Alhacen was sitting in Frankfurt's Festhalle convention center as he listened to Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackermann tell his audience that despite the financial crisis, his bank was doing better again. Ackermann spoke of responsibility, and he said that "the market and morality" were not contradictions, but would "harmonize with each other for the benefit of everyone."
But in the desert region where Alhacen comes from, there is no harmony between markets and morality. He wanted to tell Ackermann about it, after a group of critical shareholders had invited him to attend the Deutsche Bank shareholders' meeting. Alhacen, wearing a traditional Tuareg robe, a face veil and a turban, stood out among the other people attending the meeting. He was calm as he walked up to the lectern, his face projected onto a large screen on the wall.

MORE:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/wor ... 74,00.html

=========================

10. STRAIGHTFORWARD, NO FRILLS VIDEOS ON CLIMATE SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE, FOOD SECURITY, BOLIVIA and MORE.

http://canadianclimateaction.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/
videos-on-climate-science-agriculture-food-security-bolivia-pablo-salon-and-more/

April 10, 2010
A series by Peter Carter. Peter D. Carter, M.D. is a recently retired family physician and one of the founding directors of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE). Through the 1980s for Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) Peter was a director of the Central Vancouver Island Nuclear Disarmament Association and made numerous presentations on the health effects of nuclear weapons on behalf of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. He was a children's environmental health consultant for the Canadian film, Toxic Trespass – one of many, many, accomplishments. See Peter’s full bio below. Peter is the climate policy advisor for Canadians for Action on Climate Change. Peter and his partner will be in attendance at the upcoming Bolivian conference.

======================

11. Nobel Winner Talks Common(s) Sense

http://thetyee.ca/Life/2010/04/14/ElinorOstrom/

What if our economy was not built on competition? An interview with Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom on working together.
By Fran Korten, 14 Apr 2010, YES! Magazine
Ostrom is the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in economics.
For one thing, she is the first woman to receive the prize. Her Ph.D. is in political science, not economics (though she minored in economics, collaborates with many economists, and considers herself a political economist). But what makes this award particularly special is that her work is about cooperation, while standard economics focuses on competition.
Ostrom's seminal book, Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action, was published in 1990. But her research on common property goes back to the early 1960s, when she wrote her dissertation on groundwater in California. In 1973 she and her husband, Vincent Ostrom, founded the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University. In the intervening years, the Workshop has produced hundreds of studies of the conditions in which communities self-organize to solve common problems. Ostrom currently serves as professor of political science at Indiana University and senior research director of the Workshop.
Fran Korten, YES! Magazine's publisher, spent 20 years with the Ford Foundation making grants to support community management of water and forests in Southeast Asia and the United States. She and Ostrom drew on one another's work as this field of knowledge developed. Fran interviewed her friend and colleague Lin Ostrom shortly after Ostrom received the Nobel Prize.

========================

12. Harper government must act on environment motion passed by Parliament

http://www.liberal.ca/en/newsroom/media-releases/
17934_harper-government-must-act-on-environment-motion-passed-by-parliament

For Immediate Release April 14, 2010
OTTAWA – The Liberals are claiming victory this evening following Parliament’s passage of their opposition motion calling on the Conservative government to take immediate and decisive action on the environment and climate change.
“The government is responsible to the House of Commons, and with the passage of this motion, Canadians expect the Harper government to put in place a national climate change plan,” said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
This evening’s vote saw a majority of the House of Commons support the Liberal Party’s motion that aims to end Conservative inaction on climate change, by calling for:
• A domestic legally-binding long-term emissions reduction target;
• The implementation of a national climate change plan with economy-wide regulations;
• Strategic investments in renewable and clean technology;
• The reversal of the Conservative government’s decision to cancel the ecoENERGY program that supported Canadians in making their homes more energy efficient;
• A First Ministers’ Meeting within 90 days of the motion’s passage to start moving Canada forward on a plan.
“Time and again the Harper government has failed to come up with a credible environment plan,” said Liberal Environment Critic David McGuinty. “Since they took office, their only achievements are three environment ministers and the Fossil of the Year award for our obstruction at last year’s Copenhagen Climate Change Summit.
“This motion calls for ambitious but achievable measures. The Liberals understand how investments in clean technology not only benefit our environment, but it also benefits our economy,” added Mr. McGuinty.
The Liberal Party has put forth a credible plan to tackle the Conservative deficit and invest in jobs and our economy – including clean energy jobs – compared to Stephen Harper’s plan of giving further tax cuts to corporations before we can afford to lower them further. -30-
Contact:
Press Office, Office of the Leader of the Opposition, 613-996-6740
Office of David McGuinty, MP, 613-992-3269

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS (3): April 16, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:35 am

NUKE NEWS (3): April 16, 2010

Compilation:

1. ACTION ALERT: Members of Parliament need to hear from you before the end of day Monday April 19/Letter - Laurin
2. Climate Justice Movement: From Copenhagen to Cochabamba
3. Myths and falsehoods from the assault on global warming science
4. The Toxic 100 Air Polluters
5. Communitarian Socialism in Bolivia
6. WATCH: Private Power and the Myth of Endless Growth
7. PM pushes anti-green agenda
8. THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD
9. SHARING THE SASKATCHEWAN STORY IN QUEBEC
10. Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Updates: April 12 – 16, 2010
11. Award Winning Movie: Superpower. Order Directly from Global Research
12. Planetary Ecological Emergency Declared
13. Taking the shine off P3 projects is his speciality

===========================

1. ACTION ALERT: Members of Parliament need to hear from you before the end of day Monday April 19.

From: Carleen Pickard
Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 9:21 AM

Subject: [ACTIVlist] ACTION ALERT - Forced closure on CCFTA debate premature, compromised Colombian elections must be considered by Canadian government

Please take action this weekend, forward to friends, allies and family - Members of Parliament need to hear from you before the end of day Monday April 19.
Visit: http://www.canadians.org/action/2010/CCFTA-0203.html to sign and send the letter directed at key MPs who can influence the Liberal party's position.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA)

http://www.canadians.org/trade/issues/CCFTA/index.html

On March 26, 2009, the Harper government introduced legislation (Bill C23) in the House of Commons to implement a Canada-Colombia free trade agreement. Like most free trade agreements, this deal was signed without consultation with the public, labour and civil society groups in Canada, who almost unanimously oppose it. Colombia has one of the worst human rights records in the world. There is no evidence that free trade could or ever has improved human rights and environmental protection, especially in Latin America where the experience has been of de-industrialization and growing inequality under free trade agreements. Despite an aggressive push from Harper to get the FTA through Parliament last year, the implementation legislation failed to pass, thanks to strong opposition in the House from the NDP and Bloc Quebecois, backed by equally strong public pressure. Bill C-23 fell off the order paper when Parliament was prorogued. But the second bill introduced into the current parliamentary session after the March budget was new FTA implementation legislation (Bill C-2), with promises from the Harper government to move it through quickly. It is crucial that we do not let this happen, and that the government conduct an independent human rights impact assessment before even considering this reckless new agreement.

MORE: http://www.canadians.org/trade/issues/CCFTA/index.html
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
LETTER: Laurin: Re: Colombia Trade Deal – Bill C-2

http://forum.stopthehogs.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=921

From: Wanda Laurin

To: dhallr@parl.gc.ca ; donolp@parl.gc.ca ; martk@parl.gc.ca ; Justin Trudeau ; volpe.j@parl.gc.ca ; coltlei@parl.gc.ca ; kennedy.g@parl.gc.ca ; valeriote.f@parl.gc.ca ; murph.b@parl.gc.ca ; rae.b@parl.gc.ca ; mendes.a@parl.gc.ca ; brisos@parl.gc.ca ; szabo.p@gc.ca ; minna.m@parl.gc.ca

Cc: Gerry Ritz Minister of Agriculture ; Adele Rymhs ; Andrew Moulden ; Bernard Bigras B.Q. Rosemont ; Bruce Hyer NDP, Thunder Bay ; Chris Warkentin ; David McGuinty Lib. Ottawa south ; Elizabeth May ; Gilles Duceppe ; Jack Layton ; James Moore ; Jennifer Villebrun ; Ken Dryden Lib. York Centre ; Lawrence Cannon Minister of Foreign Affairs .ca ; Libby Davies ; Micheal Ignatieff ; Nathan Cullen NDP, Skeena Valley, B.C. ; Nikki Ashton ; Peter Julian ; Stephane Dion ; Stephen Harper

