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Topic: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth (Read 53107 times)
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #73 on:
Thursday,June 30, 2011 »
NATO Drops Uranium Bombs On Libya
The Center for Research on Globalization says the bombs and missiles that the US-led military alliance has dropped on several Libyan cities contain depleted uranium (DU).
Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, a research associate at the CRG center, told Press TV that there are several international missions in Libya to gather evidence on NATO war crimes, including the use of DU.
His remarks come weeks after the Stop the War Coalition said in its late March report that dozens of bombs and cruise missiles were launched by the US, British, and French forces all with DU warheads in the first 24 hours of the war on Libya.
DU munitions are controversial as their use is associated with long-term health concerns such as kidney damage, cancer, skin disorders and genetic defects.
Last Edit: Thursday,June 30, 2011 by Keith
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #72 on:
Thursday,June 09, 2011 »
Depleted Uranium found in Libya
Telesur informs us that Dr Ali Gsant Doctor Atomic Energy says there are large concentrations of depleted uranium in Libya. Depleted uranium is on the ground, in the air, especially in the dust and sand that moves.
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #71 on:
Monday,April 18, 2011 »
What a Strange Way to Protect Civilians: Depleted Uranium and Libya
To date depleted uranium?s deathly dust has traveled its horrible route from Iraq (The first Gulf War in 1990/91) to the Balkans (with the NATO attack on Serbia in 1999) to Afghanistan (2001-) and back to Iraq (2003-) Now we have the attack on Libya and I raise the question as to whether DU is being used once again in this latest "war"; whether this "nuclear waste with wings" continues its journey bringing with it short- and long-term death.
In the first 24 hours of the Libyan attack, US B-2s dropped forty-five 2,000-pound bombs. Did any of these massive bombs, along with the Cruise missiles launched from British and French planes and ships, contain depleted uranium? Doug Rokke joins others such as Conn Hallinan, of Foreign Policy in Focus, in believing that the answer is yes.
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There are moments when I am very certain that George Orwell was far more than a writer: he was an absolute prophet. The war in Libya, and the way it is being described by the corporate media, is one of those moments.
Today, the US "protects" people, who have the nerve to be living over resources the US covets, by killing them with bombs, and condemning those left standing to a life filled with all the pleasures of radiation poisoning, which include deaths by cancer, horrific mutations, and life-threatening birth defects in their kids.
This, in short, is how the US defines "the humanitarian mission" in Libya.
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #70 on:
Sunday,April 17, 2011 »
List of places worldwide that are uninhabitable due to radiation
20 atomic deserts, a list of places worldwide that are uninhabitable due to radiation. Some of the areas are polluted from nuclear power waste and some are from bombs. Chernobyl is just one of many places in the world that remain dangerously radioactive to this day
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #69 on:
Thursday,April 14, 2011 »
Birth defect weapons used in Libya - RT
http://www.youtube.com/v/GKcxt7_pzoI&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #68 on:
Thursday,April 14, 2011 »
FLASHBACK - Huge rise in birth defects in Falluja
Doctors in Iraq's war-ravaged enclave of Falluja are dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants, compared to a year ago, and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting.
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Meaning the depleted uranium.
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #67 on:
Friday,April 08, 2011 »
The Doctor, the Depleted Uranium, and the Dying Children (53 min)
The film exposes the use and impact of radioactive weapons during the current war against Iraq.
The story is told by citizens of many nations. It opens with comments by two British veterans, Kenny Duncan and Jenny Moore, describing their exposure to radioactive, so-called depleted uranium (DU), weapons ...
the congenital abnormalities of their children.
An award winning documentary film produced for German television by Freider Wagner and Valentin Thurn.
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #66 on:
Monday,April 04, 2011 »
Mounting alarm over US use of depleted uranium arms in Libya
The US admitted using A-10 tankbuster aircraft designed to destroy armoured cars and tanks, and which are capable of firing 3,900 armour-piercing DU-tipped shells per minute.
Kurtz insisted that the A-10s had not been loaded with DU ammunition. "Weapons with depleted uranium have not been used in Libya," she said.
But critics say that the US has sometimes been economical with the truth about the use of DU weapons. "We continue to seek a cast-iron guarantee that depleted uranium has not been used and will not be used in Libya," said Kate Hudson, the general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. "The US has a long history of only admitting to deploying this radioactive material months or years after it has been used."
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We know when government officials lie: they open their mouths....and words come out of them.
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #65 on:
Friday,April 01, 2011 »
The UK's Dirty Little Secret - It's Using Uranium bombs in Libya
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #64 on:
Tuesday,March 29, 2011 »
''US Drops Depleted Uranium Bombs on Libya''
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #63 on:
Monday,March 28, 2011 »
Depleted Uranium: A Strange Way To Protect Libyan Civilians
William Hague has said that we are in Libya " to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas".You don't have to look far for who and what are being 'protected'.
In that first 24 hours the 'Allies' 'expended' 100 million on DU-tipped ordnance. The European Union's arms control report said member states issued licences in 2009 for the sale of 293.2 million worth of weapons and weapons systems to Libya. Britain issued arms firms licences for the sale of 21.7 million worth of weaponry to Libya and were also paid by Colonel Gadaffi to send the SAS to train his 32nd Brigade.
For the next 4.5 billion years, I'll bet that William Hague will not be holidaying in North Africa.
Last Edit: Monday,March 28, 2011 by Keith
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #62 on:
Saturday,March 26, 2011 »
Depleted uranium: a strange way to protect Libyan civilians
In the first 24 hours of the Libyan attack, US B-2s dropped forty-five 2,000-pound bombs. These massive bombs, along with the Cruise missiles launched from British and French planes and ships, all contained depleted uranium (DU) warheads.
DU is the waste product from the process of enriching uranium ore. It is used in nuclear weapons and reactors. Because it is a very heavy substance, 1.7 times denser than lead, it is highly valued by the military for its ability to punch through armored vehicles and buildings. When a weapon made with a DU tip strikes a solid object like the side of a tank, it goes straight through it, then erupts in a burning cloud of vapor. The vapor settles as dust, which is not only poisonous, but also radioactive.
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #61 on:
Tuesday,March 22, 2011 »
This article may be about US vets BUT young Australians in their thousands have been exposed to Depleted Uranium. Disabilities and diseases resulting from this exposure will plague the Veteran community for generations to come and cost Governments, that is YOU THE TAXPAYER, countless hundreds of millions of dollars.
And don't forget the politicians like Hawke, Howard, Blair and Bush, who originally sent our young into harms way, are tucked up in bed safely at night and living the life of riley, and THEIR families will never have to lose any sleep over family members being exposed to DU.Such courage! Such principle! Such ethics!
Keith Tennent.
From: Terry DAVIES
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 12:48 AM
Subject: US Vets to Die from Uranium Exposure
Its five pages but worth the read!
Quote: He said, I had thyroid cancer surgery in 2009 after being in Iraq, Afghanistan & Kuwait on missions in 2003-4,
but the VA doctors said they wouldnt contribute it to DU or any exposure in Iraq unless it was nuclear fallout.
The Politics of War:
Are We Allowing US Vets to Die from Uranium Exposure?
THE RUSS REPORT CityWatch
Vol 9 Issue 22
Pub: Mar 18, 2011
Katharine Russ
Since the Gulf War in 1991, controversy has surrounded the use of Depleted Uranium (DU) in munitions that, for many veterans, could lead to potential health hazards. Studies to determine such hazards have been vastly understudied and understated.
DU is the byproduct of a process known as uranium enrichment -- the manufacture of uranium with a concentration of highly radioactive U-235 for use in nuclear weapons and in nuclear power plants.
DU contains less than one third as much U-235 and U-234 as natural uranium. The external radiation dose from DU is about 60% of that from the same mass of natural uranium.
Experts have cited that uranium has unique chemical and physical properties, which makes its toxicity mechanisms complicated to comprehend.
During the Gulf War, planes, helicopters and tanks fired some 300 tons of DU munitions. DU was used in the Balkans, and now, in Iraq and Afghanistan. DU hardens the tips of bullets and artillery shells, giving them the ability to pierce the toughest armor.
The intact round poses little, if any, health threat but once it is spent and hits its target, about 20% of the DU burns spontaneously creating an ?aerosol? of microscopic particles and vapors that can be inhaled and lodge in the lungs.
Because DU is spread over the area, it can ultimately, become ingested. Wounded soldiers are particularly vulnerable to exposure from DU because tainted shrapnel can embed itself in the flesh.
Reports say that over 2000 tons of DU has been used in Iraq since 2003 and over 300 sites across Iraq are reported to be heavily contaminated by depleted uranium.
World Health Organization (WHO) Fact sheet N?257 Revised January 2003 confirms that no studies have been done with large enough populations of exposed combat veterans to confirm the level of DU they are exposed to.
The Fact sheet states, ?Although uranium released from embedded fragments may accumulate in the central nervous system (CNS) tissue, and some animal and human studies are suggestive of effects on CNS function, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions from the few studies reported.
No consistent or confirmed adverse chemical effects of uranium have been reported for the skeleton or liver.
?Because DU is only weakly radioactive, very large amounts of dust (on the order of grams) would have to be inhaled for the additional risk of lung cancer to be detectable in an exposed group. Risks for other radiation-induced cancers, including leukemia, are considered to be very much lower than for lung cancer.
Other scientists would disagree with the WHO that radiation in any dose is dangerous.
In their 1997 article titled No Dose Too Low, Ian Fairlie, a researcher at the Centre for Environmental Technology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London, and Marvin Resnikoff, a senior associate at Radioactive Waste Management Associates in New York City held that, Today, most of the world's radiation scientists believe that even very small doses of radiation--- those that are well below background levels and whose effects are difficult to detect-increase the risk of developing cancer, however slightly.
