Mercredi 13 avril 2011

How Many Lives Is the Plant's Energy Worth?

Current plans require a 10-mile-radius evacuation around Indian Point if a meltdown were ever to occur;  brand shoesbut some Westchester lawmakers are proposing the radius be increased to 50 miles.

"Six legislators have joined together to establish a 50-mile evacuation zone around Indian Point," said Joy Haber, legislative aide to Democrat MaryJane Shimsky. "Indian Point is the number-one public safety issue in the area."

Expert panelists invited to speak were doctors, officials, scientists and concerned citizens—but all had one thing in common: the desire to close Indian Point.

"There is no such thing as safe exposure to radiation," said Dr. Andrew Kenter, president of the New York Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. "Doctors are asked to treat and fix people when they're broken; when we're unable to do that, we have to prevent those things from happening."

Former State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky said: "If there were to be a meltdown at Indian Point there would not be enough money in the world to save this community, this economy and the lives, health and safety of the people who live here."

John Armbruster has been studying earthquakes in the metropolitan area. "We are asking for a thorough, modern re-evaluation brand shoes of the preparedness of Indian Point to the occurrence of earthquakes using up-to-date evaluation methods that were not available when Indian Point was originally licensed," he said.  

Operating licenses for Indian Points' two units expire in 2013 and 2015.  The state Department of Environmental Conservation declined last April to give Entergy—the plant's operating company— the water quality certification it needs for relicensing. But the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), whose approval is also required, recently said that no environmental impact exists to prevent the power plant from getting relicensed for another 20 years.  

"You have to be suspicious of what you hear from the NRC," cautioned Mark Jacobs, co-founder of IPSEC. "Their job is both to promote and regulate nuclear energy. Obviously, both can't be done."

According to Marilyn Elie, co-founder of the Westchester Citizens Awareness Network, only five percent of energy in the Hudson Valley is generated from nuclear power from Indian Point.

"We know that Indian Point and Fukishima had different reactors and were on different ground," Elie said. "But what they share are regulators who feel they can predict and plan for everything. What we have to ask is how many lives is that five percent of energy worth?"

In the wake of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, a group of peace walkers walked about 15 brand shoes miles from Peekskill to Yorktown along Route 202 Monday. They plan to reach Yankee nuclear plant in Vermont by April 26, the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. 

They hoped to raise awareness of the dangers of nuclear energy call for eco-friendly alternatvies. They suggest solar, geo, and hydro power electricity. They are also walking in solidarity with those affected by the disaster and in an effort to close Indian Point and the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in Vermont.

Par birdzws - 0 commentaire(s)le 13 avril 2011

DFA wrongly decide to repatriate Pinoys in Japan

The radiation level in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is nowhere near the impact of the 1986 Chernobyl incident, The radiation level in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is nowhere near the impact of the 1986 Chernobyl incident, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute said on Wednesday.

In a press conference, PNRI Deputy Director Corazon Bernido said the decision of Japan authorities to upgrade the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) of the crippled plant to level 7 from 5 does not mean there is a “development” there that shows an increased radiation activity.

Asked if the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) wrongly decided to repatriate Filipinos near the plant, Bernido merely said: “I don’t want PNRI and DFA to fight. I’d rather not comment. We’re both in the government.”

Asked if there is a reason to repatriate Filipinos, she noted: “You judge for yourselves, but that’s the decision of the DFA…Probably, they have different channels, they got information directly from the Japanese government.”

After the Japanese government announced the crisis level there, the DFA announced that it will mandatorily repatriate Filipinos within the 50-kilometer radius. A voluntary repatriation is also implemented for those in the 50- to 100-kilometer radius.

If a mandatory repatriation is called, the Philippine government will have to shoulder the costs.

Not ‘alert’

Bernido explained the INES should not be misconstrued as an “alert level.” The operators of the nuclear power plant merely assessed the plume that was released into the air and water since day 1, or when the March 11 earthquake struck.

The officials are now able to calibrate the real altitude of the supposed plume, she said.

“It does not mean that there was radiation again released,” she added. In fact, “the levels of radiation has not changed for the worst…it is, in fact, slowly getting better.”

If such is the case, she said “the impact on the Philippines remains insignificant as it had been since the beginning.”

Philippines sources information from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Both Japan and the Philippines are signatories of the IAEA.

Nonetheless, the PNRI will help Filipinos who would want to have themselves examined upon arrival from Japan.

PNRI emergency response manager Teofilo Leonin said there is no need for a mandatory radiation screening in airports. “Even in the airport in Tokyo, there is no such requirement,” he said.

