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teeth--thief · 7 months ago

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I'm very sorry but I have to do this: some things are not really correct in your post. I'll get into a few of these things here, minus the physics of the explosion because I Don't Wanna. And the liquidation that wasn't immediate is not really an area of particular interest for me, so.

The test was fine. It was pretty much unnecessary but it was fine. They switched off some warning systems because they were running a test. They knew that some things were low, some were high, no need to get alarms going off every 10 seconds because of this.

They turned off the reactor's shutdown feature and lowered the power to the reactor.

This is not the gotcha moment everyone seems to think it is. They were quite literally shutting down the reactor that night, that was the planned outcome of the test. And, besides, that feature wouldn't even work in time to prevent the disaster. The lower power wasn't a problem, either. It just meant that the reactor was harder to control.

When the backup generators took too long to turn on, panic set in, and the reactor began to overheat. Then, somehow hit the AZ-5 button, which lowers all control rods into the reactor at once.

I am genuinely curious: where did you get this information from? This is very much not what happened at all. Nobody was panicking, all was going acording to plan. The power was slowly (SLOWLY) rising, about 1 MW a second, the AZ-5 is pressed. The test was complete, the mood in the control room was calm. Hell, there was actually a slight delay in the AZ-5 button being pressed, it was meant to be pressed some 20 seconds before that fateful 01:23:39 but the SIUR was waiting for the direct command from the NSB to do that. That wouldn't change absolutely nothing, for anyone wondering. Nothing in a place such as a reactor control room is pressed by accident.

The undertrained staff of the night shift were not aware of this.

This was absolutely not a staff issue. Nobody but the higher ups at the Kurchatov Institute, the designers and people alike knew. The operators simply weren't told. So yeah, they weren't aware. But you specifying untrained leads me to believe you think the case was different and they didn't know because they didn't have enough experience which is simply not true.

Two plant workers were killed instantly by either the force of the blast or from being hit by debris.

Valery Khodemchuk was never found. We don't actually know if he died instantly. But we can certainly hope he did. I'm assuming the second person that was killed instantly is Vladimir Shashenok. In this case, if 5pm is instantly then... sure.

Firefighters were called in, but they were not told the dangers of the radiation. Most died within a few months.

First of all: depends on who you'd ask. Some said they had no idea - I'm guessing these were the firefighters from the region as a whole, not necessarily the local ones. The NPP's firefighters knew, though. They were trained for this. They even had training the very day before the accident on the 5th or 6th unfinished block. Second of all: over 128 firefighters responded. Around 186 if we count the ones that arrived after 6am from Kiev. Only 6 of these 128 (/186) died in the following weeks. Less that 5% from the smaller numer is hardly most. Sure, some had long terms health issues that eventually led to their deaths but that's very much not the same as most died within a few months.

In Pripyat, the Amusement Park that had been scheduled to open the next day was hurriedly opened a day early to distract residents from the fact that the reactor was on fire.

The Amusement Park was meant to be opened on May Day - The Labour Day. Nobody needed to be distracted from anything. Pripyat's citizens were under the impression that nothing serious was going on. If they cared enough to know that something was going on, they could have observed that everyone was seemingly working to fix the situation. I'm sorry but the Ferris Wheel was not the carousel set up by the Nazis next to the Warsaw ghetto. The carousel that people were having fun on on the 25th of April in 1943 while a fire broke out during an uprising in there, as is described in Campo di Fiori. I don't know, maybe someone got too much inspiration from that but there are literally no solid sources when it comes to if it was working at all on that day, nobody was able to indefinitely recall or prove that it was.

The buses begin taking people at 2pm on the 27th of April after an announcement was made at 1:10pm. It took that long because of internal conflicts between the Party commission. And random, everyday Pripyat residents didn't get sick. There was a handful of cases of people who were close to the NPP at the time of the explosion and that was it. This kind of reaction means an extremely hight dose, likely lethal, and people weren't, in fact, dying left and right.

A few weeks earlier, citizens were trained with gas masks in case there ever was an incident. Officials said that they didn't need them, as they didn't want to cause a panic.

Radiation doesn't care about gas masks. Unless you want to protect yourself specifically from inhaling radioactive particles - that is, from said particles getting into your airways and causing all kinds of damage, as was the case with quite a few of the people that suffered the worst cases of ARS - they would quite literally be completely useless. Apparently they're all lying around because, much later, they were looted for precious metals.

Another rather infamous object is "The Elephant's Foot" (...). Upon discovery, the sheer amount of radiation it gave off was enough to give you a fatal dose within about 90 seconds. Today, that's increased to about five minutes.

It was emitting 8,000 roentgen per hour, 2 roentgen a second. That means you'd get the fatal dose within 5 minutes then, not now. Now, it's mostly likely crumbled into dust and is emitting roentgen in the single digits. You're perhaps confusing the time typically referred to as the maximum allowable time for the liquidators working on the roof - 90 seconds - with the corium monstrosity.

The USSR finally admitted there had been a "very small” incident at Chernobyl, and was very reluctant to give the world information

At no point did anyone of any importance refer to it as a very small incident.

ask for infodump about Chernobyl as someone who has never even heard of it

INHALES

Chernobyl is considered to be the worst nuclear disaster in history, rated at a 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), the only other disaster ranking at a 7 being in Fukushima back in 2011. The disaster occurred on April 26, 1986. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant was located in Ukraine, which was under the control of the Soviet Union at the time. It was only about 16 miles from the Belarus-Ukraine border, which was also under Soviet control. There were two main towns nearby, Chernobyl itself, which was older, had only about 15,000 residents, and was actually farther from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant than Pripyat, which had about 50,000 residents, and was only about 2 miles from the plant. Pripyat was newer, and residents had an average age of about 26. The town itself was filled with young, well educated people starting new lives. A large number of public buildings were located in Pripyat, including a school and a sports complex, which contains the famous Azure Swimming Pool. The plant supplied Pripyat with energy, and the place was considered a sort of "dream city." The plant was an RBMK-1000 type reactor, a generation I nuclear reactor, which are the earliest, and generally most hazardous, nuclear reactors. RBMKs were used to produce Plutonium, a radioactive material primarily used in nuclear weapons. However, they could also be used to produce civilian energy, so a few were constructed to supply parts of the USSR with power. At the time of the incident, there were four reactors in operation, with reactors 5 and 6 under construction. A test was scheduled to be conducted to see if the backup generators could successfully turn on in time to keep the cooling systems running at safe levels. However, the test was delayed until the less experienced night shift was in. They turned off the reactor's shutdown feature and lowered the power to the reactor. Reactors need energy to function, as they have to be cooled. For these reactors, large amounts of water were used to cool them. Without the shutdown function, the reactor was in danger of overheating if it wasn't cooled. Regardless, they ran the test. When the backup generators took too long to turn on, panic set in, and the reactor began to overheat. Then, somehow hit the AZ-5 button, which lowers all control rods into the reactor at once. Control rods are used to absorb excess amounts of shed neutrons from the nuclear reactions. However, they momentarily increase reactions when first introduced into the reactor chambers. The undertrained staff of the night shift were not aware of this. With the increased reactivity, the reactor was now dangerously hot, and the casinging around the fuel rods began to rupture, causing white-hot radioactive fuel to come into direct contact with steam. At 1:23 A.M., April 26, 1986, Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor #4 exploded. The contact between the fuel and the steam caused a steam explosion, blowing the 1000 tonne reactor roof into the air and spewing radioactive debris and particles into the air.

Two plant workers were killed instantly by either the force of the blast or from being hit by debris. Although plant workers realized what had happened rather quickly, superiors were slow to act. Firefighters were called in, but they were not told the dangers of the radiation. Most died within a few months. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. In Pripyat, the Amusement Park that had been scheduled to open the next day was hurriedly opened a day early to distract residents from the fact that the reactor was on fire.

It took 36 hours for Soviet Officials to finally begin to evacuate Pripyat, only after residents had begun to report nausea, dizziness, fatigue, vomiting, and headaches, all symptoms of radiation poisoning. A few weeks earlier, citizens were trained with gas masks in case there ever was an incident. Officials said that they didn’t need them, as they didn’t want to cause a panic.

Residents were also told they would be returning soon, and to leave everything behind. They did not come back. This left Pripyat as an eerie ghost down where everything seemed to have simply been dropped and left. Today, it is still abandoned, and is being slowly reclaimed by nature.

During the cleanup of the incident, “Liquidators” were called in. Some knew the dangers, others didn’t. The fire of the reactor was too hot to be put out by water, so tons and tons or boron, sand, and lead were dumped onto the burning reactor by helicopters that flew over. It didn’t help much, and the reactor finally stopped burning after about 2-3 weeks. A structure dubbed “The sarcophagus” was built over the reactor to contain the radiation, though it was rushed and leaked radiation. A large area of woodlands was contaminated by the radiation, and it turned red and died, earning the nickname “The Red Forest.” Most of these trees were cleared and buried. Highly contaminated houses were knocked down, animals were shot, and crops destroyed. Absolutely everything that was highly contaminated was at least attempted to be destroyed and buried. Still, not everything could be destroyed and buried, there was simply too much. One object, dubbed “The Claw of Death” was, according to conflicting accounts, either used to assist in the overall cleanup or was used specifically in the cleanup of the plant roof. It is radioactive enough to give a lethal dose if sat in for about 11 hours.

Another rather infamous object is “The Elephant’s Foot” which is a mass of sand, concrete, and melted reactor fuel that had melted its way through the floor and down into the basement. Upon discovery, the sheer amount of radiation it gave off was enough to give you a fatal dose within about 90 seconds. Today, that’s increased to about five minutes. The foot was unyielding to sampling tools, so, they shot it with a Kalashnikov Rifle (AK-47) to get a sample.

After a very short period of time, the remaining three reactors were up and running again, as the USSR simply needed power desperately. By December of 1987, all three reactors were up and running again. They were operated for years, until the last reactor was finally shut down for good in 2000. Being so close to the border, and with the wind conditions of the time, mass amount of radioactive particles were blown north to Belarus. The Soviet Union had planes fly over and seed the clouds with chemicals, forcing them to rain on rural land instead of heavily populated areas, but this still had a major effect, as about 1/3 of Belarusian farmland was contaminated. However, the winds began to shift, blowing radiation towards Europe. Sweden was the first to sound the alarm, asking if something had happened after detecting dangerous amounts of airborne radiation and determining it was not from any of their own reactors. The USSR finally admitted there had been a “very small” incident at Chernobyl, and was very reluctant to give the world information. Careful monitoring protocols were put on resources everywhere in Europe, from grain to milk to wood, all were carefully measured for radiation. Years later, after the Sarcophagus was determined to be unsafe, the New Safe Confinement unit was constructed, which is a semicircular dome over the existing Sarcophagus. The New Safe Confinement was finished in 2018.

DONE!

