Here is the Space Weather News for this Labor Day weekend:

SOLAR ACTIVITY: On September 4, 2010 – around 1600 UT – a magnetic filament erupted, hurling a bright coronal mass ejection (CME) off the sun’s northwestern limb.

Today’s edition of http://spaceweather.com features a close-up view of the blast from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. The CME is not expected to hit Earth. Nevertheless, auroras are possible in the nights ahead.  A solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole is heading our way, due to arrive on September 5 or 6, 2010.

NOAA forecasters estimate a 50 percent chance of high-latitude geomagnetic activity when the solar wind hits. With the approach of northern autumn, Arctic nights are getting dark again – dark enough to see the Northern Lights.  (People in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia should keep an eye on the night sky this weekend.)

Distraction is defined by wikipedia as: “the diversion of attention of an individual or group from the chosen object of attention onto the source of distraction.” While finding missing children is certainly a laudable goal (who can argue that?), we have police and detective forces responsible for handling those cases. But, Point to Point highway surveillance systems? What is the real connection with lost children?

See related definition of media distraction.

Primarily for Amber Alerts?

The use of taxpayers dollars to install elaborate, expensive, intrusive tracking and surveillance systems on our interstate highways for the stated purpose of issuing Amber Alerts – designed to find lost children – is a long shot, and perhaps a distraction from what’s really being put into place.

Does our government really care about us enough to pay all of that money for our benefit? Look at their recent track record of protecting the people – corporate bailouts, cuts in unemployment benefits, closed rest areas, the handling of the Gulf oil spill, increased fees for everything, the list goes on…

Once these systems are put into place, it will be very difficult for citizens to demand that they are dismantled.

Here’s a recent Associated Press article concerning Charleston, West Virginia:

“West Virginia highways have been equipped with a network of cameras and computerized message boards to make it easier to track down missing children. State officials say 17 automated message boards have been installed, and eight cameras have been put up along the Interstate 64 corridor to monitor traffic.

Bruce Kenney, who oversees traffic monitoring for the Division of Highways, says a $1.5 million computerized war room was built to compile traffic and weather information and control the cameras and message boards. The boards can be programmed to warn motorists about traffic conditions or spread word of an Amber Alert, which goes out when a child is missing or abducted.”

What do you think? Is a kidnapper going to put a child in a car in clear view of cameras, and, for that matter, choose to drive on a freeway that he/she knows has cameras? (Watch and see West Virginians how the system will be employed.)

Have you seen these types of message boards and cameras in your area – on roads and interstates near you? How often have they been used so far, and for what purposes?  Add your Comments below.

Here is VDOT  information about cameras and message boards on Interstate 81 in Virginia.

Point-to-Point Tracking Systems for people, cars

There are other reports on the Internet of these systems being built in the U.S., particularly in Maryland where Governor O’Malley signed a bill into law in October 2009 authorizing surveillance cameras in highway work zones and within a half-mile radius of schools.

So too, The US Federal Highway Administration has provided approximately 90 percent of the $43 million cost required to implement a pilot program – the Kansas City Scout Intelligent Transportation System.

The Kansas and Missouri Departments of Transportation provided the remaining portion with the amount split into two roughly equal parts according to how much of the network was located in each state. Maintenance cost is split similarly between the Kansas and Missouri Departments.

Here is the project’s official description of the Scout system:

“To effectively monitor traffic, the Kansas City Scout project employs a network designed to host a combination of various traffic detection devices. Stretching over 75 miles, the Scout system includes portions of Interstate 435, I-35, US 69 and K-10 in Kansas and portions of interstates 435, 35, 470, 670, 70; highways 71 and 169; and Route 9 on the Missouri side.

Scout uses technology such as closed-circuit cameras, electronic message boards and roadway sensors to monitor and manage traffic on these routes. Information is gathered using a crucial fibre-optic network that stretches for 90 miles beneath the roadside.

Following the launch of the Scout system in September 2004 several cameras were added to help remove blind-spots that were only recognised once it was fully operational. Three cameras were added in February 2005 to cover the I-470 mainline bridges west of Route 71, south Route71 and west Interstate 435 and also North Interstate 435 at Bannister Road. The new cameras were state-of-the-art 360 degree pan tilt and zoom and gave the system more than 80 cameras on the network.

Prominent features of the Scout system include 25 foot-wide electronic message boards and 45 foot-tall camera poles. In August 2007, an additional seveen cameras were deployed on Interstate 470 and Highway 71 to enhance coverage in South Kansas City.”

These sensors, cameras, and the resulting “command centers” – like CSI intelligence rooms with Abby standing by ready to help – are being built to catch motorists who drive faster between two points on the freeway than deemed permissible. The state then mails the motorist a hefty speeding ticket – without recourse, without any human being involved in citing the infraction whatsoever. What will we have next, arrest by computer?

In some cases, too, these services are being outsourced so it’s not even the government that is anonymously tracking people, but outside paid contractors. If police officers are given speeding ticket quotas, who is to say that contractors will not be awarded for the amount of revenue they help bring into state, or Federal, coffers?

These computerized highway tracking systems have been operational in some places in Europe for a while, and in the state of Florida, which supposedly installed an elaborate system of Interstate cameras under then-Governor Jeb Bush, and then dismantled them after legal action (i.e. privacy concerns.) The citizens would not stand for the cameras as an outright measure. But, what if they are instituted as a part of another “initiative”?

Since when do computers have more say, more rights, than humans?

When did we start allowing computer information to matter more than people? Where did “innocent until proven guilty” go in America? Have we given the right to accuse one of a crime  to computers?

A computer can be made to say or do anything. We all know that from the obnoxious computer “lady” that gives herself a name when we call to resolve an issue with our phone company, energy company, etc.

The simulated voice (not a real woman’s voice) will say, “Sorry, I did not hear that.” and I say, “That’s because you’re a computer, not a real person.”

Catch 22 Psychology at work

The psychology of the above situation where an elaborate tracking system is being put into place “to track down missing children,” establishes a situation where it looks bad for citizens to object to the intrusive surveillance because then, of course, they are objecting to finding missing children. Only a heel would not believe or say that finding missing children is not a good thing.

The argument against these surveillance systems puts U.S. citizens in a Catch 22 situation if they question or object to what the main purpose of the surveillance is.

Maybe I’m wrong. Judge it for yourself.

So many things these days are set up this way.

That’s not to say that some kids might be found by all of the highway cameras. But, getting taken by the notion that we are allowing one action to help ensure a given outcome is naive, and gives our rights, and our power away.

Young people …and everyone else, we all need to wake up.

What’s your opinion? Write a Comment below.

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Learn more about Catch 22 – What is it?

(Wikipedia) Catch-22 is a satirical, historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller, first published in 1961. The novel, set during the later stages of World War II from 1943 onwards, is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century

Among other things, Catch-22 is a general critique of bureaucratic operation and reasoning. Resulting from its specific use in the book, the phrase “Catch-22″ is common idiomatic usage meaning “a no-win situation” or “a double bind” of any type. Within the book, “Catch-22″ is a military rule, the self-contradictory circular logic that, for example, prevents anyone from avoiding combat missions. In Heller’s own words:

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

Other forms of Catch-22 are invoked throughout the novel to justify various bureaucratic actions. At one point, victims of harassment by military police quote the MPs’ explanation of one of Catch-22’s provisions: “Catch-22 states that agents enforcing Catch-22 need not prove that Catch-22 actually contains whatever provision the accused violator is accused of violating.” Another character explains: “Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can’t stop them from doing.” The theme of a bureaucracy marginalizing the individual in an absurd way is similar to the world of Kafka’s The Trial, and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. The concept of ‘doublethink’ has definite echoes in Heller’s work.

Yossarian comes to realize that Catch-22 does not actually exist, but because the powers that be claim it does, and the world believes it does, it nevertheless has potent effects. Indeed, because it does not exist there is no way it can be repealed, undone, overthrown, or denounced.

U.S.A. – AT & T has verified the existence of a phone scam that can result in charges of more than $2,000 per minute by calling area codes 809, 294 or 876.

Do not ever dial numbers with the following area codes: 809, 294, 876.

Residents in Virginia this week are reporting a scam. “I actually received
a call last week from the 809 area code. The woman said, ‘”Hey, this is Karen. Sorry I missed you — get back to us quickly. I have something important to tell you.”  Then, she repeated a phone number beginning with area code 809. We did not respond.

Then this week, we received the following e-mail: Do Not DIAL AREA CODES 809, 284, or 876.”

Fraudulent charges

On further investigation, if you call any of these three area codes from the United States. , you will apparently be charged $2,425 per-minute.

Don’t dial the area code 809. Apparently, this same scam is happening all over the U.S. The callers will try and get you to return their call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill, or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a prize.

In each case, you are told to call a 809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.

Here’s how they try and trick you

Once someone calls the 809 number, they will often get a long recorded message to get you to stay on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. The reason why this works is that the 809 area code is located
in the Dominican Republic. The charges that accrue from you staying on the line are hard to fight afterward because you did indeed initiate the call.

Some citizens when they complain to their local and/or long distance carrier have been told that there is nothing they can do about the charges simply providing the billing for the foreign company. Most often, you’ll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.

Please alert your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam and/or pass on this article.

Here is the AT&T web page that verfied that this scam is indeed true.

A Four-Hour Tour

“Sit right back” and ride with me through rural WV. See for yourself just how “clean” the natural gas drilling process called “fracking” really is. We got a up-close, four-hour tour of this Wetzel County hydrofracturing operation (a large Chesapeake Energy project) two weeks ago by some local West Virginia residents, and want to share what we saw and heard.

To be informed about what’s going on with fracking, and everything that’s at stake, is the first step to slowing down the process until citizen interests are considered first - before corporate profits, and before the land in the United States (including WV and VA) is polluted possibly beyond repair – just like the Gulf.

With hydrofracking we’re really talking about hundreds of “ground zeros,” instead of one.

This article is an example of the power of electronic journalism. Whether you’re a child, a teen, or an adult, whatever your station in life, citizens can use technology and the Internet – blogs, videos, photos, writing, social networking, cell phones, electronic devices, etc. – to tell the stories that must be told, the stories of the people, of democracy and freedom.

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What You See Is What You Get

I had heard about the hydrofracking process, had researched it, and had written a number of articles on fracking, but what I saw when I visited the Wetzel County, WV site surprised me.  I left somber.

In the Northeast U.S., natural gas is generally found in the Marcelleus shale rock formation, which extends from New York – and as many people don’t realize, down into Virginia.

In Rockingham County, VA, Carrizo Oil & Gas (a Houston firm) has applied for the first application to hydrofrack in the state of Virginia – in tiny Bergton, to be exact.

Bergton is a rural area, outside of Harrisonburg, not far from James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University.

There are no Federal regulations against hydrofracking. Nor does Virginia have any – yet. So, the special use permit to drill a natural gas test well in Bergton is the first time hydrofracking has become a possibility in Virginia, and in the Shenandoah Valley. This is significant because once the “floodgates are open,” there will be no turning back. The water supply for the Valley, and by extension, Washington D.C., is at risk.

The situation is being studied and weighed by the local Rockingham County, VA,  Board of Supervisors (BOS) as you read this.

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Showing the Reality of Hydrofracking – Case Study: Wetzel County, West Virginia

Here’s what I learned about the process before I went on the tour… Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves the injection of between 3 to 8 million gallons of water, sand, and undisclosed chemicals at very high pressure down vertical pipes and then across into horizontal drilled wells as far down as 10,000 below the Earth’s surface.

The pressurized mixture causes the rock layer – in this case Marcellus shale – to crack. These fissures are held open by the sand particles so that natural gas from the shale can collect and then be pumped into holding tanks, or piped out directly to market.

The used-up fracking liquid is stored in open pits (below) and then either taken to a waste water treatment plant, or covered up by sand/dirt on site.

This is especially dangerous when a project is built on or by a floodplain.

During the process, about 200 large tanker trucks are needed to deliver the millions of gallons of water for the fracturing process for each single derrick/well.

Alternatively, although rarely disclosed in the permit and application, gas companies – can actually suck the water out of nearby streams to use for their own purposes.

What I was not prepared for was that with each step of the natural gas drilling process, there is machinery, construction, dust, invasion of the Earth’s crust – and yet another chopped-off hill – literally in every direction one looks.

There are water pipes along the side of almost every road, and up and down the hills.

There are compressor stations and storage tanks, dozens of heavy trucks, moving back and forth on small roads, and there are staging areas, where barrels of chemicals (with toxic signs on them) are just sitting outside on the ground (below).

The scale is big. It’s hard to show here. The “pads” that the derricks sit on, for example, can be as large as four or five acres. In Wetzel County, during the construction process, silt fences are not being used on any type of a regular basis. Thus, whatever is disturbed can spread to another area.

Here are some more pictures I snapped in Wetzel County, WV:

Not too far from Wheeling, the striking terrain of this remote West Virginia land (near Maud, WV on Route 7) used to be open, rolling, green-covered hills, with trees everywhere.

These are not your Old Grand Dad’s small oil derricks, ala Beverly Hillbillies style, dotting the landscape here and there, like fairy castles. No, hydrofracking is indeed an industrial undertaking.

Below are the small rural roads in Wetzel County that were never meant for dozens of 80,000 pound trucks rolling by, reducing some of the paved roads to dirt.

There is so much activity and wear & tear that the roads must be watered throughout the day just to control the dust it’s so thick (right).

The nearby streams in Wetzel County used to be freely flowing with clean water, and fish in them – and a habitat for other wildlife and plants (below).

Chesapeake Energy is taking hundreds of thousands of water a day from the local watershed to use in the fracking process. They siphon as much water from the streams as they need. Why is this permissible, when taking the water affects the whole region, not just the property that has been leased?

Quality of Life Must Trump Profiteering

Here’s the deal: The energy companies lay out their industrial operation like a grid, deciding where best to situate the wells to make the most money. If someone’s land is in that path, regardless of whether he/she has signed a lease, the oil company can still run pipes under his/her land.

That’s eminent domain in action; it takes power away from citizens, and places it into corporate hands – hands that most often have profit as a motivation, rather than quality of life.

You can see here how the water looks. It’s a red/rust color, about the consistency of chocolate milk.

One day, our “tour guide” said that he actually saw workers pulling out water from a stream as the minnows lay there dying. Many of the plants in the area are also gone. Barren land is what’s left behind.

Taking all of this water from the environment is happening even as some areas in the region have declared an emergency situation because of drought conditions.

There are other ramifications that affect the quality of life, too.

The Wetzel County residents used to be able to leave their homes at anytime without being delayed for hours because of the double-wide compressor machines that the large trucks trek up the country roads to the fracking sites three times a week. Now, citizen schedules must be built around Chesapeake’s corporate schedule.

These large trucks on the small roads also cause safety issues.

Our tour guide said that this past year EMT personnel had to use a Kybota to get an elderly woman from her home in order to take her to the hospital when the Chesapeake trucks were blocking the roads. Accidents, too, are common and have increased. A lifeline helicopter now circles above the area.

Know too…  Since 2005, the energy companies that run hydraulic fracturing operations have been exempt from compliance with The Clean Air Act and the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Right now, in essence, we’re living in an unregulated fracking free-for-all. That kind of “environment” has been demonstrated all too well in the Gulf of Mexico.

As one of the residents in Wetzel County, WV, remarked to me when we first arrived: “They do what they want.”

Here is what the residents told us. In Wetzel County, WV, before Chesapeake Energy came in, there were weight limit signs on the small roads and bridges near the soon-to-be fracking site , but a few days before their arrival, the locals said that these weight limit signs “miraculously disappeared.” There was a obstacle; it was eliminated.

Omission of pertinent information is also an issue. For example, a complete listing of the specific chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations are not made available to landowners, neighbors, local officials, or health care providers, nor is it required by any government entity.

There have been reports just this month in PA where energy companies have finally been pressured to release their list of 80-plus fracking chemicals. Why is it not required of these companies upfront – to state what they plan to inject into the ground? That’s only sensible and reasonable. (Cattle in PA have also been quarantined because of runoff fracking liquid.)

Fracking Divides People and Towns

Another observation: Perhaps, the most significant harm fracking brings to a community is a social one. Suffice it to say that division occurs when a fracking operation comes to town. The issue seems to intrinsically split the community into those who are financially benefiting from the drilling (and look the other way to the environmental harms), and those who have not leased land (or, who have decided to stand up for peoples’ health and the environment – on principle.)

If you’re interested, the technical aspects of how hydrofracking works are illustrated in this ABC News video.

Or, view this earlier article on the health effects of hydrofracking, as researched by Dr. Theo Colburn.

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The Regional Backdrop: Virginia is Next on the Radar Screen

Commentary: The Wetzel County, WV, Chesapeake Energy hydrofracking operation that you’ve just seen has been going on for four years now. It’s a great case study for us in Virginia, as we decide how we’ll handle our natural gas challenge.

We have a window of opportunity here in Virginia; for how long is unclear. We have a unique chance to make a difference for the Commonwealth, and also to set an example for the rest of the country as to what we’ll put up with, and what we won’t.

Will we act swiftly and decisively to hold energy companies accountable, or will allow big business interests and the clout of those who are making big bucks from the drilling to set the stage?

Here is a picture (right) of the Cowfer #1 natural gas (fracking) operation in Osceola Mills, Pennsylvania that Carrizo Oil & Gas built.

Here are other pictures of rural Bergton, VA, where a fracking operation is now being  proposed by Carrizo Oil & Gas:

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This is the first time any area of Virginia has had to deal with these fracking  issues. As part of their due diligence, members of the Rockingham County VA Board of Supervisors recently drove up to Wetzel County, WV, and took a similar tour of the Chesapeake Energy fracking operation. They also took video and still photos.

The people must know what is going on.

Let’s see which Virginia politician – local or otherwise - stands up first and sponsors legislation in the Virginia Assembly next session to regulate this first precedent-setting fracking operation in Virginia.

Whoever does take the lead will surely be lauded.

