Thursday, January 14, 2016

Service aboard following list of Hull Types eligible for the presumption of exposure to herbicide.

VA maintains a list of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships associated with military service in Vietnam and possible exposure to Agent Orange based on military records.
This evolving list helps Veterans who served aboard ships, including "Blue Water Veterans," find out if they may qualify for presumption of herbicide exposure.
Veterans must meet VA's criteria for service in Vietnam, which includes aboard boats on the inland waterways or brief visits ashore, to be presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.
Veterans who qualify for presumption of herbicide exposure are not required to show they were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides when seeking VA compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure.
- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/shiplist/index.asp#find
VA maintains a list of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships associated with military service in Vietnam and possible exposure to Agent Orange based on military records.
This evolving list helps Veterans who served aboard ships, including "Blue Water Veterans," find out if they may qualify for presumption of herbicide exposure.
Veterans must meet VA's criteria for service in Vietnam, which includes aboard boats on the inland waterways or brief visits ashore, to be presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.
Veterans who qualify for presumption of herbicide exposure are not required to show they were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides when seeking VA compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure.
- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/shiplist/index.asp#find
VA maintains a list of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships associated with military service in Vietnam and possible exposure to Agent Orange based on military records.
This evolving list helps Veterans who served aboard ships, including "Blue Water Veterans," find out if they may qualify for presumption of herbicide exposure.
Veterans must meet VA's criteria for service in Vietnam, which includes aboard boats on the inland waterways or brief visits ashore, to be presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.
Veterans who qualify for presumption of herbicide exposure are not required to show they were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides when seeking VA compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure.

Find your ship

Ships or boats that were part of the Mobile Riverine Force, Inshore Fire Support (ISF) Division 93 or had one of the following designations operated on the inland waterways of Vietnam. Veterans whose military records confirm they were aboard these ships qualify for presumption of herbicide exposure.
During your Vietnam tour, did your ship or boat have one of the following designations?
  • AGP (Assault Group Patrol/Patrol Craft Tender)
  • LCM (Landing Craft, Mechanized)
  • LCU (Landing Craft, Utility)
  • LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel)
  • LST (Landing Ship, Tank)
  • PBR (Patrol Boat, River)
  • PCF (Patrol Craft, Fast or Swift Boat)
  • PG (Patrol Gunboat)
  • STABS (Strike Assault Boats)
  • WAK (Cargo Vessel)
  • WHEC (High Endurance Cutter)
  • WLB (Buoy Tender)
  • WPB (Patrol Boat)
  • YFU (Harbor Utility Craft)

Alphabetized ship list

If your vessel is not included in the Mobile Riverine Force, ISF Division 93 or above designations, check VA's alphabetized ship list.
- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/shiplist/index.asp#find
Find your ship
Ships or boats that were part of the Mobile Riverine Force, Inshore Fire Support (ISF) Division 93 or had one of the following designations operated on the inland waterways of Vietnam. Veterans whose military records confirm they were aboard these ships qualify for presumption of herbicide exposure.
During your Vietnam tour, did your ship or boat have one of the following designations?
  • AGP (Assault Group Patrol/Patrol Craft Tender)
  • LCM (Landing Craft, Mechanized)
  • LCU (Landing Craft, Utility)
  • LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel)
  • LST (Landing Ship, Tank)
  • PBR (Patrol Boat, River)
  • PCF (Patrol Craft, Fast or Swift Boat)
  • PG (Patrol Gunboat)
  • STABS (Strike Assault Boats)
  • WAK (Cargo Vessel)
  • WHEC (High Endurance Cutter)
  • WLB (Buoy Tender)
  • WPB (Patrol Boat)
  • YFU (Harbor Utility Craft)
Alphabetized ship list
If your vessel is not included in the Mobile Riverine Force, ISF Division 93 or above designations, check VA's alphabetized ship list.


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Monday, January 11, 2016

Is Agent Orange still a threat to local residents?

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/20160109/news/160109364 
More than 45 years after the last Agent Orange spray testing was completed at Eglin Site C-52A, some local residents still wonder about the residual effects of the toxin.

