Mississippi Shrimpers Find Oil Throughout Waters, Refuse To Trawl; Monday eKos Earthship

by eKos

Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.

Beneath the fold you will find news and notes, community announcements, and our eco-diary roundup.

Peruse the eKos Library to find previously listed diaries. You can also follow eKos on Twitter.

Tonight's editor: ellinorianne

Please remember to rec the BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 104

And don't forget to read tonight's Ecojustice,EcoJustice: Tribal chiefs help rape victims.

All views expressed by today's editor do not necessarily represent those of eKos or eKos listed diarists.

continued at Daily Kos....

Nobody Knows

by matching mole

I can't believe I am doing this.  Writing a diary that mirrors the title of one currently on the rec list (just left the rec list I guess).  But I feel compelled to write a bit on this topic as I have frequently been frustrated by the response of many here to the BP oil disaster.  And the reversal of the title was too good to resist (and I should add that I have nothing but respect for the diarist in question).  The responses tI refer to are understandable in view of the magnitude of the issue, the general political situation, and the lack of a coherent and open response from those in charge.  But they are also somewhat self-defeating.  I'll explain.

continued at Daily Kos....

"The True Cost of Gas", Tell the Senate to Pass Real Climate Legislation!

by Ellinorianne

I wrote about the issue this week because of a great piece at Alternet, Gas Is Really Costing Us About $15 a Gallon and tied it together with another piece about OPEC, OPEC and Low Oil Prices, 'Raising the entry barrier for alternative fuels'.

It's an issue that cannot be covered enough, especially since we're seeing the environmental impact on our very shores and the external costs around the globe in disasters.

The external costs are those not added to the true cost, the cost we pay at the pump and those who usually pay that cost are the poor, the least of us who live on the outskirts of our society, either in our own Country or Globally in less developed Countries.

But as the Gulf nightmare has shown, the costs will become more apparent at home.  

continued at Daily Kos....

26 square miles of toxic cloud

by mwmwm

and wait -- there's more!

22 miles long, 1.2 miles wide and 650 feet tall -- about 60 stories -- 3000 feet underwater!

That's no plume, that's a massive toxic cloud that shows no sign of abating. BP's dispersant legacy. Perhaps it's lucky that it's not showing signs of abating, since that would mean oil-eating microbes would be eating it with an oxygen chaser, and that layer is currently not showing severe oxygen-depletion. We wouldn't want a dead zone at 3000 feet.

But that toxic cloud is still a problem for a very important reason: the "Deep Scattering Layer," or DSL, which is the great, dense, daily dumbwaiter of thick marine life that moves up toward the surface, and then back down again, in a constant cycle.

Moving daily through this toxic cloud.

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Well, duh...New research confirms the ongoing existence of oil plume & threats to wildlife.

by akmk

It should have been a no-brainer that quick eradication of months of erupting oil into the Gulf might still have some lingering impacts that is likely to threaten the health of wildlife, the Gulf, and the planet for well into the future.

New research confirms this, according the New York Times report:
http://www.nytimes.com/...

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"Why Antarctic Sea Ice Is Growing in a Warmer World"; eKos Earthship Monday

by eKos

Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.

Beneath the fold you will find news and notes, community announcements, and our eco-diary roundup.

Peruse the eKos Library to find previously listed diaries. You can also follow eKos on Twitter.

Tonight's editor: ellinorianne

Please remember to rec the BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 83

All views expressed by today's editor do not necessarily represent those of eKos or eKos listed diarists.

continued at Daily Kos....

Scientists Call for More Transparency in the Gulf, Questions the Administrations Assessment

by Ellinorianne

Recommend the BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 72

I've written about a couple of diaries in the past few days regarding the heavy use of corexit and the issue of where the animals have gone in the Gulf regarding the gusher.

Both are relevant and important and touch on two of the major issues that will be ongoing for many years in the Gulf coast, health issues for the residents and the environment.

As the EPA continues to defend the use of dispersants, the questions have more to do with full disclosure, the amount of dispersants used and the long term consequences, from the food chain to the health of residents and workers.  

Both those diaries were met with some skepticism, healthy at times and hostile at others.  Which is fine, this is a community and when you write things here, it is open to comments and discussion.  

continued at Daily Kos...

The Death Gyre in the Gulf: What BP Didn't Want People to See

by Ellinorianne

There was a concerted effort to keep the media out of the area when the spill came about, we were kept from seeing the ROV photos, told they didn't exist and told that there was no live feed.

There was.

There have been a lot of corrections over what was available to the public, there were disturbing limitations to the media.

But it's starting to unfold just as BP and NOA are declaring victory, which for me, would be great, I would love that this nightmare be over as easily as they make it seem.  But, it's not I who is saying it's not that simple.

continued at Daily Kos...

Defend the Gulf...in your own home...

by luckydog

This one is easy, folks.

Defend the Gulf...in your own home...on the 5th anniversary of Katrina...

The Gulf Restoration Network will make it easy for you. All you have to do is show a movie in your home. Or anyplace else you've a mind to arrange, in a club, in a school, in a church, in a park, get creative.

Host a "Defend the Gulf" Movie Screening for the 5th Anniversary of Katrina

Or at least attend a screening...Where?...Portland, ME...St. Louis, MO...Slidell, LA...Bartlesville, OK...Palo Alto, CA...Kaneohe, HI...Bay St Louis, MS...Rockwall, TX...San Francisco, CA...Elmont, NY...Lake Worth, FL...Damariscotta, ME...Brun, Germany...and a whole buncha other cities and town across the US...

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Excessive Use of Dispersants? EPA Does What BP Tells it What to Do

by Ellinorianne

Just yesterday Congressman Markey is asking if more dispersants were used than BP disclosed to the public.  There have been a lot of questions surrounding the use of dispersants, from their level of toxicity and the usefulness to them in a spill of this size.

I wrote about the mix of using booming and dispersants and how people actually questioned doing both at the same time (although there has been a lot of talk as well how booming was bust and not done very well either).  But rounding up dispersed oil in booms makes no sense.  The whole operation by BP seemed rather, well, highly questionable.  The technology for drilling had come a long way, but not the technology for dealing with oil spills and the health of the workers for cleaning them up.

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Project Gulf Impact - Telling Their Stories

by Ellinorianne

There's a lot of speculation about the long term impact of the oil left behind from the massive oil gusher in the Gulf.  There are still questions about the relief wells, the cap and whether the oil will really be held at bay for the long term.

And then you have the millions of gallons of dispersant, Corexit, that was sprayed in the air and over water, it was used profusely in a way that hadn't been done in any previous spills.

There have been dairies about the health of the workers, the residents, etc. but not many.  I wrote about the early diagnosis of the health issues facing workers and residents being a syndrome known as tilt.  The people suffering are being shouted down by skeptics, you can see it my diary that I reference.  The more doubt given to their symptoms and their health issues, the less BP, etc. will have to actually pay and be responsible for what they are doing.

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Front Page Quotes Village Truthiness ... need to look behind the curtain

by A Siegel

On the front page, Kagro X (David Waldman) quotes from a Washington Post article about how the oil in the Gulf isn't shifting public opinion on energy issueslike environmentalists desire.

Not surprisingly, the article is rather mediocre in a balanced journalism sort-of way: legitimate and interesting material is balanced with mediocrity and truthiness.  

To be clear, David's key point is one that I agree with:

File this for use the next time somebody tells you that the key to getting people fired up in this country is letting things go to hell so they can see for themselves how bad things have gotten.

E.g., simply saying 'let things go to hell' and people will wake up and magically become progressives as about as reality based as planning on the Washington Nationals making it to the World Series this year ...

continued at Daily Kos....

What Press Freedom?

by WashingtonPeaceCenter

The press in any democratic society has the enormous responsibility of keeping citizens informed of what is happening around them.

continued at Daily Kos....