Proposed Bergton Drill Site is Next to the Watershed that Supplies D.C. with Drinking Water

It’s important to note that the Bergton drilling site is on a flood plain. And, it’s between two tributaries of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River (Rader Run and Bennett Run.) . Just this week, Governor McDonnell declared Rockingham County, Virginia, a disaster area due to current drought conditions.   After reading the Carrizo Oil & Gas application, the source of the millions of gallons of water needed for fracking in Bergton is a mystery. They only have budgeted $11,500 for “drilling and potable water” in the application.

We are all connected

If Carrizo does the same as Chesapeake Energy and siphons water from the local streams here in VA, the water situation will worsen. And, what will fracking so close to the watershed do to the water supply for the Valley – and by extension for the Washington DC area? Will we end up with water that looks and smells like Wetzel County’s  streams?

Without strong leadership soon, it’s likely that the Bergton, VA area will become much like the industrial scene that you’ve witnessed in the pictures from West Virginia.

The People Taking A Stand, Joining Together

Let’s hope that enough people get involved to have us learn from the experience of our neighbors in NY, PA, and WV. Virginia needs to enact a moratorium until regulations can be put into place to protect Virginia citizens, Virginia land, and our regional water supply. A natural gas severance tax of some sort would be advantageous for Virginia coffers, as well.

What can you do?

1) Watch for news on 7Bends.com about an upcoming citizen dialogue meeting to be held here in Virginia in the Fall. It will use the innovative Open Space Technology (OST) format which encourages open conversation among all of the people and parties involved, most prominently involving the citizens themselves.

2) Contact your elected officials today to ask what they plan to do about the situation. Be aware that there are 24 counties in Virginia that do have Marcellus shale, so your area could be next. The Bergton decision affects all Virginians.

What about the “Energy Independence” Argument?

Before I close this article, I want to lay the energy independence issue out on the table. The powerful energy industry – with its mega bucks, mega lobbyists, hefty community contributions and media buys – are touting natural gas drilling as “a clean source of energy” that will be one of nation’s answers to energy independence for the U.S.

Many Americans, when they first hear about “natural gas drilling,” react “Way to go! We want energy independence. We won’t have to rely on just coal, or on foreign suppliers.” That is a great aim. But, the reality is … to not object to the hydrofracking process – as it now exists in its unregulated state – is just not possible once you’ve witnessed it.

Without these regulations, it’s not a decision of the heart – or any type of logic – to want hydrofracking “in your own backyard.” That is, unless you’re one of the folks getting monthly checks, and you’ve abandoned your now-polluted piece of property, and bought a nice big house somewhere else. What about the land? What about your neighbors?

The race is on

As legislators try and play “catch up,” the natural gas drilling companies are racing “to get it while the getting is good” – that is, before the process is slowed down and handled responsibly.

A scene near Bergton now (pre-frack).

Imagine a sign reading: “Welcome visitors to the once beautiful Shenandoah Valley – that is, before hydrofracking.”

The streams, vegetation, water supply, and air for many thousands of people – just one degree of separation from the “ground zeros” that are being erected all across the countryside – are being threatened.

Responsible business is one thing; we welcome that. But, this unregulated, free-for-all is unacceptable. If Virginians do not take notice and enact regulations before the energy companies come into “frack” Virginia land, it will be difficult to stop the tide, as our neighboring states can definitely agree.

I always learned: leave whatever land or property you use better than the way you found it. We must make it so.

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“In general I esteem it a good maxim, that the best way to preserve the confidence of the people durably is to promote their true interest.”                 ~ George Washington

Here is the Official Summary of Senate Bill S 510 – from OpenCongress.org:

12/18/2009–Reported to Senate amended. FDA Food Safety Modernization Act – Title I: Improving Capacity to Prevent Food Safety Problems -

(Sec. 101)
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to expand the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to inspect records related to food, including to:

(1) allow the inspection of records of food that the Secretary reasonably believes is likely to be affected in a similar manner as an adulterated food; and
(2) require that each person (excluding farms and restaurants) who manufactures, processes, packs, distributes, receives, holds, or imports an article of food permit inspection of his or her records if the Secretary believes that there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to such food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.

(Sec. 102)
Authorizes the Secretary to suspend the registration of a food facility if the food manufactured, processed, packed, or held by a facility has a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.

The Bill also requires parents to provide documentation of their child’s food allergy to schools.

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When they speak about “adulterated food,” they are, in part, referring to genetically-modified food.

Wikipedia defines GM food as such:

Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques. These techniques are much more precise than mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change. Other techniques by which humans modify food organisms include selective breeding (plant breeding and animal breeding), and somaclonal variation.

GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. Typically, genetically modified foods are transgenic plant products: soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil. But animal products have also been developed. In 2006, a pig was controversially engineered to produce omega-3 fatty acids through the expression of a roundworm gene. Researchers have also developed a genetically-modified breed of pigs that are able to absorb plant phosphorus more efficiently, and as a consequence the phosphorus content of their manure is reduced by as much as 60 percent.

Critics have objected to GM foods on several grounds, including possible safety issues, ecological concerns, and economic concerns raised by the fact that these organisms are subject to intellectual property law.

Read more here about Monsanto and GM food, and the control of the world seed market.

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“Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish?  Nothing else.” ~ Epictetus

FoodFredom.Wordpress.com list the following effects if the US citizens do not stop the passage of  S 510:

1.  It puts all US food and all US farms under Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, in the event of contamination or an ill-defined emergency.

2.  It would end US sovereignty over its own food supply by insisting on compliance with the World Trade Organziation (WTO), thus threatening national security.  It would end the Uruguay Round Agreement Act of 1994, which put US sovereignty and US law under perfect protection.  Instead, S 510 states:

“COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS.
Nothing in this Act (or an amendment made by this Act) shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the agreement establishing the World Trade Organization or any other treaty or international agreement to which the United States is a party.”

3.  It would allow the government, under Maritime Law, to define the introduction of any food into commerce (even direct sales between individuals) as smuggling into “the United States.”  Since under that law, the US is a corporate entity and not a location, “entry of food into the US” covers food produced anywhere within the land mass of this country and “entering into” it by virtue of being produced.

4.  It imposes Codex Alimentarius on the US, a global system of control over food.  It allows the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the WTO to take control of every food on earth and remove access to natural food supplements.

Its bizarre history and its expected impact in limiting access to adequate nutrition (while mandating GM food, GM animals, pesticides, hormones, irradiation of food, etc.) threatens all safe and organic food and health itself, since the world knows now it needs vitamins to survive, not just to treat illnesses.

5.  It would remove the right to clean, store and thus own seed in the US, putting control of seeds in the hands of Monsanto and other multinationals, threatening US security. Seeds are the basis of all plants, and controlling them controls the food supply.

6.  It includes NAIS, an animal traceability program that threatens all small farmers and ranchers raising animals.  The UN is participating through the WHO, FAO, WTO, and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in allowing mass slaughter of even heritage breeds of animals and without proof of disease.

Biodiversity in farm animals is being wiped out to substitute genetically- engineered animals on which corporations hold patents. Animal diseases can be falsely declared.  S 510 includes the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), despite its involvement in the H1N1 vaccine campaign.

7.  It extends the policy – Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) -  to all food, thus threatening to do to all local food production and farming what HACCP did to meat production – put it in corporate hands and worsen food safety.

8.  It deconstructs what is left of the American economy.  It takes agriculture and food, which are the cornerstone of all economies, out of the hands of the citizenry, and puts them under the control of multinational corporations influencing the UN, WHO, FAO and WTO, with HHS, and CDC, acting as agents, with Homeland Security as the enforcer. The chance to rebuild the economy based on farming, ranching, gardens, food production, natural health, and all the jobs, tools and connected occupations would be eliminated.

9.  It would allow the government to mandate antibiotics, hormones, slaughterhouse waste, pesticides and GMOs.  This would industrialize every farm in the US, eliminate local organic farming, greatly increase global warming from increased use of oil-based products and long-distance delivery of foods, and make food even more unsafe.  The five items listed — the Five Pillars of Food Safety — are precisely the items in the food supply which are the primary source of its danger.

10. It uses food crimes as the entry into police state power and control.  The bill postpones defining all the regulations to be imposed; postpones defining crimes to be punished, postpones defining penalties to be applied.  It removes fundamental constitutional protections from all citizens in the country, making them subject to a corporate tribunal with unlimited power and penalties, and without judicial review. It is (similar to C-6 in Canada) the end of Rule of Law in the US.

[If you have some information you want to pass on, send it to Editor@7Bends.com. Feel free to add a Comment on the bottom of this article.]

Shining Our Light Across the Nation

On Saturday, July 31, 2010, at 8 p.m. EST, the Scouting family — past, present and future — will be able to take part, in a special nationwide broadcast. A Shining Light Across America will bring the Centennial Celebration Show from the 100th Anniversary National Scout Jamboree in Fort AP Hill, Va. to communities across the country via Webcast and satellite transmission.

As part of this monumental event, local council, district, unit, and other Scouting groups across America will gather in venues large and small — whether a camp, community center, or a sports stadium — to host their own local activities leading up to the Shining Light broadcast.

The Boy Scouts are encouraging everyone to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the magic that has marked 100 years of the Boy Scouts of America. Members of the entire community at large – Scouts, Scouting volunteers, alumni, families and community supporters – are invited to join in the festivities.

The 100th Anniversary Centennial Celebration Show will shine a light on the Boy Scouts’ rich heritage, core values and their role in shaping America’s
youth.

Shenandoah Valley Centennial Details

In the words of organizers, here’s the scoop on  festivities here in the Shenandoah Valley:

“If there is an event and a moment in our 100th Anniversary Celebration not to be missed, this is it! And (while it soon will be) it is still not too late to involve the Scouts, Scouters, units, friends, families, and supporters of
your council in the July 31, 2010, broadcast of the jamboree’s Centennial Celebration show, A Shining Light Across America.

The opportunity for your entire Scouting family to participate in this event is historic. And, the Centennial Celebration show will be spectacular. Here are the details:

1. Arena show and broadcast schedule -  The Centennial Celebration preshow will be available via satellite and online starting at 5:30 p.m. EDT on July 31, 2010. The main show will be available for viewing at 8 p.m. EDT, and the broadcast will conclude at approximately 10:30 p.m. EDT.

By popular request, we’ve provided an overview of the Centennial Celebration show “run of show.” Please Note: Content and timing are subject to change, all the way to showtime.

2. Webcast update -  The Shining Light webcast will be available worldwide on UStream,TV and via the “Shining Light” tab on the BSA’s Facebook page. Viewers will be able to comment and interact with fellow webcast participants while watching. Councils can also embed the viewing screen into their own Web site, Facebook page, and elsewhere.

(Click on “embed codes” at the top of the www.ustream.tv/shininglight page to copy the code for “Live Show” that you can paste into the HTML of your page.)

Reminder: To ensure the best picture quality, the webcast option is recommended for small- to medium-sized groups on a screen no larger than 120 inches (9 feet wide by 6 feet high). Be sure to test it now by projecting any of the live videos currently available on Ustream onto the screen you plan to use. For more, review the webcast guidelines on the Boy Scouts of America web site. ”

100th Anniversary National Scout Jamboree begins July 25 with parade in Washington D.C. (Update: see link below.)

And, in this 100th Anniversary Year, the Boy Scouts are getting ready for their best National Scout Jamboree ever. The Jamboree truly reflects the true spirit of Scouting — including physical fitness, environmental conservation, and national heritage. Adventure waits around every corner with rappelling, scuba diving, kayaking, rafting, sailing, archery, trails, and more.

This year, thanks to generous support from AT&T, the Exclusive Communications Services Sponsor of the Boy Scouts of America, the jamboree will have a communications network like never before so laptops are welcome.

Many individuals, families, and units will be making their way through the nation’s capital en route to the Jamboree. In honor of the Centennial, there will be more for Scouts to do than ever before.

Make plans to participate in one of these exciting events … and spread the word.  In their own words, here are all of the events happening in conjunction with the Jamboree this year.

BSA Grand Centennial Parade (July 25, 2010)

“Not since the first jamboree in 1937 has there been a Scout-specific parade in Washington, D.C. We’ll have floats, balloons, marching bands, vintage vehicles, great entertainment, flags, and fun.  Join us at 1 p.m. on Constitution Avenue. Learn more at www.boyscouts-ncac.org/parade .

Adventure Base 100 (July 23 – Aug 8, 2010)

If you haven’t seen it yet, you don’t want to miss our interactive, traveling Scouting experience. Ropes course, Scouting museum, IMAX-like movie, digital exhibits, and more! Pre-register for campus activities at
www.adventurebase100.org .

ScoutQuest (July 24 – 25, 2010)

Uncover the links between Scouting and American culture in this interactive, citywide, high-tech hunt. More information to come, but there are great prizes and fun spots to visit, including several Smithsonian museums.

National Hall of Leadership Induction (July 25, 2010)

Join us at Adventure Base 100 after the Grand Centennial Parade as we honor four inductees to the National Hall of Leadership, representative of our nationwide honorees. Emceed by Distinguished Eagle Scout Ernest Green , this inspirational ceremony is not to be missed.

Scouting Stamp First-Day-of-Issue (July 27, 2010)

Jamboree participants and visitors can join a special dedication ceremony for the Scouting stamp to be issued nationwide by the U.S. Postal Service. BSA and USPS leadership, along with other special guests, will come together to recognize this honor. All who attend will receive one-of-a-kind collectibles commemorating this important day.

Scout Family Day (July 24, 2010)

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is providing a host of activities for Boy and Girls Scouts to enjoy. Come by for crafts, entertainment, activities, and games.

National Archives  – From the Vaults: 100 Years of the Boy Scouts

The National Archives is offering early entrance hours for Scouts in uniform and their families July 23-25. On July 26, 29, and 30, the Archives will show “From the Vaults: 100 Years of the Boy Scouts.”

*****

Then, on July 31, 2010, from Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia, the Jamboree will begin in earnest with the Centennial Celebration Show – A Shining Light Across America  – broadcast around the world via satellite and webcast (see details above).

Here is the official Boy Scouts of America web site.

As long as three football fields (372-yards) and 10 stories high, the newly- refurbished vessel is ready to be tested by BP and U.S. Government workers, and then go to work.

According to Socialmediaseo.net, the ship has been deployed by a Taiwanese company. “It was originally designed to be one of the world’s largest cargo vessels to transport crude oil and iron ore. But, following  the BP oil spill disaster, TMT, its owner, has modified the ship to become what is now known as the world’s first large-scale oil skimmer.”

Gulf residents wait for The A Whale to get the “go ahead”

Oil skimming efforts have been slowed this week as workers deal with Hurricane Alex; high waves and rains have required the evacuation of relief workers in the Gulf.

“BP’s relief well, which will supposedly allow the gushing pipe to be shut off completely, is not affected by the hurricane weather and is still on schedule to be completed by August,” reports socialmediaseo.net.

What’s the hold up?

A waiver must be granted before The A Whale can be utilized.

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (P.L. 66-261) is a United States Federal statute that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports. Section 27, also known as the Jones Act, deals with cabotage (i.e., coastal shipping) and requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.

According to wikipedia, the purpose of the law is to support the U.S. merchant marine industry, but agricultural interests generally oppose it because, they contend, it raises the cost of shipping their goods, making them less competitive with foreign sources.

Requests for waivers of certain provisions of the act are reviewed by the United States Maritime Administration on a case-by-case basis. Waivers have been granted in cases of national emergencies or in cases of strategic interest.

For instance, declining oil production prompted MARAD to grant a waiver to operators of the 512-foot Chinese vessel Tai An Kou to tow an oil rig from the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska. The jackup rig will be under a two-year contract to drill in the Alaska’s Cook Inlet Basin. The waiver to the Chinese vessel is said to be the first of its kind granted to an independent oil-and-gas company.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff temporarily waived the U.S. Shipping Act for foreign vessels carrying oil and natural gas from September 1 to September 19, 2005.

Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Marianas in the Pacific and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean are exempt from provisions of the Jones Act because so little shipping goes to those ports that requiring American cabotage would cause hardship.

Morrison World News reports that The A Whale could either be “an enormous boon to the region,” or conversely, ” a really big disappointment.”

They write: “Nobu Su, the CEO and founder of Taiwan Maritime Transport (TMT), told reporters in Norfolk last Friday that on account of the special holes he had cut in its sides, his vessel would roll across the Gulf ‘like a lawn mower cutting the grass.’

Though the ship and the process are entirely untested, Su insisted A Whale could ingest and process some 15 million gallons of oily water a day. By comparison, the entire emergency response since BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20 has collected 28 million gallons of oily water.”

Command Center officials in News Orleans are “about as excited as you can be about something that you have no idea what it can do,” said Kati Walsh, a spokesperson for the disaster’s Joint Information Center. “They want to remain in a neutral position about it until after it proves itself,” she said. “We don’t want to get everybody excited about something that may or may not work.” The next step will be for officials to set up a meeting and test the ship’s abilities, Walsh said.

But apparently, there have been communication problems. The unified command didn’t know the ship was already in the Gulf.

It’s reported that Walsh said the Jones Act — which limits the operation of foreign flagged vessels in U.S. waters — is not a factor as much as “the nature of the ship.” Morrison World News says that “while more traditional vessels of opportunity are allowed to start skimming without government pre-approval, this one would not be allowed to do so, she said. “The ship was just built, it hasn’t been proven yet, hasn’t been officially or formally tested yet.”

Two further problems remain. The processed oily water is supposedly returned back into the Gulf waters, even though it’s still somewhat polluted. And, the question abo9ut bow much The A Whale will get paid if it indeed works has not been negotiated. TMT has made it clear though that “this is not a charity operation.” Read more on the Morrison World News web site.

“Mr. Nobu has already sailed the ship around the world and modified it at his own expense,” Maisano, a TMT spokesperson, told reporters. “I’m sure that he’s looking at least to recover his costs.”

A Whale of a Job?

