by eKos
We have a special (and brief) eKos Earthship tonight. I want to introduce an exciting Greenroots/eKos project that is just getting off the ground. I present to you the newly created DK Greenroots ActBlue page! Keep in mind it is still very much a work in progress, but we already have two candidates, and one of them has even thanked us! ecojustice is proud to host Andrew Romanoff Monday. He will be guest blogging and we have changed our time to 6PM EST (3PM PST) ... Former Speaker and Senate Candidate Andrew Romanoff takes no corporate PAC money and is truly a Grassroots and people powered candidate.
continued at Daily Kos....
Saturday, May 22, 2010
EPA Could Have Banned British Petroleum (BP) Before Deepwater Horizon Exploded
by magic3400
The EPA had the power to prevent British Petroleum from receiving or profiting from any government contract or grants or leasing any U.S. held territory, prior to the explosion of Deepwater Horizon.[1] The EPA said in a statement that, according to its regulations, it can consider banning BP from future contracts after weighing "the frequency and pattern of the incidents, corporate attitude both before and after the incidents, changes in policies, procedures, and practices."[2] VIDEO - Explosion and Fire on the Deepwater Horizon (if you have surround sound you will get a good understand of the magnitude of the fire) http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...
continued at Daily Kos....
The EPA had the power to prevent British Petroleum from receiving or profiting from any government contract or grants or leasing any U.S. held territory, prior to the explosion of Deepwater Horizon.[1] The EPA said in a statement that, according to its regulations, it can consider banning BP from future contracts after weighing "the frequency and pattern of the incidents, corporate attitude both before and after the incidents, changes in policies, procedures, and practices."[2] VIDEO - Explosion and Fire on the Deepwater Horizon (if you have surround sound you will get a good understand of the magnitude of the fire) http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...
continued at Daily Kos....
Cars Suck
by superflat
I'd like to first thank diarist mark louis for his strong stance on driving as it relates to our BP problem. People can't think outside the box when it comes to cars. Somehow cars have become necessary, even when there are obvious alternatives. Or, Americans find cars romantic and/or nostalgic. But our fascination with these absurdly inefficient devices has got to stop.
continued at Daily Kos....
I'd like to first thank diarist mark louis for his strong stance on driving as it relates to our BP problem. People can't think outside the box when it comes to cars. Somehow cars have become necessary, even when there are obvious alternatives. Or, Americans find cars romantic and/or nostalgic. But our fascination with these absurdly inefficient devices has got to stop.
continued at Daily Kos....
Above the Oil--The Threat of "Black Rain."
by Dartagnan
There is no record of a hurricane ever encountering a large oil spill. One of the unresolved questions posed by the Gulf disaster is the impact of seasonal Hurricanes on the oil mass, and vice versa. Beyond the debate of whether the slick would weaken, or possibly strengthen the hurricane, and beyond the issue of dispersal or non-dispersal of the oil within the mass, several sources have raised the possibility of an "oil rain" spreading inland through sea spray caught up in the Hurricane, while others have ridiculed the idea, contending that oil is heavier than water and could not be "evaporated" or otherwise transported into clouds. A Compilation of the theories notes: A hurricane would significantly dilute the oil, but it also could scatter the oil over a wider area. If the layer of oil is thin, high winds and seas will mix and 'weather' the oil, which helps accelerate the biodegradation process. However, there is the chance for windborne oil particles from sea spray to be moved inland.
continued at Daily Kos....
There is no record of a hurricane ever encountering a large oil spill. One of the unresolved questions posed by the Gulf disaster is the impact of seasonal Hurricanes on the oil mass, and vice versa. Beyond the debate of whether the slick would weaken, or possibly strengthen the hurricane, and beyond the issue of dispersal or non-dispersal of the oil within the mass, several sources have raised the possibility of an "oil rain" spreading inland through sea spray caught up in the Hurricane, while others have ridiculed the idea, contending that oil is heavier than water and could not be "evaporated" or otherwise transported into clouds. A Compilation of the theories notes: A hurricane would significantly dilute the oil, but it also could scatter the oil over a wider area. If the layer of oil is thin, high winds and seas will mix and 'weather' the oil, which helps accelerate the biodegradation process. However, there is the chance for windborne oil particles from sea spray to be moved inland.
continued at Daily Kos....