April 17, 2010

Members of Parliament of Canada

Re: Colombia Trade Deal – Bill C-2

In Colombian more labour leaders are killed every year than in the rest of the world combined. Trade unionists are terrorized and murdered to put a stop to union organizing. It is a well-known fact that the paramilitaries are in collusion with the Uribe government and the Congress of Colombia to scare Colombian workers from forming unions (Colombia is currently less than 5% unionized). As a result, in Colombia, unions are weak and wages of average persons are extremely low. With the country at about 11% unemployment, the companies that employ people have the luxury of manipulating the average Colombian with regard to their wage and benefits.
Instead of unions, the Colombian government created “cooperatives” which means the workers are associates not employees. As associates, workers are not covered by labour laws, are not allowed to strike, and have few if any worker benefits. Their work hours are unregulated.
The current political state of affairs in Colombia is in a state of extreme corruption. The murders of trade union activists are left unquestioned (many of those murdered were accused, by their slayers, of being guerrillas, and the accusation was not questioned, no proof was called for). A huge majority of those who are guilty of these murders are currently free, as the legal system is controlled by the government which manipulates the courts to impede the system from dealing with the murderers.
The Uribe government corruption allows the paramilitaries to terrorize anyone who speaks out against the government. The drug trade, and criminal activity have been strongly linked to the government in Colombia, more than 60% of Uribe’s Congress are under investigation for collaboration with the paramilitaries. Proof of this comes from The Hague International Criminal Court investigating many charges against Colombian Congressmen and their links to the paramilitaries in the drug-trade. Twenty-seven high ranking military officials have been accused by the U.N. Human Rights of ordering their soldiers to kill civilians, dress them as Fark militia and claim the Uribe government bonuses for Fark guerrilla body counts.
Colombians themselves have said no to the trade deal. They realize that the conditions in their country will further deteriorate for average citizens if the big corporations are allowed to do business in their country. The deal will be a “land grab” for international corporations, including Canadian mining companies. The economy will be high-jacked by global corporations that will do business with the Uribe government. This deal will undermine any move to true democracy in Colombia. Barak Obama stated in his 2008 election debate: “The history of Colombia right now is that labor leaders have been targeted for assassination on a fairly consistent basis and there have not been prosecutions...”
The idea of signing a trade deal between Canada and Colombia at any time in the near future, considering the current human rights abuses suffered by the average person in Colombia, would be a monumental error.
As the Conservative members of Parliament in Canada are in support of Bill C-2, can they explain how this legislation, at this time, can be right or fair for the common people of Colombia? It appears that this legislation is in direct conflict of interest with the needs of the common people in Colombia.
My question to the Conservative party of Canada is then, who (is) advocating for this Bill? Who is suggesting that the human rights abuses in Colombia are acceptable to the Canadian public?
The Parliament of Canada should not sign any trade agreements with Colombia until an independent commission is able to determine that conditions in Colombia have improved for the common worker and that the human rights abuses of the government of Colombia are demonstrably and markedly stopped.
Sincerely,
Wanda Laurin,
Peace River, Alberta

===================

2. Climate Justice Movement: From Copenhagen to Cochabamba

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/04/07-6

Published on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 by Inter Press Service by Franz Chávez
LA PAZ - A different way of fighting global warming will be tried out in the central Bolivian city of Cochabamba when government representatives and thousands of activists gather for the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth.
The social organisations sponsoring the Apr. 19-22 conference have announced an alternative platform to the efforts of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-15), which ended in failure in icy Copenhagen in December 2009.
The defence of Mother Earth, championed by Bolivian President Evo Morales, has the support of more than 240 grassroots and indigenous movements, non-governmental organisations, activists and intellectuals who are calling for a charter of rights for the planet.
The main aims of the conference are to organise a world people's referendum on global warming, draw up an action plan to create an international climate justice tribunal, and agree new commitments to be negotiated within United Nations scenarios.
The agenda priorities are: climate debt, climate change migrants and refugees, greenhouse gas emission cuts, adaptation, technology transfer, financing, forests and climate change, shared visions and indigenous peoples.

MORE: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/04/07-6

======================

3. Myths and falsehoods from the assault on global warming science

http://mediamatters.org/research/201004060040

6 April, 2010 2:32 pm ET
The conservative media have mounted an all-out attack on climate science in an attempt to discredit efforts to fight man-made global warming.Media Matters for Americahas debunked prominent myths and falsehoods asassociated with this smear campaign.
MYTH: The scientific consensus on global warming has been undermined by recent events
MYTH: Erroneous Himalayan glacier statement in IPCC report undermines evidence of global warming
MYTH: IPCC report was wrong about the Amazon and drought
MYTH: New study debunks link between global warming and hurricane intensity
MYTH: CRU director Jones admitted that global warming stopped in past 15 years
MYTH: CRU scientists "destroyed" raw temperature data
MYTH: Scientists "fudged" data with a "trick" to "hide" temperature "decline"
MYTH: NASA admitted its data "are in even worse shape" than CRU data
MYTH: CRU scientists "suppressed" opposition
MYTH: The Earth has been cooling since 1998
MYTH: Snowstorms prove global warming does not exist
MYTH: The scientific consensus on global warming has been undermined by recent events

MORE: http://mediamatters.org/research/201004060040

========================

4. The Toxic 100 Air Polluters

http://www.peri.umass.edu/toxic100/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Prof. Michael Ash or Prof. James K. Boyce +1 (413) 577-0816 or peri@peri.umass.edu

TOXIC 100 NAMES TOP CORPORATE AIR POLLUTERS; INCLUDES ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE REPORT CARDS

AMHERST, MA, March 31, 2010 – Researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst today released the Toxic 100 Air Polluters (http://toxic100.org), an updated list of the top corporate air polluters in the United States.
“The Toxic 100 Air Polluters informs consumers and shareholders which large corporations release the most toxic pollutants into our air,” said Professor James Boyce, co-director of PERI's Corporate Toxics Information Project. “We assess not just how many pounds of pollutants are released, but which are the most toxic and how many people are at risk. People have a right to know about toxic hazards to which they are exposed. Legislators need to understand the effects of pollution on their constituents.”
The Toxic 100 Air Polluters index is based on air releases of hundreds of chemicals from industrial facilities across the United States. The rankings take into account not only the quantity of releases, but also the toxicity of chemicals, transport factors such as prevailing winds and height of smokestacks, and the number of people exposed.
The top five air polluters among large corporations are the Bayer Group, ExxonMobil, Sunoco, DuPont, and Arcelor Mittal. The Toxic 100 Air Polluters rankings have been expanded to include large privately held firms, such as number 10 Koch Industries, as well as the world’s largest publicly traded corporations.
For the first time, the Toxic 100 Air Polluters includes information on the disproportionate risk burden from industrial air toxics for minorities and low-income communities. This makes it possible to compare corporations and facilities in terms of their environmental justice performance as well as overall pollution. For example, the data reveal that minorities bear 65% of the air toxics risk from facilities owned by ExxonMobil, while minorities make up 38% of the U.S. population.

MORE: http://www.peri.umass.edu/toxic100/

===================

5. Communitarian Socialism in Bolivia

http://globalalternatives.org/node/113

By Roger Burbach April 5, 2010
When Bolivia´s president, Evo Morales, was sworn in to a second term in January, he proclaimed Bolivia a plurinational state that would construct "communitarian socialism." In an accompanying address, Vice President Álvaro Garcia Linare, envisioned a "socialist horizon" for Bolivia, characterized by "well-being, making the wealth communal,
drawing on our heritage . . ." The process "will not be easy, it could take decades, even centuries, but it is clear that the social movements cannot achieve true power without implanting a socialist and communitarian horizon."[1]
During the past decade Latin America has become a scene of hope and expectations as its leaders and social movements have raised the banner of 21st century socialism in a world ravished by imperial adventures and economic disasters. Proponents of the new socialism
assert that it will break with the state-centered socialism of the last century, and will be driven by grassroots social movements that construct an alternative order from the bottom up. There is also widespread concurrence that the process will take a unique path in
each country, that there is no singular model or grand strategy to pursue.

