94% Room 237

All Critics (119) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (112) | Rotten (7) | DVD (1)

A curious and entertaining documentary.

The human brain is a marvellously suggestible organ.

[A] strange, frustrating, occasionally fascinating doc ...

"Room 237" evolves from an ode to movie love at its most delirious to a wry examination of the crackpot mind at work.

There's enough real evidence supporting the theory that Kubrick was a genius, and that's pretty entertaining all by itself.

It's about the human need for stuff to make sense - especially overpowering emotional experiences - and the tendency for some people to take that sense-making to extremes.

An intellectual exercise, and an entertaining one, especially for those who don't want to label The Shining as just a ghost story.

It has the same entertainment value as listening to a late-night radio host indulge his listeners on Roswell, Area 51 and 9/11. Everything sounds completely crackers, until it all makes crazy sense.

What emerges from Room 237 is not a denigration of conspiracies, but a kind of celebration of our ability to create patterns where (perhaps) none exist.

"Room 237" could become an essential companion piece to "The Shining" from now on. For those who see both, it will be impossible to think about one without the other.

...all about the work of criticism - finding fresh avenues of delight.

Watching it makes you feel like you're attending a really entertaining film class where your classmates confidently let their freak flags fly.

It's an essay about the human need to reject the notion of a random universe and find order and meaning in existence. These people are developing their own creation myths, with Kubrick the mastermind responsible for the Intelligent Design.

Termitic film nerds could chow down for years on the wood chips.

You know when "Room 237? starts getting really scary? When the people in the film start making sense.

Kubrick fans and movie geeks will want to check this film out as soon as possible

Kubrick fans will take 'Shining' to 'Room 237.'

The credibility of these theories ranges from faintly plausible to frankly ridiculous, but Ascher isn't interested in judging them; his movie is more about the joys of deconstruction and the special kind of obsession that movies can inspire.

Some of the interpretations seem more of a stretch than others but all are entertainingly presented by director Rodney Ascher. (The movie) serves as a testament to Stanley Kubrick's cinematic mastery.

As fascinating as it is frustrating

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/room_237_2012/

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Pleasure response from chocolate: You can see it in the eyes

June 24, 2013 ? The brain's pleasure response to tasting food can be measured through the eyes using a common, low-cost ophthalmological tool, according to a study just published in the journal Obesity. If validated, this method could be useful for research and clinical applications in food addiction and obesity prevention.

Dr. Jennifer Nasser, an associate professor in the department of Nutrition Sciences in Drexel University's College of Nursing and Health Professions, led the study testing the use of electroretinography (ERG) to indicate increases in the neurotransmitter dopamine in the retina.

Dopamine is associated with a variety of pleasure-related effects in the brain, including the expectation of reward. In the eye's retina, dopamine is released when the optical nerve activates in response to light exposure.

Nasser and her colleagues found that electrical signals in the retina spiked high in response to a flash of light when a food stimulus (a small piece of chocolate brownie) was placed in participants' mouths. The increase was as great as that seen when participants had received the stimulant drug methylphenidate to induce a strong dopamine response. These responses in the presence of food and drug stimuli were each significantly greater than the response to light when participants ingested a control substance, water.

"What makes this so exciting is that the eye's dopamine system was considered separate from the rest of the brain's dopamine system," Nasser said. "So most people- and indeed many retinography experts told me this- would say that tasting a food that stimulates the brain's dopamine system wouldn't have an effect on the eye's dopamine system."

This study was a small-scale demonstration of the concept, with only nine participants. Most participants were overweight but none had eating disorders. All fasted for four hours before testing with the food stimulus.

If this technique is validated through additional and larger studies, Nasser said she and other researchers can use ERG for studies of food addiction and food science.

"My research takes a pharmacology approach to the brain's response to food," Nasser said. "Food is both a nutrient delivery system and a pleasure delivery system, and a 'side effect' is excess calories. I want to maximize the pleasure and nutritional value of food but minimize the side effects. We need more user-friendly tools to do that."

