Arizona Governor Jan Brewer published a book on November 1, 2011, called Scorpions for Breakfast | My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America’s Border. The title of this book does not set well with me. Naturally, we are aware of her hatred towards illegals from Mexico and has affiliations with CCA (Corrections Corporation of America), a private prison industry, in order to lock up and profit from the illegals arrested due to AZ HB1070 – which has been stopped by the US DOJ as well as other Federal Courts. This portion of her book title is no surprise.
Tag Archives: Arizona
AZ Gov. Jan Brewer Now Plays God over Women’s Bodies 29
Question: When is a woman who’s not pregnant actually pregnant?
Answer: When she lives in Arizona.
Arizona made big strides today in its quest to be one of the absolute worst places to be a woman—or to even have a woman in your family. Governor Jan Brewer signed into law the hideous bill, HB 2036, that redefines a pregnancy as beginning at two weeks before conception. It now appears that Jan Brewer feels like playing God and deciding for every woman in the state of Arizona exactly when they became pregnant.
AZ Rep. Debbie Lesko (R) Crashes Democratic Press Conference 18
On Wednesday, March 21st, Arizona state Democratic lawmakers organized a news conference to discuss Debbie Lesko’s HB 2625 which allows any employer to opt out of providing contraception to their employees based upon their own religious beliefs. There has been a large outcry over this House Bill not only in Arizona but throughout the entire United States as the War on Women grows more heated every day.
An Open Letter to AZ Rep. Debbie Lesko RE: HB 2625 48
To: Debbie Lesko, Majority Whip
House of Representatives
1700 W. Washington
Room 222
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone Number: (602) 926-5413
Fax Number: (602) 417-3109
Email Address: dlesko@azleg.gov
From: A US-born, free citizen of the United States who is gravely concerned about your support of our First Amendment Rights as well as Women’s Rights
The War on Women Political Humor 29
With all the recent news of the insanity spreading like a viral disease throughout our country, the War on Women has begun. I have always seen and believed that there are some rather ignorant people in both of our parties, but this year is much different. The Republican Party wins hands down. Bills are erupting all over the country, states ticking off one-by-one with their own bill which in some manner violates women’s rights.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio Claims Andrew Breitbart May Have Been Assassinated Over Info on Obama’s Birth Certificate 17
Here we go again… The infamous Sheriff Joe Arpaio who claims he has damning proof that Obama’s birth certificate is a fake is now claiming that Andrew Breitbart may have been the victim of an assassination as he had more proof about Obama’s birth certificate. Andrew Breitbart, a well-known controversial conservative blogger, was found dead at the age of 43 on March 1st. Arpaio is the sheriff of Maricopa County, Phoenix AZ.
2011 in Review | Fires in the US Southwest 2
During the summer of 2011, which happens to be one of the worst droughts on record for those of us here in the United States Southwest, fires erupted all over causing mass destruction in many states. I reside in Albuquerque NM, and we were very fortunate here in the city. No large fires. A few small ones sprang up in the Rio Grande Bosque, but were quickly put out with little damage. However, Albuquerque, as well as a large part of the state, were victims from the mass amount of smoke and ash from the Arizona Wallow fires in June 2011. The first picture below is one I took from my back yard late one afternoon. No, it is not a setting sun… it is pink due to the thick smoke in the air. Ash covered everything for several days, choked our swamp coolers, and caused a large increase of asthma related problems in the hospitals. Below that are three photos I took from the north side of Albuquerque of the smoke pouring from the fires in Los Alamos (the Las Conchas fire), which threatened the nuclear lab facility there (home of the A-Bomb.) Los Alamos NM is approximately 70 miles how the crow flies. More…
Massive power outage in California looks like human error 2
“Boom boom… out go the lights” a song from years past by Pat Travers is the first thing that popped in my head.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KTLA) — Electricity has been restored to hundreds of thousands of the estimated 5 million customers hit by a major power outage that stretched from Orange County to Arizona, officials said early Friday, adding that the entire incident was caused by one person’s mistake.
Amazing collection of dramatic photos from NM and AZ fires Reply
Amazing collection of dramatic photos from NM and AZ fires.
