Monthly Archives: February 2014

Environmental, Socio-Cultural Commentary

82,000 tons of Lead, Arsenic, and Mercury coal ash in Dan River!

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coal-ash-spill-carolina.si

82,000 Tons of toxic coal ash in Dan River (NC) Lead, Arsenic, Mercury

By:Doc Swagg

Once again, another energy industry catastrophe has struck and inflicted a subsequent blow to our environment.  This follows the spill in West Virginia no less than a month ago.

An energy company, Duke Energy, is responsible for a  “coal ash” spill into the Dan River.  This river runs from North Carolina to Virginia.  The most recent reports estimate a spill of 82,000 tons of the coal ash, and 27 million gallons of contaminated water.

The spill is important because it contains environmental toxins and hazardous contaminants such as: Lead, Arsenic, and Mercury.  Video footage across several nationwide and local news networks show murky discolored water.  This is extremely significant, because this will affect the aquatic life in that region.  Despite what TV reporters may say, there are several  physiological problems with this.  Lead in the blood can stay in your system for  for well over a month, it can stay in your connective tissue for well over 2 months, and can remain n bone and teeth for 10 years.  Lead damages sperm cells,  it’s known to lead to still births, miscarriages, and multiple developmental abnormalities in babies neurological system.  Lead levels down stream are 13 times higher than normal.

Below is a link about lead from an occupational safety resources:

http://www.osh.net/articles/archive/osh_basics_2001_may26.htm

Mercury also causes harmful neurological abnormalities in fetuses, babies, and young children.  Below is a link from the EPA about the harmful effects of Mercury:

http://www.epa.gov/hg/effects.htm

According to the EPA, arsenic is linked to cancer of the bladder, liver, kidneys, lung, and prostate.  Arsenic also can cause partial paralysis, blindness, skin and gastrointestinal problems.  The Arsenic levels found downstream from the spill are reportedly 35 times higher than the Maximum Acceptable Contaminant amount in drinking water set forth by the EPA.

The EPA effects of Arsenic are below:

http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/arsenic/index.cfm

These are threats to our health because of the fish that we introduce to our food chain have the potential to harm us, and the drinking/bathing water put us at risk for all of these conditions.  The spill is new, so we have yet to see what the final impact will be.  I hope that the news media covers this meticulously and vigilantly.  Make no mistake about this. This is very serious!

This is the Executive Summary from 2009 that the EPA already warned about the hazards of Coal Ash from Duke Energy and its destructive potential at the Dan River:

http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/industrial/special/fossil/surveys2/dan-river-final.pdf

 

Environmental, Socio-Cultural Commentary

Acidification of our oceans will increase by 170% by 2100!

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Acidification of our oceans will increase by 170% by 2100!

By: Doc Swagg

Marvin Gaye was prophetic in his song, Mercy Me (the Ecology).  Marvin broke down the numerous insults we are inflicting on our living habitat, and ultimately damaging our ecology.

According to a report from the 2012 Symposium on the Ocean, our oceans are rapidly undergoing the process of acidification.  This process is having a staggering deleterious effect on our water, seafood, and tourism.

What’s actually happening?

The cause of our ocean acidification is based on the exponential increase in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) build up in the atmosphere due to industrial burn off of fossil fuels and coal.  The burning of coal and oil release high amounts of CO2 into the environment.

According to the report, ” the rate of change may be faster than at any time in the last 300 million years, predicting that by 2100 there will have been a 170% increase in ocean acidity, compared to pre-industrial times.”

Approximately 25% of the carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed into the water, a portion is also absorbed by plants and trees that convert CO2 into oxygen, and the remaining is floating around in the atmosphere and traps solar radiation in our ecosystem.  The CO2 absorbed by the water is converted to carbonic acid.

Why does this matter?

The carbonic acid produced drops the ocean’s pH level and acidifies it.  The acidity inhibits the growth and formation of much sea life.  Clams, oysters, mussels, and other shellfish cant properly form their calcium embedded shells, and the acidity kills off their larva.  The carbonic acid disrupts the calcium carbonate that composes a substantial portion of their shells.

The acidity also is highly corrosive to our shoreline, and thus it’s postulated that we will experience mass erosion of coastal lines.  Furthermore, the plankton absorb high amounts of CO2 via photosynthesis in the water, but as they die off, they are releasing higher proportions of CO2 in deep ocean waters.