MORE: http://globalalternatives.org/node/113

=====================

6. WATCH: Private Power and the Myth of Endless Growth

http://canadianclimateaction.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/
weylers-must-watch-speech-on-private-power-and-the-myth-of-endless-growth/

Rex in Effect! Weyler's Must-Watch Speech

Friday, 09 April 2010 08:23 Written by Damien Gillis
DY-NA-MITE! Those three syllables best describe Rex Weyler's recent speech to a crowd of 300 in Vancouver - who filled Heritage Hall to hear about private river power and its threat to BC's spectacular Bute Inlet. In just over 10 min Rex tears to shreds the whole Campbell private power program, undermining the assumptions of endless growth that serve as the foundation to this house of cards. Peak oil, consumerism, limits to growth: these are tough topics - taboos even - but Rex boils them down into simple, compelling logic that anyone can immediately grasp.
Do yourself a favour and watch this video - then forward it to everyone you know. It's as good an explanation as you will ever find of the challenges we face as a species, and the only real solutions to them.
Watch the 12 minute video here: here
http://canadianclimateaction.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/
weylers-must-watch-speech-on-private-power-and-the-myth-of-endless-growth/
- - - -
Rex Weyler is a co-founder of Greenpeace and has recently joined both BC Citizens for Public Power - as a spokesperson and advisor - and this publication as a contributor.
http://thecanadian.org/k2/item/58-rex-weyler3
Greenpeace co-founder Rex Weyler gave one hell of a speech to a crowd of 300 on April 6.

======================

7. PM pushes anti-green agenda

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/ ... en+agenda/
2790884/story.html

BY SUSAN RILEY, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN APRIL 12, 2010
What if the Harper government's approach to the environment – rolling back safeguards, delaying regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, failing even to make serious efforts at conservation -- doesn't simply reflect indifference, neglect, or a single-minded attempt to shelter the lucrative and polluting oilsands?
What if the real, unstated goal is to withdraw the federal government from environmental regulation altogether and hand responsibility to the provinces?
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, who has followed federal environmental policy for decades and over the course of several governments, is convinced that is the prime minister's end game.
While the Constitution treats the environment as a shared responsibility, Conservatives want to rewrite the rules "so the federal government doesn't have a role at all," she says.
That fits with Harper's "libertarian" notion that government is largely an impediment to peoples' lives, outside of providing a few basic services. For evidence, she cites the recent budget, which announced that environmental reviews of major energy projects would
now be undertaken by the National Energy Board and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission --both regarded as pro-industry – rather than the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, established in 1994.
This bombshell, mostly overlooked in an otherwise uneventful budget, was followed by a low-key announcement that the environment minister now will have wide-ranging powers to limit environmental assessments of contentious projects to specific elements -- a road into the site, for instance, or a nearby waterway.
Environment Minister Jim Prentice insists his government remains committed to oversight and his goal is only to reduce needless delay and duplication.
May says this is a canard -- that federal and provincial governments often run joint, rather than competing, reviews; that each level of government has different, if related, green mandates; and, that, without federal participation, there will be less scrutiny overall.
Well-known Quebec environmentalist, Steven Guilbeault of Equiterre, agrees both levels of government have complementary interests that rarely overlap. "Are you going to suggest that Ottawa shouldn't have a health ministry, because Quebec does?" he asks.
"If this government's policy goals were ever stated clearly, Canadians would be up in arms," says May. "So they talk about 'realistic' targets, and 'duplication.' They are very careful to disguise the most anti-environmental agenda of any government ever."
Besides being an environmental lawyer and long-time activist, May, of course, is Harper's political rival. But she isn't the only one struck by the disconnect between the government's more conciliatory tone since Prentice became minister and its retrograde, or contradictory, actions.

MORE:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/ ... en+agenda/
2790884/story.html

====================

8. THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD

http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/

Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonnano engage in a series of stunts to underscore the crimes and misdemeanors of contemporary corporations.
Even if the Yes Men don’t fix the world, they certainly give it something to think about. (Mike Scott, Times-Picayune)
= = = = = == = == = = = = = =

A HUFFY CANADA SHUTS DOWN ‘YES MEN’

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepoliti ... 189467.asp

Stung by a satire at the Copenhagen climate conference, Canada's government has shut down two parody Web sites criticizing the Great White North's glacial policy on global warming.
In the process, however, it has taken down 4,500 other Web sites that had nothing to do with the prank played two weeks ago at the global climate summit.
The two "offending" sites, developed by "Yes Men" pranksters, announced that Canada would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 40 percent from 1990 levels, and 80 percent by the year 2050.
The "announcement" came as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government was privately circulating a plan to permit a 165 percent INCREASE in emissions from Alberta's huge, dirty oil sands project.
The two Web sites, "enviro-canada.ca" and "ec-gc.ca" are "directly connected to a hoax which misleads people into believing that the Government of Canada will take certain actions in relation to environmental matters," Mike Landreville from Environment Canada wrote in an e-mail to the German Internet Service Provider (ISP) Serveloft.
"We trust you appreciate the importance of avoiding confusion among the public concerning Canadian governmental affairs and that you will assist us in preventing this hoax from spreading further."
Going further, Landreville asked the ISP to "make every effort to prevent any further attempts concerning other environment-related domains (enviro, ec-gc, etc.) originating from your servers."
The Great White North carries weight with ISP.

MORE: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepoliti ... 189467.asp

===================

9. SHARING THE SASKATCHEWAN STORY IN QUEBEC

http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=ce98dd ... 9424ef4750

News Release - April 8, 2010
Provincial Secretary June Draude will be in Quebec this weekend to tell the Saskatchewan story to the members of the Montreal Consular Corps, representing 85 countries. The presentation will focus on the exceptional quality of life, dynamic economy and vast natural resources that our province has to offer.
"Over the last five years we have substantially increased trade with other nations," Draude said. " With more than 20 per cent of the world supply of natural resources coming directly from Saskatchewan, we know this increase will likely continue. This visit is part of government's diplomatic engagement strategy to share our story with others - not only as a trading partner but as the best place in Canada to live, raise a family and do business."

MORE:
http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=ce98dd ... 9424ef4750

==================

10. Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Updates: April 12 – 16, 2010

In this update: April 12

Alberta faces water crisis, looks to water markets
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3278

Eduardo Galeano to attend climate conference in Bolivia
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3276

Water poverty in the UK as rates increase, the recession hits
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3274

Pablo Solon criticizes cut in U.S. climate aid to Bolivia
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3270

Long Lake tar sands project seeks water from Clearwater River
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3268

Trade committee gets an earful on “Buy American” sellout; draft report to be considered this week
http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=760

Media releases:

Council of Canadians to attend historic Cochabamba Climate Change Conference
http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2 ... -10-a.html

= = = =

Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Update - April 13, 2010
www.canadians.org.

ACTION ALERT: Take action today to support C-311
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3290

Robert Redford to attend the climate conference in Bolivia
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3287

Media releases:

Free trade without free elections: Ground’s eye view of Colombia’s human rights
[13-Apr-10] Free trade without free elections: Ground’s eye view of Colombia’s human rights

= = = =

Council of CanadiansACTIVlist Update: April 14, 2010

MP Atamanenko speaks against CETA
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3298

WATCH: Maude Barlow on TVO, April 16
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3294

Will Bamoos Lake become a Schedule 2 tailings impoundment area?
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3292

---------

Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Update April 15, 2010

Council of Canadians announces Shout Out for Global Justice, June 25, Convocation Hall, Toronto
http://www.canadians.org/activistblog/?p=101

Ignatieff now says Quebec user fee violates Canada Health Act
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3302

VIEW: ‘The G20 lacks legitimacy’, says Norway’s foreign minister
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3300

The Climate Change Accountability Act moves forward to final vote!
http://www.canadians.org/energyblog/?p=223

Media releases:

[15-Apr-10] New hard-hitting report details Prime Minister’s ‘assault on Democracy’
http://www.canadians.org/media/other/20 ... -10-2.html

[15-Apr-10] Council of Canadians to host ‘Shout out for Global Justice!’ during G20 Summit
http://www.canadians.org/media/other/20 ... pr-10.html

Council of Canadians ACTIVlist Update: April 16, 2010

UPDATE: MiningWatch roundtable on key environmental issues
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3311

Flouridation in drinking water brings risks, few benefits
http://www.canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3304

Media releases:

[16-Apr-10] New Trade Justice Network to Release Controversial Details of Canada-Europe Free Trade Talks
http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/20 ... -10-a.html

======================

11. Award Winning Movie: Superpower. Order Directly from Global Research

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18612

Global Research, April 13, 2010
NEW DVD NOW AVAILABLE TO ORDER!
Superpower- The Truth Can Be Hidden
a documentary film by Barbara-Anne Steegmuller

Superpower is a comprehensive film that asks tough questions and goes behind the scenes of America’s national security apparatus and military actions. Far from a conspiracy film about the dangers of government secrets and regime change, this well-balanced film straddles the philosophical divide and allows viewers to understand the US quest for global dominance through economic and military strategy that is exposed through review of historical events, personal interviews, and analysis of US foreign policy.