A firefighter walks through heavy smoke near the Los Alamos fire, June 29, 2011 JAE C. HONG AP
Flames from the Las Conchas fire burn in the hills above Los Alamos National Laboratory, a nuclear facility June 27, 2011 JAE C. HONG AP
The Las Conchas fire burns near the Valles Caldera National Preserve near Los Alamos, New Mexico, June 27, 2011 EDDIE MOORE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL ZUMAPRESS
Los Alamos, New Mexico, June 29, 2011 JAE C. HONG AP
Hotshot crew members prepare to work in the Pajarito Mountain ski area, June 28, 2011 JAE C. HONG AP
Flames consume vegetation on the Jemez Mountains, near Los Alamos, New Mexico, June 28, 2011 EDDIE MOORE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL ZUMAPRESS
Los Alamos residents leave the area on June 27, 2011, as the Las Conchas fire encroaches on the city ADOLPHE PIERRE-LOUIS ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL ZUMA PRESS
The sun shines through smoke from the Las Conchas fire burning near Los Alamos, N.M., on June 27, 2011 SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN AP
A slurry bomber flies over the Pacheco Canyon fire as it burns north of Santa Fe, N.M., on June 18, 2011 EDDIE MOORE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL ZUMAPRESS
A burned structure is seen north of Raton, N.M., on June 16, 2011 RICK BOWMER AP
A sky crane near Luna, N.M., fills up with a fire retardant on June 14, 2011 Matt York AP
Fire officials look over a map of the Wallow wildfire in Eagar, Ariz., on June 22, 2011 JOSHUA LOTT THE NEW YORK TIMES
Smoke from the Pacheco Canyon wildfire rises behind the Buffalo Thunder Casino, Pojoaque NM, June 19, 2011 BRIAN SNYDER REUTERS
These tents in Eagar, Ariz., provide an incident command center as well as a place for firefighters to sleep MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ AP
A firefighter does battle with the Wallow fire in Nutrioso, Ariz., on June 10, 2011 MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ AP
Fire-crew members sharpen their tools as they prepare for a back-burn operation to slow the spread of the Wallow fire JAE C. HONG AP
Smoke rises around the Lee Valley recreational area on June 12, 2011, as the Wallow fire continues to burn in Big Lake, AZ KEVORK DJANSEZIAN GETTY IMAGES
The sun sets behind smoke from the Wallow fire Luna, NM, June 13, 2011 Matt York AP
A roadside in Springerville, Ariz., on June 8, 2011 ERIC THAYER GETTY IMAGES
Emily Shupe comforts her 18-month-old son Jax as the family prepares to evacuate to Phoenix from Springerville, Ariz., on June 7, 2011 MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ AP
Firefighters sleep between trucks at the command post for the Wallow fire in Springerville, Ariz., on June 8, 2011 ERIC THAYER GETTY IMAGES
Police officers direct cars as residents leave Springerville, Ariz., on June 7, 2011 JOSHUA LOTT REUTERS
The fire fills the sky behind Robert Joseph, 64, Luna NM, June 6, 2011 JAE C. HONG AP
Smoke from AZ and NM fires carries ash, poison – poorest air quality in ABQ history Reply
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. –Wildfires are burning around New Mexico and it’s getting harder for residents to avoid all the smoke.
Smoke has been so thick in recent days that it’s caused health problems for many residents.
“It can make peoples’ eyes water. It can make their throats burn. It can be a real nuisance for some people that seem to be a little allergic to it,” Air Quality Meteorologist Jeff Stonesifer said.
When a big hot fire throws massive plumes of smoke into the air, the smoke will ride the prevailing winds that typically blow from southwest to northeast. The smoke cloud contains steam, carbon dioxide, compounds of nitrogen, partially burned particles called hydrocarbons, tiny pieces of dirt and ash and small amounts of poison like carbon monoxide.
The very thick smoke over the past few days has brought the poorest air quality in the history of Albuquerque.
“Your nose and your lungs can filter out the larger particles, but they can’t filter out the smaller particles,” Stonesifer said. “I’m not too worried about the carbon monoxide. I’m more worried about the particulate matter and the little bit of toxic stuff in there. You know, cigarette smoke causes health problems too and that has a lot of the same stuff.”
Air quality experts still point to visibility as being the main indicator of how poor local air quality is because you can observe the changes much quicker than monitoring devices can detect and report it.
