Dow Chemical has been around since the 1890s. The same time Henry Ford was stating greenhouse gases were a problem.

February 25, 2021
By Florence Tan and Gavin Maguire

As a young man Dow (click here) entered the rudimentary chemical industry of the 1890s by inventing an entirely new method of extracting bromine from the prehistoric brine trapped underground at Midland, Michigan. His first patent was issued in 1889, and by 1933 he had over 90 patents. He is best known for his work in halogen chemistry, particularly the production of bromine and chlorine.

Singapore- Dow Inc is adjusting its carbon footprint and product slate (click here) to adapt to climate change and tap evolving consumption trends tied to the global energy transition, a senior executive said this week.

Dow has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050 by boosting the use of renewable energy, such as wind power in the southern United States, and by improving energy efficiency at its petrochemical plants, Dow’s Asia Pacific President Jon Penrice told Reuters on Wednesday.

It is also developing products that help customers cut their own emissions such as sealants that improve heating efficiencies in buildings, materials to lighten electric vehicles and make batteries more efficient, he said.

“We actually see climate change as something that’s very likely to happen, high probability and high impact,” Penrice said.

“It’s going to be a big opportunity I think for many, many players in the petrochemical industry.”...

The problem is not the charges returned.

The charges returned from the Kentucky Grand Jury are correct. The problem are the charges not returned from the Kentucky Grand Jury because of information withheld from evidence.

Now, is the time to change product loyalty to bring about sustainable lifestyles that lead to zero emissions.

February 28, 2021
By Oliver Ralph

Left - Amada Blanc

Aviva chief executive Amanda Blanc (click here) has warned that the insurance industry cannot “speak with forked tongue” on global warming by doing one thing with its investment portfolios and another with the products it sells.

More insurers are promising to focus their often vast investment portfolios on those companies committed to cutting carbon emissions in line with the Paris climate agreement. But in an interview with the Financial Times, Blanc said the industry’s efforts to curb global warming also needed to be reflected in how it sold insurance.

“The underwriting needs to catch up with the investments,” she said. “We need to be having conversations with corporates around our ability to underwrite something which is no longer sustainable.

“We can’t be saying we want to take the premium but we’re not going to invest in these organisations. That would just be incoherent”, said Blanc, who has run Aviva since last July.

The warning came as Aviva pledged not to sell insurance to companies which make more than 5 per cent of their revenue from coal or other heavily-polluting fuels such as oil sands, unless they have signed up to climate targets.

The promise was part of a wider set of climate commitments announced by the UK insurer. Aviva said it would be a net zero carbon emissions company by 2040, a decade earlier than many other financial services companies have promised....

If one says it in Kentucky, the others fall in line.

September 25, 2020

Left - Senate President Robert Stivers

Hazard, Ky. - Friday, WYMT talked with Senate President Robert Stivers (click here) about the verdict in Breonna Taylor’s case.

Senator Stivers discussed facts that were presented to the public by Attorney General Daniel Cameron that the public did not know such. Stivers said many thought it was a no-knock search warrant when Cameron said it was not and the officers identified themselves.

Senator Stivers went on to say it was a tragic set of events that took place and the warrant should have been executed at a different time, but it was done lawfully. Stivers said serving a search warrant at 1 a.m. is not appropriate policing.

“It’s not to say that there wasn’t negligent conduct and some bad policing and the city has settled with a substantial settlement because of that but because something is negligent or let’s just say it’s stupid doesn’t mean that it is criminal," said Stivers....

Air Products (APD) current stock price is $255.62.

February 25, 2021

Leigh Valley, Pa. - Air Products (NYSE:APD) has been rated (click here) as the top climate-aligned company by Barron's as part of its 2021 Ranking of the Most Sustainable Companies in America.

Overall, Barron's ranked Air Products 13th on its 100 Most Sustainable Companies list, up 20 spots from the previous year. Air Products earned first place as the top company for the climate-aligned segment of the rankings, which rated companies for efforts to reduce the impact on the environment throughout their operations and provide sustainable solutions.

Barron's specifically noted that Air Products, which has appeared on the Most Sustainable Companies list for three consecutive years, has committed billions of dollars of capital toward the largest renewable hydrogen project in history, which will provide carbon-free hydrogen to the world on a massive scale in 2025.

