In Search of Copper
Armenia Loses Internet for an Entire Day
Although the 75-year old woman was released because of her age, she faces up to three years in prison if charged and convicted. The poor gal was just scavenging some copper scraps and didn't intentionally mean to cut the Internet cord on all of Armenia.
Many of the people in the former Soviet Union hunt for copper scraps as a means of making their money. Just how much they get from this endeavor is difficult to determine.
But if you think it only happens in the former Soviet Union, think again.
Scavenging for precious metals in the United States has escalated over the past few years. The National Institutes of Health published a document in 1992 that warned,
"The scavenging of copper wire from old buildings and equipment has become common. Although scavenging without permission constitutes theft, a more significant risk to the perpetrator is the potential for electrical burn injury in attempting to remove "hot" wire. A severe high-voltage electrical burn injury sustained while attempting to scavenge wire from an old house is reported."
As for the Armenians, this isn't the first time that their Internet service has been disabled by scavengers on the hunt for copper metals. The same thing happened two years ago when a cable was damaged by someone seeking scrap metal.
Perhaps these folks should invest in an underground cable detector before they start hacking at the ground in search of copper.
Sources:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/06/georgian-woman-cuts-web-access
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704630004576249013084603344.html
Published by Michele Starkey
Optimist who enjoys writing, laughing and spreading good news. If I have but one life to live, I hope to make mine memorable. My epitaph will read: she lived, she loved, she left. View profile
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58 Comments
Post a CommentThat is awful.
Remember the days when internet was not the thing. Seems like these days it is the most important. Even for me.
this poor women, i can understand her situation, but what about people who is ruining the statue made of cooper, they even put acid on it, so they can collect that cooper, regardless that is armenians heritage made by very known armenian artist KARLEN NURIJANIAN, WHO MADE THIS SCULPTURE FOR THE PEOPLE, how about that. i just very angry that people in this countru forsed to do that just for the money, and where is the civerment? i can unswer that "in the very compfy cabinets and they dont see anything that happenning wrigh beforev they"re eyes. They just do not want to see it
Great article and topic! That poor woman. You'd think that they would make the country's internet cable a bit less easy to damage. Perhaps it needs to be encased in tough PVC or some other material not hunted for salvage!
Interesting story.
Oh dear. Poor lady.
That was interesting!
Can you blame her? Copper prices are through the roof right now, and seniors need to get by somehow. Hopefully they will overlook this one oopsy.
Can you blame her? Copper prices are through the roof right now, and seniors need to get by somehow. Hopefully they will overlook this one oopsy.
i hope she isn't sentenced if she was innocent, keep us posted on her outcome!