Tracking Fukushima radionuclides: A research cruise in Japanese waters

Nicholas S. Fisher and Ken O. Bueseller report in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

"...Without direct measurements of radionuclides in the ocean waters east of Japan, it is impossible to assess which isotopes are most abundant and which may pose risks to marine life or human consumers. Based on studies of previous releases into other coastal waters -- for example, intentional discharges from the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in the United Kingdom, and accidental releases associated with the Chernobyl disaster -- it is likely that naturally occurring radionuclides, such as potassium 40 and carbon 14, will dominate the radioactivity in marine organisms. For example, fish muscle tissue normally contains potassium 40 levels of about 93 millibecquerels per gram (wet weight), carbon 14 of about 15 millibecquerels per gram, polonium 210 up to 5.2 millibecquerels per gram, and about 1 millibecquerels per gram each of uranium 238 and rubidium 87. By comparison, fish exposed to Sellafield effluent in the Irish Sea display cesium 137 concentrations of less than 2 millibecquerels per gram. Among the anthropogenic radionuclides of interest, cesium concentrates principally in muscle, while strontium and transuranic elements (such as plutonium and americium) concentrate in bone.

It is anticipated that for most locations the doses to humans from naturally occurring radionuclides, even for avid seafood consumers, will exceed those from the radionuclides released by the Fukushima accident. Near Sellafield, for example, doses to humans from naturally occurring radionuclides in seafood caught in the Irish Sea are about an order of magnitude higher than doses from artificial radionuclides. Total collective dose rates from natural radionuclides via marine pathways on a global basis are four orders of magnitude higher than collective doses from Chernobyl radionuclides. Even in the Baltic and Black Seas, the marine waters most contaminated by Chernobyl fallout, natural radionuclides provide a much larger collective dose to seafood consumers than do Chernobyl radionuclides..."

Israeli MK: "anti-Boycott Law Threatens Democracy"


TheRealNews - Parliament member Dov Khenin and many on Israeli left warn new anti-
Boycott law violates freedom speech.

~ ~ ~

On the night of July 11th the Israeli parliament passed the controversial 
anti-boycott law. The law was written in response to the mounting global 
movement of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (or BDS) against Israel 
and profits from its settlements and industry in the occupied West Bank. 
The Boycott movement began as a mass Palestinian civil society call, and 
has been supported from the beginning by some Israelis. The new law 
bans them from publicly calling for a boycott, classifying it a civil wrong. To 
understand the politics behind the vote, The Real News' Lia Tarachansky 
spoke with Noam Sheizaf, a journalist with the +972 Magazine, and 
caught up with MK Dov Khenin during a protest in Jerusalem. This week 
anonymous activists announced a week of direct actions, known as Rage 
Week. Also this week the Israeli parliament will decide whether to 
investigate human rights groups who work against the occupation.

Speculation Drove Wheat Prices Up While Supply Expanded


TheRealNews - Jayati Ghosh: Speculation, concentration of ownership and hoarding creates food price bubbles, with more to come

Green Movement in Iran Issues New Manifesto in Wake of Arab Uprising

Editor’s Note: The following text was given to insideIRAN.org by a group of intellectuals who are leaders in the Green Movement in Tehran. They are also the authors of this manifesto.

We, dozens of groups of Green activists in Iran, have decided to offer several recommendations for the reform and strengthening of the Green Movement. These recommendations have emerged as a result of our experiences in Iran over the past two years as well as the experiences of those in other countries in the Middle East that recently have had popular revolutions aimed at overthrowing their dictatorships. These recommendations are the result of repeated discussions and debates among leaders of Green cells inside Iran, many of whom have suffered imprisonment, beatings, or other violence during demonstrations since the emergence of this popular movement.

The continued house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement inside Iran and the conditions in which demonstrations have been attempted after their imprisonment requires that the Green leadership outside the country review and reform its tactics and strategy so that the great social capital obtained by the Green Movement after the coup d’etat of the summer of 2009 is not lost. Moreover, Greens inside and outside the country alike need to develop new tactics and strategies in order to utilize and channel effectively the ever-rising economic, political, and social discontent within our country and to ensure that the movement does not split or falter.

This short blueprint/manifesto is divided into three sections, constituting what we believe needs to be done to expand the breadth of the Green Movement’s actions and operations if it is to become victorious at this critical juncture in history. The sections address three necessary rubrics: Inspiration, Organization, and Action. Based on Mir Hossein Moussavi’s systematic statements after the coup d’etat and those of Mehdi Karroubi, the Green Movement leadership must present a concise but comprehensive critique and condemnation of the economics and politics of the present despotic system and present our alternative to it. It must offer an explanation for the grievances of the various socioeconomic and ethnic groups within our society and then offer inspiration and organization to the people in order to motivate and provide them the path to take action to remedy this deteriorating situation.

