Latest news with #Eiffel
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Chenab bridge: Kashmir's century-old dream comes true as the mountain territory gets rail link to mainland
SRINAGAR: June 6 marks a historic day in Jammu and Kashmir as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the long-awaited train service, fulfilling a century-old dream of linking Kashmir to India's rail network. The train to Kashmir marks a historic milestone in India's engineering and connectivity. The key projects flagged off by PM Modi include two new Kashmir-specific designed special Vande Bharat trains and inaugurate two engineering marvels, the Chenab bridge (world's highest railway bridge which is taller than Eiffel tower) and Anji bridge, India's first cable-stayed rail bridge. '6th June is indeed a special day for my sisters and brothers of Jammu and Kashmir. Key infrastructure projects worth Rs. 46,000 crores are being inaugurated, which will have a very positive impact on people's lives. In addition to being an extraordinary feat of architecture, the Chenab Rail Bridge will improve connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. The Anji Bridge stands tall as India's first cable-stayed rail bridge in a terrain that is challenging,' PM Modi posted on X a day before launch of the Kashmir train. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also said June 6 is a landmark day for J&K when, finally, the valley will be connected to the rest of the country by a railway link to be inaugurated at the hands of the PM. He said it has been a long wait. 'If I say that I have been waiting for this day for a long time, it won't be an exaggeration. This project started when I was in school, maybe in class 7 or 8. Today, my children have also completed their education and are now working,' he said.
![[김대균의 영어산책] 'Flirting' – 가볍고 설레는 영어 표현의 세계](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F05%2F21%2Fnews-p.v1.20250521.4f958dd771c24958a3eaa71104cdae55_T1.png&w=3840&q=100)
![[김대균의 영어산책] 'Flirting' – 가볍고 설레는 영어 표현의 세계](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
[김대균의 영어산책] 'Flirting' – 가볍고 설레는 영어 표현의 세계
독자 여러분은 누군가에게 호감을 표현할 때, 어떻게 말을 하실까? 오늘은 영어에서 자주 쓰이는 flirting (플러팅) 표현들을 소개해 드린다. Flirting이란? Flirting은 누군가에게 호감이나 관심을 표현하는 사회적이고 장난스러운 행동을 뜻한다. 진지하게 고백하거나 부담을 주는 건 아니고, 자연스럽고 은근하게 호감을 보여주는 표현들이다.(Flirting is a form of social or playful behavior that shows romantic or sexual interest in someone—often done in a subtle, indirect, or teasing way. 대표적인 플러팅 행동들(Examples of flirting might include 자주 눈을 마주치고 웃기(Smiling a lot and making eye contact) 가볍게 농담하거나 장난치기(Light teasing or joking) 칭찬하기 (Giving compliments) 가까이에서 이야기할 기회를 자주 만들기(Finding reasons to talk or be physically close to someone) 살짝 도발적인 농담 섞기(Using playful or suggestive language) ⚠️ 중요한 주의점: Flirting은 상호 간의 동의와 편안함이 있을 때만 즐겁고 harmless한 행동이다. 상대방이 불편해하거나 원하지 않는 경우에는 예의 없고 무례하게 보일 수 있다. 항상 존중과 배려가 먼저이다!(Flirting can be fun and harmless when mutual, but if one person feels uncomfortable or it's unwanted, it can come across as inappropriate or even disrespectful. Consent and respect are key.) 실전 대화 속 Flirting 표현들 (영어 + 한국어 번역) You always know how to make me laugh. 당신은 항상 날 웃게 하네요. 2. Is it just me, or do we have amazing chemistry? 나만 그런가요, 우리 정말 잘 통하는 것 같지 않아요? 3. I think your smile just made my day. 당신의 미소 덕분에 오늘 하루가 행복해졌어요. 4. So… when do I get to see you again? 그럼… 다음엔 언제 또 만날 수 있을까요? 5. If we work together much longer, I might get too distracted. 우리가 계속 같이 일하면 제가 집중 못 할지도 몰라요. 6. I don't usually say this, but you look really good today. 이런 말 잘 안 하는데, 오늘 정말 멋져 보여요. 7. You have a way of making everything more fun. 당신 덕분에 모든 게 더 즐거워져요. 살짝 장난기 섞인 표현들 (Light Teasing Style) 1. Don't smile like that—it's dangerous. 그렇게 웃지 마요—위험하잖아요. 2. Stop being so charming. It's distracting. 너무 매력적이길 멈추세요! 집중이 안 되잖아요. 3. Are you always this confident, or is it just when you're around me? 원래 이렇게 자신감 넘치세요, 아니면 저랑 있을 때만 그런가요? 재치 있는 픽업 라인 모음 (Pick-up Lines) 이런 표현들은 유머와 센스를 담아, 웃으며 분위기를 부드럽게 만들어줍니다. 1. Are you French? Because Eiffel for you. 프랑스 사람이세요? 당신에게 Eiffel (I fell) 했거든요.(발음 장난이 들어가 있다) 2. Do you have a name, or can I call you mine? 이름 있어요? 없으면 제 이름으로 불러도 될까요?(미국이나 영국은 결혼하면 남자의 성을 따르는 문화를 기준으로 한 말이다. 즉, 당신과 결혼하고 싶다는 의미가 들어간 문장) 3. Is your Wi-Fi signal strong? Because I'm really feeling a connection. 와이파이 잘 터지나요? 우리 연결되는 느낌이에요. 4. Are you made of copper and tellurium? Because you're Cu-Te. 당신은 구리(Cu)와 텔루륨(Te)으로 만들어졌나요? 정말 Cute 하네요!(화학명을 의식한 말장난이 포함된 말) 5. Are you a time traveler? Because I can see you in my future. 시간 여행자세요? 제 미래에 당신이 보여요. 6. Do you have a map? I just got lost in your eyes. 지도 있으세요? 당신 눈에서 길을 잃었어요. 7. If you were a vegetable, you'd be a cute-cumber. 당신이 채소라면 큐트-컴버 (cute + cucumber)겠죠!(오이의 영어발음을 의식한 말장난) 8. You must be tired, because you've been running through my mind all day. 당신은 하루 종일 제 마음속을 돌아다니셨어요. 피곤하지 않으세요? 9. Are you a magician? Because whenever I look at you, everyone else disappears. 마법사세요? 당신을 보면 다른 사람이 안 보여요. 10. Is your name Google? Because you've got everything I've been searching for.
