UniOrb Blog

Truth on Arafat's death and Sarkozy's corruption

2012-07-04T01:12:00.000+01:00

Not surprising, news that had been reported by the alternative news media in the past were mainly ignored by the mainstream media.

But now the truth is finally revealed in the latest headline news that Arafat was poisoned, Swiss institute finds polonium in Arafat's effects and that the former French president was politically corrupt, Sarkozy on the radar of French prosecutors .

Funny, how truth always wins at the end.

Nobel Peace Prize for War Makers and Activists

2012-02-02T05:49:00.004Z

The Nobel Peace Prize used to be highly respected for its recipients who honored the true meaning of "peace" by promoting peace and ways to lessen the role of military power in international affairs.

Nowadays, it's nothing more than a joke due to the cast of war makers and activists who had been chosen by the Nobel Peace Prize committee for their own political agenda. One can't help feeling that the members of the committee were either bought or supported the "new world order" (U.S.-led NATO allegiance).

There is a short list of categories established in 1901 for Nobel prizes - physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and physiology & medicine and economic sciences which was added in 1969. Most Nobel prizes seem to be in line with the founder's intent. One prize obviously does not: Nobel Peace Prize.

Look at the cast of wrongfully chosen recipients in the last decade:

2003 - Shirin Ebadi from Iran was awarded for her efforts on the struggle of the rights of women and children. (Any activist against the Iranian government gets a nod from the the West.)

2004 - Wangari Maathai from Kenya was basically an environmentalist who promoted planting trees worldwide. Her political activities were related to the Green Belt Movement. (How could an environmentalist be considered a peace activist?)

2006 - Muhammad Yunus from India was awarded for creating economic and social development among the poor. (Why didn't he share the Nobel Economic Prize with Edmund S. Phelps in 2006?)

2007 - Al Gore (former U.S. Vice President) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were jointly awarded for their efforts to spread knowledge "about man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for the measures (carbon footprint) that are needed to conteract such change." (How can climate change be related to promoting peace?)

2008 - Martii Ahtisaari (former President of Finland) was awarded for his efforts to resolve international conflicts, namely in Namibia, Indonesia, Kosovo and Iraq. He worked as a United Nations diplomat and mediator for years. He was also a strong advocate for Finland to join NATO. (He was basically a UN cleanup man working for the "new world order.")

2009 - Barack Obama (U.S. President) was awarded for "his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." Right. He was the one who escalated US military operations in Afghanistan, who led the illegal invasion of Libya and gave Sarkozy of France the reins to finish the take-down of Gaddafi and who trespassed into Pakistan to conduct extrajudicial killing of the supposedly Obama bin Laden. (How could anyone mistaken a war monger for a peace activist?)

2010 - Liu Xiaobo from China was awarded for "his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." He is a political prisoner known for his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government. (Again, any activist against the Chinese government gets a nod from the West.)

2011 - Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), and Tawakel Karman (Yemen) were jointly awarded for "their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's fights to full participation in peace-building work.".

Two of the three women seem to be political activists. Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist, was responsible for leading a women's peace movement that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Tawakel Karman, a press freedom Yemeni activist, was partly responsible for the Yemeni uprising in 2011.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, seems to be promoting war rather than peace. She established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) with the objective to "promote national peace, security, unity and reconciliation" by investigating more than 20 years of civil conflict in her country. Ironically, TRC report in June 2009 listed 50 names of people, including Sirleaf that "should be barred from holding public offices"... for "being associated with former warring factions." In addition, Sirleaf offered Liberia to be the headquarter of AFRICOM (U.S. Military of Africa) - the only African leader to do so.

In conclusion, Fredrik Heffermehl, the Norwegian researcher, is absolutely correct in accusing the Nobel Peace Prize committee for choosing war makers and activists, rather than those who actually promote peace in the world.

Ron Paul with world's point of view

2012-01-04T02:29:00.003Z

Almost all Republicans are corrupt, greedy, and immoral. Worse still, they are ethnocentric - supporting domination of the world whether in politics, economics or just plain military might. They believe that only American point of view matters while ignoring, demeaning and destroying the rest of the world.

Ron Paul is one exception.

He is a man with principles, integrity and true grit as he often stands alone against the rest of the evil clan of Republican clones in Washington. Any fool can follow like a lemming but only a true hero can stand out as a real leader of the people. Ron Paul is that leader.

As a citizen of the world, "he tries to imagine how the world looks to people other than Americans." It's time for those narrow-minded Americans to see things from the world's point of view. They need to understand that Americans are just a SMALL PART of humanity; to understand the HUMAN ANGUISH and SUFFERINGS of the nations they've destroyed; and to understand that they must SHARE our planet with other civilizations and cultures in the world.

