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Home News Pennsylvania phasing in ban of invasive Japanese Barberry
Pennsylvania phasing in ban of invasive Japanese Barberry
By Other News -
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture added Japanese Barberry, or Berberis thunbergii, to a list of noxious weeds — plants that cannot be legally sold or cultivated in the state. The popular, non-native, ornamental shrub forms dense, prickly thickets that crowd out plants and disrupt native ecosystems.
It is also thought to harbor black-legged ticks that spread lyme disease. The ban on sale and cultivation took effect Oct. 8. Enforcement of the ban will be phased in over two years to allow time for nurseries to eliminate it from their stock, find non-harmful alternatives and develop seedless, sterile varieties that pose less threat to the environment and agriculture.
Landscape and nursery businesses will receive notices of the timeline, procedures and exemption process for sterile varieties. Property owners should consider eliminating the shrubs on their land.
Japanese barberry was originally brought to the U.S. from Japan and eastern Asia in the 1800s to be planted as an ornamental. It is widely used as a landscape shrub because of its fall coloring and resistance to deer. It has garnered attention in the past several years as a prolific invader that can easily spread into woodlands, pastures, fields and natural areas.
The timeline for the two-year rollout of the ban is as follows:
November 2021 — Nursery and landscape businesses will receive notice from the department, advising them to immediately begin adjusting propagation, ordering and planting of Japanese barberry to decrease inventory.
Fall 2022 — The department will issue letters of warning to any plant merchant still selling Japanese barberry, providing a date in Fall 2023 after which remaining inventory will be subject to a destruction order.
Fall 2023 — The department will issue stop sale and destruction orders to plant merchants selling or distributing Japanese barberry.
Merchants with questions should contact ra-plant@pa.gov.
Effective Oct. 8, the department added two other plants to the noxious weed list: garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata, and Japanese stiltgrass, Microstegium vimineum. These plants are generally not sold in nurseries but are invasive and common in Pennsylvania. Landowners with these plants on their property are encouraged to remove them.
Find more information about noxious, controlled and poisonous plants in Pennsylvania at agriculture.pa.gov. For comprehensive information about controlling invasive species in Pennsylvania, visit the Governor's Invasive Species Council.
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StubHub and Paciolan Join Forces With IMG College to Provide Kansas Athletics Fans with a Reliable and Safe Online Ticket Marketplace
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--University of Kansas Athletics has paired with StubHub, the world's largest ticket marketplace, and Paciolan, a leading provider of ticketing, marketing, and fundraising solutions to live entertainment organizations, to create a safe, guaranteed secondary marketplace for fans to buy and sell tickets to Jayhawks events. Backed by StubHub's FanProtect Guarantee, each ticket transaction will be between fans and managed by StubHub.
"This integrated solution will provide our fans with a safe, guaranteed, and transparent ticketing platform"
The new online ticket marketplace partnership was negotiated by IMG College, the multimedia rights partner for Kansas Athletics, along with StubHub and Paciolan. This new process replaces the Kansas Athletics Ticket Marketplace, which had been in place for the past few years. StubHub and Paciolan collaborate on many collegiate partnerships; since the two companies began working together in August 2010, the number of its college partners instituting barcode cancel and reissue integration has tripled.
"Working alongside the University of Kansas is an exciting milestone in StubHub's continued growth in college athletics, which now includes 26 premier college properties," said Danielle Maged, head of partnerships and business development, StubHub. "As we've proven via existing agreements with many colleges, this technology integration adds another layer of protection to ensure all Jayhawk fans can purchase tickets on the secondary market with assurance."
Paciolan's leading software integration with the university enhances the overall fan experience. Whenever a fan purchases tickets online, they re-issue a completely new barcode, cancelling the old barcode and marking a seamless exchange of tickets. Combined with StubHub's FanProtect Guarantee, this new product integration presents Jayhawks fans with complete protection from fraud and a stress-free purchasing process when buying tickets online.
"We think all Jayhawks fans will appreciate the added protection of a guaranteed valid ticket that will come with this integrated solution," said Dave Butler, CEO of Paciolan. "This process provides season ticket holders with the ability to quickly and easily resell unused tickets, and allows fans to purchase great seats to Kansas basketball games. It is a tremendous customer service to Jayhawks fans."
"This integrated solution will provide our fans with a safe, guaranteed, and transparent ticketing platform," said Terry Mohajir, senior associate athletics director, Kansas. "We are confident this will provide fans with an improved secondary ticketing experience for Kansas Athletics events."
About StubHub
StubHub is the world's largest ticket marketplace, enabling fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of sports, concert, theater and other live entertainment events. StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead it through innovation. The company's unique online marketplace, dedicated solely to tickets, provides all fans the choice to buy or sell their tickets in a safe, convenient and highly reliable environment. All transactions are processed and delivered by StubHub and backed by the company's FanProtect Guarantee™. Company partners include the New York Yankees, University of Texas, and FedEx Field, along with over 60 teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA, complemented with companies such as ESPN, Tickets.com, and Paciolan.
StubHub is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY). For more information on StubHub, visit www.stubhub.com, www.twitter.com/stubhub or www.facebook.com/stubhub
About Paciolan
Founded in 1980, Paciolan is the leader in venue enablement, powering ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions for leading organizations across North America. Collectively, Paciolan powers over 500 live entertainment organizations that sell over 100 million tickets annually. Primary markets include college athletics, professional sports, performing arts, arenas and museums. Paciolan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor.
Visit www.paciolan.com for additional company information.
About IMG College
IMG College is the nation's leading collegiate multimedia, marketing and licensing/brand management company representing more than 200 of the nation's top collegiate properties including the NCAA and its 89 championships, NCAA Football, leading conferences, and many of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country. Headquartered in Winston Salem, N.C., IMG College is the leader in capturing consumer devotion to college sports through partnership opportunities in multimedia rights, licensing, events and hospitality, marketing, stadium and arena development, stadium seating solutions, ticketing, sales, and consulting. IMG College produces nearly 30,000 hours of radio programming on the largest sports network in the country, manages nearly 5,000 hours of local television programming, is the leading publisher of college sports publications, and is the largest manager of university athletic websites. IMG College is a division of IMG Worldwide, a global sports, fashion and media business. For more information, please visit www.imgworld.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50096604&lang=en
Topic: Customers
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A two-day conference dedicated to increasing investment opportunities on the European non-performing loans market – this is the European Investment Summit 2017, to be held in Miami on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 March.
This Summit, dedicated to investors, managers and players on the NPL market, presents an important opportunity not only to discuss new financial technology for the market but also to have one-on-one meetings with industry leaders. The speakers include Andrea Clamer, Head of Banca IFIS's NPL Area, who will be speaking on Wednesday 8 March during the panel 'Italian NPLs'.


BY SYDNEY PEREIRA | A city agency has given the go-ahead to developers building a 64-story tower on the Upper East Side. The Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) decision arrives after years of advocacy against the tower — including a community-based rezoning effort led by the East River 50s Alliance (ERFA) in an attempt to halt the project.
The board's June 26 decision in favor of the developer effectively exempts the tower at 3 Sutton Place — also known as 430 East 58th St. — from a 10-block stretch of rezoning in the East 50s.
ERFA plans to take the decision to court. The organization said in a statement that the BSA decision was no surprise.
The developer, Jonathan Kalikow of Gamma Real Estate, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The decision hinged on whether substantial foundation work on the site at 3 Sutton Place had been completed by Nov. 30, 2017 — when the Sutton Place rezoning was approved by the City Council. Opponents of the Gamma Real Estate tower, including East Side Councilmember Ben Kallos, said the permits to close the streets and work after hours from the Department of Buildings and Department of Transportation were fraudulent. To obtain these permits, there had to have been a public safety threat to leaving the construction incomplete, but Kallos and ERFA activists insist there was no public safety threat justifying the permits.
If the DOB gives out such variances "like candy," the councilmember argued, the BSA vote could have at least sent the message that such variances cannot be used to fast-track foundation work.
"I'm disappointed by the fact that they said this was for public safety but by closing the street it actually endangered people's safety," Kallos added.
BSA chair Margery Perlmutter said at last week's public hearing that disputing the DOB permits would set a dangerous precedent when the department issues such permits to protect public safety quite often. It would stifle construction work, particularly when there are varied and complex reasons for why contractors would need after-hours permits, she added.
The BSA did not respond to a request for comment.
The board's announcement came just one week after the New York Daily News reported that the law firm representing the developers, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, had lobbied Mayor Bill de Blasio's two top aides to push the City Planning Commission (CPC) to vote in favor of exempting the developers from the community-based rezoning efforts. De Blasio also owes the firm $300,000 for his own legal fees in connection with 2016 and 2017 federal and state probes into his fundraising practices. The mayor denied any conflict of interest, telling NY1's Errol Louis that he would pay back the fees if the City Council created a mechanism for him to legally raise the defense funds.
The CPC approved the rezoning last fall, but grandfathered the Gamma project from the new zoning. The City Council approved the rezoning without the grandfathering clause, sending the ultimate decision to the BSA.
The BSA approval of the developer's appeal is a loss for ERFA's organizing in the community, and opponents of the tower feel the decision will send a negative message to other neighborhoods advocating for zoning that meets residents' needs. ERFA attorney Hiller added that the group went through a lengthy democratic process to fight against the tower and was still thwarted through this latest decision.
Though groups including ERFA are often written off as NIMBYs, ERFA activist Lisa Mercurio said the group has never said they don't want the developer to build at all. The key issue, Mercurio said, is the vulnerability left open by outdated zoning and loopholes in the zoning text for developers to build megatowers.
She added that an Ian Schrager-type hotel would be coveted by the community, since it would likely bring new shops, restaurants, and younger people to the neighborhood.


