Thursday, 29 July 2010
X PRIZE Foundation to Announce Multi-Million Dollar Incentive Competition to Clean Up Oil | KurzweilAI
X PRIZE Foundation to Announce Multi-Million Dollar Incentive Competition to Clean Up Oil | KurzweilAI: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Friday, 23 July 2010
Monday, 19 July 2010
BP oil spill: US orders new emergency plan as seepage detected near capped well - Telegraph
BP oil spill: US orders new emergency plan as seepage detected near capped well - Telegraph: "Tensions emerged as the US government's point man on the worst environmental disaster in US history also told the British energy giant to report swiftly on a 'detected seep' and 'anomalies' near the well.
BP - which said Monday the bill from the leak had risen to $3.95 billion (£2.58 billion) - had earlier acknowledged that some bubbles had appeared near the wellhead but expressed optimism that the cap installed three days earlier could stay on.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
BP - which said Monday the bill from the leak had risen to $3.95 billion (£2.58 billion) - had earlier acknowledged that some bubbles had appeared near the wellhead but expressed optimism that the cap installed three days earlier could stay on.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Gulf oil spill's animal victims
Gulf oil spill's animal victims: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Please follow the link to see photos on the Washington Post site that will
probably make you sad, make you cry, make you angry --
to see these harmless creatures so irreparable damaged -- the photo
essay starts out very poignantly with an egg but there will be few
chicks this year or even next.
BP claims the leak has stopped but who is asking the question about the huge
hole in the ocean floor? Where it is being reported thousands of gallons of oil are
still rising into the Gulf.
see video sidebar MNSBC July 15 Matt Simmon talking to Dylan Ratigan
The quest for resources and the greed that sustains it has gone too far --
this madness has to stop -- our food has been adulterated until we don't know
what we are eating -- mountain tops removed for coal at the expense of the
beauty of the countryside --rivers poisoned -- lakes have become dead zones,
the rain forest, the lungs of the earth are being decimated and the the skies
polluted with chemical spray, our seas used as dumping grounds, poisoned
and polluted with plastic whose parts, smaller than a millimeter and the seas
almost fished out.
The madness has gone too far and it has to stop -- will the rational minds
please stand up, and speak out -- the only way for us to live on our planet
is to live in harmony with nature --
we are here for a very short time and are stewards of the land, the air,
to take care of the water -- the animals and birds for future generations.
http://zarafas-oil-in-the-
Please follow the link to see photos on the Washington Post site that will
probably make you sad, make you cry, make you angry --
to see these harmless creatures so irreparable damaged -- the photo
essay starts out very poignantly with an egg but there will be few
chicks this year or even next.
BP claims the leak has stopped but who is asking the question about the huge
hole in the ocean floor? Where it is being reported thousands of gallons of oil are
still rising into the Gulf.
see video sidebar MNSBC July 15 Matt Simmon talking to Dylan Ratigan
The quest for resources and the greed that sustains it has gone too far --
this madness has to stop -- our food has been adulterated until we don't know
what we are eating -- mountain tops removed for coal at the expense of the
beauty of the countryside --rivers poisoned -- lakes have become dead zones,
the rain forest, the lungs of the earth are being decimated and the the skies
polluted with chemical spray, our seas used as dumping grounds, poisoned
and polluted with plastic whose parts, smaller than a millimeter and the seas
almost fished out.
The madness has gone too far and it has to stop -- will the rational minds
please stand up, and speak out -- the only way for us to live on our planet
is to live in harmony with nature --
we are here for a very short time and are stewards of the land, the air,
to take care of the water -- the animals and birds for future generations.
http://zarafas-oil-in-the-
Oil hits Louisiana's largest seabird nesting area
Oil hits Louisiana's largest seabird nesting area:
"NEW ORLEANS -- Biologists say oil has smeared at least 300-400 pelicans and hundreds of terns in the largest seabird nesting area along the Louisiana coast - marking a sharp and sudden escalation in wildlife harmed by BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
"NEW ORLEANS -- Biologists say oil has smeared at least 300-400 pelicans and hundreds of terns in the largest seabird nesting area along the Louisiana coast - marking a sharp and sudden escalation in wildlife harmed by BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Friday, 16 July 2010
The Gulf 20 years from now
seeBrasscheckTV
The year 1989.
