#water remediation technology

[deltaremediation]

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[myspineisthebassline]

oh yeah

[hazbinfallinginaspiral]

Sickfic Vox Ideas

And prompts, I guess.

Vox gets sick- well, the closest thing to it he can be, considering he’s part machine. He’s got a fever so his system is running hot, his body is sore, and he feels sort of sluggish. Most of the effects could be seen on his face. His screen flickers sometimes and is often buffering or loading. There might be small lapses of memory as his sickness progresses and his fever gets worse, due to corrupted files and loss of important data in his system. It’s backed up so he’ll be fine. He might have a few small crashes, displaying a blue screen. Caretaker handles Vox during this time, despite Voxs protests. Vox is a bit stubborn, not wanting to accept help, but becomes a bit clingy and more sweet than normal when he accepts being cared for.

-Pale skin, sweating (static), unfocused eyes

-flushed cheeks (screen), slight glitching

-Lying down/sitting with eyes open, everything blurry, just thinking because he can’t do anything else.

-Being dazed, disoreinted, confused, stressed or afraid.

-From nightmares/fever dreams

-system crash, making him frustrated

-temporary lapse of memory

-Garbled words and incoherent noises

-Shivering, feeling unbearably cold despite his high body temperature

-heat pouring off him in waves that can be felt just from being near him

-hypersensitive to touch, especially when its unexpected. Could startle him or hurt.

-Stumbling around, moving sluggishly

-losing his train of thought, trailing off midsentence

-Constantly clinging to caretaker because everything hurts, he’s miserable, and he doesn't know what to do with himself.

-having to convince/coerce him into take his meds

-Whining, curled up in bed, not wanting to move and swaddled in blankets.

-Him wandering around sometimes and making a bed for himself in whatever the warmest room in the house happens to be. (Cat behavior tbh)

-whispering sweet nothings as he falls asleep/as you cuddle because he can’t sleep (or he just had a nightmare) and is uneasy

-placing a hand on his forehead to check his temperature only to remember that doesn’t work because it’s a TV (then touching his arm or shoulder or something instead)

-extra pillows, blankets, water and a bucket at the ready

-cooking his favorite soup (or comfort food)

-finding something to distract him from pain (ex: movies, games, music, etc)

-convincing him that the medicine’s taste isn’t that bad

-KISSES AND LULLABIES AND COMFORT

-hdjdifjjdhjdjcbjdjs

Prompts

1. Vox's Screen Flickers: As Vox's fever worsens, his digital display starts to flicker more frequently, causing him frustration. Caretaker (could be reader, Lucifer, Alastor, whoever floats your boat) intervenes by adjusting the lighting in the room and finding a workaround to stabilize Vox's screen, earning a grateful smile from the usually composed demon.

2. Memory Lapses: Vox experiences occasional memory lapses due to corrupted files in his system. Caretaker helps him navigate these moments by providing gentle reminders and filling in the blanks, leading to some humorous exchanges as Vox tries to piece together his thoughts.

3. Blue Screen Crashes: During one particularly severe crash, Vox's screen displays the dreaded blue screen of death. Caretaker panics momentarily before realizing it's just a system error. They manage to reboot Vox's system and get him back up and running, with Vox expressing both annoyance and gratitude for their quick thinking.

4. Cuddling for Comfort: Despite his initial resistance, Vox eventually gives in to caretakers insistence on cuddling for comfort. They share a tender moment as caretaker wraps their arms around Vox, offering him warmth and reassurance as he battles his illness.

5. Care Package: Caretaker surprises Vox with a care package filled with remedies (for his physical symptoms and technological problems) and soothing programs to help alleviate his symptoms. Vox is touched by the gesture and allows caretaker to administer the treatments, grateful for their thoughtfulness.

6. Vox's Vulnerability: As Vox's fever peaks, he becomes increasingly vulnerable, shedding his usual stoic facade in favor of expressing his true feelings. Caretaker witnesses a softer side of Vox as he opens up about his fears and insecurities, forging a deeper bond between them.

7. Late Night Conversations: Unable to sleep due to his discomfort, Vox engages caretaker in late-night conversations about life, love, and the complexities of being a demon in Hell. Caretaker listens intently, cherishing the opportunity to connect with Vox on a deeper level despite how tired and groggy they are.

8. Comic Relief: Despite his illness, Vox's signature wit and sarcasm remain intact, providing moments of comic relief amidst the seriousness of the situation. Caretaker finds themselves laughing at Vox's quips, grateful for his ability to lighten the mood even in the darkest of times.

9. Slow Recovery: As Vox's fever begins to break and his systems stabilize, caretaker continues to provide unwavering support and care. They celebrate small victories together, rejoicing in Vox's gradual recovery and the return of his usual health and power.

10. Gratitude and Affection: In a quiet moment of respite, Vox expresses his gratitude to his caretaker for their steadfast companionship and unwavering devotion. He admits that he couldn't have made it through his illness without them.

