[Onthebarricades] eco-protests - against "development" projects, for local environments

[Andy]

*  BULGARIA:  Protest against oil pipeline in Sofia
*  AUSTRALIA:  Protest against truck traffic near port
*  IRELAND:  Protesters dig in to save Hill of Tara
*  UK:  Protest delays phone mast at school
*  UK:  Secret plan for new town building sparks protest
*  AUSTRALIA:  Local leaders rally against planning shakeup, loss of locals' 
say in developments
*  MEXICO:  Activists tackle air pollution
*  PAPUA NEW GUINEA:  Locals protest against mine
*  GREECE:  Solidarity protests as eco-activists face trial and are 
acquitted
*  UK:  "Flash mob" protest at new Heathrow terminal
*  AUSTRALIA:  Protesters claim shutdown of Barrick Gold
*  AUSTRALIA:  School students walk out and protest against Gunns' pulp mill
*  TRINIDAD:  Local residents protest plan to build port
*  ITALY:  Tunnel through Alps opposed
*  US:  Demolition of toboggan slides is target of protest
*  AUSTRALIA:  Save Happy Valley Coalition marks end of second year in 
occupation
*  AUSTRALIA:  Locals protest north-south water pipeline
*  AUSTRALIA:  Protesters disrupt destruction of Tasmanian forests
*  US:  Florida Power and Light Co hit by protests, construction of new site 
halted
*  US:  ELF blamed for fires against urban sprawl
*  GERMANY:  Protest to save historic bridge - highlights habitat, UNESCO 
status

Publicly Archived at Global Resistance: 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance


http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/protest-against-the-construction-of-bourgas-alexandroupolis-oil-pipeline-in-bulgarias-capital/id_27133/catid_66

Protest against the construction of Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline in 
Bulgaria's capital
13:18 Fri 18 Jan 2008 - Elitsa Grancharova

Photo: Elitsa Grancharova
A protest against the construction of the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil 
pipeline was held in front of the National Palace of Culture (NDK) in 
Bulgaria's capital Sofia.
The protest coincided with the two-day visit of Russian president Putin to 
Bulgaria.
The Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline will transport crude oil from 
Russia, Azerbaijan and Central Asia to the port of Alexandroupolis on the 
Aegean Sea. From there the oil will be transported by tankers to Western 
Europe and the USA.
At the protest, a blue stage with Bulgarian flags on it had been erected, 
with the slogan "No to the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline" written on 
it.
About 300 people - citizens, representatives of different political 
parties - Ataka, Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), Middle European Class 
(MEC), and of different eco movements gathered. There were members and 
supporters of the Green Policy Institute, the official Greenpeace 
representative for Bulgaria.
Six buses with protesters from Bourgas arrived.
Deputy chairman of the Ekoglasnost (Eco Publicity) political club Petar 
Penchev commented that the protest was held with the permission of Sofia 
municipality.
After the protest at NDK, a march to the Sveta Nedelya square was held.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/20/2167411.htm?section=business

Residents protest against truck traffic
Posted Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:33am AEDT
Updated Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:28am AEDT

Residents are worried about the additional traffic that will result from an 
increase in container movement through the Port of Melbourne. (ABC TV)
Map: Yarraville 3013
About 200 protesters caused traffic chaos at Yarraville in Melbourne's west 
this morning by blockading a busy truck route to the Port of Melbourne.
The morning peak hour protest by the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group closed 
the intersection of Francis Street and Williamstown Road for half an hour.
The group says at least 8,000 trucks pass through the intersection each day, 
most carrying shipping containers.
The protesters are concerned truck traffic will increase by 25% after the 
Port of Melbourne's shipping channels are deepened.
They say the Victorian Government has not planned for the impact of Port 
expansion on traffic congestion.
Protest spokesman, Peter Knight says the trucks are causing health problems, 
road accidents and stress to residents.
"In the last 10 years you've got to realise that this truck traffic has 
increased by about double since the completion of Bolte Bridge and Ring Road 
and people's houses are literally falling apart," Mr Knight said.

http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news624.htm

FORT FOR A DAY
AS PROTESTERS DIG FOR VICTORY TO SAVE THE HILL OF TARA
The intense battle between protesters and the M3 Motorway, carving it's way 
through the archaeological heritage landscape surrounding the ancient Hill 
of Tara (see SchNEWS 597) in County Meath, Ireland continues... having gone 
underground - literally.
Protesters at the direct action camp on top of the Rath Lugh National 
Monument, using tactics reminiscent of Britain in the mid-nineties, have 
built a network of tunnels into the hillside to stop or hamper any 
construction work. This week, with one archaeologist warning that the whole 
hill and the fort on it is unstable and under threat of collapse if 
construction goes ahead, one brave woman has sealed herself in a tunnel, 
chaining herself by the neck to a jack which could bring down the tunnel if 
she is forcibly removed.
Yesterday (13th) there was a dawn raid on the camp only four hours before an 
injunction brought by protesters to stop the work was due to be heard 
(unsurprisingly it was later rejected in any event). During the raid, 
clueless construction workers acted like police, throwing their weight 
around, while dismantling the camp.
Protesters inside the tunnel network are vulnerable and need legal observers 
to protect them, the bulldozers are continuing to work on top of them, 
knowing full well that the ground is mainly sand and silt. One said, "The 
eviction is blatantly not being done with any care or proper training to 
remove the tunnel inhabitants" - and they'd welcome any advice or visits 
from tunnel veterans of the 90's to help them deal with the situation.
For Whom The Toll Sells
This part of the M3 route is where Halliburton (Dick 'the Puppetmaster' 
Cheney's warmongering company) are planning to build the tolls for the 
motorway. The construction workers are using compulsory purchase orders to 
access the area, where they've already started to cut into the esker 
foundations of the hill (an esker being a not-so-solid sounding ridge made 
of small rocks, silt and sand left behind by a ancient glacial river).This 
will result in lowering the water table, preventing water reaching the roots 
of the forest situated on top of the monument, gradually destroying hundreds 
of ancient oak and beech trees.
The National Roads Authority and the Irish Government are choosing to ignore 
the fact that Rath Lugh is protected under the National Monuments Act 2004 
and are continuing to break EU Laws left, right and centre.
Further along the route, concrete flyovers are going up and tarmac is being 
laid at Soldiers Hill for the massive three acre interchange. Developers 
have plans for the surrounding area which will include shopping centres, 
hotel complexes and the usual Starbuckery and McShite everywhere!!
People are desperately needed to go to Tara now, to build a new direct 
action camp. Activists are meeting at Holyhead ferry port between 12-1pm on 
Saturday 15th March - and money may be available to contribute towards 
tickets - which are only £50 rail & sail or £30 booked in advance. If folk 
want to come, get in touch with SchNEWS.
* For updates and info on how to get to Tara see www.tarataratara.net 
www.tarawatch.org & www.savetara.com
* See the 'Skulduggery' SchMOVIE about Tara at www.schnews.org.uk/schmovies