A change of clothes and use of soap is only needed to erase traces, if there is any, of radiation, he added.

Fukushima versus Chernobyl

The Fukushima incident and the Chernobyl accident are both in the INES level 7, which means that the amount of radioactive elements released have widespread effects such as in the air, tap water, ocean and vegetables.

Bernido explained “the amount of radiation released since March 11 is only 10% of the [radiation] spewed into the air by Chernobyl.”

Fukushima merely reported an INES 7 because radiation released was between 370,000 to 630,000 thera-becquerel, “which is high but still far below that of the 5.2 million from Chernobyl.”

Becquerel is the rate of radioactive decay.

She also explained the reactors of Chernobyl caught fire, thus the massive plume with a wide impact.

Fukushima, on the other hand, has containment buildings. “The reactors were shut down,” she added.The radiation level in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is nowhere near the impact of the 1986 Chernobyl incident, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute said on Wednesday.

In a press conference, PNRI Deputy Director Corazon Bernido said the decision of Japan authorities to upgrade the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) of the crippled plant to level 7 from 5 does not mean there is a “development” there that shows an increased radiation activity.

Asked if the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) wrongly decided to repatriate Filipinos near the plant, Bernido merely said: “I don’t want PNRI and DFA to fight. I’d rather not comment. We’re both in the government.”

Asked if there is a reason to repatriate Filipinos, she noted: “You judge for yourselves, but that’s the decision of the DFA…Probably, they have different channels, they got information directly from the Japanese government.”

After the Japanese government announced the crisis level there, the DFA announced that it will mandatorily repatriate Filipinos within the 50-kilometer radius. A voluntary repatriation is also implemented for those in the 50- to 100-kilometer radius.

If a mandatory repatriation is called, the Philippine government will have to shoulder the costs.

Not ‘alert’

Bernido explained the INES should not be misconstrued as an “alert level.” The operators of the nuclear power plant merely assessed the plume that was released into the air and water since day 1, or when the March 11 earthquake struck.

The officials are now able to calibrate the real altitude of the supposed plume, she said.

“It does not mean that there was radiation again released,” she added. In fact, “the levels of radiation has not changed for the worst…it is, in fact, slowly getting better.”

If such is the case, she said “the impact on the Philippines remains insignificant as it had been since the beginning.”

Philippines sources information from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Both Japan and the Philippines are signatories of the IAEA.

Nonetheless, the PNRI will help Filipinos who would want to have themselves examined upon arrival from Japan.

PNRI emergency response manager Teofilo Leonin said there is no need for a mandatory radiation screening in airports. “Even in the airport in Tokyo, there is no such requirement,” he said.

A change of clothes and use of soap is only needed to erase traces, if there is any, of radiation, he added.

Fukushima versus Chernobyl

The Fukushima incident and the Chernobyl accident are both in the INES level 7, which means that the amount of radioactive elements released have widespread effects such as in the air, tap water, ocean and vegetables.

Bernido explained “the amount of radiation released since March 11 is only 10% of the [radiation] spewed into the air by Chernobyl.”

Fukushima merely reported an INES 7 because radiation released was between 370,000 to 630,000 thera-becquerel, “which is high but still far below that of the 5.2 million from Chernobyl.”

Becquerel is the rate of radioactive decay.

She also explained the reactors of Chernobyl caught fire, thus the massive plume with a wide impact.

Fukushima, on the other hand, has containment buildings. “The reactors were shut down,” she added.

The status in Fukushima will only get worse if the workers there refrain from cooling down the reactor units.

The status in Fukushima will only get worse if the workers there refrain from cooling down the reactor units.

the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute said on Wednesday.

In a press conference, PNRI Deputy Director Corazon Bernido said the decision of Japan authorities to upgrade the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) of the crippled plant to level 7 from 5 does not mean there is a “development” there that shows an increased radiation activity.

Asked if the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) wrongly decided to repatriate Filipinos near the plant, Bernido merely said: “I don’t want PNRI and DFA to fight. I’d rather not comment. We’re both in the government.”

Asked if there is a reason to repatriate Filipinos, she noted: “You judge for yourselves, but that’s the decision of the The radiation level in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is nowhere near the impact of the 1986 Chernobyl incident, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute said on Wednesday.

In a press conference, PNRI Deputy Director Corazon Bernido said the decision of Japan authorities to upgrade the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) of the crippled plant to level 7 from 5 does not mean there is a “development” there that shows an increased radiation activity.

