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WillyT
WillyT's Journal
WillyT's Journal
November 11, 2013
Last Thought... On The New Jersey Governor's Election...
A long time DUer... way smarter than me, posited...
(Paraphrasing Here): 'How come we are excoriated, possibly tossed from this board, if we do not support Democratic Party strategy. Yet... when the ACTUAL Democrats in power do it... we are supposed to be supportive?'
Damned good question... don't ya think ???
November 10, 2013
CBC | HuffPoCanada
Posted: 11/09/2013 10:48 pm EST | Updated: 11/10/2013 10:06 am EST
<snip>
Glenn Greenwald — the journalist who, through his source Edward Snowden, revealed a massive domestic and foreign spying operation by the NSA — says documents outlining Canadian surveillance will also be published.
“The documents are quite complex. There are a lot of them. There is enormous amounts of reporting to do in Canada, one of the most active surveillance agencies in the world, because of how closely they work with the NSA,” Greenwald told Brent Bambury, host of CBC Radio’s Day 6.
“There are many, many, many more significant documents about Canadian surveillance and partnership with the NSA that will be reported and, I think, will be quite enlightening for the people of Canada.”
Greenwald, whose work helped spur an international debate on surveillance and privacy, dismisses critics who claim publishing classified government documents puts people in danger.
“I think not publishing the leaks puts [people] in danger because when you have a system of government in which people can exercise great power in the dark, that’s what is dangerous,” he said.
“Terrorists have long ago known that the U.S. and U.K. governments do everything possible to monitor their communications … We didn’t tell the terrorists anything they didn’t already know. What we’ve told people that they didn’t already know, ordinary citizens all around the world, is that this spying system is directed not at the terrorists but at them."
'Everything should be questioned'...
<snip>
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/09/nsa-leaks-canada_n_4248679.html
NSA Leaks On Canadian Surveillance Coming, Greenwald Says - CBC/HuffPoCanada
NSA Leaks On Canadian Surveillance Coming, Greenwald SaysCBC | HuffPoCanada
Posted: 11/09/2013 10:48 pm EST | Updated: 11/10/2013 10:06 am EST
<snip>
Glenn Greenwald — the journalist who, through his source Edward Snowden, revealed a massive domestic and foreign spying operation by the NSA — says documents outlining Canadian surveillance will also be published.
“The documents are quite complex. There are a lot of them. There is enormous amounts of reporting to do in Canada, one of the most active surveillance agencies in the world, because of how closely they work with the NSA,” Greenwald told Brent Bambury, host of CBC Radio’s Day 6.
“There are many, many, many more significant documents about Canadian surveillance and partnership with the NSA that will be reported and, I think, will be quite enlightening for the people of Canada.”
Greenwald, whose work helped spur an international debate on surveillance and privacy, dismisses critics who claim publishing classified government documents puts people in danger.
“I think not publishing the leaks puts [people] in danger because when you have a system of government in which people can exercise great power in the dark, that’s what is dangerous,” he said.
“Terrorists have long ago known that the U.S. and U.K. governments do everything possible to monitor their communications … We didn’t tell the terrorists anything they didn’t already know. What we’ve told people that they didn’t already know, ordinary citizens all around the world, is that this spying system is directed not at the terrorists but at them."
'Everything should be questioned'...
<snip>
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/09/nsa-leaks-canada_n_4248679.html
November 10, 2013
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes - BBC
11/8/13
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports from inside Reactor Building 4 at Fukushima
<snip>
...
...
...
I have recently received a new sophisticated radiation monitor sent from London, which has now had its first outing in the field. You can point it at things and it tells you how many "counts per second" of radiation the object is giving off.
Inside reactor building four the readings were constantly low - not surprising when you remember that reactor four had no meltdown. The reactor was offline when the tsunami struck. That is not true with reactors one, two and three.
As our bus left reactor four and drove along the sea front, I pointed my new monitor out of the window towards reactor building three. Suddenly the needle started to spike - 1,000 counts per second, then 2,000, 3,000, finally it went off the scale.
There, outside the bus, just a few dozen meters away is the real dead zone, a place where it is still far too dangerous for anyone to go. No human has been inside reactor three since the disaster. To do so would be suicide. No-one knows when it will be possible to go in.
When I asked the same experts how long it would be until reactors one, two and three could be dismantled, they shook their heads. When I asked them where they thought the melted reactor cores were, they shook their heads again.
Tokyo Electric Power Company was happy to show us reactor four, but please do not ask what they intend to do with reactors one, two and three.
<snip>
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24846819
Fukushima's Fuel Rod Removal Plan - BBC
Fukushima's fuel rod removal planRupert Wingfield-Hayes - BBC
11/8/13
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports from inside Reactor Building 4 at Fukushima
<snip>
...
...
...