"Sustainability is at the heart of what we do. Our industrial gases, technologies and applications enable customers around the world to reduce their energy use, lower emissions and increase productivity," said Seifi Ghasemi, Air Products' Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are proud to be recognized by Barron's for our sustainability efforts and solutions but know there is always more work to be done, which is why Air Products is playing a lead role in addressing significant energy and environmental challenges through gasification, carbon capture and hydrogen for mobility solutions around the world."...

Grand Jury members have attorneys so they can talk to the public about the lies of the AG. Interesting.

October 27, 2021

Two anonymous members of the Breonna Taylor case grand jury (click here) are telling their stories publicly more than a month after Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's office announced the decision in the case. Over 2½ days in mid-September, Cameron's team of prosecutors and investigators laid out their findings to 12 grand jurors on what happened the night Taylor was killed at her South Louisville apartment just before 1 a.m. March 13. The grand jury returned an indictment Sept. 23 for one of the three officers who fired his weapon that night — former Detective Brett Hankison — on three counts of wanton endangerment. Hankison is accused of shooting into an occupied apartment next to Taylor's. Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove, who fired the rounds that struck and killed Taylor, were not charged....

  

This is not good news in a warming climate.

February 26, 2021
By Andrew Freedman

A large iceberg about 20 times the size of Manhattan (click here) broke off the Brunt Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea section of Antarctica during the past day, following the buildup of a large crack in the floating ice during the past decade. The iceberg is about 490 square miles and about 492 feet thick, according to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

The iceberg is large, but not as huge as the iceberg that calved from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in 2017 and recently threatened to run aground on South Georgia Island.

The BAS maintains a research station on the ice shelf, known as the Halley Research Station, but it will be unaffected by this calving event, the organization said. In 2016, the BAS moved the station, which was built on skis, to protect it from spreading cracks that could’ve left it marooned, floating out to sea aboard an iceberg.

The past decade has seen three major cracks develop through the floating ice shelf, according to a BAS news release.

“This is a dynamic situation. Four years ago we moved Halley Research Station inland to ensure that it would not be carried away when an iceberg eventually formed. That was a wise decision,” stated Simon Garrod, director of operations at the BAS, in the news release. There is currently no one at the base, since it is staffed only during the Antarctic summer research season....

Republicans are untrustworthy. Cameron was endorsed by Trump.

January 22, 2021
By Bruce Schreiner and Dylan Lovan

Frankfort, Ky. - A petition (click here) seeking the impeachment of Kentucky’s attorney general was filed Friday by three grand jurors who criticized his handling of an investigation into Breonna Taylor’s shooting death by police.

The petition’s allegations against Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron include breach of public trust and failure to comply with his duties as the state’s chief law enforcement official. They do not accuse him of any crimes, but impeachment is not considered a criminal proceeding....

Chevy is bringing back an updated "Bolt" in 2022.

February 25, 2021

Tesla (click here)
 has established a "significant first mover advantage" over new entrants in the ever-expanding electric vehicle market, but a few other smaller names stand out, according to CFRA's Garrett Nelson.

In a note published Wednesday the senior equity analyst said Amazon-backed Rivian, Lucid Motors, and Fisker will emerge as "success stories," as EV sales climb in 2021.

Nelson uses four categories to analyze emerging electric-vehicle manufacturers: 1) the specs (price, range, etc.) and overall attractiveness of their initial vehicle models; (2) financial considerations such as their funding sources, balance sheets, and liquidity; (3) the growth opportunity of their sub-industry; and (4) the experience and credibility of management....

All the manufacturers are appreciated, but, I think Chevy is going to have the price point Americans will be looking for.

Kentucky General Assembly, Judical Committeee purpose:

The Judiciary Committee (click here) studies "matters pertaining to contracts; the Uniform Commercial Code; debtor-creditor relations; ownership and conveyance of property; private corporations and associations; competency proceedings; administration of trusts and estates of persons under disability; descent, wills, and administration of decedent's estates; domestic relations; adoption; abortion; support of dependents; statutory actions and limitations; eminent domain; arbitration; summary proceedings; declaratory judgments; witnesses evidence; legal notices; construction of statutes; civil procedure; the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, Circuit Courts, and District Courts; jurisdiction, rule, terms, judges, commissioners, selections, districts, qualifications, compensations, and retirement; clerk of court; juries; attorneys; commissioners and receivers; court reporters; habeas corpus; crimes and punishments; controlled substances offenses; driving under the influence; criminal procedure; probation and parole; correctional penitentiaries and private prisons; civil rights; and juvenile matters."[