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A Hidden New Threat to U.S. Elections
It's been more than nine weeks since the Pennsylvania primary. The election is still not certified.
The reason: Three counties — Berks, Fayette and Lancaster — are refusing to process absentee ballots that were received in a timely manner and are otherwise valid, except the voter did not write a date on the declaration printed on the ballot's return envelope.
The Pennsylvania attorney general has argued in court amid a lawsuit against those three counties that the state will not certify results unless they "include every ballot lawfully cast in that election" (emphasis theirs).
The standoff in Pennsylvania is the latest attempt by conservative-leaning counties to disrupt, delay or otherwise meddle with the process of statewide election certification, a normally ceremonial administrative procedure that became a target of Donald Trump's attempts to subvert the 2020 contest.
It's happened in other states, too. Earlier this year, Otero County, a rural conservative area in southern New Mexico, refused to certify its primary election, citing conspiracy theories about voting machines, though no county commissioner produced evidence to legitimize their concerns.
Eventually, under threat of legal action from the state's attorney general and an order from the State Supreme Court, the commissioners relented and certified the county's roughly 7,300 votes.
Pro-democracy groups saw Otero County's refusal to certify the results as a warning of potentially grave future crises, and expressed worries about how a state might be able to certify a presidential election under similar circumstances.
The showdown in Pennsylvania is most likely less severe. The number of undated ballots is quite small, and if they had to, state officials could certify the election without counting those ballots, disenfranchising a small number of voters but preserving the ability to certify and send presidential electors to Congress (or elect a governor, senator or local official from the area). For now, the attorney general's argument is to simply force the counting of every legal ballot.
"It is imperative that every legal vote cast by a qualified voter is counted," said Molly Stieber, a spokeswoman for the attorney general, Josh Shapiro, who is now the state's Democratic nominee for governor. "The 64 other counties in Pennsylvania have complied and accurately certified their election results. Counties cannot abuse their responsibility for running elections as an excuse to unlawfully disenfranchise voters."
The battle over the undated envelopes in Pennsylvania also presages what is likely to be another litigious election season, in which partisans will look to contest as many ballots as possible to help their side win, seizing on technicalities and immaterial mistakes in an effort to cancel votes.
Election experts say that such sprawling legal challenges, combined with false accusations of fraud, could create chaos akin to the 2020 election aftermath.
More From Democracy Challenged
"Had this unfolded on this kind of timeline in 2020, it really could have created problems, because there would have been questions about whether the state could have actually named a slate of electors," said Robert Yablon, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. "You could imagine there being disputed slates of electors that were sent to Congress, and it could have been a big mess."
The issue reached the courts last year, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled in a dispute over a judicial election that ballots could not be discounted because voters had not dated the return envelope's declaration. The Supreme Court upheld that decision in June.
In Pennsylvania's tight Republican primary race for Senate between Mehmet Oz, now the nominee, and David McCormick, a state court again ruled that the undated ballots must be counted, but also instructed counties to report two separate tallies to state election officials — one including the undated ballots, and one without them — should there be a later decision on appeal going the other way.
So far, there has been no new opinion allowing counties to not count the ballots. Local officials in each county have declined to comment, citing the ongoing lawsuit.
A pocket history of 'Stop the Steal'
On Politics chatted on Thursday with Charles Homans, a New York Times reporter who just published a landmark feature article in The Times Magazine on the history of the "Stop the Steal" movement. Our conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity:
Your story is called "How 'Stop the Steal' Captured the American Right." Was there ever any moment when that prospect was in doubt, or was it always destined to turn out this way?
It's impossible to imagine it taking root as it has if Donald Trump had conceded the election. That is the categorical difference between him and previous presidents. And it is what has distinguished "Stop the Steal" from the skepticism, both reasonable and conspiratorial, that surrounded previous elections.
But if you look at the prehistory of the 2020 election, as I did in this story, it's equally hard to imagine Trump conceding that election, or really any election. He was disputing the validity of elections he lost (and even some that he didn't) going back to literally the first Republican caucus in 2016.
And starting in those 2016 primaries, he had an ally in Roger Stone, who was trying to build a movement around Trump's false claims — and linking those claims to the then-current preoccupation on the right with settling refugees from Syria and other predominantly Muslim countries.
That connected Stop the Steal, from the beginning, to a whole cosmology of far-right conspiracism that extended well beyond Trump himself, and which you can still see reflected in the movement today.
Do the politicians promoting Stop the Steal really believe this stuff? Or are some just playing along for political gain?
Some do and some don't. There are also Republican strategists and even some Stop the Steal activists who will complain (though rarely on the record) that the pursuit of the most baroque and obviously conspiracist claims about the election have given a bad name to what they argue would have otherwise been more credible arguments — in particular challenges to the legality of the expansions of absentee voting provisions and infrastructure in response to the pandemic in 2020 in some key states, which are generally thought to have helped Joe Biden.
Those challenges have found success in the courts in only one state, Wisconsin, and no one has demonstrated that the expansions in question led to meaningful fraud (a point that even the conservative law firm that brought the Wisconsin lawsuit has made).
But they do exist on a spectrum with the legal battles over voting rights that have played out between Republicans and Democrats and civil rights groups for years — the battles that William Barr, Trump's former attorney general, is reportedly joining now — and don't rely on proving a vast conspiracy of voting-machine manufacturers or finding bamboo fibers on ballots.
The grass-roots activists who are most intensely engaged in the project of overturning the 2020 election, however, are often very invested in the voting machine conspiracies and a range of other unproven or debunked claims. So are the figures who have invested the most money in the cause, like Mike Lindell, the MyPillow chief executive, and Patrick Byrne, the former Overstock.com chief executive.
And of course, so is Trump, who personally directed his Justice Department officials to run down some of the most out-there claims, and who has continued to repeat them since.
One takeaway from your story is that Trump has used this fantasy of a stolen election to solidify his hold over G.O.P. base voters. Yet it's also driven many Republican elites and college-educated voters away. Help us assess the political costs and benefits.
As Trump's claims about the election have hardened into a tenet of Republican orthodoxy, they've paradoxically become less tied up with him personally. They have become part of a more generalized story the right tells about the groups it perceives as its enemies — Democrats, "RINOs," the media, the intelligence community, state-level bureaucrats — and the supposed lengths they're willing to go to keep the right's champions out of power.
Trump is a martyr in that story, and of course remains by far the largest-looming figure on the right. But I don't think a restoration of the Trump presidency is a singular goal of even the movement crystallized around the false election claims.
To your second point, there are obvious limits to this view of politics when it comes to winning over anyone who's not already a partisan. What I wonder, though, is how much these views matter to voters who are not especially partisan or particularly engaged.
The polling around this subject has consistently shown an asymmetry that clearly benefits Republicans: Republican voters are highly worried about threats to democracy (which they presumably define in Trump-aligned terms) and Democrats are much less so.
This is where the Democrats' tactic of openly helping some of the most Stop the Steal-minded candidates in this year's Republican primaries, aside from its cynicism, also strikes me as strategically dubious insofar as it presumes that their views on the 2020 election are something that swing voters will actually hold against them.
A certain religious fervor runs through the "Stop the Steal" movement. To what extent do conservative Christians see Trump as a kind of Messiah-like figure? And if they do, does that help explain the passion behind the belief that he was robbed of a second term?
I don't think that even many far-right Christians view Trump as a Messiah-like figure. They did broadly view him as someone who was willing and able to deliver a country that was governed in accordance with their view of Christianity and its relationship to the state.
I'm talking here about the set of beliefs (discrete from, if often overlapping with, conservative evangelical Christianity) that are sometimes described as Christian nationalism: the belief that America is a fundamentally Christian nation whose founding documents were divinely inspired, and which is meant to be governed accordingly, whether or not its leader is particularly pious.
That's different from the kind of conservative evangelical politics that were ascendant in this country 20 or 30 years ago, and it is very prominent in Stop the Steal. I think it does inform the passion behind the belief in Trump's false claims, but it also helps explain the fervent support for the efforts to overturn the election even among people who may not really buy this stuff.
An illuminating image
On Politics regularly features work by Times photographers. Here's what Cheriss May told us about capturing the image above:
When presidents return to the White House late at night or early in the morning, it's usually quiet and uneventful.
But President Biden's arrival home from his trip to the Middle East was a bit different.
As he got back in the early hours of Sunday, I focused on him inside Marine One and noticed that he was illuminated by a bluish glow inside the aircraft as he spoke to the pilot and gave him a thumbs-up.
It reminded me of the 1985 martial-arts movie "The Last Dragon," when Taimak gets "the glow," which gives him an extra burst of energy. At that moment, I knew it wouldn't be the typical early-morning presidential arrival.
Thanks for reading. We'll see you on Monday.
— Blake
Is there anything you think we're missing? Anything you want to see more of? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.
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I know it's a little scary… the 'C' word is already being thrown around! Didn't it only just feel like yesterday we were celebrating last year's festivities? Believe it or not our books are already filling up fast for the silly season and we would hate for you to miss out on booking a Wine Tour with us!
Be that person who's organised and relaxed this summer and plan your 2018 Christmas Party with d'Vine Tours before it's too late. Whether it's for your work colleagues, friends or family, we can cater the tour to suit your taste and budget.
Some of the things we can include you wonder??
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Choices start with a much loved winery lunch! Choose from beautiful gourmet platters with a glass of wine or a festive inspired set menu. Fancy a Brewery feast? Not a problem… Feral Brewing Co do amazing set menu lunches and Elmars in the Valley will be bringing back their famous German Service Banquet with the usual Christmas flare. And these are just to name a few!!
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Your pic has been featured as one of the best of the day .
Beauty is everywhere. Just look deep into nature.
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Sandeep Marwah Met Indian Ambassador to Hungary
Sandeep Marwah With H.E.Rahul Chhabra
Budapest: "I extend my heartiest congratulations to Sandeep Marwah President Marwah Studios for receiving the most prestigious award from House of Commons at British Parliament. It is a pleasure to see him in Hungary," said H.E. Rahul Chhabra Indian Ambassador to Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina at Budapest in a get together in honor of Marwah.
"I am pleased to inform about Indo Hungarian Film And Cultural Forum to Ambassador which was constituted few years back at Hungary itself. Ample has been done to promote film, television, media, art and culture to bring two countries together under this forum," said Sandeep Marwah quoting many events which had taken place in India.
ICMEI- International Chamber of Media And Entertainment Industry is looking for more opportunities to work with Hungarians in the near future. The meeting was concluded with grand dinner.
Posted in Best Fashion School, Best Film School, Best Film Schools, Best Hospitality School, Best Tourism School, Cinema, Culture, Education, Entertainment, Fashion, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
AAFT and Budapest Film Academy Will Work Together
Sandeep Marwah With Jeno Hodi at Budapest
Budapest: The renowned media personality and President of Asian Academy of Film And Television Sandeep Marwah met Jeno Hodi the Director of Budapest Film Academy to revive old relations.
AAFT and Budapest Film Academy now will work together in the promotion of cinema and other programs like students exchange, faculty exchange, film festivals of students film and visit to the institutions informed Marwah at a meet at Hotel Marriott River Side during his visit to Budapest in Hungary.
"We know each other well and have visited to each others institutions. Jeno Hodi was in India three years before at Global Film Festival and it was decided to work together," said Sandeep Marwah
"We are already working with Hollywood and now keen in developing more relations with India, the largest film producing country in the World. AAFT and Marwah Studios are the best platform to start with," added Jeno Hodi.
Sandeep Marwah also the President of ICMEI- International Chamber of Media And Entertainment Industry invited Jeno Hodi to be guest of honor in the 10th Global Film Festival Noida 2017.
Sandeep Marwah Honored in House of Commons at British Parliament
Sandeep Marwah Honored in British Parliament
London: "Sandeep Marwah is a well known film, television and media personality with five World records to his credit. Founder of Noida Film City, Marwah Studios and Asian Education Group he has been chairing 100 media and social organizations. Recipient of more than 500 hundred awards from all over the World for his untiring contribution to love, peace and unity through arts and culture." A citation was read in the House of Common- British Parliament in London.
The most prestigious award as 'Ambassador of Peace' handed over to Sandeep Marwah who had flown all the way from New Delhi, India to receive his award. The award was presented by Bob Blackman Member Parliament a member of several All Party Parliamentary Groups, including ones associated with Israel, India, Nepal, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Croatia, the USA and the UAE.
Bob Blackman is also a Co-Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Justice for Equitable Life Policy Holders, is now Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health an also leads the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus.
"I am pleased and honored to honor Marwah who has spent years and years of his life in spreading love, peace and unity in the World through arts and culture. Sandeep Marwah has proved to be an achiever. Today, this historical building of British Parliament is creating another history. I am thankful to all of you for giving me this noble job to perform," said Bob Blackman the host of the event.
"I am thoroughly impressed and obelized by the style and the respect showered on me by calling me to House of Commons in British Parliament. I pay my gratitude to all the organizers for considering me this Ambassador of Peace Award. This has added a lot to India and British relations. It has motivated me to do more in the same direction," said Sandeep Marwah President of World Peace And Development And Research Foundation. Later Marwah addressed to all in the community hall of House of Commons in British Parliament.
Founder of Siddhashram Shakti Centre UK H.H. RajRajeshwar Guru Ji, Leader of Jain Religion Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni, Chairman of City of London Police Federation Mike Reed, Police Commander Simon Owen, Councillor of Harrow Council Ajay Maru, Assistant Director Home Affairs Richard Lederleand and many important people from different communities and strata of life from all over England were present in the hall of British Parliament.
National Day of Vietnam Celebrated at ICMEI
National Day of Vietnam Celebrated at Marwah Studios
Noida: "It is a coincidence that Global Peace Summit is falling on the National Day of Vietnam. We all, here a Global family, extend our heartiest congratulations to the delegate from Vietnam Nguyen Thi Huong a very bright future.," said Sandeep Marwah President of Marwah Studios Chairing the Global Peace Summit.
A poster to mark respect to the National Day of Vietnam was released by the Chairman of the Summit along with Dr. Rishi Raj Singh Director, Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship, Government of India and other delegates from different country.
"I am touched by the gesture extended towards my country by celebrating National Day of Vietnam at Noida during the Global Peace Summit, will never forget my life time. I pay my gratitude to each an every one for giving me so much of importance," said Nguyen Thi Huong delegate from VVietnam.
The function was attended by foreign delegates from Afghanistan, Senegal, Swaziland, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nepal, Cote D' lvoire, Fiji, Jamaica, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Nigeria, Tanzania, Madagascar, Liberia, Trinidad & Tobago, Egypt, Guyana, Ghana, Tajikistan, Gabon, Botswana, South Sudan, Cameron and India.
Posted in Best Fashion School, Best Film School, Best Film Schools, Cinema, Culture, Education, Entertainment, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
First Poster of 3rd Global Literary Festival Noida 2017 Released
Poster of 3rd Global Literary Festival Noida Released
Noida: It is the most appropriate occasion to release the first poster of Global Literary Festival Noida 2017 when delegation of 27 countries is working together on World Peace at Marwah Studios," said Sandeep Marwah President of GLFN addressing a large gathering at Noida Film City.
A colorful poster handed over by Sushil Bharti festival Director to the foreign delegates was released to mark respect to the festival, which also carries a bye line of 'Love, Peace And Unity Through Art And Culture'.
"Sandeep Marwah is a legendary figure, sharing dice is a life time opportunity. Global Literary festival is an another feather in the cap of Marwah," said Nkurikiyumukiza Aphrodis delegate from Rwanda.
"We are feeling privileged to be part of not only Global Peace Summit but also now part of Global Literary Festival Noida. I am sure the festival will be as colorful as the poster itself," added NeilBacchus delegate from Guyana.
"What a pleasure to be in India and part of World-renowned Marwah Studios. I wish Global Literary Festival a grand success and a wide reach," said Rakotonirainy Tokiana delegate from Madagascar.
"We will try to be present on the D Day of the festival. Poster launching has encouraged us to be now part of the Global Literary festival," expressed Bonno Pearl Kampure from Botswana.
The poster launching function was attended by foreign delegates from Afghanistan, Senegal, Swaziland, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nepal, Cote D' lvoire, Fiji, Jamaica, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Nigeria, Tanzania, Madagascar, Liberia, Trinidad & Tobago, Egypt, Guyana, Ghana, Tajikistan, Gabon, Botswana, South Sudan, Cameron and India.
Posted in Best Film School, Best Film Schools, Best Hospitality School, Best Tourism School, Cinema, Culture, Education, Entertainment, Fashion, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
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text:
package com.blt.talk.message.server.handler.impl;

