Zombie Traffic

This past week has been big for online zombie searches. Following a genuinely gruesome face eating attack by a disturbed (to say the least) man in Florida “zombie apocalypse” became the third most popular search term online. The original story was soon followed by equally horrid headlines from New Jersey, Maryland, and Canada. As these stories seemed to rapidly accumulate from out of nowhere the Center for Disease Control was compelled to issue this statement. “CDC does not know of a virus or condition that would reanimate the dead," said CDC spokesman David Daigle, adding: "(or one that would present zombie-like symptoms.)" Only last year they had used the term zombie apocalypse in a tongue-in-cheek teaser for publicity about emergency preparedness. Also as a result of the ebb and flow of search- hungry traffic, the humor site Cracked.com (the self described; sort of popular comedy website that publishes silly, informative list articles {garnished with dick jokes}) had its best days for traffic ever. This traffic jump, according to senior cracked.com writer Daniel O’Brian, shows the media is seriously broken.

One insane news story catches everyone's attention with an impossible to ignore headline ("Man Shot to Death by Police While Attempting to Eat Another Man's Face"). Once that happens, any online journalist hungry for traffic is going to look for similar stories around the world (of which there are always plenty, because there will always be disturbed people in the world), and try to find a link between their story and the crazy popular Miami story. Because then they're not just running a story about "a man in Maryland who ate another man's heart and brains," they're writing a story titled "Another Trend in the Bizarre ZOMBIE EPIDEMIC THAT'S SWEEPING AMERICA!" That's just smart journalism. You hitch your story to a more popular story and try to connect them. This doesn't mean that people weren't murdering and/or eating people in horrific ways two years ago; it just means we weren't looking for that kind of story back then.

Not sure I agree with all of this because, after all, the New York Times - safely behind a pay wall - hardly reported on the original story and didn’t use the “Z” world at all. But check out O’Brian’s entire rant - it isn’t totally cracked. cracked.com

Justice Swerved: Bush Guilty in Kuala Lumpur

Former President George Bush and seven from his administration were found guilty of war crimes in a symbolic Kuala Lumpur tribunal of conscience. Included in the guilty convictions are former Vice President Dick Cheney; Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ;members of the Bush/Cheney administration legal counselors Alberto Gonzales, David Addington; Defense Dept counsel William Haynes II and Justice Dept. lawyers Jay Bybee and John Yoo.

Victims of torture told a panel of five judges in Kuala Lumpur of their suffering at the hands of US soldiers and contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among the evidence, Briton Moazzam Begg, an ex-Guantanamo detainee, said he was beaten, put in a hood and left in solitary confinement. Iraqi woman Jameelah Abbas Hameedi said she was stripped and humiliated in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison.

The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission Commission is a symbolic non-governmental entity established in 2007 by former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohmad.

Tribunal president judge Tan Sri Lamin Mohd Yunus said the eight accused were also individually and jointly liable for crimes of torture in accordance with Article 6 of the Nuremberg Charter. "The US is subject to customary international law and to the principles of the Nuremberg Charter and exceptional circumstances such as war, instability and public emergency cannot excuse torture."

The Kuala Lumpur Tribunal findings will be publicized and submitted to the International Criminal Court, United Nations and the Security Council. Tribunal members hope nations will be reluctant to invite “war criminals” from the Bush years to their countries. Maybe expecting a vigorous effort to deal with Bush/Cheney administration’s possible war crimes here in the US was always a quaint concept. But for now justice has swerved, at least symbolically to Malaysia.

Vermont Strong: Kickboxing ?

Promoters and fans of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) may be a buzz with this news but I would guess many Vermonters have until now remained unaware that the Vermont legislature has passed legislation that could bring Mixed Martial Arts and kickboxing matches to the Green Mountains. Coming afoot this session’s wrangling and occasional cries over perceived lack of civility one might marvel at their ability to quietly come together and allow martial arts and kickboxing. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Senior Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs and onetime executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission Marc Ratner said said:

“We are thrilled with the state of Vermont becoming the 46th state to regulate the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. We look forward to working with their athletic commission in forming the rules and regulations of this great sport.”

They sport has cleaned itself up substantially since 1997 when Senator John McCain called it “human cockfighting”. After McCain’s comments the sport prohibited controversial tactics, including hair-pulling, small-joint manipulation, head butts, groin strikes, kicks to a downed opponent and strikes to the back of the head and neck .Recently the UFC got an exclusive eight year exclusive contract with Fox TV. Viewership for the UFC’s programs like Unleashed,Knockouts and Countdown have in the past averaged millions of viewers but have fallen in recent years.

