#former chemical hazard

[2024log]

512th poop of 2024

[headspace-hotel]

re: ohio chemical disaster

OP of the post I reblogged earlier regarding this turned off reblogs (understandable have a nice day) but I got a request to put the information in its own post, so here.

First thing: PLEASE be careful about claims that "The Media" is suppressing something as part of a malicious agenda, or that an event has been purposefully manufactured by "The Media" to distract from something else.

Not only is this a really common disinformation tactic (not only urging you to share/reblog quickly, but discouraging you from fact checking), treating "The Media" as a monolithic entity with purposeful agency and a specific, malicious agenda—particularly one that manufactures events to "distract" from other events—is a red flag for conspiracy theories.

There's already a post in the tag attributing the supposed lack of media coverage to "reptilians." Please connect the dots here.

Second—"the news isn't focusing on this as much as I think they should" is not a media blackout. Every major USA news source is reporting on the Ohio train derailment. Googling returns at least 4 pages of results from major news media sources. Even just googling "Ohio" gets you plenty of results about it.

This is an unusual amount of media attention for a U.S. environmental disaster.

Because this kind of thing happens all the damn time.

The "media blackout" narrative gives the impression that this is an unusual event that isn't receiving wall to wall coverage only because it's being suppressed—when the reality is that similar disasters happen a lot, and hardly ever get the attention the Ohio disaster is getting.

Consider this example, not too far from my local area: A few years ago, almost 2,000 tons of radioactive fracking waste were illegally dumped in an Eastern Kentucky municipal landfill, directly across from a middle school. Leachate from that landfill goes into the Kentucky River, which is where most of the central part of the state gets its drinking water. As far as we know, the radioactive waste isn't leaking yet, but it could start leaking at any time.

Zero national news sources covered this. Why? If I was to hazard a guess, I would say "because it's business as usual for the fossil fuel industry."

Consider also the case of Martin County, KY, which has had foul-smelling, contaminated drinking water for decades. Former coal country in Appalachia is poisoned and toxic, and laws have little power to punish the companies that created the destruction.

What happened in Ohio is just a little window into a whole world of horrors.

The Martin County coal slurry spill that is still poisoning the water 20 years later killed literally everything in the water for miles downstream (a book Mom read said 70 miles of the Ohio river were made completely lifeless). It was 30 times larger than the Exxon-Valdez oil spill, and it was in some sense "covered up"—in the sense that the Bush administration shut down the investigation because the Republicans are buddies with the fossil fuel industry, and proceeded to relax regulations even further.

Seriously, read that wiki article to get pissed enough to eat glass.

Hopefully the Ohio chemical spill will inspire real action to institute regulations to prevent shit like this from ever happening again. It's not the end of the world. It's not radically different from what industries have been causing the whole damn time. It is pretty bad.

I would urge everyone to actually search up information about it instead of getting news from Tiktok or Twitter, because the more false information gets distributed, the less momentum any effort to respond with improved regulations and changes to prevent future disasters will have. Plenty of facts here *are* public and being publicly discussed and pretending that they're not is actively detrimental.

[halfassedtea]

Honkai Star Rail Leak: PYRITE ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

(Destruction/Quantum)

!!THIS IS AN OC!!

More information about Pyrite ⬇️

Pyrite, previously known as Alexandria Oldrich, is currently under the status of missing to their former organization; the IPC. Further investigation suspects the recent fugitive under crimes of terrorism “Pyrite” as a potential identity that could be linked to the IPC member in question.

The latest witness report of Alexandria includes a catastrophic chemical fire that erupted from the forensics lab in the west sector within the Interastral Peace Corperation’s central space station several system months ago.

The former forensic scientist has been suspected of multiple crimes thereafter the accident. Merely 7 system hours after the eruption, “Pyrite” had held multiple other IPC scientists under hostage before mysteriously escaping the entire station on a pod with no determined destination. The escape pod has yet to be located after 19 system months.

The fugitive under most suspicion has since committed a slew of violent attacks against the IPC, seeming to have gone completely rogue.

The only other factor of significance worth mentioning in this report is the recent modifications to “Pyrite’s” physical identity. This includes a variety of bodily cybernetic additions and bio-hazardous weaponry attached to said modifications.

Further information about this suspect will be contained to only be viewed by specific investigation specialists within the IPC.

[deliciousangelfestival]

Switched Sides 2 - Lloyd Hansen Series

Character: Lloyd Hansen x former Hitman!FemaleReader

Summary: Y/N L/N quit her job as a hitman to take care of her nephew after her stepbrother died. It’s been a year since she became a good aunt to her nephews, and she wants to keep it that way. But her quiet life got disturbed when her former boss asked for her help.

Warning: Nothing.

A/N: Reblog and any feedback are much appreciated. I love reading all your comments and funny GIF.

Chapter 1 , Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 , Last Chapter

Main Masterlist || Buy me Ko-fi please 🥹

Disaster. 

That's the perfect way to describe the situation. Today is supposed to be the first day of the school's anniversary celebration. 

Every participant for the bazaar was scattering around to pick up all their stuff and set up their tent back to the correct position because a strong force of wind flew all their property, including Y/N vegan brownies cake. 

A helicopter suddenly landed in the middle of the football field near the food bazaar. 

Every parent, teacher and student was shocked by what happened, and they were even more surprised when people that came out wearing black suits like a secret service approached Y/N.

"Y/N L/N, we need your help." The person standing in front of her is her former colleague Bruno. His code name is 'Poison'. 

She knows the only person who will use this method is Lloyd Hansen. 

"Y/N, you're not in trouble, right?" A trembling voice came from Jenny, who stood behind Y/N, along with others who were confused with the situation in front of them. 

–Flashback Starts–

Everyone was busy setting up their tent, including Y/N until a strong wind and loud sound approached the school.

"Is that a helicopter?

"What happened?" 

