The Story-of-Stuff Lady, Annie Leonard takes on the thorny issue of bottled water,[1] in the below clip: ‘The Story of Bottled Water, released on March 22, 2010 (World Water Day) employs the Story of Stuff style to tell the story of manufactured demand—how you get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows from the tap. Over five minutes, the film explores the bottled water industry’s attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces. The film concludes with a call to take back the tap, not only by making a personal commitment to avoid bottled water, but by supporting investments in clean, available tap water for all. Our production partners on the bottled water film include five leading sustainability groups: Corporate Accountability International, Environmental Working Group, Food & Water Watch, Pacific Institute, and Polaris Institute’.
That was then, meaning 2010, but this is now, in other words 2011 on its way to 2012: ‘The United States isn’t broke; we’re the richest country on the planet and a country in which the richest among us are doing exceptionally well. But the truth is, our economy is broken, producing more pollution, greenhouse gasses and garbage than any other country. In these and so many other ways, it just isn’t working. But rather than invest in something better, we continue to keep this ‘dinosaur economy’ on life support with hundreds of billions of dollars of our tax money. The Story of Broke calls for a shift in government spending toward investments in clean, green solutions—renewable energy, safer chemicals and materials, zero waste and more—that can deliver jobs AND a healthier environment. It’s time to rebuild the American Dream; but this time, let’s build it better’.
The 20th century was the American Century, we are told, and the 21st will be the Chinese, rumour has it . . . but staying in the U.S. and ignoring the Chinese-owned American debt, Annie Leonard emphatically declares that “We’re not really broke—our public money has just been hijacked. Our new film, The Story of Broke, shines a light on the dumb choices our elected so-called leaders are making with our money: handing out tax breaks for oil companies reaping record profits; paving public roads that only go to one place—a new Walmart; granting permits to mine public lands at prices set in 1872; cleaning up toxic messes made by giant chemical companies; and offering public funds for corporations building nuclear reactors and other risky ventures. Here’s how it’s supposed to work in a democracy: Every year, you and I pitch some of our money into the shared public account. Our government is supposed to use this money for the public good: public safety, education, environmental protection, and helping those in need. Some public money also gets used to help businesses—to encourage job creation or spur technological innovation, for instance. I’m all for the government using some of my money to help businesses grow and innovate – as long as I and my fellow citizens also benefit. Unfortunately that’s not always what happens. And we usually don’t see it happening because most of the handouts take the form of hidden subsidies – tax breaks, government contracts, access to public land and water. If a member of Congress came to your house and asked for money to build a garbage incinerator in a low-income neighborhood, to mine uranium near the Colorado River, or boost the balance sheet of an oil company that just posted record profits, you’d tell him to get off your lawn. But thousands of lobbyists in Washington and billons in campaign contributions keep the subsidies flowing – and hold America back from the sustainable economy of the future. So as we balance our personal bank accounts each month, let’s remember that there’s a whole other pot of money we’re responsible for as well. It’s both our right and our responsibility to help determine how that money is spent and we should be making sure it’s helping build a better world. We know that a better future is possible—that we can make Stuff in ways that are safe and healthy and fair. We know that clean energy and non-toxic chemicals exist. Better alternatives have been around for decades. It’s high time we gave a leg up to the kinds of cleaner, healthier industries we need for the century ahead. It’s time we put our money behind businesses that will help build a better future. That means stepping out of our consumer selves and occupying our citizen selves. It means reminding ourselves and our governments of the power we have when we unite as citizens. That’s why what was happening in Oakland and other cities last week was so exciting. Because together, getting out of the shopping mall and into the streets, we do have real power to make a better future. And we have enough money to get started right now”.[2]
In fact, turns out, as explained by Business Insider’s Vincent Trivett, it is not really the Chinese who are holding the great bulk of U.S. debt: ‘Hong Kong, Caribbean Banking Centers, Taiwan, Brazil, Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mutual Funds, Commercial Banks, State, Local, and Federal Retirement Funds, Money Market Mutual Funds, the UK, Private Pension Funds, State and Local Governments, Japan, U.S. households, China, The Federal ieserve, Social Security Trust Fund’, and he ends his survey by stating that “[i]n all, the Treasury owes foreigners and foreign governments $4.514 trillion dollars . . . But [, that] Americans own most of their own country’s $14,342,909,569,328.74 of debt”.[3] Trivett points out that the Chinese own but 8% of the U.S. debt burden.
