The Darlington Declaration is Live

Please Help us Spread the Word!

Dear Friends,

Thank you for endorsing the Darlington Declaration, and your support for a 100% renewable energy future for Ontario.

Over 150 organizations, including green developers, women's groups, and students joined you in opposing building new reactors at Darlington so far -- and support continues to grow.

Today, four of the endorsing groups published in the Toronto Star, explaining why Ontario should dump its plans for new reactors invest in green energy.

You can find the article here. Please share it widely.

Please help us continue to build support for a green energy future in Ontario!

Let your friends know you oppose new reactors at Darlington by:

Sharing the Declaration on Facebook

Sharing the Darlington Declaration on Twitter

Ask your friends to sign the Declaration in person

Need more information on why we must Stop Darlington? Visit: http://stopdarlington.org/

A 100% renewable energy future is in sight, with your help.

Yours Truly,

Steve Cornwell,
Stop Darlington Team

48 hours to end ocean clear-cuts

Dear friends,

Our oceans are being systematically destroyed and we have 48 hours to raise the alarm. The seafood industry uses long chains of heavy metal disks to drag nets across the sea floor in search of fish, crushing everything in their path. This bottom-trawling is like clear-cutting a forest to catch a parrot -- and only our outcry can stop it.

In two days, UN policy-makers are meeting to review the impacts of this deadly practice. Pacific island nations are fighting to save the oceans and have appealed to Avaaz members to stand with them. This is our chance to win -- if enough of us speak out now, it will strengthen their hand against big fishing countries, and will embolden serious players like the US and Australia, who have already banned bottom-trawling in their waters, to push for protection everywhere.

Let's build an urgent call to stop the senseless destruction of our oceans -- and delegates will deliver our voices directly to the UN meeting. Sign now and help us reach half a million voices in the next 48 hours:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_ocean_clear_cutting/?vl

Massive fishing trawlers systematically move from one deep-sea ecosystem to another, crushing coral reefs, sucking up all living creatures and leaving vast deserts behind them that won’t regenerate for hundreds of years. In a single swoop, some boats are capable of clearing an area the size of 5000 football pitches. Canada, Russia and Spain lead the world in spreading this destruction throughout our most diverse and precious waters.

Already, major fishing nations have had 6 years to study the effects of bottom-trawling and move towards more sustainable practices. Most have failed to live up to their commitments to ocean protection and continue to direct huge subsidies -- over 162 million dollars a year -- to ocean clear-cuts.

This week’s meeting is our moment to turn the tide on this destruction. An international team of marine scientists recently called for a permanent end to deep-sea fishing, and the EU Fisheries Commissioner has spoken out against government subsidies to deep-sea trawlers. The momentum is growing, but it will take a massive global outcry to turn the UN meeting into an important accountability moment. Join the call to save our oceans, sign the petition now, and forward to your friends:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_ocean_clear_cutting/?vl

Just last year, Avaaz members provided crucial backing for the UK to create the world’s largest marine reserve. We also helped thrust a meeting on whales into the international spotlight, winning an extension on the global whaling ban. When we work together, we really do make a difference in preserving our seas and the rich diversity of our world’s creatures! Let’s stand together now with Pacific nations and all ocean-defenders to usher in a new era of conservation and protection.

With hope,

Stephanie, Iain, Antonia, Emma, Ricken, Alice, Wissam and all the Avaaz team

More information:

Scientists call for an end to deep-sea trawling (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/scientists-call-for-end-to-deep-sea-fishing/2011/08/30/gIQApPJc7J_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/scientists-call-for-end-to-deep-sea-fishing/2011/08/30/gIQApPJc7J_story.html

Deep-Sea Fishing: Marine Scientists Call For Sustainable Alternatives (Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/deep-sea-fishing-not-sustainable-marine-scientists-trawling_n_954508.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/deep-sea-fishing-not-sustainable-marine-scientists-trawling_n_954508.html

Marine Scientists: Ban Deep-Sea Fishing (Newser)
http://www.newser.com/story/127908/marine-scientists-ban-deep-sea-fishing.html

Deep Sea Conservation Coalition
http://www.savethehighseas.org/

No Nukes News

No Nukes News

Sept. 6, 2011

Peace! Or Get Off the Pot - Marsha the Truck Driver

Energy and the Election with OCAA
Thursday, September 8th at 7 p.m.
Metro Hall, 55 John Street, Rm. #303, Toronto
Join Jack Gibbons and Angela Bischoff of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance to discuss where the provincial parties stand on energy issues -- nuclear, coal and green alternatives -- and how we can work together to promote a renewable electricity future for Ontario during the upcoming election campaign. Rsvp to Angela or facebook

The Plight of Canada’s Nuclear Industry 
The Canadian nuclear industry is in a period of demoralization and confusion, brought about by a number of embarrassing  technological and managerial failures as well as the inability to find an adequate market for their reactors. By Dr. Gordon Edwards, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility

New Poll Measures Ontarians' Support for Party Energy Proposals
Majority of Ontarians support the cancellation of nuclear plant upgrades and favour green energy and conservation.