Click here for more information on the film
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14083

============================

12. Planetary Ecological Emergency Declared

http://www.ecoearth.info/blog/2010/04/
release_planetary_ecological_e.asp

EI PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE
Human pressures on Earth System's nine life-support systems have reached a scale where people power revolutionary action may be necessary and warranted to stop abrupt global environmental collapse
April 13, 2010
From Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI), http://www.ecoearth.info/newsdesk/
and New Earth Rising, http://www.newearthrising.org/
Contact: Dr. Glen Barry, President, Ecological Internet glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org
Ecological Internet (EI) today declares a planetary ecological emergency. On the basis of overwhelming new ecological science indicating key global ecosystems and life-support systems are failing - EI calls for an immediate and escalating people's power Earth Revolution on behalf of Earth, all her life, and the human family. A recent highly significant scientific paper entitled "Planetary Boundaries: A Safe Operating Space for Humanity"[1] highlights the numerous means by which the Earth System's life-support systems are failing. The natural right of all species to take all necessary actions to protect themselves, their habitat and do what is necessary to avoid ecocide is thus activated. This is not a drill.
The human family faces the imminent collapse of the biosphere - the thin layer of life organized into ecosystems, upon an otherwise lifeless planet - that makes Earth habitable. Marshes and rivers and forests and fish are far more than resources - they and all natural ecosystems provide for humanity's habitat and existence upon Earth. A few centuries of unprecedented explosion in human numbers and surging inequitable consumption are needlessly destroying being for all living things. Environmental movement accommodation and compromise have not brought required policies necessary to avert widespread ecosystem collapse, or to lay the basis for achieving global ecological sustainability.
Ecological Internet believes biocentric, deep ecologists must carefully, quickly and thoroughly consider possibly using widespread leaderless resistance, sabotage and carefully targeted insurgency on behalf of our ecosystem habitats and shared survival. Revolutionary actions such as ending coal use, reforming industrial agriculture, and protecting and restoring old forests and other natural ecosystems, are a requirement for living within the biosphere and life-support systems' carrying capacities. This declaration establishes "New Earth Rising" [2] as a political wing of an Earth Revolution to freely discuss and debate, though not directly incite or partake, in these matters.
There exist ways to live well within Earth's carrying capacity as we equitably and justly further human advancement with all Earth's plants and creatures at our side. Solutions exist: powering down, ecosystem protection, ecological restoration, reducing population, ending old forest logging and coal, and working for global equity, justice and peace. Earth and humanity's survival depend upon getting these items implemented quickly using protest, civil disobedience, and if rebuffed yet again; considering carefully targeted sabotage and insurgency of the growth machine which is eating our ecosystem habitats.
Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet's President, explains "I don't want to be doing any of this myself, and I am most assuredly not trying to incite any imminent illegal activities. As an academic 'Political Ecologist' I study and write about revolutionary strategies to achieve global ecological sustainability. We seek to discuss what revolutionary tactics could possibly be used to sustain Earth's biosphere and constituent ecosystems required to maintain habitability. This is free speech, and given the importance of the topic of Earth System global change, surely is appropriate." ### ENDS ###
[1] In "Planetary Boundaries: A Safe Operating Space for Humanity," published this past fall in the journal Ecology and Society, and presented also in Scientific American magazine's April issue, twenty-eight luminaries from environmental and earth-systems science identified nine "planetary life-support systems" that are vital for human survival. It was found humanity had already overstepped three of nine planetary boundaries -biodiversity loss, climate change and nitrogen cycle - and is approaching boundaries for the use of fresh water and land, and ocean acidification.
*Journal Article: Planetary Boundaries: A Safe Operating Space for Humanity
http://www.ecoearth.info/shared/docfeed ... daries.pdf
* Popular Media: Easy to Understand New Scientist article:
http://www.newscientist.com/special/
ocean-to-ozone-earths-nine-life-support-systems
* Graphic: http://www.newscientist.com/data/images ... 491201.jpg
* YouTube Video: Big Question: Is Earth past the tipping point? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkkKZgKmdP4
[2] New Earth Rising - http://www.newearthrising.org/ -- Ecological Internet's biocentric e-zine dedicated to knowing Earth's crises, and to pursuing social change and personal transformation sufficient to achieve global ecological sustainability. The next issue will begin serializing book of the same name by Dr. Barry considering the need and justification for Earth Revolution, as well as possible people power strategies and tactics.

=====================

13. Taking the shine off P3 projects is his speciality

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/today ... story.html

Private public partnerships often waste a lot of money, retired banker says
By Barry Critchley, Financial PostApril 16, 2010
John Scheel, who trained as a chemical engineer and ended up as a merchant banker, has developed a new passion in retirement: dispelling the supposed advantages of private public partnerships, the P3 sector.
In a nutshell, he believes they are more expensive than they should be, both from an operational and financing point of view and that they generate excess returns to the consortium that builds and manages them. And they are not transparent.

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: April 20, 2010

by Oscar » Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:36 am

NUKE NEWS: April 20, 2010

Compilation:

1. 40th Anniversary of Earth Day – Regina – April 22 – 25
2. 505 Order of Canada members call for treaty banning nukes
3. Let’s abolish nuclear weapons, once and for all
4. Bruce Power seeks change to how Alberta electricity system operates
5. Letter: Keillor: Nuclear Guarantees
6. Comment: Rempel: When wind blows no good
7. Ceasefire.ca - Roche and O’Hanlon on CTV Powerplay
8. Obama Threatens Iran with Nuclear War
9. Greenpeace says Gorleben is not suitable as a nuclear waste dump
10. Defunct Uranium Mine Contaminating Groundwater Near Denver Reservoir
11. Beyond Nuclear Bulletin - April 15, 2010
12. Council of Canadians announces Shout Out for Global Justice, June 25, Convocation Hall, Toronto

=========================

1. 40th Anniversary of Earth Day – Regina – April 22 - 25

Film Festival, Environmental Activist Awards and Family Fun Festival
"CELEBRATING THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF BIODIVERSITY"
Royal Saskatchewan Museum (College and Albert Street), Regina

Thursday, April 22
Seeds for Sustainability Concert featuring Brett Dolter and Glenn Sutter
7-10 pm. $15 admission. Proceeds from the show will be going to North Central Community Gardens.
Tickets@ Bach and Beyond, Cobb Swanson & the RSM Gift Shop. Further information at www.myspace.com/glennsuttermusic
See the Change Be the Change
4th Annual Environmental Film Festival and Environmental Activist Awards

Friday, April 23
7 pm - Doors Open
7:30 pm - Film Screenings
The Story of Stuff (20 min)
The Story of Cap and Trade (10 min)
The Story of Bottled Water (8 min)
8:00 pm - Environmental Activist Awards Ceremony honouring:
Campbell Collegiate Environmental Club
Catherine Verrall
Paule Hjertaas
Jim Harding
Discussion to follow
Presented by Lynn Hainsworth, Executive Director of Saskatchewan EcoNetwork
Free Admission. Fair Trade coffee will be served

Saturday, April 24
7 pm -Doors Open
7:30 pm - Film Screenings
Refugees of the Blue Planet (54 min)
Taking Back Control of Our Food (46 min), Introduced by Elaine Sukava of Food Secure SK
Free Admission. Toonie concession available featuring Fair Trade coffee, popcorn and pop.
Sponsors for Friday & Saturday: RSM Associates, Saskatchewan EcoNetwork, Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation, SK Environment, Food Secure Saskatchewan, The Story of Stuff, Education for Sustainable Development Network

Sunday, April 25 - Earth Day Festival of Family Fun
1-4 pm Featuring crafts & activities, contests, entertainment, resource fair, concession sales and more! Free admission.
Sponsors: Royal Saskatchewan Museum, RSM Associates, City of Regina, SaskEnergy, Herbal Magic, Canadian Wildlife Federation, Nature Saskatchewan, Wascana Center Authority
For more information contact the RSM at 787-2815 or visit www.royalsaskmuseum.ca

========================

2. 505 Order of Canada members call for treaty banning nukes

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4533&utm_sou ... m_campaign
=Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29

Posted: 19 Apr 2010 06:15 PM PDT
In an unprecedented development, more than 500 recipients of the prestigious Order of Canada have come together to call on governments around the world, including Canada, to bring about the elimination of nuclear weapons. “This is the first time that so many recipients of the Order of Canada have signed a common declaration,” [...]

