japan: radioactive contamination map μsv/h

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http://www.nnistar.com/gmap/fukushima.html

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/elevated-radiation-levels-widespread-in-eastern-japan/7160

click here for a fully updated detailed map

see:

Japan prefecture radiation data Gy/h

radioactivity: dosimetry + fukushima links


http://www.thepaltrysapien.com/2011/06/fukushima-update-crowd-sourcing-the-apocalypse/

Matthew Payne
June 18, 2011

...

Japanese environmental activists and regular citizens have been measuring the radiation exposure of their locales and reporting them through social media to be published on the web. This citizen-science, which has been denounced as potentially inducing “fear-mongering,” has, in fact, been pretty rigorous. It is also providing us with a view of the accident’s effects not provided by those institutions that are alleged to be looking out for the public’s welfare (such as the government and TEPC0). The fretting of the nuclear engineers and scientists is a significant caution to the enterprise, but at least some of these scientists seem to be forgetting science’s own roots in such a milieu. Indeed, it was the democratic, amateur and publicist collection of “correspondents” to the enlightenment “Republic of Letters,” not the governmental academies of science or hierarchical universities that really cemented the intellectual hegemony of science in the West by providing it not only data, but also a discerning public.

What does this crowd-sourcing indicate? In the below map, put together by a independent scientists using citizen volunteers (h/t FishOutofWater at DailyKos), the color scheme essentially breaks down to blue being of concern (0.1 microsieverts per hour) with red being very, very dangerous (fifty times acceptable exposures at 5.0 microsieverts per hour). Essentially any color not dark blue is very concerning, especially for small children.

...

related posts:

May

• fukushima: "tokyo could become off limits"
• fukushima updates

April

• alarming rates of radioactivity even in europe
• mean atmospheric radon world map
• evacuate tokyo; fukushima is an a-weapon plant!
• map of japan in english

March

• radioactivity: dosimetry + fukushima links
• japan radioactivity: food and water contamination
• alert: tokyo withholds key radioactivity data

france, legalisation cannabis: 36% favorable

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http://www.francesoir.fr/actualite/societe/depenalisation-du-cannabis-francais-majoritairement-contre-111129.html

Débat sur la légalisation du cannabis

Dépénalisation du cannabis : Les Français majoritairement contre

Selon un sondage Ifop réalisé pour Sud-Ouest Dimanche, 63% des Français ne souhaitent pas que les drogues dites douces soient dépénalisées.

le 18 juin 2011

Alors que le député (PS) Daniel Vaillant a relancé le débat portant sur la dépénalisation du cannabis, un sondage Ifop pour Sud-Ouest Dimanche révèle que 63% des Français sont contre. En revanche, ils sont 36% à se prononcer plutôt favorablement à l’adoption de ce projet de loi. Les résultats de l’enquête mettent par ailleurs en évidence « trois lignes de clivage ». Le journal rapporte ainsi que si « les moins de 35 ans seraient aujourd’hui majoritairement favorables à une dépénalisation du cannabis (51% pour, 49% contre) », les « sympathisants de gauche » le sont beaucoup plus (48%) que ceux de droite (20% à l’UMP, 28% au FN). Les hommes sont, quant à eux, 40% à être pour la dépénalisation des drogues douces. Seulement 30% des femmes partagent cet avis.

Le débat

L'ancien premier flic du PS, Daniel vaillant, a rouvert le débat sur la légalisation du cannabis mercredi. Ministre de l'Intérieur sous le gouvernement Jospin, il est aujourd'hui redevenu député de Paris. Huit ans après sa déclaration fracassante dans un entretien à Libération, où il estimait que « la police avait mieux à faire que de courir après la fumette », il revient avec un rapport qui préconise la « légalisation contrôlée » du cannabis. Mais sa proposition ne fait pas l'unanimité, même au sein du PS. Pour preuve, elle ne sera même pas inscrite dans un contrat de gouvernement du PS en vue de 2012. Mais elle devrait seulement servir à un point de départ pour un grand débat public après la présidentielle.

http://www.francesoir.fr/actualite/politique/cannabis-divise-familles-111051.html

Le cannabis divise les familles

Daniel Vaillant, ministre de l’Intérieur de Lionel Jospin, prône la dépénalisation du cannabis. Cette mesure, traditionnellement portée par les écologistes, fait hurler la droite, et divise la gauche.

C’est un débat récurrent. Mené dès 2002 par Noël Mamère, alors candidat des Verts à l’élection présidentielle, il a rebondi cette semaine par la voix du député de Paris Daniel Vaillant, qui ne passe pas pour un « laxiste ». Dans un rapport remis mercredi au PS, le ministre de l’Intérieur de Lionel Jospin (2000-2002) estime qu’il est temps de « sortir de l’hypocrisie », et préconise « la légalisation contrôlée du cannabis ». « Il ne s’agit plus de prôner une abstinence illusoire mais de modérer la consommation des Français », explique-t-il. Parmi les mesures envisagées : « la reconnaissance rapide de l’usage thérapeutique du cannabis », la création d’une « filière nationale du cannabis inspirée de celle du tabac », une « production sous contrôle » ainsi qu’un « système de distribution sécurisé » calqué sur ceux de l’alcool et du tabac.

La direction du PS, visiblement embarrassée, a aussitôt botté en touche. « C’est un sujet trop sérieux pour que l’on prenne des positions tranchées », commente Martine Aubry, appelant à un « grand débat » en 2012. Si la gauche revient au pouvoir, « elle organisera une commission de consensus pour essayer de dégager des solutions », confirme Jean-Marc Ayrault, président du groupe PS à l’Assemblée nationale. Pas question, donc, d’en faire un thème de campagne présidentielle. En coulisse, on assure que si la société française est « mûre » pour le mariage homosexuel, elle demeure farouchement opposée à la dépénalisation des drogues douces.

Ce combat-là est incarné à gauche par Jean-Pierre Chevènement. Prédécesseur de Vaillant au ministère de l’Intérieur (1997-2000), le président du Mouvement républicain et citoyen rappelle que « ce débat a déjà eu lieu à l’intérieur du gouvernement de la gauche plurielle : il opposait Bernard Kouchner, ministre de la Santé, et moi-même, qui y ai toujours été hostile ». Depuis, Manuel Valls a repris le flambeau. Le maire d’Evry (Essonne), chef de file des « sécuritaires » au PS, proteste contre le rapport Vaillant. « Quand on est de gauche, épris de liberté, on ne peut pas accepter l’idée de légaliser quelque chose qui crée de la dépendance, dit-il. Cela irait contre mes valeurs. » Moins virulente mais tout aussi ferme, Ségolène Royal se déclare « pas favorable à la libéralisation du cannabis tant qu’on n’a pas prouvé qu’on a mis tous les moyens pour démanteler les réseaux ».

Villepin et Le Maire pas d’accord

Cette position, commune à tous les candidats à la primaire socialiste, est un deuxième point de clivage avec les écologistes, après la question du nucléaire. La direction du PS, qui a ouvert les négociations jeudi en vue d’un accord électoral pour 2012, n’a pas encore abordé le problème. Mais Nicolas Hulot, Eva Joly et Cécile Duflot ont d’ores et déjà fait savoir qu’ils étaient partisans d’une révision de la réglementation sur les drogues douces. « Une politique pragmatique, c’est une politique de légalisation », affirme la patronne d’Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, totalement d’accord avec le rapport Vaillant.