Why the Fukushima disaster is worse than Chernobyl Japan has been slow to admit the scale of the meltdown. But now the truth is coming out.

New Japanese PM Vows Gradual Phase-out of Nuclear Energy

Fukushima residents' urine now radioactive

Green & Clean helps Student Organization

Last May, we piloted a project to bring electricity to some of our partnering communities who had none. In the winter and spring, my University of Waterloo co-op student, Lavender Zhang, undertook a research project to connect us to solar panel wholesalers in southern Ontario. She found Green & Clean Energy Co. in Guelph and arranged a meeting.
Fast-forward a few months to Waterloo and Laurier SOS trip volunteers lugging the panels down to Guatemala and Nicaragua respectively as part of their checked baggage (thanks guys). With only a few customs issues, the panels made it to their new homes in Colomba la Florida, La Nueva Florida, Cerro del Padre and Ocalca. The groups used them throughout their trip but didn’t get them installed onto the buildings. At the end of their two weeks, everyone went home and left the solar panels there to be installed and used.

Read the full story here

Cracked Fukushima: Radioactive steam escapes danger zone

Workers at Japan's Fukushima plant say the ground under the facility is cracking and radioactive steam is escaping through the cracks. The cooling system at the plant failed after the devastating tsunami hit Japan in March, sparking a nuclear crisis. But new evidence suggests that Fukushima reactors were doomed to cripple even before the massive wave reached them. RT's Anissa Naouai talks to Dr. Robert Jacobs, a Professor at the Hiroshima Peace Institute.

watch the report on YouTube

Fukishima Nuclear Plant after Tsunami and Earthquakes.

 

Wireless charging - the future for electric cars?

A US start-up WiTricity uses a different wireless charging method

The Citroen C1 springs to life and leaps forward with the enthusiasm only a French city runaround can muster.

This one is a little smoother and quieter than most. It's electric, and like all battery-operated automobiles needs regular charging.
But the top-up process is different from the usual hassle of plugging a bulky cable into a specially designed socket.
Here, the driver doesn't even need to get out.
"The charging is done wirelessly, you park up, turn off the key and voila... charging starts automatically," says Anthony Thomson, CEO of HaloIPT, a UK company that has installed the technology.
The process uses electromagnetic induction to transfer power from a pad built into the ground to another installed in the bottom of the car.

The charging is done wirelessly, you park up, turn off the key and voila... charging starts automatically”

Anthony Thomson HaloIPT

The system could be installed in a supermarket parking place, garage floor or the ground at a special charging station.

When a driver parks the vehicle, the two pads line up and with a flick of a switch, the charging starts.
Induction The phenomenon of electromagnetic induction was discovered by British physicist Michael Faraday in 1831.
He found that when two coils were placed close to each other and power applied to one of them, it produced a magnetic field, which then induced a voltage across the second coil.
In the case of charging a car, the coils are embedded inside the two pads.
The system was originally developed at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and commercialised by HaloIPT.

A total of 31 electric buses in Italy are charged wirelessly

And although some of the electricity inevitably gets wasted during the charging process, people who have tried it have praised its simplicity.

A total of 31 electric buses in Italy are charged wirelessly

Two of the induction-equipped C1s have been taking part in the Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators (CABLED) consortium - the world's biggest trial of electric vehicles.
"City planners don't like the prospect of a line of charge posts down streets, adding to the existing street clutter," said Neil Butcher, the CABLED project leader, who has been driving one of the two cars since May 2011.

"There are obvious health and safety issues associated with many live electric cables hanging between the post and the car, especially in bad weather”

Neil Butcher CABLED consortium

"The lack of any visible connection minimises any risk of vandalism - unplugging or theft of cables.

"There are also obvious health and safety issues associated with many live electric cables hanging between the post and the car, especially in bad weather, including electric shock and trip hazards," added Mr Butcher.
But with wireless power transfer, bad weather is not a problem, claims HaloIPT.
Pads remain perfectly operational and safe in any conditions, "sending" the energy up, even through a layer of snow.
As simple as the process might sound, there is a catch - there are currently no charging stations in the UK.
So Mr Butcher can only feed his hungry Citroen at his garage where the system has been installed as part of a pilot project. As a back-up he can switch to a conventional plug-in cable charging point.
But HaloIPT is certain that things will improve in the future, and induction stations will become commonplace.

