Tag Archives: disaster

Fukushima, Idaho, Technology

Radiation mystery at Idaho National Laboratory, Cesium & Cobalt

U.S. department of Energy reported on April 6, 2012, that radioactive particles of cesium and cobalt are being found on construction materials.

A contractor discovered the contamination.  Officials think it could be from the demolition of old buildings in that area of the INL site, which would imply that the buildings were contaminated before being torn down.

A local east Idaho DOE spokesman said there was no concern “…unless you get it onto your skin…” and you had “…prolonged exposure…”

Employees and vehicles are now being checked for contamination as they enter and leave the site.

International, Technology, U.S.

Terror Drones: April 2-8, U.S. to quadruple assassination drone attacks

The Washington Post reporting that the United States did indeed spy on Iran using UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles, aka drones).

The report says the National Security Agency has at least three years worth of drone surveillance data on Iran. The program is being run by the Central Intelligence Agency’s Iran Operations Division (aka Persia House).

April 7, Yemen military officials say a U.S. drone strike killed 24 anti-government Mujahideen in two locations.  They say some of those killed were foreign Arabs.

There are several anti-government groups in Yemen, two are called Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and Partisans of Sharia.

Reports this past week say that the continued use of drones in Yemen could draw the U.S. into a full blown civil war: ”The more the U.S. applies its current policy, the stronger Al Qaeda seems to get.”–Charles Schmitz, American Institute of Yemen Studies

“Drones are a weapon of terror in many ways, and the kind of hostility this is going to breed may not be worth the counter-terrorism gains.”-Barbara Bodine, former U.S. ambassador to Yemen

“Heavily armed American soldiers have begun appearing in large numbers at the Sheraton Hotel in the capital, Sana, a Yemeni official said.“-Los Angeles Times

Also on April 7, Israeli forces attacked Gaza Strip with drones. Israeli officials said they targeted two men on a motorcycle in the town of Rafah: “Aircraft thwarted a rocket launch in the southern Gaza Strip.”-IDF statement

Despite claiming to have “thwarted” a rocket launch by Palestinians, two rockets were launched at Israel the next morning, April 8.

April 6, “An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in northern Afghanistan…”-ISAF statement

No further details were presented.  Some reports also said a NATO helicopter crashed in the same area, but it might be witnesses confusing the rotary wing drone for a manned helicopter.

There are conflicting reports about drone operations ending in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Most reports say drone operations will end after 2014, but there is a report that says assassination drones (aka MQ 9 Reapers) will actually quadruple their terror activity until 2016!

The report says the Reapers will operate from Australia’s Cocos Islands: “But don’t expect the worldwide drone war now being waged in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen to wind down. To the contrary, an Air Force announcement posted online this week indicates the Pentagon anticipates more than quadrupling the size of the global drone war over the next four years.”-Salon, Air Force ramps up drone war

April 5, the U.S. puppet government of Somalia stated to the United Nations that they have given the U.S. permission to use drones against their own people.

“I’m not going to get into matters that relate to intelligence. I will say that the United States has been and remains extremely focused-as do all members of the international community-on combating the terrorist threat that Al Shabaab poses, as an active threat not only to Somali but to the people of the region and beyond, in particular, given its active affiliation with Al Qaeda.“-Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the UN

April 3, a U.S. drone crashed and exploded in Somalia.  The drone went down near the town of El-Bur, which is considered a stronghold of the anti-Western government Mujahidden group called al-Shabaab.  However, the residents of the town say al-Shabaab fighters left the town on March 24.

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: U.S. signs deal to let Afghan forces take lead in Special Operations, Afghan forces claim progress againt Mujahideen, yet more drugs & “leaders” captured

April 8, 2012, Afghan Interior Affairs Ministry officials say in the past 24 hours Afghan military and police forces killed 16 Mujahideen, and captured 26.

The battles took place in Nangarhar, Faryab, Farah, Badakhshan, Kandahar, Ghazni, Khost and Paktika provinces.  They also seized 2,090 kilograms (4,607.7 pounds) of drugs.

In Baghlan Province, Afghan officials claim to have captured two “prominent Taliban leaders”. Officials believe the “leaders” were responsible for the assassination of a police chief in Kunduz Province.

“Taliban” spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the two “leaders” are not connected to his group.

Afghan police said one of their vehicles hit a mine in Baghlan Province, but no one was hurt.

USMC General John R. Allen signed a deal with Afghan Minister for Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak.  The deal turns over to the Afghan government forces, the lead role in Special Military Operations, such as night time raids.

