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This week on Uprising:

* A Japan-Style Nuclear Disaster Inevitable in the U.S.
* Black Agenda Report: The “Blackenization” of Union Labor
* A Libyan Doctor Reports Back from Relief Trip to Benghazi

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A Japan-Style Nuclear Disaster Inevitable in the U.S.

The consequences of the earthquake and subsequent Tsunami that devastated areas of Japan’s coastline one week ago continue to unfold. Japan’s National Police Agency has put the number of dead at nearly 7,000. There are 10,300 people still missing. Due to a possible nuclear fallout the United States yesterday formally advised its citizens in Japan leave the country. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday issued an evacuation warning for any Americans within a 50 mile radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station to be evacuated – 38 miles further than the evacuation warning issued by the Japanese government. Potential meltdowns of the number 3 and 4 reactors at Fukushima are still possible, with slap-dash strategies to cool the facilities producing no long-term fix. At the number 3 facility military trucks were deployed on Thursday to spray tons of water for hours at the reactor. For a period of time high levels of radiation forced them too far back to reach the building. At the number 4 reactor, also on Thursday, helicopters dropped water bombs onto it in an effort to cool it. Japanese officials are holding out hope that power can be restored to the plant, enabling the water pumps to begin working again. However, today a worst case scenario was presented. In the event that nothing else works and radiation begins seeping into the atmosphere, the plant could potentially be buried in sand and encased in concrete. The specter of a nuclear emergency has, for the moment, overshadowed all other aspects of the situation in Japan. The disaster abroad has led Americans at home, especially those on the earthquake prone west coast, to wonder if they are watching their own future terror unfolding in Japan.

GUEST: Harvey Wasserman, journalist, author, and anti-nuclear activist for 40 years. Just wrote a piece titled “An 8.9 Quake Could Have Irradiated the Entire U.S.”

Find out more at www.nukefree.org and www.solartopia.org.

Read Wasserman’s article here: http://www.nukefree.org/editorsblog/japans-quake-could-have-irradiated-entire-us

Black Agenda Report: The “Blackenization” of Union Labor

Glen Ford is a writer and radio commentator and the Executive Editor of The Black Agenda Report. This week’s commentary is on the “Blackenization” of Union Labor

Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

Libyan Doctor Reports Back from Relief Trip to Benghazi

Libya’s government has declared a ceasefire on Friday just a day after the United Nations passed a resolution approving military action. UN Council Resolution 1973 approved international military action to prevent attacks on civilians which meant bombing government forces. This week fierce battles between dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s forces and rebels were fought in eastern Libya. Qaddafi’s forces employed heavy artillery, warplanes, and bombs against the more crudely armed opposition. On Wednesday, after reports that government forces had retaken the city of Ajdabiya, rebels managed to retain a foothold in the area, fighting for this last stronghold on the way to Benghazi. The nation’s second largest city has been the home base for the opposition, and rebels vow it will not be reclaimed by the government. Only hours after Qaddafi said the UN had no mandate and that he would not recognize any resolution, he reversed his position saying he would like the ceasefire to be overseen by Malta and Turkey. However, as of this recording on Friday Qaddafi’s troops were still encircling Benghazi.

GUEST: Dr. Mahmoud Traina, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day

“No one makes a revolution by himself; and there are some revolutions which humanity accomplishes without quite knowing how, because it is everybody who takes them in hand.” — George Sand