June 28, 2011

Los Alamos NM evacuated as fire rages near Nuclear labs. Aerial footage. ¹

All, Natural Disasters, News: US • Tags: evacuated, Jemez Mountains, Las Conchas fire, Los Alamos, Los Alamos National Labs, New Mexico, NM, NM Fires, Nuclear, threatened

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., June 28 (UPI) — Residents were ordered to evacuate Los Alamos, N.M., as an out-of-control wildfire was at the town’s edge and buffeted the secretive U.S. military nuclear lab.

A Los Alamos National Laboratory spokesman said the blaze, at the facility’s southern boundary, remained a few miles from key structures on the 25,600-acre property.

Nuclear and other hazardous materials were in safe storage deep inside vaults within concrete and steel buildings, Kevin Roark told the Alibi newspaper of Albuquerque.

The lab would not comment on a Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety allegation that the wildfire was about 3 miles from a nuclear dumpsite containing tens of thousands of 55-gallon drums of plutonium-contaminated waste.

The anti-nuclear watchdog group’s Web site appeared hacked early Tuesday morning, a United Press International check indicated. Its Facebook page had six messages from people alerting the group of the possible hacking, including a message commenting on the timing of the incident happening “just as the fires started.”

The wildfire, which began Sunday and exceeded 50,000 acres, or 78 square miles, early Tuesday, destroyed at least 30 homes and outbuildings south and west of Los Alamos, fire officials said.

“We don’t have a hard number,” Los Alamos Assistant Fire Chief Mike Thompson told the Albuquerque Journal.

Officials planned a flyover Tuesday morning to assess its scope.

The fire — whose flames and smoke could be seen from Albuquerque, about 80 miles south — caused erosion and runoff, with contaminants threatening the Rio Grande, officials said.

Roark told the Alibi, “There were not appreciable levels of radioactivity in the runoff.”

After the Cerro Grande fire in 2000, which devastated Los Alamos and changed firefighting policies and strategies all across the West, the lab installed structures to prevent heavy runoff, he said.

Some residents evacuating the town were “calm and other people are really frantic,” Sheila Luna told the Santa Fe New Mexican.

“The Conoco gas station ran out of gas last night, and at the next gas station I waited for 15 minutes before I could get the car filled up,” she said. “That part was kind of scary to me.”

Source: UPI

Aerial footage of Las Conchas wildfire, Los Ala…, posted with vodpod

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May 22, 2011

16 year old female student challenges M Bachmann to debate is now being threatened ^Reply

All, News: US • Tags: 16 year old, Amy Myers, challenge, CNN iReport, constitution, debate, female, letter, Michele Bachmann, student, threatened

A Cherry Hill High School East sophomore who challenged Tea Party champion Michele Bachmann to a constitutional debate says she is concerned for her personal safety.

“A lot of them are calling me a whore,” 16-year-old Amy Myers said, referring to anonymous comments reacting to online news reports about her challenge to the 55-year-old Minnesota congresswoman.

In a letter addressed to Bachmann and dated April 29, Myers leveled pointed criticisms at the Tea Party Caucus founder.

“I have found quite a few of your statements regarding the Constitution of the United States, the quality of public school education and general U.S. civics matters to be factually incorrect, inaccurately applied or grossly distorted,” Myers wrote.

“As one of a handful of women in Congress, you hold a distinct privilege and responsibility to better represent your gender nationally. The statements you make help to serve an injustice to not only the position of Congresswoman, but women everywhere.”

Myers and her father, Wayne, posted her letter to Bachmann on CNN’s iReport website on May 6. News outlets including Yahoo and The Atlantic picked up the story over the weekend.

Amy and Wayne Myers said the comments on conservative websites alarmed them most. Several commenters threatened to publish the Myers’ home address.

Others threatened violence, including rape, they said.

“They’re targeting me just because I’m challenging Bachmann,” Amy said.

To view the CNN iReport, click here

The Courier-Post had scheduled a video interview with Amy Thursday. On Wednesday, a somewhat panicked-sounding Wayne Myers phoned to cancel, citing the alleged threats.

“I got a call from the principal that the main office received threatening mail,” said the computer programmer and single father.

“The school hasn’t received any phone calls of a threatening nature, but has received calls inquiring whether Amy is actually an East student, whether she wrote the letter, and inquiries of that nature,” said Susan Bastnagel, spokeswoman for Cherry Hill public schools, in response to an emailed query.

Amy, who is running for sophomore class president, denied she called out Bachmann just for publicity.

“I wanted her to accept the challenge,” the aspiring veterinarian said. “I just wanted her to see what she’s doing is wrong and it hurts the way women look.”

After some prodding, Amy conceded she did not actually believe Bachmann would agree to a debate.

“I was just trying to prove that when a 16-year-old notices somebody in Congress is doing something wrong, she should reflect on what she is doing and try to fix those errors.”

Click here for the full posting from CourierPostOnline
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Found this post, authenticity is not verified:

From Amy’s father:

WayneMyers

12:23 PM on May 20, 2011

I am Amy’s father.

After reading this article, and probably not reading the original articles at City Pages & Yahoo, several seem to be posting many false beliefs and accusations about my daughter’s actions or mine. It hasn’t yet escalated to calling her names and the like, but after seeing some of these posts… it won’t be long.

I was a register Republican who voted for Reagan, Perot, GHWB, Clinton the second time, NEVER for GWB and then Obama. On a state level, I never voted for a Democratic governor – including voting for Christine Whitman and Chris Christie. I voted for the late John Adler this past time, but voted for Chris Myers the time before that. I fought against Corzine’s plan to monotize the toll roads. It is true that I donated $250 to President Obama’s 2008 campaign and registered myself as a Democrat. I did it in an attempt to get Obama could win the NJ Primaries. I don’t know if I can switch back to being an Undeclared voter or not. I vote split ticket – for the best candidate. I am not a party shill and no one party owns me. I have a mind and I pass free and critical thinking skills onto my children.

My daughter’s actions were her own. Her writing of the letter was her choice. As a parent, I wholly support my daughter. Amy is in Honor’s English, AP History as a sophomore and was appointed Op-Ed for the CHHSE newspaper. You should really see her articles; two at Yahoo’s Lookout site. You should then read her City Pages articles before you continue to throw accusations and cast your politically influenced comments.

As an Independent who leans to the right, (making only 3 democrat votes in my life), I am rather disgusted in my former party – the Original party of Reagan back in 1980, before the Moral Majority and Libertarians gained control. It is true. If Reagan was in the New GOP, he’s be run out on the rails. To see my former party followers write such filth about a child is simply disgusting – This includes the Sean Hannity Forum!