Figures & Facts

Video from Japanese journalist entering the Fukushima radiation zone - see original, full video here.

Fukushima nuclear fallout map

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Chernobyl Anniversary - Greenpeace USA: It has been 25 years since the name Chernobyl became the infamous nuclear accident that devastated the lives of millions of people in Western Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine. 25 years on, and the nightmare for thousands of people is still frightening.

The Chernobyl catastrophe released 100 times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet many seem to just dismiss the accident as a part of history and forget what large doses of radiation actually do to human lives. Sadly, focussing solely on the disputed statistics of Chernobyl has dehumanized what happened. The effects of Chernobyl touched millions of people and thousands still endure very visible and painful effects.  read more »

Charlie Chaplin
Born: April 16, 1889, London, England
Died: December 25, 1977, Vevey, Switzerland

- A man's true character comes out when he's drunk.
- A tramp, a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, a lonely fellow, always hopeful of romance and adventure.
- I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician.
- We think too much and feel too little.
- I am for people. I can't help it.
- I do not have much patience with a thing of beauty that must be explained to be understood. If it does need additional interpretation by someone other than the creator, then I question whether it has fulfilled its purpose.
- I don't believe that the public knows what it wants; this is the conclusion that I have drawn from my career.
- I have no further use for America. I wouldn't go back there if Jesus Christ was President.
- A day without laughter is a day wasted.  read more »

UN: "Year of Forests 2011 - forests provide shelter to people and habitat to biodiversity; are a source of food, medicine and clean water; and play a vital role in maintaining a stable global climate and environment. All of these elements taken together reinforce the message that forests are vital to the survival and well being of people everywhere, all 7 billion of us."

Publisher’s note: To save our oceans is to save civilization. Shall we dedicate another year to our blue seas – International Year of Ocean 2012? "Every second breath we take comes from the ocean. Every drop of water we drink connects us to Nature, especially the ocean. The ocean is not just water, it’s alive, and it’s our life support system. Oceans provide more than half of the oxygen we breathe."

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Choice for mankind sharing one planet - where to spend big? To make our only Earth greener, or grayer?

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Upper left: Germany Launched "5M" wind turbine, which is designed and built by Germany's REpower Company.
Center left: Germany has considerably increased the number of windfarms on off-shore locations.
Lower left: For the first time in the Solar Decathlon, a home that has produced twice the amount of energy as it used, won the first prize. And it did so in a very unusual way.
Upper right: French fighter jets soared over Libya.
Center right: French Mirage 2000 jet fighters are lined up awaiting a mission to Libya, at Solenzara 126 Air Base, Corsica island, France.
Lower right: Smoke billows as seven explosions rocked the Libyan capital Tripoli earlier this week. New air strikes have reportedly claimed at least 40 civilians.

Renewable Energy is a Reality and not a Vision. Germany gains more energy from solar technology than Japan gains from all its nuclear reactors. Development in this area occurred much faster in the last years than many expected. Ten years ago no one would have believed we could gain 17 percent of our electricity supply from renewable energy.

“RENEWABLE ENERGY IS A REALITY AND NOT A VISION”  read more »

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Fury of Nature, of Ocean unleashed: earthquake and tsunami swallow entire cities and towns in Japan, decimating entire infrastructures at astonishing speed.

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Japan Declares Nuclear Emergency, As Cooling System Fails At Power Plant
Original post: Ominous flash from Kyodo Wire:

The operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant reported an abnormality Friday following a powerful earthquake which hit a wide area in northeastern Japan including Fukushima Prefecture, the industry ministry said. The system to cool reactor cores in case of emergency stopped at the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors of the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co., it said.

Japan has declared a nuclear emergency. 2000 residents near the Fukushima Nuclear Plant have been urged to evacuate.  read more »

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Salute to fearless volunteers - Sea Shepherd sent vessels to the area for the 7th year this season.. its 801-metric-ton Bob Barker vessel had trailed the 8,044-metric ton Nisshin Maru ship for 2,000 miles (3,220 kilometers) near the Southern Ocean, and cut off Supplies to the Japanese Whaling Fleet.. As a result, the whalers caught 170 minke whales out of a planned 850 and 2 fin whales from a planned 50. Japan has no choice but to abandon its whale hunt for the first time in four years. Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd and captain of its fleet, said: “I have a crew of 88 very happy people from 23 different nations including Japan,” he said. “And they are absolutely thrilled that the whalers are heading home and the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is now indeed a real sanctuary.”  read more »