Healthcare

Excellent article on the Gulf Oil Spill: Living in Alabama, with the oil spill: Ryan Dezember

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 07/18/2010 - 12:37.

I was moved today by coverage in the Cleveland Plain Dealer of the Gulf Oil Spill - Living in Alabama, with the oil spill: Ryan Dezember - props for this personal and eye opening guest editorial today - from the PD: Dezember is a reporter for the Mobile Press-Register in Alabama. He is a graduate of Kent State University, and a Bay Village native. Some key observations:

That morning, I caught my first whiff of the pungent odor outside my house some five miles north of the beach. So stifling was the acrid smell that before making the connection to the spill, I figured that someone in my neighborhood was getting a new roof.

Such is the prognosis that federal wildlife officials have decided that there is virtually no chance any of the 50,000 or so sea turtle hatchlings that emerge from the northern Gulf's beaches each summer would survive in their now-toxic natal waters.

The consequences of losing the entire $1.5 billion summer tourism season will be far-reaching. Right now is the season's peak, and the glassy towers that line the beach are emptier than they were in the dead of winter.

Early in the morning of June 23, the spill's pall claimed its first local casualty. William Allen "Rookie" Kruse, a 55-year-old fisherman, sent his crew on an errand at a Gulf Shores marina and -- while they were still within earshot -- put a pistol to his head and fired.

realNEO Cuyahoga Council Candidate Question #1: Explain The Cost To Society Of This Pollution Point Source

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 07/16/2010 - 22:06.

realNEO Cuyahoga Council Candidate Question #1: Explain The Cost To Society Of This Pollution Point Source.

Where is this major air pollution source located, what is the business responsible, what are the economics of the business and its pollution relative to the regional and state economies, what are the costs to society of the pollution caused, at all levels, and how well informed are citizens of all these facts, to protect them from significant physical harm?

The first rule of the Art Of Surviving Cleveland is PROTECT YOUR DNA!

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 13:00.

Art of Surviving Cleveland

The first rule of the Art Of Surviving Cleveland is PROTECT YOUR DNA!

As reported on realNEO: "what we have learned after sampling and genetically profiling many gull families is that colonies close to integrated steel mills transmit DNA mutations to their offspring more frequently than those at rural sites. In addition, the closer the colony to steel mills, the higher the mutation rate".  Further, "Our genetic analyses of environmentally exposed mice revealed that offspring from the steel site inherited nearly double the frequency of DNA mutations compared to their rural counterparts. Clearly, air pollution near integrated steel mills can induce genetic damage. At this time we cannot identify the class of chemical pollutant responsible, but suggest that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, by-products of coal combustion, are a likely candidate."

In other words, and further: if you want to live a long, healthy, normal life and perhaps have offspring... DON'T live, work, eat, visit or play near a steel mill or any coal-burning facility... DON'T DO THIS:

Air Quality Advisory for Northeast Ohio - Thursday, July 15, 2010 - Ozone - Hot summer, folks!

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 07/14/2010 - 13:57.
07/15/2010 - 00:00
07/16/2010 - 00:00
Etc/GMT-4

NOTE: So far this year, NE Ohio has experienced ozone exceedances of the USEPA health-based standard on April 15, May 27, June 18, and July 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 15.  Hot summer, folks!

Earth sweating 
Northeast Ohio -
Temperatures will be in the 90's tomorrow, and humidity will be very high.  The wind will be almost calm in Northeast Ohio.  Consequently, an Air Quality Advisory is being issued for the counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit for Thursday, July 15.

Location

Northeast Ohio
Your Street The Air You Breathe
Your City, OH
United States
Phone: 1-800-air-suxs

Legalize It and I Will Industrialize It: Industrial Hemp Is the Engine to Kickstart This Economy

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 07/11/2010 - 20:06.