The experimental Rolls Royce 102EX Phantom model is equipped with inductive charging plates

One of their first visitors may be a Rolls Royce.
The luxury carmaker has equipped its latest electric model, the 102EX Phantom Experimental Electric with a magnetic induction plate.
And the technology is being deployed in more down-to-earth modes of transport.

read full story here

Solar panels to top whisky depots; Hiram Walker plans huge project

Windsor Star
Wed Jul 13 2011
Page: A1 / Front
Section: News
Byline: Dylan Kristy
Source: The Windsor Star

It could be the largest venture of its kind in the country, if the authorities that oversee power production in Ontario allow it.
Windsor's Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. is hoping to become home to the largest rooftop solar plant in Canada, with more than 35,000 solar panels blanketing the surface of its Pike Creek warehouses in Lakeshore.
And while Jim Stanski is confident the project will be approved by the Ontario Power Authority, the vice-president of operations at Hiram Walker said he has some trepidation about the upcoming provincial election.
"We're basically ready to go, so we're just waiting on the OPA approval and we hope that an election won't torpedo the whole project," Stanski said Tuesday. He said OPA usually takes about six to eight months to approve a project and theirs was submitted five months ago.
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak has said that, if elected in October, he plans to scrap aspects of the Ontario Green Energy Act - including a multibillion-dollar deal with Samsung, which has been estimated to create up to 16,000 direct and indirect jobs across the province.
"Our government is proud of the success our clean energy investments and projects have had in replacing coal, cleaning our air, attracting investment and creating jobs," Brad Duguid, Ontario's energy minister, said in a statement.
"The only thing driving uncertainty right now is a political uncertainty brought about by Tim Hudak's reckless promise to kill our clean energy economy and take down thousands of jobs with it."
Built under the feed-in tariff program for renewable energy, the 7.9-megawatt project will cover nine of the 16 warehouses Hiram Walker uses to mature its bottles of whisky, near East Pike Creek Road and County Road 22 in Lakeshore.
The project is slated to be completed in partnership with Mississaugabased solar panel installer Solar and Alternative Technology Corp. and German-based manufacturer Soventix Canada Inc., pending approval by the OPA.
Mariana Marquez, spokeswoman for Soventix, said the advantage this project will have over others that have failed to receive approval is the combined experience of both companies.
She said Solar and Alternative Technology Corp. has been an industry leader for over 15 years, originally stemming from Germany, and Soventix is one of the largest fully integrated solar module manufacturers in the world.
"We are confident that everything will go through because it is a solid project and it comes from good companies," Marquez said.
"We have submitted all the information necessary and we're confident that everything is going to go well."
The companies have entered into a 20-year lease agreement with Hiram Walker and will produce enough electricity to power 3,000 homes and offset 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Instead of collecting revenue over the 20-year lease, Hiram Walker will received a lump sum payment that will be reinvested to purchase higher efficiency boilers for the distillery, Stanski said.
"We are actually looking at further reducing our greenhouse gas by another 20 per cent here on site if we get approved," he said, adding that the amount of the lump sum payment is confidential.
"Not only should this project be quite beneficial to the Province of Ontario's sustainability efforts but it also allows us to improve our processes while demonstrating our commitment to responsible production."

PLAYING THE BLAME GAME with the Green Energy Act

Windsor Star
Wed Jul 13 2011
Page: A6
Section: Editorial/Opinion
Source: The Windsor Star

