Demonstration to close the nuclear plants in Doel near Antwerp.

Actually when I close the bedroom drapes in the evening and when I open them in the morning I see the steam coming out of these old nuclear plants which have a lot of problems. One problem has to do with

the inside copper reactor vat. There are fissures in it, some 18 cm, or 9 inch long, some open wider than a millimetre, or even two. Nobody knows exactly what the danger is. In Holland and in Germany they are preparing for the distribution of jodium pills. So where I will be from 2 o'clock on today is at the demonstration to close the plant. 

By the way the plant in Tihange, near the German border is just as bad. The person at the head of Fanc gave permission to keep the reactors open till 2022 and I read in a recent interview given by the director, that if he had known all the facts, he would not have made  that decision. This is one of the reasons why we have the demonstration with participants from The Netherlands, because of the proximity to Doel and from Germany, because of the proximity to Tihange.In case of a disaster the nuclear cloud will have arrived in Duisburg, Krefeld and Cologne in under two hours, seen the prevailing West winds. It was a good gathering with a large delegation from Germany, not only working to close the local Antwerp nuclear plants I and II in Doel, but  also to shut down Tihange. Basically, I think that all nuclear plants have to be decommissioned. As Cato said in Rome, Carthago esse delendum. The plants must be torn down and destroyed. Replace them with clean natural energy.

No thanks, no nuclear energy.

The German newspaper "Die Tageszeitung" (TAZ) has organized a nice action. They gave away 1000 flags with the text and classical image: Atomkraft nein Danke. All they asked was that people would fly the flag or show it in their window, or wherever it would be highly visible. It is the day of the catastrophe of Fukushima, a day which is made special by this action with its poignant message. I guess  you are all aware that the nuclear water is arriving at Canada's west coast... these days. This is a picture taken at Doel, where you can walk up to the old plant which has fine hare cracks in its reactor vats. I can see it from my window. If something happens over a million people will be in the first wave of radioactivity getting out. And evacuation will be difficult since on normal days the ring around Antwerp is usually totally stuck.

We need to think about longterm Futures and, being a linguist, I have been wondering how to warn the future generations about the dangers of no longer used nuclear plants and the unsafe deposits of nuclear waste. What language will they understand. So I wrote this poem:

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The long now

the long now

10.000 years

who can then

read this

understand

the symbol

who knows then

looking

for the cause

of double timing halftime

short selling

of what how long

then still

has to come

now

10.000

years from now

the late burden

of moot mushrooms

and fantasies of fission

we all live

in the halftime

of the long

now -

Nuclear energy no thanks

Nuclear weapons no thanks

Old nuclear plants, like the one in Antwerp and Tihange are kept open longer in Europe, they all should be decommissioned and their nuclear waste be put away in the safest possible way.

One year after the quake- The choir of the 10.000

To commemorate the people lost in Japan last year, to struggle through grief and coming out on the side of joy the choir of the 10.000 was brought together to perform the ninth of Beethoven. The message of Schiller text seems to resonate: relearning joy, being ein Held zum ziegen, a hero who overcomes all difficulty. This performance was aired on Arte and was moving. 

Now humans cannot avoid earthquakes or tsunamis but we can avoid nuclear power to make matters worse so:

 

Stop the Belgian nuclear power plants in Doel-Antwerp and Tihange!!!

On this day, one year after Fukushima we have to spread the word to free the world of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons.

Although the Belgian government had decided on a moratorium for the Doel Plant, Antwerp, the new owners EDF, Electricité de France, are keeping it open. In France there are 58 nuclear plants. President Sarkozy and President Obama each have just given the green light to build new nuclear plants instead of  supporting wind and solar energy or other renewable energy sources. With nuclear energy the only thing durable is the nuclear waste.

Stop Doel and Tihange now. Remember the victims in Japan.

See: http://www.world-internet-books.com

To stay informed about actions for a nuclear free world.