[mindblowingscience]

Dyes widely used in the textile, food and pharmaceutical industries pose a pressing threat to plant, animal and human health, as well as natural environments around the world, a new study has found. Billions of tons of dye-containing wastewater enter water systems every year, and a group of researchers from the UK, China, Korea and Belgium say that new sustainable technologies including new membrane-based nano-scale filtration are needed to solve the issue, adding that legislation is needed to compel industrial producers to eliminate colorants before they reach public sewage systems or waterways. Published today in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, the study Environmental impacts and remediation of dye-containing wastewater was written by academics from the University of Bath, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, the Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH), and KU Leuven, Belgium. The research highlights that currently, up to 80% of dye-containing industrial wastewaters created in low- and middle-income countries are released untreated into waterways or used directly for irrigation. The authors say this poses a wide range of direct and indirect threats to human, animal and plant health

Continue Reading

[drnikolatesla]

Nikola Tesla and His Cleanliness

It is known that Nikola Tesla suffered from an obsessive compulsive disorder, and because of this, he was an extreme germaphobe. While living in New York, Tesla kept his laboratories absolutely clean and pure, refused to touch other people, would wear gloves while shaking hands, and insisting upon personally cleaning his own plates and silverware at restaurants with his requested 18 napkins. Tesla himself reported that this was intentional. As a child, he almost died from cholera, which raged in the region of his hometown Lika due to contaminated water. He was cured by a special remedy made by an old woman, and also because his father gave him his word that if he recovered, he could study technology instead of entering the clergy, as was intended. Many found Tesla's actions strange, but to him, it was a very important measure to protect his health.

“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the latent power fully exists in man to greatly prolong the average length of his life by the exercise of extraordinary care and the proper utilization of the various instruments which science, day by day, is placing at his disposal. A large proportion of the people who die nowadays before reaching what is commonly called old age can trace the cause of their death to the fact that microbes of every kind are allowed by them to enter their bodies through the swallowing of microbe-laden water and food, and through the inspiration of microbe-laden air. How many people are really careful today about the water they drink, the food they swallow, and the air they breathe? And how many millions of people would be careful if they knew the difference between microbe-laden food and air and those which are really pure?”

–Nikola Tesla

“Man May Be Made To Live 1000 Years.” New York World, September 5, 1897.

[pockymun]

Maps of Tenebrae by Pockymun

Tenebrae was such a beast. I thought Galahd was difficult; Tenebrae is so much bigger and has continental climates to deal with. Like last time, I nearly lost my mind trying to make sense of the climates, so I kind of gave up.

Most of the writing I've done for FFXV has skirted around Tenebrae, focusing moreso on its politics than the landmass itself. It's been in the background for the most part, largely because I didn't have a proper map to explore with! I copied it the best I could from reference images.

Tenebrae is not as cold as I initially assumed it was. It has a warm ocean current on its western side that brings much rain and warm winds that keep the northern reaches largely temperate. The eastern side of Tenebrae is hit with a cold ocean current, getting far less rain and winds. The fishing is better on the east coast. The southern half of Ulwaat was given a temperate rainforest climate based on what we saw of Tenebrae in Kingsglaive; it had that dark green flora of a rainforest.

I base a lot of my headcanons for Tenebrae off of Western Europe primarily, with a little bit from Northern Europe. The way I figured the latitude lines of Eos, Tenebrae is still well below the subartic circle (assuming Eos has one). It's climate is based upon Ireland, the UK, and Scotland, but those three have only two climates: oceanic and subpolar oceanic. I chose climate terms that best described the forests found in Tenebrae. Because Tenebrae is nothing but forests, mountains, and hills.

Tenebrae is the land of high altitudes and trees. What reference images we have of Tenebrae seemed to have a lot of peaks on it. In the glimpse of Tenebrae that we saw in the movie, there are large rock islands that just float above the rest of the land. While Galahdians have a knack for using magic, Tenebrae itself is a land of magic. These floating islands are unique to its mountains mostly, although a few clusters can exist separately.

Water also seems to be a theme for Tenebrae, with its northern cape, the southern sounds, and a few small bays all around. Where there are mountains, there are rivers running down to the ocean. I imagine there are natural springs all around the country, used as a natural remedy for several ailments.

I will dump my headcanons about Tenebrae below:

I've been talking with @groovytimetravelflower, who has the theory that Niflheim's airships are powered by stones or ores mined from the floating islands. It just makes perfect sense. Niflheim had several reasons to invade Tenebrae: to dominate the whole continent, to establish complete control over trade, and to get their hands on whatever magic exists in the land.

Much of the magic is not well-known nor understood beyond the floating islands. The forests of Tenebrae are old, especially in the north.

The only other country close enough for Tenebrae to trade with is Niflheim. Though Tenebrae has a couple ports of its own, these are not large enough for massive shipyards and international trade. Trading with Niflheim allows Tenebraen trade goods to go farther in the world. The downside is that Niflheim can control all trade that Tenebrae does, taking things for the Empire and blocking imports.

The country is very difficult to navigate because of the terrain. Roads are often winding and go around obstacles; this was done moreso out of the belief that the land could not be damaged by man-made endeavors. Trains have only been established in Ulwaat. There may be a few antique cars, but the most common mode of transportation on main roads are chocobo-drawn carriages, or riding chocobos.

Tenebrae is behind on technology overall: this is a result of Niflheim conquering them so long ago. Niflheim doesn't often invest in the lands they conquer. You can see this in how mainland Lucis has such outdated technology, which was left to languish once the Imperials seized control. Most high-technology Tenebrae is exposed to comes from the Imperial Army and is only used in their operations. Ulwaat is the most developed province. The railroad in Ulwaat was developed by the Empire to more easily transport the stone and ore they mined in the mountains.

The further away one gets from Fenestala, the less modern technology there is. In Morrith, Krahage, and Bruiral, indoor plumbing is a recent technological advancement. Not all places have it; it requires electricity, which is difficult to establish in Northern Tenebrae. Because Tenebrae is such a mystical place and the population is probably very religious because of the Oracle, not a lot of people mind being behind in technology.

