Lost Live Dead: San Jose Civic Auditorium, 135 W. San Carlos Street, San Jose, CA: 1965-72

Lost Live Dead: San Jose Civic Auditorium, 135 W. San Carlos Street, San Jose, CA: 1965-72

Eleanor Fairchild and Daryl Hannah were dragged from their positions in front of an excavator to keep it from tearing up Eleanor’s land

Published on Friday, October 5, 2012 by Common Dreams

Tar Sands Blockade: Along with Landowner, Actress Daryl Hannah Arrested

Great grandmother, Eleanor Fairchild, and film actress both arrested after blocking machinery

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/10/05

- Common Dreams staff

Arrested on her own property for trespassing, east Texas great-grandmother says: “From the White House to my house, I don’t want this pipe threatening anyone’s house anywhere in the world!” (Photo: TarSandsBlockade.org)Film actress Daryl Hanna was arrested in Texas on Thursday along with 78-year-old and great-grandmother Eleanor Fairchild after they put their bodies in front of heavy logging machinery and refused to move.
Eleanor Fairchild and Daryl Hannah were dragged from their positions in front of an excavator to keep it from tearing up Eleanor’s land. TransCanada’s machinery operator refuses to turn off engine despite peaceful protestors a few feet in front of them. (Photo: TarSandsBlockade.org) The arrest took place on Fairchild's own property, where Canadian pipeline company TransCanada is clearcutting forests to make a path for the southern portion of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, designed to bring tar sands oil from Alberta to Texas refineries.
Daryl’s involvement in the Fairchild Farms story brought a cascade of media attention to the Tar Sands Blockade which has been ongoing for nearly two weeks in east Texas.
"How can you be arrested for “trespassing” on your own land?" asked members from Tar Sands Blockade in a statement. "Well, anything can happen when a multi-national corporation comes in and expropriates your farm for their profit."
On Thursday afternoon, Hannah marched across Fairchild’s property with the ranch owner to block construction crews who have cleared large swaths of land along the controversial tar sands pipeline’s route. Keystone XL will permanently bisect Fairchild’s 300 acre ranch, which includes undeveloped wetland areas and natural springs producing more than 400 gallons of fresh water per minute from her property. Hannah, whose outspoken anti-Keystone position dates back many years, expressed pride to be able to stand with Fairchild who is watching her home and its delicate ecosystems destroyed in front of her eyes.
“I am standing in solidarity with the farmers, ranchers and landowners who have been bullied, coerced and threatened by TransCanada. Texans do not want this toxic export pipeline coming through and compromising their land and water,” said Fairchild. “Texas has already experienced a tragic and epic drought. We cannot afford to compromise our water supply for a multinational corporation’s profits.”
“I couldn’t be prouder to take a stand with my new inspiration, Eleanor,” Hannah said. “We’re rising up to defend homes here and now, because if a multinational corporation like TransCanada can come in and steal private property from Texans, then they’ll do it to anyone.”
“Tar sands is the dirtiest fuel on the planet, and I want the world to know that Texans do not want this pipeline forced through their homes,” Fairchild said, pushing back against the argument that her stance was solely about protecting her own property and water supply. “From the White House to my house, I don’t want this pipe threatening anyone’s house anywhere in the world!”

*  *  *

UPDATE 6:30PM - Photos and video of the action are coming soon. Follow us on twitter and facebook to be the first to see them.

UPDATE 4:30PM - TransCanada has arrested Eleanor for “trespassing” on her own land.

UPDATE 3:40PM – Daryl has been arrested for helping Eleanor defend her farm from toxic tar sands. Eleanor defiantly standing her ground with arms raised to halt TransCanada’s machinery.

UPDATE 3:35PM – Police officer trying to push Daryl and Eleanor out of the way! Yes, we got it on video.

UPDATE 3:30PM – Eleanor and Daryl defiantly step out in front of an excavator, a large piece of heavy machinery, to keep it from tearing up Eleanor’s land. TransCanada’s machinery operator refuses to turn off engine despite peaceful protestors a few feet in front of them.