import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Component;

import com.blt.talk.common.code.DefaultIMHeader;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.IMHeader;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.IMProtoMessage;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMBaseDefine;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMBaseDefine.KickReasonType;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMBaseDefine.LoginCmdID;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMBaseDefine.OtherCmdID;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMBaseDefine.ResultType;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMBaseDefine.ServiceID;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMBaseDefine.UserStatType;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMDeviceTokenReq;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMDeviceTokenRsp;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMKickPCClientReq;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMKickPCClientRsp;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMLoginReq;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMLoginRes;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMLogoutReq;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMLogoutRsp;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMPushShieldReq;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMPushShieldRsp;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMQueryPushShieldReq;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMLogin.IMQueryPushShieldRsp;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.IMServer.IMServerKickUser;
import com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.helper.JavaBean2ProtoBuf;
import com.blt.talk.common.model.BaseModel;
import com.blt.talk.common.model.entity.UserEntity;
import com.blt.talk.common.param.KickUserReq;
import com.blt.talk.common.param.LoginReq;
import com.blt.talk.common.param.UserToken;
import com.blt.talk.common.result.LoginCmdResult;
import com.blt.talk.common.util.CommonUtils;
import com.blt.talk.message.server.cluster.MessageServerCluster;
import com.blt.talk.message.server.handler.IMLoginHandler;
import com.blt.talk.message.server.manager.ClientUser;
import com.blt.talk.message.server.manager.ClientUserManager;
//import com.blt.talk.message.server.manager.ClientConnection;
//import com.blt.talk.message.server.manager.ClientConnectionMap;
import com.blt.talk.message.server.remote.LoginService;
import com.google.protobuf.MessageLite;
import com.hazelcast.core.HazelcastInstance;

import io.netty.channel.ChannelFuture;
import io.netty.channel.ChannelFutureListener;
import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;

/**
 * 处理【LoginCmdID】
 * @author 袁贵
 * @version 1.0
 * @since 1.0
 */
@Component
public class IMLoginHandlerImpl extends AbstractUserHandlerImpl implements IMLoginHandler {

    private final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(getClass());
    @Autowired
    private LoginService loginService;
//    @Autowired
//    private RouterHandler routerHandler;
    @Autowired
    private HazelcastInstance hazelCastInstance;
    @Autowired
    private MessageServerCluster messageServerCluster;