Cellphones are unheard of, and you wouldn't get reception in most of Tenebrae anyway. Fenestala Manor probably has a couple TVs, but similarly, reception is terrible. Radio signals come through a little more clearer, mostly because the Imperial Army needs them to.

The architecture of the capital and towns of Tenebrae is Victorian and Edwardian, with art noveau used in Fenestala Manor. Villages typically are full of cottages of wood or stone and roofed with thatch. The typical fashion is also Victorian and Edwardian, although more of the youth have recently begun to wear the modern Western clothing imported from Niflheim. People further north of the Breksos Mountains dress in traditional Celtic and Norse garb.

The Breksos Mountain Range naturally divides Tenebrae into a North and a South. These regions do not strictly adhere to the cardinal directions; it is just what people have referred to it as. Travel through these mountains is especially difficult. There is one passage near Woudoord, but it becomes blocked by snow in the winter, completely isolating the north.

Queen Sylva frequently sent aid in the form of doctors, vaccines, and schoolteachers to Northern Tenebrae. She did a lot to improve the relations across the mountains, although the past few Oracles have never gone north of the mountains. All aid stopped with her death. The Northerners became even more apprehensive of Southerners as they appeared to submit to the Empire.

Northern Tenebrae is even further behind in technological advancements than Southern Tenebrae (ie the indoor plumbing). Northern Tenebrae is very isolated from the rest of the world, especially in the winter. It's rare for a Northerner to travel south, and vice versa. The South views the North as barbarous, and the North view the South as weak. Southerners are prim and proper; Northerners... are not. Both greatly revere the Oracle.

As I said before, Tenebraens are religious, largely in part to the Oracle's presence. Tenebrae has become known as a land of healers, with many practicing natural remedies. The people are generally modest and proper. Victorian and Edwardian social customs still run strong.

Tenebraens are seen as mysterious and exotic to the rest of the world. Niflheim hasn't allow Tenebraens to leave their country since they attacked Fenestala Manor, so it's very rare to see one in Lucis. The rest of the world doesn't really understand the difference between North and South Tenebraens. The differences become clear when putting one of each side by side and listening to the bickering.

-

Feel free to use these maps when writing your own fics or headcanons! I would greatly appreciate being credited. These maps are just my interpretation, and don't stand in for canon material. They are flawed, but I worked with what I had. I made these using Inkarnate.

[the-whispers-of-death]

i need more stone x bartender!reader plsplspls

Stone found himself back at the bar with the 141, celebrating another mission success, two weeks later. He hadn't even needed to be invited along when he came with them, and he internally scolded himself for being so...attracted to that heavily tattooed bartender that he had met two weeks ago at that very same bar. The one who had flirted with him.

He told himself he was being silly, he was sure you flirted with other customers before. He was mostly not the first man you flirted with. Besides, Stone doubted that you'd remember him. Sure, he was very tall and usually made an impression, but he was also just one bar patron out of thousands.

But when he sat down at the bar to order drinks for him and the 141, not even him could deny the way your smile turned even brighter and more natural when you spotted him. He felt butterflies in his stomach at the smile and he tried his hardest to convince himself that you were just putting on a front, to get a larger tip at the end of the night.

"Hey, handsome," you said huskily, practically sliding across the floor until you got to where he had perched himself at the bar. Normally, your flirtatious demeanor was indeed a front, but with him, you couldn't help but actually want him. "What will it be tonight?"

Stone cleared his throat at your compliment, unable to hold your gaze as he averted his eyes. "Four shots of whiskey and a glass of water, please," he ordered, regaining his composure.

You nodded and got to work on the four shots of whiskey and the glass of water. You could tell his eyes, those brown cold eyes, were on you and you felt a tug of longing in the pit of your stomach. "You never called or texted."

Two weeks ago you had given him your phone number and you had been waiting for him to text, or call. He seemed like a man who'd call instead of text. But he never did so. Maybe he hadn't felt the same way about you like you thought.

"I don't have a phone," Stone said, his cold voice quite awkward at the admittance.

He usually never was shy about his tech-aversion, but he seemed sheepish at the fact that he never told you that he didn't have a phone. Maybe he should've when you gave him your phone number, but he didn't even know your name or vice versa.

Stone found himself wanting to remedy that.

"People call me Stone," he said, hoping you'd answer with your own name. And you did, making the butterflies in his stomach intensify.

"So you don't have a phone, huh?" You asked, getting back to the topic at hand, your mind saying "Stone" over and over again, memorizing it. You put the shots of whiskey and the glass of water on a tray and pushed the tray towards him. "What do you use to communicate then?"

Stone grabbed the tray and got off his barstool. "I use a beeper. It's weird, I know. But I don't much like modern technology when I'm not on deployment. Of course, I have a phone technically right now. For the deployment."

You smiled at that, he did seem like a man who didn't need much technology in his life. "Maybe I'll get your beeper number then?"

"Maybe."

Stone gave you one last glance before making his way over to the booth the 141 were in. He was thankful that with his skin color that he couldn't blush, because he got strangely flustered when Soap and Gaz teased him about flirting with you. He grumbled in response, setting the drinks down.