The low cost and ease of performing electroretinography make it an appealing method, according to Nasser. The Medicare reimbursement cost for clinical use of ERG is about $150 per session, and each session generates 200 scans in just two minutes. Procedures to measure dopamine responses directly from the brain are more expensive and invasive. For example, PET scanning costs about $2,000 per session and takes more than an hour to generate a scan.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/sP3xYVux-9w/130624111014.htm

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Military Buildup s Environmental Takedown

By: Juliana Duran

Map of Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Green portions of the map represent the military bases. With added military personnel, infrastructure issues will be magnified. Photo Credit: http://www.public.navy.mil/fcc-c10f/nctsguam/PublishingImages/Guam_Map.bmp

Guam, a US territory, is an island that is no stranger to war or military presence. It first came under US control after the Spanish-American war. However, during WWII, after Pearl Harbor was bombed, the Japanese invaded and occupied Guam.? Ultimately, American forces retook the island, and following the war Guam was once again under US control and became a territory. Since then, the US military has been present on the island (CSIS 2012). The military has been a large part of Guam?s recent history, and it continues to drive much of the decision making in the Guamanian government. Currently the Navy, Army and the Air Force each have forces on the island and all are expected to increase greatly in the next seven years.

In 2006 a policy decision dictated that 8,000 US troops would move from Japan to a new site to decrease the military footprint on Okinawa and Japan. Guam was chosen as one of the sites of relocation with 5,000 troops and 1,300 dependents scheduled to make the move (McAvoy 2010). However, there are those that feel that the small island is ill equipped to handle the influx of new residents. Due to aging infrastructure, the military buildup will greatly effect Guam?s environment and impact its people if nothing is done to mitigate this problem.

In 2010 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviewed the military?s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). They found the DEIS to be unsatisfactory and recommended many changes (EPA 2010).

It is projected that by 2015, approximately 79,000 more people will move to Guam. ? Many of these new residents will be construction workers sent to work on military buildup projects. With the population of the island at 180,000 residents, that is an increase of approximately 44% (McAvoy 2010). The large immigration of people will have a huge impact on the island?s water supply, creating an estimated shortage of at least six million gallons per day. Even if the Department of Defense is able to drill 16 new wells to improve the water supply, there may still be a shortage of fresh water. However, because of the lack of funding this increase in new wells seems improbable, and the shortage will most likely reach 13 million gallons per day, which can lead to some serious health and environmental problems for the small island.? The shortage will decrease the water pressure on the island, which can cause sewage and storm water to seep into the drinking water. Drinking water contamination can cause water borne diseases, which will affect the lower income communities the most. Water shortage will also decrease the ability of fire fighters to put out fires, putting the safety of Guam?s residents at risk. In order to ensure the safety of Guam?s residents and the future military personnel, the infrastructure on the island needs to be updated drastically and the Department of Defense must take measures to do so (EPA 2010).

Construction near Apra Harbor, Guam. Construction threatens the diverse marine species that live in the harbor as well as creates more waste that has no place to be treated or disposed of. Photo credit: Laurie Raymundo http://www.wri.org/publication/reefs-at-risk-revisited/stories/guam

Wastewater is also a major issue as the infrastructure of Guam continues to deteriorate. The disposal of non-potable water can be an expensive and complex issue in most communities.? In a small space like Guam this problem is compounded by the red tape caused by government bureaucracy.

The EPA states that the Department of Defense (DoD) is directly responsible for the water supply in Guam, and it is responsible for providing the resources and support to address the water shortages. The EPA recommends that the plans for the improvements begin immediately because the influx of people will come as soon as construction begins. However, these recommendations were written three years ago in 2010, and no work to improve the water and sewage systems has been undertaken. Water structures required for an adequate system include wells, storage tanks, treatment facilities, and other facilities none of which have been built. Although the EPA not only commented on the DoD?s DEIS but also gave clear and specific suggestions, the DoD and Congress have failed to implement any of the EPA?s recommendations.

