CAN WE BREATHE CLEAN AIR, DRINK CLEAN WATER, AND GROW GARDENS IN CLEAN SOIL?

Our people are dying from Cancer in Alexandria, LA.

Ms. Agnes Francisco of Alexandria has lost three family members of Cancer. Ms. Agnes will explain what made her start the fight for clean air, clean water, and soil. The area we are talking about is the southern part of Alexandria where there are about 50% African Americans reside.
In this area not only did Ms. Francisco  loose family so did others. It is also very important to know that this also a low -income area of  Alexandria which has no grocery stores, or shopping malls.
Most residents have to walk or take the bus, cab or get a ride to wherever  they need to go. These  are some of the things residents have to deal with on top of  burying or fighting cancer.
I was very surprised at the death toll as of now is about 116 and people are still dying.
Ms. Agnes started to complain to the LDEQ( Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality) and EPA ( Environmental Protection Agency).

Environmental Disaster

  The smell and vapors of the nearby Creosoting Operations ( Colfax Treating) in this area what concerned Ms. Francisco was the fact that in Cresote a chemical contaminant called BENO(A) PYRENE.

BENO (A) PYRENE IS  (BaP) is usually found as pale yellow crystals. It does not dissolve in water, but will dissolve in organic (carbon-containing) solvents. BaP is one of a group of compounds known as the Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PAHs).

 How does chemical affect the environment?

 According to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agent  Pollutant Fact Sheet
The most serious environmental impact of BaP is its significant accumulation in organisms exposed to it. Aquatic organisms will also concentrate it. In water, BaP attaches strongly to sediments and any other solid matter. BaP released to soils tends to bind very strongly to the soils particles, but small amounts can leach to ground waters. BaP is stable and can remain (and travel) in the environment for a long period of time - it is a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP). Releases of BaP   therefore cause concern at a global environmental level as well as on a local scale.  http://apps.sepa.org.uk/spripa/Pages/SubstanceInformation.aspx?pid=22

How does chemical affect humans?

The long-term health effects of BaP were last  assessed by the federal government in 1987. At that point, it was classified as a “probable human carcinogen”; the new assessment upgrades BaP’s cancer classification to “carcinogenic to humans” and sets a limit on the amount of BaP a human can breathe without the risk of developing cancer and other serious illnesses; it also sets a limit on the amount of BaP that can be safely ingested and, for the first time for any EPA chemical assessment, estimates the risk of cancer when human skin is exposed to the chemical.

Research Shows Links to Cancer, Developmental Damage, and Low Birth Weight

Since 1987, the scientific literature examining the health effects of BaP has grown significantly. Studies have shown that BaP is associated with cancer, as well as developmental damage and immunological effects. Epidemiology studies involving exposure to BaP have reported associations with decreased fertility, low birth weight, postnatal body weight, and smaller head circumference in children. Animal studies show exposure to BaP to be linked to a variety of cancers, including alimentary tract, liver, kidney, respiratory tract, pharynx, and skin cancers. Workers exposed to BaP over long periods have been found to have a significantly

On Aug. 21, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a draft revised health assessment of the toxic chemical benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). This chemical is widely found in the environment and in a number of workplaces, and in its assessment, EPA declared that BaP causes cancer. by Ronald White, 9/10/2013 EPA Scientists Deem Benzo(a)pyrene a Cancer-causing Chemical  http://www.foreffectivegov.org/epa-scientists-deem-benzo-a-pyrene-cancer-causing-chemical

Mrs. Joyce White, General Honor'e &  Ms. Agnes Francisco

( picture courtesy of The Alexandria Town Talk by way of Google)

Ms. Joyce White has been living in her house for many years. In the background is the back of  the cross ties of one of the companies that have the citizens health at risk.  Ms. White states that one of daughters has  a severe case of Asthma.

Once it was found that the land where there were  contaminate BaP you would think it would have some urgency to clean up and make the people of South Alexandria whole again. No this was not so. There were three lawsuits against Roy O. Martin two of them  lost and the third was a class action suit where the people who the plaintiffs were awarded from $100.00 to 7,300 this was depending what your illness was. The Lawyers were paid $1,600,000 for their services.  We have to take  in consideration that it was over 500 plaintiffs.

There were some plaintiffs that were on medicare and Medicaid so they would have to give some of their money up. Leaving them with next to nothing.