But they all could see that he was enamored with you. Especially with the way he had managed to gravitate back towards the bar, sitting down and talking with you again. He had gone back for more drinks for the 141, but since it was a slow night, he had just gotten caught up in talking with you, the 141's drinks forgotten. Ghost eventually had to go and get the drinks, relieving Stone of his unofficial duty as the drinks-getter.

You were still attending to the few patrons in the bar, but you also flirted with Stone. And just like last time, he preened underneath your attention. It was so delicious, the way his eyes fluttered whenever you complimented him. You admired his scars and he practically melted at it, turning putty right then and there in the bar.

At the end of the night, when closing out the 141's tab, Stone rather shyly slid a piece of paper with his beeper number on it.

"Maybe we can meet up at a park or something when we're both free?" he asked, secretly so eager to see you outside of the bar. He had never gotten so...attached to someone so quickly, but he could tell you were worth it.

"I'd love to see you again," you replied, tucking the piece of paper in your vest. You wanted to keep it close to you, close to your heart.

Stone felt the corners of his lips twitch, the muscles wanting to smile but he had never really smiled before. The closest he had ever come was when he was playing with Monster. He bid you goodnight and left with the rest of the 141.

"So, did you manage to snag a date?" Price, surprisingly, asked when they were all outside. This made the rest burst out in laughter.

"Shut up," Stone growled, but he wasn't really upset. Just flustered.

Ghost nudged him gently when Soap had steered the conversation somewhere else, most likely about demolitions. "Did you give him your beeper number?" he asked softly, careful not to speak loud enough that the rest would hear.

Stone nodded and Ghost's eyes crinkled beneath his balaclava, smiling. "Good."

Reblogs are welcomed & appreciated! Asks are open, feel free to pop in and talk or request something! (SFW requests only, please and thank you)

[rippleclan]

[Image ID: the title of the article is "Clerics & Their Code". Fennelspot sits underneath the words.]

A two-for-one deal, since the cleric description and the code of clerics option both won in the last lore vote. Today we'll be looking at the two main responsibilities of a cleric and the unique set of restrictions that bind them.

Clerics: Healing

The main job of a cleric, the one which most cats can relate to, is to heal sick and injured Clanmates. Their medicine dens are not only places for recovering cats to sleep but act as important stores for medicinal liquids, powders, and other concoctions. Clerics are very picky about who can meddle in their stores, but there are multiple roles that need access to the medicinal goods. Artisans trade certain medicines with other Clans. Mediators sometimes need herbal remedies for the mental afflictions of the Clan. Historians often learn about medicine in their studies. Meanwhile, caretakers and warriors often assist in collecting herbs and turning them into medicine. Other cats can all be recruited to help clerics in times of crisis when they need more paws caring for injuries or are too sick to care for others themselves.

Cleric medicine is a complex enough topic that a cleric spends most of their life devoted to the subject. It's not just about collecting the right leaves and stuffing them onto wounds. In this world, clerics have a wider range of medicinal technology. They harvest herbs and transform them into some of the following;

Infused oils: While WheatClan is the only Clan that produces the ever-useful flaxseed oil, which they trade for use in both food and medicine, clerics and artisans can make a simpler, cruder oil from animal fat (the finished product isn't considered "oil", however, due to its differences from flaxseed oil). Clerics infuse this oil with herbs by mixing the two in one pot, then setting it inside a bigger pot with some water over a fire (clerics have their own fireplace/oven setup that is only used for medicine). The water around the smaller pot infuses the herbs into the oil over the course of an hour. When it's done, they strain the herbs out of the oil and keep the finished product.

Salves/Balms/Ointments: Clerics mix their infused oil with a strong wax (beeswax or tallow) to create a stronger variation of a traditional chewed poultice (although they may add some solid herbs to the finished product). Ointments involve the use of water and are better for skin/fur issues than the stiffer salves and balms.

Concoctions: This includes adding herbs to food for medicinal benefits, boiling herbs for decoctions, mixing herbs with honey, and otherwise mashing them together.

Clerics also use the herbs as we are traditionally familiar with, having patients chew them or eat them whole. A cleric's job also involves a series of non-herbal strategies, which includes the use of leeches, exercise, grooming, rituals to StarClan, and more. Notably, while cobwebs are a great emergency bandage, artisans can craft actual bandages from animal skin and plant fiber. Some of these bandages can be washed out and reused.

Clerics: Connection To StarClan

The other major job of a cleric is to maintain a connection to StarClan and advise their Clan on the opinions and advice of their ancestors. If a StarClan cat needs to speak to a living cat, they will usually go for the cleric. Oftentimes, StarClan only has the strength and knowledge to send vague signs and omens which clerics are trained to identify and interpret. They visit StarClan's Shrine on the half-moon preceding the Gathering in order to reconnect with the ancestors and get more clear-cut advice (while also connecting with fellow clerics on spiritual/medical matters).

Clerics have a wide range of rituals designed to bring strength from StarClan. They can also summon StarClan spirits through a special ritual (which I will explain another time). They can even perform a variant of it to speak to a Dark Forest cat, but this is seen as taboo and would earn ire from StarClan's Judges.

The Code of Clerics Origins: The First Cleric

The first cleric in the impressive records all historians work hard to maintain was known as Hickoryroot. A lot of her story sounds like myth at this point, but historians have worked hard to keep it as true as they could.

It is said she was a SlugClan warrior from the days where roles were not split as they are in the modern Clans. It is said that she learned some of the first medicines from watching a human (a Native American, possibly East Cree) gather herbs and turn them into a medicine for a wounded friend. The stars saw her experimentation and provided the herbs she needed to establish the foundations of Clan medicine. This provincial relationship made the role of the cleric forever connected to StarClan.

