New Flasks From Davis

Yesterday afternoon a photograph in the October issue of the Railway Magazine really caught my attention.

The photo was taken on August 27, and shows 10 newly build nukiller waste wagons being moved from the manufactures to the DRS depot at Crewe.

The waste flask manufacturer is W.H.Davis & Son, which is based at Langwith Junction, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

The company is described by Companies House as being a Private Limited Company, which manufactures railway locomotives and rolling stock.

The company website states that:-

‘ Recent contracts have included well wagons fitted with double bogies for the safe movement of nuclear product. ’

You can also see a photo of a 180 tonne GLW double-bogied nuclear flask carrier.

This is very obviously a company which we should be taking more interest in over the next few years.

Another Farce

I ‘m looking forward to that glorious day – sometime next week – when the  press gets back to publishing some real news, and not about the delusion that voting will make a difference.

The real future of britain will be made by what the banks decides to do with the currency.

While those who live outside of  scotland will get no say in it all.

It’s all rather like voting  for members of the City of London
Corporation, which still operates on the ‘City Vote’.

As I keep saying: –

When voting changed the system – Thatcher abolished the GLC.

These are all the experience which have shaped by thinking,
and why I’ve never voted in my life.

Fly Ash

This is an important news story which we all need to consider.

Concrete shortage looms for major projects.

This all comes down to the fact that there is much less Fly Ash being produced in the UK.

Fly ash is used to ensure the setting of concrete and plaster. It provides concrete with more protection from wet conditions and chemical attack.

There is now much less of the raw material uses to make fly ash. This is due to the declining use of coal by power plants. Thus there might be increasing exports of Fly ash from places like India.

The bottom line being that there will be fewer economic reasons to close the coal power plants in the countries where this material comes from. This in turn is bad news in terms of stopping climate change.

That’s why it is important to develop an alternative to this material.

GoAGT Goes Bust

Headlines.

Here is a news headline from Lloyd’s List:- Is the maritime security bubble about to burst?

This was because the Lymington-based Gulf of Aden Group Transits (GoAGT) has just gone bust.

It was also reported that all the work of GoAGT): – ‘ would now be carried out on their behalf by Sea Marshals, another Private Management Security Company (PMSC).

On August 6th  Seanews came up with the headline:-

‘GoAGT failure sparks worries other shipboard guard firms will go bust.’

While Malta Today reported:–

‘A Malta-based, industry-leading and highly profitable maritime security company – Gulf of Aden Group Transits (GoAGT) – abruptly closed its doors this week and went into administration, leaving hundreds of employees across the globe in the lurch, some literally at sea.’

Missing Information.

What is currently happening with GoAGT is wide open to speculation as all content has been taken of the company website.     http://goagt.org/

Ditto – There is nothing about them on Facebook, but you can still find a Facebook page for the GOAGT Galle Maritime Security Training Centre.

The webpage for the GoAGT Maltese subsidiary company Maritime Guard Group has also been removed.

Though you can still find something about them on LinkedIn .

Speculation.

What exactly has happened with GoAGT must remain a matter of speculation for the moment.

What this might mean for the future of all the other companies which provide armed guards at sea is very much an open question.

It’s all going to be a matter of wait at sea.

Update.

On Friday Aug 8th World Maritime News published the following news story:-

Workers Left High and Dry as GoAGT Goes Insolvent.

This news story gives an account of the GoAGT company finances, and what another maritime guards company, Sea Marshals, describes as ‘a marketing opportunity for our services.’

What’s Going Around.

There is an old Cockney saying: –
What goes around comes around.

This saying might well be applied to the world ocean currents.

Last night the following qustion struck me.

How long does it take for the North Pacific Current to complete one rotation before it comes back to pick up more radioactive water from the Fukushimma nukiller power plant ?

The key point to remember is that the plant is and will be contaminating the Pacific for many decades to come.

One does not need to be a scientist to work out what happens next.

Many coasts of the Pacific will recieve yet more radioactive water:  –  time and time and time and time and time again.

How long must we keep reading reports such as the following?

‘Huge increase in dead and sick sea mammals on California coast — Unprecedented numbers,
annual record broken in 7 months.’

‘ Millions of fish dead at Oregon coast — “Craziest thing I’ve ever seen” — “You can’t blame people for being alarmed” — Aquarium: “It kind of looks like the apocalypse… especially big numbers…’

or

‘ Study: Plutonium from Fukushima went further than Chernobyl — Researchers ‘surprised’ their most plutonium-contaminated sample was from site farthest from Fukushima plant — Concern material is flowing into Pacific Ocean from land.’