Because of the site’s proximity to creeks and other waterways that eventually empty into
Choctawhatchee Bay, some have expressed concerns about the possibility of groundwater contamination and other adverse environmental impacts.
Since the early 1970s, the federal government has conducted a series of studies to determine what, if any, long-term damage may have been done to wildlife and plants at the site. In general, those studies have shown no significant long-term impacts.
In February 1998, a local resident petitioned the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to assess Eglin for potential public health hazards, including possible Agent Orange contamination. On April 6-8, 1998, and again on Aug. 20-23, 2001, ATSDR visited Eglin to evaluate the concerns.
Under the topic of herbicide, ATSDR issued the following finding:“Access to the (site) is extremely limited due to steep topography, dense vegetation, and locked gates. In addition, the area is highly controlled by security personnel who patrol the area. Therefore, there is, has been, and will continue to be minimal contact with contamination at the (site).”
The final conclusion? “Even though Herbicide Orange was, and still is, present at Eglin AFB, community members were not in the past, are not currently, and are not expected to be in the future exposed to levels of Herbicide Orange that would cause harmful health effects.”
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First argument session in Agent Orange lawsuit in France slated for March

The first argument session between lawyers of 26 US chemical firms and plaintiff Tran To Nga - a victim of the defoliant Agent Orange that the US military used during the Vietnam War - is scheduled for March 3.
The day was designated by a judge during a court hearing, the fifth of its kind, in the Crown Court of Evry city in the suburb of Paris on January 7.
The prolonged case is placing the plaintiff at a disadvantage as she is suffering from diseases due to Agent Orange/dioxin exposure, such as type 2-diabetes, mental breakdown and tumours on body.
It also results in additional court charges and fees incurred by both sides, whereas the US defendants have strong financial capability.
During the January 7 hearing, defence lawyers made irrational requests, saying that Nga is expected to undergo new medical tests at a designated clinic.
Previously, they also deliberately provoked an incident about the documents’ authenticity and asked for documents proving that Nga used to work at dioxin-sprayed areas, such as working contracts, paycheck receipts and evidence showing the linkage between herbicides and her diseases.
Lawyers from the Paris-based William “Bourdon & Forestier” law firm representing Nga still affirmed their determination to follow the case. They argued that the demand for the payroll of those who worked during wartime 40 – 50 years ago is unrealistic.
Nga, for her part, said the ultimate goal of the case is getting the world awake to the AO misery and disaster and calling for global efforts to overcome its consequences though peace has been restored for 40 years.
In May 2014, Vietnamese-French Tran To Nga, 74, filed a lawsuit against 26 US chemical firms for producing chemical toxins sprayed by the US army in the war in Vietnam, causing serious consequences for the community, her and her children.
Tran To Nga graduated from a Hanoi university in 1966 and became a war correspondent of the Liberation News Agency, now Vietnam News Agency. She worked in some of the most heavily AO/Dioxin affected areas in southern Vietnam such as Cu Chi, Ben Cat and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, ultimately experiencing contamination effects herself.
Among her three children, the first child died of heart defects and the second suffers from a blood disease.
In 2009, Nga, who contracted a number of acute diseases, appeared as a witness at the Court of Public Opinion in Paris, France against the US chemical companies.
The complaint and related documents were handed over to the Crown Court of Evry city in the suburb of Paris.
From 1961-1971, US troops sprayed more than 80 million litres of herbicides - 44 million litres of which were AO, containing nearly 370 kilograms of dioxin - over southern Vietnam.
As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical. Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical’s effects.
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VA execs finally demoted for scamming system, but lawmaker asks why no charges brought

