Fukushima Disaster

Nuclear Scum! - Fukushima Disaster Response

India files biopiracy lawsuit against Monsanto

India files biopiracy lawsuit against Monsanto, says biotech giant is stealing nature for corporate gain
by Jonathan Benson, staff writer
http://www.naturalnews.com/033714_biopiracy_Monsanto.html
(NaturalNews) Representing one of the most agriculturally bio-diverse nations in the world, India has become a primary target for biotechnology companies like Monsanto and Cargill to spread their genetically-modified (GM) crops into new markets. However, a recent France 24 report explains that the Indian government has decided to take an offensive approach against this attempted agricultural takeover by suing Monsanto for "biopiracy," accusing the company of stealing India's indigenous plants in order to re-engineer them into patented varieties.

Brinjal, also known in Western nations as eggplant, is a native Indian crop for which there are roughly 2,500 different unique varieties. Millions of Indian farmers grow brinjal, which is used in a variety of Indian food dishes, and the country grows more than a quarter of the world's overall supply of the vegetable.

And in an attempt to capitalize on this popular crop, Monsanto has repeatedly tried to commercially market its own GM variety of brinjal called Bt brinjal. But massive public outcry against planned commercial approval of Monsanto's "frankencrop" variety in 2010 led to the government banning it for an indefinite period of time.

But Monsanto is still stealing native crops, including brinjal, and quietly working on GM varieties of them in test fields, which is a clear violation of India's Biological Diversity Act (BDA). So at the prompting of various farmers and activists in India, the Indian government, representing the first time in history a nation that has taken such action, has decided to sue Monsanto.

"This can send a different message to the big companies for violating the laws of the nation," said K.S. Sugara, Member Secretary of the Karnataka Biodiversity Board, to France 24 concerning the lawsuit. "It is not acceptable ... that the farmers in our communities are robbed of the advantage they should get from the indigenous varieties."

You can watch the full France 24 video report of India's lawsuit against Monsanto here:
http://www.france24.com/en/20110921...

Farmers and active members of the public in India have been some of the world's most outspoken opponents of Monsanto's attempted GM takeover of agriculture. Besides successfully overturning the attempted approval of Bt brinjal, these freedom fighters have also successfully destroyed several attempted Monsanto GM test fields.

Fukushima High level of radiation

This is a very interesting on line diary - fyi

Source

High level steam explosion seems imminent. Measuring actual hydrogen levels will be done 28th/29th when they get a new device. Valves broke, pipes full of hydrogen, water decontamination not working, plutonium vaporized all over Honshu, no details going out to the people how bad it is, and the mandatory evac limits are being lifted --go figure. I don't think this is paranoia to say-- we're next on the West Coast. This is starting to sink in as a major population reduction that likely will maim the rest of the humans, plants, and animals (please tell me I'm wrong). Last but not least, the good news is that Japan is going to shut down ALL their reactors (don't know the details). Possibly there was and is now, absolutely nothing that can be done. Now magnify this industrial disaster by 440 nuclear plants on planet earth, with 104 in the U.S. Every day it seem that we are hearing about another leak or venting at a nuclear plant. I think I see what the world is coming to via the scifi channel and I don't like it. Most people are clueless as to what is happening but maybe that is a self protective view if in fact, we can do nothing about the situation in Japan now. It gives defcon 1 a whole new meaning now for 'imminent nuclear threat,' never mind the cocked pistol. I shudder to think what will transpire when the tragedy of rad water, air, and soil is realized to it's full extent in Japan and esp in the U.S., where we have been summarily blinded about the truth about radiation. Hint: it's not clean, it's not efficient, and a whole lot of dead and sick people doesn't bother the powerful global nuclear bureaucrats and politicians that support them. Pity.

See tweets here:

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The World According To Monsanto

Meet The Gene Police

The World According To Monsanto is the film that puts all the pieces together: How Monsanto Gets Away With It.

The background is explored-- and exposed. Monsanto started out as a chemical company, the largest one in the 20th century. This is their history: how scientific studies were falsified, how whistle blowers were destroyed,how farmers all over the world are being served lawsuits, their livelihoods crushed...and we are eating the Frankenfood.

They have established a new and terrifying norm: that seed can be owned as property,

The story starts in the White House, where Monsanto often got its way by exerting disproportionate influence over policymakers via the “revolving door”. One example is Michael Taylor, who worked for Monsanto as an attorney before being appointed as deputy commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1991. While at the FDA, the authority that deals with all US food approvals, Taylor made crucial decisions that led to the approval of GE foods and crops. Then he returned to Monsanto, becoming the company’s vice president for public policy. How convenient.

Thanks to these intimate links between Monsanto and government agencies, the US adopted genetically engineered foods and crops without proper testing, without consumer labeling and in spite of serious questions hanging over their safety.

In this film you will actually see George Bush Sr. joke with Monsanto higher- ups about their products coming to market: "Don't worry, we're in the dereg business!"

Indiana farmer Troy Roush, who's life and farm of three generations was devastated when Monsanto claimed he was saving their seed says: "They've created an industry that serves no other purpose than to wreck farmers lives. They want to control the seed. They want to own life. These are the building blocks of food we're talking about. They are in the process of owning food. All food."

See this film and spread the word to everyone you know. It is crucial that we understand this is not a science fiction movie: this is true, and going on now.