"Oh my god, are there terrorists at school?"

"No, the decoration is ruined because of the wind!!!"

"Catch the flower buckets!!! That flowers are imported!!!"

–Flashback Ends–

"No, ma'am, the country needs her help." Bruno fixes his aviator, acting friendly towards Jenny. She would never believe this man is dangerous because he uses hazardous chemicals to finish his target.

Jenny grabs Y/N's hand. "If you ever need help, call me. My father knew a few senators."

Lloyd knew a few senators too, and he kept them like figure dolls. He's far more powerful than senators. 

"Thank you." Y/N tapped Jenny's hand to assure her that she was okay.

"Give me your car keys; my subordinate will drive your car back to your home."

Y/N gave him the car keys. She doesn't need to tell her address. They have known it beforehand.

"You could bring your…" Bruno pointed at the little human underneath him. "Nephew's with you."

With Kendall in her arms, and her other hand holding Mark, she entered the helicopter quickly so they could leave the school as soon as possible. 

"Wow, this is so cool, Aunty." 

The helicopter starts to go up, and everyone is in their seat. From the window, Mark saw his classmate look jealous. He lifted his middle finger towards them, but his aunt lowered his hand. "That's rude."

Mark felt embarrassed and lowered his head. "Sorry, Aunty." Y/N shook her head and then checked on the little one who sat on her lap and wore a cancelling headphone noise. 

She thought Kendall would be scared, but he's enjoying it. His short legs keep moving up and down. 

Bruno sat near her, surprised to see her being gentle, "You've changed, Y/N."

Y/N looked at Bruno, not amused; the way he picked her up would ruin her cover as a regular aunt, and people at the school will ask questions. 

"Was it necessary to make an entrance like this?"

Bruno chuckled. "If you didn't ignore him, today wouldn't have happened. Every cause has consequences."

She scoffed, "He must be desperately asking me for help."

"Oh, he is. And we need old Y/N to come back."

Mark clenched her shirt, and she felt it. He must be scared thinking about her old job. Her fingers gently brushed his hair, and she said, "It's gonna be alright."

They have arrived at the top of the building. Y/N knew this place was one of their headquarters, and the location was in the same city. It's better this way than their usual hideout place inside the forest; kids will get scared. 

"Wait here", said Bruno and left them.

After waiting for 5 minutes, the owner of the building appeared. He was standing tall with a well-built body. He'd wearing a black shirt, a leader jacket, beige pants and black shoes. 

Lloyd smiled. "Hi, pumpkin, did you miss me?" 

Y/N does not answer because she is pissed. Lloyd understands her anger. So he wants to mess with the tiny little guest by saying, "I'm your father."

Kendall, who was silent this whole time, suddenly cried, "Waaa…not daddy." 

Y/N clicked her tongue; she rubbed his back to calm him down. "Thanks, Lloyd. It took half an hour to stop his crying."

"Uupss." Lloyd chuckled; he didn't feel sorry even one bit. 

"What do you want?"

"I need your help since you are the best tracker in the team."

"You said my method is old-fashioned."

"Here's a thing, since I ruined a tourist attraction in some European country, the Big Boss boss banned me from doing any damage."

When Y/N is still working with him, they always argue about how to get their target. She preferred quiet but deadly, while Lloyd chose loud and messy. 

"Who do you need to catch?"

"You agree to help?" Lloyd raised his eyebrows, and he was surprised she quickly agreed. 

"If I don't do it, you will bother me again until I say yes. What will I get if I do you a favour?"

"A medicine for him." Lloyd looks at Kendall.  

"I know you have the money for his oral medicine, but you must wait a year. If you help me, I will give you the medicine tomorrow."

"How?"

"Let's just say there's a patient that doesn't deserve it."

That's a sign she should stop asking. 

"Aunty." Y/N looked down at Mark, who wanted to cry. 

"I'll be alright. Could you watch Kendall for a while?"

"Nooo." He shook his head and stomped his foot. 

Lloyd doesn't want to hear a kid crying in his place. "Bring him, he won't understand anything."

They moved to another floor. On their way to the control room, Mark saw a sports car inside the building. How did they get the sports car into the skyscraper? 

He looked up at Lloyd with adoring eyes. Lloyd felt this kid was watching him, so he just smiled back. 

*****

"So, who is this?"

"An accountant of the drug cartel."

"He picked the wrong enemy?"

"Yup, and the CIA want to use him to put the drug cartel to jail. But the problem is, he's good at hiding."

"Give me his profile."

Y/N read the profiles thoroughly and picked maps. Her fingers traced the map, then picked a red marker to make an 'X' sign "He's here."

"How did you know?"

"He's a loner, and doesn't have many friends, so I saw his GPS history, sometimes he always visits the area around his university. He felt safe in a place that was nostalgic to him. So that means…"

Y/N pointed at the 'X' sign on the map. "He's here."

"You heard her; send the team around that area." Lloyd gave an order to his subordinates.

"Can we go home now?"

"No, stay here until we find him. I don't want to go back and forth to pick you up. The gas for the helicopter is expensive."

"Ugh, fine."

******

While waiting for the result, Lloyd ensured three of them got comfortable. He notices Y/N's nephew doesn't feel scared, perhaps because they know her aunt is there to protect them. 

"You haven't put him down since you got here. Your arms don't get numb?"

Kendall rested his head on her chest, sleeping while his mouth opened. For Y/N, looking at Kendall is this calm, and her tiredness is gone. "No, he's not heavy."

"Hmm, I understand why he loves being in your arms."

Lloyd leaned his head on her shoulder and hugged her left side. "Because I felt home every time I rested my head on your chest." He winked at her. She pushed him away, but he won't budge.

He wants to move away from her, but because of the little kid, she smells like a baby, and he likes her new smell. 

Mark looked at this man acting close to Y/N. He whispered in her ear, "Aunty, is he your boyfriend?"

