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It is all too easy for a politician to claim a 'silent majority' supports him, but for it to be even half-way credible, some evidence to support the claim is needed, and New Brunswick Natural Resources Minister Donald Arseneault's claim about uranium exploration and mining is, frankly, ludicrous and without basis. Caption The claim smacks of political desperation equalled only by the minister's arrogant contention that all that is really needed is "to educate the public."

Uranium Watch works to educate and advocate for protection of public health and the environment from past, current, and future impacts of uranium mining, uranium milling, nuclear waste disposal at uranium mill sites, and other impacts of the nuclear fuel cycle.

The Sunflower is a monthly e-newsletter providing educational information on nuclear weapons abolition and other issues relating to global security. Help us spread the word and forward this to a friend.

Kenya has been re-elected to the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after a 26 -year absence. This follows strong lobbying by a team led by Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and Higher Education Minister Sally Kosgei at the 53rd IAEA congress.

Where in London can one purchase plutonium? In Covent Garden, at the Helios Homeopathy shop. Dr Fiona Barclay, a chemist at RGB Research in west London, made this discovery. Her company specialises in selling collections of the periodic table elements (with the exception of those elements that are illegal or are so very short-lived - a few seconds or less - that they invite frustration). Some elements are easy to purchase: carbon, sulphur, iron. For others, one can turn to eBay, where arsenic, uranium (in the form of uranium-tipped missiles), and other elements of ill repute are commonly on offer.

When the budget fight got underway earlier this year, Democrats hammered Republicans for criticizing President Obama's blueprint without a plan of their own. Now, as House Democrats work on cap-and-trade legislation to reform greenhouse gas emissions--one of Obama's main domestic priorities, along with health care and education--House Republicans have crafted an energy plan of their own before the debate has hit full swing. House Republicans unveiled their energy plan yesterday. It includes offshore drilling leases, 100 new nuclear reactors in the next 20 years (and an extended look at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository), more Arctic drilling, and a $500 million prize for the first U.S. automaker to sell 50,000 cars that get 100 miles per gallon. Other prizes are included as well, administered by an energy trust fund.

Members of the Navajo Nation plan to take to Washington, D.C., their grassroots campaign to compensate uranium mine workers' children affected by diseases and birth defects. The Navajo Nation Dependents of Uranium Workers Committee met Friday at the Shiprock Chapter House to update community members on the upcoming trip and hear feedback from residents who suffer from cancer, kidney disease, birth defects and other illnesses resulting from prolonged radon exposure from uranium mines. Organizers plan to take their fight to the nation's capital July 7 to 9 and again July 28 to 31. "The government is pretty aware of the damage to the family members," said Phil Harrison, Council Delegate for Red Valley/Cove Chapter of the Navajo Nation. The intent of the trips is to further educate congressional leaders in the issues at hand, request a congressional field hearing in Window Rock or Shiprock, and discuss amending current legislation to extend compensation to family members.

Workforce shortages could slow the growth of an industry poised for a comeback. Quirin Schiermeier reports. François Perchet, an electrical engineer by training, has seen the ebb and flow of the nuclear power industry in the course of his long career. He spent more than 30 years with the French electricity company EDF, which operates the country's 58 nuclear reactors, and knew most of the 19 nuclear plant sites in France. He worked in operations management, then in maintenance and repair, and later in probability-based safety studies. But last December, he crossed the English Channel for a two-year assignment as programme coordinator with the World Nuclear University (WNU) in London, where he helps promote nuclear training and education throughout the world.

The Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to proceed with an agreement that will allow the Connecticut Water Co. to install a purification system to remove uranium from the water at two schools. A bill was recently passed by the General Assembly that would allow the company to lease land owned by the Legend Hill condominium complex in order to install the system. The town will not have to pay the installation costs. The school district has been providing bottled water for students at Kathleen H. Ryerson Elementary and Dr. Robert H. Brown Middle schools since uranium was detected in the water Nov. 13.

Doug Rokke earned his B.S. in Physics at Western Illinois University followed by his M.S. and Ph.D. in physics and technology education at the University of Illinois. His military career has spanned 4 decades to include combat duty during the Vietnam War and Gulf War 1. Dr. Doug Rokke is a Depleted Uranium expert. Doug served as a member of the 3rd U.S. Army Medical Command's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) teaching, medical response, and special operations team, the 3rd U.S. Army captured equipment project team, and with the 3rd U.S. Army Depleted Uranium Assessment team during Gulf War 1(Operation Desert Storm).

