Hydrofracking in the USA

[stefan62.livejournal.com]

The other week I watched "Gasland," which freaked me out more than any documentary has before (I'm almost 50 years old), and since then I've read an awful lot about natural gas drilling, particularly in the northeastern USA. It really does look like the drinking water supply for NYC, Philly, Pittsburgh is under severe threat.

There's been precious little media attention being paid to this topic (perhaps because of Big Gas influence on media and in DC; for example, corporate sponsorship of NPR). However, this week Ian Urbina has published three terrific articles on the environmental effects of fracking in the New York Times, and I urge everyone to read them.

Part 1: http://is.gd/1pHgQN
Part 2: http://is.gd/hLNqD4
Part 3: http://is.gd/wr66wd

I urge everyone to see "Gasland." The trailer is on youtube
See also this clearinghouse for Marcellus Shale drilling
And today's edition of Democracy Now

If you're moved to, please help raise public awareness about what fracking is doing to the environment. Thank you.

Comments

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

Interesting stuff, but I'm wondering what this has to do with Davis Square or even Somerville specifically? Is there some sort of tie-in here that I'm missing?

[stefan62.livejournal.com]

I live in Winter Hill and have been a Somerville resident since 1987. I'm a concerned citizen.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

Ah. I see.

[ron_newman]

Where is this movie showing?

Mod note

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I question relevancy to Davis Square.

[yagagriswold.livejournal.com]

While I find this topic interesting, I too question whether DSLJ is the right place for this post.

[stefan62.livejournal.com]

It aired on HBO last summer and may still be available on HBO On Demand, or you can buy the DVD (Amazon: http://is.gd/ukmEt3), or you can find it to download via bit torrent if you know how to. It was a documentary nominee at the Oscars but didn't win, unsurprisingly.

[stefan62.livejournal.com]

We should count ourselves lucky that Davis Square doesn't get our drinking water supply from the Marcellus Shale. I have friends and family, however, whose water does.

I'm just trying to raise awareness about the issue. Sorry for stepping on any toes.

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

While I am similarly concerned about the issue of fracking (and agree that Gasland should be required viewing for anyone with an even moderate interest in the environment, social justice, and the continuing existence of our species down the line) well, I don't think this community is the right space for it. As important as this is, it neither affect Davis directly nor is an organized local effort on the matter.

[dahdahdahdancer.livejournal.com]

Actually, I appreciate the post. I'm from the Pgh area originally and Marcellus has been sniffing around the ol' homestead. My sibs were/are considering it. I think Davis Sq isn't an isolated community where issues like this don't affect at least some of us in some way. Maybe I'm in the minority - but, again, thanks for the info.

[stefan62.livejournal.com]

So be it. I've said my piece and will not post about hydrofracking on the DSLJ again.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm glad you posted. As far as I know I don't belong to any other LJ communities where it would have been posted.

Re: Mod note

[ron_newman]

And I tend to agree, unless there is some organization starting up locally to deal with this issue (and maybe there should be)

[fefie.livejournal.com]

I appreciate the post too. Last month I noticed the Green Streets Initiative (Cambridge + Somerville) posted an announcement about their hosting a viewing of "Gasland". I meant to look into it to see what it was about, and forgot.

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

Looks interesting thanks for the head's up

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

There is a screening scheduled at Rule 19 in Cambridge on April 21st: http://rule19.org/videos/

Since it's a documentary, I would expect there will be screenings at the various campuses over the next couple of months as well.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

this was a great doc that i watched some months ago on HBO and definitely something everyone should see. (and also, watching the oscars this year, there were a LOT of amazing docs.)

[the issue with it being in DSLJ is for me, a slippery slope argument and opens up a door for everyone to use this place as a soapbox for what they feel are great causes, and i don't want to go there.]

[ron_newman]

Thanks. I had not heard of this group before. Though I'm not sure if I really want to support a film society that claims Zionists have gained control of our government, our media, our schools, and increasingly the Internet.

[tober.livejournal.com]

By that reasoning, it could be potentially appropriate to post... well, almost anything in this community.

A place for open community discussion?

[turil.livejournal.com]

If this is not the place for local folks to come together to talk to eachother about everything that concerns them (like a normal, friendly gathering of neighbors), then I wonder if it would be good to create a community that is designed for that kind of open discussion. I, for one, really appreciate being able to have more meaningful discussions with local folks, but haven't found a good place to do that. The old IndyMedia site was halfway decent place for that, but no one hangs around there anymore, and it was still pretty event-focused, rather than discussion focused. And everything else is too niche topic for real open-ended discourse. I'd start a community for "Somerville Discourse" or somesuch, but, well, you know that I'd have a pile of snark folks bashing it automatically. And that wouldn't be fair to everyone else. :-)

Or maybe this community is already what we need, and we just need the Moderators to encourage that kind of free discussion.

What do you think?

[stefan62.livejournal.com]

I absolutely appreciate that reason, sparkgrrl658. I definitely don't want my post to be used for arguing the issue. I only want people to educate themselves about what is going on. Just read the NYT articles - this is going to turn into the biggest scandal in US politics in a long time. (Speaking as a political junkie.)

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

I agree 110%. If the criteria for posting to the Davis Square Community is "issues that affect at least some of us in some way," then, hey, we can just post about everything and anything, and before you know it, this isn't a Davis Square comm anymore...it's a "whatever people feel like posting about" comm...and we already have that.

It's called "LiveJournal."

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

While your eco-activism is appreciated, I am with the others who don't really see what this has to do with Davis Square or Somerville.

I mean, I have my pet causes that I want to people to be more enlightened about, but I don't post about them in this community because, well, they aren't Davis Square concerns.

[stefan62.livejournal.com]

I will bet the contents of my pocket on it that you haven't watched "Gasland." I'm hardly an eco-activist. I admit to voting for Obama, but that's about as active as I get. Until I watched "Gasland." Seriously.

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

Look, I am an eco-activist, I watched Gasland, I didn't vote for Obama because I am further to the left - I voted for McKinney and the Green Party - and I still question this post's place in this community. Not because I don't care about fracking, because I really really do, but because this is not Davis related and if we start allowing posts about things that aren't Davis Square related, soon enough this community won't be representative of anything at all.

This is not to say that I don't appreciate you posting and caring and wanting to spread the word, I just question its relevance here.

Which is to say, if you were to organize some local protests, letter writing campaigns, screenings of the movie, solidarity marches down to city hall, a honk-if-you-care campaign in Davis, or anything of the sort, or even knew of someone doing that, then hell yes, this would be the perfect place to raise awareness about fracking.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Seconding this. I care a lot about a lot of topics. I am not going to post about them here unless there is something actually happening in Davis Square that is relevant to those topics.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

in case you don't refresh LJ as often as i do ;) you may want to follow this post (http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/2525885.html) for an upcoming local discussion group (still on LJ).

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there will be other screenings at Tufts, Harvard or MIT soon.