Lloyd smiled at the innocent question. "Yes, yes, I am." He has this proud look on his face and gives a peck on Y/N's cheek. 

His moustache tickled her, so she pushed him away. "Don't give him any ideas."

"Mister, why did you call aunty Y/N pumpkin?"

"Because that's her favourite food."

"Really?" He doesn't know his aunt's favourite food, while she knows their likes and dislikes. 

Mark's eyes sparkled, this man had a helicopter, and cars, owned many computers, and he knew Y/N's favourite food. He's cool.

*****

After 4 hours, she finally got the news. 

Lloyd wears a big smile on his face. "They caught him. I knew I could count on you."

Y/N, while carrying Kendall and Mark, they immediately stand up from their seat. "Great. So send us back home."

"Eh, I want to invite you to have dinner together."

"Lloyd, you don't like kids."

"I could tolerate them as long as I'm with you."

"My patience has its limits." Not just her but the kids too. She could sense her nephew getting bored and exhausted. If they don't go home, both boys will start their tantrums. 

"Alright." He offered a handshake when she wanted to shake his hand. Lloyd suddenly pulled her into his arm and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Lloyd wasn't kidding. The next day he visited her at her house to deliver medicine for Kendall. 

She doesn't know I'd the medicine worked well or not, but it made Kendall sleepy. At least this time, he's not crying in pain. 

Since Kendall fell asleep, she couldn't pick Mark up at school. That means she needs to ask a favour. "Lloyd, could you get my nephew at school?"

"Am I a chauffeur now?" 

She didn't answer. Instead, she gave him a killer gaze at him, which made Lloyd nod. "Alright, but I want to have dinner with you tonight."

******

Never in a million years would Lloyd think he would step into school again.

While he walks around looking for Mark, every mother and nanny who waited for their kids is looking at Lloyd. It's easy to spot him since he's the tallest person in the area. His style is also modest and stylish. 

Then he heard a bunch of kids surrounding one kid; he knew who it was. 

Mark is standing alone while his classmates are in the group. His cheeks were red because he was frustrated. "Why can't I join the marathon tomorrow?"

"That's because you don't have a father. It's a father-son marathon."

"What if you team up with our gym teacher? Everyone knows he likes your aunty."

Mark stomped his foot. "No!!!" He doesn't want his gym teacher as his running partner, that would be cheating, and Mark doesn't want his teacher to get close to Y/N. 

Then he felt a shadow covering him, and he saw his friend stepping back while their eyes looked up. 

He raised his head and saw the person he met yesterday, Mister Lloyd. 

Suddenly he got an idea; with his little body, he clung to Lloyd's leg like a koala and looked at his friend. "He is my aunt's boyfriend, and I will join the marathon tomorrow with him!!!"

It's not just Mark's friends who were shocked but also Lloyd. This will be the first time an 8-year-old kid dumbfounded Lloyd.

A/N: Reblog and any feedback are much appreciated. I love reading all your comments and funny GIF.

Chapter 1 , Chapter 2, Chapter 3 , Chapter 4 , Last Chapter

Main Masterlist || Buy me Ko-fi please 🥹

Join the tag list :

@sabrinaselina55, @magnificentsaladllama , @cherrybubblebullet @inlovewiththefictionalcharacters , @bagoffeelings @darkofimagination, @starsofcloud, @thatzolagirl

[rjzimmerman]

EPA restores industrial air pollution rule axed by Trump. (Washington Post)

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday strengthened a rule limiting toxic air pollution from factories, refineries and other industrial facilities, reversing one of former president Donald Trump’s major environmental rollbacks.

Ask your climate questions. With the help of generative Al, we'll try to deliver answers based on our published reporting.

In an update posted on its website, the agency quietly signaled it had finalized changes to the “Once In, Always In” rule, which requires facilities classified as “major” sources of toxic air pollution to always maintain strict pollution controls, even if they are later reclassified.

EPA considers a facility a “major source” if it annually emits 10 tons or more of a single hazardous air pollutant or 25 tons or more of at least two such pollutants, including arsenic and benzene. Inhaling thesepollutants carries a range of health risks.

Short-term exposure to high concentrations of benzene, a sweet-smelling chemical found in gasoline and other petroleum products, can cause headaches, dizziness and unconsciousness. Long-term exposure has been linked to a higher risk of cancer, especially leukemia and other cancers that affect the blood and bone marrow.

The “Once In, Always In” policy was first spelled out in a 1995 memo by a top EPA air official under President Bill Clinton. But Trump officials unofficially ended the policy in 2018 and formally rescinded it in 2020.

Industry groups had chaffed at the rule, calling it overly burdensome. In public comments, the National Association of Manufacturers wrote that“while complying with the existing body of federal regulations can already be costly and confusing, waves of new regulations can make that burden unsustainable.”

Wednesday’s change would not fully restore the Clinton-era policy, since it would allow some facilities to shift from being considered “major” pollution sources if their emissions fall. But most facilities would still have to meet strict requirements for toxic pollutants, including benzene and mercury.

[anarchistin]

The Environmental Protection Agency approved a component of boat fuel made from discarded plastic that the agency’s own risk formula determined was so hazardous, everyone exposed to the substance continually over a lifetime would be expected to develop cancer.

Current and former EPA scientists said that threat level is unheard of. It is a million times higher than what the agency usually considers acceptable for new chemicals and six times worse than the risk of lung cancer from a lifetime of smoking.

[the-bar-sinister]

For those of you who are curious, here's a list of some of the major structural canon-divergences we're changing about One Piece for our upcoming re-write.

TL;DR: everybody lives, all the princesses become pirates, destiny is rejected, and all the pirates team up to overthrow the government.

Brook doesn't exist, and instead a shipwrecked Carrot joins the crew during Thriller Bark

Vivi, hearing about Marineford, embraces her desire to rejoin the Straw Hats. She travels with Crocodile and the reformed Baroque Works and obtains a Devil Fruit.

