Shadowlands - photographs & stories from Fukushima

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Shadowlands - photographs & stories from Fukushima

Robert Knoth and Antoinette de Jong visited the Fukushima region with Greenpeace in the autumn of 2011 to bear witness to the effects wrought on the region by the nuclear fallout from the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The shadow of radiation now looms over the people, the animals, and the environment of this area of Japan. Well-kept agricultural land is now becoming wild, children's play areas and petrol stations are contaminated and abandoned, and nature is taking back roads. Each photo captures the eerie beauty of a region left in limbo as radioactive fallout permeates all aspects of life.

This video was produced to accompany the exhibition. The interactive exhibition can be found at www.greenpeace.org/shadowlands.

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NO NUKES | RE-TOOL NOW
whats up: RC's NUCLEAR BLOG

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they live

"I have come here

to chew bubble gum and kick ass,

and I'm all out of bubble gum."


(you've felt it your entire life)

(they live trailer)

(they live movie)

revelations of the pyramid

Japanese American internment - 70 years ago | haiku

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rounded up

"Tagged for evacuation, Salinas, California," May 1942 | Russell Lee
This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons

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February 20, 2012 marked the 70th anniversary of #EO9066, the executive order signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt that authorized the deportation and eventual detainment of Japanese Americans from the west coast during World War II. Here is a great rundown of some of the essential facts related to internment, a particularly dark spot on our nation’s history and one glossed over by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Of the 120,000 Japanese-Americans imprisoned, 2/3 were American citizens making the number of Japanese-Americans interned without cause greater then the population of Wichita, Kansas. Americans with as little as 1/8 Japanese ancestry were interned, including orphan infants and Americans of Taiwanese and Korean descent.

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70 Years Ago Japanese-American Removal and Internments Began | Care2 Causes

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Poetry in History

...In an era of liberal personhood, when most — but certainly not all, recent legislation in Arizona being a case in point — citizens of the United States enjoy relative protection under the law, how are we to respond to the egregious moment in 1942 when crowds of Japanese immigrants and their American-born children were herded onto fairgrounds, relegated to horse stalls and racetracks, and “relocated” to barbed-wire compounds and hastily constructed prison barracks throughout the nation? And all this, in response to sentiment like that expressed by columnist Henry McLemore: “I am for the immediate removal of every Japanese on the West Coast to a point deep in the interior. I don’t mean a nice part of the interior either. Herd ‘em up, pack ‘em off and give ‘em the inside room in the badlands… Personally, I hate the Japanese. And that goes for all of them.”

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Autumn foliage
California has now become
a far country

–Yajin Nakao

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Frosty night
listening to rumbling train
we have come a long way

–Senbinshi Takaoka

The Delta Ginsha [a free-verse poetry club] was founded in 1918 by Neiji Qzawa… Its members met monthly and submitted their haiku to the master of the month, who was usually the host or hostess for the evening. They submitted for consideration as many poems as they desired. The poems were then read and discussed and a vote was taken to determine the best haiku… It was an evening anticipated by the members—grape growers, onion farmers, teachers, housewives, bankers, pharmacists, and others—who had assembled for an enlightening cultural and social event.

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Poetry in History: Japanese American Internment | Lantern Review Blog

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Executive Order 9066

Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.[1][2] The internment of Japanese Americans was applied unequally throughout the United States. Japanese Americans who lived on the West Coast of the United States were all interned, while in Hawaii, where more than 150,000 Japanese Americans composed over one-third of the territory's population, 1,200[3] to 1,800 Japanese Americans were interned.[4] Of those interned, 62% were American citizens.[5][6]

President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the internment with Executive Order 9066, issued February 19, 1942, which allowed local military commanders to designate "military areas" as "exclusion zones," from which "any or all persons may be excluded." This power was used to declare that all people of Japanese ancestry were excluded from the entire Pacific coast, including all of California and much of Oregon, Washington and Arizona, except for those in internment camps.[7] In 1944, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the exclusion orders,[8] while noting that the provisions that singled out people of Japanese ancestry were a separate issue outside the scope of the proceedings.[9] The United States Census Bureau assisted the internment efforts by providing confidential neighborhood information on Japanese Americans. The Bureau's role was denied for decades, but was finally proven in 2007.[10][11]
In 1988, Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed legislation which apologized for the internment on behalf of the U.S. government. The legislation said that government actions were based on "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership".[12] The U.S. government eventually disbursed more than $1.6 billion in reparations to Japanese Americans who had been interned and their heirs.[13]

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Japanese American internment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The Amache Japanese Internment Camp at Granada, Colorado

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midnight canoeist

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

open your eyes

view ancient artifacts

Whirlo - Way

Walter Fredrick "Fred" Morrison (January 23, 1920 – February 9, 2010) was an American inventor and entrepreneur, best known as the inventor of the Frisbee. He was born in Richfield, Utah.