The day everything changed forever for residents of Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska.
What can Gulf of Mexico residents look forward to?
More of the same.
"You've done had some good luck and you don't realize it. We're Exxon and we do business straight."
Click here to learn how you can help the families whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed by BP
The year 1989.
The day everything changed forever for residents of Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska.
What can Gulf of Mexico residents look forward to?
More of the same.
"You've done had some good luck and you don't realize it. We're Exxon and we do business straight."
Click here to learn how you can help the families whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed by BP
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
BP's paid less than half of claims | McClatchy
BP's paid less than half of claims | McClatchy: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
BP to Start Test Today on Cap That May Stop Oil Spill - BusinessWeek
BP to Start Test Today on Cap That May Stop Oil Spill - BusinessWeek: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
July 13 (Bloomberg) -- BP Plc plans to start testing today on a new cap over its leaking Gulf of Mexico well to determine whether it can stop the largest U.S. oil spill in history while continuing work on a permanent plug.
Starting about noon local time, a 40-foot (12-meter) stack of valves secured atop the well yesterday will shut off the flow of crude, BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells told reporters on a conference call. The test will measure pressure inside the well to determine whether the cap can remain in place without causing oil to burst uncontrolled through another opening.
Hating Tony Hayward - Essay - Opinions - July 1, 2010 - Sacramento News & Review
Hating Tony Hayward - Essay - Opinions - July 1, 2010 - Sacramento News & Review: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
I’m not much of a carpenter, but I have spent enough time with wood to learn the woodworker’s mantra, which is to measure twice and cut once. It’s a bit of pragmatism that can be applied to lots of things. Measure twice, cut once. Take all necessary precautions before committing yourself to a cut that may waste lumber or weaken the structure.
Precaution. The word itself has the necessary lessons built into it. There’s abundant folk wisdom of this kind, most of it ingrained in us by the time we reach middle school. “Better safe than sorry,” for instance, or “Look before you leap.” Even more commonly, there’s the Boy Scout creed, “Be prepared.”
Despite the ubiquity of such sensible notions, BP chose not to have a backup well in case of an eventuality like the one we’re all now paying for in the Gulf of Mexico. In order to save the millions a relief well would have cost, they made a corporate decision to proceed without a contingency plan, which is why we’ve seen them fumbling with Rube Goldberg solutions since the rig blew up back in April.
National Commission on oil spill covers up for BP, government
National Commission on oil spill covers up for BP, government: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling held its first public meeting in New Orleans on Monday. From the outset, it was clear the hearing would be a toothless exercise in which the reality of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico would find no expression.
The commission, appointed by President Obama in May, is co-chaired by former Democratic Senator and Florida Governor Bob Graham and William Reilly, who led the Environmental Protection Agency under the Reagan administration, during the time of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Reilly has spent the past 17 years on the board of energy giant ConocoPhillips.
Monday, 12 July 2010
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Monday, 5 July 2010
EMERGENCY COMMITTEE to STOP the GULF OIL DISASTER
EMERGENCY COMMITTEE to STOP the GULF OIL DISASTER
ACT NOW! SIGN THIS MISSION STATEMENT TODAY --and urge everyone you know to do the same-- by clicking "comments" at the bottom of this Statement. Please fill out the form that comes up.
ACT NOW! SIGN THIS MISSION STATEMENT TODAY --and urge everyone you know to do the same-- by clicking "comments" at the bottom of this Statement. Please fill out the form that comes up.
Sunday, 4 July 2010
"We the corporations" | Move to Amend
"We the corporations" | Move to Amend
On January 21, 2010, with its ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are persons, entitled by the U.S. Constitution to buy elections and run our government. Human beings are people; corporations are legal fictions. The Supreme Court is misguided in principle, and wrong on the law. In a democracy, the people rule.
"We the corporations"
We Move to Amend.
We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United, and move to amend our Constitution to:- Firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.
- Guarantee the right to vote and to participate, and to have our votes and participation count.
