Link: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/05/03-7

It’s been a common refrain of politicians in Washington for as long as the capitol has been unpopular: “It’s good to get outside the Beltway, good to go get back to the real America.” But in recent days that cliché might feel a bit stale for Republican House members, who voted last month for Representative Paul Ryan’s budget proposal. Inside the Beltway, Ryan is called “courageous,” a “visionary,” a “serious man,” for having the bravery to put forth a budget that pays for tax cuts for the wealthy by ending Medicare as we know it. Back home in his district, he’s becoming known as the leader of the most serious assault on seniors since President Bush’s attempt to privatize Social Security.

Link: http://fairewinds.com/content/where-all-fukushima-radiation-going-and-why-does-it-matter

Particles of death for the northern hemisphere and America.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/video/americas/2011/04/2011430191018490888.html

Obesity may be a growing concern for many Americans, but others are choosing to embrace unhealthy food. Welcome to the Heart Attack Grill, a Texan restaurant that celebrates cholesterol.

Link: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/america-s-nuclear-nightmare-20110427

The U.S. has 31 reactors just like Japan’s — but regulators are ignoring the risks and boosting industry profits. Five days after a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, triggering the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, America's leading nuclear regulator came before Congress bearing good news: Don't worry, it can't happen here. In the aftermath of the Japanese catastrophe, officials in Germany moved swiftly to shut down old plants for inspection, and China put licensing of new plants on hold. But Gregory Jaczko, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, reassured lawmakers that nothing at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors warranted any immediate changes at U.S. nuclear plants.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/04/201142317359479927.html

There is a certain element of helplessness to living in northeast Japan right now. It isn't just dealing with the images – and reality – of the large-scale catastrophe in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. It's not even the electrical outages, the disrupted train services or the very real fear that another big earthquake – one as massive as the magnitude 9.0 temblor that wiped out entire coastal communities – is imminent. It's the fear of radiation, invisible, odourless and potentially deadly, leaking out of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant and entering their bodies via contaminated air, food and water.

Link: http://www.counterpunch.org/grossman04252011.html

With the ongoing disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plants in Japan, some people ask: can nuclear power be made safe? The answer is no. Nuclear power can never be made safe.

Link: http://www.counterpunch.org/takashi04252011.html

The nuclear power plants in Japan are ageing rapidly; like cyborgs, they are barely kept in operation by a continuous replacement of parts. And now that Japan has entered a period of earthquake activity and a major accident could happen at any time, the people live in constant state of anxiety.

Link: http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=115251&code=Ne8&category=1

The amount of radioactivity in seawater near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is about to hit the highest-ever level recorded in history. According to the Asahi Shimhun on Sunday, officials measured 1-hundred-86 becquerels per liter of radioactive substances in the sea just 34 kilometers from the crippled power plant on April 15th. This level is about 20-thousand times higher than the permissible annual standard set by the Japanese government.

Link: http://www.commondreams.org/further/2011/04/25

With Democrats inexplicably failing to generate the requisite outrage at GOP plans to cut Medicare - and give more money to rich people who don't need it - Americans United for Change have begun an ad campaign blasting Paul Ryan and his mean-spirited cohorts. About time someone did it.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/video/americas/2011/04/201142311151519303.html

Locals fear mine, potentially worth billions of dollars, could threaten water reserves. A Canadian company plans to open a mine in Argentina’s Catamarca province to tap into a rich vein of copper and gold that could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. But residents in the valley below the Agua Rica mine have been taking on the miners, protesting for more than two years in an effort to block the project. They fear scarce water resources are in jeopardy.

Link: http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=24710

Cancer radiotherapy dose is fatal? Okay, so wait a minute. A dose of 10,000 is fatal, yet the cancer industry uses twice that dose to “treat” cancer? I knew cancer radiation treatments were barbaric, but I never knew they were twice the amount considered absolutely fatal.

Link: http://www.rense.com/general93/curr.htm

In the latest example of blatant Federal negligence (coverup), the valiant and ever vigilant FDA and EPA have determined they will not be testing ANY fish from the Gulf Of Alaska. This is another egregious (not that they give a rat's tail) abandonment of their obligation to watch over the public health and welfare. In this case, the Feds have chosen to protect the Alaskan fishing industry...the public's right to know and to be kept safe and informed be damned.

