Aristotle Comic

I love syllogisms!

Plato Parody

I love Lichtenstien and Plato . . .

Spring Sprung

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

For I Will Consider Fracking

FOR I WILL CONSIDER FRACKING

For I will consider that fracking might well contribute more to global warming than coal production
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201104111235
http://www.sustainablefuture.cornell.edu/news/attachments/Howarth-EtAl-2011.pdf
https://sites.google.com/site/gasisnotcleanenergy/

For I will consider that politicians and T Boon Pickens say fracking is the key to energy independence
http://www.pickensplan.com/

For I will consider that T Boon Pickens owns more water than anyone else in the country
http://www.naturalnews.com/035603_water_monopoly_privatization.html

For I will consider that T Boon Pickens calls water blue gold
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-06-11/there-will-be-water


For I will consider that only 2.5 percent of the water on earth is drinkable
http://www.sophisticatededge.com/how-much-of-the-earths-water-is-drinkable.html

For I will consider that our aquifers are being drained by the growing population
http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/08/16/preparing-for-a-future-of-perpetual-drought/

For I will consider that the EPA is still “studying” the impact of fracking on our water resources
http://www2.epa.gov/hfstudy

For I will consider that we still don't know enough about fracking
http://grist.org/climate-energy/is-your-drinking-water-fracked-who-the-hell-knows/


For I will consider that even in a best case scenario, an individual well releases some 200 square meters of contaminated fluids
http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/how-shale-energy-reshapes-american-security-8423?page=2

For I will consider that, thanks to the Halliburton loophole, fracking is excluded from the EPA's Clean Water Act
http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/how-shale-energy-reshapes-american-security-8423?page=2

For I will consider that the EPA is not protecting our water
http://www.timesleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?avis=TL&date=20130107&category=news&lopenr=301079923&Ref=AR


For I will consider that between 70 and 140 billion gallons of water were used to frack 35,000 wells in the US in 2010
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/0/D3483AB445AE61418525775900603E79/$File/Draft+Plan+to+Study+the+Potential+Impacts+of+Hydraulic+Fracturing+on+Drinking+Water+Resources-February+2011.pdf
http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/hydraulic_fracturing_101#.UXazfRx3IsU

For I will consider that 70-140 billion gallons is the annual water consumption of 40 to 80 cities, with the population of 50,000 people
http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/hydraulic_fracturing_101#.UXazfRx3IsU

For I will consider that fracking contaminates our air as well as our water
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-03/hazardous-air-pollutants-detected-near-fracking-sites.html

For I will consider that fracking contaminates our soil as well as our air and water
http://www.catskillmountainkeeper.org/our-programs/fracking/whats-wrong-with-fracking-2/farming-and-fracking/


For I will consider that the sand used in fracking is both an environmental and health issue
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/16/fracking-sand-health-hazard-_n_2146992.html
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/air/air-quality-and-pollutants/air-pollutants/frac-sand-mining.html


For I will consider the gag rule that doctors must follow when dealing with illnesses related to fracking
http://www.psr-la.org/stop-the-doctor-gag-rule-proposed-in-ca-fracking-regulations/
http://www.npr.org/2012/05/17/152268501/pennsylvania-doctors-worry-over-fracking-gag-rule


For I will consider that people and animals are at health risk, thanks to fracking:

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/5839/
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March12/FrackingAnimals.html
http://newyork.sierraclub.org/Cancerspecialistswarnoffrackingrisks.htm

For I will consider this partial list of people already sickened by fracking

http://pennsylvaniaallianceforcleanwaterandair.wordpress.com/the-list/
http://www.examiner.com/article/fracking-s-list-of-the-harmed-1-208-and-counting


For I will consider that 35,000 new wells are drilled each year in the US

http://grist.org/basics/fracking-faq-the-science-and-technology-behind-the-natural-gas-boom/

For I will consider that frackers pump up to 4 million gallons of “fluid” as far as 10,000 feet below earth at up to 4,200 gallons per minute

http://grist.org/basics/fracking-faq-the-science-and-technology-behind-the-natural-gas-boom/

For I will consider that this fracking contains water, sand, and a cocktail of chemicals linked to cancer
http://www.policymic.com/articles/6465/fracking-exposed-shocking-new-report-links-drilling-with-breast-cancer-and-women-s-violence
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/5839/


