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How Much Radiation-Contaminated Water Will Kill You?

s lifetime cancer risk by 4 percent, according to health physicist and radiation safety expert Peter Caracappa of the Renssealaer Polytechnic Institute. To put that in real terms, if 1,000 people are exposed to 1 Sv of radiation, 40 more of them will develop cancer in their lifetimes than would otherwise.

A person would have to ingest 77 million becquerels of radioactive iodine in order to receive a 1 Sv radiation dose, Caracappa tolda sister site of LiveScience.

At its highest level of contaminationTokyo water contained 210 becquerels of radioactive iodine per liter. A simple calculation shows that a person would have to drink about 370,000 liters (97,000 gallons) of that water to expose himself to 1 Sv of radiation, and thus increase his lifetime cancer risk by 4 percent.

At the recommended rate of eight glasses of water a day, it would take someone about 530 years to consume that much water. Besides the obvious fact that no one lives that long anyway, iodine 131 also radioactively decays within days, so the Tokyowill not remain contaminated for nearly that long. On March 24, a day after the high reading, the radioactive iodine level had already fallen to 79 becquerels per liter.

"My opinion is that we're unlikely to see an increase in cancer deaths as a result of the nuclear accident in Japan, given the information I have access to about the levels of dose that the population is being exposed to," Caracappa said.

This article was provided bya sister site to LiveScience. Follow Natalie Wolchover on Twitter @

A different 'Mildred Pierce' from the film we know

A remarkable thing (and there are many) about the HBO miniseries "Mildred Pierce": The way it breathes.

This five-part, five and a half hour adaptation of the 1941 James M. Cain novel is an unhurried period piece that sets the viewer down in Depression-era Glendale, Calif., and into the complicated world of its heroine.

But even as it inhabits a long-ago time and place, it also seems to dovetail with the current day. Leafy Glendale of 1931 isn't exactly the Dust Bowl, but it, like the rest of the country, has been slammed by economic crisis that, for the viewer, may strike a familiar chord.

Meanwhile, Mildred's plight is magnified: She is suddenly a divorcee, forced to find work to support herself and her two young daughters.

Ambitious and resourceful, Mildred will do that and then some: She builds a restaurant empire.

But during a saga stretching nearly a decade, Mildred, despite her business successes, will face class stigma (her sleepy burg just doesn't cut it with the likes of nearby Pasadena) and a stormy relationship with her precocious, social-climbing daughter, Veda.

She will also confront her sexual self, exploring "aspects of herself she never knew existed," in the words of Todd Haynes, who directed the miniseries and co-wrote its script. (The first two parts air Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT, with subsequent episodes unfolding the next two Sundays.)

This "Mildred Pierce" has only a nodding acquaintance with the much-remembered 1945 film, a murder whodunit that brought its star, Joan Crawford, a best actress Oscar.

Haynes (whose previous films include "Far From Heaven" and "I'm Not There") calls his version "an intensely faithful adaptation of the novel." Indeed, it feels like a gracefully direct translation into pictures and sound, complete with breathing room for the audience "to think and to draw connections yourself," as he puts it.

Kate Winslet is a marvel as Mildred, who is on-screen nearly every scene as she goes through many changes and the pressures that propel them.

Also starring are Melissa Leo, James Le Gros, Brian F. O'Byrne and Evan Rachel Wood (as Veda in adulthood).

But Guy Pearce shines in a pivotal supporting role as dashing man-about-town Monty Beragon, with whom Mildred shares impulsive romance, then much more.

Among moviegoers who know him, Pearce is perhaps best-known for his performance as the by-the-book cop in the 1997 crime noir "L.A. Confidential" and for "Memento" (2000), the reverse-told narrative of a man with no memory on the trail of his wife's killer.

Pearce has also played a drag queen ("The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert"), Andy Warhol ("Factory Girl"), Harry Houdini ("Death Defying Acts") and a gritty 1880s outlaw ("The Proposition," an Australian-set Western), among his many other roles. And he made brief but key appearances in recent back-to-back Academy Award best pictures, "The Hurt Locker" and "The King's Speech."