It's egregious and absolutely wrong to bring "Americanism" to the world. To put it simply: the world is NOT "made in USA." And Ron Paul understands that perfectly!

Relationship: U.S. provokes Iran

2011-12-05T13:31:00.000Z

No matter how objective you may think you are on the relationship between Iran and the U.S., the reports on the events over the years between the two countries actually reveal that the U.S. certainly has been stirring up mayhem in Iran with political chicanery and covert maneuvers.

1. In 1953, the CIA helped to reinstate the U.S. puppet, Shah, back to power in Iran. The U.S. has NO RIGHT to dictate who it wants as a leader in other countries. It's quite understandable why Khomeini triumphed in an Islamic revolution to restore power in Iran for Iranians.

2. In 1986, U.S. President Ronald Reagan used Iran in secret arms deals to raise money for his illegal backing of Contra guerrillas in Nicaragua. Meanwhile, the U.S. was backing Iraq's Saddam Hussein in a war against Iran.

3. In 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush pushed for the U.S.-led illegal invasion of Iraq. Then, the U.S. accused Iran for staging attacks on U.S. forces. Why would Iran attack the U.S. forces after the U.S. had helped to remove Iran's enemy, Saddam Hussein?

Note: In January 2002 before the invasion of Iraq, Bush branded Iran part of an "axis of evil" as one of the countries for Bush to invade.

4. In November 2011, the U.S./Israel now accuse Iran for developing an atomic bomb design, as they did in 2008 UN sanctions. The accusers were proved dead wrong in a report - U.S. National Intelligence Estimate in 2007 - which clearly stated that Iran "put nuclear military plans on hold in 2003."

Considering that Iran shot down a U.S. spy drone in July and again on Sunday, December 4, 2011, who is provoking whom?

Considering all the facts above on how the U.S. had consistently accused Iran of this or that, why aren't there more consistent mainstream reports showing the U.S. as the worst warmonger in the world?

NATO Attack: Pakistan finally wakes up

2011-11-27T15:57:00.000Z

Pakistan is in uproar over the "unacceptable" U.S.-led NATO attack on a Pakistani military post, killing 24 Army personnel.

Looking at a series of events, the U.S- led NATO attack on Pakistan recently was certainly not "a mistake" but a "tit for tat" retaliation.

It's not surprising that NATO deliberately attacked a Pakistani post after the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan has soured for more than half a year. In May, the U.S. violated Pakistan's sovereignty by committing a covert operation in killing supposedly Osama Bin Laden. Then, Pakistan imprisoned a CIA contractor. Without evidence, the U.S. accused Pakistan on backing a militant attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul. Moreover, the contention over Shamsi Air Base in Pakistan used by U.S. forces for drone strikes in Afghanistan and other parts of the region has deepen the rift between the U.S. and Pakistan.

It's obvious that the U.S. IGNORES any leader's plea to stop the drone attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. In fact, the U.S. is doing everything to protect its illegal, barbaric defense toy against humanity.

It's about time Pakistan stood up to the U.S. and should not play along with the U.S. illusory "war on terror." In response to the attack, Pakistan did the right thing - shut down NATO supply routes into Afghanistan and ordered the U.S. to vacate the drone base in 15 days.

And it's about time for any Muslim nation to know that the U.S. has no real friends, just allies that are being used as pawns.

How Congressmen Enrich Themselves

2011-11-14T03:12:00.002Z

We all know that the U.S. congress is not serving the public from the laws they passed to SUPPRESS individual rights, to ALIENATE the U.S. from the rest of the world in support of Israel's paranoid phantasm of being eliminated by surrounding neighbors, and to support ongoing ILLEGAL wars for corporate interests in the Middle East.

What we obviously see is that the members of the Congress do serve one thing - MONEY.

How could a congressman become very wealthy with just a paying salary of $174,000 a year?

Most of them are bought by corporations, especially defense contractors and pharmaceutical companies, as well as lobbyists for Israel.

In addition, there's a way to enrich themselves in stocks. The laws against stock market insider trading don't apply to the members of the Congress!!!

Let's try to understand this one. The Congress passed the laws AGAINST insider trading for anyone living in the U.S. But, those same laws DON'T apply to members of the Congress?!

This article reveals that "Congress and their aides have regular access to powerful political intelligence, and many have made well-timed stock market trades in the very industries they regulate."

So principles, ethics, justice go right out the door. There you have it - a corrupt congress that definitely DOES NOT serve and represent the people.

One more example of the dysfunctional American democracy.

UN's hypocrisy on Iran's designing an atomic bomb

2011-11-09T04:21:00.000Z

The UN hypocrisy is clearly displayed here reporting that "Iran appears to have worked on designing an atomic bomb."