For I will consider that the EPA admits that chemicals used in fracking have been found in drinking water near wells
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/08/143386908/epa-connects-fracking-with-water-contamination
http://www.activistpost.com/2011/12/epa-admits-fracking-causing-groundwater.html


For I will consider that the cement well casings at fracking sites often crack and leak
http://thetyee.ca/News/2013/01/09/Leaky-Fracked-Wells/
http://slowdownfracking.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/cement-casing-the-weak-link-of-fracking/

For I will consider that the frack fluid is a toxic waste that must be transported by trucks or pipes and injected into wells underground
http://www.catskillmountainkeeper.org/our-programs/fracking/whats-wrong-with-fracking-2/accidents/

For I will consider that injection wells may cause earthquakes

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/story/2012-03-09/fracking-gas-drilling-earthquakes/53435232/1
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-ck-daly/more-scientific-evidence-_b_3009927.html

For I will consider that spills and accidents happen
http://www.youtube.com/user/urbandisasterrecords/featured
http://wnep.com/2013/03/14/fracking-fluid-leak-in-wyoming-county/
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22593942/big-fracking-fluid-spill-near-windsor-is-cleaned
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/20/pennsylvania-fracking-spill-gas-blowout-2011_n_851637.html

For I will consider that unethical businesses dump the frack fluid into our water systems http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/02/youngstown_gas_driller_indicte.html

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/mar/08/why-not-frack/?pagination=false

For I will consider that frack fluid could be used in winter as road salt
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/02/06/1185027/-Pennsylvania-wants-to-use-fracking-waste-as-road-salt#

For I will consider that the gas industry is spending a lot of time and money buying good will and PR and obfuscating the real hazards of fracking
http://clearingthefogradio.org/us-climate-bomb-is-ticking-what-the-gas-industry-doesnt-want-you-to-know/

For I will consider that fracking causes uranium contamination
http://grist.org/news/frackings-uranium-pollution-to-finally-be-studied-by-pennsylvania/

For I will consider that some frack waste is too hazardous for toxic waste dumps.
http://grist.org/news/radioactive-frack-waste-quarantined-at-pa-dump-turned-away/

For I will consider that frack fluid has been dumped into municipal sewage plants and has leached into rivers
http://grist.org/basics/fracking-faq-the-science-and-technology-behind-the-natural-gas-boom/

For I will consider that the fracking boom has increased the demand for ammonia, a highly explosive chemical blamed for the explosion in the Texas fertilizer plant
http://grist.org/news/americas-fracking-boom-driving-an-ammonia-boom/


For I will consider that fracking does not bring jobs to the area
http://grist.org/news/ohio-fracking-boom-has-not-brought-jobs/

For I will consider that between 30 and 70 per cent of the frack fluid does not come out of the well but remains at the drill site, underground, for years, and can still leach to the surface in a matter of years
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Fracking_and_water_pollution

For I will consider that a partial list of places where the EPA is investigating for possible soil and water contamination:

Killdeer and Dunn Co., ND
Alvord, TX
Azle, TX
Decatur, TX
Wise, TX
South Parker, Co
Weatherford, TX
Tarrant Co., TX
Bainbridge, OH
Arkana Basin, AR
Conway Co., AR
Van Buren, AR
Caddo Parish, LA
Harrison Co., TX
Bradford Co., TX
Bradford Co., PA
Clearfield Co., PA
Dimmick, PA
Gibbs Hill, PA
Hamlin Township, PA
McKean Co., PA
Indian Creek Watershed, WV
Lycoming Co., PA
Monongahela River Basin, PA
Susquehanna River Basin, PA
Tioga Co., NY
Upshur Co., WV
Wetzel Co., WV
Battlement Mesa, CO
Garfield Co., CO
Rifle, CO
Silt, CO
Clark, WV
La Plata, CO.
Huerfano, CO.
Las Animas Co, CO
Pavillion, WY
Sublette Co., WY
Hickory, PA
Hopewell Township, PA

http://blog.shaleshockmedia.org/2013/05/16/youve-been-fracked/

http://dontfrackmichigan.com/?page_id=41

http://www.damascuscitizensforsustainability.org/pa-dep-determination-letters/

http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/0/D3483AB445AE61418525775900603E79/$File/Draft+Plan+to+Study+the+Potential+Impacts+of+Hydraulic+Fracturing+on+Drinking+Water+Resources-February+2011.pdf