Dr. Rosalie Bertell, International Institute of Concern for Public Health is a biometrician qualified to design and evaluate epidemiological research. Bertell has worked in the area of the health effects of ionizing radiation, especially at low doses and slow dose rates, for the past 30 years and has produced and published books, and professional papers on the subject.
In her testimony before the United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs (April 1998), Bertell testified, ?There is no scientific evidence that a limiting dose of radiation exists below which there is little or no risk of developing a cancer or other health problem. In fact, there is peer reviewed published research which shows that excess cancers have occurred at dose levels which are within the maximum permissible dose levels set for workers and members of the public.-
Despite Berttells testimony and mentioned peer reviewed research publications regarding DU dangers, the Department of Defense stuck with research done within its own government parameters and issued a statement in August 1998 revealing that, ?Based on data developed to date, the Office of the Special Assistant believes that while DU can pose a chemical toxicity and radiological hazard under specific conditions, the available evidence does not support claims that DU caused or is causing the undiagnosed illnesses some Gulf War veterans are experiencing.
Ernie, a disabled veteran (age 44) who spent 20 years in military reserves and 3 years active duty, tells of his fight to get his much needed VA benefits.
He said, I had thyroid cancer surgery in 2009 after being in Iraq, Afghanistan & Kuwait on missions in 2003-4, but the VA doctors said they wouldnt contribute it to DU or any exposure in Iraq unless it was nuclear fallout.
The Asian doctor at the WLA VA Endocrinology Clinic says that he can not even put in my record that my exposure to the air from exploded ordnance &/or those personnel, who were brought to my airplane wounded or dead for med-evac to Germany, had anything to do with my thyroid cancer.
He wouldnt even put that it was more likely than not or even that it was possible that they are related, YET he can not come up with any other reason attributable to this thyroid cancer except radiation exposure. AND the first thing the first endocrinologist ever asked me was if I was exposed to radiation.
Ernie had surgery to remove the tumors at Cedars Sinai Hospital- not the West LA VA. He continues to suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain and has not worked since 2006.
While Ernie receives less than 60% of his benefits, his marriage has crumbled and he is losing his home because he cannot afford the mortgage.
The February 2004 Ionizing Radiation Review is written by VAs Environmental Agents Service to provide information to former military service members who may have been exposed to ionizing radiation during their military service.
VA provides monthly payments ? known as disability compensation to radiation-exposed veterans who suffer disabling radiation-related diseases.
Diseases under 38 CFR 3.309(d) (38 U.S.C. 1112) specifically lists thyroid cancer as one of the 21 cancers for which veterans can receive benefits- pre-1992.
The March 2010 Ionizing Radiation Review publication states, ?Depleted Uranium (DU) is a potential chemical hazard that may affect Veterans who served in the Gulf War. Other Veterans potentially exposed to DU include those who served in Bosnia, or in Afghanistan and Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF).?
Since neither the Iraq nor the Afghanistan War began until AFTER the time period of 1945- 1992, the VA can, and has, withheld benefits to returning veterans even though, through their publications, they are aware of toxic effects of DU and potential harm to veterans.
Bertell cautioned that setting such a cut off for a veteran's eligibility for medical care is at best a subjective judgment, and at worst a deliberate ploy to pretend that standards are protective and to save money by denying the veteran health care. Veterans will never be able to obtain medical benefits under the current inadequate Atomic Bomb research base.?
In September 2007, The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, gave testimony on Capitol Hill citing the Veterans Administration (VA) shortcomings, Delayed decisions, confusing policies, and the perception that DOD and VA disability ratings result in inequitable outcomes have eroded the credibility of the system, thus, it is imperative that DOD and VA take prompt steps to address fundamental system weaknesses.?
Under a Congressional mandate in 2008, the Department of Defense sought guidance from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in evaluating the feasibility and design of an epidemiologic study that would assess health outcomes of exposure to DU. This study could not be completed because there was not enough data to comprehensively assess the health of veterans exposed to DU. Imagine, seventeen years after the Gulf War ended and there is still not enough data to run a decent study.
In 2008, Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman House Committee on Veterans Affairs, stunned the nation when he told Dr. Phil on national television that its hard to get accurate information from the VA, because the administrators lie to his Committee. ?In the last two years, we have increased their budget, especially in mental health, almost 40 percent, which is unprecedented. We give them the resources.
The question is, how do they use them he says. If they want to cover up, they can cover up. Weve had shredding of documents reported for claims. Weve had backdating of things. Weve had covering up suicide statistics, and we say, Fire those people, but we dont have the authority to fire them, only the executive branch does.
In the months and years following the 1991 Gulf War and the 1999 war in the Balkans, many soldiers and civilians had, and continued to have, unexpected and unexplained health problems, that include excess leukemias and other cancers, neurological disorders, birth defects, and several other symptoms that were lumped together under the heading of "Gulf War Illnesses" and ignored.
Twenty years later, the VA is still sitting on its hands and offering little more than screenings for these diseases and illnesses that plague many veterans.
Jim Strickland, Veterans Advocate and owner/ editor-VAWatchdogToday.org said, There has never been a war when so many people were forced to extend their commitments (stop-loss) and forced into so many deployments.
Between the toxic burn pits, the slow acting poison of DU and the crushing effects of 2, 3, 4 or more forced deployments, we are building an army of suicidal, PTSD afflicted, homeless and unemployable young people who we are addicting to a cornucopia of drugs...for life. We're already building special courts, special jails, special hospitals, special housing, special welfare programs, drug treatment centers and more for our young vets. In the next decade, our youngest veterans will become THE major problem in this country. This isn't going to be pretty.
(Katharine Russ is an investigative reporter. She is a regular contributor to CityWatch and to the North Valley Reporter. Katharine Russ can be reached at;
) -cw
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #60 on:
Monday,March 14, 2011 »
This from the US which has been dumping uranium via Depleted Uranium weaponry, around the globe for years and which turned southern Iraq and to a lesser extent the Balkans into huge nuclear wastelands. The same probably applies to Afghanistan.
Keith Tennent.
US lawmakers mull nuclear moratorium after quake
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan at reactors damaged by a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami has led some lawmakers to call for the United States to "put the brakes" on domestic nuclear development...
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #59 on:
Friday,March 04, 2011 »
Veteran Suffering From Terminal Cancer After Being Exposed To Depleted Uranium Battles For Pension
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #58 on:
Thursday,February 10, 2011 »
From: Bill and Margaret Krause
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2011 9:51 PM
Subject: FDU Case
Tank super ammo ragets Diggers
Carly Hennessy
From: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
January 30, 2011
GRAEME Seale didn't know any of this when he went to Somalia with the Australian Army as a repair and maintenance officer in 1993.
He told the Repatriation Medical Authority he worked at a US-Australian shared wash-down yard where he would clean vehicles.
He said he was exposed to dust and debris blown from tanks used in live fire and would splash around in shared water from the same area.
A few years after returning, he reported kidney problems which he told the authority was a sign of radiation exposure and developed a brain tumour, a malignant neoplasm of the brain. He died in 2009 aged 56.
Depleted uranium is used by a handful of countries in their armoury as it is almost twice as strong as lead and makes an effective casing as well as protection in some types of tanks.
Australia does not use depleted uranium. The official line is Australian troops can only come into contact with DU if they serve alongside NATO forces, such as the US, which use it extensively.
But it took only a dozen calls to veterans and their advocates by The Sunday Mail to dig up a handful who had come into close contact with DU, with some concerned for their health.
According to a question and answer session in 2006 in the Senate, the Australian Navy did use DU munitions after buying the fully loaded Phalanx Close-In Weapons System from the US in the 1980s.
It took the navy 10 years to phase out the munitions, which have been replaced with tungsten penetrators.
Late last year, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal of Australia ruled there was "no evidence which points to a connection between Seale's service in Somalia and his malignant neoplasm of the brain", adding: At the highest is a mere possibility only."
Seale's widow, Lynette, and his veteran's advocate who prepared the case, Helena Smith, always knew it was going to be an uphill battle.
They were trying to set a precedent.
The first step was to have the Repatriation Medical Authority accept there was enough exposure to DU to cause his brain tumour.
Decisions are guided by the authority's statement of principals, factors that "must as a minimum" exist to cause a particular kind of disease, injury or death.
The authority, led by chairman Professor Ken Donald and four other doctors including an epidemiologist and psychiatrist, conducts investigations and listens to evidence from veterans to inform their decisions about disease causation.
The RMA rejected Seale's case but launched an expanded investigation into ionising radiation and non-ionising radiation as factors in malignant neoplasm of the brain.
It was a pyrrhic victory for Seale's widow and Smith, who launched an appeal
with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal of Australia.
Lynette Seale said the action wasn't about money but about forcing recognition about the toxic hazards of DU.
"We've heard that Americans who served in Somalia have had claims accepted but in Australia they haven't," she said.
Smith concedes that trying to establish precedent over the dangers of Australian troop exposure to DU was always going to be difficult.
Their failure means it will be even harder for others to come forward, she says.
"It's going to become a growing concern .. . .. it's going to come out, there's still Afghanistan to get through and it may take a few years, but a lot of our guys don't have a few years," Smith said.
Leading military compensation lawyer Brian Briggs, from Slater and Gordon, says the case for depleted uranium use and Agent Orange are very similar. He has dealt with Agent Orange cases in which entire families have been affected by the spraying of chemicals during the Vietnam War.