The Liberals and Tories are taking shots at each other after a story last week revealed Siliken Canada will lay off two shifts at its Windsor plant.
Each has accused the other of making inflammatory statements, but in reality, there's enough blame to go around. Both parties have contributed to the problems the company now faces.
There's no question Conservative Leader Tim Hudak jeopardized the long-term viability of the fledgling solar panel operation when he vowed to kill the Green Energy Act if elected premier on Oct. 6.
That threat created a chill throughout the entire industry, and the layoff of 70 workers - most of whom were unemployed before Siliken hired them - reflects that sense of trepidation.
Richard Monk, the company's production manager, called Hudak "Public enemy No. 1," and said "the impression he creates scares away business." It certainly looks that way.
But Monk was just as blunt when talking about the Liberals' inability to cut through red tape. "The real issue is the lack of action by Hydro One. You're at the bottom of the list if you're solar or wind power," he said.
Neither Hydro One nor the Ontario Power Authority have a stake in renewable energy, said Monk, and because of that they're slow to deal with capacity issues.
We believe that's the real crux of the problem, and it must be dealt with quickly. The provincial Liberals have ownership of these delays, which began long before Hudak shook the marketplace with his comments about feed-intariffs and other aspects of the Green Energy Act.
The Liberals are trying to deflect responsibility and justify the long delays because of what MPP Sandra Pupatello calls the "skyrocketing growth that has come too fast for the province's Hydro One and the Ontario Power Authority to keep pace and get solar, wind and other renewable sources on to the grid."
This comes as a big surprise to Essex County, because there was no evidence of these problems when she and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan attended the opening ceremonies at Siliken in May. Indeed, having actively recruited makers of wind and solar energy to locate in Ontario, one could assume a plan had been put in place.
If there are problems getting the grid to function more quickly, it's the government's job to fix it. If - and this is more likely the case - Hydro One and the power authority aren't convinced these are top priorities, the government has to make it clear that they are.
And if Premier Dalton McGuinty believes it is unreasonable for Hydro One to limit renewable energy to just seven per cent of peak-time generation, that should be changed.
"We've got the product, we've got the technology and we've got the customers," Monk told The Star. "But until things change with the government and the politics we have no other recourse but to lay people off."
Mayor Eddie Francis, dismissing the claim that the problems were caused by Hudak rather than restricted grid access, sent this message to those in charge of Ontario's power production: "Get your act in gear."
We agree. As the battle continues, it's worth noting the Conservatives backpedalled last week and said they wouldn't kill existing green energy agreements if elected. That should make companies like Siliken breathe easier - if they don't fall prey to bureaucratic red tape first.

Poisoning Canada's water

Dear friends,
An American hedge fund is about to break ground on a massive mining project that could poison a million people's drinking water, would create an open pit deeper than Niagara Falls and decimate thousands of acres of lush farmland -- and we have 4 days to stop them. Sign the petition to stop the mega-quarry:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_the_quarry/?cl=1145842351&v=9524

An American hedge fund is about to break ground on a massive mining project that could poison a million people's drinking water and the headwaters for five major rivers, would create an open pit deeper than Niagara Falls and decimate thousands of acres of lush farmland -- and we have 4 days to stop them.
For years, Highland Companies deceived residents, posing as a potato farming company and quietly buying up thousands of acres of land from local farmers. Then, it was suddenly revealed that the massive plot of farmland would be converted into a limestone quarry -- a 2300 acre pit so deep it would seriously interfere with the ground water system in the region. But, in order to start digging, Highland must win approval from Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey.

Jeffrey is taking 4 more days to consider public opinion on this quarry before making her decision. We can deliver an overwhelming wave of opposition to Highland's destructive plan. Sign the petition, forward it to everyone and it will be submitted to Jeffrey before the consultation period ends.

Highland's mega-quarry is smack dab in the middle of farmland the whole country depends on for food production. If built, it could poison clean ground water that feeds the lakes and rivers many Canadians use for drinking water. The quarry would require over seven thousand trucks to transport limestone each and every day, upping carbon emissions and requiring new roads to handle the exploding traffic -- further destroying the natural habitat of hundreds of species of animals. The city-sized pit would scar the land long after the mining was finished.

But, residents and environmental activists are working hard to oppose the quarry's license -- even the Environment Minister has called for further assessments. Ontario's Liberal government faces a tough re-election fight in October and Liberal Minister Linda Jeffrey is concerned about public opinion in these key months before votes are cast. A national call will put pressure on Jeffrey and her party to stand up for Canada's environment, its farmers and the fresh water many Canadians depend on for survival.

Let's bring the voice of all Canadians to Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources and force her to kill Highland's plan for environmental destruction. Sign the petition and then forward widely.
Ontario's government should not be allowed to destroy the rivers, forests and farm land we all depend on for survival. For too long, provincial governments have kept key environmental decisions out of the national conversation -- we have a chance to change that. As one country, with a commitment to the environment and the health and safety of all Canadians, we can speak up.
MORE INFORMATION

Council of Canadians report on the mega-quarry
http://www.canadians.org/index2.html

Limestone quarry threatens prime farm land (Toronto Star)
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/734969--limestone-quarry-threatens-prime-farm-land

Environment ministry blasts mega-quarry proposal (Toronto Star)
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1017849--environment-ministry-blasts-mega-quarry-proposal

