Physicians for Social Responsibility Calls For A US Moratorium On New Nuclear Reactors, Citing Medical Risks

Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) today called for a nationwide moratorium on new nuclear reactors in the United States and a suspension of operations at the nuclear reactors with a similar design as those involved in the disaster in Japan, as well as those on fault lines. PSR cited the medical risks associated with any level of radiation exposure regardless of how small. Lower doses result in less chance of harm than higher doses, but any dose level can put an individual at risk.

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“AP” - Libya declares cease-fire after UN vote AP

March 18, 2011

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/libya-declares-ceasefire-after-un-vote-2245710.html

Libya has declared an immediate ceasefire after the UN authorised a no-fly zone and "all necessary measures" to prevent the regime from attacking its own people.

But a rebel spokesman said Muammar Gaddafi's forces were still shelling two cities.

The United States said a ceasefire announcement was insufficient, calling on the regime to pull back from eastern Libya where the rebels found themselves facing rockets, artillery, tanks, warplanes.

Eastern Libya has the majority of Libya's oil reserves - the largest in Africa.

Oil prices slid after the cease-fire announcement, plunging about 2.50 dollars in the first 15 minutes of New York trading. By midday, they stood at 101 dollars.

Mustafa Gheriani, a spokesman for the rebels, said attacks continued well past the announcement, which came after a fierce government attack on Misrata, the last rebel-held city in the western half of the country. A doctor said at least six people died.

"He's bombing Misrata and Adjadbiya from 7 am this morning until now. How can you trust him?" Gheriani said.

The UN Security Council resolution, which passed late on Thursday, set the stage for air strikes, a no-fly zone and other military measures short of a ground invasion.

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“Jess Zimmerman” - Is your area solar-ready? Check out this gorgeous map

Jess Zimmerman

March 18, 2011

http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-18-is-your-area-solar-ready-check-out-this-gorgeous-map

Chart: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

The places you would go to get some sun aren't necessarily the places with the most potential for solar energy. The Southwest is a giant hotspot; Florida and Hawaii are only okay. Check out this map to find the solar potential where you live.



“Todd Woody” - Cities with the most energy efficient buildings: L.A., Houston, Detroit, Dallas

Todd Woody

March, 18 2011

http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-18-cities-with-the-most-energy-efficient-buildings-l.a.-houston

It's that time of year, when the United States Environmental Protection Agency releases its list of the top 10 American cities [PDF] with the most energy efficient buildings.

In this case, that means commercial buildings that have earned an Energy Star rating that signifies they consume 35 percent less energy and release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than average buildings.

For the third year running, Los Angeles, generally not considered a paragon of restraint, snagged the No. 1 spot in 2010 with 510 Energy Star buildings, up from 293 buildings in the previous year. That 75 percent rise was mirrored nationwide as more than 6,200 commercial buildings earned Energy Star ratings last year, a 60 percent spike from 2009.

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“David Hawkins” - Why does Congress have Clean Air Act phobia?

Dave Hawkins

March 18, 2011

http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-18-why-does-congress-have-clean-air-act-phobia

It's a sad state of affairs when members on both sides of the aisle in Congress seem to think it is a good idea to attack the Clean Air Act -- the landmark law that Richard Nixon signed and George H. W. Bush strengthened. Yet the hits on the Clean Air Act just keep on coming in this Congress in spite of the act's incredible record of cutting deaths and illness caused by air pollution -- a record that has earned the strong support of the American people and the admiration of others around the world.

Clean Air Act phobia appears to be a strangely contagious disease that keeps showing up in members' pronouncements and draft bills -- a disease impervious to information and common sense. Among the current symptoms of this disease are the attacks on the act's provisions that would require some of the world's largest pollution sources to apply sensible methods to cut the amount of global warming pollution they dump into our atmosphere -- the one atmosphere Earth has -- every year. 

Over the past month or so, I and my colleagues have alerted readers to the latest attacks on the act (here, here, here, and here, to provide just a few examples). The new attacks this week have been happening in the Senate: starting with Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) amendment to add a poison pill to an unrelated small business bill and joined by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) with his own version the next day.

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“ABC/WP” - Majority for same-sex marriage

ABC/Washington Post

March 18, 2011

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/03/18/abcwashpost-majority-for-same-sex-marriage/

A majority of Americans now support same-sex marriage, a sharp reversal from five years ago, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post national survey.

The poll found 53 percent in favor of same-sex marriage with 44 percent opposed.  The same same question, in 2006, saw 53 percent opposed and only 36 percent in favor.

The poll found that support for same-sex marriage has grown among men, with college educated whites and independent voters, and with those who tend not to be religious.

Opposition to same-sex marriage remains centered among Republicans, conservatives and evangelical Christians.

The poll also measured intensity of feelings on the issue.  Five years ago, the strongest opinions were on the “No” side.  Now, however, 36 percent say they strongly support same-sex marriage with 35 percent strongly opposed.