(For now)

@not-wizard-council-aristocrat @anarcho-neptunism @siley-the-wizard @villainessbian

#file: special interest: chernobyl #chernobyl #file: reblogs

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owlixx · 1 year ago

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Call of Duty Classic Mid-Thoughts (US Campaign Done):

Surprised to see this one has aiming down sights. Having 4 “weapons” to switch between is cumbersome. No regenerating health is cumbersome. Glad I picked the easy difficulty. Menu is hilariously old-fashioned. The end of level fade to black is so funny to me. The short short levels and long long load screens are to funny to me. Seems like automatic weapons are way better. I am relying heavily on aim assist. No sprinting is rough. I miss hitmarkers. Ammo management is weird in this game, like all the spare bullets disappear if you drop a gun and then pick it back up.

I am enjoying the brisk pace, I was able to beat the USA portion of the game in a single sitting which is a third of the game, didn’t even take 2 hours I think. Melee feels weak. Pistols feel pointless and I haven’t used grenades much yet. Did get stuck for a bit because one enemy was alive hiding while I made my way to the actual objective but I needed to go back and kill him to progress the plot. So funny seeing Captain Price here!!!

So far my favorite parts have been the mansion raid because it was at least a distinct environment and the timed prison raid because it felt more like I was in an action movie. The mounted machine guns are so hard to use. Scopes are useless if you ever get shot at even a little which sucks because it’s the only way to take out mounted machine guns sometimes but they can hit you from a mile

away. Bad game design: the combo of being forced to drop a gun to pick up a single used rocket launcher plus losing all spare ammo when dropping and then picking up a gun again.

It’s just so funny to me that this released on PS360 when it did (2009) for 20 bucks or bundles with MW2. It’s clearly a pretty low effort port of a game no one was particularly nostalgic for, and it starts the trend of weird remasters in this series along with Modern Warfare Remastared and Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, although you could argue that MW, WaW, BO1, MW2, MW3 on Wii are kind of separate versions along with the weird PS2 spin-offs of 1/2/WaW or even the DS ports but I’d argue that CoD Classic and MW1/2D stand alone as a kind of unique thing. It’s an interesting series, trying to balance nostalgia with yearly releases that almost always obsolesce the previous one, with the identity of the series staked around each release being the most up to date and feature complete despite never quite being that. But you can’t look backwards without releasing a game that feels horribly out of date.

Actually, I did also enjoy the trench hopping section and using the M1 Garand (complete with signature ping and no manual reload). Also funny to me that there even is a fire mode select in this game. The Thompson and MP40 seem like a waste to set to single fire, while the FG42 seems worthless on full audio. The BAR weirdly lets you set slow or fast auto? But the slow does the job fine for me. Kar98k is pretty clunky and unsatisfying in this game with or without a scope. M1a1 is…fine, kind of baseline weapon imo. pistol worthless. So far the MP40 is goated just because it’s auto and I can find ammo for it reliably.

UI is hilariously clunky. The giant compass isn’t super helpful. Won’t see a health bar again for a while, I think. The on-rail mission was…fine.

STEVE BLUM! My beloved :) just checked IMDb and Jason Statham is in this???

It is so funny to have seen this game on Xplay when I was watching old episodes of it recently where they seriously are talking about it for game of the year and lauding it when now it has aged so poorly. It’s not offensive or anything, it’s just terribly middling for what it is. It really takes something like Half Life to still be remotely worth playing 20 years later as a single player FPS of this era, and that’s a pretty high bar. I think even just waiting until the PS360 gen results in loads of quality FPSes like Bioshock, Wolfenstein TNO, Far Cry 2-3, Rage, Dishonored. Although I’d argue that Halo 1-2 age far better than the early CoD titles of that generation but again, that’s a high bar to clear.

There is an expansion pack for this game, United Offensive, but I’ll be skipping it since it isn’t available on consoles of any kind and would be kind of a hassle to get going on PC and doesn’t interest me anyways and there’s still so many games left to play. Of all the QoL things I miss most from the newer games, I think regenerating health is the most sorely needed here, so I definitely don’t want a whole expansion pack of scrounging for health kits. It’s the kind of thing that you either don’t notice at all when the game is giving you enough health kits or it becomes a huge pain to backtrack while trying to take out a machine gun nest.

I do hope this game introduces some more varied weapons in the British and Russian campaigns because so far there’s not much, which admittedly makes sense given that we’ve only seen US and German weapons.

I will admit that the idea of playing 1, 2, 3, WaW, plus 3 last gen spin-offs all set in WW2 is a little alarming. I feel like I’ll be ready to go back once we hit WWII and Vanguard but yikes that’s a lot of WW2 back to back. On the other hand, I think that is super funny and I love the idea of tracking each of the famous guns from game to game and seeing them evolve in real time as a great litmus test of how these games and gaming overall developed during this kind of pivotal time before, during, and right after the launch of HD consoles.

It does make me a little sad to know I can’t really play any of the online multiplayer, at least not the way it would’ve been back at the time. Something like CoD Classic in particular probably had an extremely limited time with an active player base.

#retro gaming #call of duty #call of duty classic #CoD #gaming

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cyberramblings · 4 years ago

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Ex-CoD Kid’s Thoughts on the New One

I wanna talk about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. This is 2019′s Call of Duty game (there is one every year). This is a little confusing because it is a reboot of the Modern Warfare sub-series that started with 2007′s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The first three Call of Duty games were set in World War II, which is funny since the whole series is now associated with a modern or near-future setting in most of the games, to the point where 2017′s Call of Duty: WWII stood out by being set in World War II again, which hadn’t been done since 2008′s Call of Duty: World at War (which was the first one to ditch the numbers and also the first one I got into as a kid).

Anyways, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (the 2019 game, which I will now call MW) is one of the biggest leaps the series has taken in a while. These games are kind of notorious for not changing much from entry to entry. The Call of Duty franchise is also kind of notorious for alternating between three different developers in order to crank out a game every year. This gets a little weird because obviously the franchise as a whole shares a lot of traits and code in common, but for example, the Modern Warfare subseries and its corresponding characters can only be touched by one of the three developers, while another of the developers has exclusive rights to the Black Ops subseries and its characters. All this to say that yes, a new Call of Duty game, but the folks (Infinity Ward) who make it only get to make a new one every third year (formerly every other year until the PS4/Xbox One era).

Well, I guess what I mean to say here is that the Call of Duty games tend to be two steps forward, one step back. There’s actually relatively little consensus on which features to include or throw away between games. 2018′s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 got rid of regenerating health, only for 2019′s MW to bring it back, but also bring back Black Ops 4′s healthkit item. Imagine that times a hundred every year. Even Call of Duty fans usually don’t agree on which features should return or not.

So with that all being said, MW introduces the most new features that I can recall in a Call of Duty going all the way back to its namesake (CoD4) which either invented or popularized the modern model for picking a loadout and unlocking new items for it. I want to run through a few of them and why I like them.

1 - Attachments Reborn

Call of Duty has long featured attachments for guns as an integral part of multiplayer gameplay. At first, you would have to pick between a scope or a silencer or more bullets. The red dot sights were so popular that some of the games introduced ways to have multiple attachments, but at the cost of other parts of your loadout, such as forgoing grenades. MW finally, gloriously allows you to have up to five attachments on your gun with no tradeoff.

It also features far more attachments than before, up to 70 on some guns as opposed to the dozen or so maximum before. This is because there are multiple subvariants of suppressor, stock, laser, nearly two dozen scopes even if they mostly fall under a handful of categories. This also means that attachments are less of a pure upgrade and more of a trade off, but this means you can transform almost every gun into more of a short range weapon or long range weapon. It’s really satisfying to transform a gun into something it’s not, especially when you need to for...

2 - Camo Challenges

Call of Duty the last decade has featured unlockable camouflage patterns as a reward. At first, they were an incentive to get headshots with each weapon, then later special camo challenges would be unlocked after getting all the headshot-based camos. MW skips that first step and has you unlocking ten categories of camo challenges, each with ten camos each as you complete the specific task. At first, the challenges are things like getting kills, getting headshots, getting kills while crouching, but later they become getting 3 kills in a row, getting kills from far away, etc.

What this essentially means is that every single gun in the game has 100 little milestones of progress and each of those milestones has a tangible cosmetic reward that even other players can see. After getting all 100 camos for a gun, you get the 101st camo: Gold! But it gets better: getting Gold for every gun one of a certain type (assault rifle, pistol, etc.) unlocks Platinum for all guns of that type! One step further: getting Platinum for every gun type (and thus Gold for every gun) unlocks Damascus (named after Damascus Steel), which is a cool multicolored camo. More importantly, it shows that you spent a lot of time getting these challenges done. And most importantly, it basically means that you can “beat” the multiplayer of MW.

I really like this because it gives me a goal to work towards, even if I don’t stand much of a chance of ever actually completing. It was really cool to pick a gun as my favorite right off the bat then use it at close range, long range, etc. as I completed all the milestones and unlocked all 100 camos for it, which let me “beat” that gun and move on to the next one. On one hand, I can see how the game becomes less fun when it is just a grind for these camos, but on the other hand, it is really cool to have a goal to work towards, and I have never felt as attached to the unlocks in a Call of Duty since I was a kid. I’ve almost never played Hardcore mode (a Call of Duty staple that takes away your crosshair and minimap and reduces everyone’s health) but it has become my go-to for getting some of these challenges done, and now I really have a taste for it.

3 - The Rest

MW has a bunch of other little new features that aren’t as life changing, but I wanted to mention anyways. The visuals, animation, and sound design are much improved and much more realistic. The gun sways so much more realistically as you walk forward, for example. The nighvision missions of the single player mode particularly look realistic since they’re just green. The campaign itself is much better than other recent Call of Duty’s, but it is still ultimately forgettable at the end of the day if slightly more enjoyable. I did appreciate that it gives you rewards for the multiplayer mode instead of expecting you to play it just to play it. MW also brings back the Spec Ops coop mode from prior games but with unlocks and XP tied to multiplayer, which is nice, but I’d rather just play multiplayer.

Speaking of, MW lets you toggle which modes you do or don’t want to play online instead of having to pick one mode to play, which is nice because otherwise, certain modes never get played online, especially as the game ages. Also this CoD features special “Missions” that you have to commit to focusing on one at a time that unlock free gun cosmetics (slightly different looking attachments and versions of guns) that offer yet another way to be rewarded for just playing the game, while also helping to make me experience different playstyles.

Of course, this CoD also features a free battle royale mode that seems to be a big success, and I enjyo it fairly well, but it can’t compare to the nonstop action of normal multiplayer. Also this CoD features crossplay sorted by controller typer, so I can get matched with Xbox players or PC players but only if they’re using a controller rather than a mouse and keyboard. This is great because it lets me play the free battle royale mode with my dad on my PC while he is on the PS4, so we can each have our own screen.