Daryl brave’s fire and Keystone XL machinery to defend Eleanor’s farm.

UPDATE 3:15PM – Eleanor and Daryl march from Eleanor’s home down to the Keystone XL path of destruction that cuts through her 300 acre beloved farm and wetlands.

10 nuclear events in 10 days By Adonai – August 18, 2012

Posted in: Editors' picks, Nuclear events

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We had 10 different nuclear events reported in just 10 days. Below is a list of them with date and short description.

BELGIUM

(1) August 8, 2012 – Doel 3 nuclear reactor, Doel Nuclear Power Station - Shutdown
Doel 3 nuclear reactor at Doel Nuclear Power Station in Belgium was shut down on August 8, 2012 under the suspicion that one of its components might be cracked. “We have found anomalies,” said Karina De Beule, spokesman for the ACFN, the federal agency for nuclear control.
Doel 3 reactor will be shutdown until at least the end of August, but it is possible that the reactor could be shut down for good.
The station is located in the most densely populated area of all nuclear power stations in Europe, with 9 million inhabitants within a radius of 75 kilometres (47 miles). Construction of this plant started in 1969 and commission started in 1975. More info here.

USA

(2) August 12, 2012 – Maryland, Calvert Cliffs – Shutdown
Operators of the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant in Southern Maryland have shut down one of the two reactors there because a control rod unexpectedly dropped into the reactor core, causing a reduction in power generation, a plant spokesman said Monday.
The 793-MW unit was shut after a leak was identified Aug. 12. Since July, the NRC has been monitoring a gradual increase of unidentified leakage at the reactor and sought safety assurances from Entergy on those leaks.
(3) August 12, 2012 - Connecticut, Millstone Power Station – Shutdown
Connecticut’s nuclear power plant shut one of two units on Sunday because seawater used to cool down the plant is too warm. More info here.
(4) August 12, 2012 - Michigan, Palisades – Shutdown
Palisades is shut down because of a leak of coolant from the control rods. It’s supposedly fixed now but the NRC is bringing in three more inspectors.
(5) August 14, 2012 - Minnesota, Prairie Island – Shutdown 
One of the two nuclear generators at the Prairie Island plant was shut down because its emergency diesel generators suffered exhaust leaks.
(6) August 14, 2012 - Minnesota, Monticello – Shutdown
The Monticello nuclear plant’s single generating unit, which had been operating at 10 percent capacity since last weekend, was shut down because of a leaking pipe inside the plant’s concrete containment structure, the company said.
(7) August 16, 2012 – Michigan, Fermi – Loss of data
At approximately 14:58 EDT, a portion of the Fermi 2 Integrated Plant Computer System (IPCS) failed. This resulted in a loss of approximately 60 percent of data on the Safety Parameters Display System (SPDS). More info here.

BELGIUM

(8) August 16, 2012 – Tihange 2 nuclear reactor, Tihange Nuclear Power Station – Shutdown
Belgium has halted the 1,008-megawatt Tihange 2 reactor, as it has the same pressure vessel as Doel 3 at Doel Nuclear Power Station.
“I would like to remind that Doel 3 and Tihange 2 have been halted and do not represent any danger for the population, the workers and the environment,” Willy De Roovere, head of the FANC regulator agency.

JAPAN

(9) August 16, 2012 – No. 4 reactor turbine building,  Fukushima No. 1 - Radioactive water leakage
Tokyo Electric Power Co. discovered possibly highly radioactive water on the first floor of the No. 4 reactor turbine building at its disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on Tuesday morning. The company believes the water leaked from a pipe that is transferring highly radioactive water from the basement of the No. 3 reactor’s turbine building. More info here.

UK

(10) August 18, 2012 – East Lothian – Torness nuclear power station – Fire
Fire crews were called to Torness nuclear power station in East Lothian early yesterday after a blaze broke out. The plant’s on-site fire team dealt with the incident, which involved lagging on a pipe catching alight at 12:25am. Managers insisted there was no risk to the public during the incident at the plant, operated by French firm EDF Energy.

