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reverence for life
the environment & animal rights

 

a man is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him, that of plants and animals
as that of his fellow men, and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help...

- albert schweitzer (albert schweitzer: an anthology, ed. charles joy, boston: beacon press, 1947)

 

 

 

free the north american environmental and animal rights political prisoners          
see early listings at political prisoners: community service          

 

 
2010: postings about the environment are now at the Night's Lantern "Suppressed news" pages.

 

2009

December 20, 2009

      Savannah River Site S.C. (see previous and previous): The New York Times notes the Savannah River Site (which processed 40% of US. nuclear arsenal) received a 1.6 billion dollar cleanup contract this year to speed up reduction of radioactive contamination of the site by 40%. This may allow the site's further use for nuclear processing. NYT points out the plant is federally owned, employing contractors such as Honeywell for "cleanup." The US. has found no reasonable storage area for nuclear materials. Utah begins to accept 15 thousand barrels of d.u. from the Savannah River Site "cleanup", for shallow burial with the 49 thousand tons already placed in shallow burial by EnergySolutions. The procedures in Utah have not yet been approved as "safe". Further mining or processing of uranium continues a crime against the future. For more information: Leuren Moret's speech in Seattle on depleted uranium (2005) (YouTube video ~ 50 minutes).     Partial sources: "Nuclear Site Finds Money Can Bring Headaches," Michael Cooper, Dec 12, 2009, The New York Times; "Waste in Utah ? Debate Rages On," Judy Fahys, Dec 19, 2009, The Salt Lake Tribune; "Feds ignore Utah," Public Forum, Dec. 17, 2009, The Salt Lake Tribune.

      Canada: there will be increasingly strong attempts to use Canada for nuclear waste disposal. See previous. Canada has not adequately resisted nuclear contamination of its resources. See historical note 1; historical note 2..

      Copenhagen Accord: ignoring the effects on global warming of U.S./NATO wars, the international summit on global warming at Copenhagen failed to bind economically advanced countries to regulations which might save entire peoples. See suppressed news.

December 17, 2009

      South Carolina: the DOE proceeds with plans to place two new nuclear processing facilities at the Savannah River Site, converting weapons grade plutonium to commercial uses. The Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility, currently under construction, and the Plutonium Preparation Project may be combined in one facility according to a report in the Aiken Standard. Augusta Georgia is worried about the transportation of the nuclear pits through Georgia and their storage at the Savannah River Site. SRS processed weapons grade plutonium from the Fifties through the Nineties. Leading with a much heralded step toward "green" ecology, a Biomass Cogenerative Facility which burns wood and rubber tires will probably be in operation at the Savannah River Site by December 2011.     Partial sources: "Will South Carolina become the nation's new Yucca Mountain ?" Sue Sturgis, Nov. 12, 2009, Facing South / The institute for Southern Studies;"SRS has plutonium project in sight," Mike Gellatly, Dec 10, 2009, Aiken Standard; "Nuclear Warhead Pits May Come to Augusta Area," Mary Ellen Cheatham, Dec. 11, 2009, Georgia Public Broadcasting; "Chu touts nuclear power at SRS," Mike Gellatly, Nov. 30, 2009, Aiken Standard; "U.S. Secretary Of Energy Supports Groundbreaking Energy Plant At SRS," Joy How, Nov. 30, 2009, News Channel WJBF-TV.

November 29, 2009

      South Carolina (among others): contamination of the environment beyond its ability to sustain future generations continues overtly in Iraq /Afghanistan. In Canada, the threats are hidden or contained, initially affecting native reservations and mining locales. The water table of Ontario is currently threatened by private uranium mining interests and the Conservative government's lack of respect for nuclear regulations. In the heavily populated U.S. South a pattern emerges of terminal damage to land / water by military /industrial interests. The watershed of the Savannah River is at risk of increased radioactive contamination from waste storage at the South Carolina Savannah River Site, since Nevada's Yucca Mountain Site has been closed to highly radioactive waste. See also previous; and previous. Environmental leaders from southern States comprising the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 4, have asked Congressman John Lewis (Georgia) to investigate a lack of environmental justice, the discrimination against the South in placement of hazardous waste, particularly in its poor communities. Robert J. Bullard from Environmental Justice Resource Center (Clark University) has found that a higher than norm percentage of non-white residents in Region 4 live near hazard-producing waste sites. The environmental hazards include radioactive waste, contaminated wells, dioxin, potash, etc. Example: in Perry County Alabama the landfill is inundated with coal ash from the Tennessee Valley Authority at the rate of 10,000 tons daily. 69% of resident households within 5 miles are African American (as are 32% of the region's poor). In 2008, Perry County's TVA Kingston Fossil Plant spilled 500 million gallons of coal ash into the land and water. Up in Lumpkin County Georgia which Wikipedia notes as 94.02 % white in 2000, with only 13.2% of the population under the poverty level, the State's Environmental Protection Division has ordered the Water and Sewer Department to comply with federal standards of radium and uranium contamination. With the current curie standard exceeded, one of the system's wells will be replaced. It is short-sighted to think the radiation contamination will be contained, or threaten one group defined by race, color, religion. On a nuclear news blog, Duncan Williams reports that the Savannah River Site, on the Carolina side of the river, projected as ready in 2016 , will produce MOX fuels (used in standard nuclear reactors) from "weapons-grade plutonium," removing the impurities to make very pure plutonium; according to Williams the Savannah site is planning to use a "wet process "which creates large quantities of liquid waste. There is a strong need for all communities of the South to inform themselves about this issue and consider the future.     Partial sources: "Will South Carolina become the nation's new Yucca Mountain ?" Sue Sturgis, Nov. 12, 2009, Facing South / The institute for Southern Studies; "Polluted Southern communities ask EPA to address environmental injustice," Sue Surgis, Oct. 30, 2009, Facing South / The Institute for Southern Studies; "Poisoned Communities Tell EPA to Address Legacy of Unequal Protection," Oct. 27, 2009, Environmental Justice Resource Center [ access:, http://www.ejrc.cau.edu/ >]; "'Poisoned Communities', Light a Fire Under the EPA," Jaqui, Oct. 28, 2009, Women of Color United / WOCU Blog; "Need for EPA Inspector General Investigation of Region 4 Treatment of Black Communities," Robert D. Bullard, Sept. 14, 2009, Dissident Voice' ; "Radium problem will be costly to fix," Sharon Hall, Nov. 4, 2009, The Dahlonega Nugget; "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About MOX Fuels," Duncan Williams, Nov. 11, 2009, Nuclear Power Industry News Blog.