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7212127.stm

Phone mast delayed after protest
A blockade by parents has prevented a mobile phone mast being erected on 
school grounds.
The T-mobile mast was supposed to go up at Chipstead Valley Primary school 
in Coulsdon near Croydon.
A large crane required to put up the mast was barred from entering the 
property by dozens of parked cars.
The protestors fear radiation from the mast could be damaging to children 
but Reigate and Banstead Borough Council said they were powerless act.
Kevin Browning, whose children attend the school, said many parents were 
worried about potential health risks for pupils.
"There is clear evidence to show that these masts are harmful for children," 
he said.
"The council is clearly in breach of its promise to look after its 
constituents."
He added: "We look forward to any dialogue with them, angry or not."
But a council spokeswoman said that under government legislation no planning 
permission is needed for certain masts.
She said: "The General Permitted Development Order is government legislation 
which allows mast operators to erect certain masts without seeking planning 
permission from the local authority, therefore we have no control over the 
development."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/10/communities.planning1

'Secret' eco-town plans spark protest
Government will soon unveil 10 sites nationwide
Jo Revill and Caroline Davies
The Observer,
Sunday February 10 2008

This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday February 10 2008 on p2 of 
the News section. It was last updated at 15:01 on February 12 2008.
Controversial plans for a string of eco-towns have sparked nationwide 
protests. Demonstrations against the developments have begun two weeks 
before Housing Minister Caroline Flint is due to announce the 10 locations 
she has chosen for the first green communities.
Local groups are complaining that they have been kept in the dark about 
proposals to create the towns, some of which involve building 20,000 homes 
as well as schools and roads, although developers have already submitted 
their plans to the government.
Ministers want to provide thousands of carbon-neutral homes in towns that 
will have up to 40 per cent social housing to make up for the severe 
national shortage of cheaper properties.
But protests have already begun in many areas, with the protesters signing 
petitions and organising marches. Although ministers decided last year not 
to make public the full list of applicants, individual schemes for 
greenfield sites, including Derbyshire's national forest and a town on the 
edge of the Cotswolds, are now coming to light.
In Stoughton, Leicestershire, yesterday, protesters held a march against the 
Co-operative Group, the insurance and consumer group which is planning to 
build Pennbury eco-town with 15,000 homes. In Derbyshire, where the 
Grovewood development is planned for 5,700 homes, retired headteacher Andrew 
Otway is helping put together an online petition to Downing Street. He said: 
'There has been such secrecy... The proposed development is in the heart of 
the national forest, the lungs of the Midlands.'
Flint said: 'There is a rigorous process for the selection of bids and only 
the best will succeed. They must meet tough tests, proving they make best 
use of brownfield land, safeguard wildlife and habitat areas and provide low 
and zero carbon technologies and good public transport systems.'
But the Council for the Protection of Rural England is unconvinced and is 
asking the government to clarify how it will pick the 10 sites. Its planning 
expert, Kate Gordon, points out that, once the government has put its seal 
of approval on places, it will be far harder for local authorities to object 
and justify taking on expensive legal counsel to fight the plans. 'We 
support the idea of eco-towns, but they must be in the right place and 
developed in the right way. The most sustainable approach would be to 
regenerate existing quarters of old towns,' said Gordon.
The Wildlife Trusts, a voluntary body, is dismayed at the lack of attention 
being given to ecology. Its chief executive, Stephanie Hilborne, said: 'The 
government's proposals make a mockery of the term '"eco-town". We need to 
see the planning system being used to avoid insensitive development and 
restore and create new wildlife habitats.'
Questions are being asked about the involvement of Tony Blair and his 
friend, Lord Leitch. The former Prime Minister is an environmental adviser 
to Zurich Financial Services, parent company of Eagle Star, the developer 
proposing a 12,500-home town in Hampshire. Eagle Star, which could make up 
to £1bn from the eco-town proposal at Micheldever Station, is also 
sponsoring the government's regional seminars on eco-towns.
Leitch, the former chairman of Zurich, is credited with having persuaded 
Blair to join his group as an adviser. Eagle Star has denied that either man 
will have any role over the eco-town proposal. However, campaigners want 
assurances from ministers that they have not been involved in lobbying for 
the scheme.

http://news.theage.com.au/nsw-community-leaders-protest-da-plans/20080130-1ozi.html

NSW community leaders protest DA plans

11:24AM
Advertisement
More than 200 NSW local government leaders have converged on Sydney on 
Wednesday to protest against state government plans for a shake-up of 
development planning.
NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor released a discussion paper in November 
detailing 83 possible reforms of the state's planning laws.
They include a proposal to circumvent lengthy development approval processes 
by expanding the number of developments subject to certifier approval.
The period of public consultation on the discussion paper ends on February 
8, with plans to pass new legislation by the middle of the year.
About 250 NSW mayors and local government general managers are on Wednesday 
putting forward a number of alternative planning reforms at their meeting.
President of the NSW Local Government Association, Genia McCaffery, said the 
alternatives being canvassed would provide faster development decisions 
without compromising the character of neighbourhoods or community input.
Changes to building certification and broader appeal rights for residents 
were two possible reform solutions being tabled at the Sydney forum 
Wednesday.
"The government's changes will lead to home owners being denied a say in 
what is being built next door, the character of many neighbourhoods being 
compromised, and the same rules being applied to residential developments 
regardless of whether you are in Bourke or Balmain," Ms McCaffery told the 
meeting.
"As community representatives we have a responsibility to oppose changes 
that are not good for the community, and float ideas which protect the 
rights of residents and ensure good development decisions are made.
"The alternative suggestions, which we have asked the government, community 
and industry to consider, focus on making sure planning decision makers are 
accountable, building codes reflect local needs and neighbours have the 
opportunity to appeal developments."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0304/p04s02-woam.html

In Mexico, a clean-air bucket brigade

A grass-roots group to monitor air quality has sprouted in one of Latin
America's largest industrial corridors.