In "Mildred Pierce," he sports a devil-may-care attitude, a pencil mustache and a roadster as Monty, who sweeps Mildred off her feet at the end of Episode 2. He re-enters her life years later, in Episode 5.

Fans of the original film will remember Monty (played by Zachary Scott) as the victim of a shooting that frames the film's murder mystery: Did Mildred do it?

This time, Monty is never at risk as he offers a vivid counterpoint to Mildred at both ends of her journey.

"Monty has been brought up with almost a religious belief that money is never a problem and it's always there, whereas Mildred is a working-class lady and a survivor," Pearce says. "For her, it's all about responsibility. For Monty, it's not about responsibility at all."

Pearce nails Monty's entitled but engaging air of privilege — for example, when Mildred asks his profession.

Monty, who owns part of a lucrative fruit export business, describes it nonchalantly as, "Oranges, grapefruit — something like that."

"Guy conveys an entire class at a specific time and place in the way that he delivers that line," says Haynes, who acknowledges surprise that, by now, the 43-year-old Pearce isn't a household name. "Everything he does is so spot-on! It's amazing."

Haynes speculates that if marquee status has so far eluded Pearce, maybe Pearce has also purposely evaded it.

"I think he wants to do more interesting work than what those leading-man roles usually are about, and what the burden of maintaining that status is about," Haynes says.

In a recent interview, Pearce's brawny frame is clad in jeans and a snug-fitting T-shirt, with black-rim glasses accenting his chiseled face. That's Pearce's real-life appearance. But he has a gift for transforming himself with each role, often unrecognizably. Pearce is a character actor on par with, say, the wonderfully homely Paul Giamatti — but with matinee-idol looks that never get in his way.

Pearce, who was born in England but raised in Australia, where he still lives, says he's at a loss to identify a common link between his diverse performances, "other than how I look at them from the inside, which is being fascinated with the many aspects of what makes up this world and the people who are in it.

"I don't really understand those actors who play the same role all the time," he says. "I think, `That's great if you want to do that and you're good doing that.' But I just don't get it."

He suggests that his need to stay on the move creatively resulted from a four-year hitch on an Australian soap, "Neighbors." His first acting job right out of college, it left him "drowning in the monotony of it all."

"There's something fascinating to me about working out a character," he says, "and understanding it and becoming it and riding the wave of that character. And then going, `Great, fantastic,' and putting it away.

"What's next: That's what keeps me going."

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EDITOR'S NOTE — Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore(at)ap.org.

Ex-Ukraine leader hires star US lawyer in murder case

Ukraine's ex-president Leonid Kuchma hired a star US lawyer who worked on the O.J. Simpson trial to act as an advisor in his defence against charges over the murder of a reporter, his team said Monday.

Alan Dershowitz has "joined as a special advisor for the team" representing Kuchma after the ex-president was last week charged of involvement in the murder of critical Ukrainian journalist Georgy Gongadze in 2000.

The hiring was the latest dramatic twist in a process that has caused a sensation in Ukraine, where opponents of Kuchma for over a decade campaigned to no avail for the 1994-2005 president to be brought to trial for the murder.

The headless body of Gongadze, who founded the opposition Ukrainska Pravda website and was a virulent critic of Kuchma, was found in a forest outside Kiev after he disappeared in September 2000.

"I look forward to contributing my experience as a defence lawyer and specialist on forensic evidence to this case," Dershowitz, professor of law at Harvard Law School, said in a statement from Kuchma's team.

Attending his latest questioning at the prosecutors' office in Kiev, Kuchma confirmed that Dershowitz was part of his team but added he had not yet met the US lawyer and was also working with Ukrainian lawyer Igor Fomin.

"I am ready to go through this for the sake of one fundamental goal -- the truth. Because I do not need the truth but Ukraine does," he told reporters.

Kuchma said he was ready to "swear on the constitution and the bible as many times as you want that I did not give the order for that crime and could not."

Crucial in the case against Kuchma are recordings made by a bodyguard where voices alleged to be of the former president and two other top officials evoke eliminating Gongadze.

Opening the criminal case against Kuchma last week, Ukrainian prosecutors for the first time ruled that the recordings were admissible evidence.