Also I appreciate that this game offers splitscreen at all, even if it can’t be used in battle royale, Spec Ops coop mode, or even the larger multiplayer maps such as the brand new Ground War, which features big maps, vehicles, and selectable spawn points just like the FPS competitor Battlefield. It feels a little janky, but it is nice to have the option when I need to blow up vehicles or shoot people from very far away for a challenge.

Oh, you can also reload while aiming down the sights. That’s new. Plus you can mount your gun on a waist high surface to reduce recoil, but it just ends up being annoying since you are forced to do it for challenges. Also this is minor, but certain weak killstreaks or overpowered perks have been turned into “field upgrades”, a usable ability with a cooldown. I like this because they’re not quite like an “ultimate ability” in Overwatch or Black Ops 3/4, but they add a tiny bit of a skill ceiling and agency.

Oh! This is also the first CoD in a long time to not feature a 50 dollar season pass that just provides a little over a dozen multiplayer maps. For context, the other big shooters (Rainbow Six, Counter Strike, Overwatch, Paladins, Battlefield) don’t charge for maps and haven’t in years, since it just divides the playerbase and makes matchmaking harder.

This CoD also doesn’t lock new guns behind lootboxes, which had become a big problem for the last several games. Furthermore, this game doesn’t feature lootboxes at all, which is a new development in the right direction. Instead, this game has pricey (10-20 bucks) cosmetic bundles in the style of Fortnite and a battle pass (again like Fortnite, but almost every game has this now).

Conclusion

So what’s the takeaway? Well, I know Call of Duty is a very popular game that doesn’t need defending, but I really think this new one is special and very much pro-consumer. I refused to get excited for it before release after years of microtransaction-riddled cash grabs, but this one is a real breath of fresh air. There is a lot of content here, and they provide more for free. You get to play all the new maps and modes for free and unlock the new guns for free. The battle royale and normal multiplayer are both getting a lot of support and constant content. I just hope this game doesn’t drive off the edge of a cliff when this year’s new game comes out, but that is a whole other topic (there are rumors, but nothing has been confirmed about this year’s Call of Duty if there even is one. It would need to come out pretty soon, despite no information about it existing. If there isn’t one, it would be the first year since 2004 without one, but this most recent game has been pretty exceptional in my opinion and Corona couldn’t be predicted).

#call of duty #modern warfare #call of duty modern warfare #cod #mw #cod mw #call of duty: modern warfare

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facepalming-since-chernobyl · 5 years ago

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"Because he didn’t write a permission, backed by a 5 pages essay about how he is their real friend, with attachement of 5 pics, health insurance and psychologist’s opinion. DUH" Well now I’m even more confused! Was David congratulating and expressing joy over his' friends being parents-to-be or applying for a K-1 or other type of US visa? Hahaha.

You didn’t know? If you want to say a thing about MW, you need to sign a paper, LIKE ADAM BEFORE LENA KILLED HIM. Without it SC police is going to roast your ass

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particlecounting · 5 years ago

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Is Washing Masks Effective After Virus Exposure?

With the shortage of masks during the coronavirus outbreak, many people are wondering if washing masks is an effective way of cleaning them, to let you re-use them.

There are companies that claim to have washable anti-pollution masks. This company in India claims their mask is washable and can capture air pollution, bacteria, and “germs.”

Yet one thing that seems to be lacking is any actual data on this question–until now.

The Test: Washing Masks with Soap & Water

Smart Air tested this by washing a dirty 3M N95 mask our engineer Paddy had been using during the coronavirus outbreak.

Step 1: Use a Met One GT-521 laser particle counter to test what percentage of tiny 0.3 micron particles the mask filters.

Read more: Here’s why these 0.3 micron particles are they key for mask effectiveness.

Step 2: Wash in soap and water. Smart Air used Walch hand soap, which claims to remove 99.9% of bacteria, although it doesn’t say how effective it is at removing viruses.

Step 3: After drying overnight, test mask particle capture again.

Testing Mask Filtration Effectiveness

Although the mask was used for over a week, it still very captured 99% of particles. This fits with previous Smart Air results where masks retained effectiveness nearly unaffected after being worn 11 days, 20 days, and even 30 days.

However, washing the mask was much worse than natural “aging.” Washing decreased particle capture by 21%.

That is still better than the effectiveness of some surgical masks, but it’s a large drop.

Why Is Washing Masks So Harmful?

The answer to this question lies in the fibers masks are made from. Many N95 and other pollution masks are made from a mat of randomly aligned, very thin fibers.

Manufacturers then give these sheets an electrostatic charge.

See More: 3M explains static charge in masks in this video.

https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/989808O/advanced-electret-media-enhances-breathability.mp4

Washing removes that static electric charge, which decreases performance. Vigorous washing may also damage the fibers, making it easier for particles to pass through.

Bottom line: Washing masks with soap and water decreases particle capture effectiveness. Washing is not a solution for extending mask lifespan.

Why Do Some Companies Claim to Have Washable Masks?

Companies might not know that washing mask filter media can drastically reduce effectiveness. Or maybe the masks claiming to be washable aren’t actually N95 standard masks, but just cotton masks that can be washed with potentially less damage to the fibers.

Another common so-called “washable” masks is made up of a washable cotton mask and a non-washable N95 filter.

Yet this filter still can’t be washed. What’s more, masks with replaceable filters tend to score worse on fit tests than 3M N95 masks. That pattern is clear in mask fit tests run by Beijing-based doctor Richard Saint Cyr.

Is Washing Masks with Alcohol Effective?

Perhaps another solution for washing masks is alcohol. If soap and water require rubbing, maybe alcohol will do less harm because it can disinfect without rubbing.

A group of researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health tested N95 masks before and after dipping them in rubbing alcohol. After drying overnight, the masks captured 37% less particulate on average.

To be fair, this test exaggerates the harm. That’s because the test above was for particle sizes that are the most likely to be affected by alcohol treatment. Many masks capture particles in the range around 0.3 microns using fibers with static charge. Dipping in alcohol removes this charge.

However, when the researchers looked at even smaller particles, they found out alcohol sterilization did much less harm.

Read more: This is why the graph above makes no intuitive sense but is real.

Looking for an effective way of cleaning your mask from viruses?

This method kills viruses without affecting mask performance.

Get the latest clean air tips!

Get updates on masks, air purifiers and air quality delivered straight to your inbox.

#coronavirus #covid19 #mask #N95 #wash

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travllingbunny · 6 years ago

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The 100 rewatch: 2x06 Fog of War

This episode has one major character introduction (and one minor one), which might have been a cool reveal the first time I saw it, if I hadn't been always spoiled on it; some really tense moments involving major revelations for the characters themselves, which made me think for a moment I'd give this episode a higher rating; and a very questionable follow-up to the major storyline from the previous episode, which made me rate it lower than the previous few episodes, but nowhere near as low as an upcoming episode all focused on that storyline, and that's just because it's still a minor part of this episode.

Rating: 7.5/10

You've probably guessed what I meant already: the way the show deals with the aftermath of Finn's mass murder in the Grounder village is full of problems and annoying character behavior. Which gets even worse in episode 2x08, but it starts here, when we learn that Finn was questioned by the Council*in Camp Jaha and fully cleared, because, according to Abby: "He thought he was rescuing his friends". Sorry, what? Usually it's the Grounders that get on my nerves with their dumb decisions and attitudes, but this time, this storyline always made me extremely irritated with the Arkers. WTF is wrong with their judicial system and their moral views? They used to give death sentences on the Ark for any damn thing, from smoking weed to stealing medicine for your kids to giving birth to a second child to getting born as a second child; they announced they aren't doing it on the ground, but then were insisting on maintaining law and order by locking people up for hitting someone, or shock-lashing them for letting some of them go on an authorised mission; but killing 18 unarmed civilians who weren't posing a threat, all on your own - that's what they're OK with?

*Speaking of which, who’s in the Council now? Not any of the old members, since they died in Diana’s terrorist attack last season. We never see any of the new council members and I don’t we ever even hear about the council again. It’s always apparently just the Chancellor – whoever it is at the time (Abby, Kane, Pike) – making decisions on their own.

Now, if they had released Finn on the grounds of him suffering from PTSD, having diminished capacity - that would be a different matter. But they didn't. No one ever says explicitly that Finn is suffering from PTSD or has any kind of mental issue, and if they do think he has, why haven't they tried to help him? Do they even know anything about mental health? Do they have psychologists and psychiatrists? Going by everything we see in this and the following seasons, they have no clue. But in this case, the writers didn't seem to have much of a clue, either. (The show did much better with Jasper's storyline later on, though characters in-universe treated it just as poorly.) They even let Finn carry a gun and go on a recon mission with everyone else, and this time I’m totally with Octavia when she says she can’t believe they did it. (But does this mean that Octavia is the only one bothered because she is the only one who knew one of the victims?)

There are just mentions of how Finn has changed, etc. And then Raven even tells Finn "We all have battle scars, Finn. Suck it up and build a brace for yours." Um, no, no, Raven, you cannot do this with mental scars. That's not how it works. But, ironically, she'll find that out herself with what she will go through in seasons 3-4.

When I binged the show for the first time, I thought Finn’s character was a big failure because he was supposed to likable and a good guy, but never really came off that way. On rewatch, I realized he works much better as a character if I assume he was never meant to be all that likable in the first place. But “did they actually expect me to find him likable here, or not?” is something I’m still not sure at many points, and that’s the case in this episode. If they did, they really failed. It would be different if Finn was showing real guilt over what he had done, instead of going around trying to talk to Clarke and complaining because she’s not comfortable around him. “You don’t look at me the way you used to.” Duh! What did you expect?

The episode starts with an interesting scene where Clarke and Bellamy are making plans how to save their friends from Mount Weather. Bellamy actually says at one point that, if the Council doesn’t authorize the mission to save them, he’ll go there on his own. Which he seriously meant as that’s what he does in 2x09. Bellamy then asks about Finn (the second and last time the two of them ever talk about any of each other’s love interests) and Clarke replies she hasn’t talked to Finn, while Bellamy is trying to make lighter of Finn’s actions, saying “We’ve all done bad things” - .obviously to try to make her feel better, and because he feels guilty for allowing Finn to continue the mission with just Murphy to look after him, since we know from before that he’s well aware of the gravity of Finn’s actions. Then Finn arrives, his body language saying: “Go away, I need to talk to Clarke, since my relationship with her is the most important thing in the world”. Bellamy is understanding and walks away, while Clarke is following him with her eyes until he leaves, her body language saying “I much preferred you company, why did you have to leave me with him?” She’s obviously creeped out and doesn’t know how to act around this new, murderous Finn, who appears to be so much different from what she thought the guy she fell in love was. The time they spend together – hiding from the acid fog – in the house, where Finn killed Delano, the Grounder prisoner, doesn’t help – Finn takes a chance to give her Jake’s watch, but the moment is obviously spoiled for her by Delano’s dead body she sees lying there. What do you mean, murder isn’t a great way to say “I love you”? But it seems like I’m supposed to feel sorry for him, when he and Clarke have an exchange about how war has changed them all:

“I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

“Neither do I.”

