“The class which has the power to rob upon a large scale has also the power to control the government and legalize their robbery.”—Eugene Debs
May62012
May22012
Gulf Coast Waters Closed to Shrimping
A move that is both bold and weak at the same time. Scientists say ‘oil pollution,’ government says ‘small shrimp.’ Smells like PR bullshit to protect BP and oil drillers from further payouts to local communities.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources acted this week to close waters along the Gulf Coast to shrimping due to widespread reports from scientists and fishermen of deformed seafood and drastic fall-offs in populations two years after the BP oil spill. [‘Official’ reason is now reported to be smaller than average shrimp.]
(Source: sustainable-sam)
April262012
Wind pushes plastics deeper into oceans, driving trash estimates up | e! Science News
While working on a research sailboat gliding over glassy seas in the Pacific Ocean, oceanographer Giora Proskurowski noticed something new: The water was littered with confetti-size pieces of plastic debris, until the moment the wind picked up and most of the particles disappeared. After taking samples of water at a depth of 16 feet (5 meters), Proskurowski, a researcher at the University of Washington, discovered that wind was pushing the lightweight plastic particles below the surface.
That meant that decades of research into how much plastic litters the ocean, conducted by skimming only the surface, may in some cases vastly underestimate the true amount of plastic debris in the oceans, Proskurowski said.
Reporting in the journal Geophysical Research Letters this month, Proskurowski and co-lead author Tobias Kukulka, University of Delaware, said that data collected from just the surface of the water commonly underestimates the total amount of plastic in the water by an average factor of 2.5. In high winds the volume of plastic could be underestimated by a factor of 27.
(Source: tartantambourine)
April252012
Antarctic Ice Melting From Below by Warming Ocean | Mother Jones
A paper published today in the science journal Nature reveals that the melting of Antarctica’s ice sheet is being driven by a warming ocean more than a warming atmosphere. Which means even though summer air temperatures have not yet warmed enough to substantially melt Antarctica’s surface snows, the oceans are undermining the frozen continent from below—fueling a recent, widespread, and intensifying glacier acceleration and its accompanying rise in sea levels.
(Source: tartantambourine)
April222012
Fish in Gulf of Mexico found with lesions tied to petroleum and other pollutants
Fish harvested from the Gulf of Mexico have been found with unusual lesions and infections. Two years after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank, the latest research into its effects is starting to back up those early reports from the docks: The ailing fish bear hallmarks of diseases tied to petroleum and other pollutants.
(via tartantambourine)
April212012
On April 20, 2010, an explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed 11 people and spilled at least 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Now, a new report from Al Jazeera says sea creatures are showing up with horrible mutations as a side effect of the spill.
Among the disturbing mutations: Shrimp with tumors on their heads; fish that lack eyes or are missing flaps over their gills; fish with oozing sores; crabs with holes in their shells; crabs that are missing claws and spikes, or are encased in soft shells instead of hard ones.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Dr. Jim Cowan of Louisiana State University tells Al Jazeera. “The fishermen have never seen anything like this.”
(via kileyrae)
April192012
Remember the BP oil spill? The Corexit that BP used to “disperse” the oil can make it tougher for microbes to digest the oil. And, added bonus, it can get sucked up by human skin.
COREXIT was used even though EPA-approved alternatives showed to be far less toxic and, in some cases, nearly twice as effective. COREXIT 9527 was replaced by COREXIT 9500 after the former was deemed unacceptably toxic but only after extensive use. According to BP 1,800,000 gallons of COREXIT went into the Gulf of Mexico but the validity of those numbers is in question.
Propylene glycol, one of its ingredients, increases the body’s chemical absorption through the skin. Which is probably the cause of the effect that you see in the pictures.
The safety data sheets for Corexit also warn of possible kidney, nervous system, and intestinal problems. Here you can find the Medical Safety Data Sheets for both versions.
This dirty mess is far from being over.
April12012
“The oil is still here and things are still dying. BP likes to make all their pretty commercials about how everything’s fine. Well I’m still here too and it’s not. But I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing to show people what’s really going on here.”
Laurel Lockamy, photographer, and resident of Gulfport, Mississippi. Click here to see some of her photos from the Gulf shores. (via nrdc)
(via nrdc)
March272012
Exxon Valdez oil tanker likely headed for scrap heap in India
“The ship formerly known as the Exxon Valdez, responsible for one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history, appears destined for the scrap heap in a shipyard along the Indian Gulf of Cambay…
The tanker ran aground at Alaska’s Bligh Reef on March 24, 1989, and spewed 11 million gallons of crude oil into the rich fishing waters of Prince William Sound.
The shoreline was coated with petroleum sludge. Towns like Cordova that relied on fishing the sound were devastated. An incalculable amount of damage was done to marine species and the surrounding environment.
An Anchorage jury in 1991 called for Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil Corp. to pay $5 billion in punitive damages, thought the U.S Supreme Court later reduced that to $507.5 million. Some litigation related to the spill is still ongoing.
Exxon maintained at the time that it should not be liable for the actions of the supertanker’s skipper, Joseph Hazelwood, when the nearly 1,000-foot vessel ran aground with 53 million gallons of oil in its hold.
According to prosecutors, Hazelwood was drunk, but he denied it and was acquitted of the charge in criminal court.”Read the rest at KING 5
February252012
Top Biblical Verses That Illustrate Why Santorum is Out of Step by Stephen Lacey | LikeTheDew.com
[Rick] Santorum often expresses his strong dislike for environmental protection within a religious context, saying that humans were “put on this earth … for our benefit, not for the earth’s benefit.” However, this belief is completely out of step with mainstream religious leaders — including the Pope — who have called on world leaders to address climate change and other pressing environmental issues in order “protect all creation.”
(Source: likethedew)
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