I guess we’ll all be watching – along with anxious Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida residents – to see just how long it takes the U.S. Government to act – to determine if The A Whale can indeed do “a whale of a job” in the Gulf.

[Note: The above photo was taken by Jose Martins of MarineTraffic.com.)

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has released a list of more than 80 chemicals used in drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region.

WENY obtained the list and noted that some of the chemicals have been shown to harm human health.

View WENY video.

The chemicals used in hydrofracking in Pennsylvania include:

• Chemicals in the Benzyne family (Benzenes have been shown to increase the risk of leukemia with long-term exposure);
• Xylene (which has been shown to cause damage to embryonic development);
• Napthalene (long-terms exposure has led to respiratory disease);
• Propylene (has been shown to harm male reproduction);
• Monoethanolamine and related amines (which have been shown to adversely affect liver and kidney function);
• Formaldehyde (known carcinogen); and
• Chemicals in the Nitrilotriacetic acid family (known carcinogens).

“The quantities of these chemicals used in any particular drilling operation is unknown and not currently regulated; but we do know that the drilling process involves millions of gallons of water and the addition of these and other chemicals in significant quantities in sufficient proportion to that volume of water to do things like reduce drill friction, inhibit corrosion, and act as solvents.

It is also known that the chemicals involved in fracking can migrate to drinking water supplies and contaminate ground water and surface water.”

A more detailed information about the compounds listed above and other chemicals is available from the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov

*****

Another great source of information on hydrofracking is the Water Portal on Source Watch – that has all of the latest news on this newly-applied method of natural gas extraction which is causing concern across the U.S. and the world. It includes a summary of pending legislation.

Closer to home – here in the Shenandoah Valley, we’re just now experiencing our first encounter with hydrofracking, as Carrizo Oil has requested a permit to hydrofrack for natural gas in the beautiful, small town of Bergton, Virginia in Rockingham County. The push is on to get hydrofracking regulations in place in Virginia before energy companies cause any damage here. Hopefully, we’ll listen and learn from our neighbors.

[The picture (above) of the rural country road was taken near Bergton, VA, the proposed site of the first hydrofracking operation in Virginia.]

Richmond, VA – Well, July 1, 2010 will be upon us soon. Here are some of the new laws voted by the Virginia legislature last session – that will go into effect later this week in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Citizens will want to be aware of these changes, as should visitors to Virginia, and those passing through.

While some of these laws seem straightforward and necessary, on the other hand, Virginia, like many others states, has increased the penalties and fines on its citizens to help raise money for its ailing state budget.

Changes in transportation laws in Virginia

** Texting, sending email, reading, and writing – while driving a car – is now illegal in Virginia. Be aware that the ban applies to cell phones, laptop computers, plus a host of other wireless communication devices.

According to many studies on the dangers of texting while driving, texting and driving is as dangerous as drunk driving. Virginia joins 27 others states in enacting this legislation.

The ban applies to reading or sending text messages or e-mails while driving. The texting ban is a secondary offense, meaning that individuals can be cited only after being stopped by police for another infraction. It carries a $20 fine for a first offense, and a $50 penalty for subsequent violations. Certain emergency situations will be exempt.

** The courts can now suspend the driver’s licenses of teens who miss 10 consecutive days of school. The law doesn’t apply in cases where a student has withdrawn from school for reasons beyond the student’s control, for transferring to another school, or when the student’s parent or guardian objects.

** Virginia now prohibits people from driving certain mopeds, motorized scooters, electric-powered bicycles and wheelchairs on the highway. Restricted vehicles under this law are those with a top speed of less than 35 mph. Violators of the law face a $50 fine.

** DUI – Drunk driving law changes in Virginia – Two new laws targeting drunken drivers go into effect on July 1, 2010.  One extends to 10 years from five the period of time within which a motorist convicted of a second drunken driving offense is required to have an ignition interlock installed in his or her vehicle. That device prevents a car from being started when an intoxicated driver breathes into it.

The other law clarifies the penalty for driving without a required ignition interlock, making that offense a Class 1 misdemeanor. Convicted offenders also will lose their license for one year.

** Those convicted of reckless or aggressive driving, or DUI in Virginia (see above) — will have to pay hefty fees of up to $1,000 per year for three years. The state says that the money will go toward improving roads.

** Parents in Virginia now have to put their kids in booster seats until they’re 7 instead of 5 years old.

* In Virginia, it now will be a misdemeanor to smoke within 20 feet of a gasoline pump — and if that pump catches fire, violators could face a year in jail.

** During the 2010 session, Virginia lawmakers voted to expand the Commonwealth’s Move Over law to include protection for tow truck drivers and highway workers.

As of July 1, 2010, those driving in Virginia must move over  when approaching a tow truck or highway maintenance vehicle displaying amber lights, change lanes away from the flashing lights if possible to do so safely, and/or proceed with caution given the prevailing highway conditions. The offense is punishable as a traffic infraction. Read more about the new Move Over driving laws in Virginia.

A law allowing senior citizens to take safe-driving courses online also goes into effect. Several new Virginia specialty license plates will now be offered, including an anti-abortion plate that bears the “Choose Life” slogan.

Election law changes in Virginia

** Allows voters to wear political T-shirts, buttons or other apparel to the polls. This  became an issue after the Virginia State of Elections had prohibited voters from wearing apparel with political slogans or candidates’ names at the polls on Election Day because of a state law that outlaws electioneering within 40 feet of the polling place.

** Lists of registered voters - Allows the State Board of Elections to furnish, for a reasonable fee, lists of registered voters to commissioners of the revenue and city or county treasurers for tax assessment, collection, and enforcement purposes.

In addition, a new law provides that, upon request and at a reasonable charge not to exceed the actual cost incurred, a political party or candidate is entitled to receive a copy of (i) the list of officers of election showing their party designation and assigned precinct and (ii) any instructions or information provided by the State Board to local electoral boards and registrars. The Board is required to post on the Internet its rules and regulations within three business days of their adoption.

**Political contributions – Provides that neither the Governor, his political action committee, nor any pertinent Secretaries shall knowingly solicit or accept a contribution, gift, or other item with a value greater than $50 from any bidder, offeror, or private entity who has submitted a bid or proposal pursuant to the Virginia Public Procurement Act, the Public-Private Transportation Act, or the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act during the bidding period.

The restrictions only apply if the stated or expected value of the contract is $5 million or more and do not apply to contracts awarded as the result of competitive sealed bidding. Furthermore, no bidder, offeror, or private entity who has submitted a bid or proposal under such acts shall offer or promise to make such a gift to the Governor, his political action committee, or any of his pertinent Secretaries. Any violation shall be a civil penalty of $500 or up to two times the amount of the contribution or gift, whichever is greater.

**Electronic election reforms – The bill provides that the State Board shall provide only electronic pollbooks, and not paper pollbooks, for any election held on or after November 1, 2010, and for all subsequent years and makes corresponding amendments that become effective on November 1, 2010.

Other Changes in Virginia law as of July 1, 2010

**Novelty cigarette lighters – Prohibit stores from selling novelty cigarette lighters to those under 18. Del. Algie Howell, D-Norfolk, introduced the legislation when he learned of local fire officials’ concerns over the lighters, which often resemble toys.

**Tax on Pay-Per-View movies in hotels - Imposes a 10 percent tax on pay-per-view movies in Virginia hotel rooms, with the money divided evenly between the general fund and a pool of money that provides incentives for filmmakers to shoot movies in Virginia. The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth.

** Concealed handgun information – Bars public access to a statewide database of Virginians with permits to carry concealed handguns. The public still could get information on concealed carry permit holders at each circuit court. The bill was introduced after The Roanoke Times posted the state police database of permit holders on its Web site.

In addition, friction with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg led to a new Virginia law that makes it a felony for anyone other than police to make straw purchases at gun shops. A “straw purchase” involves buying a gun for someone who’s not allowed to buy one.

This new  law is in response to sting operations ordered by Bloomberg, who sent undercover investigators to five states, including Virginia, to buy firearms after learning that 80-90 percent of guns used in crimes in New York City were purchased out of state. The city later sued 27 out-of-state gun dealers.

** Additional Pay Day Loan restrictions – Bars payday lenders in Virginia from offering different types of loans in an effort to get around tough new restrictions placed on the short-term, high-interest loans.

In reaction to a 2008 law, the majority of the state’s 800 payday lenders had begun offering open-end loans, which are unregulated and have sky-high interest rates.

** College-age suicide prevention – Virginia now will require its public colleges to create policies to identify and help suicidal students. The bill was signed 11 days before the Virginia Tech killings, in which a troubled student shot and killed 32 students and faculty and himself.

** Tanning for minors – Virginians 14 and under now need parental approval to go to a tanning salon.

Read about changes to Virginia mental health laws as of July 1, 2010.

Oh, by the way, The Commonwealth of Virginia will also be increasing the speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph – for certain sections of its highways on July 1, 2010.

Examine the facts for yourself

Here are 37 issues that an attorney has asked the Virginia regulators to explain – regarding the permit by a large energy company to drill for natural gas in the Shenandoah Valley:

*****

June 7, 2010

Re: Application of Carrizo (Marcellus) LLC to drill exploratory gas well in Bergton, VA – Application # 16035

“We are working with a group of citizens in Rockingham County concerned about the circumstances surrounding the above proposed hydrofracture gas well drilling in the floodplain at Bergton. Because this is apparently the first such Virginia application of its kind, and because of the innumerable serious pollution and other problems this activity has caused in other states, leading to multiple calls for moratorium on hydrofracture
drilling, we request some clarification from your agency on the following issues.

Because the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors (BOS) could take up the tabled matter again at any time, your prompt reply will be much appreciated.

1. The Permit Application #16035 is described as “a Marcellus Shale test well.” Should gas be discovered, would Carrizo need to obtain an additional permit from DMME to actually produce gas?

2. Do DMME inspectors have Marcellus Shale drilling experience with the methods proposed to be used at the Ennis site for the test well, and for methods that might be used to actually produce gas from a subsequent well?

3. What guidelines does DMME use to establish the criteria under which hydrofracture drilling permits using the method proposed at the Ennis site are approved? May we have either a cite to them or copies, preferably electronically?

4. What are the guidelines governing DMME’s coordination with other governmental agencies, (national, state, or local) before it issues a permit such as #16035? May we have either a cite to them or copies, preferably electronically?

5. The proposed site is in a 100-year floodplain, though it has a history of flooding far more frequently than that. Did DMME take this into consideration before approving the permit?

6. What steps, if any, were taken to address the environmental and health risks posed by the fact that the site is in a floodplain?

7. Did DMME in fact consult any other governmental agencies (national, state, or local) before approving #16035? If so, which agencies did it consult?

8. Does the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality retain any oversight authority over the proposed activity once the permit is approved and issued? If so, what is the extent of its authority?

9. If the drilling activity goes forward, will any other governmental agencies (federal, state, or local) be involved in overseeing, regulating, monitoring, and testing the environmental impact of, the activity? If so, what agencies?

10. Do DMME inspectors have Erosion and Sediment Control Inspector Certification by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation?

11. Hydrofracture drilling has been known to use extremely toxic chemicals. A list of 345 of them with substantial product and toxicological information can be found at this web site. The spreadsheet of
these chemicals found at that site is attached to the same email that conveys this letter. Companies have often asserted proprietary reasons for refusing to disclose the chemical makeup of drilling and hydrofracture chemicals.

Will DMME know, prior to their use, exactly what chemicals will be used either in the drilling or hydrofracture portions of this activity?

12. What criteria will DMME use to allow or disallow certain chemicals in drilling or hydrofracture? May we have either a cite to them or copies, preferably electronically?

13. Hydrofracture drilling, especially in the Marcellus formation, has been known to produce radioactive solids and wastewater. Has DMME taken this fact into consideration in approving permit #16035?

14. What requirements are placed upon the permit applicant to deal with radioactive waste?

15. We understand that the permit has been “approved” but not “issued.” Is this correct? What conditions must be met before DMME issues the permit?

16. Given the potential damage that can be caused by this activity, and the actual damages suffered by a number of communities in other states, how much is the performance bond that Carrizo will be required to post, or other demonstration of financial responsibility, for this site?

17. On April 5, 2010, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wrote a strongly-worded letter to the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors, copy to DMME, raising environmental concerns about this proposed permit. A copy is for your convenience. Will DMME take into consideration the contents of this letter before issuing the permit?

18. If the activity goes forward, will DMME inspect the site and conduct chemical and radiation testing regularly? On what schedule will this occur?

19. Will other state or federal agencies be allowed access to inspect the site if they desire to do so?

20. On page 10 of the Carrizo application, under “Analysis of mud medium/drilling medium/oil based fluid medium attached/filed:” the box “Does Not Apply” is checked. Does this mean that DMME will not know what chemicals are used in the process, since the application further states that it is possible that such fluids might be needed? Does other agency have oversight of such?

21. Also on page 10, under “SPCC Plan Required by EPA,” the box “No” is checked. Under what criteria did DMME determine that the proposed activity will have an acceptable level of environmental impact?

22. A Blooey pit lined with 30 mil plastic is approved. Did DMME take into account the fact that the site lies in a floodplain before approving this method of fluid storage?

23. On page 13, “Disposal of Drilling Fluid” is marked “Yes-Approved.” What is the method of fluid disposal that is approved?

24. “Fresh Water” is also marked “Yes-Approved.” Is this an approval of a source of obtaining fresh water, and if so, what source is approved?

25. “Disposal of Produced Fluids” is marked “Yes-Approved.” What is “approved?” That is, how will the produced fluids, or wastewater, be disposed of?

26. Is a copy of any agreement with the local wastewater treatment facility for receiving site wastewater available? If so, may we have a copy of it?

27. “Salt Water” is marked “Yes-Approved.” What does this mean?

28. On page 14, under “Lacking,” is the comment, “Discuss the disposal of produced fluid.” Has this discussion taken place? If so, what was decided?

29. The Drill Pad Narrative on the application notes a “sediment containment area on the southwest corner of the construction site.” This is not shown on the site plan sketch. How will this be achieved?

30. Allegedly, the applicant may not spray or otherwise land-apply wastewater on the site. Where in writing is the restriction prohibiting such?

31. The site plan and narrative does not address the containment and disposal of wastewater. How will this be accomplished?

32. The plans show areas labeled “Fluid Dispersal Area[s]”. Are these areas in which wastewater and other toxic fluids may be applied?

33. The following statement is made by Carrizo on page 29 of the application: “If chlorides and other parameters meet Virginia requirements, the water will be discharged onto adjacent ground via sprayer heads or soaker hoses with no runoff accepted”. Will DMME make the determination of what is acceptable? What are the guidelines that determine what is acceptable? May we have either a cite to them or copies, preferably electronically?

34. The following statement is also made by Carrizo on page 29 of the application: “If they do not meet Virginia requirements, they will be diluted to below discharge requirements if possible. They will then be discharged as before.” This would appear to allow the dilution of toxic wastewater with more water and then dumping or spraying it on the same ground.

Is this an acceptable method? Has DMME determined that this is environmentally sound? Does dilution of toxic wastewater with more water do anything to protect surface and underground waters?

35. The following statement is also made by Carrizo on page 29 of the application: “Arrangements have been made with Harrisonburg -Rockingham Regional Sewer Authority for disposal of fluids if they cannot
be spray discharged as planned.” We have reason to believe that the Sewer Authority does not have the capability to dispose of the toxic wastewater that will be produced by this drilling activity.

Has DMME checked to see if such “arrangements” have been made? Are they in writing? If so, may we have a copy of them? If such “arrangements” have not actually been made, is this grounds for revocation or nonissuance of the permit? If DMME has not already done so, we request that it verify the accuracy of the statement that such “arrangements” have been made.

36. The following statement is also made by Carrizo on page 29 of the application: “Drill solids will be collected in the drilling pit during operations. They will have as much associated water as practical initially until removal during the remediation phase. After drilling, the pit chlorides and other parameters will be evaluated to determine disposal method.”

Will DMME evaluate these parameters? What criteria will DMME use? May we have either a cite to them or copies, preferably electronically?

37. The following statement is also made by Carrizo on page 29 of the application: “A Pit Disposal Permit will be sought from the VA DMME. It is planned to sequester andencapsulate the cuttings with the pit liner and additional liner installed on the top. It is then planned to bury the cuttings a minimum of 4’ below ground level. If this approach is unattainable, arrangements have been made with the Rockingham County
Landfill  for disposal.”

Does the Rockingham County Landfill have a permit for accepting drill cuttings, wet or dry? Does it have a radiation detector installed to monitor NORM levels in such cuttings? Has DMME checked to see if such “arrangements” have been made? Are they in writing? If so, may we have a copy of them? If such “arrangements” have not actually been made,
is this grounds for revocation or non-issuance of the permit? If DMME has not already done so, we request that it verify the accuracy of the statement that such “arrangements” have been made.

We thank you in advance for answers to these important issues. Should the permit in question be issued, it will be precedent-setting.”

*****

Many in the Shenandoah Valley are working to try and prevent the same travesties that have occurred with hydrofracking in PA, NY, CO, WV, and other states, and looking to have legislation ready to regulate hydrofracking in Virginia when the next General Assembly meets in Richmond in  January 2011.

New York legislators, for example, are calling for a 2-year moratorium on this controversial  form of natural gas drilling until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  has an opportunity to investigate the health and environmental effects of hydrofracking – and communicate that information out to US citizens. The same must happen in Virginia.

It would be unbelievably pitiful if the beautiful Shenandoah Valley is ruined because of the greed of large energy companies, whether they be drilling for gas or electric. We know only too well how that looks as we see the devastation in the Gulf each day – and hear about the other states where hydrofracking has already harmed the landscape, water supply, and health of residents.

(A quick Google search on hydrofracking  in any of our neighboring states to the North- Pennsylvania, New York, or West Virginia – results in dozens of examples of the harm caused to normal citizens like you and me.)

The natural gas drilling permit referred to in the letter above represents the first permit that’s been applied for in the Shenandoah Valley. That’s why this case will set a precedent. Once one permit is issued, “the floodgates are open” for more permits and more drilling – all across the Valley.