By Sara Miller Llana | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

Ixhuatlan del Sureste, Mexico

As most people here, Gonzalo Rodriguez grew up with little environmental
consciousness. He often washed up with chlorine and burned his plastic
bags of trash.

Today he walks around this southern Mexican town with a clear plastic
bucket equipped with a vacuum, which he uses to draw and test air from
this industrial corridor, one of Latin America's largest.

He is a leader of the country's first "bucket brigade" to test air for
hazardous pollutants. And he hopes that with this project, a low-cost
initiative that depends on community participation, he can awaken that
same environmental consciousness within others -- particularly young
people. He and his family have mobilized dozens of their neighbors,
friends, and family to force industry standards and more government
oversight.

"Some people think we are crazy," said Rodriguez on a recent day,
sporting a beige "Bucket Brigade" cap. "We know that we aren't."

While bucket brigades have sprouted up in industrial communities across
the US in the past decade, this is the first of its kind in Mexico.
Supported by a US nonprofit and led by a group of small farmers and
fishermen called the Ecological Producers Association of Tatexco
(Apetac), the project has been limited to this petrochemical and
refinery hub, but leaders are hoping to expand to neighboring states.
The goal: to bolster "social consciousness" in the face of weak
pollution laws and the sheer power of big industry.

Apetac's most important role "is organizing rural people on the impact
of hydrocarbon [pollutants]," says Lorenzo Bozada, an ecologist who has
documented pollution here since the 1970s. "To be successful, a social
consciousness must grow here first."

Growing ecological push

The stretch, rich in oil fields and installations, is one of the
heaviest industrial zones in the region. The population here grew by 20
percent in two decades, mostly due to rural workers seeking jobs with
the state oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex).

Scientists have long been concerned about the impact that such heavy
industry is having on both the environment and residents' health.
Studies show high rates of some diseases and contaminants among locals,
who also cite anecdotal evidence. Rodriguez's daughter, for example, was
born in 1986 with a facial deformation.

A brewing ecological movement here grew in force in the late 90s, after
a local fisherman saw a Pemex subcontractor dumping toxic waste in a
marshland. The community prevailed in a lawsuit, the first successful
prosecution of environmental crime in Mexico's history.

Now organized under the Apetac umbrella and headed by Rodriguez, the
movement's 3,000 members seek to increase community participation. They
view the "bucket brigade" as the perfect vehicle.

The San Francisco-based Global Community Monitor first launched the
low-cost system in the 1990s, and has since trained communities in 19
different countries and 20 US states. They train them not only to
collect samples, but to use the data to press companies to clean up and
politicians to enforce tighter responsibility laws. "It's an empowerment
model," says Denny Larson, who heads the organization.

Their first Latin American project was in Mexico, where they helped
launch Apetec's project two years ago. Since then, Rodriguez says, he
has trained some 150 people, from fishermen to members of women's groups
-- but mostly youths. This month they are planning to send a third batch
of samples to a lab in the US. (Mexico lacks a certified laboratory of
its own.)

The workshops have piqued the interest of many who had never given the
environment a thought. "I became curious about what I'm breathing," says
Ezequiel Jimenez, who has since become a leader in the youth movement,
collecting money to pay for sending samples to the US.

While Mexico does monitor air quality in more than 20 parts of the
country, including its infamously polluted capital, Mexico City, there
are no government-run monitors in this region, according to the website
of the National Institute of Ecology. They did not respond to requests
for an interview.

Cecilia Navarro from Greenpeace México says the work of the "bucket
brigade" is crucial. This is particularly true, many say, in a country
that has weak environmental laws, and where many politicians have not
fought against big industry. Their tests revealed high toxin levels,
including levels of benzene 130 times higher than the maximum approved
by the US Environmental Protection Agency -- and carbon disulfide, which
has been associated with birth defects and other illnesses.

Apetac has written letters to local politicians about their results, but
they still need to carry out more tests, says Bozada, who advises the group.

Controversial effort

Trying to develop environmental consciousness in Ixhuatlan del Sureste
has not been easy. Rodriguez was sued by a peroxides plant for
defamation. His wife, Julia Cano el Faro, says he is constantly
harassed. In pushing against local industry, the group often runs up
against Pemex, which funds up to 40 percent of Mexico's national budget.
It is also one of the largest employers in the region.

"These efforts have always been controversial," says Anna Zalik, an
assistant environmental professor from York University in Canada who
helped Apetac launch the "bucket brigade." "People in the region are
aware of the environmental impacts, but in this case, the economy is so
dependent on that industry. They are concerned about their health, but
they are also worried about employment."

She and many others say the Rodriguez family's dogged persistence is
paying off. Rodriguez says Pemex has been more responsive to their
complaints, and the government has been open to their work. He was
recently hired by the local mayor's office to carry out a reforestation
project with several community youths.

http://news.theage.com.au/png-locals-protest-against-ramu-mine/20080130-1ozl.html

PNG locals protest against Ramu mine

January 30, 2008 - 11:39AM
Advertisement
Managers from China Metallurgical Construction Company (MCC), the Chinese 
state-owned firm running the project, and four local chiefs held crisis 
talks on Tuesday in Madang town, capital of Medang province in PNG's north, 
over a range of grievances.
"Enough is enough," 50 landowners shouted during the protest, while others 
served a "seizure of operation" notice and demanded MCC stop operations 
until the dispute was settled, PNG's Post Courier newspaper reported.
The landowners presented 18 points, complaining about their lack of 
participation in spin-off business, the employment of heavily armed Chinese 
security guards, discrimination at the work site and language barriers.
Steven Saud, chairman of Coastal Pipeline Landowners Association, said 
locals wanted better working conditions and opportunities for surrounding 
communities.
"We know what was happening is sub-standard. Mining in PNG had been going on 
for 20-25 years, and we know what (benefits from mines) to expect," Saud 
said.
"You go to Ok Tedi, Lihir, Porgera, Misima, Tolukuma, and you will find that 
Papua New Guineans are running those mines.
"Expatriates are working under Papua New Guineans there. Why was it not the 
same in Ramu nickel project?" he said.
MCC vice chairman Wang Futian and other officials listened to the 
landowners' grievances with the aid of translators.
An MCC representative told AAP meetings between managers and locals would 
continue on Wednesday.
Former PNG health minister Peter Barter called earlier this month for an 
independent environmental impact study of the Ramu nickel project after 
discrediting the existing report.
PNG's Lutheran head bishop, Doctor Wesley Kigasung, has said pollution from 
the mine could cause up to 80,000 sea-dependent locals to lose their 
livelihood.
Dr Kigasung, representing more than 1.2 million church members, wrote to PNG 
Prime Minister Michael Somare urging him to review the mine.
PNG labour officials have accused MCC of not providing safety gear, overtime 
pay and forcing employees to use pit toilets and take showers in nearby 
bushes.
Concerns have also been raised over the associated social impact from 
prostitution and HIV-AIDS.