Bon Clay, with the encouragement of his fellow prisoners, sneaks out of Impel Down with the intention to join up with the Straw Hats. He ends up with the reformed Baroque Works.

Vergo survives Punk Hazard and is rescued and reassembled by Doflamingo. He is sent to recover outside the city for a while.

The Straw Hats aren't separated during Dressrosa, and journey to Zou together.

Rebecca defines herself as a gladiator and warrior, and travels with the Straw Hats leaving Dressrosa while she tries to decide on her own dream.

Vergo, hearing about the mess in Dressrosa makes his way there still injured. Though he is too late to change the outcome of the battle, he's in time to free the rest of the Donquixote family from the marines, except for Doflamingo who is being transported separately.

Vivi rejoins the crew between Dressrosa and Zou. Bon Clay stays with reformed Baroque Works on Crocodile's request.

Crocodile asks Bon Clay to break Doflamingo out of Impel Down for him, which he does. 

When Sanji is forced to depart for his wedding, Rebecca accompanies him. The Straw Hats wait exactly as long as Luffy's patience can hold before immediately chasing after.

Rebecca meets the Vinsmoke siblings before the wedding, and becomes entangled with them, helping them reach their emotions which have been suppressed by chemicals and conditioning, and encouraging them to turn against their father.

Pudding leaves the Charlotte family to seek out her own life. While she's leaving she's caught by Katakuri, who accompanies her as her bodyguard.

The renegade Vinsmokes and renegade Charlottes run into one another and put aside their differences.

The Vinsmokes hunt down and kill Judge.

Caesar remains with the Straw Hat crew becoming the funny uncle 'not so reformed' villainous teammate. 

Crocodile starts forming the former Baroque Works into Cross Guild sooner than in canon. He teams up with the Donquixote family as well as Buggy and Mihawk, and recruits Boa Hancock.

Smoker and Tashigi, who are already fed up with the Marines, are captured by Cross Guild. Crocodile asks Smoker to be free and join the pirates, and they do so.

Sabo and Koala enact the raid on Mary Geoise together. While they are fleeing, the entirety of the Revolutionary Army is wiped out at their base, rather than Lulusia being wiped out. They are rescued by Hancock, and join Cross Guild, which, after the destruction of the Revolutionary army, is now the largest anti-government organization.

While on Wano, Luffy discovers some of King and Kaidou's backstory and origin for himself and feels a sort of kinship with them.

During the fight with Kaidou, Luffy realizes that there is something wrong with Gear 5, as if he's not himself when he's using it.

Big Mom does not regain her memories and does not fight against the protagonists in the fight on Wano. She is later recovered by Perospero who takes over the family and takes care of her in her retirement.

Kaidou survives the fight with Luffy, as does King. Along with Page and Ulti they leave Wano. They are intercepted by Perospero, with whom they negotiate, and then part ways.

Caesar, Chopper and Law devise a way to heal the Pleasures from the effects of the Smile fruit.

Komurasaki, a swordswoman raised in a brothel by the yakuza, rejects her position as a princess and instead stows away on Law's ship with the Heart pirates.

Otama, Speed and O-Kiku leave with the Kidd pirates. Additionally, Basil doesn't die, and is brought by Killer to Kidd as a 'hostage', and his wounds are treated aboard the ship. They reconcile. 

Yamato joins the crew of the Straw Hats.

When Law's ship is decimated by Blackbeard, he and members of his crew are rescued by Doflamingo, who is in the area hunting marines on behalf of Cross Guild. They part ways not exactly amicably, but without trying to kill one another.

Kid's ship is intercepted by the navy, not by Shanks. They are sunk, but the crew survives, barely.

Everyone meets up on Elegia Island and saves Uta's life. Uta joins the crew of the Straw Hats.

As Luffy is growing more and more concerned about Gear 5, Shanks shows up to test his mettle and tell him about Joyboy and his duty as a god. Luffy kicks Shanks ass and rejects joyboy and his destiny.

Shanks limps away, suicidally depressed and is wrecked by Blackbeard, and rescued by Buggy.

Shanks and Buggy get back together.

The Straw Hats and Cross Guild team up to find the One Piece. Luffy learns the true extent of his supposed destiny and rejects it entirely.

Luffy claws the godhood out of his own body, and leads the straw hat/cross guild alliance as a man against the the world government.

[leviathan-supersystem]

A looming Supreme Court decision could end up making it easier for the railroad giant whose train derailed in Ohio this month to block lawsuits, including from victims of the disaster. In the case against Norfolk Southern, the Biden administration is siding with the railroad in its conflict with a cancer-stricken former rail worker. A high court ruling for Norfolk Southern could create a national precedent limiting where workers and consumers can bring cases against corporations. The lawsuit in question, filed initially in a Pennsylvania county court in 2017, deals with a state law that permits plaintiffs to file suit against any corporation registered to do business there, even if the actions that gave rise to the case occurred elsewhere. In its fight against the lawsuit, Norfolk Southern is asking the Supreme Court to uphold the lower court ruling, overturn Pennsylvania’s law, and restrict where corporations can be sued, upending centuries of precedent. Oral arguments in the case were held last fall, and a ruling is expected from the Supreme Court in the coming months. If the court rules in favor of Norfolk Southern, it could overturn plaintiff-friendly laws on the books in states including Pennsylvania, New York, and Georgia that give workers and consumers more leeway to choose where they take corporations to court — an advantage national corporations already enjoy, as they often require customers and employees to agree to file litigation in specific locales whose laws make it harder to hold companies accountable. Limiting lawsuits is exactly what the American Association of Railroads (AAR), the industry’s primary lobbying group, wants. The organization filed a brief on the side of Norfolk Southern in the case, arguing that a ruling in favor of the plaintiff would open up railroads to more litigation. It is also apparently what the Biden administration wants — the Justice Department filed its own brief in favor of Norfolk Southern. Should Norfolk Southern prevail, the company could use the ruling to challenge other lawsuits on the grounds that they’re filed in the wrong venue, said Scott Nelson, an attorney with the Public Citizen Litigation Group, which filed a brief backing the plaintiff in the Pennsylvania case. Such a decision could affect lawsuits filed by residents exposed to hazardous chemicals as the result of accidents in other states — such as the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment disaster, which occurred five miles west of the Pennsylvania state line. “[Norfolk Southern] might say, ‘You can only sue us in Ohio or Virginia [where Norfolk Southern is headquartered],’ even if you were injured at your home in Pennsylvania from an accident that took place five miles away in Ohio,” Nelson said.