It's Sunday Night

"Earthly Justice" by Western Centuries (click here for offical website - thank you)

Drinkin' black coffee from a styrofoam cup, he lays a quarter on the box
He says "I like the way he sings and I like to hear him play, I just don't wanna hear him talk"
And he's sittin' in the corner of the Blue Spruce Bar, with a white peace-flag t-shirt
He's got his sleeves rolled up and he's a-waitin' for the man that put his name in the dirt

He says "Wait, wait a minute
"See that that barrel over there'll come flyin' through the air
"I'm gonna put your head right in it"
He says "Don't, don't you do it
"See that bar that holds the beer that's a-sittin' right here?
"I'm gonna put your head right though it"

And if earthly justice just don't get them in the end
There's always a heavenly trial on its way
And if the bank is empty and there just ain't no money to spend
At least you still got something to say

And he's talkin' to his family through the holes in the glass, he says that he's a changed man
He says "I learned a thing or two, like when to start new, and a fire don't need a fan"
Now he's pushin' broom at the valley highschool, he's keepin' it all in the closet
The Judge, he said, "So you better keep your lid on, that seems to be just what caused it"

He says "Wait, wait a minute
"See that that barrel over there'll come flyin' through the air
"I'm gonna put your head right in it"
He says "Don't, don't you do it
"See that bar that holds the beer that's a-sittin' right here?
"I'm gonna put your head right though it"

And if earthly justice just don't get them in the end
There's always a heavenly trial on its way
And if the bank is empty and there just ain't no money to spend
At least you still got something to say

Thank you to the US House...

 ...for keeping a promise. It is important to keep the $15.00 per hour minimum wage in sight. The real power of the minimum wage will ultimately come from unions. We need to roll back the draconian legislation called “The Right to Work” because is agenda is not to IMPROVE the ability of workers to acquire upward movement to achieve home ownership, but instead, to destroy unions.

There is too much momentum out of misinformation to achieve economic-religious impoverishment with the illusion of keeping with God’s holy order to make it into heaven. This is the case because wealth is very unattainable for too many Americans and religion is a solace. Economic wealth needs to be defined and made common place with only “the ambition” and not the genius as its marker in the timeline of life. Walking in the light of God does not require surrendering to poverty simply because upward economic movement is out of reach.

That economic marker to common wealth has always been home ownership. Today, I read a millennium survey where a strong opinion is that home ownership is and will be out of reach for the rest of their lives. This is so much a reality that “IKEA” now sells an assembly kit for the new movement of our younger generations into a “tiny house” culture defined as ecofriendly.

There is no house today that isn’t ecofriendly if it is on a grid using alternative sources of fuel. ie: hydroelectricity. Hydroelectric power has been ecofriendly for decades. So, the marketing surrounding the “tiny house” culture has validity in the use of building materials that require less electrical power to create the components and choices of materials protecting important carbon sinks. But, to believe the house itself and its demand for electrical use is ecofriendly is wrongful thinking. The grid needs to be addressed and it’s source of power. Achieving zero carbon is not about tiny houses.

Unions must be strengthened, need to demand achievements by companies their members work for leaning into zero carbon goals and the Right to Work legislation erased from history, today and the future. The Right to Work is a return to slavery as if we aren’t already there.

Why is $15 per hour important? Because it creates that Middle Class and not the two tiered Wealthy and Poor. I consider Lower Middle Class the Poor as well because their children’s educational opportunities are victimized.

Examples of the two-tiered economic system exists in states such as Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina where residents laughingly will say, “We know how to do poverty real well.” That means they can eek out the appearance of the Middle Class but living paycheck to paycheck and having heavy debt balances. THAT is not wealth!

In looking to states such as the Northeast the people have accumulated real wealth with comfortable savings and retirements that are truly The Golden Years or as Senator Sanders would say, “A time of rest and grandchildren.” Not, a time of rest and grandchildren after I finish my Greeter Job at Walmart.

According to the Millenniums that had to create their own economy because, “ Oops” the Congress left them out of the budget in planning for their future opportunities, they will not own a home and might be destined more to look like the Chinese rather than Americans. There is no real opportunity for our children and grandchildren if we surrender our economy to China or Russia, isn’t that right Moscow Mitch?

