The Devil's Tango Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Time to return to those days of yesteryear. You think the multiple nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan is old news?  Cecile Pineda, author of "Devil's Tango: How I learned the Fukushima Step by Step" calls in to remind us otherwise. Cecile will be speaking here in the Valley next week (see the Bus Stop Billboard). Like always we'll also checkout the situation with our own hopeless old nuke just up river during our E-Valley-uation segment. Also, the Enviro Show Echo Chamber catches up with the climate crisis and another upcoming visit, this time with Bill McKibben. We'll see who this week's Fool-on-the-Hill is and send along The Enviro Show Quote of the Week, but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! Murdered cows strike back!

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we direct you to a new climate crisis alert by Bill McKibben in Rolling Stone. There's a "CALL FOR ACTION CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE" to be held on the morning of Saturday, September 8th, in Amherst. McKibben will be speaking at the Johnson Chapel at Amherst College the evening before the conference. His piece has generated some constructive criticism from activists in our region, including us! In addition, ocean acidification is worse than previously thought (don't let the headline fool you however, it's all part of the climate crisis). Our Blog Bonus Special this week: it seems the most important fish in the sea need your help here. And this: Plutonium from Fukushima made it all the way around the planet. Way to go, Plutonium! Also some good news: Free Larry!

Time for a little E-Valley-uation on that really old Vermont Yankee nuke (did we mention that it's the same old type of boiling water reactor as the ones melting down in Fukushima?.....maybe so). In any case, it seems that scary fuel pool sprang another leak due to human error. Those humans, always making errors! And speaking of errors, there's one on your calendar:  the SAGE Alliance has changed the date for that Flotilla Action in the Connecticut River.  Folks better get shipshape for the new date, of September 8. More info here.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill recently topped the inmates-running-the-asylum list with his crazed remarks about the Colorado shooting and his defense of nut-job Michelle Bachmann's anti-Muslim McCarthyism, but here on The Enviro Show we're drilling down on Repugnican Louie Gohmert's 96% voting record in support of Big Oil and dirty energy. Hey, the guys from Texas!

Our Quote of the Week comes from this week's guest:
"To say that corporate enterprise has abrogated your right to ask questions, to raise objections, or to expose malfeasance tells only half the story," she writes. "Corporations are not people. We are people, and until we learn to protest en masse, until we make it impossible for corporations to continue stripping the planet, they will hijack our earth, and make all living things expendable. That means you. That means us." - Cecile Pineda

After our conversation with Cecile we'll move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Thursday, August 2, 7 to 9pm. Join local events on August 4 to stop Mt. Tom Coal Plant, and end huge tax subsidies to  the fossil fuel industry.  The local Beyond Coal campaign (part of the Sierra Club) will host an activist training at Holyoke Rows, Jones Ferry Road, Holyoke. Contact: drew_grande@sierraclub.org 

Thursday August 2, at 7pm in the Edwards Public Library Community Room. To help ensure success at Town Meeting and beyond, we believe it’s imperative to “jump-start” the Friends of the Southampton Greenway.  We hope you will join us at an organizational meeting. Contact: Karen Adamski at kaarbb@hotmail.com or Michael Buehler (413) 527-4023

August 4-9. Walk for a Nuclear Free Future. A six day walk in the Connecticut River Valley. Hartford, Connecticut to the New England Peace Pagoda, in Leverett, MA. Call: Tim Bullock (413) 485-8469

Sunday, August 5, 5:30pm to 9:00pm. Cecile Pineda, Fukushima: The Nuclear Industry’s Gift to our Planet. Lyman Hall, First Churches, Northampton. At 7:45 proceed to Smith's Paradise Pond. At 8 PM for Hiroshima Day commemoration and floating candle ceremony.

Monday, August 6, 1:30pm to 3:00pm. Cecile Pineda at 142 High Street, Amherst.  Information: Hattie at 978.790.3074   or   hattieshalom@verizon.net

August 9-12, Climate Justice Direct Action Camp. Wheelock Mountain Farm. Northeast Kingdom, Vermont. Go here: www.theflashbulb.org/direct-action-camp.html or call: 802-338-1613.