Wives, children and grandchildren have become sick or are suffering life-shortening illnesses because of the veterans' exposure more than 30 years ago.
An increased rate of diseases such as throat cancer and leukemia are common in veterans, as well as birth defects in children and grandchildren resulting from exposure to a range of herbicides and pesticides known colloquially as Agent Orange.
"With Agent Orange there were similar problems in establishing a causal connection between the spraying and the disease," Briggs said.
While records were kept when spraying occurred, he said what was not recorded was significant: what the chemical was exactly and where it came from.
"I'm hoping there's been good record keeping with DU otherwise it becomes a paper chase," he said.
Smith agrees the onus of proof is a sticking point.
"It's hard to prove that a veteran was at a certain point at a certain time when (munitions were) fired or the dust was there," she said.
She has not ruled out a High Court appeal.
The filmmaker
DAVID Bradbury lists the countries that have accepted claims by veterans that DU has caused long-term or terminal illness as the US, the UK and Italy. Bradbury, who made Oscar-nominated Frontline, has been a passionate activist against nuclear weapons.
In his latest documentary, Blowin' in the Wind, he interviews US and Australian Gulf War veterans and scientists, and documents the increased number of birth defects in Falluja and Basra in Iraq that activists and some doctors say is a result of long-term exposure to DU.
The Sunday Mail has learnt there are Queensland ex-servicemen with chronic illness who fear they have passed on life-shortening illnesses to their children, reminiscent of Agent Orange effects.
Getting them to talk on the record is another matter.
Nambour man Ed Grant, who was interviewed in Blowin' in the Wind and on the 7.30 Report, served in the first Gulf War.
". . .. my health has deteriorated to the point where X-rays and examinations of my physical person show a person who is much older than I actually am chronologically bone structure, muscle tissue, and it goes on," he said.
"I am definitely sure that this has shortened my lifespan.
"I am concerned about what I may be passing on and may have passed on, genetically, to my children."
After extensive research Bradbury says he has "no doubt" about the link between DU and cancers, kidney problems, rashes and chronic fatigue.
"They are treated as pariahs," he said, referring particularly to Grant.
"That's no way to treat our forces who have served so nobly.
"But governments don't take kindly to pressures on the public purse."
He believes if a link could be established, it would cost millions in payments.
The evidence
KEITH Hodgson, the historian who gave evidence in the Seale case, says justice is hamstrung by this frustrating lack of research linking DU to the ailments affecting our servicemen.
Without government-backed "proof", there is no "proof", he says, because "the independent million-dollar studies are not being done".
"Even without the studies there is also not the medical expertise . . . I don't think there's a doctor in Australia who knows what to look for," he said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs told the Senate more than 120 personnel had undergone voluntary urine screening since returning from Afghanistan and Iraq all delivering normal results.
"There has been extensive investigation into the health effects of exposure to DU during military operations by defence, scientific and medical experts across the world over a number of years," the DVA said in an email to The Sunday Mail.
"There is no evidence to support claims that this exposure has resulted in any significant health problems."
But what is not being said is that Australia itself has not done any studies and the defence force has not (according to the Senate session) "been provided with official copies of any reports from other nations".
Hodgson says the only research he could use for the Seale case was the internet, which he says the tribunal ridiculed for its lack of scientific credibility.
But how are you supposed to gather the evidence, he asks, if no one will give you a straight answer?
"What am I supposed to do? Ring the US Government and say, 'Are you positive that DU is completely safe'?" he said.
Tasmanian navy veteran advocate Brian Warren has a similar story.
He acted for a veteran who served ashore during the Iraq conflict and who ended up with neurological and psychological problems.
Warren sourced a large amount of documentary evidence, primarily from the US public domain, indicating he may have a case but the claim was unsuccessful.
"I think that Australia's military compensation schemes are, by and large, fair and reasonable," Warren said.
"But, unfortunately, it's possible that, in cases where a veteran may have been affected by DU munitions, the system could fail them.
"The answer to this is an open, rigorous and transparent research effort that can, if a link is established, lead to the amendment of the statement of principles."
As far back as the 1980s, personnel have been in contact with DU weapons.
Radar operator John Findlay from Goomeri, near Gympie, said on HMAS Adelaide "we sailed round the damn Indian Ocean with the full thing loaded".
Findlay was sent to the US to learn about the new system and got to handle the DU penetrators.
On board, he watched as sailors handled and loaded the weapons, which are designed to intercept and explode missiles aimed at the ship.
His medical problem is not cancer caused by radiation exposure, but a precursor to mesothelioma caused by asbestos on board.
Tony Halter, a 13-year navy and army veteran, offers chilling insight into his exposure to depleted uranium used in the field.
His proficiency with Arabic, Farsi and Pashtun got him deployed to Afghanistan until a debilitating back injury got him medically discharged.
The 37-year-old's recollection of the conditions at Shah-i-Kot Valley, where many Diggers are still fighting, is illuminating.
"In the Shah-i-Kot Valley where Australians are now, you kneel down to avoid some clown firing at you and say, 'Oh look, there's some'," he said of DU munitions.
Halter said bullets and bombs were marked with a DU sign spray-painted in yellow. "You couldn't miss it in the field," he said.
He attended at least five safety briefings about DU and how to handle it, which included advice such as the importance of washing his hands after handling and not smoking after coming into contact with it.
"It's not like it turns to gas or anything on impact," he said. "But you're warned not to 'smell the cordite' as such."
On the conditions in Iraq, he said: "There's things (exploded tanks that are "hot" because of DU munitions) lying around still from the first war. It was like they never cleaned up especially around Basra."
There are news photos of troops clambering all over "hot" tanks as soldiers re-entered battlefields.
But Halter said he never worried about DU until he overheard US soldiers talking about it.
"It was a big issue for them," he recalled. "For us (Diggers), we've never really talked about it that much.
"When I was in the navy in the latter years of service we did talk about it and those who had been exposed to it.
"It was alarming to hear how many had but we just sort of laughed it off."
War conditions changed your perception of short and long-term danger, he explained.
"I've seen it used, sure, it's everywhere," Halter said.
"I can't say it has really played on my mind but I reckon I would have had five or six safety briefings about it.
"And why give safety briefings for something we supposedly don't use?"
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #57 on:
Sunday,January 30, 2011 »
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Royal Australian Navy sailor. Photo: US Defense Department.
An American study into Gulf War Syndrome has found the illness is real, according to Australian veterans' news site...
But the issue here in Australia has been downplayed by politicians and some in the media, who see themselves as future government advisors and therefore do not want to rock the boat.
I was one of the first journalists to take a closer look at the political dimension to Australia's connection to Gulf War Syndrome...
In 2007, I put in a Freedom Of Information request for documents relating to the Gulf War but the request was knocked back. At the time one prominent journalist with ties to the ALP threatened to take legal action if I persisted in my investigation. He simply wanted to shutdown any scrutiny.
Melbourne Herald Sun newspaper -- 12 February, 2007
by Sasha Uzunov
OPPOSITION Leader Kevin Rudd has been flexing his political muscles over the Howard Government's involvement in Iraq War No 2.
But he seems to have forgotten that the Labor Party has unfinished business from Iraq War No. 1.Labor wants to pull out the Diggers from Iraq War No. 2, but it has not taken care of its responsibilities from the first war with Saddam Hussein.
Iraq War No. 1 started after the Iraqi dictator invaded Kuwait in 1990.
George Bush Sr was president of the United States and was quick to respond to the Iraq takeover.
So, too, was Australian prime minister Bob Hawke, who offered ships and sailors. Behind this decision was an ALP government wanting to score international recognition.
In his 1992 book The Gulf Commitment: The Australian Defence Force's First War, respected academic David M. Horner gives a behind-the-scenes look at the political scramble to get our sailors and a small contingent of Diggers into the Gulf.
The key players listed were prime minister Hawke, defence minister Robert Ray, foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans and two key advisers.
Professor Paul Dibb was deputy secretary of Defence and Hugh White was an international adviser to the prime minister.
Iraq War No. 1 was mercifully short. It was over by the next year, but the legacy is Gulf War Syndrome, which is a term used to cover a wide range of illnesses or conditions suffered by ADF personnel.
Illnesses include chronic fatigue, migraines, nerve damage, dizziness, nausea, skin rashes and ulcers.
American and British inquiries have found evidence to suggest Gulf War Syndrome has affected a substantial number of veterans.
But Australian authorities have refused to accept these findings.
A study headed by Associate Professor Malcolm Sim of Monash University in March, 2003, found veterans were likely to suffer from mental health and respiratory problems.
However, it could not positively link these conditions to Gulf War Syndrome.
The three-year study of 1400 veterans found they faced increased risks of nerve damage. Australian governments of both political persuasions are reluctant to accept liability.
It took decades for (US) Vietnam War veterans to prove their case in the Agent Orange controversy. This was the name given to the defoliants sprayed over Vietnamese jungles in the 1960s. Agent Orange resulted in illnesses in American and Australian servicemen.
LABOR has been as eager as conservative governments to send Australians into conflict to gain international kudos.
When Paul Keating became prime minister after Bob Hawke, he and foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans were keen to gain international clout.
They sent a small number of Australian peacekeepers into the African hell of Rwanda. Inadequate rules of engagement meant Australian soldiers were powerless to stop ethnic massacres.
Former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan admitted Rwanda was a humanitarian disaster.
But the Australian Labor Party is still to admit its responsibility over Iraq War No. 1 and needs to do so before it can be taken seriously in its claims to have a responsible foreign policy over Iraq War No. 2.
The issue of Gulf War Syndrome remains a stain on ALP policy.
None of the key players has publicly expressed concern for veterans who might be suffering from it.