    /**
     *
     * @param header 消息头
     * @param msg
     * @param ctx 连接context
     * @throws Exception
     * @since  3.0
     */
    @Override
    public void login(IMHeader header, MessageLite msg, ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {

        int serverTime = CommonUtils.currentTimeSeconds();
        IMLoginReq req = (IMLoginReq) msg;
        String userName = req.getUserName();
        String password = req.getPassword();

//        Map<String, String> params = new HashMap<>();
//        params.put("name", userName);
//
//        ResponseEntity<String> userList = restTemplate.getForEntity("http://localhost:10060/user/search/findByName", String.class, params);

        // FIXME 处理登录前,先判断是否已经登录
        // 已登录的,踢掉

        LoginReq loginReq = new LoginReq();
        loginReq.setName(userName);
        loginReq.setPassword(password);

        try {

            BaseModel<UserEntity> userRes = loginService.login(loginReq);

            if (userRes.getCode() != LoginCmdResult.SUCCESS.getCode()) {

                IMLoginRes res = IMLoginRes.newBuilder().setServerTime(serverTime)
                        .setOnlineStatus(UserStatType.USER_STATUS_ONLINE)
                        .setResultCode(ResultType.REFUSE_REASON_DB_VALIDATE_FAILED).setResultString(userRes.getMsg()).buildPartial();
                IMHeader resHeader = header.clone();
                resHeader.setCommandId((short)LoginCmdID.CID_LOGIN_RES_USERLOGIN_VALUE);

                ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, res));
            } else {

                // 查询同一用户的其他Client
                Long userId = userRes.getData().getId();
                ClientUser clientUser = ClientUserManager.getUserById(userId);
                Long handleId = hazelCastInstance.getAtomicLong("message-server#HANDLE_ID").getAndIncrement();
                if (clientUser == null) {
                    logger.debug("登录成功:{}", userId);
                    clientUser = new ClientUser(ctx, userId, handleId, req.getClientType(), UserStatType.USER_STATUS_ONLINE);
                    clientUser.setLoginName(userRes.getData().getRealName());
                    clientUser.setNickName(userRes.getData().getMainName());
                    ClientUserManager.addUserById(userId, clientUser);
                } else {
                    logger.debug("登录成功,设置参数:{}", userId);

                    // 踢掉同时在线的同类型的客户端
                    clientUser.kickSameClientType(req.getClientType().getNumber(),
                            IMBaseDefine.KickReasonType.KICK_REASON_DUPLICATE_USER.getNumber(),
                            ctx);

                    // 追加新的连接
                    clientUser.addConn(handleId, ctx);
                    ctx.attr(ClientUser.HANDLE_ID).set(handleId);
                    ctx.attr(ClientUser.USER_ID).set(userId);
                    ctx.attr(ClientUser.CLIENT_TYPE).set(req.getClientType());
                    ctx.attr(ClientUser.STATUS).set(UserStatType.USER_STATUS_ONLINE);
                }
                // 更新用户状态
                // pMsgConn->SetUserId(user_id);
                // pMsgConn->SetOpen();
                // pMsgConn->SendUserStatusUpdate(IM::BaseDefine::USER_STATUS_ONLINE);
                // pUser->ValidateMsgConn(pMsgConn->GetHandle(), pMsgConn);
                // KickOutSameClientType
                clientUser.setValidate(true);

                // 广播
                // routerHandler.sendUserStatusUpdate(ctx, IMBaseDefine.UserStatType.USER_STATUS_ONLINE);
                messageServerCluster.userStatusUpdate(userId, ctx, IMBaseDefine.UserStatType.USER_STATUS_ONLINE);

                // 广播
                // routerHandler.kickOutSameClientType(ctx, IMBaseDefine.KickReasonType.KICK_REASON_DUPLICATE_USER);
                // OtherCmdID.CID_OTHER_SERVER_KICK_USER_VALUE
                IMHeader kkHeader = new DefaultIMHeader(ServiceID.SID_OTHER_VALUE, OtherCmdID.CID_OTHER_SERVER_KICK_USER_VALUE);
                IMServerKickUser kickUser = IMServerKickUser.newBuilder().setClientType(req.getClientType())
                        .setReason(IMBaseDefine.KickReasonType.KICK_REASON_DUPLICATE_USER_VALUE).setUserId(userId).build();

                messageServerCluster.send(kkHeader, kickUser);

                // 后移,防止登录后判断是否在线(PC)失败
                IMBaseDefine.UserInfo userInfo = JavaBean2ProtoBuf.getUserInfo(userRes.getData());

                IMLoginRes res = IMLoginRes.newBuilder().setOnlineStatus(UserStatType.USER_STATUS_ONLINE)
                        .setServerTime(serverTime).setUserInfo(userInfo).setResultCode(ResultType.REFUSE_REASON_NONE)
                        .build();

                IMHeader resHeader = header.clone();
                resHeader.setCommandId((short) LoginCmdID.CID_LOGIN_RES_USERLOGIN_VALUE);
                ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, res));
            }

        } catch (Exception e) {

            logger.error("服务器端异常", e);
            IMLoginRes res;

            res = IMLoginRes.newBuilder().setServerTime(serverTime)
                    .setOnlineStatus(UserStatType.USER_STATUS_ONLINE)
                    .setResultCode(ResultType.REFUSE_REASON_DB_VALIDATE_FAILED).setResultString("服务器端异常").buildPartial();
            IMHeader resHeader = header.clone();
            resHeader.setCommandId((short)LoginCmdID.CID_LOGIN_RES_USERLOGIN_VALUE);

            ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, res));
        }
    }

    /* (non-Javadoc)
     * @see com.blt.talk.message.server.handler.IMLoginHandler#logOut(com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.Header, com.google.protobuf.MessageLite, io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext)
     */
    @Override
    public void logOut(IMHeader header, MessageLite body, ChannelHandlerContext ctx) {

    	IMLogoutReq logoutReq = (IMLogoutReq) body;
    	long userId = super.getUserId(ctx);

    	IMHeader resHeader = null;
    	IMLogoutRsp logoutRsp = null;
    	try {

        	UserToken userToken = new UserToken();
    		userToken.setUserId(userId);
    		userToken.setUserToken("");

    		//先发给给数据库
        	//BaseModel<Long> deviceTokenRes =  loginService.setdeviceToken(userToken);
        	loginService.setDeviceToken(userToken);

        	resHeader = header.clone();
        	resHeader.setCommandId((short)LoginCmdID.CID_LOGIN_REQ_LOGINOUT_VALUE);

        	logoutRsp = IMLogoutRsp.newBuilder()
        			 .setResultCode(0)
        			 .build();
        	ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, logoutRsp));
    	} catch (Exception e) {
    		logger.error("服务器端异常", e);
    		ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, logoutRsp));

		} finally {
    		ctx.close().addListener(new ChannelFutureListener() {

				@Override
				public void operationComplete(ChannelFuture future) throws Exception {
					ClientUser clientUser = ClientUserManager.getUserById(userId);
	                if (clientUser == null) {

	                    logger.debug("用户没有登录过:{}", userId);
	                } else {
	                    logger.debug("用户已登录过,设置参数:{}", userId);

	                     for (ChannelHandlerContext chc :clientUser.getUnValidateConnSet() ){
	                    	 if (chc == ctx){

	                    		 clientUser.getUnValidateConnSet().remove(ctx);
	                    	 }
	                     }

	                     for ( ChannelHandlerContext chc :  clientUser.getConnMap().values()){
	                    	 if ( chc == ctx){
	                    		 long handle = chc.attr(ClientUser.HANDLE_ID).get();
	                    		 clientUser.getConnMap().remove(handle);
	                    	 }
	                     }

	                     //...
	                     // 还需要其他处理,需要进一步添加
	                     //...

	                    ctx.attr(ClientUser.STATUS).set(UserStatType.USER_STATUS_OFFLINE);
	                }

				}
			});
        }

    }

    /* (non-Javadoc)
     * @see com.blt.talk.message.server.handler.IMLoginHandler#kickUser(com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.Header, com.google.protobuf.MessageLite, io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext)
     */
    //不在该处实现
    @Override
    public void kickUser(IMHeader header, MessageLite body, ChannelHandlerContext ctx) {
        // TODO Auto-generated method stub
        logger.warn("++TODO +++++");
    }

    /* (non-Javadoc)
     * @see com.blt.talk.message.server.handler.IMLoginHandler#deviceToken(com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.Header, com.google.protobuf.MessageLite, io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext)
     */
    @Override
    public void deviceToken(IMHeader header, MessageLite body, ChannelHandlerContext ctx) {

    	IMDeviceTokenReq deviceTokenReq = (IMDeviceTokenReq) body;
    	long userId = super.getUserId(ctx);

    	IMHeader resHeader = null;
    	IMDeviceTokenRsp deviceTokenRsp = null;

    	try {

    		deviceTokenRsp = IMDeviceTokenRsp.newBuilder()
    				            .setUserId(userId)
    				            .build();

    		resHeader = header.clone();
    		resHeader.setCommandId((short)LoginCmdID.CID_LOGIN_RES_DEVICETOKEN_VALUE);

    		ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, deviceTokenRsp));

    		// 保存用户Token
            UserToken userToken = new UserToken();
            userToken.setUserId(userId);
            userToken.setClientType(deviceTokenReq.getClientType());
            userToken.setUserToken(deviceTokenReq.getDeviceTokenBytes().toStringUtf8());

            loginService.setDeviceToken(userToken);
    	} catch(Exception e){

    		logger.error("服务器端异常", e);
    		ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, deviceTokenRsp));
    	}

