A city 140 km (87 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster is offering radiation checkups for residents.
Utsunomiya City, north of Tokyo, started the service because of demands from taxpayers.
The city says they can check up to five houses per day, inspecting up to three specific areas requested by the inhabitants, such as the entry way or bedroom, etc.
Inspections done so far show radiation levels below the official safe limits. This is a limited time offer ending in September.
The following quotes were published on 7 January 2012, by Portuguese economist Guilherme Alves Coelho.
Myth 1: Under capitalism, anyone who works hard can become rich.
“In fact, the probability of success in the capitalist system for the average citizen is the same as you winning the lottery.”
Myth 2: Capitalism creates wealth and prosperity for all.
“The objective is to enable the employer to accumulate indefinite wealth without being asked how they did it. At the same time the hope is maintained that sooner or later workers will be rewarded for their work and dedication.”
Myth 3: We are all in the same boat.
“The goal is to create a guilt complex for workers, allowing capitalists to increase revenues and pass their expenses onto the people.”
This is similar to Mitt Romney style vulture capitalism, in which “investors” like Romney used other people’s money to make profits.
Myth 4: Capitalism means freedom.
“The goal is to create something similar to a religion of capitalism, where everything is taken as blind faith, and deny people the right to participate in making macroeconomic decisions. The myth of the freedom to “negotiate” for your job being considered the ultimate freedom.”
Myth 5: Capitalism means democracy.
“This myth, which smoothly follows from the previous one, was created in order to prevent the discussion of other models of societies.”
Myth 6: Elections equal democracy.
“It’s actually the capitalist system, that manipulates and corrupts everything, that the vote is conditioned and elections are merely formal acts. The simple fact of the bourgeois class minority always winning elections demonstrates it’s non-representative.”
Don’t forget, one of the main reason for the 1776 Revolution that created the United States was no representation in the British government!
Myth 7: Alternating parties in office is the same as having an alternative.
“It is intended to make people believe that the political parties that alternate periodically in power have alternative policies. In fact this apparent multi-system or bi-partisan is a one-party system. Two or more factions of the same political organization, sharing the same capitalist policies alternate in power, simulating independent parties with alternative policies.”
Another way to say this is the Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin.
Myth 8: The elected politician represents the people and can therefore decide for them.
“…once in power, the elected…Does not fulfill what he promised and what is even worse, put in place measures that were not talked about publicly before, often opposite what was promised and even unconstitutional.”
“…being a major cause of the growing number of people who do not vote.”
Myth 9: There is no alternative to Capitalism.
“It is intended to make people believe that capitalism, though not perfect, is the only political/economic regime possible…The aim is to eliminate competition from other systems…using all means, including force…”
This is ironic considering the masses are always told that capitalism is about competition, or that competition is good.
Myth 10: Austerity cuts (severe and enforced economic deprivations) will save the economy and your job.
“It is intended to make people believe that the blame for the economic crisis is caused by the excess of benefits for workers….The aim is basically to transfer to the public, people in general and for workers specifically, the responsibility of paying the debts of the capitalists. Make people accept the plundering of their property in the belief that better days will come later. It is also intended to facilitate the privatization of public/government services….without mentioning that these were the most profitable sectors of the state, whose future earnings are lost as a result.”
Myth 11: Less government equals better government.
“It is intended to make people believe that the private sector manages the state better than the public sector. The actual goal of capitalists is…to facilitate the takeover of functions and assets of profitable government operations.”
This is exactly what is going on with the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS is not in trouble because they’re not making money, they’re in trouble because the U.S. Congress refuses to hand over the money the USPS has made from selling postal services (the money earned is actually controlled by Congress). Remember the U.S. Congress is controlled by Corporate America.
Myth 12: The current crisis of Capitalism is short-term and will be resolved for the benefit of the people.