WHO IS ROY O. MARTIN?
 You can say that Roy O. Martin had a vision and he stepped and made his vision happen from the beginning, one of the key factors to the long-term success of the company has been the acquisition of tracts of timberland. Today, RoyOMartin has a land base of 570,000 acres of prime southern pine and fine hardwoods throughout Louisiana, made up of tracts from 20 acres to over 10,000 acres in size. This natural-resource base supports two state-of-the-art OSB- and plywood-manufacturing operations in Louisiana. In all, RoyOMartin employs approximately 1,000 committed, competent, and contributing team members. https://www.royomartin.com

                                                   

                                                     WHERE ARE WE NOW

At this moment, we have lost many people and now Miss Agnes Francisco has gotten the attention of the EPA they have come up with this two-year initiative called Making a  Visible Difference Committee. Purpose- EPA focus on providing better support to communities, especially in environmentally overburdened, underserved and economically distressed areas where the needs are the greatest.

http://www.blaccnewsweeklyradioredjournalradio.com/

ITS NONE OF MY BUSINESS

You know, it's funny when we always say that everyone should mind their own business but every time an issue with an entertainer, movie star, singer, artist has something going on in their lives we are all up in their business. If it hits home then we are ready to throw punches about your business. Are we that confused? Or is it because those people mentioned above are to the public or because they have no right to privacy just like you?

What sense does that make? You don't want any one in your business but you are all on the websites that dropping all kinds of private information on them, let's compare your privacy to theirs: You both have lives, some of  you are married, some have kids, you both have personal, physical, mental problems on some levels, both really don't want their business told. The only thing different is probably they have more power and money.

Why is it our business to be all up in their business but get bent all out of shape when someone knows our business?  Are we embarrassed about what goes on in our own lives and we feel better that others are suffering like us even though they have the money?

I will say this, we have to stop making everybody business our business and stop getting upset when you are being questioned about your business. I would love to see one of the entertainers turn around and start asking personal questions about us. Just to see how that feels. Why do we really need to know what is really going on in someone else's personal life?

When you think about those stupid reality shows about our Black women such as Atlanta Housewives, Love and Hip Hop, it seems that we are so obsessed with these reality shows that we relate or try to emulate their lives. I find that creepy. There is no way I would want that much drama in my life. I can't handle the little drama I might have my mental, emotional couldn't handle.

Now just imagine how these people feel when they have to bear all with millions of viewers on a constant basis.  They have no private life they get abused by their spouse, their son is on drugs, their daughter is pregnant, their finances are in a turmoil. Think about what if that is you and you really don't want people to know that side of your life. Again do you think it's fair that we are all up in their business because we can?

Is there a possibility that we can for once not listen to gossip, I know a lot of people will lose their business because their whole life is dishing the dirt on others. But get truly offended when it comes to their business.

Sometimes we have to shine the light on ourselves and ask ourselves is it really my business who Rhianna is sleeping with, where she shops to buy her clothes really?

Dishing the dirt on entertainers, artists, movie stars is it really important or because we purchase their movies, music, and clothing that we have the right to know what goes on behind their closed doors?

So is that a slave and master or boss and employee relationship?

You don't want your boss in your personal business, some of us get straight mad when someone asks you some of the simplest questions about our  so-called personal business.

Now the business that would interest me, is how my children are doing in school, how is the economy, what is the political climate at this time and what is going to the job market. Those are the things that I would think would be important to me.

Don't get me wrong, entertainment is entertainment but no one's personal hardship and bad times should be something we find interesting unless you are lending a word of encouragement.
Celeste B. McCall

I MIGHT TO BE CRAZY

I am sitting here thinking to myself, is life really this complicated or is it just me. Why do I feel as though that all the work that I have achieved who was it really for? Did I do this to please others or did I do this for myself self- gratifications was these all my true goals or were they goals that I set for others.. I guess you wonder who 'others' are the people who celebrate when you are down, who walk all over your dreams, who could really care less about what you are doing but always find time to secretly stalk you, like watching what you tweet, what you say on facebook, watch your videos and secretly criticize  how you look or how you pronounce a word, are these the people that we spend our times attempting to impress or looking for that approval from?

I might be crazy if I spent all my life trying to please all the wrong people. People who don't  even really pay attention to me and don't give a damn about my hopes, dreams, and aspirations. They just want to see how far I will fall so that they can turn away and laugh never trying to pick me up to see if I was okay. That is not their job, they have one purpose that is to look at my faults, point them out and make me spend all my time looking for their approval.

I allow my seeking approval to take over my mind and my emotions, how I think and what I think about, never wanting to disappoint the ones who really are not relevant.  But don't care about the ones who really should matter.

I  might be crazy if I can't stop punishing myself for the minor setbacks that take place in my life.  My ungratefulness because I was not able to impress those people who really don't care what I say or do but they really do.  I hope I haven't confused anyone  I dare not make you disappointed in me since how you see me is very important to my state of  mind.

I might be crazy if I truly believe this I really spent all my time trying to please people who really will not add to or subtract from my true goals.

Celeta B.McCall