So what?!

Look at the nations that have nuclear weapons for mass destruction. They are members of the exclusive nuclear power club, Nuclear-Poliferation Treaty (NPT), in the UN Security Council: United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France and China. By the way, three of which, the U.S. Britain and France also belong to another exclusive club, NATO, which is now wreaking havoc in the Middle East with ongoing wars.

Then there are the non-NPT nations that have nuclear bombs, namely India, Pakistan and North Korea.

Last of all, the undeclared nuclear power, Israel, with its advanced drone technology and hidden nuclear arsenal plants, ludicrously threatened to bomb Iran's nuclear sites so that Israel could remain the ONLY nuclear power in its vicinity.

If UN really wanted to punish non-NPT nations for possessing nuclear weapons, then it should start punishing India, Pakistan, and North Korea first, and especially Israel for not being forthright about its possessions of nuclear bombs.

Besides, who has the right to decide which nation can or cannot have nuclear weapons?

We all know the UN is run by the United States, which is now the main warmonger in the world. It's obvious the NPT bullies are trying to keep weaker nations from defending themselves with nuclear bombs that the U.S. first introduced to humanity in its mass destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

If there is going to be any punishment at all, it'd be for the rest of the world, about 180 nations, to punish ALL the nations that HAVE nuclear bombs for bringing mass destruction to humanity!!!

Isn't it time for the world nations to wake up and stop letting a handful of superpowers dictate the fate of our world?

Michael Jackson's Trial: Defense Based on a Lie

2011-11-05T03:31:00.002Z

After six weeks of testimony in the high profile case of Dr. Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson, the jury started their deliberations Friday, November 5, 2011.

Forty-nine witnesses, including Jackson's former employees, many medical experts, ER workers, and Murray's girlfriends and patients testified for either defense or prosecution.

Ironically, the defense important witnesses, Dr. Allan Metzler, Jackson's primary doctor, Cherilyn Lee, his nurse practitioner, and even Dr. Paul White, the key defense witness on which the whole the defense rests its case, said the same thing that they would never administer the dangerous propofol to Jackson in a non-hospital setting.

One obvious point came out of this dramatic court trial is that ALL medical experts concurred on Murray's egregious deviation from standard care of his patient, Michael Jackson, by giving him propofol as a "sleeping aid" daily. One obvious evidence is that Jackson died of propofol intoxication. It doesn't take much to figure out why Jackson died and who is responsible for his death.

Even if Jackson was to inject the fatal dose of propofol, as the defense tried to argue, Murray is still solely responsible for providing the propofol daily and neglecting his professional duty as a doctor in taking care of his patient's health.

One glaring note is that Murray deliberately left many questions unanswered - no records of Jackson's medical treatment and no mentioning of propofol to ER workers. A coverup for Murray's guilt? And there are no explanations for his delay in calling 911 nor why he used propofol, a general anesthetic for surgery, to treat Jackson's insomnia.

The defense team rested solely on Dr. White's theory that Jackson self-administered the fatal propofol dose that killed him. White's belief was based on Murray's words that he had given only 25 milligrams of propoful to Jackson.

What if Murray had lied? Lying seems to go hand in hand with Murray's deceptive behavior.

The defense team really doesn't have a leg to stand on.

Cheney's toxic memoir

2011-08-30T15:00:00.004+01:00

Dick Cheney's memoir, "In My Time", hits bookstores today. Don't waste your money to support the most unpopular, reviled, war criminal against humanity by reading what he confessed as well-known ugly facts.

Few political figures in history have been so reviled as former Vice President Cheney. He left the office with an approval rating of 13%. Cheney will be remembered as a super villain - the embodiment of evil. He's done much more lasting damage to the country than the fury of the recent Hurricane Irene.

What destruction was Cheney responsible for?

- 9/11 terrorism
- Iraq war
- Afghanistan war
- torture
- illegal spying on Americans
- war profiteering with Halliburton
- expanded presidential powers
- maximized personal power at the expense of everyone

Now, he has the nerve to try to make a profit from the public?! What he deserves more is to have shoes thrown at him!!!

Gaddafi gets the last laugh: Mainstream media's 'Tripoli takeover' lies

2011-08-23T09:33:00.002+01:00

By now, the world knows what the role of the mainstream media play in the Libyan crisis.

The mainstream media are working with NATO to spread disinformation and waging a psychological war on the people of Tripoli. The mainstream media are fabricating stories to attack Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and hoping to convince the world in believing their orchestrated lies. And the mainstream media have been reporting that the rebels were victorious in toppling Tripoli...

Now the world knows that Gaddafi gets the last laugh.