    }

    /* (non-Javadoc)
     * @see com.blt.talk.message.server.handler.IMLoginHandler#kickPcClient(com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.Header, com.google.protobuf.MessageLite, io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext)
     */

    @Override
    public void kickPcClient(IMHeader header, MessageLite body, ChannelHandlerContext ctx) {
    	IMKickPCClientReq kickPCClientReq = (IMKickPCClientReq)body;
    	long userId = super.getUserId(ctx);
    	IMHeader resHeader = null;
    	IMKickPCClientRsp kickPCClientRsp = null;

    	try{
    		KickUserReq kickUserReq = new KickUserReq();
    		kickUserReq.setUserId(userId);
    		kickUserReq.setUserType(IMBaseDefine.ClientType.CLIENT_TYPE_MAC);
    		kickUserReq.setKickReasonType(KickReasonType.KICK_REASON_MOBILE_KICK);

    		//BaseModel<Long> kickUserRes  = loginService.kickPcClient(kickUserReq);
    		loginService.kickPcClient(kickUserReq);

    		kickPCClientRsp = IMKickPCClientRsp.newBuilder()
    		          .setResultCode(0)
    		          .setUserId(userId)
    		          .build();

    		resHeader = header.clone();
    		resHeader.setCommandId((short)LoginCmdID.CID_LOGIN_RES_KICKPCCLIENT_VALUE);

    		ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, kickPCClientRsp));

    	}catch(Exception e){

    	}

    }

    /* (non-Javadoc)
     * @see com.blt.talk.message.server.handler.IMLoginHandler#pushShield(com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.Header, com.google.protobuf.MessageLite, io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext)
     */
    @Override
    public void pushShield(IMHeader header, MessageLite body, ChannelHandlerContext ctx) {
        IMPushShieldReq pushShieldReq = (IMPushShieldReq) body;
        long userId = super.getUserId(ctx);
    	IMHeader resHeader = null;
    	IMPushShieldRsp pushShieldRsp = null;

    	try {
    		BaseModel<Integer> pushShieldRes  = loginService.pushShield(userId, pushShieldReq.getShieldStatus());

    		pushShieldRsp = IMPushShieldRsp.newBuilder()
    				            .setUserId(userId)
    				            .setResultCode(pushShieldRes.getCode())
    				            .build();
    		resHeader = header.clone();
    		resHeader.setCommandId((short)LoginCmdID.CID_LOGIN_RES_PUSH_SHIELD_VALUE);

    		ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, pushShieldRsp));

    	} catch(Exception e){

    		logger.error("服务器端异常", e);
    		ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, pushShieldRsp));
    	}
    }

    /* (non-Javadoc)
     * @see com.blt.talk.message.server.handler.IMLoginHandler#queryPushShield(com.blt.talk.common.code.proto.Header, com.google.protobuf.MessageLite, io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext)
     */
    @Override
    public void queryPushShield(IMHeader header, MessageLite body, ChannelHandlerContext ctx) {
        long userId = super.getUserId(ctx);

    	IMHeader resHeader = null;
        IMQueryPushShieldRsp queryPushShieldRsp = null;

    	try {
    		BaseModel<Integer> queryPushShieldRes  = loginService.queryPushShield(userId);

    		queryPushShieldRsp = IMQueryPushShieldRsp.newBuilder()
    				            .setUserId(userId)
    				            .setShieldStatus(queryPushShieldRes.getData())
    				            .setResultCode(queryPushShieldRes.getCode())
    				            .build();
    		resHeader = header.clone();
    		resHeader.setCommandId((short)LoginCmdID.CID_LOGIN_RES_QUERY_PUSH_SHIELD_VALUE);

    		ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, queryPushShieldRsp));
    	} catch(Exception e){

    		logger.error("服务器端异常", e);