After discussions with the attorney who wrote this letter, it’s our understanding that this permit has been approved  – but not yet officially issued – by the DMME, but that the Board of Supervisors of Rockingham County, Virginia, must also approve a “special use permit” before drilling can begin on the site in Bergton ( located in Rockingham County – right outside of Harrisonburg, VA).

On the hydrofracking issue, the Gulf Oil spill, bank bailouts, and many other issues – it’s the people – it’s regular folks like you and me – that can and must take action together to oppose corporate bailouts – corporate protectionism – and corporate greed. It’s our country.

Legislators who don’t represent the peoples’ interest must be voted out. It’s becoming clear that party affiliation doesn’t matter.

What matters is: Who will stand up to big business and big government – with worrying about getting re-elected, or hurting their own standing?

Who is your elected official working for – whether at the county, state or national level?

We must break from our normal routines and stand up, and demand accountability. If not us, then who?

*****

Citizens actions that can be taken regarding hydrofracking:

1. Those living in Rockingham County who want to see this stopped should contact their county supervisor and let their opinion be known.

Pablo Cuevas is the Chairman of the Rockingham County Board of Supervsiors, and he’s also the representative from District 1 that includes the proposed Bergton natural gas drilling site. Time is of the essence as the Supervisors will be voting on the special use permit at some point. The exact date of the vote is unclear. They are currently “studying the situation,” but could call a vote at any time.

Here is Pablo’s contact information:

Email: pcuevas@rockinghamcountyva.gov

Phone: (540) 896-7889.

2. There are 23 other counties in Virginia where there is Marcellus shale – where it’s possible that Carrizo, or other large energy companies, will apply for drilling permits. If you are against this issue, contact your county supervisor and let him/her know BEFORE a drilling permit is entertained by your county.

3. Contact Tony Wilt, the new House of Delegates representative for the Rockingham County area and let him know your opinion. He lives is nearby Broadway, VA. Here is his contact information:

Email: tony@tonywiltfordelegate.com

Phone:  (540) 810-4462

4. Or, contact Mark Obenshain, the Virginia state senator serving Rockingham County. Here is his contact information:

Email: mark@markobenshain.com

Phone: (540) 437-1451 (District office)
(804) 698-7526 (Richmond)

5. If you live elsewhere in Virginia, contact your own House delegate and/or state Senator and let them know your opinion on hydrofracking in the Valley, and across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

6. You can contact the Division of Gas and Oil at the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) directly at:

Email:DmmeInfo@dmme.virginia.gov

Phone: (804) 692-3200 – in Richmond.

7. Additional community meetings will be held across Virginia on  hydrofracking. Check back here – on 7Bends.com. We’ll be publicizing details about citizen forums and discussion sessions before they happen. And, we’ll keep you informed on the move to get hydrofracking regulations on the books in Virginia in the 2011 Legislative Session.

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To learn more about the hydrofracking issue:

There are a number of great articles that have been written by the Daily News Record, hburgnews.com, and some national reporters on this issue. You can Google those as you wish. There are also a number of great video clips out there showing what a hydro fracking site looks like, and its effects on the surrounding people and communities. (We’ll be featuring these clips on 7Bends as they come in… )

Educate yourself

As an independent online news source for the Shenandoah Valley, 7Bends.com does not have any political or economic constraints on what we publish. We will give you everything we find on the subject, uncensored.

Here are the articles 7Bends.com has published on hydrofracking in Virginia since May 2010:

May 22 – http://7bends.com/2010/05/22/gasland-film-chronicles-natural-gas-drilling-dangers/

May 22 – http://7bends.com/2010/05/22/eminent-domain-status-application-to-lay-gas-pipeline-across-your-property/

May 24 – http://7bends.com/2010/05/24/county-decision-natural-gas-drilling-in-virginia/

May 26 – http://7bends.com/2010/05/26/world-renowned-scientist-illuminates-health-effects-of-water-contamination-from-fracking/

June 15 - http://7bends.com/2010/06/15/hydrofracking-in-virginia-is-hot-issue-in-tony-wilts-victory-tonight-in-t26th-district/

]]> http://7bends.com/2010/06/21/read-attorneys-letter-sent-to-virginia-officials-about-permit-for-hydrofracture-gas-drilling-in-bergton/feed/ 3 http://7bends.com/2010/06/15/vdot-warns-of-dangers-of-inland-flooding-from-hurricanes/ http://7bends.com/2010/06/15/vdot-warns-of-dangers-of-inland-flooding-from-hurricanes/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:45:38 +0000 S.B. Thompson http://7bends.com/?p=5467 Richmond, VA – As you probably know, June 1 was the official beginning of the 2010 hurricane season. And, the “cast of characters” has been named. (See the list below of the names selected for hurricanes this year.)

So, now is a great time for Virginia residents to review their personal readiness plans and know what actions to take if forced to evacuate in the face of high winds and flooding.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) reminds drivers that hurricanes don’t restrict their wind and rain impacts to the coast.  Historically, Virginia has suffered significant damage and loss of life from tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes that made landfall in other states. Flooding and wind impacts from these storms – depending on their size, speed and path – can extend many miles inland.

Camille hit Blue Ridge hard in 1969

In 1969, Hurricane Camille had lost its Category 5 strength by the time it reached the Blue Ridge Mountains after pummeling the Mississippi coast from the Gulf of Mexico. It lingered several days over central Virginia, however, dropping more than 27 inches of rain on Nelson County, causing approximately $113 million dollars in damage and killing more than 150 people in Virginia alone. It wasn’t the wind or the storm surge but the flooding that caused so much devastation.

More recently, flooding far inland in Virginia from both Hurricane Isabel (2003) and Tropical Storm Gaston (2004) cost the state several billion dollars in damages. Isabel left 36 people dead in Virginia, while nine died as a result of Gaston.

If you can’t see road markings, don’t drive through the water

While some of these deaths resulted from falling trees and other circumstances, a number were caused by motorists driving into flooded roadways. A rule of thumb from the National Weather Service – if you can’t see the road or its markings, do not drive through the water.

Here are specific suggestions on what to do in the event of heavy rain and flooding:

- Before a storm strikes, have a family disaster plan in place – it’s a good idea in advance of any emergency. Make sure every family member is familiar with the plan.

- The best way to protect yourself and your family and to reduce delays if you must travel during heavy rains is to know the road conditions before you leave home.  Listen to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather or other reputable weather sources.

-  Also check www.511Virginia.org before you drive, or call 511 for the latest on road conditions throughout the state.

If you must be on the roads:

- Expect the unexpected. Be prepared to slow or stop quickly and without warning.

- At night, drive at a speed that enables you to stop quickly and safely within the distance illuminated by the vehicle’s headlights.

- Never drive through water flowing across a road. It takes only six to 12 inches of water to float a small vehicle.

- Never drive around barricades. Remember, the road has been closed for your safety.

- Slow down when driving through standing water. Driving too fast through water could cause you to lose control of your vehicle because of hydroplaning.

- Avoid flood-prone areas, especially along creeks and other low-lying areas.

- If a flash flood warning is broadcast, seek high ground immediately.

- Be alert for tree limbs and other debris in the roadway. Even small branches and other debris can damage a car or cause the driver to lose control.

- Assume all fallen power lines are electrified and dangerous. Never attempt to drive across, step over or move fallen utility lines.

- The danger is greatest in areas where trees are near to, or overhanging the roadway. Use extra caution when driving in those areas.

- If you come across a flooded road that is not barricaded, turn around and use an alternate route. Help other motorists by notifying VDOT at 800-367-7623 at your earliest and safest convenience.

In the last 30 years, 60 percent of those who died as a result of a hurricane drowned. Of the children under 13 who died, 78 percent died as a result of inland flooding. VDOT doesn’t want to add any more drivers on its roads to those statistics, so remember, “Turn around, don’t drown.”

*****

Flashing yellow lights being introduced in Williamsburg, VA area

More news from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT):

Each year, millions of tourists drive into the greater Williamsburg area looking for roller coasters, water slides, and historic attractions. And, a lot of them get turned around.

When York County administrators asked VDOT to study a “permissive left-turn on green” – that is a left turn on a green signal, yielding to on-coming traffic – safety was the number one consideration. What resulted was the implementation of a signal technology new to Virginia: the flashing yellow arrow.

The Flashing Yellow Arrow: New to Virginia

According to a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), a left turn is one of the most dangerous movements a motorist makes. Left-turn traffic signals are designed to let drivers know when to yield to oncoming traffic or when they have the right of way, but the wide variety of signals in use can be confusing.

A study revealed the flashing yellow arrow was safer and more effective than the simple circular green light and other signals at conveying to drivers the need to yield before turning left.

Several states are using the flashing yellow arrow for left turns. Engineers across the country have begun installing flashing yellow signals using the Federal Highway Administration interim approval.VDOT is using electronic message signs to introduce the new flashing yellow signals to motorists near these intersections in the Williamsburg area:

* Route 60 and Interstate 64 on-ramp
* Route 60 and Busch Gardens
* Route 60 and Busch Gardens employee entrance

For more information on the flashing yellow signal (NCHRP Report 493), go here.

*****

Names of Hurricanes for the 2010 season

Alex
Bonnie
Colin
Danielle
Earl
Fiona
Gaston
Hermine
Igor
Julia
Karl
Lisa
Matthew
Nicole
Otto
Paula
Richard
Shary
Tomas
Virginie
Walter

Readiness exercises conducted at the end of May 2010

According to a June 3, 2010 press release on the U.S. North Command web site, “three units representing each component of the Air Force made history in Gulfport, Mississippi, on May 16 – 23, 2010, when they successfully completed the first homeland defense operational readiness inspection.

The release reads: ”For the very first time, the U.S. Air Force has validated a unit’s wartime capability to defend the homeland by fighting an enemy right here on U.S. soil,” said Col. Greg Nelson, the commander of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing, which served as the lead organization for the ORI.

“That represents a major shift in the way Air Force (leaders evaluate) unit readiness, because it puts the focus in our own backyard, rather than a simulated overseas location where these evaluations are usually staged,” he said.

The inspection was a total force effort, with the 123rd Airlift Wing representing the Air National Guard; the 317th Airlift Group from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, providing active-duty forces; and the 70th Aerial Port Squadron from Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., contributing Air Force Reserve members and equipment.

As with traditional ORIs, this one tested the ability of each unit to mobilize Airmen and equipment, fly to a remote site, operate in a hostile environment, defend against enemy attacks, and redeploy back home, all while AMC inspectors evaluated every phase of the operation.

Unlike traditional ORIs, in this one the participants were tasked with supporting civil authorities while fighting an unconventional foe in the United States. In the past, ORIs have typically required units to deploy to simulated overseas bases and defend against conventional military forces.”

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Military units being put on alert?

Now, a number of independent news web sites are saying they have information that military units are being put on alert to assist in possible evacuations, including the evacuation of the whole Tampa Metro area.

According to Ben Fulford (May 31, 2010) of Labvirus, ” Gulf Evacuation Plans are on the table.” His article also includes a video of Greg Evensen, a former Kansas state patrolman, who did an interview on May 27, 2010 sharing information about a pending Gulf coast evacuation that he has received from his law enforcement contacts.  Evensen says that the number of people they are preparing to evacuate is “mind boggling.”

Ben Fulford reports: “Emergency evacuations plans have been drawn up for entire Gulf of Mexico region as secret financial negotiations head to climax.

Toxic rain a possibility?

The Pentagon and US government have drawn up emergency plans to evacuate much of the population surrounding the Gulf of Mexico in anticipation of toxic rain and severe environmental damage, a military intelligence source says.

According to another independent news source, ‘the evacuation zone is expected to encompass the lower half of all gulf states – for starters – from Florida to Texas/Mexico border, possibly up to 50 million people.”

*****

Media blackouts and attempts to discourage social networking coverage reported

There are also reports of media blackouts by BP, and by police and authorities along the Gulf Coast. It’s been reported that journalists have been barred from taking pictures, and that the photos that have been snapped show the devastating effects on marine and plant life (which is sad), yet there are few pictures in the media showing Gulf Coast residents, pictures of BP operations, or actual oil spill relief efforts.

There are also reports out of Grand Island, Louisiana that citizens are being arrested, and have not been allowed to use their cell phone cameras  to snap and post pictures, documenting what’s happening.

Today, Yana Kunichoff of TruthOut.org wrote:

“Journalists attempting to cover the BP oil spill have found themselves turned away not only by BP and its contractors, but also by the Coast Guard, local law enforcement and government officials, reported The New York Times.

According to Rhonda Panepinto, whose company Southern Seaplane was denied airspace access to fly a journalist over the spill, said she was questioned extensively by a BP contractor when making the request. ” Who was on the aircraft? Who did they work for?” recalled Panepinto. “The minute we mentioned media, the answer was: ‘Not allowed.’”

Scientists have also complained about information availability. Three weeks passed between the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which set off the leak, and the first release by BP of images of oil gushing from the underwater pipe.”

It is unclear whether the dispersants used by BP to try and stop the oil spill, or some other reason, is the driving factor behind possible evacuations.

Some of the conspiracy-type web sites are warning that if possible mass evacuations are necessary, then U.S. citizens – including those evacuated – could be placed in FEMA camps and subject to martial law.

Health of Gulf Coast residents threatened

News sources are also claiming that “the coastal atmospheric benzene Phase 1 toxicity saturation is projected to be reached around mid-June, 2010.”

Today, Democracy Now! reported that so far, 86 people in Louisiana and Alabama have gotten sick from the oil spill and the widespread use of chemical dispersants.

“The majority of people who reported sick were clean-up workers and workers on the oil rig, whose symptoms have included throat irritation, cough, chest pain, headaches and shortness of breath.”

It appears that the real situation with the dispersants used by BP is now coming to light. Infowars.com reports today that BP has released 500,000 pounds of emissions into the air in the Gulf.

They write: “BP’s Texas City refinery, more than 400 pounds a day of benzene — 40 times the state reportable levels — was released during a 40-day period while a subunit of the refinery’s ultracracker unit was offline, according to a company filing with the state’s environmental agency Friday.

In all, BP officials said more than 500,000 pounds of pollutants and nonpollutants were released while the company increased flaring as they tried to repair a compressor on the faulty unit.

Refinery spokesman Michael Marr said in its follow up reporting with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, that  BP estimated 36,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides and 17,000 pounds of benzene were released in the 40 days. State law requires 10 pounds or more of benzene and 200 pounds or more of nitrogen oxide during a 24-hour period must be reported through the commission’s air emissions database.”

Benzene and Human Health

According to wikipedia, Benzene is a clear, colorless and highly-flammable aromatic liquid that evaporates quickly into the air, and can dissolve in water. It is formed from both natural processes and human activities; natural sources of benzene include volcanoes and forest fires.

Benzene is present in crude oil, gasoline and cigarette smoke. It is industrially used as a solvent in paints and other chemicals and products such as dyes, detergents, nylon, plastics, drugs and pesticides. Benzene is widely used in the United States; it ranks in the top twenty chemicals for production volume and makes up about one percent of every gallon of gasoline.

Here are some Questions and Answers about benzene:

What are the main health hazards associated with breathing in methane?

According to the Canadian Centre for Health and Occupational Safety web site, “methane is not toxic below the lower explosive limit of 5% (50000 ppm). However, when methane is present at high concentrations, it acts as an asphyxiant. Asphyxiants displace oxygen in the air and can cause symptoms of oxygen deprivation (asphyxiation).

The available oxygen should be a minimum of 18% – or harmful effects will result. Methane displaces oxygen to 18% in air when present at 14% (140000 ppm). It is not expected to cause unconsciousness (narcosis) due to central nervous system depression until it reaches much higher concentrations (30% or 300000 ppm) – well above the lower explosive limit and asphyxiating concentrations.

The effects of oxygen deficiency are:

- 12-16% oxygen in the air = breathing and pulse rate are increased, with slight muscular in- coordination;

- 10-14% oxygen in the air = emotional upsets, abnormal fatigue from exertion, disturbed respiration;

- 6-10% oxygen in the air = nausea and vomiting, inability to move freely, collapse, possible lack of consciousness;

- Less than 6% oxygen in the air = convulsive movements, gasping, possible respiratory collapse and death.

Since exercise increases the body’s need for oxygen, symptoms will occur more quickly during exertion in an oxygen-deficient environment. Survivors of oxygen deprivation may show damage to some or all organs including the central nervous system and the brain. These effects may or may not be reversible with time, depending on the degree and duration of the low oxygen and the amount of tissue injury.

The asphyxiant effects of methane may enhance cardiac (problems).”

Are there health hazards to benzene exposure, i.e. can benzene cause cancer?

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that benzene is a human carcinogen, and can cause various forms of cancer from prolonged exposure.

According to the IARC, benzene is often considered “the mother of all carcinogens,” as a large number of carcinogens have structures that include benzene rings. Occupational studies of workers exposed to high levels of benzene show association with leukemia cancer; including acute myelogenous leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, and chronic myelogenous leukemia. Benzene-related leukemias have been reported to develop in as short as nine months, and can remain dormant for as long as 25 years after initial exposure.

Even a small amount of benzene exposure can cause temporary nervous system disorders, immune system depression and anemia. Short term affects include skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritation, headache, stomach irritation, drowsiness and dizziness. High levels of exposure can result in a rapid heart rate, excessive bleeding, tremors, vomiting, unconsciousness and death. Benzene can cause harmful effects on bone marrow, and can cause a decrease in red blood cells leading to myelofibrosis and myelodysplastic syndrome.

How can I be exposed to benzene? Who is most likely to be at risk?

Undoubtedly, the greatest risk for high level exposure to benzene is in the workplace. Occupational exposure to benzene is likely to occur in the rubber industry, oil refineries, chemical plants, and the shoe manufacturing industry, as well as in gasoline storage, shipment, and retail stations. However, most individuals are exposed to benzene through tobacco smoke, automobile exhaust and other environmental sources such as gasoline filling stations, industrial emissions, and food products that contain benzene naturally.