Along with most of the other aging infrastructure in Guam, transportation infrastructure is also in great need of updating. The problem is so apparent that the Department of Defense was forced to add a section in the DEIS specifically addressing off-base road projects. The report, however, is not specific and only includes general descriptions of the projects. The EPA suggests that the DoD better describe the specific construction activities necessary, including the equipment needed and the impact that the building projects will have on the environment. One of the more important suggestions that the EPA gives is to specifically analyze the resource information of each of the 58 sites. It is particularly important to analyze sites close to busy places like schools and hospitals, because the roads in those areas will have higher traffic. Analysis of the sites closer to sensitive biological spots such as wetlands and habitat areas are extremely important because the EPA and other agencies do not want the military construction to have a negative impact on the environment. The EPA also recommends that analysis be done in areas that are not affected by the construction directly but may be affected indirectly such as areas downstream of construction (EPA 2010).

With the additional military construction and presence there will also be additional waste created on Guam, 16,000 lbs. of which would be hazardous. Hazardous waste disposal will be an increasing problem as the island runs out of storage and no longer has an adequate way of handling and storing hazardous waste. The DEIS is not specific regarding the disposal and treatment of hazardous waste and the EPA recommends that the DEIS should include the types and quantity of the waste as well as the plan for the construction of the facilities required for hazardous waste management. One serious type of hazardous material that is already found in buildings in Guam is polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs. Because PCBs were in the paint and caulk used to build some of the buildings in Guam, many of these buildings that are over the limit set by the Toxic Substances Control Act and must be tested and demolished. Although this is a major infrastructure problem that needs addressing the DEIS does not deal with this issue (EPA 2010).

Unfortunately it appears as though congress has no plans to fund these infrastructure updates in the near future even though they are going through with the military relocation. It appears Senator John McCain is taking the lead in opposing the funding.? On March 14, 2013, Senator McCain proposed an amendment to the Consolidated and Continuing Approbations Act, which eliminated $120 million for the Guam civilian infrastructure projects. Unfortunately the amendment was passed by a voice vote much to the dismay of Guam delegate Madeleine Bordallo. She said she was ?appalled that Senator McCain continues to use funding for Guam projects as an example of ?pork barrel? spending?he dismissed water and wastewater improvements, which are already overburdened by our island?s existing civilian and military populations, as egregious and unnecessary.? Though disappointed, Bordallo plans to continue the struggle to secure this money in the next fiscal year (Losinio 2013).

Senator McCain cited budgetary pressures for the reason to cut the spending even though a Representative from his own state just proposed a bill that would approbate $200 million in the next fiscal year for technology in Arizona, an item that can easily be called ?pork barrel? spending. During the proceedings on the Senate floor, McCain brought up the military spending that President Obama cut. He used facts and data to explain just how inadequate the Department of Defense budget would be, including talking about how the so called ?pork-barrel? spending would effect each branch of the military. He compares the protectors of our country to the civilians of the territory, stating that money for infrastructure repair is not nearly important as other military projects. McCain says that it is premature to invest in civilian infrastructure for Guam because the operation has not yet been decided (McCain 2013). However, Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander of the US Pacific Command, gave a date for the transfer of troops. 5,000 troops and 1,300 dependents are set to move in 2020, and although McCain believes that we cannot spend money on infrastructure until all the details of the move are known, many environmentalist including the EPA know that is not the best move. They suggest that because basic infrastructure on the island is already outdated, Guam cannot wait until the military overburdens it to build new structures.

In a turn of events, North Korea nullified the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953. The country has increasingly become more hostile, which has made the United States military in the South Pacific become increasingly more important. The United States believes that this region of the world has become unstable with the abolishment of the armistice, so it is important for the US troops to be prepared. On March 21, 2013 North Korea threatened the US military stations on Japan as well as specifically mentioning the Andersen Air Force Base on Guam (Sang-Hung, Erlinger 2013). The Department of Defense assured Guam that they had missiles to combat anything North Korea would strike with. With this new development in North Korea?s action, the US will likely look to strengthen the forces in Guam and to give more attention to the infrastructure problems.