            // 异常时,处理(0:successed 1:failed)
            queryPushShieldRsp = IMQueryPushShieldRsp.newBuilder().setUserId(userId)
                    .setResultCode(6).build();
            ctx.writeAndFlush(new IMProtoMessage<>(resHeader, queryPushShieldRsp));
    	}
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
- Counter-Currents Publishing - https://www.counter-currents.com -
A Letter from a Colorado Supermax
Posted By Morris V. de Camp On October 25, 2018 @ 2:14 am In North American New Right | 15 Comments
[1]1,633 words
Matt Hale
The Racial Loyalist Manifesto [2]
CreateSpace, 2016
Greg Johnson's White Nationalist Manifesto [3] (2018) is a big hit. It remains in the top ranks of the Political Philosophy category at Amazon. According to the publisher, it is selling "like gangbusters." After reading this book, I decided to take a look at Matt Hale's work with a similar name, The Racial Loyalist Manifesto, to see how the two books compare. Matt Hale is the successor to Ben Klassen, the founder of the pro-white religion often called the Creativity Movement. Today, he is in prison.
In looking over Matt Hale's career – that is to say, looking over his career as described by terribly hostile sources – I am quite certain that the two of us might have crossed paths at some point. Hale is from East Peoria, a nice town built upon the rich soil of northern Illinois. Nonetheless, I'd never heard of Hale until the after the national news reported that a federal judge's mother and husband had been murdered. In the wake of the horrible slayings, the media went on a frenzy, blaming Hale's followers for the killings, given that the judge in question had presided over a legal case against Hale's organization, the World Church of the Creator, and Hale himself was then on trial for having allegedly solicited an undercover FBI agent to kill the judge (he was subsequently sentenced to forty years in prison for this). By that time, I was redpilled and suspected that Hale and his disciples were not really involved. When an immigrant [4] turned out to be the culprit, and later that same year, blacks (ironically) burned down parts of Toledo, Ohio [5] to protest a neo-Nazi-led protest march against black crime, I decided that those like Matt Hale had a point, and that I needed to do something for my race. But going on some sort of hopeless, violent revolutionary crusade was out of the question for me. (I wasn't to discover Counter-Currents until many years later.)
Although it is highly likely he was railroaded based on the testimony of an FBI informant and agent provocateur, nevertheless, Hale's pro-white activism is more of an example of what not to do. He became active in the late 1980s, at a time when Americans who had been alive during the Second World War, but who were too young to have served in it, were at the height of their social power. This generation, often called the "Silent Generation," fully believed the story of the war as described in pro-Jewish metapolitical narratives like the 1988 War and Remembrance and the 1978 Holocaust. As a result, the northern Illinois establishment moved against Hale as though he were Satan himself. When Hale burned an Israeli flag, he was arrested for violating open-flame laws; when he distributed fliers, he was fined for littering. Hale was simply too young and naïve to resist the establishment.
His activism at this time can be compared to a reckless frontal attack upon the strongest points of his enemy's defenses. White Nationalism is a small movement, and that movement is the designated devil figure for American society's official religion. In this religion, Americans are all J-Left Negro-worshippers. The Jews who died during the Second World War are this religion's crucified Christ.[1] [6] Auschwitz is its Calvary Hill. In this view, protections under the First Amendment don't apply to pro-white protests, unless one has a considerable amount of time and money to get one's case through the courts.
Additionally, Hale did several imprudent things in his youth, such as attacking a mall cop. As Massad Ayoob has written [7] concerning the self-defense laws [8], how one gets into the "The System" of criminal justice matters. Once in "The System" as an offender, one is stuck there. When the State of Illinois denied his license to practice law, it had a case – Hale had actual arrests that they could point to as a rationale. Again with the frontal attack – why didn't Hale get a law license in Wisconsin or Iowa first? Thus, when one of Hale's followers went on a shooting spree, it was only a matter of time before he himself would be imprisoned.
Greg Johnson's White Nationalist Manifesto (2018) is the best work explaining White Nationalism that I've read. It is much like David Duke's Jewish Supremacism (2007), or non-White Nationalist Peter Brimelow's book about immigration that touches on pro-white themes: Alien Nation (1995). These three books are similar in that they explain complex problems and high concepts in simple terms that can be understood by many. By contrast, Kevin MacDonald's trilogy was written on a much higher level – high enough that I suspect more people have claimed to have readhis Culture of Critique (1998) than have actually read it.
The Racial Loyalist Manifesto reads like a religious text. When I started it, I was reminded of the Bible's Book of Psalms or the Sermon on the Mount. Hale has a different message from the Bible, but the cadence and rhythm of this book feels like that of a sermon. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Matt Hale is first a reverend. And there are a number of things which Hale writes in it that are also mentioned in The White Nationalist Manifesto and other writings that have appeared at Counter-Currents.
Regarding Capitalism
Matt Hale:
It is raceless capitalism that is responsible for the bringing of the black race to the American shores through the African slave trade. It is raceless capitalism that brought the non-white races into Europe by the millions after the Second World War.[2] [9]
We will serve no economy. Rather the economy will serve ourselves.[3] [10]
Greg Johnson:
. . . [W]e are more than consumers. We have families, friends, communities. Or we should have them.[4] [11]
Regarding an Ethnostate
In other words, the other races cannot be included in the White political community without destroying the very purpose of that political community: the best interests of our White people. After all, if a political community is incapable of protecting the best interests of one's own people, it is of little worth.[5] [12]
White Nationalism simply means the right of all white peoples to sovereign homelands.[6] [13]
Regarding Conservatives
Conservatism is thus a needless distraction at best, a sepulcher at worst. Our values must serve our race, not our race our values. Neither "left" nor "right" but White is the issue.[7] [14]
Second, to escape from the charge of identity politics, conservatives insist that their goal is not to conserve a particular people—Americans, Germans, etc.—but rather to promote a list of abstract values. These values, moreover, are supposedly universally valid, which means that they should appeal equally to people of other races and nations. This leads to the absurd conclusion that if Americans were completely replaced by Mexicans, this would be a triumph of conservatism as long as the new bronze nation professed belief in "el Sueño Americano." (That's "the American Dream" to you gringos.)[8] [15]
Some of What is Different
There are also some considerable differences between Hale and Johnson's ideas. Hale endorses something of a White Imperium – a unified political body under a unified ideology. Hale writes:
. . . [N]o nation of the White Race can be allowed to come before the survival of the White Race as a whole. No branch of a tree (the nation) can be more important than the tree (the race) itself. True national (ethnic) pride is good but never with the result of harm to the greater White Race itself. We Racial Loyalists thus reject the term 'nationalism' in favor of Racial Loyalty and it is long overdue that all those who are actually Racial Loyalists do the same. 'Nationalism' only confuses the true issue: whether our race will live or die.[9] [16]
Johnson's ethnostate takes into account the very real differences between white ethnic groups. His idea is something like small nations grouped together in mutual defense organizations. To get a clear view of his ideas, or about similar ones from others, one can read articles here at Counter-Currents about independence movements in Scotland [17], England [18], and Catalonia [19], and there is an in-depth discussion on the matter here [20].
The White Nationalist Manifesto is a much easier read than The Racial Loyalist Manifesto. Greg Johnson's ideas are designed to take people from where they are now toward understanding and supporting the idea of a white ethnostate and White Nationalism. Matt Hale's manifesto is more for after the revolution. It is so dense that, theoretically, a preacher in the distant future could take some verses out of one chapter and speak on them for an hour.
So what to do about Matt Hale, who has been unjustly imprisoned for more than a decade, and will likely be kept there for many more years? It doesn't seem that there is much that can be done in the short term. President Trump could commute his sentence after his second term starts, given that FBI Informants are often dishonest people seeking to railroad someone; after all, the FBI has been attempting to do the same to him.
But it is unlikely that freeing Matt Hale will be taken up as a cause in the short term. The risks would be quite steep, and in any event, White Nationalists don't yet have the clout to get him a pardon or an early release. The best way to free Matt Hale is to continue doing what we are doing: being good citizens and working to change society through metapolitics.
[1] [21] At least according to one denomination of this religion. Other denominations have Martin Luther King, Jr. as their Christ.
[2] [22] Hale, The Racial Loyalist Manifesto, Kindle Loc. 626.
[3] [23] Hale, Kindle Loc. 653.
[4] [24] Greg Johnson, "5 to 9 Conservatism [25]."
[6] [27] Greg Johnson, The White Nationalist Manifesto [3] (San Francisco: Counter-Currents Publishing, 2018), Kindle Loc. 104.
[8] [29] Johnson, Kindle Loc. 527.
Article printed from Counter-Currents Publishing: https://www.counter-currents.com
URL to article: https://www.counter-currents.com/2018/10/a-letter-from-a-colorado-supermax/
[1] Image: https://www.counter-currents.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/10-25-18-1.jpg
[2] The Racial Loyalist Manifesto: https://www.amazon.com/Racial-Loyalist-Manifesto-second/dp/1533314799/
[3] White Nationalist Manifesto: https://www.counter-currents.com/product/the-white-nationalist-manifesto/
[4] immigrant: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0503010123mar01-story.html
[5] burned down parts of Toledo, Ohio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Toledo_riot
[6] [1]: #_ftn1
[7] written: https://massadayoobgroup.com/
[8] self-defense laws: https://www.counter-currents.com/2017/09/self-defense-from-americas-foremost-expert-gun-culture-supporter/
[10] [3]: #_ftn3
[17] Scotland: https://www.counter-currents.com/tag/scottish-independence/
[18] England: https://www.counter-currents.com/tag/english-independence/
[19] Catalonia: https://www.counter-currents.com/tag/catalan-independence/
[20] here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sRlSIAAzUE
[21] [1]: #_ftnref1
[25] 5 to 9 Conservatism: https://www.counter-currents.com/2011/10/5-to-9-conservatism/
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text:
Groundswell: The Case for Fracking
Book Review: Groundswell: The Case for Fracking – by Ezra Levant (McClelland & Stewart, 2014)
This book was fair overall. The most important part is probably the geopolitical analysis although some of that has changed since the book was published a year or so ago. Climate change aside, cheap energy is what grows our economies and that growth is what provides opportunities to an ever-growing global population. Fracking, a predominantly American industrial phenomenon has without a doubt led to cheaper energy for all Americans, at the gas pump, and in electricity and gas bills. It has also BY FAR led to the largest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions among any country ever due to providing the ability to replace coal power plants with gas power plants – and that is with a 20% higher population! Much of this book focuses on fracking and shale gas & oil as a means to reduce dependence on foreign oil & gas, particularly from countries that favor political ideologies and practices with which we disagree. Levant takes on the Russian energy monopoly and manipulative policies and the current oil and gas 'cartels.' He also addresses criticisms of fracking. He does not come across as an energy expert or a policy expert so I would rate the book fair overall. He is Canadian and mentions his previous book, Ethical Oil, which posits Canadian tar sands oil as ethical compared to the "conflict" oil of the Middle East. While this is true it is also true that tar sands oil is carbon intensive and should be limited to small production to keep it viable as a possible future source in case of supply problems – though not likely for quite a while.