======================

3. Let’s abolish nuclear weapons, once and for all

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4522&utm_sou ... fire.ca%29

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 11:56 AM PDT
Let’s abolish nuclear weapons, once and for all Dear Ceasefire.ca supporter, Can there be any greater threat to planet Earth than the 23,000 thermonuclear bombs currently held by the United States, Russia, and a growing list of other countries? We must end this nuclear threat for ourselves and the generations to come. Please join me in writing to Prime Minister Harper, [...]

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4. Bruce Power seeks change to how Alberta electricity system operates

(No website)
Company asking for the province to consider feed-in tariffs for “new technologies”
Mile Zero News, Grimshaw AB April 14, 2010 Doug Neuman
Bruce Power will likely require a feed-in tariff for power from a proposed nuclear power plant if they are to go ahead with the project.
Albert Cooper, the company’s Alberta spokesperson, said the chances of the project moving forward were “very low” without the guarantee that a feed-in tariff would be considered for this and other low-carbon power sources.
“You can’t raise the funds necessary to build a project like this without some kind of structure and security,” he said.
Bruce Power has estimated the plant will cost about $13 billion.
A feed-in tariff guarantees a specific price for power being sold into the power grid. These tariffs exist for alternative power sources in other jurisdictions, but Alberta’s situation is unique because this province’s electricity market has been deregulated. In this system, available power in the province is pooled and sold at a rate determined by the market, regardless of the source.
Kristen Stolarz, a spokesperson for Alberta Energy, said the idea of this kind of power purchase agreement would not necessarily be incompatible with a deregulated system, provided a seller and a buyer can come to a private agreement on a price. If the power is to be simply fed into the grid, however, it would just be sold at market price.
“We don’t have feed-in tariffs in Alberta,” she said, whether for nuclear, wind or otherwise. “Under the existing framework there’s no space for that.”
A change to that system would require legislation, although Stolarz said she could not say what, specifically, that change would look like.
Cooper made a presentation last week to the Peace River Chamber of Commerce and MLA Frank Oberle and discussed, among other things, the company’s desire to see the province consider allowing for feed-in tariffs for low-carbon “new technologies.”
“This isn’t just going to be a nuclear deal. I’m guessing, if the government is going to consider it at all, they’ll look at a basket of the lower-emission technologies,” Cooper said.
Oberle could not be reached for comment.
A feed-in tariff, if it is to be considered, would likely be passed on to the power consumers in the province, Cooper said.
“The government wouldn’t be paying this money, it’s paid through the consumer,” he said.
Opponents of the project say this request from Bruce Power gives the indication that the project is not as economically viable as the company has said, and that it will end up costing taxpayers.
“Where’s the economic benefit to the people of Alberta?,” said Adele Boucher Rymhs, President of the Coalition for a Nuclear-Free Alberta, a province-wide group that comprises about a dozen other anti-nuclear groups. She said she is opposed to Bruce Power getting any kind of special deal.
“What’s good for the goose has to be good for the gander,” she said.
Supporters of the project, meanwhile, have been asked to speak up. In a March 31 letter addressed to “Fellow Albertans,” Peace River Chamber of Commerce President Shelly Shannon encourages proponents to tell their MLAs they support the project, and cautions that “failure to act within the next week may very well result in the shelving of this project.”
Terry Hartz, a spokesperson for the Chamber, said supporters needed to show themselves now to ensure the project gets to the environmental assessment (EA) stage. Once that process starts, he said, costs to the company would jump significantly.
Bruce Power would need guarantees to get a certain rate for their power if they are to go ahead with the EA process. Those guarantees are currently unavailable in Alberta’s power market.
“This is not imposing upon that, but it is changing it a little bit. That change is that the government will be asked to implement a low-price figure of some sort that the investors can expect,” Hartz said. “If the provincial government says no, we’re not interested in a power purchase agreement, then there will be no nuclear plants in Alberta. There’s no question about that.”
Cooper would not say definitively that the company would not go ahead without an agreement, but said he thought some sort of change would be necessary for the province to encourage low-carbon power sources.
“We don’t know what they will do, but we know what it will take for us to look seriously at our project,” he said. “Any of the new technologies are going to need this kind of backing.”

====================

5. Letter: Keillor: Nuclear Guarantees

April 15, 2010

Premier Ed Stelmach
# 307 Legislature Building
10800-97th Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6

Dear Mr. Stelmach,
Through the local media I have learned that Bruce Power Alberta is asking your government for
· a guaranteed market and a guaranteed price for its power for a specified number of years by calling their new Generation ACR 1000 reactor new technology
· a cost-sharing arrangement for any delays or cost overruns during the construction period
· a 500 kilovolt electrical transmission line funded by electrical consumers
· road improvements funded by taxpayers
In the past 3 years I have spent a great deal of time researching all aspects of nuclear power and have come to the conclusion that nuclear power is not the solution for our future energy needs. The cons outweigh the pros by a lot.
One of the main issues of nuclear power is its huge start up cost. In its history nuclear power has always relied on huge, outrageous government subsidies to be able to compete on the open market.
The liabilities are always understated by the industry and in the end it is always the government and taxpayers that are left holding the “toxic waste bag”.
If you read the annual 2009 Report on the status of World Nuclear Industry, commissioned by the German federal ministry of environment, nature conservation and reactor safety, it is easy to see how desperate this industry is.
( http://www.nirs.org/neconomics/weltstat ... ht0908.pdf )

Before we even consider nuclear power production, we have to give alternative energy production, such as geothermal, biomass and run-of-the river hydro, wind and solar a chance to prove itself.
I feel that our government has done very little to promote and/or educate Albertans on power conservation and efficiency, which is known to be the most cost effective. There are no incentives or programs that I am aware of that would encourage this.
The renewable energy sector is not without challenges, but they are minor when compared to the long-lasting and costly problems of the Nuclear “White Elephant”!
Building a 4000-megawatt nuclear power plant in Alberta would virtually kill the development of alternative energy production in this province and leave us behind the rest of the world in becoming a leader in the growing alternative power industry.
New Generation nuclear power is not new technology; it still splits atoms, boils water, wastes vast amounts of heat and leaves radioactive waste for future generations.
If the Alberta energy market is truly deregulated, nuclear cannot receive any handouts or hidden subsidies from the government.
I truly hope that you keep your word and adhere to your statement: “We will not invest public dollars in any nuclear proposal”, and not give subsidies of any kind to the nuclear industry.

When the private market sector is not willing to invest in nuclear without government guarantees - could it be that the risks are too great?
Sincerely,
Trudi Keillor
Cc: Conservative MLAs
Liberal MLAs
New Democrat MLAs
Wildrose MLA
Independent MLAs
Coalition for Nuclear Free Alberta

======================

6. Comment: Rempel: When wind blows no good
From: Jacob Rempel
Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 11:16 PM

Sent to all MPs :
-------------------------------------------------
When the wind blows aerosolized DU, it's OMNICIDAL, attacking all life.
(There's a lot of Canadian aerosolized DU in Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.)
There is no reason to continue the use of uranium, whether enriched for power generation, enriched for nuclear bombs, exported for US dollars, or recycled as "depleted" in artillery ammunition and bunker busting bombs. Every good that uranium provides can be provided by other technology.
Corporate shareholder profits, as well as jobs and government revenue, can be achieved with other safer technology. It's time to dismantle the entire highly subsidized uranium industry from the mining to the war industry (They can kill without uranium).
No one really needs uranium anywhere, for anything good.
---- Jacob Rempel, Vancouver
================================
QUOTE: "Depleted Uranium leads to the word "Omnicidal," as DU kills everything in the food chain, everywhere the wind blows."
....Depleted Uranium (DU) ...comes from that funny yellow stuff
Cameco and others claw out of the ground in northern Saskatchewan....
our gift to the world . . . .that just keeps on giving.
Elaine Hughes, Archerwill, Saskatchewan
--------------------------------------------------
Saskatchewan - the 'Saudi of Arabia' of Uranium! – Premier Wall, Speech in Calgary on January 21, 2008 – Page 7

http://www.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMed ... &PN=Shared
= = = = =