Legalize It and I Will Industrialize It: Industrial Hemp Is the Engine to Kickstart This Economy

Anna Brones - Managing Editor, New Media at Wend Magazine - Posted: October 20, 2009 05:20 PM - Huffington Post

Over 30 countries around the world grow industrial hemp, including big players like China and France. Multipurpose and versatile - hemp makes its way into everything from ice cream to paint to clothing - hemp could be called the wonder resource. In North America alone, the hemp industry accounts for over $360 million annually, and yet the U.S. has yet to make its way onto the list of agriculturally and economically savvy countries that are reaping the benefits of cultivating the crop.

An Open Letter From Someone Who Matters About Something That Matters To Real Citizens of NEO

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 09:12.

Broken Air Pollution Monitoring Station in Cleveland, Ohio, on an UNHEALTHY DAY
Broken Air Pollution Monitoring Station in Cleveland, Ohio, on an UNHEALTHY DAY - July 5, 2010

As highlighted in my posting on realNEO July 8, 2010 - "Texas regulators are failing to properly monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards! Like in Ohio?!" - I've concluded that "Ohio regulators are failing to properly monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards, and that I believe that political, business and environmental leadership are hiding the violations of polluters by causing ineffective and so publicly harmful and dangerous pollution control practices here, which are made possible by government failure here to really monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards."

Further, I make clear, "the Sierra Club and the Federal EPA are taking legal action AGAINST the Texas STATE REGULATORS and the world's largest corporations because they are not in fact protecting the environment, as required by the Federal government," I go on to report "I have been compiling evidence of corrupt and/or incompetent pollution control in Ohio for many years, and have now formally requested the help of the Sierra Club and their affiliates around the world to force change upon Ohio regulators who are failing to properly monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards here."

I conclude: "As I am seeking real, good outcomes for here - elimination of physical harm from Mittal and other excessive polluters in this region - like being realized through real environmentalism in Texas, my role in this community is not Mr. Nice Guy. I am the uncompromising polluter-killer who makes the Sierra Club seem like a breath of cool fresh air on an astoundingly dangerous Cleveland July afternoon, like today..."

Right on cue, like a breathe of fresh air, I recieved copies today of correspondence from the Sierra Club addressing this very issue, and I asked permission to share that on realNEO as public information and motivation for citizens to engage the government on these issues

Texas regulators are failing to properly monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards! Like in Ohio?!

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 07/08/2010 - 17:20.

Bicyclist in Cleveland Flats during unhealthy smog conditions

Real bicycle commuter riding to work in a lumber yard in the Cleveland Flats. His work didn't cause this smog.

Why am I so hostile toward Ohio leadership?

Must be the poison in the air!

And, the life in hell lived by real environmentalists.

Consider what is necessary to clean up the air in environmentally-compromised Texas, where "Environmental groups say Exxon Mobil refinery violates U.S. air law" - "The environmental groups' legal maneuvers are part of broader accusations by the organizations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that Texas regulators are failing to properly monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards."

You think it is any easier to deal with the greatest corruption on Earth - the corruption of our environmental laws - right here in highly corrupt, polluted, old-economy Northeast Ohio?

US EPA Forecast for Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, OH - Thursday, July 8, 2010 - 2nd Worst Air Pollution in America

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 07/08/2010 - 00:47.
07/08/2010 - 00:00
07/08/2010 - 13:59
Etc/GMT-4

Now in our sixth day of high temperatures, high humidity, high levels of air pollution harm and considerable human suffering, the Cleveland-Akron-Lorain area of Ohio now has the distinction of being on the U.S. EPA's Forecast list of 5 worst pollution locations in the county for July 8, 2010 - and our pollution monitoring equipment is not working consistently in the region, so our air pollution is likely worse than recorded and/or reported by the EPA. So, if the EPA finds real NEO #2 in America for pollution, I'm quite sure we are in fact #1.

Not a reason for LeBron to remain in Cleveland. Definitely a reason to stop burning coal in Northeast Ohio and world-wide.