************************************************************

Sunday, July 29 2007, one month after the destructive sprawl arson at 
Parnitha mountain, Athens, 27 activists got arrested near the mountain, 
accused for a symbolic attack with paintbombs against the 'Mont Parnes' 
casino, earlier that day.

The casino is built within the natural forest of Parnitha, and remained 
untouched during the arsons that destroyed a large part of Greece's forests 
and wildlife and costed more than 67 people their lives, since the local 
firemen were sent to protect the casino's infrastructure and not the forest. 
The casino is even planning its expansion inside the damaged forest area, a 
part of wich (around 20.000 acres) was donated to the casino by the Greek 
government, right after the arsons, so as to 'protect' it. The casino 
belongs by 51% to a Greek state's agency, and by 49% to private companies, 
mainly 'Regency Entertainment-BC Partners'.

Two days before that, an 'Open Assembly from Strefis hill' organised a march 
in the forest and blockaded the casino's teleferik, facing intense police 
pressure.

On the 29th, the police mobilised riot-policemen, police cars, helicopters 
and special police squads. This operation resulted in the arrest of 27 
activists, who were beaten while hand-cuffed. Inside GADA (Athens police 
headquarters), they were tortured and deprived of any phone calls, even to 
their lawyers. After their strong dissent inside GADA, and the gathering of 
supporters outside the building, those injured heavily were sent to a 
hospital, and the police announced the accusations against the 27.

On Monday 30, the 27 activists appeared before a district attorney. The riot 
police, outside the jury, attacked supporters gathered but was repelled 
succesfully.

The activists, in a communique they circulated on August 5, signed 'The 
deers of Parnitha' state they decided to act against the casino 'recognising 
the fact that its presence is irrelative and totally competitive to the 
natural forest, and that it is needed to kick it out and prevent its 
expansion. That's why this paint attack was a symbolic, fair and posetive 
action aiming to contribute in the awakeningof an equal social justice'. 
They also mention that 'The day we climbed up the mountain was when a 
provocative declaration of a goofy celebrity of the ruling class named Aris 
Spiliotopoulos, parliament member of New Democracy, accusing the anarchists 
for the forest arsons' and that 'as friends of the forest and the mountain 
of Parnitha we couldn't limitate to the protests that took part in the city, 
we went up to the place of the crime, where the forest was burnt and the 
monstrous casino raised among thousands of burnt trees. Thus, the morning of 
Sunday, June 29 we realised an intervention outside Regency Casino at 
Parnitha, lifting a banner writing 'Kick the casino out of Parnitha' and 
chanting slogans as 'Our rage won't be put out - kick the casino out', 
'Either a casino or a forest, take your roulettes and go home', while the 
security guards run away inside the casino from where they kept watching us, 
once they realised they 're not in danger. During the intervention, red 
paint (symbolizing the blood of innumerable animals lost during the last 
fire) was thrown at the entrance and the front walls of the casino, and 
slogans were spray painted on them, against the presence of the casino in 
the forest. Then, after our intervention and the symbolic attack against 
this church of gambling, and after we passed through the burnt zones, we 
continued our route through passages inside the forest zones and the streams 
of our beloved mountain, while above us two police helicopters were looking 
for us, and police units with buses, jeaps and motorbikes, riot policemen, 
crime units, special police forces, frontier patrols and undercover 
policemen where hunting us. We are also aware of the fact that the chief 
leaders of the Greek police went up the mountain and settled outside a 
refuge at 'Bafi' where they headed the whole operation asking desperately 
for the arrest of all those that 'dared to hit the casino'.

According to witnesses, local municipality officers but also a few residents 
helped the police spot them.

On Monday, January 7, around 30 persons occupied a radio station in Athens 
and transmitted messages of solidarity to the 27 arrestees. Meanwhile, many 
groups around Greece circulated posters and communiques in solidarity to the 
27 activists.

On January 10, the 27 activists faced a jury in Athens, where more than a 
hundred supporters attended. All 27 were found not guilty for the 
accusations concerning throwing paint at the casino, while two of them were 
found guilty for 'dissobedience' and set on parole because they denied to 
give their identity while they were under arrest. After the trial, while 
they were leaving the jury, the cops tried to stop the two claiming they had 
to pay around 70 euros for extra jury expenses, though supporters from the 
audience intervened so they managed to leave without paying anything.

The 27 are set free, without charges.

Also check out some photos of the marches at Parnitha:
at athens IMC
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=784086
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=782687

of the paint attack against the casino:
at indy.gr
http://www.indy.gr/newswire/drasi-enantia-sto-kazino-27-syllpseis-gia-plimmelmata-6-traymaties-meta-apo-ksylodarmo-astynomikn-sygkentrosi-allileggyis-ekso-apo-ti-gada

of a march, at the site of the Open Assembly at Strefis hill:
http://strefis.ath.cx/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=27&catid=2Earth


http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gl8e_X2PP-eLrALezyrIjr7_bOfg

'Flash mob' protest at Terminal 5
Mar 26, 2008
Hundreds of demonstrators will stage a "flash mob" protest against airport 
expansion when Heathrow's £4.3 billion Terminal 5 (T5) opens for business.
Formed by local residents and what are described as "environmental 
activists", the protest at T5 will, according to organisers, be a "peaceful 
and legal event".
The demonstrators are due to gather at the international arrivals area at 
the new terminal at 11am.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/25/2198975.htm?section=business

Barrick Gold denies protest 'victory'
Posted Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:00pm AEDT
Map: West Wyalong 2671
Mining company Barrick Gold has rejected environmentalists' claims they shut 
down its Lake Cowal Gold Mine, near West Wyalong, over Easter.
The Cyanide Watch environmentalists are claiming a victory, saying their 
annual protest at the mine this year halted production and members did not 
even have to go onto the mine site.
Barrick's community relations manager, Bill Shallvey, says the group has a 
right to protest but its claim is wrong.
Mr Shallvey says mining stopped for a few hours for safety reasons but they 
had a good weekend of production.
"I don't think I saw 20 people out there but I'm not going to argue about 
that," he said.
"As far as their reactions were concerned, they didn't have any impact on 
our operations on site.
"The only time that we actually stopped over the weekend was Sunday for a 
little while, when we had that heavy rain."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/01/2204861.htm?section=business