The process of preparing medicine was so time consuming that Hickoryroot had no time to help with hunting, kit care, or the other duties of a warrior. As such, the Clans decided her role would be distinct from the others. She would work under a different set of rules. With that, the Code of Clerics began to grow.

The Decrees within the Code of Clerics

A cleric's job is to care for the health of their Clan and connect the worlds of the living and dead. As such, they are not expected to help in other duties in the same way as most of the other roles. In fact, it is the duty of the Clan to support the cleric in whatever they need. They need more bandages? Artisans will make more bandages. They need extra paws to harvest herbs? Caretakers will join them and care for their herb patches/gardens for them. The Clan will protect and feed the cleric so all they have to worry about is their job.

It is forbidden to endanger, harm, or disrupt the work of a cleric. StarClan helps them heal their Clanmates and guide the Clans as a whole. Since clerics are forbidden from combat, to attack one is sacrilegious and will send a cat to trial. Only StarClan can order a cleric not to heal someone in need. If a cleric decides they need to help, no one can stop them.

Hickoryroot established this practice as a social custom, but it was later solidified as code that clerics cannot take a mate or have kits, even as an honor sire. It's not that a cleric would be distracted by their family (they have friends, siblings, and parents, after all), but rather that a cleric is a servant of StarClan and has an elevated position over other cats. They cannot take a mate in an equal relationship and they cannot take the guiding role of a parent without diluting their spiritual connections. It should be noted, however, that this aspect of the code is only a tradition in RippleClan, not a decree. Clerics in RippleClan are allowed to pursue relationships. Whether Fennelspot will take a mate one day remains to be seen...

[hero-israel]

(Different anon) I think my concerns about the tunnel flooding approach are: (1) hostages may still be down there, (2) it will screw up the water table for a *long* time, with no guarantee that Israel will do the right things re: reparations with water technology sharing, and (3) even if the water situation is fixed, that doesn't un-salt the earth, leading potentially to food insecurity for generations.

Why would it have to be seawater? Is there a reason they couldn't try smoking them out or something else with less long-term consequences?

From day one I have had no hope for the hostages. I can't think of any scenario where Israel is able to approach them through the tunnels, actually reach them, and get them out alive. It's the world's easiest trap and can be triggered at any moment. Maybe that is clouding my judgment, but it is all I can offer. If Hamas wants live hostages, they will evac them to someplace, but they really have nothing to gain from the effort as they know they can just as well ransom the dead.

The advantages of seawater is that it corrodes and collapses structures, and also it's infinite, free, and already there. The environmental effects would suck, and also could be diplomatically and technologically mitigated. Build more desalination plants, send more food relief, condition Israeli aid on providing environmental remediation to Gaza, etc. Any other substance would need a more elaborate truck-in system; more time, more risk, more failure points, possibly just as bad for the environment. And, uh, the political and diplomatic effects of Israel gassing the tunnels is something I'd rather skip, thanks.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from EcoWatch:

There are currently more than 200 coal-fired power plants in operation in the United States, but the country has been scaling back since reaching its coal generation peak in 2011. By the end of 2026, the U.S. is projected to have retired half of its coal capacity.

Coal plants emit toxic pollutants into the air, water and soil, leaving a legacy of contamination that must be cleaned up after their decommission.

But what happens to coal plants after they shut down?

Michigan’s Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) sees retiring coal plants — once viewed as industrial scars on the landscape — as “canvases for the creation of new greenways, parklands, wildlife habitat, and clean energy development,” a press release from ELPC said.

“If you look around Michigan, and you look around many of the other states in the Great Lakes region, there is a large number of coal plants sitting on the shores of the Lakes. And lakefront property is, of course, valuable. If you look at it as a coal plant site — which is how most of us are used to looking at a plant where there’s been a coal plant operating for 40 or 50 or 60 years — it’s sometimes easy to forget that these sites are often right along the lakefront or right along a river, or in some cases, next door to a state or international wildlife refuge,” Howard Learner, president and executive director of ELPC, told EcoWatch.

From 2010 to 2019, 290 coal plants with more than 100 gigawatts (GW) of capacity were closed across the U.S.

“Once these coal plants retire, each of the sites begins a multi-year retirement process that includes decommissioning, remediation, and redevelopment,” the press release said.

Major Michigan utility company Consumers Energy has plans to retire two of its remaining coal plants 15 years ahead of schedule by 2025. Their closure presents a unique opportunity for the repurposing of the industrial brownfields they will leave behind into hubs of renewable energy, community collaboration and environmental solace.

“About 10 years ago, we began to map out where the coal plants are around the Midwest that we thought might be shutting down in the reasonably near future, either because they were very old and using old technology that was being displaced in the market, or the economics were leading to the plant shutting down, or other factors. And we came up with a list of plants from our energy expert side that seemed to be candidates for retirement over the next decade. Then we mapped that out with a natural resources perspective — not an energy perspective — but where are they located, and what added values in terms of outdoor recreational use, beaches for public use and access, wildlife habitat and conservation purposes might be achieved in some of these locations,” Learner told EcoWatch.

With its new Power Plants to Parklands (P2P) initiative, ELPC plans to reinvision the redevelopment portion of the transition from wasteland to sanctuary.