The Department of Veterans Affairs said Friday two high-ranking officials were finally demoted in response to a federal probe that found they manipulated the agency's personnel system for their own gain, but a key lawmaker is asking why they weren't prosecuted.
Federal prosecutors announced on Christmas Eve that they would not pursue charges in the case, but the Justice Department has not responded to Rep. Jeff Miller's inquiry into why no charges will be filed.
On Friday, the Department of Veterans Affairs said in a statement that it took "final action" to "demote" two Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Senior Executives to General Schedule positions.
Diana Rubens, director of VBA’s Philadelphia regional office, and Kimberly Graves, director of VBA’s St. Paul regional office, have been assigned to assistant director positions at other VBA regional offices, the VA said.
"These actions were originally initiated in October 2015 but had to be redone to correct an administrative error," the statement said.
Miller, R-Fla., and chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, is pressing U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch for answers surrounding Graves and Rubens, who got $300,000 in taxpayer money for her home when it did not sell.
In a Dec. 22 letter penned to Lynch, Miller wrote, "A Sept. 28, 2015, VA Office of Inspector General report recommended that the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia, pursue criminal charges against two VA executives it found to have abused their positions in order to take jobs with less responsibility, while keeping higher salaries."
"The report detailed how the VA executives pressured subordinates to accept position transfers only to volunteer for the vacated jobs while keeping their original salaries and having the VA pay them more than $400,000 in taxpayer relocation benefits," he wrote.
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Thursday, January 7, 2016

Monsanto swung to a loss in the first fiscal quarter, announces 1,000 more job cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) — Monsanto said Wednesday it will eliminate another 1,000 jobs as it expands a cost-cutting plan designed to deal with falling sales of biotech-corn seeds and other financial headwinds.
The additional layoffs will bring the agriculture giant's total planned cuts to 3,600 jobs over the next two years, or about 16 percent of its global workforce. In October the company first announced the restructuring plan, intended to streamline its sales, R&D and other operations.
The St. Louis-based company says the restructuring will cost between $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion to implement, up from previous estimates of $850 million to $900 million. By the end of fiscal 2018, the company expects the changes to generate annual savings of $500 million.
Its shares fell more than 2 percent in afternoon trading Wednesday.
Monsanto has struggled in recent quarters to deal with slumping corn prices in the U.S., which have reduced demand for its best-selling product: genetically-enhanced corn seeds. Farmers are shifting more acres to other crops after surpluses of corn, wheat and others have squashed commodity prices.


The job cuts came as Monsanto reported a net loss of $253 million, or 56 cents per share, for its first fiscal quarter. It cited foreign currency pressures and falling seed sales. When adjusted for one-time items, the loss was 11 cents per share.
That was better than forecasts for a loss of 24 cents per share, according to the average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research.
The agriculture products company posted a 23 percent decline in revenue to $2.22 billion in the period, short of Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $2.55 billion.
In the most recent quarter corn seed sales fell nearly 20 percent to $745 million. Those results were partially offset by higher soybean sales, which grew 10 percent to $438 million.
Monsanto's biotech seeds have genetically engineered traits, such as protection against insects and disease, which help farmers increase their crop yield, despite their higher prices. The company, which also sells herbicide, has dominated the bioengineered-seed business for more than a decade and controls an estimated 18 percent of the $44 billion global seed market, according to Edward Jones analyst Matt Arnold.
Monsanto has recently developed products specifically for emerging markets like Argentina, Brazil and parts of Asia.
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Students travel to Vietnam on Alternative Break trip

Over the winter holidays, 13 AU students and two faculty advisors set off on an alternative break trip to Vietnam to explore post-conflict issues affecting the daily lives of many in the country.
The itinerary for the Dec. 28–Jan.10 trip consists of visits to various locations in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, according to Chris Diamond, a senior in the School of Communication and School of Public Affairs and a student leader for the trip. Justyna Kepa, a senior in the School of International Service and College of Arts and Sciences joins Diamond as the second student leader for the program. They will be accompanied by CAS Professors Max Friedman and Katharina Vester.
Participants will see how the Vietnamese have been impacted by exposure to toxic herbicides like Agent Orange, used by the United States during the Vietnam War, and explosive remnants of the war, as they strive to gain a better understanding of the U.S.–Vietnam relationship. They will also be contributing to a blog about their experiences throughout the journey.
A decade has passed since the last alternative break trip to Vietnam, due to a lack of student initiative in traveling there. Alternative breaks, which are service learning trips, cannot be organized without direct action from students, as they are the ones responsible for submitting a proposal, planning and leading the trips, according to Christine Gettings, the assistant director of Global Learning and Leadership at the Center for Community Engagement and Service.
Diamond became involved in leading this winter’s trip after having studied abroad in Vietnam in the summer of 2013 and then participating in an alternative break in Haiti this past spring.
“I was invited to lead this trip after being a student participant in an alternative break trip to Haiti in March,” Diamond said. “That was very eye opening and definitely inspired me to do this.”
During his summer abroad in Vietnam, Diamond became passionate about issues such as the presence of unexploded ordnance, which are explosive weapons left behind from years ago that can still go off and cause harm today. He also learned of children who were born with severe birth defects caused by the toxic contaminant dioxin in Agent Orange. Diamond is excited about traveling back to Vietnam and is happy to be leading the trip.
“I’m looking forward to being back in Vietnam, and working with the U.S. government and other agencies. I believe that a lot of good can be done,” Diamond said. “One of the first things we’re doing in Vietnam is meeting with the U.S. Consulate and people from the State Department who will be informing us about the current U.S.–Vietnam relationship.”
The first half of the trip is focused on Agent Orange while the second half is centered on unexploded ordnance, according to Diamond. Students will be learning what effective current cleanup methods for unexploded ordnance are and work with several organizations, including the United States Agency for International Development or USAID and Project RENEW, which helps in clearing out explosive remnants and keeping the Vietnamese safe. MAG International is another organization dedicated to discovering unexploded ordnance that they will work with. Students will be visiting a hospital to spend time children who have birth defects and see how they can be better helped as well.
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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