As the Federal government continues to use an island strategically placed in the Pacific Ocean as a military base and a deterrent to the hostile governments of the region, it does so without consideration for the environmental and sociological impacts on the island and the people that inhabit it.? This seems un-American since these people never invited the United States to use it as a fortress in the first place and they are in fact now American citizens.?? If the United States plans to use Guam as it has in the past, it should secure its future by providing appropriate funding and resources to ensure that the infrastructure will be in place to give the people of Guam the quality of life they deserve.? The environmental and human implications are too serious to leave to political in fighting between a candidate that ran for President and lost.? If Senator McCain is in fact the advocate for the military that he claims to be, he should step forward and be the champion for ensuring that Guam can continue to support the presence of the military for many years to come.

AUTHOR BIO: Juliana Duran is a sophomore in the Dornsife College of Arts and Letters majoring in Environmental Studies. She wishes to incorporate environmental science into the business world and ultimately open up a green business. She hopes this course will aid her in understanding other aspects of the environmental field.

Works Cited:

Losinio, Louella. ?US Senate Adopts McCain Amendment, Cuts Guam Funding.? Marianas Variety. 17 Mar. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.

McAvoy, Audrey. ?EPA Sharply Criticizes Military?s Guam Plan, Cites Water and Sewage Problems.? Los Angeles Times [Los Angles] 23 Feb. 2010. Print.

McCain, John. ?McCain Amendment: How It Went Down on the Senate Floor.? Http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32391:mccain&catid=45:guam-news&Itemid=156. 15 Mar. 2013. Accessed 20 Mar. 2013.

Sang-Hung, Chloe, and Steven Erlanger. ?North Korea Threatens US Military Bases in Pacific.? New York Times. 21 Mar. 2013. Accessed 22 Mar. 2013.

Editor?s note: Scientific Research Diving at USC Dornsife is offered as part of an experiential summer program offered to undergraduate students of the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences through the Environmental Studies Program.?? This course takes place on location at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island and throughout Micronesia. Students investigate important environmental issues such as ecologically sustainable development, fisheries management, protected-area planning and assessment, and human health issues. During the course of the program, the student team will dive and collect data to support conservation and management strategies to protect the fragile coral reefs of Guam and Palau in Micronesia.

Instructors for the course include Jim Haw, Director of the Environmental Studies Program in USC Dornsife, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies David Ginsburg, Lecturer Kristen Weiss, SCUBA instructor and volunteer in the USC Scientific Diving Program Tom Carr and USC Dive Safety Officer Gerry Smith of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies.

Previously in this series:

The 2013 Guam and Palau Expedition Begins
A New Faculty Member on the Team
An Analysis of Sargassum Horneri Ecosystem Impact
Marine Protected Areas and Catalina Island: Conserve, Maintain and Enrich
Northern Elephant Seals: Increasing Population, Decreasing Biodiversity
The Relationship Between the Economy and Tourism on Catalina Island
Guam and Palau 2013: New Recruits and New Experiences
Bringing War to the ?Island of Peace? ? The Fight for the Preservation of Jeju-do
Dreading the Dredging: Military Buildup on Guam and Implications for Marine Biodiversity in Apra Harbor
Is the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Doing Enough?
The Status of Fisheries in China: How deep will we have to dive to find the truth?
The Philippines and Spratly Islands: A Losing Battle
The Effects of Climate Change on Coral Reef Health
The Senkaku/Diaoyu Island Dispute in the East China Sea
The UNESCO World Heritage Site Selection Process
Before and After the Storm: The Impacts of Typhoon Bopha on Palauan Reefs
An interconnected environment and economy- Shark tourism in Palau
A Persistent Case of Diabetes Mellitus in Guam
Homo Denisova and Homo Floresiensis in Asia and the South Pacific
Investigating the Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in Mexico Using Actam Chuleb as a Primary Example
Okinawa and the U.S. military, post 1945
Offshore Energy Acquisition in the Western Pacific: The Decline of the World?s Most Abundant Fisheries

Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=military-buildups-environmental-takedown

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Can An Old Massachusetts Fishing Port Light The World Again?

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick joined state officials, clean energy advocates and union representatives to break ground for the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal.

Jesse Costa/WBUR

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick joined state officials, clean energy advocates and union representatives to break ground for the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal.