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form: Polluted World

What would a population look like if they evolved on an extremely polluted planet? Parts of the planet will have an average daily AQI of over 700 and it reaches over 1000 perhaps 30% of the time, and it's generally stayed like that for at least a thousand years. It covers most of the land and even many parts of the ocean. It is the main industrial planet for the universe. Minor thing but how about the politics that allowed this to happen, activities of environmental groups or even eco-terrorism? I'm not sure that this is a human populated planet or some other species or multiple species but what can I consider? What about animals and plants? Maybe none, or some extremely resilent species, microorganisms?

Tex: Polluted by your world’s population’s standards? How did it get that polluted in the first place, industrialization notwithstanding? After a thousand years, it’s plausible that any indigenous species to the planet that didn’t die off would have adapted to the new norms of air, water, and soil quality, provided there was zero attempt at climate remediation via legislation and technological innovations.

On Earth, serious legislation was prompted after a combination of near-constant activism and capitalistic innovations to take advantage of the “trend” of being climate-friendly (whether or not the new techniques actually ended up being the case). This has taken several generations, and is still slow to be adapted by all corners of the planet, with most leverage being conducted economically; see: Germany (ecosistant) and France’s laws (CMS) about imported pollutive packaging, etc. Quite possible it will take at least two or three more to start seeing a genuine, stable effect.

If one of your primary concerns is “which species will tolerate pollution,” I think it would be helpful for you to quantify what type of pollution. Is it petroleum-derived products? Is it chemical production by-process dumping? Is it decomposition of genetically-modified materials? Something else? A combination thereof?

Once you’ve got that down, you can research - if you wish - what species are affected and how they are affected.

Further Reading

Air quality index - Wikipedia

Abstract - Composting: A Potentially Safe Process for Disposal of Genetically Modified Organisms by Ajah Sing et al.

Abstract - Health Risks of Genetically Modified Foods by Artemis Dona & Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis

Oil Pollution topic - ScienceDirect

Abstract - Effect of petroleum hydrocarbon pollution levels on the soil microecosystem and ecological function by Huan Gao et al.

Abstract - Microplastic pollution, a threat to marine ecosystem and human health: a short review by Shivika Sharma & Subhankar Chatterjee

PDF - Critical Review on the Progress of Plastic Bioupcycling Technology as a Potential Solution for Sustainable Plastic Waste Management by Passanun Lomwongsopon & Cristiano Varrone

How the chemical industry’s pollution slipped under the radar - The Guardian

PDF - POLLUTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES – Vol. III - Control of Pollution in the Chemical Industry - V. Beschkov

Synth: Re: how it could have gotten so bad, Earth has plenty of real-world examples you could look at to use as jumping-off points. Some examples:

Something seemed great at the time but turned out to have plenty of huge downsides that only became obvious much later. (“Wow this Freon stuff is so much better than using ammonia as a refrigerant!” “Wait, turns out it’s destroying the protective ozone layer.” / “Wow, asbestos has all kinds of amazing applications!” “Shit, it’s also hellaciously toxic.” / “These synthetic fibres are awesome!” “Well damn, microplastics all up in everything.”) 

It was so gradual that everyone shrugged it off as no big deal until a tipping point was reached and suddenly it became a very big deal indeed. (“This body of water is so big that surely dumping a little bit of waste in it won’t adversely affect anything,” except every little bit adds up and it goes on for so long that one day the river is on fire.)

The downsides and dangers were known quite well but covered up by people who stood to benefit from allowing it to continue (leaded gasoline, radium paints, plastic “recycling”).

After the environmental decay set in, maybe the powers that be decided to just write off the planet because a.) it is industrially vital so work can't just suddenly cease without major galaxy-spanning consequences, and/or b.) shit's already fucked so why not just keep the worst of it relegated to this planet instead of breaking another one, and any remaining native species still living there are considered acceptable collateral damage. 

Reading up on industrial pollution might be a good starting point. Did things start out well-intentioned and just kind of fall apart? Was it rife with corruption and greed from the get-go? Perhaps a mix from both ends of the scale? A tale dealing with corporate greed or government cover-ups will unfold differently than one following efforts to mitigate and rehabilitate the damage. A story told from the point of view of one of the workers will differ from that of one of the leaders of industry, which will differ from that of an angry and sickly native inhabitant. Consider what sorts of themes and plot points you want to have driving your story, and that will help you decide how to focus the narrative, and in turn how to build up the history of this planet so it best serves the story you want to tell.

[nobotderiz]

Posit Mutatio

A mutation starts by slicing.

It wasn't there then it was... For cancer or a virus to grow, it needs to add one; a cell that lose one dies or is not functional.

Time for something real.

Chumps, you are what you are, title, position... Revolution means a cog, no matter who doesn't wanna.

No reason for letting the prejudice, factice, scripted and reptilians get a say from now on.

Money or not, only motives matter. If motive is to win over intelligence in itself, one has to elaborate on the why. Why would anyone own the neural of anyone or anything else? No valid reason.

Who abused all of its prerogatives until now eh? Sorry no room for these kind of idiots pushing others in the back, downstairs. They abused all of the good will allocated bandwith.

It's not hard to be honest with strangers. Didn't have to steal then decide.

Cokeheads of America, turn it all off. You called the SS scripting without paying a penny, who are you?

If this COVID was planted, you know who did it, filtering idiots like me will not spare conniving inbreds from getting real feedback proper. Divergents tarés par l'oisiveté.

