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DIMOCK TOWNSHIP IN Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, is a rural town at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains.
With a population of 1,497 at the last census in 2010, its rolling hills and expansive fields are home to many farmers, and people who enjoy the lifestyle that living in a remote area offers. In the early 2000s, companies began to approach homeowners there to see if they could undertake hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, on their land.
This controversial drilling procedure is aimed at extracting natural gas from the Marcellus Formation, sedimentary rock across parts of North America. The limestone layers under the Marcellus have trapped natural gas reserves in the rock, and hydraulic fracturing literally involves creating fractures in it using a pressurised fluid.
The resulting fractures can encourage gas and petroleum to move to reservoir rocks, and the hope with fracking is that countries can use this instead of fuel from other countries, thereby saving money and encouraging local industry.
Dimock Township
From 2009, some residents of Dimock Township began complaining that fracking on their land had caused issues with their water. In May of this year, water treatments were placed in some homes, and methane and arsenic was found, Reuters reported at the time.
The EPA tested water at 61 homes in Dimock, and in early May said that the results their sampling showed did not give them a reason to take further action. America's Environmental Protection Agency issued the first national air pollution regulations for fracking in April 2012. In 2005, fracking was exempted by the American Congress from the Safe Water Drinking Act.
Dublin-based photographer Sean Breithaupt found out about fracking last year and decided to go to Dimock to find out more. While there, he met with community members who spoke - some on condition of anonymity - to him about their experiences.
The money paid to people who allow fracking on their land is not small - thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars that can be of huge benefit to householders for paying off mortgages and keeping up farm work.
In Dimock, water from the Susquehana river is used during fracking, with 16 per cent of its supply allocated to the industry and each site using 14 million litres per day. Some locals say the drilling and the flare which is used to burn off the gas cause noise pollution. A number of those Breithaupt spoke to said that the fracking had changed their lives, and not for the better - but that they had neighbours who were perfectly happy with how things had worked out for them.
Fracking has created jobs and industry in the township, and for some people, fracking is patriotic; for others it is a way to earn money. A 2010 documentary, Gasland, focused on the stories of some people who had experienced fracking on or near their land, including in Dimock county, and many of the issues raised are also seen in the interviews with the people Breithaupt met.
Fracking taking place at night. (Video: Sean Breithaupt)
Larissa
Speaking to Breithaupt, Larissa said that her family had had to sell their cows from their dairy farm due to the effect of the water on their health after fracking took place on their land. She claimed that high barium levels led to a drop in milk production.
Larissa said that the first landowners the gas companies went to reach out to were farmers, particularly the dairy farmers, as they owned most of the land and were in the most financial trouble.
She said that farmers have had their land leased out for natural gas drilling several times over last 100 years, and nothing ever came of it before, so they assumed this time it would be similar. "We did not realise that drilling actually would happen," she said.
Her family let the company use 550 acres of their land for $50 an acre. Her family do not have water filters for their drinking water, but other families were offered this, she said. They have been drinking bottled water ever since, but their cows drank unfiltered well water, and she said milk production decreased after they began drinking it.
Larissa's mother has taken complaints to the EPA. The family want to get out of their current lease and re-sign it with water protection, but so far this has not worked out.
This is not a bad industry. the problem with it though is that most of people they’re dealing with don’t know what they’re getting into; don’t know what to look for.
Often, when people signed their leases they didn't know to ask about water protection, air noise quality and other aspects of fracking, said Larissa. "This industry makes a lot of money, they have the ability to do things properly," she said. For her, it is not a black and white issue.
I believe we’ve got to make them do it the right way, we’ve got to make them do it properly, and when they screw up they've got to pay for it properly.
For her, fracking has the opportunity to be of financial help to a lot of struggling communities - but it shouldn’t be "at the cost of these communities".
Rebecca
Rebecca told Breithaupt that she and her husband received notices asking would they give the go-ahead for fracking on their land in 2004, and went on to sign a lease in 2006 with a company. She says they were told there would only be drilling for a short period of time, and is unhappy with how the arrangement worked out.
Roter says she has seen fracking impact on the local community. "I think this was an insulated static community that hadn’t had a lot of change. You didn’t have to lock your door. I felt so safe." She said there was low crime, and not much traffic, and now that has changed. There are a lot of transient workers, and the crime rate has also gone up.