India.com
24-04-2025
- India.com
Think You Know Kashmir? Think Again — 7 Unknown Facts
Muskan Kalra Apr 24, 2025 Kashmir is home to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar – Asia's largest, with over 1.5 million tulips blooming each spring. Pampore, a town in Kashmir grows some of the world's finest saffron, its among the highest altitude places were saffron is cultivated. The Amarnath save houses a naturally occurring ice shiva lingam, which waxes and wanes with the moon – drawing thousands of pilgrims each year. The Chenab bridge in the jammu and Kashmir region is taller than the Eiffel tower – a marvel of modern engineering. On the serene dal lake floats the world's only post office, housed in a wooden houseboat and functioning since 2011. The sonzal region near khrew has mud volcanoes, rarely active and known mostly to locals and researchers. Before Islamic influence, Kashmir was a major center for shaivism, Sanskrit learning, and hindu philosophy with universities like sharada peeth. Read Next Story
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
As heavy as 100 Eiffel Towers: Monumental L.A. County fire debris removal could finish by June
A small army of laborers, heavy-equipment operators, hazmat technicians and truck drivers have cleared more than one-third of the home lots left in charred ruin by January's firestorms — a frenetic pace that suggests the bulk of the vast government-run cleanup in Los Angeles County could be completed as early as June, officials say. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officers overseeing the effort said the crews of mostly private contractors are working at a record clip for a wildfire recovery, clearing nearly 120 lots a day and operating at close to the capacity that roads — and residents close to the fire zones — can tolerate. The scope of the unfinished work came into clearer focus last week, with the passing of the April 15 deadline for residents of Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu to opt in or out of the cleanup. Some 10,373 property owners completed 'right-of-entry' forms, authorizing the Army Corps and government contractors to work on their properties, while 1,698 others opted out of the program, many because they wanted their own crews to perform the work. Army Corps of Engineers commanders reported that 4,153 properties across the Eaton and Palisades burn zones had been cleared by Thursday, though the total declared as 'complete' is lower because many of the lots still need finishing touches — including the removal of hazardous trees, installation of fencing around pools and application of 'hydro-mulch' sealant to prevent erosion. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass held a news conference Thursday to mark 100 days since the fires and to tout the speed of the recovery. "The Army Corps of Engineers are heroes in Los Angeles, are heroes in the Palisades," said Bass, standing alongside Army commanders and Westside Councilmember Traci Park. "It is amazing to come here day after day. … Every time I come, I see more and more properties cleared." Read more: What to Know Before Hiring a Contractor After a Wildfire The Army officers commanding the cleanup say it is the biggest their agency has ever conducted in a wildfire zone. With more than 1 million tons of concrete, steel, earth and plants already removed from the burn areas, two colonels overseeing the operation reached for superlatives to describe the scope of the work. The weight of the debris removed equals the weight of 100 Eiffel towers, said Col. Sonny Avichal, the West Point graduate overseeing the Altadena fire cleanup. The weight taken out of the Palisades, alone, is equal to a row of Ford F-150 pickups, lined up end-to-end and stretching from Los Angeles past Salt Lake City, said Col. Brian Sawser, another West Point grad, who has overseen the Palisades fire cleanup. 'This has been very similar to a war-fighting approach,' said Sawser, referring to the military's strategy of bringing together diverse personnel, organizations and processes and unifying them in a common purpose. He later pledged: "Renewal is coming, it's coming. And we're bringing it to you as fast as we possibly can." Avichal said the mission requires brute force but also a soft touch, as when an elderly woman in Altadena recently asked a cleanup crew for a personal treasure buried in her home's rubble. The workers soon recovered a small safe and the gold coins inside it, delivering the bounty to the beaming homeowner, a moment captured in a Facebook video. 'At the end of the day, it's about the human touch,' Avichal said, recognizing the workers who returned the coins to the owner. 