Nor, for that matter, have other senior Labor figures of the time, such as Brian Howe and Dr Neal Blewett.
They, too, remain silent on what was a major issue while they were federal MPs.
Yet Blewett was a vocal anti-Vietnam war activist in his youth and Howe has returned to his calling as a minister of religion.
Kevin Rudd, who professes to be a man of faith, needs to heal the wounds caused by Gulf War No. 1.
The Opposition Leader needs to clarify his position on sick Australian veterans from an earlier Iraq conflict.
SASHA UZUNOV is a freelance journalist who covered the second war in Iraq and served as an Australian soldier in East Timor
From: spiritus
Subject: Depleted Uranium Case - Wide Circulation Please
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2011 06:08:49 +1000
From: Bill and Margaret Krause
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 6:46 PM
- Wide Circulation Please
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: depleted unranium case
Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2011 13:45:13 +1100
From: vvfatimmccombe
Dear Advocates,
My name is Carly Hennessy I am a journalist at the Sunday Mail in Queensland.
Recently I did a story on Graeme Searle and his fight to get a pension after contracting a brain tumour associated with exposure to depleted uranium.
Mr Searle has passed away. He served in Somalia.
I was really intrigued by the story and would like to expand it as I believe it's a 'slow-burning' issue that needs some attention.
I am requesting your help to find other veterans who believe they have been affected by DU. The cases may be in the past or may be impending - either way it doesn't matter as it would add to the weight of the evidence.
Could you please contact me on my work account
or phone 0404 09 6885 if something comes to mind? I would like to start on this asap, so please feel free to contact me.
I am happy to discuss any issues.
Carly Hennessy
Carly Hennessy | Journalist
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #56 on:
Sunday,January 30, 2011 »
From: Bill and Margaret Krause
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 6:46 PM
Subject: Depleted Uranium Case - Wide Circulation Please
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: depleted unranium case
Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2011 13:45:13 +1100
From: vvfatimmccombe
Dear Advocates,
My name is Carly Hennessy I am a journalist at the Sunday Mail in Queensland.
Recently I did a story on Graeme Searle and his fight to get a pension after contracting a brain tumour associated with exposure to depleted uranium.
Mr Searle has passed away. He served in Somalia.
I was really intrigued by the story and would like to expand it as I believe it's a 'slow-burning' issue that needs some attention.
I am requesting your help to find other veterans who believe they have been affected by DU. The cases may be in the past or may be impending - either way it doesn't matter as it would add to the weight of the evidence.
Could you please contact me on my work account
or phone 0404 09 6885 if something comes to mind? I would like to start on this asap, so please feel free to contact me.
I am happy to discuss any issues.
Carly Hennessy
Carly Hennessy | Journalist
The Aussie Digger
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #55 on:
Sunday,January 09, 2011 »
New study from Ann Arbor toxicologist links Fallujah birth defects to U.S. weapons
Webmaster's Commentary:
Your tax dollars at work in Iraq, folks.
Take a good, hard look at that baby in the photo at the top of the article.
Imagine, for one second, that was your precious child.
What would you think about the people who caused these birth defects to happen?!?
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #54 on:
Saturday,January 01, 2011 »
Imagine my complete lack of surprise.Anyone with an open mind and a modicum of intelligence knows Depleted Uranium affects the health not just of civilians but our young Troops. One sure fire way to produce more terrorists is to kill, maim and render homeless innocent civilians. The Nazi blitz of England, Scotland and Ireland had the reverse effect to what Hitler wanted. It united and determined the people to fight to the bitter end.
Keith Tennent.
US weapons suspected in Iraq birth defect cases
Martin Chulov, Baghdad
January 1, 2011
A STUDY examining the causes of a dramatic spike in birth defects in the Iraqi city of Fallujah has concluded that genetic damage could have been caused by weaponry used in US assaults six years ago.
The research, which will be published next week, confirms earlier estimates of a big, unexplained rise in cancers and chronic neural-tube, cardiac and skeletal defects in newborns. The authors found that malformations are close to 11 times higher than normal, and rose to unprecedented levels in the first half of this year - a period that had not been surveyed in earlier reports.
The findings, which will be published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, come before a much-anticipated World Health Organisation study of Fallujah's genetic health.
They follow two alarming earlier studies, one of which found a distortion in the sex ratio of newborns since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 - a 15 per cent drop in births of boys.
''We suspect that the population is chronically exposed to an environmental agent,'' said one of the report's authors, environmental toxicologist Mozhgan Savabieasfahani.
''We don't know what that environmental factor is but we are doing more tests to find out.''
The report identifies metals as potential contaminating agents afflicting the city, especially among pregnant women. ''Metals are involved in regulating genome stability,'' it says. ''As environmental effectors, metals are potentially good candidates to cause birth defects.''
The findings are likely to prompt further speculation that the defects were caused by depleted uranium rounds, which were heavily used in two large battles in the city in April and November, 2004.
The rounds, which contain ionising radiation, are a core component of the armouries of many militaries and militias. Their effects have long been called into question, with some scientists claiming they leave a toxic residue, caused when the round - either from an assault rifle or artillery piece - bursts through its target.
But no evidence has yet been found that proves this, and some researchers instead claim that depleted uranium has been demonstrably proven not to be a contaminant.
The report acknowledges that other battlefield residues may also be responsible for the defects. ''Many known war contaminants have the potential to interfere with normal embryonic and foetal development,'' the report says. ''The devastating effect of dioxins on the reproductive health of the Vietnamese people is well known.''
The latest Fallujah study surveyed 55 families with seriously deformed newborns between May and August. It was conducted by Dr Samira Abdul Ghani, a paediatrician at Fallujah general hospital.
In May, 15 per cent of the 547 babies born had birth defects. In the same period, 11 per cent of babies were born at less than 30 weeks and 14 per cent of foetuses spontaneously aborted.
The researchers believe the figures understate what they describe as an epidemic of abnormalities, as many babies in Fallujah are born at home, with parents reluctant to seek help from authorities.
One case documented in the report is of a mother and her daughter who, after the 2004 battles, both gave birth to babies with severe malformations. The second wife of one of the fathers also had a severely deformed baby in 2009.
''It is important to understand that under normal conditions, the chance of such occurrences is virtually zero,'' Dr Savabieasfahani said.
The US military has long denied that it is responsible for any contaminant left behind in the city, or elsewhere in Iraq, as it continues its steady departure from the country it has occupied for almost eight years.
It has said Iraqis who want to file a complaint can do so. Several families interviewed by The Guardian in November 2009 said they had filed complaints but had not received replies.
The WHO is due to begin its research this year. But there are fears that an extensive survey may not be possible in the still-volatile city.
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #53 on:
Sunday,October 17, 2010 »
Rense on Depleted Uranium - Our Calamity
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #52 on:
Monday,October 11, 2010 »
From: John & Ann
Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 7:40 AM
Subject: Fw: Depleted uranium
Not sure if you have read this one before.
From: Di Kaye
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 2:19 AM
Subject: Fw: Depleted uranium
A must read, Luv Di
Subject: Depleted uranium
Hi Di.......Depleted Uranium has always greatly concerned me. I bought a book by an Afghani photo journo who included a chapter on the deformed babies born to Afghani mothers.......caused by the use of DU in all forms of arms. It was horrific. This is also happening in Iraq and just about anywhere the US forces are in active combat. Not even the US forces are safe as they bring the effects of DU home with them. One hardly hears about the use of DU and the evil that it spreads. I feel we are only seeing the immediate effects of DU and that long term it will spread in the atmosphere and contaminate humanity worldwide. It reminds me of asbestos and how it can take up to 50 years to cause health problems.
I'm just about finished watching your DVD's...some articles have been real eye openers. L Maureen
One Of History's Greatest Crimes
By Stephen Lendman
America's hidden history is ugly and disturbing. No nation ever matched it. To Iraq alone, over the past two decades, it includes ongoing genocide, destruction, terror, occupation, and contamination - a horrendous combination of crimes, unmentioned in Western discourse.
Environmental Engineering Professor Souad N. Al-Azzawi documents them, including in his report titled, "Crime of the Century: Iraq's Occupation and DU Contamination," a detailed account of US culpability.
America's strategic aims, he explains, include:
-- controlling most of the world's oil and other natural resources;
-- remaining permanently in the Middle East, "the intersection zone of the three continents where 80% of the world('s) population" lives; and
-- if the above two objectives are achieved, America will control the world's economy, or enough of it to matter.
Spread over a large enough area, depleted uranium (DU) is a weapon of mass destruction, because it's radioactive and chemically toxic. If ingested or inhaled through food, air, water or other means, it enters the human body, remaining for decades. An earlier article reported the dangers, accessed through the following link:
It explained that continued DU use has the potential to end planetary life, yet few understand the risk, or that weaponized DU is used regularly in missiles, bombs, shells and bullets wherever America wages war - first during the 1991 Gulf War.
Its danger comes from radiation residue after use. On impact, DU munitions penetrate deeply and aerosolize into a fine spray, polluting surrounding air, water and soil. It's microscopic, sub-miscroscopic, and permanent. Spread over vast areas as radioactive atmospheric dust, its contamination causes virtually all known illnesses and diseases from severe headaches, muscle pain and general fatigue, to major birth defects, infections, depression, cardiovascular disease, and many types of cancers. It also causes permanent disability and death.
Over the past two decades in Iraq alone, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of tons have been used, irradiating the entire country, some areas more than others. In his October 2009 presentation to the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia International Conference to Criminalize War, Azzawi accused America and Britain of:
"subject(ing) the whole nation of Iraq for two decades to torture and slow death through the intentional use of radioactive weapons and the sanctions. The continuous and intentional use of (these) weapons is a crime against humanity due to its undifferentiating harmful health effects on civilians in contaminated areas tens of years to come after the military engagements."