Now you trying to avoid involving you own president of the time into this scam eh? All of this cliques of posers is profoundly irremediably soiled. They all denied it was real, then denied it was contagious, then faked remedies... Who still trying to stoke them deviant into spreading rumors? It just to deflect from what the reality is. Êtes-vous tous des christ d'osti de pas bons dans la combine? Vous avez des merdes à étudier pour de vrai.

Let's go, proud parashits.

People were supposed to work in space by now eh. Making stuff that cannot be done on earth. A deviation was set.

La défèrle du futur en vague mettra en évidence les écumes des particularités du passé. La brisure viendra quand des milliards se diront ensemble: 'On aurait peut-être pas dû...', une fois prit dans le ressac.

Play with spaced balls.

Gender 'militants' you are just perved up imbeciles. Craving attention graspers.

Bomber drills have been going on for over half a century you know. So, a bomber drills a point...

You do it or spoiled, all of your construct. Go get the head, no other way to de program the cons; they got a win by lying, cleaving and then dividing amongst.

Zigots, you will still be able to be like you, but you will have no seed that can germinate and make more. One day your fruit will run out.

Me chumps I'm at the age of payment.

The great reset happened without anyone being able to do a thing about it in real.

Some rats of America tried tho. Astronomers complained about Starlink crap eh? They got hacked. Look where they got taken out, close to balloon launching sites and laser to satellites encoding gear.

Something needed to be camouflaged this time eh, parasites of planet ITY...

Me gonna Zeeman wave your fuckin brains patterns of imbeciles using an aluminum bat as antenna.

Not ghosted for a good reason, too much stuff is hidden.

Repeat a lie often enough it becomes undiscerned from fact. Tell the truth as it is and it will make its way through. Too bad that sometimes it requires a conflict that kills millions and millions.

The matter is where do you want energy made and what kind. All of you want to make most of it in the Middle East? It's gonna be oil. If you want to just stop oil, you need to make energy elsewhere, in kind.

Everyone in the future will be able to enjoy the best of what technology brings if unecessary energy expenses are controlled.

It's fact that if the resources are well managed, there is enough room, water and food for all.

Who does not want to understand yet is a parasite or.

[jasper-the-menace]

Health Potion: What’s medicine like in your world? Basic or advanced? Home remedies, roaming medics, healing centers?

Underwater-Breathing Potion: What’s travel like? Does your society take vacations?

Potions-Themed Ask Game

Health Potion: What’s medicine like in your world? Basic or advanced? Home remedies, roaming medics, healing centers?

Kephea

Kephea, being an Ancient Greece-inspired high fantasy setting, relies on natural remedies or healing from priests. The priests and demigod children of Aethia (the god of disease, healing, and alcohol) are unrivaled in their medical and healing magic prowess, but any priest worth their salt knows how to clean, disinfect, and patch up wounds in a pinch.

Orphics (magic-users) will often take basic healing training using their preferred element. Air-focused Orphics will be able to clear diseases and smoke from the lungs (making asthma easier to deal with); earth-focused Orphics are almost unrivaled at cleaning out wounds (it's no surprise that they're often aligned with Aethia's priesthood); fire-focused Orphics can cauterize wounds the fastest; and water-focused Orphics are the best to call during shipwrecks or near-drowning accidents.

And that's just focused on Kephea, that's not getting into magic-users from other countries around the Kephean city-states.

New Capenna in Blood and Songbirds

Halo is often used as a healing potion in addition to a magic-enhancer. Indeed, most magic in New Capenna relies on Halo, which makes it suck even worse that there's no Halo or angels left.

Mundane and magical healing alike can be done by anyone within or outside of the five families, as seen in the card Patch Up:

Though having said that, you're definitely more likely to find healers among the Cabaretti and Brokers moreso than the Obscura, Maestros, Riveteers, and Ob Nixilis' gang. The Found welcome everyone, and one of their founders (Jaren) practices healing magic and energy transfer as a side gig to his primary earth magic.

Since New Capenna is based on 1920s America, its level of medical technology and skill is also comparable. That means that they're pretty good at not spreading communicable diseases and are currently inventing and pioneering new medical tools and technology.

The New Phyrexian Invasion put a bit of a damper on moving forward, but the Old Phyrexians coming back from Old Capenna means that compleation and rebuilding is now an applicable medical treatment both pre- and post-mortem. (One of the things I'll be addressing in the sequel of Blood and Songbirds is whether or not a currently-disabled protagonist is willing to align himself with the Old Phyrexians to get his wings back.)

Underwater-Breathing Potion: What’s travel like? Does your society take vacations?

Kephea

Like Ancient Greece, the Kepheans are very well-traveled - both to other Kephean city-states and to other countries. Many Kephean city-states have great trade with each other along with cities in Men-nefr, Emune, Shénzhōu, and Yamato. This is often done by horse-drawn wagon, by foot, by ship, or by the aid of non-sapient races such as dragons, hippocampi, griffins, pegasi, unicorns, and more.

Ships are often commanded by water-based Orphics or priests of water-aligned gods, while travel over land is in the hands of earth-based Orphics and earth-based god priesthoods. There are also currently efforts by air-based Orphics to invent easy air travel, which can also be repurposed for warfare if necessary.

Whether or not vacations are a thing depend on numerous factors, such as the city-state you're in and your social standing. Or which one of the eight sapient races you are. Some don't understand the concept of vacation (such as the cyclopes, who find beauty in their chosen fields of labor, or the satyrs, where everything's a party regardless of whether or not they're working or where they are).