Jesse Costa/WBUR

A shabby old fishing port on the South Coast of Massachusetts was once known as the City That Lit the World. Its whale oil powered candles and lamps around the country.

Now, the city is trying to rekindle that flame with an alternative form of energy: offshore wind.

A Distant History Of Wealth

New Bedford's glory days are long gone. The city suffers from a long list of woes ? high crime, persistent unemployment and poor public schools.

For generations, the sea was New Bedford's lifeblood. Now, the water is still there, but the wealth is gone.

You can see just a glimmer of New Bedford's old opulence shining through its cobblestone streets and the whaling captains' old mansions.

"On the eve of the Civil War, New Bedford was the wealthiest city per capita in the United States," says Mayor Jon Mitchell. "New Bedford was to whaling what Detroit was to automobiles."

Striving For New Opportunities

On a chilly May morning, Mitchell joined state officials and local union representatives to break ground on the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal.

The port is being described as the first of its kind in the country ? big enough to transport wind blades the length of a football field. Locals hope it will serve as the hub for the offshore wind industry and bring in jobs. New Bedford's current employment rate is among the worst in the state.

The Energy Department estimates that if the U.S. takes advantage of its wind potential by 2030, some 20,000 jobs could sprout up around the offshore wind industry.

A quarter of the nation's wind reserves lie just south of Martha's Vineyard, and New Bedford is the closest deep-water port. Mitchell says his city is sitting on the Saudi Arabia of wind.

"New Bedford is the biggest commercial fishing port in America," says Mitchell. "We know what we're doing out on the water."

Contagious Optimism

The mayor's optimism is rubbing off on Justin Silvia, who wakes up at 3:30 am to drive more than an hour to get to his job as a heavy equipment operator. He says he would love to find work closer to home so he could spend time with his three kids. He's trying to land himself a job on this port project.

"There's definitely a big buzz in the area as far as how many jobs it's going to create. I mean, the main focus is get as many New Bedford unemployed workers that are capable and trained properly," he says.

New Bedford is already working with Bristol Community College to secure grants that will train displaced workers.

Skepticism Remains ? On The Water And Off

But not all of the folks on the water think offshore wind is the solution to all the city's troubles. Fishermen have been struggling to find work in recent years as the government declared certain waters off limits.

Tony Alvernaz is a fisherman in New Bedford. He wonders how fishermen will be able to navigate around giant wind turbines to find healthy fish.

"New Bedford has been a seafaring city for how many years, how many centuries? And so let's do away with that; let's bring on the wind farm. Is that the answer? I don't think so," he says.

Matt Kaplan, a wind analyst for IHS Emerging Energy Research in Cambridge, says it's a big bet. "Offshore wind will have to be tied to creating jobs in order to really be successful here because of the premium cost."

Kaplan says the problem is that no matter how strong the wind gusts blow, local utility companies have to be willing to pay a premium for pricey offshore wind energy. For now, there are federal subsidies that help nudge development along, but there is no guarantee that the government's helping hand will always be there.

Still, Kaplan said it helps that New Bedford is first in designing an offshore wind-friendly port.

"But whether that's going to make New Bedford the one-stop shop moving forward forever, for being the only port for offshore wind, I think it's a really tough call just because of the need to really create local jobs in each state that has one of these projects," Kaplan says.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/06/24/190687185/can-an-old-massachusetts-fishing-port-light-the-world-again?ft=1&f=1007

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Studies find methane in Pa. drinking water

FILE - In this file photo from Oct. 14, 2011, a drilling rig is seen in Springville, Pa. State regulators blamed faulty gas wells drilled for leaking methane into the groundwater in nearby Dimock, Pa. It was the first serious case of methane migration said to be related to the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale gas field drilling boom. New research in this area of Pennsylvania demonstrates that it's hard to nail down how often natural gas drilling is contaminating drinking water. One study found high levels of methane in some water wells within a half-mile of gas wells, while another found some serious methane pollution occurring naturally, far away from drilling. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, FILE)