In addition, certain industries may release benzene into the surrounding air. These include ethyl benzene and styrene-production facilities, petroleum refineries, chemical manufacturing plants, and recovery plants for coke oven by-products. Leakage from underground storage tanks or from hazardous waste sites containing benzene can also result in the contamination of well water.

Is benzene regulated by the U.S. government?

Yes. Because of the dangerous health effects benzene exposure is known to cause, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now regulates benzene in the air and water, as well as emissions by industry. The EPA has passed laws to limit the use and release of benzene to keep levels as low as possible. Regulations set by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, in association with the EPA, limit workplace exposure to a maximum of one part benzene per million parts air (ppm), averaged over an eight-hour workday.

Further, congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974 requiring the EPA to determine safe levels of chemicals in drinking water. Subsequently, benzene’s level was set to zero. (Note: The U.S. government has exempted energy companies from adhering to the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974.)

Do I have legal rights if I have been occupationally exposed to benzene?

Yes. Despite being banned as a solvent in the U.S. for over twenty years, and the decrease of benzene in other manufactured products, workers continue to be exposed to direct and indirect sources of the chemical. The first thing to do if you suspect you’ve been exposed to benzene is to report the exposure to your employer, and seek immediate medical assistance.

If you believe you have been harmed by benzene exposure, you can contact an attorney to learn of your rights, and to file a legal claim for injuries sustained. Individuals can file a lawsuit within two years of discovering a benzene-related illness, regardless of the last time of exposure. Compensation can cover factors such as loss of income, medical costs, pain and suffering, and in the case of Wrongful Death lawsuits, loss of life.

Read more.

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A toxic “solution” gone awry

On Tuesday, June 8, 2010, TruthOut.org reported still further details about the chemicals used in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mike Ludwig writes: “Corexit, the main line of dispersants used by BP, came under public scrutiny last week after a Congressman informed The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it is all but banned in the United Kingdom. The EPA told BP to use less Corexit and invest in chemicals proven to be less toxic and more effective.  BP issued a response defending their decision to use Corexit, and soon the amount of dispersants dumped in the Gulf neared an unprecedented one million gallons.

Dozens of residents along the Gulf Coast have reported headaches, nausea and trouble breathing after coming in contact with oil and dispersant fumes, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. But, Corexit producer Nalco claims the newest version, Corexit 9500, is more than 27 times safer than dish soap, according to a web release.

Nalco is an international chemical company directed by board members  who cut their petrochemical teeth with companies like Monsanto, DuPont, Exxon and – you guessed it – BP. When the media discovered the EPA had rated 12 dispersants as more effective than Corexit, all eyes turned to Nalco board member Rodney Chase, who spent 38 years with BP and left as an executive.

A million gallons of any chemical, including dish soap, could certainly harm people and wildlife, and Corexit is no exception. Nalco’s own safety data sheet identifies three hazardous chemicals in Corexit 9500, and lists symptoms of exposure as “acute” and consistent with reports from the poison control centers.

Corexit 9500 predecessor Corexit 9527 contained the notorious chemical 2-butoxyethanol that allegedly poisoned cleanup workers during the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker disaster. The Corexit 9500 data sheet does not include the chemical in its list of hazards, but a 1996 University of California study on invertebrates concluded that there was no “significant difference” in toxicity between Corexit 9500 and the older formula.

In 2005, researchers at the University of Plymouth in the UK reported that Corexit’s ability to kill invertebrates constituting the base of the underwater food chain increases substantially at a certain concentration level. The report concluded that Corexit poses a threat to shallow water ecosystems like wetlands, estuaries and coral reefs.”

Fighting pollution with pollution can never work

According to the same TruthOut.org article, Conservationist Casi Callaway, director of the Mobile Baykeeper group, said last week: “We’ve had massive fish kills,” said Callaway. “The first fish kill we had was two weeks ago … it was everything, thousands of dead fish.”

It’s reported that; “Callaway said locals have observed BP contract workers filling trash bags with “brown goop” and requesting observers stop taking pictures. She believes the microbes and invertebrates consuming the vast underwater plumes of dispersed oil are depleting the oxygen in the Gulf and choking out other species. She also said it is a “very strong possibility” that dispersants are moving into Mobile Bay ahead of the oil.

Callaway says the dispersants are just a dirty way for the giant corporation to save face. “The chemical dispersant to us is a PR mechanism,” Callaway said. “Get it out of sight, get it out of mind. What we don’t know about the chemical dispersant is every reason not to use it.”

She insists options like siphoning and burning the oil are not perfect, but they are safer than filling the water with chemicals and expanding clouds of sinking oil droplets.”

Methane leaks also could contribute to the situation

There are also reports that the oil explosion has released methane into the water, and that when methane bonds with oxygen it forms carbon dioxide, adding to the greenhouse effect. Reports say that possible acid rain showers in the Gulf are possible.

Stay tuned.

*****

[Top picture: Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Ludke up-channels information during an evacuation of his building following a simulated attack during an operational readiness inspection May 20, 2010, at the Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport, Miss. Ludke is the nuclear, biological and chemical warfare cell chief from the 123rd Airlift Wing. Photo taken by U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora.]

Strasburg, VA – You are much greater than you ever dreamed. You are a soaring spirit – only constrained by a body if you choose to be. That’s what author and spiritual leader Wayne Dyer was illuminating in a November 2005 interview by Ray Hemachandra, Editor-In-Chief of New Age Retailer.

Wayne has this to say about how our spiritual life interacts with our physical body:

“An infant becomes a pre-toddler and then a toddler, and these stages are accompanied by things like crawling, walking, talking, getting larger, and so on. When we become adults, we still are developing.

Carl Jung said there are four archetypes adults go through, and these archetypes are reflected in the development of my work. The first archetype is the archetype of the athlete, reflecting the time in our adult life when our primary emphasis is on our body—what it looks like, how beautiful it is, how strong it is, and so on. We identify ourselves with our body. We are our body.

Growing adults next move to what Jung called the archetype of the warrior. We take our physical bodies out there to do what warriors do. What do warriors do? They are in competition with everyone else. They measure their success and their value on the basis of who they are better than, how much they get, and so on. So, this is the time in your adult life when your primary emphasis is on goal setting, on getting someplace else, and on defeating other people.

If you still are growing, you go through the archetype of the statesman or stateswoman. You stop asking, “What are my quotas?” and stop saying, “What is in it for me?” and, “How much can I get?” You begin to say, “What are your quotas?” and, “How may I serve?” Providing for others becomes much more important in your life than what you can get for yourself.

Finally, if you still are growing, you reach the highest archetype, the archetype of the spirit. This is the time when you finally realize what Jesus meant when he said, “You are in this world, but you are not of this world.” You are not here as a human being having a spiritual experience, but the reverse is true: All of us here are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Read more.

We are indeed “spiritual beings having a human experience.” So, any discussion of the changes happening across all levels and dimensions in 2010 – 2012  must begin with that reality of Spirit, and move from there.

*****

This article is second in a series on the many changes occurring on Earth during 2010 – 2012, and beyond. We’ll be exploring the spiritual, political and economic changes of our era.

As some of my favorites – Wayne Dyer, Anthony de Mello, Ram Dass, Paulo Coelho, Marianne Williamson, and Pema Chodron – and many other spiritual beings (just like you and me) have observed and experienced: Everything began with Spirit, and everything still begins there.

A few questions to ponder:

- Just how is our spiritual life interacting with our physical body as we experience the world moving faster all the time around us?

- How can we use our Spirit – our connection with Source – to provide guidance and strength as we weather the different types of storms that are surfacing now – in the world, in our minds, and in our heart?

*****

Do you know who you are? Like really know?

There’s an amazing woman named Kiesha Crowther, also known as “Little Grandmother,”  though as Crowther says with a smile,” I’m the youngest, blondest grandmother you’ll ever meet.”

Crowther looks like your neighbor woman next door. What comes out of her  mouth, what she sees, what she has gathered from Spirit about who she really is, and what we’re facing on Earth right now is at the same time both “out of this world” and “yeah, I sensed that all along.”

Little Grandmother  is the last living ancestor of her tribe’s Native American wisdom keepers. With a true humility, she speaks of what she sees regardless of the consequences because she feels called – like many she says alive  right now – to speak about the spiritual realities that are operating in what we see all around us – in both the chaos, and the beauty that exists amidst the chaos.

You are the strongest of your bloodline, an emissary for your ancestors

Little Grandmother says that each person that is alive right now on Earth elected to be here, and was selected to be here now because we are the strongest of our lineage. Each of our help – individually and in unison – is needed to help “turn the tide” against the destruction of the Earth, and each other – directing  it instead toward peace and working together for good. It is indeed up to us, and up to you.

What will you choose? How will you honor those before and after you by your choices over the coming few decisive years? For what and for whom will you stand up?

So much of what we see everywhere – including in the media and in political jargon and inaction – talks about who and what we are AGAINST.

Let’s instead start real dialogues about who and what we are FOR.

If you like, here’s an excellent (2010) video to watch in which you can witness firsthand what Little Grandmother – one of the wisdom keepers of the Earth – has to say. There are indeed “wisdom keepers” in every culture across the planet beginning to talk.

This video is Part 1 of a 2-part evening with Kiesha Crowther, “Little Grandmother”. It was recorded before a live audience at Santa Fe Soul, to help people make sense of the time between now and 2012.

2010 with Shaman, Kiesha Crowther (1 of 2) from Bob Keeton on Vimeo.

Summary of Insights: What’s Happening Spiritually in 2010

If you don’t have the time or inclination to watch the video, here is the “Cliff Notes” summary of the insights that Crowther is communicating:

From my notes, while watching Crowther’s video, in her words:

- It’s all about spirituality, remembering who you are. You come from somewhere much larger than you think.

- Study Nikola Tesla – who was born precisely at midnight on the night of July 9/morning of July 10, 1856 during a lightning storm. He knew far more than the government has let on. He knew the truth of how to change the weather. Government will not be able to contain this secret too much longer. What Tesla said,  we can do. (Learn more about Tesla here.)

- Also study Sir Issac Newton. His findings about distance, time and space were “overlooked” and “dismissed as nonsense.”  There are remains of various ancient cities across the Earth that are very similar to each other.

Ancient intelligence and technology

They are built using angles – down to one degree of each other. This is no mistake. Intelligence and technologies on Earth over 10,000 years ago helped to build these cities – with a purpose greater than this Earth.

- What is real is now coming to light. There can be no cover ups anymore.

- Around the world, wisdom keepers are saying that 2010 is the year we need to “get it”. The time has come for us to wake up to who we really are.

-  Religion is man made. We are all God. We are all connected. Stop letting others limit you. Stop taking what others say as reality. Create your world.
Dream your dreams. They will come true. Stop waiting. There is not time to wait.

- This wisdom must come forth now. We each are chosen to come. Because we are the strongest of the strong. We can remember and we will remember.

- 2010 will be the most amazing year that has ever been seen by humanity. You will see things happen that you’d never think is possible.

The spiral – the most sacred of all symbols – cuts across cultures and times

- The wisdom keepers are just normal people. In every culture, since prehistoric times on Earth, all wisdom keepers have gravitated toward the same symbol: the spiral, the most sacred of all symbols.

To the Celts, the spiral meant “All Universe – Eternity – Goddess.”  To the Romans, it meant “of the gods; the oneness of the soul.” To the Aborigines, it meant “all things that are glorious.” To the  Islamic, it meant ” those things of God which cannot be said.” In the Orient, it meant “the beginning of all life – where God come from.” In India, it meant “the one, female sexuality.

To Native Americans, it meant: “all energy, all consciousness. Great Spirit, the sacred ones, the journey of everything living.” In Africa, it meant “the womb, the great goddess and mother.”  To the Polynesians, it meant “immortality.” And, to the Mayans, it meant “the circle of life; all life.”

Why the spiral? People in each successive period on Earth have seen it. No one taught them about it. All cultures have seen the spiral  in different locations on Earth, across time. It is everywhere. You cannot miss it.

Spirals have been happening all last year (2009). These spirals are “opening something up.” Not since prehistoric times, has there been this much new energy and new life. (My note: This is truly a paradox, as we also see many living things dying right before us.)

- Science will try and explain what will happen in 2010 and tell the people what to believe. Watch for that. Science though, will be without an answer. Millions will see it. There will be no way to cover up something this large. Already – all over the world – many have seen large blue spiral lights in the sky. Google “blue spiral lights seen” for yourself. In late 2009, there was the greatest sighting so far in Norway.

Oh gracious me! Blue spiral lights in Norway

Residents in northern Norway were left stunned after the light show, which almost looked computer-generated, appeared in the skies above them. Read more.

- The Ancient Ones – your ancestors, our ancestors – are telling us that this is a  spectacular time to be alive. These spiral blue lights are one of the last things to come before the change of us and our Earth.

Light beings will come – from the mind into the heart. Someone has to help us awaken. These light beings love us very much, like parents do. They are coming to Earth to help us remember who we are and to share with us how we can create a world that’s much more fabulous.  We have only been living in a dream now.

- The discoveries made during 2010 will surpass your highest expectations.

- The Great Pyramids, Giza, the Dome of the Rock are all important. So too, in Ethiopia,  there is something much more valuable. In a small white church, a blind man is keeping guard over a box for humanity – the real Arc of the Covenant.

- There will be a “pouring out.”  Life will change more rapidly than ever before, as you begin to remember. The Earth is fat and ripened, ready to give up all of her secrets. Government cover ups will be exposed – the knowledge of higher intelligence. Psychic phenomena will be accepted. We’ll discover new ways of knowing, and healing our bodies.  Filthy waters will be cleaned. Child labor will be exposed and destroyed.

We’ve been living in a fog. We all have capabilities far bigger than we thought, including safe ways to produce enough energy for the entire planet.

There are amazing things happening

Life on Earth will be taken out of
of the hands of power, government, and organized religion, and placed in the hands of people who live from the heart. You are an integral part of this. Rise to the occasion. Your ancestors are counting on you, and assisting you.

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“There is a way which seems right unto man; the path thereof leads to death.” ~ Proverbs 16:25

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This article has been Part 2 in the series of articles exploring what people have to say about the many changes happening in 2010. The next article – on what’s happening on Earth politically – will follow soon.

To read the breaking 7Bends.com article – published on April 18, 2010 – about the rare “T” eight-planet line up which will happen in less than a week – on June 13, 2010 – and the coming total solar eclipse on July 10, 2010, click here.

An Analogy: Anatomy of a Wheel

Your web site is like the center of a wheel. All of the incoming links to your site are like the spokes. The more spokes you have connecting to your site from well-known, relevant sites out on the web, the more opportunities people have to find you, and your products and services via the Internet.

Summer Special

In the Internet marketing field, an “incoming link” from an established web site (one that’s that ranks high on Google, and other search engines) to your own web site will do wonders for getting your site found. That’s the way it works and that’s what 7Bends is giving away for the summer.

“Marketing-wise, we want people to really see what one simple, incoming link from a high-ranking site, like 7Bends.com, can accomplish for them,” says Susan Thompson, the Managing Editor of 7Bends.com, the premiere uncensored independent news source for the Mid-Atlantic.

“It’s a first step in the web marketing process.”

Until September, 1, 2010, 7Bends.com is providing one free listing (and link) per business/organization free of charge. After that time, each listing will be $25/year.

It’s Easy

Just go to this web page on 7Bends.com, click on “Sign up for 7Bends Business Directory.” and enter the information you want in the form. Include the URL of the web site for your business or organization (which will become your free link). Write your business description and keywords, press “Submit Listing,” and you’re published!

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Taking it one step further – To learn about how optimized web copy writing and web site promotion can increase your web traffic, visit CS-Shen.com, the marketing arm of 7Bends.

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7Bends.com was launched in May 2009, and has grown to be a powerful journalistic platform for disseminating hard-to-find, cutting-edge news, as well as a solid marketing platform for small businesses to advertise their products and services on the web. All optimized articles on 7Bends.com are automatically pinged to top search engines, and top social networking sites, like Twitter and Facebook. Each time a Business Directory listing is created and posted, it’s also distributed this way.

Increasingly, the weather in space is affecting Earth, due to what’s called “geomagnetic disturbances,” or space storms. Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are happening quite often on the sun’s surface, the effects of which hits the Earth about four days later. So many satellites surround the Earth that from outer space, Earth looks like she has a ring around her. These satellites are especially vulnerable to the effects of CMEs.

Most of us have heard about the Northern Lights that occur in places like Alaska and Canada. These are effects of the sun’s activity on our electromagnetic field. So too, the sun’s activity can produce thunderstorms and lightning here on Earth where one can actually see the power of electricity in the eye of the storm. Not sure, but it seems we had such a storm in Virginia last night.

The latest telescopes being developed are able to “see” and monitor the sun’s surface in greater depth than ever before, and take unbelievable images.

These solar disturbances are nothing new. They have been tracked for more than 100 years on Earth. However, what’s different now is that our Earth is highly dependent on electricity and the Internet and satellites as never before. If they go out, so do many of our livelihoods.

As NASA observes: “Space weather has been recognized as a cause of technological problems since the invention of the telegraph in the 19th century. These events produce disturbances in electromagnetic fields on Earth that can induce extreme currents in wires, disrupting power lines and causing widespread blackouts.

These solar storms can interfere with communications between ground controllers, satellites and airplane pilots flying near Earth’s poles. Radio noise from the storm also can disrupt cell phone service.”

Lately, scientists are voicing their concerns about the far-reaching effects that space weather could have on our planet, our lives, and our economies.

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Earlier this week, on May 25, 2010, NASA issued a news release entitled “”Spacecraft Reveals Small Solar Events Have Large Scale Effects.”

It reads:

“NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, has allowed scientists for the first time to comprehensively view the dynamic nature of storms on the sun. Solar storms have been recognized as a cause of technological problems on Earth since the invention of the telegraph in the 19th century.