The call for open submissions to the Ministry of Natural Resources
http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTEyNTY2&statusId=MTY4ODI5&language=en

Chong calls for federal review of quarry proposal (Guelph Mercury)
http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/549053--chong-calls-for-federal-review-of-quarry-proposal

Oilsands activity blamed for caribou decline

The Canadian Press Posted: Jun 22, 2011 10:17 AM ET

DNA in the feces suggest there were about 330 caribou in Alberta's oilsands region, more than double the government's population estimate of 150. (Canadian Press)

 

 

 

Humans, not wolves, are behind declining caribou populations in Alberta's oilsands region, an analysis of animal feces shows.
The same research also found there may be many more caribou in the region than previously thought, meaning there may still be time for industry to change how it does business without resorting to wolf culls to protect the herds.
"Nobody is denying that the trend in caribou decline is alarming," said University of Washington biologist Samuel Wasser, lead author of a paper published Wednesday in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
"While we still think we need to do something now, we think that there's a little bit more time than some people have been advocating."
Caribou in the oilsands are considered a threatened species and have been in decline for decades. Balancing oilsands development and healthy herds has proved to be a tough act for the provincial government, which is still trying to develop a caribou policy for the area.

Biologist Samuel Wasser and his team were brought in by oilsands leasee North American Oil Sands, and their research continued when the lease was sold to Norway-based Statoil. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Some scientists have predicted caribou will be gone within 30 years, suggesting the desperate measure of a wolf cull could be the only way to preserve them. Alberta does cull wolves to protect caribou, but not in the oilsands area.
In 2006, Wasser and his team were brought in by oilsands leasee North American Oil Sands to look for answers. Their research continued when the lease was sold to Norway-based Statoil, which has so far spent about $500,000 on Wasser's work.
Using dogs trained to sniff out caribou, wolf, moose and deer droppings, scientists eventually found about 2,000 samples and carefully marked when and where each was found. Those samples were carefully analyzed for chemicals that revealed how the animal was feeling at that moment.
Animals under stress produce hormones that show up almost right away in their feces. Feces can also reveal how well-nourished an animal is. DNA contained in the material can even identify — and count individual animals.

Population higher than thought

After four winters of sampling, the researchers concluded that there seem to be a lot more caribou than previously thought.
Government estimates put the number in the area at about 150; DNA in the feces suggest there were about 330 animals. Nor did that number change during the study period.
They also found that about 80 per cent of the wolf diet was deer, with only about 11 per cent from caribou. Wolves even seek out deer in preference to caribou.
And once they started analyzing scat for stress hormones, they found what really bugged caribou was people. Stress increased the closer the animals got to busy roads and also during times when humans were nearby.
Caribou — unlike moose and deer — are so skittish they'd rather hang out somewhere where the food isn't as plentiful if it's further from human impact, Wasser concluded.

Read full story here

Melting Northwest Passage lets Pacific species cross

The Associated Press Posted: Jun 27, 2011 9:54 AM ET

Grey whales still live in the Pacific Ocean, but were hunted to extinction in the Atlantic by the mid-1700s. The one spotted near Israel and Spain last year is believed to have entered the Atlantic Ocean through the Northwest Passage. Associated Press

When a 13-metre grey whale was spotted off the Israeli town of Herzliya last year, scientists came to a startling conclusion: it must have wandered across the normally icebound route above Canada, where warm weather had briefly opened a clear channel three years earlier.
On a microscopic level, scientists also have found plankton in the North Atlantic where it had not existed for at least 800,000 years.
The whale's odyssey and the surprising appearance of the plankton indicates a migration of species through the Northwest Passage, a worrying sign of how global warming is affecting animals and plants in the oceans as well as on land.

'It's a threshold that has been crossed.'—Philip C. Reid, Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science

"It's an indication of the speed of change that is taking place in our world in the present day because of climate change," he said in a telephone interview Friday.
Reid said the last time the world witnessed such a major incursion from the Pacific was 2 million years ago, which had "a huge impact on the North Atlantic," driving some species to extinction as the newcomers dominated the competition for food.
Reid's study of plankton and the research on the whale, co-authored by Aviad Scheinin of the Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center, are among nearly 300 scientific papers written over the last 13 years that are being synthesized and published this year by Project Clamer, a collaboration of 17 institutes on climate change and the oceans.
Changes in the oceans' chemistry and temperature could have implications for fisheries, as species migrate northward to cooler waters, said Katja Philippart, of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research who is coordinating the project funded by the European Union.
"We try to put the information on the table for people who have to make decisions. We don't say whether it's bad or good. We say there is a high potential for change," she said.