We are witnessing a self feeding chain of ecological destruction.  The production of CO2 from industrial processes increases atmospheric CO2 content that traps solar radiation and raises global temperatures.  We also have the acidification of the ocean because the ocean is absorbing historic levels of CO2, but the ocean can reach a saturation point where plankton die off and release CO2.  Thus, the CO2 is not being absorbed by the ocean and adding to the atmospheric CO2.

The 2012 Earth System Science Data Journal said that the ocean absorbs approximately 8 billion tons of  CO2 each year.

What’s the economic impact?

The Pacific Northwest has a reported $111 million dollar shellfish industry.  Active shellfish hatchery owners have come close to bankruptcy several times, because they rely on the larva of shellfish to sell nationwide to shellfish farms across the country.  They also say that this is something that is soon to affect the East Coast Atlantic regions of the worlds waters, and that devastating effects will cause a major crisis if we can’t reign in the over-production and emission of CO2.

Also consider this……

What happens as we are steadily conducting deforestation and a global level.  Environmentalist are embroiled in a battle with capitalist that are deforesting the Amazon and other land masses that have dense forest, woodland, and other vegetation.  When we reduce our trees and woodlands, we are removing another CO2 removing agent in our environment and contribute to global warming and ocean acidification.

 

What’s your thoughts on this??

Sources:

1.  http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-ocean-acidification/

2.  http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/27/climate-change-seas/2024759/

3.  http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/14/world/ocean-acidification-report/

Books/ Movies/Music/and Art reviews

MOVIE REVIEW : HUNGER GAMES 8.5 Afros out of 10!

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Movie Review:

The Hunger Games part 1 and 2

I had the opportunity to watch the Hunger Games.  This was very good movie.  The writer has a very keen perception and vision into the future in my opinion.  The plot casts society into a very deprived, subjugated, impoverished and indigent state.  The people are divided into sections, and each section gets a person to represent their section in a SICK INTERPRETATION OF THE OLYMPICS, however there is no gold, silver, or bronze medal.  You either live or die, and bring some form of acknowledgement to your section.

The sad part about all of this is that the games are life and death reality show entertainment for the ruling rich of society.  This would be equivalent to gladiators in Rome, performing for the King.

The scary part about all of this is that all the citizens in their sections are controlled by militarized police soldiers that keep them in check with the threat of death.  The mere thought of opposition or resurrection is squashed with authoritarian might.  The people are jobless and are only their for labor and entertainment.

Think about where we are in America.  The poor are being gentrified out of cities into subpar living domains like nomads, and unemployment is high.  The average working American has lost their utility in the workforce, because they are being replaced by technology, or their jobs are being outsourced overseas.  Where does this leave the average American?  What will you do to survive and feed your family, as the rich get richer?  The only use that you have in their eyes is entertainment in some reality show, sports, comedy, or movie.  Welcome to the Hunger Games America.

The Black Ladder Gives the Hunger Games: 8.5 Afros out of 10 , a must see!

Business & Financial News, Environmental, Socio-Cultural Commentary

You know you can buy the weather

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rain maker

You know you can buy the weather$$

By: Doc Swagg

We’ve been bombarded with a barrage of weird weather over the last few years.  We’ve been trying to adapt to the extremes in weather that proliferate both in and out of season.  We’ve also become acquainted with vocabulary that’s unfamiliar to our weather lexicon like:  Derecho, Polar Vortex, and Arctic Blasts.   We’ve witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and Sandy. We’ve also seen mudslides, droughts and uncontrollable wildfires.

What if I told you that you can make money off weather in a multi-billion dollar industry?  Would you invest?  Would you do further research into this?  Would you change your handling of money, knowing that even weather is for sale, and you are only a customer?

Let’s make it rain

Well truthfully people have been making money off the weather since early 2000.  There are what’s called Weather Futures.  The same way Wall Street conducts commodity trading of stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds and other financial capital, there is another entity called The Chicago Mercantile Exchange.  This is where weather futures transactions occur. Simply put, futures is a contract that allows a purchaser to speculate or bid on the future projected price of a supply or resource, and lock in that price when that time arrives.  This is good if you speculate properly.

