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EagleLady
04-30-2010, 06:13 PM
Has anyone else been following this? The effects of this will be powerful :-(

EagleLady
04-30-2010, 06:26 PM
I believe so :worried:

Ive always been a dreamer
04-30-2010, 06:39 PM
This is a huge, serious disaster and I didn't really think any discussion should be considered 'cheap talk and wine' so I moved it here.

We will be affected by this for many years to come.

EagleLady
04-30-2010, 06:39 PM
Thanks Dreamer :thumbsup:

bernie's bender
04-30-2010, 06:54 PM
so much for

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2909544238_2d77bf97e7.jpg

If the bad weather continues.. it could be a real mess for many many years...

tequila girl
05-01-2010, 05:18 AM
It is a terrible tradgedy and i'm not wanting to make light of it at all......but to quote the boys

"We satisfy our endless needs and justify our bloody deeds"

where will it all end? :-( :-( :-(

Koala
05-01-2010, 05:50 AM
This is really a big disaster! Their effects still are to be felt in many years .

EagleLady
05-02-2010, 09:15 PM
They have shut down fishing from Pensacola bay to Mississippi River. Already been reports of Dead Sea Turtles washing ashore :weep:

EagleLady
05-03-2010, 01:34 PM
http://greenopolis.com/goblog/the-green-groove/recycling-hair-clean-up-oil-spills

EagleLady
05-04-2010, 09:17 PM
I wish they would get off their behinds and do something about it

EagleLady
05-05-2010, 12:28 PM
A satellite imaging expert says crude oil has reached the Mississippi Delta and the Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast. Meanwhile, BP says it has managed to cap 1 of 3 leaks at the sunken oil well, but the work is not expected to reduce the amount of oil flowing into the Gulf, now estimated to be around 60-thousand barrels a day. BP will drop a containment box over the other leaks tomorrow, but officials say they aren't sure if it will work at those depths.


From Facebook

EagleLady
05-05-2010, 02:00 PM
I figure BP Will be hit with a massive Lawsuit when it's all said and done

bernie's bender
05-05-2010, 07:07 PM
I figure BP Will be hit with a massive Lawsuit when it's all said and done

and then they'll change their name, get a new logo and an ad campaign.

You can still find tons of sludge from the Valdez... I don't expect this will be any different...

and the same folks will wait a few years and start crowing like they did before the Valdez.... so, uhhh, are we still gonna drill on the north slope? Fo realz?

EagleLady
05-06-2010, 01:16 PM
At the direction of President Obama, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Department of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will join Florida Governor Charlie Crist to view the staging area aboard NAS Pensacola and discuss response operations today. Also today, BP is expected to lower a 100-ton concrete and steel dome nearly one mile down into the Gulf. The contraption is designed to siphon off the oil spilling at the site of the sunken rig, but BP officials admit they have no idea if it will work at such depths. Meanwhile, hotels and realty companies are working the phones and any outlet they can find to keep tourists coming to Pensacola despite the threat of oil washing ashore. Click on the link below to see their efforts.


More from Facebook

EagleLady
05-08-2010, 02:45 PM
Local governments all over the area are relying on booms to protect
sensitive waterways, but many local plans to expand protection are
being turned down by state emergency officials and the Department of
Environmental Protection. Santa Rosa County is dealing with that exact problem.

EagleLady
05-08-2010, 02:55 PM
Oops I didn't mean to copy that part :blush:

EagleLady
05-08-2010, 04:11 PM
BP is promising Florida's Attorney General it will pay claims with
in two days of receiving them, while Congress attempts to change
federal law to force the oil company to pay more than the $75 million dollar federal cap for damages. Channel Three's Bob Solarski talked to a BP executive about whether that promise is realistic.

EagleLady
05-08-2010, 05:07 PM
BP now believes the deadly blowout of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico was triggered by a bubble of methane gas that escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through several seals and barriers before exploding. Meanwhile, people who worked on the Deepwater Horizon are coming forward
to share their stories of the night that killed 11 of their co-workers.

EagleLady
05-10-2010, 12:50 PM
A BP official says the company has received federal approval to continuously spray chemicals underwater on the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. The spray may prevent some of the oil from reaching the surface, though officials are worried about the effect on the environment. Crews are also considering blasting debris such as golf balls and old tires down into the blow out preventer to clog the leak.

EagleLady
05-11-2010, 12:12 PM
3 weeks after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the fallout has reached Congress. Company presidents from BP, Transocean, and Halliburton will testify in separate hearings today. Lawmakers are expected to ask BP why its drilling plans discounted the risk that such a catastrophic pipeline rupture would ever happen, and why it assumed that if a leak did occur, the oil would not pose a major threat.