“What have we become?”

With how I feel about this storyline, it may seem odd that I’m still rating this episode rather high, but 1) it is still a rather small part of this episode (and I’m going to pour all my hate for this storyline into episode 2x08), 2) Clarke’s extreme discomfort with Finn is character and makes sense –they may have released him, but that doesn’t mean people really feel like nothing has changed, and 3) the other storylines in this episode are really good.

I really like the scenes where Bellamy and Octavia go on their own to find an entrance into Mount Weather to save Lincoln -together with some Arker guards who decided to help them rather than listen to their orders - and are shocked to find him as a Reaper, who doesn’t recognize them but seems to have some sort of a reaction to Octavia’s voice. Those scenes are really intense, and the literal darkness of the Mount Weather hallways combined with the cheesy Christmas song that starts playing all of a sudden from a wind-up toy, just before a Reaper attack, makes for one of the creepier and more effective season 2 scenes.

(Season 2 was by far the most harmonious one for the Blake sibling relationship. Or rather, the only one. Their relationship is usually extremely dysfunctional.)

Major developments happen in Mount Weather itself. This is when Jasper, Monty and the other Delinquents finally learn the truth about their hosts – thanks to Maya, who has found out that her “accidental” radioactivity contamination was planned, and realized that the 47 may soon meet the same fate as the Grounders caught in MW. I’ve always liked Maya – I trusted her since first seeing 2x01. She’s one of the most underrated characters on The 100, IMO.

The scene where Maya shows Jasper and Monty the cages with people in them and people getting drained, is a really strong one. I love this dialogue where she tries to explain the mentality of the ordinary Mountain Men and their silent complicity in what their regime is doing:

Maya: “Everyone knows, we don’t talk about it (…) Look, without the treatments, we die. What were we supposed to do?” Monty: “Die.”

It’s one of the times when the show really successfully did moral ambiguity. Monty’s answer is kind of harsh, but completely understandable since he’s just seen the horrors happening, and he’s kind of right, but he’s also kind of wrong… Because it’s not exactly easy for people to ignore such a basic instinct as survival, for the sake of morality and humanness. But as we later learn, Maya’s mother did make that choice, refuse the treatments, and die. And Maya herself will help the Arkers, and die, as a result – kind of killed by Monty himself, saying “None of us is innocent” as her final words.

We also get more insight into the Wallace father-son relationship, with signs of their upcoming conflict, and some more info about MW. Though Dante’s title is President, we learn that every president of MW has been a Wallace. They’re basically a dynasty like the Kims in North Korea. We learn that the initial plan for the 48 was to “assimilate them into our gene pool”, which explains the chocolate cake and all other attempts to charm them. Dante must have been happy to see Maya and Jasper get close, in that case all he needed to do was let nature take its course, but how did they intend to do that with the rest of the kids? Arrange marriages/relationships? Ask them for sperm/egg cells? Dante is against draining the kids and says he “won’t put them in cages like animals”. You mean, like other people you already have in cages? Mount Weather will, in Dante’s opinion, eventually will be breached by radiation, which is an explanation for the panic of the Mountain Men, but Dante insists that it’s not just important to be able to go the surface, but that he won’t deserve to survive if he allows it. Um… you already don’t deserve it. Why does he draw the line with the kids? Is it because he thinks of the Grounders as “savages” and finds it easier to dehumanize them?

(BTW, what on Earth made Dante give his son the name Cage, of all the things he could have possibly named him?!)

At the end of the episode, the kids in MW have decided to pretend and work within MW to get out, with Jasper and Monty have decided to volunteer for blood donations to fool their hosts. Raven has meanwhile discovered the secret MW channel, realized that it was MW that crashed the Exodus ship and that they are jamming all radio communications. She and Abby discussed whether to destroy the Mountain Men tower that does the jamming, which would allow them to get in radio contact with other possible survivors from other Ark stations, or to not do it and listen in to the Mountain Men conversations instead, which would allow them to rescue the kids from MW – and Abby finally made the decision to do the latter, which means she’s finally supporting Clarke in her determination to save her friends. The consequence of this is also that the Farm station survivors (including Pike, Hannah Green and Bryan) will only join the other Arkers in season 3.

The big character introduction in the episode is, of course, Lexa. Her right hand man/bodyguard Gustus is also introduced, and he utters the line “Blood must have blood”, talking about retaliation for Finn’s massacre, which is the first time we hear that line. I’ll never know if the twist at the end of the episode that Lexa is the Commander would have been a surprise for me. I was already spoiled, long before I started watching the show, that there was a character called “Commander Lexa”, that she has a relationship with Clarke at some point, and gets killed by a stray bullet after the first time they had sex – because that was a huge controversy in 2016, which you couldn’t avoid if you were visiting any online fandom sites, even if you knew nothing about The 100. So, when she introduced herself as Lexa, I knew “oh, so she’s the Commander”. The show did a good job playing against expectations by introducing her as a frail-looking young servant girl, playing on her youth and looks, so I might have been fooled otherwise, or I might have gotten suspicious after she was just standing there listening and observing Jaha and Kane all the time? Or maybe I would have thought she was someone spying for the Commander. In this episode, we just learn she’s smart and can be sneaky and likes to get a measure of her opponents/enemies – but we don’t really get more sense of what she’s like as a person and leader until around 2x09.

The thing with Kane and Jaha being made to fight to the death to supposedly decide who will live and be set free, reminds me of the Blodreina gladiator fights in season 5, except those were actual fights to the death, while this was just a ploy, and Octavia got the idea from the Roman history. But I guess that type of death match wouldn’t have been a foreign concept to the Grounders from the Wonkru.

The show tried to play with expectations for a second with Kane taking the knife to do something, as if he was going to kill Jaha, but at that point, we already knew what Kane was really like, so his attempt at self-sacrifice, in order to end the war, was not a surprise. He is still haunted by guilt for the culling (Jaha: “You didn’t order the massacre” – Kane: “Not this one”). One of the reasons I started liking him is that he is one of the few characters, alongside Clarke and Bellamy, who show genuine remorse for their actions. Another good piece of dialogue is when Jaha says that the things they did on the Ark were for survival of the human race, with Kane pointing out that the human race was, in fact, surviving without them anyway – to which Jaha replied that they are, then, doing everything for their people. Which is the justification/guiding motive Jaha has from this moment on: “for my people”.

I’m still not sure what exactly Lexa’s take from all of this was, since she declared to Kane“Your intention are honorable, and your desire for peace is true”, so apparently, she appreciated his conviction – but then she let Jaha go to be a messenger and deliver the dramatic message to the Arkers to “Leave or die!”, while detaining Kane to further talk to him, or observe him (?), or keep him as a hostage? What exactly was she planning to do with him?

Anyway, this is the only time that Lexa and Jaha ever interacted. It would have been interesting to see them talk about leadership some time, since they strike me as similar type of leaders: both are ruthless, believe that the end justifies the means and justify their actions by saying it’s all for their people, but their concept of “their people” is an abstract one, because they are less concerned with the welfare of individuals that make up the collective called “my people”, and are ready to sacrifice quite a few of them if their goals require it.

Timeline: 2 days after Human Trials. This is one of the few times we actually get some pointers about the time that has passed – and one of the few times we get a.. mini time jump. It’s weird to call 2 days a time jump, but most of the episodes start right after the previous one. It was only late in season 3 (after the “Six months earlier” tag in 3x13) that I realized how condensed the show’s timeline was.

Body count: 1 Arker guard killed by the fog, other two killed by Reapers, a couple of Reapers killed by Bellamy.

#the 100 #the 100 rewatch #the 100 season 2 #the 100 2x06 #fog of war #clarke griffin #bellamy blake #octavia blake #finn collins #marcus kane #thelonius jaha #monty green #jasper jordan #dante wallace #maya vie #I'm not tagging you-know-who in this or any further post #because that would just be asking for trouble #even when I'm not saying anything particularly negative about her

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epimains · 2 years ago

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brookstonalmanac · 4 years ago

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Events 4.1

33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held. 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. 1545 – Potosí, Bolivia, is founded after the discovery of huge silver deposits in the area. 1572 – In the Eighty Years' War, the Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Seventeen Provinces, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic. 1625 – A combined Spanish and Portuguese fleet of 52 ships commences the recapture of Bahia from the Dutch during the Dutch–Portuguese War. 1789 – In New York City, the United States House of Representatives achieves its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first Speaker. 1833 – The Convention of 1833, a political gathering of settlers in Mexican Texas to help draft a series of petitions to the Mexican government, begins in San Felipe de Austin. 1865 – American Civil War: Union troops led by Philip Sheridan decisively defeat Confederate troops led by George Pickett, cutting the Army of Northern Virginia's last supply line. 1867 – Singapore becomes a British crown colony. 1873 – The White Star steamer RMS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century. 1908 – The Territorial Force (renamed Territorial Army in 1920) is formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army. 1918 – The Royal Air Force is created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. 1924 – Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years imprisonment for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch" but spends only nine months in jail. 1924 – The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed. 1933 – The recently elected Nazis under Julius Streicher organize a one-day boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses in Germany, ushering in a series of anti-Semitic acts. 1935 – India's central banking institution, The Reserve Bank of India, is formed. 1937 – Aden becomes a British crown colony. 1937 – The Royal New Zealand Air Force is formed as an independent service. 1939 – Spanish Civil War: Generalísimo Francisco Franco of the Spanish State announces the end of the Spanish Civil War, when the last of the Republican forces surrender. 1941 – Fântâna Albă massacre: Between 200 and 2,000 Romanian civilians are killed by Soviet Border Troops. 1941 – A military coup in Iraq overthrows the regime of 'Abd al-Ilah and installs Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister. 1944 – Navigation errors lead to an accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen. 1945 – World War II: The Tenth United States Army attacks the Thirty-Second Japanese Army on Okinawa. 1946 – The 8.6 Mw  Aleutian Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). A destructive tsunami reaches the Hawaiian Islands resulting in dozens of deaths, mostly in Hilo, Hawaii. 1947 – The only mutiny in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy begins. 1948 – Cold War: Communist forces respond to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark by attempting to force the western powers to withdraw from Berlin. 1948 – Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark. 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Chinese Communist Party holds unsuccessful peace talks with the Nationalist Party in Beijing, after three years of fighting. 1949 – The Government of Canada repeals Japanese-Canadian internment after seven years. 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. 1955 – The EOKA rebellion against the British Empire begins in Cyprus, with the goal of unifying with Greece. 1960 – The TIROS-1 satellite transmits the first television picture from space. 1964 – The British Admiralty, War Office and Air Ministry are replaced by a unified Defence Council of the United Kingdom. 1969 – The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing capabilities, enters service with the Royal Air Force. 1970 – President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law. 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army massacre over 1,000 people in Keraniganj Upazila, Bangladesh. 1973 – Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Jim Corbett National Park, India. 1974 – The Local Government Act 1972 of England and Wales comes into effect. 1979 – Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah. 1986 – Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) cadres attack a number of police stations in Kathmandu, seeking to incite a popular rebellion. 1989 – Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly known as the "poll tax"), is introduced in Scotland. 1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp is seen passing at perihelion. 1999 – Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories. 2001 – An EP-3E United States Navy surveillance aircraft collides with a Chinese People's Liberation Army Shenyang J-8 fighter jet. The Navy crew makes an emergency landing in Hainan, China and is detained. 2001 – Former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on war crimes charges. 2001 – Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, the first contemporary country to allow it. 2006 – Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) of the Government of the United Kingdom is enforced, but later merged into National Crime Agency on 7 October 2013. 2011 – After protests against the burning of the Quran turn violent, a mob attacks a United Nations compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of thirteen people, including eight foreign workers. 2016 – Nagorno-Karabakh clashes: The Four Day War or April War begins along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact on April 1.