This is the Chicago Mercantile Exchange link: http://www.cmegroup.com/

Let’s illustrate this for a better understanding.  Suppose the current price for a pound of sugar is $2.00, as a competitor in the candy industry, I see the demand for sugar increasing.  I can sign a futures contract to lock in a cost of $3.00 per pound in 2017.  2017 arrives and the demand for sugar is high like I predicted but the price of sugar in 2017 is actually $5.00 per pound.  Well I’ve just saved a lot of money by locking in a purchase price of $3.00 per pound where as my competitors pay market price of $5.00.  The down side is if I guess wrong and the future price drops, I’m then locked in a contract to pay $3.00 per pound and the 2017 price could be $1.50 per pound, so I’ve lost money.

Many weather futures bid on inches of rain fall, changes in temperature, snowfall and other variations of climate fluctuations.  This has tremendous financial implications.  Let’s extrapolate this knowledge into the American marketplace.  When it’s cold like we’ve been experiencing lately, we increase demand for heat, and thus it’s a boom in revenue for the oil industry.  When it’s extremely hot, we want air conditioning, and that is a big boom in revenue for utility companies.  How does this impact the farming and agriculture industry?

Farmers must strategically plan and protect their crop production and harvesting capabilities.  They must estimate rainfall, quantity of seeds, soil saturation, and more.  If I can follow the trend of global warming, then it may be wise for me to lock in seed prices based on predicted increases in temperature.

There are weather derivatives just like stock derivatives.  There are hurricane futures.  The weather futures market was estimated to be a $19 billion dollar market back in 2010.  The value has probably increased since then.

 

Striking 14 Carat “Cold”

All financial markets have forces that try to manipulate it for their financial gain.  You are probably wondering how this happens with weather.  Google the term “geoengineering”.  There are agencies that have been conducting atmospheric climate manipulation and modification.  This began with the experiments of Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) who created artificial lightening.

There was a bill that was submitted to congress called, THE WEATHER MODIFICATION RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005, but the bill died.  The bill clearly explains the research used to artificially modify the weather, and the Department of Commerce was one of the agencies included in the bill.  Why would the Department of Commerce be included in this bill?  You have struck gold if you have the scientific and technological community able to modify the weather, and you have the capital to hedge on your future projections.

The proposed bill: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr2995/text

Anyway, now you know if you didn’t already, that windfall profits (no pun intended) can be made by investing in weather.  Does this market encourage more geoengineering to increase profiteering in weather futures for individuals wealthy enough to participate in this form of hedging?

Some links below will fill in the blanks if you’re curious, and I’ve also included a video on weather derivatives from Bloomberg Business News.

http://business.time.com/2012/01/24/no-snow-no-problem-how-wall-street-profits-from-weird-weather/

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/09/14/mf.get.rich.off.weather/

What are your thoughts on this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuwuWPxUF-Q&sns=em

 

Health and Fitness, Socio-Cultural Commentary

Breakthrough alternative to invasive colonoscopies!

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pillcam

Breakthrough alternative to invasive colonoscopies!

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

A technological company in Israel has gained FDA approval in the use of a high resolution mini-camera in the performance of colonoscopies.  Colonoscopies are typically recommended for adults once they reach middle age (around 50 years old).  Many patients have an aversion or a little trepidation to the invasive nature of a colonoscopy.  The procedure requires individuals to first clear their gastrointestinal tract with fluids that promote bowel evacuation the day before the procedure.  This guarantees a clear visual field for the gastroenterologist.

The patient is typically laying on their side, and the doctor inserts tubing that has a small camera at the end.  The camera is able to detect colon polyps and other gastrointestinal abnormalities in the GI tract.  There are risks with this procedure because the doctor can accidentally rupture a polyp.

The technological innovation

The company developed a battery powered microcamera that takes multiple internal pictures of the colon as it travels, and it’s in the form of a pill!  The pictures are transmitted to an external device via wireless capabilities.   This reduces the physical anal penetration of the traditional camera scope, and thus reduces the risk of polyp or intestinal rupture.  This also gives patients their privacy and a little more freedom.

There are also financial benefits.  The traditional cost of a colonoscopy is ~$4,500 and the pill is $500.  This is a cost savvy innovation that helps in these rough economic times.  This also will allow more procedures to be conducted per day as compared to the manual procedure.  The technology was reportedly adopted from Israel’s missile defense system.

I like to see the transition of war strategies used to save lives.  This is the link to the original article for more details : http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/fda-approves-pill-camera-screen-colon-22346906

What are your thoughts on this breakthrough time saving, costs saving innovation??