For I will consider a list of concerns and problems with fracking cited by the EPA 2011 study includes: `

Abandoned and undocumented wells,
Auto-immune diseases related to fracking chemicals
Bioaccumulation of hydraulic fracturing chemicals in the food
chain
Biodegradable/nontoxic fracking liquids
Carbon footprint of entire fracking process
Disposal of drill cuttings
Effects of aging on well integrity
Effects of fracking on existing public and private wells
Effects of truck/tanker traffic
Effects on local infrastructure (roads, water treatment plants)
Effects on tourism
Economic impacts on landowners
Land farming on fracking sludge
Light pollution
Long-term corrosive effects of brine and microbes on well pipes
Natural flooding near fracking operations
Radioactive proppants
Recovery time and persistence of fracking chemicals in
contaminated aquifers
Recycling of flowback and produced water
Removal of radium and other radionulcudes from flowback
and produced water
Restoration of drill sites
Soil contamination of drill sites
Volatile organic compounds and emissions from fracking
operations and impoundments
Wildlife habitat fragmentation
Worker occupational health

http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/0/D3483AB445AE61418525775900603E79/$File/Draft+Plan+to+Study+the+Potential+Impacts+of+Hydraulic+Fracturing+on+Drinking+Water+Resources-February+2011.pdf

Frost

So much for this year's bluebells.

CavanKerry Post with Emily Lisker's Painting

http://emilyliskerpaintings.blogspot.com

I have a post on CavanKerry's blog that begins:

There’s a meme going around writer’s blogs in which writers talk about their next big thing. I have been asked a few times to post about my next big thing, and I cringe each time. How can I explain . . .

You can read it at the link below . . .
http://cavankerrypress.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/nin-andrews-poet-behind-the-poetry/

At Frenchman's Bay by Steven Reese

Flannery O'Connor-Wordsworth Comic

Okay, so these don't really go together. Wordsworth and O'Connor. But hey.

Lines Written in Early Spring


I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it griev'd me my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose-tufts, in that sweet bower,
The periwinkle trail'd its wreathes;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopp'd and play'd:
Their thoughts I cannot measure,
But the least motion which they made,
It seem'd a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If I these thoughts may not prevent,
If such be of my creed the plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?

--William Wordsworth

William James Comic

April Showers, April Flowers

Some days it seems as if the only light I can find is reflected . . .




I love the way the skunk cabbages emerge.









In a matter of days everything brown turns green and yellow. The bluebells are next.

Blake Comic

Who said it was going to be warm today?

Emily Dickinson, It will be Summer-eventually

It will be Summer — eventually.
Ladies — with parasols —
Sauntering Gentlemen — with Canes
And little Girls — with Dolls —

Will tint the pallid landscape —
As 'twere a bright Bouquet —
Tho' drifted deep, in Parian —
The Village lies — today —

The Lilacs — bending many a year —
Will sway with purple load —
The Bees — will not despise the tune —
Their Forefathers — have hummed —

The Wild Rose — redden in the Bog —
The Aster — on the Hill
Her everlasting fashion — set —
And Covenant Gentians — frill —

Till Summer folds her miracle —
As Women — do — their Gown —
Or Priests — adjust the Symbols —
When Sacrament — is done —

from How Quickly What's Passing Goes Past by Lowell Jaeger

Morning?

From Before and Afterlives by Chris Barzak

Ohio Weather

Okay, back to Ohio weather . . .

from American Dervish by Steven Reese

The Youngstown State University Poetry Center presents a Poetry Reading by Steve Reese and Varley O'Connor on Thursday, April 11th at 7:00 P.M. in the McDonough Museum of Art (525 Wick Avenue) in Youngstown.

Finally! A walk without the dog-sweater on!

Dickinson Comic

SPRING IS COMING!

Dickinson Comic

Dylan Thomas Comic

You will have to click on this one to read it . . .

From The Circus of Lost Dreams

http://vimeo.com/58982720

http://poetsandartists.com

This is one of the little videos that are in the iPad version of The Circus of Lost Dreams. While the PDF is nice, you really have to see the book. That is, if you can.

The Circus of Lost Dreams!