The first 'frac' job was done in 1947 in Kansas, by J.D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Corporation as a means to increase gas production when gelled gasoline was injected under hydraulic pressure to create fractures in the gas-bearing rock. The process was patented by Halliburton in 1949. By 2000 over a million 'frac jobs' were done on American wells. Long before that wells were "shot" with explosives to try and increase production with variable results. With fracking, gas and oil production were reliably increased and it became standard for so-called "tight" formation wells. It was in the late 1990s and early 2000s that fracking was combined with horizontal drilling in shale by George Mitchell's Mitchell Energy in the Barnett Shale that the new fracking revolution began. Frack jobs got bigger – they had to since the horizontal wells were accessing more reservoir. More and more sand and water were pumped into each frac "stage" of the shales at high pressure and production increased. Horizontal wells are far more efficient at accessing hydrocarbons than vertical wells. Shale is a continuous resource compared to traditional conventional reservoirs that require porosity, traps, and seals. Thus the wells are more predictable and costly "dry holes" are avoided. Fracking revitalized the American oil and gas industry to such an extent that it was overdone and now there is oversupply. Many people don't realize that before that we were importing far more oil and gas - from countries that don't meet our political, human rights, or environmental standards. Fracking gave us the opportunity to withdraw some financial support for these regimes. Instead of enriching countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Venezuela, Libya, Nigeria, and Iran we were/are enriching our own economy. These days about 90% of wells in North America are fracked. Without fracking, gas and oil prices would be phenomenally high and there would likely be tens of thousands or maybe hundreds of thousands of wells drilling everywhere just to try and keep up with demand. Coal would be far cheaper than gas and so would be keeping our carbon emissions going up rather than dropping as they have. Our air would be dirtier and health problems from that would be much higher than they are now. Renewable energy would probably be further along but at great cost and even then would almost certainly be just a larger blip on the screen than it is currently. Fracking from shale gas has also helped the U.S. manufacturing industry as low-cost gas compared to other countries offers favorable economics here compared to there. The same is true for the chemical and fertilizer industries.
Levant notes that after 9/11 the U.S began increasing its hydrocarbon imports from Canada as it had become overly reliant on imports from the Middle East from countries like Saudi Arabia that are rated among the worst countries in the world in terms of human rights abuses.
He equates the activist backlash against fracking with the backlash against Canadian tar sands but I disagree. In terms of emissions, pollution, and land degradation fracking is much more benign than the oil sands mining. The narrative of a decade ago that we are running out of oil and gas is no longer the case as fracking and horizontal drilling have unlocked massive amounts that can last decades. Even early in the shale plays some anti-drilling pundits were talking about the "shale bubble," of the impossibility of keeping up supply with growing demand. Now (2016) we only have one third of the rigs running and we are still significantly oversupplied for the near-term. Some had stated emphatically that by now we would be running out and as it happens we have discovered more accessible reserves since then and extended future supply out for decades longer at least. Fracking has allowed the U.S. to achieve some degree of energy security compared to pre-fracking times when natural gas was scarce and expensive. Renewable fuels like wind and solar require direct subsidization, high upfront costs, and significant back-up supply due to their intermittency. Expensive energy has a disproportionate effect on poor and minority people he argues, citing the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE). Cheap gas means cheap heat and cheap electric. While environmentalists often deride natural gas as not being a "bridge fuel" to a lower carbon future, the fact is that it already is and it is also saving people money and significantly improving air quality. There are a few issues like methane leakage, spills, and explosions, but those are really minor overall compared to the benefits even though they should and are being addressed.
Levant distinguishes between ethical energy and conflict energy, comparing North American gas to Russian Gazprom gas, Iranian ayatollah gas, and Qatari sharia gas. This was also his argument in favor of developing the Canadian oil sands but I think the gas argument is much better. He does have a point though when he says that we should buy from countries that are peaceful, ethical, have good human rights records, treat their workers fairly, and have adequate environmental standards. Many of the countries with the best oil and gas reserves fail in several of those categories. Some of these countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Nigeria have poor environmental records and they have no plans for big improvements. He gives some of these countries ratings in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). Of note are the rankings out of 163 countries: Saudi Arabia ranked 99th, Russia 121st, and Nigeria 153rd. The U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., and Norway – all countries with oil and gas industries and some with fracking, are all in the top 25. Saudi Arabia is known to have covered up some very large oil spills. Thus importing gas and oil from these countries is seriously contributing to pollution and climate change compared to other countries. The Gulf countries are known for ill treatment of workers, especially indentured foreign workers who have little rights and some consider to be slaves. Women, gays, minorities, and minority religions are openly persecuted and in some cases executed in these countries.
Levant is correct to note that oil trading is global compared to gas trading which is mainly localized due to difficulty of transport. Oil tankers outweigh LNG carriers 4300 to 365 and the LNG ships can only carry about 10% of equivalent capacity as the oil tankers, he notes. Gas trading is also landlocked, dependent on available supplies, pipelines, and oceanic LNG terminals. This is why Russia can monopolize its gas and charge high rates. In fact, it charges variable rates, depending on how it views relations with the receiving country. This is Russian cronyism at its finest. Russia, Iran, and Qatar were said to have 60% of gas reserves (before the shale gas additions). One aim they have is to create a gas OPEC, a cartel that can fix prices. Shale gas threatens them as shale oil threatens oil OPEC. There is significant evidence that these countries, particularly Russia, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have been secretly and not so secretly supporting anti-fracking sentiment. Russia has directly done it in Bulgaria, after then Secretary of State Clinton promoted it. Levant notes the extraordinary coverage Al Jazeera (owned by the emirate of Qatar) has given to the anti-fracking movement. Putin's Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) is basically the gas OPEC that owns 70% of gas reserves (pre-shale gas) and 85% of LNG exports (less now that Australia has increased its capacity and the U.S. is also beginning to do so). The GECF pledged to keep from overproducing gas to keep prices high (price-fixing a la OPEC). The only threats to this manifesting reality are shale gas development in European countries, which is not likely to occur soon or at any great scale, and increased LNG exports from non-GECF countries which is in the works. Until then, most of Europe and much of Asia is beholden to Russia for gas and Russia has shown that it can and will use gas as a weapon.
Russia's state-controlled gas producer, Gazprom, quite openly treats former Soviet bloc countries more harshly in terms of gas pricing than European countries. In some cases it sells gas for less to European countries further down the same pipeline that it sells gas for higher prices to former Soviet bloc countries, especially those who do not have their own gas supplies. Such discriminatory pricing would be illegal in any country with free trade policies, says the author. In addition Gazprom prefers long-term contracts that are hard to break, to further its cronyistic monopoly. The European Commission has tried unsuccessfully to investigate Gazprom for unfair business practices but the Russian government prevents any such investigations. Basically, Russia has the ability and exercises it, to blackmail its customers, especially those former Soviet-blocs without their own gas supplies. Ukraine and Belarus were offered trade deals by Russia. Belarus relented but Ukraine chose not to agree. As a result Belarus gets gas at less than half the price that Ukraine got it. Russia also threatened Moldava with the same result if it joined the Western Europe Energy Community. Lithuania and Poland have sought investigation of this energy blackmail. Gazprom has also tried to undermine competitors in Turkmenistan, the country with the 4th largest gas reserves. They have also flexed their muscle against Turkmenistan by shutting off Turkmen gas flowing through Gazprom's pipelines with not enough notice, dropping pressure causing explosions in the Turkmenistan lines and long-term supply disruption, which resulted in Turkmenistan reluctantly agreeing to get paid far less for its gas. Basically, Gazprom is a rogue monopoly that makes U.S. and European companies like Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP angelic by comparison. And yet much of the European Union: Germany, Turkey, the U.K., Bulgaria, and many others buy much of their gas from Gazprom. Russia has every reason to oppose shale gas and Russian media has done just that. All the while Gazprom is not known for its environmental focus. It is known, however, for its leaky pipelines, which contribute significantly to methane emissions.
Levant then goes through the criticisms of fracking: contaminated water, water use, secret chemicals, and seismic activity. Although these are concerns, most are significantly over-hyped. The possibility of water contamination is almost entirely through spills which do tend to increase as activity increases and as more waste water is produced due to the new type of high-volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking). There have been some cases of methane migration when drilling through aquifers but it is usually limited in degree and extent and methane itself bubbles out and is not considered a poison. The fracking process itself has not been implicated in water contamination despite attempts to implicate it. Water use has been shown to be manageable and in the shale gas fields of the northeast over 90% of water is treated and reused. Secret chemicals are mostly benign and used in very small amounts (highly diluted) and most importantly there is no path to exposure besides spills. Companies and states now routinely publish the chemicals and amounts of them used at each well. Seismic activity has become much better understood. It results almost entirely from waste water injection although there have been some cases caused by the fracking process. Areas and formations where this occurs and has further potential to occur have become well known and should slow in the future as disposal in certain formations and areas adjacent to basement faulting is reduced and as injection pressures are reduced.
Next he examines anti-fracking activism, first noting Bill McKibben's initial embrace of the new shale gas supplies when he was leading protests of coal power plants demanding that they switch to gas. As gas prices have dropped that indeed has been happening but McKibben has since stopped praising gas and now demonizes it. Levant makes the case as many others do that the selling of carbon offsets is akin to the Church selling indulgences to rich sinners!
Next he notes the drastic increases in employment, tax revenue, and land owner royalty income in shale gas and oil states, at least until the bust that began mid to late 2014. The current oil & gas downturn shows that it is possible to overdevelop and become too dependent on such revenue and income. The shale gas boom has helped many farmers from going under even though activists will claim that it has destroyed their land. The U.S. has the advantage that in most cases the landowners own the minerals under their property. The typical production rate was 12.5% but many shale producers made deals with landowners to give them up to 20% in addition to large bonuses of up to $5000 or more per acre. This is not the case in other countries and would be one impediment to European shale gas development.
Levant goes through the prospects for shale development around the world. Unfortunately there are many impediments to that happening: nonexistent landowner royalties, anti-fracking sentiment, lack of infrastructure, lack of regionally available equipment, services, and expertise, and perhaps most importantly, unconfirmed geological potential. China, Argentina, Algeria, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, South Africa, Russia, and Brazil are said to have the most reserves in that order but that is subject to change. Eastern and Western Europe also have potential and that could lead to gas independence for those countries beholden to Russia. Unfortunately the results of drilling and pre-evaluation in Poland, Denmark, and Romania have not been encouraging. China is trying to develop their shale resources but is still pretty far behind their original estimates. Lack of infrastructure, cost overruns, and the current low gas price environment are perhaps their main problems. Argentina is having some luck as the wells look promising and their government props up internal natural gas prices to encourage development.
The first country he covers is Poland. He notes the unfortunate history of Poland as unfairly getting the short end of many wars and conflicts, most recently the WWII Holocaust, Hitler's Germanification of Poles, and Soviet brutality to Polish people and churches. Now they are victims of Russian gas and oil monopolies, with gasoline as much as $20 a gallon and natural gas as much as $15 per mcf. The Polish government has to subsidize the cost of gas or the people could not afford it. Poland would love to develop its own shale gas and be free of Russian cronyism. Another possibility for Poland is to receive LNG from the Baltic. For this they would have to build a receiving and gasification terminal and a pipeline to move the gas south. Lack of basic infrastructure such as roads is also an issue. Unfortunately, I read that the latest well tests were not encouraging for Polish shale gas but there will no doubt be more tests. The Ukraine has the same problems with Russian gas as does Poland and several other countries. In fact, this is a big part of what has prompted the conflict between Russia and Ukraine where Russian aggression, propaganda, and dishonesty has been displayed for the world to see. Although one might call it a civil war it was the Russians who fomented dissent and continue to aid rebels. In the past they had shut off gas to Ukraine several times in the middle of winter, demanding more money. Apparently, there is also a Soviet-era past of suppressing Ukrainian culture in what has been called Russification, including the widespread murder of Ukrainian cultural elite: writers, artists, intellectuals, and priests. Energy freedom would certainly benefit Ukraine. Ukraine has long been the victim of Russian cruelty. The starvation of 3-5 million people induced by Stalin in 1932-33 is now known as the Holodomor genocide. There was also the poisoning of opposition leader Victor Yushchenko. Putin's propaganda arm has succeeded somewhat in recasting the murderous Stalin as a hero. Levant notes the demoralizing effect of Russia cutting off winter gas to the entire country of Ukraine as reminiscent, at least symbolically, in the minds of the people, of that starvation episode.