AGENT ORANGE TOWN HALL MEETINGS NEAR YOU!






January 16, 2015
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Contact: Charlie Montgomery 757-481-6513

January 23, 2016
Breese, Illinois
Maurice Zurleine 618-920-5222

January 23, 2016
Anoka, Minnesota
Contact: Richard Bergling 763-202-1099
Maynard Kaderlik 507-581-6402

February 13, 2016
Mesa, Arizona
Contact: Michael Marks
480-266-7883

March 11, 2016
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Contact: David Cowherd
270-312-0463
herd437@gmail.com

April 16, 2016
Kansas City, Missouri
Randy Barnett
816-561-8387
tdaaw@yahoo.com

April 23, 2016
Rockford, Illinois
Contact: Chris Carlson
ccarlson324@comcast.net
Dan Loyson
1 (815) 874-1729

April 23, 2016
Des Moines, Iowa
Contact: Dan Gannon 515-991-5257
Maynard Kaderlik  507-581-6402

May 14, 2016
Flint, Michigan
Contact: Al Decker
Adecker47@comcast.net
810-444-6676

May 21, 2016
Livonia, Michigan
Contact: Bob Dew
bdew99@sbcglobal.net
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Energy industry is Clarington’s 2015 newsmaker of the year

http://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/6211456-energy-industry-is-clarington-s-2015-newsmaker-of-the-year/
CLARINGTON -- Energy was the newsmaker of the year in 2015 for Clarington -- both the Darlington nuclear plant and the Durham York energy-from-waste facility had interesting years.
This fall Ontario Power Generation and the Durham Region health department distributed KI pills to 200,000 homes and businesses within 10 kilometres of the power stations to prevent thyroid cancer if there’s a nuclear accident.
OPG’s request for an unprecedented 13-year extension of its Darlington licence and approval to rebuild and extend the life of reactors garnered major interest at the November Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission hearings. OPG said the long licence period is the safest way to manage refurbishment because it means all four reactor units will be under the same regulations. The CNSC commission announced on Dec. 23 it will grant OPG a 10-year licence, with CNSC staff providing annual regulatory oversight reports and a public meeting after the first reactor unit is refurbished.
Early in the new year, OPG is expected to announce the refurbishment of reactors at Darlington.
While things seem to be moving ahead for Darlington, 2015 was a roller-coaster ride for Clarington’s new energy-from-waste facility.
The Courtice incinerator was scheduled to be fully operational on Dec. 14, 2014 but that didn’t happen.
In the spring, testing showed the boilers were not operating properly.
Testing this fall raised concerns about high dioxin and furan emissions -- the toxic contaminants created in the combustion process. In late November, Covanta, the company that will operate the facility, announced that contaminated test samples had caused faulty readings of high dioxin and furan emissions. Once the foreign compound was removed, the dioxin and furan levels dropped to be within acceptable limits, according to Covanta.
A three-week outage ended in mid-December and both boilers were burning trash and generating electricity by the end of the year.
MORE
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