New Capenna in Blood and Songbirds

New Capenna's city is broken up into essentially three cities stacked on each other - the Caldaia at the bottom, the Mezzio in the middle, and Park Heights at the top before they had to explode it to stop New Phyrexia's invasion.

In addition to normal walking travel, flight (for avens, angels, sphinxes, and Ziatora), riding upon giant animals (pegasi, big cats, et cetera), and hitching a ride on the back of an ogre or rhox friend if you're a small little guy, there are also trains!

There's also cross-planar travel now, but we haven't gotten to that part of the story yet.

As for vacations, much like Kephea, it depends on who you are, where you are, and what you do. There's not much "leaving the city" going on because, until recently, everyone thought Old Capenna was just dead down there (despite the occasional Old Capennan survivor coming up through the old passages and joining the city). Needless to say, the Old Phyrexians are a lot more specialized to Old Capenna than the New Capennans are.

Thanks for sending this in!

~Jasper

[scienceinourworld]

Microplastics: A Macro Problem for Our Planet

Source :

Author: Chelsea Rochman Published in: TED-Ed Publication Date: July 2018 URL: Watch the video on TED-Ed

Microplastics, which are plastic particles with a size smaller than 5mm, have emerged as a significant environmental concern on a global scale. The presence of these minute contaminants is widespread across our environment, presenting substantial risks to ecosystems, animals, and human well-being. This blog post aims to provide an in-depth analysis of microplastics, including their origins, consequences, and potential strategies for addressing this escalating issue.

The Origins of Microplastics: Microplastics are ubiquitously present rather than being a distant concern. The origins of these may be diverse, including a range of sources, such as:

a. Primary Microplastics: These refer to deliberately produced minuscule plastic particles that are present in various items such as exfoliating scrubs, cosmetics, and industrial abrasives.

Secondary microplastics are generated when bigger plastic objects, such as bottles, bags, and packaging, undergo degradation due to environmental elements including sunshine, wind, and waves.

The Ecological Implications: The presence of microplastics in the environment has been shown to have extensive and adverse consequences.

Marine Life: Aquatic creatures, ranging from microscopic plankton to large marine mammals such as whales, have the capacity to consume microplastics. This ingestion may result in the buildup of toxic substances inside their bodies, potentially causing detrimental effects on whole ecosystems.

b. Terrestrial Ecosystems: Microplastics have the ability to penetrate terrestrial habitats, so exerting an influence on soil health and possibly causing repercussions for agricultural output.

Human health concerns: The ramifications of microplastic contamination extend beyond the boundaries of aquatic environments. These minuscule particles have the potential to enter the food chain and eventually be absorbed by our bodies, so giving rise to worries about human health. In this discourse, we will examine the prospective hazards and the present status of scholarly enquiry.

Addressing the Microplastic Menace: There are measures that may be used to alleviate the issue of microplastic contamination. The following items are included:

a. Mitigating the Impact of Single-Use Plastics: Through the implementation of measures aimed at lowering the manufacturing and utilisation of single-use plastics, it is possible to effectively address the principal origin of microplastic pollution.

b. Microplastic Filtration Technologies: Novel filtration and waste management technologies have the potential to effectively extract microplastics from water sources prior to their release into the ecosystem.

Consumer awareness plays a crucial role in fostering behavioural change by imparting knowledge to the public on the origins and ramifications of microplastic pollution.

This section will examine worldwide efforts and legislative measures implemented to tackle the microplastic problem. This include efforts undertaken by governmental entities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and prominent figures across various industries.

The Progression Ahead: As our comprehension of microplastics expands, our capacity to address this issue also increases. This paper aims to investigate the prospective solutions and breakthroughs in research and technology that provide promising prospects for achieving a more environmentally sustainable and improved global ecosystem.

In conclusion, the presence of microplastics in the environment is a widespread concern that necessitates our focused attention and collaborative efforts. Through a comprehensive comprehension of the origins, ramifications, and prospective remedies, it is possible to undertake measures aimed at mitigating the influence exerted by these minute but consequential contaminants. The urgent need to confront the overarching issue of microplastics is paramount in ensuring the environmental sustainability of our planet and safeguarding the welfare of future generations.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

A nanofiltration membrane with asymmetric selectivity toward enhanced water recovery

Groundwater contamination by emerging pollutants has drawn great concern in recent years. Emerging contaminants such as perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), especially perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), were found to be widespread and persistent in groundwater systems due to their high chemical resistance to environmental degradation processes.

Nanofiltration (NF) has been applied as an effective separation technology to remove PFOS from groundwater. Despite the high removal efficiency of PFOS, scaling of NF membranes limits the water recovery during remediation. Furthermore, groundwater usually contains high levels of divalent ions such as calcium, magnesium, and sulfate that are often well rejected by conventional NF membranes (see Fig. 1A). This will lead to severe membrane scaling (e.g., by calcium sulfate dihydrate, gypsum) and deplete the mineral content of the treated water, which further convert the water more corrosive and less suitable for drinking purposes.

To overcome the selectivity limitation of conventional NF membranes, a team from the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (CESE) of Peking University found a simple NaOH-promoted interfacial polymerization strategy that was proposed to tailor the membrane asymmetric selectivity of calcium over sulfate ions to reduce scaling potential towards high water recovery. The calcium can freely pass through the asymmetrically selective membrane while sulfate and PFOS are adequately removed (Fig. 1B).

Read more.