“An Aboriginal Embassy event on 26th is not ours”
Coonamble, NSW, January 2013 – – Aboriginal sovereignty activist, Michael Ghillar Anderson, makes clear that an event being organised by the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples (NCAFP ) for 26 January at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra, is NOT an Aboriginal Embassy initiative.
The spokesperson for the Sovereign Union of First Nations and Peoples in Australia emphasises that the NCAFP is a government funded organisation that has not gained the majority support of grassroots Aboriginal people.
“But Congress has chosen the Embassy for its discussion on ‘Sovereignty, the Constitution and Congress’,” Mr Anderson writes in a media release.
“This debate on continuing Aboriginal sovereignty and its relationship to the Constitution from Britain needs to be had and I recognise Congress’s efforts to have a national conversation.
“But there is still an odious stench of contradiction surrounding this, because Les Malezer and Congress are publically supportive of the token Constitutional reform.
“Their failings are paramount when we realise that Congress has no model; they promote themselves for any Constitutional inclusion that does not affect our sovereignty, our inalienable inherent right as First Nations Peoples.
“If Congress understands that sovereignty is an issue on the lips and minds of every Aboriginal person, Congress must put out their thoughts for scrutiny so that we are not dealing with slogans.”
Mr Anderson’s release in full: Continue reading
Impossibility of fully decontaminating radioactive areas of Fukushima
Asahi: We are reminded anew of the huge scale of contamination released from Fukushima plant — Impossible to recover pre-disaster environment — Radiation 
levels not dropping in certain areas http://enenews.com/asahi-reminded-anew-huge-scale-contamination-released-fukushima-plant-impossible-recover-pre-disaster-environment-radiation-levels-dropping-areas
(Subscription Only) Title: EDITORIAL: More data needed to make decontamination work effective
Source: Asahi
Date: January 09, 2013
Decontamination work is in progress in areas affected by the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, but cases have been uncovered of workers dumping contaminated soil, vegetation and water into nearby rivers or other places without properly collecting them.
[…] One problem is that radiation levels are not dropping in certain areas. Another problem is that additional manpower is required, but hiring more workers isn’t financially viable.
Thinking about those problems, we are reminded anew of the huge scale of contamination caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
It is impossible to recover the pre-disaster environment, and it is unrealistic to think that all affected areas can be decontaminated. […]
VIDEO shows genetic effects of radiation on insects and plants
fallout from fukushima http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Aoo2wvsojg This is what the government FAILED to tell us about the after-effects from fukushima. they LIED when they told us there would be NO contamination. childhood spontaneous deaths are up 40-60% along the northeast coast of the united states. there are high numbers of senior citizens who are dying suddenly from heart attack(chernobyl heart). the u.s. government committed a heinous crime when it told americans NOT to prepare and protect from the rad-fallout from fukushima. i provided this video to show you the truth
US Gov’t Film: We must be very careful using radiation — Flies with white eyes, no wings, extra wings — Albino corn, distorted corn, stunted plants (VIDEO) ) http://enenews.com/govt-film-be-very-careful-radiation-flies-white-eyes-wings-extra-wings-albino-corn-distorted-corn-stunted-plants-videoJanuary 10th, 2013
Watch the video here
Date Published: Jan 9, 2013
Dr. Frank Baxter: […] purpose was to see if mutations could be caused by radiation […] some striking abnormalities among the descendants of irradiated fruit flies.
White-eyed Fly
Nearly wingless flies, flies with extra wings, white-eyed flies. […]
A certain proportion of their descendants died as embryos and the eggs never hatched.
Scientist who photographed irradiated cells find that strange things happen […]
These are cells that have been irradiated. They cannot divide normally. Some of the chromosomes are broken. Some are misshapen. Sometimes the chromosomes fail to split and the cell cannot reproduce.
Lighter doses of radiation produces that changes that can’t be scene in the chromosomes, apparently by producing changes in the genes themselves. Thus the descendants of irradiated germ cells give us albino corn, distorted ears of corn and stunted plants.
Question: But Dr. Baxter, are all the effects of radiation bad?
Baxter: Most of them are, therefore we must be very careful when we use radiation.
Sydney to cop very high UV radiation
Extreme UV radiation levels warning, Hills News, Jan. 11, 2013 NOT
only is Sydney suffering from a heatwave, the area is also
experiencing extreme ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels which can be
damaging to people’s skin.