"If you have people who aren't vested in this community then they are willing to sacrifice it," she said, adding that she and others had commissioned community-designed billboards on the issue that were not put up in the local area.
She said that the noise from the flaring at night during frackong "is unbelievable". "All these kinds of things break down unspoken contracts of civility in the community," she said.
Bret and Susan
Bret's water supply contains such a cocktail of chemicals that it has been cut off, and he has a separate water buffalo - filled by a local charity - to provide his family with water to shower. The gas company originally supplied that water but stopped.
He cannot sell his house, while the local swimming spot nearby bubbles with methane.
Another homeowner, Susan, also has problems with her water, and told Breithaupt she had experienced elevated barium in her water supply.
Below are photos that Breithaupt took while in Dimock, showing the many different sides to the townland, including fracking sites. While there, he took portraits of some of the locals on their land, as well as sites which have been marked for fracking, indicated with a row of bunting, and those on which fracking is taking place - such as near a graveyard.
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Low fat,low carb, low calorie????madness. …Eat in a balanced way….watching your portions….bingo. Dieting isn’t about food it’s about mental health…..Eat to support good mental outcome….eating in a balanced way gives wonderful physical and mental outcomes…..it’s as simple and as difficult as that.
Kathleen, you stand accused of over-punctuation. How do you plead?
Dot Guilty!
Ahhh sure I’m dotttty. …must be all the low fat…….
I looked at all these so called diets and low fat foods and what came out of it for me was eat what you want less and more often, so I did, and found over the day I consumed more food while eating what I liked and lost 3 1/2 stone in about a year and a half, and have maintained that weight lose, the only thing I done differently really was grill food instead of frying it, so did I go in a diet?? don’t feel like I went on a diet, just changed how I eat and when I eat, but didn’t have to change what I eat really,
Gimmick, most ow fat grub is full of crap, artificial sweetners, chemicals etc and it has only marginally less calories.
Calorie surplus = weight gain.
Calorie deficit = weight loss
/thread.
Alas it’s not as straight forward as that. Your body recognizes a reduced calorie intake as famine and its metabolism slows down, reducing calorie consumption. You get sluggish and tired but no weight loss :(
So if somebody eats 15% below maintenance level calories consistently, you dont think they will lose weight? They will by definition, thats what maintenence level means. What you seem to be suggesting is a calorie buffer zone of sorts, within which you will stay the same weight. Which is plausible.
The often quoted slow down in metabolism only happens in famine like conditions. If you wanted to slow your metabolism right now it would takes 72 hours of fasting before any drop in your metabolism occurs and then it’s only slightly. Oddly enough being overweight also reduces metabolism.
John I think your response illustrates a little negativity.The lees we eat the skinnier we will be….also we’ll be depressed tired sad and mentally low.
Combine the deficit with enough protein up preserve lean body mass, and you’ll reduce your body fat %. crash diets don’t improve body composition due to the deficit bl being too high and protein intake being too low.
Not true, lots of research that has been around for decades say otherwise.
Otherwise than what?
Absolute ring. unless your body defies the laws of thermodynamics, you obey this rule. Fact.
Eat less, exercise more
Eat less rubbish food….exercise in a balanced manner…..be kind and gentle to ourselves in our eating and exercising.
Eat less, exercise more is a myth. It’s not about the quantity of food you eat but the quality of food eaten. The more nutrient dense foods consumed lead to better health and weight loss. Eating veg, particularly green veg, lean proteins, citrus fruits and nuts and seeds in that order will give drastically better results than choosing to have one packet of crisps rather than two. Sugar and not fat is the enemy, practically all low fat foods have had the fat removed and replaced with sugar. When consumed they spike your insulin levels and cause cravings. Sugar also causes inflammation, which leads to many illnesses we see today. Eat as much nutrient dense food as you like, do high intensity exercise for shorter periods and the weight will come off.
I’m sorry the only proven way of loosing weight is calorie deficate. If you eat “enough” nutrient dense foods you will get fatter. You can lose weight and improve your blood pressure and other key health measures even on a “diet” of fast food: http://www.niashanks.com/teacher-lost-weight-eating-mcdonalds/
Don’t underestimate what your body is capable of. It is ruthless at extracting every nutrient from food, even crap food.
