University students, concerned with the fact that there is no official government soil testing around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, took some samples of their own.
They found plutonium-239 and 240, making up a total of 0.078 becquerels per kilogram. The samples were taken on 21 April 2011. Immediately after they took the samples the Japanese government declared the area an evacuation zone.
“An attack on Iran would mean regional war…consider all options and not to run straight for the war option.”-Meir Dagan, former Mossad Chief
Dagan said the only reason Israel should go to war, is if it was attacked first.
He downplayed the U.S. rhetoric against Iran’s nuclear program as sabre rattling: “We do not have the ability to stop Iran’s nuclear program. In the best case scenario we can push it off a bit.”
Dagan is also advising the Israeli government to make war plans that would take into account attacking several countries at the same time.
“Political leaders and public figures should have the courage to articulate publicly what many of them acknowledge privately: that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that repressive strategies will not solve the drug problem, and that the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won.”-Drug Policy report
The Global Commission on Drug Policy has declared the War on Drugs a failure. The 19 member commission includes former U.S. Secretary of State George Schultz, and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.
Anti drug policies are to blame for the failure, especially in the United States. The report points out that while huge efforts are made to stop drug trafficking, most people who end up in prison are the users of drugs, not the sellers. The report said studies show that users “do no harm to others.” So why is so much time and money being spent to put them in jail?
The Global Commission on Drug Policy wants anti-drug policies to focus on health and human rights issues, and even consider making some illegal drugs legal.
Researchers in Japan have discovered that snow on mountains near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are contaminated with cesium.
Meteorology students from Fukushima University took 31 samples of snow. 14 samples showed high levels of cesium. The average level of contamination exceeds the safe limit of 200 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium. One sample, taken at 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) has 3000 becquerels of cesium.
Fukushima University Vice-President Watanabe Akira says the research shows that large amounts of cesium is spewing into the air.
Reports saying Tokyo Electric Power Company now saying it is likely the damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi will not be stabilized by the end of the year, as first hoped.
Problems range from TEPCo’s own faulty assessments, to the Typhoon season now hitting Japan.
This means highly radioactive isotopes will continue to be emitted into the air, and pour into the Pacific Ocean.
“NATO must learn that air strikes on Afghan homes are not allowed and that Afghan people have no tolerance for that anymore. If they don’t stop air strikes on Afghan homes, their presence in Afghanistan will be considered as an occupying force and against the will of the Afghani people.”-President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai
Karzai is talking tough, but his words are not aimed at “Taliban”. Instead his words are targeting U.S. led coalition forces. Karzai’s threats come a after an interview with NATO’s secretary general: “The Afghan society is not yet prepared to take full responsibility for the security.”-Anders Fogh Rasmussen
If the Afghans aren’t ready to take full responsibility for security, than how can their president make such bold statements against U.S. led coalition forces?
Another sign that the U.S. is losing in Afghanistan is that Rasmussen has reportedly asked the United States, and other NATO members, to increase their military budgets and expect to possibly stay longer than the new 2014 withdrawal date.
The latest fiasco in Afghanistan involves yet another “accidental” air strike on civilian homes, which killed 12 children and two women. There have been conflicting statements from NATO; one official said they targeted a “compound” and there were no reports of civilians. The most recent NATO statement says they missed the target and hit two homes instead. If you’ve been following the war in Afghanistan for even a year, you’d recognize an MO (modus operandi) with the U.S. led coalition: Kill everyone and then claim, “Ooops, we missed the target.”
Another point to make; Hamid Karzai would not be making such bold statements against the coalition, if he didn’t feel secure in doing so. It’s an indication Karzai has found support from other international powers, and no longer needs the United States. Recently the Afghan government made an alliance with Iran.
The heavy rains from a tropical storm that hit Japan, are flooding the damaged reactor buildings with more water.
That is creating the potential for even more contaminated water getting into the Pacific Ocean. Radioactive water continues to pour from the reactors, TEPCo has failed to stop it..
According to NHK, to date only 40% of workers at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, have been given radiation check ups.
Tokyo Electric Power Company didn’t start testing until 11 days after the 11 March disasters.
Japanese standard safe limits for radiation exposure is 100 millisieverts. So far two workers have been exposed to more than 250 millisieverts. Another 30 have been exposed to more than 100 millisieverts.
TEPCo is trying to shift blame by saying workers are not taking their iodide pills properly. But even that is TEPCo’s fault; radiology experts are questioning whether the timing and level of iodide dosage was appropriate.
“I can say that the Libyan leader is ready to implement what is in the roadmap by the AU.”-South African President Jacob Zuma
For the second time, Gaddafi has accepted an AU cease fire and peace plan. The first time U.S. led NATO, and the rebels, rejected the offer. The South African president said: “…the importance of the ceasefire proposed by the AU on condition that NATO and (others) stop bombing and give the Libyan people a chance to solve their problems by themselves.”
The African Union is upset because Libya is a member of the AU, and the AU sees NATO’s actions against Libya as an attack against the African continent.
“The president called this incident a great mistake, the murdering of Afghanistan’s children and women, and on behalf of the Afghan people gives his last warning to the U.S. troops and U.S. officials in this regard.”-Press statement from the office of President Hamid Karzai
On May 28, yet another U.S. led NATO attack killed more civilians than militants. That’s several air strikes killing civilians for the month of May, as well as U.S. led attacks that killed Afghan police.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he’s had enough, and has ordered Afghan government forces to take night combat operations away from U.S. led coalition forces, and, to stop any U.S. led military action viewed as “arbitrary” by Afghan forces. Karzai said the U.S. led coalition was “…murdering Afghanistan’s children and women.”
As usual coalition leaders apologized for killing civilians: “I want to offer my sincere apologies for the nine civilians who were killed during the incident in Now Zad District, Helmand province, that occurred on 28 May.”-Major General John Toolan, ISAF commander southwest Afghanistan
As usual President Obama said they would take the matter seriously: “President Karzai has expressed on a number of occasions his concerns about civilian casualties. Those are concerns that we share and take very seriously.”-Jay Carney, spokesman for President Barack Obama
You know what president Obama? Actions speak louder than words, and I think the Afghan government is tired of smelling the bullshit!