The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), one of three instruments aboard SDO, allowed scientists to discover that even minor solar events are never truly small scale. Shortly after AIA opened its doors on March 30, scientists observed a large eruptive prominence on the sun’s edge, followed by a filament eruption a third of the way across the star’s disk from the eruption.

“Even small events restructure large regions of the solar surface,” said Alan Title, AIA principal investigator at Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, Calif. “It’s been possible to recognize the size of these regions because of the combination of spatial, temporal and area coverage provided by AIA.”

The AIA instrument also has observed a number of very small flares that have generated magnetic instabilities and waves with clearly-observed effects over a substantial fraction of the solar surface. The instrument is capturing full-disk images in eight different temperature bands that span 10,000 to 36-million degrees Fahrenheit. This allows scientists to observe entire events that are very difficult to discern by looking in a single temperature band, at a slower rate, or over a more limited field of view.

The data from SDO is providing a torrent of new information and spectacular images to be studied and interpreted. Using AIA’s high-resolution and nearly continuous full-disk images of the sun, scientists have a better understanding of how even small events on our nearest star can significantly impact technological infrastructure on Earth.

Solar storms produce disturbances in electromagnetic fields that can induce large currents in wires, disrupting power lines and causing widespread blackouts. The storms can interfere with global positioning systems (GPS), cable television, and communications between ground controllers and satellites and airplane pilots flying near Earth’s poles. Radio noise from solar storms also can disrupt cell phone service.

Launched in February 2010, the spacecraft’s commissioning May 14 confirmed all three of its instruments successfully passed an on-orbit checkout, were calibrated and are collecting science data.

“We’re already at five million images and counting,” said Dean Pesnell, the SDO project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “With data and images pouring in from SDO, solar scientists are poised to make discoveries that will rewrite the books on how changes in solar activity have a direct effect on Earth. The observatory is working great, and it’s just going to get better.”

More details on the SDO Spacecraft

Goddard built, operates and manages the SDO spacecraft for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. SDO is the first mission of NASA’s Living with a Star Program. The program’s goal is to develop the scientific understanding necessary to address those aspects of the sun-Earth system that directly affect our lives and society.”

Their “Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment” measures fluctuations in the sun’s radiant emissions. These emissions have a direct and powerful effect on Earth’s upper atmosphere -  heating it, puffing it up, and breaking apart atoms and molecules.

Researchers don’t know how fast the sun can vary at many of these wavelengths, so they expect to make discoveries about flare events. The principal investigator is Tom Woods of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. LASP built the instrument.

SDO Project Scientist Dean Pesnell of Goddard recently remarked: “These amazing images, which show our dynamic sun in a new level of detail, are only the beginning of SDO’s contribution to our understanding of the sun.”

SDO is the first mission of what’s called NASA’s “Living with a Star Program,” or LWS for short. It’s considered the “crown jewel”  in a fleet of NASA missions that study our sun and space environment. The goal of LWS is to develop the scientific understanding necessary to address those aspects of the connected sun-Earth system that directly affect our lives and society.

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The United Kingdom also has been doing research on how the sun affects the Earth recently. On April 14, 2010, a Scientific American article was published, entitled:  “Sun’s threat to power grids.”

It reads:

“Power grids could be devastated by a storm on the sun, astronomers warned today. Scientists have built a detailed model of the UK’s electricity network to check the effects of what they call “space weather.”

They found that the same storms that produce colourful northern lights produce electrical surges that can cause blackout and destroy transformers in power stations and the national grid.

Warnings of doom surfaced last year soon – after the 150th anniversary of the biggest flare ever seen on the sun – which brought down the telegraph system and caused spectacular aurorae – in 1859.

It’s our Vulnerability to Space Storms That’s Changed

Dr Jim Wild, a Lancaster researcher in the team, told Skymania News: “We need to look at what the consequences of a similar event of a similar event would be today. What has changed is our vulnerability.

“If the world’s transformers are destroyed, you can’t just buy new ones off the shelf. Lose electricity and you can’t purify water, can’t treat sewage, can’t pump oil, you can’t refrigerate anything, communications, satnav and the internet go – it is Armageddon-type stuff.”

The US National Academies has estimated that a space storm hitting the USA could cost 1-2 trillion dollars in the first year and the country would take four to ten years to recover.

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If you want to begin checking out space weather there are many good web sites out there. One I like is an independent web effort called the Propagation, Space Weather, and Sunspot Cycle Resource Center (HFRadio.org).

I’ve set my Twitter account to follow their tweets.

HFRadio.org and related websites are services paid for by Tomas David Hood, its founder. The site is supported through donations. On it, you can  find all of the latest pictures and space weather bulletins and warnings.

Here’s an example of a Space Weather Report from this week:

Current Sunspot and Geophysical Activity Report
Observations, Prognastications, Comments by NW7US (Tomas Hood)

Alert: Weak shock has been detected in the solar wind at 0202 UTC, 28 May 2010. Geomagnetic disturbance is due within 12 hours. This is the result of the arrival of one of several ICMEs (Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections) associated with CME eruptions on May 23 and 24. Minor geomagnetic storm conditions are possible in the next 24 to 48 hours.

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Another great space weather site is called: Cosmicopia – an abundance of cosmic rays. Here is a link to their site.

Happy space watching!

New York, NY – Yesterday, I found a wonderful independent news web site, Democracy Now!  With so many of the major media web sites being owned by corporations, and thus what they elect to report  is based on their business and political positions, it’s refreshing to see a source of information that’s uncensored.

A Challenge

I offer a challenge to you. Let’s do an experiment together. Look at the headlines on Democracy Now! for a week or so, and at the same time, look on some of the corporate-owned web sites. Notice: What’s missing from the coverage most Americans see? What angles are different? And, how much fluff is on corporate-owned stations vs. Democracy Now?

For true democracy to work, people need easy access to independent, diverse sources of news and information.

It takes a little more effort each day to seek out the uncensored stories, but it’s well worth it. Otherwise, we’re in the dark.

At 7Bends, that’s also what we aim to do – bring you the stories – local, national, international that are not being told outright. We are a light-shiner.

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Here is the transcript of an interview that Democracy Now! conducted on fracking – a natural gas drilling technique that is already affecting Americans and their health – all over the country …

TRANSCRIPT

“The Environmental Protection Agency has begun a review of how the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” can affect drinking water quality. We speak to Dr. Theo Colborn, the president of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange and one of the foremost experts on the health and environmental effects of the toxic chemicals used in fracking.

AMY GOODMAN (Democracy Now staff): Right now, we’re turning to a health issue here in this country. Sharif?

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS (Democracy Now! staff): That’s right. We’re going to look at the health impacts of natural gas drilling. As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) begins its review of how the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” can affect drinking water quality, the gas industry is raising new objections.

The Independent Petroleum Association of America told the EPA its intended research, quote, “goes well beyond relationships between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water.” The findings could lead Congress to repeal an exemption that shields the fracturing process from federal regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, as the debate over shale gas drilling heats up, we’re joined here in New York by Dr. Theo Colborn, zoologist and president of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange. She’s one of the foremost experts on health and environmental effects of the toxic chemicals used in fracking fluid.

Welcome to Democracy Now!, Dr. Colborn.

DR. THEO COLBORN: Amy, it’s great to be here with you.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, it’s great to have you in our studio. Start off by explaining what fracking is. What is hydraulic fracturing?

DR. THEO COLBORN: Well, you know, you first have to drill a hole. And fracking goes one step beyond drilling the hole. In other words, the gas comes up out of the hole, but eventually you want to get more gas. And to facilitate that, there’s a now technology called fracking. Actually, industry calls it “stimulating.” And that’s to make it more, you know, citizen-, public-wise acceptable.

But basically, it causes many earthquakes underneath the ground. They put chemicals in large amounts of fluids. Basically, if you’re going to be drilling in the New York City watershed, say, you’re going to be using between three and eight million gallons of water, which may be carrying tons of toxic chemicals that eventually—no one really knows where they’re going to go.

Now, when they fracture, as they go down in the hole, the chemicals are added over a sequence of time, because they’re put in there for various purposes. But when the little mini-explosion takes place underground, that may extend as far as 2,000 feet out from the borehole. And consequently, that extends then this ability of this fracturing process to work. Now, that’s from a direct drilled pipe, and we’ve been using that process for years. More recently, they’ve gone into what they call horizontal fracturing, where as they drill the pipe down in, they bend the pipe, so that the pipe then goes off horizontally below the ground. And that can extend another 2,000 feet.

So the beauty of fracturing, of course, is that you don’t have to make as many perforations on the ground, above, where the people are living, but you also have this access to maybe a radius of a mile or more around where each borehole goes into the ground.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Well, let’s turn to a clip from this documentary Split Estate that investigates fracking. This clip features Weston Wilson, an environmental engineer in the EPA’s Denver office. In 2004, Wilson openly questioned an EPA study that declared fracking poses little or no threat to drinking water.

WESTON WILSON: The former chairman, CEO of Halliburton, Dick Cheney, within a few months of coming into office, and as vice president, he was pressuring the administrator of EPA, Christie Todd Whitman, to exempt hydraulic fracking from the Safe Drinking Water Act regulation.

From my own view as a technician, I just thought it very alarming that EPA technically had described how toxic these materials are—toxic at the point of injection—and still come out with a summary that says they don’t need to be reported or regulated. And that led me, in the fall of ’04, to object on technical grounds. Then the inspector general of EPA began an investigation of my complaints.

And several months into that, Congress took the report from EPA saying that fracking did not present a risk, along with other information, and exempted hydraulic fracking from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. That leaves you and I, as the American public, in this position: we cannot know what the industry injects in our land. It is exempt from being reported.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: That was Weston Wilson, an environmental engineer in the EPA’s Denver office, speaking in 2004. Dr. Theo Colborn, your thoughts on what he was saying on this issue of disclosure?

DR. THEO COLBORN: Well, exactly. It’s very interesting. We’ve been trying to get information on the chemicals that are used to fracture—well, actually, drilling and fracturing. Drilling has its problems, as well. We must not overlook that. And over the years, with the help of government datas and then also information that we’ve basically collected because of accidents and spills, we’ve been able to put together a database in which we have 944 products listed now that are being used in the states where natural gas activity is taking place.

Now, out of those 944 chemicals, we know between 95 and 100 percent of about 14 percent of the chemicals that are being used. We know what they are in those products. But we also have 43 percent of the products that are being used, we know absolutely nothing. We have no idea what’s in those forty-two-gallon drums or the 350- or 360-gallon totes. So we’re dealing with—the information that we’re working with is only based on a very small percentage of the products that are being used. And then—

AMY GOODMAN: So, let’s talk about the health—go ahead.

DR. THEO COLBORN: But the problem here is, what Wes is talking about is, 70 percent—30 to 70 percent of that water that’s injected underground can possibly come back up to the surface. No one knows exactly how much stays underground and how much is going to be coming back up to the surface. So you worry about the long-term effect of that material that’s staying underground, that could appear later coming up in rivers and streams, at people’s well sites, that sort of thing, because we don’t understand the geology underground. But then all that—the rest of that has to come back up. And what people don’t realize is that gas doesn’t come up out of the ground dry, either; it comes up wet. So we have the water we’re taking off of the gas that is not clean, and we have the water that’s coming back up from fracturing.

AMY GOODMAN: We don’t have much time, but we want to talk about the health effects. You are the president of the Endocrine Disruption Exchange.

DR. THEO COLBORN: That’s right.

AMY GOODMAN: Explain what endocrine disruption is and how that relates to these chemicals that you are beginning to identify.

DR. THEO COLBORN: Well, it’s amazing, Amy. We were really stunned when we began breaking out the chemicals by their major health effects, and we found that 43 percent of the chemicals in Colorado, in those that are used there, are endocrine disruptors. Now, and in our national survey, it’s 37 percent.

But what endocrine disruption does, basically, these are the chemicals that we now understand better—by the way, that are made from natural gas, believe it or not—the plastics that—and pesticides and other industrial chemicals. These are the chemicals that can get into the pregnant woman and enter the womb, while her baby is developing in her womb, and alter how those children are born.

And this is our big concern today, because we’re facing major pandemics of endocrine-driven disorders – simple things like ADHD, autism, diabetes, obesity, early testicular cancer, endometriosis. These are all endocrine-driven disorders that we’re very concerned about.

And these products are being injected underground, for centuries, maybe, to stay before they surface, and also coming back up. So the big problem is – with natural gas, is dealing with the water when it comes back up.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And the EPA now is conducting a national study looking at natural gas drilling. What do you think is the significance of the study, and is it funded well enough?

DR. THEO COLBORN: Well, I’m concerned about the funding, actually, and the time limit on it, too. It’s been given to the Office of Research and Development. Dr. Paul Anastas is now running that division of EPA, which was a great appointment by Obama recently, and I have a lot of faith in him.

But there is—you know, it’s easy to go into a laboratory and set up some test tubes and run an experiment. But you’re working with undefined geology that shifts. Every single place you go, the geology is different, the hydrology is different. And for them to be able to get out there, and in two years, with only $2 million, try to resolve this problem, I don’t think they can do it.

And I did sit in on their day-and-a-half meeting that they had in Washington about the plans they’re thinking about and how they’re going to move forward to do this study. And I’m afraid they’re going to get into what is called the stakeholder process. They’re going to bring in people who know nothing about it, representing all the stakeholders, just like they did with the endocrine disruption panel that they put together in 1996.

AMY GOODMAN: We have five seconds.

DR. THEO COLBORN: Five seconds, OK.

But when you give it to the stakeholders, and you don’t give it to the scientists, you’re—we’ve got to separate the research that we’re doing behind all of this work that’s going on from those—the corporate-controlled decision makers.

AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, we’re going to continue to follow this, because, well, under the guise of energy independence, this whole issue of natural gas drilling is really coming to the fore in this country. Dr. Theo Colborn, thank you so much for being with us.

Take the Time to Get Uncensored News – Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., Democracy Now! is broadcast on Pacifica, NPR, community, and college radio stations; on public access, PBS, satellite television (DISH network: Free Speech TV ch. 9415 and Link TV ch. 9410; DIRECTV: Link TV ch. 375); and on the internet. DN!’s podcast is one of the most popular on the web.

Democracy Now!’s War and Peace Report provides our audience with access to people and perspectives rarely heard in the U.S.corporate-sponsored media, including independent and international journalists, ordinary people from around the world who are directly affected by U.S. foreign policy, grassroots leaders and peace activists, artists, academics and independent analysts. In addition, Democracy Now! hosts real debates–debates between people who substantially disagree, such as between the White House or the Pentagon spokespeople on the one hand, and grassroots activists on the other.

New stations are adding Democracy Now! to their programming schedules all the time, and there are several movements going on around the country right now to bring Democracy Now! to new communities. To find out more about these efforts, and how to get involved, click here.

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The photo at the top of this article shows protesters against fracking in Ithaca, NY. Here is another excellent article about the fight against fracking and the water contamination and health hazards it poses. West Virginia, Pennsylvania  and Colorado have similar situations, and the grabbing of land by big energy companies in the Shenandoah Valley of VA is just beginning.

Our environment and health must come before corporate profits.

One last research note: I was looking into the U.S. Government stance on this issue, and found something very interesting and disturbing. See this link. Would you believe our own Department of Energy has formally announced a partnership with Pinnacle to push forward the “new” technology of hydralic fracturing. Further research shows that Pinnacle is a subsidiary of none other than Halliburton. Should we be surprised?

Shenandoah Valley – Here is an excellent YouTube video on the natural gas drilling frenzy going on along the Marcellus shale (which includes West Virginia and the top portions of Virginia) – and the environmental hazards implicit in the process.  Your drinking water and food supply and health and rights to your private property are in jeopardy.

The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors are currently making the decision on whether to grant a request from a Texas company to drill near Bergton, Va. Likewise, the George Washington National Forest is also making a decision on whether to open up the forest areas to natural gas drilling.

What about drilling in your county? Have your county officials received oil drilling requests yet? How do you feel about drilling near or on your property,  and on Virginia forest land? Ask them. Get informed.

Without adequate state regulations, decisions are happening on the local level (usually by county). Citizens are not always invited into the discussions on these drilling decisions. They must demand participation and community dialogue.

The People Must Speak: Spreading the Word is Essential

It will be the citizens’ health and their land which will suffer the consequences of all of this drilling. Citizens must organize their response to this issue and get involved, otherwise the political/corporate machine that just barrels through making the decisions that best suit their pocketbooks and interests will prevail again.

The video states that there are now three new drilling operations beginning EACH DAY in the Marcellus shale region, and that the Marcellus shale region represents the 2nd largest deposit of natural gas in the U.S. No wonder big energy companies are all over it! There is big money to be made.  The larger consequences, however, must be brought into the light – out in the open.

Take Action at the County Level: Tell All of Your Friends

As a citizen, ask your local Board of Supervisors (or County Administrator) if they have received requests to drill, and the status of these negotiations. Demand that a series of Public Input Sessions be scheduled and widely publicized, and that all operations are conducted out in the open.

Some questions to ask:

Who will profit and who will lose?

Who knows about the drilling requests? Is it a only a few that will decide?

Who could have knowledge about what’s coming down the pike and buy land beforehand to benefit from the drilling?

How will environment, health, and property rights be affected?

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Citizens can also contact their elected officials about this issue and their concerns.

Refer to previous story on how citizens in nearby Pennsylvania are being forced to give up their land to gas drillers – through eminent domain.

Make sure you and your family don’t get the excluded from the debate and decisions. Tell your friends. Join with them. Local officials need to hear from you now.

Rockingham County, Virginia – An article that appeared on citizensvoice.com on May 8, 2010 speaks about what is happening in nearby Pennsylvania that could threaten private property ownership in the Valley – and could threaten the health of Valley residents, the pollution of land and air, and the purity and sustainability of the Valley’s food and water supply.

David Falchek, the author of the Pennsylvania article, gives the example of  Laurie and Brian Kaszuba of Dickson City, Pa, who turned down an offer for $16,000 from a natural gas pipeline company to run a natural gas pipeline through their Great Bend property.

