July 30, 2012

Three dogs, three different reactions.

The male just finds a corner and will lie there quietly. No drama.

The older female gets frantic, paces, pants, and will try to squeeze into some little corner where we will later have to extricate her. If we can catch her, the best place for her is the crate. However, she can detect storms that are miles and sometimes hours away.

The baby female barks at the loud thunder and just kind of follows us around. She is pretty oblivious to noises. She is just sounding the alarm.

July 30, 2012

I was called by an '' NPR '' poll a couple of days ago.

It was about President Obama-- if I thought the country was going in the right direction, etc. Yours sounds like more fun.

I didn't know that NPR did polls... but I was surprised to be called at all because we have an unlisted number.

July 25, 2012

EPA declares Dimock's water safe to drink.

EPA says Dimock water is safe to drink
Published: Wednesday, July 25, 2012, 3:29 PM Updated: Wednesday, July 25, 2012, 4:12 PM
DONALD GILLILAND, The Patriot-News

The water in Dimock is safe to drink.

That’s the conclusion of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which declared on Wednesday that well water in the Susquehanna County town is safe and requires no further testing.

Dimock water has been the banner beneath which anti-fracking activists have marched since methane migrated into a local aquifer as a result of inadequate cementing on nearby natural gas wells drilled by Cabot Oil & Gas.

Some residents, however, have claimed there was more than just natural gas contaminating their water, and documentary filmmaker Josh Fox made Dimock the centerpiece of his controversial anti-fracking film “Gasland.”

State environmental regulators said the water was fine, but the hew and cry from some of the residents and the national activists who supported them prompted the EPA to step in. The EPA said Wednesday that sampling at five homes revealed naturally occurring arsenic, barium and manganese at levels that could present a health concern. In all cases, the agency said, “the residents have now or will have their own treatment systems that can reduce concentrations of those hazardous substances to acceptable levels at the tap.”

In a statement, the EPA said it “has provided the residents with all of their sampling results and has no further plans to conduct additional drinking water sampling in Dimock.” The EPA also said it is no longer necessary to provide residents with alternative water and is working with residents on the schedule to disconnect the alternate water sources provided by EPA.

More at link: http://blog.pennlive.com/midstate_impact/print.html?entry=/2012/07/epa_says_dimock_water_is_safe.html

From femmocrat: The article says that water from 64 homes was tested this year. I would like to hear from the residents to see if they believe it is "safe".

July 25, 2012

K&R

I did not know this:

"She stepped down from the posts after the state law was changed that July of that year (2008) to bar charter administrators from collecting multiple salaries from schools or from companies that provide services to charters schools." (bold added)

Wonder why Corbett hasn't overturned that law to let his charter-school/voucher buddies rake in more taxpayer dollars?

July 24, 2012

Justice Dept. is finally looking into PA voter ID law.

Pennsylvania’s voter ID law will be scoured

By Brad Bumsted
Tribune-Review

Published: Monday, July 23, 2012, 7:42 p.m.
Updated 9 hours ago

HARRISBURG — The Justice Department is investigating whether Pennsylvania’s voter ID law discriminates against minorities, an agency spokesman said Monday.

The Justice Department sent a three-page letter to Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele, a member of Gov. Tom Corbett’s Cabinet, notifying her of the probe and requesting documents, records and databases. Michael Passman, an official with the Office of Public Affairs, provided the letter.

Neither Aichele nor her spokesman was available, and the governor’s office was unaware of the letter.

The federal agency is investigating the law, which is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and others to be heard beginning Wednesday in Commonwealth Court.

More at link: http://triblive.com/news/2258970-74/voter-law-corbett-pennsylvania-department-justice-aichele-documents-fraud-letter

From femmocrat: Read the entire article, if you can. It says that such scrutiny has been mostly used in the south where there has been a pattern of discrimination. At the end, some asshat repuke comments that he "can't understand" the opposition and that people have had "plenty of time" to comply, so what's the problem?

July 24, 2012

I knew it on election day.

My heart was absolutely broken for Carter. And that split-screen of the reagan inauguration with the hostages being released was pure Hollywood. How the hell did people fall for his phony baloney? I always said he was sent from central casting to play the part of the president while the real powers-that-be fed him lines and pulled his strings.

And by 1984, it was so obvious that he was senile. We used to "joke" that he was really one of those presidential robots from Disney World.

Worst years of our lives.

July 22, 2012

Gasland is definitely an eye-opener.

It made me really sad. I'm living in the middle of the Marcellus shale debacle. I go back and forth between outrage and depression when I read about it. And Gov. Gashole is just an enabler and in the gas companies' pockets. He is as corrupt as they are.

July 22, 2012

Lightning strikes a gas well tank in Westmoreland Co.

Hidden in an article about recent thunderstorms and power outages:

"In Derry Township, a lightning strike sparked a fire in a condensate tank at a non-Marcellus Shale CNX gas well near the intersection of state Route 982 and Laughlin Farm Road.

"The 500-gallon fiberglass tank was struck about 3:30 p.m., according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, causing a fire that burned for an hour, melting the tank and causing a spill of about 440 gallons of oily "wet gases."

"The Westmoreland County hazardous materials team used foam designed for gas fires to quell the 10-foot flames. Crews then let the fire burn itself out. Nearby residents were not affected by the fire, Westmoreland County emergency management spokesman Dan Stevens said.

"The spilled gas was contained by a dike around the tank. DEP inspectors plan to visit the site this morning."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/weather/storms-knock-out-power-ignite-gas-well-tank-645249/#ixzz21JSwcNNw

(Published July 19.)

July 21, 2012

Big fat hairy deal --- people still have to go to the drivers' license centers.

In this county, they are few and far between, the hours are inconvenient, and there are always long lines.

I have to go every four years to have a new photo taken and it is a huge pain in the behind. You can plan on wasting a couple of hours of your life there.

Anyone without a drivers' license would have to inconvenience some kind soul who would be willing to take them. This does nothing to solve the problem. People will say the hell with it and stay home.

July 20, 2012

I understand your point, but I think there is more to come out.

In the clips that I have seen of President Obama on the stump, he hasn't been talking about Romney's taxes. He has been talking about how he has more to accomplish. He has been contrasting himself to Romney as the "man of the people" who would do more for the middle class. There could be more, but I'm limited to a few clips shown on MSNBC. They seem to show a little of his speech and then cut away. But, I do want the president to stay positive and leave the "attacks" to others.

All of the focus on Bain and Romney's money seems (to me at least) to be coming from reporters and pundits. Have any of the surrogates been rattling on and on about it?

If there is incriminating evidence in those tax reports, it needs to be divulged. I want the reporters to keep digging. For example, the story about the "dirty money" used to start up Bain just came out. I want to see a lot more about that.

Here is a link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/125158034