Ce dernier a d’ailleurs reçu un soutien étonnant. Alors que l’UMP (puisque quelques rares voix, telle celle de Maurice Leroy, se font entendre en sens inverse au centre) fait corps pour pourfendre le « projet Vaillant », Dominique de Villepin se démarque – une nouvelle fois – et propose, lui aussi, une dépénalisation du cannabis, qu’il souhaiterait voir sanctionner d’une simple « contravention ». « La contravention, c’est un message suffisant mais nécessaire, parce que la consommation de cannabis reste dangereuse », détaille l’ancien Premier ministre. Son ancien directeur de cabinet à Matignon, Bruno Le Maire, aujourd’hui ministre de l’Agriculture, ne cache pas son étonnement : « Il me surprend. En tout cas, moi je dis catégoriquement non à cette idée de “dépénalisation”, qui serait une véritable “abdication politique”. »

http://www.radicali.it/rassegna-stampa/piccoli-spacciatori-anche-loro-nellamnistia

«Piccoli spacciatori, anche loro nell'amnistia»

Franco Corleone
Il Manifesto
28/06/11

Sono passati cinque anni dall'approvazione della legge 49/2006 che con un colpo di mano di dubbia legittimità costituzionale (non bloccato dal Quirinale) portò indietro le lancette dell'orologio cancellando l'esito del referendum del 1993, cioè la depenalizzazione della detenzione di stupefacenti per uso personale. Per di più la nuova legge introdusse la tabella unica delle sostanze e la parificazione delle pene per tutte le droghe, leggere e pesanti: con la previsione di pesanti sanzioni (da sei a venti anni di carcere), l'aggravamento delle sanzioni amministrative per l'uso personale e una funesta commistione tra pena e cura.

Il fallimento della svolta ideologica e salvifica è testimoniato dai fatti: calano i sequestri di sostanze, cresce il numero delle persone segnalate all'autorità giudiziaria, aumenta il numero delle sanzioni amministrative, aumenta la percentuale dei tossicodipendenti in carcere sul totale dei detenuti, aumenta la percentuale dei tossicodipendenti sul totale degli ingressi; soprattutto aumenta in maniera esponenziale il numero dei ristretti per violazione dell'art. 73 (raddoppiano dal 2006 al 2010). Anche l'idea spesso propagandata da Giovanardi, secondo cui la recrudescenza penale sarebbe stata compensata dalla facilitazione delle alternative al carcere, si è dimostrata fallace tanto è vero che gli affidamenti continuano ad essere inferiori nel 2010 a quelli del 2006. Il quadro diventa ancora più allarmante se si considera l'esplosione del numero delle pendenze giudiziarie, la diminuzione degli interventi sociosanitari e delle presenze in comunità, le difficoltà in cui versano i servizi di riduzione del danno.

C'è un altro elemento da considerare. In Italia, la valutazione delle politiche sulle droghe non è certo incoraggiata. Negli ultimi anni la Relazione annuale è sempre più povera dì dati sensibili soprattutto sulle conseguenze penali e sulle presenze in carcere rendendo difficile una analisi del fenomeno. Per di più, alcuni dati forniti sui consumi e in generale la metodologia usata per calcolare la prevalenza dei consumi sono di dubbia validità.

L'anno scorso la Relazione ha fatto discutere per l'annuncio clamoroso di un crollo del 25% dei consumi life time di cannabis suscitando incredulità nella comunità scientifica. Per questo vanno superate le criticità del rapporto annuale per alcune proposte per consentire al Parlamento di approfondire gli elementi per una valutazione della legislazione esistente.

Grave si presenta quindi la scelta, di pura ispirazione ideologica, di contestare la politica di riduzione del danno non solo nella pratica quotidiana, ma addirittura in sede internazionale facendo assumere all'Italia il ruolo più arretrato nelle politiche sulle droghe. Questa scelta anti pragmatica comporta un processo di riduzione crescente delle risorse destinate all'inclusione sociale e un maggiore ricorso al carcere.

Il sovraffollamento nelle carceri ha raggiunto la cifra record di 68.000 detenuti e la metà di essi sono tossicodipendenti o consumatori o piccoli spacciatori. Questi dati rappresentano una vergogna non più tollerabile: da anni ormai chiediamo misure straordinarie per liberare le carceri da persone che non dovrebbero essere recluse in spazi angusti e fatiscenti dove la rieducazione e il reinserimento non sono neppure un mito, ma aspirazioni grottesche.

Marco Pannella ha chiesto drammaticamente un provvedimento di amnistia: è evidente che dovrebbe prevedere i reati previsti dall'art. 73 della legge antidroga. Alfano è d'accordo?

gheddafi: elezioni subito, puo candidarsi bhl

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http://www.corriere.it/esteri/11_giugno_15/cremonesi-intervista-figlio-gheddafi_d373b458-9791-11e0-83e2-2963559124a0.shtml

Saif Gheddafi : «Subito elezioni
E' l'unico modo indolore per uscirne»

Il figlio del Rais: «Ricucire con l'Italia? No, finchè ci sarà Berlusconi, lui e Frattini ci hanno tradito»

LORENZO CREMONESI
15 giugno 2011

TRIPOLI - «Elezioni, subito e con la supervisione internazionale. E’ l’unico modo indolore per uscire dall’impasse in Libia»: il momento più interessante dell’intervista l’altra sera nel cuore della capitale arriva a 14 minuti dal suo inizio. Sino a quel momento Saif al-Islam aveva ribadito le dichiarazioni già rilasciate alla stampa in passato e sbandierate in ogni occasione dalla propaganda della dittatura. «I ribelli agli ordini dei terroristi di Bengasi sono banditi, uomini di Al Qaeda, criminali. I loro capi sono traditori, che sino allo scoppio del caos il 17 febbraio erano legati a filo doppio a mio padre. Se non ci fosse l’ombrello Nato sarebbero stati sconfitti da un pezzo», afferma quasi meccanicamente. Ma è quando gli si chiede come pensa di uscire dall’impasse militare e dalla minaccia di violenze anche peggiori che lui avanza la formula di compromesso. «Andiamo alle urne. E vinca il migliore». Un messaggio nuovo di apertura alla comunità internazionale da parte del più politico tra i figli del Colonnello.

...

Usciamo dal tunnel delle accuse reciproche. Lei sostiene che i ribelli vanno perseguitati come traditori. E loro replicano che tutta la vostra famiglia va processata, al meglio espulsa all’estero. La Nato sta dalla loro parte, godono di un crescente sostegno internazionale. Gheddafi è sempre più isolato, deve andarsene. Dove il compromesso?
«Elezioni. Si potrebbero tenere entro tre mesi. Al massimo a fine anno. E la garanzia della loro trasparenza potrebbe essere la presenza di osservatori internazionali. Non ci formalizziamo su quali. Accettiamo l’Unione Europea, l’Unione Africana, l’Onu, la stessa Nato. L’importante è che lo scrutinio sia pulito, non ci siano sospetti di brogli. E allora tutto il mondo scoprirà quanto Gheddafi è ancora popolare nel suo Paese. Non ho alcun dubbio: la stragrande maggioranza dei libici sta con mio padre e vede i ribelli come fanatici integralisti islamici, terroristi sobillati dall’estero, mercenari agli ordini di Sarkozi. Alla nostra gente non sfugge che lo stesso presidente del governo fantoccio a Bengasi, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, come del resto il loro responsabile militare, Abdel Fatah Younes, sono, al pari di tanti altri, uomini della vecchia nomenclatura, gente che è saltata sul carro delle rivolte all’ultimo minuto, miserabili profittatori, venduti. Erano ministri con Gheddafi e ora vogliono giocare la parte dei leader contro di lui. Ridicoli. Non li temiamo affatto. Sono fantocci di Parigi. Marionette incapaci di stare in piedi da sole».

I ribelli temono di essere assassinati, perseguitati, come del resto è avvenuto in 42 anni di dittatura a tanti membri dell’opposizione. Cosa offre per garantire la loro incolumità?
«Sono loro che hanno paura, non noi. Li conosco bene, uno a uno, sono stati con me nelle università straniere. Hanno goduto del mio programma di liberalizzazione negli ultimi dieci anni, di cui, si badi bene, non mi pento affatto. Il nostro rapporto è come quello tra il serpente e il topo che vorrebbero convivere nella stessa tana. Ci considerano il serpente. La soluzione? Dobbiamo essere tutti eguali: tutti serpenti, o tutti topi. E la via è quella delle urne».

