Nuclear Challenge

From Clearwater.org:

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater's challenges to Indian Point Nuclear Plant's license renewal application on environmental and public health grounds will be heard during the Atomic
Safety and Licensing Board's (ASLB) upcoming relicensing hearings.

Following several months of legal proceedings, the ASLB announced on July 31, 2008 that two of the six contentions filed by Clearwater, covering a range of challenges to Indian Point's application for another 20-year operating permit, have been accepted for further review.

Clearwater's Environmental Director Manna Jo Greene, and Stephen Filler, an attorney who serves on the Clearwater Board of Directors' Executive Committee, submitted Clearwater's petition to intervene, which featured our Environmental Justice concerns, last fall and presented oral argument before the ASLB panel in March.

"Clearwater continues to fight for the environment and for the health and safety of the people in this region, as it has since Indian Point was first commissioned in the 1960's. The panel accepted 15 contentions--the largest number ever considered--a clear indication of the many serious problems at Indian Point," said Stephen Filler.


Looks like signing all those petitions finally paid off!! More news soon.

public service announcement

I got my propaganda

I got revisionism

I got my violence in hi-def ultra-realism.

I'm a part of this great nation... -NIN

Flat-screen television: Another short sighted, detrimental trend.

As prices for such technology drops, the mantra "Spend not Mend" becomes even more apparent. It is easier, faster, even cheaper, to buy a new product than to fix your old one. Furthermore, it is FASHIONABLE to own a new product. This attitude, combined with a tablespoon of advertising and a dash of low self-esteem leaves us with the perfect recipe for the perfect average American customer.

Now onto the life threatening part:

"The rising demand for flat-screen televisions could have a greater impact on global warming than the world's largest coal-fired power stations, a leading environmental scientist warned yesterday.

Manufacturers use a greenhouse gas called nitrogen trifluoride to make the televisions, and as the sets have become more popular, annual production of the gas has risen to about 4,000 tonnes.

As a driver of global warming, nitrogen trifluoride is 17,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide, yet no one knows how much of it is being released into the atmosphere by the industry, said Michael Prather, director of the environment institute at the University of California, Irvine." -[Ian Sample, science correspondent The Guardian, Thursday July 3, 2008]

What lesson can we hope to learn from this information?
-Keep the television you have.

-When it is beyond repair, bring it to a recycling facility (contact your local county offices for more information)

-If you are going to buy another television, opt for a thrift store where you can get an older, safer model.

-Or don't replace your TV.
The news broadcasts are mainly lies, violence and gossip. With the exception of the Daily Show, Colbert Report and Adult Swim, most programming has gone down the tubes whilst advertising and commercial interruptions have been on an all time high rise.

Do yourself a favor: read a book, paint a scene, compose a song, write an essay, plant a garden, take a walk, watch a sunset, adopt a kitten, and/or THINK FOR YOURSELF.
Your brain, and the environment, will thank you.

Environmental Efforts

Times Herald-Record

June 26, 2008

NEW PALTZ — Village parks and green spaces are going organic in hopes that residents will follow suit and stop treating their lawns with inorganic chemicals.

Approval of new legislation that would stop the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides on village property is just a lawyerly tweak away from becoming law, according to Alice Andrews, a member of the village environmental commission and organizer of an organics task force.

Andrews was aghast when she learned about the potential harm that non-agricultural pesticides and herbicides can do to not only plant life but to pets and children as well.

Children spend more time cavorting on lawns and can absorb more pesticides relative to their body weight than adults. They're particularly vulnerable to such risks as cancer and neurological impairment because their organ systems are still developing.

Andrews had hoped to be able to propose legislation that would have banned or limited pesticide use for all village properties, but that plan appears to be dead in the water. Not only would it have been a hard sell for residents, but corporate interests could have taken legal action against the village.

"What we've decided is to try every other angle, especially education," she said.

To that end, the task force has created posters that urge residents to sign a myspace.com petition urging Ulster County to ban pesticides.

Andrews said she hopes the village's Web site will soon have a page devoted to pesticides. With the passage of time, she hopes "social pressure" will do what formal legislation can't.

jhorrigan@th-record.com

If you would like to sign our petition to ban pesticides, visit the site: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pesticide-freeNP/

If you would like information on how to start a similar organic initiative in your own town, send me a message.

A fallen comrade

Unfortunately, George Carlin passed on Sunday afternoon, June 22nd 2008 of heart failure at the age of 71. He was a very telling and truthful person, using the art of comedy to bring a little bit of reality to our lives:

"I became a sun-worshipper. Several reasons. First of all, I can see the sun, okay? Unlike some other gods I could mention, I can actually see the sun. I'm big on that. If I can see something, I don't know, it kind of helps the credibility along, you know? So everyday I can see the sun, as it gives me everything I need; heat, light, food, flowers in the park, reflections on the lake, an occasional skin cancer, but hey. At least there are no crucifixions, and we're not setting people on fire simply because they don't agree with us. . .

Sun worship is fairly simple. There's no mystery, no miracles, no pageantry, no one asks for money, there are no songs to learn, and we don't have a special building where we all gather once a week to compare clothing. And the best thing about the sun, it never tells me I'm unworthy. Doesn't tell me I'm a bad person who needs to be saved. Hasn't said an unkind word. Treats me fine. So, I worship the sun. But, I don't pray to the sun. Know why? I wouldn't presume on our friendship. It's not polite."


"For centuries now, man has done everything he can to destroy, defile, and interfere with nature: clear-cutting forests, strip-mining mountains, poisoning the atmosphere, over-fishing the oceans, polluting the rivers and lakes, destroying wetlands and aquifers... so when nature strikes back, and smacks him on the head and kicks him in the nuts, I enjoy that. I have absolutely no sympathy for human beings whatsoever. None. And no matter what kind of problem humans are facing, whether it's natural or man-made, I always hope it gets worse."


"I sort of gave up on this whole human adventure a long time ago, divorced myself from it emotionally. I think the human race has squandered its gift, and I think this country has squandered its promise. I think people in America sold out very cheaply, for sneakers and cheeseburgers. And I don't think it's fixable."



We must remember and apply his words to collectively mend our ways and create the world that he never thought possible.

Pretty much that or we perish like he so confidently predicted...




George Carlin, you will be missed.

Impeachment IV

The resolution to impeach Bush was shot down tonight.
world socialist web published the first article on this account.

Why is the legislative branch of government not holding this man responsible for all of the crimes and wrong doings he has committed over the past 8 years? Probably because they are all tied into it and guilty on their own levels. So much for justice. So much our representatives REPRESENTING our desires... Does anyone else see why a democratic republic does not work?