'It's about the compassion we have for the individuals who lost their homes.' The cleanup has ramped up considerably in recent weeks. When Avichal arrived in February from his base in Virginia, there were only 20 crews clearing lots in Altadena. (Each crew consists of, at minimum, a quality assurance official from the Army Corps; a task force leader from the principal contractor, Burlingame-based ECC; a heavy-equipment operator; a crew leader; and several laborers.) Now 129 crews are clearing properties in the San Gabriel Valley community. It takes a little less than two days for workers to finish clearing a property, slightly less than the time needed in the Palisades, where lots tend to be larger, and in Malibu, where some of the work has been complicated because of the precarious perch of more than 300 burned homes along the beach. The fire zones now teem with lines of trucks, earthmovers and workers in yellow-and- orange safety vests. The air thrums with the din of destruction — giant excavators clanking against steel beams, trucks bleating out warning signals as they back into position, green organic material whooshing out of hoses onto finished sites. While the images can appear chaotic, they are the result of hours of planning and preparation. Homeowners typically receive a call two or three days before crews arrive. A staffer from lead contractor ECC asks for important property details: Are there septic tank lids or propane tanks that need to be avoided? Are there pet graves that must be left undisturbed? Do workers need to be on the lookout for squatters? An initial inspection crew, commissioned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, then screens each property in search of paints and other toxic substances. Analysts also probe for asbestos — a job that expanded as the carcinogenic material turned up in many more locations than expected. Read more: How L.A. removed 1 million pounds of flammable lithium-ion batteries from its burn zones Workers have found asbestos in more than 60% of homes in Altadena and more than 40% in the extended Palisades fire zone. Cleanup crews in white hazmat suits and respirators typically needed up to three days to scrape away the material and remove it in sealed containers. 'At one point we had 95 crews doing nothing but asbestos abatement,' Avichal said. On the Westside, the debris removal has been complicated by the constricted roads in and out of the burn zone. Traffic flow along Pacific Coast Highway has been reduced to one lane in each direction and Temescal Canyon Road remains closed to create what the Army leaders call a TDRS — Temporary Debris Reduction Site. Heavy excavation machines bash giant concrete blocks into more manageable chunks, before grinders pulverize the material into 1- to 3-inch rocks, which can be recycled. Steel and other metals also get compacted in the recycling zone before being trucked away. By doing the reduction work close to the disaster site, debris that initially filled three or four dump trucks can be consolidated into one large semi tractor-trailer load. That means that the total truck traffic leaving the burn areas is reduced substantially. Anthony Marguleas, a real estate agent active in rebuilding efforts in the Palisades, called the debris recycling effort "a clear win for the community," in that it reduced outbound truck traffic and also appeared to be "efficient and environmentally responsible." State insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in January that homeowners have typically spent more than $100,000 when they paid to have private contractors remove debris after recent wildfires. Those who opt in to the government program have no direct out-of-pocket costs, though the Army Corps of Engineers will ask insurance companies that cover debris removal to reimburse the government up to the limits of that specific coverage. The pressure for progress abounds throughout the fire communities, as homeowners plead for access that will allow them to start rebuilding. But the drive to complete the work is particularly high along PCH in Malibu, where 327 homes burned. The extra anxiety has multiple causes: The charred remains of homes continue to wash away, spilling contaminants into Santa Monica Bay. Caltrans crews need access to ensure the ground under PCH does not erode. And the the sooner the work is done, the sooner access might improve along the highway, a lifeline for residents and for businesses that depend on customers coming from Santa Monica and points beyond. Sawser said last week that the Army Corps-led crews would be 'tripling their effort' along the coast, with as many as a dozen crews clearing home sites, compared to the three or four that had operated there before. 