A number of protests are being held today at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban to protest the failure of world leaders to agree to immediately agree to a deal of binding emissions cuts. Anjali Appadurai, a student at the College of the Atlantic in Maine, addressed the conference on behalf of youth delegates. Just after her speech, she led a mic-check from the stage — a move inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests. “It always seems impossible until it’s done. So, distinguished delegates and governments around the world, governments of the developed world: Deep cuts now. Get it done”, Appadurai says (9 December 2011).
Just a few days ago, Kurt Nimmo wrote that ‘the architect of Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 3, Uehara Haruo, was interviewed in Japan [on 17 November]. He warned that a “China Syndrome” situation is inevitable at the plant. Haruo said that considering eight months have passed since the tsunami and the crippling of the nuclear plant without any improvement in the condition of the reactors, it is likely melted fuel has escaped the container vessel and is now burning through the earth. On September 20, 2011, Hiroaki Koide, assistant professor at Kyoto University’s Research Reactor Institute, estimated that material from the nuclear fuel rods may be twelve meters deep underground at reactors one and three. Haruo said debris is spreading in Pacific Ocean. On November 15, tons of radioactive debris reached the Marshall Islands. If the fuel reaches an underground water source, Haruo explained, it will result in the contamination of water, soil and the sea. More catastrophic, underground super-heated water will ultimately create a massive hydrovolcanic explosion’.[1]
The China Syndrome
Jane Fonda’s movie scared a lot of people back in its day, and now, according to Uehara Haruo, a real life Chine Syndrome is about to transpire. But as Nimmo points out “media in Japan and the alternative media have covered this story over the last few days, it has been uniformly ignored by the corporate media. Fukushima is no longer news worthy”.[2] At the beginning of November, the YouTube user Living Enrichment posted the below topical warning, particularly relevant for New York state but also registering the fallout of Fukushima.
Marco Kaltofen, a Massachusetts Registered Professional Engineer engaged in the investigation of nuclear material release, made these declarations at the end of October: “The Fukushima nuclear accident dispersed airborne dusts that are contaminated with radioactive particles. When inhaled or ingested, these particles can have negative effects on human health that are different from those caused by exposure to external or uniform radiation fields . . . A field sampling effort was undertaken to characterize the form and concentration of radionuclides in the air and in environmental media which can accumulate fallout. Samples included settled dusts, surface wipes, used filter masks, used air filters, dusty footwear, and surface soils . . . Isolated US soil samples contained up to 8 nanoCuries per Kg of radiocesium, while control samples showed no detectable radiocesium”.[3] Is the Fukushima disaster slowly spreading its wings across America??? Will Fukushima turn out to be a disaster that far extends the boundaries of Japan and Asia???
Six months after the explosions at the Fukushima nuclear plant and the release of radiation there, Professor Jim Al-Khalili sets out to discover whether nuclear power is safe. He begins in Japan, where he meets some of the tens of thousands of people who have been evacuated from the exclusion zone. He travels to an abandoned village just outside the zone to witness a nuclear clean-up operation. Al-Khalili draws on the latest scientific findings from Japan and from the previous explosion at Chernobyl to understand how dangerous the release of radiation is likely to be and what that means for our trust in nuclear power (Broadcast 14 September 2011).
Libya’s interim leader gives forces loyal to deposed ruler Muammar Gaddafi a four-day deadline to surrender towns still under their control or face military force (30 August 2011).
Last December I posted an entry on Canada’s tar sands and the projected pipeline that would transport the resultant oil all the way from Alberta in the north to Texas and the Gulf of Mexıco in the south.[1]
On this edition of the Big Picture, Jamie Henn and Cherri Foytlin join ‘Thom after getting out of jail. More arrests in front of the White House this week as demonstrators continue their push-back against the proposed TransCanada oil pipeline. Since Monday, 22 August, more than 160 people have been cuffed in protests. The project – mostly pushed for by oil oligarchs in Texas – will create a massive pipeline across America stretching from Canada to Texas – that will funnel 700,00 barrels of highly toxic crude every day across some of America’s most treasured and pristine lands. Protestors of the project describe it as: “A fifteen hundred mile fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the continent, a way to make it easier and faster to trigger the final overheating of our planet” President Obama can stop the project on his own with the stroke of a pen – and environmental activists around the country – many of whom believed President Obama’s promises to heal the planet and voted for him – are hoping he doesn’t turn their back on the them now’ (25 August 2011).
