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Authorities said the bizarre green slime spotted on a Michigan highway contained the chemical Hexavelent Chromium. (Photo Credit: Detroit Free Press / Facebook)

A mysterious green slime was recently spotted on a Michigan highway and authorities say it was a cancer-causing substance.

The bizarre slime was found on Interstate 696 in Madison Heights, Michigan, at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time on Friday, the New York Post reported. Lanes where the liquid leaked will remain closed until today, the Detroit Free Press noted.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency came to investigate the mess and said the liquid was most likely groundwater that contained hexavalent chromium, a substance that can cause cancer at high exposure levels and is the same chemical involved in a famous 1993 California water pollution case, ABC News reported.

It was later advised a commercial building located on E 10 Mile Road, had been leaking the chemical Hexavelent Chromium. The chemical ran from the basement of the building, down into the ground and found its way thru a drain which empties onto east bound I-696.

— MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 21, 2019

They stated that this may take all weekend and that the right lane of I-696 may be closed until at least Monday. Please use caution as there will be workers in the area. And a yellow blob…

— MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) December 21, 2019

According to The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), the leak was found in the basement pit of Electro-Plating Services and on Friday night, crews vacuumed the sewers involved in the incident.

@MichiganEGLE: Release of bright green material that seeped from an I-696 retaining wall near Detroit on Friday poses no imminent risk to public heath, drinking water or air quality. The multi-agency investigation continues.

— Michigan EGLE (@MichiganEGLE) December 22, 2019

“The bank of the expressway is significantly impacted,” the agency told the Detroit Free Press in a statement. “Sample results are now expected Tuesday. All agencies involved are meeting tomorrow at MDOT offices in Detroit.”

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Three years ago, Electro-Plating Services was sent a cease-and-desist order for poor management of hazardous waste. Gary Sayers, the closed business’s owner, was sentenced to one year in federal prison after pleading guilty to operating a hazardous waste storage facility that was unlicensed.

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Star Wars is such a divisive franchise, from the die-hard fans to those who swear each new installment “killed the franchise” to the casual fans who jump in and out, Star Wars means many different things to many different people. And I feel this movie is going to be the epitome of that feeling. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has the added pressure of not just continuing a long-running series but ending the saga of the Skywalkers giving way to new stories in the future. Does Star Wars accomplish that mission? Or does it fall to the dark side?

After skipping the last movie, J.J. Abrams returns to direct the final chapter of this saga. This movie starts off with quite the bang. In the first 15 minutes, we get Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) on a rampage through space, Finn and Poe (John Boyega and Oscar Isacc respectively) escaping from the first order, and Ray (Daisy Ridley) training to become a true Jedi under the watchful eye of Leia (the late Carrie Fisher). Seriously, I felt like I got whiplash from everything that happened in this short amount of time. It’s fun and exciting, but also a bit overwhelming and muddled. From there, our three heroes set out to find a way to an uncharted part of the system to stop the plans of the returning Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).

The first half of this movie is one big fetch quest; our heroes fetching an artifact to lead them to Palpatine, Kylo fetching Ray to try and turn her to the dark side, its reasoning is not all that interesting but what they do here is. We get some pretty great local and action sequences, plus the reintroduction to the always smooth as silk Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). And after 2 movies of them just being mentioned we finally get to see The Knights of Ren in action. However, I wish we got more of them since they were a pretty cool idea, aside from looking cool and menacing, they don’t do much. I think they are in two really short fights and that’s all we really get. We also dive more into Ray’s continuing struggle between light and dark. At times, it’s the most interesting part of the film and at others, the most frustrating. Normally, Star Wars has been pretty black and white about the light and the dark side of the force (in the movies that is) but here we get a lot of gray areas. She does a lot of things that she never gets any comeuppance for, she tends to run off a lot which inadvertently causes her friends to be put in danger and is never really called out for it. They come close once but that’s really it.

Along with Ray, Finn and Poe also get some character development. This movie actually had all three characters together and interacting that the first two movies seemed to have advertised but not deliver on. We find out some more about Poe’s past and Finn gets some interesting expansion of what it means for a storm trouper to be free… but man, did they do my man Finn dirty. Throughout three movies they could never really figure out what they wanted to do with him. He gets some great moments here but his character motivation is just bad. They basically turn him into Ethan from Heavy Rain for most of this movie (press X to Ray).