EagleLady
05-11-2010, 12:26 PM
It amazes me how many people don't care about the environment anymore

bernie's bender
05-11-2010, 01:34 PM
it comes down to a world view thing.

When I work with organizations we start with one common understanding about equality/equity. One half of the work force sees it as 'everyone gets the same thing' and the other half sees it as 'everyone gets what they need'

we have to come to respect and understand both sides and realize those core beliefs are ingrained in us... most folks don't change their mind to one side or the other and if they do, the same number switch sides too.

Coupled with an inculcated selfishness and only doing what we have to when we have to for selfish benefit and with a commonly held position that as the dominant sentient being on the planet, it is ours to tame and do with as we choose and the assumption that we are small and not powerful enough to make huge global changes while trumpeting our abilities (and encouraging greater capability) in being able to wipe ourselves off the planet....

Is it any wonder things aren't kind of messed up?

One of our religious leaders blamed Katrina and the destruction of New Orleans on alternative lifestyles. What will he say about Nashville? (He might blame it on Chely Wright, but she lives in New York.)

We want cheap oil to continue an extractive lifestyle that we all enjoy in the west, but even if we max out our efforts, we know for sure that the oil economy can only run for another 80 years at most at current consumption rates...

It seems we make every single challenge into an emotional/political screaming match when what we need to do is to recognize our situation without emotion and accept what the data says. 99% of all scientists who work in fields having to do with climate and geology are in agreement on specific issues regarding our environment, yet when we listen (even for a few moments) to news reports their efforts to report the story provide equal time for the fringiest of fringe ideas making it appear that there is serious debate within the scientific community.

We live in another troubled age (I think they all are) and a divisive age where we've lost respect for ourselves through our outright dismissal of others. If you have traveled to eastern Europe, you can see the effects of a lack of environmental law and enforcement. When you see places that no one thought (because of short term profit) to protect lots of wildlife areas, they are ruined forever (okay several thousand years.)

It will only be when folks start to see the environment in the long view and in their families self interest that we'll see wholesale changes in behavior.... and that may well be better put in the Johnny Mathis song (later covered by Donny Osmond.)

I hope the folks figure out how to cap that well. And I hope we learn something from the experience...

EagleLady
05-12-2010, 10:41 AM
I know this doesn't sound as important as the Floods in Tennessee, but think of all the wildlife this spill will kill.

Ive always been a dreamer
05-12-2010, 12:17 PM
Well, first of all, I think this and the flood in Tennessee are two very different situations, so I don't think it makes any sense to even compare the two events. However, as I was reading the posts in the flood thread a few minutes ago, the news coverage the oil spill is kind of overshadowing the coverage of the floods. So, this story is getting lots of attention, as well it should, because, as many of us have already remarked, this will affect all of us for years to come. The far-reaching consequences of this boggles the mind.

EagleLady
05-12-2010, 02:11 PM
Baldwin County emergency officials and B-P Contractors are in full clean-up mode, after dozens of tar balls started to wash up on Gulf Shores beaches early Tuesday morning. It is the first oil-related sighting east of Mobile Bay. Meanwhile, BP says a second, smaller containment dome has reached the sea floor, but hasn't yet been placed over the blown-out well. Crews plan to pump in heated water and methanol so ice won't build up like it did in the first larger dome. The box should be in position by Thursday.

sodascouts
05-12-2010, 04:39 PM
The far-reaching consequences of this boggles the mind.

It upsets me to even think about it. I don't understand how this could happen. Why didn't they have a contingency plan for this kind of thing?!

Brooke
05-12-2010, 04:54 PM
That's what I don't get.

I work at a water supply company. You would not believe the hassels, rules, regulations, plans, etc. in case of emergency that we have to deal with. Stupid rules that are slowly but surely putting small town water plants out of business all over the country because they can't afford to upgrade them to their specifications. (Like being able to test for xmgjdlslurslureososid that could cause cancer if a person were to ingest 5000 gallons of it per day! Really!)

Why did they not have to have an emergency plan just for this purpose? Where was EPA (environmental protection agency) and DNR (Department of Natural Resources)? How did they even get to start operations without having such a back up plan in effect? :-x

whitcap
05-12-2010, 05:28 PM
It will get even worse when hurricane season comes. There's talk that a strong enough hurricane can push the oil into the streets of New Orleans.

sodascouts
05-12-2010, 05:46 PM
Thanks for posting that - it was informative. Wow.

EagleLady
05-13-2010, 01:24 PM
With thousands of barrels of oil a day
continuously leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, 48 percent of Floridians
still support offshore oil drilling. Governor Charlie Crist is trying
to plan a special session to put anamendment on the ballot that
would forbid drilling. Has the oil spill changed your mind on offshore
dilling?I can't believe some people still want that bull

bernie's bender
05-13-2010, 01:36 PM
I got home from playing last night and flipped on television... the channel that came up had a show about DEA agents..... pretty much the whole show (I'm lazy and just sat and watched for 20 minutes) was about raiding drug houses.

