August 22, 2012

Tepco Finds Extreme Levels of Radioactivity in Fukushima Fish

(Bloomberg) Tokyo Electric Power Co. found record high levels of radioactive cesium in fish it caught for tests within 20 kilometers of the coast from the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant.

The utility detected a combined 25,800 becquerels per kilogram of cesium 134 and cesium 137 in a greenling caught on Aug. 1, it said yesterday in a statement. That beat the previous high of 18,700 becquerels per kilogram found in cherry salmon and is 258 times the level of cesium Japan’s government considers safe for consumption, Kyodo News reported.

The government banned shipments of fish from waters off Fukushima since May last year, with the exception of two types of octopus and one type of shellfish that have shown to be within cesium safety levels, said Noriyuki Mizobe, a group manager in the resources and environment research division of Japan’s Fisheries Agency. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-22/tepco-finds-extreme-levels-of-radioactivity-in-fukushima-fish.html

August 22, 2012

CDC says U.S. deaths from West Nile virus jump to 41

The number of West Nile virus cases in the U.S. jumped dramatically in one week, increasing to 1,118, with 41 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today.

The report marks a substantial increase from last week's tally of 693 cases and 26 deaths.

Approximately 75% of the cases have been in five states: Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Dakota and Oklahoma, the CDC says.

Texas has been hardest hit, accounting for almost half of all cases. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/08/cdc-says-deaths-from-west-nile-virus-jumps-to-41/1#.UDUTYKCwV3I

August 22, 2012

More BP f**kups

(MCT) — A 50,000-barrel batch of contaminated fuel from a BP refinery in Northwest Indiana has fouled countless cars in as many as four states since last week.

Roughly 2.1 million gallons of gasoline have been recalled by BP's Whiting refinery after hundreds of reports of hard-starting and stalling vehicles from motorists flooded Northwest Indiana repair shops the past few days.

While the problem is centered in Lake County, Ind., BP executives said the fuel has made its way across state lines into Illinois and Wisconsin, with unconfirmed reports that stations in southwest Michigan may also be affected.

BP issued a statement Tuesday, saying the gasoline was blended at its Whiting storage terminal between Aug. 13 and 17 and contained a "higher than normal level of polymeric residue." The fuel was distributed at BP stations and other retailers in the last week and primarily involves regular-grade gas. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/2012/08/22/bp-gasoline-recall-rattles-northwest-indiana-drivers/aziad8d/

August 22, 2012

AT&T: Pay Me, Screw Net Neutrality

Published on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 by Save the Internet
AT&T: Pay Me, Screw Net Neutrality

by Craig Aaron


From electricity to earmuffs, once you buy a product or service from a company, it shouldn't be any of their business how you choose to use it.

The power company doesn't say you can't use the energy-saving features on your new refrigerator unless you buy more electricity; and your grocer doesn't make you buy an extra loaf of bread if you stop purchasing potato chips.

Then there's the upside-down world of AT&T -- where Ma Bell's spawn sees nothing wrong with making you buy more of what you don't want just to use something you like.

AT&T's latest proposal is a clear violation of Net Neutrality -- the fundamental principle that keeps the open Internet free from discrimination -- and a serious test of whether the Federal Communications Commission will protect mobile users. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/08/22-1

August 22, 2012

Why Are Americans So Confused?

Published on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 by Common Dreams
Why Are Americans So Confused?

by Ira Chernus


When I was back there in junior high school, there was a civics teacher who put forth the proposition that democracy depends on one simple principle: People are rational. Give them free access to information, and they’ll think things through logically to figure out what policies are best not just for themselves but for the whole nation.

The latest poll from the Washington Post - Kaiser Family Foundation gives some support to that proposition. 67% of this sampling of 3,130 Americans understand that “there are many goods and services which would not be available to ordinary people without government intervention.” Only 29% disagree.

As a group they are more worried about jobs and health costs than the federal deficit. 45% think Democratic economic policies help them; only 37% say that about the GOP.

