Tag Archives: nuclear

International, U.S.

World War 3: Iranian general calls for Muslims to burn down the White House

“Nothing but burning the White House can relieve the wound of us, the Muslims, caused by the burning of Qur’an…”-Mohammad Reza Naqdi, Brigadier General of Basij (volunteer) force

February 25, 2012, the top officer of Iran’s Basij (volunteer/reserve) forces called on Muslims to get vengeance for the burning of Qur’ans by burning down the U.S. White House.

He also said that Muslims can no longer accept words as satisfactory apologies, because the U.S. repeatedly commits acts of desecrations: “Their apology can be accepted only by hanging their commanders, hanging their commanders means an apology.”

International, U.S.

World War 3: Kyrgyzstan forbids the United States from using airbase to attack Iran

Rumors that U.S. led NATO was going to use a U.S. airbase in Kyrgyzstan, to attack Iran, resulted in the U.S. Ambassador to Russia denying such claims.

However, the President of Kyrgyzstan has forbidden the U.S. airbase (which is located on a civilian airport) from being used to launch attacks against Iran.

The U.S. is supposed to stop using the airbase in 2014. According to Pentagon statistics, the base handles up to 15,000 personnel and 500 tons of cargo per month.

Fukushima

Corporate Evil: TEPCo & Toshiba works 60 year old contractor to death at Fukushima!

The Japanese Labor Ministry has ruled that Tokyo Electric Power Company, and contractor Toshiba, caused a 60 year old worker to die by overworking him!  The authorities are ordering compensation for the family.

The man worked only one day at the General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant!  The investigation showed TEPCo and Toshiba forced the sub-contracted plumber to work non-stop through the night, wearing a heavy hazmat suit.  He died the next day.

At first people thought the man died from radiation contamination.  Toshiba is refusing to comment.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Japan demands exemption from U.S. oil embargo against Iran, prepares for short U.S. war with Iran

“…officials are working hard in order to win a waiver from the sanctions by the end of this month.”-Osamu Fujimura, Chief Cabinet Secretary for Japan’s Prime Minister

Since January, 2012, Japan has been trying to get an exemption from the U.S. oil sanctions against Iran.  Japan’s economy depends on it.

“We have not yet reached an agreement in principle, although we have deepened mutual understanding.”-Koichiro Gemba, Foreign Minister of Japan

Since there is no progress in getting the exemption, Japan is now preping for a possible war in the Persian Gulf, which would cut off 10% of their oil supplies.

Foreign Minister Gemba claims Japan is making preparations that would make any cut off of oil, due to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, have little affect on Japan’s industries. But that’s because Gemba believes any war with Iran would be short.  Does he know something we don’t?

Gemba explained that Japan has 200 days of oil reserves and 70 days worth of liquid natural gas.  Apparently Japan was told (during their negotiations to get exempted from the U.S. oil sanctions?) by U.S. officials not to worry about a long war.

Gemba added that the Japanese government is going over various scenarios to reduce the impact the war will have on people’s daily lives.

International, U.S.

White Horse & World War 3: “Friends of Syria” meeting to determine U.S. military action, it’s all about Iran. China & Russia refuse to attend

On February 24, 2012, between 50 and 80 countries will meet in Tunis for the Friends of Syria conference.  The results of the conference could bypass the United Nations regarding overt foreign intervention in Syria.

China has refused to attend the conference, saying they are true friends of Syria.  Chinese officials also say they were given little notice of the conference, so they are not sure of the true purpose of the meeting.

Russia has refused to attend because: “The opposition is invited, the legal authorities are not. This means we have here what we had in Libya: a contact group was created. There is a feeling that it all aims at supporting ONE part in the country’s internal conflict.”-Aleksandr Lukashevich, Russian Foreign Ministry

According to the Israeli private intelligence agency DEBKA, sources inside the Pentagon say plans have been drawn up for military action.  Which plan is chosen will depend on the news Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, will bring back from the Friends of Syria conference.

DEBKA says the U.K., France, Italy and even Turkey are preparing for military action as well.