#Events

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mrhenryharrell · 5 years ago

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May 25 Green Energy News

Headline News:

“UK Power Emissions Fall To Record Low” • The UK power system’s carbon intensity fell to a record low on 23 May, pushed down bin increased solar and windpower, according to research by Drax Electric Insights. Average carbon intensity reached 61 grams of CO₂ per kWh, beating the previous record, 76 grams of CO₂ per kWh, set on 17 August last year. [reNEWS]

Westmill Solar Co-operative (MrRenewables, Wikimedia Commons)

“NSW Calls For Wind, Solar, Storage Ideas For First Renewable Zone In Central West” • The government of New South Wales issued a call for 3,000 MW or more of wind, solar, and storage project proposals to join the state’s first Renewable Energy Zone. The zone will be in the Central-West region, centerd around the town of Dubbo. [RenewEconomy]

“Why Are We Subsidizing Fossil Fuels? Seriously” • Supporting renewables can cut emissions and boost the economy, all while providing cost-competitive energy. The Trump Administration, however, continues propping up the fossil fuel industry, despite the sector’s real financial problems, which began long before the COVID-19 pandemic. [CleanTechnica]

“Experts Warn Climate Change Is Already Killing Way More People Than We Record” • In a published correspondence, a physician from the Australian National University and four other public health experts estimated that Australia’s mortality records have substantially underreported heat-related deaths – at least 50-fold. [ScienceAlert]

“Number 1 Tesla has 29% of Global Electric Vehicle Market in Q1 2020” • EV Volumes has shared the first quarter breakdown by brand for the world as a whole. It is interesting that the top two brands have had dramatically different approaches to their plug-in vehicle sales rise. Tesla is number one; it is followed rather distantly by Volkswagen. [CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

May 25 Green Energy News posted first on Green Energy Times

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markwatkinsconsumerguide · 6 years ago

Photo

Consumer Guide / No.85 / singer-songwriter Natasha England with Mark Watkins.

MW : What were you like at school sports and things of that nature?

NE : I was the captain of netball and captain of the swimming team. I was in the “Speed Club” for swimming & diving - winning many gold medals for my school. I swam competitively for my region in South Lanarkshire.

I was captain of the relay team - winning sports prizes several times in primary and grammar school incorporating sprints of 100 metres, 300 metres, High Jump, Long Jump and Hurdles.

At one time, I thought I might be a gym instructor. I was a member of a gymnast team called The Flying Angels. I was a member of an athletics club and played a lot of badminton. I’ve roller-skated, ice-skated, canoed, played some tennis and rode bicycles.

From an early age, I’ve “worked my passage” and ridden horses competitively at Show jumping and Cross-country events - winning many rosettes.

At one stage, I had thought of being a riding instructor. I could have done this had I not got even more involved in music.

I was lucky enough to spend much quality time with my father walking and fly-fishing on the River Spey and other salmon and trout rivers, and lochs, and estuaries. My father was a very good Fly-Fisherman so I was brought up on a diet of wild salmon and trout.

As you can see I excelled at sports, and have a great love of nature and the outdoors.

MW : Do you enjoy football?

NE : Yes, I love football! I played a lot of football in my youth. However, I was not allowed in the school teams as I was a girl (boys only then!) so I played football with the boys outside school.

MW : You were born in Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic or Rangers?!

NE : I have been to both Rangers and Celtic matches, mainly over my time growing up in Scotland and to a few over the years since. I don't buy into the catholic/protestant divide. I have friends who support both teams, and fans who support Arsenal, Chelsea - and Spurs!

MW : Tell me how you won your “Spurs”...and how football lead to music...

NE : When I came to London the guy (Bob England) whom I went on to marry was a Tottenham Hotspur fan.

I was a season ticket holder at Tottenham for many years and throughout the FA Cup campaign that led to an eventual win in a replay over Manchester City at Wembley in 1981 (1-1 draw, then 3-2 win).

I’ve worn a Spurs strip to help promote Tottenham Hotspur’s official records, 'Ossie's Dream' (1981) and 'Tottenham Tottenham' (1982) - both produced by Chas and Dave (who I managed) and released on Towerbell Records (our record label).

I joined players Glenn Hoddle and Garth Crooks on Top Of The Pops with the football squad performing 'Tottenham Tottenham' just a few weeks prior to the release of 'Iko Iko' (1982) and my own appearance on the show.

If you have an original, vinyl copy of 'Ossie's Dream' look closely, and you should see written on the inside ring of the record 'The year of the Cockerel 1981’. I scratched this message on the original acetate which was the template for all the records pressed.

In the 1980's, I had a music biz five-a-side called “Leggy Five” and we played in many music biz charity games.

MW : What would improve the UK's chances of winning Eurovision (again) after so many years in the wilderness?

NE : I’m not sure that the UK will ever have the chance to win this competition again as the judging over these last years has proved beyond any doubt to be politically driven and this will get no better when we leave Europe.

This is now an extravagant spectacle of bad taste, pantomime dames and dodgy outfits and songs - nevertheless compulsive viewing!

Sir Terry Wogan (RIP) - as the UK's commentator made the show, and now Graham Norton does an equally fabulous job of taking the mickey out its whacky songs and artists.

In the present political environment there is no point in the UK competing. Very few of the winners go on to have any longevity in the music business with obvious exceptions, Abba - being the most successful since ‘Waterloo’ in 1974, Sandie Shaw (1967 winner), Lulu (1969 winner), Brotherhood of Man (1976 winner), Johnny Logan (1980 & 1987 winner), Bucks Fizz (1981 winner) and Katrina and The Waves in 1997.

So, I think it would be best for the UK not to put another artist through this humiliation. We would have to have 'The Song' and 'The Artist' that would blow everyone away and leave no doubt in people's minds that it was the deserving winner. Even then, you would have to deal with the politics, so I don't think it is worth it, I’m afraid.

MW : Which newspapers do you read?

NE : I don't buy newspapers anymore. I get most of my news online.

I try and stay as informed as I can on all topics including politics. It’s a minefield out there, but you have to know what your up against.

If only news agencies and politicians would tell the truth instead of pushing their own agendas to twist and distort the truth to deceive, influence or sensationalize.

MW : What was the first record you bought?

NE : My older sister, Evelyne, started her record collection before me, so I continued the record-buying trend, but instead of being into just pop, I loved folk, blues, rock, jazz, soul, Tamla Motown and Stax.

I purchased the 'Gutbucket’ blues album - which remains a favourite of mine. It has a selection of songs from all the best folk & blues players of the time - all household names now.

I bought a lot of Motown and Sam & Dave, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, along with Pink Floyd, Free, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac (original) and many others.

Everything that I enjoyed back then are now in The Hall Of Fame.

https://www.rockhall.com

Free were my favourite rock band and Peter Green was my favourite blues guitarist/singer of the time.

MW : Which books do you enjoy?

NE : Any Buddha-based book. I love everything about Buddhists and their ideology.

Every book about animals, horses, marine life, insects, birds, fish and nature that I can get my hands on.

‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell. Life imitating art of art imitating life? Power and order.‘1984’, again by Orwell - we’re living it.

‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley - what foresight.

‘The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe’ by C.S Lewis. I loved this book so much that I called my first band in London, 'Aslan'.

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, ‘The Tale Of Two Cities’, ’The Hobbit’, ‘Lord Of The Rings’, ‘The Canterbury Tales’....and so many more books.

MW : Share your thoughts on keeping animals in zoos...

NE : Some smaller animals, insects, reptiles, birds etc can live quite happily in a well maintained enhancing environment but larger animals need space to roam. If we have to contain animals for education and breeding programmes we need to give these larger animals more space and a suitable enhancing environment.

I’m more in favour of Wildlife Parks, where the animals have much more land to roam. Zoos are important for breeding programmes to help keep our endangered species alive but we should be building all zoos along the lines of Safari Parks.

MW : Why are animal rights close to your heart?

NE : I adore all animals and I’ve a very strong affiliation with them. I’ve lived and worked around various animals all my life. I assisted a vet when I was younger. I’ve rescued and mended many animals, birds and wildlife throughout from childhood to adulthood, so another profession I may have taken up had I not chosen music as a career.

I have kept all sorts of animals and I train dogs and horses. Animals have served us all well throughout history, in wars, in agriculture, down mines, for transport and in life. We owe so much to animals, so anyone who is cruel to a defenseless animal is sick and will go on to be cruel to humans.

I would dearly love to have an animal sanctuary to help and rescue animals and to rehome them and to educate children on animal welfare and training and most importantly the love, companionship and loyalty that these animals can give to their human friends and the great benefits that humans get from being around animals and nature.

I’ve done much charity and therapy work with horses, dogs and other animals to help enhance children’s lives and mindset and to help them overcome illness and disabilities and contributing to their wellbeing.

So, I would love to be in a position to continue this valuable work i.e combining animal and music therapy.

MW : Money or health?

NE : Health every time - in the world we live in money can be the difference between life and death for so many of us.

You may not be able to buy health, but if you are unfortunate enough to need help with your health, whether medically or mentally, having money will get a quicker service (which could save your life).

It should not be this way, but it is, and it’s so unfair and unjust.

MW : Tell me about setting up Towerbell Records...

NE : Towerbell Records was set up after I left Good Earth Promotions. Prior to leaving Good Earth I had spotted Darts at the Rock Garden in Covent Garden, London. I went there with Jon Moss of Culture Club. Jon was working for me as a booker at Good Earth. After seeing Darts perform I signed them to (our) management. Darts were signed to Magnet Records (record label).