Source: KOAT News 7 | 1:40 pm MDT June 15, 2011
Here are a few videos taken from my home in Albuquerque of the smoke which has been moving in and out of the city.
Amazing photos of Arizona’s Wallow Fire Reply
These images of Wallow Fire came from a local Albuquerque news station’s website. They were uploaded by a viewer, and here is the description provided by the uploader:
The Wallow Fire on 6-4-2011, Taken from Luna Lake @ fire camp,By my daughter Sarah. We were delivering fire supplies.
Click on the image to view the full size.
Footage of BLOOD RED sun over Albuquerque NM due to smoke from AZ fires Reply
I have never seen such a red sun before when this high in the sky. No filter was used. This is the actual color tonight, Tues. June 7th 2011. You can see the smoke in front of the sun when zoomed in. These are not clouds – today was a cloudless day – just completely covered with smoke off and on all day.
Here is a still shot I took as well.
Albuquerque NM completely engulfed in smoke from the massive AZ fires 1
UPDATE: JUNE 7, 2011
I have never seen such a red sun before when this high in the sky. No filter was used. This is the actual color tonight, Tues. June 7th 2011. You can see the smoke in front of the sun when zoomed in. These are not clouds – today was a cloudless day – just completely covered with smoke off and on all day.
Here is a still shot I took as well.
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JUNE 6, 2011
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – That thick, smoky haze is going to be in New Mexico for a while and it has caused the Environmental Health Department to issue another health advisory.
The smoke from a massive wildfire in eastern Arizona, as well as periodic dust storms across New Mexico, could cause people to have difficulty breathing.
Officials said the elderly, infants, people who have asthma or heart disease and even healthy people may also be affected by the haze.
Officials with the national weather service many other parts of the state are experiencing high the haze much worse then in Albuquerque.
“If you think it’s going to be bad in Albuquerque go just 50 miles to the west and in some areas can just be really extreme,” Kerry Jones said. “So unfortunately the pattern is just not going to be working in our favor in the coming days.”
Haze levels which substantially compromise visibility warrant an Air Quality Health Advisory. San Juan Basin Health Department advises that individuals in our community, particular those identified above, take health precautions when they notice the following condition:
- If visibility is less than 5 miles in your neighborhood due to a wildfire or controlled burn, smoke has reached levels that are potentially unhealthy. ** CURRENTLY, VISIBILITY IS 3 MILES IN ABQ NM ***
Here is some footage I just took at 6:30 pm and 6:45 pm tonight:
Nuclear spill worse than Three-Mile Island occurred in Church Rock NM in 1979 1
Church Rock Uranium Mill Spill
The Church Rock Uranium Mill Spill occurred in New Mexico, USA, in 1979 when United Nuclear Corporation‘s Church Rock uranium mill tailings disposal pond breached its dam. Over 1,000 tons of radioactive mill waste and millions of gallons of mine effluent flowed into the Puerco River. Local residents used river water for irrigation and livestock and were not immediately aware of the toxic danger. In terms of the amount of radiation released the accident was comparable in magnitude to the Three Mile Island accident of the same year and has been reported as the largest radioactive accident in U.S. History.
The Spill
On July 16, 1979, United Nuclear Corporation’s Church Rock uranium mill tailings disposal pond breached its dam and 1100 tons of radioactive mill waste and approximately 93 million gallons of mine effluent flowed into the Puerco River. The contaminated water from the Church Rock spill traveled 80 miles downstream, traveling through Gallup, New Mexico and reaching as far as Navajo County, Arizona. The flood backed up sewers, affected nearby aquifers and left stagnating pools on the riverside.
The 50 ft. earthen dam was recognized as built on geologically unsound land by the corporation’s consultant and federal agencies. By 1977 cracks had appeared in the dam and went unreported to authorities. According to Paul Robinson, research director at the Southwest Research and Information Center, the spill resulted from “poor oversight, poor siting and poor construction” and is an example of the problems that can occur at uranium mines and mills.
Radiation Release
In terms of the amount of radiation released the accident was comparable in magnitude to the Three Mile Island accident of the same year and has been reported as “the largest radioactive accident in U.S. History”. Shortly after the breach below the dam radiation levels of river water were 7000 times that of the allowable level of drinking water. In all, 46 curies of transuranic elements and heavy metals were released.