Friday, September 7 at 7pm Bill McKibben on “Jail Notes: The Fight for the Planet Starts to Quicken” at the Johnson Chapel, Amherst college, Amherst, MA. Contact: margaretbj[at]aol.com

Saturday, September 8, 11:00am to 5:00pm. Our River Runs Through It: Flotilla & Rally to Stop VT Yankee Pollution. Flotilla & Rally to Stop VT Yankee Pollution on the Connecticut River. More info at: http://sagealliance.net/actions/river-9-8-12

Thurs. Sept 20 - Sat. Sept.22 Washington DC NUCLEAR FREE CONVERGENCE ON OUR NATION’S CAPITOL  Details: http://coalitionagainstnukes.org/no-nukes-rally-in-d-c/ 

OK for now. We'll be back! AND don't forget to.....listen to your Mother!

The Big Wind Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We've changed our broadcast time on VFR back to 6pm and it's high time to do the rounds on Big Wind once again. We'll checkout their latest spin with Audra Parker,  President/CEO of Save our Sound.  Speaking of spin, we'll look into the latest from those flat-Earth climate crisis deniers we'd love to ship off-planet. Also joining us to have a look at the previously  proposed Shelburne wind operation is our friend, Janet Sinclair. As usual we visit the Enviro Show Echo Chamber, do the Quote of the Week and do some E-Valley-uation, but first it's time for......Revenge of the Critters! You want to build windmills in Nantucket Sound? Watch out for angry seagulls!


In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber we rewind Tim Egan's excellent op-ed in the New York Times, "The Fire This Time". It's climate change in biblical proportions folks (wonder why all those far-right bible bangers aren't listening?). The word from NOAA is that "The past 12 months have been the warmest on record for the mainland United States." That from State of the Climate - National Overview report. Of course, that's just science. Our Fool-on-the-Hill knows that's a lot of hooey.


This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is a perennial favorite. Yes, Senator James Inhofe, Repugnican of Oklahoma and arch foe of science and all us alarmist enviros has stood once again in the air conditioned gallery of the Senate and spoke the gospel (such as it is) of denial. [Warning: the link takes you to far-right La-La Land. Be prepaired for half-truths and obfuscations!]


Our Quote of the Week comes directly from Michael Cyrus, of SteelRiver Infrastructure Partners (great name, huh?) who have an interest in a proposed Hawaiian wind project actually named Big Wind!  “You have to go through this process of noise, where you let people feel that they had a platform to speak,” Cyrus said. “But you can’t let the noise distract you because time is a nemesis." Thanks for the feeling Big Wind!

Time to Meet the New Boss. Looks like Obama's Department of Justice has its priorities screwed up. The DOJ has been widely criticized for failing to bring to fruition investigations of Wall Street traders' crimes. However, in one instance, its investigators have been relentless: in January, indicting marine biologist Nancy Black, who faces 20 years in prison for allegedly lying to investigators about whether her crew might have illegally fed whales to attract their attention for a boatload of whale-watchers. What would the boss say??

Our E-Valley-uation segment gets pretty much taken up by one of our guests: Janet Sinclair joins us in the studio to talk about Big Wind in WMass, but first, here's an Enviro Show Blog Bonus on that scary nuke up river: Danger Zone: Aging nuclear reactors!


