Arlington officials report on fracking fluid blowout

Two months ago, 100 homes in Arlington had to be evacuated as fracking fluid spilled out of a drilling site onto the city streets.

Now we know officially what happened, why it happened, and why Arlington officials are blaming the drilling company for "unacceptable behavior."

A series of video recordings obtained by News 8 shows the scene behind the walls of a fracking site 600 feet from a cluster of homes in the state's seventh largest city. In the incident, 42,800 gallons of fracking fluid — boiling up from thousands of feet underground — spewed into the streets and into Arlington storm sewers and streams.

WFAA obtained this video that shows a leak of fracking fluid from an Arlington drilling site (Photo: WFAA)

 

Four attempts and 24 hours later, experts were finally able to plug the natural gas well.

Nearby residents and Arlington officials feared the worst. Now, two months later, fire officials have concluded their investigation.

"Clearly there was a release of unpermitted materials into the stormwater system," said Arlington Fire Chief Don Crowson as he addressed Arlington City Council members on Tuesday.

The good news, according to Crowson: Despite numerous toxic substances being released into the environment, tests show it was not in amounts that did significant damage to the environment.

The bad news? He said the drilling company mishandled the spill.

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Toxic algae bloom may be largest ever off West Coast

© NOAA
A close up of the diatom that produces the marine toxin domoic acid.

A team of federal biologists set out from Oregon Monday to survey what could be the largest toxic algae bloom ever recorded off the West Coast.

The effects stretch from Central California to British Columbia, and possibly as far north as Alaska. Dangerous levels of the natural toxin domoic acid have shut down recreational and commercial shellfish harvests in Washington, Oregon and California this spring, including the lucrative Dungeness crab fishery off Washington's southern coast and the state's popular razor-clam season.

At the same time, two other types of toxins rarely seen in combination are turning up in shellfish in Puget Sound and along the Washington coast, said Vera Trainer, manager of the Marine Microbes and Toxins Programs at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle.

"The fact that we're seeing multiple toxins at the same time, we're seeing high levels of domoic acid, and we're seeing a coastwide bloom — those are indications that this is unprecedented," Trainer said.

Scientists suspect this year's unseasonably high temperatures are playing a role, along with "the blob" — a vast pool of unusually warm water that blossomed in the northeastern Pacific late last year. The blob has morphed since then, but offshore waters are still about two degrees warmer than normal, said University of Washington climate scientist Nick Bond, who coined the blob nickname.

"This is perfect plankton-growing weather," said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Domoic-acid outbreaks aren't unusual in the fall, particularly in razor clams, Ayres said. But the toxin has never hit so hard in the spring, or required such widespread closures for crabs.

"This is new territory for us," Ayres said. "We've never had to close essentially half our coast."

Heat is not the only factor spurring the proliferation of the marine algae that produce the toxins, Trainer said. They also need a rich supply of nutrients, along with the right currents to carry them close to shore.

Scientists onboard the NOAA research vessel Bell M. Shimada will collect water and algae samples, measure water temperatures and also test fish like sardines and anchovies that feed on plankton. The algae studies are being integrated with the ship's prime mission, which is to assess West Coast sardine and hake populations.

The ship will sample from the Mexican border to Vancouver Island in four separate legs.

"By collecting data over the full West Coast with one ship, we will have a much better idea of where the bloom is, what is causing it, and why this year," University of California, Santa Cruz ocean scientist Raphael Kudela said in an email.

He and his colleagues found domoic-acid concentrations in California anchovies this year as high as any ever measured. "We haven't seen a bloom that is this toxic in 15 years," he wrote. "This is possibly the largest event spatially that we've ever recorded."

On Washington's Long Beach Peninsula, Ayres recently spotted a sea lion wracked by seizures typical of domoic-acid poisoning. The animal arched its neck repeatedly, then collapsed into a fetal position and quivered. "Clearly something neurological was going on," he said.

Wildlife officials euthanized the creature and collected fecal samples that confirmed it had eaten prey — probably small fish — that in turn had fed on the toxic algae.

Ayres' crews collect water and shellfish samples from around the state, many of which are analyzed at the Washington Department of Health laboratory in Seattle. DOH also tests commercially harvested shellfish, so consumers can be confident that anything they buy in a market is safe to eat, said Jerry Borchert, the state's marine biotoxin coordinator.

But for recreational shellfish fans, the situation has been fraught this year even inside Puget Sound.

"It all really started early this year," Borchert said.

Domoic-acid contamination is rare in Puget Sound, but several beds have been closed this year because of the presence of the toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) and a relatively new threat called diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP). The first confirmed case of DSP poisoning in the United States occurred in 2011 in a family that ate mussels from Sequim Bay on the Olympic Peninsula, Borchert said.

But 2015 is the first time regulators have detected dangerous levels of PSP, DSP and domoic acid in the state at the same time — and in some cases, in the same places, he said. "This has been a really bad year overall for biotoxins."