[anamericangirl]

Trump rolls back safety regulations and then we have a train derailment with hazardous chemicals and he shows up in Ohio telling people basically, it's Biden's fault. That's rich. He rolled back those regulations under pressure from that Railroad Company. Oh he's a nice guy. He shows up with water that expired in 2010 from a company of his that went belly up. He gives the suffering people hats and cleaning supplies and says vote for me. You people are blind.

Nah dude even the Washington Post had to admit the regulations rolled back during the Trump administration had nothing to do with the train derailment and had they been in place it wouldn't have prevented what happened.

Your claim about the water is also incorrect.

Former U.S. president Donald Trump’s donation of water bottles with a “Trump” label during his visit to the site of a toxic train derailment in Ohio on Feb. 22 is spurring claims online that the bottle brand was discontinued in 2010. Some posts online added the water was therefore not safe to drink. Trump Ice, the brand that users are referring to, has indeed been discontinued, but this is not the same brand of bottles that Trump donated in Ohio.

So you're criticizing Trump for a train wreck he didn't cause and then for going there and donating perfectly drinkable water.

Meanwhile, what did Biden do about it? Did he visit? Did he donate any water or cleaning supplies to help?

And are we really the blind ones when everything you stated is easily debunked with a 2 second google search where even leftist publications have to admit this is all false when we all know if they could find a way to make it sound true, they would without hesitation? 🤔

[vomitdodger]

The Environmental Protection Agency approved a component of boat fuel made from discarded plastic that the agency’s own risk formula determined was so hazardous, everyone exposed to the substance continually over a lifetime would be expected to develop cancer.

Current and former EPA scientists said that threat level is unheard of. It is a million times higher than what the agency usually considers acceptable for new chemicals and six times worse than the risk of lung cancer from a lifetime of smoking.

Federal law requires the EPA to conduct safety reviews before allowing new chemical products on to the market. If the agency finds that a substance causes unreasonable risk to health or the environment, the EPA is not allowed to approve it without first finding ways to reduce that risk.

When Doa first saw the one-in-four cancer risk for the jet fuel, she thought it must have been a typo. The even higher cancer risk for the boat fuel component left her struggling for words. “I had never seen a one-in-four risk before this, let alone a 1.3-in-1,” said Doa. “This is ridiculously high.

[anryuuepic]

Chemical Hazard Bio

Name: Chemical Hazard

Species: Daryan

Race: Whitescale

Role: An Assistant-rank member of Winterkill Works, who works directly under Korose. A former subject of an unauthorized Scarab Tower experiment, she and her siblings have come to believe that they’re one being that shares three bodies. She’s the “weak link” of their unit.

Affiliation: Winterkill Works, Scarab Tower (former)

Gender: Female

Age: 14

Height: 5’4

Appearance: Underneath her perpetually worn mask, Chemical is a fairly average Whitescale teenager. Her hair and eyes are both light gray (she most often wears her hair in low twintails), her features are visibly youthful, and her body is slim to the point of looking undernourished. Her face is indistinguishable from the other two, and her expressions are eerily blank.

Personality: Though she’s internally and rationally aware that their “three bodies, one being” mentality is false, Chemical never lets herself dwell on that thought for long. She’s highly submissive to her siblings, especially her sister, and dreads the very thought of causing any disturbance to them. Her existence feels so fragile already, she fears that the slightest wrongdoing on her part could prove disastrous. Curiosity is dangerous, if it in any way threatens the version of normalcy that’s the only thing the three of them have to cling to. Outwardly, she’s more or less emotionless. Apathetic, yet almost childishly naive, Chemical and her siblings come across as bizarre, uncanny beings who fall slightly short of fully realized “personhood”. 

Positive Traits: Chemical is deeply loyal to her siblings, and cares for them above anything else in her life. This attachment is highly co-dependent and born from shared trauma, but even that warped love is genuine, at its core. Though she tries to suppress it, she’s quite perceptive, especially when it comes to the moods of the people around her, and she can be surprisingly quick-thinking in a crisis. She values other people’s happiness far more than her own, and will willingly make difficult sacrifices for a greater good. 

Negative Traits: Chemical is ultimately submissive to the needs of the triplets’ set— or at least, what she perceives those needs to be. She’s indecisive and brimming with self-doubt, so much so that any opinions that begin to develop are quickly cast aside. She’d rather suffer internally than cause any upset for the group, all in fear of being hurt for it. Like the other two, she’s extremely ignorant, gullible, and immature, while outwardly coming across as a near-thoughtless shell that can scarcely think for herself.

History: At some point, the three siblings were homeless orphans living in a certain run-down city. After they were randomly selected as subjects by an “independent” group of Scarab Tower scientists, however, their lives changed drastically. Extensive experimentation shifted their memories and perception of the world and left them unable to function as anything but controlled test subjects— Korose, burdened with guilt from her involvement in the testing, took responsibility for them after the experiment was interrupted.