The Vermont legislation contains the following definitions: “Kickboxing” means unarmed combat involving the use of striking techniques delivered with the upper and lower body and in which the competitors remain standing while striking; “Martial arts” means any form of unarmed combative sport or unarmed combative entertainment that allows contact striking, except boxing or wrestling; “Mixed martial arts” means unarmed combat involving the use of a combination of techniques from different disciplines of the martial arts, including grappling, submission holds, and strikes with the upper and lower body.

Large media markets NewYork and Connecticut remain “unregulated” for MMA and are likely the next match for the UFC’s Senior Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs. Alaska and Montana do not have the regulatory entities to oversee such sport.

Randy Brock and the Bears

One wonders if Vermont Republican gubernatorial hopeful Randy Brock may re-think more appearances with his taller co-star.

“It’s a walking, moving, waving, candy-dispensing dispensing bear,” Brock said. “And it’s a Republican bear." Maybe it's his first small campaign booboo.

Chicago Tribune Reports the Death of Facts

Yes, that’s correct.They report Facts death not a dearth of facts. A Chicago Tribune reporter has the sad news of the final passing of Facts. In memoriam: After years of health problems, Facts has finally died. Over the centuries, Facts became such a prevalent part of most people's lives that Irish philosopher Edmund Burke once said: "Facts are to the mind what food is to the body." To the shock of most sentient beings, Facts died Wednesday, April 18, after a long battle for relevancy with the 24-hour news cycle, blogs and the Internet. Though few expected Facts to pull out of its years-long downward spiral, the official cause of death was from injuries suffered last week when Florida Republican Rep. Allen West steadfastly declared that as many as 81 of his fellow members of the U.S. House of Representatives are communists. And here are the final details: Facts is survived by two brothers, Rumor and Innuendo, and a sister, Emphatic Assertion. Services are alleged to be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that mourners make a donation to their favorite super PAC. Read the entire piece it’s brilliant. And more about it here:about Facts has Died

Have You Heard Any Word of the Iceberg?

HAVE YOU HEARD ANY WORD OF THE ICEBERG?

A Titanic poem by Les Barker

On a cold rainy night on a Liverpool quayside
In the years before the Great War
The world was in shock at the loss of Titanic
So proud had they been days before.
Relatives gathered for news of their loved ones,
To read through the list of the dead,
When into the throng came a sad-eyed Polar Bear,
And to the clerk at the counter he said …
(Chorus)
Have you got any news of the iceberg?
My family were on it you see.
Have you got any news of the iceberg?
They mean the whole world to me.

My wife and children were coming from Greenland
To be by my side in the zoo.
Belinda's my wife and the eldest's called Bernard, and Billy, well, he's only two.
I know on the ship there were hundreds of people,
And I know the iceberg's not yours.
The Polar Bear's eyes held the start of his teardrops
He covered his face with his paws.

It's been over a year since I last saw my children,
I left home to build my career:
I've worked very hard, I'm a star in the circus,
It's all been for nothing I fear.
There's my face on the poster,
We're in town this week.

My children were meeting me here.
Everyone watched as he struggled to speak.
By now all the people had gathered beside him,
His grief was one they could share,
The people around him in silence and sadness,
Listened to the sad Polar Bear.
I wanted my children to see me performing,
And Belinda, she would have been proud.
At last, lost for words and his tears flowing freely,
The question was asked by the crowd.
(Chorus)







A poem by Les Barker

Bush is a Shining Wit

George W. Bush has surfaced in the news speaking at a forum sponsored by the George W. Bush Institute. Bush got over his reluctance to weigh in on issues since leaving office and spoke in New York City in favor of tax cuts for the rich or as he now says “the so-called rich”.

“I wish they weren’t called the ‘Bush tax cuts,’ ” he said of the tax rates set to expire at the end of the year. “If they were called some other body's tax cuts, they're probably less likely to be raised.”

Bush, whose time in office among other things included two long deadly wars and the country’s deepest recession claimed he didn’t miss being President however

"I enjoyed it; it was an unbelievably interesting experience," then he added, perhaps after some thoughtful introspection "It was inconvenient to have to stop at some stop signs -- stop lights -- coming over here, but I guess I miss that."

It only took a short speech and a couple news stories to get a stunning reminder of what an awful jackass he was and still is. The President responsible for starting the war in Iraq guesses he misses being able to drive though stop lights. Well, Cheney got a new heart since leaving office but Bush is obviously still trying to function with the same brain.

Mangoes In the News !

Well we’ve all been waiting for it and at last it is here.


The
National Mango Board's latest consumer
attitude and usage study.

According to the board, the study showed increases in mango movement, number of current purchasers, incidences of people eating mangoes plus higher consumer satisfaction.