--Bibi Farber

This film was produced by French journalist and film maker Marie-Monique Robin

"'The Great Culling'"

Open your Mind

Forbidden Knowledge

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Avoid Genetically Modified Food

Doctors and Animals Alike Tell Us: Avoid Genetically Modified Food

by Jeffrey M. Smith

The farmer grinned as he told the visitor, “Watch this!” He called his pigs, which ran frantically towards him to be fed. But when he scooped out corn and threw it on the ground, the pigs sniffed it and then looked up at the farmer with confused expectation. The farmer then scooped corn from another bin and flung it near the pigs, which ran over and quickly devoured it.
The farmer said, “The first corn is genetically engineered. They won’t touch it.”
It’s not just pigs that swear off genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In South Africa, Strilli Oppenheimer’s chickens won’t eat genetically modified (GM) corn. Most buffalo in Haryana, India, refuse cottonseed cakes if made from GM cotton plants. Geese migrating through Illinois only munched sections of the soybean field that was non-GMO. When given a choice, elk, deer, raccoons, and rats all avoided GMOs. And even during the coldest days of Iowa winter, squirrels, which regularly devour natural corn, refused to touch the GM variety.
One skeptical farmer who read about the squirrels wanted to see for himself if it was true. He bought a bag full of GM corn ears, and another of non-GM, and left them in his garage till winter. But by the time he fetched the bags, mice had done the experiment for him. They broke into the natural corn bag and finished it; the GM cobs were untouched.

Doctors prescribe no GMOs

No one knows why the animals refuse GMOs, but according to a 2009 statement by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM), when lab animals do eat GM feed, it’s not pretty. “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” says the AAEM policy paper, which specifically cited infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system, among the impacts of eating GMOs. “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects,” they wrote. “There is causation…”
Although we humans don’t have a natural sense to stay away from GM foods, AAEM’s position indicates that we should take a lesson from the animals. This renowned medical organization, which first recognized such dangers as food allergies, chemical sensitivity, and Gulf War Syndrome, called on all physicians to prescribe non-GMO diets to all patients.¹ They also called for a moratorium on GMOs, long-term independent studies, and labeling.
Former AAEM President Dr. Jennifer Armstrong says, “Physicians are probably seeing the effects in their patients, but need to know how to ask the right questions.” Renowned biologist Dr. Pushpa M. Bhargava and many others believe that GMOs may be a major contributor to the deteriorating health in America since GM foods were introduced in 1996.

GMOs on your plate

There are eight GM food crops: soy, corn, cotton, canola, sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, and a little bit of zucchini and yellow squash. The two primary reasons why plants are engineered are to allow them to either drink poison, or produce poison.
Poison drinkers are called herbicide tolerant. Their DNA is outfitted with bacterial genes that allow them to survive otherwise deadly doses of toxic herbicide. The first five crops on the list above have herbicide tolerant varieties. The poison producers are called Bt crops. Inserted genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis produce an insect-killing pesticide called Bt-toxin in every cell of the plant. That is found in corn and cotton. The papaya and squashes have virus genes inserted, to fight off a plant virus. All GM crops are linked to dangerous side effects.

Pregnant women and babies at great risk

GM foods are particularly dangerous for pregnant women and children. After GM soy was fed to female rats, most of their babies died—compared to a 10% deaths among controls fed natural soy.² GM-fed babies were smaller, and possibly infertile.³
Testicles of rats fed GM soy changed from the normal pink to dark blue.⁴ Mice fed GM soy had altered young sperm.⁵ Embryos of GM soy-fed parent mice had changed DNA.⁶ And mice fed GM corn had fewer, and smaller, babies.⁷
In Haryana, India, most of those buffalo that did consume GM cottonseed ended up with reproductive complications such as premature deliveries, abortions, and infertility; many calves died. About two dozen US farmers said thousands of pigs became sterile from certain GM corn varieties. Some had false pregnancies; others gave birth to bags of water. Cows and bulls also became infertile.⁸

Eating poison in every bite

When insects take a bite out of the corn and cotton plants engineered to produce Bt-toxin, their stomach splits open and they die. Because that same toxin is used in its natural bacterial state as a spray by farmers for insect control, biotech companies claim that it has a history of safe use and can be incorporated directly into every plant cell.
The Bt-toxin produced in GM plants, however, is thousands of times more concentrated than natural Bt spray, is designed to be more toxic,⁹ has properties of an allergen, and cannot be washed off the plant.
Moreover, studies confirm that even the less toxic natural spray can be harmful. When dispersed by plane to kill gypsy moths in Washington and Vancouver, about 500 people reported allergy or flu-like symptoms.¹⁰, ¹¹ The same symptoms are now reported by thousands of farm workers from handling Bt cotton throughout India.¹²

GMOs provoke immune reactions

GMO safety expert Dr. Arpad Pusztai says changes in immune status are “a consistent feature of all the [animal] studies.”¹³ From Monsanto’s own research to government funded trials, rodents fed Bt corn had significant immune reactions.¹⁴, ¹⁵
Soon after GM soy was introduced to the UK, soy allergies skyrocketed by 50%. Ohio allergist Dr. John Boyles says “I used to test for soy allergies all the time, but now that soy is genetically engineered, it is so dangerous that I tell people never to eat it.”
GM soy, corn, and papaya contain new proteins with allergenic properties.¹⁶ In addition, GM soy has up to seven times more of a known soy allergen.¹⁷ Perhaps the US epidemic of food allergies and asthma is a casualty of genetic manipulation.