Link: http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/04/20/radioactive-iodine-phoenix-arizona-milk-samples-1600-epa-drinking-water-limits-18630/

Japan nuclear radiation in Phoenix Arizona milk samples show radioactive Iodine contamination levels up to 1600% above EPA drinking water limits. To make matters worse those contamination levels of radiation do not even include Caesium or other radioactive isotopes which were not even reported in the Arizona tests. An anonymous tip points me to Phoenix Arizona Japan Nuclear Radiation tests for radioactive Iodine-131 has been detected in milks samples at levels up to 1600% above federal EPA drinking water standards. These are the highest known levels of nuclear fallout in tests to date for Iodine radiation in any milk samples.

Link: http://farmwars.info/?p=5860

With help from the FDA and USDA, the biotech industry is set to completely take over our food supply with genetically modified ingredients, irrespective of the wishes of “we the people.” Through collusion, subterfuge, and a bit of back-door manipulation, Monsanto can write it’s own ticket with the U.S. Federal Government’s stamp of approval. If the rules get in the way, then change the rules, or at least their interpretation, to fit the situation.

Link: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/04/20-0

I recently returned from a visit of several days to an alternate universe: Canadian health care. As a physician who has practiced in the United States for 44 years, I have experienced many aspects of our health care system, including its terrible inequities. Although some Americans get very good health care, there are many who get little or none. Then there are others who get too much: tests, procedures and drugs that they don’t need. The whole system is fragmented, chaotic, inefficient and terribly expensive. We are not getting good value for our enormous expenditure on health care.

Link: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/04/20-12

"The unfortunate truth is we are likely to see more such disasters. The world has witnessed an unnerving history of nuclear accidents," he said at a conference, calling for a global debate on the safety of nuclear energy.

Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8462626/Energy-saving-light-bulbs-contain-cancer-causing-chemicals.html

Fears have been reignited about the safety of energy saving light bulbs after a group of scientists warned that they contain cancer causing chemicals. Scientists claim that several carcinogenic chemicals are released when energy saving light bulbs are switched on. Their report advises that the bulbs should not be left on for extended periods, particularly near someone’s head, as they emit poisonous materials when switched on. Peter Braun, who carried out the tests at the Berlin's Alab Laboratory, said: “For such carcinogenic substances it is important they are kept as far away as possible from the human environment.”

Link: http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/radiation-fallout-affects-food-safety/

“Dr. Robert J. Gilbert has a multi-faceted background in both spiritual and scientific studies. He is a former U.S. Marine Corps Instructor in Nuclear-Biological-Chemical Warfare Survival; since leaving the service in 1985 he has conducted independent research into the Geometric basis of modern science and new technologies…..”

Link: http://revolutionarypolitics.com/?p=5379

#1 According to the World Bank, 44 million people around the globe have been pushed into extreme poverty since last June because of rising food prices.

#2 The world is losing topsoil at an astounding rate. In fact, according to Lester Brown, “one third of the world’s cropland is losing topsoil faster than new soil is forming through natural processes”.

#3 Due to U.S. ethanol subsidies, almost a third of all corn grown in the United States is now used for fuel. This is putting a lot of stress on the price of corn.

Link: http://enenews.com/highest-78-pcil-iodine-131-found-raw-milk-san-francisco-bay-area

JUST EAT ORGANIC!

Link: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/04/20/big-pharma-set-to-take-over-medical-marijuana-market/

Just as the federal government is clamping down on medical marijuana dispensaries, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) may be set to give Big Pharma the clearance to take over the market. In 2007, GW Pharmaceuticals announced that it partnered with Otsuka to bring "Sativex" -- or liquefied marijuana -- to the U.S. The companies recently completed Phase II efficacy and safety trials testing and began discussion with the FDA for Phase III testing. Phase III is generally thought to be the final step before the drug can be marketed in the U.S.

