A BIRD dropping may have short-circuited a unit at the largest nuclear power complex in the US, causing the plant to shut down last month, investigators said.
"There were eyewitnesses," said Kwin Peterson, a spokesman for the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, which is looking into the incident at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station that caused outages all the way to Canada. "There was a bird on a 230 kilovolt power line west of Phoenix, and as the bird took off, it let loose as birds often do."
Investigators thought excrement contaminated an insulator and electricity flashed to the tower, creating a short.
At the time, utility officials said all three units at Palo Verde, plus the natural gas-fired Red Hawk power plant, turned themselves off because of a disturbance in the transmission system. But they did not know the cause at the time.
There was no radioactivity leakage or danger to plant workers or nearby residents, plant officials said.
However, the loss of the 5000 megawatts caused short power outages across Arizona to New Mexico, central California and as far as the Canadian province of Alberta.
A final report has not been completed on the cause, but evidence was strong that a bird began the incident, Mr Peterson said.
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season."
Bet the will post a guard with a shotgun now to take care of those flying rats.
[img=right]http://hem.bredband.net/b217293/warsaban.gif[/img] "Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. ... If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. ... If, as they say, God can abolish evil, and God really wants to do it, why is there evil in the world?" -Epicurus
Fear is the mother of all gods.
Nature does all things spontaneously, by herself, without the meddling of the gods. -Lucretius
Col. Crackpot wrote: the department of homeland security should immidiately detain all winged mammals for questioning.
I don't see what good that will do in apprehending the guilty bird.
"Gunslinger indeed. Quick draw, Bob. Quick draw." --Count Chocula
"Unquestionably, Dr. Who is MUCH lighter in tone than WH40K. But then, I could argue the entirety of WWII was much lighter in tone than WH40K." --Broomstick
"This is ridiculous. I look like the Games Workshop version of a Jedi Knight." --Harry Dresden, Changes
"Like...are we canonical?" --Aaron Dembski-Bowden to Dan Abnett
Col. Crackpot wrote: the department of homeland security should immidiately detain all winged mammals for questioning.
I don't see what good that will do in apprehending the guilty bird.
if you have been paying attention to national policy at all for the past 3 years you would realize how irrelevant that it. No be a loyal american and go kill some birds!
"This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it.” -Tom Clancy
Col. Crackpot wrote::wtf: the department of homeland security should immidiately detain all winged mammals for questioning.
I don't see what good that will do in apprehending the guilty bird.
Of course. This is the DHS we're talking about, after all.
"Stop! No one can survive these deadly rays!"
"These deadly rays will be your death!"
- Thor and Akton, Starcrash
"Before man reaches the moon your mail will be delivered within hours from New York to California, to England, to India or to Australia by guided missiles.... We stand on the threshold of rocket mail."
- Arthur Summerfield, US Postmaster General 1953 - 1961
Col. Crackpot wrote: the department of homeland security should immidiately detain all winged mammals for questioning.
I don't see what good that will do in apprehending the guilty bird.
Shrubby: "That bird hates freedom."
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
Bet the will post a guard with a shotgun now to take care of those flying rats.
Shoot at power cables. Good idea.
"This cult of special forces is as sensible as to form a Royal Corps of Tree Climbers and say that no soldier who does not wear its green hat with a bunch of oak leaves stuck in it should be expected to climb a tree"
— Field Marshal William Slim 1956
Tom broakaw: there is a report that a skyscraper in reno has been blown apart by a flock of al qaeda avian. The avian al=qaeda used themselves as flying missiles looks like the building is gone,,
G.W. Bush: the birds hated freedom...these birds hated the american way, i have declared war on avianland in an attempt to weed out the terrorists..
" images of missiles shooting in the sky"
You wanna set an example Garak....Use him, Let him Die!!
Bird shit? Okay, I've heard of snakes, birds (proper), squirrels, racoons, even a freakin' deer shorting out lines, but this is....out there.
However, you guys are on the wrong track. This isn't terrorism, it's the first stage of nature's counterstrike againtst us.
Hmm, those ducks outside have been staring at me for a while now.......
"And the sign said, 'Anybody caught tresspassing, will be shot on sight.' So I jumped over the fence and yelled at the house, 'Hey! What -'" BAM*BAM*BAM*BAM*BAM
I think his point was that birds aren't mammals. I don't know, I'm just guessing.
Last edited by Crown on 2004-07-22 12:44am, edited 1 time in total.
Η ζωή, η ζωή εδω τελειώνει!
"Science is one cold-hearted bitch with a 14" strap-on" - Masuka 'Dexter'
"Angela is not the woman you think she is Gabriel, she's done terrible things"
"So have I, and I'm going to do them all to you." - Sylar to Arthur 'Heroes'
in a related story, the 80's British pop group Flock of Seaguls was detained at Logan airport today by the TSA. Homeland Security director Tom Ridge declared the arrest a victory against freedom hating avians who seek to destroy America.
"This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it.” -Tom Clancy
The birds must be getting revenge for their kind being shocked by power lines.
Babylon 5: In the Beginning quote:
General Lefcourt: "My people can handle themselves. We took care of the Dilgar. We can take care of the Minbari." Londo Mollari: "Ahh, arrogance and stupidity all in the same package. How efficient of you."
I guess I'll stay out of the US of A for a while, just to be on the safe side...
'Next time I let Superman take charge, just hit me. Real hard.'
'You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors. I'm a rich kid with issues. Lots of issues.'
'No. No dating for the Batman. It might cut into your brooding time.'
'Tactically we have multiple objectives. So we need to split into teams.'-'Dibs on the Amazon!'
'Hey, we both have a Martian's phone number on our speed dial. I think I deserve the benefit of the doubt.'
'You know, for a guy with like 50 different kinds of vision, you sure are blind.'
Col. Crackpot wrote: the department of homeland security should immidiately detain all winged mammals for questioning.
I don't see what good that will do in apprehending the guilty bird.
if you have been paying attention to national policy at all for the past 3 years you would realize how irrelevant that it. No be a loyal american and go kill some birds!
But you said Winged Mammals! **holds Batman at gunpoint**
Nitram, slightly high on cough syrup: Do you know you're beautiful?
Me: Nope, that's why I have you around to tell me.
Nitram: You -are- beautiful. Anyone tries to tell you otherwise kill them.
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" -- Leonard Nimoy, last Tweet
*Glares at LadyTevar*
I hate guns. They make me angry
*takes gun away*
*leaves*
O, tell Dick and Timothy to leave the country. It seems to be bird season.
*ponders*
Tell Cassie too. The hunters may not really know what constitutes a bird in the first place...
'Next time I let Superman take charge, just hit me. Real hard.'
'You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors. I'm a rich kid with issues. Lots of issues.'
'No. No dating for the Batman. It might cut into your brooding time.'
'Tactically we have multiple objectives. So we need to split into teams.'-'Dibs on the Amazon!'
'Hey, we both have a Martian's phone number on our speed dial. I think I deserve the benefit of the doubt.'
'You know, for a guy with like 50 different kinds of vision, you sure are blind.'