UV levels for Friday, January 11 were recorded by the Bureau of
Meteorology at an extreme level of 13. While on Saturday, January
12, temperatures are said to reach 42 degrees Celsius with a UV rating
of 12.
Regional manager for western Sydney at the Cancer Council, Rory
Alcock, said UV levels past three could damage skin.
‘‘The UV Index starts from a low level of one to two,’’ Mr Alcock said.
‘‘A level of over three can be strong enough to damage your skin.
‘‘Australia has among the highest ratings of skin cancer. ‘‘Two in
three people will develop skin cancer before the age of 70.’’
For the best protection against UV rays, Mr Alcock recommends a
combination of sun protection
measures……http://www.hillsnews.com.au/story/1230027/extreme-uv-radiation-levels-warning/?cs=12
NASA drones to explore climate change effects above the atmosphere
Six ATTREX flights are scheduled to take place between mid-January and mid-March. Those will be followed by flights over Guam and Australia next year.
NASA To Use Drone For Climate Research, Information Week Government, Patience Wait, 11 Jan 13, NASA this month will begin using a drone capable of flying 12 miles above the Earth’s surface in an effort to understand how atmospheric changes affect climate…… Continue reading
Australian solar panel company third highest sales worldwide in 2012
REC Solar Panels An Australian Favourite, by Energy Matters, 12 Jan
13, The latest figures indicate Australia’s love affair with REC
solar panels remained strong in 2012.
Results from the company show Australian solar provider Energy
Matters and its sister company Apollo Energy sold the third highest
number of REC modules in the world last year; only behind a provider
in Germany and another in the USA……
http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3547
Old-time crusader for the nuclear lobby, Leslie Kemeny rides again
Noel Wauchope, 11 Jan 13 Make no mistake – the nuclear lobby is on the job in a big way in Australia. Leading the charge is that energetic nuclear promotion group in South Australia – Barry Brook and Ben Heard.
But they’re not alone – with many vested interests pushing the pro nuke message. For example, The Age’s recent song of praise for thorium reactors.
Now the Canberra Times gives that tireless old warrior Leslie Kemeny yet another platform for his pro nuke spruik.
Since the 1970s Kemeny has had well over 200 opinion pieces published.
I find it quite remarkable that Kemeny gets such coverage, as he trots out pretty much the same old arguments, and denigrates opponents in the same old ways. Kemeny consistently ignores the unsolved problem of nuclear wastes, the environmental effects of radiation, the huge costs of security and of protecting the wastes for hundreds, thousands of years.
In the Canberra Times, Kemeny quotes as evidence this statement by Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith – ”The nuclear accident in Japan has not killed anybody. There may be one or two people who will die of cancer, but we are talking of very small numbers, if any.”
Here Kemeny brings in that tired old argument style from the tobacco and asbestos lobbies – . cigarettes never killed anybody – maybe one or two will get lung cancer.
Kemeny goes on at length about global warming and the necessity for nuclear power. But to make nuclear power effective against global warming it will have to produce 16,000 Mtoe of energy per year – a 25-fold increase on its current level. Today the world has 440 operational nuclear reactors, so 25 times more means 11,000 reactors. To have these in 35 years means building, on average, about one a day. Or in an exponential growth scenario, the world would need to sustain an annual increase of 8% per year in the number of operational nuclear reactors for 35 years. Many of these would need to be located in failed states and countries currently beset by internal wars
As usual – Kemeny dismisses renewable energy policies of Kevin Rudd as “merely symbolic gestures and political spin”. He has no answer to the number of scholarly studies that show that Australia could power all its electricity by renewable means.
Twenty-five years ago, Kemeny had already published dozens and dozens of newspaper articles, and they were subjected to critical analysis by Professor Brian Martin, who was then teaching in the science faculty at the Australian National University.
Martin concluded his analysis: “In quite a number of ways, Kemeny in his public advocacy of nuclear power does not fit the image of the objective, trustworthy expert: he addresses only some of the issues and seldom replies to anti-nuclear arguments; he presents large amounts of irrelevant material; he is subject to inaccuracy, and on occasion fails to acknowledge his mistakes; he continually denigrates opponents; he speaks from a position representing a potential conflict of interest; and his expertise is mostly irrelevant to the issues, or of doubtful quality.”
Nothing changes, for this retired nuclear warrior. I guess it would be like expecting a Cardinal of the Catholic Church to consider the possibility of there being no God.