October 30, 2009

      North America: a recent statement by doctors in Fallujah Iraq suggests genetic damage from the weaponry (depleted uranium and white phosphorous) used by U.S. forces in the destruction of the city. This supports evidence presented by early accounts of extreme deformities among Afghani newborns in areas attacked by U.S. depleted uranium weapons. Please note Suppressed news, Oct. 23, 2009. Reliable public information concerning the toxicity and long range effects of depleted uranium weapons is hard to find. With North American production and testing of depleted uranium weapons it's likely d.u. contamination worsens the military and civilian nuclear contamination from production, storage, transportation, mining, medical waste disposal, dust, etc..There's a need for local government and civilian group monitoring and posting exposure levels of their local areas, ie. background radiation, water, air, food chain, etc..

October 10. 2009

      Ontario: the Province's Environmental Commissioner says there's something wrong with lawsuits used to keep activists quiet, and wrong with the threat of suit for speaking against environmental crimes of powerful interests. He suggests new legislation. In Quebec there are already moves to ban 'silencing suits'. He notes Ontario's gradual loss of peepers and frogs, and loss of topsoil.     Partial sources: "Lawsuits silencing protests," Jonathan Jenkins, Oct. 7, 2009, Toronto Sun; "Enviro-warriors left in the cold," Tanya Talaga, Oct. 7, 2009, Toronto Star.

July 16, 2009

      Ottawa: the Chalk River nuclear plant was shut down May 15th. The operator, AECL, states the difficulty was a leak from corrosion at its base, which is difficult to access and repair; eight other "areas of interest"are being inspected and three maybe four need work; the plant may open in about 4 months. The world supply of medical isotopes is low and their price rising, particularly since a Dutch plant also producing the materials has had to close until August 18th. The Canadian and Dutch reactors supply 70% of the world's medical isotopes.     Partial sources: "NRU down until December at least,"Terry Myers, July 15, 2009, North Renfrew Times.com; "Isotope costs surge as supply dwindles," Karen Howlett, July 15, 2009, Globe and Mail; "Isotope shortage update," Bernice Trick, July 15, 2009, pgcitizen.ca.

July 15, 2009

      Ottawa: the Ottawa citizen reports that 300,000 solar panels are to be placed on a West Carleton farm; the 100 million dollar investment should produce electricity for 7000 homes.     Source: "Ottawa on track to break trail on green power," Mohammed Adam, July 13, 2009, Ottawa Citizen.

May 24, 2009

      Ottawa: upstream on the Ottawa River a leak is forcing the closure of Canada's Chalk River reactor that produces medical isotopes for much of the world's medical profession. Atomic energy Canada Ltd, which operates the plant initially suggested the closing would last about a month, while plant workers estimated a closing of from eight months on. There is a new leak reported to be at the reactor base. While local media don't mention it, a Saskatchewan newspaper notes that a leak of December 2008 has healed itself. Other countries are preparing to counter a foreseen shortage of medical isotopes. See previous.     Partial sources: "Chalk River isotope reactor on last legs: engineer," David Akin et al ~Canwest, May 21, 2009, Ottawa citizenToronto Star online; "Ont. reactor shutdown may mean 'significant' isotope shortage," Linda Nguyen Canwest, May 19, 2009, The Star Phoenix.

March 27, 2009

      U.K.: a leading environmental adviser to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Jonathan Porritt, is advising that Britain must cut thirty million people from its population if it wants to feed itself. Genocide note: this is more often put forward as a general argument for war or destruction of foreign populations.     Partial source: "UK population must fall to 30m, says Porritt," Jonathan Leake and Brendan Montague, March 22, 2009, Sunday times (apprec. Freund).

      Canada: in Regina March 19th, Lawyer Tony Merchant files a class-action lawsuit for survivors and dependants of Canadian military personnel used to clean up a nuclear accident at the Chalk River reactor in 1958.     Partial source: "See "Reactor Accidents at Chalk River: The Human Fallout," Gordon Edwards, current March 2009 [access:< http://www.ccnr.org/paulson_legacy.html >] Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility ; "Veterans to sue over 1950s Ont. nuclear cleanup," David Pugliese Canwest News Service, Feb. 25, 2009 (apprec. Mrs. Stanley e-list).

March 12, 2009

      Maine: Nestle Water NA's attempts to takeover Maine water supplies were blocked in part by intelligent community actions. The corporation owns Poland Springs, the State's most noticeable bottled water supplier. In the Kennebunks, town officials were about to contract out the community water supply to Nestle. "Last June, activists in Southern Maine were able to halt a proposed 50-year contract between Nestlé and the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Wells (KKW) Water District," Jamilla el-Shafei states simply. The 'activists' were all the people of the area. At its last town meeting, voters in the Town of Wells continued the impetus of bending the water district to the people by approving a "moratorium on large scale water extraction" for six months. In Shapleigh the people had to counter the wishes of selectmen, by voting a rights-based ordinance which protects natural resources for the people who live there.     Partial sources: "Maine rejects corporate control," Jamilla el-Shafei, March 4, 2009, socialistworker.org; SOH2O Save Our Water access:< http://soh2o.org/ >]; "Wells voters adopt town charter," Jim Kanak, Nov. 6, 2008, seacoastonline.com.

February 4, 2009

      Iraq: in an article about effects of depleted uranium in Iraq, Toyoda Naomi writes of the "U.S.- British atomic attack on the Iraqi people that raised radiation levels to 4000 times normal levels in some areas..." Doctors in the children's hospital do not have adequate medical supplies to treat the cancer and leukemia vicitims. Statistics are not given. Statistics on depleted uranium use in Iraq and Afghanistan as correlated with medical conditions, are increasingly difficult to find.     Source: "Iraq – A Nuclear Polluted Land ," Toyoda Naomi, The Asia Pacific Journal w. orig publication July 18, 2003, shukan Kinyobi, No. 468...

