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19 Mar 2011 16:20

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World: Hugo Chavez: Nations in airstrikes “care nothing” about Libyans

  • For those who wanted to see Chavez in a hard hat, here you go. Enjoy. The Venezuelan leader, a key ally of Gaddafi, took some time off from his tour of a road-building project in Caracas to let everyone know what he thinks of the Libyan airstrikes: “They want to seize Libya’s oil and they care nothing about the lives of the Libyan people. These are the men of war … what irresponsibility. Behind this is the hand of the United States and its European allies, instead of taking the path that we have modestly proposed.” In case you were wondering, that peace mission Chavez wanted to make didn’t go anywhere because Saif Gaddafi essentially said Chavez wouldn’t have any idea what was going on. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Mar 2011 15:52

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World: Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei: I was attacked

  • Went 2 vote w family attacked by organized thugs. Car smashed w rocks. Holding referendum in absence of law & order is an irresponsible act.
  • Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei • Explaining what happened to him today as he attempted to vote in a referendum on the constitution. While ElBaradei’s brother confirms the Nobel laureate was attacked, the Egyptian military denies the incident. “There have not been any incidents of violence or clashes,” said spokesperson Major Alla al Iraqi. “Any minor arguments I witnessed between those who were voting yes or no were resolved between one another. Today, has been a model for democracy.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Mar 2011 12:56

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World: Japan: Officials find radiation in milk, spinach and drinking water

  • water Officials discovered safe but high levels of radioactive iodine in the drinking water of five Japanese cities, including Tokyo, during a radiation test. They were trace amounts that were within acceptable legal limits, however.
  • food Officials also discovered high radiation levels in milk and spinach near Fukushima. In the case of the spinach, eating it every day for a year would be equal to 20 percent of the level of radiation you’d get from a CAT scan. source
  • » What happens next: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says that they’ll continue to test food products, and if they find contaminated products, they’ll ban them from the market. Some experts are understandably skeptical. “They should seriously think about restricting any agricultural products in that area,” said Lam Ching-wan of the University of Hong Kong School of Medicine. “It seems that the whole ecosystem could be affected, so they shouldn’t take any chances.” The radiation factor of milk and spinach is important to note, because after Chernobyl, many cancer cases resulted from children who ingested high levels of radiation in milk.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2011 16:32

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World: Britain follows U.S. on Fukushima evacuation advisement

  • A bit of a contradiction: “We advise British nationals to follow all relevant advice from the Japanese authorities, and as an additional precautionary measure, not to go within eighty kilometers of the site.” It seems that the British have assessed the situation in Fukushima, and have come to the same conclusion the Americans have. While it’s impossible to say at this juncture what is and isn’t the proper advice, this much seems clear; that both the U.S. and Britain would publicly refute Japan’s own evacuation plan, however politely, makes the Japanese look pretty bad, and implies some degree of turmoil in diplomatic communication and coordination. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2011 16:00

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World: UN could be hours from vote on Libyan no-fly zone

  • A critical few hours for Libya: The U.N. Security Council will be meeting (Britain claims at 22:00 GMT, which is a little over two hours from now) to consider a resolution approving the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya. The resolution was drafted by, and therefore obviously receives strong support from the U.K., Lebanon, and France. The U.S. has spoken in support of the measure, hinged on a reluctance to act unilaterally, but China and Russia might not be so keen. It should make for a fascinating scene that will critically change the future of the Libyan people. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2011 15:30

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World: Jakarta’s terrorism concerns rise with recent “book bombs”

  • 4 mail bombs sent in Jakarta, Indonesia in just three days source
  • » Thankfully, only one has actually gone off. That occurred as authorities were attempting to disarm it, and it injured four. The bombs are reportedly being sent through the mail within books, the last of which was “The Militant Jewish,” addressed to Ahmad Dhani, a recording artist and vocal supporter of religious freedom. The other people targeted were Gorries Mere, a high-ranking anti-terrorism officer, Ulil Abshar Abdalla, a senior member of Jakarta’s Democratic Party and a vocal critic of fundamentalist Islamic groups, and Yapto Soerjosoemarno, also an advocate for religious freedom. Jakarta has absorbed a lot of pain from terrorism over the last several years- here’s hoping they get this under control right away.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2011 14:41

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World: Some uninspiring anecdotes on Japan’s nuclear record

  • one A Japanese nuclear plant had its workers mix uranium by hand in buckets, instead of using machines as it was supposed to. This somewhat predictably exposed hundreds to increased radiation, and two later died.
  • two Kei Sugaoka, now in California, used to be a plant engineer. He recalls being told to cut out video of the plant’s steam-leaking pipes before sending it for review. He told this to TEPCO, but no action was taken until he went public. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

17 Mar 2011 13:37

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World: International team makes biggest online pedophilia bust

  • 640 the number of suspects identified so far, in what international law enforcement is calling the biggest bust of a pedophile group in history
  • 230 the number of children that international law enforcement have positively identified as having been abused by the group source
  • » Hats off to the good guys! Authorities believe that the online assemblage of pedophiles had about 70,000 users at its peak. The team that engineered this bust, led by U.K. investigators, took months to advance as the proprietor of the website had sophisticated security measures in place to avoid detection (although if you’re looking to keep your monstrosities clandestine, “The Internet BoyLove Directory” seems like a rather bold title). The Netherlands-based server that was hosting the website is now cooperating with authorities, making it likely that the ringleader of all this will face the justice his crimes have richly earned.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2011 10:34

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World: Tokyo’s dealing with their energy drama fairly well so far

  • yes the trains are running slower and less frequently in Tokyo, in an effort to save energy
  • no authorities don’t expect Tokyo’s power to go out despite higher usage in the wake of cold weather
  • yes people in Tokyo have gotten stuck in elevators as the result of rolling blackouts source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2011 10:21

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World: Japan, out of options, tries crop-dusting Fukushima

Know how bad things have gotten at Fukushima? Well, now the Japanese military is dumping seawater out of a helicopter onto the nuclear plant. This seems unfortunate. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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