Georgia Takes Top Two Spots for Worst Polluting Power Stations

By Matt Bewig

 

Georgia leads the nation for dirty power plants, which are the primary source for greenhouse gases like CO₂, methane and nitrous oxide. To put things into perspective, for cars to produce as much planet-baking CO₂ as U.S. coal-fired power plants do in a year, Americans would have to drive at least twice as much as they currently do.

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released an online Greenhouse Gas Database that allows consumers to find out which power plants are polluting the most. The database, which includes the 6,700 power plants and heavy industrial sites responsible for 80 percent of all emissions in the US, shows that Georgia is home to the two worst polluting plants in the country—Scherer coal plant in Juliette and Bowen coal plant in Cartersville. Neighboring Alabama has the third worst offender, the Miller coal plant in Quinton, Alabama, while yet another Southern state, Texas, is the locale of the fourth worst plant, the Martin Lake coal plant in Tatum, Texas.

Cincinnati Commission Rules Against Racist Woman

Cincinnati - A landlord lost her appeal with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission January 12^th when she was found to be violating state anti-discrimination laws. Theincident happened on Memorial Day of 2011.

The woman, Jamie Hein, hung a “Public swimming pool. White only” sign outside her swimming pool and may have to pay for compensation and punitive costs. She argued the sign was an antique decoration but the commission dismissed the argument citing witnesses who said the landlord posted the sign because the chemicals in the girl's hair “would make the pool cloudy.” The sign is old, and Ronnell Tomlinson, the commission's housing enforcement director noted the sign read “Selma, Ala. 14 July 31.”

The commission voted 4-0 against reconsidering their decision and concluded posting the sign "restricts the social interaction between Caucasians and African-Americans and reinforces discriminatory actions aimed at oppressing people of color."

The commission pursued the case after a complaint was filed by a former tenant by the name of Michael Gunn for a weekend pool party. His daughter was the only black person at the otherwise all-white pool. Gunn said Hein questioned him about the "chemicals" his daughter uses in her hair and accused her for making the pool water "cloudy." Next week Gunn saw the sign in question and made the decision to move immediately "as not to expose my daughter to the sign and humiliation."

Gunn also gave commission officials copies of texts he claims Hein sent him shortly after he and his family moved blaming the grease in her hair for the cloudy condition of the pool.

Odd Stories: Racist Pays for His Remarks

Pensacola, Florida & Daphne, Alabama - An Alabama man has won 7.5-million dollars after he successfully sued a competitor for slander after he called his car dealership “Taliban Toyota”. Eastern Shore Toyota owner Shawn Esfahani, who was born in Iran and became naturalized in 1980, originally pursued $28-million in damages from Bob Tyler Toyota due to Fred Kenner.

Esfahani claimed Kenner told at least one couple buying from him would “help fund the insurgents there,” he's “laundering money for them,” Esfahani is from Iraq, is “a "terrorist" who put soldiers including the salesman's brother in harm's way, and said on the Eastern Shore sales floor "Esfahani is funneling money back to his family and other terrorists. I have a brother over there and what you're doing is helping kill my brother."

Shawn Esfahani the dollar amount awarded was irrelevant unless it sets a precedent by which other business owners can fight back against he considers un-American.

"This case didn't take aim at just Mr. Tyler, it was intended to address any other business that resorts to those kinds of actions to win at their game unfairly."

Eastern Shore Toyota is in Daphne, Alabama and Bob Tyler Toyota is in Pensecola, Florida.