      Ottawa: two waste management transport trucks were turned back at the U.S. border last week, and two others this week. The radiation reading on the loads was too high. Their source was Ottawa's sewage treatment facility. Usually the sludge is shipped to "the Robert O. Pickard Environmental Centre" for disposal in New York State. The transport company thought the first reading a fluke, a false reading. Out of town experts will be brought in.The December 5th leak at Chalk River about 200 kilometres upstream from Ottawa on the Ottawa river was said to be minimal. The Conservative Party Minister of Natural Resources says there is no connection to the reactor leak, and the current Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission says the contamination is medical. The news on this may be skewed. In december 2007 Prime Minister Harper disregarded the orders of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and kept open the Chalk River nuclear plant which the Commission ordered closed due to safety protocols . Linda Keen, the Commission's chair was ousted when she questioned being overruled by economic interests. The plant is a business providing 70% of the world's medical isotopes. According to articles in the Toronto Sun the December 5th leak(s) at Chalk River weren't reported to the public until 7 weeks later. If leaks were substantial the radiation would have had a chance to disperse. Canada's Green Party notes six weeks of plant water from a cracked pipe leaking 7000 litres a day into the Ottawa River. The production schedule isn't allowing repairs.     Partial sources: "Radioactive waste could be false alarm, transporter says," Feb. 4, 2009, CBC News; "No link between radioactive sludge and reactor leak: minister," Feb. 4, 2009, The Canadian Press; "Ottawa puzzled by sewage radiation find," Feb. 4, 2009, ; "A radiation leak and no one tells us ?" Jan. 10, 2009, Toronto Sun; "Nuclear Accident at Chalk River Apalling," Press Release, Jan. 28, 2009, The Green Party; "Nuke spill at Chalk river," Greg Weston, Jan. 27, 2009, Toronto Sun.

Format change

august 24, 2008, u.s.: the natural resources defense council has initiated a suit against the government to release information about the effects of pesticides on honeybees; the 'colony collapse disorder' reflected in the loss of over a third of the " managed-hive" honey bee population in the states, in six months, may be traced to the use of clothianidin, sold as "poncho" by bayer, germany where it was recently banned; a bayer pesticide, imidaclopridis, in being questioned in france and south dakota; the effects of various pesticides on honeybees is still unclear to scientists so additional information is sought; historically, bayer has had trouble regulating itself; during ww2 bayer was part of i.g. farben which manufactured the gas for death camps, and after the war bayer appointed as c.e.o. a man convicted at nuremburg for allowing concentration camp experimentation on human beings ("mysterious honey bee disorder buzzes into court," environmental news service, aug. 19, 2008, ens; "bayer" aug. 22, 2008, wikipedia).

august 10, 2008, north america: in response to a western shoshone petition, c.e.r.d. (the u.n. committee on the elimination of racial discrimination) has cautioned both the u.s. and canada "to prevent the acts of transnational corporations on indigenous territories" ("indigenous people: u.s. and canada found guilty of racism," haider rizvi, aug. 12, 2008, ips): the article states that shoshone lands sharing nevada, california, idaho, utah form "the third largest gold producing area in the world;" canadian companies operating or planning to operate there "include bravo venture group, nevada pacific gold, barrick gold, glamis gold, great basin gold, and u.s.[sic] gold corp" (ibid.).

july 27, 2008, canada: media reported at the start of july near completion of a transfer of 550 tons of yellowcake uranium, from iraq to the port of montreal; the port of montreal did not confirm the shipment destined for cameco uranium refineries in ontario; cameco is the largest uranium mining company and handler in the world with mines in canada and the u.s.; their port hope (lake ontario) facility was involved in the manhattan project; cameco has apparently bought the yellowcake which is said to be not particularly hazardous unless the dust is breathed... ; in may the international herald tribune reported that cameco reported to canada's nuclear safety commission that the port hope plant had leaked radioactive waste, fluoride and arsenic into lake ontario ("saddam's uranium finds home in canada," july 6, 2008, ottawa citizen); "saddam's uranium headed for ontario processing plant," july 5, 2008, associated press, thestar.com; "cameco warns of uranium leaks into lake ontario," ian austen, may 22, 2008, international herald tribune).

july 2, 2008, north america: a resident of the area affected reports that the u.s. navy is testing depleted uranium missile shells at nanoose bay, georgia strait, canada; meanwhile in washington state the port of longview is being used for import of hazardous wastes; sand contaminated with depleted uranium, lead and chemical weapon residue was offloaded from kuwait (camp doha) on its way to the "american ecology" disposal site in grandview idaho, 6,700 tons of it; "american ecology corp" has made a home for hazardous military waste from around the world in idaho, texas, nevada and says the radioactive level of this shipment is much less than many they've done; when the hazardous waste bags inside 306 containers were unloaded from the bbc alabama respirators were available to the longshoremen unloading but were not used; in idaho governor butch otter assured the people the exposure level is no problem; officials in idaho encourage nuclear power and the french company areva has chosen idaho to build its new uranium enrichment facility; one difficulty with storing uranium contaminated sand dumps in idaho is that with any flooding the radioactivity will leech down into the water table ("depleted uranium in the strait of georgia," g. turnbull, feb. 6, 2008, noted by george freund; "army shipping contaminated kuwait sand to idaho landfill," jill kuraitis, april 30, 2008, newwest.com; "contaminated sand lands in idaho," idaho observer, june 28, 2006 in these times; "crews moving contaminated sand from ship to rail," erik olson, april 29, 2008, the daily news online - tdn.com washington; "radioactive sand coming to idaho from kuwait," jessie bonner ap, may 2, 2008, idahostatesman.com; "areva chooses idaho for uranium enrichment plant," may 6, 2008, idaho samizdat: nuke notes); the policies and practices of the u.s. military remain the greatest threat to the world's environment and the greatest threat to world health; alfred lambremont webre points out increased understanding of depleted uranium use as the genocide of entire peoples; his 2007 article ("canada's role in depleted uranium worldwide," alfred lambremont webre, july 2007, common ground archive) notes: canada is the world's foremost supplier of uranium (see below) & it's against canadian law for canadian uranium to be used for u.s. weapons & canadian uranium is used in u.s. depleted uranium weapons & in the 1970's british columbia imposed a moratorium on uranium mining; it would be to the common good if there were a ban on uranium mining in each province.

june 16, 2008, canada: the cbc reports that 16 canadian lakes are to become toxic waste dumps for the mining industry, citing allowances by federal officials and imperial metals and vale inco as two companies fielding proposals ("lakes across canada to be turned into mine dump sites," june 16, 2008, cbc news); the move coincides with renewed canadian pressure on indigenous peoples and suggests an entire industry's lack of concern for the future.