It was pretty interesting (at first) but then I was struck by an image. When the police raid these places (all in Detroit on the show) they found millions of dollars in drugs, a ton of expensive guns and sometimes there was 500,000.00 in CASH (in bales!).... the houses were the foulest, grossest, most run down places and yet there were all these people willing to live in total squalor so that they could have (the ubiquitous) big tv, stereo, game console, guns, drugs and 'bling' type stuff. Kind of crazy to my simple mind. Who would want to live in squalor, in a toilet, in order to have some 'creature comforts' and a big bale of cash.

I guess 48% of Florida.

The time will come where we will have to choose less in terms of excess in order to have safer, saner and healthier. But, addicts (like we are to oil) don't give up until they reach rock bottom.

EagleLady
05-15-2010, 07:24 PM
I Wonder why Obama hasn't done anything but talk talk talk? :-(

bernie's bender
05-15-2010, 07:40 PM
I Wonder why Obama hasn't done anything but talk talk talk? :-(

They had a special on the science channel, he's been down at the bottom trying to lift the rig up so they can stop the leak!

http://homepage.mac.com/macmanager/.Pictures/obama1.jpg

He was gonna fly over the site, but he knew that his enemies would complain that he was wasting gas...

EagleLady
05-17-2010, 03:07 PM
For the first time, there is measurable progress controlling the oil spill - BP says a mile-long suction tube is siphoning off 1000 barrels of oil a day. That leaves at least 4000 barrels still escaping daily into the Gulf of Mexico. Now there are fears the spill may be on its way to the Florida Keys and up the East C...oast. A researcher with the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science says oil may have seeped into the powerful Loop Current, threatening ecologically sensitive reefs.

EagleLady
05-17-2010, 04:21 PM
I'm sorry. I didn't realize I posted the same thing, well I got that from facebook, but nonetheless :brickwall:

bernie's bender
05-17-2010, 11:38 PM
there was a pretty good episode of 60 minutes last night that outlined what took place... pretty much the usual 'ignore enough stuff and something blows up real good' type narrative from a surviving derrick worker....


Anyway, it is good that they are pulling some oil up!

bernie's bender
05-19-2010, 01:31 PM
I missed the first 15 mins of 60 Minutes, the crucial part naturally. I still say that it's too little, too late. Yes, they're trying to do SOMETHING finally. We could help by using a teaspoon and dipping the little balls of oil out of the ocean, that's what it amounts to in the long run. Have you figured out that the big corporations and governments in general are not on my GOOD list?:cuss:

The calculus on stuff is never easy. Like many of you, I have friends who work for the government, I've even held local office myself. Most of my life I've volunteered and tried to contribute and be of service... In other words, I have been the government and lots of people I know and love and respect and admire ARE the government.

The government is just us. As for big corporations... I work for one. A huge one. (it didn't used to be, when I got there, everyone thought we were going to go under, but we didn't. We fought back and we innnovated and we worked and now we are huge, bigger than we ever were before.)

For the last 30 years there has been a huge push for fewer regulations. The push to 'get out of the way of business' is just part of the laissez faire approach to the economy. That, coupled to our world addiction (and growing if you account for China and India) to petroleum based products has made a perfect environment for shortcuts.

The fact is, we've all been gambling on the short, hoping for windfalls that would make us rich. This is not uncommon in the United States (historically speaking...)

We have embraced technology since the age of Ben Franklin and the Deists and when the protestant reformation made it okay for gentiles to lend money, we have been pursuing the almighty buck. Heck, if you think the protestants came here solely for religious freedom, you've been duped. It was a land grab.

There is no one external to us as individuals who will save us from ourselves. We are the government. We are the schools. We are the police.

There is just us. I have been told several times by folks who I work with at other companies "I trust you more than I do most of my colleagues." And I have to tell them that while I appreciate the sentiment and have deserved the trust, we all need to be ever vigilant to allow relationships in adversarial relationships to get out of balance.

That is what happened at MMS. Their relationships became too close and too trusting with the folks who they were regulating. Because of that and the pressure to perform, they did not enforce the rules.

Then, (according to the reports) people did what people do... which is take advantage of relationships and put themselves and their needs ahead of the needs of the many. They lost sight of the overall vision and goal of their projects and they made mistakes. The mistakes will be costly and were deadly.

