Sunday, December 28, 2008

Power substation



This is a power substation near my home. Again, there is no barb wire. The notice is more for your protection.

One day, a lady from the power station came to school to talk to the kids to tell them about the danger of playing near the substations.

The Power didn't have a good reputation. It was tarnished by a stupid act of one of it's contractors who cut off the power supply to a very sick woman who depended on oxyzgen supply. The poor woman died, and this became a very controversial issue.

I was teaching ESOL to adult students, and we had very good discussion. You see, the poor woman was an immigrant, and my students who are immigrants were very passionate about this issue.

Folole Muliaga had just recently been released from the hospital, and was dependant on a respirator for oxygen. Folole’s energy bill was $299.

Trade unionists and community activists from South Auckland will join forces tomorrow at an angry picket at the headquarters of Mercury Energy, 602 Great South Road in Green Lane, tomorrow Thurs 31 May at 4pm, to protest the death of Folole Muliaga.

Mercury Energy - Murder Energy!

From http://www.solidarityunion.com/

Muliaga's death on May 29, 2007, outraged New Zealanders and saw Prime Minister Helen Clark denounce the company's actions as heartless and intolerable.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080519/coroner-new-zealand-woman-died-after-electricity-cut-off.htm

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