Link: http://www.truthout.com/fracking-blowout-causes-massive-spill-pennsylvania/1303282800

Thousands of gallons of potentially toxic hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," liquids spilled across pastures and into a stream in rural Pennsylvania early this morning, after a natural gas well suffered a blowout at 11:45 p.m. Tuesday night.

Link: http://socialistworker.org/2011/04/20/new-urgency-on-earth-day

The desire to stop the corporate assault on the environment is giving rise to activism. THE FIRST Earth Day was organized in 1970 in response to a period that had seen one ecological disaster after another. One of the most frightening had come the year before--the devastating Santa Barbara oil spill caused by a blowout on a Union Oil drilling platform just six miles off the coast of Southern California.

Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/central-coast/ci_17891348?nclick_check=1

The meltdown at a Japanese nuclear power plant after a large earthquake and tsunami rocked the island nation last month drew more than 100 people to a lecture Wednesday by UC Santa Cruz lecturer Daniel Hirsch. Hirsch, a renowned expert on nuclear policy often quoted by major media outlets, spoke at the Stevenson College Event Center on the tragedy at the Fukushima plant and how the U.S. can prevent a similar meltdown at its 104 nuclear reactors, including the two in California.

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1378422/Ten-years-desk-job-doubles-bowel-cancer-risk.html

Workers who sat down for long periods had a higher bowel cancer risk, even if they exercised in the evenings. For the millions of us who sit in front of a computer all day at work, it's not good news. Spending ten years or more in a sedentary job almost doubles the risk of some types of bowel cancer, a study shows.

Link: http://theupliftingcrane.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/meltdown-trickling-down-on-the-global-population/

“The reactors at Fukushima are the largest in the world, and six of them are in total meltdown. They have been melting down since thirty-minutes after the Tsunami’ because the cooling systems went off when the earthquake happened and 90 minutes after the cooling stopped-the reactors went into meltdown. This is all a cover-up, this is a false-flag, this is a poisoning of the oceans the atmosphere and the biosphere. No one can escape.”

Link: http://www.pratttribune.com/news/x1274032954/Retired-nuclear-engineer-worried-by-lack-of-news-from-Japan

The recent silence from Japan about conditions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility that was damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami has a local man wondering just how severely the facility has been damaged. The one thing he does know is that whatever is going on inside the reactors is very serious.

Link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20054342-281.html

Levels of radioactivity have risen sharply in seawater near a tsunami-crippled nuclear plant in northern Japan, signaling the possibility of new leaks at the facility, the government said Saturday. The announcement came after a magnitude-5.9 earthquake jolted Japan on Saturday morning, hours after the country's nuclear safety agency ordered plant operators to beef up their quake preparedness systems to prevent a recurrence of the nuclear crisis.

Link: http://greencitychallenge.org/blog/eat-green-blog/protect-yourself-from-radiation-by-eating/

As the nuclear industry scrambles to reassure us we are all safe from a catastrophe like Japan’s, the risk of radioactive fallout in the US is very real. Here is a reprint from an article by GCC contributor John Kozinski, teaching us about what foods we can eat in case of radiation exposure. As the crisis in Japan unfolds, there is uncertainty about possible radiation that may affect Japan and the world. Potassium iodide pills have been sold out at many of the American distributors.

Link: http://healthimpactnews.com/2011/police-use-assault-weapons-and-tank-against-home-school-mom-wanting-to-protect-daughter-from-dangerous-medications/

According to the Detroit News, a 56-year-old woman faces multiple felony charges and is being held on $500,000 bond after a 10-hour standoff with police, claiming she was protecting her 13-year-old daughter from unnecessary medication. The story which led to this incident, as reported in the Detroit News and The Voice of Detroit, is quite disturbing. “We believe she had an adverse reaction to her immunizations,” Penny Godboldo said. “She began acting out of character, being irritated, having facial grimaces that have been associated with immunizations.” "The doctor had given her psychotropic drugs that caused a bad reaction, made things worse,” said the girl’s father, Mubuarak Hakim. “Maryanne’s decision to wean her from that was making a difference, making her better, helping her to be a happy kid again.” Child Protective Services workers apparently disagreed, however, and obtained a warrant to remove the girl because the mother had withheld her medication. Maryanne reportedly refused to surrender the child, and an ensuing 10-hour standoff with police followed...