      the ndp's alexa mcdonough has tabled a bill in parliament to assure that canadian mining companies abroad operate within standards of international human rights law ("mcdonough bill would crackdown on rogue mining companies," canadian press, june 16, 2008, google news canada); the industry's lack of concern has encouraged nationalization in areas where the people gain power.

may 26, 2008, canada: ocamu holds a midday vigil, may 26, 2008 at the sparks street mall(bank and o'connor) ottawa, seeking a moratorium on exploration & mining uranium in the ottawa watershed; issue requires settling native land claims, and non-biased (independent) health and safety studies; the city of ottawa and other municipalities and counties have already asked the governments of ontario and quebec for a moratorium but with no response ("vigil calling on a moratorium on uranium mining..." may 24, 2008, kNOw-Uranium); see www.kNOw-URANIUM.org - the site offers multiple links and resources to resist the nuclear industry's further misuse of canada.

may 20, 2008, u.s.: the salt lake tribune reveals that 'energysolutions' wants to bring twenty thousand tons of italy's radioactive waste to process in tennessee then put 16000 tons in utah's west desert; democrat jim matheson of utah proposes legislation to stop it - a bill generally prohibiting low level radioactive wastes from abroad ("some lawmakers question matheson's bill to ban foreign nuke waste," thomas burr, may 20, 2008, the salt lake tribune).

march 24, 2008: we're reopening our environmental issues page to focus on news of damage to the environment from radioactive materials [and related issues]. - ed..

        savannah georgia: night's lantern currently has a nuclear waste warning for south carolina, georgia and out-countries whose governments might be forced to accept storage of u.s. military nuclear refuse.

        ontario, canada: the initial defenses to uranium mining in the south of ontario, a mining enterprise which would contaminate the area's ground water and affecting downstream cities such as ottawa, was area residents, the areas non-registered first people's band of algonquin, as well as native mohawk interests which make some original claim on the land; in my understanding first peoples are not ceding the land for mining; their interests parallel the settlers' and all inhabitants' within a several hundred mile radius of the sharbot lake region; recentprevious notes of attempted resistance can found be at news and resources ie. re. ottawa city council, sharbot lake ontario, etc..

        the ottawa express ("community garden: can we do nuclear," sara falconer, march 20-26, (x)press vol. 15, #12) has announced the provincial liberal party's intentions to build a "huge nuclear power plant"; the bidding is in progress and the information sourced to the toronto star; "atomic energy of canada ltd." and "three foreign owned nuclear-reactor companies" are on the short list ("huge nuclear plant in works," tyler hamilton, mar. 14, 2008, thestar.com); the star also notes that canada's bruce power is applying to build 4 nuclear plants in the northern ontario.

        in the port hope area, uranium medical research center has informed the minister of health of evidence of radiactive contamination results in a sampling of 9 residents and former nuclear plant workers in port hope; apparently the laboratory work had to be done in germany; urine analysis showed "unnatural species of uranium" ie. not supposed to be present in the area and not supposed to be found in canada; previously city, federal and health officials have stated that the findings are normal for canadians; in particular all nine show an elevated u234 content ("enriched uranium") not 'made in canada' ("'alpha particle' uranium contamination in port hope, ontario," edward c. weyman, march 14, 2008, globalresearch.ca).

dec. 2, 2007, california: anniversary of the berkeley save the trees action; on december 2nd a year ago a small band of interchangeable stalwarts began sitting in berkeley evergreen coast oaks to save them from clearing; the university wants to make way for a new gym/sports facility ("tree-sitters in berkeley determined to save oaks from destruction; cal officials mull options," ap, accessed nov. 27, 2007, lawinfo.com).

december 1, 2007, u.k.: a study funded by britain's defence ministry finds that depleted uranium contamination is "impossible to eradicate;" the finding of the team led by randall parrish, university of leicester, can be linked to mulltiple cancers of workers in a former uranium weapons factory in colonie, an albany suburb in new york state; area workers were consistently assured there was no health hazard ("'safe' uranium that left a town contaminated," david rose, nov. 18, 2007, the observer via nowar-paix).

        canada: ontario's court of appeals has decided that the whitefish lake first nation is owed compensation to the amount of millions of dollars for its timber rights which the crown sold in 1886 for $315 to the private company of a conservative in the ontario legislature ("court of appeals rules in favour of whitefish lake first nation," nov. 13, 2007, intercontinental cry).

        new york state: a new york based uranium mining company, the native american energy group (n.a.e.g.), has been ordered off the pine ridge reservation after attempting to expand uranium mining there; the court judgement was the result of an education program and action brought in court, by bring back the way ~ owe aku [access: < http://www.bringbacktheway.com >]("u.s. court charges mining company with tresspassing," nov. 13, 2007, intercontinental cry).

        u.k.: leuren moret writes of du contamination of europe and the takeover of britain's radiation monitoring lab by haliburton when the dust from the 2003 invasion of iraq jolted the radiation meters in great britain: "after the 'shock and awe' campaign in iraq in 2003, very fine particles of depleted uranium were captured with larger sand and dust particles in filters in britain....these particles traveled in 7-9 days from iraqi battlefields as far as 2400 miles away" ~ moret; another quote from moret : "dr. katsuma yagasaki, a japanese physicist at the university of the ryukyus in okinawa, has estimated that the atomicity equivalent of at least 400,000 nagasaki bombs has been released into the global atmosphere since 1991, from the use of depleted uranium munitions"("depleted uranium contaminates europe," lauren moret uruknet, feb. 27, 2006, world prout assembly).

october 6, 2007, congo: according to democracy now! an independent audit finds world bank policy responsible for destroying the jungle and natural habitat of the pygmies ("report: world bank encourages congo forest destruction," headlines oct. 5, 2007, democracy now!).

september 14, 2007, north america: according to the washington post,penn state, columbia and the u.s. dept of agriculture have identified the reason for disappearing honeybee colonies as the result of the "israeli acute paralysis virus"; there is a similar virus in israel ("study points to virus in collapse of honeybee colonies," juliet eilperin, sept. 7, 2007, the washington post); fidel castro noted that bees neccessary for crop pollination were disappearing in north america before the u.s. and canadian media recognized the issue; see note of april 8th.