Read the full story here

Lemons and Cancer

Eating a Lemon is lot Healthier than eating an Orange ........

LEMON will clean all your INTESTINES.. Oranges do NOT….

Institute of Health Sciences
819 N L.L.C. Charles Street
Baltimore , MD 1201

This is the latest in medicine, effective for cancer!

Read carefully & you be the judge.

Lemon (Citrus ) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells . It is 10,000 times
stronger than chemotherapy .

Why do we not know about that?   Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic
version that will bring them huge profits. You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her
know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not
produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy. How many people will die while this closely
guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires large corporations?
As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes. You can eat the
fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc...
It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and
tumors. This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very
useful in all variants of cancer .

It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective
against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an
antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders. The source of this information is fascinating: it
comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20
laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that: It destroys the malignant
cells in 12 cancers , including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas ... The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world,
slowing the growth of cancer cells. And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with
lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells.


Institute of Health Sciences
819 N L.L.C. Cause Street
Baltimore, MD1201

Polar Bears - On Thin Ice

Ashore on Svalbard, a male polar bear investigates a whale's backbone. Fat reserves from hunting ringed and bearded seals, and sometimes walruses, must carry bears through lean summers.  Photograph by Florian Shultz

 

 

On Thin Ice

The Arctic is warming so fast that by 2050 it may be largely ice free in summer. Without their frozen hunting platform, how will polar bears survive?

By Susan McGrath

Photograph by Florian Schulz

In August 1881 the naturalist John Muir was sailing off Alaska aboard the steamer Thomas Corwin, searching for three vessels that had gone missing in the Arctic. Off Point Barrow he spotted three polar bears, "magnificent fellows, fat and hearty, rejoicing in their strength out here in the bosom of the icy wilderness."

Were Muir to sail off Point Barrow in August today, any polar bears he'd see would not be living in a wilderness of ice but swimming through open water, burning precious fat reserves. That's because the bears' sea-ice habitat is disappearing. And it's going fast.
Polar bears ply the Arctic niche where air, ice, and water intersect. Superbly adapted to this harsh environment, most spend their entire lives on the sea ice, hunting year-round, visiting land only to build maternal birthing dens. They prey mainly on ringed and bearded seals (it's been said that they can smell a seal's breathing hole from more than a mile away) but sometimes catch walruses and even beluga whales.

Sea ice is the foundation of the Arctic marine environment. Vital organisms live underneath and within the ice itself, which is not solid but pierced with channels and tunnels large, small, and smaller. Trillions of diatoms, zooplankton, and crustaceans pepper the ice column. In spring, sunlight penetrates the ice, triggering algal blooms. The algae sink to the bottom, and in shallow continental shelf areas they sustain a food web that includes clams, sea stars, arctic cod, seals, walruses—and polar bears.
Read full story here

Solar for Dummies

By Nick Hodge | Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
The headlines say it all...
Total (NYSE: TOT) Pays $1.4 Billion for Stake in SunPower

Army/Marines Charge Critical Equipment With Solar Panels

Google Invests $280 Million in SolarCity

Solar Market Tops $70 Billion in 2010

In only a few years' time, the solar market has gone from “That stuff'll never work” to a billion-dollar acquisition target of the biggest oil companies in the world.

At the turn of the century the world only had 1.4 gigawatts (GWs) of installed solar capacity.

By the end of last year 40.7 GW had been installed – a growth of 2,752%.

Oil didn't do that. Coal didn't do that. Nuclear didn't do that.

Most of the growth has come from Europe – particularly Germany with 17 GW – which boasts over 75% of all installed solar worldwide.

Their head start can be attributed to attractive policies the U.S. failed to embrace. But falling prices, as you'll soon see, will mean the spread and mass adoption of solar in the next few years.

Failed Decontamination System Fukushima ‘again’

Overhead shot of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Japan.

The operator of a damaged reacttor preformed another test run of a newly installed water-treatment system after its pump stopped on Tuesday.

Tokyo Electric Power Co said the pump was overburdened by excessive liquid flow, Kyodo News reported.

The system designed to decontaminate highly radioactive water stopped only five hours into full operation on Friday at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, 250 kilometres north-east of Tokyo.
The operator concluded on Monday that absorbent materials inside the decontamination equipment needed changing more frequently than previously estimated, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The company is trying to reduce radioactivity in water that has accumulated around the plant as a result of emergency measures to cool the reactor cores. Storage facilities for contaminated water were reaching capacity.