After a call-in from Audra Parker of Save our Sound we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, July 18, Noon to 1pm. Progressive Heat Wave at Rep. Richie Neal's Office. Tax Carbon to Stop Climate Change! Brown Bag Lunch Vigil. 300 State Street, Springfield. Email: field@pdamerica.or

July 20 - 22. Occupy Nuclear Power. Annual Clamshell Alliance Reunion & Anti-Entergy strategy session. World Fellowship Camp and Conference Center, Conway, NH. A day-long Anti-Entergy strategy session will be held on Saturday, half-day on Sunday, to develop a unified opposition campaign targeting Entergy,  Please spread the word, check out the website, and make reservations. worldfellowship.org; reservations@worldfellowship.org

Beginning on July 25, Radical Action for Mountain People’s Survival (RAMPS) will be convening the Mountain Mobilization to shut down a strip mine and build momentum that will finish off mountaintop removal once and for all. Join the West Virginia Mountain Mobilization. Go to: http://rampscampaign.org/mountain-mobilization/register/ 

Saturday, July 28. The first national fracking action. Stop the Frack Attack is a coalition of more than 80 groups, including Public Citizen, that are coming together for four days of action, trainings, networking and lobbying, all culminating with a rally and march at the Capitol.  Go to: www.stopthefrackattack.org/


Saturday, July 28, 1-2 p.m. Tracks Along The River is a hands-on nature program for families about wildlife native to our rivers and wetlands. Join along with naturalist Dawn Marvin Ward for this nature exploration which will include stories, puppets and hands-on activities designed for children with an adult companion. Northfield Public Library. For further info, call Northfield Public Library 498-2455

This July 29th-31 the political and economic elite of the Northeast are meeting in Burlington, VT for the 36th Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers. In closed door meetings at the golf course and dinner table, greenwashed resolutions for trade, energy, climate change, transportation and infrastructure policies for the region will be developed.  The People are organizing too! JULY 29,12pm Welcoming March and Rally, City Hall Park. Go to: www.btvconvergence.net/wordpress/

Sunday, August 5 Cecile Pineda will be on a New England book tour August 5th -13th. She will talk about and autograph her new book "Devil’s Tango (how I learned the Fukushima step by step)"

First Churches, 129 Main Street, Northampton • Potluck at 5:30pm talk and book signing • 7:00 pm

Paradise Pond at Smith College for Hiroshima Day Ceremony and candle float • 8:00 pm

Monday, August 6. Meet with Cecile Pineda • 1:30 pm. for refreshments and book signing

Hosted by Dade Singapuri, 142 High Street, Amherst. 

August 9-12, Climate Justice Direct Action Camp. Wheelock Mountain Farm. Northeast Kingdom, Vermont. Go here: www.theflashbulb.org/direct-action-camp.html or call: 802-338-1613.

That's all folks!......except don't forget........listen to your Mother. 

The Last Minute Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We were down to the wire with this show given that our annual Pilgrimage to the Sea fell during production time and SOME people didn't do their homework. Be that as it may, we managed to get Amy Donovan, Program Director of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District calling in for an update on....well, solid waste! Also we'll find time for a visit with the Fool-on-the-Hill as well as The Enviro Show Echo Chamber. We can do some E-Valley-uation and maybe Meet the New Boss as well, but first it's time for...Revenge of the Critters! Roo stalks Aussie Woman (Disclaimer: this comes from Faux "News")

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill goes once again to former car thief, Rep. Darrell Issa who continues the Repugnican safe energy witch hunt in his capacity as head of the House Inquisition...er...Oversight Committee.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber this AP headline certainly caught our attention while zoning out by the sea on the Cape: "Sea level rising fastest on East Coast". And....sadly...this: Earth summit bombs...again. It gets worse: fishermen who spoke out at the summit were murdered! Meanwhile, closer to home, it looks like it's the Roseate Tern's turn to try and shutdown the Pilgrim nuke in Plymouth. On June 28, 2012, "Pilgrim Watch and the Jones River Watershed Association challenged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, saying their approvals for Entergy's relicensing are arbitrary and capricious and not based on credible data". Also, an Enviro Show Blog Bonus Action Link: the Massachusetts House will vote on a bill to expand the state's most successful solar program this week. Add your voice here.