One gross lie - Saif al Islam, one of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's sons, who was earlier reported to have been arrested, made a surprise appearance in Tripoli and gave an interview to foreign journalists from AFP, BBC and Fox News early on Tuesday morning after the so-called event, "rebels took over Tripoli". Even the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed earlier the arrest of Saif al Isalm by the rebels. Now you know who ICC works for.

Another outrageous lie - Musa Ibrahim, a Libyan government spokesman, who said that none of the three sons of the Libyan leader reported arrested actually remain free.

And the worst lie of them all - the rebels controlling 95% of the capital. In reality, the situation is just the opposite, Tripoli is under the loyalist forces control! The rebels were actually rounded up and captured.

In the next few days, everyone could see the reality, as truth always triumphs...

Fukushima Nuclear Crisis: Three Head Officials Sacked

2011-08-15T14:43:00.000+01:00

After five months since the outbreak of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, the effects of radiation contamination and ongoing leaks have become more widespread and damaging to farmers, fishermen, producers, livestock,and consumers, not to mention the residents in the Tohoku region and throughout Japan.

Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as been heavily criticized for handling the Fukushima nuclear crisis - delayed public announcements of the actual meltdowns and power supply problems as well as staged government-sponsored symposium for nuclear power. Both Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) and the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy are under METI's wings.

As expected, three top officials in charge of regulating Japan's nuclear power generation - METI's Administrative Vice Minister Kazuo Matsunaga (59), NISA head Nobuaki Terasaka (58), and the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy head, Tetsuhiro Hosono (58) - have been recently fired.

NISA's Terasaka said recently that he was aware of the possibility of a meltdown as early as March 12, after the detection of cesium. And then he insisted he did his best to deal with the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years.

While the rest of the nation is still suffering from the ongoing nuclear power crisis, these three incompetent and corrupt heads are eligible for the early retirement bonuses, 20% (10 million yen extra).

"The three senior officials are retiring because of incentives, but not because of punishments, and therefore they are being treated the same way as usual early retirees," the industry ministry explained.

Huh?

Think these three officials should donate their bonuses to help the victims of the radiation leaks!!!

Who are the rioters in Britain?

2011-08-10T18:18:00.000+01:00

As mayhem spreads from London to other parts of Britain, it's important to know who and why they are in revolt. Let's get the facts straight.

Despite the mainstream media painting the rioters as just hooded teenage delinquents - poor and frustrated striking out against the community - they are, in reality, from a diverse range of backgrounds and age groups and are all united by their hatred of the British police state and the conservative-led government.

The British working class people are frustrated and angry about the inequalities in wealth and opportunity, tired of unwarranted police harassment and racial discrimination, and fed up with government austerity measures.

They burned and looted stores that were either big chain stores or catered to middle-class professionals that offer little to their community.

This is not just some riots that could be quelled with brute force, but a beginning of a revolution. The fact that riots are well coordinated and spreading shows that it is indeed a revolution. As history tells us, a revolution is a movement that can't be crushed in a day or in a few weeks.

More widespread unrest will be coming...

Murdoch could be prosecuted violating Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

2011-08-07T02:01:00.008+01:00

The Murdoch scandal in Britain is just the tip of the iceberg.

Murdoch's culture of corruption has not only ensnared major figures in media and politics of Britain, but also of major figures in Australia and the United States as they will be scrutinized and investigated in the future.

The media watchdogs feel vindicated as they have long criticized the unethical practices of News Corp. and its subsidiaries, including News of the World, The Sun, Fox News, and The Times of London. And many of these practices are found to be illegal.

As expected, Murdoch will face trials in these countries that he ruled above the law.

In the U.S., the allegations against News Corp. of wide-scale corruption and obstruction of justice violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The fact that the scandal involves bribery of police officers, blackmailing politicians, and unlawful phone and email hacking, etc. would mean that News Corp. could be prosecuted under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Here's a clear-cut article on why the U.S. Department of Justice is forced to act.

Predicted Murdoch's Fall in 2009

2011-07-27T02:58:00.011+01:00

In less than 2 years, Rupert Murdoch has fallen from grace as predicted in the UniOrb 2009 post.

It was a mistake to say in 2009 "Let’s see how fast Murdoch’s News Corp. take a nose dive into obscurity." It should have been "Let’s see how fast Murdoch’s News Corp. take a nose dive into INFAMY."

No need to spell out here how much damage Murdoch has brought to journalism. All the journalists who have worked for him directly or indirectly ought to know the shame they have brought upon themselves and the media industry. The world is in chaos partly because of them.

This gem piece by Teeluck Sooknarine says it all: Rupert Murdoch's Fall From Grace Is Good For America And The World.