In view of President Obama’s much-vaunted championing of green jobs and sustainable development, the issue of his endorsement of the TransCanada pipeline seems crucial indeed. Fortunately for him, hurricane Irene has now diverted attention away from the protests and the projected pipeline. As reported by AP’s Jennifer Peltz and Michael Biesecker ‘Irene zeroed in on land Saturday [, 27 August], losing some power but still whipping up trouble even before a catastrophic run up the Eastern Seaboard. More than 2 million people were told to move to safer places, and New York City ordered the nation’s biggest subway system shut down for the first time because of a natural disaster. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the enormous storm’s top sustained winds were down to 90 mph early Saturday from 100 mph overnight but warned that Irene would remain a hurricane as it moves up the mid-Atlantic coast, even after losing some more strength once it hits land’.[2] The Tar Sand Action group, however, remains active on the interwebz, with a dedicated website and Facebook page.[3] On Friday, 26 August, the following was posted on the website: ‘Here is an update on our plans for the coming weekend as a result of Hurricane Irene: Being mindful of the State of Emergency declared, we will have a rally on Saturday, but will not engage in civil disobedience. We will meet at Lafayette Park for the rally at 10am, and hope to be done before the storm hits. That evening, we will still have the Artists For the Climate event (How to Defuse a Carbon Bomb) at St. Stephen’s Church (1525 Newton Street Northwest, near Columbia Heights Metro). Anyone concerned about travel arrangements or other issues related to the storm is encouraged to reschedule their plans to join us in the coming week, which we expect to be even bigger and stronger than the one past. We will discuss as a group our plans for tomorrow during this evening’s training session, which will continue as planned, based on the latest weather updates. Sunday’s demonstration will be cancelled, in the interests of safety, and out of respect for everyone dealing with the immediate effects of this monster storm. Sunday’s training for Monday’s action is still planned to happen at Mt. Vernon Church at
5pm, barring major power outages or other disruptions. It does not escape our attention that storms of this size and character will be the new normal on a warmer planet. We are more committed than ever to continuing our campaign to stop Keystone XL and the tar sands development, and we will be back in action Monday, [29 August 2011]’.[4]
After the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe in Japan – a lot of people wondered out loud just what the hell the Japanese were doing building nuclear power plants along the coast of an area prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. It’s as though they were just asking for this to happen – who could have been so stupid?? Surely – here in the United States we’re a lot more careful with where we build OUR nuclear plants right?? Well . . . no. The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant just outside Omaha, Nebraska is completely surrounded by water. But I suppose that’s what happens when you build a nuclear plant right in the middle of the flood plain of the Missouri River. Flood waters from the rising Missouri River have settled at a foot and a half ABOVE where the plant sits – and the only thing stopping Fort Calhoun from flooding just like Fukushima flooded is a six-foot high rubber wall surrounding the plant. But that’s not the only nuclear power plant in danger. Just down the river in southeast Nebraska – the Cooper Nuclear Plant – is also on the verge of flooding (21 June 2011).
Who will be quoting Thom Hartmann’s words addressing Taner Yıldız, the politician who want to build two separate nuclear power plants on two separate fault lines in Anatolia???
The recent earthquake-cum-tsunami that struck Japan has led to a nuclear crisis that will very likely determine the way the world perceives nuclear energy production in years and decades to come. Recently, Germany decided to halt its nuclear energy programme and shut down all existing nuclear power plants by 2022. On 28 May 2011, ‘over 160,000 marchers filled the streets of 20 German cities calling for the immediate shutdown of all 17 of the country’s reactors’.[1] And, two days later, on 30 May, Frau Merkel said: “Step by step, we will abandon nuclear energy by the end of 2022. This path is a big challenge for Germany, but it also means huge opportunities for future generations”.[2] As such, Germany was already forging ahead in terms of encouraging alternative and renewable energy resources, but this latest announcement, partly inspired by electoral losses and Japanese disasters, looks set to alter the way Germany, as the EU’s powerhouse, takes care of the needs and wants of German consumers and electricity users. The cynical oil-writer Ferdinand Banks remarks that “Germany might temporarily abandon nuclear facilities located in Germany, they will never abandon electricity generated in nuclear reactors – at least as long as German voters prefer a higher to a lower standard of living. Put another way, for every kilowatt of nuclear-based power lost because of temporary nuclear closures that might take place in the largest economy in Europe, another will probably be obtained from somewhere else in Europe, sooner or later”.[3] Banks’ seemingly off-hand insertion of the adverb “temporary” into his sentence betrays his arguably realistic appraisal of the latest Merkel move. Or, does it???