Morrison claimed that the original idea for a flying disc toy came to him in 1937, while throwing a popcorn can lid with his girlfriend, Lu, whom he later married. The popcorn lid soon dented which led to the discovery that cake pans flew better and were more common. Morrison and Lu developed a little business selling "Flyin' Cake Pans" on the beaches of Santa Monica, California.

During World War II he learned something of aerodynamics flying his P-47 Thunderbolt in Italy. He was shot down and was a prisoner of war for 48 days. (read more)

zero point field

the truth behind the energy lie

self portrait

"Spaceflight"

your world

allegro non troppo

Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Dvořák's Slavonic Dance No. 7, Op. 46

Ravel's Boléro

Sibelius's Valse triste

Vivaldi's Concerto in C major for 2 Oboes

Stravinsky's The Firebird

Finale

love is

Freedom and love go together.

Love is not a reaction.

If I love you because you love me,

that is mere trade,

a thing to be bought in the market;

it is not love.

To love is not to ask anything in return,

not even to feel that you are giving something-

and it is only such love that can know freedom.

Jiddu Krishnamurti

Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov (born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov, January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. His works have been published in all ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System (although his only work in the 100s—which covers philosophy and psychology—was a foreword for The Humanist Way).

Asimov is widely considered a master of hard science fiction and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, he was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers during his lifetime. Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation Series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those pioneered by Robert A. Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson. He wrote many short stories, among them "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America the best short science fiction story of all time. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French.

The prolific Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as much non-fiction. Most of his popular science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery, as well as works on astronomy, mathematics, the Bible, William Shakespeare's writing and chemistry.

Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, a crater on the planet Mars, a Brooklyn, New York elementary school, and one Isaac Asimov literary award are named in his honor. (read more)

Asimov in 1965

Greening the GRAMMYs: It All Adds Up

By itself, the GRAMMYs telecast does not instigate major ecological impacts. But each and every procurement decision, and all operations, are reviewed with an eye towards reducing the event’s ecological footprint. Not that everything can be done, at least not yet. Cost considerations limit some of our options. Nevertheless, the paper products and other supplies that were bought and the services procured were selected with sensitivity toward reducing the threats we face from global warming, species extinction, deforestation, toxic waste, and hazardous chemicals in our water and food. Some of the highlights from this year’s initiative are below. - Greening the GRAMMYs: It All Adds Up | Allen Hershkowitz's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC

peach pi = 3.14159265...

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381964428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920962829254091715364367892590360011330530548820466521384146951941511609...

good wife

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.

During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.

Be happy to see him.

Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.

Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity.

Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

A good wife always knows her place.

liar

"Every

thing

I

say

is

a

lie."

dan aykroyd - unplugged

seven years in tibet

Heinrich Harrer (6 July 1912 – 7 January 2006) was an Austrian mountaineer, sportsman, geographer, and author. He is best known for being on the four-man climbing team that made the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger in Switzerland, and for his books Seven Years in Tibet (1952) and The White Spider (1959).

In 1948, Harrer became a salaried official of the Tibetan government, translating foreign news and acting as Court photographer. Harrer first met the 14th Dalai Lama when he was summoned to the Potala Palace and asked to make a film about iceskating, which Harrer had introduced to Tibet. Harrer built a cinema for him, with a projector run off a Jeep engine. Harrer soon became the Dalai Lama's tutor in English, geography, and some science, and Harrer was astonished at how fast his pupil absorbed the Western world's knowledge. A strong friendship developed between the two that would last the rest of their lives.

In 1952, Harrer returned to Austria where he documented his experiences in the books Seven Years in Tibet (1952) and Lost Lhasa (1953). Seven Years in Tibet was translated into 53 languages, and was a bestseller in the United States in 1954, selling three million copies. The book was the basis of two films of the same title, the first in 1956 and the second in 1997, starring Brad Pitt in the role of Harrer.

In Seven Years in Tibet, Harrer wrote:

Wherever I live, I shall feel homesick for Tibet. I often think I can still hear the cries of wild geese and cranes and the beating of their wings as they fly over Lhasa in the clear cold moonlight. My heartfelt wish is that my story may create some understanding for a people whose will to live in peace and freedom has won so little sympathy from an indifferent world. (read more) (7 years in tibet trailer)

revo - lution

road sign

Shining the Light on the Triple Meltdown at Fukushima | OCCUPY NUCLEAR

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There were ample warnings that both TEPCO and Japan's regulators ignored steps that would have prevented this tragedy. Throughout the world, nuclear oversight has been compromised by the revolving door and cozy relationship between the nuclear industry and the so-called nuclear regulators who promote nuclear power rather than regulate.