Sources: EDIS, nrc.gov
Featured image: deepbluesheep.deviantart.com

Related posts:

1. Nuclear reactor in Belgium shut down due to suspicion of cracked component Doel 3 nuclear reactor at Doel Nuclear Power Station in Belgium was shut down on August 8, 2012 under the suspicion that one of its components might be cracked. “We have found anomalies,” said Karina De Beule, spokesman for the ACFN, the federal agency for nuclear control. The station is located in the most densely populated area of all nuclear power stations in Europe, with 9 million inhabitants within a radius of 75 kilometres (47 miles). Construction of......
2. Unscheduled shutdown of French nuclear reactor Cattenom Cattenom, Lorraine, France - nuclear reactor has gone into an unscheduled shutdown, state energy giant EDF said on Friday (Feb. 10, 2012 UTC) placing fresh pressure on a national power grid already strained by freezing temperatures. The company said the shutdown, on the number two reactor at the Cattenom plant in the northeast of the country, was caused by a broken alternator in a non-nuclear part of the reactor and posed no threat to public safety.......
3. Nuclear reactor in Connecticut shut down due to excessive seawater temperatures 37-year old nuclear reactor, Unit 2 of The Milestone Nuclear Power Station in Connecticut, was shut down on Sunday, August 12, 2012 as seawater used in cooling the reactor soared to 76.7 degrees Fahrenheit (24.83 degrees Celsius). 880-megawatt reactor was shut down by Dominion Power who operates the facility. Under the reactor’s safety rules, the cooling water can be no higher than 75 degrees Fahrenheit. “Temperatures this summer are the warmest we’ve had since operations began here......
4. Nuclear reactor of fifth largest nuclear power plant automatically shut down, South Korea On July 30, 2012 reactor at the Yeonggwang nuclear power plant in southwestern Korea was automatically shut down due to a malfunction, plant operators said. The state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co (KHNP) said the Unit 6 reactor at the Yeonggwang plant, located some 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul, went off-line at 5:57 UTC. The unit had been under special treatment due to fuel rod defects that caused radioactivity levels in the reactor coolant......

Tags: nuclear event

8 Comments

1. Reply

   Rob Cherwink

   Posted August 19, 2012 at 8:08 PM

   ah – i was thinking wrong, as in “events” being protests and rallies – oops
   nonetheless, a big 10 days!
2. Reply

   adexter

   Posted August 18, 2012 at 9:32 PM

   Ya when stuff gets older and weaker, still has pressure on it, and the ground quakes……….10 in 10 days huh? Could this just be the beginning of a line of events that is going to gradually increase ugly wise? Is Canada next? What is going to happen this Sept 2012 when Japan gets whacked again with 8.9 and 9.8M+ Quakes: and/or higher, same day events; and their containment fields are not exactly ready now? I’m just so happy they built them right where they did Every one is focused on melting water to raise the Oceans and flood coastal regions. But when large mountains burst out of our Oceans the water will rise.
3. Reply

   Rob Cherwink

   Posted August 18, 2012 at 9:26 PM

   there were quite a few more events in the US – OWS was involved along with Occupy New Mexico, OWS Environmental Solidarity, etc., but i guess this article was to cover only the 8th to the 18th (?) – these were all around “Hiroshima Day”
   here are a few links:
   http://rceezwhatsup.blogspot.com/2012/08/occupy-nukes-hiroshima-day-august-6-ows.html
   http://rceezwhatsup.blogspot.com/2012/08/los-alamos-national-call-to-action.html
   http://rceezwhatsup.blogspot.com/2012/08/livermore-group-to-commemorate-atomic.html
   http://rceezwhatsup.blogspot.com/2012/08/august-6-day-of-action-against-us.html
4. Reply

   
   

   http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4206464638022525701#editor/target=post;postID=213441664943910658