Emily and I just completed our first collaborative effort, which was published by the amazing artist, editor and publisher, Didi Menendez. You can actually download it from Itunes and read it as an interactive book on an iPad. Or you can get it as a pdf.


http://poetsandartists.com

If you click on the PDF, it will just download as stills. But the iPad book has features that are unique and really fun--little videos and readings. It's pretty amazing to see what Didi has done with this.

Pound Comic

While my hair was cut straight across my forehead,
I played cheerleader in the front yard.
You came by on a skate board, acting so cool.
You came by tossing footballs, frisbees, baseballs . . .
And we went on in living in our suburb of Youngstown, Ohio:
Two small people full of dislike and suspicion.

AWP RECOVERY

AWP 2013

Coleridge Comic

Aphra Behn comic

A Thousand Martyrs I Have Made
by Aphra Behn

A thousand martyrs I have made,
All sacrific'd to my desire;
A thousand beauties have betray'd,
That languish in resistless fire.
The untam'd heart to hand I brought,
And fixed the wild and wandering thought.

I never vow'd nor sigh'd in vain
But both, tho' false, were well receiv'd.
The fair are pleas'd to give us pain,
And what they wish is soon believ'd.
And tho' I talk'd of wounds and smart,
Love's pleasures only touched my heart.

Alone the glory and the spoil
I always laughing bore away;
The triumphs, without pain or toil,
Without the hell, the heav'n of joy.
And while I thus at random rove
Despis'd the fools that whine for love.

Whitman Comic

Shelley Comic

From Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

"Once upon a time, USDA inspectors had to condemn any bird with fecal contamination. But about 30 years ago, the poultry industry convinced the USDA to reclassify feces so that it could continue to use automatic eviscerators. Once a dangerous contaminant, feces are now clssified as a 'cosmetic blemish.'"

"Every week, millions of chicken leaking yellow pus, stained by green feces, contaminated by harmful bacteria, or marred by lung and heart infections, cancerous tumors, or skin conditions are shipped for sale to consumers."

"Next the chickens go to a massive refrigerated tank of water, where thousands of birds are communally cooled. Tom Devine, from the Government Accountability Project, has said that 'the water in these tanks has aptly been named 'fecal soup' for all the filth and bacteria floating around. By immersing clean, healthy birds in the same tank with dirty ones, you're practically assuring cross-contamination."

p. 130 from the kindle version of the book, Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer

Auden Comic

Remembering My Father

My father was a habitual story teller. It was a day like no other day, he would say, beginning one of his many stories. Immediately my mother would correct him.

It was a perfectly ordinary day. I remember it well.

The air was so electric, my father would continue, ignoring my mother. Even the hairs stood up on my hands.

Hairs don’t stand up on hands, my mother said. Besides, it’s hair, not hairs.

I said hairs. I meant hairs.

Sitting cross-legged on the living room floor in front of the box fan after dinner, I would listen to my father’s tales, and my mother like a hound tracking his every word. They were good stories, made better by my mother’s interruptions. And they were evolving stories that changed with every telling.

Sometimes my father would be joined by his friend, the writer, Peter Taylor. The two would trade tales about their families, the south, ghosts, and famous writers. My father, a competitive man, could hold his own on the first three categories of stories. He even suspected Peter was stealing his tales and using them in his fiction. Secretly my father thought he was the better raconteur of the two.

But when it came to stories about authors, Peter Taylor, held most of the cards. He and his wife, Eleanor Ross Taylor, could talk at length about Randall Jarrell, Robert Lowell, Jean Stafford and many others. But my father did hold one ace. William Faulkner visited our farm before I was born. Did I ever tell you about the time William Faulkner was thrown off our horse? he would begin. Peter nodded. After a while, my father decided to tell a James Dickey story instead. After several tellings, my father went back to talking about William Faulkner. I’ve often wondered how many times William Faulkner fell off our horse.

Brevity
Photo collage by Robert Carioscia

Happy Holidays

And I've been practicing yoga. Okay. Not exactly practicing . . .

In a Dark Time

"In a Dark Time"

Wild Tights! Wild Tights! after Emily Dickinson

Wild tights! Wild tights!
Were I in thee,
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!

Doha Climate Conference

Reading the news about the Doha Climate Change Conference and thinking about the idea of a seven degree temperature rise and what a seven degree rise by 2060 would mean, I feel so hopeless. It's nuts that so many people don't seem to want to do anything about this issue.

Boston Terrier Comic

Boston Terrier Comic

It's been a rough week for one of my pups. She's been so sick . . .