Derek V
Derek V's JournalEPA to unveil long-anticipated coal ash regulations
Source: Aljazeera
December 19, 2014 7:52AM ET
Long-anticipated regulations regarding the disposal of coal ash — a toxic byproduct containing hazardous materials such as arsenic and lead — are due to be released Friday by the U.S. government.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to the Friday deadline as part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed by environmental groups. The agency had first proposed rules governing the storage of waste material created through the burning of coal in 2010 in the wake of a massive spill at a ruptured holding pond in Tennessee. But regulations were never finalized, prompting activists to sue in 2012 for rules to finally be put in place.
Environmental groups say tighter standards are needed to ensure against a repeat of incidents like the Tennessee spill, that cost more than $1 billion to clean up, and a similar spill earlier this year that polluted the Dan River in North Carolina.
The practice of storing coal ash in holding ponds supported by permeable, earth barriers can lead to both contamination of surrounding groundwater and the risk of catastrophe when dikes fail — as happened in both Tennessee and North Carolina.
Read more: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/19/coal-ash-epa.html
Straight outta Limbo!
Buffalo Cop Caught on Camera Beating Man
Published on 12 Dec 2014
In the immortal words of Brandon Armstrong, "It never ends, this shit!"
After U.S. torture report, Poland asks what its leaders knew
Source: Yahoo News
By Christian Lowe and Pawel Sobczak 6 hours ago
WARSAW (Reuters) - The disclosure of details about the CIA's brutal interrogation program could provide new leads for Polish prosecutors investigating how much Poland's leaders at the time knew about a secret jail the agency was running in a Polish forest.
Prompted by a U.S. Senate report on the CIA's "black sites" for interrogating al Qaeda suspects, former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, at a joint news conference with former Prime Minister Leszek Miller, said on Wednesday he knew about the facility in Poland.
He said the CIA had denied Polish officials access to the site, a villa on the grounds of a Polish intelligence training academy, so they did not know people inside were being tortured. He said that while he and Miller knew people were detained there, they were told the detainees were cooperating willingly with U.S. intelligence and would be treated as prisoners of war.
Lawyers for former detainees say however that even if the detainees were treated as prisoners of war - which the lawyers dispute - it is illegal to detain anyone in secret, and Poland had a legal obligation to prevent this happening
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/u-torture-report-poland-asks-leaders-knew-163632067.html
Ukraine cheers US vote for military aid, Russia outraged
Source: Yahoo News
By Eric Randolph
2 hours ago
Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine on Friday welcomed a US bill that would allow Washington to provide lethal military assistance to the embattled country, but Russia expressed outrage at the "openly confrontational" legislation.
The bill -- passed late on Thursday and due to get final approval in Congress on Friday before being sent to US President Barack Obama -- opens the way for up to $350 million (280 million euros') worth of US military hardware to be sent to Ukraine, which has been fighting an eight-month war against Kremlin-backed separatists in its east.
It also threatens fresh sanctions against Russia, whose economy is crumbling under previous rounds of Western sanctions and a collapse in oil prices.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-cheers-us-vote-military-aid-russia-outraged-205849643.html
Oh Vladdy Boy!
Vikings RB Adrian Peterson's suspension appeal denied by arbitrator
Source: Yahoo News
The NFL Friday news dump is up and running.
Suspended Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's appeal was denied and he will not play this season. Appointed arbitrator Harold Henderson (appointed by Roger Goodell, that is) found no reason to vacate the initial NFL finding in Peterson's discipline handed down in the wake of his plea bargain following charges of abuse involving a child.
Henderson listened to oral arguments from Peterson's camp and the NFL on Dec. 2 and Dec. 4.
Peterson intends to take this to federal court.
Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/vikings-rb-adrian-peterson-s-suspension-appeal-denied-by-arbitrator-222715271.html
Rose Cochran, wife of Mississippi Senator, dies
Source: MSNBC
12/12/14 01:14 PM
Rose Cochran, the wife of Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, has died, a spokesman for the senator told NBC News on Friday.
Rose Cochran, who was married to the senator for 50 years, suffered from dementia and declining health in her final years that kept her confined to a nursing home.
Her condition played a central role in the darkest chapter of the 2014 midterm elections after a supporter of Chris McDaniel, her husband’s opponent in the GOP primary, allegedly snuck into her room and photographed her in order to provide material for a political attack video.
The nursing home plot turned out to be a legal, political and human catastrophe. Clayton Kelly, the blogger accused of carrying out the plot, was arrested shortly afterward on felony charges, along with three others who were accused of conspiracy in relation to the incident. The case took a turn for the tragic when Mark Mayfield, an attorney and prominent conservative activist charged in the case, died in June in what authorities concluded was a suicide. A McDaniel spokesman lashed out after his death, accusing Cochran supporters of causing Mayfield’s death with excessive “politicization” of the nursing home case.
Read more: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/rose-cochran-wife-mississippi-senator-dies
Sounds like a horrible way to go. And to watch a loved one go. Genuine sympathies to the senator and family.
Sony Leak Reveals Maureen Dowd Gave Her Subject a Preview of Column Before Publishing
Source: Mediaite
by Tina Nguyen | 10:28 am, December 12th, 2014
Finally, the insidious Sony email leak ensnares part of the pundit class: A new email found by BuzzFeed revealed that New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd allowed Bernard Weinraub, a former Times reporter, to preview a column written about his wife, Sony executive Amy Pascal, before it was published.
Dowd’s column praised Pascal for being a strong female character in Hollywood, in a time where few films feature women as the main characters, and singled her out for supporting female directors and women-oriented films. In a leaked email, Dowd, a family friend of the couple, assured Pascal that “I would make sure you look great and we’d check it all and do it properly.”
However, prior to her interview, Pascal was worried that she would be slammed by Dowd and sent her husband to look at it:
Pascal responded, “IM NOT TALKING TO HER IF SHE IS GONNA SLAM ME. PLEASE FIND OUT.”
Weinraub assured her, “you cant tell single person that I’m seeing the column before its printed…its not done…no p.r. people or Lynton or anyone should know.”
Once it ran, Sony executives emailed Pascal, calling the column “impressive” and lots of praise was traded:
Dowd responded: “I hope you’re happy! Thanks for helping. Let’s do another.” Pascal replied, “Your my favorite person so yes” and Dowd finished the conversation with “you’re mine! you’re amazing”
Read more: http://www.mediaite.com/online/sony-leak-reveals-maureen-dowd-gave-her-subject-a-preview-of-column-before-publishing/
I think it's called "incest."
Pope Francis tells boy whose dog had died that heaven is open to all
Source: CBC (Canada)
CBC News
Posted: Dec 12, 2014 8:23 AM ET
Pope Francis suggested recently that even animals have a place in heaven, while trying to soothe a young boy during a public appearance at the Vatican's St. Peter's Square.
"Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures," he told the boy, whose dog died recently.
“One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ,” said the leader of the Catholic Church, according to Italian news sources.
The Pope made the comments at a weekly general audience at the Vatican.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pope-francis-tells-boy-whose-dog-had-died-that-heaven-is-open-to-all-1.2870888
Well, if there is a heaven, animals deserve it a LOT more than we do!
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Name: DerekGender: Male
Member since: Mon Nov 24, 2014, 03:20 AM
Number of posts: 532