Students in pulp mill protest
Posted Tue Apr 1, 2008 2:45pm AEDT
Updated Tue Apr 1, 2008 2:51pm AEDT

High school students wave their banners at a rally urging the ANZ Bank not 
to support the Gunns pulp mill. (ABC News: Annah Yard)
Map: Hobart 7000
Around 100 young people have gathered at Parliament House to protest against 
timber company Gunns' plans to build a pulp mill in the Tamar Valley.
High school and university students walked out of class to take part in the 
rally.
The students wearing yellow bandannas and chanting slogans in protest at the 
ANZ bank's potential backing for the pulp mill project rallied on the 
Parliament House lawns at lunch time.
Four students gave speeches, all with the central message that Tasmanian 
students do not want the pulp mill.
The rally marched to the ANZ bank in Hobart's Elizabeth Street Mall, where 
one protest organiser, Alby Dallas planned to close his account with the 
ANZ.
He urged other students to do the same.
Mr Dallas says he does not want the mill and closing his account gives him a 
voice.
"I will be one of hopefully a few people who will be closing their ANZ 
account in protest of the possibility that ANZ will fund the mill," he said.
"Hopefully this sends an inspirational message to other youth, this way it 
shows them a way that they can be positively and active and campaign against 
this pulp mill."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/01/2205218.htm?section=business

No fallout for pulp mill protest students
Posted Tue Apr 1, 2008 6:06pm AEDT
Tasmania's Education Minister, David Bartlett, says high school students who 
left class to attend a protest in Hobart today were within their rights.
About 100 students marched to the ANZ bank in Hobart's Elizabeth Street Mall 
to protest against the ANZ's potential backing of Gunns' Tamar Valley pulp 
mill.
Mr Bartlett says the students won't be in trouble.
"Well I would much prefer that they were in school, I believe that every day 
lost to learning is a day that can't be given back.
"But ultimately parents who have provided notes for young people to be out 
of school in a situation like this are free to do so," the Minister said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/14/2189594.htm

Rowdy protest over Gunns pulp mill
Posted Fri Mar 14, 2008 1:07pm AEDT
Updated Fri Mar 14, 2008 1:16pm AEDT

Anti-pulp mill protesters outside Gunns headquarters in Launceston, Friday 
March 14, 2008 (ABC News: Chook Brooks)
Map: Launceston 7250
250 protesters have gathered outside the Launceston headquarters of the 
Tasmanian timber company, Gunns Limited, to mark the anniversary of Gunns' 
withdrawal of the pulp mill from the state's planning process.
The protest's key speaker Dr Warwick Raverty is a scientist who was on the 
Resource Planning and Development Commission (RPDC) assessment panel.
Many of the protesters mourned Gunns withdrawal from the RPDC as a death, 
wearing black and carrying coffins.
Police are present and say they have encountered no violence so far.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161276186

Pranz Gardens residents protest port plan
-Louis B Homer

Monday, February 11th 2008

Several residents of Pranz Gardens, Claxton Bay, are calling on the National 
Energy Corporation to stop the construction of a port in the area which is 
to be used by ESSAR Steel.
A group of residents led by Sahadeo Pooran, chairman of the Pranz Gardens 
Development Association, last week protested in front of the NEC's offices 
at Rivulet Road, Couva, calling on the company to scrap the project.
Pooran said the NEC plans will destroy a large portion of the mangrove in 
the area in which the port will be built.
He said a delegation from Pranz Gardens met officials of the NEC but they 
have not been assured that there will be no damage to the environment and 
marine life.
"We do not want them to destroy the mangrove which took 100 years to grow," 
Pooran said.
He said the construction of the mill will affect the lives of six 
communities close to the area earmarked for the development of the steel 
mill.
NEC president Prakash Saith said the company met the protestors on two 
occasions in nearby California and outlined to them the proposals for the 
development of the area.
Saith said: "We have no intention of destroying the mangrove. A small 
portion near the mangrove site will be used for reclamation." He said as far 
as the port was concerned nothing was final.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jPr5MSBAP_xdBbsk-aOe8Ny9nbBA

New protest planned against rail tunnel through Italian Alps
Mar 29, 2008
CHIOMONTE, Italy (AFP) - A multi-billion-euro project to bore a tunnel 
through the Italian Alps to create a high-speed rail link between Turin, 
Italy, and Lyon, France, will face a new protest on Sunday.
In Chiomonte, in northwestern Italy's Susa Valley, diehard opponents of the 
project will line up to buy a symbolic square metre of land each along the 
route of the planned rail line.
More than 1,250 activists including ecologists, artists and intellectuals 
are involved in the initiative to oppose the tunnel, which has an estimated 
pricetag of 7.6 billion euros (12 billion dollars).
Several thousand others have gathered in the town to signal to the 
authorities that no one can change the mind of the protest movement that has 
dubbed itself the "Indians of the Valley."
"This tunnel isn't needed. The old (1871) rail line under Mount Cenis will 
always be enough for traffic that is not going to increase," said organiser 
Alberto Perino.
"You don't buy a Ferrari when you can't afford a dentist for your children," 
he told AFP, adding that the project would create longstanding debt as well 
as "causing considerable ecological damage by draining the valley's water 
resources."
He added: "Ravaging nature to gain a few minutes between Lyon and Turin is 
madness."
An extraordinary commissioner and 57 meetings with the mayors of the 23 
towns directly affected by the project have failed to dissuade its 
opponents, who have mounted sometimes violent protests involving up to 
80,000 people over the past three years.
"We approached the mayors because it's clear that they are the ones who can 
liaise between people and the tunnel project," said the extraordinary 
commissioner, Mario Virano, an architect and professor at the University of 
Venice.
He designed the Frejus road tunnel between Modane, France, and Bardonecchia, 
Italy -- along the planned rail route linking Lyon and Turin -- that opened 
in 1980.
A new Italian government to be elected in mid-April will likely be headed by 
the centre-right whose base is in the north.

http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=8127131&nav=1sW7

Palos Park mayor to protest demolition of toboggan slides

Associated Press - April 7, 2008 6:14 AM ET
PALOS PARK, Ill. (AP) - Mayor John Mahoney of the Chicago suburb of Palos 
Park is stepping up his activism against the planned demolition of the 
Swallow Cliff toboggan slides in Palos Township.
Mahoney says he will board a bus tomorrow and lead a group of southern 
suburban residents to the Cook County Building to protest a forest preserve 
commission plan for the demolition, which is expected to cost $1 million.
The now-shuttered slides were once among the most popular winter 
recreational facilities in the Chicago area.
Mahoney says he will ask commissioners to leave the slides alone until all 
possible options have been exhausted.
He says that once the slides are gone, they're gone.