EPA AirNow Forecast for Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, OH - July 7, 2010 - Unhealthy For Sensitive Groups

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 07/07/2010 - 00:28.
07/07/2010 - 00:00
07/07/2010 - 23:59
Etc/GMT-4

AirNow PM 2.5 readings for America 0707/2010 12 AM

By all standards, the environment in Northeast Ohio this week is harmful for all citizens. In addition to daytime temperatures in the 90s, there are high levels of pollution in the air - the region has been under air pollution advisory conditions since July 3 and the crisis is far from over. While our temperatures are not as high as some parts of the Eastern United States, the pollution is worse in few places in the country... only conditions in southern Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky are as poor or worse right now. And much of our regional pollution monitoring equipment is broken right now, so our conditions may be far worse than reported.

Location

Northeast Ohio
All Streets
All Cities, OH 44112
United States

Meet Sierra Club Beyond Coal Field Organizer Matthew/Mattie Reitman To Plan For Upcoming MCCO EPA Hearing

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 07/06/2010 - 16:11.
07/07/2010 - 08:00
07/07/2010 - 09:00
Etc/GMT-4

Dear citizens who are concerned about the coal burning power plant operated by Medical Center Company (MCCO) in University Circle, and another that has been planned by MCCO for construction in East Cleveland...

...and who are interested to help the Sierra Club with preparations for an upcoming EPA hearing on the renewal of the permit for the MCCO plant to continue burning coal in our neighborhood - August 10, 2010, 4:30-6:45 PM at the MLK Branch of the Cleveland Public Library...

...you are invited to join Sierra Club Campuses Beyond Coal field organizer Matthew/Mattie Reitman for an informal planning session at 1894 Roxbury Road, East Cleveland, Ohio, tomorrow, July 7, 2010, from 8-9 AM.

Location

MCCO Ground Zero
1894 Roxbury Road ICEarth World HQ
East Cleveland, OH
United States

"Lose Your Cool" - Observe A/C-Free World Day - Show Your Environmental Leadership By Heating Up Your Conversations

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 07/06/2010 - 06:54.
07/07/2010 - 00:00
07/07/2010 - 23:59
Etc/GMT-4

I'd like to make a suggestion to all the "environmentalists" in Northeast Ohio - the sustainabillies as well - Celebrate A/C-Free World Day and make a pledge to not use any air conditioning tomorrow, July 7, 2010, at all anywhere or at any time of the day - from 12 AM until midnight. No A/C at home - not in your car - not at work. If you live, commute, study, play or work in air conditioned places where you cannot control the temperature, realize you are a de facto prisoner of an excessively air polluting culture and environment harming the Earth. If you are able to be free of air conditioning air polluting, realize how polluted the natural air around you has become in this region, and how unhealthy this region is for those unable or unwilling to afford A/C, whether from poverty or higher consciousness. And realize very few Americans will make the "sacrifice" to live without A/C, as much as they may bitch and moan about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and other environmental catastrophe now omnipresent in this failing world. Now, know your right to air conditioning has expired, and you and your children and grandchildren had better get used to a globally warming world without relief for eternity. Burn baby burn. About "Losing Our Cool":

Also see www.losingourcool.com

In Losing Our Cool, I show how indoor climate control is colliding with an out-of-control outdoor climate. In the United States alone, energy consumed by home air-conditioning and the resulting greenhouse emissions have doubled in just over a decade; energy used to cool retail stores has risen by two-thirds. Air-conditioning is approaching 20 percent of year-round electricity consumption by U.S. homes, the highest percentage in history. But air-conditioning has shaped human life in other, sometimes unexpected ways that go far beyond the monthly utility bill.

Location

A/C Free World Day
Every street Everywhere in the world
Every city, OH Every
United States

A smart guy like LeBron James may make $ billions in the brightest, greenest state of Earth... not playing games!

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sat, 07/03/2010 - 00:11.

