|
Army burns sarin nerve agent { September 2 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1062478248318520.xmlhttp://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1062478248318520.xml
Army conducts first burn of sarin nerve agent
Tuesday, September 02, 2003
ANNISTON, Ala. -- The Army destroyed about 530 gallons of sarin nerve agent in the first bulk burn of the lethal chemical at the Army's newest weapons incinerator, and the remaining 270 or so gallons are to be destroyed later this month, an Army spokesman said yesterday.
The Army had expected the 15 1/2-hour burn, which began Sunday and ended early yesterday, to consume the entire 800 gallons of sarin drained from rockets. Because it did not, workers will be "finetuning" the incinerator during the next burn in about three weeks to make it more efficient, Army spokesman Mike Abrams said.
Sarin, also known as "GB," is a nerve agent so deadly that a drop on the skin can kill. The chemical was drained from 900 M55 rockets that have been chopped up and burned since the incinerator began operating on Aug. 8.
The sarin burning is the most dangerous part of the process. The burn marked the first time the Army has destroyed a large amount of nerve agent near a populated area. Emergency planners estimate that 35,000 people live within nine miles of the incinerator. Jackson, others arrested
in protest march at Yale NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson and 13 others were arrested yesterday after blocking an intersection on the Yale University campus in support of striking university service and clerical workers.
Jackson led more than 1,000 people on a Labor Day march and rally in support of the striking workers before he was arrested.
Workers, religious leaders and members of the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People marched from a squat concrete community center north of the university to the shaded downtown streets of the Ivy League school.
University negotiators and leaders of striking unions agreed to return to the negotiating table tomorrow.
Yale officials said their latest eight-year contract offer to the workers is generous, with pay raises of 3 percent to 5 percent, pension benefit increases and signing bonuses worth 50 percent of pay raises they would have received dating back to January 2002, when the last contract expired. Study: Depression's toll
can be physical as well WASHINGTON -- Depression doesn't just make people feel bad mentally, it can leave them vulnerable to physical illness too.
That's the word from a research team led by Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their findings are being published this week in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The scientists were studying links between a person's psychological state and immune response. To do this, they asked 52 volunteers, male and female, to write about the worst time of their lives and the best time. Researchers then measured their brain activity electronically.
Increased activity in the right prefrontal area of the brain has been associated with stronger emotional response and depression. After the testing, the individuals were given flu shots and were tested two weeks, four weeks and six months later to determine their reaction to the shots.
Individuals who had shown greater activity in the right prefrontal part of the brain later had lower amounts of flu antibodies in their blood, indicating a weaker response by their immune system. 3 workers shot to death
inside Texas steakhouse TEXARKANA, Texas -- Three employees were found shot to death inside an Outback Steakhouse early yesterday, police said. The bodies were found in the office area.
"At this point we're unsure what the motive was. It's likely that it was robbery, but we don't know that for sure," said police Sgt. Danny Presley.
He said officers were sent to the restaurant at about 3 a.m. after receiving a call from the wife of manager Matt Hines. The woman, whose name wasn't released, said her husband hadn't come home and she wasn't able to contact him at the restaurant, Presley said.
She went to the restaurant and saw the cars belonging to her husband and two other employees, but could not get into the restaurant because the doors were locked.
She dialed 911, and police entered the restaurant using a key from another employee, Presley said. Police identified the victims as Hines, 31, Chrissy Willis, 23, and Rebecca Shifflet, 24.
Copyright 2003 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
