Thursday, July 31, 2014
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
How Fracking Changed the World
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| Photo courtesy of Phys.org |
Fracking, as Wall Street Journal energy reporter Russell Gold writes in The Boom, has changed all that, fundamentally altering both the U.S. economy and the nature of communities across the country.
Read more: How Fracking Changed the World
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Man shot dead, woman wounded in Hocking Hills shooting
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| File Photo |
The incident took place at the Wildwood cabin, part of Hocking Hills Backwood Retreat cabins on
The unidentified victim was able to flee the scene to a residence close
by where help was summoned. Deputies, Hocking County Emergency
Medical Services and a unit from Hocking Hills State Park responded
to the residence. The victim advised deputies the shooter may have shot himself and
was possibly still in the cabin.
During a search of the cabin deputies did locate the body of a male. The
alleged shooter fled
the scene in a white 2007
Chrysler Town and Country
van , Ohio
registration DRA8659. It is not known in what
direction the alleged shooter was
traveling and is
thought to live in Franklin County .
Contacted Sunday afternoon, the sheriff ’s office declined
to release additional information and the case remains under investigation.
America's Response to Child Refugees on the Border is Downright Shameful
"Those seething with so much rage and xenophobia that they’d hurl
ugly epithets in the faces of children fleeing
bloody violence in Central
America bring shame to the whole nation. But the response of mainstream America
hasn’t been much better." by Joshua Holland
Read more:
NOAA: Climate data from air, land, sea and ice in 2013 reflect trends of a warming planet
Increases in temperature,
sea level and CO2 observed; Southern Hemisphere
warmth and Super Typhoon
Haiyan among year’s
most notable events
In a July 14 media release, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the release of State of the Climate in 2013 report,
released online by the American Meteorological Society.
In 2013, the vast majority of worldwide climate indicators—greenhouse gases, sea levels, global temperatures , etc.—continued to reflect trends of a warmer planet,
according to the indicators assessed in the Scientists from NOAA’s National Climatic Data
Center in Asheville, N.C., served as the lead editors of the report, which was compiled by 425 scientists from 57 countries around
the world (highlights, visuals, full report). It provides a detailed
update on global climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data collected by environmental monitoring stations and
instruments on air, land, sea,
and ice.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Persons of interest wanted by Vinton County Sheriff
MCARTHUR – In a media release Tuesday
evening, Vinton County Sheriff Shawn Justice asked
for the public’s help in identifying two
persons of
interests.
The two males appear in a photo
provided by the sheriff ’s office and are wanted
for questioning and were last seen in the Hart Ridge Road area.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Vinton
County Sheriff’s Office, 740-596-5242.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Foods your pets should avoid
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| Photo by Michael O'Brien |
By Michael O'Brien
If your pets are anything like mine, they
may come off as omnivores,
eating anything that does not
eat them first. One of my cats has acquired a taste for tomato bisque and all
of my dogs enjoy green pepper, zucchini and lettuce.
There is not
much harm in feeding our
pets human foods.
However, there are some
foods that our animal
friends should definitely
avoid. In addition to
foods, certain plants can be downright deadly for our pets.
State parks offers special military and veterans discounts
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| Photo by Michael O'Brien |
COLUMBUS – Ohio Department
of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director James Zehringer announced that Ohio State Parks will now be offering
additional military discounts.
A 10 percent discount is
available for active duty or military veterans for camping, getaway rentals,
cottages and lodge rooms at any of the nine state park lodges .
“Ohio’s active and military veterans have made countless
sacrifices for our nation, and we wanted to find a way to thank them for their
service,” said Zehringer. “I hope that the brave men and women that have
proudly served our country can take the opportunity to enjoy, with their
families, what their efforts have helped preserve.”
“We appreciate partnering with ODNR to better serve our Ohio
active military and veterans,” said Ohio Department of Veterans Services
Director Tim Gorrell. “Veterans have given much on our behalf, and this is a
way to give back and encourage them and their families to enjoy the outdoor
recreational opportunities Ohio offers.”
In honor of Veterans Day this fall, ODNR will provide active
or military veterans with a 20 percent discount off
camping, getaway rentals, cottages and lodge rooms from Friday, Oct. 31,
through Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014.
Both of these military discounts may only be used for a
single campsite, getaway rental unit, cottage or lodge room per visit and must
belong to the cardholder using the facility. Military identification must be
presented at the time of arrival or check-in to receive the discount.
