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Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) — Smelling gas one morning, a southern Pennsylvania farmer almost passed out when he went outside to check on his bellowing cows.
One of the animals did keel over, kicking its feet in spasms. A couple of days later, a calf was fighting for its life, the farmer said. It died.
Something awful is happening over the Marcellus Shale, the vast geological formation in eastern North America where energy companies are looking for natural gas.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process for extracting gas by injecting high volumes of water and chemicals into deep wells, has sparked complaints about ruined landscapes and fouled groundwater. Increasingly there is evidence, mostly anecdotal, that animals are suffering.
A new study by veterinarian Michelle Bamberger and Robert Oswald, a professor of veterinary medicine at Cornell University, chronicles case studies of dozens of farmers and pet owners in six states over the Marcellus Shale.
Their findings, published in New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, are a harrowing account of sudden deaths of cattle, as well as reproductive and neurological problems in horses, cats, dogs and other animals.
The Pennsylvania farmers I spoke with have lost cows, calves, a horse, a couple dozen chickens. Many of the animals succumb in the same way: seizure-like symptoms, gasping for breath and a quick wasting away. A Rottweiler and a Dalmatian also fell ill and died.
Crops Lost
These farmers are getting out of the beef business, in part over concern that their animals will become delivery systems for contaminants.
An organic farmer from southeast Ohio told me he has abandoned his cash crop, ginseng, for now, concerned that contaminants would enter his product. He began noticing changes around his 20-acre property in 2007, when a fracking operation began dumping wastewater nearby. He lost quite a few deer that were drawn to the brine and antifreeze in the fluid.
Energy representatives dismiss the veterinarians study. They say that health indicators have actually improved in areas with shale development.
The paper is little more than a collection of personal testimonials that cannot be independently assessed or verified, says Steve Everley, a spokesman for industry group Energy in Depth. The paper is full of bold assertions about oil and gas development, but empty of any facts or scientific evidence to support those opinions.
Causal Link
Establishing a causal link between fracking and specific health threats is tricky. Energy companies are not required to disclose the composition of fracking fluids for proprietary reasons, so they dont.
Like a lot of people who live near fracking operations, many of the farmers I interviewed are in litigation with an energy company and wish to remain anonymous.
We dont know what the chemicals are in a lot of these cases, says Bamberger. It gets very frustrating when you start saying: What was in the tissue? What killed these animals exactly?
In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture quarantined 28 head of cattle after they drank wastewater from a fracking site in Tioga County. The fear was that a radioactive contaminant in the water, strontium, would end up in beef.
In December 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency linked water pollution to fracking for the first time, after examining contaminated water in central Wyoming.
Note to New York
Last month the federal agency announced it would test water in dozens of homes around Dimock, Pennsylvania, a hotbed of fracking activity. It also told New York it would need to improve safeguards for drinking water before tapping into the Marcellus Shale.
New York placed a moratorium on fracking in 2010 so it could revise the rules governing the practice. Bamberger and Oswald are among those who contributed to the tens of thousands of public comments on the draft regulations, which were closed last month.
Bamberger submitted the published study; Oswald contributed 15 pages of his own to denounce the inadequacy of the proposed rules.
There are so many flaws in the document, he says. It is unlikely to be able to protect us from the industrialization of our landscape and hydraulic fracturing.
Now, New Yorks Department of Environmental Conservation will review comments and revise regulations as necessary. It seems inevitable that the state will be fracking eventually, so the question is whether the industry can proceed safely — for humans and animals.
New Yorkers should listen to the stories of farmers, hunters and vets before making the same fracking mistakes that are being made elsewhere.
(Mike Di Paola writes on preservation and the environment for Muse, the arts and culture section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)
–Editors: Jeffrey Burke, Lili Rosboch.
To contact the writer of this column: Mike Di Paola at mdipaola@nyc.rr.com.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff in New York at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
CINCINNATI, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
Phillips Edison’s Strategic Investment Fund I announced today that it has closed two CMBS loans totaling $94.5 million. The new 10-year fixed-rate loans are secured by Bridgewater Falls Shopping Center and Fort Smith Pavilion.
Bridgewater Falls, purchased in 2009, is a 600,000-square-foot regional shopping center in Cincinnati, Ohio, anchored by Target, JCPenney and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Fort Smith Pavilion, purchased in 2010, is a 400,000-square-foot regional shopping center in Fort Smith, Arkansas, anchored by Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Although the assets were purchased in the throes of the most recent real estate downturn, both properties have experienced significant leasing and remerchandising since acquisition, achieving greater than 95% occupancy.