Not surprising, Murdoch's scandal has accounted for high-profile scalps in Britain. But it won't stop there, the Murdoch's empire also has its tentacles in the U.S. and Australia. This is just the beginning of the collapse of the Murdoch House.

Judgement Day has finally come...

Hypocrisy of the U.S. stance on al Qaeda

2011-07-17T09:29:00.001+01:00

The hypocrisy of the U.S. stance on al Qaeda shows a nation suffering schizophrenia.

On one hand, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says that "strategically defeating al-Qaeda is within reach" to President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. Furthermore, John Brennan, White House counterterrorism adviser, placed the focus now on the U.S. homeland as the primary area for homegrown terrorist who might be "inspired by al Qaeda" and warned that Ayman al Zawahiri, former Osama bin Laden's second-in-command of al Qaeda, who "might try to launch new attacks to prove he and al Qaeda are still relevant."

On the other hand, you have the CIA funding and training al-Qaeda to destabilize Libya and take control of its government. The following piece by Islam Times puts the U.S. hypocrisy in a nutshell.

All nations must now be totally aware of what the U.S. empire is doing, not only in the Middle East, Africa but also in the world. To put it simply - the CIA is running amok by a rogue nation that deceptively calls itself a democracy.

Any nation kowtows, cooperates or aligns itself with the U.S. is basically asking to be stepped on in the end. After all, there's only one dictator in a world empire.

US 'Preparing Invasion of Africa starting with Libya'

2011-06-29T03:38:00.002+01:00

We all know how hypocritical NATO and the US have been on the illegal war against Libya. Not a day goes by that we don't hear news of NATO desperately trying to kill Gaddafi, not only the leader of Libya but also the leader of Africa.

Despite pretending to pullout military forces from Libya, Obama continues the war with the drone terror offensive to aid NATO in killing innocent Libyans.

Why did the US launch the war against Libya in the first place? The answer appears to be simple - rid of Gaddafi for good. Obama has an October surprise for America - a massive military invasion of Libya.

But there's more to it. The US plans to invade Africa. George W. Bush created AFRICOM for a reason. It's time for all African nations to understand the U.S. and NATO's true intentions for taking down Gaddafi in Libya.

It's the first step for a CONTINENTAL INVASION!

The only way to stop the war on Libya and the BEGINNING of a CONTINENTAL invasion of Africa is for AU and all African nations to send in troops en masse to defend not only Gaddafi but all of Africa. The African leaders that stand by to watch the fall of Gaddafi are not only helping the invaders but also lining themselves up as future targets.

It's certain that the U.S. WILL strike - the time is ripe due to the chaos in the Middle East uprising.

China and Russia should help in defending Libya and other African nations from the western power grab. If not, they, too, will be losers in the end.

The American military machine doesn't have real friends or allies - everyone is to be won over sooner or later.

Conspiracy-minded U.S. media got it all wrong on Bin Laden

2011-06-25T07:21:00.003+01:00

"To get the truth" is no longer the motto of the U.S. media in anything related to Osama Bin Laden. It's more like "make up more lies to cover the truth" as the latest flagrant violation of media sacred oath on news reporting.

Who do they think they're fooling?

Even two-thirds of Pakistanis do not believe Bin Laden was killed by the U.S. assassination squad.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a similar question poll in the U.S., but you could be sure that many Americans don't believe it either.

Of course, the Pentagon desperately tries to convince an unconvincing public about its "successful operation" by continuing the saga on the "terrorist links" to Bin Laden.

And the U.S. media continues to commit media suicide by being the mouthpiece of Pentagon's propaganda.

They're not fooling anyone, except themselves.

Excerpt of IAEA report on Fukushima nuclear crisis

2011-06-05T17:08:00.002+01:00

IAEA team of experts went on a fact finding mission in the Tohoku region from May 24 - June 1, 2011.

What is interesting is that IAEA team not only visited Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, but also other nuclear power plants (Tokai, Higashi Dori, Onagawa and Fukushima Dai-ni) hit by the massive earthquake and large tsunami waves. Although the large tsunami waves affected all these facilities to varying degrees, TEPCO`s Fukushima Dai-ichi came out as the one with the most severe consequences.

So, what happened at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi?

Although all electrical power was lost when the earthquake occurred, the automatic systems successfully inserted all the control rods into its three operational reactors 1-3. In addition, all available emergency diesel generator power systems were in operation.

However, the 14-meter high tsunami waves washed away all power sources except for one emergency diesel generator that provided emergency power to be shared between reactors 5 and 6. Without power, reactor control or instrumentation on site, the TEPCO operators also had problems with communications systems both within and external to the site.

Without the cooling systems for the reactors, Units 1-3 quickly heated up due to usual reactor decay heating. The rest is history.