Ma come li garantisce?
«Occorre pensarci. Dovremo cercare di mettere in piedi un meccanismo per garantirli. Nel periodo prima del voto si dovrà comunque elaborare la nuova costituzione e un sistema di media completamente libero. Credo in una Libia del futuro composta da forti autonomie locali e un debole governo federale a Tripoli. Il modello potrebbero essere gli Stati Uniti, la Nuova Zelanda o l’Australia. In questi ultimi mesi ho maturato una convinzione profonda: la Libia pre-17 febbraio non esiste più. Qualsiasi cosa accada, inclusa la sconfitta militare o politica dei ribelli, non si potrà tornare indietro. Il regime di mio padre così come si è sviluppato dal 1969 è morto e sepolto. Gheddafi è stato superato dagli avvenimenti, ma così anche Jalil. Occorre costruire qualche cosa di completamente nuovo».

E se le elezioni le vincono i dirigenti di Bengasi?
«Bravi. Tanto di cappello. Noi ci faremo da parte. Sono però certo della nostra vittoria. Sui poco più di cinque milioni di libici, almeno i due milioni residenti a Tripoli stanno con noi e anche a Bengasi godiamo della maggioranza. Semplicemente laggiù la gente non può parlare per paura di rappresaglie. Comunque, se dovessimo perdere, ovvio che lasceremo il governo. Rispettiamo le regole. Non mi opporrei neppure se venisse democraticamente eletto nostro premier l’intellettuale ebreo-francese Bernard-Henri Levy» (sorride per la battuta).

La pensa così anche suo padre dopo 42 anni di regime?
«Certo».

E, in quel caso, Gheddafi sarebbe pronto all’esilio?
«No. Non c’è motivo. Perché mai? Questo è il nostro Paese. Mio padre continua a ripeterlo. Non se ne andrà mai dalla Libia. Qui è nato e qui intende morire ed essere sepolto, accanto ai suoi cari».

A quel punto non sareste però voi a rischio di vendette? Andrete a cercare protezione tra qualche tribù fedele nel deserto?
«Staremo a Tripoli, a casa nostra. Nessuno di noi scappa. Sappiamo come difenderci».

L’Italia potrebbe avere un ruolo in questo processo di ricostruzione democratica?
«Non ora. Non sino a quando ci sarà Berlusconi al governo. Da quello che possiamo capire qui a Tripoli, il vostro premier è in difficoltà, pare inevitabile la sua prossima sconfitta elettorale. Bene. Non possiamo che gioirne. Lui e il ministro degli Esteri Frattini si sono comportati in modo abominevole con noi. Sino a tre mesi prima lo scoppio della ribellione venivano a inchinarsi e baciavano le mani a Gheddafi. Salvo poi voltare la schiena e passare armi e bagagli tra le file dei nostri nemici alla prima difficoltà. Vergogna!».

Che sarà dei contratti con l’Eni? Italia e Libia hanno una lunga storia di rapporti economici che va ben oltre i governi Berlusconi.
«Ovvio, e infatti separiamo nettamente la figura di Berlusconi dall’Italia. Apprezziamo le critiche alla guerra e contro la Nato avanzate dalle Lega. Guardiamo con interesse ai vostri partiti della sinistra. La Libia terrà un atteggiamento assolutamente diverso nei confronti di un’Italia senza Berlusconi».

E il petrolio?
«Non so. E’ prematuro parlarne. Per ora dobbiamo porre fine alla guerra, imporre la legge e l’ordine in tutto il Paese. Ma voglio essere franco. Da tempo Mosca guarda con interesse ai pozzi e alle infrastrutture Eni in Libia. Forse, ora i russi hanno una carta in più».

Pure, anche Mosca ultimamente ha perorato la causa dell’esilio di Gheddafi. Non la penalizzate?
«Lo so. Ma con Berlusconi è diverso. Si diceva vero amico di Gheddafi. Il suo tradimento brucia di più».

E allora, quale tra i governi stranieri potrebbe meglio aiutare la transizione verso il voto in Libia e nel contempo mediare con la Nato?
»La Francia. Abbiamo già avuto abboccamenti con Parigi, ma per ora senza seguito. Comunque, sono loro che impongono la politica del governo di Bengasi. E’ stato Sarkozy a volere più di tutti l’intervento Nato. Dunque a loro il compito di cercare una via d’uscita il meno cruenta possibile».

...

declassify interpretation of patriot act says senator

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http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/secret-patriot-act/

There’s a Secret Patriot Act, Senator Says

Senator Ron Wyden
(Liz Lynch)

Spencer Ackerman
May 25, 2011

You think you understand how the Patriot Act allows the government to spy on its citizens. Sen. Ron Wyden says it’s worse than you know.

Congress is set to reauthorize three controversial provisions of the surveillance law as early as Thursday. Wyden (D-Oregon) says that powers they grant the government on their face, the government applies a far broader legal interpretation — an interpretation that the government has conveniently classified, so it cannot be publicly assessed or challenged. But one prominent Patriot-watcher asserts that the secret interpretation empowers the government to deploy ”dragnets” for massive amounts of information on private citizens; the government portrays its data-collection efforts much differently.

“We’re getting to a gap between what the public thinks the law says and what the American government secretly thinks the law says,” Wyden told Danger Room in an interview in his Senate office. “When you’ve got that kind of a gap, you’re going to have a problem on your hands.”

What exactly does Wyden mean by that? As a member of the intelligence committee, he laments that he can’t precisely explain without disclosing classified information. But one component of the Patriot Act in particular gives him immense pause: the so-called “business-records provision,” which empowers the FBI to get businesses, medical offices, banks and other organizations to turn over any “tangible things” it deems relevant to a security investigation.

“It is fair to say that the business-records provision is a part of the Patriot Act that I am extremely interested in reforming,” Wyden says. “I know a fair amount about how it’s interpreted, and I am going to keep pushing, as I have, to get more information about how the Patriot Act is being interpreted declassified. I think the public has a right to public debate about it.”

That’s why Wyden and his colleague Sen. Mark Udall offered an amendment on Tuesday to the Patriot Act reauthorization.

The amendment, first reported by Marcy Wheeler, blasts the administration for “secretly reinterpret[ing] public laws and statutes.” It would compel the Attorney General to “publicly disclose the United States Government’s official interpretation of the USA Patriot Act.” And, intriguingly, it refers to “intelligence-collection authorities” embedded in the Patriot Act that the administration briefed the Senate about in February.

Wyden says he “can’t answer” any specific questions about how the government thinks it can use the Patriot Act. That would risk revealing classified information — something Wyden considers an abuse of government secrecy. He believes the techniques themselves should stay secret, but the rationale for using their legal use under Patriot ought to be disclosed.

“I draw a sharp line between the secret interpretation of the law, which I believe is a growing problem, and protecting operations and methods in the intelligence area, which have to be protected,” he says.

Surveillance under the business-records provisions has recently spiked. The Justice Department’s official disclosure on its use of the Patriot Act, delivered to Congress in April, reported that the government asked the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for approval to collect business records 96 times in 2010 — up from just 21 requests the year before. The court didn’t reject a single request. But it “modified” those requests 43 times, indicating to some Patriot-watchers that a broadening of the provision is underway.

“The FISA Court is a pretty permissive body, so that suggests something novel or particularly aggressive, not just in volume, but in the nature of the request,” says Michelle Richardson, the ACLU’s resident Patriot Act lobbyist. “No one has tipped their hand on this in the slightest. But we’ve come to the conclusion that this is some kind of bulk collection. It wouldn’t be surprising to me if it’s some kind of internet or communication-records dragnet.” (Full disclosure: My fiancée works for the ACLU.)