“The Afghan Special Operations Units have developed at extraordinary speed and are manned by courageous and capable operators.  In large measure, this MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] is a result of the professionalism of the National Directorate of Security and the Afghan National Security Forces. We also recognize the growing capacity of the Afghan judicial system which will play a vital part not only in the implementation of this agreement but also in the lives of Afghan citizens.”-General John R. Allen, U.S. Marine Corps

 

 

International, U.S.

Evil U.S.A.: Videos prove that U.S. taxpayer dollars support murderers and sadists, representing the United States in the so called War on Terror! Who’s the real terrorist? Not Iraqis! Not Afghans!

There is a video series just released. It was made by employees of the U.S. taxpayer funded Blackwater private security corporation operating in Iraq.

The videos show that Blackwater employees randomly targeted Iraqi civilians, by shooting into passing vehicles, sometimes at point blank range, and by running over people.  They also swerved into Iraqi cars to intentionally hit them.

You can also hear Blackwater employees talking about killing Iraqis, for no specific reason.

Blackwater tried to escape media scrutiny by changing its name to Xe Services.  They changed their name again, and are now known as Academi.

Despite the fact that the U.S. Army has even documented Blackwater’s evil doings, the U.S. government still uses them, in fact Academi is the largest military security contractor currently working for the Department of Defense.

A Harper’s Magazine report revealed just how evil the U.S. War on Terror really is: “A woman in a black full-length burqa began to cross the street. The vehicle struck the woman and knocked her unconscious body into the gutter. The cars slowed for a moment, but did not stop, nor did they even determine whether the victim was dead or alive. A voice in the car taking the video said, ‘Oh, my God!’ Yet no one was heard on the radio requesting help for her.”-Charles Glass, Harper’s Magazine

You can see the videos here.   No Iraqi ever attacked the United States!  No Afghan ever attacked the United States!  Who’s the real terrorist?

International

One Year Later: 1.5 million tons of tsunami flotsam still heading for North America, USCG sinks Japanese fishing boat

The U.S. Coast Guard took advantage of a Japanese tsunami ghost ship to get some target practice in.

Pictures show the fishing trawler pock marked with holes after being hit by cannon fire.  The USCG declared it a shipping hazard.

This is just the beginning wave of flotsam from March 11, 2011’s major tsunami that hit Japan.  An estimated 1.5 million tons of houses, boats, cars, bodies and other debris are slowly making their way to North America.

Some analysts from Kyoto University think 90% will hit the North American coast line by October 2012.  More than 40 thousand tons will arrive by February 2013.

Of course it all depends on the ocean currents, winds and storms.

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

One Year Later: More radioactive shrooms, shoots & beef

Not even a week after Japan set tougher limits on radioactive cesium in food, but more mushroom farms are found to be contaminated.

In a town 300 kilometers (186.4 miles) from Fukishima Daiichi, a farm in Kanagawa Prefecture discovered their mushrooms contain 141 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram.

The new safe limits are 100 becquerels (prior to that the government was allowing food with 500 becquerels to be sold!).

Bamboo shoot farms in Chiba Prefecture have also turned up contaminated.

Ibaraki Prefecture also reporting that bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms are contaminated.

In Gunma Prefecture, beef is contaminated with 106 becquerels of radioactive cesium, although the new safe limits for beef don’t go into effect until October!  Gunma officials say they are still asking cattle ranchers not to ship the beef.

ONE YEAR LATER: SOME FUKUSHIMA FARM ANIMALS WILL BE ALLOWED TO LIVE

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Government & Corporate Incompetence: USGS says 6 fold increase in U.S. earthquakes caused by Oil Industry! California watch out!

“A remarkable increase in the rate of M 3 and greater earthquakes is currently in progress in the U.S. midcontinent. The average number of M >= 3 earthquakes/year increased starting in 2001, culminating in a six-fold increase over 20th century levels in 2011.”-USGS study, Are Seismicity Rate Changes in the Midcontinent Natural or Manmade?

Around the beginning of January 2012, officials from the U.S. Geological Survey testified to Ohio state officials, that the fracking going on in their state was the cause of a sudden string of earthquakes.

In July 2011, the state of Arkansas banned fracking for the same reasons.

Now a new study by USGS geologists, published by Seismological Society of America (SSA), confirms that “…the seismicity rate changes described here are almost certainly manmade…”, due to “…oil and gas production.”

The study will be discussed in more detail at a meeting from April 17-19.

USGS scientists point out that the area of increased quake activity is not normal for that part of the United States: “A naturally-occurring rate change of this magnitude is unprecedented outside of volcanic settings or in the absence of a main shock, of which there were neither in this region.”