Here is an excerpt of the report:

"1. The Japanese Government, nuclear regulators and operators have been extremely open in sharing information and answering the many questions of the mission to assist the world in learning lessons to improve nuclear safety.

2. The response on the site by dedicated, determined and expert staff, under extremely arduous conditions has been exemplary and resulted in the best approach to securing safety given the exceptional circumstances. This has been greatly assisted by highly professional back-up support, especially the arrangements at J-Village to secure the protection of workers going on sites.

3. The Japanese Government's longer term response to protect the public, including evacuation, has been impressive and extremely well organized. A suitable and timely follow-up programme on public and worker exposures and health monitoring would be beneficial.

4. The planned road-map for recovery of the stricken reactors is important and acknowledged. It will need modification as new circumstances are uncovered
and may be assisted by international co-operation. It should be seen as part of a wider plan that could result in remediation of the areas off site affected by radioactive releases to allow people evacuated to resume their normal lives. Thus demonstrating to the world what can be achieved in responding to such extreme nuclear events.

5. The tsunami hazard for several sites was underestimated. Nuclear designers and operators should appropriately evaluate and provide protection against the risks of all natural hazards, and should periodically update these assessments and assessment methodologies in light of new information, experience and understanding.

6. Defence in depth, physical separation, diversity and redundancy requirements should be applied for extreme external events, particularly those with common mode implications such as extreme floods.

7. Nuclear regulatory systems should address extreme external events adequately, including their periodic review, and should ensure that regulatory independence and clarity of roles are preserved in all circumstances in line with IAEA Safety Standards.

8. Severe long term combinations of external events should be adequately covered in design, operations, resourcing and emergency arrangements.

9. The Japanese accident demonstrates the value of hardened on-site Emergency Response Centres with adequate provisions for communications, essential plant parameters, control and resources. They should be provided for all major nuclear facilities with severe accident potential. Additionally, simple effective robust equipment should be available to restore essential safety functions in a timely way for severe accident conditions.

10. Hydrogen risks should be subject to detailed evaluation and necessary mitigation systems provided.

11. Emergency arrangements, especially for the early phases, should be designed to be robust in responding to severe accidents."

The IAEA report covers both the good and bad points of Japan's nuclear crisis.

Japan earns good marks (nos. 1-4) in terms of dealing with orderly evacuation of the affected people in the devastated area and the efforts of the TEPCO operators who are dedicated and determined to tackle the nuclear crisis.

Japan earns bad marks for poor planning of the nuclear power plant sites (nos. 5 & 8), lacking adequate emergency arrangements for severe accidents (nos. 6,9,11), and the cozy relationship between the Nuclear regulatory systems with the nuclear power companies (no. 7), not following the line of IAEA Safety Standards.

In reality, the report doesn't help to contain the nuclear crisis, but to reiterate what is already well known about the deficiency, inadequacy and inefficiency of TEPCO, along with the government nuclear agency, in dealing with the pressing nuclear disaster. What IAEA needs to provide is a sensible road to control and contain the nuclear crisis, which we haven't seen yet.

Under closer scrutiny, the report doesn't address the poor crisis management that we are witnessing today at Fukushima power plant - unmanageable tons of radioactive water at the site, continuation of radiation leaks from the facilities, and the worsening of the nuclear crisis.

Japan: Political Power-Wrangling in the Face of Nuclear Crisis

2011-06-03T05:55:00.003+01:00

On June 2, 2011, a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Naoto Kan failed in the Lower House. Though Kan needed only 232 votes, an overwhelming majority of 293 lawmakers supported him by voting against the motion compared with 152 who voted in favor.

The no-confidence motion submitted by the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), New Komeito and the Sunrise Party of Japan, was aimed at toppling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Kan's government. They banked on Kan's own political party's bloc headed by Ichiro Ozawa, the former head of Japan's ruling party who's been indicted for illegal political fund-raising, to succeed in their quest to splinter the DPJ as a way to gain political points. If the no-confidence motion in the Lower House had passed, then Kan Cabinet would have to either resign en masse or Kan would have to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election.

It appears just before the plenary session to vote on the no-confidence motion Kan defused the rebellion among the DPJ members with a promise to step down once the Tohoku crisis is under control. For all the media attention focused on Ozawa's power-play to topple Kan, Ozawa himself didn't even show up to vote on the no-confidence motion.

The LDP, the largest opposition to DPJ, attacked Kan for handling the nuclear crisis, even though LDP was responsible for the lax oversight of the nuclear-power industry during its 50 years in power. Not surprisingly, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) has been one of the big donors to the LDP. The timing of the no-confidence vote could be linked to Kan's recent calls to deregulate the energy industry, scale down the importance of nuclear power, and consider renewable energy sources for the future.