“It is intended to make people believe that the current economic and financial crisis is a normal cyclical crisis of capitalism, and not a systemic/intentional crisis. The aim of the capitalists…is continuing to plunder and exploit the people while they can. It has also served for some politicians to remain in power, fueling hope among people that better days will come if they continue to vote for them…..what we see is the continuous deterioration of living standards of people without any hope of improvement.”
Guilherme Alves Coelho also warned that as Western style “democratic” capitalism continues to fail, the capitalist elites will force the working class to make more and more sacrifices. Proof of this are the continuing and increasing austerity measures implemented by Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and United Kingdom, to name a few. The austerity cuts have been taking place in the various states of the United States since 1999/2000, but they’re not called austerity, they’re called “reforms”, “improvements” and “cutting costs” supposedly to save taxpayer dollars (have they really saved taxpayers any money?).
This is clearly class warfare already being waged by the elites against the rest of us. Coelho says we the People need to prepare for the final battle: “Today, more than ever, you need to create barriers to the final round of capitalist barbarism, reverse the situation, by presenting other political solutions, refusing the obscure statements of the elites by demanding clarification, and mobilizing and organizing the people.”
Last year the Japanese government said all farm animals within the 20 kilometer (12.42 miles) radiation no go zone, around Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, had to be killed (if they weren’t already dead).
Now the government says those animals that are still alive can live, provided the farmers do not ship them off to food markets.
This comes after farmers refused to follow through with the order to cull radioactive animals. Turns out about 700 farm animals are still alive within the no go zone.
Farmers must not breed the animals, or allow them to mingle with new animals that are not contaminated.
ONE YEAR LATER: JAPAN DEVELOPS THEIR FIRST EVER MOBILE PET CLINIC, TO HELP THE HUNDRED OF ANIMALS STILL SUFFERING IN IWATE
ONE YEAR LATER: JAPANESE BAMBOO NOW RADIOACTIVE, 124 MILES AWAY FROM FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI!
April 5, 2012, Tokyo Electric Power Company is admitting that even more strontium 90 is pouring into the Pacific Ocean from the GE designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
TEPCo officials say at least 12 tons of contaminated water poured into the ocean overnight. They blame it on the usual suspect; leaking pipes!
Around 02:00 the morning of April 5, workers found a joint in a waste water pipe had been disconnected, causing the huge leak. It took them half an hour to fix it.
This is the third major strontium leak reported by TEPCo, since December 2011.
April 4, 2012, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, announced that the British government will start raiding bank accounts, officially to fund charities.
The British plan (called Big Society Capital) claims to be targeting bank accounts that have been inactive for more than 15 years.
The British government has realized how bad of an effect their slashing and burning of social programs is having on the general population of the U.K. So, they’ve come up with this plan of raiding bank accounts, supposedly belonging to wealthier Britons, in order to fund charities now struggling to deal with growing social strife due to the government funding cuts.
There is also a catch to this plan to help the poor, charities must prove they are helping people and that their programs are successful, or else the money stops: “Big Society Capital is going to encourage charities and social enterprises to prove their business models, and then replicate them. Once they’ve proved that success in one area they’ll be able, just as a business can, to seek investment for expansion into the wider region and into the country.”-David Cameron, Prime Minister United Kingdom
To add confusion about the sincerity of the Big Society Capital plan, some bank officials have told inactive account holders not to worry, because if they ask for their money back they’ll get it.
History shows that whenever the elites of Briton put a capitalist spin on social programs they always end in disaster for the poor.
April 4, 2012, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) officials claim 227 kilograms (500 pounds) of marijuana was found in Kandahar Province, during a routine patrol.
The day before, in Nimroz Province, aircraft spotted two suspicious vehicles. A search turned up more than 3,150 pounds (1,430 kilograms) of drugs. ISAF claims they destroyed the drugs.
ISAF is also reporting four more U.S. led NATO soldiers were killed on April 4. One was killed in an ambush by Mujahideen in eastern Afghanistan, the other three were killed when their vehicle hit a mine in northern Afghanistan.