Darts were extremely successful and made Magnet Records money and I believe kept the label afloat at a time when Magnet really did not have much talent on the label. Bob (England) and I found ourselves doing a lot of the work for this record company, so it was always going to be the obvious move to create our own label i.e Towebell Records.

We then signed Chas & Dave to management and we wanted to have our own label and have both Darts and Chas & Dave on this label. We were unhappy with Michael Levy (now Lord Levy) and Magnet Records. We felt he was penny pinching with regards to Darts’ campaigns, videos and promotion. Given that Darts had made so much money for Magnet the band were very unhappy with the label too, as they felt as I did that Michael was holding them back. I did not like Michael and his practices and both Bob and I wanted the band released from Magnet.

Bob and I discussed this and the terms of this release from Magnet that we wanted for the band. As I say, I did not like Michael, and I would not pander to him so I after discussing what we wanted for Darts, Bob and I decided that Bob did the negotiation with Michael. Everything would have be fine if Bob had stuck to the plan. Unfortunately, the release deal was very much in Michael's favour and the release clauses made it extremely difficult for Darts to function with all the restrictions that Michael Levy had put upon them. It was a very restrictive release contract with Michael continuing to benefit. Michael eventually sold the label and all of Darts’ catalogue to Warner Bros.

Michael made this process very difficult with his demands and delays. The outcome was disastrous for Darts - because of the time taken on the release contract and unreasonable release clauses. Michael effectively ended Darts’ career.

We did go on to set up two labels, Rockney Records for Chas & Dave releases and Towerbell Records for other artists including myself, Snowy White, Amazulu and others.

We were very successful as an independent record label, but I was unhappy in my marriage and I left Bob and the label in 1984.

Bob was not so successful without me. He made some bad decisions. He ended up leaving the UK a year or so later caught up in a blaze of publicity at Miami Airport (on route to Antigua) owing millions to various artists.

I had nothing to do with his downfall. A large part of his debt was still owed to me for PRS and other fees that were generated when I had Top Ten success and other chart album and singles. I had trusted him but he effectively punished me for leaving him. I was by then financially and contractually screwed. He promised he would pay me what I was owed but he never did.

MW : Share some experiences of managing Darts...

NE : Darts were a breath of fresh air amidst an uprising Punk scene. Don't get me wrong there were a couple of bands, The Sex Pistols, 999 and a few others that made an impact but Darts were different.

They had an element of punk but they could all play their instruments and all four singers could sing. They were performing doo-wop and they were their own best promotion. Den Hegarty could be a bit of a handful but otherwise a great bunch of people. I just knew that this band would be successful and they were.

I’ve many great memories of touring with Darts in the UK and abroad and being in the studio with them They were all very down to earth people and consummate musicians. Darts had major success back then and should have continued in this trend but there were problems with Magnet Records, as I’ve said earlier.

Fortunately, Darts still do several choice gigs a year and they are still one of the most entertaining bands around.

MW : How did you react to the passing of Chas Hodges?

NE : I had been diagnosed with cancer a few months before Chas was diagnosed. I was so sad when I heard the news of his death, for him, his beautiful wife, Joan and for his loving family, his children and his grandchildren, it was a shock.

Apparently Chas had gone fishing with Dave (Peacock) the day before he died and he seemed fine and in good spirits but he was dead by the next morning.

He is so loved and is missed by all. I was sad for a long while. Although we’d spoken on the phone and made plans to meet, unfortunately this was never to be as Chas died the week before we were due to meet up.

I have many great memories of Chas and I’m so pleased that I played a part in his story. He was an amazing man and a consummate musician who could play many instruments.

MW : How did you know / judge which records to release?

NE : I have always been quite good at spotting a hit and had this talent from when I was very young. I would hear a song once on the radio and would immediately know it would be a big hit. More often than not - I was right!

It’s a sound, a voice, a hook, an instrument, a band with originality, or the combination of all of theses factors that makes you want to dance, sing, laugh, think, reflect or be quiet.

It’s when something in the mix reaches in and touches you and inspires you. It’s the overall sound of what is being conveyed and how this sound makes you feel.

Originality is always a star quality in the mix.

MW : Your solo career. Tell me about your big hit ‘Iko Iko’ and the chart battle with The Belle Stars...

NE : I’d been in the process of recording an album with Tom Newman when I decided to do a version of ‘Iko Iko’ using Richard Branson's 'Barge Studio'. Rita Ray from Darts suggested the song and she sang backing vocals on the track.

I was familiar with the song and would sing this song and 'The Clapping Song' as a little girl. I also loved loved Dr. Johns' version. When we recorded this, it just felt right and it had such a good vibe that Tom and I just knew it was a hit. We recorded it in February 1982 but as it was a summer record we sat on this until the June release. My then record plugger, Alan James, had secured some BBC Radio 1 airplay as a white label a week prior to the release date and there was a real buzz on the record.

I was in the studio recording a session for the BBC when my then husband, Bob England, called me from Towerbell Records saying that Paul Conroy (who I knew well and was general manager of Stiff Records) had heard ‘Iko Iko’ being played on BBC Radio 1 on the week prior to its official release date. Paul said that he loved it and asked for a copy.

Bob went on to say that he told Paul that he would put a copy in the post when Paul said that he happened to have a scooter-messenger in the area of our office and this messenger could pick this up, which he did pretty sharpish. When Bob told me this I knew immediately that Paul was up to something, as Paul had The Belle Stars signed to Stiff, and they and other artists had previously released ‘Iko Iko’. So, I checked out every artist/band that had ever released ‘Iko Iko’ as a single. The Bodysnatchers were one band who did - they later became The Belle Stars!

I suspected that The Belle Stars had plans to release another version of ‘Iko Iko’ and they wanted my white label version to compare to theirs. As it turned out, The Belle Stars and their then producer Martin Tench sat in the music room at Stiff Records playing my version of ‘Iko Iko’ over and over again against several different mixes they had of their ‘Iko Iko's’ - they were obviously trying to decide which of their versions to release. Co-incidentally when Bow Wow Wow released 'Go Wild In The country' produced by Tench soon after you will notice the distinct similarity with the drums to the drums on my 'Iko Iko'..

After speaking with me, Bob immediately called Paul and confronted him. Paul admitted that The Belle Stars had indeed recorded a version of ‘Iko Iko’ and intended to release this in a few weeks. Paul went on to say that Stiff would not now be releasing their version as my version was out the following week. I did not believe them, and I was right not to believe Paul, as Stiff went on to rush release The Belle Stars version to come out on the very same day as my version.

Fortunately, my version of ‘Iko Iko’ was the favoured version being played on BBC Radio 1, and all the other main and regional radio stations up and down the country and abroad. The press had a field day - playing both myself and The Belle Stars off against each other, intimating that their was bad blood between us. This was not true at all. I did a TV show where both myself and The Belle Stars performed our own versions of ‘Iko Iko’. There was seven of them and me and my Great Dane called Fury on the same show.

I had nothing against the girls, I knew it was Stiff Records stage managing all of this. I wished the girls well with their version but my version was out selling theirs from the off.

My version went on to be the highest New Entry in the charts and the Highest Climber in the charts along with Video Of The Month.

The Belle Stars got to No.37 and then dropped out of the chart whilst I went on to have a Top Ten hit. In fact, I had several really good singles out before I released ‘Iko Iko’ in 1982 : - ‘I Can't Hold On’, ‘Strangest Feeling’, ‘Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache’ - all good songs which all got great reviews and responses when played at clubs but I did not get the airplay that I needed.

MW : Tell me about your new music...

NE : I have recently brought out a new album 'Somehow' and I released a single of the same name at the same time.

Music videos for 'Somehow' and 'Hook Line & Sinker, the two tracks off the album so far are on You Tube. The website has all the information on all my music, past and present, that I have released and details on how to get physical, as well as digital copies, of this music. Photos, discography etc...

www.natashaengland.co.uk

The album and single received extremely great reviews, but the problem has been getting significant airplay for this music. I feel, it’s deserving of airplay - but the powers that be - who control playlists - seem to have their own agenda. New music on independent record labels has a hard time getting airplay, plus there is ageism to overcome.

You can have the best voice, band, song in the world - but if you are trying to establish yourself, or re-establish yourself, in the music industry and you are not on a major label, it is more or less impossible, and (youthful) looks do count.

Until you get airplay you don't get heard and you don't seem to exist. That said, I will continue to write record and perform.

Keep the passion and let the love and the music play on...

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ourworldofenergy · 6 years ago

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Canada and Energy: Part 2 – The Bad

Guest blog by S. A. Shelley In the previous blog about energy in Canada, I presented evidence that Canada has abundance of energy, ranging from hydrocarbon to existing renewable energy supplies. In essence, Canada has similar potential to Norway and even at a larger scale. Norway, like Canada, has been a prolific producer of oil and gas and continues to be so, but Norway is already in a position to be able to transition fully to renewable energy and has undertaken steps in that direction and to curtail fossil fuel consumption (see Independent.co.uk, and Fortune.com).

But where Norway has long term vision and broad social and political consensus, Canada has acrimony, mismanagement and corruption.

I. Oil and Gas Wealth Squandered

Back in 1976, Alberta had the good idea of establishing a “Heritage Fund” to accumulate some oil wealth into a fund to benefit Albertans (and Canada) to save for the future, to diversify the economy (away from fossil fuels) and to improve the quality of life for residents. At about the same time, Alaska established its Permanent Fund and around 15 years later, Norway established its Sovereign Wealth Fund with similar goals. Let’s compare the growth of these funds (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1

The values in Fig. 1 are not adjusted for inflation. If I adjusted the figures for inflation then it would appear that the Canadian Fund is losing real value and that they should just throw in the towel. Reading the annual reports for the Heritage Funds it becomes obvious that Canadian governments did not have the discipline necessary to achieve the fund’s objectives and then through constant changes in policies, raided the fund for pet projects.

Why does this matter? Because Norway now has ample financial resources to pay for a transition to a fully renewable energy economy and to diversity its economy away from hydrocarbon production. Canada has no similar fiscal resource to accomplish such lofty objectives in the time frame espoused by its politicians. In the prior blog, I noted that the Prime Minister praised the good fortune of having 173 billion barrels of oil sands resources. However, just two months before that speech in Houston the same Prime Minister gave a speech in Ontario in which he argued that it is necessary for Canada to divest itself from oil sands.

The net result is that Canada, and Alberta in particular, is going into the age of oil retirement without any pension or any real plan to live out the post oil age comfortably.

II. Canadian Oil and Gas Assets Will be Stranded in the Future and Therefore Be Worthless

For the last few years, Canada has struggled to get its oil to market. Any online search will deliver tons of news about pipeline problems, foreign funded protester problems, production problems, and ineffective government action. Coupled with flattening global oil demand and increasing oil supply, the result is that for the better part of a year Western Canada Select has been trading at a discount (Fig. 2 – sources Statista.com, Ceri )

Fig. 2

In effect for the whole last year, producing and selling Canadian oil has a zero sum game, most likely a negative undertaking, because in Fig. 2, I only use the lowest production costs and lowest transport costs.