- Protect local communities, their economies, and democracies against illegitimate "preemption" actions by global, national, and state governments.
Signed by 84,158 and counting . . .
Why Did The U.S. Refuse International Help on The Gulf Oil Spill?by Dian L. Chu
Despite the vow by President Obama to keep the Gulf oil spill a top priority until the damage is cleaned up, 50 days after the BP rig exploded, a definitive date and meaningful solution is yet to be determined for the worst oil spill in the U.S. history.
So, you would think if someone is willing to handle the clean-up with equipment and technology not available in the U.S., and finishes the job in shorter time than the current estimate, the U.S. should jump on the offer.
But it turned out to be quite the opposite. .
U.S. Refused Help on Oil Spill
According to Foreign Policy, thirteen entities had offered the U.S. oil spill assistance within about two weeks of the Horizon rig explosion. They were the governments of Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.
The U.S. response - Thank you, but no thank you, we've got it.
So, you would think if someone is willing to handle the clean-up with equipment and technology not available in the U.S., and finishes the job in shorter time than the current estimate, the U.S. should jump on the offer.
But it turned out to be quite the opposite. .
U.S. Refused Help on Oil Spill
According to Foreign Policy, thirteen entities had offered the U.S. oil spill assistance within about two weeks of the Horizon rig explosion. They were the governments of Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.
The U.S. response - Thank you, but no thank you, we've got it.
"..While there is no need right now that the U.S. cannot meet, the U.S. Coast Guard is assessing these offers of assistance to see if there will be something which we will need in the near future."
Blame It On The Jones Act?
Separately, Belgian newspaper De Standaard also reported Belgian and Dutch dredgers have technology in-house to fight the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, butthe Jones Act forbids them to work in the U.S.
A Belgian group--DEME-- contends it can clean up the oil in three to four months with specialty vessel and equipment, rather than an estimated nine months if done only by the U.S. The article noted there are no more than 5 or 6 of those ships in the world and the top specialist players are the two Belgian companies- DEME and De Nul - and their Dutch competitors.
The U.S. does not have the similar technology and vessel to accomplish the cleanup task because those ships would cost twice as much to build in the U.S. than in the Far East. The article further criticizes this "great technological delay" is a direct consequence of the Jones Act.
What Is The Jones Act?
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is a United States Federal statute that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports. Section 27, also known as the Jones Act, deals with coastal shipping; and requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.
The purpose of the law is to support the U.S. merchant marine industry. Critics said that the legislation results in increased costs moving cargoes between U.S. ports, and in essence, is protectionism, Supporters of the Act maintain that the legislation is of strategic economic and wartime interest to the United States. .
European Service Sector - Offshore Subsea Specialist
As discussed in my analysis of the oil service sector, the European companies typically possess the knowhow in offshore and subsea; whereas their North American counterparts excel in onshore drilling and production technologies.
So, it is more than likely that European firms do have the expertise to clean up the spill quicker and more effectively as DEME asserts.
Since the Jones Act means the Belgian ship and personnel cannot work in the Gulf, it does seem the Act has inhibited technology and knowledge exchange & development, and possibly prevented a quicker response to the oil spill.
Jones Waiver Time
On the other hand, waivers of the Jones may be granted by the Administration in cases of national emergencies or in cases of strategic interest. It would appear the U.S. government's initial refusal to foreign help most likely stemmed from a mis-calculation of the scale and deepwater technological barriers for this unprecedented disaster, and/or perhaps ..... pride.
Whatever the rationale, and if De Standarrd's claim that the Jones Act forbids the European companies to help fight the spill is true, it is high time the U.S. government grant the Jones waiver, and let this be an international collaborative effort.
It's always better late than never.
Separately, Belgian newspaper De Standaard also reported Belgian and Dutch dredgers have technology in-house to fight the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, butthe Jones Act forbids them to work in the U.S.
A Belgian group--DEME-- contends it can clean up the oil in three to four months with specialty vessel and equipment, rather than an estimated nine months if done only by the U.S. The article noted there are no more than 5 or 6 of those ships in the world and the top specialist players are the two Belgian companies- DEME and De Nul - and their Dutch competitors.
