Aneesh P. Chopra Assistant to the President and Chief Technology Officer Associate Director for Technology Executive Office of the President Office of Science and Technology Policy Washington, DC 20502
Dear Mr. Chopra,
We met briefly at the City Club of Cleveland and I requested your card to follow-up regarding an investigation into irregularities in our environmental monitoring data and technologies in Ohio.
I am preparing to report on these concerns to the EPA, in writing and during a permit renewal hearing in Cleveland, August 10, 2010, highlighting the fact that the citizens of Cleveland, Northeast Ohio and the world have been denied accurate, actionable air quality data here for so long, and our air quality monitoring systems are so poorly architected, it is safe to say we have no idea how polluted and polluting we are. As such, no permits to pollute further should be issued here.
To: "Reitman, Mattie" <mattie [dot] reitman [at] sierraclub [dot] org>
Mattie,
I'm actually preparing my report on all this for the CIO (CTO) of America, who I have met and have direct access - he is a young Googlie techie Indian-American who embraces open source and innovation of the world through technology - what I am realizing is there has been an intentional crippling of the entire nation's environmental monitoring - this stuff the EPA is using is the worst implementation of IT I have ever seen and it is how we measure our pollution for the world...
Get it... for the world...?!
This is old tech put in place in the Bush era to keep the world from knowing how polluted we are - how polluting we are - to hide that from the world to make us look better than we are - Bush was gaming the entire world on pollution and we lose.
Submitted by yrsayngling on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 01:09.
Anyone have an email for anyone who works at Merrick House, either the director or someone else higher up? I'm interested in starting a creative writing class in Tremont and thought Merrick House might be a good venue. Thanks!
Clean air, clean water, healthy food--these are the makings of a perfect summer and a perfect childhood. A reminder: the days are getting shorter. Make hay.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 08/05/2010 - 15:00.
Hexa the Pollution Fighting Witch, strugging to escape the pollution at Clark Field, in the Cleveland Flats, near the Cleveland Kennels and Dog Park... below are some hints why...
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 08/04/2010 - 23:36.
At the time these photos were taken, 08/04/10 between 8-9 pm, Cleveland air pollution monitoring reported PM 2.5 of 13 - "GOOD" Air Quality - when it was clearly Unsafe
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson held a press conference today on the hills overlooking the beautiful Cuyahoga River Valley, where he proclaimed "I am not a mutant - no Clevelanders are Mutants - pollution don't mutant people... mutants mutant people... and I'll Prove it".
All two honest journalists remaining in Ohio attended the press conference, and puked. They are being treated at MetroHealth for pollution poisoning, and are reported to be in critical condition.
Matt, thanks for the update on this issue. After reading your message, I'm concerned about the human impacts of pollution in northeast Ohio.
First and quite simply, I think that it's inadequate to expect networked monitors in a region as large as northeast Ohio to be able to compensate for each other's outages, and that it's a matter of opinion whether high particulate levels are unhealthy only if they persist for a 24-hour period. I'd say it's downright insensitive to claim otherwise, particularly for those who live in a relatively less polluted area.
Submitted by Quest-News-Serv... on Wed, 08/04/2010 - 01:20.
"This eruption is directed right at us and is expected to get here early in the day on Aug. 4," said Leon Golub of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "It's the first major Earth-directed eruption in quite some time."
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 08/03/2010 - 09:45.
The NOACA Air Pollution Time Series line chart left above shows the region has had unsafe air quality since midnight, as per many monitoring stations - Cleveland is excluded from this chart but represented in the Rose Chart right above, which indicates the air in Cleveland was Unsafe at least at 5 and 6 AM, before they cut the data stream off.... meaning it is likely unsafe NOW. DO NOT TRUST THEIR DATA BEFORE 5 AM!
Right now - TUESDAY MORNING IN CLEVELAND AND ALL AROUND NORTHEAST OHIO - the air appears unsafe to breathe. According to data hidden throughout air quality monitoring reporting in the region, our air has been AT BEST UNSAFE FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS since MIDNIGHT. In other words... it is still UNSAFE from yesterday. Of course, the Ohio EPA forecast for today was "Moderate".
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 08/02/2010 - 18:48.
