WORLD & NATION
February 21,2014
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Kiev, Ukraine
Fires, fatalities and fear.The heart of Ukrainian national protests, Independence Square, erupted in violence on
Tuesday, Feb. 18, as police surrounded the Square and began “an anti-terror operation.” In less than eight hours,
seven policemen, 11 protesters and one government employee were killed, CNN reports. Police demand that
the protestors end the unrest and leave the square, while protesters continue to insist that President Viktor
Yanukovych resign. As ofWednesday night,^26^people'l!jad been killed, including nine police.
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Boston, Mass., USAZl^r*ltlttntU
A team of scientists
from Harvard Medical
School has been
monkeying around. On
Tuesday, Feb. 18, they
told BBC that “the brain
of one monkey (in dheir
laboratory) has been
used to control the
movements of another
‘avatar’ monkey.” The
procedure Involved
using brain chip implants
and electrodes to help
match electrical activity
in the monkeys’ brains.
The scientists hope to
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extend their method
to allowing paralyzed
people to regain control
of their bodies.
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Pyongyang, North
Korea
“A shock to the
conscience of humanity”
is what a U.N. panel
branded Supreme
Leader Kim Jong-un’s
human rights abuses.
The Telegraph reports.
According to The
Washington Times,
Kim’s regime has forced
young mothers to drown
newborn babies, starved
hundreds of thousands
of detainees at secret
prison camps and held
public executions.
While U.N. investigators
have discussed the
possibility of trying
Kim for crimes against
humanity, one member
•of the U.N. Security
Council — China —
chooses to block official
recommendations that
would warn Kim about
his role in North Korea’s
crimdk against humanity.
Kampala,*Uganda
While activists have reported that the Ugandan gay community consists of over 500,000 people, very few Ugandans are
openly gay, according to the BBC. As per the new anti-gay bill signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni on Feb. 15, all
of “aggravated homosexuality” will face life imprisonment. “Aggravated homosexuality” includes incidences
of HIV infection,“serial offenders” and sex with minors, according to Amnesty Intemational.The anti-gay bill was passed
by a conservative Parliament in December, but President Museveni declined to make his decision until a team of Ugandan
scientists concluded “that there was no gene for homosexuality and that it was merely abnormal behavior,” CNN reports.
Duke Energy’s grievous error contaminates Dan River
BY EMERSON SANTIAGO
Staff Writer
The Dan River near Eden, N.C., has been transformed
into a bubbling caldron of black muck.
Unfortunately for North Carolinians, this is not a fairy
tale; it is a dangerous by product of our nation's dependence
on coal.
According to CBS News, on Monday, Feb. 3, Duke Energy
released an initial statement admitting that 50,000-82,000
tons of coal ash and up to 27 million gallons of tainted
water were released from a storage pond in Eden into the
Dan River, making it the third largest coal ash spill in U.S.
history.
The cause of this incident?
According to the Charlotte Observer, Duke Energy
attributed the leakage to a broken 48-inch storm drain
that ran under an unlined storage pond for the Dan River
Combined Cycle Station. The contents of the pond flowed
into the pipe, eventually draining directly into the Dan
River.
"I just think it's really sad for the residents who have
lived and grown up around that river," said Saidivya
Komma, treasurer of the Early College Environmental Club.
"It's been healthy for about 53 years. Now, it's suddenly
contaminated, and when summertime comes this year, they
probably won't be able to enjoy it like they used to."
This is not the first time Duke Energy has failed to meet
state regulations on coal ash storage and handling.
"You may be aware that the state of North Carolina had
brought suit against Duke Energy in actions taken last
year," said Susan Massengale, representative of the N.C.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in an
A broken storm drain under a storage pond in Eden owned by
Duke Energy caused the third largest coal ash spill in U.S. history.
email interview.
This lawsuit, currently making its way through the legal
process, was filed in an attempt to remedy a variety of
contamination issues with Duke Energy facilities including
the Dan River disposal site.
For residents who depend on the Dan River for drinking
water, news of the coal ash spill could have had more
severe implications.
"In the short term, we have been fortunate that the
closest drinking water system (in) Danville, Va., and all
those further down river have been able to filter the water
to meet Environmental Protection Agency drinking water
standards," said Massengale.
Unfortunately, the long-term health of the Dan and other
waterways damaged by the coal industry is not as clear.
"The story of the long-term impact of the spill and the
recovery of the Dan River will be told by the sediment and
the heavy metals in the coal ash that has settled on the river
bed and along the banks," said Massengale.
Substances such as coal ash and MCHM, byproducts of
coal production and usage, are often tested for their effects
witWn the parameters of their intended usage. However,
additional information about environmental interactions
can be scarce.
"It comes down to economics... the chemicals that (Duke
Energy) was using were safe for what they were being used
for," said Borinie Ware, hydrogeologist for the N.C. DENR.
It is economically infeasible to test the chemicals for every
scenario other than what they're actually going to be used
for."
Coal ash spills are not the only risk associated with the
coal industry. According to CNN, a recent chemical spill in
West Virginia's Elk River left over 300,000 residents without
access to potable water.
The primary constituent of the spill, MCHM, has yet to
be heavily tested for potential environmental impacts.
"River ecosystems are very complicated," said Komma.
"The smallest living things, such as macrovertebrates, can
affect the entire food web. The river's health is basically
determined by those species, and if they can't recover, then
I doubt the Dan River will."