Category Archives: environment

Fukushima gets much worse

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The water is being contaminated...and they have no effing clue how to stop it.  Why is this kind of thing always an after-thought?  Why are companies allowed to build nuclear reactors (or do fracking or deep well oil drilling)  when they haven’t the slightest idea how to deal with emergencies like this?

Tell me, when your aquifer is contaminated with radioactive waste….where do you go for water?  Where?

Folks, if you don’t have clean water to drink, you die.  Three days is the longest one can go without water.  Three days.

Four things you should know about Fukushima.

Being misled by media here.

And here.  See…it’s all in your head.  It’s all in your head.  It’s all in your head.

This one isn’t quite as bad as the rest, but still has false reassurances.

From the last link:

Fukushima isn’t there yet. So far, most of the material in the core, including the longest-lived isotopes, seems to have stayed there. Far less material entered the atmosphere (only 10 percent of what was released by Chernobyl), and most of that drifted over uninhabited areas of the Pacific.

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Aren’t fairy tales nice?  /snark

I would like them to define “uninhabited areas”….because I’m pretty sure if the living beings in the ocean were given a voice, they would be shouting that they’re pretty damn sure they’re living in the radioactive water.  Good Grief, we human beings can be so dense sometimes….

Liberal media, where are you? **edited

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Diane Ravitch has a link up to a daily kos piece on the non-coverage of issues Americans care about…

**edited to add this link.

The Sky is Pink

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…because the oil and gas industry says so…

Clearly, with all the evidence out there, the oil and gas industry has been allowed to get away with so much because Congress is so beholden to them.

Very little is said about solar or wind power when members of Congress are spouting the latest “the American people want…” schtick….and nobody ever proposes that the American public needs to reexamine their own energy usage.

Funny how during WWII, they didn’t have a problem asking folks “Is this trip necessary?” to save gas and keep tires from wearing out.

But now…?

*crickets*

It’s good to know some Americans are taking it upon themselves to reduce their gas usage by riding bikes.  I know that is not always possible especially for disabled folk…but perhaps that problem could be solved if bikes were designed with disabled in mind? Surely some nerdy engineer could figure out how to design a bike that would be safe and easy for not-so-disabled folk?

Anyway, we are part of the problem, too.  But we still need to tax the hell out of the oil and gas industry, for one–they’re less likely to cause trouble in D.C. with $$$ lobbyists if they don’t have wads of cash lying around…

Forty Years of ALEC

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They’re protesting ALEC in Chicago as I type…the tweets are keeping tabs on what is going on.  Badass Teachers Association is there.  Others have reported rough treatment by Chicago Police.

https://twitter.com/aaroncynic/status/365556308516151297/photo/1

Chicago Teachers Union

 

Offshore fracking

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<sigh>  it took a Freedom of Information request by the AP to get this.

I rather doubt that it’s only been twelve times.  And the troubling thing is that the EPA only considers human life valuable:

In a statement to the AP, the EPA defended its oversight of offshore fracking, saying its system ensures the practice does not pollute the environment in a way that would endanger human health.

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…because killing whales and fish isn’t important.  Neither is contaminating the ocean water…oh, wait…the oil companies are putting freshy clean water back into the ocean when they’re done putting nasty chemicals that they won’t name into the ocean floor.  I mean, there is no waaay that the oil companies would lie or minimize their impact.  /snark

 

The history of pipeline spills

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Really hard to deny the massive incidents when you see this.

You can’t even see Indiana from all the “incidents”.  Nor Illinois nor Ohio.  And Texas!  A state that size that is practically obliterated by the dots should be up in arms about this.    Some folks are wisening up, though–unfortunately, it’s after they become sick and unable to put up much of a fight.

I found this timeline on wikipedia.  It’s pretty hard to deny how dirty this business is and how careless they are.  Why should they care?  They have Congress bought off….

Not only that, here are nuclear and radiation accidents…

…makes you feel all warm and cozy, doesn’t it?  No?

Koch cloud over Detroit

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Holy Crap. 

My worst fears that  I blogged about on that pile of pet coke in Detroit…Good God.  And the Koch brothers get away with murder….oh, it doesn’t look like murder because people die more slowly from emphysema, heart disease, and lung disease and God-knows-what-else….but it’s murder just the same.  Just because one doesn’t see blood spurting doesn’t mean the guilty are innocent.  Unconscionable.

 

Farm land needed in or near Rochester New York

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Mud Creek farm, the organic Community Supported Agriculture sent a plea out for farm land.  If any of my dear readers know someone who knows someone perhaps you can help them:

We are looking for land to farm next year!

The rumors are true. Mud Creek Farm CSA is getting kicked off the land at the end of the year. But we still want to grow vegetables for our hundreds of loyal member families!

FACTS:
For the last five years we have been on a year-to-year lease from a wonderful older gentleman in Victor, whose family now wants to sell the land. We are not in the position to purchase it. We are looking for another leasing situation in the vicinity of Victor or closer to Rochester (South-east side). We think we can do even better than the land we’re on, which is limited in space and has floodplain issues. We have some local options we’re considering, but thought we’d ask you for suggestions.

CAN YOU HELP US?
We need flat, well-drained, tillable land — ideally at least fifteen acres. If you have less than fifteen acres we may be able to piece together something if your neighbors have fields too. We need access to water for irrigation.
We are limiting our search to 30 minutes drive from downtown Rochester.
We need to find a spot (ideally right next to a few acres for U-Pick) to distribute to CSA members. This requires a parking lot area for about 50 cars, access to electricity and potable water. This “people traffic” will be the hardest part to find a home for, but it is a central part of what Mud Creek Farm is about.
We are looking to start farming there immediately, so ideally the land right now is in hay, pasture, organic crops, or fallow. Corn or other crops will mean chemical sprays, so we’d have to wait a few years.

Email me if you have leads: erin@mudcreekfarm. com

THANK YOU!!!

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Erin Bullock, Mud Creek Farm
http://www.mudcreekfarm. com
585-455-1260