If Canada can’t find markets and continues to sell oil at a discount, especially if that discount results in producing oil at cost or even below cost, then instead of having $800,000 per capita in the bank (less production costs) Canadians will now have $0 in the bank. Carbon taxes won’t kill Canadian oil production, lack of access to markets will.

Aside: Online searches will also bring about loads of stories about how toxic Canada’s oil is. Newsflash, all oil is toxic. Comparing again to Norway, both Norway and Canada have some of the strictest environmental, health and safety standards for oil production. Whereas other less open and democratic states focus on maximizing production without giving a care about environmental or safety issues. So really, where should environmentalists focus their protests, in Canada or in Venezuela?

Fig. 3 Common site in Venezuela these days (source Bloomberg)

Without pipelines to transfer oil to ports to access world markets, Canada will be very dependent upon the U.S. to buy its oil using existing pipelines and existing rail services. American refiners along the Gulf Coast have been happy to buy cheap Canadian oil to blend for products, especially in the wake of oil production failures in Venezuela, but now comes another scary part for Canada. American refiners may find other suppliers, or worse yet, if Venezuela falls, then the new regime in Venezuela will be quick to ramp up production. The best market for heavy oil is the U.S. Gulf Coast refiners who can use either Canadian heavy crude or Venezuelan heavy crude in their production. There are pipeline constraints and protesters along the route from Canada to the U.S. refiners, but there are no such blockages on the sea between Venezuela and the Gulf of Mexico.

Furthermore, transporting crude by rail from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast can cost from $10 to $15 per barrel. Shipping a barrel of crude from Venezuela by tanker costs around $2.

III. Hydropower

A big impediment to developing more hydropower in Canada is the poor relationship that the Federal Government has with indigenous nations. There are other reasons, but this one is important enough to address specifically and I’ll give a small, true story, which local folks will be happy to discuss if you ask.

On Vancouver Island the village of Tahsis is located within the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation area. There is hydropower potential in the area and a few years back a power developer started to develop a Run of the River hydro plant. Run of the River hydro is supposed to be the least environmentally altering means of producing power. However, the firm working on the project decided that it would be necessary to alter the river run and without consulting anyone started dynamiting the river which then affected fish stocks. (The engineering firm was from the U.S. working for a Canadian developer.) That type of blast first approach to development is horrible but unfortunately characteristic of a lot of large Canadian projects. Fortunately, in Tahsis the First Nations managed to stop the project (and, if I had been there at the time, I would also have jumped all over the dumb-dumb engineering firm and developer for such an approach). Houston is the oil and gas capital of the world, and had tempestuous beginnings, but we’ve long since learned that it’s not prudent nor necessary to throw one’s weight around by dynamiting things or running rough shod over environments and indigenous residents. There are better ways.

IV. Wind Power

The first commercial wind farm in Canada was located in Alberta and became operational in 1993. Since then all provinces have been adding windfarms, with most capacity additions coming on line between 2010 and now. But let’s focus on Alberta and Ontario. Fig 4 compares historical electricity prices for those two provinces. In 2013 Alberta added its largest windfarm to date, about 150 MW capacity. Ontario, since then has been adding a lot more wind, as seen in Fig. 5.

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

What was going on in Ontario? It seemed that the more wind power that Ontario added, the higher its electricity prices went. “Correlation is not Causation”, correct. But in this case, Fig. 5 actually show a causation-effect graph. It’s true, because in Ontario, the Liberal government mismanaged implementation of wind energy (and other renewable energy) which consequently drove up electricity prices. During the same time, in Alberta, they got it right, with electricity prices falling.

V. Invest in Energy, Just not in Canada?

As we’ve seen, even if one can produce heavy oil in Canada and get it to market, it’s likely that one will lose money. Instead of working on ways to improve the oil business in Canada, governments seem hell bent on destroying it even more by applying carbon taxes and implementing other insanities. Diversification into plastics is, in my opinion, a dubious long term solution as the plastics industry faces pressure to reduce output as the world moves towards using less plastic (see prior blog) or using bio-plastics materials that are degradable. Politicians in Canada at times get their priorities by looking backwards and working accordingly.

The situation with natural gas is almost as convoluted as with Canadian oil. There are bottlenecks to export. And unlike oil demand, which is forecast to fall soon enough, gas demand will remain strong for some decades.

Hydropower could be brought on line if, and it’s a big if, the Federal Canadian government and its preferred contractor would stop patronizing indigenous nations as charities and instead treat them with dignity and respect and as equals.

The experience of wind power in Ontario has damaged the case for wind power in Canada and elsewhere. But if people could look past the government mismanagement in Ontario and instead to the successes in Alberta and Texas, Canada could then benefit from cheap, renewable power.

But these are a lot of “ifs” and Canada will have to get past the ugly in order to thrive again. It’s a choice between lower taxes, cleaner energy for all, and allowing initiative and ingenuity, or the government taking a share in home ownership, mandating speech, and dictating economics.

Published by Our World of Energy

Canada and Energy: Part 2 – The Bad was originally published on OurWorldofEnergy

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wankadi · 8 years ago

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Jasper Jordan - Final Sum Up

I think that soon I’m about to cry so hard.

Jasper Jordan is one of my favourite characters in the show. Since he almost got killed with the spear I have some kind of bond with him.

I do miss the “Chemistry Guy” from season 1. He was full of joy and faith in the Earth. (He still does, I guess) He was a sunshine of Deliquents. A bit afraid. Ok, more than a bit. But at least really glad that he is where he is. And was about to enjoy it as much as he could. (Unity Day episode, for example)

Then he also had the best friend ever - Monty.

Jonty was always making me smile. Their specific high five and kind of cooperation is what I admire for so long. Monty was for him, helping with shooting Raven’s bomb on the bridge. Suddenly, the weight of the world appeared to be lighter.

That was the thing keeping Jasper centered.

Season 2, Mount Weather part was also full of Jonty more than ever. You know, you gotta try a pie.

Jasper with no one like Clarke or Bellamy kind of leader by his side, became on his own a leader of The 48. At first he was an ally with MW stuff, but then he realised that it’s not as perfect as he imagined it to be. He worked out the plan for them all. He united the 48 to fight and saved a lot of them from painfull and savage marrow taking. He really did.

Look at the thanks he got.

Maya.

None of us is innocent.

And it fell down on him like the weight of the world decided to double.

And what are the consequences?

Season 3.

And I’m crying since then.

Here comes Jasper I didn’t recognise anymore. Like the light of the 100 went off.

He’s going through PTSD after MW and he’s the only one, that it’s so unreal. Like Jasper is the only human being reacting to the loved one’s death like it should be reacted. He’s hurt.

He’s suicidal.

At first he’s drowning in pain and those emotionless smiles’ I’m so hurt by. Alcohol is his way to get through this shit. Drugs-similar stuff also. Ignoring everything and everyone as a protection. Being airy to not show what he actually feels.

And I understand him. I’m sure I’m not the only one there.

But there is one thing that still sounds like Jasper. That old one.

His will of living. Enjoying the moment.

I want us to live.

And in season four he holds it as his last will. He’s still drinking, having fun and being the annoying one, but that one thing is keeping old him with us.

Till the end he seems to live. Not just survive. Unfortunately, It’s too late for him to recover. He decided - his living instead of mental health.

But this small part of old him will stay with him till his last breath.

That’s something I’m glad to be with him and also making me cry because I’m sooo connected with him right now and I do not want to say goodbye for now. He’s always there. For everyone. He’s the family. He’s the humor of the 100 and I think we’re not about to see him anymore soon.

Really soon.

“May we meet again.”

“We won’t.”

EDIT. Love and empathy to all of Jasper fans. I'm broken as you are.

#jasper jordan #100 #tribute #he'll die #i'm crying #my love #devon bostick #may we meet again #i hope he'll be okay #thanks queue for keeping me alive #the 100 thoughts #the 100 spoilers

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mpierce17ahs-blog · 8 years ago

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Interest Groups and PACs

A. Sierra Club

B. The Sierra Club wants to provide protection for wildlife and our environment. They believe in practicing and promoting “...the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.”

C. The Sierra Club Believes in: Solving Climate change - transitioning to 100% clean energy; maximizing energy efficiency across all sectors including transportation, urban design and land use; returning greenhouse gas concentrations to a safe level below 350 ppm; addressing non-energy emissions such as agriculture and methane; protecting and rebuilding the capacity of forests and others lands to absorb excess carbon dioxide; and providing more efficient climate protection through supporting biodiversity and natural system functions. To safeguard our natural resources for current and future generations to continue to enjoy - protecting and restoring wild lands and waterways to provide large and connected habitats in all ecosystems that will be protected for climate change; defending our wild heritage (onshore and offshore) from withdrawing for energy development; protecting our air, water, land and communities from pollution; and ensuring that all who live in the United States have access to natural lands (including in or near where they live). To gain supporters and activists strong enough to challenge the status quo and accomplish their ambitious goals - engaging public, civil society, business community, and other partners who share the same mission; adding diversity to the environmental movement to reflect the demographics of our society; influencing public opinion and perspective on core issues; electing and holding Government officials who are committed accountable while they take environmental positions at all levels of Government; and supporting the activists by engaging in strategic alliances on broader issues. Efficiently work as a higher environmental organization by continuing to build up from legacy and innovation - building a strong team of volunteer leadership nationally and and in every major state and metropolitan area in order to diversify the staff who are able to work efficiently in their organization and out in the world; creating a strong and unique bond with staff and volunteers; creating and fostering an organization that is able to capture results, accountability, learning, transparency, and good order; enhancing the Democratic and grassroots system created in the Sierra Club; maximizing the effectiveness of the campaigns they promote everywhere and leverage all capacities. To ensure the Sierra Club has a combination of diverse, secure, sustainable, and flexible funding that will help for them to continue on for future use - accomplishing ongoing issues that need to be resolved; adapting to change for new ideas and issues to arise; and making sure that everyone has what they need in order to reach their full potential for succeeding.

D. One candidate that the Sierra Club endorses is Attorney General and Senator Kamala Harris. Sierra Club endorses Kamala Harris because of her activism for the protection and promotion of clean air, clean water, and climate action. Kamala Harris has “...defended both California’s landmark carbon pricing policy and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. Harris has taken on environmental justice issues by standing up for the families at Mira Loma, and held polluters accountable for dumping hazardous waste. She’s committed to tackling California’s water crisis, protecting public lands and parks, and growing a national clean energy economy powered by clean, renewable resources like solar and wind.” Kamala Harris is one candidate that the Sierra Club believes could inspire others to follow in her footsteps as a “champion” for the environment.