Israel's Declining Sperm Quality Tied To Depleted Uranium Exposure

http://www.countercurrents.org/king150410.htm
By Tim King 15 April, 2010 Salem-News.com
(TEL AVIV / SALEM) - Israel's population is facing a dire threat: a drastic depopulation, from the use of weapons that leave behind Depleted Uranium (DU). Depleted Uranium leads to the word Omnicidal, as DU kills everything in the food chain, everywhere the wind blows. Experts say the dramatic drop in Israel's sperm count could eliminate their ability to reproduce.
MORE: http://www.countercurrents.org/king150410.htm

====================

7. Ceasefire.ca - Roche and O’Hanlon on CTV Powerplay

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4504&utm_sou ... fire.ca%29

Doug Roche discusses Obama Summit on CTV
http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4497&utm_sou ... fire.ca%29

John Polanyi discusses Obama’s nuclear summit on CBC http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4489&utm_sou ... fire.ca%29

=================

8. Obama Threatens Iran with Nuclear War

www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18644
Global Research, April 15, 2010 By Kourosh Ziabari
In his latest statements, President Obama has expressively warned Iran against an imminent nuclear strike. The surprising remarks by the politician who snatched the Nobel Peace Prize for his conciliatory stance in recent years, violated the UN Charter and astounded public opinion.
"The continued presence of all options on the table"; this is the disappointing message which a Nobel Peace Prize laureate dispatches internationally. In his latest interview with CBS news, American President Barack Obama refused to rule out the possibility of a military strike against Iran by harking back to the famous catchphrase of former U.S. President George W. Bush who once devised, regarding Iran's nuclear program, the popular sentence of "all options are on the table".
Putting the quality and quantity of these options aside, the very "table" on which the options should be placed is as well a matter of controversy. Who is in the position to decide the destiny of Iran's nuclear program? Which table is the U.S. President referring to? What's wrong with Iran's nuclear program in lieu of which a 70-million nation should go on with crippling sanctions, continued threats of military strike, isolation and economic embargo? What's the definite answer to the simple question that "why should the U.S., France and Israel possess nuclear weapons"? Which one is more offensive and violent? Iran's nuclear program which has been demonstrated again and again that does not have anything to do with military purposes, or the adventurous, aggressive trajectory Washington and its European allies have begun to go across?
MORE: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18644

===================

9. Greenpeace says Gorleben is not suitable as a nuclear waste dump

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5467572,00.html
DW-WORLD.DE | 14.04.2010
The environmental activist group Greenpeace said on Wednesday that it had obtained official documents, which prove that the salt mines in the German town of Gorleben should not have been used as a disposal site for nuclear waste.
"There was never a scientific selection procedure that concluded the salt mines in Gorleben would be the best choice," Greenpeace nuclear expert Mathias Edler told reporters at a press conference in Berlin. "Geological criteria for a nuclear disposal site in the salt mines played a minor role."
Greenpeace said the more than 12,000 pages of partly classified documents, which date back to the mid-1970's, are from the Lower Saxony state chancellery, environment ministry, and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources.
The group said it would post all of its findings, as well as all of the documents, on the Internet.
Gorleben has been used as a temporary nuclear waste repository since 1983. Last month, after a 10-year moratorium, the German Environment Ministry announced that exploration would resume to see if Gorleben is suitable as a permanent disposal site. The move was sharply criticized by the Green Party and environmentalists.
Political reasons
Greenpeace said the documents cited on Wednesday show that the selection of Gorleben as a disposal site was made primarily for political reasons. Greenpeace nuclear expert Mathias Edler told Deutsche Welle that the town had not been seriously considered as a site until the then-Christian Democrat premier of the state of Lower Saxony at the time, Ernst Albrecht, decided in favor of its construction.
MORE: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5467572,00.html

=======================

10. Defunct Uranium Mine Contaminating Groundwater Near Denver Reservoir

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/04/16-7
by Bruce Finley, Published on Friday, April 16, 2010 by The Denver Post
A defunct uranium mine in Jefferson County is contaminating groundwater near a reservoir, but government regulators and mine executives have yet to settle on a plan for cleanup.
Uranium concentrations in groundwater 30 feet beneath the brim of the Schwartzwalder Mine exceed the human health standard for uranium by more than 1,000 times, according to state records reviewed Thursday.
MORE: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/04/16-7

===================

11. Beyond Nuclear Bulletin - April 15, 2010

Top Stories

Participate in Nation Academy cancer study meeting
Background: Following the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s announcement that it will ask the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to perform a cancer risk study around nuclear power facilities, the NAS’ Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board (NRSB) has posted a detailed agenda for a Monday, April 26th public meeting. See our April 8 Bulletin article “US NRC asks National Academy of Sciences to perform a cancer study around nuclear reactors” for more background. Invited speakers include Steven Wing, PhD., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Associate Professor; Arjun Makhijani, PhD., President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research; and Ralph Andersen of the Nuclear Energy Institute along with Senator Markey’s policy director, Michal Freedhoff, and Brian Sheron of the NRC. There will be approximately 45-minutes for public comment. Cindy Folkers of Beyond Nuclear will also participate.
Our view: Concerned citizens’ groups sent a letter to NRC expressing strong apprehension over NRC’s conducting or controlling this study. These concerns remain largely unaddressed. While the study venue appears to have changed from Oak Ridge Associated Universities to NAS in response to our concerns, the NRC can still have a great deal of input in study design. Additionally, the current chair of NRSB is Richard Meserve, former chair of the NRC. His presence and possible participation in parts of this study process raises serious concerns about its independence.
What you can do: It is imperative that you weigh in at the beginning of this process to attempt to make it transparent and legitimate. If you are near the Washington, DC area on Monday April 26, please try to attend this meeting. There is NO call-in participation. You can submit written comments before the meeting, or Beyond Nuclear can submit written comments for you during the meeting if you are unable to attend. We strongly recommend you place your name on the NRSB list by contacting: nrsb@nas.edu if you wish to speak during the comment period. NRSB also recommends you have a written version of your comments for the record. For location, contact information, and specific times, please see the agenda. Contact cindy@beyondnuclear.org if you have additional questions.

Obama’s “Global Nuclear Security Summit” tries for the impossible
The Global Nuclear Security Summit, which took place April 12 and 13 in Washington, DC, and involved 47 countries, took some bold steps in the right direction. The summit was an achievement in itself and has put nuclear weapons firmly back into the global dialogue. The very real threat of nuclear war, particular if initiated by terrorists in possession of a nuclear weapon, was addressed and recognized. However, the summit also included the signing of an agreement between the U.S. and Russia to use weapons plutonium in civilian nuclear reactors. Under terms of the long-delayed agreement, the two countries will take at least 34 tons of weapons plutonium to make electricity. Ironically, the summit’s stated goal was to “secure” loose nuclear materials in an effort to prevent nuclear terrorism. But, as Dr. David Lowry, Former director, European Proliferation Information Centre (EPIC), pointed out in a letter to The Guardian: “The recycle of plutonium is frankly the daftest and most dangerous counter-terrorism and non proliferation policy imaginable. It will normalize the use of the prime nuclear explosive material, plutonium, in international commerce, and ensure the movement from secured nuclear sites huge quantities of weapons-useable nuclear explosive material on roads, highways and public railways, placing this deadly material - 34,000 kilos could make at least 6800 nuclear bombs - into the most vulnerable locations and invite terrorist interventions and create conditions for one or more terrorist 'spectaculars.'” We can add that, since all reactors produce plutonium as part of the fission process, there will be little net reduction of plutonium under this plan, as the example of France which already uses this fuel, known as “MOX” has shown. Furthermore, the waste produced by reactors using MOX is hotter than regular reactor waste fuel, presenting new and unsolved “disposal” challenges.