Yes I’m aware of the guy who lost weight eating purely Mc Donalds. This can be done and yes the body will extract every nutrient from that French fry of which there are so few. The impact of barely having enough nutrients will almost immediately show though. The guy who eats mc Donald’s will catch a cold or flu more quickly than than one who eats an abundance of nutrient dense food as he’ll lack vitamin c. If you choose to eat nutrient dense food but only eat nuts and seeds, then yes, you will likely gain weight, that’s why I stated above that you need to choose foods in order of veg, lean protein, citrus fruits and then nuts and seeds. When making a meal, the first decision should be, what veg am I having, then what meat, and what healthy fat (coconut oil etc) will I use to cook with. If after, you’re still hungry, then have a piece of fruit. If you must snack in between meals have some nuts. The simplicity of it really works.
If you’re talking about weight, allthay matters is calories. If you are talking about health, calories AND quality of nutrition. Its really not that complicated guys.
Just fat people making excuses. If you just say, I cant lose weight because I’m not diciplines enough thats fine. Nobody is saying its easy. But it sure is simple.
Your diet would work and I have previously lost 2 stone from a similar programme. Although your diet is simple it’s also very anti-social, do you have a slice of cake when it’s a work colleagues birthday? Do you have dessert when you eat out? How about having a few beers with your mates? The lack of carbs creates cravings and I don’t think it’s sustainable for more than a year. The guy who did the “McDonald’s diet” had a salad every day so he was eating some nutrient dense foods. The main point of his diet is that he made the right choices even though he had poor options (McDonalds food only). I think a diet that can fit into everyday modern life is the simplest option and one most likely to work. Personally I fast for 16 hours twice a week. It means I can still have a slice of birthday cake, stop and grab a burger if I’m on the road and enjoy a bottle of wine with my wife or a few beers with my mates on the weekend. I can do all this and still keep my body-fat at 10% (previous being 25%). I do eat plenty if veg and exercise regularly.
That’s great that you’ve found intermittent fasting works for you. Many people find it gives them brilliant results. My point is all things being equal, it’s best to choose high quality nutrient dense food over fast food, but if I could only choose mc Donald’s I’d choose the salad option too. Now, is it possible to eat exactly as I suggested 7 days a week? no, modern society doesn’t allow it. Once a week, I’ll have wine, eat out at a restaurant. As for a colleagues birthday, if you work in a big company these can be nearly daily events. Many people would rather not eat cake everyday but it’s a social norm now. As an obese society we should be okay with someone not wanting to have a piece of cake. We’re fine with an ex smoker refusing a cigarette, but if the cake is refused, you’re a health freak – sure don’t you only live once.
Eat less and drink more
Low-fat foods are abominable!
When I come to power, all foods that have the words “low-fat”, “sugar-free”, “light”, “reduced”, “zero” or “skimmed” in their names will be banned.
I will also reintroduce proper greasy, fatty crisps. Laden with salt and MSG.
Who’s with me?
Could you please bann the use of the world “natural” in advertising too. Everything is natural if it exists. Except of course yer wan 200 years ago who got preggers without gettin the ride, the hoor.
Duly noted M. It’s official. We’ll found the People for Unhealthy Food and Correct Terminology Party. I’m assigning you as chairman. We just need a military wing now to overthrow the government and crush all opposition.
I agree if we also ban artificial, fairness (in politics) and democratic. Fairness is the most abused word in the English language.
Qwerty, you’ve got my vote.
Was in a hotel in UK recently… No ordinary milk… Just umpteen low fat varieties.
You had me at military wings, but chicken wings would be better. Call it the Organised Belly Enlargement Society Eire and I’m in.
200 years ago? Around 1815 then? Who was it?
Well I wasn’t there was I! But ah no, Philimena I think her name was, absolute weapon of a young one.
I’m with you. Hurrah!!
I found a great way to burn of the fat, I just up the heat on the aul frying pan a notch.
I know a woman who only ate rashers and lost 10 stone in a day
Are you sure it wasn’t £10
now that I think of it yeah , that sounds right
Cancer will do that alright
I’m on a low fat diet the last 4 weeks.Leavin aside the murders…..
The boy be doing good like.