The abstract details of the study also say: “The modest increase that began in 2001 is due to increased seismicity in the coal bed methane field of the Raton Basin along the Colorado-New Mexico border west of Trinidad, CO. The acceleration in activity that began in 2009 appears to involve a combination of source regions of oil and gas production, including the Guy, Arkansas region, and in central and southern Oklahoma.”

But this is not the only recent study published by the SSA to link oil production with earthquakes. Another report linked the April 2010 Alice, Texas earthquake to oil production in the Stratton field: “We conclude it is plausible, although not proven definitively, that production in the Stratton field contributed to the occurrence of the 2010 Alice earthquake and an earlier similar earthquake that occurred on 24 March 1997.”

So far most of the quakes are taking place in areas that don’t normally have much seismic activity, but California has plenty of earthquakes, and there’s a lot of oil and gas drilling, including fracking, going on there!

“On the one hand, the Division [California agency regulating petroleum industry] remains in denial about fracking for oil. On the other hand, they ask for and receive funding to regulate it and then don’t do it, and have no plans to do it [‘it’ as in ‘regulate’].”-Bill Allayaud, Environmental Working Group

International, U.S.

World War 3: Mujahideen Spring Offensive April 7, 2012

Three Afghan army soldiers were wounded in Helmand Province, while conducting seek and destroy operations.

Afghan army and police claim to have killed dozens of Mujahideen in battles, as well as captured anti-government militants and weapons, in the past 24 hours.  The battles took place in the following provinces: Gahzni, Nangarhar, Badakhshan, Kandahar, Kunar, Helmand, Nanagahar, Paktia and Zabul.

Three private security guards were killed, one wounded, when their vehicle hit a mine in Khost Province.

Two Afghan cops were wounded after a bomb went off in Gardez city, in Paktia Province.

Two civilians were killed, and four wounded, after a battle between Afghan government forces and Mujahideen in Kapisa Province.

In Faryab Province more Uzbekistani Mujahideen were capture and killed.  International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) says they are part of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.  They are calling those captured “facilitators”, meaning they might not be part of the organization, but are helping them in some way (money, guns, ammo, food).

ISAF says there was a firefight, in which several Uzbek militants were killed.

ISAF and Afghan forces conducted several operations to capture Mujahideen “leaders” in Kandahar and Khost provinces. ISAF did not say if they were successful.

 

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: More Afghan police killed, Afghan government raid results in civilians being killed

April 6, 2012, in Kandahar Province four Afghan cops were killed in separate incidents.

One was shot, another was killed trying to defuse a bomb, and two others were killed when their vehicle hit a mine.

In Kapisa Province, Afghan government forces attacked a Mujahideen position.  According to Abdul Hakim Akhundzadeh, governor of Tagab district, a rocket then hit an area where government forces were conducting seek and destroy operations, in the Matkhel area of the province.

The resulting explosion killed two civilians and wounded four others.

International, U.S.

World War 3: NATO copter shot down, U.S. drone crashes, U.S. led troops killed, more assassinations, Australian General backs up U.S. General’s claim that this is a “critical year”

An ISAF report says: “An International Security Assistance Force rotary wing [helicopter] unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in northern Afghanistan today.”  ISAF does not believe it was shot down.  No further details.

Some speculate that since the drone was a helicopter that it might be what witnesses are calling a NATO helicopter crash, in Baghlan Province.  The province is under the control of Hungarian NATO forces.  No further details.

Also, ISAF confirms reports that U.S. led troops have been attacked and killed. As is SOP with ISAF they will not give out details, other than the attack took place in eastern Afghanistan on April 6.

ISAF says the current death toll for U.S./NATO/ISAF troops is at 104 since the beginning of this year.

On the morning of April 6, 2012, a peace negotiator and one of his sons were assassinated when a bomb exploded. A third person was also killed.  The explosion happened after Islamic Friday Prayers.  It happened in Kunar Province.

Major-General Stuart Smith, Commander of Australian Operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, re-stated what USMC General John R. Allen said recently: ”This is a critical year.”

Australian forces are beginning to hand over control of AOs (Areas of Operation) to Afghan government forces. Currently Australian forces operate in Oruzgan Province (aka Urōzgān, Uruzgan or Rōzgān): ”This is a year that, if the Afghan government asks us to, we will start the transition of handing over security responsibilities in Oruzgan to the Afghan Security Forces.”

However, General Smith made it clear that such hand over to Afghan government forces did not mean Western forces were leaving: “….that challenge will go on for a little while yet, beyond 2014.”