   
   

Japan Nuclear Accident: ‘Abnormalities’ in Butterflies Traced to Fukushima Plant

Japanese scientists say “abnormalities” detected in the country’s butterflies may be a result of radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year. In a study published in Scientific Reports, an online journal, researchers say “artificial radionuclides” from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant caused “physiological and genetic damage” to pale grass blue butterflies.
Scientists first began tracking common butterflies around the nuclear plant two months after the disaster. They collected 121 insects, and found 12 percent of them had unusually small wings. That number jumped more than 5 percent when butterflies collected from the plant site had offspring of their own.
In another group of butterflies collected six months after the disaster, scientists found 28 percent had “abnormal” traits. That number nearly doubled among the second generation born.
“At the time of the accident, the populations of this species were overwintering as larvae and were externally exposed to artificial radiation,” the researchers wrote in their study. “It is possible that they ate contaminated leaves during the spring and were thus also exposed to internal radiation.”
It has been 17 months after the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, and its effects on human health have largely been considered minimal, with no radiation-related deaths or illnesses reported so far. But traces of radioactive cesium exceeding government safety levels have been detected in seafood off the Fukushima coast, limiting the catch for fisherman there.
Tiny amounts of cesium of 137 and cesium 134 were detected in more than a dozen bluefin tuna caught near San Diego in August last year. The levels were 10 times higher than tuna found in previous years, but well below those the Japanese and US governments considered harmful to human health.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/08/japan-nuclear-accident-abnormalities-in-butterflies-traced-to-fukushima-plant/

The Nun Who Broke Into the Nuclear Sanctum

Shawn Poynter for The New York Times

Sister Megan Rice, 82, is one of three people arrested in a break-in at a nuclear complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

By WILLIAM J. BROAD

Published: August 10, 2012

She has been arrested 40 or 50 times for acts of civil disobedience and once served six months in prison. In the Nevada desert, she and other peace activists knelt down to block a truck rumbling across the government’s nuclear test site, prompting the authorities to take her into custody.

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National Nuclear Security Administration/Department of Energy

Sister Rice is one of three people arrested in a break-in at a the Oak Ridge nuclear reservation.

She gained so much attention that the Energy Department, which maintains the nation’s nuclear arsenal, helped pay for an oral history in which she described her upbringing and the development of her antinuclear views.

Now, Sister Megan Rice, 82, a Roman Catholic nun of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, and two male accomplices have carried out what nuclear experts call the biggest security breach in the history of the nation’s atomic complex, making their way to the inner sanctum of the site where the United States keeps crucial nuclear bomb parts and fuel.

“Deadly force is authorized,” signs there read. “Halt!” Images of skulls emphasize the lethal danger.

With flashlights and bolt cutters, the three pacifists defied barbed wire as well as armed guards, video cameras and motion sensors at the Oak Ridge nuclear reservation in Tennessee early on July 28, a Saturday. They splashed blood on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility — a new windowless, half-billion-dollar plant encircled by enormous guard towers — and hung banners outside its walls.

“Swords into plowshares,” read one, quoting the Book of Isaiah. “Spears into pruning hooks.” The plant holds the nation’s main supply of highly enriched uranium, enough for thousands of nuclear weapons.

The actions of Sister Rice, a New York native who grew up on a prosperous block in Morningside Heights, and her companions, ages 57 and 63, are a huge embarrassment for President Obama. Since 2010, he has led a campaign to eliminate or lock down nuclear materials as a way to fight atomic terrorism. Now, the three — two of whom, including Sister Rice, are free and are awaiting trial in October — have made nuclear theft seem only a little more challenging than a romp in the Tennessee woods.

In interviews this week, Sister Rice discussed her life — somewhat reluctantly at times — and kept emphasizing what she called “the issue.”

“It’s the criminality of this 70-year industry,” she said. “We spend more on nuclear arms than on the departments of education, health, transportation, disaster relief and a number of other government agencies that I can’t remember.”