Thanks for signing our petition!
Thank you to the close to 2,500 of you who signed our on-line petition urging President Obama to speak out against federal funding for nuclear power in the forthcoming climate change bill. When we initiated the petition last fall we had “hope.” Unfortunately, events overtook us. However, we felt it important for the President to know just how strongly some of you felt, so we have sent the petition to the White House regardless of Obama’s apparent enthusiasm for nuclear power, with a new cover letter letting him know the genesis of the original letter.
Beyond Nuclear in the News

Cindy Folkers is quoted in Platts Inside NRC, April 12, 2010 expressing concern about a cancer study around nuclear power facilities to be conducted by the National Academy of Sciences.
Due to copyright, we cannot post or link.

Kevin Kamps is quoted in the Peace River (Alberta, Canada) Record-Gazette on why plans to build nuclear reactors in the province should be abolished.

======================

12. Council of Canadians announces Shout Out for Global Justice, June 25, Convocation Hall, Toronto

From: Carleen Pickard
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 8:23 AM
Today the Council of Canadians announced a major event in Toronto on June 25 at the end of the G8 Summit in Huntsville and on the eve of the G20 Summit in Toronto. ‘Shout Out for Global Justice’ will feature an evening of entertainment and high profile global social justice leaders. The event will bring people together from throughout Toronto, across Canada, and around the world to demand climate, water, trade and social justice, as a counterpoint to the closed-door nature of the G8 and G20 Summits. For more information about the event, visit: http://www.canadians.org/g20/event.html

The Council of Canadians argues that the G8 and G20 lack legitimacy to make decisions on global economic, climate or trade cooperation. The Council asserts that G8 and G20 Summits undermine efforts to reach international consensus through the UN General Assembly, a more legitimate decision-making body.

The Council of Canadians will also be participating in workshops and forums at the People’s Summit taking place in Toronto the weekend of June 18-20. In the lead up to the G8 and G20 meetings, the Council of Canadians will be advocating for a response to the economic crisis based on water, climate, trade, and social justice.

Information about the People’s Summit can be seen at: http://peoplessummit2010.ca and other information about activities in Toronto around the G8 and G20 Summits can be seen at: http://g20.torontomobilize.org/.

Looking forward to seeing you there!
Carleen Pickard
Director of Organizing/Council of Canadians
#700 - 170 Laurier Ave W Ottawa, ON K1P 5V5
t. 613.233.4487 x 223/1.800.387.7177
c. 613.301.8346

Oscar: Site Admin; Posts: 9887; Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Top

NUKE NEWS: April 22, 2010 – Happy 40th Earth Day!

by Oscar » Thu Apr 22, 2010 10:15 am

NUKE NEWS: April 22, 2010 – Happy 40th Earth Day!

Compilation:

1. Canadians mark Earth Day by participating in historic Cochabamba Climate Conference
2. WATCH: Presentation by Laura Bowman - Nuclear Power Regulations (35 min.)
3. It Is Time Alberta Takes The Lead! By Joe Anglin
4. The 2010 People's Summit
5. WATCH: Anybody's Son Will Do (6 PARTS)
6. Nuclear Follies
7. WATCH: VIDEO: "Nuclear Terrorism": Al Qaeda is an Upcoming Nuclear Power according to president Obama
8. US to launch secret 'space warplane'
9. Uranium industry hit by price drop, regulation and attitude
10. Global Research Centre for Research on Globalization – CANADA
11. Support for Afghan mission drops
12. Georgia confirms highly enriched uranium seizure

=================

1. Canadians mark Earth Day by participating in historic Cochabamba Climate Conference

http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/news/2010/release/
index.php?WEBYEP_DI=29

News Release: Canadians mark Earth Day by participating in historic Cochabamba Climate Conference
April 17, 2010 CYCC and Council of Canadians
Two prominent Canadian organizations will be joining social movements, non-governmental organizations, intellectuals, Indigenous Peoples from around the world and representatives of more than 70 governments, including France, Russia, and Spain, at the Bolivian government's Peoples’ Conference on Climate Change and Rights of Mother Earth, April 20-22.
The Council of Canadians and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition have delegates on the ground in Cochabamba hosting workshops, participating in official working groups and a plenary panel. In Canada, youth are hosting climate justice teach-in actions across the country.

MORE: http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/news/2010/release/
index.php?WEBYEP_DI=29

====================

2. WATCH: Presentation by Laura Bowman - Nuclear Power Regulations (35 min.)

On behalf of the Environmental Law Centre
( http://www.elc.ab.ca/pages/home/default.aspx ) Laura Bowman speaks to Peace River region residents about the federal and provincial regulatory regime surrounding nuclear power. April 19-2010

Please share widely.
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZlMznoKZWw
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqDs1vC8zwQ
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb6Wowc9LCw
Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbZxRMTTiX0
Denis Sauvageau
www.peaceriverenvironmentalsociety.org
780-837-8290

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3. It Is Time Alberta Takes The Lead! By Joe Anglin

On December 19, 2007 the CEO of TransCanada was asked whether he expected public opinion in Alberta to be against the construction of new facilities - potentially including a nuclear plant - that would produce power for export into the United States. "That kind of thinking is very short-sighted and ill-founded," he said.
The issues relating to the production of electricity from nuclear energy are complex and numerous, but to label the public’s concern as short-sightedness, in view of the frugal common sense of the average informed Albertan, these comments are condescending at best.
To promote the development of nuclear power, the industry claims that nearly 44 million kilowatt-hours of electricity can be produced from one tonne of uranium. In comparison, the same amount of electrical power produced from coal or natural gas requires the burning of over 20,000 tonnes of coal, or 8.5 million cubic metres of natural gas. This visibly pro-nuclear comparison is deceptively accurate, but it is definitely misleading if one considers that it takes approximately 20,000 tonnes of high-grade uranium ore to produce enough enriched uranium fuel to operate a 1000 MW nuclear power reactor each year. These comparisons may appear confusing, so the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) simplified the comparison and displays on its website that electricity produced from nuclear cost $30 per megawatt versus $29.10 per megawatt for coal. However the NRC study footnotes reveal that their nuclear reactor costs do not reflect federal subsidies, decommissioning costs, capital costs, waste containment costs, and transmission costs.
It should also be noted that the comparison is based on the availability of high-grade uranium ore, and the availability of this ore is a major concern for the industry as the world’s inventory is consumed. Presently the world’s inventory of high-grade ore sits at 5.5 million tonnes. This is expected to grow as exploration continues however, at the current rate of consumption (65,000 tonnes annually) the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA-NEA) estimates that the world’s supply is expected to only last 200 years. Further, as the world consumes and depletes its inventory of the high-grade uranium ore, the number of tonnes of low-grade uranium ore required to produce 1-tonne of enriched fuel is expected to rise exponentially, forcing up the cost of electricity. Ironically, in anticipation of the depletion this inventory, research is underway to develop a process to extract uranium from coal ash. It is almost comical to think we would burn coal, to create ash, in order to extract uranium, so that we would not need to burn coal to produce electricity.
The economic business model supporting the development of nuclear power in Alberta is significantly flawed. On a cost per fuel basis the nuclear power industry has to deceptively manipulate the cost of uranium to even be in the same league as coal or natural gas. Add to that the associated costs of safety and environmental risks, and electricity produced from nuclear energy is completely uneconomical. In support of this finding, Bruce Power, the company proposing to build a nuclear power plant in Peace River has just announced they will need a subsidy from Alberta’s government before they can build a nuclear power plant.
Without even considering the environmental or safety issues (costs) associated with a nuclear power plant, it is economically inconceivable to build a nuclear power plant in Peace River unless the public subsidizes the project with tens of billions of dollars worth of transmission line infrastructure. In summary, if the private sector was required to build the infrastructure they would categorize such an investment as foolishly uneconomical! Why then does our government think this is a good investment for the public?
What should Albertans do when we have over 400 years worth of coal and over 200 years worth of natural gas (including shale gas) at our disposal? For a fraction of the $16.6 billion transmission line upgrades proposed by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), Albertans should invest in transmission lines connecting Alberta to B.C. and Manitoba. Rather than building transmission lines from north to south (for export) to subsidize coal and nuclear generators, an east west transmission line policy would provide access to the abundant supply of cheap hydro-power, and provide western Canada with energy security. If we had a truly progressive government we could adopt an accelerated policy to decommission the coal generators and replace them with gas fired generators. Gas generators are cleaner burning and far more efficient than coal and nuclear because gas generators can actually be turned off when not in use. Nuclear and coal must run continuously whether or not the electricity is being used, creating a scenario whereby nearly 50% of all electricity produced is wasted.
A rapid transition to natural gas electricity generation, supplemented with the development of electric hydro power would stimulate Alberta’s economy, particularly the gas drilling sector. This could create thousands of jobs and catapult Alberta from being one of the worst emitters of CO2 to exceeding the Kyoto protocols on climate change. This in turn would reduce the need for carbon capture technology saving the public billions of tax dollars previously set aside for CCS. Add to this a feed-in-tariff policy for clean renewable energy and Alberta could find itself the world’s leader in the development of clean renewable energies in the matter of a few years.
In summary, Albertans need to stop asking what we should do, and starting acting on what we can do! It is time we lead by example!

