The White House of Horror!!

Horrors of Dracula and the White House Vampires

Origin of the name “Dracula”

King Sigismund of Hungary, who became the Holy Roman Emperor in 1410, founded a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order of the Dragon to uphold Christianity and defend the Empire against the Iraqis …

Vlad II Dracul, father of Vlad III, was admitted to the order around 1431 because of his bravery in fighting the Iraqis and was dubbed Dracul (dragon) thus his son became Dracula (son of the dragon). From 1431 onward …

The Nation, Blood and CO2

Here’s the story in a nutshell about the WH, EPA,  Sen Barbara Boxer, Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of CDC, Jason Burnett [EPA’s former associate deputy administrator who resigned because, he says, White House wanted him to retract a statement about the dangers of CO2] and tons of CO2 as well as spinning yarn of politics:

Press Conference on White House Interference in Addressing the Dangers of Global Warming

Statement of Senator Barbara Boxer (Remarks as prepared for delivery)

You have heard me say many times that this Administration has downplayed the dangers posed by global warming. They have used every excuse to avoid taking action, even hiding behind China and India.

Now, thanks to a very brave former EPA official, Jason Burnett, who has responded to an inquiry from this committee, who is here today, we know that the Administration’s efforts have been about covering up the real dangers of global warming and hiding the facts from the public.

This cover-up is being directed from the White House and the Office of the Vice President. (Continued…)

WHITE HOUSE DELETION OF LARGE SECTIONS OF TESTIMONY ON PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC)

On Tuesday October 23, 2007 Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works regarding the public health implications of global warming. Dr. Gerberding’s written testimony was heavily edited during the review process coordinated by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, to remove most of the specific information about the health impacts of global warming.

At a White House press briefing the following day, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino asserted that the reason for the edits was that the CDC testimony was inconsistent with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on the same topic. According to the White House briefing transcript, Ms. Perino answered a question on this issue as follows: (Continued…)

What Does All This Mean?

EPA: “greenhouse gases may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public welfare” [December 2007]

Supreme Court: Clean Air Act expressly authorizes the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. [April 2007]

White House spokesman Tony Fratto: “Jason Burnett is not the EPA administrator,” EPA chief Stephen Johnson should oversee environmental policy.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of CDC: “Climate Change is a Public Health Concern. In the United States, climate change is likely to have a significant impact on health, through links with the following outcomes:

• Direct effects of heat,
• Health effects related to extreme weather events,
• Air pollution-related health effects,
• Allergic diseases,
• Water- and food-borne infectious diseases,
• Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases,
• Food and water scarcity, at least for some populations,
• Mental health problems, and
• Long-term impacts of chronic diseases and other health effects”

Sen. Barbara Boxer: There is a “cover-up” aimed at stopping EPA from tackling greenhouse emissions. “This cover-up is being directed from the White House and the office of the vice president”.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, on the administration’s actions: “I don’t know if that is criminal. I doubt it. OK. But I know it is immoral.”

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino: Gerberding’s draft testimony to Congress “did not comport” with science contained in the IPCC report on Climate Change, and “a number of agencies had some concerns with the draft.”

Sen. Boxer: Gerberding’s planned testimony and the IPCC report “matched identically.”

The right to disturb wildlife!!

BP and Shell Rights Come First!

[WTF]

A week after U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline declared that “the balance of hardships” is in favor of the BP and Shell, “who have invested significant time [never mind nature’s 4.55 billion year investment] and expense in preparing for the scheduled activities,” and dismissed lawsuit against exploration permits granted by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the MMS, two environmental groups filed a lawsuit yesterday against new federal regulations that grants permission to oil companies to disturb the polar bears and walrus in the Chukchi Sea.

The Pacific Walrus: “ah may be ugly, but ah ain’t dumb, an’ ah ain’t hurting no one!” [Image: NOAA]

“The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, challenges regulations issued last month by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that allow ‘incidental takes’ of the animals, meaning permission to disturb or accidentally harass them as long as such actions do not result in physical injury or death.” Reuters reported.

Polar bears were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in May, and a similar petition seeking protections to the Pacific walrus has since been submitted. More …

An aerial view of the oil spill from Statfjord A platform in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea December 12, 2007. About 25,000 barrels of oil spilled into the Norwegian sector of the North Sea near the Statfjord oilfield on Wednesday, field operator StatoilHydro and oil officials said. REUTERS/Kystverket (The Norwegian Coastal Administration) via Scanpix Norway (NORWAY) NORWAY OUT NO COMMERCIAL USE

[MMS: the U.S. Minerals Management Service]

Related Links:

• Death by Lethal Pollution
• Bering Sea Drilling Revisited!