In our E-Valley-uation segment we take a look at Sunday's "Declare Independence from Entergy" action at the gates of that dangerous dilapidated old nuke in Vernon, VT. 40 protesters were arrested. All were released on personal recognizance ('cuz Vermont knows they are the good citizens as opposed to the corporados at Entergy). And, from the June 28 issue of The Montague Reporter we learn "Shad Rebound in Annual River Count", a fascinating article with quotes from Karl Meyer and others on the problems with the Turners Falls fish ladder. You'll have to pick-up a copy at your news stand 'cuz The Reporter is traditional, it doesn't do digital.

Our Quote of the Week: "Licensing a nuclear power plant is in my view, licensing random premeditated murder. First of all, when you license a plant, you know what you're doing--so it's premeditated. You can't say, "I didn't know." Second, the evidence on radiation-producing cancer is beyond doubt. I've worked fifteen years on it [as of 1982], and so have many others. It is not a question any more: radiation produces cancer, and the evidence is good all the way down to the lowest doses." -- John Gofman

Finally, it's time to scope out the Bus Stop Billboard:

Wednesday, July 4,9am by the Brattleboro high school gather to be part of the No Nukes contingent in the parade! If you need inspiration, here's a few ideas: "Clean it up and mooooove it out!" is a message that fits the float. Our message from the July 1st action "Declare Independence from Entergy!" has a patriotic ring to it! And the 4th is always a good time to "Defend Democracy!" Contact Ed at ema@svcable.net

Wednesday July 4, 4 - 8 pm. July 4th Pitch-in Picnic. Rain or Shine. 3 McClelland Farm Rd, Deerfield. A wonderful place for the picnic and a great variety of ways to enjoy it. Can you come? Can you bring your own utensils? folding chairs? Can you volunteer for a task? RSVP to joanjon@gogtt.net or call 413-467-3944

Wednesday,July 10,11 a.m., Rally at the Courthouse on Obery St. in Plymouth to support the Plymouth14 protesters. For details contact Cape Downwinders, David Agnew, dagnew@gmail.com

Thursday, July 11, 6pm there will be a Public Hearing on Easthampton Bicycle Ordinances 50 Payson Ave., Second Floor Meeting Room, Easthampton. Call Eli Damon at 413-530-3861

Tuesday,July 17,7pm. A Public Lecture by Michael Klare based on his new book,"The Race for What's Left". Will provide a global overview of the corporate drive to exploit what's left of the world's oil, natural gas, coal, uranium, rare minerals, food, water, and land. Bring your questions about hydro-fracking, rare earths, the new oil boom, etc. - and what can be done to address these issues. SMITH COLLEGE, 103 McConnell Hall, Northampton.

July 20 - 22. Occupy Nuclear Power. Annual Clamshell Alliance Reunion & Anti-Entergy strategy session. World Fellowship Camp and Conference Center, Conway, NH. A day-long Anti-Entergy strategy session will be held on Saturday, half-day on Sunday, to develop a unified opposition campaign targeting Entergy, (which also owns many GE BWRs including VY). We invite activists organizing against Entergy-owned nukes Vermont Yankee, Pilgrim, Indian Point, and Fitzpatrick (NY), (and also activists from New Orleans, site of Entergy HQ, and the Entergy-owned Palisades nuke in Michigan). Additional discussion led by Linda and Paul Gunter of Beyond Nuclear on national and international resistance to nuclear power, the aim to shut the 23 US GE Boiling Water Reactors that are twins to at Fukushima, Japan, and lessons learned from Germany, Italy, India, and elsewhere. World Fellowship is an affordable, child friendly location in the White Mountains, founded and run by progressives. Camping and rooms are available, and rates include three excellent meals served family style each day. Please spread the word, check out the website, and make reservations. worldfellowship.org; reservations@worldfellowship.org

Beginning on July 25, Radical Action for Mountain People’s Survival (RAMPS) will be convening the Mountain Mobilization to shut down a strip mine and build momentum that will finish off mountaintop removal once and for all. Join the West Virginia Mountain Mobilization. Go to: http://rampscampaign.org/mountain-mobilization/register/

That's it. We are so out of here. Did you remember to listen to your Mother?