BP goon or Macho cop? Bullying just the same.

by Vetwife

Well, they are really serious about not wanting videos or camera shots of what is happening down in the Gulf.
Now the little lady in the video, the one referred to I am sure as the small people by BP, held her ground quiet well
as the Big old Bad Law enforcement officer tried to make her leave.  Of course, there were no laws being broken.
I find it quite amusing that he walked away when she told him that she was going to call his supervisor.

This is absolutely outrageous that a 6'4" so called cop
tries to intimidate a young lady trying to find out what
was happening with the clean up workers, which required
an ambulance.  Well, actually two were called.
I am sure it won't be long before beachgoers and tourists
will be asked to remove all cameras and recording devices from the beach areas.  

I do not work for any company that supplies those little spy pens but every person needs to invest when they can, I am for sure, in one of those little ink pens that are DVR.
They come in keychains and pens and sunglasses, and it is

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BP Makes Me Sick

by Forrest Brown

UPDATE: We're at 22,000 signers. Can you help us hit 30,000 today?

Good morning, I'm Forrest Brown, senior organizing fellow at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

We just sent out an email to PCCC members letting them know that BP blocked workers cleaning up the oil disaster in the Gulf from wearing protective respirators.

Keith Olbermann reports that workers are breathing in toxic fumes day after day -- and some have already landed in the hospital with nausea, chest pains, and headaches. Yet BP seems more worried about controlling what images the public sees than about the health of workers.

Shame on them. Watch Keith Olbermann’s report on this issue -- then join us, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and  22,000 others in demanding action from the White House. Click here.

Then read the coalition statement below.

continued at Daily Kos....

Studying the Effects of Oil on Endangered Whales and Those Burning Turtles

by Ellinorianne

The Gulf serves as a breeding ground for many animals, some of them endangered.  Scientists are concerned for those who may not escape this great disaster intact and want to study the effect it is going to have on their health, populations and the future of their species.

And for those who were concerned, there was good news today,
Victory for Sea Turtles in Gulf - Burning Stopped via the Center for Biological Diversity!

Follow me...

continued at Daily Kos....

Studying the Effects of Oil on Endangered Whales and Those Burning Turtles

by Ellinorianne

The Gulf serves as a breeding ground for many animals, some of them endangered.  Scientists are concerned for those who may not escape this great disaster intact and want to study the effect it is going to have on their health, populations and the future of their species.

And for those who were concerned, there was good news today,
Victory for Sea Turtles in Gulf - Burning Stopped via the Center for Biological Diversity!

Follow me...

continued at Daily Kos....

Methane Gas, Tsunami's and the Collapse of the Sea Floor in the Gulf

by Ellinorianne

I hate the worst case scenarios that have been swirling around the Gulf Disaster, as the numbers rise and the information comes in, from workers getting sick, the news that endangered species aren't being rescued as they should be, all of it is beginning to get too much to handle.

The first Sperm whale was found in the Gulf (don't click on the link if you are squeamish).

And as this keeps gushing and going, we keep asking ourselves, is this going to end anytime soon?  And of course, the never ending amount of oil going in to the ocean is a mass murder of animals, ecology and livelihoods but what else could be lurking?

continued at Daily Kos....

The Mysterious Illness Hitting Gulf Workers Now Identified As 'TILT'

by Ellinorianne

This is part of the huge disaster in the Gulf, the human costs of the clean up and the lack of protective gear.  And they are dealing with horrible working conditions due to heat and humidity.

Many are coming down with mysterious illnesses as well which as been idtenfied as TILT.

For a few days now, we've been hearing and reading about Gulf cleanup workers and people living close to the Gulf coming down with strange 'flu-like' symptoms.  The true diagnosis was difficult, because flu symptoms are common in the illness that's actually overcoming these workers - now patients.  It's called TILT, short for Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance.

Source

continued at Daily Kos....

Underwater Eutrophication Dead Zones in the Gulf? It's a Possibility

by Lenny Flank

"Eutrophication" from the oil spill may present a deadly challenge to sea life. (This is a series of comments I made in some open threads, and some people suggested I put it in a diary to make it more widely available.  So here it is.)

continued at Daily Kos....