 http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/410965/1569680

Coalition marks two years of protest
Feb 3, 2008 12:44 PM

Environmentalists are marking their longest running occupation campaign and 
say Solid Energy is ignoring the environmental concerns.
Save Happy Valley Coalition has spent two years protesting against the 
energy company's proposal for an open-cast coal mine at Happy Valley on the 
South Island's West Coast.
Coalition spokesman Alan Liefting says the two year campaign to save the 
ecological area has stopped the mine's progress so far. But he says it is 
time the government stepped in.
Liefting says the coal that is mined will release 1800 tonnes of carbon 
dioxide into the atmosphere, which is one of the world's biggest 
environmental problems, and would place endangered species under threat.
Liefting says Solid Energy is not listening to concerns for endangered 
species, and has acted inappropriately by putting a spy in the  protest 
group.
Liefting says resistance to the scheme is strong enough to carry on until a 
decision is made to stop the mine.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23153892-2862,00.html

North-south pipeline sparks protest at Sugarloaf
Ashley Gardiner
February 04, 2008 12:00am
ANTI-pipeline protesters blocked the entrance to the Sugarloaf Reservoir 
yesterday as part of the campaign to stop the controversial north-south 
pipeline.
They blocked a road to the reservoir, near Yarra Glen, for about 90 minutes 
yesterday, campaigner Jan Beer said.
Ms Beer said about 150 cars travelled in convoy on the Melba Highway before 
staging the demonstration about 10.30am.
The road was blocked for about 90 minutes while speeches were made.
"We're now picketing the entrance. The police won't allow a blockade," she 
said.
"At this stage we're not willing to be arrested."
The protesters remained at the site during the day and don't intend to leave 
until at least midday today.
Another protest will be staged outside Parliament when it sits tomorrow.
"We're trying to tell this State Government there is simply not enough water 
there for you to take," Ms Beer said.
Under the plan, irrigation systems in northern Victoria will be upgraded, 
with a third of the water saved used to boost Melbourne's supply.
Water Minister Tim Holding said he respected the right of people to protest, 
but the project would be going ahead.
"These are vitally important projects for Victoria's water future," Mr 
Holding said.
"We need to modernise this irrigation infrastructure."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/01/2152450.htm

Southern forest protest continues
Posted Fri Feb 1, 2008 3:48pm AEDT
Map: Geeveston 7116
Forestry Tasmania says protesters in the southern forests are blocking work.
The Huon Valley Environment Centre says two of its protesters remain in a 
coup in the Esperance Valley, with one of them up a tree.
Forestry says the coup in question does contain some old-growth trees.
The general manager of operations, Kim Creek says continuing protests are 
preventing people from going about their lawful work.
"Mostly the money - the costs are to the manufacturing industries, the 
sawmills and the small contractors in the area who are our primary concern 
at this stage and with the fire fighting and all the other things we have on 
our plate at the moment," he said.
"We've got a little difficulty to go back and size up the cost of these, but 
I'd allege it's certainly tens of thousands of dollars."
Jenny Webber from the Huon Valley Environment Centre says the protesters are 
acting peacefully, and they have a democratic right to protect high heritage 
value forests.
"Well the search and rescue have been down into the Esperance Valley in the 
past couple of hours they've actually moved the obstruction that the tree 
sit was attached to," she said.
"So currently the woman in the tree sit is not halting any work, she's just 
sitting in the tree sit and deciding what her future will be."

http://tinyurl.com/2pqr2t

Activists are small in number, but strong in advocacy: Anti-FPL
demonstrators have long rattled system
Monday, March 24, 2008

Some call themselves social justice activists. Others are self-described
anarchists or agitators.

There are those who have been rattling the system for decades and have a
long, proud list of arrests that attest to their resolve, and newcomers
who had never been in jail before last month's daylong venture into
civil disobedience outside a new Florida Power & Light Co. power plant.

Ever since a core handful of local activists protested together at the
Free Trade Area of the Americas Summit in Miami in 2003, a larger,
loosely cohesive band of social "warriors" has operated in Palm Beach
County.

So when 27 got arrested after they locked arms and blocked a truck route
at FPL's new West County Energy Center, many of the faces were well known.

>From the outside, a city commissioner, a former physics major, an
environmental agitator and a tattooed 48-year-old roof washer might
appear to have little in common. Beneath the surface of this disparate
-- some say radical -- group lies a common set of beliefs. They share
not just war stories but also a hardened devotion to right what they see
as injustice, whether to man, plant or animal, and to live a life
connected to the earth.

"In a way, we are all warriors ... fighting for a better world, for what
we dream of," said Peter Shultz, who at 48 has been an activist longer
than some of his co-defendants have been alive. If getting arrested is
the only way to get people to realize that "building a power plant in
the middle of the Everglades is insanity," then so be it, he said.

That their latest theatrics outside the power plant have the State
Attorney's Office calling for them to pay an estimated $20,000 in
restitution is of less concern to them than the damage they fear the
plant will do to the environment.

"We live in an oil empire, so changing it and fighting it is not easy,"
said Panagioti Tsolkas, co-chairman of the Palm Beach County
Environmental Coalition, which brings together several environmental
groups here.

A veteran activist at 27, Tsolkas was a teenager in the Tampa area when
he was expelled from high school for resisting the newly established
FCATs. He moved to Lake Worth in 2000 to be near fellow activist Cara
Jennings.

He's been grabbing headlines since.

He was arrested for climbing a bamboo tripod blocking downtown traffic
in Lake Worth during 2004 anti-development protests. He was arrested
with Shultz and others for taking over the county's Business Development
Board, where they dumped sand and rotten fruit to protest a plan
locating Scripps Florida on a western citrus grove. He was a losing
candidate in the 2005 Lake Worth mayoral race and, last month, was
dragged away from the site of the new FPL plant.

Tsolkas and Jennings share a house in Lake Worth, joined recently by
another activist, Lynne Purvis.

Jennings, 31, is an immigrants rights protester first, who grew up in an
Irish Catholic family that "viewed Jesus as an agent of social change
and an activist." She's a vocal anarchist who, from her perch on a
bicycle, won a Lake Worth City Commission seat in 2006 to see what it is
like "agitating from within the system."