Radiation, in fact, is permanent, affecting unborn generations like living ones.
During the Gulf War, about 320 tons were used in southern Iraq, affecting the Basrah region.
Post-conflict, "comprehensive" examination detected it, especially "in and around Al-Basrah City," showing:
-- "high gamma radiation" levels;
-- "soil samples from 39 locations (with) higher activities than natural background levels;" and
-- "Surface water channel sediments (with 2 - 3) times higher radioactivity than the natural background" level.
Contamination was widespread, affecting at least "45% of people in the area, the Iraqi troops, and" coalition ones. As a result, soldiers (and civilians) exposed "to DU oxides (can expect) 70 cancer cases per 1,000" persons. Perhaps a higher incidence over time, and along with other illnesses and diseases, an epidemic of human affliction.
Subsequent epidemiological studies in Basrah showed a "five times rise in the incidence rate of malignancies amongst children to be far more noticeable from 1995 onwards." In addition, exposure to ionized radiation caused:
-- higher child leukemia rates;
-- a "six fold increase in congenital
malformations among births in Basrah City since 1995 onward," some too disturbing to view; and
-- higher rates of congenital heart diseases and chromosomal aberrations.
Even more destructive weapons were used in the 2003 war, including banned ones like napalm, white phosphorous, cluster bombs, and greater amounts of DU - "against people, infrastructure facilities, and environment." Further, "the looting and burning of factories, industrial complexes, laboratories, and ministries (including the looting of the Tuwaitha Atomic Energy Agency, and 300 other highly contaminated sites....)" caused contamination.
Much more as well across the country in Baghdad and suburbs, Basrah, Mosul, Fallujah, Balad, Anbar, Haditha, Qa'im, Rawa, Karbala, Najar, Aubaidi, Diala, Samara, Tikrit, Baiji, Ahsaiba, Mada'in, Kubaissa, and other locations.
In March 2009, Gideon Polya used the Just Foreign Policy estimate of 1.32 million Iraqi deaths post-March 2003 alone, a number considerably higher today. It's also well below his post-9/11 eight million "war on terror" total, mostly affecting women and children, aged five and younger, killed by war, diseases, and/or depravation, America's horrific ongoing genocidal legacy - air-brushed from history. Azzawi adds more:
-- at least 4.5 internal or external refugees, many victimized by "militias and police raids and terrorist groups;"
-- death squads targeting "certain ethnic and sectarian groups" daily; and
-- in cities throughout Iraq, sieges cutting off "all life support aids on people, (affecting)
Thousands of children, women and elderly who could not leave their houses and were subjected to collective punishment...." For weeks, these areas were deprived of food, water, healthcare, and electricity. As a result, contaminated water was used "from ditches and nearby rivers," causing cholera and other waterborne diseases.
The continuous use of DU weapons in heavily populated areas exposes millions to its destructive effects. Further, "Continuous negligence of medical care systems, hospitals, and the killing of prominent medical and healthcare specialists....after 2003" exacerbated a widespread health crisis.
Yet occupation forces provide no data on civilians killed, wounded, kidnapped or otherwise harmed. Nor do they allow "exploration programs to detect (DU) related contaminated areas." Yet they're vitally needed to "help Iraqi people....cope with the damages."
Known evidence shows "Continuous deterioration of environmental quality....in Baghdad City due to explosions, and heavy traffic of tanks and vehicles...." Concentrations of numerous toxins way exceed safe levels.
"Water quality deterioration caused an increase in "pathogenic water born diseases like Cholera, Typhoid, Hepatitis, (and) others." Air pollution results from continuous bombing and explosions.
The "Multiple impact of all of the above pollution sources on the human body can be critical, especially for children, women and the elderly people."
From DU munitions alone, Azzawi told the Kuala Lumpur conference that contamination is spread over vast areas by "wind storms, dust storms, sandstorms, and rainstorms," besides polluted waterways and surface migration in soil, causing:
-- "Siltation, creeping, and suspension from contaminated soil to atmosphere; (and)
-- Suspension and re-suspension of deposited DU aerosols....the most dangerous and critical pathway of transfer and spreading from source to the human population."
America and Britain are responsible "for exposing a whole nation to the risk of continually receiving high radioactive and toxic persistent contaminants," including DU and many others, a noxious brew leaving no one untouched and many lethally harmed. "This is a crime against humanity (because of) its undifferentiated harmful health impacts on civilians long (after) military operations" are concluded.
A Final Comment
On September 19, BRussells Tribunal Executive Committee member Dirk Adriaensens headlined, "Iraq: The Age of Darkness," explaining "a devastating balance sheet (of) success," including:
-- a 150% increase in child mortality since 1990;
-- only half of primary-aged children in school;
-- about 1,500 children in (horrific) detention facilities;
-- in 2007, about "5 million Iraqi orphans;"
-- over two million external refugees and almost three million internal ones (IDPs);
-- official unemployment at 50%; real unemployment at least 70%;
-- at least 43% of Iraqis "in abject poverty;"
-- at least eight million need "emergency aid;"
-- at least four million "lack food and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance;"
-- at least 80% lack "effective sanitation;"
-- "Religious minorities are on the verge of extinction;" and
-- an Oxfam survey showed 33% of women got no humanitarian aid since 2003; 76% of widows lack pension help; 52% are unemployed; 55% have been displaced; and 55% have been "subjected to (various forms of) violence."
In Iraq today, "killing of innocent people has become part of daily life." America is committing genocide against the entire population. It persists daily unreported, yet called "a success."
It includes death, destruction, torture, terror, occupation, displacement, disease, and insecurity in a nation that no longer exists. For sure, one unfit to live in - unsafe, corrupt, terrorized, tyrannized, contaminated, and permanently occupied. In virtually all rankings that matter, Iraq scores last, Afghanistan second last, a testimony to America's liberating values.
They're run from Washington with no functioning governments, de facto satraps instead obeying their imperial masters. Yet on August 31, declaring an "end to the combat mission in Iraq," Obama outrageously said: "Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility," infamously displaying his culpability as a war criminal, matching the worst America ever produced.
Under him, George Bush, and their successors, "Iraq has no viable future," Adriaensens' final assessment of America's "success."
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at
. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #51 on:
Sunday,October 03, 2010 »
GIs Brains Fried by Military Dispensed Nose Candy
(San Francisco) Now it is official. Researchers have shown that uranium oxide, or DU, travels the nerves from the nose to the brain, in the words of a University of Chicago doc and researcher.
A tiny amount (a milligram) of this radioactive poison quick marches up your smelling nerves right into your brain and keeps firing 1.2 Million bullets a day forever. Thats a bunch.
Last Edit: Sunday,October 03, 2010 by Keith
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #50 on:
Friday,July 30, 2010 »
Document Reveals Military Was Concerned About Gulf War Vets' Exposure to Depleted Uranium
For years, the government has denied that depleted uranium (DU), a radioactive toxic waste left over from nuclear fission and added to munitions used in the Persian Gulf and Iraq wars, poisoned Iraqi civilians and veterans.
But a little-known 1993 Defense Department document written by then-Brigadier Gen. Eric Shinseki, now the secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), shows that the Pentagon was concerned about DU contamination and the agency had ordered medical testing on all personnel that were exposed to the toxic substance.
The VA, however, never conducted the medical tests, which may have deprived hundreds of thousands of veterans from receiving medical care to treat cancer and other diseases that result from exposure to DU.
The Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center recently reported that ten years of data confirm that service members tend to have higher rates of certain cancers compared to civilians, according to the Army Times. While researchers suspected that service members are diagnosed with cancer more often and at a younger age because they have guaranteed access to health care and mandatory exams, the data does not explain the disparities in diagnosis among branches of the military. For example, the rate of lung cancer among sailors is twice that of other branches, while Marines have much lower cancer rates across the board.
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #49 on:
Saturday,July 24, 2010 »
Depleted Uranium.
The media won't talk about it. Politicians won't talk about it. The medical fraternity won't talk about it. But we will.
Latest documents advocating the ban of depleted uranium
According to the UK Uranium Weapons Network, now submitting its evidence to the Iraq War Inquiry, ?The UK Uranium Weapons Network (UWN) announced today that it has submitted its report on British military use of depleted uranium (DU) ammunition in the 2003 Iraq War to the Chilcot Inquiry.
At least two Iraqi cities are known to be suffering from public health crises. Fallujah has seen a 15 fold increase in serious birth defects, whilst Basra has experienced a rise in cancers since DU was used in urban combat. The World Health Organisation is currently investigating the causes of the Fallujah birth defects and ICBUW is still waiting for confirmation from the US that depleted uranium was used there.
Iraqi city has higher cancer rates than Hiroshima
A report has been published indicating cancers and other diseases in the Iraqi city of Fallujah are significantly higher than those of the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs of 1945.
Webmaster's Commentary:
The radioactive isotopes from a nuclear weapon have fairly short half lives, measured on scales of thousands of days for the longest-lived isotopes. In contrast, depleted uranium has a half life of four and a half billion years. Iraq will never be rid of this poison.
UK admits using DU ammunition in Iraq
UK defense secretary says American and British forces used depleted uranium (DU) ammunitions during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Webmaster's Commentary:
And this
is the result!
But remember, they only hate us for our freedoms!!!
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #48 on:
Friday,July 23, 2010 »
Fallujah children's 'genetic damage'
Cancer, leukaemia and infant mortality are all increasing in the Iraqi town of Fallujah, which saw fierce fighting between US forces and Sunni insurgents, a new survey says.