The fiddle player in our band has a daughter who works in exploration for Chevron. She is a really good singer and sits in with us sometimes... I asked her about it and she shook her head slowly (she is about 28, a pup! but brilliant) and said, "they teach you in the military that an unlawful order, regardless of who gives it, is not to be followed under any circumstance. Folks along the way chose not to be responsible and to stand up and be responsible."

The main leaders, the CEO's, the chairmen of the board, political leaders, the President are the folks who set the tone for how their people behave. But, it is each of us, in our daily lives who make up these companies, this government and so, to ask "what are they doing about this and why is it taking so long?"

How would we respond? (the following questions are rhetorical) Are you prepared for a personal disaster? If you live in earthquake country or tornado country, or flood country, or hurricane country (which we all do,) is your home properly protected and do you have food and water, batteries, blankets etc necessary to survive 10 days without assistance?

When did you last change the batteries and test your smoke alarms?

How old is the battery in your car? When did you last test it to make sure it was properly maintained? Are your immunization and tetanus shots current? What is the exact insurance coverage you have? are you covered for disasters that are reasonable for your area?

When was the last time you closely inspected your home for things that could threaten you and your family. This should be done every six months... most people have never done it.

Sorry for the long post, but if we expect everyone else to do huge things when we don't necessarily expect much of ourselves... putting our faith in 'they' is only as good as the faith we put in the 'me'.

I think it is fair to be upset to find out that folks we put our public trust in did not live up to the rules that we entrusted them to set up... Convenience is rarely cheap. In this case, I think we frequently look the other way in hopes that everything will be fine, not wanting to be bored or burdened with the hard details and consequences of knowing the compromises.

Frequently, I hear the complaints about some 'dumb law or policy' but, when burdened by the details, it becomes clear why it exists. I think sometimes CEOs and Presidents might even like to take full responsibility....but, they don't even know for what. The scope of the issue is so huge and the number of decisions that were made along the way are so complex... all made by regular people...

The president said the other day that the responsibility for making sure that rules and laws are enforced are his. plain and simple. The govt has 300+ boats and ships working the spill and they have been out there since day 2. Booms and recovery ships were on scene during day 1... so, they are responding, but responding doesn't mean quick, easy, convenient fix.

If you've ever worked a forest fire (when I lived in Colorado in a small town, we all volunteered as a matter of course.) the actual work is boring, slow, brutal, tedious, dirty, awful and fun because you get to hang out with friends and be outside... and, occasionally you can accomplish some good. But, it is mostly thankless and a drag and you smell like smoke for a couple of days...

The smoke jumpers and all those guys do the 'fun' stuff... most of fire fighting is prep. and cleanup. there are areas from the storm king fire (1994) that are still being cleaned up.

This stuff is a mile under the water... it is like another planet down there. The pressure alone would crush a man in seconds. The physics of it all are a whole new ballgame.

It is the need for convenience that got us into the mess that we are in. Convenience won't get us out. I think the reminder we could all use is---> there is no them, there is just us. If it is fast or easy, it is probably a ripoff. If you want something done the way you want it, pick up a shovel.

check the batteries on your smoke detector, test it to make sure it works, check your tires and battery in your car. Toss a blanket and a jug or two of water in your car and inspect your house for dangerous stuff that you can remedy. If you don't have an emergency plan for you and your family, get one.

As we used to say in the mountains, "A prepared texan is an easy texan to extract." (texans who were visiting frequently needed rescuing. texan also became an algebraic term for anyone not from colorado.)

EagleLady
05-19-2010, 11:11 PM
I sincerely Hope BP Goes into Bankrupt. That's all I will say. Thank You BP For ruining Our Beautiful beaches. :weep:

EagleLady
05-20-2010, 11:43 AM
From Destin to Gulf Shores, people all along the Gulf Coast are reporting the smell of oil in the air. Emergency Management Officials say the smell is a result of at least 6 burns being conducted near the site of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Winds blowing from the south are bringing the odor into our area and may continue to do so for some time.

EagleLady
05-20-2010, 01:50 PM
As BP works on its next plan for stemming the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, a brown ooze has started clinging to marsh grasses along the Louisiana coast. A month after the leak began, BP says a mile-long tube it inserted last weekend is capturing 210,000 gallons of oil a day, though some is still escaping. Even though the oil isn't ...forecast to hit our beaches anytime soon,
boat captains are worried about the effects underwater, and what will
happen to the future of the fishing industry.

bernie's bender
05-20-2010, 08:34 PM
I was driving (okay in my prius) in downtown palo alto today and my phone rang and it was my mom. We were talking about this and I said, "get ready, the 'pooh poohers' will start any minute diminishing the impact of the spill and calling everyone idiots for worrying" and we laughed...

and my mom (a gun totin' avocado grower from north county) said it was so sad and that so many things seem to be going so wrong (one of our neighbors boys came home from Iraq a couple months back and killed himself two nights ago... 3 tours, he wrote, made life unlivable.)

anyway, I said I am so tired of the politics of everything... that everyone has a side before they even hear any of the details... I just wish we had one day in this country (heck, maybe the world) where we all agreed to just grieve over our losses. My sister in law passed from cancer two christmases ago, my sister passed from a brain tumor at thanksgiving and my brother's wife has stage 4 breast cancer and when she asked for a prognosis from her doctor he said, "well, were talking months."