Link: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/04/14-4

BP executives faced angry protesters as shareholders prepared to vote at its annual meeting in London, which is taking place a few days before the first anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Among protesters at BP's AGM was Diane Wilson, a shrimp farmer, who was ejected from the conference center lobby. (Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA) Fishermen and women from the Gulf coast affected by the spill, some of whom had bought BP shares to allow them to attend the annual meeting, joined climate change activists and artists protesting against the oil company.

Link: http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon/2011/04/14/why-does-fda-tolerate-more-radiation-than-epa/

Since the Environmental Protection Agency began detecting radiation in rainwater and milk at levels above its maximum contaminant level, government officials have been downplaying the importance of EPA’s maximum contaminant level.

Link: http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20110414_5466.php

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan emitted a new burst of radioactive material this week after a bungled cooling effort apparently affected spent atomic fuel in the site's No. 4 reactor cooling pond, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, April 13).

Link: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/04/14-0

After two decades of biotech bullying by Monsanto and Food Inc., aided and abetted by Democrats and Republicans alike in Washington D.C., a grassroots movement of organic consumers and farmers is rising up across the United States. Inspired by the success of their European counterparts in driving genetically engineered crops and foods off the market, not through an EU ban, but through mandatory labeling, several thousand protesters took to the streets on March 26 in 30 different cities, under the banner of “Rally for the Right to Know,” and “Millions Against Monsanto.” http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm

Link: http://www.thenhf.com/article.php?id=2835

The Bill – Nevada Senate Bill 412 (SB 412) provides for the regulation of the practice of complementary integrative medicine by creating a government-sanctioned Board of Complementary and Integrative Medicines to control all natural health care, backed by the power of the State to imprison and fine all offenders. Just imagine when, as with other such medical boards, the power seekers and control freaks who naturally gravitate to positions of power in government come to have the say over what type of natural medicine may be practiced and what type may not. Will your favorite form of natural medicine survive? Or will it be branded a heresy and persecuted? It does not take a rocket scientist to see that this Bill is the road to ruin for all of those creative natural health practitioners who refuse to conform. This Board is just a not-so-clever attempt to create and enforce a monopoly that will end up strangling CAM practice.

Link: http://wsws.org/articles/2011/apr2011/budg-a12.shtml

White House aides have confirmed the President Obama will outline a deficit reduction plan Wednesday that will put his administration on record in favor of substantial new cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, the major federal programs underwriting health care for the elderly and the poor.

Link: http://socialistworker.org/2011/04/12/downplaying-nuclear-danger

News about the the crippled Fukushima-Daiichi plant goes from bad to worse. IN A nuclear crisis that is becoming more and more serious all the time, Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency confirmed that radioactive iodine-131 in seawater samples taken near the crippled Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power complex--which was seriously damaged by the tsunami caused by an earthquake off the coast of Japan--is 4,385 times the level permitted by law.

Link: http://www.counterpunch.org/mokhiber04122011.html

An Interview with Devra Davis There is a book you ought to buy. It's called Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Is Doing to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family by Devra Davis (Dutton, 2010). Buy it from a book store – if you can find a book store that carries it. Davis said that when the book was published in September 2010, she traveled to San Francisco, a hot bed of calls for right to know legislation when it comes to cell phone radiation.

Link: http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon/2011/04/10/epa-new-radiation-highs-in-little-rock-milk-philadelphia-drinking-water/

Milk from Little Rock and drinking water from Philadelphia contained the highest levels of Iodine-131 from Japan yet detected by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to data released by EPA Saturday.

Link: http://www.counterpunch.org/kamps04082011.html

The Great Lakes of North America make up 20% of the Earth's fresh surface water. Their dynamic ecosystems have been considered by many Native American tribes to function as the heart of the interconnected ecosystems that make up the North American continent known to many of the Indigenous peoples here as Turtle Island. The Great Lakes are known world wide for their biodiversity, beauty, fishing, and trade and shipping routes. These fragile and beautiful ecosystems along with the human populations that live along their shores are under constant threat from the Nuclear Industry that has been slowly and quietly irradiating the heart of the Turtle for decades.