I also want to say that they did a good job with Leia’s character. While it’s pretty blatant where they spliced together what they could with existing footage before her death, they still did a pretty great job at honoring the character and giving her a proper sendoff. The action scenes are really kick-ass and the final battle is a spectacle to behold. The film does get really dark at times but it works in favor of the story… But at times, the story turns into a real mess. One of the worse sins this movie commits is that it drops storylines altogether. Certain character motivations don’t get resolved by the end and it’s a real shame since it’s present throughout the entire movie just to get forgotten about. As a “conclusion” to the main storyline of the Skywalker Saga, it doesn’t seem all that conclusive. It just feels like the end to a movie, not a trilogy and not the end of 9 movies. The end is going to be really divisive, some will love it and some will absolutely hate it. The movie also seems to undercut itself, and the trilogy, with its message of it not being important what your bloodline is but who you are as a person. Even though all the power in the universe seems to come from the same one or two bloodlines.

This movie isn’t bad, it just makes some bad choices. If you hated this new trilogy, this movie isn’t going to change your mind. If you’ve been loving it so far, you may still love it or you may not. This movie is definitely a person by person experience and that’s ok. For me, the movie was pretty middle of the road. It had some great moments and had some terrible ones but I will say with certainty that unfortunately, it was the weakest of the three. If you don’t like it, go watch the original trilogy and the Mandalorian which is superb right now. But if you like it, keep on liking it. Enjoy it for what it is and don’t listen to the haters. Star Wars will live on for years to come.

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The post The Force Is ‘Meh’ With This One – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

Sneaker giant Reebok is releasing its first-ever plant-based performance running shoe. The Forever Floatride GROW will be available for purchase in fall 2020.

The running shoe is the latest example of Reebok’s commitment to reduce the use of petroleum-based plastics in footwear by making products with plants. The Forever Floatride GROW follows the success of the brand’s successful Cotton + Corn lifestyle collection of footwear.

“With Forever Floatride GROW, we’re replacing oil-based plastic with plants,” said Bill McInnis, vice president of Reebok Future in a statement. “The biggest challenge in making a shoe like this was developing plant-based materials that could meet the high-performance needs of runners. During the three years we spent developing this product, we heard loud and clear that the idea of a plant-based running shoe resonates strongly with serious runners. But those same runners felt just as emphatically that they would never compromise on performance. The Forever Floatride GROW is the result. Plant-based performance—with no compromise.”

The shoe’s highly cushioned, responsive midsole is built from sustainably grown castor beans, and the eucalyptus tree upper is naturally biodegradable, sustainably sourced, strong, and breathable. The sock liner utilizes BLOOM algae foam. And the flexible, durable, and responsive natural rubber outsole is sustainably sourced from real rubber trees, as opposed to the petroleum-based rubber featured in other performance products.

“The earth is a runner’s arena, and we have a responsibility to help detox the world for the athletes who run in it,” said Reebok Brand President Matt O’Toole. “Our Cotton + Corn collection was the first step in making shoes from things that grow. Now, we have taken an award-winning running shoe, the Forever Floatride Energy, and reinvented it using natural materials to create what we feel is the most sustainable performance running shoe on the market.”

“Our consumers have told us they want more sustainable products, and the running community has been the most vocal and passionate on this issue,” said O’Toole. “We want to help runners perform at their best, while also feeling good about the products they wear.”

Consumers can sign up to learn more about the Forever Floatride GROW here. The Reebok NPC UK Cotton + Corn is available now.

Raise your hand if anytime in the last year, after hearing the first lines of Davido’s “Fall,” the infectious Afropop vibe took over your entire being.

You’re not alone. The 26-year-old Davido has seen this massive song, which has had 150 million views on YouTube, reign global charts and streaming platforms, as well as parties and festivals since its release in 2017.

But for the Atlanta, Georgia born, Lagos, Nigeria raised megastar, recording “Fall” wasn’t nothing more than he and his producers goofing around in the studio.

“We made that song like a joke. I wasn’t serious. It was us having fun. Until today I’m like, why doesn’t the song want to die,” Davido said jokingly of the nearly three year old song that received new life when it was included on his full-length album, A Good Time, last month.  

In November, the long awaited album entered the pop charts, further extending the Afrobeat artist’s reach outside of Africa. A Good Time includes his equally gigantic hit “If” along with “Blow Your Mind” feat. Chris Brown, plus new collaborations with Summer Walker, Gunna, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Naira Marley, and more.

Last week Davido announced the dates of his 2020 North American tour, which kicks off February 28th in Canada. He ends the year performing as part of Afro Nation Ghana in Accra.

But humbly, the singer-songwriter who has won several awards including MOBO’s Best African Artist and BET’s Best International Act, has been thankful for the year-after-year success and has spent 2019 enjoying the fruits of his labor.

“This was a great year for us because we’re normally busy, on tour, but this year we relaxed. We stayed in America – in ATL, LA – and chilled. Things just aligned this year. We had a great time recording the album.”

Check out the full video with Davido above.

The post Davido Wishes His Hit Song “Fall” Would Die (In a Good Way) appeared first on Essence.