Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts

California "Water Cops" Fine Zuckerberg over "Ice Bucket Challenge"

Aug 16, 2014
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been issued a $500 fine for his recent stunt, according to Palo Alto Police reports. Zuckerberg recently posted a video of himself pouring a bucket of ice over his head as part of the "Ice Bucket Challenge", in which challenged users must pour a bucket of ice water over their head or donate $100 to charity.

"In the midst of this terrible drought, we cannot have people wasting precious water," said a spokesmen for the California State Water Resources Control Board. "Mr. Zuckerberg has been fined because it was not his day to water his lawn."
The Challenge requires participants to get really cold
The water board has issued a statement to all California residents, urging them to not waste buckets full of ice water on frivolous stunts unless they wish to pay more to the state.

"I think it's dumb that the water board is going after people for pouring buckets of ice water on their head instead of going after the real problems. It sounds like they just need to chill out."
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Blue food coloring used to "Keep Tahoe Blue"

May 27, 2014
Documents seized in raids conducted by the FDA in the Lake Tahoe area have revealed numerous stockpiles of blue food dye being stored in the area. Investigators were called to the scene when residents noticed members of the environmental group "Keep Tahoe Blue" transporting barrels filled with a powdery blue substances to different warehouses around the lake.
The beautiful Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe has been the subject of many environmental debates, especially with the booming tourism industry. Many new buildings have been proposed to capitalize on the boom, but many companies trying to construct more buildings around the lake have been blocked by protest.

Investigators believe that many new casinos in development around the south part of the lake were allowed to be built due to secret agreements made with the environmental watchdog group. To mitigate the pollution and prevent protests created by construction activity, the casino offered the group kickbacks and blue food coloring. The dye is similar to that used to turn the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day festivities and believed to be food grade safe. Sources claim that the dye was still being tested had not been deployed yet. "Keep Tahoe Blue" board and staff members are currently under investigation.
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Alarming pesticide usage causes vapor from squirting orange peels to ignite

May 23, 2014
Be careful when handling oranges. Recent viral videos are appearing showing people squeezing orange peels and igniting the vapor that comes out of them. Due to the immunity that invasive insects and weeds have gained to traditional pesticides and herbicides over the last decade, farmers have had to use new chemicals and more of them to keep the crops safe.
Picture of an Orange
Some of the newer chemicals used in these products have been known to leech into the soil and get picked up by the plants themselves. With orange groves in Florida, one of these newer pesticides, which goes by the trade name "Nymph-be-Gone", is raising alarm. Used to keep orange nymphs away, the pesticide has been found within orange peels themselves. The active ingredients in the pesticide combine with the compounds and oils found in the peels to create a flammable mixture. The FDA is assembling a task force to explore this phenomenon to determine whether continued use of "nymph-be-gone" causes any immediate or long term health risks. The creator of "Nymph-be-Gone", Raid-X Farming Supplies, has yet to release a statement.
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