It makes me chuckle when people hate the political Progressives. The Progressives live for the future. They live change. They believe all Americans have the right to representation including generations to come. Therein lies the opportunities of children and young adults. An American future imagined with enough change to create opportunities, ecofriendly and allow for a comfortable life throughout life is where the USA was at one time and should be again but just tweaked enough to improve the quality of life for generations to come.

$15 per hour is not a luxury, it is a necessity and it is a necessity now and not a part of a dreamscape FOREVER as the climate has been for over half a century.

As if poisoned water wasn't enough, the Governor has a right to poison a town.

February 22, 2021
By Ron Fonger

Flint - Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley (click here) is taking issue with arguments made by attorneys for Rick Snyder as they prepare to return to court Tuesday, Feb. 23, for the former governor’s criminal case related to the Flint water crisis.

In a filing in Genesee District Court Monday, Feb. 22, Snyder attorney Brian P. Lennon argues that the charges against his client should be dismissed, in part because, “Neglecting a city is not a crime -- certainly not one with which Governor Snyder has been charged.”...

Give an attorney enough money while Snyder's passport is still good and they will say ANYTHING, even things never allowed by law.

Lead is forever. All the evidence isn't in yet. The Michigan Attorney General needs to request all information the public has to come forward, including media services.

February 26, 2021

By Ron Fonger

Flint -  A bone test (click here) designed to measure long-term exposure to lead and that could be crucial evidence in making successful claims for a portion of the proposed Flint water crisis settlement is being made available.

But less than one day after a link to a website that’s being used to schedule appointments for the bone scans was posted online, every available time slot has been taken and it’s unclear when or how many more will be available....

November 2018

Harvard Health

Lead is a metal (click here) that is poisonous (toxic) when inhaled or eaten. Lead gets into the bloodstream. It is stored in the organs, tissues, bones and teeth.

• With increasing or prolonged exposure, lead can cause:
• Permanent damage to the central nervous system, especially the brain
• Delayed development in children
• Behavioral changes in children
• Decreased production of red blood cells (anemia)
• Hearing problems
• Damage to the reproductive systems of men and women
• Kidney disease
• Convulsions (seizures)
• Coma

The leading source of exposure to lead is lead-based paint. This was outlawed for residential use in 1978....

I told you and I told you to stop this stupid Trump paradigm of sending the kids to school.

Did I not tell anyone reading this blog to KEEP THE KIDS AT HOME! Now, schools are becoming hot spots of infection. You mean to tell me that sending children to school to socialize or receive special services ONLY TO TURN AROUND two weeks later and have to shut down the schools is WORTH IT?

THIS IS NOT WORTH IT!

February 27, 2021

Greensboro - Caldwell Academy and Oak View Elementary (click here) are included in a state report released Friday that identifies COVID-19 clusters in schools.

Five staff members and six students at Caldwell Academy have had COVID-19, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The report does not provide dates of positive cases or other information such as grade level — or say whether any of the cases are still active.....

Southern legislators always put the almighty dollar ahead of the quality of life. They are following the Republican Idiot Paradigm of demanding children go back to school. Roy Cooper stands against the tide and I hope his veto holds up because he is doing the right thing.

February 27, 2021

By Bryon Anderson 

Raleigh - Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday (click here) rejected a bill that would compel the state's 115 K-12 public school districts to reopen with at least partial in-person instruction, while also allowing parents the option of keeping their kids learning remotely.

The plan introduced by Republican state lawmakers could still become law if enough of the handful of Democrats who supported the bill decide to override the governor's veto.

“As written, the bill threatens public health just as North Carolina strives to emerge from the pandemic. Therefore, I veto the bill,” Cooper wrote in a message....

Parents have keep them home and safe all this time only to have them return to school with the danger still lurking only to get sick and have to keep them home ANYWAY!

Trump's year of mixed messages about the safety of being social has created false faces to hope. There is skepticism because people died when they were told there was no need to wear masks and the virus was no worse than the flu. SARS-Cov-2 is not a simple virus and it does kill.

Now, if the government wants to win over the people again, STOP LYING, admit the danger of this virus and its variants and ask faith leaders to help in returning trust to the government and the efforts to vaccinate. DO NOT LIE ABOUT THE VARIANTS. There are still outbreaks of dangerous viruses that may never have vaccines that work. Mask wearing, social distancing, hand washing, and all the other protections put in place may be necessary for a while until the incidents of these viruses are down to ZERO.