The FBI deferred comment on any secret interpretation of the Patriot Act to the Justice Department. The Justice Department said it wouldn’t have any comment beyond a bit of March congressional testimony from its top national security official, Todd Hinnen, who presented the type of material collected as far more individualized and specific: “driver’s license records, hotel records, car-rental records, apartment-leasing records, credit card records, and the like.”

But that’s not what Udall sees. He warned in a Tuesday statement about the government’s “unfettered” access to bulk citizen data, like “a cellphone company’s phone records.” In a Senate floor speech on Tuesday, Udall urged Congress to restrict the Patriot Act’s business-records seizures to “terrorism investigations” — something the ostensible counterterrorism measure has never required in its nearly 10-year existence.

Indeed, Hinnen allowed himself an out in his March testimony, saying that the business-record provision “also” enabled “important and highly sensitive intelligence-collection operations” to take place. Wheeler speculates those operations include “using geolocation data from cellphones to collect information on the whereabouts of Americans” — something our sister blog Threat Level has reported on extensively.

It’s worth noting that Wyden is pushing a bill providing greater privacy protections for geolocation info.

For now, Wyden’s considering his options ahead of the Patriot Act vote on Thursday. He wants to compel as much disclosure as he can on the secret interpretation, arguing that a shadow broadening of the Patriot Act sets a dangerous precedent.

“I’m talking about instances where the government is relying on secret interpretations of what the law says without telling the public what those interpretations are,” Wyden says, “and the reliance on secret interpretations of the law is growing.”

pedophilie: hubert vedrine, ministre francais

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http://www.voltairenet.org/article7502.html

1/06/1997
...

Plusieurs affaires de pédophilie ont marqué les annales judiciaires française au cours des quinze dernières années. Le nom de Michel Caignet apparaît, à un titre ou un autre, dans toutes celles qui mettent en jeu des bandes organisées. Ce n’est pourtant qu’en 1996 qu’il a été appréhendé dans le cadre de " l’affaire Toro Bravo " et placé en détention provisoire à Fleury Mérogis.

À partir de 1989, j’ai régulièrement et vainement saisi le Parquet et le ministre de l’Intérieur des agissements de cette organisation de malfaiteurs. Paul Quilès étant ministre de l’Intérieur, un membre de son cabinet m’a indiqué de vive voix que Michel Caignet ne serait pas inquiété, ni pour ses activités néo-nazies, ni pour ses activités pédophiles, car il savait " rendre des services ". Devant mon obstination et celle de mes amis, Michel Caignet intenta une campagne de presse et diverses machination contre moi. Il fut en définitive condamné en diffamation à la suite d’une action intentée par mon avocat, Maître Antoine Comte.

Toujours à la recherche de photographies et de vidéos pornographiques de mineurs, Michel Caignet entra en contact avec le père Nicolas Glencross, qui lui faisait passer sa production par l’entremise du pasteur Joseph Doucé et peut-être aussi de l’abbé Maurice Balland. En 1990, le père Glencross fut arrêté et la police découvrit que son presbytère avait été transformé en studio de photographie. On saisit chez lui la plus importante collection de pornographie infantile connue en Europe, entre vingt et trente mille clichés qu’il avait réalisé. Un mois après, le pasteur Doucé disparut mystérieusement. Par aveuglement communautariste, les associations gays prirent la défense posthume de ce personnage, ignorant aussi bien son activité pédophile que sa collaboration à divers mouvements d’extrême droite en Europe, dont le MSI-DN en Italie. Il s’avéra qu’une section des Renseignements généraux espionnait illégalement le pasteur et se livrait à diverses manipulations. Le garde des Sceaux, Pierre Arpaillange, et le Pdg de la télévision publique, Philippe Guilhaume, furent contraints de démissionner, tandis que le ministre de l’Intérieur, Pierre Joxe, était transféré à la Défense. Parmi les anomalies de l’enquête, il apparut qu’un autre service d’État écoutait une autre ligne téléphonique du pasteur Doucé. Par déduction, il s’agit vraisemblablement d’une écoute illicite du cabinet noir de l’Élysée. Quant à lui, le père Glencross décéda opportunément d’une crise cardiaque peu après sa sortie de détention préventive. Nul ne fit le lien entre les deux affaires jusqu’à ce que Bernard Violet publie une enquête à ce sujet, intitulée Mort d’un pasteur. Il révéla également que le presbytère du père Glencross à Saint-Léger-des-Vignes (Nièvre) servait de domiciliation à Hubert Vedrine, porte-parole de l’Élysée.

Un lourd secret mine la vie politique française depuis une quinzaine d’années. Il tourne autour de réunions sexuelles avec mineurs qui, selon nos informations, se seraient déroulées à Saint-Père, une petite commune de la Nièvre. Certains hommes politiques connus y auraient côtoyé des leaders d’extrême droite, chacun se protégeant mutuellement avant de se faire chanter. Les homosexuels qui, selon leurs affinités politiques, ont cru bénéficier de la sollicitude de quelques personnalités mitterrandiennes ou de cercles nationalistes n’ont été que des pions dans une partie d’échec qui les dépassait. Le procès de Michel Caignet et de soixante et onze de ses complices, qui s’ouvrira le 16 juin 1997 à Paris, ne devrait pas éclairer cette scène : les prévenus ne sont poursuivis que pour recel et trafic de cassettes pornographiques.

Thierry Meyssan

"Combat face au sida", numéro 8, avril-mai-juin 1997

L’infiltration néofasciste et néonazie dans la minorité gay

Hubert Védrine

Ancien porte-parole de François Mitterrand (1988-1991) puis secrétaire général de l’Élysée (1991-1995), Hubert Védrine est ancien ministre des Affaires étrangères français (1997-2002). Il est président de l’Institut François Mitterrand.

http://dignitehumaine.ifrance.com/divers/reseaux/ado71.htm

Le réseau pédocriminel "Ado 71"

Le 10 mai 2000, le TGI de Mâcon a condamné Bernard Alapetite à trois ans de prison ferme pour diffusion de matériel pornographique mettant en scène des mineurs. Cinquante et un de ses clients ont été condamnés à des peines de deux à six mois de prison avec sursis pour " recel d'objets détenus à l'aide de corruption de mineurs ". Une dizaine d'autres prévenus ont été relaxés.

[En 1991, l'association Projet Ornicar, avait saisi le procureur de la République de Paris et le ministre de l'Intérieur des agissements d'un réseau d'exploitation sexuelle des mineurs actif en France, Belgique, Portugal, et dans certains pays de l'Est. En 1993, elle avait publié une plaquette, " L'Infiltration néofasciste et néonazie dans la minorité gay " (cf. http://www.reseauvoltaire.net/fr7dossiers.htm) donnant les biographies des principaux responsables. Mais ce n'est qu'en 1998 que des instructions judiciaires étaient ouvertes et les responsables progressivement condamnés.

On ne peut que s'interroger sur les lenteurs de la justice, l'obstination des associations catholiques à agiter de fausses pistes, l'implication de tous les dirigeants de ces réseaux dans une organisation néo-nazie protégée par les services de l'OTAN. On peut aussi s'interroger sur l'absence d'audition par la justice d'Hubert Védrine, au domicile duquel fut découvert le plus important studio de pornographie infantile jamais trouvé en Europe, et sur la non-résolution de l'instruction pour enlèvement et assassinat du pasteur Joseph Doucé qui assurait la liaison entre le colocataire d'Hubert Védrine et le réseau criminel.]

source Réseau voltaire

Ado 71 : prison ferme et sursis pour les protagonistes

Le tribunal correctionnel de Mâcon a rendu hier son jugement concernant le trafic de cassettes pédophiles saisies en 1997 dans le cadre de l’opération Ado 71. Après dix-huit mois d’enquête, les gendarmes avaient effectué à l’époque, un vaste coup de filet très médiatisé : 814 perquisitions, 686 interpellations et 103 mises en examen. Lors du procès qui s’est déroulé du 13 au 17 mars, ce sont finalement 66 personnes, consommateurs présumés de documents pédophiles, qui ont défilé à la barre.