Yet many people still don’t get it.

What is happening at Fukushima is an ongoing disaster, and not something which happened in the past.

We need to keep reminding ourselves about this fact on a daily basis.

Unite Against Unite Union Pro Nukiller Policy

The Unite Trade Union will be holding a Policy Conference in Liverpool this week.

To coincide with this Kick Nuclear will be leafleting the Unite headquarters on monday june 30th.

This in because Unite have a pro nukiller set of policies.

Here are some links which illustrate just what the Union has been saying about Trident and the nukiller power industry.

This first set of links are from the Unite Union.

Unite welcomes Hitachi nuclear deal and urges the new owner to maximise UK supply chain.

Faslane & Coulport strikes suspended as Babcock agrees to fresh pay talks

Brazen’ Babcock accused of pay ‘con’ as action starts at Clyde nuclear bases.

Unite victory at Capenhurst construction project.

Sellafield workers campaign for a future

&

Unite welcomes new government consultation on radioactive waste.

The following news stories concern the future of Trident.

Unions warn Ed Miliband scrapping Trident will cost 13,000 jobs.

Phase out don’t axe Trident, says union


Many members of Unite are opposed to these pro nukiller policies.

They should be helped with any efforts they make in order to reverse these policies.

Rethinking Food Banks

I keep seeing references to food banks, and lists of what food banks will take, as I’m visiting various supermarkets.

What I don’t see on these lists could ever be described as healthy:- never mind organic food.

None of them would be of much help to anyone who wants to eat low fat, low salt, & sugar free food:- Never mind a Vegie or Vegan diet.

Neither do any of them seem to promote the ‘5 a day’ ( fresh fruit and veg ) meals which health workers keep banging on about.

So perhaps it’s time for them to do a rethink.

Maybe it’s time to set up a some food bank collections places in health food stores or local green grocers.

The Ontario Vegetarian Food Bank (OVFB) in Scarborough, Ontario, could act as a good example of just what is needed.

Maybe this is an issue which some of the vegetarian and vegan campaigning groups might like to start working upon.

Selling Death Below The Sea.

This years UDT 2014 [ Underwater ‘Defence’ Technology ]
arms fare and conference will take place in Liverpool between June 10th and 12th.

This is an event which its organisers describe as:
‘ The global event for underwater defence and security.’

It is an arms fair.

The event is being organised by the Clarion Events who run DSEI.

&

The UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation, which exists to help arms manufactures to export their weapons around the world.


The Deadly Merchants.

Such well know Arms manufacturers such as
– BAE Systems,
– Babcock International Group,
– James Fisher Defence,
&
– Lockheed Martin,
will be exhibiting their deadly products at the event.

Lesser known companies such as
– BMT Defence Services,
– Drumgrange Ltd,
&
– SeeByte
will also be exhibiting their products at the event.

The Deadly Buyers.

At UDT 2013 event there were representatives from 44 countries.

Such as:-

– Colombia,
– Israel,
– the Russian Federation,
&
– United Arab Emirates.

The most telling fact is that this included individuals from China, Japan, & South Korea.

– All of which are involved in territorial despites with each other.

– All of which are involved in miliary stand-offs in the region.

Protest!

Merseyside Peace Network will be holding a protest outside of the event from 08.30. on the morning of June 10th.

On the last day of UDT 2014 a wreath will be presented to the organisers of the arms fare.

This is in order to remember all those who will be killed because of the weapons sold at the UDT 2014 event.

New Information About The Atlantic Cartier.

There is new information about what was on board the Atlantic Cartier while is was on fire in Hamburg Harbour last May.

It contained: –
– 3.8 tonnes of ammunition,
– 180 tons of explosive ethanol,
– 8.9 tons of uranium hexafloride,
&
– 11 tons of unused, fresh uranium fuel rods.

None of the news reports about the fire mentioned anything about these fuel rods, as this infomation was not made public until a couple of weeks later, and is only available now thanks to a translation of a recent news story which was published in the HAMBURG taz.

All of which raises some very important questions which do need to be addressed.

Yet Bibby Ship management refuse to discuss anything about the ACL ships which they manage.

Enough [ Not ] said I’m thinking.