I didn't run today
by hold tight
(Cross-posted on my blog Natural History Now) I didn't run today. I'm a wuss. I was signed up for a 5k with the Evaro Mountain Challenge ('dogs must have their owners on leash'), a fund-raiser for the Evaro Community Center. The low last night was 36 (degrees F), and the forecast temperature at noon was 42 with a high of 50 this afternoon. Late this morning here at home in Florence, we had a rain and snow shower, although the temperature was in the upper 40's. I have been fixated on temperatures and running for quite some time now.
continued at Daily Kos....
(Cross-posted on my blog Natural History Now) I didn't run today. I'm a wuss. I was signed up for a 5k with the Evaro Mountain Challenge ('dogs must have their owners on leash'), a fund-raiser for the Evaro Community Center. The low last night was 36 (degrees F), and the forecast temperature at noon was 42 with a high of 50 this afternoon. Late this morning here at home in Florence, we had a rain and snow shower, although the temperature was in the upper 40's. I have been fixated on temperatures and running for quite some time now.
continued at Daily Kos....
"...reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled."
by windje
So closes the appendix authored by Richard Feynman in the report of the commission on the Challenger disaster, and like BP, NASA was criticized for its lack of openness with the press. The Challenger accident (and subsequent commission) parallel the current BP disaster in many ways, not the least of which is the failure of the rubber seal in the blowout protector. The Challenger accident has frequently been used as a case study in the study of subjects such as engineering safety, the ethics of whistle-blowing, communications, group decision-making, and the dangers of groupthink. Ronald Reagan appointed Richard Feynman to the Challenger Commission. His televised experiment dunking a section of O-Ring into ice water led to the truth of what caused that accident. Less well known is his criticism of the engineering process at NASA. President Obama - Who on the BP Commission will be your Richard Feynman?
continued at Daily Kos....
So closes the appendix authored by Richard Feynman in the report of the commission on the Challenger disaster, and like BP, NASA was criticized for its lack of openness with the press. The Challenger accident (and subsequent commission) parallel the current BP disaster in many ways, not the least of which is the failure of the rubber seal in the blowout protector. The Challenger accident has frequently been used as a case study in the study of subjects such as engineering safety, the ethics of whistle-blowing, communications, group decision-making, and the dangers of groupthink. Ronald Reagan appointed Richard Feynman to the Challenger Commission. His televised experiment dunking a section of O-Ring into ice water led to the truth of what caused that accident. Less well known is his criticism of the engineering process at NASA. President Obama - Who on the BP Commission will be your Richard Feynman?
continued at Daily Kos....
Sylvia Earle Speaks for the Ocean and She Speaks for Me - Congressional Testimony
by Ellinorianne
I thought about writing something regarding the remarks Mr. Carville made regarding the Obama Administration's handling of this nightmare that's continuing to unfold. I wake each morning, hoping that it was only a bad dream to find that it has just gotten deeper and more devastating in its enormity. But the issue is this, it's so huge, so unknown that I don't even feel qualified to delve into the quagmire. The most damning circumstances to this Administration continues to be the previous administrations cozy relationship with Big Oil, shunning of the scientific community and total lack of oversight for many things that now affect the outcome of this nightmare. I am not here to defend the apparent lack of urgency by the Obama Administration, I am frustrated beyond words that more political pressure has not been put on BP, Transocean and all those involved to do the right thing, which seems to be inherently lacking in their vocabulary because oil, profit and covering their assets seems to be a larger priority.
continued at Daily Kos....