Follow The Clever Peasants on FaceBook and Twitter @CleverPeasant
After Hobby Lobby ruling, focus shifts to how Obama administration and Congress will ensure contraceptive coverage for affected employees
The U.S. Supreme Court Hobby Lobby decision said closely held corporations that assert a religious objection do not have to cover contraceptive services and methods in their employer-sponsored health plans as required under the Affordable Care Act.Read more at the Guttmacher Institute
Follow The Clever Peasants on FaceBook and Twitter @CleverPeasant
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
ODNR: Ohio's natural gas production nearly doubles from 2012 to 2013
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| Photo by Michael O'Brien |
The Ohio Department
of Natural Resources (ODNR) released data for 352
horizontal shale wells that reported
production in 2013. The
wells drilled in the Utica and
Marcellus shale
produced 3.6 million barrels
of oil and 100 billion cubic feet of gas. On average, Ohio’s oil and gas
production increased approximately 65 percent quarter to quarter from first
quarter 2013 to first quarter 2014.
“Ohio ’s oil and
gas industry is growing and moving our state toward energy
independence,” said ODNR Director James Zehringer. “At the same time, we have
updated our laws and increased our staff to provide Ohioans the proper
protections as the industry
continues to grow.”
ODNR projects all oil and gas wells in Ohio produced 8 million barrels
of oil and 171 billion cubic
feet of gas in 2013. Compared to
2012, Ohio ’s total oil
production increased by 62 percent and
natural gas production increased by 97 percent . The
percentage increase in natural gas
production is the largest in Ohio history , and the
total production
is the fourth highest annual total in state history .
ODNR
also released production data for the first quarter of
2014. A total of 418 wells
reported production of 1.9 million barrels
of oil and 67 billion cubic
feet of gas.
The production growth depends heavily on the development of
the midstream infrastructure
needed to transfer the
resources to market. In a little more than 24 months , a new
industry developed, including 11 processing facilities and miles of new
pipelines. Companies have
spent or have committed more than $6 billion on
midstream infrastructure .
“Companies are
investing billions of dollars and
creating jobs for Ohioans, proving the
value and importance of the Utica shale play,” said JobsOhio Senior Managing
Director David Mustine.
Unitarians vote to divest from fossil fuel companies
BOSTON – In a media release, delegates at the 2014 General
Assembly (GA) of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) meeting in
Providence, RI, today passed a resolution calling for divestment from fossil
fuel companies in the UUA Common Endowment Fund (UUCEF).
The resolution requires the UUA to:
- Cease purchasing securities of CT200 companies as UUCEF investments immediately.
- Continue to divest its UUCEF holdings of directly held securities of CT 200 companies, reaching full divestment of these companies within five years.
- Work with its current and prospective pooled-asset managers for the purpose of creating more fossil fuel-free investment opportunities, with the objective of full divestment of UUCEF indirect holdings in CT200 companies within five years.
- Invest an appropriate share of UUCEF holdings in securities that will support a swift transition to a clean energy economy, such as renewable energy and energy efficiency-related securities.
- Report, via the UUA President and the Treasurer, to each General Assembly from 2015 through 2019 on our Association’s progress on the above resolutions.
Following the vote, UUA President Peter Morales said, “The
UUA has a long-standing history of fighting for our environment. I am proud
that we are going to put our money where our values are on this issue.”
The resolution was carefully crafted by a committed group of
activists known as UU Divest (formally, Unitarian Universalists for Fossil Fuel
Divestment and Sustainable Reinvestment) in collaboration with members of the
UUA Committee on Socially Responsible Investing and the UUA Investment
Committee. The UUA Board of Trustees endorsed the resolution as it was
originally written at their meeting on April 13.
Terry Wiggins, a leader in the divestment effort, stated,
“We, private citizens and the private and nonprofit sectors, need to take
matters into our own hands, and use every strategy we can to convince the
government and public at large of our planetary emergency, and that we must act
now.”
The resolution allows the UUA to retain investments in
fossil fuel companies with which it is engaged in shareholder actions seeking
environmental justice. David Stewart, co-chair of the UUA’s Socially
Responsible Investing Committee, stated, “We are encouraged that the UUA can
continue its longstanding successes in shareholder advocacy while helping to
lead the divestment movement with the approval of today’s fossil fuel
divestment resolution. We believe strongly that any effort that can change the
current trajectory of climate change is a welcome improvement.”
The UUA has a long history of shareholder activism on a
variety of issues including environmental justice. Most recently, the UUA has
worked to increase transparency in the executive office of Chevron Corp. and
supported new Environmental Protection Agency limits on carbon emissions for
new and existing power plants.
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