Human beings are strong and stubborn and willing. We can get through all of this stuff, but it would be nice if we could stop fighting for one day and just grieve as humans... one to another, and just let some of this stuff go. At one of the funerals I attended, some family members got into an argument over political crapola! then environmental crapola! then food! it went on the whole evening!

I think we don't know how to clean it all up. I think some things won't ever be the same and I think we have a long hard road ahead with energy and the environment and that an 'easy age' of growth is coming to an end.

Most of us will survive, but I'd sure like to honor the people who gave it their best shot and didn't make it. And I'd like to grieve for all the things that our kids won't get to see that we took so much for granted that we let it slip away..... and I say this as a kid who remembers going to Pismo Beach in the 60's and my dad having to bring gasoline down to get the tar off our feet from the spills back then...

I think we ought to forgive one another and see what we can't accomplish together.

Nobody'sBeach
05-23-2010, 12:26 PM
From what I remember about that 60 Minutes interview...BP was $25 million in the hole and threw safety straight to you know where to get that rig up and running.


$25 million's gonna seem like a drop in the bucket when this is all over.

MikeA
05-24-2010, 03:59 PM
This is no joke! Why wouldn't this work?????

http://www.wimp.com/solutionoil/

MikeA
05-24-2010, 04:41 PM
There would still be a lot of cleanup involved, but it would be a lot easier and leave less mark on the environment that free floating oil!

TimothyBFan
05-25-2010, 09:54 AM
Unbelievable!!! Seriously--why can't high payed execs or politicians see that it would work? :headscratch:

MikeA
05-25-2010, 10:45 AM
I'm sure it isn't as simple as scattering hay on the Gulf of Mexico and I'm sure there are complications we don't know about, but by God it is the best most practical sounding solution to the cleanup that I've heard so far!

Brooke
05-25-2010, 01:18 PM
Unbelievable! Hey, BP............

Nobody'sBeach
05-25-2010, 03:42 PM
Apparently, BP's main agenda is covering their petroleum covered butts.

Nobody'sBeach
05-26-2010, 12:10 AM
Are people still buying all their gas? Perhaps we could give them a break from making so many trips to the bank so they have time to fix and clean up their mess?

Nobody'sBeach
05-26-2010, 07:51 PM
Fill up, anyone?

No doubt that impending rise in cost at the pump is due to...Memorial Day weekend?

Nobody'sBeach
05-26-2010, 09:08 PM
So much for "vacation in the Gulf of Mexico" and probably several other destinations, as well. No matter, it's not like the economy has crapped out and the ripple effect will do any more damage.

Summertime, at last.


School may be out (for some) but I feel like doing a little math:

37 days x 2.5 million galls per = 92,500,000 so far...

That's probably shooting low but I'm sure we can take their word on how much is actually spewing?

EagleLady
05-29-2010, 06:46 PM
I'm getting sick of reading about it.

EagleLady
05-30-2010, 02:41 PM
Screw BP And EVERYONE WHO WORKS FOR THEM. THEY ARE BEACH KILLERS.

Nobody'sBeach
05-31-2010, 02:53 PM
Gonna be a long, long time before this one goes away...

tequila girl
05-31-2010, 03:08 PM
D'you know, whatever people think about his political stances on the whole I think I agree with Don...."Goodbye To A River" keeps springing to mind!.....So sad!!:-(:-(

This whole world just keeps on destroying itself and can't see it!

Nobody'sBeach
05-31-2010, 03:11 PM
Just wail till it creeps into international waters and this global disaster came leaking outta our backyard...

tequila girl
05-31-2010, 03:39 PM
I don't talk Politices, Religion or............what was the other one one?

Oh Yeah.. Football - I learnt that many years ago when I first started working in a Bar, It's one of the Rules!

Still, you can't help the feelings and emotions :-(

EagleLady
05-31-2010, 04:19 PM
Karma will hit BP and their workers hard. I hope something horrible happens to them

tequila girl
05-31-2010, 04:36 PM
I really think things have gone too far to rely on Karma :-(

Nobody'sBeach
05-31-2010, 05:04 PM
Oh Yeah.. Football - I learnt that many years ago when I first started working in a Bar, It's one of the Rules!

I worked in a really different bar...

Happy Memorial Day, everybody!

