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

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

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

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

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

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

Why am I so hostile toward Ohio leadership?

Must be the poison in the air!

And, the life in hell lived by real environmentalists.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Also see www.losingourcool.com

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

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Air Quality Advisory Issued for Northeast Ohio 
Tuesday and Wednesday, July 6 and 7, 2010 due to Ozone

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As an Independence Day "Happy Birthday America" tribute to all immigrants, on the 4th of July, meet Griet, a South African immigrant to Northeast Ohio who has certainly done her part to grow the American economy... and Boerboel population. Long story short, Griet has come out of retirement and is expecting a litter of baby Boerboels around July 8th... in the middle of a heatwave.

I guess it may remind her of the weather in her native Africa. She is the real deal.

 

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Forecast for Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, OH Tomorrow's Forecast

Saturday, Jul 3:		Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups		Ozone

For additional information concerning the air quality forecast, contact one of the following agencies, or visit http://airohio.epa.state.ohs .

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"I wrote this song following Hurricane Katrina. The question is timeless." Charlie Mosbrook

"Who Here Will Lead Us"

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

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

SCIENTISTS ARE HIGH ON IDEA THAT MARIJUANA REDUCES MEMORY IMPAIRMENT

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The more research they do, the more evidence Ohio State University scientists find that specific elements of marijuana can be good for the aging brain by reducing inflammation there and possibly even stimulating the formation of new brain cells.

The research suggests that the development of a legal drug that contains certain properties similar to those in marijuana might help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Though the exact cause of Alzheimer’s remains unknown, chronic inflammation in the brain is believed to contribute to memory impairment.

Any new drug’s properties would resemble those of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main psychoactive substance in the cannabis plant, but would not share its high-producing effects. THC joins nicotine, alcohol and caffeine as agents that, in moderation, have shown some protection against inflammation in the brain that might translate to better memory late in life.

Report of the Ohio State Medical Committee on cannabis Indica, BY R.R. McMEENS, M.D.

As chairman of the committee, appointed at the last session of the Ohio State Medical Society, to report upon Cannabis Indica, I have to say that no extended or adequate efforts have been made, either by myself or the other members of the committee, in soliciting the concurrence of the profession at large, with the view of ascertaining and collaborating the opinions entertained, or practical results observed, from the use of this remarkable and renowned exotic, and accordingly can offer but a partial and imperfect report at this time.

However, as the medicinal properties and therapeutical value of this abnegated and nearly obsolete agent has engaged much of my attention and inquiry for several years, and been somewhat frequently administered and attested by me, I feel too great an interest in the subject to allow so favorable an opportunity to pass without endeavoring to enlist a more general interest and co-operation in the further investigation of this peculiar, potent and misapprehended article.

Air Quality Advisory Issued for Northeast Ohio

Saturday, June 26, 2010 due to Ozone Concentratio

Northeast Ohio- There is potential for high ozone pollution levels Saturday, June 26, due to high-temperature conditions. Pollution may reach levels considered "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" during the afternoon or early evening hours in areas not subject to rain.

Before the Deepwater Era of today, there was the Sustainabilly Era of the past decade, when environmentalism was as easy as drinking the right beer, and green-washing was punctuated by mega-conglomerate mind-control spam promoting a clean, sexy, prosperous life for all, by all simply being beautiful energy-bimbos with ecomagination.

In the Sustainabilly Era, there was a global competition of dirty energy companies seeking to seem clean and beautiful... and to make their dirty energy offerings seem clean and beautiful. Industrial powerhouses like BP and GE barraged the world with sexy portrayals of their most "Sustainable" vision for the future - our world "Beyond Petroleum" of their "Ecomagination".

Growing up before cable TV and the Internet brought global media to Cleveland, my earliest exposure to foreign TV programming was watching Britain's 1969-74 comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, which repeated for years at off-hours on local television, and fascinated me for its absurdity. I certainly considered those who came up with that programming and provided a home market for it equally absurd, and I have always had concerns about the sanity of British leadership and the citizens raised in that culture, as a result.

My worst fears about the Flying Circus effect have been validated since the British Petroleum Deepwater Disaster has brought crisis and shame to America and Britain, and is currently destroying our global environment... BP leadership has been Dickensian in its blackness... Pythonesque in dimwittedness... BP has done little more than throw bricks at the crisis, and offers only spam as food for thought.

Derek Gee / Buffalo News

Just as Cleveland has our Mittal Cleveland Works steel plant poisoning area citizens, Erie, Pennsylvania, has Erie Coke poisoning the people of that community, and nearby New York. The difference between the situation in Cleveland and Erie, apparent from the following article in the Buffalo News, is that the people polluted by Erie Coke are being protected by their area environmentalists and government leaders in Pennsylvania who are trying to Keep Erie’s Environment Protected - KEEP.