'That highway is the linchpin to everything that we do,' Sawser said, 'because we not only have to clear that debris for many reasons, we also need to have the highway to move material out of a lot of other locations.' Though the cleanup crews have drawn wide praise, the work has not been flawless. A homeowner complained at a recent hearing in Malibu that an excavator has mistakenly began to plow up the concrete slab under her ADU. She caught the mistake before the destruction was complete and the contractor later told her by phone that the company would pay to repair the damage. And some health officials and residents have questioned whether the lot clearances have gone far enough. The Federal Emergency Management Agency decided to not follow past practice of testing the soil after disasters for contaminants. Those tests typically had been used to determine whether cleanup crews should remove more than the first 6 inches of topsoil. After the twin L.A. fires, FEMA announced it would not conduct the soil testing on cleared lots, drawing criticism that the cleanups would not be truly complete. Those reservations gained some traction earlier this month when soil testing by Los Angeles County in and around the burn areas found concerning levels of lead. Read more: L.A. County soil testing near Eaton, Palisades fires shows significant contamination The potential adverse impact of the work has also generated pushback in neighboring Southern California communities, given the more than 2,000 truckloads of earth, concrete, metal and other debris being shipped each day to 16 landfills and recycling centers around the region. The Simi Valley Landfill & Recycling Center has taken by far the biggest share of the fire detritus, receiving an average of 1,228 truckloads a day last week and a total of 636,000 tons of debris since the cleanup started. The Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Sylmar, the second biggest fire debris repository, has received 126,000 tons. From Malibu to Calabasas, Altadena and Irwindale, residents around the burn zones and the communities where the debris is being deposited have expressed fears that toxic materials could be released into the air and soil. Contractors have responded that they are taking considerable care — including frequent watering of home lots and waste consolidation sites — to keep pollutants out of the air. Into mid-April, the protests and a lawsuit by the city of Calabasas had not succeeded in redirecting the debris. On a recent weekday afternoon, debris trucks lined up for several hundred yards outside the weigh station at Simi Valley Landfill & Recycling Center. Once inside, trucks lumbered up a long, curving road into the hills. Then came another wait to dump their loads — an untold number of incinerated living room sets, teddy bears, running shoes and other detritus, spilling into a final resting place. An enormous cloud of gulls billowed and swooped around the charred waste. 'Everything we owned and gathered over 35 years was hauled away in like three trucks,' said Eitan, a Palisades man who declined to give his last name. 'It's almost a biblical kind of conclusion, from ashes to ashes. That's for humans but, in this case, it's for all of those objects as well.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
20-04-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
As heavy as 100 Eiffel Towers: Monumental L.A. County fire debris removal could finish by June
A small army of laborers, heavy-equipment operators, hazmat technicians and truck drivers have cleared more than one-third of the home lots left in charred ruin by January's firestorms — a frenetic pace that suggests the bulk of the vast government-run cleanup in Los Angeles County could be completed as early as June, officials say. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officers overseeing the effort said the crews of mostly private contractors are working at a record clip for a wildfire recovery, clearing nearly 120 lots a day and operating at close to the capacity that roads — and residents close to the fire zones — can tolerate. The scope of the unfinished work came into clearer focus last week, with the passing of the April 15 deadline for residents of Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu to opt in or out of the cleanup. Some 10,373 property owners completed 'right-of-entry' forms, authorizing the Army Corps and government contractors to work on their properties, while 1,698 others opted out of the program, many because they wanted their own crews to perform the work. Army Corps of Engineers commanders reported that 4,153 properties across the Eaton and Palisades burn zones had been cleared by Thursday, though the total declared as 'complete' is lower because many of the lots still need finishing touches — including the removal of hazardous trees, installation of fencing around pools and application of 'hydro-mulch' sealant to prevent erosion. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass held a news conference Thursday to mark 100 days since the fires and to tout the speed of the recovery. 'The Army Corps of Engineers are heroes in Los Angeles, are heroes in the Palisades,' said Bass, standing alongside Army commanders and Westside Councilmember Traci Park. 'It is amazing to come here day after day. … Every time I come, I see more and more properties cleared.' The Army officers commanding the cleanup say it is the biggest their agency has ever conducted in a wildfire zone. With more than 1 million tons of concrete, steel, earth and plants already removed from the burn areas, two colonels overseeing the operation reached for superlatives to describe the scope of the work. The weight of the debris removed equals the weight of 100 Eiffel towers, said Col. Sonny Avichal, the West Point graduate overseeing the Altadena fire cleanup. The weight taken out of the Palisades, alone, is equal to a row of Ford F-150 pickups, lined up end-to-end and stretching from Los Angeles past Salt Lake City, said Col. Brian Sawser, another West Point grad, who has overseen the Palisades fire cleanup. 'This has been very similar to a war-fighting approach,' said Sawser, referring to the military's strategy of bringing together diverse personnel, organizations and processes and unifying them in a common purpose. He later pledged: 'Renewal is coming, it's coming. And we're bringing it to you as fast as we possibly can.' Avichal said the mission requires brute force but also a soft touch, as when an elderly woman in Altadena recently asked a cleanup crew for a personal treasure buried in her home's rubble. The workers soon recovered a small safe and the gold coins inside it, delivering the bounty to the beaming homeowner, a moment captured in a Facebook video. 'At the end of the day, it's about the human touch,' Avichal said, recognizing the workers who returned the coins to the owner. 'It's about the compassion we have for the individuals who lost their homes.' The cleanup has ramped up considerably in recent weeks. When Avichal arrived in February from his base in Virginia, there were only 20 crews clearing lots in Altadena. (Each crew consists of, at minimum, a quality assurance official from the Army Corps; a task force leader from the principal contractor, Burlingame-based ECC; a heavy-equipment operator; a crew leader; and several laborers.) Now 129 crews are clearing properties in the San Gabriel Valley community. It takes a little less than two days for workers to finish clearing a property, slightly less than the time needed in the Palisades, where lots tend to be larger, and in Malibu, where some of the work has been complicated because of the precarious perch of more than 300 burned homes along the beach. The fire zones now teem with lines of trucks, earthmovers and workers in yellow-and- orange safety vests. The air thrums with the din of destruction — giant excavators clanking against steel beams, trucks bleating out warning signals as they back into position, green organic material whooshing out of hoses onto finished sites. While the images can appear chaotic, they are the result of hours of planning and preparation. Homeowners typically receive a call two or three days before crews arrive. A staffer from lead contractor ECC asks for important property details: Are there septic tank lids or propane tanks that need to be avoided? Are there pet graves that must be left undisturbed? Do workers need to be on the lookout for squatters? An initial inspection crew, commissioned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, then screens each property in search of paints and other toxic substances. Analysts also probe for asbestos — a job that expanded as the carcinogenic material turned up in many more locations than expected. Workers have found asbestos in more than 60% of homes in Altadena and more than 40% in the extended Palisades fire zone. Cleanup crews in white hazmat suits and respirators typically needed up to three days to scrape away the material and remove it in sealed containers. 'At one point we had 95 crews doing nothing but asbestos abatement,' Avichal said. On the Westside, the debris removal has been complicated by the constricted roads in and out of the burn zone. Traffic flow along Pacific Coast Highway has been reduced to one lane in each direction and Temescal Canyon Road remains closed to create what the Army leaders call a TDRS — Temporary Debris Reduction Site. Heavy excavation machines bash giant concrete blocks into more manageable chunks, before grinders pulverize the material into 1- to 3-inch rocks, which can be recycled. Steel and other metals also get compacted in the recycling zone before being trucked away. By doing the reduction work close to the disaster site, debris that initially filled three or four dump trucks can be consolidated