Animals dying in large numbers

In India, animals graze on cotton plants after harvest. But when shepherds let sheep graze on Bt cotton plants, thousands died. Investigators said preliminary evidence “strongly suggests that the sheep mortality was due to a toxin…most probably Bt-toxin.”¹⁸ In one small study, all sheep fed Bt cotton plants died; those fed natural plants remained healthy.
In an Andhra Pradesh village, buffalo grazed on cotton plants for eight years without incident. On January 3rd, 2008, 13 buffalo grazed on Bt cotton plants for the first time. All died within three days.¹⁹ Bt corn is also implicated in the deaths of cows in Germany, and horses, water buffaloes, and chickens in The Philippines.²⁰
In lab studies, twice the number of chickens fed Liberty Link corn died; 7 of 40 rats fed a GM tomato died within two weeks.²¹ Those rats had refused to eat the tomato and had to be force fed.
Worst finding of all—GMOs remain inside of us

The only published human feeding study revealed that even after we stop eating GMOs, harmful GM proteins may be produced continuously inside of us; genes inserted into GM soy transfer into bacteria inside our intestines and continue to function.²² If Bt genes also transfer, eating GM corn chips might transform our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories.
Warnings by government scientists ignored and denied

According to documents released from a lawsuit, in 1991–92 scientists at the FDA repeatedly warned that GM foods might create allergies, poisons, new diseases, and nutritional problems.²³ But the White House ordered the agency to promote biotechnology, and Michael Taylor, Monsanto’s former attorney, headed up the FDA’s GMO policy. That 1992 policy—still in effect today—declares that no safety studies on GMOs are required. Monsanto and other producers determine if their foods are safe. Taylor later became Monsanto’s vice president, and was reinstalled at the FDA in 2009 by the Obama administration as the US Food Safety Czar.

Opting out as guinea pigs

Biologist Dr. David Schubert of the Salk Institute says, “If there are problems [with GMOs], we will probably never know because the cause will not be traceable and many diseases take a very long time to develop.” In the 9 years after GM crops were introduced in 1996, Americans with three or more chronic diseases jumped from 7% to 13%.²⁴ Allergies doubled in less time. And the incidence of low birth weight babies, infertility, and infant mortality are all escalating. But without any human clinical trials or post marketing surveillance, we may never know if these or other disorders like autism, obesity, and diabetes, are triggered or made worse by GMOs.
We don’t need to wait for more research to learn our lesson from the animals and the doctors. Consult the Non-GMO Shopping Guide (www.NonGMOShoppingGuide.com) to learn how to avoid GMOs. Even a small percentage of people choosing non-GMO brands could force the food industry to remove all GM ingredients. By doing so, you are not only being careful about your own health, you are being compassionate to the environment and future generations—since GMOs wreak long-term havoc in our ecosystem as well. 

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Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak

FWIW

Enviroment Pollution in USA on Thursday, 25 August, 2011 at 15:36 (03:36 PM) UTC.
Description
Oil is again bubbling to the surface of the Gulf of Mexico near the epicenter of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Reporters from Mobile, Alabama’s Press-Register loaded into a boat Tuesday to inspect the site. Equipped with cameras, the reporters discovered “hundreds of small, circular patches of oily sheen” within a mile of the well. “Floating in a boat near the well site, Press-Register reporters watched blobs of oil rise to the surface and bloom into iridescent yellow patches,” the paper reported Wednesday. “Those patches quickly expanded into rainbow sheens 4 to 5 feet across.” According to the Press-Register, “Each expanding bloom released a pronounced and pungent petroleum smell. Most of the oil was located in a patch about 50 yards wide and a quarter of a mile long.” Petroleum engineers are concerned that oil is leaking from the floor of the Gulf near the sealed well. (Oil trade groups: Drilling deregulation could create 190,000 jobs) Louisiana State University chemist Scott Miles conducted a chemical analysis of the oil to identify its “fingerprint.” Miles said that, “It is possible it could be [from the Deepwater Horizon well] . It’s south Louisiana crude for sure.” BP said in a statement to the Press-Register: “We stand by what we said last week, neither BP nor the Coast Guard has seen any scientific evidence that oil is leaking from the Macondo well, which was permanently sealed almost a year ago.”

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=ED-20110825-32088-USA

Heal yourself with Nature

I do not often agree with commercial products but this one is so connected to natural healing it feels ok. DL the PDF lots of information

Earthing is about “grounding” your body to naturally discharge inflammation, pain and stress. It’s simple and it’s free. All you have to do is place your bare feet directly on the earth. The Earthing products offered on this site are for “use” to conveniently ground you while indoors and during sleep.

To learn more we invite you to read the book “Earthing” click here for preview. Answers to the most common questions asked about Earthing are available at www.Earthinginstitute.net
For the last twelve years our mission was to scientifically demonstrate that Earthing affects our well-being. The mission is now to share this important information with you.

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6.8 quake hits Fukushima

tsunami warning issued — Cracks in ground and escaping steam had been reported “after two large earthquakes in the last few weeks”
August 19th, 2011 at 10:03 AM
Strong earthquake hits north-eastern Japan, tsunami warning issued, DPA, August 19, 2011:

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake jolted north-eastern Japan on Friday and a tsunami warning was issued, the Meteorological Agency said.

The warning was issued for the coastal areas in the prefectures of Fukushima and Miyagi. [...]

The quake occurred at 2:36 pm (0536GMT) with its epicenter off Fukushima prefecture at a depth of 20 kilometers, the agency said. [...]

See also: Report: Workers say ground under Fukushima plant is cracking and radioactive steam is coming up — Melted core may be moving out of building (VIDEO)

Host: “Workers at Japan’s Fukushima plant say the ground underneath the facility is cracking and radioactive steam is escaping through the cracks” [...]

Dr. Robert Jacobs, Hiroshima Peace Institute: “It’s a very serious and alarming development because this started to happen specifically after two large earthquakes in the last few weeks, there was a 6.4 on the 31 of July 31 and a 6.0 on August 12″ [...]

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Radiation From Fukushima Affects America’s West Coast

Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster | Radioactivity measurement and levels | Nuclear fallout danger
http://techie-buzz.com/science/fukushima-california-radiation-sulphur.html
August 17, 2011
Japan’s Nuclear Problem Update: How Radiation From Fukushima Affects America’s West Coast

by Debjyoti Bardhan | Tuesday, 16th Aug 2011

The reach of atmospheric winds is long. The latest demonstration of this is coming from the ruined Japanese power plant Fukushima. Sea water around Fukushima, rich in neutrons from the nuclear matter, is causing a spike in the amount of atmospheric sulphur over the Californian coast. Sulfur is a toxic element in itself and forms oxides which are just as toxic. It is also a major contributor of acid rain.