I thought about writing something regarding the remarks Mr. Carville made regarding the Obama Administration's handling of this nightmare that's continuing to unfold. I wake each morning, hoping that it was only a bad dream to find that it has just gotten deeper and more devastating in its enormity. But the issue is this, it's so huge, so unknown that I don't even feel qualified to delve into the quagmire. The most damning circumstances to this Administration continues to be the previous administrations cozy relationship with Big Oil, shunning of the scientific community and total lack of oversight for many things that now affect the outcome of this nightmare. I am not here to defend the apparent lack of urgency by the Obama Administration, I am frustrated beyond words that more political pressure has not been put on BP, Transocean and all those involved to do the right thing, which seems to be inherently lacking in their vocabulary because oil, profit and covering their assets seems to be a larger priority.
continued at Daily Kos....
We'll never win - on BP, Obama, and effective change
by erratic
because it's never over. We'll never achieve that ideal utopic moment, when everything's perfect, and justice and freedom and well-being prevail. It doesn't exist. I know because I've been to various Utopiae, and they always have problems. When I read the complaints about the Obama Administration's failures, the compromises and betrayals by Dems in Congress, the cynical gutting of progressive ideals and values, I think back to where I was a few years back, during the years of W, remember how ecstatic I would have been, to be where we are now. We'll never win, because there's always more to be done. Humans aren't hardwired for contentment, they're hardwired for recognizing enemies and threats and danger and disaster. That's the world we evolved in - saber-toothed tigers and droughts and lightning strikes and war and desperation disease and theft. We build our stabilities and contentment at the expense of others - by taking from them, or attacking them, or enslaving them, or exploiting them. Our leaders gain power by casting others as threats we must unite against.
continued at Daily Kos....
because it's never over. We'll never achieve that ideal utopic moment, when everything's perfect, and justice and freedom and well-being prevail. It doesn't exist. I know because I've been to various Utopiae, and they always have problems. When I read the complaints about the Obama Administration's failures, the compromises and betrayals by Dems in Congress, the cynical gutting of progressive ideals and values, I think back to where I was a few years back, during the years of W, remember how ecstatic I would have been, to be where we are now. We'll never win, because there's always more to be done. Humans aren't hardwired for contentment, they're hardwired for recognizing enemies and threats and danger and disaster. That's the world we evolved in - saber-toothed tigers and droughts and lightning strikes and war and desperation disease and theft. We build our stabilities and contentment at the expense of others - by taking from them, or attacking them, or enslaving them, or exploiting them. Our leaders gain power by casting others as threats we must unite against.
continued at Daily Kos....
Let's Get Real About the Oil Spill
by mark louis
Let's stop acting like we can only blame BP or oil producers or the "corporatist" Federal government for the oil spill in the gulf. Sure, you can criticize the feds for a lack of oversight, and you can blame BP for cutting corners and not taking the steps necessary to ensure safety. But they are not the only ones complicit in this disaster. The fact is, we are all complicit.
continued at Daily Kos....
Let's stop acting like we can only blame BP or oil producers or the "corporatist" Federal government for the oil spill in the gulf. Sure, you can criticize the feds for a lack of oversight, and you can blame BP for cutting corners and not taking the steps necessary to ensure safety. But they are not the only ones complicit in this disaster. The fact is, we are all complicit.
continued at Daily Kos....
Baked Alaska: Minerals Management Stupidity
by DWG
The conclusion of a New York Times article on the actions of the Minerals Management Service office in Alaska left a bad taste in many mouths. Shortly after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar proposed reconfiguring the agency, John Goll, the head of the Alaska region, called an “all hands” meeting, according to a staff member there. Afterward, people lingered to eat a cake decorated with the words, “Drill, Baby, Drill.” Interesting choice of cake decoration by an agency pushing drilling in the Arctic Ocean while oil chokes the Gulf of Mexico.
continued at Daily Kos....
The conclusion of a New York Times article on the actions of the Minerals Management Service office in Alaska left a bad taste in many mouths. Shortly after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar proposed reconfiguring the agency, John Goll, the head of the Alaska region, called an “all hands” meeting, according to a staff member there. Afterward, people lingered to eat a cake decorated with the words, “Drill, Baby, Drill.” Interesting choice of cake decoration by an agency pushing drilling in the Arctic Ocean while oil chokes the Gulf of Mexico.
continued at Daily Kos....
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