Germany produces some of its own gas but consumes about seven times as much and most of it comes from Russia. Even with their powerful green lobby and their renewable energy revolution their carbon emissions are rising. This is due to phasing out nuclear and replacing much of it with coal, particularly dirty lignite coal and some lignite-rich wood (also with high carbon and pollution footprints). The renewable transition has been expensive and has led to higher energy prices, although Germans do not have as high per capita energy use as those in the U.S. Germany has some shale potential but demands to ban fracking as France has are pretty loud so it is doubtful the gas will ever be extracted.
France was importing nearly all of its gas from Russia, Algeria, and Libya (keeping Gaddafi paid up). The Paris Basin likely holds significant quantities of shale gas and oil but fracking has been banned due to the perceived environmental effects which have been overblown. Wells were drilled, some fracked, by both French companies like Total S. A. and other companies from Canada and the U.S. when the government pulled the plug. Of course, French companies like Total S.A. do frack in other places and have such investments in the U.S. and Canada as well.
The Bowland Shale in the U.K. is thought to contain massive quantities of natural gas. U.K. wind turbines have been developed to the point where they are ubiquitous and there is significant public backlash against wind power- the noise, the landscape effects, and the bird killing effects. With the early fracking tests near Blackpool there were small earthquakes detected – somewhat higher than the typical microseismic effects of fracking. This led to a huge backlash. It was determined that the well in question was drilled very close to a major fault and that likely was the issue. The Royal Society recommended a "traffic light" style monitoring of seismic activity which has become the norm in areas where it occurs and also in the geothermal industry which is considered "green." Right now the biggest issue is public acceptance as there has been quite a bit of protest of fracking due to the propaganda of American environmentalists.
Bulgaria is another country wanting to be rid of Soviet (now Russian) influence. Bulgaria gets almost a hundred percent of its gas from Russia and was also cutoff when Ukraine was cutoff. It had some shale gas and exploration was underway with Chevron leading it but was cut off as fracking was banned in Bulgaria due to the influence of pro-Soviet factions of the government as well as some public protest – likely approved by those pro-Soviet forces. Gazprom reacted in various strong ways to Bulgaria's effort to be free of it – buying up gas stations in one instance. There was one upshot: after Bulgaria banned fracking, Gazprom did renegotiate newly expired gas contracts at a lower rate.
Lithuania is another country long beholden to Soviet and Russian interests – they get a hundred percent of their natural gas from Russia. They were being charged high rates for it as well. When the possibility of drilling for shale gas in Lithuania and perhaps more important, talk of building an LNG receiving terminal on the shore of the Baltic Sea (which is currently being built), Gazprom suddenly decided to decrease its price a little bit. Chevron was active in the country exploring for shale gas, which is significantly shallower in Lithuania than in Poland, and the country's president Dalia Grybauskaite is pro-fracking. Gazprom has sought to cause problems with Lithuania's move toward energy independence. Incidentally, the name of the LNG terminal is called "Independence."
Shale gas drilling in China has been occurring and has been moderately successful. The issues have been economics since they started to produce when prices were low, cost overruns (typical in early days of a technology), corruption (slowly fading), and lack of infrastructure. China has worked to secure needed oil and gas from many parts of the world – Africa, SE Asia, invests in U.S shale gas, and imports gas and oil from Russia. China doesn't have an environmental lobby like most of Europe so that is not an impediment. Even so, the ramping up of shale gas production, though significant, has been behind initial estimates.
Israel is another country that would prefer energy independence, especially from Middle Eastern countries that oppose its policies. After the Arab Spring and the pro-Muslim Brotherhood government came to power in Egypt the pipeline bringing gas from Egypt to Israel was bombed 14 times and eventually the government officially cut them off. Lucky for Israel significant new gas supplies have been discovered offshore Israel and in the Mediterranean. The large Leviathan field and the closer Tamar field, which came online in 2013 will save Israel massive amounts of money and lower electricity prices. They may be able to export gas to Turkey, which is also reliant on Russian gas, and Cyprus. The biggest boon for Israel is not economics but energy independence from hostile regimes.
He gives a history of Quebec's tense relationship with Canada. Separatists almost won the vote in 1980. Quebec imports most of its oil (92%) from overseas, from OPEC members like Saudi Arabia and Algeria. All of its gas is imported as well. While there have been calls for Quebec to produce its own gas and oil through fracking there are moratoriums on offshore (Gulf of St. Lawrence) production. The people lean to the left and take cues from France which recently banned fracking. Since most people speak French as a first language they also get much of their news from France. Almost all Quebecers want energy independence but are also opposed to getting from fracking shale (due to environmental propaganda). Quebec banned fracking for five years in 2013. Apparently, Quebecers are in debt and must rely on handouts from other provinces like oil-and-gas-rich Alberta and British Columbia. One company, Lone Pine Resources, was sold permits to drill by Quebec for $250 million and then the moratorium was enacted. They are seeking redress from NAFTA to get their money back. Similar issues have occurred in New York State when fracking was banned.
New Brunswick is another poor Canadian province reliant on revenue from other provinces. They have a high unemployment rate and few prospects to get out of poverty. They tried an LNG import terminal but bad timing for pricing caused the project to be abandoned after working below par for a while. New Brunswick has shale gas and drilling and producing it could help the local economy as well as lower energy prices. After a tough battle that involved anti-fracking activists paired with First Nations people the province decided to ban fracking for now. As is typical some companies invested in the region were left stranded. Nova Scotia is in a similar situation, with a horrible local economy and with shale resources identified. Since 2011 the government has put a moratorium on shale exploration as it reviews the environmental issues.
Next he explores activism and celebrity activism beginning with Josh Fox's movie Gasland. Fox knows little to nothing about the oil and gas industry. The movie is overrated, highly inaccurate, and demeaning in my opinion. It did, however, bring up some issues in the oil and gas industry that were problematic. There was a need for better regulation and in most cases better regulations were indeed enacted. It also stirred a lot of people against fracking. At the time the boom was happening too fast. There was too much truck traffic in some areas, too little regulation, not enough training of workers, and poor oversight and organization. Over the next several years most of those problems went away but anti-fracking activism did not and has not. It is still running pretty strong as a well-organized effort. The problem with anti-fracking activists is that they have little to no interest in making the process safer. They are insistent in an all-out ban, period. Such an uncompromising approach is unrealistic and unwarranted. They have been emboldened by the moratoriums in New York, New Brunswick, France, and a few other places. They still benefit as does everyone by paying lower gasoline, oil, natural gas, electricity, and consumer products costs. He notes that Matt Damon's anti-drilling film that flopped called Promised Land was partially funded by a company owned by what he calls the dictatorship of OPEC country United Arab Emirates. Yoko and Sean Lennon, Susan Sarandon, Mark Ruffalo, Daryl Hannah, and Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Arun Gandhi have also been celebrity anti-fracking activists. Fox argued that there was a kind of government conspiracy to promote fracking at the expense of the environment, implicating the EPA and especially Dick Cheney and his one-time company Halliburton who developed fracking. The myth of the "Halliburton Loophole" as an exemption to the Clean Water Act was long peddled by the "fractivists." Particular studies – several thoroughly debunked and shown to be deceptive – are oft relied on by fractivists along with their main scientist-collaborators who often show the same unwillingness to consider that they might be wrong – in light of the many studies that disagree with their early findings. There are some problems with fracking, mainly the higher chance for spills due to more wastewater and more activity, methane migration, and methane leakage. All of these problems are being addressed more and more by the industry, have improved overall, and will likely continue to improve significantly. There are problems with the conventional oil and gas industry, the gas storage industry, and the gas utility industry regarding methane leakage due to aging infrastructure as the recent massive leak in California showed. They will likely be addressed soon as well. Fractivists' focus on fracking chemicals has also been overblown as there are far less used than depicted and most are benign. Some of the chemicals Fox highlighted are used in many other industries as well. Along with fractivism rose many biased environmental news sources, some supposedly respected, but most follow uncompromising anti-fossil fuel positions: Eco Watch, Food & Water Watch, ProPublica, DeSmog Blog, Climate Progress, Grist, and many others. While some do provide good information, the biases are clear. There are well organized local groups everywhere there is oil and gas development and in liberal university towns near development where the anti-drilling sentiment is most vocal. It should also be pointed at that most issues with spills and water well quality problems due to methane migration were dealt with by oil and gas companies by settling with plaintiffs, sometimes for large sums of money, even if the companies did not think they were at fault or knowing the problem was temporary and non-toxic. There was a rash of anecdotal stories about harmed farm animals and local health problems that oddly never occurred with conventional oil and gas activity that utilized the same processes and potential avenues of exposure. I think this could be attributed to the "nocebo" effect as is possibly much of the so-called "wind turbine syndrome" where the low sound of the turbines is said to make people sick. However, in that case some doctors say that could well be the case. In the oil and gas cases, they have yet to provide any evidence or avenues of exposure to contaminants that could cause the health problems. There could possibly (but this is doubtful) be some very localized issues with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and increases in ground-level ozone but overall in some fracking areas like Pennsylvania the air quality has improved significantly as coal power plants were replaced by gas power plants. Pennsylvania has long had well water quality problems and since Gasland's nonsensical attributions of some of the well water problems to oil and gas activity there have been several large-scale studies that showed little to no effect on groundwater with the exception of predominantly temporary increases in methane migration in certain areas where methane just below aquifers had long been a problem. The biggest problems occurred early in the Marcellus play and have become far less common with better drilling and cementing recipes and techniques. The EPA recently declared fracking generally safe in terms of groundwater issues.
In addition to the biased news sources and websites, some of which are funded by foundations these anti-fracking foundations fund several anti-fracking activists and biased studies. People are actually being paid to oppose fracking. There are now activists doing "citizen science" trying to find air emissions from oil and gas facilities. These are ill-trained people not unbiased scientists. There are local county governments using taxpayer money to take water samples in order to try and prove shallow aquifer water contamination from waste water injection wells thousands of feet below the surface, a geologic near-impossibility. There is significant fear-mongering and when people are afraid they get mad.
Levant sees the fractivists as Luddites intent on sabotaging the industry if they can't shut it down and that can happen. An oil worker was shot (but recovered) in West Virginia recently by a person (still at-large as far as I know) who complained about a leaking oil well before shooting him and running off. Levant also notes that it is no secret that Russia (read RT, the Russian propaganda news), Qatar (read Al Jazeera), Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia all favor fractivist views that emphasize the potential environmental problems of fracking even though their own environmental records are among the poorest in the world. He notes that wealthy countries like France can afford to ban fracking and pay extra for Gazprom gas but countries like Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and others are being maltreated by Putin's Russia and deserve to develop their own resources if it is possible.
Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea