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Author: Leslie Eastman

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Leslie Eastman

I am an Environmental Health and Safety Professional, as well as a science/technical writer for a variety of news and professional publications. I have been a citizen activist since 2009, and am one of the co-founders of the San Diego-based group, Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 30, 2019 20 Comments
The news cycle has been overwhelmed with chilling stories of the Midwest being colder than the continent of Antarctica this week.
On Wednesday, Chicago will be colder than parts of Antarctica, Alaska and the North Pole. The Windy City's "high" temperature on Wednesday should be around 10 below zero, while the overnight low Wednesday night into Thursday morning is forecast to be in the 25-below range, according to the National Weather Service in Chicago.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 28, 2019 17 Comments
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent independence of the Balkans, one of the most hotly contested issues has been between Greece and the neighboring entity that had been calling itself the "Republic of Macedonia". The origin of this struggle has been the legacy of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian general who conquered Persia, Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Bactria, and Punjab and initiated the Hellenistic era. Each nation claims Alexander as its own, both for bragging rights and tourist dollars.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 28, 2019 44 Comments
Germany has officially revealed plans to shut down all 84 of its coal-fired power plants over the next 19 years in its quest against climate change.
The announcement marked a significant shift for Europe’s largest country — a nation that had long been a leader on cutting CO2 emissions before turning into a laggard in recent years and badly missing its reduction targets. Coal plants account for 40% of Germany’s electricity, itself a reduction from recent years when coal dominated power production.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 25, 2019 86 Comments
A public health emergency has been declared in Clark County, Washington, which is near the border of Oregon and close to Portland. The declaration is a result of an ongoing measles outbreak.
According to the latest update from the county's Department of Health, 23 cases of measles have been confirmed and health officials are investigating two more suspected cases.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 24, 2019 8 Comments
Following up on his initiating Space Force, President Donald Trump has launched a new missile defense plan.
Unveiling a revamped missile defense plan, President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States is prepared to make use of space as a potential battleground. "My upcoming budget will invest in a space-based missile defense layer," Trump said in remarks at the Pentagon, and it is "ultimately going to be a very, very big part of our defense – and, obviously, of our offense."

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 18, 2019 20 Comments
We recently noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that drug overdose deaths surpassed 72,000 in 2017, with fentanyl overdoses contributing significantly to this grim, new statistic. New analysis of mortality statistics shows that for the first time in American history, the odds of dying from an opioid overdose are higher than those of dying in a car crash.
The National Safety Council report used data from the National Center for Health Statistics – Mortality Data for 2017, the 2017 U.S. population and the average life expectancy to approximate the one-year and lifetime odds of someone dying from selected external causes, including heart disease (1 in 6 chance), cancer (1 in 7) and suicide (1 in 88). It determined the lifetime odds dying from an accidental opioid overdose for a person born in 2017 were 1 in 96, while the chances of that same person dying from a motor vehicle crash were 1 in 103.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 15, 2019 19 Comments
Legal insurrection readers will recall the historic wildfires of 2018, which included the destruction of Paradise and subsequent lawsuits filed against Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) by survivors. Now reports have  revealed that while wildfires raged, state lawmakers headed to Hawaii with utility company executives.
During the junket, representatives from utility companies discussed with the bipartisan group of lawmakers just how much responsibility they should bear for wildfires – even as Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) could be on the hook for several billions of dollars in damages for fires it caused over the past few years.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 12, 2019 3 Comments
Chinese officials are currently planning to send their top trade negotiator to Washington, D.C., next month for trade talks designed to end the tariff battle between the two nations. Ahead of the meetings, the Chinese are appearing to leverage their influence with North Korea to optimum benefit. North Korea's Chairman Kim Jong-un was in Beijing this week, and made significant statements related to promises made during June's Singapore Summit.
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