FILE - In this file photo from Oct. 14, 2011, a drilling rig is seen in Springville, Pa. State regulators blamed faulty gas wells drilled for leaking methane into the groundwater in nearby Dimock, Pa. It was the first serious case of methane migration said to be related to the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale gas field drilling boom. New research in this area of Pennsylvania demonstrates that it's hard to nail down how often natural gas drilling is contaminating drinking water. One study found high levels of methane in some water wells within a half-mile of gas wells, while another found some serious methane pollution occurring naturally, far away from drilling. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, FILE)

PITTSBURGH (AP) ? New research in Pennsylvania demonstrates that it's hard to nail down how often natural gas drilling is contaminating drinking water: One study found high levels of methane in some water wells within a half-mile of gas wells, while another found some serious methane pollution occurring naturally, far away from drilling.

The findings represent a middle ground between critics of the drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing who claim it causes widespread contamination, and an industry that suggests they are rare or nonexistent.

The contamination from drilling is "not an epidemic. It's a minority of cases," said Rob Jackson, a Duke University researcher and co-author of the study released Monday. But he added the team found that serious contamination from bubbly methane is "much more" prevalent in some water wells within 1 kilometer of gas drilling sites.

Methane is an odorless gas that is not known to be toxic, but in high concentrations it can be explosive and deadly.

The Duke paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is an expansion of a 2011 study that attracted widespread attention for its finding that drilling was polluting some water wells with methane. The new study includes results from 141 northeastern Pennsylvania water wells. It found methane levels were an average of six times higher in the water wells closer to drilling sites, compared with those farther away. Ethane, another component of natural gas, was 23 times higher in the homes closer to drilling.

Some of the methane was at dangerous levels. The study found 12 homes with levels above the recommended federal limit of 28 milligrams per liter, and 11 of those water wells were closer to gas drilling sites. Jackson said the researchers believe that faulty drilling can cause methane pollution, but that natural causes can, too. Eighty percent of all the water wells they tested contained some level of methane, including many with no nearby drilling.

In 2011, Pennsylvania strengthened rules for the steel casing and cement around the top of a gas well that are meant to protect water supplies from contamination, but some older wells weren't drilled to those standards.

There was some good news, Jackson said: The Duke researchers haven't found any evidence that chemicals from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have contaminated water wells.

"We're not seeing the things that people are most afraid of," Jackson said, referring to the chemicals used in fracking.

The research is important because gas drilling has recently boomed in large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia and is being closely studied by officials in New York, where there's a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing for gas.

To get at the natural gas trapped deep underground, drillers crack open rock with a high-pressure mix of water, fine sand and chemicals pumped into wells. The industry has brought a windfall of royalties and jobs to some communities, but also concerns about air and water contamination.

The situation is complicated because Pennsylvania has many layers of oil, gas, and coal-bearing rock as well as natural faults. All those can enable gas to seep naturally into water wells, even in areas without drilling.

One researcher who now consults for oil and gas companies and other clients questioned some of the Duke findings.

Fred Baldassare, who worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for 25 years, said the study doesn't present an accurate picture of the whole state because the Duke team went to areas where residents had complained about drilling contamination, rather than doing a random sample. Baldassare runs a research company called Eschelon Applied Geosciences.

Baldassare said that overall the Duke researchers "make a case for stray gas migration caused by gas well drilling activity."

The second water study was published online last week by the U.S. Geological Survey. It found that some Pennsylvania water wells in areas with no nearby drilling are naturally contaminated with high levels of methane. It also found that 85 percent of the samples had radon levels higher than federal safe limits.

One well sample, taken at a hunting club, had such high natural methane levels, it could have been flammable, said hydrologist Ronald Sloto.

"They knew they had a major water quality problem, they didn't know what it was," Sloto said.

The USGS took samples from 20 wells in Sullivan County, in northeastern Pennsylvania, in order to establish a pre-drilling baseline for water quality.

Sloto said his study and the Duke paper confirm that pre-drilling water testing is an absolute necessity for homeowners.

"Once you have drilling you can't get a baseline, it's too late" to determine if drilling caused water problems or if they were already there naturally, Sloto said.

The Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, had no direct comment on the Duke findings.

