Depleted Uranium story about NRC Aug. 27

August 28th, 2009

Residents Just say no
Army’s depleted uranium claims questioned
by Chelsea Jensen
West Hawaii Today
cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com
Thursday, August 27, 2009 9:42 AM HST

Despite a report released by the U.S. Army in July saying that depleted uranium at the Pohakuloa Training Area poses no risk to the public, Big Island residents urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wednesday evening to investigate deeper before granting the Army a license to possess the radioactive material.

“The facts scare us. We know the facts and we also know the misinformation because we’ve had two, three years of the military trying to twist the facts around to make it seem depleted uranium is safe and we have nothing to worry about,” said Meghan Isaac Magdelan. “It makes people sick and it makes people die.”

Jon Viloon added, “We need a second opinion because I’m not convinced that your calm reassurances reflect reality.

About 40 people attended the public hearing on the U.S. Army’s application to possess residual quantities of depleted uranium on Wednesday evening at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. The commission, an independent agency created by Congress, also outlined the agency’s review process and inspection and enforcement policies.

The Army’s application would cover nine locations throughout the United States, including the Pohakuloa Training Area and Schofield Barracks on Oahu, said John Hayes, a project manager for the NRC’s Materials Decommissioning Branch.

An inspection would initially only be required every two years for PTA, however, compliance could extend or decrease the period between inspections, said Region IV Inspector for the NRC’s Nuclear Materials Safety Branch Robert Evans.

Depleted uranium is the leftover byproduct of the process that enriches uranium for commercial and military use.

Following its discovery at Schofield Barracks in 2005, research led to records of 714 spotting rounds for the now-obsolete Davy Crockett weapons systems being shipped to Hawaii during the 1960s. The discovery of depleted uranium at Pohakuloa was announced in August 2007 after a single M101 spotting round was discovered. Two additional pieces of radioactive material were later found during a survey at the military training area situated between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

Among the top concerns raised by residents was the Army’s continued dropping of 2,000-pound test bombs in the area, despite the county council passing a nonbinding resolution in 2008 requesting the military halt live-fire training.

“The name ‘depleted uranium’ is very deceptive. It’s ‘lethal uranium’ — that’s what it should be called and we have a lot more knowledge about it because we have been faced with it, we are downwind of it and many of our friends have died or suffered,” said Barbara Moore, president of the Hawaii Island Health Alliance, who added that she believed radiation she was exposed to near Pohakuloa in 2007 may have lead to her being diagnosed with leukemia.

She added, “We’re asking you to stop the bombing, to close down the live fire at PTA. We want remediation. … We don’t want to kill our citizens with depleted uranium that is being blasted around in dust.”

Further, residents requested that the commission look into the effects depleted uranium radiation may have had on Hawaii’s population citing an increase in cancer, birth defects, deformations and other maladies, said Marya Mann, a local psychologist.

The public has until Oct. 13 to submit comments or to make a hearing request as outlined in the National Federal Register.

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Food Inc. inflame investigation of Monsanto?

August 20th, 2009

Jim Crammer thinks so:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/20/jim-cramer-thinks-food-in_n_264115.html

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GMO “Must See”

August 19th, 2009

This is a long and very in depth look into the seriousness of GMO in our world. Please be informed in your choices for the sake of your health and the health of future generations.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1876901729566469042

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Important info on vaccines

August 17th, 2009

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZspyG9OyCs&feature=related
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1ho6s7pes&feature=related
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHBIf9nsWWI&feature=related
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdeyD-EQj9I&feature=related
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOhl6Vn21RQ&feature=related
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8UBhO4YrHo&feature=related
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qcAPjAAW0I&feature=related
8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BvyHVwsch0&feature=related
9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtzcSZEjXIc&feature=related
10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BvyHVwsch0&feature=related

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GMO travel tip

August 12th, 2009

Travel Tip:

If you are traveling this summer you might find yourself navigating through a foreign grocery store with few labels. GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) are to be avoided, and buy organic whenever you can. The best way to avoid GMOS to buy from local farmers. But in stores you can check the codes on the produce. If the produce sticker has a code that begins with a 4 then it was grown conventionally, if it begins with a 9 then it was grown organically, and if it begins with an 8 then it is a GMO.

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Air out your car

August 10th, 2009

Thanks to Gordona for this.

There are SO many EASY things we can/should do to promote our health and/or prevent unnecessary disease!

For instance, acceptable benzene level indoors is 50 mg per sq. ft.. A car parked indoors with windows closed usually contains 400-800 mg of benzene. If parked in the sun at temperatures above 60F/10C), the benzene level climbs to 2000-4000 mg — 40 times the acceptable level.

So, if the outdoor temperature is above 60F/10C, air out your car! If possible, leave your car door/s open for a few moments before entering, open the windows upon entering , and, if you are using it, only then turn on the A/C (which recycles the air mixture within a car) or heater. Studies show that the dashboard and trim, upholstery, and even many air “fresheners” emit benzene. Benzene causes anemia and reduces white blood cells. It is a toxin that affects kidneys and liver, and prolonged exposure may cause leukemia and other cancers, “poison bones”, and even cause miscarriage. Also, when it’s warm, upholstery and carpets emit more formaldehyde and stain preventing toxins. Since this mix is extremely difficult for our bodies to expel, just AIR OUT YOUR CAR!

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Asleep at the wheel for 64 years

August 7th, 2009

This long story by Daniel Ellsberg is well thought out, well written, and very important. Please share with others.

Truthdig - Reports - Hiroshima Day: America Has Been Asleep at the Wheel for 64 Years <http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090805_hiroshima_day_america_has_been_asleep_at_the_wheel_for_64_years/>

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    About
    Stuffed into an 8 pound flesh covered space suit in Southern California in 1944, Barbara Ann Moore was born at a very early age. Her uneventful childhood, with a yarn-spinning Alabama father and Virginia Virgo mother, two humorous older brothers and a singing beagle, was full of love and laughter. As a professional student with no particular profession in mind, Barbara attended several colleges and universities on the undergraduate as well as the graduate level. Briefly married (also at an early age), Barbara worked as a lab tech in the hospital before she became an academic adviser at Iowa State University and later, in California, at the State University at Chico. Her life took a distinct 180 turn in the '70's when she met a colorful psychedelic artist who wanted to “score” a chick and move to Hawaii. Since her multiple Scorpio phoenix bird reincarnations in Hawaii, Barbara has primarily been crafting the Healing Arts Center (see About Us on www.dragonflyranch.com) called the Dragonfly Ranch--begun in 1974. Along the way, Barbara studied with a number of respected kahunas who taught her Hawaiian lomilomi (a sacred rejuvenation treatment), ho’oponopono (a method of "setting things right") and Hawaiian healing herbs. With the help of quality assistance from her Ohana (adopted family), three dogs and one cat, Barbara hosts discerning travelers looking for an authentic Hawaiian experience, enjoying Healthy Pleasures. Elected president of Hawaii Island Wellness Travel Association (HIWTA.org), Barbara is learning how to interview members for youTube "webasodes". Besides loving her life at the Dragonfly, Barbara’s present personal passion is to finish her screenplay called, “To Die Laughing”, a romantic comedy about death.
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