The board exceeded its 2011 goals by influencing nearly 950 million consumers, generating a 117% increase in mango volume and working with more than five million foodservice professionals through foodservice publications and partnerships, according to a news release.

There’s still opportunity out there ! The results also showed 41 percent of consumers have never bought a mango! But the marketing board is taking an aggressive posture “We want to eliminate barriers of uncertainty about mangoes and encourage consumers to enjoy the benefits of the nutritious and tasty fruit.”
There is a mango in your future

In Vermont Kale is NOT Chicken

That's all I've got to report!

April Fool's Poisson,Vite on est camarades!

The US Upper Crust Rebounds

Not much can be added to tag along with this chart that shows so dramatically who the winners and losers have been in the recovery to date. The chart is an analysis of recent IRS data by economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty illustrates directions in US incomes after the Great Recession and the Great Depression. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and tax code expert David Clay Johnson suggests this shows plenty about our tax and economic policy direction.

The 1934 economic rebound was widely shared, with strong income gains for the vast majority, the bottom 90 percent.In 2010, we saw the opposite as the vast majority lost ground.
National income gained overall in 2010, but all of the gains were among the top 10 percent.

Even within those 15.6 million households, the gains were extraordinarily concentrated among the super-rich, the top one percent of the top one percent.
Just 15,600 super-rich households pocketed an astonishing 37 percent of the entire national gain.
The different results in 1934 and 2010 show how a major shift in federal policy hurts the vast majority and benefits the super-rich.

One Percenter Dairy Industry

It is well known that Vermont’s dairy farms are struggling. So an article titled "Even Dairy Farming Has a 1 Percent" caught my eye. Planet Money's Adam Davidson’s short piece in the New York Times outlines familiar but nonetheless disturbing trends.

Davidson visited a dairy farm in New Jersey where a father-son team is barely staying ahead of the curve. The hard-working pair running this top-producing farm are on the job daily from 4:30 am to 7 pm and trade off Sundays – yet each earns less than minimum wage. All pretty familiar stuff to some Vermonters. Our state has seen some positive trends in value-added cheese processing and continues to focus on local fixes including expanding branding, aggressive marketing, and increasing Dairy Management Teams to reduce production costs.Major structural problems persist and dairy closures continue.

A modern dairy farm can produce large quantities of milk, but the task of balancing demand with supply is what haunts the industry. With accelerated consolidation and commoditization of the industry, a few big players are benefiting by trading dairy and feed products like fast-paced derivative traders. Planet Money:

… dairy farming has its own 1 percent: that tiny sliver of massive farms, with thousands of cows, that make the biggest profits and are better equipped to pay agriculture-futures experts to help them manage risk.They continue to invest and grow.

The markets offer a stunning range of complex agricultural financial products. Dairy farmers (or, for that matter, anybody) can buy and sell milk and animal-feed futures, which allow them to lock in favorable prices, hedge against bad news in the future and so forth. There’s also a new product that combines feed and milk futures into one financial package, allowing farmers to guarantee a minimum margin no matter what happens to commodity markets down the road.

This leaves many small operations on the margins and speeds consolidation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that for the first time ever three percent of the dairies in the US now produce slightly more than half of the milk supply. Just over 50 percent of the milk supply came from farms with 1,000 cows or more. This shift happened quickly, since 2006 when 38.1 percent was produced by farms of this size. The biggest profits are clustered at the top one percent who control a large part of the industry.

The One Percent Dairy Industry "Problems loom for US dairy farms as output rises" says Agrimoney.com, an online industry publication. Dairy output is rising beyond sales capacity, as experts are pleading for industry self-control.

Producers needed to question whether extra output of some 600m pounds a month "can be readily sold at prices anywhere close to what is needed to generate milk prices high enough to cover costs of production" said Milk Producers' Council John Kaczor

Yet the Canadian dairy industry – using a completely different (and very un-American) model – seems relatively stable by comparison. In Canada a system of production quotas dating back more than 40 years protects farmers from conglomerates. The Canadian Dairy Commission and provincial marketing boards regulate prices paid to farmers and control the amount each can produce. It is a complicated system in which a farmer must purchase production quotas that determine the amount of milk that can be produced for sale. Typical Canadian dairy farms have about 70 cows (the average VT dairy farm has 130 cows); quotas (essentially one cow) can cost upwards of $20,000(Canadian). While this cost makes entering the daily business in Canada difficult and expensive, existing farms reportedly enjoy a stable business environment. A University of Illinois study of Canadian farmers'
perceptions of government dairy regulation found that farmers trusted the government system to protect their interests despite systemic inefficiencies.