I have recently received a new sophisticated radiation monitor sent from London, which has now had its first outing in the field. You can point it at things and it tells you how many "counts per second" of radiation the object is giving off.
Inside reactor building four the readings were constantly low - not surprising when you remember that reactor four had no meltdown. The reactor was offline when the tsunami struck. That is not true with reactors one, two and three.
As our bus left reactor four and drove along the sea front, I pointed my new monitor out of the window towards reactor building three. Suddenly the needle started to spike - 1,000 counts per second, then 2,000, 3,000, finally it went off the scale.
There, outside the bus, just a few dozen meters away is the real dead zone, a place where it is still far too dangerous for anyone to go. No human has been inside reactor three since the disaster. To do so would be suicide. No-one knows when it will be possible to go in.
When I asked the same experts how long it would be until reactors one, two and three could be dismantled, they shook their heads. When I asked them where they thought the melted reactor cores were, they shook their heads again.
Tokyo Electric Power Company was happy to show us reactor four, but please do not ask what they intend to do with reactors one, two and three.
<snip>
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24846819
November 10, 2013
By: Phoenix Woman - FDL
Saturday November 9, 2013 8:18 pm
Timothy McVeigh
Most of us here probably already know this, but it bears repeating: The biggest terror threat in the US is from homegrown right-wing groups and individuals: http://freakoutnation.com/2013/04/23/what-the-right-wing-media-ignores-56-percent-of-terrorist-attacks-and-plots-were-from-right-wing-extremists/
Link: http://my.firedoglake.com/phoenix/2013/11/09/right-wing-terror-is-more-common-than-any-other-kind-in-america/
Right-Wing Terror Is More Common Than Any Other Kind In America - FDL
Right-Wing Terror Is More Common than Any Other Kind in AmericaBy: Phoenix Woman - FDL
Saturday November 9, 2013 8:18 pm
Timothy McVeigh
Most of us here probably already know this, but it bears repeating: The biggest terror threat in the US is from homegrown right-wing groups and individuals: http://freakoutnation.com/2013/04/23/what-the-right-wing-media-ignores-56-percent-of-terrorist-attacks-and-plots-were-from-right-wing-extremists/
In the U.S., 56 percent of terrorist attacks and plots have been perpetrated by right-wing extremists, 30 percent by eco-terrorists and 12 percent by Islamic extremists. The Southern Poverty Law Center recently reported the highest number of extremist hate groups ever recorded in U.S. history, with the sharp rise attributed to massive growths in white supremacist, anti-immigrant and radical anti-government groups. Anti-Muslim hate groups have also increased by 300 percent.
Why is this not something we’re likely to see from any news outlet the average American is likely to encounter on a daily basis? Because the conservatives will do anything to keep this news suppressed:
Fortunately, the right-wingers have not yet managed to silence the persons at the Combating Terrorism Center of West Point. A CTC report issued earlier this year delineates the clear and present danger posed to America by right-wing terrorists.
Why is this not something we’re likely to see from any news outlet the average American is likely to encounter on a daily basis? Because the conservatives will do anything to keep this news suppressed:
… Daryl Johnson, a former counterterrorism expert for the government, submitted a study on the rise and danger of right-wing extremists and white supremacists only to be pressured, criticized, repudiated and ultimately sidelined by conservative members of Congress and the Department of Homeland Security.
Fortunately, the right-wingers have not yet managed to silence the persons at the Combating Terrorism Center of West Point. A CTC report issued earlier this year delineates the clear and present danger posed to America by right-wing terrorists.
Link: http://my.firedoglake.com/phoenix/2013/11/09/right-wing-terror-is-more-common-than-any-other-kind-in-america/
November 10, 2013
Why Does This Get Such Meager Support By So Many Here ???
DULink: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024009687
November 10, 2013
By Ricardo Lopez - LATimes
November 6, 2013, 12:17 p.m
<snip>
It took two weeks for officials at California's Employment Development Department to realize there were problems with their software upgrade, according to testimony at the oversight hearing Wednesday.
Sabrina Reed, head of the EDD's unemployment insurance program, said that, following the Labor Day launch, officials heard from many workers that the new system to distribute unemployment checks was working.
One worker, however, emailed her directly to tell officials not to celebrate too soon. The worker said the new system was not working properly.
Reed told lawmakers that she initially thought the worker needed more training.
<snip>
Link: http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-live-blog-assembly-hearing-edd-jobless-check-delays-20131106,0,2005342.story#axzz2kCws1Jwt
Another Possible Reason For ACA Problems... Arrogance... It's Here In California...
Live EDD hearing: Officials unaware of benefits foul-up for 2 weeksBy Ricardo Lopez - LATimes
November 6, 2013, 12:17 p.m
<snip>
It took two weeks for officials at California's Employment Development Department to realize there were problems with their software upgrade, according to testimony at the oversight hearing Wednesday.