EagleLady
05-31-2010, 05:50 PM
Then I blame Obama and the government as well.

Ive always been a dreamer
05-31-2010, 09:41 PM
Screw BP And EVERYONE WHO WORKS FOR THEM. THEY ARE BEACH KILLERS.


Karma will hit BP and their workers hard. I hope something horrible happens to them

You know this is a very serious topic and a very serious problem that can be debated endlessly and we're not going to solve anything. For those of you who want to post in this thread and discuss this, that is fine. BP the company, has taken actions that are certainly debatable. However, EL, hateful and viscious comments like these are not necessary or welcomed. Some individual employees may or may not end up being held accountable when things are all said and done. However, most of the employees of BP bear absolutely no responsibility whatsoever for this tragedy, so please let's refrain from such offensive comments.

EagleLady
05-31-2010, 09:46 PM
You know this is a very serious topic and a very serious problem that can be debated endlessly and we're not going to solve anything. For those of you who want to post in this thread and discuss this, that is fine. BP the company, has taken actions that are certainly debatable. However, EL, hateful and viscious comments like these are not necessary or welcomed. Some individual employees may or may not end up being held accountable when things are all said and done. However, most of the employees of BP bear absolutely no responsibility whatsoever for this tragedy, so please let's refrain from such offensive comments.


I didn't mean to be offensive but You don't seem to understand how important our Beaches are.

Ive always been a dreamer
05-31-2010, 09:58 PM
You have got to be kidding me! You don't seem to understand the rules of debate.

I have chosen to stay out of this discussion for my own personal reasons, which in no way means that I don't care or understand the seriousness of the situation.

However, when you resort to name-calling and viscious attacks instead of seriously debating the topic, it is you who is undermining the seriousness of the situation.

EagleLady
05-31-2010, 10:00 PM
I feel that BP is really responsible for killing our beaches.

Nobody'sBeach
05-31-2010, 10:03 PM
What about all those brainiac's @ NASA? I would think that somewhere in all that technological knowhow is a space age application/maneuver that would work to stop an underwater leak?

That bunch works really fast and extremely well under pressure.

Sorry, if that suggestion is somewhere in your posted links, P47...haven't had a chance to read through them all yet. Something has to be done to pull the plug on that thing and waiting till August just seems like more B and S.

Nobody'sBeach
05-31-2010, 10:08 PM
And how many more days/gallons until August?

Nobody'sBeach
05-31-2010, 10:31 PM
Any idea what a hurricane ('tis the season) up from that area into the mainland would do if it were full of oil? Or, I guess, for that matter, traveling back out to sea? Besides the fact that weather could hinder any efforts to hook up some fix...

Nobody'sBeach
05-31-2010, 10:50 PM
One of my neighbor's moved up here after Katrina. Her brother died in the flood and the hurricane wiped out the house her husband built for them. I know she loves LA and misses it badly, but I can't imagine she'd want to be anywhere near all that now...

I can't help but do the "what happens next" thing. Sorry, just the way my little brain works.

EagleLady
06-01-2010, 05:03 PM
Thank You once again BP For sitting on your behinds and letting oil ruin our beaches and fishing

Nobody'sBeach
06-01-2010, 08:18 PM
Ok, on the "what if"s" again...what happens when BP's stock bottoms out to the point of bankruptcy? What happens to the project when those in charge at BP are planning their criminal defense cases (they might be worried more about themselves at that point)? And civil suits (eleven people died the night it blew)?

Who pays for this mess if they run out of money before it's plugged and cleaned up?

Oh yeah...us. And in more ways than one...

Nobody'sBeach
06-01-2010, 10:23 PM
Personally, I'd love to hear a non-brain-dead opinion (and I'm disagreeing with your diagnosis) on this state of confusion. Maybe when Mr. Henley gets freed up from touring, law suits against intellectual property thieves, and whatever else he does...we'll get to hear his take on the oozing, spewing, goo.

But, then, I'd listen to whatever he has to say on the environment, politics, toilet paper...yeah, whatever.

EagleLady
06-02-2010, 12:34 PM
Looks like us Floridians will have to invest in a pool :brickwall:

sodascouts
06-02-2010, 01:38 PM
Of course we'll wind up paying big time for EVERYTHING. The rest of the world depends on us to do that and we always come through and bail everyone out so they can burn our flag, spit on us, force their customs into our society while losing ours, and take the blame for everything that's happened since the beginning of time.

Well, that's quite a strong statement. Remember that not everyone on this board is an American. In fact, the American attitude of "We do everything" which has been prevalent since the WWII breeds a lot of resentment. It's true that the US has been acting as "world policeman" quite a lot - perhaps too much - but we do it largely for our own interests and not entirely selflessly.