"Farmers may change their management practices because quotas are now the single largest capital investment, which restricts herd size,"said University of Illinois agricultural economist Lia Nogueira. "They don't have an incentive to export their milk because the price that they would get in the world market is much lower than the domestic market. It shows that government intervention and controlling an industry can change the way farmers do things. Once you establish a system and people are so invested in that system, it's going to be very hard to make any substantial changes even if it's clear that the program is inefficient."

What is true in Canada is also true in the US: once you establish a system and people are invested in it, it’s going to be very hard to change. Canadian farmers perceive the system benefits and protects them, but who benefits here in the US, and specifically, here in Vermont? Our farms are vanishing, while some of our farmers barely earn minimum wage. Three percent of dairies produce half the milk. So we know the dairy one percent – massive farms and futures traders – making the biggest profits will resist change to a system that now benefits them and devastates small farms.
Finally, as near as I can determine a gallon of milk in Canada costs $2.41(US) and $3.30(US) in the States. Who benefits more?

Joe the Wurzelbacher Wins in Ohio Primary

Ohio’s Samuel Wurzelbacher has won a tough Republican US Congressional primary. The conservative political newcomer is perhaps best known by his stage name “Joe the Plumber”. Although never a licensed plumber and not named “Joe”, Wurzelbacher will soon face 15 term Ohio Democratic Rep.Marcy Kaptur after
barely winning his primary race.

Despite outspending his opponent six to one, Wurzelbacher only narrowly won the Republican race with 51 percent of Toledo-area residents picking "Joe the Plumber" compared with the 48 percent who chose Steve Kraus, an auctioneer and real estate agent.

Wurzelbacher not only had a massive monetary advantage but also scored the backing of big name Republicans, such as Herman Cain, and appeared at rallies with both Romney and Santorum.

Wurzelbacher’s main claim to fame came in 2008 when appearing as “Joe the Plumber” he famously asked then candidate Obama a confrontational question regarding taxes. This one performance sparked his rapid rise in Republican Party politics(always on the lookout for quality talent)and he made guest appearances in character as “Joe” with John McCain and Sarah Palin.

White River Junction PO Stamped

So then how are Vermonters that aren't retired millionaire bankers with their own megaphones doing? How are the 99% doing on their roads to prosperity?
In the Upper Valley and White River Junction for the next three months, postal workers have job uncertainty to spare. Two hundred and forty-five good-paying USPS jobs are at stake. William Creamer Jr., president of Local 301 of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union told the Valley News:

the White River Junction [USPS] plant, which employs 245 people, was one of eight plants around New England that received such [closure] notices yesterday, Creamer said. Mail currently sorted in the Upper Valley would instead be routed through Manchester and Burlington. […]The plant closings are part of a national plan to close as many as 252 processing plants affecting more than 100,000 jobs.

This is part of U.S.Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe’s proposal for cutbacks – which may prove to be a death spiral of quality and service cuts for the Postal Service.
The workers at the White River facility (and eight others in New England) are on notice, yet still in limbo, as no decision is final until May. That is when a Congressional moratorium on closing or consolidating postal facilities ends. By that time some resolution of the USPS’ dire financial situation may be achieved. The Vermont Congressional delegation, and Bernie Sanders (ever the supporter of rank-and-file workers) in particular, has expended great effort to try to save these folks' jobs. Senators Leahy and Sanders and Congressman Welch released a joint statement of support reiterating their plans to work to maintain service. In part they said:

We are extremely disturbed that the Postal Service intends to continue with its original plan to close the processing plant at White River Junction. We are pleased that the processing plant in Essex Junction was spared, but what we are saying loudly and clearly is that we will do all that we can to keep the White River Junction processing plant open as well.

What needs to be done first? Local 520 president of the American Postal workers Union explained what they need from lawmakers “If legislation passes that prohibits the service standards from being diminished, that is our only hope,”

The USPS mailing centers handle standard bulk business mail, which includes advertising fliers, periodicals and non-profit solicitations. And, of course, there are the political mailings – when printed and handled locally. Many printers and supporting mail-fulfillment businesses rely on the postal center for efficient handling of bulk shipping orders. We can expect that large ripples – even waves – from much more than just 245 lost jobs and their lost incomes and spending will flow throughout the area.

Vermont’s business leaders do moan and wail publicly about uncertainty over possible changes to health care costs. Imagine the yelping we'd hear from them if they had to go through employment uncertainty like our postal workers are being put through!

cross posted Green Mountain Daily

Has Lisman’s Campaign crossed a line?

In the most recent entry in their blizzard of “issue” ads Bruce Lisman’s Campaign for Vermont may have crossed a legal line past issue advocacy. TheVermont Press Bureau reports that the Vermont Democratic Party thinks so, and has filed a complaint with the Attorney General claiming the following about the newest ad’s content:

“such critical and inaccurate hyperbole about the Governor can only be viewed as furthering the purpose of opposing his candidacy and/or influencing the outcome of the governor’s election.”