In reality, everyone loses. Despite Kan's obvious defeat of the opposition parties and Ozawa, the political diversion of no-confidence motion has set the stage for his lame-duck rule in the midst of a national emergency. Diet deliberations on important bills to handle the national crisis may be delayed because greater attention is focused on picking Kan's successor.

Most Japanese, especially disaster victims who have lost homes, jobs and loved ones, and are facing ongoing threats of radioactive contamination, have been very critical of the politicians - expressing anger and confusion over the timing of the no-confidence motion.

In the Tohoku region, many voting sites and ballot counting locations were completely destroyed or washed away in the tsunami. How could they have elections if the Lower House was dissolved?

Furthermore, no unified view within the LDP of what form the new government should be if they succeeded in pushing out Kan's administration.

When will the Japanese politicians stop thinking of themselves and start thinking of the people they represent for a change?

TEPCO Needs to Face Reality of Core Meltdowns

2011-05-27T17:23:00.006+01:00

In the course of two months, several hydrogen blasts, fires, high core temperatures, and continuous release of high amount of radiation elements into the air, sea and environment, TEPCO had no idea that the Fukushima reactors had suffered core meltdowns until the retrieved data confirmed that they did a few days ago?

Hard to believe when international nuclear experts had repeatedly said so during the early days of the nuclear disaster. Nevertheless, turning a deaf ear to the warning echoes around the world, TEPCO managers have been pouring their futile efforts, precious time and tons of money in fixing a growing series of problems of which they created to stabilize a losing battle against nuclear core meltdown - not one but three meltdowns!!!

Gross mismanagement or delusional TEPCO?

Not surprisingly, inept TEPCO management is trying to blame the earthquake and tsunami for its failures.

TEPCO's analysis report states that the meltdowns at reactors #1-3 occurred from within a day to four days.

So far, TEPCO released data from reactor #3 claiming that the March 11 earthquake, not the tsunami, was the cause of damaged piping for the emergency core cooling system. However, another cooling equipment powered by steam worked fine until it was suspended by TEPCO operators on March 13 which led to a core meltdown. Furthermore, no damage to key pipes caused by the earthquake has been confirmed.

TEPCO operators manually shut down the emergency cooling system (isolation condenser) for reactor #1 on March 11, after the earthquake but they supposedly turned it back on before the tsunami hit the plant. Although reactors #1-3 lost all external power due to the tsunami, emergency power sources were still in working order. TEPCO needs to explain why the emergency cooling system stopped working completely right after the tsunami.

To think the welfare of the state, the local Japanese and the world environment has been entrusted in the hands of the delusional TEPCO management team that has been acting in total denial of reality.

Even now, the revised plan to decommission reactors nos. #1-4 to a state of "cold shutdown" is ignoring the fact that the other two operational reactors #5 and #6 will be in a "dead zone" for years to come. Why not decommission ALL the nuclear reactors at the site?

Furthermore, the plan did not address the salt level in the radioactive water that might have corroded some of the containment components.

Moreover, TEPCO never alluded to the possibility that radioactive groundwater could also have traveled inland, not just leaking out to sea in May and April. After all, radioactive cesium was found in sewage sludge outside of the Fukushima nuclear plant site.

The fact that the radiation leaks are not only ongoing but also new ones appear one after another since the core meltdowns, isn't it time for TEPCO to face reality by entombing all the crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daichi Plant once and for all?

Nuclear Meltdown: The ONLY Solution for Fukushima

2011-05-20T04:37:00.000+01:00

It's confirmed that data shows meltdowns occurred at reactors Nos. 1-3 of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. It appears that melted fuel has created holes in all the pressure vessels and landed in the containment vessels. No.1 reactor has been reported to have a cracked containment vessel.

Furthermore, more than 87,500 tons of contaminated water has been accumulated at the site so far, and leaked water has been going somewhere. Not surprisingly, highly contaminated water was found leaking into the ocean from No. 3 reactor on May 11, 2011.

There's no denying of the worst-case scenario unfolding before our eyes! It's time for the Japanese government and TEPCO to take adequate and necessary actions!

Nuclear experts advise the following:

1. Dig a trench about 50 feet below the surface around reactors 1-3 all the way down to the bedrock. Then fill the trench with zeolite that can absorb radioactive cesium from leaking into the groundwater around the plant. Nonstop work MUST begin now.

2. Build a concrete wall to encapsulate the entire reactor, which could take years, but need to start as soon as possible.

Fumiya Tanabe, former senior researcher at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, has said before: "In resolving serious accidents like those (at the Fukushima plant), it is a cardinal rule to work out recovery measures based on the worst possible situation."

Unfortunately, TEPCO seems to be going backwards in getting the situation under control and things have been slowly eroding day by day.