Joe Anglin
Rimbey AB
(403) 843-3279

==========================

4. The 2010 People's Summit

http://peoplessummit2010.ca/section/2

G8/G20 People’s Summit announces preliminary program
In just two months the 2010 G8/G20 People’s Summit will host an inspiring array of keynote speakers, plenaries, workshops, cultural events, skills trainings, interactive arts-based sessions and theatre at Ryerson University and vicinity in Toronto. The People’s Summit is inviting people from across Canada and around the world to come to Toronto to participate in the opposition to the G8 and G20 this June, with the aim of building a movement for a just world.
The People’s Summit will start on the evening of Friday June 18 with energizing entertainment and inspiring speakers. Confirmed keynote speakers include Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians; Ambet Yuson, Secretary General of the Building and Woodworkers International; Austin Muneku General Secretary of the South Africa Coordinating Council (SATUCC, Zambia); and Bob Lovelace, Co-Chief of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation.
Through the June 18-20 weekend, over 40 workshops will take place at the People’s Summit. Workshop themes will include human rights, social justice, democracy, international solidarity, peace, free speech, greening the economy, climate justice, and much more. The People’s Summit is accepting workshop proposals until April 30.
The People’s Summit will educate, empower and inspire positive change, bringing together people from all walks of life working for solidarity, self-determination, human rights, a people’s economy, justice, peace, a healthy planet, and transformative social change against current economic policies.
The website of the People’s Summit is http://www.peoplessummit2010.ca.

For more information:
Contact Marya Folinsbee, 647.702.7914
coordinator@peoplessummit2010.ca

======================

5. WATCH: Anybody's Son Will Do (6 PARTS)

http://www.countercurrents.org/willers200410.htm

By Bill Willers 20 April, 2010 Opednews.com
In 1983, the National Film Board of Canada produced a 57-minute film, "Anybody's Son Will Do". Arguably the best anti-war film ever made, and tailored for public television, it scared the hell out of the U.S. military machine, which has done its best to "disappear" it. For years it has been nearly impossible to find a copy, but some kind soul has posted it on YouTube where it can be seen in six segments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DShDaJXK5qo
= = = = = =

National Film Board - Description

http://www.nfb-onf.gc.ca/eng/collection/film/?id=14310

Photographed on location at the United States Marine Corps Parris Island Training Depot in South Carolina, this film follows a group of young recruits through their gruelling ten-week "basic training." Anybody's Son Will Do provides insight into techniques that all armies use to indoctrinate recruits with a new set of morals--techniques that transform ordinary citizens into soldiers ready to kill, even to die, for their country. Part two of the seven-part series War, hosted by Gwynne Dyer, examining the nature, evolution and consequences of modern warfare. 1983, 56 min 36 s
Directed by Paul Cowan
Produced by William Brind
John Kramer Production Agency National Film Board of Canada

=========================

6. Nuclear Follies

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/04/21-3

Published on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 by Foreign Policy in Focus by John Feffer
If the Russian army makes the bold decision to invade Germany, we can just nuke those damn communist soldiers into oblivion with the 200 tactical nuclear weapons we deploy in Europe. Oh, they're not communists any longer? Oh, Germany and Russia have excellent relations at the moment? Oh, the Cold War has been over for two decades?
So, why do we still have tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Europe?
As with so much having to do with nuclear weapons, U.S. policies have an odor of mothballs to them. But with a new Nuclear Posture Review, a recent nuclear summit attended by 47 world leaders, and an updated arms control treaty with Russia, the Obama administration is attempting to bring nuclear policies into the 21st century. Are we in the process of giving up our nuclear addiction, or is this just flimflam from an addict who refuses to go cold turkey?
Before we answer that question, let's test your nuclear knowledge.

MORE: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/04/21-3

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7. WATCH: VIDEO: "Nuclear Terrorism": Al Qaeda is an Upcoming Nuclear Power according to president Obama

The US is the most dangerous threat to global security

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=18687

by Michel Chossudovsky April 21, 2010
Obama is masking the real issues over nuclear weapons by presenting the idea that nuclear terrorism is a major threat, shared Michel Chossudovsky, Director of the Canadian Centre for Research on Globalization.

“What is disturbing about this summit in Washington is the fact that the real threat to global security is nuclear war between countries. It is not Al-Qaeda which in any event is an intelligence asset of the CIA, which is the threat, ”Chossudovsky acknowledged. “It is an elusive network of organizations. The real threat is the threat of nuclear war and particularly the threat of a nuclear attack by the United States and Israel directed against Iran.”

MORE: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... &aid=18687

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8. US to launch secret 'space warplane'

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=12 ... id=3510203

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:33:02 GMT
The United States Air Force has announced that it will launch a secret space plane that has sparked speculation about the militarization of space.
The Pentagon has set April 21 as the date for the launch of the robotic space plane known as the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), which is a reusable unmanned plane capable of long outer space missions at low orbits.
Since the nature of the project is shrouded in mystery, defense analysts allege that the US military is building the first generation of US 'space Predator drones' that will build up the United States' space armada, the Christian Science Monitor wrote in a recent article.
Military experts argue that the US Department of Defense would not have saved NASA's costly X-37B project, which had been scrapped, if it did not have a military application.
They say the US wants to maintain a leading role in space via the development of the new 'space weapon' at a time when other countries like China are expanding their space programs.
However, US military officials maintain that the X-37B will only be used for transporting payloads and facilitating space experiments.

MORE: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=12 ... id=3510203

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9. Uranium industry hit by price drop, regulation and attitude

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/ ... le/1024040

Reid Southwick, Telegraph-Journal, Wednesday April 21st, 2010
The quest for uranium in the province has taken a nose dive as negative public attitudes and some restrictive regulations have sent exploration firms packing, research and company officials say.
Only two companies have done exploration work in the province over the past couple years, a notable drop from the 10 or so firms that were searching for uranium back in 2007, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
"The Liberal government here put into place a few changes to regulations that ended up, I would say, discouraging exploration," said David Lentz, a researcher with the University of New Brunswick.

MORE:
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/ ... le/1024040

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10. Global Research Centre for Research on Globalization - CANADA

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php? ... regionId=2

The Centre for Research on Globalisation (CRG) is an independent research and media organization based in Montreal. The CRG is a registered non profit organization in the province of Quebec, Canada.
In addition to the Global Research website, the Centre is involved in book publishing, support to humanitarian projects as well as educational outreach activities including the organization of public conferences and lectures. The Centre also acts as a think tank on crucial economic and geopolitical issues.

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11. Support for Afghan mission drops

http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=4539&utm_sou ... _campaign=
Feed%3A+ceasefire%2FycPl+%28Ceasefire.ca%29

Posted: 21 Apr 2010 08:19 PM PDT
Support for the mission in Afghanistan has fallen markedly among Canadians, a new Angus Reid poll shows. According to the polling firm, 39 percent of Canadians currently support the Afghanistan mission, while 56 percent oppose it. In February, the same question showed 47 percent support and 49 percent opposition. (A recent EKOS poll showed somewhat [...]

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12. Georgia confirms highly enriched uranium seizure

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00751.html

by DESMOND BUTLER The Associated Press Thursday, April 22, 2010; 7:09 AM
NEW YORK -- Georgia's president said his country had seized a shipment of highly enriched uranium, blaming Russia for creating the instability that allows nuclear smugglers to operate in the region.
Russia dismissed the claims Thursday and said Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's comments were "unsubstantiated" and amounted to propaganda.
Saakashvili gave few details of the seizure during an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, saying only that the uranium was intercepted last month coming into his country in the Caucasus region of southeast Europe.

MORE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00751.html

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