The ad targets by name Governor Shumlin over the state budget that Lisman claims may increase property taxes.

If the VDP complaint is supported it would mean millionaire Lisman’s Campaign for Vermont has violated their 501(C) (4) status. A registered 501(C) (4) can accept unlimited donations and does not have to disclose donor’s names but is constrained to issue advocacy.

If organizations want to advocate expressly for the victory or defeat of a specific candidate, they have to register as political action committees, abide by $2,000 donation limits and disclose the names of their donors.

Transparency is one key to a functioning democracy was title of the Campaign for Vermont’s initial public offering distributed throughout the state. Says Lisman“…the lack of government transparency ignited me into action”
Maybe donor transparency is one key to a functioning advocacy. So, come on Bruce, be a transparent Campaign for Vermont. This change might put you in bind but it would get your preaching and practicing into functional alignment.

A Wealth Gap Runs through Charities

Income and wage inequality issues have found their way solidly into the news maw lately. The Occupy movements and President Obama’s re-embrace of the issue as he gears up for re-election in 2012 have helped keep economic inequity in the spotlight. And for years Vermont’s Senator Bernie Sanders has been reliably speaking out about the US wealth gap. He routinely quotes this startling fact
In 2007, "the top 1 percent of all income earners in the United States made 23.5 percent of all income," which is "more than the entire bottom 50 percent." This pattern of economic extremes has trickled down to the US charitable sector says a group dedicated to making foundations more effective, Caring for Change

The top 2.5 percent of charities that report data to the Internal Revenue Service have over 50 percent of the sector's wealth and bring in over 60 percent of charities' annual revenues. Colleges, hospitals, and primary health-care facilities dominate that top tier. In contrast, human-service groups, which account for more than a third of all charitable organizations, have only about 13 percent of annual revenues and 11 percent of assets.

This two tiered situation is particularly troubling as all levels of government embrace austere budgets, cut back on programs and encourage private charities to take up the slack. Some of the most under-resourced organizations Caring for Change says are often the ones that want to deal with suffering communities in decline but are often challenged by lack of resources.

Another private sector feature casting its shadow on the non-profit world is the pay gap between upper level executives and staff.

Indeed, some top-tier charitable institutions further exacerbate inequality through their own internal practices. Far too many of them pay salaries that put senior executives in the top 1 percent of earners, often while having a large base of staff at or near minimum wage.

And Vermont is not immune from upward pressure on non-profit executive pay packages. A Vermonter involved in non-profit work defended departing Fletcher Allen CEO’s pay package of $826,000 plus performance bonus of $245,000.He described the amount as “right” and said under-compensation was the challenge. Health and health cost related issues are major causes for families plunging into poverty so spending patterns in the non-profit hospital sector is particularly important part of a safety net. However according to Caring for Change

two-thirds of non-profit hospitals dedicated less than 2 percent of their total expenses to charitable medical care only 7percent dedicated more than 5 percent.

And finally the ironic charitable deduction:

...the tax deduction for charitable gifts benefits only those who itemize their returns -- the wealthiest Americans -- while it costs government revenue that might otherwise go to serve people and communities in economic distress. In other words, the deduction itself can be seen as exacerbating economic inequality.

Speaking from experience-

Or how I wasted most of the morning online while some paint dried. But the internets are great for research and one of the best time wasting tools I know of.

Vermont’s Peter Shumlin says VtBuzz
is among six other governors named in an article: Rookie Governors: Who's Doing Very Well?

Well good enough, that’s something I agree with more often than not. Nice little blurb for the Governor, but who is handing out this honor? Following the link from VtBuzz takes you to
Governing Magazine which is found on a serious looking think-tanky website. Digging around I found a couple of the editors have early backgrounds with Forbes and Ladies Home Journal. The new director of The Governing Institute (Governing Magazine’s parent) is the former long-term auditor and one term mayor of Kansas City. He was the first mayor not to win re-election since 1920 and was almost recalled ahead of the vote. Among many of his troubles while in office was the appointment he made of a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (an anti-immigrant group) as the Kansas City parks and recreation commissioner.

So who or what is behind this online magazine and this think-tankery?

Governing Magazine is a longtime publication that changed hands three years ago and is now associated with E.Republic an online publisher of Government Technology, Emergency Management and Public CIO. E.Republic is owned by the Church of Scientology which amidst some controversy purchased Governing from The St.Petersburg Times in 2009. Surprisingly the Times had been running a lengthy expose on Scientology prior to the sale.