Falchek writes: “If pipeline companies eyeing the Marcellus Shale region have their way, property owners won’t likely have the option to refuse these corporations.”  The article says that Laser Marcellus Gathering LLC, of Houston has applied to the Public Utility Commission to be declared a “utility” in Pennsylvania, “a designation that would give the company the power to condemn any property it needs and to use eminent domain to obtain easements for pipelines.

What are the implications for private property owners in Pennsylvania, here in Virginia, and in other states?

According to Falcheck’s article, “Laser Marcellus Gathering LLC is planning to build a 30-mile pipeline, costing about $37 million, to connect gas wells in western Susquehanna County and New York with the interstate Millennium pipeline that runs across New York state’s southern tier.”

Falcheck continues: “The outcome of the request before the Public Utility Commission (in Pennsylvania) could change the way easements are negotiated. With the Marcellus gas rush well underway and millions of Pennsylvania acres leased by gas exploration companies, pipeline easements are the new wave of legalese to arrive in mailboxes throughout the Marcellus region.

Susquehanna County, a hot-spot for shale gas, is destined host an underground web of pipes from every wellhead. Unlike natural gas exploration companies, so-called “midstream” companies that gather gas have the option of becoming utilities. Several midstream companies have filed motions supporting Laser’s bid.”

According to Stephen W. Saunders, a Scranton environmental attorney: “The company would be able to say ‘negotiate with us or we’ll just take your property through condemnation,’” Saunders said. “There’s no requirement for a utility to negotiate at all. Eminent domain is a nice tool for a company to have in its back pocket.”

The article states: “At most well development sites in other states, there also is right-of-way leasing, said David Messersmith, part of Penn State Cooperative Extension Marcellus Shale Team, which is providing information to the public about the industry. Messersmith expressed a concern about that type of arrangement. “People aren’t up to speed on the terms and the language of these things,” Messersmith said.”

It’s reported that some companies are blanketing the area with lease offers hoping to trade or sell rights-of-way in the future. “Under eminent domain, it doesn’t matter what the property owner says or feels,” he said. “People shouldn’t be forced to have something on their property they don’t want – at any price.”

Turn Now to the Valley —

The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors has received an application from Carrizo (Marcellus) LLC to drill an exploratory gas well in Bergton, Va – which is in Rockingham County, very close to the West Virginia border.

The Rockingham Board of Supervisors received a letter dated May 11, 2010, from the Oil and Gas Accountability Project (OGAP) of Earthworks, an environmental research and advocacy firm who has been asked to comment on Rockingham County’s pending decision on an exploratory gas drilling special use permit application from Carrizo (Marcellus) LLC.

The letter reads:

“We encourage you to thoroughly study the serious issues related to hydraulic fracturing and not rush a decision on the permit. Founded in 1999, OGAP’s mission is to work with communities to protect their homes and the environment from the impacts of oil and gas development.

To this end, we build coalitions among diverse constituencies, are a resource for citizens and communities, and promote policy change in the way oil and gas development occurs. We have been involved in such activities in more than 20 states (including in the Marcellus Shale region) and play a key role in ensuring the fair treatment of landowners and protection of environmental quality.

Your staff has put forth sound comments and recommendations regarding problems with the Carrizo LLC application. These include location of the proposed well in a floodplain; lack of assurance that a disposal pit will be above floodplain levels or able to withstand a flood; the risk of chemical contamination of streams and other surface water resources; lack of specificity on testing of water or definition of “satisfactory” levels of contamination; lack of identification of the chemicals and lubricants to be used by the company; and unclear plans for waste and wastewater disposal.

Importantly, if this special use permit request is granted, no additional permits will be required should Carizzo LLC decide to move from the exploratory into the completion and production phases. As a result, the information and documentation provided by the applicant regarding the environmental and economic impacts of its drilling plans is speculative. Before the current special use permit is granted, questions should be asked and answered regarding the likely impacts of future production on such critical issues as water resources, infrastructure, traffic, air quality, and the health of residents.

With this in mind, please consider the following:

• A single instance of hydraulic fracturing can require between 2 and 9 million gallons of water, placing a considerable strain on municipal water sources and potentially depleting and disrupting aquifers and streams.

• Hydraulic fracturing and drilling processes introduce dozens of chemicals into wells and can release heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and radioactive materials. Contaminating diesel oil may be used to lubricate well bores. These compounds remain present in the resulting wastewater and “produced” water, which have caused instances of contamination in Pennsylvania, Texas, and other areas and which wastewater plants are generally not equipped to treat.

• Although the applicant states that drill cuttings are “just rock cuttings ground up very small,” drill cuttings may contain radioactive compounds. The classification of cuttings and other drilling waste products as “hazardous waste” currently poses challenges for landfill operators in Pennsylvania, New York, and other areas.

• Because of special exemptions in federal law, oil and gas companies are not required to disclose the hundreds of chemicals and compounds used in hydraulic fracturing. Carrizo LLC states that “environmentally friendly” agents will be used, but also that they are “proprietary” (and therefore do not have to be revealed).

Legislation known as the FRAC Act is pending in the U.S. Congress to close this loophole – thereby holding companies accountable for contamination and protecting citizens and municipalities. To date, Virginia co-sponsors include Representative Moran of the 8th District and Gerald E. Connolly of the11th District.

• The United States Environmental Protection Agency is currently conducting a major new study on the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on water supplies and quality, which will likely reveal new evidence critical to permitting decisions by municipalities, states, and counties such as your own.”

It is clear that the well being of the people of Rockingham County, the Shenandoah Valley, and Virginia, may be threatened by the significant environmental and health hazards implicit in the gas drilling process.

In addition, like neighboring states, the property rights of individual citizens may also be at risk if eminent domain status is granted to oil drilling corporations.

Public input needs to be actively sought and incorporated into these decisions on all levels.

In Related News – From a recent Earthworks press release:

Earthworks Oil & Gas Accountability Project has named Nadia Steinzor to their staff. Ms. Steinzor, who started working at Earthworks in mid-April, will lead the organization’s campaign work in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland. “The Marcellus Regional Organizer position represents a milestone for us and we are honored to be adding our voice and expertise to the great effort to reform gas drilling practices in the eastern United States, Lachelt stated.

Nadia Steinzor has worked for over 15 years in communications, writing and editing, and research on environmental and social issues. She has experience as a consultant for progressive non-profit organizations and has held positions at Zero Population Growth, the International Center for Research on Women, and most recently as Director of Communications at the Mohonk Preserve.

Chesapeake Energy estimates that the Marcellus shale has 262 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas reserves. The Marcellus covers a 54,000 square mile region in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland – roughly an area the size of Florida. Thousands of wells will likely be drilled impacting many land and mineral owners, communities and watersheds. Leasing is occurring at a rapid pace and residents are being approached every day to lease the minerals under their land to gas development companies.

Steinzor’s charge is to help reform state oil and gas regulations, educate and support impacted communities and promote EARTHWORKS’ federal reform agenda which includes passing the FRAC Act to remove the exemption of fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act and achieve full disclosure of the chemicals used in drilling and fracturing fluids.

Nadia holds an M.S. in Environmental Policy from Bard College and both an M.A. in Peace and Development Studies and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Nadia lives in Willow, New York, in the eastern Catskills.

]]> http://7bends.com/2010/05/22/eminent-domain-status-application-to-lay-gas-pipeline-across-your-property/feed/ 3 http://7bends.com/2010/05/22/gasland-film-chronicles-natural-gas-drilling-dangers/ http://7bends.com/2010/05/22/gasland-film-chronicles-natural-gas-drilling-dangers/#comments Sat, 22 May 2010 21:25:18 +0000 Press_Release http://7bends.com/?p=4986 Across the USA – A film by Josh Fox entitled Gasland, has won a Special Jury Award in the Documentary category at the Sundance film festival. In light of the oil disaster in the Gulf and what seems to be the modern-day equivalent of the “gold rush” in the U.S., the film by Fox exposes what’s behind the current natural gas drilling boom in the U.S.

Gasland, an International WOW Company Production, gives an up-close look at a newer method of drilling known as “Hydraulic Fracturing.”

Hydrofracking (for short) has opened up new territory in 34 U.S. states to extensive drilling, including the Marcellus Shale, a vast formation that underlies most of Pennsylvania and New York, including the New York watershed and the Catskills/Poconos.

A Cross Country Journey – Water on Fire from Pennsylvania to Colorado

When filmmaker Josh Fox discovers that Natural Gas drilling is coming to his area – the Catskills/Poconos region of Upstate New York and Pennsylvania – sets off on a 24-state journey to uncover the deep consequences of the United States’ natural gas drilling boom.

What he uncovers is truly shocking  – water that can be lit on fire right out of the sink, chronically ill residents of drilling areas from disparate locations in the U.S., all with the same mysterious symptoms, huge pools of toxic waste that kill cattle and vegetation well blowouts and huge gas explosions consistently covered up by state and federal regulatory agencies.

Part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown, Josh and his banjo encounter EPA whistleblowers, congressmen, world recognized scientists, and some of the most incredibly inspiring and heart-wrenching stories of ordinary Americans fighting against fossil fuel giants for environmental justice.

BACKGROUND

From the film’s web site:
“A major upswing in production took place in 2005 when the Congress and the Bush Administration exempted the industry and its new process of drilling, “Hydraulic Fracturing” from the Safe Drinking Water Act and many of our primary environmental protection laws.

While the PR campaign for the Natural Gas industry promotes its product as “clean burning,” it hides the fact that the new form of drilling, pioneered by Halliburton, is incredibly harmful to the environment and threatens to permanently contaminate a huge amount of the country’s water supply, create drastic air pollution conditions, and despoil huge areas.

Despite overwhelming evidence of contamination, mismanagement and corruption, the general public remains unaware of the extreme effect the
drilling may have on their lives.”

Gasland features:

Josh Fox – Dr. Theo Colborn – EPA Whistleblower Weston Wilson – Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO) – Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) – Al Appleton, (Former NYC DEP Commissioner) – Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President – Lisa Bracken, Colorado Resident – Dr. Al Armendariz, EPA Administrator for Region 6 – Wilma Subra, MacArthur Genius Award recipient in the field of Water/Soil contamination – John Fenton, Wyoming Rancher – Shirley McNall, New Mexico Resident – Rick Roles, Colorado Resident – James Gennaro, NYC Council Environmental Board Chair – Residents from Dimock, PA, Booneville, AR, Dallas/Ft. Worth and other areas.

A Little About Josh Fox

JOSH FOX (Director/Writer) GASLAND is the first documentary feature film by celebrated filmmaker and theater artist Josh Fox. It is his second feature film in two years, following the narrative feature Memorial Day released in 2009.  Josh Fox grew up in Milanville, PA and New York City and his work is known for its mix of gripping narrative, heightened imagery and its commitment to socially conscious themes and subjects.

He is the founder and Artistic Director of International WOW Company, a film and theater company that works closely with actors and non actors from diverse cultural backgrounds, including members of the US Military, activist communities in sustainable energy and design and actors, dancers, designers and filmmakers from around the world to create new work
that addresses current national and global social and political crises.

The company has premiered new work in eight countries with a rotating network over 100 actors, dancers, musicians, technical, and visual artists spanning 35 countries on five continents. With International WOW Company, Josh has received a Drama Desk Nomination, an Otto Award, five grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and five prestigious MAP
Fund Grants, A Ford Foundation grant, an Asian Cultural Council Fellowship among many other awards and honors.

In 2008,  Josh completed his first feature film, Memorial Day, produced by Artists Public Domain, Journeyman Pictures and C-Hundred Film Corp. Memorial Day is a genre-bending examination of American culture and the atrocities of Abu Ghraib, where war is a party and partying is a war. The film premiered at CineVegas Film festival in 2008 and was hailed as “Unforgettable” by Variety and “Uniquley fascinating” by Indiewire, thus garnering a reputation as “the most controversial film at the festival” (according to Spoutblog).

As the Artistic Director of International WOW, Josh has established himself as a significant force New York theatre. In 2004, the New York Times hailed him as “one of the most adventurous impresarios of the New York avant-garde,” and Time Out NY has called him “one of downtown’s most audacious auteurs,” citing his “brilliantly resourceful mastery of stagecraft.”

On stage with International WOW Company Josh has conceived, written, directed, and/or produced over 30 productions in Thailand, Indonesia, The Philippines, Japan, Germany, France and New York City, which have included SURRENDER (2009 Drama Desk Nomination) You Belong To Me, Death of Nations Part V, “Heimwehen”, The Comfort & Safety of
Your Own Home (Top Ten of 2004, NY Theatre Wire), Limitless Joy, The Expense of Spirit; Death of Nations, parts 1-4 and The Trailer; Orphan On God’s Highway; The BOMB; HyperReal America (Top Ten Shows of 2001, Time Out NY); Soon My Work; This is Not the Ramakian; The Sleeping and the Dead; Stairway to the Stars; and American Interference (Best in the Fringe Festival, Village Voice).

For more information, you can visit the Gasland web site and blog, which has a list of the upcoming cities where Josh Fox will be speaking and showing his film, Gasland.  There are also video clips on the web site above.

Print Options for Small Business Owners: Less Effective and Reliable

Five years ago, even two years ago, a small business owner would be looking at print media to get out their message. The newspaper and the magazine were king.  Advertisers could still count on the people reading those media, and generally count on the people trusting the validity of what they read there. Neither of these assumptions tend to hold true anymore. Subscriptions are down, many people (especially the younger set) are using web news sources almost exclusively now, and with the major news organizations being owned by corporations (who make their money through political connections), the “news” one gets may be what the corporations and politicians wish for the people to hear.

The public – and business owners – are getting wise to these realities, and are looking for ways to operate – and market – on their own.

Online Small Business Advertising Options: A lot of  Sales Hype and Confusion

At the same time, the move to the Internet for small business has been exploding, as we all know. Nearly every viable business of any size now has a web site of some sort. Some were built on the cheap by the business owner’s brother-in-law, for example. Others were professionally created by web developers (yet many of these developers were and are unaware of how a web site needs to be built in order for the business owner to be able to market it effectively on their own – over the long-term.)  As a result, many web sites are just gathering  “cyberdust,”  just sitting there, with little or no new content (words, information) added.

The Web Can Be Your Best Sales Rep

Have a plan. Adding strategic information and words to your web site in an organized manner for specific marketing objectives is how the Internet works best as a marketing agent.

In the 1990s, a business web site could go up and it would be generally found – without much promotion – because  companies like Google were building up their databases and needed all of the web sites catalogued (based on keywords)  to sell what they were creating. That’s not the case anymore. Today, there are billions of web sites on the net, and more being launched everyday. So, it’s up to you to give the search engines (actually the little computer “bots” that come and scan your site)  the words that you want your organization or business to be found under.

In 2010, the competition is as fierce as ever. Pure and simple – If a business owner does not market his/her site, there really isn’t much value in even having a web site. Not marketing your web site is like creating a brochure in the old days, and leaving it in the box.

So too, there is so much hype in business and web circles about SEO (search engine marketing) and what it all means, and how it works. Confusion and information overload are often the result.

Some Basic Marketing and PR Strategies that Work on the Web

1. If you have an old web site you want to replaced – or you need a new site – There is CMS (Content Management Systems) software out there, such as WordPress, that can be modified and used as your web site – that already has the capabilities built in to add photos and content very easily – and “serve it up” to the major search engines – and to social networking venues, like Twitter.

You can either go online and  download one of the hundreds of CMS options out there, and build it yourself, if you have the interest and skill – or you can have a system integrator (online marketing firm) begin with your ideas and needs and then use a CMS to create a web platform fro you – from which you can operate and sell.

2. If you have a  web site, but it’s just static, siting there – The search engines operate based on getting new information that people are putting up on their sites, and then “spitting in back” to other people who put in keywords to be able to find what they need.

You want to strategically control the “content bins” (i.e. the words) that the search engines have connected to your business, and you want to feed them new words regularly to keep your company and web site at the top of the heap (Page One) for the given set of words you want to dominate.

If you have a site, and you want to take advantage of marketing your site in a smart, cost-effective way, consider adding a blog to your site, and then delivering information out in cyberspace regularly – on the topics that matter to you most.

3. The most effective copy on the web will be where the words you choose for your business intersect the most popular search terms used to find your type of business. There are free tools out on the web that help you write copy that is both user friendly, and search-engine friendly.

Odd as it sounds, to maximize your marketing online, you are writing to humans as well as computers. Learn more about optimized copy writing, or hire a professional to write optimized copy for you. It will make all the difference in the amount of web traffic you get, and also the types of people you attract. (Optimized web copy is a great way to target specific types of users to your site.)

4. The Internet is intrinsically two-way. Strategy-wise, you’ll want to place optimized copy ON your web site – so the people you want to target can  find you via the search engines AND you’ll want to place optimized copy ABOUT your  company out on the web (with links to your site) to get additional traffic.

This is where online public relations (PR) enters the picture. Getting  feature articles written about your business – that are created for the web – that are optimized with your most effective keywords – can be a huge traffic generator for you. And, likewise, getting press releases about your business placed out on the web (once again with a link back to your site) is what actually works.

A few well-placed banner ads on web sites that reach the geographic areas you operate in AND on web sites geared to your industry or product/service – can also be effective.

5. Knowing the score – Finally, whatever you do on the web for your business, make sure you can measure it. Site statistics software, like Google Analytics, measures your web traffic down to the nth degree.

When you add a promotion, add an article, add another banner ad… you’ll know right away  if your new action was effective in generating targeted traffic, and to what degree. The technology is there to tweak your web marketing efforts as you go (which is the most nimble way to operate, anyway).

An Integrated, Strategic Approach Works Best (just as it always has)

Quite often, the types of companies who market in this “integrated” way on the web – for example, cs-shen.com – are usually run by former Advertising Agency folks who possess the best of both worlds: solid marketing experience gained before the web AND solid experience with web marketing since, as it as changed and matured over the last 10 years.

