Judge Orders Kane to Explain Aide's Firing

The whole Kane situation is getting really messy. I'm sorry I voted for her - as a government attorney myself (now retired), I knew she wasn't as well qualified for the AG's office(small county assistant district attorney) as her primary opponent, Patrick Murphy (years as State House of Representatives staffer,then years as JAG officer in Bosnia and Iraq, then 2 term U.S. Congressman). But I have to admit, as a female lawyer, I yearned to see the first woman Attorney General. She has self-destructed, not because she is a woman, but because she was not qualified to handle the powers and responsibilities of her office. Lesson learned: vote for the best qualified regardless of sex, race, etc. I digress. Sorry. Returning to the Keystone State brouhaha:

Fracking linked to Radioactive Gas (Radon) in Homes

We Pennsylvanians can "thank", cough/blame/cough both Dem. Governor Rendell & GOP Gov. Corbett for the fracking. Rendell was Gov. from 2003 to 2011; Corbett from 2011 to 2015. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the world after smoking, according to the the Environmental Protection Agency. Approximately 40 percent of Pennsylvania homes are believed to have radon levels above the recommended limits, according to the state DEP.

The researchers were careful to note that the side-by-side increases in radon and fracking only represented a correlation, and should not be taken as a declaration that fracking directly caused an increased radon presence in homes. However, study leader Brian Schwartz told ThinkProgress that it’s possible fracking could be the cause, and noted that more research is needed on the subject.

The amount of radioactive material in Pennsylvania homes has increased alongside the state’s fracking boom, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health asserted that levels of radon — a odorless, carcinogenic, radioactive gas — have been on the rise in Pennsylvania homes since 2004, around the same time the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) began rapidly increasing the number of permits it issued for unconventional gas drilling. There had been no similar increases in indoor radon concentrations prior to 2004, the study said.

The research is not the first to raise concerns about radioactivity exposure from Pennsylvania’s fracking operations. The state’s Marcellus Shale — the underground rock formation where gas is derived from — contains a lot of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material, or NORM. Specifically, the Marcellus Shale has 20 times more NORM than typical shale formations, according to the Institute for Energy & Environmental Research.

Because of this, there’s evidence that radioactive elements have made their way into the environment, particularly though wastewater. Fracking uses a lot of water to blast underground shale rock, and the produced water that’s leftover from Marcellus Shale drilling operations contains on average nearly 500 times as much radon as the federal drinking water limit, according to the Johns Hopkins study. That water is generally injected back underground in disposal wells or stored in pits, where it can leach into the environment.

After analyzing the radon data, the study found a “statistically significant association” between how close houses are to Marcellus Shale fracking wells and how much radon is concentrated on the houses’ first floors in the summertime. This, the study said, “suggests a pathway through outdoor ambient air, but does not rule out the possibility of radon moving from the basement to the first floor.”

HRC lacks vitality & strength, & relies on + 200 advisors to direct any assertiveness.

The book's author opines: The new standard for aging women should be about vitality, strength, and assertiveness.

First there's the Hillary and her over 200 advisors problem. We know she's assertive, especially when it comes to speechifying/cheerleading for Goldman-Sachs, or urging military interventions/wars. But assertiveness which is triangulated based upon polling, opinion groups and sucking up to potential corporate donors has nothing to do with womanly wisdom accumulated with age. It's strictly eyes-on-the-prize, say whatever it takes to get elected. If she were elected, it would be Let the Good Times, i.e., the corporate quid pro quos, Roll.

Good post - thanks. Re your SCOTUS

mention, I say that the single, most important, overriding issue to HRC's corporate/Wall Street/Big Banks/Koch Brothers backers/supporters/donors/handlers is that of SCOTUS appointments. That is the issue where the quid pro quos will come home to roost. There is no way in hell she would appoint someone without the implicit, back stage approval of her wealthy, profiteering BFFs, and quite possibly an ex parte backroom sit down with an appointee to make sure his/her judicial philosophy is in sinc with corporate profiteering.

Ya know - someone can be liberal/progressive on gay marriage and abortion rights, as long as they know which side the Clintons' bread is buttered on when it comes to issues the One Percent gives a damn about.

The SCOTUS appointments are the the sine qua non of corporate control of the U.S. economy

Quinnipiac's results MOST ACCURATE OF MAJOR POLLSTERS.