In the case of Erie Coke, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection signed a consent degree with the owner, J. D. Crane, on June 17, 2010, legally binding the company to comply with laws and regulations, pay a $6 million fine, and agree to pay an estimated $15 million for a schedule of improvements at their "antiquated facility aimed at halting the release of dangerous toxins into the atmosphere

Medical Marijuana Bill Takes Root in Ohio - State Sen. Bill Seitz supports concept, but not this bill

By Stephen Carter-Novotni

Depending on how you read the tea leaves, support for some sort of marijuana legalization might be at an all-time high among Americans.

The results of an Associated Press/CNBC poll released in April showed 55 percent of Americans opposed an end to prohibition. But when those polled were asked to compare the hypothetical regulation of marijuana to that of alcohol, 56 percent said marijuana regulation should be the same or less strict than the regulation of alcohol.

In Ohio, Democrat State Rep. Kenny Yuko of Richmond Heights, a Cleveland suburb, recently introduced House Bill 478, which would legalize the use, growth and dispensing of medical marijuana for persons suffering from debilitating conditions including cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease.

“This is a very easy remedy for therapeutic relief,” Yuko says.

Tip of the Hat and Props to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Michael McIntyre, and his Tipoff column today - First Reporter to Recognize "A new cash crop" for Ohio.

I look forward to discussing this initiative in detail with Michael and others in the media and public, as it is important to educate the community on the economic benefits we will receive from "Growing a Bright Green NEO PAC for Legalization & Commercialization of Cannabis Crops, Products & Services".

Here is Michael McIntyre's correct and intelligent impression of our initiative to make Northeast Ohio the Open Source Capital of the Brightest Greenest State of Earth:

A new cash crop

Some Northeast Ohio boosters are pushing for a new product to revive the local economy: Marijuana. And, no, stoners, they're not talking about boosting sales of Doritos.

Norm Roulet of the RealNEO blog announced last week that a political action committee, Real Green NEO PAC, was formed to push for a November ballot issue for "enlightened legalization of cannabis crops."

 

It is safe to say the #1 financial and empowering supporter of realNEO is and has always been my wife, Evelyn Kiefer Roulet. A founding member of realNEO (member #7),  who has consistently posted some of the most interesting and globally appreciated content, she administers the Putnam Sculpture Colledction at Case (beautifully presented in Drupal), conducts art appraisals, consults in art history - maintains the brightest greenest home and garden in town - all to significantly support our large family so I may focus on realNEO and other regional and global initiatives. She has allowed this flower to grow.

Creating Stronger Schools Takes a Team: Working Together for Our Kids... Stronger Schools for Cleveland Kids

How Biomass Energy Works - From the Union of Concerned Scientists

To many people, the most familiar forms of renewable energy are the wind and the sun. But biomass (plant material and animal waste) supplies almost 15 times as much energy in the United States as wind and solar power combined—and has the potential to supply much more.

There are a wide variety of biomass energy resources, including tree and grass crops and forestry, agricultural, and urban wastes. It is the oldest source of renewable energy known to humans, used since our ancestors learned the secret of fire.

Biomass is a renewable energy source because the energy it contains comes from the sun. Through the process of photosynthesis, chlorophyll in plants captures the sun's energy by converting carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground into carbohydrates, complex compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. When these carbohydrates are burned, they turn back into carbon dioxide and water and release the sun's energy they contain. In this way, biomass functions as a sort of natural battery for storing solar energy. As long as biomass is produced sustainably—with only as much used as is grown—the battery will last indefinitely.

The June 15, 2010, Toledo Blade published an important editorial titled To curb Ohio's costly coal bill, fix U.S. energy policy, by Jeff Deyette, assistant director of energy research and analysis in the Union of Concerned Scientists' climate and energy program, and Alan Frasz, vice president of Dovetail Solar and Wind in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, that leads-off with an important observation most residents of Ohio find hard to believe... "When you turn on your coffee pot in the morning, the power likely comes from coal, which generates 85 percent of the electricity in Ohio. According to a new report, three-quarters of that coal comes from elsewhere".  Yes, Ohio is ADDICTED to dirty, expensive, environmentally destructive imported coal - Ohio electricity ratepayers spent $1.5+ billion in just 2008 on imported coal - Ohio is the 5th biggest imported coal junkie in America, and we have the pollution to prove it.

As the authors of this informative editorial point out:

Importing coal to produce electricity is a drain on Ohio's economy. Ratepayer dollars are diverted out of state, instead of being spent locally on renewable-energy projects and energy-efficiency measures that can provide the same electricity service while directly benefiting residents and creating jobs.

The report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, "Burning Coal, Burning Cash," ranks states that are net importers of domestic and foreign coal. Ohio is one of 38 states that depend on imported coal. The state spent $1.5 billion on net coal imports in 2008, making it the fifth most dependent state.

First Energy's Bay Shore plant in Oregon imported all of its coal, shelling out $64 million mostly to Wyoming. Most domestic coal comes from Wyoming, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Some states import coal from overseas, as far away as Colombia and Indonesia.

It doesn't have to be that way. Ohio has significant wind, biomass, and solar-power resources, and we've only started tapping into that potential.