World

DoD Shuts Down Burn Pits at Camp Leatherneck

August 14, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Burn pit in Afghanistan. Courtesy photo

U.S. SENATE News:

Senators applaud measure, say more work still needs to be done

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Tom Udall, D-N.M. and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., announced today that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has ceased burn pit operations at one of two camp sites supporting Operating Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Its closure follows Udall and Corker’s recent call for immediate action to halt the use of open-air burn pits after findings by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) that found Read More

LANL Scientists Show Muon Imaging May Offer Hope of Assessing Damaged Reactor Cores

August 12, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

LANL News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ─ Critical to the recovery efforts following the devastating effects of the 2011 tsunami on Japan’s Fukushima reactor is the ability to assess damage within the reactor’s core.

A study in the journal AIP Advances by a team of scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) shows that muon imaging may offer the best hope of assessing damage to the reactor cores and locating the melted fuel.

Muon imaging, which utilizes naturally occurring muons created in the atmosphere by cosmic rays to image dense objects, should solve the problem of determining Read More

Reconciliation Ceremony Marks Anniversary of Hiroshima

August 7, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Los Alamos students participate in today’s Peace Ceremony at Fuller Lodge Art Center marking the anniversary of Hiroshima. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Students were asked to turn out and look at the adults as part of today’s ceremony. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Staff Report

Students joined adults at a reconciliation ceremony and reception at Fuller Lodge Art Center commemorating today’s anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima Japan.

The Peace’s New Century Project is a collaboration between Betsie Miller-Kusz of the Jemez Read More

Letter to the Editor: Brief Response to ‘Weak Correlation Between CO2 and Temperature …’

August 3, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

By Stephen Price and Charles Keller

Los Alamos

We have responded briefly to the writer’s comments, which are in quotes, and written additional comments of our own. We are happy to provide scientific journal citations to support any of our statements made below.

“A weak short-term correlation between CO2 and temperature proves nothing about causation. Proponents of the notion that increases in the air’s CO2 content lead to global warming point to the past century’s weak correlation between atmospheric CO2 concentration and global air temperature as proof of their contention.”

Is Bandelier the 8th Wonder of the World?

August 1, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

VirtualTourist News:

Voting is now open at VirtualTourist for the favorite 8th wonder of the World and Bandelier National Monument is on the list of possiblities.

Voting is open June 3 through Sept. 30. Vote here. Read More

VA Seeks Feedback For Open Burn Pit Registry

July 25, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Marine Lance Corporal Richard Carmichael disposes of trash at the burn pit on Forward Operating Base Zeebrudge in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. DOD photo

VA News:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is asking veterans to help create its Open Burn Pit Registry for military service members, civilian personnel and veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes from open-air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Udall coauthored the legislation to create the burn pit registry, which the Read More

U.S., New Zealand Collaborate to Combat Trafficking of Nuclear Materials

July 24, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

NNSA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) today announced a collaboration with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to provide mobile radiation detection equipment to countries in Latin America, South East Asia and Africa.

This is the fifth joint NNSA-New Zealand project under a bilateral memorandum of understanding, as a result of the 26-member G8 Global Partnership (GP) Against the Spread of Weapons and Material of Mass Destruction. The joint project supports the GP Nuclear and Radiological Security Sub-Working Group’s Read More

Udall, Corker: End Use of Burn Pits in Afghanistan

July 24, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

A bulldozer dumps a load of trash into a burn pit just 300 yards from the runway at Bagram Airfield, January 2012. An Army memo from 2011 found the burn pit is associated with ‘long-term’ health effects on soldiers at Bagram. Courtesy/U.S. Army

US SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) announced they have sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel asking for immediate action to halt the use of open-air burn pits at two camp sites supporting Operating Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Their letter follows reports

Britain’s Royal Baby is a Boy

July 22, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Courtesy/marieclaire.co.uk

Staff Report

The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a boy, according to a statement by Clarence House.

Prince William was present at the birth of the infant who weighed in at 8 pounds 6 ounces.

The newborn’s name has not been announced but his title will be Prince of Cambridge, according to reports. He is third in line to the throne. Read More

E.U. and U.S. to Extend Scientific Cooperation on Measurements and Standards

July 19, 2013 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-PA, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Patrick Gallagher, Joint Research Centre Director General Dominique Ristori and European Parliament Member Edit Herzog at a signing ceremony July 17. Photo by K. Delak/NIST

NIST News:

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) yesterday agreed to expand their current scientific cooperation to include new areas of research, such as energy, healthcare and clinical measurements, Read More