"Private water well quality and construction, as well as methane migration, is a longstanding public health issue in Pennsylvania, dating back decades," CEO Kathryn Klaber said in an email.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-06-24-Gas%20Drilling-Water/id-49a2c41e6841403a8e167b1e66bd9540

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Dear Lillie: Final Tour of our Townhome

Well, seeing how we spent the weekend moving out of our townhouse and tomorrow morning (Monday) will be moving into our new home I thought it would be a fitting time to give a final tour of our old home. When you first walked through our front door we had this tiny little space that kind of functioned as our entry area.

Directly next to the bench was our staicase. You can see the before here and how we very inexpensively made the frames here.


I am going to share a lot more living room photos this week as part of the One Room, Three Ways Series so for today will just share one and will come back and update it and add more once I post them. But this is how it last looked:

And here were the last photos I took of the dining room (although I ended up putting the chairs back in the family room):

And the ever-changing dining room chalkboard:

The dining room lead into the kitchen:

And the kitchen opens up to the family room:

And off the kitchen/family room is the back porch:

?When you head upstairs the first bedroom was Lillie's (and recently it became Lola's too once she moved into a "big girl bed").

And then there's Lola's room:

And lastly our room:

Well, that's it! We have made so many memories in this home and it is the only place Lillie and Lola have ever lived so it was sad to say good-bye to it but we are so excited about this next chapter in our lives!

***If you have any questions about where an item is from, paint colors or how something was made be sure to click here for our "Our Home" page that has all sorts of details,? here for our "Tutorials" page, or here for our "FAQ's" page. We don't have our internet hooked up yet at our new house so I will probably get pretty behind on responding to comments.

I'll be back Tuesday Morning with Day 1 of the my One Room, Three Ways!

Source: http://dearlillieblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/final-tour-of-our-townhome.html

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WikiLeaks: Snowden going to Ecuador to seek asylum

A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Graphic shows key locations in the life and career of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden; 3c x 5 inches; 146 mm x 127 mm;

Journalists show passengers arriving from Hong Kong a tablet with a photo of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at Sheremetyevo airport, just outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

FILE - In this ?ug. 1, 2012 file photo, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, right, holds the hands of Christine Assange, the mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, during their meeting in Quito, Ecuador. Correa has embraced his role as a thorn in the side of Washington before, railing against imperialism in speeches and giving Julian Assange refuge in his embassy in London. But nothing he has done to infuriate the United States likely would rankle as much as granting the asylum being sought by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. WikiLeaks said Sunday, June 23, 2013 that Snowden formally requested asylum from Ecuador and the South American country's foreign minister confirmed receiving the request. The woman at center is a translator. (AP Photo/Martin Jaramillo, File)

FILE - In this June 21, 2013 file photo, a banner supporting Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, is displayed at Central, Hong Kong's business district. The Hong Kong government says Snowden wanted by the U.S. for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has left for a "third country." The South China Morning Post reported Sunday, June 23, 2013 that Snowden was on a plane for Moscow, but that Russia was not his final destination. Snowden has talked of seeking asylum in Iceland. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Admitted leaker Edward Snowden took flight Sunday in evasion of U.S. authorities, seeking asylum in Ecuador and leaving the Obama administration scrambling to determine its next step in what became a game of diplomatic cat-and-mouse.

The former National Security Agency contractor and CIA technician fled Hong Kong and arrived at the Moscow airport, where he planned to spend the night before boarding an Aeroflot flight to Cuba. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said his government received an asylum request from Snowden, and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said it would help him.

"He goes to the very countries that have, at best, very tense relationships with the United States," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., adding that she feared Snowden would trade more U.S. secrets for asylum. "This is not going to play out well for the national security interests of the United States."

The move left the U.S. with limited options as Snowden's itinerary took him on a tour of what many see as anti-American capitals. Ecuador in particular has rejected the United States' previous efforts at cooperation, and has been helping WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, avoid prosecution by allowing him to stay at its embassy in London.