Still one of the most dangerous places in Iraq, doctors have been reporting a large number of birth defects since the 2004 offensive.
Webmaster's Commentary:
This is the aftermath of depleted uranium weapons. And the really scary part is that the same thing is happening to returning veterans
Photos Iraq babies born deformed depleted uranium US Veterans becoming sick with DU Children living lives with DU
In September 2009, Fallujah General Hospital, Iraq, had 170 new born babies, 24% of whom were dead within the first seven days, a staggering 75% of the dead babies were classified as deformed.
This can be compared with data from the month of August in 2002 where there were 530 new born babies of whom six were dead within the first seven days and only one birth defect was reported.
Doctors in Fallujah have specifically pointed out that not only are they witnessing unprecedented numbers of birth defects but what is more alarming is: "a significant number of babies that do survive begin to develop severe disabilities at a later stage."
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #47 on:
Tuesday,June 01, 2010 »
Radiation, DU and Burn Pits -- Iraq's Cancer: "America's Gift That Keeps Giving"
Most heart wrenching is the disservice by the DoD for those brave and healthy men and women who join the ranks of service to protect us. To be careless with their courageous souls is incomprehensible, but that's exactly what the U. S. does generation after generation. As they string the Veteran's together with empty medals from Korea, to Vietnam, to the Gulf War and now Iraq and Afghanistan. Their Purple Hearts, missing limbs, PTSD and aggressive rare cancers are less about the casualties of war, and more about the severity of illnesses that emerge with each generation of deployed military.
Webmaster's Commentary:
What has happened to our military because of the use of chemicals like Agent Orange and DU is criminal.
But it is also critically important to look at the havoc we have wreaked with these agents upon the people we've sprayed and bombed with them.
The rate of horrendous birth defects from DU in Iraq is staggering.
Take a look, hard look at these horrifically graphic pictures at the bottom of this article, and please don't turn away.
And if you find yourself throwing up your breakfast looking at these, that might just be the beginning of your awakening to what has really been done in your name and with your tax dollars to the people of Iraq:
Then, imagine what you would be thinking if one of these babies was your kid; what would you think about the world power that did that to your child?
Would you want to "greet them with flowers"?
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #46 on:
Thursday,May 06, 2010 »
Parents of children with birth defects say Britain knew of US chemical weapons use
Allegations that Britain was complicit in the use of chemical weapons linked to an upsurge in child deformity cases in Iraq, are being investigated by the Ministry of Defence.
Lawyers for the Iraqis have sent a letter before action to the MoD asking the Government to disclose what it knows about the Army's role in the offensive, the presence of prohibited weapons and the legal advice given to Tony Blair, Prime Minister at the time.
Legal actions against America are blocked by US federal immunity laws and the US government's boycott of the International Criminal Court.
Webmaster's Commentary:
As reported in 2005 in:
"By now most people know that DU has damaged tens of thousands of our own troops and caused soaring cancer rates in target populations, including the people of Iraq, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. Over 130,000 veterans of the first Gulf War have been declared ?unfit for service? because of medical conditions which independent scientists and physicians connect to exposure to depleted uranium.
What is less well known is the staggering rate of birth defects in the children of the veterans of these wars. The British are reporting rates as high as 65%. It seems that breathing in the radioactive dust from exploded DU shells not only causes decapacitating illnesses, but massive genetic damage as well.
The use of DU was started by the first President Bush and continued by Clinton. Both could plead ignorance. But now the data is in. We know better. The continued use of over 2,000 tons of this toxic and highly radioactive substance in the current Iraq War is inexcusable."
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Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #45 on:
Thursday,April 22, 2010 »
And Australian Defence Force members have been exposed to DU [ so called depleted uranium U 238 ]. There are those, far from the battle field,cocooned away in the safety of home or offices, who say DU is harmless and that there are no health studies supporting the anecdotal evidence that DU is harmful to the human organism. Well then let's do a full and open scientific study and also let those who say DU is harmless get hold of a kilo of DU, get somebody to grind it up for them and then sprinkle it all over the yard and gardens for the kids and mum and pets to be exposed to.
Democracy and depleted uranium
R. B. Stuart
April 20, 2010
Soldiers, like my sister, return from Iraq gripped by cancer. The US military says cancer isn't a war wound.
NEW YORK ? When my sister, 101st Airborne Army Capt. Chaplain Fran E. Stuart, returned from Iraq, she was forever changed.
Not only had the desert sand, gun blasts and heat penetrated her psyche during her one-year deployment, but a carcinogen had made its way into her body as well. Unbeknown to her, the carcinogen was making a home in my sister's body, along with the Anthrax vaccine, depleted uranium, burn pit smoke and contaminated water dished up at every meal.
In March 2006, when my sister was 41, she was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, stage-IV dysgerminoma cancer, also called "germ cell" cancer, which is usually only seen in pregnant women and teenage girls. The cancer was advancing quickly, wrapping itself around her internal organs like an octopus and gathering fuel from her central abdomen.
My sister was flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington for immediate surgery and further testing, when a volleyball-sized tumor was removed from her abdomen. Fortunately, doctors were able to corral her cancer, but only after 10 months and 35 rounds of exhaustive chemotherapy.
She wasn't the only one undergoing such trauma. While visiting her at Walter Reed, I witnessed many soldiers returning from Iraq with cancer, unknown to the public and unacknowledged by the military. Walter Reed had two floors dedicated solely to the soldiers arriving daily with cancer. Their lives were spared on the battlefield, but the cancer was ravaging their bodies from within.
I began to do research, and was alarmed to discover how the military uses depleted uranium, especially in Iraq. Soldiers I talked to at Walter Reed
began to say the same thing: Cancer is not a "war wound," so the military denies responsibility.
Since soldiers are uninformed about depleted uranium, they don't wear protective gear and unknowingly inhale the toxic, pollen-like, yellow dust. The toxins develop into different forms of rare cancers within four to 36 months.
In August 2002, before the Iraq war commenced, U.S. Army Col. J. Edgar Wakayama wrote a report for the military, "Depleted Uranium (DU) Munitions
which pointed to the health and environmental risks associated with depleted uranium. Depleted uranium is produced as a byproduct of the enrichment process for nuclear reactor-grade or nuclear weapon-grade uranium. Due to its extreme density, it is used as the armor plating in 16 different size cartridges of U. S. ammunition.
Depleted uranium, which can particularly damage the kidney and bone, is radioactive, which means it produces alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays. Alpha particles can cause cell damage and cancer; beta particles are hazardous to skin and eyes.
Wakayama outlined three methods of human exposure: shrapnel wounds, inhalation (lung fibrosis, risk of lung cancer and thoracic lymph nodes) and ingestion (contaminated soil, contaminated drinking water and food). Children playing at impact sites can ingest heavily contaminated soil. The slow leeching of depleted uranium into the local water supply contaminates plants and food.
Even after the internal release of this study, the Defense Department did not heed warnings. Seven months later, the U.S. military began the "Shock and Awe Campaign." They proceeded to drop 320 metric tons of depleted uranium munitions in Iraq.
In 2003, a Christian Science Monitor journalist Scott Peterson measured radiation in Baghdad at 1,900 times higher than normal
Peterson noted that depleted uranium has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, and total disintegration estimated after 25 billion years. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reaffirmed these findings
and followed up with a map of depleted uranium used worldwide.
The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons
was formed in the U.K. in 2003, but despite its strong start, U.K. and U.S. forces continued to use depleted uranium weapons despite warnings
that they pose a cancer risk, the BBC reported in November 2006.
CNN aired a special "America Morning" with Greg Hunter in February 2007, during which they discussed the hazardous effects of depleted uranium
Followed by a CBS Evening News feature in 2008 about 29-year old Marine Sgt. Carmelo Rodriguez
stricken with stage IV melanoma post-Iraq.
In January 2010 the Guardian released a study, including a map, that highlights 42 contaminated sites
in Iraq.
And just last month, the BBC reported that doctors in the Iraqi city of Fallujah are seeing a high level of birth defects
the level of heart defects among newborns is said to be 13 times higher than in Europe.
British-based Iraqi researcher Malik Hamdan told the BBC's World Today program that, based on data from January 2010, the rate of congenital heart defects was 95 per 1,000 births. "I've seen footage of babies born with an eye in the middle of the forehead, or nose on the forehead," she added. BBC correspondent, John Simpson saw a photograph of one baby who was born with three heads.
Doctors and parents believe the culprits are highly sophisticated weapons the U.S. used in Fallujah in 2003. But the U.S. military says it is not aware of any official reports showing an increase in birth defects in the area.
A U.S. military spokesman, Michael Kilpatrick, said they take public health concerns "very seriously," but that "[n]o studies to date have indicated environmental issues resulting in specific health issues."
The aforementioned sources are a mere fraction of the stories telling of depleted uranium's horrific effects. But they don?t garner anywhere near the media attention in the U.S. as do stories about Tiger Woods and the earthquake in Haiti.
The European media consistently chips away at the environmental disaster that infiltrates their borders, while the U.S. media has yet to demand military accountability. And all arrows point to the erroneous decisions of the U.S. to defy Wakayama's recommendations.
The U.S. military's unwillingness to publicly admit there is danger of radiological exposure among deployed troops leaves the American people uninformed, the soldiers on the battlefield unprotected and the Iraqi civilians increasingly at risk.
Our soldiers are offered up for radiological contamination, and possibly death. A byproduct of the greatest weapon of all, an invisible carcinogen, with the capabilities to annihilate everything that lives ? that is our gift of democracy that keeps on giving.