Brightest Greenest Reason LeBron James Should Seriously Consider Staying in NEO - We Are Going To Legalize Cannabis in EC this year - Ohio-wide in 2011.

Then, everyone may live like a king, in real NEO.

Join us, King James, as real NEO becomes the Cannabis Capital of the World. We shall be the Champions!

NOACA: Air Quality Advisory Issued for Northeast Ohio - Saturday and Sunday, July 3 and July 4, 2010 due to Ozone

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 21:53.
07/03/2010 - 00:00
07/04/2010 - 23:59
Etc/GMT-4

Air Quality Advisory Issued for Northeast Ohio

 

Saturday and Sunday, July 3 and July 4, 2010 due to Ozone
Flag and fireworks 

Northeast Ohio - High temperatures this weekend are likely to produce ozone in Northeast Ohio.  An Air Quality Advisory has been issued for the counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit.  In addition, there will be some particulate matter formation related to fireworks locally.
 
If you are in a sensitive group, including older adults, children, and those with heart or respiratory conditions, please enjoy your holiday weekend carefully, reducing your effort during the hottest hours.

Location

Northeast Ohio
Sensitive groups Older adults, children, those with heart/respiratory conditions
All, OH
United States

Marijuana has been virtually decriminalized in British Columbia - annual export crop has been bigger than forestry for a decade

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 01:54.

Northeast Ohio's Brightest Greenest New Economy Competition: Next Generation Seed Company - Made in Canada.

Through them and their Canadian growers, Canada exports $ billions in Canadian-grown marijuana to the United States each year.

In 2001 it was reported, in "BC Marijuana Industry Approaching Critical Mass, DEA Not Happy", that British Columbia "boasts 15,000 to 25,000 marijuana grow operations employing (at six persons per grow) between 90,000 and 150,000 people. The agency estimated the annual wholesale value of the pot crop at $4 billion. At $2,000 per pound, that is about two million pounds of BC bud each year, much of it headed south. The agency estimated that as much as 95% of the crop is exported to the ravenous US market."

Industrial Hemp as an Alternative Crop in North Dakota - Study of the Markets, Profitability, Processing, Agronomics and History

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 00:02.

Figure 4. Hemp Products Flowchart. Processing to End Product Groups.

Industrial Hemp as an Alternative Crop in North Dakota - A White Paper Study of the Markets, Profitability, Processing, Agronomics and History
David G. Kraenzel, Tim Petry, Bill Nelson, Marshall J. Anderson, Dustin Mathern, Robert Todd
The Institute for Natural Resources and Economic Development (INRED) - North Dakota State University
Agricultural Economics Report No. 402 - July 23, 1998

Abstract: This report is in response to a national and state interest in the potential benefits of industrial hemp as an alternative crop. Industrial hemp has many uses which can be categorized into nine submarkets. North Dakota may have a comparative advantage in producing industrial hemp seed for oil because of the multi-oil processing facility in Carrington (AgGrow Oils) and the established infrastructure. Industrial hemp is currently legally produced in 22 countries with Canada being the closest and is recognized as a legal and legitimate crop in both the NAFTA and GATT agreements. The main obstacles for legalization of industrial hemp appear to be 1) law enforcement officials are concerned about the regulation, 2) no domestic facilities currently exist to process hemp stalks, although Canada will have such facilities shortly, 3) there is a lack of current production and processing technology, and 4) lack of research on the production potential and quality aspects of the crop. Since very little is known about the potential yield and quality of industrial hemp fiber and seed that would be produced in North Dakota, it is recommended that controlled experimental production and processing be allowed. Necessary baseline production, processing, and marketing data could be collected and analyzed, and law enforcement concerns could also be addressed.

When "Benefits of Biomass Power Questioned", point to "Map 7.1: Potential Energy Distribution among Ohio Counties (in Billions)"

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 07/01/2010 - 21:43.