To be fair, the group sampled was a bit more liberal than in most other polls. 34% identify as Democrats and only 25% as Republicans; 29% declared themselves liberal on most political matters, which is more than you see in most polls. They favor Obama over Romney by a solid margin, 50% to 43%. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/08/22

August 22, 2012

Poll: By More Than Two to One, New Yorkers Say Bike Lanes a Good Thing

Some two thirds of New Yorkers say bike lanes are “a good idea,” according to a New York Times poll. By a 66 to 27 percent margin, New Yorkers are in favor of bike lanes.

The poll shows even larger margins in favor of bike lanes than last year’s Quinnipiac College poll, which found 58 percent of New Yorkers favor bike lanes, compared to 37 percent that do not. But because different polls have different methodologies, it’s hard to conclude a trend from two different polls.

A more recent Q-poll found support for bike share at 74 to 19, up slightly from 72 to 23 in October. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday bike share would be delayed until next spring because of software issues. It was originally to have launched last month. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://transportationnation.org/2012/08/21/poll-by-more-than-two-to-one-new-yorkers-say-bike-lanes-a-good-thing/

August 22, 2012

After capitalism: 'There is no reason to wait for revolution. It is here already in each of us'

Author Rebecca Walker outlines a utopian vision of a world after capitalism underpinned by a moral and spiritual revolution. Her words are accompanied by animation from Central Saint Martins students John Christian Ferner Apalnes and Jo Baaklini, telling the story of a family and a businessman

August 22, 2012

Amsterdam coffee shops back Socialists in election

AMSTERDAM, 14/08/12 - About 140 "coffee shops" are supporting the Socialist Party (SP) for the Lower House elections on 12 September.

The coffee shops want to avoid the so-called "weed passport" system being introduce nationwide on 1 January 2013. This system currently obtains only in the provinces of Limburg, Brabant and Zeeland, where only persons that are members of a coffee shop are allowed to buy drugs there.

The 140 coffee shops want a leftwing government led by the SP. This will increase the chances of the national introduction of the weed passport on 1 January 2013 being dropped, they believe.

The participating coffee shops are calling on other coffee shop operators to join their initiative and to prevent the conservatives (VVD) from becoming the biggest party. VVD Security and Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten was responsible for the introduction of the weed passport. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nisnews.nl/public/140812_1.htm

August 22, 2012

Dutch Liberals, Socialists lead in new opinion poll

(Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's pro-euro Liberal Party (VVD) and the far-left Socialist Party (SP) are neck-and-neck in the run-up to a September 12 general election, a poll published on Tuesday showed.

The TNS Nipo poll showed the Liberals and Socialists enjoyed support levels that would translate into 34 seats apiece in the 150-seat parliament. Whichever party wins the most seats would need to form a coalition of four or five parties.

The table below shows the number of seats in parliament won at the last election, and the equivalent based on recent polls. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/21/us-dutch-politics-polls-idUSBRE87K0TM20120821

August 22, 2012

Assange, Correa, and Anti-Colonialism

Assange, Correa, and Anti-Colonialism
By Roger Burbach and Marc Becker, via New America Media, August 20, 2012


Rafael Correa, the president of one of South America's smallest countries with almost 15 million inhabitants, is taking a dramatic stand against Great Britain, Sweden, and the United States by granting political asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Last Wednesday, the Ecuadorian foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, told the press in the country's capital, Quito: "Today we have received from the United Kingdom an explicit threat in writing that they could assault our embassy in London if Ecuador does not hand over Julian Assange."

Correa, in an address to the Ecuadorian people on Saturday said, “I don't know who they think I am or what they think our government is. But how could they expect us to yield to their threats or cower before them? My friends, they don't know who they are dealing with.”

.....(snip).....

On the international front, the 48-year-old Correa believes it is important to push for Latin American integration and fight for sovereignty in the face of attempts by the dominant powers and the international financial institutions to re-colonize Latin America. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.progressive.org/assange-correa-anti-colonialism