august 29, 2007, ontario: re. canada's production of uranium for weapons see the historical note of june 17th, below; first nations people and allies are under threat of police invasion today to make them leave lands slated for uranium miningin the sharbot lake region of southern ontario; see bulletins

july 28, 2007, ontario: first nations groups are taking the lead in attempting to protect lands and waters against the threat of uranium mining, and continued explosive testing which take away the future in return for temporary profits: see bulletins.

june 13, 2007, ontario: the province of ontario's regular testing of water supplies has found 16 of 36 commuities tested have unacceptable / unsafe levels of lead in their drinking water ("half of communities have elevated levels of lead in water," cp, june 8, 2007, fort frances times online).

        u.s.a.: more activists have been heavily sentenced; please note the gerald and maas political prisoners activists page.

may 25, 2007, u.s.: two environmentalists have been "politically" sentenced in compliance with directives from the administration's "war on terrorism"; others of a nonviolent group using extra-legal means to defend the environment and its species are about to be sentenced; we carry some news of them at our political prisoners activists page.

may 20, 2007, vancouver: british columbia justice is making it difficult for northern women to protest de-forestation; environmental activist, betty krawczyk, at 78, is serving ten months in prison for what appears to be trespassing in protest of a highway project; harriet nahanee, co-activist squamish elder at 71, was placed in a 'harsh' remand centre, removed to the hospital, and hasn't survived.

may 18, 2007, canada: 1500 scientists have signed a letter asking canada to better protect the northern forest, "canada's boreal forest;" the forest stretches from coast to coast and remains the final refuge for entire ecosystems and denizens ("scientists urge canada to protect forests," ctv.ca news staff, may 14, 2007, ctv.ca); government of canada protection is needed against mining interests, timber interests, real estate interests, corporate food sourcing operations.

april 14, 2007, congo: the guardian ~"conservation" page reports an attack on the gigantic congo rainforest by companies from "germany, portugal, belgium, singapore, the u.s." attempting to strip the forest of african teak, a wood popular in britain; logging rights have been obtained from local communities in exchange for salt and bicycles, etc. in trading reminiscent of the purchase of north america; the congolese timber industries federation is representing the companies from these countries ("selling off the rainforest - a modern day scandal," john vidal, april 11, 2007, the guardian); given the global need for preservation of the congo's forests, why is the import of african teak allowed by the british government ?

april 13, 2007 uganda's mabira forest: a third (17000 acres) of this reserve of natural forest is under uganda president museveni's consideration for cutting; providing one of the last remaining shelters for several species its destruction is protested violently by residents; scoul, a sugar plantation and part of mehta, an indian-owned group, is thought to be attempting expansion of its holdings ("three killed in uganda protest, asians targeted," reuters, april 12, 2007, reuters alertnet).

        havana: dr. maria gloria vidal of the scientific veterinary council of cuba has announced the drafting of a law guaranteeing "the right to life of all animals in the country;" put forward with the cuban association for the protection of animals and plants, the law is to be presented to the national assembly ("animal protection law drafted," dora pérez sáez, april 10, 2007, granma international edition).

april 8, 2007 (easter), north america: the khaleej times of the united arab emirates shows some interest in the canadian seal hunt quoting phil jenkins from canadian fisheries for the kill with 2350 seals massacred by friday; the 2007 quota is 270 thousand; hunters are driven to the hunt by the collapse of the fishing industry and current price of 82 us$ per pelt; some estimate as much as 85 % of the young are lost to global warming through drowning; seal products have been banned in the u.s. since 1972; both canada and the european union ban only the white pelts ("canada's controversial seal hunt slowed by weather," 6 april, 2007, khaleej times u.a.e.; "canada's fisheries department investigates whether activist disrupted seal hunt," associated press, april 6, 2007, international herald tribune).

        fidel says that the american mainland has lost 25% of its bees to a disease referred to as "colony collapse disorder;" 30 of 50 states are affected, with a half million colonies vanished (50,000 bees @); the bees are necessary for crop pollination ("reflections of president fidel castro: the internationalization of genocide," april 4, 2007, granma international); pestacide and cell phone transmissions are possible causes; fidel does not suggest the possibility that crops not needing pollination or with genetically engineered seeds, may be in competition with crops needing pollination; physorg.com points out ("mysterious disappearance of u.s. bees creating a buzz," april 7, 2007) that in some places on the east coast and in texas 70 % of the bees have vanished without explanation; pesticides are suspect; "domestic bees are essential for pollinating some 90 varieties of vegetables and fruits, such as apples, avocados, and blueberries and cherries" (ibid.); maybe fidel notes the bees as a symptom of plans for taking over vast areas of north and south american land mass for ethanol producing crops which would deny food resources to the people.

march 22, 2007, california: pom wonderful, the maker of pomegranate juice, and a subsidiary of roll international announced in mid-january that it won't use animals for tests anymore; the company was advised by a very large healthfood chain that orders would cease april 1 unless ; a direct protest group, people for the ethical treatment of animals will maintain their protest until assured that the testing won't simply be transferred to another facility ("update 2: pomegranate juice maker says halts animal testing," jan. 17, 2007, reuters; "victory! pom wonderful to stop testing on animals," foa, jan. 18, 2007, sf bay area indymedia )

february 23, 2007, u.s. and canada: concerning current exposure of u.s. and canadian military personnel to depleted uranium it's like the treatment of native peoples when their land was stripped by uranium mining; the mine workers were usually first peoples working at low pay and at the cost of their health; "ignorance" about health effects on workers mining uranium finds a parallel in defense departments' refusal to properly prepare, protect, and care for their own, or admit accountability for the damage to victim country civilians; ward churchill clarifies that the north american uranium workers were almost entirely natives, citing chapter and verse of kerr-mcgee's history through the fifties, sixties and seventies, and noting as well "atlantic-richfield (arco), amex, foote mineral, utah international, climax uranium, united nuclear, union carbide (a chameleon formerly known as the vanadium corporation of america, and now called umetco minerals corporation), gulf, conoco, mobil, exxon, getty, sun oil, standard oil of ohio (sohio), and rockwell international" (- from "nuclear trust: the radioactive colonization of native north america," ward churchill, july 17, dark night press).