Verdict du tribunal : clef de voûte du trafic, Bernard Alapetite, poursuivi pour diffusion " d’objets obtenus à l’aide du délit de corruption de mineurs ", a été condamné à un emprisonnement de trois ans ferme - avec mandat d’arrêt à l’audience - assorti d’une privation de ses droits civiques. Associé d’Alapetite dans sa société d’édition de cassettes vidéo, Platypus, Patrick Morault écope pour sa part de quatre mois de prison avec sursis. Et deux réalisateurs d’un film " représentant des mineurs dans des situations pornographiques " ont des peines d’amende allant de 5 000 à 15 000 francs.

Bien avant leur interpellation dans le procès Ado 71, tous ces individus étaient connus des services de police. Le nom de Bernard Alapetite et de ses pairs revient dans d’autres affaires de pédophilie. Et notamment dans le réseau Toro Bravo, lié à l’extrême droite. La justice connaissait aussi les liens étroits d’Alapetite avec Manuel Vuillaume, un proche du pasteur Doucet assassiné en 1990.

Dans l’appréciation du tribunal sur l’affaire Ado 71, il y a donc les professionnels de la pédophilie, fournisseurs de cassettes et recruteurs d’enfants, animateurs d’un vaste trafic qui alimente des réseaux. Mais comment ? Avec qui et pour qui ? Cela reste à approfondir. Et puis, il y a les consommateurs amateurs, dont les 60 prévenus poursuivis pour détention de cassettes pédophiles. Le tribunal de Mâcon en a relaxé neuf. Tous les autres se voient infliger des peines de deux à six mois de prison avec sursis. À ces sanctions s’ajoutent pour certains, deux à cinq ans de privation de leurs droits civiques et familiaux et des amendes.

Hier, les parties civiles - dont trois associations de protection de l’enfance - étaient plutôt satisfaites du jugement du tribunal de Mâcon. " Cette affaire est une preuve de plus de l’existence des réseaux pédophiles ", estime Simone Chalon, présidente d’Enfance majuscule. " Restent les enfants filmés sur ces cassettes ? Tous sont des victimes et en danger. Qui sont-ils ? Où sont-ils ? Va-t-on enfin mettre les moyens nécessaires pour les retrouver ? "

France Berlioz

11/05/2000 l'Humanité

top panel says war on drugs cannot be won

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13624303

2 June 2011

Global war on drugs has 'failed' say former leaders

Opiate use increased by 35% worldwide from 1998-2008, in spite of anti-drug efforts

The global war on drugs has "failed" according to a new report by group of politicians and former world leaders.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy report calls for the legalisation of some drugs and an end to the criminalisation of drug users.

The panel includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the former leaders of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, and the entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.

The White House rejected the findings, saying the report was misguided.

The 19-member commission includes the former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, the former President of Colombia Cesar Gaviria, and the current Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou.

"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”

The panel also features prominent Latin American writers Carlos Fuentes and Mario Vargas Llosa, the EU's former foreign policy chief Javier Solana, and George Schultz, the former US Secretary of State.

'No harm to others'

Their report argues that anti-drug policy has failed by fuelling organised crime, costing taxpayers millions of dollars and causing thousands of deaths.

It cites UN estimates that opiate use increased 35% worldwide from 1998 to 2008, cocaine by 27%, and cannabis by 8.5%.

The authors criticise governments who claim the current war on drugs is effective:

"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," the report said.

Instead of punishing users who the report says "do no harm to others," the commission argues that governments should end criminalisation of drug use, experiment with legal models that would undermine organised crime syndicates and offer health and treatment services for drug-users.

It calls for drug policies based on methods empirically proven to reduce crime and promote economic and social development.

The commission is especially critical of the US, saying it must abandon anti-crime approaches to drug policy and adopt strategies rooted in healthcare and human rights.

"We hope this country (the US) at least starts to think there are alternatives," said the former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria.

"We don't see the US evolving in a way that is compatible with our (countries') long-term interests."

The office of White House drug tsar Gil Kerlikowske rejected the panel's recommendations.

"Drug addiction is a disease that can be successfully prevented and treated," said a spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

"Making drugs more available - as this report suggests - will make it harder to keep our communities healthy and safe."

Analysis

Adam Mynott, BBC News

It is a damning indictment. The group of world leaders, including former Presidents of Mexico and Colombia which are blighted by the trade in illegal drugs, says urgent changes are overdue.

Their report says current policies to tackle drug abuse and the crime that preys on it are clearly not working, but result in thousands of deaths and rampant lawlessness.

It calls for an end to the 'criminalisation, marginalisation and stigmatisation of people who use drugs but who do no harm to others'.

The leading international figures behind the report do not pull their punches. They say sensible regulation of drugs is working in some countries but they accuse many governments around the world of pretending that the current war on drugs is effective when they know it isn't.

Drugs need to be decriminalised, they say, and addicts need to be treated as patients, not villains.

fukushima: "tokyo could become off limits"

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may 26

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304066504576348263512336934.html

Transcript of Interview With Ichiro Ozawa

YUKA HAYASHI And TOKO SEKIGUCHI

The following is a partial transcript from The Wall Street Journal Interview with Japan senior political figure Ichiro Ozawa, who is calling on Prime Minister Naoto Kan to step down. Ozawa is a long-time rival within the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and is facing charges of improprieties over his fund-raising organization.

Q: By and large, how would you assess the government's response to the earthquake and nuclear crisis?

A: It's been two months, actually 70 days, but the situation at the nuclear reactors is still out of control.

The Kan administration's handling of the situation has been extremely slow. Their understanding of the gravity of the radioactive contamination has been altogether too rosy, or rather they haven't understood it at all.

The administration hasn't taken the initiative in making decisions and executing policies. Decision-making equals taking responsibility. So if nobody is taking responsibility, nothing is being decided.

Q: Why didn't the Kan administration inform the public of the severity of the problems at the nuclear plants? Did they know?

A: Of course the administration knew.

Q: What could the government have done to prevent the flare-up in the nuclear crisis?

A: First of all, it makes no sense to point fingers at Tepco (plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.), given the current situation. There are a lot of arguments going on, blaming TEPCO, blaming this person and that person. They are all meaningless. There is no point in blaming Tepco. I strongly believe the government must take the leadership and take the initiative in determining what to do. In reality, Tepco is no longer capable of doing anything. (By not facing reality) we are moving toward a tragedy, day by day.

Q: Prime Minister Kan set up a task force and has stationed government officials inside Tepco's offices so they can keep tabs on the company. Is that enough?

A: When Tepco knew what was happening at the nuclear plants, the government must have known it as well. As I said, they can't go on blaming others. The government must take responsibility and take the lead in coming up with solutions.

Q: If you had been in charge, would you have disclosed all the information about the meltdown in the initial stage?

A: Yes. I would have. There is no use in holding back information. We have to decide what to do, based on the premise of the information we have. This problem may be contained in Fukushima for now, but the contamination may spread outside of Fukushima. Anxiety and frustration are growing. People cannot live in the contaminated areas. These areas are becoming uninhabitable. Japan has lost its territory by that much. If we do nothing, even Tokyo could become off limits. There is a huge amount of uranium fuels in the plants, much more than in Chernobyl. This is a terrible situation. The government doesn't tell the truth and people live in a happy-go-lucky...

Q: Mr. Kan seems to have turned to many people for advice. What seems to be the problem?

A: It's not enough. Precisely, it's meaningless to put together a team made up exclusively of people who depend on nuclear power to make a living. All of them are members of the nuclear mafia. Did you see all those scholars saying "the crisis is not so terrible," "won't harm the health at all" on TV? What they say is meaningless because they depend on nuclear power for their livelihood. But people, and the Japanese media, don't understand it. The Japanese media is helpless.

Q: How far can Mr. Kan go before he should resign?