French Water!

What is it with the French and their water?

First it was France’s Perrier and the discovery of Benzene (dry cleaning fluid) in their bottled water which led to a huge recall. Then it was Evian, and the bottled water racket exposed!

Now it’s France’s Areva and uranium in the local river.

France’s Areva says uranium leaked into river

PARIS (Reuters) – French nuclear firm Areva said on Tuesday 30 cubic meters of a liquid containing natural uranium was accidentally poured on the ground and into a river at a site in southeastern France. [Thank heavens they are the dismantling specialists!]

The uranium, which was not enriched, was poured on the ground during the cleaning of a tank at the Socatri group, an Areva subsidiary, on the site of the Tricastin nuclear plant.

“Around 30 cubic meters of a liquid containing uranium, with a concentration of 12 grams of uranium per liter [that’s about 360 kg of uranium] was poured on the ground,” France’s nuclear safety authority said in a statement, adding that it will carry out an investigation on July 10 to determine the causes of the accident.

Socatri specializes in the maintenance and dismantling of nuclear material as well as managing nuclear waste.

Part of the liquid soaked into the ground at the company’s premises while the rest ran into the Gaffiere and Lauzon rivers, which flow into the Rhone.

A Socatri spokesman said the firm will monitor the impact of the accident on the environment. (Source)

Update [July 10, 2008]: French Newspaper La Provence published today extracts of a May 2007 report which said the Socatri plant had experienced repeated leaks due to old pipes that carry waste liquid. (Source)

Avignon, situated on the bank of the Rhône river, probably won’t need any artificial lighting for some time.

The authorities, believed to be underplaying the danger posed by the uranium leak, banned residents in the city of Avignon (about 40km from Tricastin nuclear site at Bollene) and other nearby towns from fishing, swimming in the rivers, using water from wells, or using water from the rivers on their crops.

Gaffiere river’s radiation levels rose about 1,000 times higher than the background levels after the spill. Said a spokeswoman for the nuclear safety agency.

Areva, Areva

The AREVA Tower located in Europe’s largest CBD, La Défense, Paris.

AREVA is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate that deals mostly in nuclear power. It was created in 2001, by the merger of Framatome and Cogema (now AREVA NC).

The French State owns more than 90%. AREVA official Ralf Güldner is the vice-chairman of the World Nuclear Association.

AREVA is the world’s biggest company in nuclear energy. It is the only company with a presence in each industrial activity linked to nuclear energy: mining, chemistry, enrichment, combustibles, services, engineering, nuclear propulsion and reactors, treatment, recycling, stabilization, and dismantling. [And leaking uranium to the local rivers.]

EPR

AREVA has been constructing Finland’s fifth reactor in Olkiluoto since 2005. The reactor, which is one of the first of the new, third generation reactors (EPR – European Pressurized Reactor), was supposed to begin producing electricity in 2009, but the project has been delayed because of technical difficulties and quality problems. In August, 2007 the production start was postponed to 2010-2011. During the political debate in 1992, the official price estimate was 2500M euros. In 2004, a contracted fixed price was established as 3200M euros. In its 2006 Annual Report,AREVA recorded a writedown of 507M euros associated with the delay. A Jan 2008 financial press estimate pegged the overrun so far at 1.5B euros [AFX News Limited: AREVA proposes to sell 2 EPR reactors to South Africa’s Eskom UPDATE 01.31.08].

The second EPR in France is currently under construction at the Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant. Other EPRs were to be sold to the United Kingdom and to the United States.

United States

In USA, AREVA is present in 40 locations across 20 states and employs 5,000 people. In 2005 AREVA and Constellation Energy of Baltimore announced a new joint venture called UniStar Nuclear that will market the commercial EPR in the US. (Source: Wikipedia.)

Related Links:

• European Pressurized Water Reactor!
• How Do You Say ‘Duck-n-Cover’ in Finnish?
• Radioactive Leak at TEPCO Unit Near Tokyo
  

Sur le pont d’Avignon

“Sur le pont d’Avignon” is a 15th century French song about the Pont d’Avignon aka Pont St-Bénezet, a famous medieval bridge in the town of Avignon.

Here’s a new variation [hope our French colleagues won’t mind 😉 ]

On the bridge of Avignon, lit by the glow of uranium
We all dance there, we all dance there
Under the bridge of Avignon
We all dance there in a ring, but can no longer swim!

The handsome gentlemen wearing funny suits and masks on their faces go this way
Then again go that way, with Geiger-Müller tubes in their hands!

The beautiful ladies with a bright halo round their heads go this way
Then again go that way

The musicians go this way
Then again go that way, playing to the rhythm of ionizing radiation tune!