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Gluten intolerance and asthma

The incidence of people suffering with asthma in the U.S. continues to grow. Interestingly enough, so does the incidence of people being diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Because asthma can be an autoimmune reaction, the next question is - Are the two related?

According to a new study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, there is a strong correlation.

Source: 127, Issue 4, April 2011, Pages 1071-1073.

[embedded content]

Baker's asthma

Baker's Asthma dates back to an observation from 1700. Bakers exposed to large amounts of flour dust suffered respiratory symptoms that mimicked asthma. This was the first known historical connection between grain inducing asthma. The reaction was later discovered to be an IgE response. IgE is an acute antibody produced by the body's immune system. The antibody causes the release of immune chemicals called histamines. These histamines are responsible for the shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and other allergy symptoms.

Asthma is extremely common and on the rise

According to EPA statistics, approximately 8% of the U.S. population have asthma. The common thought is that asthma is caused by genetics, airborne allergies, and the over emphasis of hygiene (hygiene hypothesis).

The common medical solution is the use of steroid inhalers, and immune suppressing allergy medications. Many patients are told that the asthma is something they will have to medicate for the rest of their lives. The downside to this - chronic steroid use causes vitamin and mineral deficiency, bone loss, and contributes to diabetes. Allergy medications increase the risk for infection and reduce the immune systems ability to fight pathogenic invaders.

Skin testing for allergies is limited and incomplete & misleading

Many doctors perform skin testing for environmental allergies like dust, mold, pollen, etc. Unfortunately, food allergies are rarely looked at as a cause for asthma. If they are investigated, they are usually limited to wheat, soy, peanut, and milk. Measuring wheat allergy is not the same thing as checking for gluten sensitivity. This leads to a lot of confusion among patients. Additionally, skin testing can yield false negative results. Even more unfortunate is the fact that skin testing only measures on type of antibody. There are four more antibodies that contribute to allergy reactions. See the diagram above for more information on this.

Gluten free diet commonly improves asthma

In my practice, I commonly see patients who have been previously diagnosed with asthma. After identifying gluten sensitivity and/or other food allergies with advanced lab testing, these patients always show dramatic improvement. As a matter of fact, for most of them, medication becomes unnecessary.

These patients' immune systems are so busy fighting their food, that they don't have left over immune resources to fight the environment. Add to that the fact that gluten can induce inflammation in the lung tissue.

With more than 20 million cases of asthma, an estimated 30 million people with gluten sensitivity, and an estimated 1 million with people with celiac disease, wouldn't it be prudent to investigate the possibility of an overlap? Shouldn't doctors test for gluten sensitivity as a standard part of practice for every patient with asthma?

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Sinkhole forces residents to evacuate in Illawong, Australia

The sinkhole in Illawong that opened up about 4pm on Monday.

More than a dozen people have fled their homes at Illawong in Sydney's south after a sinkhole swallowed a backyard on Monday afternoon.

The three-metre deep hole opened up about 4pm, forcing police and firefighters to evacuate a row of townhouses on Osprey Drive.

One man was asleep on his couch when he heard a loud crack in his garden outside, the man's friend, Hisham Bashir said.

"He looked outside and the tree had collapsed and the ground started to sink," Mr Bashir said.

"Dirt had sprayed up all over his backyard and on the trampoline. There was dirt all over the windows.

"It's pretty scary, but these things happen," he said.

Police said the hole measured 10 metres by six metres, and was three metres deep. They said it opened up without warning.

Thirteen residents inside the homes were evacuated as a precaution.

They were allowed to return to their villas after structural engineers attended the scene and declared the buildings safe at about 9.15pm.

The townhouses sit on top of a massive garage that services the 22-unit complex, which is prone to flooding, most recently during the Sydney storms in April.

The State Emergency Service said it suspected the flooding had leached into the ground out the back of the property, causing the backyard to cave in.

The site has been cordoned off and police are waiting for power and water engineers to inspect the damage.

Emergency services said it was unlikely affected residents would be able to return for a couple of days.

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Blue Privilege? Cop Admits to Shooting Wife in the Head, Released From Jail In Less Than 24 Hours

In light of the rate at which police literally get away with murder, is it really any wonder why an increasing number of Americans distrust, resent or even hate cops?

North Augusta, SC — At around 7:30 p.m. last Saturday evening, Aiken County Sheriff’s Deputy and former Marine, Matthew Blakley shot and killed his 24-year-old wife, Candace in their North Augusta home. Blakley admitted to having done it, but claimed it was an accident.