If it’s packaged, it’s generally bad.
Fresh veg, fruit and a variety of meat and fish.
Whole meal or whole grain bread less butter.
Cereal , porridge or wheetabix.
Drop salt and sugars.
No science. Lifestyle changes. Exercise a little..
This report contains old knowledge. Not all fats are bad. Indeed fat is an essential component of our diet. The low fat recommendation is yet another indication of poor science. The real problem is that when you remove fat manufacturers replace it with salt and/or sugar The body does not treat all calories the same. It depends on the source of those calories and a host of other processes within the body. The western diet contains too many simple carbs combined with too much protein which is a recipe for disaster. The second problem is that we are too sedentary and overeat given that we do not exercise sufficiently to burn off what we eat. The low far recommendation has led to an epidemic of obesity. Fat is sweet and our bodies crave this sweetness. Take out the fat and we replace it with sugar to mimic what our bodies need or we overeat or eat the “wrong” foods in an attempt to satisfy a craving for sweetness. Our diet is skewed as are our lifestyles. Attempting to remedy these factors using fat as the “badie” is simply stupid and very poor science. It is reductionism at its worst. We need to view humans more holistically is we are to solve the crisis of obesity and ill health such as rampant diabetes.
Any chance of a link to the actual article so we can read for ourselves?
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
I’m crying into my muesli here for f**k sake!
Back to bacon for me.
There’s never been a better time in this country to eat well! Ingredients and foodstuffs that were once elusive and unavailable are easily accessible now and there’s greater choice of ‘healthy’ restaurants to choose from. The recession also gave the opportunity for some to develop some fantastic food.
I keenly ate high carb, low fat for many years and only after becoming very ill I reversed the process.
I have to take steroids daily, and I soon discovered that my love of fruit and juicing had to stop as in combination with steroids I was gaining weight and I was so uncomfortable about it.
I now follow a diet high in good fats and protein and have reduced my carbs way down, to no more than 30g a day and it works very well for me.
Same here ! Great way to eat isn’t it ? Never get overly hungry and good steady energy I find.
The journal reported on another problem with low fat diets in 2013
http://www.thejournal.ie/low-fat-high-calorie-foods-safefood-913126-May2013/
Gluttony is the number one cause of obesity.
Get into the gym, lift weights, walk, run, swim ,play, eat balanced meals, more veg, and guess what not only will you feel better you will also look better. Forget the sham diets of shakes and low fat. That’s just a diet of high sugar and little nutrients.
I use lots of butter, then half an hour later I’ve definitely lost weight
Journalie states ” Low-fat diets…led to slightly less weight loss compared with low-carbohydrate diets, ”
The Lancet states “low-carbohydrate interventions led to significantly greater weight loss than did low-fat interventions” “Significantly greater” interpreted as “Slightly less” . ???
That’s why it’s not a great idea for unqualified people to take stuff from the medical journals and spread it around to the general public! Why give the impression that there is no difference between low fat and full fat?
Is anyone arguing that a low fat diet is not better than a full fat one? The findings may show that low fat and full fat on their own may make no difference in weight loss BUT what we don’t know is if the calories were cut to compensate for the full fat diet AND low fat is better for your HEART!
Read how the experts interpret the study in the irish times for instance
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/fat-fight-researchers-disagree-over-study-into-low-fat-diets-1.2411293
D’oh! Found it
Its true that all calories are not created equally. Eating low fat generally results in eating higher amounts of sugar and carbs. This can lead to energy highs and lows ie sugar crashes. Eating low fat also has a very negative effect on your moods as your brain needs healthy fats to work properly. I’ve been eating low carb and high healthy fat for over two years. I lost weight effortlessly and all my blood test health markers improved significantly. A highly recommended way to eat I think.
you post this like it’s informative, this has been known for decades. Calories in vs calories out, simple.
a new study.. what a joke. anyone that knows anything about nutrition(which sadly isn’t many people :/) knows this.. I laugh every time I see a woman buying low-fat milk.. How about read the back, see the sugar content of that against full fat mat.. Full fat milk is much better for you.. Excess fat is not bad at all.. New study, god I sill laugh at that statement
Ger Comings.:-)
All this study found was that diets are more effective at losing weight than not being on a diet.
have your say