World Scenes 38 World Scenes Like the last proud soldier of a select group of ten, 1979 thrashed out at the world with a fierceness that allowed few se ttling moments. At times the age-o ld proverb which states that those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it seemed uncomfortably close to the truth. From those who could remember or who were well informed, the air was often filled with statemen ts like "Not since World War II ," "Not since Kennedy was President" or "Not since the Great Depression." The whole world seemed in each other's backyard as nations came to realize more fully their interdependence. All Americans were touched by the events and the realization that events in a small country half-a-worid away directly affected them, their lifestyles and their national confidence. Perhaps more than i;' any recent year, because 1979 affected America's heart, psyche and national fibre, students seemed to pay more attention to world events and remained better informed. Although many events were far removed geographically, the world scenes of 1979 largely had a direct, though sometimes intangible, effect on the lives of a ll at Harding University. Through the articles on the following pages, the Petit Jean has attempted to give a capsuled look at those events with seemed most concerned. A slightly more in-depth look was taken at those events which seemed to affect the campus community the most, either psychologically or physically. Some major news events are not even mentioned because either their range or directness of influence was not as great as with o ther events. The events dealt with , however, are those which will mos t probably be remembered the longest. f(,wJ I hear the thunder three miles away The island is leaking into the bay. Face the fire, you can't turn away The risk grows greater with each passing day. The time 's upon us - the mome"t has come To kill the fire and turn to the sun. Anti-nuclear sentiments such as those expressed in the words from Dan Fogleberg's song "Face the Fire," grew more prevalent in the aftermath of the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, located in the Delaware River south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. On May 28, 1979 the core of one of the island plant's nuclear reactors overheated when a sudden loss of cooling water resulted from a series of human errors and mechanical failures. It was the worst nuclear accident ever at a civilian nuclear pow~r plant. The chain of events causing the accident seemed amazingly similar to the events portrayed in a new movie, "China Syndrome. " The major concern in the movie and at Three Mile Island was that if the reactor core overheated enough, a melt down could occur with radioactive material melting into the surface of the earth. It was thought that if the core hit the water table, radioactive steam would be released into the atmosphere, contaminating the area. Just in case, and . because of some radioactive seepage from the plant, residents near the island were asked to leave the area. With President Carter and nuclear experts tromping through the disabled plant in protective boots, finger-pointing began all-around as everyone who might have been responsible for the accident tried to shift the blame. Although the dreaded melt down never occured, there was much speculation as to if a similar accident could occur at Arkansas' nuclear reactor near Russellville. To doomsayers' benefit, minor problems at Nuclear One resulted in the temporary shutdown of Nuclear One and a halt to work on Nuclear Two. Almost a year later clean-up operations were still being carried out at the Three Mile Island plant. Large quantities of contaminated water were still being stored as officials sought ways to dispose of the potentially hazardous material. In early 1980 officials of the power plant were embarrassed by a report filed by an investigative reporter who had posed as a worker at the plant. His story told of lax security which enabled him to enter areas for which he did not have security clearance. Also, the story depicted one of the doors leading to the sensitive control room as having a rope in the place of where a door knob should ha ve been. rr;~,
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