Fukushima after the disaster
What happened?

This is what was happening. On 13th March, 2011, two days after the deadly tsunami wrecked Fukushima, engineers began pumping in sea water into the power plant, so as to keep the nuclear core cool, since the cooling system was not functioning due to loss of power. Lightly radioactive seawater was drained out of the power plant. Neutrons streamed out of the water, knocking against chlorine atoms in seawater, converting them into a radioactive isotope of sulfur. The sulfur combined with oxygen in seawater, especially since the warm water provided enough thermal energy for the chemical reaction. A part of this sulfur dioxide bubbled through the water and entered the atmosphere as a gas and another part dissolved in the sea water. Also, when water hit the hot core, it instantly vaporized, releasing large amounts of hot elemental sulfur into the atmosphere. Both air currents and ocean currents carried the sulfur rich air or water to the western shores of America.
The observed data and extrapolation

The sulphur peak in the atmosphere was noticed on March 28, 2011, 15 days after the pumping started. According to a study conducted by chemists at the University of California, San Diego, – the first quantitative study of the disaster – about 400 billion neutrons were released per square meter of the cooling pools of liquid in the power plant. This rate stayed constant from 13th March to 20th March. The mechanism of producing radioactive sulphur is well understood from cosmic ray studies, but this is the first time such a process is being noticed near the surface. The study measured 1501 atoms of radioactive sulfur in sulfate particles per cubic meter of air, much much higher than normal levels.

For the levels of sulphur noticed at California to be correctly correlated with sulphur levels over Fukushima, the team calculated that the levels of sulfur ought to be 365 times that over California.

As always, even disasters provide opportunity for science to study different processes. Thiemens, the Dean of the Division of Physical Sciences at UC San Diego, says

We’ve really used the injection of a radioactive element to an environment to be a tracer of a very important process in nature for which there are some big gaps in understanding.

Maybe in this case, it’s just too inhumane to say that every cloud has a silver lining.

Author: Debjyoti Bardhan
Is a science geek, currently pursuing some sort of a degree (called a PhD) in Physics at TIFR, Mumbai. An enthusiastic but useless amateur photographer, his most favourite activity is simply lazing around. He is interested in all things interesting and scientific.

Debjyoti Bardhan has written 129 articles for us.

The author of this post can be contacted at debjyoti@techie-buzz.com

Flu Vaccine Use to Modify Human Behavior ?

For your information believe it or not but I have never and will never have pharmaceutical drugs

What you are about to hear is not science fiction or conspiracy theory but a glimpse of what is going on behind the closed doors of the United States Pentagon.

In a small auditorium labeled BC232 a man is presenting a discussion on how the military industrial complex can spread a virus and use a vaccine to extinguish what the pentagon calls undesirable human behavior. Specifically in this case religious behavior.

This is dark science my friends. With all the mandatory vaccine programs in the United States do not be deceived for a moment that something like this will not or possibly hasn't already been used on the American public.

Diana Nyad abandoned her swim

GOM

Diana Nyad the swimmer from Florida to Cuba was forced to abandon her swim
Posted By: Nameless_one
Date: Tuesday, 9-Aug-2011 20:01:20

After the 53rd mile, Diana Nyad was forced to abandon her life-time dream of swimming the 103 mile swim. She felt nausiated and her shoulder started bothering her. Asthma set in and it became very difficult for her to continue.

Could the cause be "COREXIT"? I don't think anyone took in the idea that the culprit could have been a poisoned ocean. Maybe after all is said and done, we will hear more on what happened.

I wish her will. More to be revealed.
Mmmmmm.... Corexit. With 2-butoxyethanol, that stuff in Spot Shot carpet cleaner that makes your fingers numb. And n-hexane, which is metabolized to the neurotoxin, 2,5-hexanedione, which causes long-term neuropathy. I vote for 2-butoxyethanol as the culprit, it's much quicker acting.

[Sidebar: Don't you love when people have names that correspond to what they do? Nyad = naiad, a water nymph]

Lethal Levels of Radiation at Fukushima

TEPCO has discovered locations on the Fukushima plant site with lethal levels of external gamma radiation. Fairewinds takes a close look at how this radiation might have been deposited and how similar radioactive material would have been released offsite.

Lethal Levels of Radiation at Fukushima: What Are the Implications? from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.

There are some very good updates at this link.

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Tepco Reports Deadly Radiation Reading Fukushima Nuclear Plant

By Tsuyoshi Inajima and Kari Lundgren - Aug 3, 2011

Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported its second deadly radiation reading in as many days at its wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant north of Tokyo.

The utility known as Tepco said yesterday it detected 5 sieverts of radiation per hour in the No. 1 reactor building. On Aug. 1 in another area it recorded radiation of 10 sieverts per hour, enough to kill a person “within a few weeks” after a single exposure, according to the World Nuclear Association.

Radiation has impeded attempts to replace cooling systems to bring three melted reactors and four damaged spent fuel ponds under control after a tsunami on March 11 crippled the plant. The latest reading was taken on the second floor of the No. 1 reactor building and will stop workers entering the area.

“It’s probably the first of many more to come,” said Michael Friedlander, who spent 13 years operating nuclear power plants in the U.S., including the Crystal River Station in Florida. “Although I am not surprised, it concerns me greatly; the issue is the worker safety.”