February 27, 2021
By Kenwyn Caranna

After news broke that COVID-19 vaccines (click here) would become available, community outreach workers began getting people on a waiting list in January.

They wanted to get those most at risk from the coronavirus to be among the first to get the shot.

But when appointments became available — after delays because of a vaccine shortage and shifts to mass vaccination sites in Charlotte — some people had changed their minds. Fear, generated by false information and conspiracy theories, overtook them.

“We scheduled 20 people, 16 people got the shot. The other four people got scared and texted me in the last minute and said they didn’t want to go anymore,” said Liana Adrong, administrative coordinator of the Montagnard Dega Association.

MDA is a nonprofit that assists refugees in Greensboro, mostly from the Central Highlands of Vietnam....

I am damn tired of Americans and their children being hurt by idiocy and politicians that play with lives so long as it is not their own.

President Biden authorized $8 billion...

 ...for the return of damaged homes to Texans. The country cares. The country also cares about how that money is spent because Texas has no consumer protection. Governor Abbott needs to work with utility companies and all the home contractors that will be flooding into Texas to get more than their share of that $8 billion. 

Either Governor Abbott places consumer protection in place to protect Texans, or there will be people living with blue traps on their roofs with little inside the home to provide warmth and cooling.

This is a new paradigm for the Governor so he needs to get up to speed to be sure there is no price gouging by utilities or contractors.

The findings about ...

 ...the Saudi Prince MBS are worrisome. Why the nepotism between him and the Trumps? MBS is not a stable partner if he satisfies his insecurities by killing his critics. It would be best to encourage Americans to quickly return home, until, their safety is not tenuous.

The deeper problem is that others will find resolve against Americans in that way. The violence will be tolerated if the prince gives it a nod.

This is a very big issue and will not be dismissed. Is Saudi Arabia a safe place for Americans that speak their minds? I think not.

Ms. Lindsey Boylan.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is correct in asking for an investigation into her allegations. What she is describing is a “Hostile Work Environment” and NOT sexual assault as FOX News is spinning in comparison with Bret Kavanaugh which is sexual harassment.

What Ms. Boylan is also describing is more than one actor within that hostile work environment. The New York laws are very strict about touching believed to be sexual in nature, including a person’s back or otherwise. New York law stipulates touching as harassment NOT assault. 

One of the questions of the investigation has to be why did this take so long to come out if the n fact it was a hostile work environment laced with harassment.

I apologize for not following the issues with New York nursing homes but my focus was different and I will try to get up to speed about that. I am not a department or committee. I am one human being. 

Governor Cuomo did not have first hand knowledge of the virus, Trump did. He also moved aggressively when the virus was rampaging through New Rochelle.

I don’t know about the interdepartmental tug of war, but, people dying is a serious issue and working to get it under control should have proceeded expeditiously. Perhaps a review of authority and what occurred needs to be understood so any delay would not happen again.

There also needs to be a review nationwide of containment in relation to transportation, especially airline travel. What capacity do states have in the way of intelligence of these threats and actual power to stop transportation known to facilitate virus spread.

Nationally there was a huge mistake in NOT putting health department leadership front and center to bring about solidified authority to place restrictions on citizens. It is the health department within the executive branch that has absolute power to any containment of disease regarding freedom of movement of citizens. Quarantine including wearing of masks, etc. is the authority of the health department. The health department has personnel with credentials that can exert that authority based in knowledge. Governors need to get that right when imposing restrictions on citizen freedoms.

I congratulate the Biden administration for the retaliatory strike in Syria. I hope the militia groups take it seriously. If this proves to be too little there will probably be more defensive measures taken.

There is also a report today that White Supremacists within the military is a threat. The military needs to resolve the issue through dishonorable discharges so real soldiers can trust their fellow team members. There also needs to be an investigation within the military of any deaths that may have been perpetrated by friendly fire as an excuse for murder of any race, ethnicity or gender. In such a case that is also a hate crime as well as murder.

The military needs to clean up the wayward culture while there is a Commander and Chief interested in doing so to strengthen the ranks. There is also the insurrection issue. The military should make it a clean sweep. Soldiers who feel wrongly accused have grievance procedures available to them.