TEPCO SHOULD NOW SERIOUSLY HEED HIS ADVICE!!!

Inept TEPCO fails to prevent meltdown

2011-05-16T16:56:00.003+01:00

It's predictable that TEPCO's mismanagement, lack of foresight and snail-paced efforts in dealing with Fukushima nuclear crisis have led to meltdown in all three reactors - #1, #2, and #3.

Two months after the tsunami devastation, TEPCO still hasn't even come near to installing a working cooling system for any of the troubled reactors! Not only is TEPCO management team unable to deal with the meltdown, they've actually created more problems in trying to cool the fuel rods in the spent pools and in the containment vessels.

It seems every step they have taken so far is done without any prior ACCURATE ASSESSMENT of the situation or LACK OF FORESIGHT to predict the CONSEQUENCES of their actions. Thus, the crisis worsens day by day.

It's understandable that the nuclear crisis is overwhelming at first, but it's not forgivable that the nuclear crisis rating has climbed from 4 to 7! The worsening of the crisis can't be blamed on the tsunami or aftershocks, but on TEPCO's inadequate, inept, and insufficient efforts in handling this whole affair!

TEPCO and the government have not put in ALL THE MANPOWER to handle this national crisis. Sending in few workers each day to work on one reactor at a time is not dealing with the urgent attention to the needs of each reactor in crisis.

Now the meltdown has finally been confirmed in reactor #1, and probably in reactors #2 and #3, due to cracks in the containment vessels, TEPCO should stop wasting time thinking of building cooling systems and start thinking of quick massive cement burial for all troubled reactors before more radiation leaks into the environment, spreading to other parts of the world!

Pakistan Bans Live Broadcast By Western News Media

2011-05-11T06:51:00.002+01:00

The western news media blitz of disinformation and misreporting has angered the Pakistani authorities, as the Pakistani information minister put it: "They were spitting venom against Pakistan."

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has banned all major western television channels from making live broadcasts from Abbottabad - the scene of Osama bin Laden's assassination by the US Special Forces - and ordered some reporters and their TV crews to leave town.

The international foreign news media specifically targeted are as follows: Fox News, NBC News, CNN, CNS, IBN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Voice of America and Sky News. These channels cannot broadcast anywhere in Pakistan without obtaining a licence. In addition, government officials ordered several British, Australian and American journalists to leave Abbottabad because their visas did not permit them to stay.

Functioning as the mouthpieces of their governments, the western mainstream news media not only have lost their credibility but also smeared their own reputation in "unreliable and irresponsible" news reporting.

Pentagon releases hideout fake videos on bin Laden

2011-05-08T04:43:00.001+01:00

It is almost too comical to see the American effort trying to contain damage control in the story of bin Laden's death.

On Saturday, the Pentagon released the captured hideout videos of Osama bin Laden watching himself on television. An intelligence official said, "It is improbable that this kind of footage would be anywhere but with bin Laden. He jealously guarded his image."

Of course, the obvious questions arise about the fake video of bin Laden.

1. Why and who would want to shoot a boring video of a lone man watching TV?

Unless it's to prove the man in the room was indeed Osama bin Laden.

2. Why a side view close-up instead of a front view close-up of the man? Why a close-up view of bin Laden on TV?

Unless to show the comparison of the white beard of the REAL bin Laden on TV and the white beard of the man in the room. But notice no comparison of the face of bin Laden on TV with that one in the room.

3. Why was supposedly "Osama bin Laden" holding the remote control with his right hand when he's left-handed as stated in the official FBI notice?

Really!!! Is the world so gullible to believe what the U.S. is saying now?

Watch the video below:

Pakistan Admits Assisting US in bin Laden Raid

2011-05-07T15:55:00.002+01:00

The American officials gloated about their successful Osama bin Laden assassination raid and they didn't inform Pakistan in advance, fearing bin Laden could be tipped off.

The inflammatory comment suggests that Pakistan was not doing enough to fight alongside its U.S. ally against terrorists. The fact the hideout of Osama bin Laden is so close to a military facility raised suspicions that Pakistan was either harboring terrorists or just being too incompetent.

But in reality, with all the eyewitness testimonies from local news stations and some news reports, the Pakistan army was outside of the compound during the American raid.

Here's a report that settles the issue once and for all: Pakistan army knew about operation against Osama bin Laden

It makes sense why the Pakistani government was so slow in response to the public about their involvement right after the U.S. raid, and then it officially declared that the U.S. acted alone. It also explains why the Pakistani government and security have been mostly silent about what actually took place inside the compound.

Now, the cat is out of the bag.

We'll be seeing more news coverage on bin Laden raid from the side of Pakistan since the White House seems to be less forth-coming with answers.