Towns in close proximity to Indian Point nuclear complex, Buchanan, New York

In this period of attention to the evacuation from the area of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, in Okuma, in Fukushima Prefecture in northeast Japan,

It is instructive to look at cities in the radius of lower Hudson Valley New York State's Indian Point nuclear plant (whose name obscures things: Indian Point energy center):

Distance from Buchanan (where the plant lies; the town is immediately south of Peekskill, New York, in Westchester County; the plant is between the Hudson River eastern shore rail line and the Hudson River itselt):

within 12 miles: small villages:
Jefferson Valley; Ossining, and city of Peekskill.

within 25 miles:
Tarrytown; Yonkers,White Plains, Port Chester, in the lower half of Westchester County, New York
Greenwich, Connecticut
all the population centers of Rockland County, New York: New City, Spring Valley;
Ridgewood, New Jersey

Just beyond 25 mile mark:
Poughkeepsie, New York
Danbury, Norwalk, Stamford, Connecticut
northern stretches of the Bronx,
Teaneck, Hackensack, Garfield, Paterson, New Jersey
Middletown, New York

Three other nuclear plants are operating in New York State, all of them on Lake Ontario: Ginna Nuclear Power Generating Station, James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear and Nine Mile Point.

N. Klein on Democ Now: “My Fear is that Climate Change is the Biggest Crisis of All”: Naomi Klein Warns Global Warming Could Be Exploited by Capitalism and Militarism

Naomi Klein yesterday on Amy Goodman's Democracy Now:
“My Fear is that Climate Change is the Biggest Crisis of All”: Naomi Klein Warns Global Warming Could Be Exploited by Capitalism and Militarism

Lisa Dodson on pushing back against the Immoral Economy

The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy:
Sociologist Lisa Dodson investigates the growing grassroots movement against unethical standards within the workplace.
March 4, 2011

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The following is an excerpt from The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy, by Lisa Dodson (Copyright © 2009 by Lisa Dodson), publisher, New Press.

Roots of Disobedience

On the surface, the people I met who practiced economic disobedience would seem quite diverse. They included middle-aged, white Bea, managing that big-box store in rural New England and thinking that after years of hard work, you should be able to buy a prom dress for your daughter. They included Ned, white and in his thirties, the chain grocery store manager who thought working families should have enough to eat. And also Ray, in his fifties and the son of immigrants, a community-center director for a small city, who doesn’t ask for a “pedigree” before signing people up for desperately needed services. They included Aida, a Latina in her thirties, the director of a child care center, who misplaced paperwork so that children wouldn’t lose child care and parents wouldn’t lose jobs. And they included urban teacher Lenora, in her twenties and African American, who broke school rules all the time to help out a student in her class.

Read more at the original article on alternet.org.

EPA & Fracking / EPA documents show decades-long concealment of dangers

This is quite an important story in states such as New York and Pennsylvania, especially as fracking (hydraulic fracturing) is being promoted by energy entrepreneurs and politicians, and resisted by residents and people concerned about health.

From Democracy Now --with video, as published in CommonDreams, March 4, 2011:
Leaked EPA Documents Expose Decades-Old Effort To Hide Dangers of Natural Gas Extraction

Efforts by lawmakers and regulators to force the federal government to better police the natural gas drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" have been thwarted for the past 25 years, according to an expose in the New York Times. Studies by scientists at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on fracking have been repeatedly narrowed in scope by superiors and important findings have been removed under pressure from the industry. The news comes as the EPA is conducting a broad study of the risks of natural gas drilling with preliminary results scheduled to be delivered next year.

Merle Hazard "Feelin Lousy" wins PBS competition

Story in PBS News Hour tonight, Paul Solman:

EDITOR'S NOTE: Last month, we featured a week-long series of songs by our country crooning friend Merle Hazard about the Euro-debt crisis: Spain, Ireland, Italy and Germany, and an encore of the infamous Greek Debt song. We invited you to submit your own lyrics about countries facing economic woe. The promised prize was a rendition of the winning song by Mr. Hazard himself.

Without further ado, here's Merle's interpretation of the winning entry: "Feelin' Lousy," by Davidthewriter about the financial crisis here in the U.S. It's sung to the Simon and Garfunkel tune, "Feelin' Groovy."

Go to Solman's post at PBS News Hour site, with a Merle Hazard (that's right, not Merle Haggard).