Spilled milk, the Cuyahoga River fires, and the value of environmental regulation

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Saturday February 05, 2011 · 11:51 AM PST

2011/02/05 · 11:51

You may not have heard the latest outrage de jour--the Environmental Protection Agency wants to regulate spilled milk. It's being touted everywhere as a primo example of government run amok. "What could be sillier than regulating milk?" many ask, acting as if it is something that is obviously stupid.

First of all, the story is bunk, as wonderfully deconstructed here. What is currently in the works is not an effort to regulate spilled milk, but an effort to make sure that it is not regulated.

However, there has been an assertion by conservatives that it is some how crazy to regulate animal or any other non-petroleum oils. That is a ridiculous assertion. Animal and plant-based fats and oils can wreak havoc on our water and wastewater systems, and regulating this kind of pollution was actually one of the original aims of the Clean Water Act.

RiotLibrarian

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Wednesday February 02, 2011 · 7:05 PM PST

2011/02/02 · 19:05

There is a contender in the Republican primary who has not yet gotten a ton of attention outside of certain right-wing pundit spheres. Even when he is given attention, he is usually referred to as a long shot candidate.

But he has made a few waves. In the recent Republican straw poll in New Hampshire (and I know, these things must be taken with a giant grain of salt), Herman Cain came in sixth...ahead of more well-known candidates such as Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Chris Christie and Mitch Daniels.

Also, recent evidence indicates that Cain may have gotten some strong behind-the-scene nods of support from the infamous Koch brothers--the billionaire oil magnates who have long funded a vast network right-wing organizations known as the Kochtopus, and who are currently major, although surreptitious, provocateurs of the Tea Party movement.

If the Kochtopus indeed has anointed Mr. Cain, we may be hearing a lot more from him. So here's an introduction.

RiotLibrarian

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Wednesday November 03, 2010 · 9:41 AM PDT

2010/11/03 · 09:41

Last night was not a great night, but it was absolutely not a disaster.

Americans, in our politics, tend to be short-sighted and suffer from amnesia. From that perspective, last night looks good for Republicans and bad for Democrats. I personally think last night had GREAT results for Democrats in the long term. I'm feeling very optimistic this morning, for several reasons.

RiotLibrarian

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Monday November 01, 2010 · 7:59 PM PDT

2010/11/01 · 19:59

I consider myself I high information voter. I blog at a political site, I regularly read three others, I subscribe the three political journals, and I keep NPR on perpetually. But I have still had the embarrassing experience of walking into the ballot box, confidently punching through all of my votes, and then reaching that non-partisan judicial race and saying to myself 'Damn. I have no idea who any of these people are.' Or struggling through some state constitution amendment legalese to try to figure out what the heck I was trying to vote on.

I know that the governor, House, and Senate races are important for all of us. Go vote, make sure all your friends and co-workers vote, make calls, give rides, but please: make sure you know who you're voting for at the bottom of the ballot.

RiotLibrarian

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Sunday October 10, 2010 · 5:56 PM PDT

2010/10/10 · 17:56

Last Tuesday night, I attended the 'Taking Back America' event sponsored by the Salem Radio affiliate in Atlanta. It was a fascinating (though frightening) night inside the Tea Party mind, topped off with one of the most hysterical personal conversations I have ever had--a conversation that began with the statement in the title, and ended with a lot of cognitive dissonance.

RiotLibrarian

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Tuesday January 05, 2010 · 11:31 AM PST

2010/01/05 · 11:31

I have a co-worker—I am not sure his salary, though considering his position it is likely in the $150,000 range—who is fervently wishing for a John Galtian revolution.

(For any who may not know the John Galt reference, he is the main character is Ayn Rand's perennial doorstop, Atlas Shrugged. If you want to know the basics of the book without actually having to go through the painful process of reading it, I recommend this very on-target summary.

To make it very short, John Galt is a producing, wealthy capitalist who abandons society because his superiority is not sufficiently appreciate by the worthless non-producers always looking for a handout.

'Who is John Galt' has become one of the catchphrases of teabaggers, although I coubt many of them have actually slogged through the tedious tome.

[Updated to fix math]

RiotLibrarian

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Tuesday December 15, 2009 · 8:12 AM PST

2009/12/15 · 08:12

I spend a lot of energy on politics, because I believe it is a good and effective way to create positive change in the world. Everyone who wants to make the world and our country a better place, and to minimize suffering, should be aware of politics.

But there are many non-political ways to help our fellow man. I've been getting down and frustrated lately with politics, and especially in this holiday season, I needed to do something to pick myself up and adjust my attitude. So I made a commitment to do one very good thing every day from now until Christmas. Things that can mitigate suffering, bring a little joy, and make the world a better place.