The survey of 1005 American voters was taken March 10-13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.

Washington lawmakers are split on the issue.  Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., are cosponsors of legislation to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.  Murray voted for the law, which denies federal recognition and benefits to same-sex unions.

Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Wash., is one of 94 House Republicans cosponsoring legislation defending the act and demanding that the Obama administration defend it in court.

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“Andrew Leonard” - The government sues some bankers. Finally!

The FDIC charges three Washington Mutual execs with gross negligence. Please tell us this is only the beginning

By Andrew Leonard

March 18, 2011

http://www.salon.com/news/mortgage_crisis/index.html?story=/tech/htww/2011/03/18/fdic_sues_washington_mutual

As a former customer of Washington Mutual (though not willingly -- my much smaller bank was swallowed up by WaMu during their great 1990s expansion drive) I have followed the twists and turns of the saga of the financial crisis' poster-boy for reckless lending with great interest over the years. Way back in August 2006, I was jolted to learn that WaMu had been booking negative amortization -- roughly speaking, the amount of money owed that its mortgage borrowers were falling behind on paying -- as earnings. I called it "Enron Economics" then and I think that subsequent events have borne me out.

So now, in what is being billed as the biggest legal action taken by a regulator against executives of a financial institution involved in the great crash, the FDIC is suing WaMu's three top corporate officers for, among other things "gross negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraudulent conveyance." The gist of the case: CEO Kerry Killinger and his two right-hand men knew that they were taking big risks by putting people in homes they couldn't afford. They were warned countless times of the danger they were exposing the bank to. But they went ahead a

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“Dr. Mercola” - Feds Tell Big Tobacco to Run Ad Campaigns Saying They Lied

March 18, 2011

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/18/feds-tell-big-tobacco-to-run-ad-campaigns-saying-they-lied.asp

The U.S. Justice Department wants big cigarette manufacturers to admit they lied about the dangers of smoking. This would force the industry to set up and pay for an advertising campaign apologizing for their past behavior, or face charges for contempt of court.

The move comes as part of a 12-year-old lawsuit against the tobacco industry. The government released 14 "corrective statements."

Examples of the government's proposed statements include:

"A federal court is requiring tobacco companies to tell the truth about cigarette smoking. Here's the truth: Smoking kills 1,200 Americans. Every day."

"We falsely marketed low tar and light cigarettes as less harmful than regular cigarettes to keep people smoking and sustain our profits. Here's the truth: We control nicotine delivery to create and sustain smokers' addiction, because that's how we keep customers coming back."

In a statement, Philip Morris responded by saying, "Such a proposal is unprecedented in our legal system and would violate basic constitutional and statutory standards."

Can you imagine passing a billboard ad that reads:

"Please buy our cigarettes—you, too, can be one of the 1,200 Americans killed by them every day! Help us meet our profit margin."

Not exactly a grand slam tagline for increased cigarette sales.

Yet this is exactly the sort of ad campaign Big Tobacco will have to run if the Department of Justice gets their way. And honestly, it couldn't happen to a more deserving industry, which has earned every shred of enmity they get from the government and the public.

Only time will tell if Big Tobacco ends up eating crow before the U.S. government—Philip Morris may become better known as Philip Remorseful.

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"Russell Blaylock" - NEW Studies Reveal Alarming Hidden Cause of Breast Cancer

By Russell L. Blaylock, MD, CCN

March 18, 2011

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/18/vaccines-increase-cancer-risk.aspx

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in women worldwide and breast cancer rates are increasing rapidly.

A compelling number of studies, though not all, have shown that free iron concentrations in breast tissue, especially the ductal tissue, is playing a major role in stimulating cancer development and eventual progression to aggressive, deadly cancers.^1,2

Cancers are Very Dependent on Iron

Iron is needed for DNA replication in rapidly dividing cells.³

A recent report from the Department of Biomolecular Sciences in Urbino Italy, found that fluid taken from the nipple of cancer patients contained significantly higher levels of aluminum than did nipple fluid taken from women without breast cancer—approximately twice as much aluminum.⁴

A number of studies have found that extracting nipple fluid by a breast pump (in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women) is a simple way to study the microenvironment of the ductal tissue, the site of development of most breast cancers.⁵

Examining this ductal fluid is an excellent way to measure such things as iron levels, ferritin (an iron-binding protein), CRP (a measure of breast inflammation) and aluminum.

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Stephen Soldz: Fight for a Decent Society or Inherit a Worse One

I am delighted to be here today with you as we defend the American Dream from those seeking to turn our society back a century or more. I am President of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, an organization whose members are psychologists and other mental health professionals and behavioral scientists who use their knowledge and expertise to further peace and social justice. We treat those having emotional problems which interfere with their functioning, promote peaceful strategies for conflict resolution and the development of healthy communities, bring social justice concerns to the teaching of psychology, and do research to improve our efforts. The massive budget cuts will injure the interests of both professionals like our members and the people we serve and teach. And the research to improve those services will be cut.

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