The 10 sieverts of radiation detected on Aug. 1 outside reactor buildings was the highest the Geiger counters used were capable of reading, indicating the level could have been higher, Junichi Matsumoto, a general manager at the utility, said at a press conference.
Upper Limit

“Ten sieverts is the upper limit for many dosimeters and almost equal to the amount that killed workers at the JCO nuclear accident in 1999,” said Tomoko Murakami, a nuclear researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan.

In that accident, then the world’s worst since Chernobyl in 1986, more than 600 people were exposed to radiation after workers inadvertently started a nuclear chain reaction while processing nuclear fuel at a plant near Tokyo. Two employees of JCO Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., died from radiation exposure.

Tepco was forced to pump water into the three Fukushima reactors after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disabled cooling systems. The company in May estimated there would be 200,000 tons of radiated water in basements and other areas of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant by December.

“If nuclear fuels melted through containment chambers, Tepco will find even higher radiation readings after water in building basements is removed,” said Tetsuo Ito, the head of the Atomic Energy Research Institute at Kinki University.
Radiation Leaks

Tepco has been criticized by the government for withholding radiation data and other missteps that have worsened the crisis. About 160,000 people have been evacuated from areas stretching 20 kilometers and more from the plant.

On May 27, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Tepco’s withholding radiation data was contributing to “public distrust.” The utility responded by saying it will publish in August the combined figures of radiation released into the atmosphere and in contaminated water. It hasn’t given a date for release of that information.

Radiation leaks from the Fukushima reactors have spread over 600 square kilometers, Tomio Kawata, a fellow at the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan, said in a research report published on May 24 and given to the government.

Radioactive soil in pockets of areas outside the exclusion zone around the plant have reached the same level as in Chernobyl following a reactor explosion in the former Soviet Union, the report said.
Hot Spots

The threats to Japan’s food chain are also multiplying as radioactive cesium emissions from the Fukushima plant spread. Contaminated beef has been found on supermarket shelves around the country, forcing the government to ban cattle shipments from areas in northern Japan.

The latest high radiation readings are probably coming from materials released during early failed attempts to release pressure in containment vessels and vent hydrogen gas to prevent explosions that damaged reactor buildings, Matsumoto said. There were about 2,760 workers at the plant on Aug 1.

Tepco on April 17 set out a so-called road map to end the crisis by January, aiming to bring down radiation levels at the plant within three months and then achieve a so-called cold shutdown where reactor temperatures fall below 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit).

The utility needs to investigate other areas that may hold high radiation levels in line with the cold-shutdown and clean up, said Murakami at Energy Economics.

“Tepco workers and its subcontractors who know the Fukushima plant well may be the only ones that can discover such hot spots,” he said. “For people new to the plant it’s deadly.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Tsuyoshi Inajima in Tokyo at tinajima@bloomberg.net; Kari Lundgren in London at klundgren2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Langan at plangan@bloomberg.net
®2011 BLOOMBERG L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Professor Tatsuhiko Kodama about Japan Radiation

See videos linked below - english translation available
Prof. Kodama Angry about Japanese Gov.'s Gross Negligence
Key information about what radioisotopes do, like the alpha radiation used in Japan to treat cancer called Thorotrast that caused liver cancer 30 years later, by genetic mutation of...yes, P53! gene, implicated in a number of other cancers besides liver but esp damaging to the liver. Very detailed info of how genetic damage happens in stages, starting with P53 and his specialty, bladder cancer since Chernobyl where P38 Map Kinase and NF Kappa B genetic mutations occur. He says first proliferative cystitis happens then bladder cancer! Remember when baking soda used to be the 'cure' for bladder cancer. Well, it's too late at that point! Baking soda works to clear out daily exposure to alpha particles to flush them out of the urinary tract before they stick to tissue and start to damage the cells around the particles.

Professor Tatsuhiko Kodama is the head of the Radioisotope Center at the University of Tokyo in charge of 27 radioisotope centers, with a charter to monitor and decontaminate radiation in Japan.

Background from part 1:
'The uranium equivalent is equal to 20 Hiroshima bombs...more frightening is that radiation from a nuclear bomb will decrease to one-thousandth while radiation from a plant will only decrease to one-tenth...when a vast amount of (alpha) radiation is released it is disbursed in super-fine particles (like sand melting out of synthetic resin it's contained in)..dispersion is non-linear, non-concentric, very difficult to assess the fluid dynamics of..when it rains anything that absorbs water absorbs huge amounts of radiation particles..what happens is like the rice straw getting contaminated and fed to cattle that have internal radiation...there are better ways to measure radiation than the gov't provided...personal survey meters must be distributed (in Japanese language) while food can be measured using semiconductor imaging detectors..after three months the government has done NOTHING to decontaminate the soil, air, and food supply.

He goes on in Prt 2 to describe exactly how radiation damages DNA, breaking strands into single strands and four strands that makes those exposed very vulnerable to disease, especially children and foetuses. He explains in great detail what the different types of radioactive isotopes do to the body parts, esp. hair, blood, and intestinal/urinary epithelium - major damage. He makes recommendations to save the children of Japan and asks why the government's hands appear to be tied to initiate the national radiation protection program. The irony is simply excruciating. Japan knows exactly what the genetic damage is due to alpha radiation. There is a first hit to genetic damage then 20-30 years later the earlier exposure shows up in leukemia and liver cancer. His take on the children is, of course, that the excuse of not having proof of a causal relationship of radiation and cancer from final data of epidemiology studies, will not help children with serious exposure to alpha radiation from getting these cancers 20 years later, or sooner, since the alpha particles are continuing to bioaccumulate in Japan. Shoot, I need to continue my Japanese classes so I can read the research of the Bioassay Research Center regarding health effects of chemical compounds. This guy knows what he is talking about and he is heavy hitting the facts and recommendations, very impressive lesson in health damage due to alpha radiation. He's also asking that the rad testing centers be permitted to test for Cesium since not all of them have permission to decontaminate this type of radiation so the Cesium laden materials remain in areas of high radioactivity. He says it's illegal to move it, everything is illegal. Why are you tying our hands?