Elsewhere one can read that ‘[m]ore than 105,000 metric tons (28 million gallons) of contaminated water has collected in the basements of the reactor and turbine buildings from reactor cooling operations and is accumulating at a rate of 500 tons per day, the company said. The filtering system, expected to begin operating June 15, will decontaminate this water, enabling storage in temporary tanks for reuse as cooling water. Two hundred and seventy tanks with a combined capacity of nearly 8 million gallons are to be installed at the facility. A newly installed gauge at Fukushima Daiichi reactor 1 shows pressure inside the reactor close to atmospheric, confirming that the pressure vessel has been damaged. Additionally, two robots detected high radiation levels (300 to 400 rem/hour) from below the floor of the reactor 1 building. TEPCO plans to install new pressure gauges at reactors 2 and 3 to reconfirm readings inside those reactors’.[4] In other words, in spite of the best of assurances, TEPCO and the Japanese government have as yet not been able to bring the situation under control.
The above EuroNews clip reveals that ‘Japan is [now] planning to revise its nuclear safety rules to prevent a repeat of the Fukushima disaster. The government plans to replace current regulator, the Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency, with an independent body. The NSA has been criticised by legislators for failing to force the plant’s operators to take note of warnings that it was vulnerable to a tsunami. The plant’s power was knocked out three months ago when it was struck by a tsunami wave. A
20-kilometre exclusion zone remains in force, displacing at least 80,000 people’. At an IAEA Board of Governors meeting on 6 June, its Director General Yukiya Amano declared that “The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has been a priority for the IAEA since it happened on 11 March [2011]. The IAEA has distributed information related to the accident, validated by Japan and other countries, which has served as a reference point. It continues to provide all possible advice and assistance to the Government of Japan as it works to achieve the goal of full stabilisation of the plant. We have worked closely from the start with international partners such as the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. In March, a special Board of Governors meeting was convened to discuss the Fukushima Daiichi accident. In April, the 5th Review Meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety provided a first formal opportunity for parties to the Convention to share their preliminary thoughts on the lessons that need to be learned. An IAEA International Fact-Finding Mission, consisting of top world experts from a dozen Member States and the Agency, visited Japan from 24 May to 2 June in order to make an assessment of safety issues related to the accident. After sharing preliminary findings and lessons learned with the Government of Japan, it is now preparing its final report, which will be presented to the IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety. This Ministerial Conference is of vital importance for global nuclear safety after the Fukushima Daiichi accident. Its main goals are to make a preliminary assessment of the accident, strengthen emergency preparedness and response, and launch the process of reviewing the global nuclear safety framework in order to strengthen it. The
IAEA, with its broad membership and unrivalled expertise in all aspects of nuclear energy and nuclear safety, is the focal point for international follow-up of the Fukushima Daiichi accident. I count on strong participation at a high level by all Member States in the Conference in order to send a strong message concerning their commitment to enhanced nuclear safety. The Ministerial Conference will be part of a lengthy process of establishing a comprehensive post-Fukushima nuclear safety framework, building on the valuable system that is already in place. I am looking forward to hearing your views during this Board. Based on these views, as well as those expressed during the consultations, and drawing from the Agency’s rich experience in assisting Member States in this field, I plan to make some suggestions at the Conference on how to strengthen nuclear safety. I welcome the initiatives and proposals already made by many Member States. I appreciate the proposal made by the Government of Japan to host a conference with the IAEA in the latter half of next year, which demonstrates Japan’s commitment to full transparency and its willingness to share its experience for the benefit of all countries”.[5]
[1] John Laforge, “OP-ED: Greens Call Germany’s Gradual Reactor Phase-out Too Slow”. ” Huntington News (08 June 2011). http://www.huntingtonnews.net/5021.
[2] John Laforge, “OP-ED: Greens Call Germany’s Gradual Reactor Phase-out Too Slow.
The powerful tornadoes and other extreme weather events that have cut swaths of destruction across the United States over the past month have prompted many to wonder if they are part of a new trend. Are these violent storms the result of climate change, or can they be explained as normal weather variations (27 May 2011).
A team of international experts brought in by the UN’s nuclear agency is investigating the accident at Japan’s stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant. The team plans to travel to visit the plant and two others starting Thursday. (25 May 2011).
Bottled Water Redux & the Story of Broke
The Story-of-Stuff Lady, Annie Leonard takes on the thorny issue of bottled water,[1] in the below clip: ‘The Story of Bottled Water, released on March 22, 2010 (World Water Day) employs the Story of Stuff style to tell the story of manufactured demand—how you get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows from the tap. Over five minutes, the film explores the bottled water industry’s attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces. The film concludes with a call to take back the tap, not only by making a personal commitment to avoid bottled water, but by supporting investments in clean, available tap water for all. Our production partners on the bottled water film include five leading sustainability groups: Corporate Accountability International, Environmental Working Group, Food & Water Watch, Pacific Institute, and Polaris Institute’.