Does any of this matter much in this case? Probably not. But why not know who the owner/funder of a think tank and associated publication may be? And it helped pass the time this morning while some paint dried.

Regulating “pro-lifers” and the Brand

The Environmental Evangelical Network (EEN) a green evangelical “pro-life” group that supports EPA rules limiting harmful mercury is catching the wrath of fellow “pro-lifers”. The EEN favors specific restrictions on emissions from power plants because they will protect the health of the unborn. The EEN critics maintain that to portray safeguards against environmental hazards as “pro-life” is to “obscure the meaning of the term.”

While the EEN’ers still deny that human activity is driving global warming the group has urged support for regulatory restrictions by sponsoring TV, radio ads and billboards. A spokesman spells out their view this way: “We believe protecting the unborn from mercury poisoning is a consistent pro-life position,” Mercury exposure can cause mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness and blindness in infants. Low doses may result in developmental delays affecting walking, talking, attention span and learning disabilities.

However the EEN’s broader views and actions spell trouble for them from 30 other religious “pro-lifers” and conservative anti-EPA legislators including, The Family Research Council and Sen. James Inhofe. It appears these critics see a threat to the “pro-life” brand name. Says Inhofe about the EEN’s position: “To claim that EPA’s devastating, job-killing regime is somehow ‘pro-life’ is absurd.”

This is trouble junction in terms of controling of the issue when a brand boundary gets blurred and is no longer focused as they wish it to be. And worse still for Sen. Inhofe is the intersecting issue with his longtime pet villain, the “job-killing” EPA. Imagine the EPA protecting life?

Good News ! Vermont Fishing is Hot !

The person who wrote the following Vermont State webpage’s wintertime recreation press release
“Fishing is Hot on Lake Champlain… and some memorable fish have been caught in recent weeks” probably didn’t have strontium or cesium in mind .But it certainly blends well with the Vermont chief radiologist’s news that a fish from Northern Vermont’s Lake Carmi tested positive for low levels of strontium-90 and cesium-137. The preliminary results are in the same range as found last August in a Connecticut River fish near Vermont Yankee. Bill Irwin, chief of radiological health for the Vermont Department of Health says this provides proof of what he had already decided …err hypothesized:

"We take this as some evidence that all fish in Vermont are likely to have radioactive cesium and strontium at these levels and that, as we’ve hypothesized, it is from nuclear weapons fallout and the releases of Chernobyl. All of us are glad to have proof and not just conjecture."

Good news! Call the tourist board because all the in Vermont fish contain radioactive strontium 90 and cesium. However if this shows the Lake Carmi fish was contaminated by nuclear weapons fallout and the Chernobyl disaster I shouldn’t think it takes our leaking Vermont Yankee out of contention as an additional source for contamination of Connecticut River fish.
Although the Lake Carmi fish had cesium in edible and inedible parts and strontium was found only in the samples bones, head, fins and scales. The Vermont Yankee fish had high levels of strontium 90 in the bones and small but measurable levels in the meat unlike the Lake Carmi fish.

A fish taken from the Connecticut River in 2010 had the highest levels of strontium-90 in bone that his department has seen in any samples.
"In that same sample we did find very low but measurable amounts of strontium-90 in the meat of the fish," said Irwin, which could have been a sampling or contamination error. "But we don’t know that."

The Lake Carmi fish as proof (not all "evidence" is "proof") reminds me of the line from the Nick Danger comedy skit where a supposed time traveler says “I have proof I’ve been to Ancient Greece! See look at this grape!” The Vermont chief radiologist found a grape.
Just remember, Bill Irwin is a culturally-sensitive guy looking out for you and your radiological health:

"There’s no danger in eating the fish," said Irwin. "Should we ever find that there are reasons to restrict diet from any sampling for any kind of radioactive or toxicological events, we would keep in mind different cultures have different diets."

Ever wonder how much local fish Bill Irwin eats?

Entergy Makes its Gesture

Well Entergy of Louisiana can’t keep the valves at the plant oiled but they do keep their legal team lubricated with money. Entergy’s legal team was successful in the challenge to Vermont’s law covering Vermont Yankee operating past 2012.The Times Argus reports that Entergy has sent a message from New Orleans demanding Vermont pay $4.6 million in legal fees they claim they incurred in the suit against the State of Vermont.

Reacting to this news Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell said he had thought the claim from Entergy would be “in seven figures” more in line with Vermont standards. The Attorney General says “I guess it [$4.6 million] shows the ‘David-versus-Goliath’ aspect of the case,” The mismatch is suitable but it’s kind of an ill fit otherwise for this situation as Goliath has won and is now making demands from David after this part of battle.