Map 7.1: Potential Energy Distribution among Ohio Counties (in Billions)

Joe Koncelik's Ohio Environmental Law Blog recently reported "Benefits of Biomass Power Questioned - Implications for Ohio", about a renewable fuels permitting issue that has surfaced with a FirstEnergy coal powerplant being converted to biomass, which offers great insight on the development and future of our biomass industry, and links to valuable source material for those considering the economic and environmental future of energy in Ohio, America and worldwide. In this excellent posting, Koncelik points out, "

Ohio's best hope for reducing its overwhelming dependence on coal for electricity generation is  biomass.  While wind and solar have significant benefits, it is unquestioned that current technology does not allow these renewable sources to be forms of base-load power generation. 

Biomass does have that potential in Ohio, as is evidenced by the recent announcements of the conversion of 312-megawatt First Energy's Burger coal-fired power plant to biomass generation.  Now that proposal is meeting opposition by environmental groups. As reported in Biomass Magazine."

In fact, environmentalists and regulators are demanding that FirstEnergy identify what biomass they intend to use from where to power their proposed-to-be "renewable" fuel plant - that is good economics and environmentalism. The dynamics of the Burger plant application are interesting and important for the future of the biomass sector in Ohio - while Ohio has a bright biomass renaissance ahead, we are still in the dark ages of its development.

A technical symposium on "Access to Medicines: Pricing and Procurement Practices"

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 07/01/2010 - 05:29.
07/16/2010 - 09:00
07/16/2010 - 18:00
Etc/GMT-4

The WHO, WIPO and the WTO are jointly organizing a Symposium at technical level on Access to Medicines: Pricing and Procurement Practices on July 16, 2010 at the Centre William Rappard in the WTO in Geneva.

The purpose of the symposium is to learn what international and regional agencies have experienced in the pricing and procurement of medicines as important determinants of access. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss where to obtain information on access to medicines, their prices and their availability. The core questions are about drug procurement, pricing and relevant intellectual property issues. The discussions will be technical, serving as a forum for participants to share information, views and practical experiences.

Location

WTO, Centre William Rappard
Rue de Lausanne 154 Meeting Room CRII
1211 Geneva
Switzerland
Phone: (+41 22) - 338 81 61

Canada: “the grand total of the annual positive economic impact of renewable fuels is $2.013 billion” - May 26, 2010

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 06/30/2010 - 07:29.

Last month, the The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association released the first ever comprehensive third party assessment of the economic impact of the 28 renewable fuel plants in Canada and renewable fuels investments in Canada. The assessment conducted by econometric firm Doyletech Corporation, concluded that, “the grand total of the annual positive economic impact of renewable fuels is $2.013 billion”.  Most interesting, from the perspective of developing this industry in Ohio (and it is developing here) is the report finding that: "All levels of government gain from renewable fuels plants. In light of the net benefits to governments at the provincial and federal levels being in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and many millions at the municipal level, it would seem that incentive programs to encourage biofuels production and use in Canada have been a wise investment."

Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Ohio - Center for Integrative Environmental Research, University of Maryland - July, 2008

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 06/27/2010 - 23:56.

Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Ohio -  July 2008
A Review and Assessment Conducted by The Center for Integrative Environmental Research, University of Maryland

CONCLUSIONS: The state of Ohio's greatest challenge is likely to be in adapting to climate change along its waterways and on Lake Erie, as this is where the most significant economic and ecological impacts will occur. Building and maintaining an alternative transportation infrastructure would allow Ohio to maintain its vibrant manufacturing industry amidst sea-shipping uncertainty, but the costs of the sort of adaptation needs to first be researched. Natural areas such as forests and lakes will suffer from climate change. The ecological integrity of Ohio’s natural landscape will be threatened in the coming century and it is recommended that management of resources be carefully monitored to ensure the wellbeing of the economic and cultural functions that depend on them. Lastly, because flooding events are likely to occur more often, preparations to prevent and mitigate floods and flood related disasters could be made ahead of time.