I. Inspiration.

The inspiration that is at the heart of the movement must be recognized and its message actively propagated to all involved: The Green Movement is not a uniform undifferentiated mass. It consists of a myriad of peoples who, together, represent the cultural, ethnic, religious, and social fabric of our diverse society, and they are deeply concerned about the fate of their beloved country and religion. The principles that unite all Greens are the goals of rule of law, respect for human rights, and the supremacy of popular sovereignty over all state and government institutions, including the post of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Revolution. Thus, we reject the suggestion of the former reformist president, Mohammad Khatami, that we Greens and the supporters of Khamenei (in other words, the supporters of despotism) apologize to each other and go forward from there. Such a suggestion is irresponsible and ignores not only the coup d’etat of 2009, but also the massive violence used against our society by Khamenei and his system that resulted in, among other things, the murder and rape of our youth. We believe that Khatami’s suggestions in this regard are dangerous and threaten splits in the Green Movement and, if accepted, will result in a loss of our social capital. Khatami’s discourse of reform is over, since Khamenei and those behind him have shown that they are unwilling to take this course and will resort to murder and mass suppression in order to ensure their political and economic interests.

We believe that this goal of the complete subordination of all government and state posts to direct popular sovereignty needs to be clearly and repeatedly stated so that people know clearly for what they are fighting. Without a doubt, most people in our society want this political change. The time for hesitation and talk of reformism in this regard has finished.

To the working and lower classes, we must offer an end to exploitative wages, and instead work toward true, effective trade unions, protected by law, and improvements in living standards and economic well-being. This goal cannot be achieved in the state structure we have today, as it is politically and economically corrupt and is not answerable to anyone.

To ethic and religious groups, we Greens must actively propagate the promise of cultural and ethnic autonomy, which was expressed as well by Karroubi and Moussavi during the presidential elections.

To women, the Green Movement must actively propagate the idea that women must have equal rights as men before the law.

To the religious part of our society, we Greens must stress that our political goal of democratization will put an end to the abuse of religion by political opportunists and the supporters of despotism and authoritarianism to achieve and protect their political and economic interests. Religion is to be the model of morality, purity, and service to God, untainted by politics, corruption, murder, lying, and rape.

II. Organization.

  1. We suggest that a Green Council of some ten or so leading and known political and/or intellectual leaders (or whatever number is deemed appropriate) be formed in the absence of Moussavi and Karroubi. Members of this council would have to accept the ultimate leadership of Moussavi and Karroubi and their representatives, given the participation of these men in the election, their popular legitimacy inside the country, and their resistance to the despotism of Khamanei and those behind him. This council, during the absence of these two men, would (a) establish the goals of the Green Movement; (b) coordinate forms of protest and demonstrations; (c) propagate the goals and actions of the Green Movement and propaganda against the coup regime.
  2. The leadership of the Green Movement and/or the council needs to make a call for Greens to form individual Green groups across the country. This announcement would build on Moussavi’s idea that each person is a form of mass media. The size is not important. What is important is the construction of a country-wide network of Green “cells.” Certainly, many such cells already exist, having come into existence due to the initiative of individuals. But the network is not large enough. No success can be achieved without expansion of these cells. They are the heart of the movement. Given our experience on the street, a call for such cells will be greeted with acceptance. But it needs to be done quickly. Our social capital is not endless.
  3. A call needs to be propagated that Greens need to work harder on establishing their links with the working class and the urban working lower class. This movement cannot be successful if links are not made with these classes.
  4. We believe that the Green leadership needs to propagate actively the need for all local Green cells and even individuals to pass the word, either orally or through leaflets and pamphlets, about the goals of the movement and about future demonstrations and other forms of protest. We know that individuals and certain groups have been doing this. But more needs to be done in this regard.