Federal prosecutors, needless to say, take a different view. “This is a matter of national security,” William C. Killian, a United States attorney, told reporters outside a Knoxville courtroom. “It is a significant case.”

Sister Rice is no geopolitical strategist. But her bold acts and articulate fervor highlight how the antinuclear movement has evolved since the end of the cold war. They also illustrate the fierce independence of Catholic nuns, who met this week in St. Louis to decide how to respond to a Vatican appraisal that cast them as rebellious dissenters.

“We’re free as larks,” Sister Rice said of herself and her older religious friends. “We have no responsibilities — no children, no grandchildren, no jobs.”

“So the lot fell on us,” she said of fighting nuclear arms. “We can do it. But we all do share the responsibility equally.”

Megan Gillespie Rice was born in Manhattan on Jan. 31, 1930, the youngest of three girls in a Catholic family. Her father was an obstetrician who taught at New York University and treated patients at Bellevue Hospital. Her mother received a doctorate from Columbia University in history, writing her dissertation on Catholic views about slavery.

In the oral history, by the University of Nevada, Sister Rice portrayed her mother as strongly in favor of interracial marriage. “I just can’t wait,” she quoted her mother as saying, “until everybody in the world is tan!”

Sister Rice went to Catholic schools in Manhattan, became a nun at 18 and received degrees in biology from Villanova and Boston College, where her studies included class work at Harvard Medical School on how to use radioactive tracers. From 1962 to 2004, with occasional breaks, she served her order as a schoolteacher in Nigeria and Ghana.

“We slept in a classroom — no electricity, no water,” she said of her early days in rural Africa.

While visiting Manhattan in the early 1980s, she joined in antinuclear protests. She began visiting the Nevada test site for demonstrations and prayer vigils. Her mother accompanied her at times.

Around 1990, Sister Rice and other nuns set out on foot in the desert toward the site’s operational headquarters to distribute antinuclear leaflets. But guards, she recalled, “came up with their guns and treated us as though we were terrible criminals.”

In 1998, she was arrested in a protest at the School of the Americas, an Army school at Fort Benning, in Georgia. It taught generations of Latin American soldiers to fight leftist insurgencies; some went on to commit human rights abuses. The school has since been closed.

Sister Rice served six months in federal prison. “It was a great eye-opener,” she said. “When you’ve had a prison experience, it minimizes your needs very much.”

Malaria and typhoid fever began to impede her work in Africa and brought her back to the United States permanently. Around 2005, her order gave her permission to join the Nevada Desert Experience, an activist group based in Las Vegas that organizes spiritual events near the atomic test site in support of nuclear abolition.

“She’s the kind of person who would risk her life to protect others,” Jim Haber, the group’s coordinator, said in an interview.

Late last month, Sister Rice set her sights on the Oak Ridge nuclear reservation, which covers more than 50 square miles, including wooded hills. Her aim was to draw attention to its nuclear work. After the break-in, the protesters released an “indictment” accusing the United States of crimes against humanity.

On Thursday in Knoxville, federal prosecutors shot back with an indictment of their own. They charged Sister Rice, Michael R. Walli, 63, of Washington, and Gregory I. Boertje-Obed, 57, of Duluth, Minn., with trespassing on government property (a misdemeanor) as well as its destruction and depredation (both felonies). The charges carry penalties of up to 16 years in prison and fines of up to $600,000. All pleaded not guilty.

A trial in Federal District Court in Knoxville is set for Oct. 10. If found guilty, the three defendants might be allowed to serve their sentences for the various charges concurrently, shortening their imprisonments to five years.

“She’s a pretty sympathetic character,” Ralph Hutchison, coordinator of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, said of the nun. “Sixteen years would be signing her death warrant.”

Sister Rice plans to leave Knoxville on Saturday for the Catholic Worker residence in Washington and commute to the trial from there.

She called her life privileged. “I’ve sort of fallen heir to it,” she told the interviewer from the University of Nevada. “I’m grateful.”