R. B. Stuart is a New York author, freelance writer, columnist, photographer and a contributor for The Huffington Post.
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Fraud and Wannabe Website
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Last Edit: Thursday,April 22, 2010 by Keith
The Aussie Digger
Dallas Fraser
Re: Depleted Uranium Kills and Deforms..Read The Truth
Reply #44 on:
Thursday,March 25, 2010 »
The collateral damage of DU in Iraq.
In Fallujah, two or three times a day, babies are being born with terrifying defects: heart problems, brain damage, six fingers, or three heads, but no one knows why.
This town was the epicentre of a massive US offensive in 2004, where depleted uranium weapons were used and dumped. Since then the number of babies born with mutations has exploded and the doctors and families of these desperate children believe the two may be linked. But no one there has the resources to develop a legal case against the US to demand a full investigation and compensation.
While US soldiers are heavily protected against the uranium dust, contaminated debris has been left behind all over Fallujah, spreading through the air and water and in sites where children play.
Despite doctor?s warnings that birth defects have risen 15 times in comparison to last year, and research from the Ministry of the Environment showing dozens of sites contaminated by radiation, Iraqi officials are playing down the possibility of the deformities being caused by US dumping. But concerns have led the government to recommend that women in Fallujah not get pregnant.
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An article in Computerworld yesterday entitled "ISO officials, others dispute claims that Open XML meeting was flawed" includes reaction from Alex Brown to Andy Updegrove's blog post that appeared immediately after the conclusion of the BRM last Friday evening. I'm glad to see that Andy admits in the comments that he wasn't actually an "observer" to the BRM, and it will be interesting to see whether Computerworld corrects that misleading statement.
While they're at it, they might also correct another misleading statement in the same article:
Durusau also chairs an esoteric but influential technical standards committee that advises the panel that votes for the U.S. within ISO. Last summer, his committee voted not to endorse the Open XML standards proposal.
For those who weren't following the anti-Open XML lobbying efforts last summer, here's what that paragraph is referring to:
- INCITS V1 met last July 13, and voted by a 60% majority to recommend a "Yes" position for the US on DIS 29500 in the September ballot. A 2/3 supermajority is required for a recommendation out of V1, however, so no recommendation was passed to the INCITS executive board.
- Rob Weir and Andy Updegrove quickly spun this as a "failure" on their blogs. At the time, I was impressed at Rob's ability to make lemonade: he was part of a minority position in V1, and yet he spun the vote as a victory for his anti-Open XML cause.
- Computerworld, like many others in the press, gladly picked up Rob and Andy's spin as "news" and ran articles like the one they're still linking to above
- when the US reached its final position of "Approve with comments" for the September vote, I had a little fun with Rob and Andy's spinmeistering.
Since that little misprepresentation last summer worked so well for them, I'm not surprised to see the anti-Open XML lobbyists trying the same tactics again for the BRM outcome. I am surprised, however, to see Computerworld going along again, linking to that misleading article they wrote based on Rob and Andy's spin and not bothering to mention that they later corrected their story after all of the facts were out. I'm tempted to comment on the state of journalism in the US, but that's much too broad a topic for a narrow little Open XML blog to get into.
Gesmer Updegrove LLP: observer or participant?
I found the "observer" title bestowed on Andy Updegrove in that Computerworld article rather ironic, given all the discussion this week about O-members (i.e., observer members). Andy's law firm, Gesmer Updegrove LLP is in the business of representing clients such as OASIS and the Linux Foundation, so unless this was a pro-bono effort (was it?), it seems reasonable to wonder who were they representing in Geneva, and in writing about the BRM as soon as it concluded. I wonder if Andy would be willing to make an explicit public statement about how he paid the bills during a week at a 5-star hotel in Europe's most expensive city?
A final thought on O-members
One thing I've found surprising in recent days is all the people from IBM and other sources who are suggesting that O-members shouldn't have had a say in the BRM. I sat there all week and watched O-members like Greece and Brazil participate in the discussions and cast key votes at least 42 times, as we worked through resolutions to change the spec. Nobody ever said a word about O-member participation until about 4:45PM on Friday, when I saw Rob Weir writing down a list of countries that he apparently felt shouldn't have had a say in the BRM: "Portugal, Chile, Poland, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, Greece."
One thing that really puts the O-member complaints in perspective is the BRM FAQ issued by SC34 last fall. I thought we were all studying that closely the last few months, but apparently nobody from IBM ever read item 6.8:
6.8 If votes are taken during the BRM, who votes?
Those present.
It has proven to be a frequently asked question indeed, and there's the answer, which has been staring us all in the face since last fall.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
EMC Corporation is hiring FRESHERS for Associate Implementation Specialist II profile
. Stays current on technical specifications and hardware requirements of EMC software products, including new and soon to be released products. Adheres to proper GS alert and escalation procedures.
. Keeps appropriate management personnel informed in accordance to EMC policies.
. Focuses on continued technical development through EMC Proven Professional program and third party training and certification programs. EMC Proven Professional
. Certification desired.
. EMC Proven Professional Certification is desired
. 0-2 years field support in a comparable IT environment
. Knowledge of Storage Systems is desired
Company Name: EMC
Position: Associate Implementation Specialist
Education: BE/BTech, ME, MCA
Experience: 0-2 Years
Location: Bangalore
Job Description:
1. Time management skills.
2. Results driven.
3. Communication skills.
4. Ability to influence others to achieve results.
5. Organizational skills.
6. Cross-Functional skill.
7. Customer focused.
Company Profile:
EMC provides the technologies and tools that can help you release the power of your information. We can help you design, build, and manage flexible, scalable, and secure information infrastructures. And with these infrastructures, you'll be able to intelligently and efficiently store, protect, and manage your information so that it can be made accessible, searchable, shareable, and, ultimately, actionable.
How to Apply:
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text:
The Heavenly Beyond
Death is such a feared thing, yet known by all and expected by all- but no matter how definite death is, someone's life- their everything doesn't have to end there.
Heaven is a place widely known, but rarely delved into; a supposed beautiful okace, one which consists of many different myths and legends of th presence and the looks of the place, but there is only one.
And when Damien Black enters the other world, he finds exactly what he didn't expect.
In most stories, death is normally the final stage of the book; the last turn of the page consists of the last breath- wether it be the main character, the enemy or a friend, it normally evolves into a tragic tale of how life leads to the inevitable end.
But this is not just a story. But for argument's sake, we shall call it a story. And this story starts in a graveyard.
Here lies Damien Black
Son, Brother and Friend
1994 - 2011
A woman dressed from head to toe in pure jet black stood emotionlessly by the melancholy scene unfurlding in front of her. A cloud of black netting interrupted her empty eyes as they lingered on the stone which represented the ending of a life; in a sense, the ending of her life.
A tear rolled insignifficantly down her ivory cheeks. She didn't seem to notice the small drip leaving a trail of wetness behind. She didn't notice anything; her eyes mind and soul were locked onto the gravestone. Because though she didn't- or couldn't- show it, the emotions were erputing around inside her like bombs.
Because to her, 'here lies Damien Black' means 'here lies my everything; my soul, my life, a part of me I can never let go. Here lies my son.'


text:
Is That Web Hosting Sale Too Good to be True?
The holidays are in full swing, and that means you'll be seeing all kinds of deals and discounts from web hosts around the world. However, how can there be killer deals when free web hosting is rampant? Web hosts, for better or worse, often rely on the ignorance of their customers to build a client base. Web hosting and servers are confusing, brimming with jargon, and for the most part people don't really understand what's making their site slow—is it the web host, the design, or a poor Wi-Fi signal? Unless something drastic happens like hours of downtime on a regular basis or a security breach, people don't do much web host research.
However for those who are "kind of" shopping for a new web host, the holidays are ripe with offers. You can get deals of 50 percent off, free web hosting for a package that's usually paid only, and a bevy of other alleged bargains. How can you tell when it's really a deal or when it's just good marketing? Here are a few clues to help you out:
1. Ask how many clients you'll be sharing with
Most website owners rely on a shared server. However, sharing a server is kind of like sharing a pizza. It's no big deal when there are just three of you, but what if 20 people want to share that pizza? Someone's going to be going hungry, or maybe you'll be democratic and everyone will get just a single bite. If you want to get the most out of your free hosting, make sure you know how many hands are in the pot.
2. Find previously written "proof" of the non-discounted price
It's pretty easy for anyone to slap on a price with "35% off" and call it good. Do you know for sure that this is a discounted price? Try searching for cached versions of landing pages, or do a simple Google search with the non-discounted price plus the domain name. If you can find evidence of a previously higher price, you might really be getting a bargain.
3. Read the fine print
You get free hosting or a certain percentage off for how long? How much uptime is guaranteed? What does their contract breakage policy look like, or what kind of security are they promising? You wouldn't sign any other contract without actually reading it, so don't make that mistake with your web host.
4. Read their reviews
Perusing the testimonials on the web host's website is pretty useless (after all, they'll only post the best). There's a reason the vast majority of people trust online reviews according to Search Engine Land, so do your research. Remember that no reviews (for an established company), 100 percent glowing reviews, or less than 90 percent positive reviews are all red flags.
5. Be wary of urgent sales tactics
If the pitch starts to sound like an infomercial, be wary. It's of course common to have a deadline for deals, but if you feel rushed and bullied into signing up, it might be because the web host doesn't want you to discover their flaws. Take your time, and remember that "act now!" tactics are usually all fluff.
Do you need a new website? Maybe, especially if you've had too much downtime, a slow website that's not on your end, or you feel like you're overpaying.