Relationships: Chemical has very little interaction with anyone outside of her siblings. Though they have fairly regular contact with the other Super Executives and their Assistants, the triplets don’t see themselves as capable of autonomous interaction with others, and thus, merely follow whatever directions they’re given. The three of them are highly dependent on each other... though Chemical is the least content with that arrangement.

Interests: Chemical, like her siblings, doesn’t see any need or capacity for personal interests— she exists to do as she’s told, keep the set together, and little else. That said, the three of them sometimes show a curious fondness for unknown objects and places; Chemical particularly enjoys decorations.  

WW Role: As an Assistant-rank member of Winterkill Works, Chemical’s job is to assist a chosen Super Executive however they may require it. She serves under Korose, who treats all three of the siblings with a twisted sort of fondness born from guilt. Like the rest of the set, Chemical views Korose as more or less their owner, and follows her orders unquestioningly. 

Miscellaneous: All three of them have very few, if any, memories from their early lives. They know they’ve always been together, but seemingly mundane things (like family or past homes) are entirely absent. Korose is the closest thing to a parent they’ve ever had, but Chemical is still rather afraid of her. Korose has made efforts to teach the triplets literacy, but their progress has been minimal. The unique, often acquired details of personal, decorative objects fascinate her; Chemical will take any chance she can get to study such objects, though that mostly entails spaced-out staring.

Connotative Description: Part of a set of triplets whose time as experimental subjects significantly warped their worldview. The most “independent” of the group, yet unwilling to voice her true feelings. 

[sonicasura]

In the Corazon in TFP AU, RID2015 Edition, do the kids (now older) make an appearance and help Bumblebee's Team?

Have Jack's, Mikos, and Rafs fighting style and techniques improved enough to help locate the dispersed Decepticons and deal with any violent OP visitors that slip through during the "Puncture"?

Quite a few times actually. For this I say RID2015 takes place 15 years after TFP. Raf is on Post Timeskip Usopp's level, Jack is on New World/Fishman Island Nami's level and Miko is around Post Timeskip/Punk Hazard Sanji. The latter being because she sailed for a few years in Corazón's world.

Miko met Katakuri again who continues her training and later picks up some Fishman Karate. Raf invented new ammo for his slingshot like Shock Rounds but also greatly improved his Observation Haki. Jack continue studying weather and began experimenting with chemical sprays such as liquid nitrogen.

Raf been the first to visit once he heard rumors of a giant yellow robot. The look on Bumblebee's face when he saw his former charge talking to Denny. Raf helped out for at least two weeks before he had to depart but they were quite rememberable.

Jack appears next alongside Arcee. Both were on a reunion drive when they caught sight of Grimlock and decide to follow. It was quite a surprise to learn Bumblebee now led his own team. The two stuck around for a week.

Miko came last although the meeting was impromptu. She been with Pudding when a Puncture occurs and unceremoniously drop them both by an annoyed Underbite. Miko was visiting Whole Cake Island at the time.

The two were there for at least a month, Katakuri and Brulee showed up in the middle of this period, before they had to go back. Every visit from the three former Team Prime members always guarantee quite an experience for everyone.

[learnwithmearticles]

Conservation Misconceptions

In trying to be environmentally conscious, many people struggle to find ways to really make a difference. This makes misinformation easy to fall for, especially when it leaves out the nuance of trying to be environmentally friendly.

Leather

“Vegan clothing” reached popularity as early as the 1970s. Its sleek, shiny, and stretchy look make it ideal for many fashion icons. In November of 2023, reality TV star Kylie Jenner released a line of twelve “faux leather” or ‘pleather’ outfits. In the first hour, it had reached one million dollars in sales.

The appeal of vegan clothing is understandable. Many people in the U.S. hear about the horrors of the cattle industry before entering high school. Many people sympathize with animals and seek ways to reduce their consumption of animal products.

Contradictorily, faux leather is significantly harmful to the environment. Most pleather consists of polyurethane, which is plastic. It is unsustainable on the basic factor of the oil from which it originates being nonrenewable. Additionally, manufacturing this material includes high levels of toxic chemicals like dimethylformamide which is linked to cancers and birth defects. Polyurethane pleather can also take one thousand years to break down in a landfill.

Leather, from the hides of cow, sheep, goat, deer, and many other animals, is organic. It breaks down at the end of its life, usually over ten to fifty years in landfills. 

Interestingly, plastic clothing in a landfill takes a long time to degrade while leather breaks down quicker. Yet during its use, plastic is prone to scuffs, tears, and showing more wear while leather clothing can last years without significant damage.

Leather is not all perfect, of course. Animal cruelty is a large factor for people turning to faux leather, and those concerns are well-founded. Animal cruelty in the leather and meat industries is well-evidenced.

Aside from animal cruelty, tanning hides also produces chemical contamination. While chromium used in leather tanning is less toxic now than earlier solutions, it is still hazardous. Other hazardous materials in leather tanning include nitrosamines, benzidine-based dyes, and formaldehyde. Being exposed to the former two in high levels can increase the risk of cancers, while formaldehyde causes skin irritation, nausea, and respiratory difficulties.

Addressing fashion industry pollution is not as easy as switching entirely to different materials. A more effective alternative to fake leather is addressing the waste of the fashion industry. In 2023, the fashion industry produced 97 million tons of waste, including 18 million tons from textiles and 2.5 million tons in chemical waste.

Additionally, there are vegan clothing options from plant alternatives. One example, calotropis, is sometimes considered wool without the need for sheep. Calotropis plants grown in India need little in regard to water, attention, and pesticides. Cactus leather is another example which requires less water and produces less plastic. When industries turn to plants, the supply chain and issues of fair trade continue to require attention, but these avenues of sustainability are possible.

Turning to leather entirely is not the ideal choice while the farming industry retains its wealth of problems, but pleather is not a suitable replacement. Those seeking to be environmentally conscientious with clothing choices can try non-synthetic materials like colatropis, cactus leather, and linen.

