Sunday May 16th,2010
"The Sea, the great unifier,is man's only Hope. Now,as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: We Are All in the Same Boat."~ J.Cousteau
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New York Times article this weekend really examines what we are NOT seeing, the Oil Plume that is just below the surface. It raises strange questions as to whether the Dispersant is camouflaging a bigger problem in the deep Gulf waters. It also raises concerns about the daily depletion of Oxygen and nutrients that will effect the Gulf causing possible permanent damage. It describes the Plumes as being many miles in length and unseen from above, which also raises questions about the fish and birds that are now surely unsuspecting victims to this mire of a mess.
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"Scientists are finding enormous oil plumes in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, including one as large as 10 miles long, 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick in spots. The discovery is fresh evidence that the leak from the broken undersea well could be substantially worse than estimates that the government and BP have given.
“There’s a shocking amount of oil in the deep water, relative to what you see in the surface water,” said Samantha Joye, a researcher at the University of Georgia who is involved in one of the first scientific missions to gather details about what is happening in the gulf. “There’s a tremendous amount of oil in multiple layers, three or four or five layers deep in the water column."
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This "Critical Issues " Article from the National Geographic is a MUST read and really raises some pretty alarming issues about the Fate of the Gulf at this moment.
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Ed Pilkington of The Guardian raises more concerns regarding the UnderWater Plumes. It is to be remembered that people around the world are watching our Crisis unfold.
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This post by an Expert sounds the Alarm about how Dangerous this Disaster really is, and raises many Questions as to how it is being handled. This article in Energy Examiner called " Volcano of Oil " explains how the Gusher is spewing and why we need to know how bad this disaster really is. Do read the whole article , it will help explain the gravity of the situation in terms any Non Oil Layperson can grasp.
"New video showing largest hole from pipe 21-inches in diameter spewing oil and natural gas at ~4 barrels per second, along with analysis of the amount of oil on the surface, supports the estimates closer to several million gallons per day erupting from this hole BP popped in the ocean floor that contains a vast amount of oil and natural gas."
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Reuters post this article last night that lays out the Realities of how this Disaster in the Gulf will effect 4 States at least. These Coastline States are fragile and really facing a historic Crisis that we should be examining now and preparing. It is to be noted that 40% of all our seafood comes from the Gulf, Millions of people are a part of that Industry and families 26 days into this are already struggling due to lack of work and pay. 2nd Harvest has already been advertising on the Internet and Twitter asking for Increased contributions due to so many already feeling the hardship of this situation.
WSDU has story up tonight about the first Oily Shrimp found in the Terrebonne Parrish, and near Sister Lake. More than 50% of our Shrimp comes from the Gulf, and this is the start of losing this great seafood resource, how much the fish and oysters have been impacted, Time will tell at this point.
This article from Nola.com or Times Picayune details the efforts and maps out the strategy of the National guard in Louisiana "the Bucket Brigade".
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The Dispersant and it's dangers, Heavy Metals and Cyanide. The odd thing is that these chemicals if dropped in a Water Body by you or I would be in Direct Violation of the Federal Clean Water Act. This Weekend EPA and Coast Guard both were said to be approving using 216,000gallons more of this Dispersant, even though it is 26 days into this crisis and the Compound has ONLY been approved in smaller amounts IMMEDIATELY after a spill of much smaller proportions, and it is NOT to be used by Fragile Ecosystems. (My post by the way is based on EPA's OWN manifests and information.And yes I did write to the EPA regarding these concerns.)
This post from the Times Picayune clearly explains that this Dispersant Experiment if being committed on our most plentiful Seafood Source and lacks wisdom or long term study of the consequences for an entire region.
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Huffington Post did a wonderful tribute post to the 11 Rig Workers that lost their lives in the Explosion that is worth reading and seeing. Mostly very young family men. I hope that the Truth about the Explosion comes forth on all levels so that these families can have some peace. It would be nice of 60 Minutes or some show would honor these men for their work and tell their stories, as their loss has been eclipsed by the Leak. As more and more safety issues are exposed it also shows that BP or TransOcean can not even attempt to use "Operator Error" as an answer for the Explosion. But with the Blame Game afoot we should all be wary of what and who they will blame next.
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As this disaster continues and Fishermen and Coastal People volunteer to assist with the Clean Up I think we need to make sure that their welfare is protected and respected as they volunteer to help with a situation that may indeed be unhealthy. OSHA has printed guidelines that I hope BP is using and honoring.
OSHA fact sheet has ALL the information that people living and working along the Coastline should read as the Slick Grows and fumes and oil has and is reaching shore.
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More and more people, including Officials and lawmakers in Louisianna are concerned that BP is not up to handling this disaster effectively. ( It should be noted that BP is not known for Disaster Management-so the bigger question is why are they being allowed to manage a Disaster ?) This link has more from the Christian Science Monitor.
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Photo from Boston Globe's Big Picture May 13th from one of the Workers aboard boat working the Disaster
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{Enigma Note: At this point I can only continue to post the updates and document the Damage. I try to not force my opinions or editorialize,but I can not watch and report all of this with no opinion.Too much is at stake. At what point we do ask the White House to declare the Gulf a Disaster Zone, a National Emergency ? On another level, a part of me wonders if BP is the criminal, Criminally Negligent for this mess why are we "allowing" them to Clean it up ? Should we trust them ? Would we let a Murderer Clean up a Crime Scene ? And then on another level should we realize that so far ALL the Problem solving we have seen from BP is NOT Disaster Driven, it is all Oil Motivated, all the ideas have been about Rescuing Oil NOT Blocking the "Leak". The Containment Dome was about Siphoning the Oil to the Surface, NOT about Shutting Down the "Leak", and then there was the "Top Hat" (same thing), and Now they are using a Long Straw, again to "siphon the Oil". NOT one of these "Ideas" was presented or even promoted by Scientists. We have heard very little by Scientists. And one of the more radical Approaches involves Hundreds of Thousands of Gallons of Dispersant being used that is Dangerous to Fragile Aquatic Life as it contains Heavy Metals and Cyanide. The Media and the White House should be speaking to the Best Marine Scientists and Engineers and Geophysicists to discuss this Dangerous situation.And all of us should speak up and call the White House as this will effect 5 States, and Entire Water Body that Millions rely on. This situation is worse than 100 Katrinas and we need to recognize that it is a Disaster of mammoth proportions.}
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Astro Stochi's photo from Space Station May 13th ....The Disaster is visible from space...easily.
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IF you want to assist or donate to assist the Gulf this Post still has all the Links and Resources.
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