E. The Sierra Club has two locations: Sierra Club National Headquarters, 2101 Webster St Suite 1300, Oakland, CA 94612 USA Sierra Club Legislative Office, 50 F Street, NW, Eighth Floor, Washington, DC 20001 USA The Sierra Club does not have any local meetings happening anytime soon.

F. The volunteer opportunities include: Administrative/Management/Personnel, Communications, Conservation, Environmental Justice, Event Planning, Facilitation/Mediation, Financial and Fundraising, Grassroots Leadership Training and Support, Legal, Medical/Public Health, Military/Veterans, Organizing/Campaign Planning, Outings, Policy, Political, Public Speaking/Presentations, Science and Expert Opinion, Sierra Student Coalition, Strategic/Annual Planning, and Technology (Website Design and Maintenance/Tools and Applications).

G. Additional Developments that the Sierra Club has included in their website is:

“The Sierra Club issued a new analysis of Department of Energy jobs data this week that shows clean energy jobs from industries such as solar and wind actually outnumber fossil fuel jobs nationally by over 2.5 to 1 and exceed all jobs in coal and gas by 5 to 1. According to the analysis, 41 states and Washington, D.C., have more jobs in the clean energy sector than in the fossil fuel industry. Trump’s executive order therefore amounts to a possible job killer for a fast-growing green energy sector that has become a viable alternative to replace the nation’s reliance on dirty fossil fuels.”

“On Tuesday night the Senate passed a resolution that literally allows people to kill baby wild animals. That’s no hyperbole: The Senate voted 52 - 47 to overturn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska National Wildlife Refuges Rule, which will now cede control of wildlife management on national public lands to a narrow set of extreme hunting interests...Sierra Club activists and many other wildlife protection groups see this as the start of more attacks on the public lands and Alaska wildlife that need permanent protection.” “With 14,146 restaurants in the U.S. alone and 36,899 restaurants worldwide, McDonald’s is the world's second largest employer. This means the fast food giant has a huge cultural, economic, and environmental footprint that unfortunately is used to harm workers and our environment. We cannot resist Trump’s attacks on workers, families, and our environment without resisting the corporations that rig the economy, harm our environment, and put Americans across the country in danger. In the Trump era, it is more important than ever that our movements join forces. In this moment of extremist right-wing control in Washington, those fighting for progressive change -- for a living wage, climate action, immigrant rights, and more -- must support each other...When McDonald’s adds to killer heat waves, deadly wildfires, and fatal floods by using massive amounts of fossil fuels, its own workers are among those families who suffer the most. So McDonald’s not only contributes heavily to climate change, their dangerously low wages trap families with its worst effects. ” (Sierra Club Blog article by Dean Hubbard).

A. Clean Water Action

B. The Clean Water Action Organization is working to pass health and environmental protections by bringing up issues with expertise, solution-oriented thinking, and people power upfront. Their mission is, “To protect our environment, health, economic well-being and community quality of life. Clean Water Action organizes strong grassroots groups and coalitions, and campaigns to elect environmental candidates and to solve environmental and community problems.”

C. Clean Water Action believes: We should try to avoid the health-harming toxins we use in everyday products. We should protect our water from energy development companies and drilling or fracking that will turn our clean water into polluted water that is unsafe to drink. We should build a future for clean energy and water. We should keep our clean water laws strong and effective to protect water and our health. Clean Water Action works to address the critically important environmental, health, ecosystem protection and community quality of life concerns.

D. The Clean Water Action Organization endorses Phil Murphy for New Jersey Democratic Primary Governor. Clean Water Action noted they were especially impressed with Murphy on several fronts: “His just released job-creating Climate Change and Clean Energy agenda to get to a 100% clean energy economy by 2050 that will be launched during his first 100 days and make New Jersey a national leader on: - offshore wind – 3,500 MW by 2030, enough to power 1.5 million homes and - clean energy storage -- 600 MW by 2021 and 2000 MW by 2030. His commitment to environmental justice including ensuring clean energy funds are used for their intended purposes and impacted communities benefit from those funds as the NJ Environmental Justice Alliance has championed, and providing new, fair revenues sources so that state government can do the job it's supposed to do. His ability to effectively challenge, and provide a real, strong alternative to, the Trump anti-environment agenda.”

E. NATIONAL OFFICE: District of Columbia. 1444 I Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005 They do not seem to have any local meetings happening anytime soon.

F. Volunteer Opportunities for the Clean Action Organization include: Elections and Civic Engagement, Volunteer Team Member, Attending/Planning Events, Lobbying Elected Officials, Organizing Sustainability Events, Data Entry, Research, Volunteering, and Others.

G. Additional Developments: The Senate rejected an attempt by oil and gas industry allies in Republican leadership to overturn a Bureau of Land Management rule that requires oil and gas companies to reduce methane waste on federal lands and to plug leaking infrastructure. (From May 10, 2017) California environmental groups are challenging the adoption of industry-friendly rules that would allow fossil fuel companies to dump oil and gas wastewater into open and unlined pits in the Central Valley, putting precious drinking water and community health at risk. (From May 8,2017) A coalition of environmental and public health advocates filed suit today to challenge a Trump administration rollback that could wipe out critical protections for cleaning up America’s leading source of toxic water pollution: coal power plant waste. The federal lawsuit seeks to invalidate an April 25 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency order that abruptly put an indefinite hold on a set of safeguards to control the amount of arsenic, mercury, cadmium, lead and other pollutants that spew from coal power plants into our public waters. By putting those protections on hold indefinitely, the Trump administration is allowing power plants to continue discharging toxics without any specific limits, using standards set 35 years ago. (From May 3, 2017).

A. Independent Petroleum Association of America

B. The Independent Petroleum Association of America is dedicated to ensuring a strong, viable domestic oil and natural gas industry, recognizing that an adequate and secure supply of energy is essential to the national economy. The Independent Petroleum Association of America is the national association representing the thousands of independent crude oil and natural gas explorer/producers in the United States. It also operates in close cooperation with 44 unaffiliated independent national, state and regional associations, which together represent thousands of royalty owners and the companies which provide services and supplies to the domestic industry.

C. The Independent Petroleum Association of America believes: The American oil and natural gas industry has long been a provider of some of the most essential petroleum-based products and has now become an even greater force in improving the quality of life for millions of people, even in the most traditional impoverished places on earth. The rise of fossil fuels is improving the world economy in a way that no other source of energy or direct financial support could sustain. The rise of U.S. natural gas production and the standards by which it is safely and efficiently produced has not only helped boost affordable energy and electricity resources, but has also aided in the worldwide movement for cleaner energy.

D. The Independent Petroleum Association of America would endorse Ted Cruz because of his support for fossil fuel production, which he believes will provide job opportunities. When President Trump issued the go ahead for the continued construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, Cruz issued this statement: “From building the infrastructure we need to transport energy resources and increase our energy independence, to removing unnecessary barriers to permitting and exploration, these measures are just the beginning of what can be done to unleash the American Energy Renaissance and create unlimited job opportunities for workers all across our country," Sen. Cruz said. "We stand at the edge of an energy revolution that is sweeping the nation, and I look forward to opportunities to work with the Trump Administration to empower the next generation of energy pioneers and tap into the natural resources at our fingertips that are crucial to restoring jobs and economic growth."

E. Independent Petroleum Association of America Headquarters: 1201 15th Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005 They currently have no local meetings to attend. The closest meeting is located on June 21-23 in Laguna Niguel, CA at the Ritz Carlton.

F. Volunteer Opportunities for the Independent Petroleum Association of America: “...participate in a guest speaker series, research field trips, competitions, community service projects, and student energy clubs. Volunteers will be placed with an education initiative that most interests them. Our volunteers share their education and career path through our guest speaker series; some provide tours at industry related field trips; and some volunteers prefer to mentor or help prepare the students for a math, science, technology or industry related competitions.”

G. Additional Developments: Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) President and CEO Barry Russell joined President Donald Trump for the signing ceremony of the Energy Independence executive order, which seeks to rollback duplicative regulations that stand to impede American energy production and job growth. IPAA supported the signing of this executive order as a step in the right direction for America’s energy economy and national energy security. With a proven record of offshore production that can be done safely and responsibly, IPAA has long-advocated for increased access to our offshore resources to support economic development, American jobs, and expanded energy production here at home. Independent Petroleum Association of America President and CEO Barry Russell issued the following statement on the Senate procedural vote failing to allow debate on an Obama-era rule on methane emissions on federal land: “We’re disappointed the Senate wasn’t able to stop President Obama’s unworkable rule by a federal agency that does not have the Congressionally-granted authority to regulate air quality. This overreaching rule puts independent producers – many of which are small family-run businesses with limited resources – on the hook for complying with the costly burdens of a flawed regulation. This regulation will particularly impact small-producing, marginal wells located on federal lands. Shutting-in these smaller wells means less royalties will get sent back to the federal Treasury. These federal dollars are vital for many western economies and are used to fund state and local priorities, such as education and infrastructure projects like roads and bridges. IPAA looks forward to working with the Interior Department on a targeted, meaningful solution that will achieve the common goal of ensuring the American taxpayers receive a fair and equitable return in the form of royalties while developing a safe, workable regulation, instead of this one-size-fits-all approach.”

1. The one organization that seems the most organized is the Sierra Club Organization and the most successful in terms of trying to reach the public and make them understand the harmful causes and impacts affecting our environment. The Sierra Club makes clear how our environmental choices will directly impact our future. The Sierra Club's target audience is the general American public, particularly young people who don’t yet fully understand the environmental issues our society is currently facing. Their supporters are Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Barbara Boxer, and Dianne Feinstein. I hope that Kamala Harris is able to continue her work of convincing people that global warming and climate change are important issues for all Americans and that she can use her voice to defend our natural resources and protect wildlife and the environment.

A. Energy Transfer Partners

B. Energy Transfer is a Texas-based company that began in 1995 as a small intrastate natural gas pipeline operator and is now one of the largest and most diversified investment-grade, master-limited partnerships in the United States. Growing from roughly 200 miles of natural gas pipelines in 2002 to more than 71,000 miles of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), refined products, and crude oil pipelines, the Energy Transfer family of partnerships remains dedicated to providing service to its customers and attractive returns to its investors.

C. Based on the last review in 2016:

Total Receipts: $634,373

Total Spent: $366,259

Begin Cash on Hand: $126,423

End Cash on Hand: $394,537

D. How much is spent on Democrats and Republicans: Democrats: $2,500 Republicans: $95,500

E. Donors: SUNOCO PARTNERS LLC SUNOCO, INC. (R&M) SUNOCO LLC SUNOCO GP LLC ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS, LLC ENERGY TRANSFER EMPLEE MGMT CO SUSSER PETROLEUM COMPANY LLC

All of the donors listed above are huge energy and oil companies that this PAC depends upon to continue to work. They are able to continue to work because of having such generous donations given from companies that are invested in the future of fossil fuels.

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