Honey

Veganism is a diet people adopt for a variety of reasons. Some have biological restrictions that a vegan diet works best with, helping them to avoid foods they can’t eat. Others do it in an effort to consume fewer calories, and some use it in an effort to reduce the waste and mistreatment in the farming industry.

In a strict vegan diet, one avoids all animal products, usually summed up as milk and eggs. Strictly speaking, honey would be included in those animal products. But for those eating a vegan diet for ethical reasons, avoiding honey can do more harm than good.

Honey alternatives include maple syrup, molasses, and more. Maple syrup and molasses contain important nutrients, but some dieters find them to contain too much sugar.

Another popular honey alternative, with lower amounts of sugar, is agave syrup. Agave syrup also contains vitamins and other nutrients, and comes from the agave plant, which is grown around the world but native to Mexico and the southwest U.S.A.

Agave farming faces multiple problems. One is that agave plants are fragile, and will have trouble surviving in the rapid climate changes the world is experiencing. While agave does well in desert conditions, climate change might cause desert-like conditions for some months or some years and without warning flip in the opposite direction. Similarly, demand for agave is growing but could shift rapidly. For a plant that can take seven years to grow before harvesting, farmers can have a difficult time planning their supply in a way that’s sustainable to them and consumers.

Agave is also often grown as a monocrop, which is unsustainable for long-term agriculture, and carries risks of run-off, blight, and increased need for fertilizers and pesticides. Harvesting blue agave specifically also depletes a vital food resource for the lesser-nosed bat species.

Perhaps the most important consideration with agave plants is the inequity associated with it. Slave labor, underpaid labor, and child labour are dire problems across the agricultural industry. Fair trade certification exists for some agave-related brands, but cannot be assured for all of them. In 2021, data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics registered 1.8 million children involved in child labor, with 45.9 percent of them in the occupations of operating agricultural machinery, and of processing tobacco, agave, and sugar cane.

Ethical alternatives to honey are not necessary. Responsible beekeeping hurts no honeybees. It is a symbiotic relationship. Bees gain protection and a good hive place, with the freedom to leave if conditions are poor. Beekeepers harvest excess honey that the hive does not need to sustain itself. It is a sustainable, beneficial practice that produces a sweetener which very few humans are allergic to.

Alternatives to products we use in our daily lives can become trendy and take some time to see the true impact of. While vying for a more environmentally friendly life, we can be misled or mistaken about the true sustainability of products. It is important to continue to learn about and educate ourselves on the products we’re using.

Additional Resources

1. Faux Leather Unsustainability

2. Fashion Industry Waste

3. Sustainability of Leather

4. Comparing Leather and Faux Leather

5. Problems with Leather

6. Ethics and Fashion

7.Vegan_leather_An_eco-friendly_material_for_sustainable_fashion_towards_environmental_awareness

8. Leather Tanning

9.  Plant-based Alternatives

10. Agave Climate Change

11. Agave and Bats

12. Beekeeping Sustainability

[beguines]

You've seen it before. An industrial disaster poisons a town's food or water supply. Residents get angry. Public officials try to dispel that anger through a public act of self-sacrifice, of reassurance. They convene a press conference, whereupon some hapless courtier brings forth a chalice of the supposedly poisoned material. And then, in front of God and the television cameras, the public official imbibes. Examples from recent history abound. In 2019, former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe ate possibly irradiated rice balls from Fukushima to demonstrate the progress made toward rebuilding the prefecture since its 2011 nuclear meltdown. In 2013, former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper claimed he drank fracking fluid to assuage his constituents' concerns around natural gas drilling. (Not "tasty," he said.) And, most famous of all, in 2016 Barack Obama took a sip of (filtered) water from the lead-poisoned water supply of Flint, Michigan, to prove it was safe. ("This is not a stunt," he noted of the stunt.) Officials are already lining up to drink the forbidden poison issuing from East Palestine, Ohio. When a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed there earlier this month, producing an airborne toxic event of hazardous chemicals, concerns about the water inevitably arose. Enter one Troy Nehls, a Republican congressman from Texas, who became the first intrepid soul through the breach. On February 16, Nehls—who was inexplicably in Ohio, some fourteen hundred miles away from his district—posted a video to Twitter to get word out that the water was safe. To prove it, Nehls slurped it up. This was promptly followed by a video from Ohio lieutenant governor Jon Husted, wherein a group of public officials huddled together and threw back shots of supposed tap water like they were freshman college students out on the town. But Nehls and Husted were just the undercard features. On February 21, following reports that Norfolk Southern had funded preliminary tests declaring the water totally safe, Ohio's Republican governor Mike DeWine and a merry caravan, including an EPA official and a congressman, stalked around East Palestine with news cameras, gamely drinking from residents' taps. ("That's good," the EPA official gushed. "That's really cold coming from the tap.") The photos and videos from this danse macabre mirrored Husted's, but on a grander scale—half a dozen people standing around, toasting and clashing cups together like they were at a medieval banquet. If these dizzying trends hold, it's probably a matter of time before Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, or even President Biden, follows suit. Years ago, I surveyed the literature looking for a name or term to describe this phenomenon of consuming potentially tainted materials. After all, it seemed to be increasing in frequency, and I'd even started witnessing it at the level of local politics. But if there was a name, I couldn't find it. So I gave it one: the Devil's Milkshake.

[. . .]

Besides, even if President Obama really did drink lead-poisoned water in Flint, his stunt missed the point: prolonged, chronic exposure is what leads to severe impairment, not a single sip. Race, class, and geography are the major determinants of environmental harm. Most people know this, which is why many Flint residents viewed Obama's theatrics with skepticism.