It also seems Sorrel had a surprising hope. Against all past dealings with Goliath he thought Entergy might make a gesture of being a good corporate citizen to atone for sins of the past.

Sorrell said he had even thought Entergy might not seek legal fees in a gesture of being “a good corporate citizen making up for the sins of the past and the misleading statements about the underground pipes.”

Sorrell had investigated Entergy officials for more than a year for possible criminal charges for the misstatements about underground pipes, which were later found to be the source of radioactive tritium leaking at the plant in 2010. Entergy executives had said such pipes did not exist.

Under pressure they grudgingly admitted to miss communicating about underground pipes.No criminal charges charges were filed; no case was brought so why would Entergy feel it had sinned? Hardly sinning in Goliath’s rule book, maybe in the eyes of Entergy Corp the only sin is losing.

Vermont State Police Cruiser Decals Sport a Pig

See an important Sneigwhblog news headline UPDATE below

Vermont State Police cruiser decals are sporting a pig shaped splotch.
Someone wasn’t connecting the spots on the Vermont Sate Police decals made by the Vermont Correctional Industries Print Shop until it was too late. About 30 decals on VSP cruisers now feature a cow with a splotch shaped like a pig.

Apparently someone at the Correctional Industries shop altered the cow.
The Burlington Free Press says two state senators who former police officers are found some humor in it and one noted:

"This is not as offensive as it would have been years ago. We can see the humor," State Senator Flynn said.
He said the artist has talents that could be used elsewhere. "If that person had used some of that creativeness he or she would not have ended up inside."

But a State Police Major’s press release statement bemoaned that the cost of the joke will be borne by taxpayers.
No one suggested keeping the decal cow,pig and all.


Updated!
Now along with a Save the Pig petition it naturally follows that there is a Facebook page too
Save the Pig

Facebook Save the Piggie page

Vermont!

The NRC says: “… we mean it.”

Woof,woof! The NRC is feeling good about itself. Sounding pumped, like a lean mean nuclear regulatin’ machine on their "blog" where they declare: “When the NRC says we consider new and significant information, we mean it.”
The story is that errors in recently submitted information were found during a review process for equipment replacement at an existing plant in the Southern US. Based on this new significant information the NRC found that designs for a new Economic Simplified Boiling-Water Reactor (ESBWR) plant might have similar errors.
What is the upshot of these NRC discoveries? It could mean the NRC must revise reports and/or have the applicants make changes to design control documents which will delay their final decision on design certification. New information comes to light, consideration given to the new facts, followed by regulatory action. Has a watchdog stirred?

“We mean it” yips the NRC watchdog. Well, ok calm down. So let’s say significant new information about potential seismic activity near an existing plant (let’s call it Indian Point-which rhymes with Vermont Yankee) was readily available; the NRC would of course considerate it in the ongoing relicensing process. Well not exactly as a former oil industry geologist writing in a vtdigger.com opinion piece points out:

Judging by Indian Point, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission may be forcing us to base Vermont Yankee’s geologic risk analysis on antiquated data:“Much new seismological information is available since their initial approvals (of Indian Point) in 1973 and 1975. Nevertheless the US NRC, so far has not permitted any new information to be used or old information on which the original licenses were granted to be contested in considering extension of licenses,” according to a 2008 study by researcher Lynn Sykes.

New York State has an aggressive attorney general who has called upon the NRC to do a comprehensiveColumbia University seismic review as part of their Indian Point relicensing process. The New York AG must have considered significant the findings from 2008 by seismologists. They found that two intersecting fault lines near Indian Point were capable of creating a 7.0-magnitude earthquake. Despite all this, none of this recent information is incorporated into the current NRC process.

Now remember clearly the NRC claims–“When we say we consider new and significant information, we mean it”. Well, except when there are significant fault lines.

Sadly it's a Fake Washington Post

Yes it's a fake. Guess this happens often as pointed out here.

National Lampoon in 1972 did a faux front page with then President Richard Nixon yucking it up at the headline news that Senator George McGovern won the Democratic nomination to run against him.
Interestingly for several years many historians believed this to have been the last and final image ever taken of Nixon laughing.However it is now common knowledge that Nixon never had the last laugh.




http://apple.copydesk.org/2012/01/22/no-this-is-not-a-real-front-page-from-the-washington-post/

Hollywood:"We do some of that (online) stuff…”

Inattentional blindness, a term for when a person fails to notice and react to stimulus that is in plain sight came to my mind while reading a rundown of last week’s SOPA/PIPA drama.

The demise of the dual Senate and House internet piracy bills is the latest in an ongoing almost traditional battle by two sides competing to influence policy. Thrown into this struggle of money power and influence is the capacity of the internet to quickly inform and gather opposition. One side and notably some powerful congressional players appear to have been thoroughly been blindsided by this capacity.