Several of the plant’s six reactors have been overheating and leaking radioactive material since it was damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The operator also said Monday night that a plant worker was found to have been exposed to radiation above the official limit, 

                            official limit? You mean the limit they recently raised or 
                                      the original so called safe limit..

bringing the number of over-exposed workers to nine, Kyodo reported.
The operator has been checking the external and internal radiation exposure of a total of more than 3,500 workers engaged in the emergency work, Kyodo said.

Reported on Visions Green Blog

Harvesting Clean Energy on Ontario Farms

Harvesting Clean Energy on Ontario Farms
June 27-30 Speaking Tour

You are invited to join the Climate Action Network Canada, Pembina Institute, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and The United Church of Canada, for the launch of a new report “Harvesting Clean Energy on Ontario Farms” to be featured on a Southern Ontario speaking tour the week of June 27-30, 2011.

The report and tour will highlight the untapped business opportunities for Ontario’s farmers that can be found in the field of renewable energy; the numerous other benefits of renewable energy, such as rural economic development and improved environmental conditions; and finally, the government policies needed to allow farmers to embrace the benefits of renewable energy.  Alongside Canadian and European clean energy experts, Hans-Detlef Feddersen, a leading German farmer, clean energy pioneer and founder of Germany’s first citizen-owned wind park will be our featured speaker.

We would be delighted if you could join us at one of our tour stops to hear the report findings give us your valuable input on this growing project.  The tour will begin in Ottawa on June 27 and will travel through Kingston, Toronto, Cambridge and surrounding areas and will end in Guelph on June 30. Please see the attached for detailed schedule and event information.  The schedule may be updated online at www.climateactionnetwork.ca.

Space at events is limited and RSVP is required for all events.  Please RSVP to Lauryn Drainie by email @ ldrainie@climateactionnetwork.ca and include your name and affiliated organization(s).

We would like to thank The United Church of Canada, the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the German Government with its Transatlantic Climate Bridge for providing the funds to make this project possible.  Thank you as well to all our partner agricultural organizations that have provided feedback, time and organizational support on both the tour and report.

Climate Action Network Canada is a nation-wide coalition of more than 75 environmental, faith, labour, development, aboriginal, health, and youth organizations committed to making action on climate change a reality.

Harvesting Clean Energy on Ontario Farms
Southern-Ontario Speaking Tour

Space is limited and RSVP is required for all events. Please RSVP to Lauryn Drainie @ ldrainie@climateactionnetwork.ca and include your name and affiliated organization(s).

Monday, June 27, Ottawa Area

7:30 pm           Presentation of Report Findings with the National Farmers Union Local 362
Knox Presbyterian Church
1 St. Polycarp Street Box 192 Moose Creek ON K0C 1W0

Tuesday, June 28, Kingston Area


2:00 pm           Presentation of Report Findings with SWITCH Kingston National Farmers Union Local 316, Frontenac Federation of Agriculture, and the County of Frontenac Green Energy Task Force
                        Memorial Hall, Kingston City Hall, 216 Ontario Street, Kingston, ON

7:30 pm           Presentation of Report Findings with the National Farmers Union Local 316, Frontenac Federation of Agriculture, and the County of Frontenac Green Energy Task Force
Verona Lions’ Hall, 4504 Verona Sand Rd, Verona, ON

Wednesday, June 29 Toronto, Guelph & Cambridge

2:30 pm           Presentation of Report Findings
Room 202, Crop Science Building, Ontario Agricultural College,
50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, http://www.uoguelph.ca/campus/map/cropscience/

7:30 pm           Public tour of the Grober Biogas Facility,
Delft Blue Veal Farms, 435 Dobbie Drive, Cambridge, ON

Thursday, June 30, Guelph

2:00 pm           Presentation of Report Findings with the National Farmers Union Local 340
                        St. Brigid’s Villa, Ignatius Jesuit Centre, 5420 Highway 6 North, Guelph ON
 

Update on Japan's Nuclear crisis.

On Friday June 17, 2011 60 Minutes television program ran this story on the Fukishima Melt Down.

I was so moved by this episode for the Japanese people.

Watch this video and share with others so that they too may see the truth about the Nuclear Melt Down and the effects it has on people, the ocean and the planet.

http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/stories/8262363/fallout

Hydro One introduces capacity evaluation tool to help FIT and MicroFIT applicants

Dear Ontario PV Caucus and Manufacturers Caucus,

Hydro One has created a capacity evaluation tool to help Feed-In Tariff (including microFIT) project applicants determine whether there is sufficient capacity to connect their proposed renewable generation installation to a Hydro One-operated station or feeder closest to, or in the vicinity of, their project location.