A: It's hard to say how long he should stay. He hasn't done anything. If we let him dilly-dally like this, we'll soon be facing a tragedy.

Q: Why do you think such an accident happened?

A: We need to depend on nuclear energy to a certain degree. But we need to bear in mind that this is a transitional source of energy, because we are not able to process high-level radioactive nuclear waste.

Q: Is your criticism that Mr. Kan has not been forthcoming about the condition of the accident, or that the administration was weak, allowing the situation to get out of hand? Do you think if the Kan administration were stronger, we could have contained the situation much earlier?

A: People are beginning to realize the DPJ-led government—the Kan administration in particular—is not living up to its promise. That is why the administration is losing the support of the people.

Q: Does taking responsibility mean that Mr. Kan should step down? If Mr. Kan refuses to step down, do you think legislators should submit a censure motion against him to force him to quit?

A: If the prime minister cannot implement policies, it's meaningless for him to stay in power.

Q: There have been discussions about possibly submitting a censure motion or a no-confidence vote to parliament. At a time of this national crisis, how do you think the public would view such a development?

A: In Japanese eyes, it's in hard times that we have to go out of our way to be nice to each other. That's why things don't work out. The Japanese media is responsible too. When we're in a time of peace, we can have any type of leader and we are fine. This is a difficult time, a time of crisis. That's why we need to choose a leader who can withstand the hardship and an administration that can endure it.

Japanese way of thinking is the opposite to that. People from continents don't think like that. As the Japanese have been taking peace for granted, we tend to avoid confrontation and try to get along with each other. But being friendly with each other won't solve any problems. We try to have harmless and inoffensive conversations to avoid confrontation. But if this was sufficient, there would be no need for politicians. We can just leave everything to bureaucrats.

Q: But do we have strong leaders to replace Mr. Kan?

A: There are plenty.

Q: Speaking of strong leaders, the public sees you as a forceful leader. Do you have any plans to lead?

A: I'm an old soldier. Have you heard of General MacArthur's words, "Old soldiers just fade away"? I was thinking about just fading away, but now I feel I have a bit more work to do.

Q: This will be a different topic, but what is the current situation and what do you plan to do about the allegations of the violation of the political funds law that you're facing?

A: There's no direction I'm planning to take, since I have done nothing wrong.

This is quite a danger to this country's democracy. That means that only those favored by the government or by the prosecutors can take part in politics. They can do anything they want. Anything can be done with such powers and it's really scary. You could face the danger of being arrested over your stories. That's what it is. You cannot allow such things to happen. If I really received any money illegally, I would have retired ages ago.

They conducted the investigation for over a year and they still haven't found anything. All they ever found was that I wrote the report in a wrong way.

Q: Reconstruction will require a lot of money and resources, and the Diet is currently debating the need for a second supplementary budget. What is the urgency and how large should this second reconstruction budget be? Where would funding come from?

A: That's another typical Japanese way of thought. No matter how much money it takes it must be done. With all that happening you can't live in Japan. Some day we may not be able to live in Japan. There is the possibility that the power plant can reach the state of criticality again. If it explodes, it's a huge matter. Radiation is being leaked in order to keep the reactors from exploding. So, in this sense, it's even worse than letting the power plant explode. Radiation is going to be flowing out for a long period of time. This is not a matter of money, but of life and death for the Japanese. If Japan cannot be saved, then the people of Japan are done for. We can always print money. Ultimately the people will have to bear the burden. Government must be determined to put a stop to radioactive pollution no matter what it takes, money or otherwise. The Japanese people must understand the situation. Bonds will have to be paid back, but if you can save lives with money, then so be it.

Q: Should Tepco be treated in the same manner that other failed businesses have been dealt with?

A: Tepco is not a big deal. The fate of a single private sector company is not the fundamental issue. Let's say Tepco really becomes bankrupt and you leave it as it is. Then it would become unable to distribute electricity and operate. That would be the biggest problem. Moreover, since they've issued five trillion yen worth of corporate bonds, the bond prices might plunge and have a huge impact on the public bond market. Also, they have borrowed trillions of yen from the banks and not being able to return the money would create trouble for the banks. Can this situation be dealt with? Not a problem. The point is to stop the radioactive contamination.

...

Q: You say that you want to do some more political work, but what exactly do you want to do?

A: What I've been saying. I want to install a parliamentary democracy in Japan. This is something I am still trying to achieve. In reality what is happening is that the DPJ has lost the public's backing and the LDP is no longer the LDP it used to be. If this continues, the political scene of Japan will be a mess. So, I've decided to give my old bones a push to prevent such a scenario from taking place.

yuka.hayashi@wsj.com

fukushima updates

may 18

SEOUL — Japanese playwright Oriza Hirata, who serves as a special adviser to the Cabinet, claimed in a recent lecture given in Seoul that the dumping of low-level radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean followed a "strong request" from the United States, a person who attended the lecture said Wednesday. The release of the water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant last month generated anxiety about the possible spread of radioactive contamination from the seaside power station. The Japanese government had apparently given its permission for the release of the water after receiving a report from plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. Hirata's remarks, made Tuesday, that the release was not carried out based on Tokyo's independent judgment but rather on a request from Washington is likely to ignite a debate. South Korea and other neighboring countries have protested the lack of prior notification of the discharge...While acknowledging that the release of the water caused concern in South Korea, he said the thousands of tons of water were not highly radioactive. (Kyodo/Japan Times)

may 17

"Only the mass media can put the kind of pressure on TEPCO and the Japanese government to bring about major change. This will cost at least 10 billion dollars if not 20-30 billion to clean up. It will take at least 10 years if not 20 and roughly 10,000 people working on the cleanup. The nuclear business is global. This needs an international effort to clean up Fukushima."

-- Nuclear Engineer Akira Tokuhiro...(Huffington Post)

may 16

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) admitted for the first time on May 15 that most of the fuel in one of its nuclear reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant had melted only about 16 hours after the March 11 earthquake struck a wide swath of northeastern Japan and triggered a devastating tsunami... (Mainichi Daily News)

may 15

http://www.rense.com/general94/whowill.htm

Who Will Take the Radioactive Rods From Fukushima?

Yoichi Shimatsu
Exclusive to Rense.com
Former Editor of the Japan Times Weekly A Hong Kong-Based Environmental Writer

The decommissioning of the Fukushima 1 nuclear plant is delayed by a single problem: Where to dispose of the uranium fuel rods? Many of those rods are extremely radioactive and partially melted, and some contain highly lethal plutonium.

Besides the fissile fuel inside the plant's six reactors, more than 7 tons of spent rods have to be removed to a permanent storage site before workers can bury the Fukushima facility under concrete. The rods cannot be permanently stored in Japan because the country's new waste storage centers on the northeast tip of Honshu are built on unsuitable land. The floors of the Rokkasho reprocessing facility and Mutsu storage unit are cracked from uneven sinking into the boggy soil.

Entombment of the rods inside the Fukushima 1 reactors carries enormous risks because the footing of landfill cannot support the weight of the fuel rods in addition to the reactors and cooling water inside the planned concrete containment walls. The less reactive spent fuel would have to be kept inside air-cooled dry casks. The powerful earthquakes that frequently strike the Tohoku region will eventually undermine the foundations, causing radioactive wastewater to pour unstoppably into the Pacific Ocean. The rods must therefore go to another country.

American Bad Faith

Under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), signed by Japan in 1970, Washington's negotiators stipulated that used nuclear fuel from Japanese reactors must by law be shipped to the United States for storage or reprocessing to prevent the development of an atomic bomb. Washington has been unable to fulfill its treaty obligations to Tokyo due to the public outcry against the proposed Yucca Mountain storage facility near Las Vegas.