Maintaining continuity (using the best practices of the past) while embracing the new ideas and strategies that support the values of your business now – is a winning combination, and results in a powerful web presence and marketing platform.

Look to web platforms that know what they are talking about online – to associate your company, whether they be independent news sites, industry or issue consortiums, or local sales/barter groups.

It’s All About Relationships; Teaming up with Like Businesses to Accomplish Joint Objectives

The web is built for partnerships. That’s its nature. A web link is, in essence, the most basic form of a partnership online.  Build from there, and have fun!

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7Bends.com is committed to providing useful, meaningful, thought-provoking content to our readers, and embracing new partnerships  as they surface.

Harrisonburg, VA – So you want to start a business of your own? If so, you need a Business Plan.

The first question you want to ask yourself is: what are you trying to accomplish? Do you need to get funding for your business first? Do you need some professional marketing help to set up a steady stream of customers? Do you need a game plan to help guide your company’s actions and personnel? Any of these reasons are real ones. Decide the answer to this questions first, and your answer will determine what type of business plan you need.

Going for a bank loan, a SBA loan, or to private investors?

Then, you’ll need a more comprehensive business plan – where you define your primary selling proposition, and then you detail the market size and opportunity, and how you specifically will capture and sustain your market.

The main areas of a Business Plan that banks and investors look at are: 1) Management; 2) Marketing; and 3) Financial Projections.

1) Management: Who is running the company? How are they uniquely qualified to make your particular business succeed? How do they mesh as a team; in other words, what can the team accomplish together?

2) Marketing: There are many great ideas, but if one does not “get the word out” effectively and create real dialogue with potential customers or partners, even a good idea will fizzle. What types of marketing vehicles best fit your new businesses’ objectives and needs?

Of course, these days, a big component of your marketing will most likely be on the web. Make sure to get up to date on the latest in search engine marketing and web fulfillment so that you can reach all of the many customers that the web brings to you (i.e. people who you may not have had the chance to meet in person, but who are aligned with you.)

Another area to explore is strategic alliances. Together, a group of businesses can accomplish more than any one business alone. Team up for success.

3. Financial Projections: You’ll need to know what your exact costs are, including the cost of sales. And, you’ll need solid estimates of incoming sales. Having a financial professional to help you know your cash flow situation at all times, and how to use your cash more effectively,  is key.

Why not hire a consultant, perhaps a retired financial executive, to help you manage your cash flow, and to suggest profit strategies – based on his/her many years of experience ? One such consultant in the Shenandoah Valley is Hawksbill MAS. To get an idea of  what a financial operations management (FOB) consultant can do for you, visit this site.

These types of financial and accounting services are available for existing businesses, too.  Firms, like Hawksbill MAS, are also great sources of potential partners for you. Financial people who have been in the business for a long time know many people who can be of help to you.

Hawksbill MAS can also help you with a Business Plan.

Other articles will follow on ways to start and build a business, including your own consulting practice.

Pasadena, CA – NASA has been busy. This past month, the agency has: 1) reported that the Earth’s axis has shifted; and 2) has announced that the 14th expedition of NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) will begin in the deep waters off Key Largo on May 10, 2010.

They also have one of the most popular sites on the web this week, as their satellite photos show the dramatic effects and spread of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Chile Earthquake Shifts Earth’s Axis 3 Inches, and Shortens Days

NASA scientists have determined that the massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile on February 27, 2010 has shortened our days and shifted the Earth’s axis.

Richard Gross, a research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said his team had determined the Chile earthquake shorted the length of an Earth day by 1.26 microseconds. (A microsecond is one millionth of a second.)

In comparison, the 2004 earthquake in Sumatra which triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people was a magnitude 9.1 temblor. That event shortened the days by 6.8 microseconds according to the same computer models.

Researchers have said that all earthquakes affect the Earth’s axis. Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said “Any worldly event that involves the movement of mass affects the Earth’s rotation, from seasonal weather down to driving a car.”

JPL research scientist Richard Gross computed how Earth’s rotation should have changed as a result of the Feb. 27 quake. Using a complex model, he and fellow scientists came up with a preliminary calculation that the quake should have shortened the length of an Earth day by about 1.26 microseconds (a microsecond is one millionth of a second).

Perhaps more impressive is how much the quake shifted Earth’s axis. Gross calculates the quake should have moved Earth’s figure axis (the axis about which Earth’s mass is balanced) by 2.7 milliarcseconds (about 8 centimeters, or 3 inches). Earth’s figure axis is not the same as its north-south axis; they are offset by about 10 meters (about 33 feet).

By comparison, Gross said the same model estimated the 2004 magnitude 9.1 Sumatran earthquake should have shortened the length of day by 6.8 microseconds and shifted Earth’s axis by 2.32 milliarcseconds (about 7 centimeters, or 2.76 inches).

Gross said that even though the Chilean earthquake is much smaller than the Sumatran quake, it is predicted to have changed the position of the figure axis by a bit more for two reasons. First, unlike the 2004 Sumatran earthquake, which was located near the equator, the 2010 Chilean earthquake was located in Earth’s mid-latitudes, which makes it more effective in shifting Earth’s figure axis.

Second, the fault responsible for the 2010 Chiliean earthquake dips into Earth at a slightly steeper angle than does the fault responsible for the 2004 Sumatran earthquake. This makes the Chile fault more effective in moving Earth’s mass vertically and hence more effective in shifting Earth’s figure axis. Gross said the Chile predictions will likely change as data on the quake are further refined.

To see how NASA monitors space weather daily, click here.

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Next Undersea Exploration Mission Dates and Crew Announced

NASA will send two astronauts, a veteran undersea engineer and an experienced scientist into the ocean depths off Florida’s east coast this month to test exploration concepts and learn more about working in an unforgiving, treacherous environment. The 14th expedition of NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, or NEEMO, begins May 10.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut and veteran spacewalker Chris Hadfield will lead the NASA team on a 14-day undersea mission aboard the Aquarius Underwater Laboratory near Key Largo. Aquarius is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Joining Hadfield will be NASA astronaut and flight surgeon Thomas Marshburn, Lunar Electric Rover Deputy Project Manager Andrew Abercromby and Steve Chappell, a research scientist. Abercromby and Chappell work for Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering of Houston.

During NEEMO 14, the ocean floor will simulate aspects of another planet’s surface and a low-gravity environment. In October 2009, a team of aquanauts set the stage for NEEMO 14 by placing mockups near Aquarius of a lander, rover and small crane that simulates a robotic arm.

The NEEMO 14 crew will live aboard the underwater laboratory, venture out on simulated spacewalks, operate the crane and maneuver the vehicles much like explorers would in setting up a habitat on another planet. As the aquanauts interact with these developing technologies, they will provide information and feedback to NASA engineers.

The crew will simulate removing a mockup of the Lunar Electric Rover from the lander, retrieve small payloads from the lander and the ocean floor, and simulate the transfer of an incapacitated astronaut from the ocean floor to the deck of the craft. The rover and lander mockups are similar in size to vehicles NASA is considering for future planetary exploration.

The lander mockup is wider than a school bus is long and almost three times as high. It measures 45 feet wide and 28 feet high, including a 10-foot- high crane. The rover mockup is slightly larger than a full-size SUV, standing eight feet tall and 14 feet long.

While inside Aquarius, the crew will perform life science experiments focused on human behavior, performance and physiology. The mission also includes a study of autonomous crew work. There will be periods when there is limited communication between the crew and the mission control center, much like what could happen during missions to the moon or Mars.

The six-member crew of NEEMO 14 brings a wide range of experience to the mission. Hadfield conducted two spacewalks and operated the International Space Station’s robotic arm, known as Canadarm2, during the space shuttle’s STS-100 mission in April 2001. He also worked extensively with the shuttle’s robotic Canadarm on STS-74 in 1995. Marshburn, a flight surgeon, conducted three spacewalks on STS-127 in 2009.

Abercromby adds his extensive experience in planning and executing field test operations, or analogs, that simulate space environments, such as NEEMO and NASA’s Haughton Mars Project, Desert Research and Technology Studies and the Pavilion Lake Research Project. Chappell is an active member of Rocky Mountain Rescue based in Boulder, Colo., and earned a doctorate degree with a focus on human performance in reduced gravity. James Talacek and Nate Bender of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington are habitat technicians and will provide engineering support.

Click here for more information about NEEMO.

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NASA Photos From Space Show Effects of BP Oil Spill; Spill Reported to Be As Large as the State of Florida

A pair of instruments aboard NASA’s Terra spacecraft captured these satellite images of the growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on May 1, 2010. The image, from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), shows the spill in the context of its proximity to the Gulf Coast. NASA is also capturing pictures of the oil spill using their the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), a high-resolution instrument aboard the NASA Terra spacecraft.

On April 20, 2010, an explosion destroyed the Deepwater Horizon oil platform operating in the Gulf of Mexico 80 kilometers (50 miles) offshore, resulting in substantial loss of life and releasing 5,000 barrels of oil per day into the water. The huge oil slick was being carried towards the Mississippi River Delta, and reached the Louisiana shore on Monday, May 3, 2010.

Fishing has been halted in the Gulf. The Alabama, Mississippi and Florida shores are also bracing for one of the most devastating environmental disaster in history.

The ASTER image is located at 29.0 degrees north latitude, 88.3 degrees west longitude and covers an area measuring 79.1 by 103.9 kilometers (49 by 64.4 miles), about 32 kilometers (20 miles) west of the mouth of the Mississippi River delta. No land is visible in the image.

The varying shades of white in the image reflect different thicknesses of oil (the whiter, the thicker the oil). The source of the oil spill is visible as the bright white area in the bottom center of the image. The thickest part of the spill extends vertically from it, appearing somewhat like the ash plume of an erupting volcano. The wispy patterns of the oil spill reflect the transport of the oil by waves and currents.

To see more NASA photos of the BP oil disaster, click here.

“The partnerships developed through these programs will play a critical role in helping high-growth potential small firms lay a stronger foundation for economic prosperity.”

FAST provides $2 million in funding (up to $100,000 per applicant) for outreach and technical assistance to science and technology-driven small businesses.

The program places particular emphasis on helping socially and economically disadvantaged firms compete in the SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Eligible applicants for FAST grants include state and local economic development agencies, Small Business Development Centers, and colleges and universities. Each state, through its governor, may submit one proposal.

“The FAST program is an important catalyst for helping America’s cutting-edge entrepreneurs continue to drive innovation and create good jobs,” said Karen G. Mills, SBA Administrator. “The partnerships developed through these programs will play a critical role in helping high-growth potential small firms lay a stronger foundation for economic prosperity.”

FAST funding applicants are encouraged to show how they will help support areas such as:

* small business research and development assistance,
* technology transfer from universities to small businesses,
* technological diffusion of innovation benefiting small businesses,
* proposal development and mentoring for small businesses applying for SBIR grants; and,
* commercialization of technology developed through SBIR grants.

Companies supported by the SBIR and STTR programs often generate some of the most important breakthroughs each year in the U.S. For example, about 25 percent of R&D Magazine’s Top 100 Innovations come from SBIR-funded small businesses.

More details about FAST grants can be found here.

Proposals will be evaluated by a committee consisting of small business owners, state level representatives, federal SBIR program managers and representatives of the business and academic communities. The SBA, the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation will jointly review the recommendations from the evaluation panel and make awards based on proposal merit. Varying levels of matching funds are required from each participating state and territory.

The SBIR program — administered by the SBA — requires 11 federal agencies with more than $100 million in R&D spending to set aside 2.5 percent of those funds for competitively-awarded SBIR grants. In Fiscal Year 2007, these agencies provided about 5,500 SBIR federal grants and contracts for small businesses, a $2 billion investment.

STTR requires federal agencies with over $1 billion in extramural R&D funding to set aside 0.3 percent. STTR totaled about 870 awards for $218 million in Fiscal Year 2007.

For more information about the SBIR and STTR programs, visit SBA’s Web site.

Lexington, MA – Optimized copy and great web marketing are factors that determine a web site’s overall performance, but so too is consistency. In terms of response time, some  popular consumer web sites definitely outperform and load faster than others – much to the pleasure of web site visitors.

According to Gomez, the web performance division of Compuware Corp., CDW.com was the most consistent web site in March 2010 among large retailers. “Consistency” refers to how well a web site performs across geographies, networks, times of day, and multiple visits.

Last month, CDW.com, a large web-based computer and electronics equipment retailer, had the best site consistency at 20.63 seconds. Rounding out the top five retailers after CDW.com, Gomez  listed: Amazon.com (20.86 seconds), ColdwaterCreek.com (21.44), Overstock.com (21.63) and Williams-Sonoma.com (21.89).

In March, of the 48 major retailers tested, 23 bettered the group’s average consistency rating of 24.34 seconds.

Top sites – Here are  dozen highest-ranked sites in terms of consistency (as measured in response seconds):

1. CDW.com – 20.63
2. Amazon.com – 20.86
3. ColdwaterCreek.com – 21.44
4. Overstock.com – 21.63
5. Williams-Sonoma.com – 21.89
6. Dell.com – 21.90
7. OfficeDepot.com – 22.50
8. BlueNile.com – 22.52
9. LLBean.com – 22.59
10. Walmart.com – 22.78
11. QVC.com – 22.93
12. Netflix.com – 22.97

Companies ranked #13 through 20 include: Staples.com, Apple.com, FootLocker.com, Target.com, Newegg.com, Peapod.com, Nordstrom.com and JCPenney.com.

(Note: All data for this report was collected by the Gomez Last Mile network, 30 times an hour from Dial Up, Low and High Broadband users across the U.S., 24 hours a day except 3AM to 6AM Eastern. The Consistency calculation is the standard deviation of successful tests over the period measured.)

Gomez is the Web performance division of Compuware, specializing in experience management solutions to optimize web and mobile performance.

To learn more this study, visit the Gomez, Inc. web site.

To learn more about all of the various factors that affect a web site’s overall effectiveness, including web site traffic, visit the Shenandoah Marketing Services web site.

Afton, Va – Here’s something a little different. So many kids today, and for that matter so many adults, can tell you just about everything about technology, but when it comes to living in the wild, or building a camp fire, or good old fashioned survival, they would readily admit that they are clueless.

The time is ripe for the Return to Nature

In our push to have – and be – the latest PC’s, has our connection with Nature slowly dissolved from our lives? Have basic outdoor skills evaporated in thin air? Here’s one chance to drag your kids away from their smart (???) phones and gadgets, and go back to the Source, and re-connect yourself, as well. It’s “Scouting” taken to a new level.

May 7 to 9, 2010, The Living Earth School, at 101 Rocky Bottom Lane in Afton, Virginia, is hosting Family Survival Weekend. It begins Friday evening and lasts through Sunday  at 4 p.m.

Join the Living Earth School for a relaxing, adventurous weekend in the woods with your family. No cell phone. No laptops. No interruptions – except for  the calls from the wild. This workshop will teach the four essential elements of surviving in the woods, so your family can go on in confidence, and will change your relationship with the natural world. This class will lay the foundation for survival and give you the practical tools needed to live closely with the land.

The workshop will discuss: 1) shelter, 2) water, 3) fire and 4) food. Participants will make a debris shelter that will keep you dry and warm without a sleeping bag. Also, carve your own friction fire set, and learn the many crucial skills of survival like wild edible plants, safe water collection, awareness and more.

This class is a fun, hands-on way to learn to live more closely with the Earth and to walk with greater awareness of the beauty the world of nature holds. Participants will also cook over the open fire, tell stories and roam the beautiful forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

About The Living Earth School

The Living Earth School is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia, outside of Charlottesville. Kate and Hub Knott are co-founders and owners of the The Living Earth School.

Their web site explains: “We are in the Chesapeake Bay, James River, and Rockfish River watershed. The Blue Ridge are some of the oldest mountains in the world, once as tall as the Himalayans, and now the rounded tops and ridgelines around us rise about 4000’ above sea level.

The mountains are rich with medicinal plants, wildlife (including bobcat, bear, coyote, deer, owls, etc) and some of the highest diversity of amphibians in the world. There are rock outcrops to explore, creeks to follow, and mysteries that keep pulling ones curiosity further. We use two sites, a camp facility in Sugar Hollow for our summer camp programs and our base camp in Afton.”

Down time is so important these days. Henry David Thoreau would be proud.

Details: Admission for the weekend is $225 (1 adult, 1 child) +$75 for each additional person.

For more information on the Family Survival Weekend, call (540) 456-7339, or visit the Living Earth School website, which illuminates their unique “coyote mentoring” philosophy.

*****

Here are some of the other meaningful, “connective” programs that they offer:

- Father/Son Weekend of Fire -  May 15 – 16

Come spend this special weekend together, diving into the world of fire. Learn the ancient art of fire making, carve your own bowdrill fire set, tell stories, wander the mountains and cook on an open fire under a star lit sky.  Besides a great weekend of fun, leave with new skills you can utilize together into the future.  Sat 9 am- Sun 11am $175 (includes father and son age 6+, each additional child, $65. (Instructors: Hub Knott and Kyle Scaggs)

- Hide Tanning- The Brain Tan Method – May 21 – 23

Learn to tan in a completely non-toxic traditional way. In this class, you will transform a deer hide into a soft, supple, wearable buckskin. Learn to scrape the hair, grain and membrane, brain, wring, soften and smoke the hide. Walk away with a finished braintan buckskin, and an 8 page handout to review when you tan in the future. Hides and materials provided. $200 – Friday- Sunday (majority of 3 days will be necessary, as well as some down time between.) Some camping options possible.

- Mother/Daughter Weekend – May 22 – 23

Come spend a magical weekend with your daughter immersed in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains! We will connect with the natural world, cook over the fire, make wild edible teas, weave stories of mother-hood, daughter-hood throughout our day and weave our tales into a basket.  Mothers and daughters will make their own basket to go home with together.  For participants that attended last year we have advanced basket options to weave into the weekend. Sat 9 am – Sun 11am. $175 – includes mother and daughter age 6+, each additional child, $65. (Instructor: Kate Knott)