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.

Impossible Measurement Makes Impossible Scientific Analysis

Scientific Work ?

The work of scientists consists of observation, making measurements, and analysis.

Only when they have completed this work are they ever willing to venture any opinions about what they have been studying.

I am told that it would be unscientific to do anything else .

This is particularly so while they keep trying to work out what has or is happening at Fukushima.

However —

The problem is that it takes ages to complete these measurement, and much is it is impossible to quantify.

Yet just how can they do so when they can neither make any real observations, and no proper measurements have ever been made.

Don’t Know – So Can Not Tell.

So lets start with the fact that we just don’t know how much radioactive matter has landed up in the coastal waters of Siberia.

There is just no information coming out of the region, and so it’s impossible to do anything but specular as to just what is happening there.

Ditto at Fukushima.

We just don’t have any true figures about how much radiation is leaking in to the Pacific.

Though much of this problem stems from the way in which TEPCO continues to mismanage the plant.

Here is fine example of why I don’t trust any of the information which TEPCO hands out. It also illustrates just how difficult it has become to make any scientific analysis, or work out just how radioactive water flowing from the plant will effect life in the Pacific.

TEPCO hid record-level radiation data.

Long Term.

As to just how long any scientific analysis will need to be done, well just read this: –

Cesium release at Fukushima to continue for next 5 decades.

Here is what Prof. Alexey Yablokov, an advisor at the Russian Academy of Sciences has had to say about the situation:

“The fact that so far from the Fukushima plant fish contains radionuclides shows that our view of the circulation of radionuclides spilt into the ocean has proved to be false. Radioactivity in tuna fish has been detected on the American side of the ocean. It turns out that the Fukushima spillage affects the life of the world ocean. I see no other way out other than to establish a constant and very careful radiation control of all seafood caught in the Pacific Ocean without exception”.

So it all goes on and on and on.

More Please!

I was pleased to read the following:-

Kelp off San Diego coast to be tested for Fukushima radiation.

Now what we need is the same to be done right across the Pacific.

A 3D Printed Arms Trade

I’ve been reading and thinking about 3D printers of late, and just how they are going to change the world.

The most scary aspect of this is just how it will impact upon the military and the arms trade.

Military Aircraft & War Ships.

Here is a summary of just what has been going on of late, and some of the thinking behind it.

Siemens plans to produce spare parts for its gas turbines.

BAE Systems are now starting to produce 3D printed Tornado Aircraft which are being tested by the RAF.

While the  ‘ U.S. Navy could soon use these popular tech tools to shake up traditional supply chains and revolutionise maritime strategy.’

The following article gives some more idea of just what the future might hold: –

“Print Me a Cruiser” : The Future of the US Fleet

Design, Print, and Kill local.

The  way 3D printers work means that anyone can scan existing weapons component parts, convert the info in to a software programme, and start their own local weapons industry.

Last year a working gun was made with a 3D printer, but that’s just the start of it all.

The use of 3D printers will make it very difficult to impose any international arms controls, and produce a lot of legal problems for those who wish to impose any prohibition on the export of weapons or weapon systems.

This is something which very few legislators will have ever thought about. Neither has there been any thoughts given upon just how to stop the military proliferation which this technology might cause.

It is possible to prohibit the sale of arms, and even the blueprints of specific weapons.

Yet 3 key questions do need to be examined: –

–  How can this be extended to weapons production software?

– Will that be enough to stop the proliferation of new small arm manufacturing?

&

– Just how do you stop anyone from scanning weapons, and reproducing them via a 3D printer ?

Here is one idea which has been proposed:

‘ Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) is looking at how to regulate working guns made by 3-D printers.’

The Jobs Issue.

3D printing can be done at the point of need, and thus saves a lot of transport costs.

This in turn means less jobs for transport workers, and far fewer people involved in the manufacturing process.

Thus there will be less large arms factories, and a decrease in the export of weapons.

This in turn will result in a lot of job loses,  which is very difficult to quantify at present,
but it is something we should all be thinking about.

It will also weaken the case put by the arms trade that they promote manufacturing & thus job.

Though it might also mean that many more new weapons are in use around the world.

It’s the kind of issue which those involved in the Trade Unions and Anti-Arms Trade Campaigners  should start to study.

On the Plus Side.

– 3D food printers can create sweets and chocolates.

– 3D printers can produce artificial limbs.

&

– They can be used to make amazing works of art.

Meanwhile In The Pacific.

What is read.

The UK government seems to be madly thinking that we need more nukiller power stations, while it allows Fracking to take place , cuts flood defences, cuts social welfare, pushes for more policing with less police, and pushes ahead with a replacement to Trident as a nukiller ‘deterrent’.

Yet all you will really see in the British press is a pointless debate about immigration, membership of the EU,  the alleged bad behaviour of a few entertainers, or celebres, and just what the royals have been doing of late.

Well that kinda sums up what has been going on for a while, or rather, what most people in Britain might think has been going on in the world.

Read a year ago, watch todays news, or read it in a years time: –
It was, is, and will be the very same ‘news’ stories.

What Needs to be Said and What Needs to be Read.

Yet very few people are warning about just what is going on at Fukushima, how the Pacific is dying, and just how much of a global problem this has become.

While all we can do is keep warning just how dangerous nukiller new build will be,  and keep campaigning to stop the nukiller industry.

Recent Activities

Sometimes it might seem like I’ve not been doing much of late, but this is not the case.

I’ve just had an article about my world view published on the Liverpool CND website.

While a lot of my time have been spent upon setting up the Atlantic Cartier Campaign.

Right now I’m putting together a piece about the Military & Arms Trade dangers which come from 3D printing.

So as we say – More Anon.

Radioactive Trade Wars.

A Ban on Shell Fish & Fish.

Radioactive discharges from Windscale ( Sellafield ) picked up by shellfish have caused a lot of concerns over the years.

In 2004 this raised the prospect that it might stop the export of some British shellfish to the rest of Europe.

Now Russia has imposed a ban on fish and seafood imports from Japan.

In September South Korea banned all fishery products from eight Japan prefectures.

&

China has just banned all Shellfish from the West Coast of the USA.

Trade Wars ?

As the level of radioactivity from Fukushima grows, then so will concerns about the health of the fish in the Pacific.

Thus the number of countries disallowing the import of fish from Japan, Canada, and the US must grow.

These sorts of import bans will really upset the WTO, scupper GATT, and might bring about all sorts of trade sanctions.

Just how many countries will this impact ?

One can only guess the answer to that question.

However . . . . . .

With rising health concerns, and falling fish numbers, there will not be much of a fishing industry left in the Pacific within the next couple of years.

So any trade sanctions will be of a very academic nature indeed.

Ban them now !

What we now need is a European import ban upon all fish and shell fish from the Northern Pacific.

Such an import ban would highlight just what is happening at Fukushima,  and the need to close down all nukiller power plants.