A panel convened by the Obama administration has just recommended the set up of a network of storage sites across the United States, a controversy certain to revive the anti-nuclear sentiments during the upcoming election campaign. The American nuclear industry has its own stockpile of more than 60,000 tons of spent fuel - not counting waste from reactors used for military and research purposes - leaving no space for Fukushima's rods inside the Nevada disposal site, if indeed it is ever opened.

To Continental Asia

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has allocated 1 trillion yen ($12 billion) in funds for nuclear waste disposal. Areva, the French nuclear monopoly, has teamed up with Tepco to find an overseas storage site. So far, the Tepco-Areva team have quietly contacted three Asian countries - Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia -- to set up a center for "reprocessing", a euphemism for nuclear dump site.

Among the threesome, China was the top choice for the Japanese nuclear establishment, which has confidence in Beijing's ability to safeguard nuclear secrets from its citizenry and even from the top leaders. Japan's space agency, which keeps 24-hour satellite observation over every nuclear-related facility in China, possesses the entire record of radiation leaks there. Since Beijing withholds this sort of data from the public, the Japanese side felt it had the necessary leverage in talks with Chinese nuclear officials.

Though the nuclear-sector bureaucrats were initially eager to receive bundles of yen, the proposal was blown away by the salt craze that swept over China. Within a couple of weeks of the Fukushima meltdowns, millions of shoppers emptied supermarket shelves on rumors that iodized salt could prevent radiation-caused thyroid cancer. The Chinese public is rightfully fearful of health-related scandals after discoveries of melamine in milk, growth hormones in pork, pesticides in vegetables, antibiotics in fish and now radioactive fallout over farmland.

A nuclear disposal deal would require trucks loaded with radioactive cargo to roll through a densely populated port, perhaps Tianjin or Ningbo, in the dead of night. There is no way that secret shipments wouldn't be spotted by locals with smart phones, triggering a mass exodus from every city, town and village along the route to the dumping grounds in China's far west. Thus, the skittishness of the ordinary Chinese citizen knocked out the easiest of nefarious plans.

Principle of Industrial Recovery

A more logical choice for overseas storage is in the sparsely populated countries that supply uranium ore to Japan, particularly Australia and Canada. As exporters of uranium, Canberra and Ottawa are ultimately responsible for storage of the nuclear waste under the legal principle of industrial recovery.

The practice of industrial recovery is already well-established in the consumer electronics and household appliances sectors where manufacturers are required by an increasing number of countries to take back and recycle used television sets, computers and refrigerators.

Under the principle, uranium mining giants like Rio Tinto and CAMECO would be required to take back depleted uranium. The cost of waste storage would then be factored into the export price for uranium ore. The added cost is passed along to utility companies and ultimately the consumer through a higher electricity rate. If the market refuses to bear the higher price for uranium as compared with other fuels, then nuclear power will go the way of the steam engine.

Australian and Canadian politicians are bound to opportunistically oppose the return of depleted uranium since any shipments from Fukushima would be met by a massive turnout of "not-in-my-backyard" protesters. The only way for Tokyo to convince the local politicos to go along quietly is by threatening to publish an online list of the bribe-takers in parliament who had earlier backed uranium mining on behalf of the Japanese interests.

Nuclear's Cost-Efficiency

The question then arise whether nuclear power, when long-term storage fees are included, is competitive with investment in renewable energy such as wind, solar, hydro and tidal resources. Renewable energy probably has the edge since they don't create waste. Natural gas remains the undisputed price beater wherever it is available in abundance. In a free market without hidden subsidies, nuclear is probably doomed.

In a lapse of professionalism, the International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA) has never seriously addressed nuclear-waste disposal as an industrywide issue. Based on the ration of spent rods to reactor fuel inside U.S. nuclear facilities, there are close to 200,000 metric tons of high-level nuclear waste at the 453 civilian nuclear-energy plants worldwide. Yet not a single permanent storage site has ever been opened anywhere.

The Fukushima 1 dilemma shows that the issues of cost-efficiency and technological viability can no longer be deferred or ignored. Ratings agencies report that Tepco's outstanding debt has soared beyond $90 billion, meaning that it cannot cover future costs of storing spent rods from its Kashiwazaki and Fukushima 2 nuclear plants. The Japanese government's debt has soared to 200 percent of GDP. Neither entity can afford the rising cost of nuclear power.

The inability of Tepco or the government to pay for nuclear waste disposal puts the financial liability squarely on its partner companies and suppliers, including GE, Toshiba, Hitachi, Kajima Construction and especially the sources of the uranium, CAMECO and Rio Tinto and the governments of Canada and Australia. A fundamental rule of both capitalism and civil law is that somebody has to pay.

Last Stop

Since Australia and Canada aren't in any hurry to take back the radioactive leftovers, that leaves Japan and treaty-partner United States with only one option for quick disposal- Mongolia.

Ulan Bator accepts open-pit mining for coal and copper, which are nothing but gigantic toxic sites, so why not take the melted-down nuclear rods? Its GDP, ranked 136 among the world's economies, is estimated to be $5.8 billion in 2010. Thus, $12 billion is an unimaginable sum for one more hole in the ground.

Not that Mongolia would get the entirety of the budget, since the nuclear cargo would have to transit through the Russian Far East. Unlike the health-conscious Chinese, the population of Nakhodka or Vladivostok are used to playing fast-and-loose with radioactive materials and vodka.

Even if the mafia that runs the Russian transport industry were to demand a disproportionate cut, Mongolia's 3 million inhabitants would be overjoyed at gaining about $2,000 each, more than the average annual income, that is if the money is divided evenly after the costs of building the dump.

Realistically, the Mongolian people are unlikely to receive a penny, since the money will go into a trust fund for maintenance costs. That's because $12 billion spread over the half-life of uranium - 700 million years - is equivalent to $17 in annual rent. That doesn't even cover kibble bits for the watchdog on duty, much less the cooling system. Not that anyone will be counting since by the time uranium decays to a safe level, fossils will be the sole remnant of human life on Earth.

Illusory, shortsighted greed will surely triumph in Mongolia, and that leaves a question of moral accountability for the rest of us. Will the world community feel remorse for dumping its nuclear mess onto an ancient culture that invented boiled mutton, fermented mare's milk and Genghis Khan? For guilt-ridden diplomats from Tokyo and Washington wheedling the dirty deal in Ulan Bator, here's the rebuttal: Did the national hero, the Great Khan, ever shed any tears or feel pangs of guilt? There's no need for soul-searching. A solution is at hand.

...highly radioactive substances were detected in parts of Tokyo. Japan's Asahi Shimbun reports about 3,200 and nearly 2-thousand becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram were found in the soil of Tokyo districts of Koto and Chiyoda, respectively, from testing conducted between April 10th and the 20th. This amount is higher than what was found in the prefectures near the Fukushima plant and experts warn that other areas may be subject to radiation contamination as clusters of clouds containing radioactive material remain in the atmosphere...(Arirang TV Korea)

may 14

Plutonium detected in rice paddy by a food manufacturer more than 50 kms away from Fukushima power plant...(physics forum)


http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201105130370.html

TEPCO concealed radiation data before explosion at No. 3 reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Co. concealed data showing spikes in radiation levels at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in March, one day before a hydrogen explosion injured seven workers.

The Asahi Shimbun obtained a 100-page internal TEPCO report containing minute-to-minute data on radiation levels at the plant as well as pressure and water levels inside the No. 3 reactor from March 11 to April 30.

The data has never been released by the company that operates the stricken plant.

The unpublished information shows that at 1:17 p.m. on March 13, 300 millisieverts of radiation per hour was detected inside a double-entry door at the No. 3 reactor building. At 2:31 p.m., the radiation level was measured at 300 millisieverts or higher per hour to the north of the door.

Both levels were well above the upper limit of 250 millisieverts for an entire year under the plant's safety standards for workers. But the workers who were trying to bring the situation under control at the plant were not informed of the levels.

When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck on March 11, the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors all automatically shut down. But the tsunami crippled the emergency generators, leading to a total power failure that prevented the cooling systems from functioning.