Snowden gave The Guardian and The Washington Post documents disclosing U.S. surveillance programs that collect vast amounts of phone records and online data in the name of foreign intelligence, but often sweep up information on American citizens. Officials have the ability to collect phone and Internet information broadly but need a warrant to examine specific cases where they believe terrorism is involved.

Snowden had been in hiding for several weeks in Hong Kong, a former British colony with a high degree of autonomy from mainland China. The United States formally sought Snowden's extradition from Hong Kong but was rebuffed; Hong Kong officials said the U.S. request did not fully comply with their laws.

The Justice Department rejected that claim, saying its request met all of the requirements of the extradition treaty between the U.S. and Hong Kong.

During conversations last week, including a phone call Wednesday between Attorney General Eric Holder and Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen, Hong Kong officials never raised any issues regarding sufficiency of the U.S. request, a Justice spokesperson said.

A State Department official said the United States was in touch through diplomatic and law enforcement channels with countries that Snowden could travel through or to, reminding them that Snowden is wanted on criminal charges and reiterating Washington's position that Snowden should only be permitted to travel back to the U.S.

Those officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case.

The Justice Department said it would "pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel."

The White House would only say that President Barack Obama had been briefed on the developments by his national security advisers.

Russia's state ITAR-Tass news agency and Interfax cited an unnamed Aeroflot airline official as saying Snowden was on the plane that landed Sunday afternoon in Moscow.

Upon his arrival, Snowden did not leave Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. One explanation could be that he wasn't allowed; a U.S. official said Snowden's passport had been revoked, and special permission from Russian authorities would have been needed.

"It's almost hopeless unless we find some ways to lean on them," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.

The Russian media report said Snowden intended to fly to Cuba on Monday and then on to Caracas, Venezuela.

U.S. lawmakers scoffed. "The freedom trail is not exactly China-Russia-Cuba-Venezuela, so I hope we'll chase him to the ends of the earth, bring him to justice and let the Russians know there'll be consequences if they harbor this guy," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

With each suspected flight, efforts to secure Snowden's return to the United States appeared more complicated if not impossible. The United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, but does with Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador. Even with an extradition agreement though, any country could give Snowden a political exemption.

The likelihood that any of these countries would stop Snowden from traveling on to Ecuador seemed remote. While diplomatic tensions have thawed in recent years, Cuba and the United States are hardly allies after a half century of distrust.

Venezuela, too, could prove difficult. Former President Hugo Chavez was a sworn enemy of the United States and his successor, Nicolas Maduro, earlier this year called Obama "grand chief of devils." The two countries do not exchange ambassadors.

U.S. pressure on Caracas also might be problematic given its energy exports. The U.S. Energy Information Agency reports Venezuela sent the United States 900,000 barrels of crude oil each day in 2012, making it the fourth-largest foreign source of U.S. oil.

"I think 10 percent of Snowden's issues are now legal, and 90 percent political," said Douglas McNabb, an expert in international extradition and a senior principal at international criminal defense firm McNabb Associates.

Assange's lawyer, Michael Ratner, said Snowden's options aren't numerous.

"You have to have a country that's going to stand up to the United States," Ratner said. "You're not talking about a huge range of countries here."

That is perhaps why Snowden first stopped in Russia, a nation with complicated relations with Washington.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "aiding and abetting Snowden's escape," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

"Allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways, and Putin always seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States," Schumer said. "That's not how allies should treat one another, and I think it will have serious consequences for the United States-Russia relationship."

It also wasn't clear Snowden was finished with disclosing highly classified information.

"I am very worried about what else he has," said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a California Democrat who sits on the House Homeland Security Committee.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she had been told Snowden had perhaps more than 200 sensitive documents.

Ros-Lehtinen and King spoke with CNN. Graham spoke to "Fox News Sunday." Schumer was on CNN's "State of the Union." Sanchez appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press." Feinstein was on CBS' "Face the Nation."

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Associated Press White House Correspondent Julie Pace and Associated Press writers Matthew V. Lee and Frederic J. Frommer in Washington, Lynn Berry in Moscow, Kevin Chan in Hong Kong and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

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Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-23-NSA-Surveillance-Snowden/id-9d3ce0860ece48a1a22edd240e0e58a4

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