More bad news, I heard there's been a 6.2 not far from Hamaoka plant? Lord have mercy on everyone regarding radiation exposure. This is the best we can do globally? I think NOT. Do you know how long a commitment it will take to get rid of a global octopus that sees people as human capitol to be dealt with as cheaply and efficiently as possible? The Japanese PTB see the problem as one of money and power over human life, even the lives of their children. I think their government is so full of themselves, they are incapable to handle permanent and emergency aspects of radiation contamination. God speed the Jpn people to mobilize and demand the end of treating people like they were manufactured commodities. This guy says you can't treat people all the same, nor put an exclusion zone of certain miles around a plant and call your work 'done.' There are 3 million gene locations that make each one of us different. Alpha particle deposition if non-linear. Minamisoma kids are in an area that by grace, happens to have less radiation in the air but is in the exclusion zone, so what do they do? They bus them at a horrendous expense, every day, to Iwaki/Iwate prefecture to inhale air that is more contaminated with radiation. The people in charge have no idea what they are dealing with yet they do not want to give up their power, how pathetic is that?

Prof. Kodama ends by asking what the (hell) the Diet is doing when 70,000 people were forced out of their homes and are now wandering..that's all.

Part 1

Part 2

Japanese Government "Not Sure if People have a RIGHT to Live Healthy Lives"

Go to this blog for the rest of the article she speaks of truth

Japanese Government "Not Sure if People have a RIGHT to Live Healthy Lives" When Responding to Fukushima Nuclear Disaster!
This is one of those moments where clarity comes through in how Governments around the world think of their citizens! Governments do not do things for their people, they do things for themselves and their controllers (banks, corporations).

On July 19th the Japanese Government had a little get together with the people of Fukushima City. The Japanese government has refused to help those who live near the Fukushima Nuclear Plant to evacuate.

Someone asked the Japanese government official: "Don't we have a Right to live healthy lives"? The official answered "I don't know if you have that right"!

I have to say, the Japanese government has come right out and said they are not protecting their citizens, where as all the other governments pretend they are looking out for their citizens when they are actually doing the opposite.

Watch the full video. But I warn you, tears will/may come to your eyes with the full realization of what the Japanese people are going through.

I have not been putting lots of what is happening in Japan on my blog. The reason is.... when something is so upsetting and yet there is absolutely nothing I or anyone who reads this can do about it, it is depressing to me and I read about it but don't want to post over and over again how sad it is!

BUT for the Japanese government not giving a SH*$ about their people and it is all about protecting themselves and TEPCO just makes me super MAD and Upset! They are willing to sacrifice their people for money and covering their own asses and their controllers (banks, corporations asses).

This video brought tears to my eyes especially at the end when the man is crying pleading with the official to take the urine of children brought to the meeting and test it. He tries to block them from leaving and blocks the elevator button in desperation, the officials ignore him. It is so sad and so hard to comprehend that government officials really don't give a care about their people! But this video proves it!

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Hungary Destroys All Monsanto GMO Maize Fields

Bravo Hungary - now if the rest of the World Nations can follow

In an effort to rid the country of Monsanto's GMO products, Hungary has stepped up the pace. This looks like its going to be another slap in the face for Monsanto. A new regulation was introduced this March which stipulates that seeds are supposed to be checked for GMO before they are introduced to the market. Unfortunately, some GMO seeds made it to the farmers without them knowing it.

Almost 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds have been destroyed throughout Hungary deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar said. The GMO maize has been ploughed under, said Lajos Bognar, but pollen has not spread from the maize, he added.

Unlike several EU members, GMO seeds are banned in Hungary. The checks will continue despite the fact that seed traders are obliged to make sure that their products are GMO free, Bognar said.

During their investigation, controllers have found Pioneer and Monsanto products among the seeds planted.

The free movement of goods within the EU means that authorities will not investigate how the seeds arrived in Hungary but they will check where the goods can be found, Bognar said. Regional public radio reported that the two biggest international seed producing companies are affected in the matter and GMO seeds could have been sown on up to thousands of hectares in the country.

Most of the local farmers have complained since they just discovered they were using GMO seeds. With season already under way, it is too late to sow new seeds, so this years harvest has been lost.

And to make things even worse for the farmers, the company that distributed the seeds in Baranya county is under liquidation. Therefore, if any compensation is paid by the international seed producers, the money will be paid primarily to that company's creditors, rather than the farmers.

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Japan Tsunami: Debris From Disaster Heading to U.S. West Coast

Millions of tons of debris washed out to sea from north-east Japan by the March 11 tsunami has embarked on a 10-year circuit of the Pacific, endangering shipping and wildlife.
By Julian Ryall in Tokyo

7:00AM BST 23 Jun 2011

The French environmental group Robin des Bois estimates that a large percentage of the 25 million tons of debris created by the magnitude 9 earthquake and the tsunami that it triggered has been sucked out to sea.

After being caught in the swirling currents for a number of years, it will congregate into two floating "garbage patches," one in the east and the other in the west of the Pacific.

The debris includes damaged fishing boats, cars, shipping containers and the contents of thousands of houses, including refrigerators, along with plastics, wood, rubber and items made of PVC.

Many of the vehicles will discharge their oil and fuel, creating numerous spills, while containers from industrial facilities will leak pesticides, chemicals and a wide range of other pollutants, the organisation said.

The waste will move at a speed of between 5 and 10 miles a day, catching the North Pacific Current and crossing the ocean in as little as 12 months.
Off the coast of California, debris is expected to circulate either north or south, taking either the Alaskan or North Equatorial currents back to the western reaches of the ocean.

