Re: The Heat and Sand
Don I would try to get the company to buy your home and get the hell out of there. It will drive you nuts and it's not worth it. Life is too short.. Vic
Re: The Heat and Sand
makes sense; needs a serious think. best wishes. -sridhar - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2003 6:03 PM Subject: Re: The Heat and Sand Don I would try to get the company to buy your home and get the hell out of there. It will drive you nuts and it's not worth it. Life is too short.. Vic
Re: The Heat and Sand
I'm too old for that. Don ___ Dr E D F Williams http://personal.inet.fi/cool/don.williams Author's Web Site and Photo Gallery Updated: March 30, 2002 - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2003 3:33 PM Subject: Re: The Heat and Sand Don I would try to get the company to buy your home and get the hell out of there. It will drive you nuts and it's not worth it. Life is too short.. Vic
Re: The Heat and Sand
I know how you feel but the silica may kill you and if not the company's ignorance and complete disrespect toward you and your family will drive you crazy and, in so doing, will take a few years off your life. We had a situation in our previous house where a neighbour with (a backyard pool and ignorant teenagers) were driving us nuts... We finally made the decision to move. It was the best thing we ever did. We went from a new house with a small backyard surrounded by idiots, to an old home with a large private yard with deer and fox etc, surrounded by people of like mind. Our lives changed overnight from feeling like rats in a maze to living life the way it should be lived... Just my 2 cents Vic In a message dated 7/20/03 12:07:52 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I'm too old for that. Don
Re: The Heat and Sand
On 18 Jul 2003 at 11:56, Dr E D F Williams wrote: [...] Silicosis is nasty. [...] Don, I'm sorry I don't know much about the health effects of inhaling quartz sand, but from what you describe I can imagine it increases the risk of lung oedema and cols as well as irritation-induced cancer. You have done a good job documenting what happens to your person and your property. What if you went to the press with it? Or confronted the cement company with the prospect of doing it? Are there any options for the company to reduce your problems? I would guess the fall-out on your premises vary with wind-direction. Perhaps it's possible to strike a deal with them as to how they use their area depending on the prevailing winds? Long shot, maybe, but I'm just trying to sidle up to the problem sideways, sort of... :-) cheers, Jostein -- Photos at: http://www.oksne.net AutoPug author. Submit your images at: http://www.oksne.net/autoPug/PugForm.asp
Re: The Heat and Sand
Hi, I've just come back from a walk right around that dreadful place with a camera. I just downloaded the pictures and they're good. I'm going to set up a proper web site with the whole story and get in touch with the right people after that. The stuff I've already put up was a very rough and ready effort just to show certain people what was going on. I sent them each a two page description of the situation, including information about the size range and identification of the sand grains. Whether sand falls on us depends entirely on the wind strength and direction. Anything over a metre or two per second from the North or North-West and we get it. Sometimes really badly. About eight days ago I could hardly see across this yard and everything, the house, the car, the garden furniture and all the plants in the garden was covered with fine white sand. The lawn looked like snow had fallen on it. I'm taking this matter seriously now and won't rest until it is sorted out. Don __ Dr E D F Williams http://personal.inet.fi/cool/don.williams Author's Web Site and Photo Gallery Updated: March 30, 2002 - Original Message - From: Jostein [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2003 2:34 PM Subject: Re: The Heat and Sand On 18 Jul 2003 at 11:56, Dr E D F Williams wrote: [...] Silicosis is nasty. [...] Don, I'm sorry I don't know much about the health effects of inhaling quartz sand, but from what you describe I can imagine it increases the risk of lung oedema and cols as well as irritation-induced cancer. You have done a good job documenting what happens to your person and your property. What if you went to the press with it? Or confronted the cement company with the prospect of doing it? Are there any options for the company to reduce your problems? I would guess the fall-out on your premises vary with wind-direction. Perhaps it's possible to strike a deal with them as to how they use their area depending on the prevailing winds? Long shot, maybe, but I'm just trying to sidle up to the problem sideways, sort of... :-) cheers, Jostein -- Photos at: http://www.oksne.net AutoPug author. Submit your images at: http://www.oksne.net/autoPug/PugForm.asp
Re: The Heat and Sand
Don, There's no reason you need to limit your contacts to local media. I wouldn't be surprised if foreign newspapers (or other media) were interested in your situation. You could also contact the AP and/or Reuters. If you'd like, I'd be glad to forward your information to my local newspapers. -Rich Worcester, MA, USA On 19/Jul/2003 15:06:54, Dr E D F Williams wrote: Hi, I've just come back from a walk right around that dreadful place with a camera. I just downloaded the pictures and they're good. I'm going to set up a proper web site with the whole story and get in touch with the right people after that. The stuff I've already put up was a very rough and ready effort just to show certain people what was going on. I sent them each a two page description of the situation, including information about the size range and identification of the sand grains. Whether sand falls on us depends entirely on the wind strength and direction. Anything over a metre or two per second from the North or North-West and we get it. Sometimes really badly. About eight days ago I could hardly see across this yard and everything, the house, the car, the garden furniture and all the plants in the garden was covered with fine white sand. The lawn looked like snow had fallen on it. I'm taking this matter seriously now and won't rest until it is sorted out. Don
Re: The Heat and Sand