Asked if the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) wrongly decided to repatriate Filipinos near the plant, Bernido merely said: “I don’t want PNRI and DFA to fight. I’d rather not comment. We’re both in the government.”

Asked if there is a reason to repatriate Filipinos, she noted: “You judge for yourselves, but that’s the decision of the DFA…Probably, they have different channels, they got information directly from the Japanese government.”

After the Japanese government announced the crisis level there, the DFA announced that it will mandatorily repatriate Filipinos within the 50-kilometer radius. A voluntary repatriation is also implemented for those in the 50- to 100-kilometer radius.

If a mandatory repatriation is called, the Philippine government will have to shoulder the costs.

Not ‘alert’

Bernido explained the INES should not be misconstrued as an “alert level.” The operators of the nuclear power plant merely assessed the plume that was released into the air and water since day 1, or when the March 11 earthquake struck.

The officials are now able to calibrate the real altitude of the supposed plume, she said.

“It does not mean that there was radiation again released,” she added. In fact, “the levels of radiation has not changed for the worst…it is, in fact, slowly getting better.”

If such is the case, she said “the impact on the Philippines remains insignificant as it had been since the beginning.”

Philippines sources information from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Both Japan and the Philippines are signatories of the IAEA.

Nonetheless, the PNRI will help Filipinos who would want to have themselves examined upon arrival from Japan.

PNRI emergency response manager Teofilo Leonin said there is no need for a mandatory radiation screening in airports. “Even in the airport in Tokyo, there is no such requirement,” he said.

A change of clothes and use of soap is only needed to erase traces, if there is any, of radiation, he added.

Fukushima versus Chernobyl

The Fukushima incident and the Chernobyl accident are both in the INES level 7, which means that the amount of radioactive elements released have widespread effects such as in the air, tap water, ocean and vegetables.

Bernido explained “the amount of radiation released since March 11 is only 10% of the [radiation] spewed into the air by Chernobyl.”

Fukushima merely reported an INES 7 because radiation released was between 370,000 to 630,000 thera-becquerel, “which is high but still far below that of the 5.2 million from Chernobyl.”

Becquerel is the rate of radioactive decay.

She also explained the reactors of Chernobyl caught fire, thus the massive plume with a wide impact.

Fukushima, on the other hand, has containment buildings. “The reactors were shut down,” she added.

The status in Fukushima will only get worse if the workers there refrain from cooling down the reactor units.

DFA…Probably, they have different channels, they got information directly from the Japanese government.”

After the Japanese government announced the crisis level there, the DFA announced that it will mandatorily repatriate Filipinos within the 50-kilometer radius. A voluntary repatriation is also implemented for those in the 50- to 100-kilometer radius.

If a mandatory repatriation is called, the Philippine government will have to shoulder the costs.

Not ‘alert’

Bernido explained the INES should not be misconstrued as an “alert level.” The operators of the nuclear power plant merely assessed the plume that was released into the air and water since day 1, or when the March 11 earthquake struck.

The officials are now able to calibrate the real altitude of the supposed plume, she said.

“It does not mean that there was radiation again released,” she added. In fact, “the levels of radiation has not changed for the worst…it is, in fact, slowly getting better.”

If such is the case, she said “the impact on the Philippines remains insignificant as it had been since the beginning.”

Philippines sources information from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Both Japan and the Philippines are signatories of the IAEA.

Nonetheless, the PNRI will help Filipinos who would want to have themselves examined upon arrival from Japan.

PNRI emergency response manager Teofilo Leonin said there is no need for a mandatory radiation screening in airports. “Even in the airport in Tokyo, there is no such requirement,” he said.

A change of clothes and use of soap is only needed to erase traces, if there is any, of radiation, he added.

Fukushima versus Chernobyl

The Fukushima incident and the Chernobyl accident are both in the INES level 7, which means that the amount of radioactive elements released have widespread effects such as in the air, tap water, ocean and vegetables.

Bernido explained “the amount of radiation released since March 11 is only 10% of the [radiation] spewed into the air by Chernobyl.”

Fukushima merely reported an INES 7 because radiation released was between 370,000 to 630,000 thera-becquerel, “which is high but still far below that of the 5.2 million from Chernobyl.”

Becquerel is the rate of radioactive decay.

She also explained the reactors of Chernobyl caught fire, thus the massive plume with a wide impact.

Fukushima, on the other hand, has containment buildings. “The reactors were shut down,” she added.

The status in Fukushima will only get worse if the workers there refrain from cooling down the reactor units.