A whistleblower inside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says the United States has been covertly training the Syrian rebels since May 2011.  Also, as many as 10,000 pro-U.S. Libyans are in Jordan waiting for the invasion.

A political scientist, in Syria, said this was about future war with Iran and Lebanon: “They want a political uprising here in Syria to make the country weak and then go to Iran and Hezbollah.”-Balsam Abu Bulla, political scientist

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham admitted this is all about Iran: “If the Syrian regime is replaced with another form of government, that doesn’t tie its future to the Iranians, the world is a better place.”

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

 

 

Idaho, International, U.S.

Lessons for the Occupy Movement from the Egyptian January 2011 Revolution: #2 Cyberspace does not win Revolutions! Occupy the land! Keep Lines of Communication open!

I watched the January 2011 Egyptian Revolution from day one.  It did not start with cyberspace, and it did not end with cyberspace.  Rather cyberspace was only a briefly used tool of the Revolutionaries.

“I don’t think the Revolution ever happened in cyberspace…They need physical space, they need public space. Tahrir Square provided that.”-Nezar AlSayyad, Center of Middle East Studies, University of California at Berkeley

The fact that Revolutions need public space is the true reason why local and state governments, in the United Police States of America, are now passing laws that’re making it illegal to gather in public spaces!

On December 9, 2011, the city of Honolulu, Hawaii, created a law that is not only aimed at preventing public gatherings, but is being called “a particularly egregious attack on the homeless”.

On January 24, 2012, Charlotte, North Carolina, passed a “no camping” on city property law.  Even if you’re not camping the law includes things that allow police to have you removed, or arrested, anyway.

On February 21, 2012, the state of Idaho created a law that specifically targets the Occupy movement.  It has extended anti-gathering laws (no demonstrations can last longer than four hours, which only proves what I said in part one) to the state property the Occupy Boise movement is currently using.

The small, and ignorant, Occupy Boise movement has until 17:00 February 27 to clear out.

I say the Occupy Idaho movement is ignorant, because of what they said in a PBS Newshour interview: “I will take it elsewhere. There are a lot of us who recognize that this movement is more important than the place we’re staying.”-Daniel Grad, Occupy Boise, December 8, 2011

In fact, the Occupy Boise movement told local Idaho PBS reporters that they specifically chose the land (land that until now was exempt from the four hour limit law) so as to not cause legal problems!

FAIL!  There’s a saying in the world of business, “location, location, location”!   If there is no need to Occupy land, then what was the point of Egyptian Revolutionaries fighting so hard to control Tahrir Square?

Back to cyberspace.  In Egypt twitter and facebook and other social media tools were not the instigators of the Revolution.  Those tools only became important as Egyptians in one city realized, through their communications, that they were not alone, that Egyptians in other cities were also rebelling.  So cyberspace became a way of communication after the fact.

Even so, as I was watching the live broadcasts, the Egyptian government shut down many cell phone towers, and internet providers (with the help of a U.S. telecommunications company).   Did that stop the Revolution?  Hell no!

Revolutionaries turned to old fashioned land line phones, short wave radios, even the ancient task of running messages by foot.  Some reports said they had taken over radio stations, even broke into police stations to steal the police radios.

But while this proves that cyberspace is not critical, it does prove that communications are critical.

In the military, communications does not refer to just being able to talk or relay messages.  It refers to the ability to keep your forces fed and armed.  (specifically its called: Lines of Communication, called such because supplies tended to follow the same route that hand carried messages, and telegraph lines, did)

The Egyptian Revolutionaries not only took and held land (sometimes losing it, but retaking it later), they kept their Occupiers fed, and they rotated fresh Occupiers in, while the tired Occupiers went out to get rest.  They, without really thinking about it, kept “lines of communication” open to the land they were Occupying.

This is important, because one of the riot control maneuvers used nowadays is called “Kettling”.  This is a way of hemming in protestors, to cut them off from their lines of communication (even though most protestors don’t even know about such things as lines of communication).

The lesson is that you must not rely on high technology, you must Occupy the land, and you must keep your “lines of communication” open!