Yet I would argue that leaders like President Obama are, like the constituents they seek to deceive, fully aware of this structural truth. It's what makes the Devil's Milkshake so strange. The stunt seems to be a tacit acknowledgement by the ruling class that they know the general public doesn't trust them. (Only 19 percent of Americans believe they can trust the government "most of the time.") Its recent proliferation must be seen as proof of a ruling class desperate to uphold the illusion of democracy. It is the last gasp of a dying order, drinking and eating its way to the grave, restrained or unwilling to fix anything, and thus doomed to play act a fantasy before klieg lights and newscasters. The dizzying amount of Devil's Milkshake footage issuing from East Palestine only proves their desperation: these people could not be more unlike you. In fact, the only thing you have left in common with them is the fact that they, too, still have to eat food and drink water to stay alive. That's it. The Devil's Milkshake is a measure of the gaping chasm between you and them.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Donald Trump brought his 2024 presidential campaign to East Palestine, Ohio, on Wednesday, nearly three weeks after a cataclysmic train derailment prompted an environmental disaster in the small town following the release of toxic chemicals.

The former president's visit to the northeastern village preempted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's arrival by one day, and Trump relished every opportunity to castigate his Democratic successors, saying Buttigieg "should have already been here," and commanding President Joe Biden to "get over here," according to local reports.

While assuring East Palestine residents that they had "not been forgotten," Trump managed to tout his own presence in the besieged community and brush off questions about his administration's noted history of rolling back regulations on both rail safety and hazardous chemicals.

Trump started his day by briefly visiting with local leaders, according to WKBN-27, before conducting a small press conference at a fire station, where, donning his signature "Make America Great Again" hat, he handed out a flurry of red baseball caps to attendees.

During his speech, Trump pledged to donate thousands of bottles of cleaning supplies, as well as pallets of Trump-branded water bottles to members of the community, many of whom have expressed continued concern over the safety of the town's water supply following the derailment.

"You wanna get those Trump bottles, I think, more than anybody else," Trump said, while flanked by state and local leaders, including Republican Sen. JD Vance.

The former President dismissed questions about his administration's rollback of Obama-era rail safety regulations saying he "had nothing to do with it."

The Trump administration slashed several environmental and rail regulations while in office, most notably rescinding a 2015 proposal to require faster brakes on trains that were carrying highly flammable or hazardous materials.

The Norfolk Southern Railroad Company freight train involved in this month's crash was carrying vinyl chloride, a colorless gas and known carcinogen, which produced a plume of smoke over East Palestine.

The Department of Transportation under Trump justified the rollback with a 2018 analysis arguing the cost of requiring such brakes would be "significantly higher" than the expected benefits of the update.

A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Following his Wednesday news conference, Trump visited a local Ohio McDonald's where he handed out more MAGA hats and bought meals for firefighters.

[rjzimmerman]

I'm going to invite these scientists to our house and yard. We have dozens and dozens of grackles at our feeders, making their grackle noises and bullying away our other "resident" birds. But in case they're right, here's an excerpt from an Audubon story:

As people have remade the American landscape, they’ve also shaped the fortunes of Common Grackles. The iridescent blackbirds flourished in the grain fields and pastures that European settlers cultivated after cutting down forests in the 18th and 19th centuries. By the 1970s, an estimated 150 million grackles inhabited a vast stretch from the East Coast to the Rocky Mountains, and today they are regulars across much of the continent. But the birds are disappearing—and no one knows why. A new tracking project aims to reveal what’s driving the mysterious decline.

Birders were among the first to gather evidence of the species’ troubling trajectory. In winter, grackles join Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings, and other birds in giant swirling congregations. Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) long tallied roosts of up to tens of millions of birds. But in the past couple of decades, participants have rarely found flocks of more than a few million, says former CBC director Geoff LeBaron. Other blackbirds are in decline, too, but grackles have become noticeably absent from winter roosts.

According to CBC data, Common Grackles have been dropping at a rate of 3 percent per year, which amounts to a roughly 78 percent decline since 1970, says Tim Meehan, a quantitative scientist at Audubon. Meanwhile, federal Breeding Bird Surveys, which take place each summer, have found at least a 50 percent decline over the past half century. These data clearly indicate that there are fewer grackles across the board, Meehan says: “It’s a slam dunk.”

Michael Ward, a University of Illinois biologist, is one of the lead scientists delving into the conundrum. In 2021 he and his colleagues ruled out a hunch that grackles were failing to produce young: 60 percent of chicks in nearly 200 nests that he monitored fledged successfully, a higher rate than most songbirds achieve. Whatever is harming grackles is likely affecting adults, Ward says.

It’s possible the resourceful foragers, which eat everything from grubs to grains to garbage, are exposed to something dangerous in their diet. The researchers suspect insects and corn could be hazardous meals: Both may contain high levels of neonicotinoids—insecticides commonly applied to grains that have been linked to a decline in avian biodiversity in North America and beyond. Ward’s group plans to study what grackles eat on their breeding grounds to help determine how great a risk their food poses.

Meanwhile, the scientists want to better understand the challenges grackles face after leaving their breeding grounds. In addition to stringing up mist nets to snag birds in residential neighborhoods and at roost sites, Ward and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Kelly VanBeek set live traps baited with seed and mealworms at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s Goose Pond Sanctuary. They outfitted 14 Common Grackles with satellite tags throughout the summer and early fall of 2023 as the birds prepared to depart for their wintering grounds in the Southeast and southern Midwest.

On those journeys, VanBeek says, there are plenty of opportunities for the migrants to encounter other possible chemical culprits like fungicides, which may disrupt birds’ hormones and metabolism and are typically applied in the fall when grackles are on the move. Blackbirds’ penchant for foraging on farmland in large flocks makes them a target for culling as well. Between 1974 and 1992, the federal government killed up to 18 million Common Grackles in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama to reduce damage to agricultural crops. The pace has slowed, but the practice continues: Wildlife Services, a USDA division, killed more than 630,000 Common Grackles over the past decade. That’s on top of birds taken by farmers under FWS permits.