Sabrina Reed, head of the EDD's unemployment insurance program, said that, following the Labor Day launch, officials heard from many workers that the new system to distribute unemployment checks was working.
One worker, however, emailed her directly to tell officials not to celebrate too soon. The worker said the new system was not working properly.
Reed told lawmakers that she initially thought the worker needed more training.
<snip>
Link: http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-live-blog-assembly-hearing-edd-jobless-check-delays-20131106,0,2005342.story#axzz2kCws1Jwt
November 10, 2013
AP | HuffPo
Posted: 11/09/2013 8:09 pm EST | Updated: 11/09/2013 9:26 pm EST
?6
<snip>
TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) — The death toll from one of the strongest storms on record that ravaged the central Philippine city of Tacloban could reach 10,000 people, officials said Sunday after the extent of massive devastation became apparent and horrified residents spoke of storm surges as high as trees.
Tacloban city administrator Tecson Lim said that the death toll in the city alone "could go up to 10,000." Tacloban is the Leyte provincial capital of 200,000 people and the biggest city on Leyte Island.
About 300-400 bodies have already been recovered, Lim said. A mass burial was planned Sunday in Palo town near Tacloban.
The typhoon barreled through six central Philippine islands on Friday, wiping away buildings and leveling seaside homes with ferocious winds of 235 kilometers per hour (147 miles per hour) and gusts of 275 kph (170 mph). By those measurements, Haiyan would be comparable to a strong Category 4 hurricane in the U.S., and nearly in the top category, a 5.
It weakened Sunday to 163 kph (101 mph) with stronger gusts as it approached central and northern Vietnam where authorities evacuated more than 500,000 people.
"The rescue operation is ongoing. We expect a very high number of fatalities as well as injured," Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said after visiting Tacloban on Saturday. "All systems, all vestiges of modern living — communications, power, water — all are down. Media is down, so there is no way to communicate with the people in a mass sort of way."
<snip>
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/09/typhoon-haiyan-death-toll_n_4248105.html
Whoa... "HAIYAN HELL: 10,000 FEARED DEAD"
Typhoon Haiyan Death Toll Could Hit 10,000 In Philippines: OfficialsAP | HuffPo
Posted: 11/09/2013 8:09 pm EST | Updated: 11/09/2013 9:26 pm EST
?6
<snip>
TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) — The death toll from one of the strongest storms on record that ravaged the central Philippine city of Tacloban could reach 10,000 people, officials said Sunday after the extent of massive devastation became apparent and horrified residents spoke of storm surges as high as trees.
Tacloban city administrator Tecson Lim said that the death toll in the city alone "could go up to 10,000." Tacloban is the Leyte provincial capital of 200,000 people and the biggest city on Leyte Island.
About 300-400 bodies have already been recovered, Lim said. A mass burial was planned Sunday in Palo town near Tacloban.
The typhoon barreled through six central Philippine islands on Friday, wiping away buildings and leveling seaside homes with ferocious winds of 235 kilometers per hour (147 miles per hour) and gusts of 275 kph (170 mph). By those measurements, Haiyan would be comparable to a strong Category 4 hurricane in the U.S., and nearly in the top category, a 5.
It weakened Sunday to 163 kph (101 mph) with stronger gusts as it approached central and northern Vietnam where authorities evacuated more than 500,000 people.
"The rescue operation is ongoing. We expect a very high number of fatalities as well as injured," Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said after visiting Tacloban on Saturday. "All systems, all vestiges of modern living — communications, power, water — all are down. Media is down, so there is no way to communicate with the people in a mass sort of way."
<snip>
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/09/typhoon-haiyan-death-toll_n_4248105.html
November 10, 2013
Removing the spent fuel rods from the Fukushima Reactor is a dangerous but necessary move
Arjun Makhijani - RealNews
November 8, 2013
<snip>
JAISAL NOOR, TRNN PRODUCER: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Jaisal Noor in Baltimore.
In Japan Friday, Tokyo Electric Power Company is to begin removing more than 1,300 spent fuel rods from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Anti-nuclear activist Harvey Wasserman writes, this is "humankind's most dangerous moment since the Cuban Missile Crisis."
Now joining us to discuss this is Arjun Makhijani. He's a nuclear and electrical engineer, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.
Welcome back to The Real News Network, Dr. Makhijani.
DR. ARJUN MAKHIJANI, PRESIDENT, INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH: Thanks very much for asking me back.
NOOR: So can you just describe or explain what TEPCO is doing right now at Fukushima and the dangers involved? Many people argue that this is--it's necessary to remove the fuel rods. But talk about the possible impact this could have.