The TEPCO data also showed high levels of hydrogen may be emitting from the damaged core of the No. 3 reactor on March 13, when TEPCO started injecting seawater to cool the reactor.

The following day around 11 a.m., a hydrogen explosion destroyed the upper part of the No. 3 reactor building. Seven TEPCO workers were injured in the blast.

TEPCO's public relations department said the company has informed the public that significant levels of radiation have been detected at the plant, but it disclose specific data after a thorough review of the figures is completed.

Keiji Miyazaki, professor emeritus of nuclear reactor engineering at Osaka University, criticized TEPCO's policy.

He said such important data should be immediately released to ensure the safety of the public and workers at the plant, especially in an emergency like the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Miyazaki said TEPCO's decision to conceal the data must be scrutinized.

Failure to release radiation data in the early stages of the crisis is said to have delayed the evacuations of communities near the plant.

Kiyoshi Sakurai, another nuclear power expert, said a thorough examination is needed not only on TEPCO's unpublished data, but also verbal communications of those involved, instructions issued by the central government and TEPCO, and the communication structure between management and workers at the plant.

Kamome Fujimori, Tatsuyuki Kobori and Yo Noguchi

...A sewage plant in eastern Tokyo detected a highly radioactive substance in incinerator ash shortly after the nuclear crisis began at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, metropolitan government sources revealed Friday. The radioactive intensity of the substance was 170,000 becquerels per kilogram, the unnamed sources said. The ash, which has been recycled into construction materials, including cement, was collected from a sludge plant in Koto Ward in March. At almost at the same time that month, a radioactive substance with a radioactive intensity ranging from 100,000 to 140,000 becquerels per kg was also detected in ash at two other Tokyo sewage plants in Ota and Itabashi wards, the sources said. After a month, the radiation levels had dropped to 15,000 to 24,000 becquerels per kg at the three sewage plants, they added...(Kyodo/Japan Times)

2,000 millisieverts, or 2 sieverts, per hour radiation was detected inside the southeast double door of the Reactor 1 reactor building. Measurement was done by a remote-controlled robot on May 13. The location is where the pipe is that goes into the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV)...(ex-skf.blogspot)

A worker at Japan's tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant died today, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said, bringing the death toll at the complex to three since a massive earthquake and tsunami in March. The cause of the death was unknown. The man, in his 60s, was employed by one of Tokyo Electric's contractors and started working at the plant yesterday. He was exposed to 0.17 millisieverts of radiation today, Tokyo Electric said. The Japanese government's maximum level of exposure for male workers at the plant is 250 millisieverts for the duration of the effort to bring it under control. The worker fell ill 50 minutes after starting work at 6am on Saturday and brought to the plant's medical room unconscious...(The Independent)

may 13

...Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) announced on May 11 that the radiation level exceeded 1,000 millisieverts/hour on the 2nd floor of the Reactor 1's reactor building at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant...(ex-skf.blogspot)

may 8

The first map of ground surface contamination within 80 kilometers of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant shows radiation levels higher in some municipalities than those in the mandatory relocation zone around the Chernobyl plant. The map, released May 6, was compiled from data from a joint aircraft survey undertaken by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the U.S. Department of Energy. It showed that a belt of contamination, with 3 million to 14.7 million becquerels of cesium-137 per square meter, spread to the northwest of the nuclear plant....(Asahi Shimbun)

may 5

The U.S. government has abandoned efforts to monitor elevated levels of radiation that infiltrated the nation’s water and milk in the wake of a nuclear catastrophe in Japan.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has faced stiff criticism for its slow and spotty monitoring of radioactive iodine, cesium and other materials that were ejected into the atmosphere after the Fukushima nuclear power plant was struck by a tsunami in early March. The material fell on the United States in rainwater and was ingested by cows, which passed it through into their milk.

Radiation levels in some milk and rain samples have exceeded normal long-term federal drinking water standards, but EPA officials have described the levels as almost completely safe. Anti-nuclear power activists have accused the federal government of downplaying the health risks in an effort to protect the nuclear power industry and predicted that the radioactive isotopes will lead to a rash of cancers.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/12nle)

The U.S. government has abandoned efforts to monitor elevated levels of radiation that infiltrated the nation’s water and milk in the wake of a nuclear catastrophe in Japan. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has faced stiff criticism for its slow and spotty monitoring of radioactive iodine, cesium and other materials that were ejected into the atmosphere after the Fukushima nuclear power plant was struck by a tsunami in early March. The material fell on the United States in rainwater and was ingested by cows, which passed it through into their milk.

Radiation levels in some milk and rain samples have exceeded normal long-term federal drinking water standards, but EPA officials have described the levels as almost completely safe. Anti-nuclear power activists have accused the federal government of downplaying the health risks in an effort to protect the nuclear power industry and predicted that the radioactive isotopes will lead to a rash of cancers. (Baycitizen.org)




Diet against radiation sickness

may 9

Macrobiotic Diet Prevents Radiation Sickness Among A-Bomb Survivors in Japan - In August, 1945, at the time of the atomic bombing of Japan, Tatsuichiro Akizuki, M.D., was director of the Department of Internal Medicine at St. Francis's Hospital in Nagasaki. Most patients in the hospital, located one mile from the center of the blast, survived the initial effects of the bomb, but soon after came down with symptoms of radiation sickness from the fallout that had been released. Dr. Akizuki fed his staff and patients a strict macrobiotic diet of brown rice, miso soup, wakame and other sea vegetables, Hokkaido pumpkin, and sea salt and prohibited the consumption of sugar and sweets. As a result, he saved everyone in his hospital, while many other survivors in the city perished from radiation sickness.

I gave the cooks and staff strict orders that they should make unpolished whole-grain rice balls, adding some salt to them, prepare strong miso soup for each meal, and never use sugar. When they didn't follow my orders, I scolded them without mercy, 'Never take sugar. Sugar will destroy your blood!'...

This dietary method made it possible for me to remain alive and go on working vigorously as a doctor. The radioactivity may not have been a fatal dose, but thanks to this method, Brother Iwanaga, Reverend Noguchi, Chief Nurse Miss Murai, other staff members and in-patients, as well as myself, all kept on living on the lethal ashes of the bombed ruins. It was thanks to this food that all of us could work for people day after day, overcoming fatigue or symptoms of atomic disease and survive the disaster" free from severe symptoms of radioactivity. (Huffington Post)

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The U.S. government has abandoned efforts to monitor elevated levels of radiation that infiltrated the nation’s water and milk in the wake of a nuclear catastrophe in Japan.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has faced stiff criticism for its slow and spotty monitoring of radioactive iodine, cesium and other materials that were ejected into the atmosphere after the Fukushima nuclear power plant was struck by a tsunami in early March. The material fell on the United States in rainwater and was ingested by cows, which passed it through into their milk.

Radiation levels in some milk and rain samples have exceeded normal long-term federal drinking water standards, but EPA officials have described the levels as almost completely safe. Anti-nuclear power activists have accused the federal government of downplaying the health risks in an effort to protect the nuclear power industry and predicted that the radioactive isotopes will lead to a rash of cancers.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/12nle)

The U.S. government has abandoned efforts to monitor elevated levels of radiation that infiltrated the nation’s water and milk in the wake of a nuclear catastrophe in Japan.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has faced stiff criticism for its slow and spotty monitoring of radioactive iodine, cesium and other materials that were ejected into the atmosphere after the Fukushima nuclear power plant was struck by a tsunami in early March. The material fell on the United States in rainwater and was ingested by cows, which passed it through into their milk.

Radiation levels in some milk and rain samples have exceeded normal long-term federal drinking water standards, but EPA officials have described the levels as almost completely safe. Anti-nuclear power activists have accused the federal government of downplaying the health risks in an effort to protect the nuclear power industry and predicted that the radioactive isotopes will lead to a rash of cancers.

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/12nle)