III. Action.

  1. In the face of the brutality of Khamenei’s regime, the leadership of the Green Movement needs to choose methods of protest that will lessen the costs associated with protest for individuals yet maintain and expand popular mobilization behind the movement. Suggestions are strikes, boycotts, silent demonstrations similar to what we had on the anniversary of the election, days for wearing green, and organizing specific times when all Greens drive their cars—these are just some of the methods that can be utilized, until the full force of the working and lower classes enters this struggle for the future of our country.
  2. Expansion of the propaganda war. Greater systematic attention must be paid to the issues of corruption, the economic performance of the regime, murder and rape at the hands of the Khamenei regime, the linking of Khamenei with Ahmadinejad (with focus on his 19 June 2009 speech, in which he announced that his and Ahmadinejad’s views were very close).
  3. Regime morale—“name and shame” must be utilized. If possible, the names of those serving in security and basiji services engaged in beating, raping, and imprisoning the people need to be found and actively propagated through the Internet, mass media, and leaflets. Failing this, just pictures of these forces taken when in action or just on the street need to be propagated inside and outside the country.
  4. The names of those elites with extensive property and wealth abroad need to be found and propagated.
  5. We need to resurrect Moussavi’s statement, according to which those individuals—from regular basiji and other pawns to the leading officials of the regime, from Khamenei down—ordering and/or participating in violence against and killing of people will be eventually held accountable. This needs to be propagated consistently, through mass media from abroad and leaflets and pamphlets here in Iran.
  6. The point needs to be made consistently that, given the certainty of the eventual victory of the Greens, there will be a policy of forgive but not forget. If officials from low positions to high positions who have not participated in or ordered the murder and rape of people come to our side, we will accept them. However, there is a time limit on this.

In conclusion, we would like to stress that this piece was made by us only as a set of suggestions and an expression of serious worry over the current state of the Green Movement. The above text is the result of debates, study, and the varied of experience of Greens on the frontline inside Iran, and our collective opinion of what is needed by our movement. We understand that most of what we have proposed without doubt can be improved and perfected as we move forward. In addition, we realize that many of these suggestions are not new. However, most of them have not been implemented or have been implemented only partially, which has resulted in a temporary but severe weakening of the Green Movement. We hope that the decision-makers outside of Iran will take seriously these suggestions. It no longer can be naively assumed that the despotic side of this regime simply will collapse due to its inner contradictions and power struggles. We on the ground have to create pressure and the conditions for its implosion. We here in Iran are looking for decisive participation from Green leaders abroad. The movement here in Iran can be rejuvenated and propelled to victory if such leadership is provided. If not, we regret to say, we feel this movement will just become another failed attempt to bring freedom, dignity, and respect to our country.

The Unfinished Global Revolution


Mark Malloch Brown, ex-Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, forecasts the way forward in global politics.

Social Networks as Powerful Political Tools

Social networks have not only redefined the internet, they've also proven to be powerful tools in political processes, such as in the recent revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. We asked Laura Tyson, professor at the Hoff School of Business at the University of California, to describe the political power of social networks.

Streetlight Manifesto - They Provide The Paint For The Picture-Perfect Masterpiece That You Will Paint On The Insides Of Your Eyelids

Streetlight Manifesto - They Provide The Paint For The Picture-Perfect Masterpiece That You Will Paint On The Insides Of Your Ey from Fao Fao on Vimeo.


There is a man with no face
And a name I don't remember
Who lives in a house in the middle of the woods
And he said once "Son, don't you ever laugh out loud for they are listening,
Yes they are listening
Oh you've got to be strong
Oh, you've got to keep holding on
It's now just a matter of time"
(Head for the hills, go!)

They provide the paint for the picture perfect masterpiece
that you will paint on the insides of your eyelids;
Can you possibly see anything you want to see?
No (Hell No!)
"There's nothing wrong with the way I see"
and he wanted to be a soldier in the next great war
he wanted to kill and fight and maim but not be told what he was fighting for
And that's the way it's going to have to be my friend,
And that's the way it's going to have to be my friend

I passed a man on the corner in the city yesterday singing
"Yada yada yada and tomorrow it'll never end"
and I never thought I'd never live to see another sunny day
but I'm here and I fear I'll be here till the end
So watch your mouth
Or you're going to make a grave mistake
Hold your tongue
Or you're going to catch a bullet in the head
So watch your mouth
Or you're going to make a grave mistake
Don't die for anything less than the best of life

The things you said went to your head
But you never tried to understand:
What they'll take you will never take back what they take when take what they can
because they can from you
You follow me and you follow me but you never ask why
And I wonder what you're under could this be another piece of the
"I don't know I just do what they say because they say what to do in a matter of fact way"
But don't stop because you might get burned
And you might just learn to stand on your own two feet
And I think that it's neat how you learn to repeat everything
that you hear in the street so well
You learn to repeat everything that you hear so well
You learn to repeat everything that you hear so well

And everyone was resting because they thought it was the end
And even if it wasn't they decide they'd pretend
And somewhere in the distance I could hear him whispering
"You can fight all you want you'll never win in the end"