That was then, meaning 2010, but this is now, in other words 2011 on its way to 2012: ‘The United States isn’t broke; we’re the richest country on the planet and a country in which the richest among us are doing exceptionally well. But the truth is, our economy is broken, producing more pollution, greenhouse gasses and garbage than any other country. In these and so many other ways, it just isn’t working. But rather than invest in something better, we continue to keep this ‘dinosaur economy’ on life support with hundreds of billions of dollars of our tax money. The Story of Broke calls for a shift in government spending toward investments in clean, green solutions—renewable energy, safer chemicals and materials, zero waste and more—that can deliver jobs AND a healthier environment. It’s time to rebuild the American Dream; but this time, let’s build it better’.
The 20th century was the American Century, we are told, and the 21st will be the Chinese, rumour has it . . . but staying in the U.S. and ignoring the Chinese-owned American debt, Annie Leonard emphatically declares that “We’re not really broke—our public money has just been hijacked. Our new film, The Story of Broke, shines a light on the dumb choices our elected so-called leaders are making with our money: handing out tax breaks for oil companies reaping record profits; paving public roads that only go to one place—a new Walmart; granting permits to mine public lands at prices set in 1872; cleaning up toxic messes made by giant chemical companies; and offering public funds for corporations building nuclear reactors and other risky ventures. Here’s how it’s supposed to work in a democracy: Every year, you and I pitch some of our money into the shared public account. Our government is supposed to use this money for the public good: public safety, education, environmental protection, and helping those in need. Some public money also gets used to help businesses—to encourage job creation or spur technological innovation, for instance. I’m all for the government using some of my money to help businesses grow and innovate – as long as I and my fellow citizens also benefit. Unfortunately that’s not always what happens. And we usually don’t see it happening because most of the handouts take the form of hidden subsidies – tax breaks, government contracts, access to public land and water. If a member of Congress came to your house and asked for money to build a garbage incinerator in a low-income neighborhood, to mine uranium near the Colorado River, or boost the balance sheet of an oil company that just posted record profits, you’d tell him to get off your lawn. But thousands of lobbyists in Washington and billons in campaign contributions keep the subsidies flowing – and hold America back from the sustainable economy of the future. So as we balance our personal bank accounts each month, let’s remember that there’s a whole other pot of money we’re responsible for as well. It’s both our right and our responsibility to help determine how that money is spent and we should be making sure it’s helping build a better world. We know that a better future is possible—that we can make Stuff in ways that are safe and healthy and fair. We know that clean energy and non-toxic chemicals exist. Better alternatives have been around for decades. It’s high time we gave a leg up to the kinds of cleaner, healthier industries we need for the century ahead. It’s time we put our money behind businesses that will help build a better future. That means stepping out of our consumer selves and occupying our citizen selves. It means reminding ourselves and our governments of the power we have when we unite as citizens. That’s why what was happening in Oakland and other cities last week was so exciting. Because together, getting out of the shopping mall and into the streets, we do have real power to make a better future. And we have enough money to get started right now”.[2]
In fact, turns out, as explained by Business Insider’s Vincent Trivett, it is not really the Chinese who are holding the great bulk of U.S. debt: ‘Hong Kong, Caribbean Banking Centers, Taiwan, Brazil, Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mutual Funds, Commercial Banks, State, Local, and Federal Retirement Funds, Money Market Mutual Funds, the UK, Private Pension Funds, State and Local Governments, Japan, U.S. households, China, The Federal ieserve, Social Security Trust Fund’, and he ends his survey by stating that “[i]n all, the Treasury owes foreigners and foreign governments $4.514 trillion dollars . . . But [, that] Americans own most of their own country’s $14,342,909,569,328.74 of debt”.[3] Trivett points out that the Chinese own but 8% of the U.S. debt burden.
[1] “Bottled Water as an Emblem of Today’s Capitalism” A Pseudo-Ottoman Blog (17 December 2010). http://sitanbul.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/bottled-water-as-an-emblem-of-today%e2%80%99s-capitalism/.
[2] “We’re Not Broke” The Story of Stuff Project Blog (07 November 2011). http://www.storyofstuff.org/2011/11/07/were-not-broke/.
[3] Vincent Trivett, “The TRUTH About Who Really Owns All Of America’s Debt” Business Insider (20 July 2011). http://www.businessinsider.com/who-owns-us-debt-2011-7#.
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