By the Way, Occupy Boise is appealing to the Federal Court, on the grounds the new Idaho law violates the rights to freedom of speech and assembly guaranteed under the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

LESSONS FOR THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT FROM THE EGYPTIAN JANUARY 2011 REVOLUTION: #1; PEACEFUL PROTEST DOES NOT WORK!!!

Fukushima

Government/Corporate Incompetence: Finally, Japan to use 22,000 square feet of concrete at GE designed Fukushima disater reactor zone! Pacific Ocean under threat!

21 February 2012, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCo) announced they will start pouring concrete! (again?)

They will focus on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, near the water intakes of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, to prevent any further radioactive materials from spreading.

TEPCo says they will begin right away (finally), starting on 22 February.  They will cover a 70,000 square meter (22,9658.7 square feet) area!

TEPCo hopes that the 60 centimeter (nearly 2 feet) thick layer of concrete will stop the spread of radioactive mud and sand, for at least 50 years!  The job could take four months.  The decision was made because high levels of cesium are still being detected in the Pacific Ocean!

People still need to demand an explanation why this decision took so long.  And what about the rest of the nuclear plant?

How did the Soviets deal with Chernobyl?

 

Business/Economics, International

World War 3: Iran makes Oil offer to European countries. But still; France, Britain No Oil For You!

Iran has made a new oil deal offer to European countries, except the countries of Britain and France: “They must know that our country is in a position which must be talked to and treated on equal standing and through mutual respect, and they must forget about their past empires and exploiting other countries.”-Ramin Mehmanparast, Foreign Ministry of Iran

For all other European countries Iran is willing to continue shipping oil to them if: “They…must sign medium, or long term contracts covering periods of three to five years….and ban….oil customers from unilaterally canceling their contracts.”-Ramin Mehmanparast, Foreign Ministry of Iran

Iranian officials say that by signing the long term contracts European countries could get a fixed price for Iranian oil.  If they don’t sign contracts, then no more oil for you: “We make decisions in our own country and we have sanctioned hostile states; if other countries do not specify their decision about long term oil contracts, Tehran will make a decision about them as well.”-Rostam Qassemi, Oil Minister of Iran

Iranian officials claim they don’t really need the European market, saying only 18% of all of Iran’s oil production goes to Europe.

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japan’s own government experts blame the government for lack of response to nuclear disaster at Fukushima! Only 2 reactors now operating in Japan

Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is being questioned by their own experts regarding the safety of nuclear reactors.  The Agency responded by censoring their own experts!

A publicized debate held by Agency experts was cut short, when it became clear that the consensus was that the government was accountable for the lack of response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and that the current “stress tests” were also lacking.

The censorship happened specifically because of criticisms of the Agency’s approval of stress testing done at the Ohi nuclear plant.

Experts were pissed: “I feel deceived!”-Ino Hiromitsu, Professor Emeritus University of Tokyo

“The panel started to fully review plant safety to prevent another Fukushima!  Why are you rushing for a conclusion?”-Goto Masashi, Shibaura Institute of Technology

An official with the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency basically said they’re getting impatient, when he pointed out that the experts have already met eight times about nuclear safety.

Japan is now down to just two operating nuclear reactors, out of 54 total.  Most reactors have been shut down for routine maintenance and inspections, but, local governments are the only ones who can OK restart, and so far they all say ‘no way’.

Japan’s major industries rely on electricity from nuclear power plants.  Japan’s crashing economy is being caused in large part to its major industries struggling to operate with so little power plants on line.  The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is probably being pushed to convince local governments to get those power plants back on line.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? U.S. sanctions against Iran means death knell for French steel factory

On February 20, 2012, French steel workers are occupying the ArcelorMittal steel plant in northeast France.  Two blast furnaces have been shut down since October 2011.

I’ve posted how U.S. sanctions against Iran include the steel industry, and it’s having negative affects, not for Iran but the West!

The shut down of the ArcelorMittal blast furnaces is supposed to be temporary, but last week company officials announced an extension to the shut down.  About 200 employees responded by taking over company offices.  Employees fear the temporary shut down is going to become permanent, no thanks in part to the U.S. and European sanctions against Iran.