As usual ISAF refuses to give even a location where the incident took place: “It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities.”-ISAF statement
ISAF is also claiming that U.S. led forces, including Afghan government forces, have killed or captured 14 Mujahideen in the past 24 hours.
Also, on the morning of April 4, in Faryab Province an explosion killed at least five civilians and six U.S. led troops, and wounded about 26 others.
According to local security boss, Abdul Khaliq Aqsai, it was a suicide bomber who attacked a ISAF/NATO convoy, which just happened to be near the provincial governor’s office. ISAF has not commented.
In Kandahar Province, a local police chief was assassinated, about noon time April 4. The provincial governor’s office said they do not know who did it.
About one year ago, Japanese government officials swore to the refugees fleeing the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, that they’d be returning home soon.
Not only did that turn out to be a lie, but one official now says some towns will never be inhabitable.
On April 4, 2012, Japan’s reconstruction minister, Hirano Tatsuo, told the Governor of Fukushima Province, and the Mayor of Futaba Town, that because of the storage of highly radioactive waste coming from Fukushima Daiichi, the areas around that waste can never be lived in.
There are areas of Fukushima Province, being used to store hundreds of tons of contaminated water (left over from trying to keep the disaster reactors cool), that are being irradiated by the deadly levels of radiation in the water.
The Japanese media is pointing out that Hirano’s opinion runs counter to the official statements of the government. The Japanese government continues to promise the nuclear refugees that they will be able to return to all their homes.
Here’s a thought: It’s been proven that Fukushima Daiichi is worse than Chernobyl, and yet, how many people have been allowed to return to Prypiat, the town next to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, 26 years later? Zero!
Prypiat had nearly 50,000 people prior to the Chernobyl explosion in 1986. Now it’s a city full of vacant and ghostly skyscrapers.
On the night of April 2, 2012, a NATO fuel supply convoy was ambushed and destroyed in Farah Province, Afghanistan.
Six fuel tankers and two escort vehicles were burned to the ground. No info concerning casualties.
Another evening attack left at least four Afghan police and two civilians dead.
The attack took place in Helmand Province. Officials say Mujahideen launched an attack on a police checkpoint.
During the morning of April 3, in the province of Nangarhar, an explosion wounded at least three people.
Local officials say a vehicle with bodyguards riding in it hit a mine (roadside bomb).
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) officials say at least two U.S./NATO soldiers were killed on April 3. One from an explosion, the other from non-combat injuries.
As is SOP (standard operating procedure) for ISAF, they refuse to give any further details. ISAF officials defer troop details to the “…relevant national authorities.”
For the week of March 25-31, ISAF reported approximately seven instances of U.S./NATO troop deaths.
The United States continues to increase drone attacks in the Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen.
On March 30, 2012, at least five people were killed, and a natural gas pipeline was blown up after a U.S. drone strike near Shabwa.
Official U.S. statements say they targeted “suspected” al Qaeda militants, one missile hit a car, the other missile hit a building. Witnesses say a another vehicle was struck, killing everyone inside. It was an entire family. U.S. officials have no comment.
There are also reports that a drone attack hit a natural gas pipeline. U.S. officials claim the “suspected” militants blew up the pipeline after the drone strike.
According to Australia’s Brisbane Times, the United States has dramatically increased the use of drones in Yemen. In May 2011, Peaceprize winner, Barack Obama, ordered an increase of drone strikes. The result was at least 26 drone strikes in Yemen (keep in mind that officially the U.S. wasn’t supposed to be involved in Yemen). Now, since January 2012 there have been at least nine drone strikes, five just in the month of March 2012.
It’s not just the number of drone strikes, the number of people being killed in each drone strike is going up as well. London’s City University, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, reports that as many as 516 people have been killed in Yemen, with as many as 105 confirmed as civilians (including five pregnant women and 22 children), not “suspected” militants.
