West Virginia bans number of dyes and chemical preservatives in food

Will other states follow?

Scientists discover molecules (pyrene) that store much of the carbon in space

Amazing stuff!

"... researchers ... discovered that a distant interstellar cloud contains an abundance of pyrene, a type of large, carbon-containing molecule known as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH).

The discovery of pyrene in this far-off cloud, which is similar to the collection of dust and gas that eventually became our own solar system, suggests that pyrene may have been the source of much of the carbon in our solar system. That hypothesis is also supported by a recent finding that samples returned from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu contain large quantities of pyrene. ...

Due to its symmetry, pyrene itself is invisible to the radio astronomy techniques that have been used to detect about 95 percent of molecules in space. Instead, the researchers detected an isomer of cyanopyrene, a version of pyrene that has reacted with cyanide to break its symmetry. The molecule was detected in a distant cloud known as TMC-1, using the 100-meter Green Bank Telescope (GBT), a radio telescope at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia. ...

PAHs, which contain rings of carbon atoms fused together, are believed to store 10 to 25 percent of the carbon that exists in space. More than 40 years ago, scientists using infrared telescopes began detecting features that are thought to belong to vibrational modes of PAHs in space, but this technique couldn’t reveal exactly which types of PAHs were out there. ..."

From the abstract:

"Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic molecules containing adjacent aromatic rings. Infrared emission bands show that PAHs are abundant in space, but only a few specific PAHs have been detected in the interstellar medium. We detect 1-cyanopyrene, a cyano-substituted derivative of the related four-ring PAH pyrene, in radio observations of the dense cloud TMC-1 using the Green Bank Telescope. The measured column density of 1-cyanopyrene is ... , from which we estimate that pyrene contains up to 0.1% of the carbon in TMC-1. This abundance indicates that interstellar PAH chemistry favors the production of pyrene. We suggest that some of the carbon supplied to young planetary systems is carried by PAHs that originate in cold molecular clouds."

Scientists discover molecules that store much of the carbon in space | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology "The discovery of pyrene derivatives in a distant interstellar cloud may help to reveal how our own solar system formed."

Detection of interstellar 1-cyanopyrene: A four-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (no public access)

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin leaves Democratic Party, registers as independent

Bravo! Hopefully, other Democratic U.S. Senators will follow! Perfect timing!

Manchin demonstrates that not all Democratic politicians are dim witted! 😊

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin leaves Democratic Party, registers as independent | Fox News

Smoking in cars with kids is banned in 11 states, and West Virginia could be next. Really!

When government paternalism goes amok! Who is going to enforce such do gooder laws!

"Smoking in cars with children is banned in 11 states, and lawmakers are pushing to join them in West Virginia, where more adults use cigarettes than anywhere else in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The state Senate on Monday passed a bill calling for fines for anyone caught smoking or possessing a lit tobacco product in a vehicle when someone age 16 or under is present. The bill passed on 25-8 vote and now goes to the House of Delegates, where similar legislation has failed and it faces an uncertain future. ..."

Smoking in cars with kids is banned in 11 states, and West Virginia could be next | AP News

Credits: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Global Health NOW

Helvetia in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia

There all kinds of peculiar people living in freedom in the United States. E.g. the hit movie Witness (1985) made the Amish/Mennonite people living in Pennsylvania famous.

Now, I learnt that Swiss and German immigrants starting in 1869 preserved the historic origins of Switzerland more closer than Switzerland itself like the Rütlischwur (Rütli Oath of 1307 CE) and Urdemokratie (original democracy, basic democracy).

"Helvetia, West Virginia, a small village settled in 1869 by Swiss and German immigrants, is located in Randolph County. Its secluded location led to the preservation of traditional dance, music, food, and holidays. It is these traditions that make Helvetia both a great community and destination."

Historic | Helvetia, West Virginia | United States

Credits: Das winzige Dorf in den Appalachen ist schweizerischer als die Schweiz

U.S. Supreme Court: West Virginia v. EPA

Without being very familiar with this case, I assume this is another win for more federalism and less federal government power! 

Excessive or extreme environmentalism (e.g. Global Warming Hoax and Climate Change Religion) is not good for your health and your freedom! The demagogues will tell you it is about the Clean Air Act, when in fact it is about the federal government imposing so called renewable energy mandates without approval of the U.S. Congress or the individual states.

For the demented and senile 46th President it is another "West Virginia vs. EPA is another devastating decision that aims to take our country backwards". You can safely assume, the opposite is the case!

It appears the ruling addresses a dubious power grab measure by President Obama: "The case centers on the Clean Power Plan (CPP) proposed by the EPA in 2015 by the Obama administration."

West Virginia v. EPA - Wikipedia

SCOTUS Opinion

West Virginia became the 18th state to sign the Article V Convention of States!

This is big news!

"... West Virginia State House passed the Convention of States Resolution on an overwhelming -- and bipartisan! -- 77-19-4 vote ... Then, less than one hour later, the state Senate passed the Resolution on a voice vote, making West Virginia the 18th state in history to pass the Convention of States Resolution! ..."

Another state joins the Convention of States movement! Both House and Senate pass Convention of States Resolution in a single day

W.Va. senators pass resolution calling for convention of states