I swear there was more to that email when I sent it! Let me try again: Don, There's no reason you need to limit your contacts to local media. I wouldn't be surprised if foreign newspapers (or other media) were interested in your situation. You could also contact the AP and/or Reuters. If you'd like, I'd be glad to forward your information to my local newspapers. -Rich Worcester, MA, USA On 19/Jul/2003 17:03:41, Richard Klein wrote: -Rich Worcester, MA, USA
Re: The Heat and Sand
On 19 Jul 2003 at 15:06, Dr E D F Williams wrote: I'm taking this matter seriously now and won't rest until it is sorted out. Don Good luck, Don. May David's fate against Goliath also be yours. Jostein -- Photos at: http://www.oksne.net AutoPug author. Submit your images at: http://www.oksne.net/autoPug/PugForm.asp
Re: The Heat and Sand
Have you thought of having someone from your local newspaper come out to do a story? There's nothing like a little public embarassment to get things moving. Does anyone around you have this same situation? - Original Message - From: Dr E D F Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 5:02 AM Subject: Re: The Heat and Sand We have spoken to the health inspectors. They come and measure the sound levels from time to time. But before they arrive with their equipment someone always lets the company know ... and magically the noise drops to reasonable levels, or even stops completely. This has been going on for years. But now that the dunes have been moved to our border things are really bad. Sand and noise all day and half the night. Their permit allows work from 5 am to 10 pm, but they sometimes go on past midnight. And where do you find an inspector at that time? I've written to the Environmental Minister directly, twice, over the last five or six years and she, then he, didn't even bother to acknowledge my letters. The European Union is our only hope in all this and I'm busy trying to find out how things should be done. I have a friend in the Jyväskylä Environmental Centre and he has tried to help ... to no avail. Money is all that matters around here. Our few beautiful hectares are becoming a worthless nightmare and we have no alternative. All the plants in Aino's lovely garden are white with sand almost all the time. And its getting hotter by the minute ... 30.5C in this room now. Don ___ Dr E D F Williams http://personal.inet.fi/cool/don.williams Author's Web Site and Photo Gallery Updated: March 30, 2002 - Original Message - From: Chris Stoddart [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 12:39 PM Subject: Re: The Heat and Sand snipped lots of environmental problems Don, Doesn't Finland have an equivalent of the UK's Health Safety Executive? Or the local council an Environmental Health Department (yes, I noticed what you put about the Mayor and politics). I am sure here that a complaint to one of the above would yield an investigation and for the noise alone they would shut them down except for the hours between 8am-6.30pm. As for the rest, have you tried looking for EU Health and Safety regulations? I am sure Finland is a signatory, so they HAVE to enforce EU guidelines. I hope you can make some inroads 'cos right now your house sounds like not a fun place to live. Chris
Re: The Heat and Sand
Treena, One woman who lived in a house on the other side of this mess went quietly nuts. Poor Anna-Maija, she tried so hard to mobilise people to take action against the nuisance. The owner of the cement company started a campaign of hatred and a flood of rumours about her and she simply couldn't take the pressure. She was a respected school teacher until she complained about the quarry. She became quite deranged and paranoid and that was the end of her. She and her husband moved away. The only other houses nearby (most are summer cottages) are along the lake shore, the other side of the main road that runs past the pits. They have relative peace because there is a high bank with thick vegetation along the shore road, built to hide the operation from public view. As far as the cement factory is concerned we are the biggest liars and trouble makers in the village. The amount of bad-mouthing we get is astounding. But up to now I've been able to simply get on with my own thing and not bother. But I'm being buried alive now. I have to do something. I like your idea but we have no NY Times or Times (London) -- our broadsheets are a bit old fashioned. I'll have to try a tabloid. Don ___ Dr E D F Williams http://personal.inet.fi/cool/don.williams Author's Web Site and Photo Gallery Updated: March 30, 2002 - Original Message - From: Treena [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 4:13 PM Subject: Re: The Heat and Sand Have you thought of having someone from your local newspaper come out to do a story? There's nothing like a little public embarassment to get things moving. Does anyone around you have this same situation? . clipped
Re: The Heat and Sand
Not at all. I'm afraid the area near our border is a storage area. They're digging several metres below the water level now and moving the sand from the deep parts to these huge dumps that I photographed today. I'll post pictures in the morning. They're slowly covering every square metre of the high areas with huge mountains of sand. And of course the slightest wind from the north blows it off the tops onto our land, yard and house leaving those strange ripples and edges one sees on desert dunes. ___ Dr E D F Williams http://personal.inet.fi/cool/don.williams Author's Web Site and Photo Gallery Updated: March 30, 2002 - Original Message - From: Chris Stoddart [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 9:45 PM Subject: Re: The Heat and Sand As far as the cement factory is concerned we are the biggest liars and trouble makers in the village. The amount of bad-mouthing we get is astounding. But up to now I've been able to simply get on with my own thing and not bother. But I'm being buried alive now. I have to do something. I like your idea but we have no NY Times or Times (London) -- our broadsheets are a bit old fashioned. I'll have to try a tabloid. There is also local TV - they might be interested? Noise and big swirling duststorms look quite good on telly :-) Then there is self-publicity like a web site - people have got alls orts started from a humble web site. Regarding the company always being forewarned about Environmental Health visits to measure noise, you could always ask EH to monitor over time? 3-4 months sounds good to me :-) Then they would have to run to scheduled hours for that time, no matter how warned they were. One good thing - if they are so close to your land perhaps they have nearly exhausted that end of the deposit? Chris