For more information please click here  http://www.hydroone.com/Generators/Pages/StationCapacityCalculator.aspx and look for the link under "Download the Station and Feeder Capacity Calculator".

Ocean life on the brink of mass extinctions: study

Small waves crash over rocks across the harbour from the Sydney city skyline May 23, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Tim Wimborne

 OSLO (Reuters) - Life in the oceans is at imminent risk of the worst spate of extinctions in millions of years due to threats such as climate change and over-fishing, a study showed on Tuesday.

Time was running short to counter hazards such as a collapse of coral reefs or a spread of low-oxygen "dead zones," according to the study led by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO).

"We now face losing marine species and entire marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, within a single generation," according to the study by 27 experts to be presented to the United Nations.

"Unless action is taken now, the consequences of our activities are at a high risk of causing, through the combined effects of climate change, over-exploitation, pollution and habitat loss, the next globally significant extinction event in the ocean," it said.

Scientists list five mass extinctions over 600 million years -- most recently when the dinosaurs vanished 65 million years ago, apparently after an asteroid struck. Among others, the Permian period abruptly ended 250 million years ago.

"The findings are shocking," Alex Rogers, scientific director of IPSO, wrote of the conclusions from a 2011 workshop of ocean experts staged by IPSO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at Oxford University.

Fish are the main source of protein for a fifth of the world's population and the seas cycle oxygen and help absorb carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas from human activities.

OXYGEN

Jelle Bijma, of the Alfred Wegener Institute, said the seas faced a "deadly trio" of threats of higher temperatures, acidification and lack of oxygen, known as anoxia, that had featured in several past mass extinctions.

A build-up of carbon dioxide, blamed by the U.N. panel of climate scientists on human use of fossil fuels, is heating the planet. Absorbed into the oceans, it causes acidification, while run-off of fertilizers and pollution stokes anoxia.

"From a geological point of view, mass extinctions happen overnight, but on human timescales we may not realize that we are in the middle of such an event," Bijma wrote.

The study said that over-fishing is the easiest for governments to reverse -- countering global warming means a shift from fossil fuels, for instance, toward cleaner energies such as wind and solar power.

"Unlike climate change, it can be directly, immediately and effectively tackled by policy change," said William Cheung of the University of East Anglia.

"Over-fishing is now estimated to account for over 60 percent of the known local and global extinction of marine fishes," he wrote.

Among examples of over-fishing are the Chinese bahaba that can grow 2 meters long. Prices per kilo (2.2 lbs) for its swim bladder -- meant to have medicinal properties -- have risen from a few dollars in the 1930s to $20,000-$70,000.

Read the full article here

The truth about the Samsung deal

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Samsung C&T CEO Chi Sung Ha shake hands in Toronto January 21, 2010.

MARK BLINCH/REUTERS

Cheol Woo Lee is feeling betrayed these days.
The senior vice-president of Samsung C&T understands why Ontarians are getting frustrated by higher energy bills, but he’s disturbed that his company is taking much of the blame.
He’s embarrassed that Samsung – its well-known brand and international reputation—has become a political punching bag to win votes. The unfolding drama is being watched closely at the company’s headquarters in South Korea.
“We haven’t received one cent of money from Ontario,” said Lee, chatting over coffee at a downtown hotel. “We’ve only been spending money—and big money so far. Why do we have to be blamed or criticized?”
He was talking about the well publicized but often mischaracterized “Samsung deal,” frequently referred to in the media and by Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak as that $7-billion “sweetheart” deal signed back in January 2010 by the McGuinty government.
Hudak has said he will kill the deal if elected in October. Even if Hudak is bluffing, Lee said irreparable damage has been done. “The comment has affected our projects seriously. Our partners, our investors, are considering very seriously whether Samsung can manage the situation.”
You’d think, the way it has been framed, that Samsung stands to get $7 billion from the deal, but in fact it’s the other way around – the agreement requires that a Samsung-led consortium deliver $7 billion in investment to Ontario.
This will involve developing 2,000 megawatts of wind power projects, 500 megawatts of solar, and arranging for a manufacturing supply chain that will provide wind turbines and solar panels for those projects. In all, Samsung’s efforts and promised investments are expected to deliver 2,140 direct jobs and 13,860 indirect jobs.
In return, the company gets a premium – called an “economic development adder” – that’s expected to amount to $437 million during the first 20 years of operation of its wind and solar projects. That works out to about $22 million a year, on top of feed-in-tariff rates that apply to all solar and wind projects.

Read the full story here