historical note: the u.s. military is the largest single source of environmental pollution in the country; it is also the biggest environmental outlaw... ('the Impact of military operations on the environment," stephen schwartz, 1991, greenpeace); in canada, the department of national defense is exempt from all or part of many federal laws governing hazardous materials; as a federal agency, it is also not subject to most provincial and municipal laws... (majeed; see recommended reading: "taking stock, the impact of militarism on the environment," ostling and miller, toronto, science for peace, february 1992; "the military's impact on the environment," august 2002, international peace bureau, geneva; "the impact of militarism on the environment: an overview of direct and indirect efforts," abeer majeed, feb. 2004, physicians for global survival, canada) .
february 8, 2007, earth: granma reports that a third of the earth's species could be lost if the temperature is forced up two degrees centigrade by global warming (30% of the world's species at risk," alicia rivera -el nuevo diario, feb. 2, 2007, granma international).

february 5, 2007, ottawa: canada's environmental commissioner johanne gelinas has been fired by the auditor general, sheila fraser; gelinas recently filed an environmental report critical of the harper government's lack of response to global warming and the previous liberal government's as well ("auditor fires green activist," allan woods, jan. 31, 2007, therecord.com).

       sydney australia: in the state of queensland the premier has approved the use of "recycled purified water" (ie. purified waste water) for drinking; the water commission has announced drinking water reserves may be exhausted in two years; the 100 year drought may force this on all australians ("australians to swallow unpalatable recycled water," michael perry, jan. 29, 2007, reuters alertnet.org).

jan. 13, 2007, quebec: bad news; a five billion dollar quebec hydro-electric expansion of the james bay project is starting up; liberal quebec premier jean charest speaks of clean energy and jobs as a result of "eastmain-1-a"; hydro-quebec's ceo thierry vandal (sic) is pleased, having gained cree grand council support for the project despite opposition from the three communities of cree which will be destroyed by the project; cree are to receive 69 million for 2 years and 70 million/year until 2052 ("power project generates debate: quebec's $5-billion hydroelectric plan touted for capacity to create jobs," tu thanh ha, jan. 12, 2007, [access: globeandmail.com];"two dams will come into service between 2009 and 2012," canadian press, jan. 11, 2007, toronto star; "green light for dams," mike king & steve bonspiel, jan 12, 2007, montreal gazette).

jan. 9, 2007, hudson submarine canyon, new york city: the wayne madsen report reveals that temperature warming in the east coast atlantic is accompanied by an increase in methane releases from the sea floor; the increase is noted by ocean transport methane sensor alarms; if methane in the atmosphere has 21 times the heat holding capacity of carbon dioxide that would suggest a geometric progression in globing warming; madsen points out methane releases are sometimes accompanied by releases of hydrogen sulfide which might explain the smell of manhattan january 8th ("the environmental surge you're not hearing anything about," wayne madsen, jan. 8, 2007, wayne,madsen report; "gas-like odour blankets manhattan," jan. 8, 2007, cbc news).

december 14, 2006, massachusetts: in tribute to the shac 7, sentenced to years in prison for making their beliefs clear, at least twenty-three new zealand white rabbits were freed from capralogics; the laboratory, approved for research by the u.s.d.a. and n.i.h. carries a "good laboratory practices" stamp, but is described more simply by activists as a "vivisection lab"; the company website claims the rabbits are used as spf (specific pathogen free) for syphilis among other diseases ("welcome to capralogics," [access dec. 13, 2006: http://www.capralogics.com/Welcome.htm]; "capralogics, inc." massachusetts biotechnology industry directory," access of dec. 13, 2006; "twenty three rabbits liberated for the shac7," columbiana, sep. 20, 2006, portland indymedia; "anonymous communique," no. 10, sept. 2006, bite back).

        u.s.: the american geophysical union at its annual meeting reveals that the effects of a "small-scale nuclear war," could be catastrophic and long-term; they have studied this; what surprises them is that such small yield nuclear devices could have such substantial effects on the environment, climate, the entire planet ("small scale nuclear war would cause global environmental catastrophe," jeanna bryner, dec. 11, 2006, livescience).

october 17, 2006, iceland: iceland joins norway in hunting whales commercially again; fin whales among the hunted are an endangered species ("iceland begins commercial whaling," richard black, oct. 17, 2006, bbc news); contemporary whale hunting is usually carried out as "scientific research".

october 14, 2006, u.s.: environmental and animal rights activists are increasingly threatened, criminalized, and separated from the society they try to serve; for some of the north american political prisoners defending the environment and animal rights click free all political prisoners

september 18, 2006, middle east: for reports of environmental damage related to israel's invasion of lebanon, see august 2nd and the war entries during july and august on our bulletin board; depleted uranium weapons remain a suppressed issue; d.u. contamination can permanently destroy genetic coding and regional food and water; the u.s. and britain are accused of impeding and refusing to allow attempts to monitor environmental damage in iraq, civilian casualties, health data particularly related to d.u.; the following report by professor dr. souad n. al-azzawi, presented a summary of such findings since 1991, aug. 3-6, 2006, to the 3rd icbuw international conference hiroshima: "depleted uranium radioactive contamination in iraq: an overview" (link at brussells tribunal).

august 6, 2006, polynesia: a recent study by french medical researchers has established a predictable link between thyroid cancer and french nuclear testing, 1969-96; the study concerned inhabitants within 1000 miles of the french polynesian atolls; according to the independent (u.k.), "france conducted 210 nuclear tests between 13 february 1960 and 27 july 1996; the first 17 explosions, in the period up to 1966, were detonated in north africa" ("france's nuclear tests in pacific 'gave islanders cancer'," john lichfield, aug. 4, 2006, the independent); the article states u.s. law since 1988 traces to ground zero 31 kinds of illness in those living within 435 miles of a nuclear explosion (ibid.); this suggests any nuclear detonation is a war crime by government against regional populations.

        u.s.: tce which is used to de-grease engine parts presents a cancer risk to community water supplies about 40 times worse than expected according to a recent report from the u.s. national academy of sciences; due to military exemption for some environmental laws tce is "the most widespread industrial contaminant in american drinking water" ("military waste in our drinking water," sunaura taylor and astra taylor, aug. 4, 2006, alternet).