Much is predicted to end up caught in the vortex of the Eastern Garbage Patch, which is estimated to measure between 270,000 square miles and 5.8 million square miles.

"Over time plastic debris eventually fragments into tiny particles creating 'plastic plankton' or 'microplastic,' which is a serious long-term concern, particularly for marine food webs." the organisation said.

Monsanto official Beaten

I do not condone violence at all it is a shame the win came through beating someone
Monsanto official Beaten by farmers in India over Failed GMO Bt Cotton Seeds
Salem-News.com
Special thanks to the Vidarbha Times for information in this report.

(NAGPUR ) - We have reported in the past an alarming suicide rate among farmers in India that is connected to the failure of American GMO (genetically modified organism) cotton seeds.

Monsanto, the U.S. company responsible for Agent Orange, a cancer-causing chemical sprayed on the jungles of Vietnam, is now in the GMO food and seed business.

Monsanto stands accused of having an international monopoly of the notorious bio-engineered Bt cotton seeds.

Advocates for the agricultural industry say they never dreamed of the tragedy to come, when a 2005 decision was announced to allow the seeds in India.

Now an agrarian crisis has hit Maharashtra itself thanks to the Monsanto program.

Farmers are buying 11 packets of 450 gm per hectare as per the company’s guide for the recommended “population method” but the sudden demand and ill-managed Indian sub agents have brought the company big trouble as 50% of the Bt cotton seeds failed to germinate even after it’s second sowing.

Now cries are being heard in other part of India too.

The Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti farmers advocacy group has approached the local state Govt. of Maharashtra to arrange a high level probe of all complaints received from farmers of west Vidarbha where more than 10,000 cotton farmers have committed suicide since June 2005 after the introduction of the killer Bt cotton seeds in this region.

Around Rs.10,000 crore has been pumped in by Indian and state Govt. to bailout cotton farmers from the agrarian crisis which is likely to get worse if corrective action are not taken immediately, Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti said today.

The Monsanto Bt cotton seed crisis heated up in early June when all Bt cotton seeds ordered by Maharashtra dealers sold out it to the adjourning Andhra farmers and there was no seed available to cater to the local market.

Monsanto sub-agents had failed to respond to a state govt. request, and then suddenly Bt cotton seeds were freely available in the market by the third week of June.

A source supply was immediately discovered and Yavatmal police raided the house of Nerendra Indurkar in the very small village of Munjala and reportedly caught him red handed packing local cotton seed in the pockets of branded Bt cotton.

Police have sealed the advanced imported pocket packing machines and thousands of packets of Bt cotton seeds being sold on the premium.

However the alleged culprit, Nerendra Indurkar, was allowed to go without any interrogation.

Officials of the American Bt cotton seeds giant in India were called and facts were shared but they denied any link with this bogus Bt cotton seed supply racket.

When news of a Monsanto senior official's arrival from Mumbai reached the nearby village of Munjala, cotton farmers of the village Karanji, about 140 K.m. from Nagpur located the Monsanto official and took him to their field where a complete failure of ‘Paras Sudarshan’ Bt cotton seed was shown to him.

When the Monsanto representative failed to admit the lapse, he was severely beaten up by the farmers.
It was reported that even a local agriculture officer did not come to his rescue.

This, from accounts in daily papers in Vidarbha and the Marathwada region of Maharashtra where more than 4 million hectares under Bt cotton cultivation are reporting the flood of bogus seed supplied local agents of American cotton seed MNC giant Monsanto.

At this point, although the situation was reported, the administration has failed to take any action of this serious issue.

So, Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prathiraj Chavan to order a judicial enquiry into the supply racket of bogus BT. cotton seed in Maharashtra, and also to start criminal action against the culprit, Tiwari added.

Exactly where Monsanto's trail across the globe that has left so many dead and dying begins is not known, nor is the future this model agency of the American military industrial complex known.

The company has never accounted for its role in the deaths of so many Vietnamese and American and Australian Vietnam Veterans who have fought so hard for so government accountability in return.

Agent Orange doesn't just affect the person who comes into contact with it, it goes on to affect their children, and their children's children. I suspect there are a great number of people who cracked a smile when they read this account of a Monsanto official being beaten up in an Indian farm field. Violence is never a good answer, but particularly in light of the horrific, staggering suicide rate, it is understandable why some might embrace it as a last resort.
Monsanto official Beaten by farmers in India over Failed GMO Bt Cotton Seeds
Salem-News.com

15 Food Companies That Serve You 'Wood'

The recent class-action lawsuit brought against Taco Bell raised questions about the quality of food many Americans eat each day.

Chief among those concerns is the use of cellulose (read: wood pulp), an extender whose use in a roster of food products, from crackers and ice creams to puddings and baked goods, is now being exposed. What you're actually paying for -- and consuming -- may be surprising.
Cellulose is virgin wood pulp that has been processed and manufactured to different lengths for functionality, though use of it and its variant forms (cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, etc.) is deemed safe for human consumption, according to the FDA, which regulates most food industry products. The government agency sets no limit on the amount of cellulose that can be used in food products meant for human consumption. The USDA, which regulates meats, has set a limit of 3.5% on the use of cellulose, since fiber in meat products cannot be recognized nutritionally.

"As commodity prices continue to rally and the cost of imported materials impacts earnings, we expect to see increasing use of surrogate products within food items. Cellulose is certainly in higher demand and we expect this to continue," Michael A. Yoshikami, chief investment strategist at YCMNet Advisors, told TheStreet.

Manufacturers use cellulose in food as an extender, providing structure and reducing breakage, said Dan Inman, director of research and development at J. Rettenmaier USA, a company that supplies "organic" cellulose fibers for use in a variety of processed foods and meats meant for human and pet consumption, as well as for plastics, cleaning detergents, welding electrodes, pet litter, automotive brake pads, glue and reinforcing compounds, construction materials, roof coating, asphalt and even emulsion paints, among many other products.