As far as culturally, the USA influences culture elsewhere far more than vice versa. I lived briefly in the Middle East and my parents lived there, off and on, for almost 20 years. I remember being astonished to find Fuddrucker's Hamburgers and Bluebell Ice Cream on my last visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. McDonald's is a good example of how pervasive American cultural influence is. The McDonald's restaurants in the Middle East have a sandwich called the "McArab." Dubai now features billboards that show Beyonce drinking Pepsi. Those kind of things were once viewed with disgust over there (admittedly, Dubai is far more westernized than other Arab states, but as I said, things like McDonald's are everywhere).

Of course, it's not just the Middle East where American culture extends, although it's a striking example. The Soviet Union used to be considered our enemy. However, a few years ago when I volunteered to teach English in Moldova near Romania, I was asked by the students, "Teach us to speak English like an American" because their prior teachers were British and they considered that to be worth less - and the British originated the language! American influence is everywhere. I'm actually not quite sure what you mean about the "forcing customs" thing over here.

The oil spill is a major problem but I'm frankly disturbed by the lashing out against not only BP employees, but non-Americans in general. Let's keep focused on the real problem here - an ecological disaster caused by corporate greed and carelessness - and that's not just a "foreign" custom, folks!

Nobody'sBeach
06-02-2010, 02:02 PM
The oil spill is a major problem but I'm frankly disturbed by the lashing out against not only BP employees, but non-Americans in general. Let's keep focused on the real problem here - an ecological disaster caused by corporate greed and carelessness - and that's not just a "foreign" custom, folks!

True enough and point taken, Sodascouts.

I'd just like to (for once) see the "let's help America" bandwagon pull up out front.

Ive always been a dreamer
06-02-2010, 02:54 PM
:thumbsup: and thank you Soda!

I was going to respond to this, but I hadn't found the time. Besides I like how you said it better than what I was gonna say! :wink:

NB, I know what you're saying, but I think the allies of the U.S. are usually willing to come to our aid when it is appropriate. However, in this case, this is a situation that was caused primarily because of the negligence of a private U.S. corporation. IMO, this should be BP's problem to fix, not the U.S. government's, and therefore, certainly not other countries. Having said that, our government (and the taxpayer's) will probably end up footing part of the bill for this. That's just seems to be what happens in these situations, unfortunately.

sodascouts
06-02-2010, 03:03 PM
Well, BP is a British corporation, but my point is that we can't lash out at the British or non-Americans as a result.

EagleLady
06-02-2010, 03:06 PM
No but it is BP's oil and so far every thing they've tried to stop the leak has failed and it continues to ruin the Gulf

Ive always been a dreamer
06-02-2010, 03:23 PM
Well, BP is a British corporation, but my point is that we can't lash out at the British or non-Americans as a result.

You are right - that was a typo - put in one too many U.S.'s. :wink: I do believe BP stands for British Petroleum, doesn't it. d'oh!

But my point is that this shouldn't be a government problem though (U.S. or any other government).

Nobody'sBeach
06-02-2010, 03:36 PM
NB, I know what you're saying, but I think the allies of the U.S. are usually willing to come to our aid when it is appropriate.


And I should clarify, Dreamer...I don't necessarily mean foreign governments. If there's anybody out there with legitimate ideas and credentials on how to stop the bleeding, please submit resume.

I'm just concerned if it keeps up as is, almost six weeks of leaking is the tip of a very nasty iceberg.

Ive always been a dreamer
06-02-2010, 03:47 PM
NB, on those points, we totally agree. The total magnitude of this mess (both literally and figuratively) is and is going to be mind-boggling.

sodascouts
06-02-2010, 04:59 PM
I don't recall lashing out at BP

I know sometimes with these longer posts it's hard to read everything carefully, but what I said was that I found lashing out at BP employees, not criticizing the corporation, troubling. EagleLady made such a statement, which Dreamer addressed earlier.


And I sure don't recall making disparaging remarks about the non-Americans on this board.Perhaps, again, you skimmed my post and didn't read carefully what I wrote - that you were lashing out at non-Americans, not non-Americans on this board specifically, although frankly your generalization does include them. That's why generalizations aren't a good idea.

Let's look at the part I quoted again:


The rest of the world depends on us to do that and we always come through and bail everyone out so they can burn our flag, spit on us, force their customs into our society while losing ours, and take the blame for everything that's happened since the beginning of time.

Who are you criticizing here, if not non-Americans? If you are referring to certain groups, such as terrorists, it would help make that kind of thing clear so that people from other countries don't get offended. And yes, I know of at least one non-American board member who took offense as a result of the generalization.


As for the forcing customs, the old statement "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" has lost its meaning. Used to be when someone came to America, they merged into the population, learning the language, if possible, and the customs while retaining theirs.I agree with you here.