Sometimes in the evening when I'm lying in my bed
I am taken to the forest to the isolated shed
And I wake with his words resonating in my head
And I can't stop thinking about the gist of what he said

He said:
So watch your mouth
Or you're going to make a grave mistake
Hold your tongue
Or you're going to catch a bullet in the head
So watch your mouth
Or you're going to make a grave mistake
Don't die for anything less than the best of,
Everyone settles for the rest not the best of,
I will die for no less than the best of life

Martial Law ( New World Order ) Hip Hop


"The means of defence against a foreign danger have historically become the instruments of tyranny at home." - James Madison

Originally uploaded by MasaniolProductions 

http://www.youtube.com/user/MasaniolProductions

Burzynski The Movie ~ Cancer Is Serious Business


Burzynski, the Movie is the story of a medical doctor and Ph.D biochemist named Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski who won the largest, and possibly the most convoluted and intriguing legal battle against the Food & Drug Administration in American history.

His victorious battles with the United States government were centered around Dr. Burzynski's gene-targeted cancer medicines he discovered in the 1970's called Antineoplastons, which have currently completed Phase II FDA-supervised clinical trials in 2009 and could begin the final phase of FDA testing in 2011--barring the ability to raise the required $150 million to fund the final phase of FDA clinical trials.

When Antineoplastons are approved, it will mark the first time in history a single scientist, not a pharmaceutical company, will hold the exclusive patent and distribution rights on a paradigm-shifting medical breakthrough.

Antineoplastons are responsible for curing some of the most incurable forms of terminal cancer. Various cancer survivors are presented in the film who chose these medicines instead of surgery, chemotherapy or radiation - with full disclosure of medical records to support their diagnosis and recovery - as well as systematic (non-anecdotal) FDA-supervised clinical trial data comparing Antineoplastons to other available treatments—which is published within the peer-reviewed medical literature.

One form of cancer - diffuse, intrinsic, childhood brainstem glioma has never before been cured in any scientifically controlled clinical trial in the history of medicine. Antineoplastons hold the first cures in history - dozens of them. [ANP - PubMed 2003] [ANP - PubMed 2006] [Rad & other - PubMed 2008] [Chemo/Rad - PubMed 2005]

This documentary takes the audience through the treacherous, yet victorious, 14-year journey both Dr. Burzynski and his patients have had to endure in order to obtain FDA-approved clinical trials of Antineoplastons.

Dr. Burzynski resides and practices medicine in Houston, Texas. He was able to initially produce and administer his discovery without FDA-approval from 1977-1995 because the state of Texas at this time did not require that Texas physicians be required to adhere to Federal law in this situation. This law has since been changed.

As with anything that changes current-day paradigms, Burzynski's ability to successfully treat incurable cancer with such consistency has baffled the industry. Ironically, this fact had prompted numerous investigations by the Texas Medical Board, who relentlessly took Dr. Burzynski as high as the state supreme court in their failed attempt to halt his practices.

Likewise, the Food and Drug Administration engaged in four Federal Grand Juries spanning over a decade attempting to indict Dr. Burzynski, all of which ended in no finding of fault on his behalf. Finally, Dr. Burzynski was indicted in their 5th Grand Jury in 1995, resulting in two federal trials and two sets of jurors finding him not guilty of any wrongdoing. If convicted, Dr. Burzynski would have faced a maximum of 290 years in a federal prison and $18.5 million in fines.

However, what was revealed a few years after Dr. Burzynski won his freedom, helps to paint a more coherent picture regarding the true motivation of the United States government's relentless persecution of Stanislaw Burzynski, M.D., Ph.D.

Note: When Antineoplastons are approved for public use, it will allow a single scientist to hold an exclusive license to manufacture and sell these medicines on the open market—before they become generic—leaving PhRMA absent in profiting from the most effective gene-targeted cancer treatment the world has ever seen.

Disclaimer: This documentary film is not directly affiliated with Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski MD, PhD, The Burzynski Clinic, or the Burzynski Research Institute, Inc. This film and this web site is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

http://www.burzynskimovie.com/

Floods, Fires, Storms Fodder for Centuries of Poems


In a year of floods, fires and storms making headlines around the world, poet and editor Jeffrey Yang chronicles how writers have grappled with the power of nature over the centuries in his new book. Jeffrey Brown and Yang discuss the poetic perspective of the beauty and power of nature.

Video impression of the marcha popular indignada

AcampadaBCN just released this video of the popular march from Barcelona to Madrid, giving a nice impression of the experience of the walkers. ~ more... ~