Abbott govt and Murdoch Press attack Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
Murdoch and Abbott combine to silence the ABC, Independent Australia, 3 January 2014 Reports on the Abbott Government and News Corporation’s coordinated assault upon Australia’s public broadcaster have ignored numerous key factors, writes Alan Austin.
The Abbott Government is ramping up endeavours to reward its principal promoter Rupert Murdoch with greater media control.
Ministers are now openly attacking the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s foreign television service. As usual, neither Murdoch’s nor the Coalition’s people are telling the truth.
This week’s mini-furore started whenThe Australian ran a front page beat-up attacking the national broadcaster’s management ofAustralia Network, headed ‘ABC put on notice over foreign TV’. Continue reading
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy, and the struggle against mining takeover of the land
the establishing in Canberra, 1972, of the Tent Embassy, to protest against a court decision over mining operations on Aboriginal land.
To many it came as a shock when in April 1971 the Northern Territory Supreme Court decided against Aboriginal people and in favour of a mining company to have access to Aboriginal land. Australian common law, the justice concluded, did not recognise Aboriginal land rights (Reconciliation Australia, 2012).
on January 26th, 2012, the Tent Embassy held its 40th anniversary, making it the longest site of political agitation. The Embassy helped in the struggle for land rights and to end racial discrimination, sadly this is still an ongoing struggle (Korffs, J., 2012).
The Rights For Freedom Of Aboriginal Australians History Essay UK Essays.com 3 Jan 14 This essay focuses on the rights for freedom for the Aboriginal Australians who have lived in Australia for at least 40,000 years. The arrival of the Europeans in 1788 resulted in the significant change to traditional Aboriginal customs and way of life. Up until 1901 colonial governments and communities formally and informally discriminated against Aboriginal people (Rights and freedoms, 1945- the present, n.d.).
Fukushima nuclear reactor steaming from hot rubble, not from explosion
Gundersen: Very visible steam at Fukushima Unit 3 is from constant radioactive releases — Coming from hot rubble, not related to new explosion http://enenews.com/gundersen-very-visible-steam-releases-at-fukushima-unit-3-are-radioactive-coming-from-hot-rubble-not-new-meltdown-or-explosion
Fairewinds Energy Education, , Jan. 1, 2014: […] the Internet has been flooded with conjecture claiming that Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 is ready to explode. Fairewinds Energy Education has been inundated with questions about the very visible steam emanating from Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3. […] Hot water vapor has been released daily by each of the four Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants since the accident. We believe that is one of the reasons TEPCO placed covers over Daiichi 4 and 1. […] radioactive rubble (fission products) was left in each unit […] heat from this ongoing decay of radioactive rubble is constantly releasing moisture (steam) and radioactive products into the environment. […] [Unit 3] is still producing slightly less than 1 megawatt (one million watts) of decay heat […] it is creating radioactive steam […] hot radioactive releases […] have occurring [sic] for the entire 33 months […] The difference now is that the only time we visibly notice these ongoing releases is on the cold days […]
The Ecologist reported on this unsubstantiated rumor which was then used as a source by ‘Gizmodo. The Ecologist has now changed their original report without any notice or explanation.Here’s the original ending: “The Turner Radio Network is advising people on the West Coast of North America to”prepare for the worst” in case a meltdown of the waste fuel is in fact commencing. No official warnings have been released on either side of the Pacific.”
No likelihood of early restart for Japan’s idled nuclear reactors
Restart of nuclear facilities and policy for nuclear waste disposal in Japan unlikely to be settled soon http://enformable.com/2014/01/restart-nuclear-facilities-policy-nuclear-waste-disposal-japan-unlikely-settled-soon/ In Japan, utilities are working to restart idled nuclear power plants across the nation and regain public support post-Fukushima. The Nuclear Regulation Authority, a newly established regulator, set new safety standards in July of 2013 which call for greater preparedness in regards to severe accidents, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
So far, 7 utilities have applied for regulatory officials to conduct safety screenings required to restart 9 plants. Officials still say that none of the plants are ready to restart because utilities have not adequately revised their estimations of potential earthquake activities.
This week, Shunichi Tanaka, chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority told reporters that there was no time limit on how long the safety screening process might take.
Even if operators are able to pass safety screens, they still need to obtain consent from local governments before the reactors can be restarted.
The task will not be easy in a nation which before the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster had very little experience with management of severe accidents. The challenge is even greater considering the fact that the most experienced members of the workforce are aging and the new workforce has little to no prior experience with nuclear power.
As a nation Japan still has to revise a basic policy for the long-term disposal of nuclear waste. While government plans call for storage in deep underground repositories, experts caution that finding such locations in Japan will be difficult due to the seismicity of the area and lack of public trust. So far, no municipalities have come forward with any candidate sites.
Japan’s secrecy laws indicate that they are hiding information on Fukushima
It cannot be overly emphasized that the law undermines freedom of the press, people’s right to know and freedom of expression
Japan & the Truth About Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station Armstrong Economics, January 2, 2014 by Martin Armstrong, I have received a many requests about Japan and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station disaster. I have many friends there and it deeply concerns me that the failure of the government to seal that site like the Russians did is threatening the world and Japan itself.
The reports of radiation hitting the West Coast of the USA are alarming and the debris that has been floating toward the USA is another issue unreported. However, the great concern is the secrecy laws imposed in Japan. Governments do not imprison people for criticizing officials unless there is really something they are trying to suppress. This in itself seems to be confirmation of our worst fears.
A Source from Japan Writes: Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 