Cellulose adds fiber to the food, which is good for people who do not get the recommended daily intake of fiber in their diets, Inman said. It also extends the shelf life of processed foods. Plus, cellulose's water-absorbing properties can mimic fat, he said, allowing consumers to reduce their fat intake.

Perhaps most important to food processors is that cellulose is cheaper, he added, because "the fiber and water combination is less expensive than most other ingredients in the [food] product."

Indeed, food producers save as much as 30% in ingredient costs by opting for cellulose as a filler or binder in processed foods, according to a source close to the processed food industry who spoke with TheStreet on the condition of anonymity.

Inman said that in his 30 years in the food science business, he's seen "an amazing leap in terms of the applications of cellulose fiber and what you can do with it." He said powdered cellulose has a bad reputation but that more of his customers are converting from things like oat or sugar cane fibers to cellulose because it is "snow white in color, bland and easy to work with."

Most surprising, said Inman, is that he's been able to remove as much as 50% of the fat from some cookies, biscuits, cakes and brownies by replacing it with powdered cellulose -- but still end up with a very similar product in terms of taste and appearance.

"We're only limited by our own imagination," Inman told TheStreet. "I would never have dreamed I could successfully put 18% fiber in a loaf of bread two years ago."

He said cellulose is common in processed foods, often labeled as reduced-fat or high-fiber -- products like breads, pancakes, crackers, pizza crusts, muffins, scrambled eggs, mashed potato mixes, and even cheesecake. Inman himself keeps a box of Wheat Thins Fiber Selects crackers, manufactured by Kraft Foods(KFT)' Nabisco brand, at his desk, and snacks on them daily, clearly unmoved by the use of wood pulp in its ingredients.

"Most consumers would be shocked to find these types of filler products are used as substitutes for items that they believe are more pure," Yoshikami said. "We would expect increased disclosure to follow increased use of cellulose and other filler products as the practice increases in frequency."

To that end, TheStreet rounded up a list of popular foods that use cellulose. It's by no means an exhaustive list, and we suggest consumers read food labels carefully. Still, click through the slideshow to find out if your favorite foods contain the "all-natural" wood pulp...

(Please note the following lists are not exhaustive. Some companies list all ingredients on their Web sites. Other items were found in a local grocery store near TheStreet's headquarters on Wall Street in New York City.)

Pepsi(PEP) uses cellulose in the following products:
Aunt Jemima Frozen Blueberry Pancakes
Aunt Jemima Original Syrup

Kellogg(K) uses cellulose in the following products:
MorningStar Farms Chik'n Nuggets
MorningStar Farms Chik Patties Original
MorningStar Farms Buffalo Wings Veggie Wings
Eggo Nutri-Grain Blueberry waffles
Eggo Strawberry Waffles
Eggo Blueberry Waffles
Cinnabon Pancakes Original
Cinnabon Pancakes Caramel
Cinnabon Snack Bars Original

Weight Watchers International (WTW) uses cellulose in the following products:
Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich
English Toffee Crunch Ice Cream Bar
Giant Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Bar

General Mills(GIS) uses cellulose in the following products:
Fiber One Ready-To-Eat Muffins (Wild Blueberry & Oats; Mixed Fruit, Nuts & Honey; Apple Cinnamon Bun, Banana Chocolate Chip)
Fiber One Original cereal
Fiber One Chewy Bars (90 Calorie Chocolate, 90 Calorie Chocolate Peanut Butter)
Fiber One baking products (Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix, Banana Nut Muffin Mix, Blueberry Muffin Mix)
Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic Yellow Cake Mix
Pillsbury Mozzarella and Pepperoni Pastry Puffs
Pillsbury Cheese and Spinach Crescent Pastry Puffs
Pillsbury Artichoke and Spinach Bread Bowl Bites
Pillsbury Buffalo Chicken Crescent Pastry Puffs
Pillsbury Cream Cheese and Jalapeno Bread Bowl Bites
Betty Crocker whipped frostings (Strawberry Mist, Chocolate, Cream Cheese)
Betty Crocker Vanilla Amazing Glazes
Duncan Hines Cake Mixes (Devil's Food Cake Mix, Dark Chocolate Fudge, Strawberry Supreme, Fudge Marble, Classic Yellow, French Vanilla)

McDonald's (MCD) uses cellulose in the following products:
Fish Filet Patty
McRib
Premium Caesar Salad
Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap
Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken
Southern Style Chicken Biscuit
Strawberry Sundae
Natural Swiss Cheese (used in McRib, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Angus Mushroom & Swiss, Premium Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich, Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich, Angus Mushroom & Swiss Snack Wrap)
Shredded Cheddar/Jack Cheese (used in Ranch Snack Wrap (Crispy and Grilled), Honey Mustard Snack Wrap (Crispy and Grilled), Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap (Crispy and Grilled), Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken, Premium Southwest Salad with/without Crispy/Grilled Chicken, Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with/without Crispy/Grilled Chicken, McSkillet Burrito with Sausage)
Barbeque Sauce
Sweet 'N Sour Sauce
Shredded Parmesan Cheese (used in Premium Caesar Salad with/without Crispy/Grilled Chicken)
Biscuit (Large and Regular) (used to make Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, Sausage Biscuit with Egg, Sausage Biscuit, Southern Style Chicken Biscuit, Big Breakfast with/without Hotcakes)
Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream (used in Strawberry Sundae, Hot Caramel Sundae, Hot Fudge Sundae, McFlurry with M&M'S Candies, McFlurry with OREO Cookies, Chocolate Triple Thick Shake, Strawberry Triple Thick Shake, Vanilla Triple Thick Shake)
Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup (used in Premium Roast Coffee, Espresso)

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