But Dershowitz cast doubt on their reliability.

"I am especially committed to the search for truth in this case," he said, adding that it is "relatively easy to change the words on a digital recording to create guilty sounding statements."

He said that the case "should be closed immediately, to not further reinforce the impression that the actions of the legal system may be politically motivated."

Kuchma said outside the prosecutors' office that he did not know Gongadze personally and had only seen him once at a television debate. He said Gongadze was not a reporter but a "manager".

President Viktor Yanukovych, meanwhile, said that the process was "natural" as Ukraine needed to find answers to "all the questions" over what happened 10 years ago but denied there was anything political about the charges.

"No-one is going to envy him (Kuchma) but at some point we need to finish with this," Yanukovych said on a visit to Singapore, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

Dershowitz, whose legal career has spanned a half century, was an advisor to the defence team of former American football star and actor O.J. Simpson in his 1995 murder trial.

The authorities in 2009 arrested ex-interior ministry official Olexy Pukach and he confessed to personally strangling the journalist with his belt and beheading him with an axe.

Prosecutors had previously said former interior minister Yury Kravchenko ordered the murder but Gongadze's supporters have long alleged that higher forces were involved.

Kravchenko committed suicide in 2005, according to the official version, although some observers still claim he may have been murdered.

John K. Fanney Joins DeMent Askew LLP

The law firm of DeMent Askew announces that Criminal Law Attorney John K. Fanney has joined its Raleigh, N.C., office.

Raleigh, NC (Vocus/PRWEB) February 15, 2011

The law firm of DeMent Askew announces that Criminal Law Attorney John K. Fanney has joined its Raleigh, N.C., office.

has nearly 21 years of experience and is admitted to the North Carolina, U.S. District & Court of Appeals, and Eastern District North Carolina bars.John Fanney has been named in SuperLawyers and recognized by Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Ratings. He is also a Board Certified Specialist in both state and federal criminal law, State Delegate to the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD) and a frequent speaker at DWI seminars around North Carolina. He merges his successful criminal law practice with DeMent Askew, an established AV-rated law firm.

DeMent Criminal Law Group is led by Rusty DeMent, who’s attained an AV rating with Martindale-Hubbell and was named to Business N.C.'s Legal Elite for criminal law. The addition of Fanney solidifies DeMent Askew as a leading . In addition to their prowess in criminal law, DWI and traffic violations, the firm is also accomplished in civil litigation, personal injury,and real estate.

“We are pleased and excited to have John Fanney join our firm.We’re looking forward to adding his expertise to the services we offer our clients,” says Rusty DeMent.

About DeMent Askew LLP

DeMent Askew, LLP was founded in 1968 by Russell W. DeMent, Jr. and quickly established a reputation for unwavering trial advocacy.Thenow boasts seven attorneys, five partners and two associates, and an exceptionally experienced and professional staff. They stand ready to protect their clients’ rights in civil and criminal litigation in North Carolina’s state and federal courts.

Attorneys at the law firm of DeMent Askew offer legal counsel primarily in the following areas: Criminal defenseDWI/TrafficPersonal injuryCivil litigation

DeMent Askew is proud that the majority of their new clients are referred to them by former, satisfied clients and other law firms in NC.In most cases, they offer free initial consultations so clients can quickly find out what their rights are, and what they can do to help.

Founded in 1968, the lawyers at DeMent Askew, LLP are confident that our exceptional law firm & litigation team can help you find the right solution to your legal problem.For more information about the firm, please go toor call 919-833-5555.

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Rusty DeMent, PartnerDeMent Askew919-833-5555Email Information

Kennedy won't run to succeed Conn. Sen. Lieberman

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The son of the late Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy says he won't run for the seat held by retiring Connecticut U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman because he wants to spend more time with his two children.

WFSB-TV reports Edward M. Kennedy Jr. made the statement Tuesday night at the JFK Legacy Dinner in Bridgeport. The event marks the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy.

Lieberman announced last month he won't seek a fifth term, ending a political career spanning four decades.

Kennedy is a lawyer who lives in Branford. He won rave reviews for the eulogy he delivered at his father's funeral in August 2009.

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Information from: WFSB-TV,