Australia’s Maralinga atomic test victims – soldiers and Aboriginals – deserve compensation
Government must do the right thing by Maralinga victims, 11 January 2013. The Greens have called on the Government to ensure victims of the atomic testing at Maralinga are properly compensated after a British court decision overnight shattered hopes for justice.
Greens spokesperson for nuclear policy, Senator for Western Australia Scott Ludlam, said the hopes of Australians exposed to nuclear testing in the 1950s were dealt a serious blow by another UK court ruling against compensation.
“In 2010 the British courts ruled British veterans who participated in nuclear tests in Australia could not sue the Defence Ministry because they could not prove their illnesses were caused by exposure to radiation. Now, Aboriginal people expose to the same toxic tests have been told their legal fight is over for the same reason.
“Foreign Minister Bob Carr should be on the phone urging the British Government to deal directly with the victims – outside of court – and compensate them appropriately with an act of grace payment.”
Senator Ludlam said the veterans have said the exposure caused cancer, birth defects amongst their children, and other disorders such as anaemia.
“There is no doubt these people were exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation and there is no doubt many of them have suffered greatly, but it is almost impossible to prove concretely that the testing more than 50 years ago caused their illnesses and the illnesses of their children.
“The British Government detonated atomic bombs in this country and should take responsibility for the consequences. People should need only to prove that they were exposed to high levels of radiation as a result of the weapons testing in order to get compensation,” he said.
Shoddy work, shoddy treatment of workers in Fukushima radiation clean-up
Fukushima ‘decontamination’ workers threatened — We were punished if we tried to resist http://enenews.com/fukushima-decontamination-workers-threatened-we-were-punished-if-we-tried-to-resist
January 9th, 2013
(Subscription Only) Title: CROOKED CLEANUP: Decontamination workers say cutting corners came naturally
Source: THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
Author: Compiled from reports by Tamiyuki Kihara and Toshio Tada
Date: January 09, 2013
[… Workers] cited a lack of training, unreasonable deadlines, threats of isolation, and persistent feelings that their efforts were pointless. […]
Asahi Shimbun reporters and the company have received more than 100 e-mails and phone calls from people involved in the decontamination project in Fukushima Prefecture. […]
50-year-old worker involved in decontaminating Tamura between Nov. 5 and Dec. 28 who was born in Fukushima Prefecture and graduated from Waseda University in Tokyo
“We were pressed to finish the work as quickly as possible”
“If we tried to resist, we would become isolated from other workers, although it did not reach the extent of losing the job”
“With sub-zero temperatures in the mountains, being placed in such circumstances would have led to feelings of loneliness among many people”
“Radiation levels returned even after we completed the work, so there was a sense that what we were doing was worthless”
“There will be no end to the shoddy work even if oversight is strengthened”
Uranium mining in Virginia would endanger waterways in next-door State North Carolina
Hawood suggested the General Assembly write and pass a strongly-worded
resolution against uranium mining to try and influence Virginia’s
lawmakers in Richmond
VIDEO Uranium mining in Virginia would affect NC Rivers
January 10, 2013, by Mitch Carr EDEN, NC —
Virginia’s General Assembly is considering lifting a moratorium on
mining uranium that has been in place since 1982, and doing so could
have a dramatic effect on North Carolina’s recreational waterways. Continue reading
VIDEO: Michael Moore speaks out on violence in America
VIDEO Filmmaker Michael Moore: US Leaders ‘Are a Violent People’
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/01/10#.UO-Ii6PzCpc.twitter
Man who produced ‘Bowling for Columbine’ over a decade ago says he is
‘heartbroken’ that film did so little to stem culture of gun violence
Common dreams, 10 Jan 13- Jon Queally, staff writer Filmmaker and
progressive activist Michael Moore says that people concerned at the
level of gun violence in the US—particularly in the aftermath of the
Sandy Hook massacre that claimed the lives of twenty young children
less than a month ago—should recognize that US leaders, who willingly
wage war on others across the globe, are among the most violent people
in what is an extremely violent culture.
“We are a violent people,” Moore said to reporters while attending a
film event this week.
“We as Americans believe it’s OK to kill people. We believe it’s OK to
invade a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. We think it’s OK to
invade a country where we think Osama Bin Laden is and he’s in the
other country. So we just go in and we just kill,” he said…..
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/01/10#.UO-Ii6PzCpc.twitter
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 