At the Feb. 18 protest, Jennings wasn't arrested. Her job was to
negotiate with deputies to keep the standoff peaceful. But she has no
aversion, she said, to squaring off with the law, pointing to her
November 2006 arrest at a protest outside the Mexican Consulate in Miami.

"As an elected official, it is important to walk your talk," Jennings
saidshortly after the FPL protest. "If I am going to talk about the
urgency of these issues, then I need to live that urgency. ... I am more
concerned about global warming and sea level rise than I am about
re-election."

Purvis, 28, is a Palm Beach County native who danced in high school,
studied physics and Hindu philosophy in college and is passionate about
human rights. She sports a nose ring and pink-streaked hair and met many
of her Lake Worth colleagues in 2001, rallying for Guatemalan rights.

She gained fame when she and another protester appeared topless at a
Scripps board of directors meeting at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach
with the message "Nature, yes. Biotech, no" painted on their bodies.

"We are all made out of the same stuff, and what happens to one affects
the other," she said. "I have no choice but to fight for my own
liberation by fighting for the liberation of the planet and other people."

With their activism part of an overall lifestyle, the three run a unique
household. They live on part-time jobs. They buy food in bulk, grow the
rest in their rain-watered garden and have a solar panel for some of
their electric needs.

Tsolkas, who works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission, hopes to one day get off the utility grid completely. He
recently dismantled his water heater saying he'd rather take cold showers.

Each sees activism as his or her real life's work. Earning money is a
necessary distraction.

"What would money give me that I don't have now?" asked Purvis, a Palm
Beach County native who gave up her car for a bicycle, relinquished her
cell phone and is fond of "Dumpster-diving" -- taking food others discard.

"I guess the idea of shying away from consumption is pretty
anti-American these days," Jennings noted. "But it hasn't always been
that way. There used to be great pride in being sustainable."

Effects of their agitating are difficult to pin down. Tsolkas thinks the
protests bolstered environmental lawsuits that got Scripps moved.

When the No Nukes protests in the '80s were waged, hundreds of power
plants were supposed to go online and never did, he said.

"Maybe it was Three Mile Island, and maybe it was the movement," he said.

Today activists are fighting another industrialized push. "Maybe climate
change will stem the tide," he said. "Maybe we will."

Their sometimes-flamboyant antics do draw criticism, especially among
some business and law enforcement leaders who see the activists as a
threat to law and order.

"These are basically radical revolutionaries," said John Smith,
president of the county's independent, pro-business political action
committee BizPac. The fruit tossing at the Business Development Board,
though not on the scale of "eco-terrorists" thought to have burned down
houses in Washington state, was born of the same destructive ideas, he said.

"If they had the power, the ability to destroy, they would be a major
destructive force in my view. They protest because that is all they can
get away with," Smith said. "They want to bring down the
earth-brutalizing capitalist machine. If they could bring it down they
would. This is not some gentle group of bird lovers or
environmentalists. They are in-your-face people."

Purvis said civil disobedience is her tactic of choice. She opts against
more extreme tactics, but doesn't necessarily oppose them.

"There's a lot of tools in the toolbox, and all of them need to be
used," Purvis said. "That's not what I would do, but I won't judge
people who do things in order to protect the planet or other people."

Tsolkas thinks civil disobedience is empowering and people should
practice it as often as they vote. He said he believes in open rebellion
and sees direct action as a tradition dating back to the Boston Tea Party.

It's not lost on this barefoot posse that as one of the wealthiest and
fastest-growing regions in the nation, Palm Beach County is a tough
environmental challenge.

But to those who belong to the area's alternative community, it is home.

"It's so important to put roots down and push for policy changes in
places that are difficult," Jennings said. "And when you are successful,
the significance of your victory is astounding."

Dianna Cahn can be reached at dcahn at sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6645.

PROFILE OF AN ACTIVIST

Marie Zwicker, a part-time nurse and former truck driver with striking
gray hair and children in their 30s and 40s, lives in Lake Worth and off
the grid with her husband in Maine.

Got her start: Civil rights movement and protesting the Vietnam War.

Believes in spreading the word by talking, whether to dump truck drivers
blocked by their recent FPL protest [she wasn't arrested] or to people
on lines in the supermarket.


"This is the world our children and our grandchildren and all our future
generations will inherit. If we don't do something, who will?"
Brian - RT <brian at RisingTideNorthAmerica.org> wrote: Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 
09:05:29 -0500
From: Brian - RT <brian at RisingTideNorthAmerica.org>
To: risingtide at lists.riseup.net
Subject: Earth First! Blockades Power Plant Construction Site, 27 Arrested

Photos available at www.risingtidenorthamerica.org 
<http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/>


Earth First! Blockades Power Plant Construction Site, 27 Arrested


Palm Beach County - Early Monday morning dozens of concerned community 
members from Palm Beach County and all over the nation put their bodies on 
the line to halt construction of FPL's West County Energy Center (WCEC), 
demanding energy efficiency, truly clean, renewable energy and a moratorium 
on development in south Florida. Everglades Earth First! blocked the main 
entrance to the WCEC site, a proposed massive 3800 MW gas-fired power plant 
that would emit 12 million tons of CO2, a leading greenhouse gas, every 
year. The plant is currently under construction despite ongoing legal 
challenges to the plant's needed permits and certification, which have been 
spearheaded by the local Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition.


A dozen activists locked themselves together through metal pipes as 200 
supporters rallied around them. The blockade stopped work on the 
construction site for six hours before a total of 27 people were arrested.


This confrontational action was taken to protect the Loxahatchee National 
Wildlife Refuge which sits 1000 ft from the power plant site and to protect 
the larger Everglades system. Restoration would be undermined by new 
development that the power plant is expected to encourage in the area. The 
civil disobedience action also aims to protect the entire planet from the 
destructive effects of climate change caused by power plant emissions.


"We just don't need this plant," said Lynne Purvis, an activist with 
Everglades Earth First! who was born and raised in the Loxahatchee area. 
"I'm not willing to threaten the integrity of the Loxahatchee, one of the 
last large, intact pieces of northern Everglades, so that people can fuel 
their greedy energy desires." Purvis says that the Everglades Earth First! 
group intends to continue a sustained campaign of direct action against this 
power plant and its adjacent gas pipeline.


The protest was also attended by grassroots activists and group across the 
United States who have been participating in the annual Earth First! Winter 
Rendezvous. One such group, Rising Tide North America, is part of an 
international movement for climate justice, which connects the social and 
environmental issues related to the growing climate crisis and calls for 
urgent and bold responses to the global human-caused dilemma.