Fire events provide a unique source of historical data, but only when the lessons learned provide advancements in safety. When these lessons are learned but not preserved, they are often repeated. The PURPOSE of this brochure and DVD is to preserve the history and impact of the fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear (BFN) Power Plant on regulations and to educate future generations of safety professionals. Fire protection in commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) has been a longstanding challenge since operations began. In the 1960s and 1970s, when most of today's nuclear power reactors were being constructed, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) predecessor-the Atomic Energy Commission-began adopting rules and regulations to ensure fire safety. The first adopted fire protection regulation was General Design Criterion (GDC) 3, "Fire Protection," as Appendix A of 10 CFR Part 50 in February 1971. The GDC 3, in part, states that:

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland touched on a wide range of subjects in a 90-minute meeting with the Enquirer's editorial board - everything from the possibility of another nuclear power plant in Ohio to the Warren County commissioners' turning down federal stimulus money. Advertisement Strickland, who came to the board to talk about the education funding plan now making its way through the Ohio legislature, said that he talked recently with Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, saying Rogers talked about the possibility of the energy company putting a nuclear power plant somewhere in Ohio. "We were talking nuclear," he said. But not in Cincinnati, the governor said. Strickland said the two did not discuss any specific locations, just the possibility of Duke pursuing it in the future.

"Special, unique:" Group says area is historic burial grounds A group formed to protect places in and around the Black Hills will on Monday ask a state mining board to reconsider its approval of the site for a proposed uranium mine near Edgemont. Charmaine White Face of Rapid City, coordinator for Defenders of the Black Hills, in a news release said the group's archaeological and Lakota cultural experts verified findings by Augustana College researchers that the area is an old burial grounds. The state is to consider historic and culturally important resources in deciding whether a site qualifies as "special, exceptional, critical, or unique." The state Board of Minerals and Environment will hear White Face's appeal at 10 a.m. CDT Monday, April 20, in the Matthew Environmental Education and Training Center, 523 East Capitol Ave., in Pierre.

Bill Mangum recounted the story about his battle with leukemia in early 1992 and the loss of his leg as a result of a bad bedsore that became gangrenous without much of a problem, but when he began to tell Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, about his dealings with the Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program Clinic, Mangum began to cry. Advertisement Mangum, along with Wenda Turnbeaugh, met Wednesday morning at the RESEP clinic to tell their stories about being Downwinders and their experiences at the clinic. "I can't say enough about her (Carolyn Rasmussen)," Mangum said emotionally.

An internationally known writer and anti-nuclear activist got a warm reception from Vermont lawmakers Thursday as she heaped criticism on the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant and the atomic power industry. But one thing Dr. Helen Caldicott didn't get during a visit to the Statehouse was the meeting she was hoping for with Gov. Jim Douglas. "He needs to be educated," she said. In a morning talk to the House and Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, Caldicott, an Australian-born pediatrician, took aim at several aspects of nuclear power, including claims that it helps to minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

In the first of four lectures around the state starting April 7, physician and author Dr. Helen Caldicott will address the issue of whether phasing out nuclear power should be part of the long-term solution to the world's safe energy problems. Over the last 35 years, Caldicott has led an international campaign to educate the public about medical hazards of the nuclear age, according to Debra Stoleroff, a public relations spokeswoman. In a lecture entitled "If you love this planet: a plan to heal the Earth," Caldicott will focus on the hazards of nuclear power, Stoleroff said. Over the years, Caldicott has also worked to inform people on what steps countries can take to prevent environmental destruction, Stoleroff said.

Utilities that want to build new nuclear reactors should have to prove they are a better investment than energy efficiency, a new report says. The Arizona Public Interest Research Group Education Fund this week released its 40-page report, titled "The High Cost of Nuclear Power: Why America Should Choose a Clean Energy Future Over New Nuclear Power." According to the report, utilities can cut the amount of energy they need to supply customers by offering them incentives to install low-power appliances or insulate their homes better.

"Currently 12 states are designated as high-level risk for radiation exposure. New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah have established Radiation Exposure Services and Educational clinics. In New Mexico, residents are served by RESEP health centers in Shiprock, Laguna and Albuquerque. A majority of patients are uranium mining industry workers. Between 1953 and 1993, New Mexico was the leader in the United States uranium production. In the 1950s Grants called itself the Uranium Capital of the World. Over the decades the industry reached peak production. During the 1970s and 1980s market demand for the ore decreased substantially."

Nonproliferation Policy Education Center This particular report focusses on Calvert Cliffs but has extensive information about subsidies