Let me prime the pump, but you bring up anything we all need to consider.Gulf Oil Leak 5 Times Greater Than Government Says
Kagan Nomination To U.S. Supreme Court (clerked for Justice Marshall, but believes in too strong of an Executive Branch?).
Tornado Outbreaks (in several states).
Are you in good hands with Oilstate?
Tennessee Floods (record breaking, heart breaking).
Oil Spill Criminals (gross negligence, no plan except to risk it all).
Tanker on Great Barrier Reef (What happened to that story?).
Here are some good environmental threads about environmental threats.
UPDATE: A professor of ecology said the the dispersants are far worse than the oil and are likely to kill the coral around parts of Florida and elsewhere when the "loop current" takes the chemicals and oil to parts unknown.
Anyone know about that?
The Today Show had a piece on about a Norman OK family that got momentarily trapped in their tornado shelter after their house or garage collapse collapsed on top of it during the tornado.
ReplyDeleteThe punchline was that in their hurry to take cover they had forgotten their CELL PHONES! and therefore couldn't call for help. AMAZINGLY, someone came looking for them a few minutes later, and yet another CELL PHONE TRAGEDY was averted.
Americans have to be the most pussified people to have ever come into existence. The coming fall will not be easy.
Just once during the coming Kagan nomination process I'd like to hear one Republican simply own up and say: You know, you seem like a decent human being and all that, but I've gotta tell you... You were nominated by a Democratic president, so I don't really give a damn what you say or what you stand for. Regardless of rationale, I'm gonna vote No on your confirmation anyway, so I won't waste anybody's time with questions at this time.
ReplyDeleteThose hands in the photo look like they have blood on them.
ReplyDeleteBlood oil.
They didn't call the movie There Will Be Blood (which was about oil, greed, and madness) for nothing.
ReplyDeleteHeard yesterday on NPR that a guy from Purdue says, nah, 70K barrels a day, +/- 20% (60K-90K), while a UC Berkely cat using a less precise method says 20K-100K. Meanwhile, officials on site can't figure out if the oil is sinking, floating, or somewhere in between, and whether its dispersing to other locales unknown. BP bean counters are no doubt tallying the lost profits daily now, while top management works overtime on their next marketing strategy to counter all the negative PR and possibly save their jobs. Gulf coast fisherman are busy retooling for their new profession: oil cleanup and recovery. And the GOP (and most of the Dems too) - mindful that their way of life is simply "non-negotiable" regardless - are beginning to chant their familiar refrain once again: DRILL BABY DRILL! Ahh, the familiar rhythms of American life.
ReplyDeleteBorrowing a line from the recent hit movie There Will Be Blood, BP officials issued and open invitation to the public to "come and drink our milkshake - we've got too much!" The officials, frustrated and perplexed at their inability to stem the flow of their Gulf of Mexico well that comes in the aftermath of the explosion and sinking of their rig, the Deepwater Horizon, have apparently decided to spin the event as a massive public giveaway by the firm in an effort to bolster the local gulf coast economies.
ReplyDeleteIn a press release, the firm announced: "We at BP remain committed to sharing the wealth from our oil exploration activities with the local populations who support them, and this event is just the first of many we have planned for the region, and, indeed, the entire world. We openly invite all gulf coast residents to come on out and skim all the free crude they can handle and take it on home with them for absolutely free! For those lucky enough to have it wash right up on their beach front properties, Merry Christmas!, courtesy of BP. We've arranged for local refineries - owned by BP - to process the free crude - for a small fee - so there's a guaranteed market for your crude. BP is also not responsible for any injuries or health care claims due to any such activities, as civilians in pursuit of the free crude are operating as independent agents and are not affiliated with BP Inc. in any way whatsoever. We wish you and yours the best and many profitable tarballs FREE from BP."
Local officials were too stunned to comment.
From HuffingtonPost
ReplyDeleteThe dispersants BP is dumping in the Gulf have been around for decades. According to the NRC report, COREXIT EC9527A came on the market in the 1980s. COREXIT 9500 was introduced in the 1990's. Both are made by Nalco, a Nashville company, and have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Coast Guard for spraying on the ocean surface.
Information provided by Nalco to EPA and the federal/BP task force on its website, known as the Deepwater Horizon Response, says that COREXIT EC9527A, contains three chemicals considered hazardous:
* 2-Butoxyethanol
* Organic sulfonic acid salt
* Propylene glycol
2-butoxyethanol is a compound associated with headaches, vomiting and reproductive problems at high doses.
The dispersants can concentrate leftover oil toxins in the water, where they can kill fish and migrate great distances.
These so called solutions just make the problem worse and will produce a path of death both to the fish/animals that live in this area as well as people that are dependent on these foods. As far as I can see, this is a criminal act perpetrated on many people. How the government and BP can downplay this as anything else is outright fraud.
The propaganda machine which detaches the minds of Americans from reality can be seen at work in this story.
ReplyDeletePeople are literally "scared out of their minds" ...