“In this challenging economic environment, these centers attracted national and regional tenants looking to open new locations,” noted David Birdsall, senior vice president of Phillips Edison’s Strategic Investment Funds. “This is a testament to the fundamentals offered by each center, further evidenced by the strong interest we received in financing these assets on a permanent basis. The loan proceeds allowed Strategic Investment Fund I to return 100% of the investors’ capital less than two years following the fund’s final capital call. Fund I also owns three additional assets with upside potential in various stages of maturity.”
Phillips Edison & Company formed Strategic Investment Fund I in 2007 to capitalize on retail real estate opportunities created by the credit crunch and real estate market downturn. In 2011, having fully invested the $65 million in Fund I, the company formed Strategic Investment Fund II with $57 million which it is currently investing.
Phillips Edison & Company specializes in the acquisition, redevelopment, leasing, and management of grocery-anchored neighborhood and community shopping centers. The company’s portfolio includes more than 220 properties, totaling over 25 million square feet in 35 states. The privately owned, fully integrated real estate company has corporate offices in Cincinnati and Salt Lake City, as well as regional offices across the country.
SOURCE Phillips Edison & Company
Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved
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Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
Macys Beauty Spot concierge Sayla Ike, right, helps Eve Diaz, 22, at the interactive kiosk at the Macys in Tysons Corner Center, in Northern Virginia. Virtual shopping experiences put online shopping in a physical environment.
Credit: Sabree Hill / UptownMessenger.com
The Uptown Square building at 170 Broadway will be demolished to make way for an expansion of Lambeth House.
The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University today announced a collaboration with Worcester Technical High School (WTHS) that will bring a low-cost primary care clinic to pets from underserved areas throughout the Greater Worcester Area.
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Located on the high schools campus on Skyline Drive in Worcester, the clinic will pair fourth-year veterinary students in the Cummings School’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program with students in the veterinary assistant program at WTHS. This is believed to be the first time a veterinary school has chosen a high school clinic venue to facilitate an educational and outreach partnership.
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Work has begun on the clinic space, and an opening is anticipated in late spring.
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“This collaboration represents a different way of looking at service to the community, care for needy animals, and educating compassionate, knowledgeable veterinary professionals,” said Deborah T. Kochevar, DVM, PhD, dean of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine., in a prepared statement.
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“Animals and their owners, and students from both schools, win with this model, she said.
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The veterinary school’s involvement in the Greater Worcester area has increased since 2009, when students and faculty began to offer an annual free vaccination and wellness clinic at Worcester Housing Authority residences. That effort has since grown to serve 200 pets each year at six WHA sites.
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“By pairing veterinary assistant students alongside professional DVM students, we will be able to do more than just treat the critically underserved pets among the neediest communities in the area,” added WTHS Principal Sheila Harrity in a prepared statement. “We will demonstrate to our students the career possibilities beyond high school while giving them hands-on education.”
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By requiring proof, for example, of government assistance or residency within a residence at the Worcester Housing Authority, the clinic will focus exclusively on individuals who do not have the means to bring their pets to another clinic in the area.
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Once approved, pet owners will have access to vaccinations, well-being visits and simple surgeries at significantly reduced fees that are just enough to cover the clinic’s costs.
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In addition to providing hands-on experience for both groups of students and pet owners from disadvantaged backgrounds, the clinic is likely to create a public health benefit by increasing the number of pets who are vaccinated against communicable diseases like rabies, as well as providing surveillance data on outbreaks of animal disease that otherwise might go undetected.
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The idea of the clinic grew over time from both sides of the collaboration, but spearheading the concept were two faculty members in the Cummings School’s Department of Clinical Sciences. Associate Professor Elizabeth A. Rozanski, DVM, and Professor John E. Rush, DVM, first conceptualized a clinic to give veterinary students more primary care clinical experience while serving needy animals.
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Students in the technical high school’s veterinary assistant program will take increasingly larger roles as they progress through the four-year curriculum, learning safety and hygiene protocols, scheduling appointments, handling transactions, helping to take histories and steady animals during exams and supervise the younger students in the program.
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By working alongside veterinary students under the supervision of WTHS and Cummings School personnel, veterinary assistant students learn valuable skills, Harrity said, and may also aspire to become veterinary technicians or veterinarians themselves.
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From the movies Ive seen, there were three things I was absolute ly sure I would encounter in my first visit to Thailand: beaches, shopping, and ladyboys. However,because of the sudden onset of floods that killed nearly 600 in the country last year, I was also pretty certain that I would encounter my share of filthy, disease-filled floodwaters. As it turned out, my first three expectations were met beyond doubt, and thankfully, my fourth was nowhere to be found. Rather than encountering chaos and suffering, I was met with a country that persisted in moving forward, all while maintaining the cheery disposition that it is known for the world over. Most importantly, everything was clean and dry.
Eight Things To Do In Pattaya
1. Have dinner at Rimpa Lapin (also known as Rim Pha La Tin) during sunset. The best dining spot is in the back of the restaurant where you have a great view of the entire strip of Golden Beach. Must-orders are the deep-fried sea bass, curry crab, steamed rock lobster, shrimp and prawns, and the fried rice with crab.
2. Try eating in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, that is! Suan Pha Nu Seafood serves the best deep-fried shrimp pancakes, deep-fried crabmeat pancakes, deep-fried mackarel with soy topping, and spicy tom yam soup with seafood. And if they have an entertainer performing on that night, you can even get up for a little impromptu karaoke session.
ShopRunner, the free-shipping program offered by 60 e-retailers, will extend its reach into online shopping services with the acquisition of ShopSanity, a company that helps consumers organize their retail receipts and keep up with retailers offers. ShopRunner declined to reveal what it will pay for ShopSanity.
ShopRunner charges consumers an annual fee of $79 to participate in a program that offers free two-day shipping on all orders from participating retailersenabling merchants to compete against the similar Amazon Prime program from Amazon.com Inc., No. 1 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide. In the past year, ShopRunner has been adding to its services, including a ReturnRunner program launched last fall that lets a consumer return a package by printing out a return label from ShopRunner.com, attaching it to the original package received from a participating ShopRunner retailer, and leaving it at her mailbox for pickup by the US Postal Service.
By acquiring ShopSanity, ShopRunner will be able to offer online shoppers greater convenience. ShopSanity compiles Yahoo and Gmail e-mailed receipts that consumers receive from online retailers, providing consumers with a way to organize and review their purchases. It also compiles aggregated but anonymous data through such e-mail records of what those consumers are paying for products, enabling it to report on where consumers are getting the best deals. ShopSanity can also process receipts sent via other e-mail systems, such as Microsofts Hotmail, if consumers have them forwarded through Gmail.
City Collector Lynne Huff said that in 2011, only 19 individuals
in the city acquired licenses for their dogs. The figure for cats
is worse – zero.
I just dont think people want to pay or take the time to come
down to city hall, Huff told The Missourian. They dont want to
spend the money and dont want to do the things necessary to
register them.
So far in 2012, through January, only one pet has been licensed,
Huff said.
According to Chapter 5, animals and fowl, in St. Clairs code of
ordinances, It shall be unlawful for any person in the city to
own, keep or harbor any cat or dog on or about his or her premises
unless the dog or cat is registered as provided in this
division.
And, the ordinance goes on to state that before the pet can be
registered, a valid receipt must be presented showing the animal
has been vaccinated for hydrophobia.
Owners do have to have proof of shots for rabies, Huff said.
Im sure that keeps some people away.
Fees to obtain a city pet license are $20 for the initial
registration for a dog or cat that is not spayed or neutered and $5
for one that is. After that, the annual cost is $5 for unspayed or
unneutered animals and $1 for those spayed or neutered.
Its not expensive, Huff said. But it is required by city
ordinance.
The ordinance goes on to say that it also is illegal to have a
dog or cat in the city that has not been inoculated for rabies, and
that any such pet found in the city without a proper registration
tag will be declared a nuisance and will be impounded. If an
impounded dog or cat is not claimed within three days by its owner
or others having an interest in the animal, it can be
destroyed.
The regulations also state that every dog or cat impounded under
the provisions of the ordinance can be picked up by the owner by
paying a $10 fee for each day the animal is impounded. The pet then
will be released upon proper registration with the city.
At-large animals picked up are taken to the Franklin County
Humane Society in Union.
Thats another reason to get the dog or cat licensed, Huff
said. If it is found somewhere, we will have a record of who it
belongs to and we can notify them. Otherwise, we wouldnt know and
the owner may never get them back.
Its not that the city wants to make money on this. We dont.
Its a way to help keep track of pets in the city.
Animals at Large
The citys code of ordinances also states that it is unlawful
for any individual in the city to allow a dog or cat to run
through or across the yards, gardens or private property of
another, and all persons in the city shall confine his dog or cat
by leash, chain or proper fencing.
Punishment calls for a $15 fine for a first-time offender plus
any court costs, $30 plus court costs for a second offense and $60
for a third or any additional offense plus court costs. In
addition, the same impoundment rules apply.
For more information, contact Huff at city hall at
636-629-0333.
Statistics
If St. Clair is a typical snapshot of the United States, then
about 1,200 households in the city have a cat or dog.
If only 19 dogs were registered last year, that means only about
1.5 percent of those households had the proper paperwork filed with
the city.
According to 2010 US Census information, St. Clair has 1,908
occupied households. Information from the American Pet Products
Association states that 63 percent of American households – which
computes to the 1,200 number in St. Clair – have a canine or
feline.
In addition, the Humane Society of the United States reported
through its 2011-2012 survey that 28 percent of US households own
at least two dogs while about 17 percent have at least two
cats.
Enforcement
Statistics from the St. Clair Police Department showed that 79
animal-at-large reports were generated in 2011, 74 were made in
2010, 56 in 2009 and 50 in 2008. As far as animals not inoculated,
the report numbers were seven, two, seven and three, respectively.
And, reports about animals not being registered total 12 in 2011,
three in 2010, six in 2009 and eight in 2008.
However, the numbers are low because the local authorities do
not have time to spend chasing animals or checking them for
licenses throughout the city, Chief Bill Hammack said. The city
also does not have an animal control officer, a position that
Hammack said was cut several years ago.
If we get a call, well respond to a dog at large, he told The
Missourian. If we know whose it is, well try to contact them. If
we dont know whose it is, well take it to the humane
society.
The chief said a citation or warning will be issued if the owner
is found.
As far as cats, Hammack said usually they are not chased if
found running loose. However, he said a live cat trap can be picked
up at city hall for residents to use. They require a deposit to
make sure they are returned.
If the trap captures a stray cat, the animal will be treated the
same way as a dog, Hammack said.
Grocery shopping is now as simple as a few cell phone clicks.
Philadelphians spend on average of nearly 30 minutes commuting to work, according to the US Census Bureau. That amounts to 2.5 hours per week. And now, commuters can put that time to good use by getting a jump start on their grocery shopping–provided they have a smartphone.
For the first time in the US, Peapod, the nations largest internet grocer, is using Titans transit advertising to get the word out about its mobile app for Philadelphia residents. Once Peapods mobile app is downloaded, people can shop smarter and faster–wherever they are.
Users simply scan the QR code listed in the ad to get the Peapod app, use the barcode icon to start scanning the items on the ads and once in the app, browse thousands of items–just as they would in the brick and mortar grocery store. Peapod is also running a special promotion. Users are encouraged use PHILLYRAIL as a promo code for $20 off their first order and 60 days of free delivery.
Brands like Coke, Stroehmann and Pamp;G have partnered with Peapod to reach on-the-go consumers in this convenient, innovative way.
At Peapod by GIANT we want to make it easier to grocery shop anywhere any time–even while waiting for the train. Using their smartphones or tablet computers, customers can shop for great products from GIANT in a new way, said Mike Brennan, chief operating officer for Peapod. We chose Philadelphia to launch this initiative because its a new and exciting market for us. Titan had the most compelling media property in the city and it just made sense for us to let commuters know about our free, convenient application.
Titan, the largest transit advertising firm in North America, has been the advertising partner of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), which serves Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties since 2005.
Its taking the grocery store and literally putting it on the train platform, said Jeff Randazzo, executive vice president, Titan general manager. Combining our media formats with a compelling call to action like Peapods grocery app is a great use of our medium. Who wouldnt want to put commuting time to good use by grocery shopping?
Mother Nature has been unbelievably kind to us this winter, and we humans arent the only ones getting to take advantage of the above-average temperatures companion animals get in on the action, too!
Knowing that there are many fun-loving pets that live in and around our area, were anxious to see what youve been up to. Why not submit a favorite photo of your pet?
What fun activities did your pets get to enjoy this week a hike, perhaps, or a trip to the dog park?
Were willing to bet that a few pets needed a bath after some of their outings. Did you capture an image of your dog covered in mud?
Any pet or animal in the family is welcome in the slideshow we feature each Friday.