MAKHIJANI: Well, every nuclear reactor creates a lot of highly radioactive materials in the course of producing power. And when the fuel in the reactor is used up, it's called spent fuel, and it's put into these pools because it's very hot and has to be cooled by water or it may catch fire. And, of course, if it catches fire, it would create pretty severe environmental damage and health damage.
Now, the spent fuel pool number four at Fukushima, which is in question currently, has the most spent fuel of any of the damaged reactors. And the building itself is damaged. And if it is left there, there may be another earthquake. And if the spent fuel pool is destroyed in the next earthquake, there could be a much more severe environmental catastrophe than there was in 2011, in some ways, because the long-lived radioactive material in the spent fuel is more than what was emitted during that accident. I'm talking about long-lived material--cesium, strontium, and so on.
So I believe it is very important to empty spent fuel pool number four especially and put that spent fuel in safer storage.
Look, there's no low-risk solution to this problem...
<snip>
More: http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10976
:radioactivesmilie:
Ok Everybody... Hold Your Breath... And Wish Them The Best...
In Unprecedented Move, Spent Fuel Rods To Be Removed from Fukushima ReactorsRemoving the spent fuel rods from the Fukushima Reactor is a dangerous but necessary move
Arjun Makhijani - RealNews
November 8, 2013
<snip>
JAISAL NOOR, TRNN PRODUCER: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Jaisal Noor in Baltimore.
In Japan Friday, Tokyo Electric Power Company is to begin removing more than 1,300 spent fuel rods from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Anti-nuclear activist Harvey Wasserman writes, this is "humankind's most dangerous moment since the Cuban Missile Crisis."
Now joining us to discuss this is Arjun Makhijani. He's a nuclear and electrical engineer, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.
Welcome back to The Real News Network, Dr. Makhijani.
DR. ARJUN MAKHIJANI, PRESIDENT, INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH: Thanks very much for asking me back.
NOOR: So can you just describe or explain what TEPCO is doing right now at Fukushima and the dangers involved? Many people argue that this is--it's necessary to remove the fuel rods. But talk about the possible impact this could have.
MAKHIJANI: Well, every nuclear reactor creates a lot of highly radioactive materials in the course of producing power. And when the fuel in the reactor is used up, it's called spent fuel, and it's put into these pools because it's very hot and has to be cooled by water or it may catch fire. And, of course, if it catches fire, it would create pretty severe environmental damage and health damage.
Now, the spent fuel pool number four at Fukushima, which is in question currently, has the most spent fuel of any of the damaged reactors. And the building itself is damaged. And if it is left there, there may be another earthquake. And if the spent fuel pool is destroyed in the next earthquake, there could be a much more severe environmental catastrophe than there was in 2011, in some ways, because the long-lived radioactive material in the spent fuel is more than what was emitted during that accident. I'm talking about long-lived material--cesium, strontium, and so on.
So I believe it is very important to empty spent fuel pool number four especially and put that spent fuel in safer storage.
Look, there's no low-risk solution to this problem...
<snip>
More: http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10976
:radioactivesmilie:
November 10, 2013
Learning Is Essential... To The Species Known As Human...
November 9, 2013
By David Ferguson - RawStory
Saturday, November 9, 2013 13:39 EST
<snip>
In an appearance on “The Ed Show” on MSNBC, comedian and former Current TV host John Fugelsang poked fun at former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s new book tour and compared her to the much-mocked character Jar Jar Binks from George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequel, “Episode I: The Phantom Menace.”
Palin — as guest host Michael Eric Dyson pointed out — is currently on a publicity tour for her new book Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas.
“She’s getting in on the War on Christmas bandwagon about five years after Bill O’reilly made it trendy,” Fugelsang mocked.
“She does for the GOP what Jar Jar Binks did for Star Wars Episode I,” he went on. “She distracts the easily amused from a total lack of narrative.”
<snip>
Link: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/09/john-fugelsang-sarah-palin-is-the-jar-jar-binks-of-the-gop/
Comedians Have Become My New Favorite Pundits... Check This Out !!!
John Fugelsang: Sarah Palin is the ‘Jar Jar Binks’ of the GOPBy David Ferguson - RawStory
Saturday, November 9, 2013 13:39 EST
<snip>
In an appearance on “The Ed Show” on MSNBC, comedian and former Current TV host John Fugelsang poked fun at former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s new book tour and compared her to the much-mocked character Jar Jar Binks from George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequel, “Episode I: The Phantom Menace.”
Palin — as guest host Michael Eric Dyson pointed out — is currently on a publicity tour for her new book Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas.
“She’s getting in on the War on Christmas bandwagon about five years after Bill O’reilly made it trendy,” Fugelsang mocked.
“She does for the GOP what Jar Jar Binks did for Star Wars Episode I,” he went on. “She distracts the easily amused from a total lack of narrative.”
<snip>
Link: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/09/john-fugelsang-sarah-palin-is-the-jar-jar-binks-of-the-gop/
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