The occupy movement

Why did I go to the occupy activity in Antwerp and why do I support it, I have been asking myself. I guess because it is a moral movement, it is not about practical demands. It is a joined dream of people who feel that in society we should care about each other, that the values reach far beyond money and assets and ratings, things that are so important to the 1% who hold so much power. I think the Occupy is about acting responsibly, towards each other, towards nature, thinking about ecology and non-violence, thinking and trying to live real democracy. Targeting nuclear power, resisting the transports of nuclear waste in Europe, it all stems from the same source. And yes money should be questioned, money and its use: for now in most countries the money factor is a huge element  in elections.Of course the police does not defend this basis democracy, but uses violence, brute physical force. But remember 1% is not 'We the people".

Studies in light

 From my window the summer-sunsets dress the city in extravagant colors.
Sometimes etching the silhouette of the city.  Other times almost erasing the city, plunging it in darkness without being foreboding, cloaking the nuclear power plant. A vision of nuclear free futures.

Then there are the rainbows, warming the city, promising happiness or pots of gold at the foot of them, almost in reach. The light against dark skies is forever changing and enchanting.

August 6, the bomb and all things nuclear

On this day it seems wise to think about the dangers of most things nuclear: be it for military use or for the production of energy. The use of nuclear in medicine seems to help people with certain cancers, so that seems ok within our present knowledge.

But throwing a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, an abomination and crime, the nuclear accident in Chernobyl, the Three Mile Island meltdown of the core, Fukushima, all are part and parcel, proof even that nuclear power in human hands turns deadly. So Nuclear energy: no thanks...

The long now

the long now

10.000 years

who can then

read this

understand

the symbol

who knows then

looking

for the cause

of double timing halftime

short selling

of what how log

then still

has to come

now

10.000

years from now

the late burden

of moot mushrooms

and fantasies of fission

we all live

in the halftime

of the long

now -

Nuclear energy no thanks, nuclear bombs and other dirty uranium enriched weaponry, no thanks. Old nuclear plants are kept open longer in Belgium among other countries. Germany takes the lead in decommissioning nuclear plants...

Find the Dutch translation of the poem here.

Route 66 - Kingman to Oatman - get your kicks

 Route 66, carrier of dreams and hopes and also of loss and hardship.

In all kinds of vehicles people packed their belongings, their kids, their pets, the grown up sleeping under the car next to road and the kids in the car.
Once in Kingman  there was still the hard stretch to Oatman

They would pass on winding, narrow roads, going over mountains and passing the Goldmine road. Part of it still in operation today.

Yet danger awaited the travelers at every twist and turn. And if their car broke down, more often than not crooked mechanics would take advantage of the poor desperate people.

The road itself still holds its warnings for today's tourists. Unguarded cliffs, give a majestic view of these imposing multicolored mountains.
  

Yet once in town other risks still exist: the local residents, human and animal will try to take advantage of you in this one street tourist town with high noon shootouts, aegfrying on the asphalt contest and their donkeys.

The banks of the Ohio

Having crossed from Ohio to West Virginia one encounters the river flowing proudly and wide, even having flooded some farmland with the month long rains in the area. It is immediately clear that this is coal country. The barges are loaded, waiting to bring their load to the coal burning plants. Good or bad? A good thing for sure is that after the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster that the Americans aren't too hot on more and more nuclear power plants.

Yet it isn't all industry here, walking I stumbled upon the crushed bones and hoofs of a doe and was enchanted by the Jasmin smell in the lush greenery.
Then to Huntington, don't miss the visitor center, nice area, friendly service and follow that up with a Japanese meal and rest for the night planning the sights of tomorrow.
American towns aren't meant for walking; that is a pity.

© sms:foto duisburg/rhein 2011

Picture of the Doel nuclear plant from my living room.
In sorrow for the people who have lost loved ones and all their worldly belongings this poem is dedicated to them.

The long now

the long now

10.000 years

who can then

read this

understand

the symbol

who knows then

looking

for the cause

of double timing halftime

short selling

of what how log

then still

has to come

now

10.000

years from now

the late burden

of moot mushrooms

and fantasies of fission

we all live

in the halftime

of the long

now -

Nuclear energy no thanks

 old nuclear plants are kept open longer in Europe

We should learn from the disaster in Japan