text:
You bought your CJ7 because its adventure and a fun driving experience agreed with your nature; so why would you be okay with second rate when it comes to the highest quality auto parts? Your Jeep dealership isn't the only place to buy genuine or original equipment quality replacement parts for your CJ7. The vehicle in your driveway symbolizes the best in class when it comes to all the vehicles in today's marketplace. While it's not hard to find replacement parts for Jeep vehicles, these days the necessity for nothing but the absolute best are required to fix your automobile.
You never realize what you've got until it's gone, and the same is true for your power steering. If you were to analogize your Jeep CJ7 steering system with the human body, the power steering pump would be its heart and the fluid would be its blood. Your Jeep CJ7 power steering pump is powered by the crankshaft, and connected via a drive belt between the crank and the pump pulley. It compresses the fluid and sends it to the gearbox to assist with your steering. You will notice a gradual loss of your power steering if the power steering pump is leaking, but if it seizes you can expect no power steering at all.
At Car Parts Discount, we have real customer support agents on the phone with enough expertise to help you buy the appropriate Jeep CJ7 part for your needs. Trust in the value of the parts you get from carpartsdiscount.com and save time and money on all your upcoming repairs. Bring your CJ7 back to life with the highest quality replacement parts from the experts at Car Parts Discount. Just choose your year from the list below to find the right Jeep CJ7 Power Steering Pump for your 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, 1979, 1978, 1977, 1976 model.


text:
A host of events were held to celebrate the 225th birthday of the RVC.
The RVC is the oldest veterinary school in the English-speaking world, with the creation of the college in 1791 marking the establishment of the veterinary profession in Britain.
World-class institution
Starting out as a horse infirmary with a handful of students, the RVC is widely recognised as a world-class science-based institution, producing internationally renowned vets and scientists. It is also at the forefront of education and training of VNs.
To mark the milestone, the college invited alumni to attend a programme of events for the weekend of October 15 to 16. These included a gala dinner on the Saturday and an open day and campus tour on Sunday, with Sunday's activities also including:
- displays on the RVC's history
- talks
- a film screening
- an ethical debate, discussing the balance between business and welfare in all aspects of veterinary work
There were also events for staff at both the Camden and Hertfordshire campuses on the Friday.
Centuries of achievement
RVC principal Stuart Reid said: "It is a great honour to lead the RVC – which has achieved so much over the centuries – within this era of so many exciting breakthroughs.
"The college has always looked beyond the horizon to make advancements in science and practice for the benefit of patients and communities globally, yet it is crucial to also recognise the essential contributions of those who have gone before. The early pioneers and those who followed them played essential roles in the evolution of both veterinary and human medicine, and the advancement of science.
"Our current advances in knowledge are built on the efforts of all who have been part of the RVC through the centuries – by acknowledging this heritage, we reflect on how the efforts being made today by researchers, practitioners and students have long-term implications for animal health and welfare globally."


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By A.J. Perez, USA TODAY
Not even the skate every goalie dreads to make — the one from the crease to the bench for an extra attacker — rattled Cam Ward.
The most recent trip came Monday night after the Carolina Hurricanes rookie allowed what appeared to be the game-winner off a Scott Gomez deflection with 21 seconds left in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New Jersey Devils.
"(Carolina coach Peter) Laviolette pulled me over to bench, and there was no sense of panic," Ward says in his now-trademark measured tones. "It's like we knew it was going to happen."
Ward, indeed, found himself back on the ice after Eric Staal tied the score with three seconds left before Niclas Wallin won it in overtime for a 3-2 victory and 2-0 series lead heading to New Jersey for Game 3 tonight.
This inner-Zen thing Ward has working for him isn't something the 22-year-old picked up this season. It appears it might have either been present at birth or he at the very least acquired it at young age.
"Cam at 17 years of age was a very calm guy," says Brent Sutter, Ward's junior hockey coach for three seasons with the Western Hockey League Red Deer (Alberta) Rebels. "Nothing seemed to rattle him. He was like that all through juniors."
How about as a young child?
"He was just a happy-go-lucky kid," says his mother, Laurel. "Nothing seems to bother him too much. He's always had a calm personality."
Ward, who plays a position where some of the most colorful and odd personalities often reside, doesn't dispute the above assessments.
"I was just like I am now," Ward says. "I was the quiet guy."
The most out of character Ward got this season as part of a hazing ritual. He was forced to sing O Canada in front of the team, an experience that was likely as painful for the shy Ward as forking over his wallet to take the entire team out to dinner.
He has been under a much bigger spotlight the past two weeks as a run of recent success has this man of few words talking. The crowd in front of his locker has grown with each win after he replaced starter Martin Gerber in Game 2 of the first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.
"Everything is magnified now," says Dallas Gaume, an assistant at Red Deer. "He still shows a lot of humility in the interviews. He's a very humble guy, and I think that shows."
But underneath the "aw, shucks" persona lies a serious competitor developed, his mother says, by his family's frequent moves around Canada as a child as his father, Ken, was transferred for work.
"We moved a fair amount when we had a youngster," Laurel says. "If he wanted to play goal, then he had to show he was clearly better than the local kids. He always managed to do that."
Now the national kids know what he's capable of, too. Ward has won his first six career playoff starts to become only the third goalie to reach the feat, joining Tiny Thompson (1928-29) and current Mighty Ducks of Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2003).
There was a time early on, however, that his path toward the crease wasn't assured. He used his parents' basement as a training ground as a goalie, but it wasn't until age 10 that he decided to focus on the position above ground.
"He played out a lot and wasn't a bad forward or defenseman," Laurel says. "Then he came home one day and said they were having tryouts for goalie."
There's at least one team during this playoff season that wishes this calm, cool, collected customer chose differently.


text:
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Discovered someone who meets your requirements? Send an email to them or just a wink and see if they're interested. With a little luck you'll be on your way to uncover your suitable match.
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text:
There are all sorts of places we could start. Let's choose the easiest. For years, the capital - the Greater London area to be more precise - has been failing to generate the numbers of new homes it needs to house a population that has been growing fast. According to the census, London needs at least 40,000 new homes every year just to keep pace, yet in 2010/11 less than half that number were built.
London Councils, which represents the city's 33 local authorities, has recently calculated that to clear the backlog and meet growing demand too will require more than 100,000 new homes a year from now until 2021 - 809,000 in all. It's a staggering number, and makes Ed Miliband's eye-catching pledge for the UK as a whole look rather small.
This numerical shortfall is accompanied by a growing problem of affordability. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of households in London rose by 250,000 to 3.27 million, but its percentage of home-owners plunged from nearly 60% to under 50%, reversing an upward trend that had prevailed since the 1960s.
House prices in London are now soaring above where they were before the crash, placing home ownership beyond the reach of ever more Londoners, not to mention others who would like to move here. And this is not a recent phenomenon. The days when an average sort of London wage could buy a first, modest London home in a shabby part of town disappeared more than 20 years ago.
There was a more modest percentage decline in the social rented sector between 2001 and 2011, from 25.7% to 24.1% - fewer residences, then, for people on low incomes and in great need. Meanwhile, the private rented sector has enlarged - up from just 15.3% of the London total to more than 25% in ten years. But that too has become ferociously expensive and in too many cases is badly-run (census data on London's changing balance of tenure types is summarised here).
The social implications of rising cost and under-supply are shocking and shaming for a city claiming to be the best in the world. Over-crowding is rife, with 11.6% of the capital's dwellings having too few bedrooms for their occupants - in Newham, the figure is 25.4%. The cost and insecurity of the private rented sector also fosters unwelcome population churn, with households having to move against their will, often disrupting school, work and family life for those most in need of stability.
To these long-term problems can be added the exacerbating effects of the present government's housing and welfare policies. The economics of its misnamed "affordable rent" programme are concentrating new provision for the less well-off in Outer London areas, while its benefit reforms are leading to evictions, increasing homelessness and doing little or nothing to reduce the cost to taxpayers.
The need for bold action is clear. But what forms should it take? In terms of increasing supply, Boris Johnson believes that unencumbered market forces are the key. Last week he told the London Assembly:
It's not so much a question of the type [of housing supplied] but the quantity. We must deliver more homes, all told. And that is the biggest and best solution to a lot of the controversies and the discontents around housing at the moment.
This followed the media's belated discovery that very wealthy individuals from overseas have been buying-up prime central London residential properties - often before they're even built - and so contributing to house price inflation. Having already stuck up for super-rich spenders from far-off lands in his Telegraph column, Johnson went on to defend his failure to challenge the small quantities of affordable homes in new developments approved by a range of boroughs, Labour and Tory-run alike:
Let's be clear - what we're doing is allowing development to go ahead that would otherwise have been stalled. You cannot get these developers to move unless they have the funds coming in, and that very often means having market housing leading the project - that, I'm afraid, is a fact of life.
The mayor, being on close terms with the tip of his party's free market wing, was unlikely to have said anything else. He also is convinced that the basic rules of supply and demand will help stabilise house prices as long as the former isn't blocked by things like speculator taxes and over-regulating politicians.
I'm not totally sold on the recent overseas-investors-are-destroying-London's-soul media narrative myself - too pat, and only part of a much longer and more complicated story. Yes, it's clearly adding a new dimension of distortion, one it might be good to curb. Yet even those who make the case for a tax on speculators don't claim that this would solve the housing crisis.
Doing that is a far larger task, one that entails matching a vastly increased supply of homes to the full spectrum of demand, with those on middle and low incomes as the top priority, modernising the private rented sector and shifting spending away from benefits and towards investment in low cost homes. Simply feeding market forces seems unlikely to get the job done.