Sunday afternoon—less than a day after the killing—Blakley was released on bond. The day after that, less than two days after admittedly shooting his wife to death, authorities declared that the deputy will NOT be charged with first or second-degree murder, but “involuntary manslaughter.” Even if convicted, Deputy Blakley may not receive any prison time at all, and cannot be sentenced to more than five years. Under South Carolina state law, the distinction between murder and manslaughter hinges upon whether there was “malice aforethought” which constitutes murder, as opposed to criminal negligence, which constitutes manslaughter.

The following facts are undisputed:

1.  When Blakley exited his house, blood on his hands, he admitted to shooting his wife.
2.  The coroner ruled that she died from a bullet wound to the head.
3.  She was found dead in her bathtub.
4.  Also found in the bathroom, on the floor, were a broken wedding ring, an M4 rifle, and a spent shell casing.
5.  A second man, who has not been publicly named, was also on the scene, also had blood on his hands, and claimed to have attempted CPR on the victim without success.

In less than two days, the decision was made not to charge the confessed killer with murder.

The double-standard could hardly be any more blatant. Given the facts, it would be absolutely absurd to pretend that Blakley did not receive preferential treatment due to being a police officer. In short, he was literally allowed to get away with murder because he wore a badge. Blakey was, however, fired after he was charged, with Aiken county Sheriff Michael Hunt calling the event “a very unfortunate and tragic incident for both families involved.”

 

This is not an isolated incident. Last year, Joseph Miller, a Pennsylvania State Trooper, shot and killed his pregnant wife. He put a bullet right through her head, claiming it was an accident that took place while he was cleaning his gun. Not only was he not charged with any crime, he is still an armed and dangerous member of the police department.

If you, or someone you know—someone who does NOT wear a badge, that is—was found in those circumstances, do you think for a moment that there would be no investigation? That the powers that be, in less than 48 hours, would proclaim that you would NOT be charged with murder? That you could confess to shooting your spouse to death, and be walking free the next day?

There is a frightening lesson to be learned from these tragic stories. Apparently, if one commits outright premeditated murder but wears a badge, all they need to do to get off scot-free is to say that it was an accident. It doesn’t matter how suspicious the circumstances were or how damning the evidence.

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Obama requests 6 more months NSA bulk surveillance collection

© free.niooz.fr
"Unchained Malady"

It's the oldest trick in the book—when Dad tells you no, ask Mom if you can do it. Now President Barack Obama is playing that game with the surveillance of Americans' phone records.

The Obama administration, on the same day the USA Freedom Act became law on June 2, went to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA court) with a request (pdf) to continue sweeping up phone records during a six-month "transition" period before the Freedom Act provisions take effect.

The USA Freedom Act specifies that call records be maintained by the phone companies, and the government may access them only with a warrant from the FISA court. That's evidently not good enough for the Obama administration.

The Justice Department asked the FISA court to ignore the decision in May by a federal appeals court in the case of American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) vs. Clapper that said the National Security Agency overstepped its bounds in the bulk collection of phone data. "This Court may certainly consider ACLU v. Clapper as part of its evaluation of the Government's application, but Second Circuit rulings do not constitute controlling precedent for this Court," Assistant Attorney General John Carlin wrote in the request.

"The only federal appeals court to have considered this surveillance concluded, after very careful analysis, that it's unlawful. It's disturbing and disappointing that the government is proposing to continue it," Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director of the ACLU, told .

The Justice Department's request was countered on June 3 by the conservative group FreedomWorks. They filed a motion asking that the administration's request be denied on the basis of Fourth Amendment grounds of improper search and seizure, according to . FISA judge Michael Moseman gave the Justice Department until Friday to respond, but there's no word yet on what the response was.

Comment: "The government does not cite a single case in which analysis of the NSA's bulk metadata collection actually stopped an imminent terrorist attack," Judge Richard Leon, unreasonable search or seizure under the Fourth Amendment

-US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Washington D.C., June 2, 2015

FISC: destroying American right to privacy, trampling civil rights of citizens, using unscrupulous means to achieve illegal activities, spying on US citizens...useless with no apologies, authorized by nineteen different judges and renewed forty-one times...what's not to love?

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Ice age warning? Ocean near Iceland unusually cold, no mackerel

© Páll Stefánsson.
A West Iceland beach.

The Icelandic Marine Research Institute's annual spring expedition from May 18 to 30 concluded that the ocean temperature off Iceland has not been lower in 18 years, or since 1997. The number of krill is below average and not a single mackerel was caught.

"In the past years we have always caught some mackerel, and especially last year. But now we didn't see any," Guðmundur J. Óskarsson, one of the institution's specialists, who took part in the expedition, told .

Guðmundur stated that the ocean temperature from Southeast Iceland to the West Fjords has dropped by one to one-and-a-half degree Celsius. However, it can quickly increase if the air temperature increases substantially, he added.

Last month was the coldest May in Iceland in decades.

The expedition is part of the institute's long-term study of the condition of the ocean around Iceland, the vegetation, krill and fish which exist there. Samples were taken in 110 locations.

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