My husband is currently unemployed and we have two small kids, so I am short on both money and time, so I am casting around to see what is in my reach. I wanted to share my little project to give others ideas about things they can do to make the world just a tiny bit better, and also to solicit ideas--cause it's only day 4 and I am running short. I will update next week with the additional things I have been able to come up with to do.

RiotLibrarian

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Thursday December 03, 2009 · 8:57 AM PST

2009/12/03 · 08:57

I love trees. I REALLY love trees. There was a special old sycamore at a nearby park when I was a kid, and when we went for walks my dad would run up ahead and hide, and then do a voice for the tree, so my sister and I could talk to it. His name was 'Neat Tree.' We were not idiots, we knew it was my dad, but we still looked on the tree affectionately as a kind of sentient and benevolent entity. I cried when I saw that the magnolia in front of my childhood home had been cut down. I believe it is morally wrong to remove trees from your property for flippant or merely cosmetic reasons. I have been known to literally embrace trees (though to be honest, it's normally something I have done while not entirely sober).

I just wanted to establish my tree-hugging credentials before making the following statements. I have no problem with the idea of trees being cut down to supply paper in wood products. I think we should use trees for energy whenever possible. In fact, I think that a robust and diverse market for wood and paper products is extraordinarily good for the environment.

How can these attitudes coexist? Read more below.

RiotLibrarian

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Monday November 09, 2009 · 8:21 AM PST

2009/11/09 · 08:21

I am livid right now. I will try to be coherent. It's only over one $125 claim, and I know that means I have no problem at all compared to most people who are getting claims denied by their insurance. But the dishonesty and equivocating are so infuriating.

We have never been able to keep our head above water with the medical bills because of our high deductible policy. We still owe $2500 to Emory University Hospital for my husband's surgery back in April.

Still though, everything is supposed to be covered after we've reached the deductible, right? At least we have that going for us, right? Apparently not. My policy says they cover routine well-baby visits. Except now they are saying they don't.

RiotLibrarian

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Saturday November 07, 2009 · 1:40 PM PST

2009/11/07 · 13:40

Someone must have gotten their wires crossed, because I received an invitation to a "Business Summit" on health care and energy, hosted by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue's PAC. I went, ostensibly because as environmental consultants it's good for us to stay on top of policy proposals (my company's been a bit involved with supporting biomass utilization in Georgia already, and are hoping that we will find a lot of work helping companies make money or cut costs under cap and trade regimes).

But I went. And in an auditorium full of Republicans, I stood up and told Gov. Perdue that some small business support a public option.

RiotLibrarian

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Thursday October 22, 2009 · 9:57 AM PDT

2009/10/22 · 09:57

It appeared that a good number of people appreciate my diary from last Friday addressing the science behind pesticide risk and the utility of some pesticide use within reason. So for as long as I have ideas, I am going to do a bit of a running series on some of the scientific issues underlying problems with pollution and contamination.

Most people are aware of some of the common toxic metals, such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. Toxic metals (which are sometimes called 'heavy metals', although that term has no real scientific meaning) are some of the oldest known poisons, and are some of the worst and most common environmental contaminants. Toxic metals are particularly interesting and complicated as an environmental pollutant. Unlike most pesticides and industrial solvents, metals are not only naturally occurring, but ubiquitous. In addition, many toxic metals are also essential nutrients. They also have a maddening tendency to take on a dizzying variety of chemical forms and change as they make their way through the food chain.

So what are heavy metals, when are they dangerous, and what can we do about them?

RiotLibrarian

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Friday October 16, 2009 · 7:35 AM PDT

2009/10/16 · 07:35

This diary began as a comment on another, until it got so long and detailed I decided it was a diary in it's own right. The original diarist was upset because a careless pest control company had applied pesticides on the wrong property, and I chimed in to try and be of some assistance.

It made me realized that, as an environmental professional, I have some expertise on the subject of pesticides and other contamination that may be of use to the readers of this site. So, here is a not-so-brief primer on the history of pesticides and what can make them dangerous, which includes lots of links on where to go to get good data and information.

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Spilled milk, the Cuyahoga River fires, and the value of environmental regulation

Who is Herman Cain? The new Republican dark horse

Take Heart! Last night was a good night for Democrats.

Remember to read down the ballot!

"How can anyone who gets a paycheck be a liberal?" - My night with the tea party

Who is John Galt? Raskolnikov.

Doing good : ways to make the world just a bit better

The Scientific Environmentalist: tree-hugger edition

Furious: routine well-baby check not covered. UPDATE: Against the law?

Telling Governor Sonny Perdue that small business people want a PUBLIC OPTION

The Scientific Environmentalist: All About Metals

Is the cure worse than the disease? A primer on pesticides, pollution, and risk