into one large semi tractor-trailer load. That means that the total truck traffic leaving the burn areas is reduced substantially. Anthony Marguleas, a real estate agent active in rebuilding efforts in the Palisades, called the debris recycling effort 'a clear win for the community,' in that it reduced outbound truck traffic and also appeared to be 'efficient and environmentally responsible.' State insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in January that homeowners have typically spent more than $100,000 when they paid to have private contractors remove debris after recent wildfires. Those who opt in to the government program have no direct out-of-pocket costs, though the Army Corps of Engineers will ask insurance companies that cover debris removal to reimburse the government up to the limits of that specific coverage. The pressure for progress abounds throughout the fire communities, as homeowners plead for access that will allow them to start rebuilding. But the drive to complete the work is particularly high along PCH in Malibu, where 327 homes burned. The extra anxiety has multiple causes: The charred remains of homes continue to wash away, spilling contaminants into Santa Monica Bay. Caltrans crews need access to ensure the ground under PCH does not erode. And the the sooner the work is done, the sooner access might improve along the highway, a lifeline for residents and for businesses that depend on customers coming from Santa Monica and points beyond. Sawser said last week that the Army Corps-led crews would be 'tripling their effort' along the coast, with as many as a dozen crews clearing home sites, compared to the three or four that had operated there before. 'That highway is the linchpin to everything that we do,' Sawser said, 'because we not only have to clear that debris for many reasons, we also need to have the highway to move material out of a lot of other locations.' Though the cleanup crews have drawn wide praise, the work has not been flawless. A homeowner complained at a recent hearing in Malibu that an excavator has mistakenly began to plow up the concrete slab under her ADU. She caught the mistake before the destruction was complete and the contractor later told her by phone that the company would pay to repair the damage. And some health officials and residents have questioned whether the lot clearances have gone far enough. The Federal Emergency Management Agency decided to not follow past practice of testing the soil after disasters for contaminants. Those tests typically had been used to determine whether cleanup crews should remove more than the first 6 inches of topsoil. After the twin L.A. fires, FEMA announced it would not conduct the soil testing on cleared lots, drawing criticism that the cleanups would not be truly complete. Those reservations gained some traction earlier this month when soil testing by Los Angeles County in and around the burn areas found concerning levels of lead. The potential adverse impact of the work has also generated pushback in neighboring Southern California communities, given the more than 2,000 truckloads of earth, concrete, metal and other debris being shipped each day to 16 landfills and recycling centers around the region. The Simi Valley Landfill & Recycling Center has taken by far the biggest share of the fire detritus, receiving an average of 1,228 truckloads a day last week and a total of 636,000 tons of debris since the cleanup started. The Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Sylmar, the second biggest fire debris repository, has received 126,000 tons. From Malibu to Calabasas, Altadena and Irwindale, residents around the burn zones and the communities where the debris is being deposited have expressed fears that toxic materials could be released into the air and soil. Contractors have responded that they are taking considerable care — including frequent watering of home lots and waste consolidation sites — to keep pollutants out of the air. Into mid-April, the protests and a lawsuit by the city of Calabasas had not succeeded in redirecting the debris. On a recent weekday afternoon, debris trucks lined up for several hundred yards outside the weigh station at Simi Valley Landfill & Recycling Center. Once inside, trucks lumbered up a long, curving road into the hills. Then came another wait to dump their loads — an untold number of incinerated living room sets, teddy bears, running shoes and other detritus, spilling into a final resting place. An enormous cloud of gulls billowed and swooped around the charred waste. 'Everything we owned and gathered over 35 years was hauled away in like three trucks,' said Eitan, a Palisades man who declined to give his last name. 'It's almost a biblical kind of conclusion, from ashes to ashes. That's for humans but, in this case, it's for all of those objects as well.'