august 2, 2006, lebanon: israel's targeting of a lebanese coastal power plant put 15 thousand tons of oil into the mediterranean and set at least five oil tanks on fire; turtles and fish are also dying; tuna spawning is threatened and so are green turtles (endangered species); a cleanup can't start until permitted by israel's naval blockade and a ceasefire; lebanon's environment minister says " "chances are, our whole marine ecosystem facing the lebanese shoreline is already dead...what is at stake today is all marine life in the eastern mediterranean" ("lebanon sees environmental devastation," bassem mroue, ap, aug.1, 2006, yahoo! news; "lebanon oil spill makes animals casualties of war," mati milstein, july 31, 2006 national geographic news); an eventual spillage of 35 thousand tons prompts the bbc to compare the environmental catastrophe with the exxon valdez disaster off alaska, except there is no cleanup ("environmental 'crisis' in lebanon," richard black, july 31, 2006, bbc news).

june 15, 2006, las vegas, nevada, update: operation "divine strike" has been postponed indefinitely - downwinders have already been over-exposed by fallout from coldwar testing ("test explosion in nevada put on indefinite hold," robert gehrke, may 26, 2006, the salt lake tribune); see may 11, 2006; the land is particularly indebted to the western shoshone.

may 16, 2006, alaska, u.s.: urgent ! before may 18, people can write / call / fax their representatives to support the chabot/andrews tongass subsidy amendment to the interior appropriations bill; keep new logging roads out of the tongass national forest ! ("the tongass national forest in alaska needs your help!" heritage forests campaign [access may 16, 2006: http://www.ourforests.org/index.html]).

        after the bush administration repealed the "roadless area protections" of the country's forestland, south carolina, north carolina and virginia asked the administration to reinstate those necessary protections; when the governors of washington and oregon asked they were refused; governors in arizona, new mexico, montana, have objected; california, new mexico and oregon have opened cases at law, recently joined by washington, montana, and maine ("south carolina governor files petition to protect state's roadless areas," press release april 19, 2006, heritage forests campaign [may 16, 2006 access: http://www.ourforests.org/index.html , passim]).
may 11, 2006, las vegas nevada: faced with a lawsuit claiming that a 700 ton non-nuclear explosion would scatter radioactive dust from previous nuclear testing, and ruin western shoshone land, the pentagon's test has been delayed from june 2 to at least june 23rd ("mushroom cloud blast in nevada delayed," ken ritter ap, may 9, 2006, yahoo news; ref. april 19, 2006 bulletin board).

april 25, 2006, u.s.: summary re. those charged in january 2006 for alleged actions protecting the environment.

11 animal rights and environmental rights activists were indicted on multiple charges of destroying mechanisms of animal cruelty or ecologically harmful targets; the accused were referred to incorrectly by the new york times, and fbi as "domestic terrorists" for alleged actions which were usually careful of life and of the land; indicted: joseph dibee (still free), chelsea gerlach, sarah harvey, daniel mcgowan, stanislas meyerhoff , josephine overaker (still free), jonathan paul, rebecca rubin (still free), suzanne savoie, darren thurston, kevin tubbs ("u.s. indicts 11 for acts of domestic terrorism," stout, jan.20, 2006, the new york times; jan. 25, 2006 [access: mostly water http://mostlywater.org/node]).
        updates: daniel mcgowan was released on bail january 25th; he claims his innocence of charges (arson, conspiracy, destruction of property, in oregon, 2001) that could carry a minimum sentence of life; see his support group site at http://www.supportdaniel.org ("support for daniel mcgowan," april 25, 2006, access http://www.supportdaniel.org/).

 

march 21, 2006, canada: first nations actions.

march 3, 2006, ottawa: eco-'terrorist' painting.

february 22, 2006, canada: health canada reports that 76 native communities are under advisory to boil their drinking water; that is about 66%, an improvement from 75% in 2001, but in some communities the water is reported too dirty to bathe in ("water still a problem on 76 reserves," feb. 20, 2006, cbc news).

january 26, 2006, u.s.: the new york times reports the indictment of 11 animal rights and environmental rights activists on multiple charges of destroying mechanisms of animal cruelty or ecologically harmful targets; animal rights activists and activists concerned with the earth have pulled heavy sentences in west coast trials, and are referred to incorrectly as "domestic terrorists" for alleged actions which are usually more careful of life and of the land, than bush administration policies; indicted: joseph dibee (still free), chelsea gerlach, sarah harvey, daniel mcgowan, stanislas meyerhoff, josephine overaker (still free), jonathan paul, rebecca rubin (still free), suzanne savoie, darren thurston, kevin tubbs (u.s. indicts 11 for acts of domestic terrorism," stout, jan.20, 2006, the new york times; & jan. 25, 2006, access: mostly water, http://mostlywater.org/node).

        england: after a bottlenose whale swam up the thames to london and died, the english are beginning to pay some attention to the effect on the sea of their sonar and naval warfare excercises ("Sonar threat to world's whales" lean, moreton, & owen, jan. 22, 2006, the independent online edition).

january 6, 2006, canada: with bottom trawling and over-fishing, entire species of deep sea fish are becoming extinct; a new study from memorial university in newfoundland (jennifer devine) finds that in canadian atlantic waters some species diminished by as much as 98%, from 1978 to 1994 (critical 'danger' warning on fish," jan. 4, 2006, bbc news).


    by jan 6, 2006, threats from israel and the u.s. to strike iran's nuclear facilities have threatened the world's people in threatening the global environment; reports of bush administration plans to invade iran with tactical nuclear weapons (with possible yields greater than the atom bombs used on japan) threaten a genocide of the iranian people by contamination of highly populated civilian centres, and threaten damage from fallout to southeast asia in particular; either action would risk retaliation and nuclear war; either action would be a crime with no statute of limitations for the aggressors or for those complicit; see bulletin board of this date.

december 24, 2005, flagstaff arizona: bill rodgers was found dead in a flagstaff arizona single cell, dec. 22, 2005; he was arrested (see december 11th, below) for an alleged environmental action in 1998.

        the u.s. senate has refused permission to drill for oil in the arctic national wildlife refuge; the republican sponsored initiative was attached to the defense spending bill ("u.s. senate repeals byrd amendment, rejects arctic drilling," dec. 21, 2005, cbc news); among u.s. and canadian environmentalists opposed to the drilling, canadian officials have argued for first peoples groups reliant on caribou herds in the region, and for the caribou and other wildlife of the habitat ("u.s. senate votes for drilling in arctic refuge," nov. 3, 2005, cbc news).