One report on Hollywood blindness says:

Some Hollywood executives acknowledge their own flat-footedness in trying to marshal public opinion as opposition mounted. While technology companies brandished the power of the Internet, Hollywood relied on old-media weapons such as television commercials and a billboard in New York's Times Square. It proved to be too little, too late.
One entertainment-company lawyer complained that opposing arguments were often inaccurate but spread like wildfire anyway on the Internet, leaving supporters scrambling to correct the information without the benefit of a strong online network.
"We do some of that (online) stuff, but it has to go through a committee of 14 people," he said. "The other side doesn't have conference calls. They just put stuff out there."

Where has the Hollywood entertainment industrial complex been? An amazing remark when you consider the Arab spring events and more recently the ongoing Occupy movements (or simply the last ten years of media upheaval) amply demonstrated the applied power of internet. Even the regular TeeVee news and radio broadcasters reported this for all to see -not sure if it was posted on any billboards. Television commercials and the Times Square billboards couldn’t turn the tide.

Sen. Schumer gets it says Sen. Wyden

A report on this week’s SOPA and PIPA drama lists winners and losers. Google,Rep.Darrel Issa, Reddit and Sen. Ron Wyden landed on the winning side according to thehill.com

Rep.Lamar Smith, Sen. Patrick Leahy the MPAA and the Chamber of Commerce soundly on the losing end.

And President Obama coming in late to the parade is somewhere in the mushy middle or muddle.
It is a surprising mix of players from business groups,corporations and both political parties planted on both ends of the victory.

Washington Posts blogger Greg Sergeant observes it was “a huge victory for grassroots online organizing” and wonders about lessons learned:

Does the Senate Dem leadership really understand that its approach was a major threat to what makes the Internet a democratic force and that it needed a complete overhaul?

Senator Ron Wyden, the primary driver of opposition to the bill within the Senate, and he confirmed that the leadership grasps the depth of the problems with its approach, and is ready to address them head on.

Wyden singles out Sen. Schumer for grasping the situation and says he has “really now come to understand what’s happened in technology,”

Vermont's Senator Leahy is less understanding and to put it mildly disappointed with the outcome in his statement released after Majority Leader Reid killed the senate bill. Leahy’s stern warning raises the specter that Chinese and Russian criminals may even now

"...smugly be watching how the United States Senate decided it was not even worth debating how to stop the overseas criminals from draining our economy And warns But the day will come when the Senators who forced this move will look back and realize they made a knee-jerk reaction to a monumental problem."

Vermont Yankee: ‘yup tires still bald’

Entergy according to the Times Argus is seeking NRC permission for Vermont Yankee to stop a current required inspection routine.

Instead of inspecting the steam dryer every time it shuts down for refueling, on average every 18 months, as currently required, Entergy wants to inspect it every seven refueling outages, or once every 10 years or so.

This is as if Vermont Yankee having been granted permission to drive a 40 year old nuclear vehicle with bald tires well above the legal speed limit has grown bored; bored with examining their old worn tires and repeatedly finding them still worn and tread-less ‘yup still bald’. So they want to stop the bother and expense of looking altogether. Simply put, if they ain’t looking they ain’t finding.
According to reports as of July 2010 required VY inspections discovered a total of 65 cracks. Entergy maintains that despite these "non relevant" cracks the steam dryer is in “good shape”.

The routine inspections are part of requirements the NRC placed on Entergy VY when it permitted the 40 year old plant to operate at 20 percent greater power production than the original design. A steam dryer is used to remove water from steam before it enters the power plant turbine. While not considered officially safety equipment by the NRC dryer failure can impact components that are. A test power up-rate of less than VY’s 20 percent at a similar US Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) plant resulted in major steam dryer failure.

Not that long ago in 2009 VY was happily bragging about their Nuclear Energy Institute(NEI)industry trade group award winning (cost saving) remotely operated steam dryer inspection mechanism. Certainly a clever thing but it wasn’t as if Entergy had an award winning repair to any “non-relevant” cracks in the worrisome steam dryer. They just found a slick way to monitor the steam dryer’s aging –and naturally cut costs.

An annual reduction of 3.6 person-rem of radiation exposure is expected along with a minimum $500,000 cost reduction per outage.

Also not that long ago Entergy hired a Vermont PR firm to splash on a quick fresh coat of PR paint? The IAMVY.com campaign and tagline safe, clean, reliable that resulted ring just as hollow now as in 2009 just before tritium leaks were disclosed. Now Entergy requests permission to practically stop required steam dryer inspections. I propose a new tagline for Vermont Yankee in the form of a question: VY:What could possibly go wrong?

Happy Blackout Day

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