Mattie Reitman with the Sierra Club just forwarded me his communications with the Chairman of Medical Center Company, Robert Brown - who is Treasurer of Case.... and Senator Sherrod Brown's brother... the PD's Connie Schultz' Brother-in-Law... major regional coal-burner and source-point polluter. Through Brown's leadership MCCO operates a secretive coal burning, polluting steam plant for University Circle in my backyard, causing 1,000s of tons of pollution a year in my backyard, harming us each and every day... which I am fighting with the Sierra Club to shut-down.
Sherrod Brown has proven to be a pro-coal Senator. The PD basically denies global warming exists, loves coal, and ignores the issue of environmental injustice entirely.
I am in contact with the Senator's staff about these conflicts of interest, as I am dealing with his brother's pollution, I don't like that my Senator is pro-coal, I don't like that his wife's monopoly newspaper ignores pollution.
As you will see below, Mattie politely asked Robert Brown to arrange for better communications between MCCO and neighbors like myself, including "putting energy into something like" forums on moving MCCO off coal... and Brown said no.
Welcome to East Cleveland the International Cannabis Exchangefor healthcare and industry for the world – The Exchange will put East Cleveland back ON THE MAP!
Submitted by danielyio on Mon, 08/02/2010 - 04:04.
Contrary to the latest reports of soaring economy boosted by the manufacturing sector, manufacturing jobs have actually dropped their numbers while the unemployment number crept up by 0.1 of a percentage point to 2.3 and 3.3 per cent respectively in June.
According to the latest figures released by Ministry of Manpower, job gains in the second quarter of the year slipped to 26,500.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 08/02/2010 - 02:10.
When I met with my counsel about legalizing cannabis in Ohio, I explained I never bring up a problem without a solution.
The problem I brought up to him and his many large industrial clients is the excessive industrial pollution in Northeast Ohio, primarily from coal-burning industrial source points like MCCO and MIttal, which must be eliminated to make this a livable, sustainable region.
Cannabis is marijuana, for medicinal and other personal use... and hemp, for industrial use and nutrition - two classes of crops, each worth $10s billions to the Ohio economy alone, if developed effectively.
Submitted by Quest-News-Serv... on Sun, 08/01/2010 - 23:36.
Dianna Hill brings personality, promise of 'military-style' rule to Cuyahoga County executive race "I know my answers are a little different than most candidates,"she wrote, "but that is because I am 'A DIFFERENT BREED OF CANDIDATE!' I am a SOLDIER, NOT A POLITICI
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 08/01/2010 - 19:40.
This header does not have our logo and is a distraction from what matters today - Jeff - just trying to piss off lots of loyal Cleveland Ford fans visiting from Cleveland.com to find Angel... and get people's minds off the real mess here.
Or is this about emissions from the Ford Plant killing people around there.
No logo - no relevance - we need standards for the headers and you know this does not meet the minimum...
Oh, the joy of deep fried twinkies and the petting zoo. But how about the lack of local farms, produce and info on CSA's etc? Obviously its the OS fair so there were plenty of 'local' cattle farmers etc there, but I am wondering to what extent this event is run by big agribusiness/factory farms.... given the recent vote on animal treatment standards, which many believe has been a trojan horse allowing said interests to lock in low welfare standards for their animals.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 08/01/2010 - 18:30.
The Grateful Dead - Skeletons from the Closet... American Beauty - Truckin'
I am so glad I am old enough to have seen the Grateful Dead perform in New Orleans for their first concert back there, after having been busted there... and having publicly boycotted there for over a decade, as immortalized in one of their best-loved classics.. Truckin'... lyrics, and my favorite... Ripple... below...
I often use WALSTIB, "What a long, strange trip it's been," as a pseudonym.
Happy Birthday Jerry - Thank you for your love and genius... you made the world a far better place through your living, and continue to move us past your death!
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for his work with the band the Grateful Dead.
Dianna Hill brings personality, promise of 'military-style' rule to Cuyahoga County executive race "I know my answers are a little different than most candidates,"she wrote, "but that is because I am 'A DIFFERENT BREED OF CANDIDATE!' I am a SOLDIER, NOT A POLITICI