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Shining the Light on the Triple Meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi on Vimeo | Fairewinds Energy Education on Vimeo | Updates on Fukushima: | Fairewinds Associates, Inc

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whats up: OCCUPY NUCLEAR

- - - NEW NUKES ALERT - - -
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a vote for Feb. 9 on Southern Co.’s application for the first construction permit to build nuclear reactors in more than 30 years. The two Westinghouse nukes are already under construction at Plant Vogtle in Georgia.

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Note this (meeting) is not to "make a final decision" on the Combined Operating License for the Vogtle units, but to affirm the decision of the earlier mandatory hearing that there are "no environmental or safety reasons not to approve the COL" - once the Commission affirms the hearing findings, the staff is authorized to issue the COL

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Your tax dollars at work - The U.S. Energy Department in February 2010 conditionally approved an $8.3 billion loan guarantee to help the company build the two reactors. - this ok with you?

OCCUPY NUCLEAR, February 9, 2012 -

• NRC: Rockville, Maryland | other NRC Locations

• Southern Company: NW Atlanta, GA

• Vogtle Electric Generating Plant: Burke County, near Waynesboro, Georgia

• Westinghouse Nuclear: Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania

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more info, maps, etc > whats up: OCCUPY NUCLEAR - New Nukes | February 9

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got nukes?

want to help? - find your closest nuke plant(s), look up the type and status of the reactor(s) and/or other facilites; and find out who the owners & operators are. then we can talk about some organizing and actions! - who is already working on the nuclear issue in your area? - what next? :)

follow links, comment below... | email rc :)

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see also
whats up: Links

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who is nuking in your back yard ???


View Larger Map

try a google map search, use the name of your state & see what comes up

note - the page "whats up: OCCUPY NUCLEAR" includes links and an extensive list of nuclear reactors in the US - way more than the "104 operational nukes" that you hear about

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FOE Europe

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see also: FREEZE OUR FUKUSHIMAS - March Against Nuclear Madness!

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Beyond Nuclear - Home

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FREEZE OUR FUKUSHIMAS!

Become a co-petitioner to NRC and support the Beyond Nuclear call for the suspension of the 23 Fukushima-style reactors operating in the US.

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whats up: RC's NUCLEAR BLOG
NO NUKES | RE-TOOL NOW

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lucy

worship

"I don't believe

in a god

that needs to be worshiped."

psychopomp

Recording on Saturday Afternoon

E Pluribus Unum

 

Chris Jordan - 24 x 24 feet; laser etched onto aluminum panels.

Depicts the names of one million organizations around the world that are devoted to peace, environmental stewardship, social justice, and the preservation of diverse and indigenous culture. The actual number of such organizations is unknown, but estimates range between one and two million, and growing.

visit website to zoom in :)
> Chris Jordan - E Pluribus Unum

btw: this is by the guy who did the dead birds & plastic pics (Midway: Message from the Gyre at chrisjordan.com)

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Chris Jordan is an internationally acclaimed artist and cultural activist based in Seattle. His work explores contemporary mass culture from a variety of photographic and conceptual perspectives, connecting the viewer viscerally to the enormity and power of humanity’s collective will. Edge-walking the lines between art and activism, beauty and horror, abstraction and representation, the near and the far, the visible and the invisible, his work asks us to consider our own multi-layered roles in becoming more conscious stewards of our complex and embattled world. Jordan’s works are exhibited and published worldwide.

Democracy and Ignorance Don't Mix

Democracy is a term that represents a concept that the nation takes great and an almost all-consuming pride in. Yet it seems to be failing. I have come to this conclusion not in regards to the political institutions that remain more or less intact, but in terms of the electorate not being adequately equipped to make the kinds of decisions that ensure the continued vitality of the State.

In my estimation, a functioning democracy requires an educated and thoughtful population capable of reasoned judgment and intelligent choices regarding public policy. From this perspective, democracy cannot thrive within a nation when a significant proportion of its population is poorly educated and whose general state of mind is overwhelmed by fear, prejudice and unadulterated bigotry. That seems to be the current condition of our society in the second decade of the twenty-first century.

At this time, the nation is deeply polarized and the rift is substantial. Unfortunately, while these ideological differences consume a great deal of time, always a precious commodity, the ills that haunt the entire nation – poverty, hunger, unemployment, homelessness, a failing infrastructure and the foreboding prospects of climate change – continue on their disastrous courses essentially unabated.

we are legion

Chicago soup kitchen 1931

Unemployed men queued outside a depression soup kitchen opened in Chicago by Al Capone.