Another issue is the fact that many parts of Yemen are without electrical power. The main reason is that power plants are repeatedly targeted, by U.S. and anti-government Mujahideen.
The latest case involves families who lost loved ones due to U.S. drone strikes. They are now attacking power stations demanding compensation for the loss of their relatives: “Victims of U.S. drone strikes constituted that the majority of locals attacked the electricity supply because their demands for compensation after the attack were not addressed.”-Saeed Ali al-Yousifi, The Yemen Observer
On March 25, 2012, the power station in Marib Province was attacked and shut down by an angry mob. The angry crowd included people who had been victims of past drone attacks, including the family of a young man who lost both legs in a May, 2010, U.S. drone attack.
On March 31, the United States attacked the northeastern African country of Somalia, with drones. A Somali official, Hussein Mohamed Uraag, says several missiles were fired into the western portion of the city of Mogadishu. At least 18 people were killed.
In South Asia, despite demands from Pakistan’s parliament, to stop drone attacks, on March 30 the U.S. destroyed a house with a drone strike. At least four people were killed.
The attack took place in North Waziristan, officials say the targeted people were from Uzbekistan.
On April 1, the Pakistani Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), announced that they will tie the ending of U.S. drone attacks to continued support for U.S./NATO supply convoys through Pakistan.
Pakistani Army Chief General, Ashfraq Pervez Kayani, said NATO has so far not contacted the Pakistani military regarding renewed support for U.S./NATO/ISAF supply convoys.
Pakistani Senator, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, said NATO should not be allowed to transport weapons through Pakistan, and that all other supplies will be allowed only if the United States stops drone attacks.
Maulana Abdul Maalik Wazir, National Assembly of Pakistan, said all NATO supply routes should be shut down, no more negotiating!
Pakistani Senator, Mudassir Sehar Kamran, demanded the United States pay for past damages caused by U.S. drone strikes!
On March 29, it was reported that Australia will be arming it’s troops in the Central Asian country of Afghanistan, with more surveillance drones.
It’s called the Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (TUAS), and was first used by the U.S. in the Middle Eastern country of Iraq. It is used for recon purposes. It’s still used by U.S. forces.
April 6, 2012, will be the year anniversary of the first known case of U.S. forces killing two of their own with a Predator terror drone strike: “The two-man Predator crew responsible for this particular airstrike not only destroyed a young Navy corpsman’s life but also destroyed the lives of his entire family.”-Robert Rast, father of one of the victims
On April 6, 2011, a U.S. Navy corpsman, and a USMC Staff Sergeant, were killed in Afghanistan by a USAF Captain operating a Predator drone from his base in Nevada!
A 385 page report puts the blame on the U.S. Air Force for failing to communicate with U.S. Marines on the ground in Afghanistan: “Information was available to the Predator crew that potentially could have increased the commander’s understanding of the situation, but this information was not communicated to Marines on the ground who were directing the attack….In the final analysis the chain of events that led to Staff Sgt. Smith and (Hospitalman) Rast being targeted and ultimately killed by friendly fire was initiated by the on-scene ground force commander’s lack of overall situational awareness and the inability to accurately communicate his friendly force disposition with respect to the enemy.”
The Japanese government has set new cesium contamination limits for food, but even with the new limits hundreds of inspections have revealed highly contaminated food products.
The new limits on non-dairy food products will be allowed to contain up to 100 becquerels of cesium per kilogram, baby food and milk will be permitted to contain 50 becquerels, and drinking water 10 becquerels.
But wait, what most people don’t know is that immediately after the March 2011 nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, the Japanese government temporarily raised the maximum cesium limit in food to 500 becquerels!!!
What that means is that it’s almost guaranteed that the people of Japan have been eating radioactive food!
Between January and March, 2012, a total of 600 cases have been found with more than the new 100 becquerels limit. That includes salmon, flounder and raw shiitake mushrooms. Local governments are supposed to stop the shipments of such contaminated food.