The U.S. does not have the similar technology and vessel to accomplish the cleanup task because those ships would cost twice as much to build in the U.S. than in the Far East. The article further criticizes this "great technological delay" is a direct consequence of the Jones Act.
What Is The Jones Act?
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is a United States Federal statute that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports. Section 27, also known as the Jones Act, deals with coastal shipping; and requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents.
The purpose of the law is to support the U.S. merchant marine industry. Critics said that the legislation results in increased costs moving cargoes between U.S. ports, and in essence, is protectionism, Supporters of the Act maintain that the legislation is of strategic economic and wartime interest to the United States. .
European Service Sector - Offshore Subsea Specialist
As discussed in my analysis of the oil service sector, the European companies typically possess the knowhow in offshore and subsea; whereas their North American counterparts excel in onshore drilling and production technologies.
So, it is more than likely that European firms do have the expertise to clean up the spill quicker and more effectively as DEME asserts.
Since the Jones Act means the Belgian ship and personnel cannot work in the Gulf, it does seem the Act has inhibited technology and knowledge exchange & development, and possibly prevented a quicker response to the oil spill.
Jones Waiver Time
On the other hand, waivers of the Jones may be granted by the Administration in cases of national emergencies or in cases of strategic interest. It would appear the U.S. government's initial refusal to foreign help most likely stemmed from a mis-calculation of the scale and deepwater technological barriers for this unprecedented disaster, and/or perhaps ..... pride.
Whatever the rationale, and if De Standarrd's claim that the Jones Act forbids the European companies to help fight the spill is true, it is high time the U.S. government grant the Jones waiver, and let this be an international collaborative effort.
It's always better late than never.
Global Research Articles by Dian L. Chu
Saturday, 3 July 2010
ROFFS Oil Tracking Shows BP Gulf Oil Spill Traveling Up Entire East Coast Of Florida | Alexander Higgins Blog
ROFFS Oil Tracking Shows BP Gulf Oil Spill Traveling Up Entire East Coast Of Florida | Alexander Higgins Blog
I recently wrote that oil from the BP Gulf Oil Spill may be as far north as North Carolina based on satellite data and reports of oil off the Florida keys reported June 9th by a University of South Florida professor.
I recently wrote that oil from the BP Gulf Oil Spill may be as far north as North Carolina based on satellite data and reports of oil off the Florida keys reported June 9th by a University of South Florida professor.
Oil taints food chain in Gulf of Mexico - WLOX-TV and WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi
Oil taints food chain in Gulf of Mexico - WLOX-TV and WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi
John BSLMS
says:
Lets be real folks. The Gulf Water's is gone for our lifetimes. We will not be able to sell our homes because who wants to move to an OIL POND full of dead sea creatures? So we will sit here with no more shrimp, crabs, oysters or any other Sea Food. And with no one wanting to visit our "Disaster Area" what do you think the Casino's are going to do. Say good by to them. All the Sea food resturants even the old ones will eventually close up. We will essentially end up a "Gost Coast" with Cities all up and down the destroyed beech closing because of the lack of revenue of tourist in which we survived on annually. I am not a Sinic but a Realist. Get real WLOX and tell it like it is. Haley Barbour, I voted for you twice and now I am ashamed of you promoting even more Oil Drilling in our now destroyed Gulf Coast.
This entire oil spill is too depressing. I lost my house and right leg due to Katrina. Then my wife of 28 years gets too depressed about the after effects of Katrina and commits suicide, I struggle to keep up then this HUGE OIL POND develops off the Miss. shoreline. It is making me physically ill from the fumes, so I will have to try to move somewhere else, if I can find a sucker to buy my house. Who wants to live here anymore. The Miss. Gulf Coast is cursed I feel and I believe the Casino's and the crime it has brought to the Coast has caused God to punish the money greedy City officials. Now just wait till all the Casio's all close down do to people not wanting to visit an OIL POND with it's fumes.