Par birdzws - 0 commentaire(s)le 13 avril 2011
Mardi 12 avril 2011

EU welcomes structural reforms in Hungary

They welcome the announcement by the government of structural measures contained in the "Széll Kálmán Plan" that should improve the sustainability of public finances.Buy nike running shoes online They expect the Government to provide further details in the Convergence Programme due to be submitted to the EU in mid April. Based on this, an assessment will be made whether this is sufficient to ensure that the deficit remains below 3% of GDP in the coming years.

"I am pleased that Hungary is embarking on a strategy to consolidate public finances and to boost employment", said Olli Rehn, Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs.

"It will be necessary to ensure that the adjustment effort is large, frontloaded enough and backed by specific measures so that the excessive deficit can be sustainably corrected. I trust that the authorities will be ready to take additional measures should this not be the case already. In addition, care needs to be taken to provide a stable and credible environment for both domestic and international investors," he added.

The EC-IMF mission reviewed the economic situation and welcomed that after the stronger-than-expected expansion of 1.2% last year, GDP growth is set to roughly double this year.

"Indeed domestic demand will contribute positively to growth while net exports grow, and unemployment will nike mens acg sandals 2011 start declining. The current account continues to be in surplus although with the pickup of growth it may diminish somewhat," the EC noted.

"In view of the fragile global financial market situation and the challenging external financing needs that Hungary faces over the coming years, prudent fiscal policy, a stable and credible investment framework, and a cautious financing policy will play an important role," the EU executive said in a statement on Monday.

The mission welcomed the "Széll Kálmán plan" to introduce structural measures on the expenditure side, including social and pension expenditures, but also savings in local government and the transport sector. Based on the specific measures to be announced in the coming weeks, it will assess its impact on the public deficit in 2011 and beyond, in the framework of the spring forecast that will be published on 13 May.

It will also evaluate it further in the assessment of the Convergence Programme and under the Excessive Deficit Procedure. Noting that the transport and the local government sectors have been a source of budgetary slippages in the past, the mission welcomed the commitment to tackle these areas and stressed the importance of concrete restructuring plans.

"The financial sector, as well as other extraordinary sectoral levies introduced last year, will help in meeting short-term budgetary commitments. However, Commission reiterates that these levies in their current form are not supportive of the country’s investment climate and growth," the EC said.

Credit dynamics are subdued inbuy Reebok ZigTech online both household and corporate sector despite the economic recovery, it added.

The EU executive underlined the need to "limit the fiscal impact of any support schemes for existing borrowers in foreign exchange" and welcomed the announcement of the authorities to consult the Commission on these matters.

"Such ex-ante consultation should help prevent an infringement of EU law," it added.
Par birdzws - 0 commentaire(s)le 12 avril 2011

EU Officials Meet in Lisbon to Plan $116 Billion Portuguese Bailout

International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank officials will be in LisbonBuy nike running shoes online today as they start preparing an estimated 80 billion- euro ($116 billion) aid program for Portugal, the third euro- region nation to request a bailout in less than a year.

The EU aims to reach an agreement on the aid package on May 16, three weeks before the country’s June 5 early election, which was prompted by the resignation of Prime Minister Jose Socrates after parliament rejected his deficit-cutting plan.

Portugal’s bid for emergency aid last week opened what European officials say will be the final chapter in the debt crisis that erupted in Greece last year, spread to Ireland and triggered speculation that the 17-nation euro area might not survive in its current form.

“It is expected that the program is completed and approved by both the EU and IMF by mid-May 2011 in order to allow the disbursement of the first tranche ahead of the large funding needs of June,” Antonio Garcia Pascual, chief southern European economist at Barclays Capital, said in a note yesterday.

The next government will need “not only to implement further fiscal consolidation measures but also to implement difficult and potentially unpopular structural reforms, which are likely to target a leaner and more efficient public sector, further labor market reforms, and enhanced competition in goods and services markets,” he wrote.

‘Ambitious’ Plans

EU finance ministers said in an April 8 statement that the program for Portugal will include “an ambitious fiscal adjustment,” an “ambitious privatization program” and measures to maintain the liquidity and solvency of the financial sector.

IMF experts will join European Commission and ECB teams today “for technical discussions with the government,” the Washington-based IMF said by e-mail yesterday. The initial assessment will serve as a “basis” for policy discussions starting April 18, the IMF said April 10.

The Portuguese government will lead negotiations on a financial aid plan for Portugal, Socrates said on April 10. Socrates said Buy cheap nike mens acg sandals 2011on April 6 that the government would seek an EU- led rescue package as the nation faces bond redemptions in April and June that total 9 billion euros.

EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn on April 8 said an aid program for Portugal will likely amount to about 80 billion euros. Rehn said he’s confident Portugal can meet its financing needs in April and in May, “while June will be more challenging.” He declined to say what portion of Portugal’s bailout will be designated for the country’s banks.

Portuguese Targets

Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva on April 9 called for an “interim” financial package for his country and said the government that wins June elections should hammer out the details of a final aid program. Portugal’s main political parties have agreed on the deficit targets of 4.6 percent for this year, 3 percent next year and 2 percent in 2013, he said.

The Social Democrats support the aid request, Pedro Passos Coelho, leader of Portugal’s biggest opposition party, said last week. Opposition parties on March 23 united to reject the government’s proposed additional cuts that were the equivalent of 4.5 percent of gross domestic product over three years. That package included a reduction in pensions of more than 1,500 euros a month and further cuts in tax benefits.

Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen of Finland one of the euro region’s six states with AAA credit ratings, said on April 8 that Portugal’s deficit-reduction steps must go beyond the measures that failed to pass parliament last month.

Rising Yields

Portugal reported a 2010 budget defict equal to 8.6 percent of GDP, higher than a 7.3 percent the government had previously forecast, after a change in EU accounting rules forced it to add more than 2 billion euros in charges to last year’s accounts.

Yields on Portugl’s two-, five- and 10-year bonds have all reached record levels since Socrates offered his resignation buy Reebok ZigTechon March 23, leaving him in charge of a caretaker government with limited powers until the June 5 election.

The difference in yield that investors demand to hold Portugal’s 10-year bonds instead of German bunds reached a euro- era record of 544 basis points on April 5 and was at 513 yesterday. The 10-year bond yield rose to a euro-era high of 8.80 percent on April 6 and the five-year bond yield reached a high of 10.17 percent on April 5.

Portugal had been trying to avoid requesting aid for the first time since 1983, when it received external help from the Washington-based IMF.

The country’s economic growth has averaged less than 1 percent a year in the past decade, one of Europe’s weakest growth rates. Portugal’s unemployment rose to 11.1 percent in the fourth quarter, the highest since at least 1998, as the economy contracted for the first time in a year.

Par birdzws - 0 commentaire(s)le 12 avril 2011
Lundi 11 avril 2011

Egypt at 2-wk low after protests

 Egypt's main index .EGX30 slumped nike running shoes to a two-week low on Sunday following violence at a protest by thousands of Egyptians demanding that ousted President Hosni Mubarak and former officials be put on trial.

Other Middle East benchmarks were broadly upbeat as rising oil prices and expectations of improved quarterly nike mens acg sandalsearnings boosted sentiment. [O/R]

Cairo's index fell 1.4 percent, its lowest finish since March 28.

Soldiers and police used electroshock tasers and batons to try to drive protesters from Tahrir Square on Friday, but more than 1,000 defied the move and stayed. Sources said 13 men were wounded by gunfire and two died in Egypt's biggest rally since Feb. 18.

All but two of the 30 stocks on the index fell, buy Reebok ZigTech onlinewith Egyptian Resorts dropping 7.9 percent and real estate developer Palm Hills declining 2.8percent.

Par birdzws - 0 commentaire(s)le 11 avril 2011

Key Mubarak aide held

A judicial source told AFP Azmi is suspected of "inflating his wealth in a way that does not accord with his legal income." Buy nike running shoes online

If charges are filed against Azmi, he may be latest senior former regime official to go on trial.

The announcement comes a day before a planned demonstration in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square to demand the purge and trial of former regime officials, with Mubarak at their head. nike mens acg sandals 2011

The military, which assumed power after protests forced Mubarak to resign in February, has said it formed a panel to investigate the former president's wealth.

Mubarak, his wife Suzanne and his two sons Alaa and Gamal and their wives have already been banned from travel and had their assets ordered frozen.

Several of his ministers as well as some businessmen Reebok ZigTech close to the regime were arrested and banned from leaving Egypt after having their funds frozen.

The first member of Mubarak's regime to be put on trial was the much reviled former interior minister Habib el-Adli, whose security forces were given wide powers of arrest under the emergency law.

Par birdzws - 0 commentaire(s)le 11 avril 2011
première page « » dernière page

Recherche sur NoxBlog

Connexion à NoxBlog.com

Nom d'utilisateur
Mot de passe
Toujours connecté
 

Inscription sur NoxBlog


Adresse du blog
.noxblog.com

Mot de passe

Confirmation

Adresse email valide

Code de sécurité anti-spam

Code anti-bot

J'accepte les conditions d'utilisation de NoxBlog.com