Brian Sloan, an organizer with Rising Tide North America and participant in 
Monday morning's protest, said "FPL is doing what we call 'green-washing'. 
Gas-fired power is not a clean or sustainable energy. It is a dirty and 
dwindling fossil fuel." Sloan also states that Rising Tide does not trust 
energy companies to solve the climate crisis. "The solutions to climate 
change will never come from the people who created the problem."


Earth First! and the Rising Tide movements recognize that the fight against 
fossil fuel power is being used by the energy industry to push a new wave of 
nuclear energy. These grassroots groups are committed to extending their 
fight against the dangers of nuclear power with an eye on other FPL 
proposals, such as Turkey Point and St. Lucie.


>*Earth First! Blockades Power Plant Construction Site, 27 Arrested*
>
>Palm Beach County - Early Monday morning dozens of concerned community
>members from Palm Beach County and all over the nation put their bodies on
>the line to halt construction of FPL's West County Energy Center (WCEC),
>demanding energy efficiency, truly clean, renewable energy and a moratorium
>on development in south Florida. Everglades Earth First! blocked the main
>entrance to the WCEC site, a proposed massive 3800 MW gas-fired power plant
>that would emit 12 million tons of CO2, a leading greenhouse gas, every
>year. The plant is currently under construction despite ongoing legal
>challenges to the plant's needed permits and certification, which have been
>spearheaded by the local Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition.
>
>A dozen activists locked themselves together through metal pipes as 200
>supporters rallied around them. The blockade stopped work on the
>construction site for six hours before a total of 27 people were arrested.
>
>This confrontational action was taken to protect the Loxahatchee National
>Wildlife Refuge which sits 1000 ft from the power plant site and to protect
>the larger Everglades system. Restoration would be undermined by new
>development that the power plant is expected to encourage in the area. The
>civil disobedience action also aims to protect the entire planet from the
>destructive effects of climate change caused by power plant emissions.
>
>"We just don't need this plant," said Lynne Purvis, an activist with
>Everglades Earth First! who was born and raised in the Loxahatchee area.
>"I'm not willing to threaten the integrity of the Loxahatchee, one of the
>last large, intact pieces of northern Everglades, so that people can fuel
>their greedy energy desires." Purvis says that the Everglades Earth First!
>group intends to continue a sustained campaign of direct action against 
>this
>power plant and its adjacent gas pipeline.
>
>The protest was also attended by grassroots activists and group across the
>United States who have been participating in the annual Earth First! Winter
>Rendezvous. One such group, Rising Tide North America, is part of an
>international movement for climate justice, which connects the social and
>environmental issues related to the growing climate crisis and calls for
>urgent and bold responses to the global human-caused dilemma.
>
>Brian Sloan, an organizer with Rising Tide North America and participant in
>Monday morning's protest, said "FPL is doing what we call 'green-washing'.
>Gas-fired power is not a clean or sustainable energy. It is a dirty and
>dwindling fossil fuel." Sloan also states that Rising Tide does not trust
>energy companies to solve the climate crisis. "The solutions to climate
>change will never come from the people who created the problem."
>
>Earth First! and the Rising Tide movements recognize that the fight against
>fossil fuel power is being used by the energy industry to push a new wave 
>of
>nuclear energy. These grassroots groups are committed to extending their
>fight against the dangers of nuclear power with an eye on other FPL
>proposals, such as Turkey Point and St. Lucie.


> ELF Blamed for Arsons in Washington State> > 
> http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_030308WAB_street_dreams_fires_LJ.1a79d3a7.html
> > 'Street of Dream' homes burned by blaze> > Monday, March 3, 2008> > By 
> > TIM ROBINSON / KING 5 News and Associated Press> > WOODINVILLE, Wash. - 
> > An early morning fire still burning at the "Street> of Dreams" model 
> > luxury home development in Echo Lake just north of> Woodinville has 
> > destroyed at least three homes, and officials believe a> well-known 
> > arsonist group is responsible.> > No injuries have been reported in the 
> > three-alarm fire, which started> around 5 a.m. Monday.> > Snohomish 
> > County District Seven Chief Rick Eastman said a sign saying> ELF was 
> > left at the scene. ELF or Earth Liberation Front has claimed> 
> > responsibility for other arsons, including one at the University of> 
> > Washington in 2001 for which a woman is now on trial in Tacoma.> > 
> > Eastman said some of the homes were still under construction and no one> 
> > was living in the homes at the time. Three homes were completely> 
> > destroyed and one home had heat and smoke damage. Eastman said fires> 
> > also were set at a total of six homes.> > Eastman said that the fires 
> > were suspicious because they were set in> multiple places in separate 
> > homes. Firefighters were letting the fires> burn out for fear they could 
> > possibly be booby-trapped.> > "I'm not letting crews get in the 
> > buildings. It's a defensive fire right> now," said Eastman. "We heard 
> > several explosions inside of there, so> we're not sending any crews in 
> > for the fear that they are booby> trapped...We're in a contain mode."> > 
> > A 5-ft. by 5-ft. sign found nearby the scene read "Built Green? Nope> 
> > BLACK! McMansions + RCD's r not green. ELF" RCD means rural cluter> 
> > development.> > Eastman says police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 
> > Firearms and> Explosives were investigating.> > The Street of Dreams is 
> > an annual showcase of luxury homes in the> Seattle area. The latest 
> > development is off Highway 522 at Echo Lake Drive.> > 
> > http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_030308WAB_street_dreams_fires_LJ.1a79d3a7.html>

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gJFEwPQuw2So28q9la7kNwNPLm-w

15,000 protest Dresden bridge plan;: would end UNESCO heritage designation
Mar 9, 2008
BERLIN - Thousands of people protested in Dresden today against the planned 
construction of a bridge that could cost the city its status as a UNESCO 
World Heritage Site.
UNESCO warned in 2006 that 635-metre-long span would mar the skyline and 
landscape of the eastern German city.
On Sunday, 15,000 protesters rallied in favour of an alternative endorsed by 
UNESCO, a tunnel under the Elbe River instead of the bridge.
Besides concern over the UNESCO ruling, environmentalists complain the 
bridge would encroach on the habitat of the rare lesser horseshoe bat.
A court ruled in November that construction could proceed despite the threat 
to the bat.
However, legal authorities did order a strict nighttime speed limit of 30 
kilometres an hour to limit disruptions to the bat's habitat.