Its not a surprise at all. Since we have no clue how much actual oil is in the gulf and its still pouring in at extreme volumes why would it not enter the food chain. Its silly to think other wise; I do not have a PHd or anything but common since when it comes to marine animals since gowning up on a shrimp boat in the 70's; and this comes from labs. You can look at the water and see the dead animals all over and the lack of crab fry and this would tell me we are in a serious world of hurt the next few decades.
John BSLMS
says:Lets be real folks. The Gulf Water's is gone for our lifetimes. We will not be able to sell our homes because who wants to move to an OIL POND full of dead sea creatures? So we will sit here with no more shrimp, crabs, oysters or any other Sea Food. And with no one wanting to visit our "Disaster Area" what do you think the Casino's are going to do. Say good by to them. All the Sea food resturants even the old ones will eventually close up. We will essentially end up a "Gost Coast" with Cities all up and down the destroyed beech closing because of the lack of revenue of tourist in which we survived on annually. I am not a Sinic but a Realist. Get real WLOX and tell it like it is. Haley Barbour, I voted for you twice and now I am ashamed of you promoting even more Oil Drilling in our now destroyed Gulf Coast.
This entire oil spill is too depressing. I lost my house and right leg due to Katrina. Then my wife of 28 years gets too depressed about the after effects of Katrina and commits suicide, I struggle to keep up then this HUGE OIL POND develops off the Miss. shoreline. It is making me physically ill from the fumes, so I will have to try to move somewhere else, if I can find a sucker to buy my house. Who wants to live here anymore. The Miss. Gulf Coast is cursed I feel and I believe the Casino's and the crime it has brought to the Coast has caused God to punish the money greedy City officials. Now just wait till all the Casio's all close down do to people not wanting to visit an OIL POND with it's fumes.
Its not a surprise at all. Since we have no clue how much actual oil is in the gulf and its still pouring in at extreme volumes why would it not enter the food chain. Its silly to think other wise; I do not have a PHd or anything but common since when it comes to marine animals since gowning up on a shrimp boat in the 70's; and this comes from labs. You can look at the water and see the dead animals all over and the lack of crab fry and this would tell me we are in a serious world of hurt the next few decades.
Friday, 2 July 2010
The plight of the SeaTurtles
A few years ago I was pretty depressed. I had the good fortune of using a friend's place on the Outer Banks for a few days. One day I walked a beach pondering my sad state and saw a group of dolphins having a blast in the waves close to shore. I hadn't felt such comfort and joy in a long time and I know they felt my appreciation. As they playfully swam along I followed them for a long time and then said thanks and wished them safe travels. I felt better for many days. Now they are dying horrific deaths by the dozens, probably hundreds, in the Gulf while having their young - this is the season for birthing there. I've seen the videos of them dying together and have had trouble sleeping since. I feel pretty hopeless but am grateful for the people along the Gulf who are doing whatever they can for those trapped animals who are suffering a nightmare and dying. We must commit to alternative energy and conversation and we can. We really can. Check out the Transitions movement. We can't afford another disaster like this and its only a matter of time. The oil that's left demands too great a sacrifice - a poisoned environment - I'm not willing to pay that price and I doubt the next generation is either.
hasheville huffpost comment
hasheville huffpost comment
Sea Turtles Burned Alive and Drowned
Sea turtles and other protected species may be victims of sea-surface oil burning, skimming, or other efforts to control the spill.
In addition, many animals exposed to oil at sea will die by drowning or poisoning without ever being counted.
We can find no official public record of the numbers of animals being caught up in the oil slick or injured during response efforts. Current wildlife casualty reports only include the captured and collected animals, not those animals exposed to oil and left to die in the wild.
We need your help. Please take action today. Urge the Unified Command and federal agencies to:
- Place qualified third party wildlife observers on "Vessels of Opportunity" responding to the BP oil disaster;
- Publicly report all wildlife observations in the oil impact areas;
- Postpone burns when protected species are present to allow for appropriate intervention and immediately implement measures to eliminate avoidable harm to all protected species; and
- Coordinate wildlife rescue interventions when necessary.
We also ask that the agencies charged with safeguarding wildlife and protected marine species systematically collect and publicly report field data on oiled wildlife, not just those animals captured and collected, so that the public can see the real toll of this disaster for wild animals large enough to be effectively counted.
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