december 11, 2005, us: daniel mcgowan (jamie moran) and stanislas meyerhoff face life sentences for arson (with no injury to people); chelsea gerlach, kevin tubbs, bill rodgers, sarah harvey, face up to 20 to 25 years for various forms of property destruction oriented to saving the environment; these arrests of dec. 7th in five u.s. states, are part of an f.b.i. campaign which seems to target the "animal liberation front (alf)" - a non-centered nonviolent group saving animals from abuse (source: http://www.animalliberationfront.com/), and the "earth liberation front (elf)," "an underground movement with no leadership, membership or official spokesperson," according to its website (http://www.earthliberationfront.com/); the actions date back to 1998 and involve damage to property only ("6 arrested years after ecoterrorist acts", egan, dec.9, 2005, new york times; "6 environmental activists arrested in pacific northwest," goodman & staff, dec. 9, 2005, democracy now).

historical note

    u.s. army admits to placing 64 million pounds of chemical agents, 400,000 chemical bombs and other ordinance, and "500 tons of radioactive waste", in waters off eleven u.s. states, from 1944 to about 1972; it claims most locations are unknown and records incomplete ("vast chemical dumping found at sea," bull, newport news daily press, oct. 30, 2005, l.a. times; also, "investigation: army secretly dumped chemicals in ocean," bull, nov. 1, 2005, marinetimes.com); mitretek systems of virginia offers insights into chemical weapons dumping at the end of world war ii; for example as much as 150,000 tons into the baltic; a subsequent example: 266 tons of GB and VX (fast lethal chemical agents) contained in rockets were loaded in new jersey, june 19, 1968 for dumping at coordinates 39e33n 71e02w (access nov. 6,2005, http://www.mitretek.org/home.nsf/homelandsecurity/OceanDumpChemWeap, mitretek systems, falls church, virginia).

november 6, 2005, u.s.: with a continuing disregard for humanity, the senate has supported oil drilling in alaska's arctic national wildlife refuge ("u.s. senate votes for drilling in arctic refuge," nov. 3, 2005 cbc news).

november 5, 2005, canada: a study released by the david suzuki foundation shows canada hasn't improved its care for the environment over the past ten years ("study dumps on canada's environmental record," oct.18, 3005, cbc news); the poor showing among industrialized countries suggests an economy geared to short term profits.

august 20, 2005, u.s.: the federal standard for plutonium-239 in drinking water is 100 times too weak according to the "institute for energy and environmental research;" the department of energy's reclassification of "residual high-level waste" to "incidental waste," makes heavy alpha emitting radioactive wastes a particular threat to the savannah river (south carolina/georgia), the snake river (idaho), and the columbia river (washington, oregon) and british columbia; ( "epa drinking water standard for plutonium Is 100 times too weak; new research shows current level is based on decades-old, obsolete science," press release, aug. 3, 2005, i.e.e.r.); the "e.p.a." is proposing to increase the maximum allowable dosage of radiation exposure per year, three and a half times; this unsafe standard is apparently necessary to proceed with plans for the yucca mountain waste repository in nevada ( "environmental protection agency's proposed rule on repository for high-level radioactive waste would seriously undermine public health,: press release, aug. 9, 2005, i.e.e.r., http://www.ieer.org/index.html ).

from august 15, national coal vs. zeb mountain, tennessee : activists locking themselves down to mining equipment attempted to impede the removal of this appalachian mountain top; coal strip mining destroys vegetation and causes flooding; police use of pain compliance; ten people arrested ("reclaiming appalachia, a mountain takeover," aug.15, 2005, http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org/mto/index.php, mountain justice summer; "non-violent activists protest mountain top removal, meet with police brutality," david, aug. 15, 2005, boston indymedia).

june 17, 2005: u.s. foreign policy affecting military actions continues to be the primary threat to the global environment; u.s. and canadian militaries seem unable to deal with the environmental threat of their weapons and weapons production; damage by toxic defoliants wasn't limited to use in vietnam ; and for example, contamination of the north american land mass accompanies radiation poisoning by depleted uranium in afghanistan, yugoslavia and iraq (see below).

historical note

    canada's major contribution to global militarization is uranium, of which canada is the world's largest producer and exporter
    -"taking stock, the impact of militarism on the environment," ostling and miller, toronto, science for peace, february 1992.
    this outdated report notes that "radiation from uranium mine waste is poisoning northern waterways and inducing cancers and genetic problems in newborn children; canadian uranium ends up in nuclear bombs; by the year 2000, canada's nuclear reactors will have produced enough radioactive poison to contaminate all the water in the earth's lakes and rivers twice over," as quoted from "the military and the environment," wilpf news, womens international league for peace and freedom - ottawa chapter, november 1991; the science for peace report also notes: "less than 400 kilometers from vancouver, and directly upwind from the population centres in the okanagan and the kootenays, the hanford site is home to more than 60% of all military radioactive waste in the u.s., most of it plutonium - contaminated waste from bomb production and spent reactor cores from nuclear-powered u.s. navy ships;" quoted from "military threats to the b.c. environment," wallace and christilaw, report 1992; currently "hanford’s cleanup phase will probably continue until at least 2030, when many of doe’s long-term environmental goals will have been met; until then, the cleanup goes carefully on, one day at a time;" "hanford site: past horror, future hope, historic nuclear research leads to environmental disaster," u.s. gov. info/resources, http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa102497.htm , as of july 2005.

june 3, 2005; the canadian seal hunt began march 29th and lasts two months; the government has set a quota allowing 320,000 young seals slaughtered; 11 anti-slaughter advocates from the honourably named vessel, farley mowat, have been beaten and arrested while trying to film the carnage ("canada allows seal hunt, decries activists," reuters, march 23, 2005; " arrested seal hunt protester released," nzpa, april 2, 2005; "seal defenders attacked," crewdson & nzpa, april 3, 2005; new zealand herald, nzherald.co.nz).

the f.b.i. considers militants concerned for the environment and animal rights the primary "terrorist threat" to the united states....("eco-militants are greatest threat, warns fbi," usborne, may 20, 2005, the guardian, u.k.).

 

suppressed news

 

 

gerald and maas night's lantern
ed. & commentary by j.b.gerald
etching © by julie maas
update 4 january 2010