Although steps were taken at the time of the accident to notify the public in accordance with a state contingency plan, local residents were not immediately aware of the toxic danger and were accustomed to using the riverside for recreation and herb gathering. Residents wading in the water went to the hospital complaining of burning feet and were diagnosed with heat stroke. Livestock were also found dying.[3] Prior to the accident local residents used river water for irrigation and livestock. The eventual assistance of trucked in water ended in 1981 and farmers were then left with little choice other than to resume use of the river.
For some types of cancers Navajo have a significantly higher rate than the national average. Yet, no ongoing epidemiological studies have been done at Church Rock. A peer reviewed article in the American Journal of Public Health in 2007 proposed that the stark lack of peer-reviewed studies of health effects of the accident when compared to well studied events such as Three Mile Island may be related to both the “early stage in the nuclear cycle” (mining, milling and processing) dependent on a large numbered labor-force and “low-income rural American Indian communities”.
Clean Up
Clean up was performed by state and federal criteria. About 3,500 barrels of waste materials were retrieved (estimated at only 1%). However, according Robinson, only a “very little of the spilled liquid was pumped out of the water supply”. The uranium mill site closed in 1982 related to a declining uranium market. In 1983 the site entered the National Priorities List of the Environmental Protection Agency‘s Superfund investigations and clean up efforts because radionuclides and chemical constituents were recognized as entering local ground water. In 1994 the EPA extended its efforts with a study of all known uranium mines on the Navajo Nation.
Radioactivity and It’s Effects
Soon after the dam break, two West German radiation biologists, Bernd Franke and Barbara Steinhilber-Schwab, sharply criticized the issued CDC report that downplayed the potential dangers of the accident and for sampling too few of the local livestock. They urged chromosome checks on area residents and called for the establishment of cancer and birth registries as well as intense ongoing radiation monitoring in the area. They also warned that thorium and other isotopes from the spill could enter the human body not only through eating contaminated animals, but also when radioactive dust settled on vegetables. Dr. Carl Johnson, director of Colorado’s Jefferson County Health Department, further warned that detectable radiation levels in the tissues of children might only surface “over a period of many years.”
Potential pathways of contamination are: inhalation, ingestion, injection, and absorption. At present, there is an elevated health risk for people who frequent the site from inhaling radium contaminated dust particles and/or radon gas, contact with contaminated rainwater and runoff that has pooled in ponds, and ingesting livestock that have drank and fed from contaminated water and grass.
Different radio-nuclides emit gamma rays of varying strength, but gamma rays can travel long distances and are able to penetrate entirely through the body. Both thorium 230 and radium 226 are alpha-emitters; extremely dangerous if ingested or inhaled. Therefore, any skin contact with contaminated surfaces poses a health risk. Thorium 230, for example, has a half-life of eighty thousand years and is believed by some to be as toxic as plutonium. Thorium, a silver-white metal, tends to deposit in the liver, bone marrow, and lymphatic tissue, where even minute quantities can cause cancer and leukemia. If inhaled as dust it can cause lung cancer. According to a study by Winterer, under some circumstances thorium can become “trapped” in the body, making it “a permanent source of radiation” there, and thus doing untold damage to the human organism.
Elevated concentrations of Radium-226 have been detected throughout the 125-acre mine permit boundary and contiguous surface areas. Exposure to high levels of Radium-226 over a long period of time may result in harmful effects including anemia, cataracts, fractured teeth, cancer (especially bone cancer), and death. Exposure to high levels of uranium can cause kidney disease.
In 1983, the privately owned site, owned by UNC, was designated a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who detected elevated radium and uranium contamination in 14 areas on and off-site, and beyond the permit boundary. The CDC warned locals not to drink water from the river, and to avoid its banks during windstorms, when radioactive particles might be more easily inhaled. The CDC emphasized that while radiation levels detected in local animals did not exceed New Mexico standards, caution should be exercised as “the health risks of low doses of radiation” were “not completely understood.” Contamination had exceeded low dosage levels in local animals. One veterinarian told a documentary crew from Eleventh Hour Films that abnormal radiation levels had been found in the tissues of goats and sheep that were drinking Rio Puerco water.
Sources:
Wikipedia
New Mexico History
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