IMHO, people who come to America need to learn our language and adapt to our society, but I differentiate that from them forcing THEIR customs on US. I sure as heck don't feel the need to bow down with my head towards Mecca five times a day because there are Muslims in town who do.


Any opinions on this OIL SPILL topic are welcomed.Any opinions relevant to this discussion are welcome. Hopefully people here have enough discernment to figure out what is relevant and what is not based on the context of the posts.

But don't worry, if a post veers totally off topic into a new discussion, I'll move it. :)

EagleLady
06-02-2010, 05:02 PM
I apologize for lashing out like that, it's just this whole mess has gotten me so angry. I care about our beaches.

sodascouts
06-02-2010, 05:04 PM
I appreciate that, EagleLady. I know it's upsetting, to say the least. I think it's safe to say we all care about the environment here.

EagleLady
06-03-2010, 03:46 PM
About time The Government did something right

MikeA
06-03-2010, 04:27 PM
Oh my. When will we ever learn? Were the money spent on drilling dinosaur fuels, processing them, and burning them, not to mention the money spent on a crash and burn effort to cap that pressurized oil bomb and then the cleanup of what damage it has caused and the resulting loss of what can hardly have a price put on it....if all that had been funneled into alternate fuels such as solar, electrical and hydrogen, we may find that we just don't have the demand for all that fossil fuel!

Solar....okay but not developed enough to provide enough power to eliminate the need for Nuclear energies.

Electric....as in vehicles powered by electrical means. Storage is a big problem. It does little good to have a vehicle that you charge for 24 hours and then can drive for less than 5 hours before having to recharge. Hybrids are a nice fad and provide a warm fuzzy....but there is no way a hybrid will ever save enough in gas to pay for the difference between and identical gas powered vehicle.

Hydrogen:....I don't know all the details on this one. Right now, there is mainly only one avenue being researched seriously and that is fuel cells for liquid Hydrogen. Folks, can we say Hindenberg? BOOM! But there are other methods of hydrogen all of which have serious safety issues. Hydrolysis is one that requires an electrical charge and a strip of zinc....you've all probably experienced this in High School Chemistry. Pour water into a bottle, seal it with a zinc strip in it, apply an electrical charge and the Oxygen and Hydrogen are separated....and any spark will cause both gases to explode big time!

Yet, it does look like Hydrogen is the most promising alternative being researched right now.

What I'm waiting on is the breakthrough that will let us put a microspec of antimater into a pinhole of a container in the rear end of a vehicle and drive it at supersonic speeds between cities...what the heck...PLANETS! And then the STARS....if we live through the current cycle of brilliance here on Earth!

EagleLady
06-04-2010, 01:25 PM
Tell us something we don't know BP, Like we don't know why YOU let this Spill get so far on our beaches

tequila girl
06-04-2010, 01:45 PM
This is all just so heartbreaking! :-(

....and i'm sorry, I can't find words to elucidate on the subject - but what's the point anyway? it won't help anything :-(

TimothyBFan
06-04-2010, 02:01 PM
This is being posted all over FB today--mine included....

British
Petroleum (BP) rep Randy Prescott made a comment, “Louisiana isn’tthe
only place that has shrimp.” His office phone number is (713)323-4093(713)323-4093.
His email is randy.prescott@bp.com. Give him a call or send an
email! Tell him “BP isn’t the only place that has fuel for my car!”
PLEASE REPOST

Who knows---but it might make a few people feel better to get it off their chest!

Brooke
06-04-2010, 03:16 PM
This is a terrible tragedy and all, but think about this:

This is not the only oil well in the world. Getting this one fixed has boggled the minds of lots of very smart people. All the while that this one has been leaking, others around the world are pumping. What if this (or something like it) happens at another well? Evidently, no one really knows how to fix this kind of problem, but yet, they are still pumping away. Are there regulations in place now? So what? Regulations don't matter when there is no known fix anyway. So, how do these companies manage to keep pumping when they are clearly in violation for not having emergency plans in place? BP isn't the only petroleum company out there.

EagleLady
06-04-2010, 03:27 PM
BP Needs to quit being lazy and do something. This is ridiculous

sodascouts
06-04-2010, 03:30 PM
This is a terrible tragedy and all, but think about this:

This is not the only oil well in the world. Getting this one fixed has boggled the minds of lots of very smart people. All the while that this one has been leaking, others around the world are pumping. What if this (or something like it) happens at another well? Evidently, no one really knows how to fix this kind of problem, but yet, they are still pumping away. Are there regulations in place now? So what? Regulations don't matter when there is no known fix anyway. So, how do these companies manage to keep pumping when they are clearly in violation for not having emergency plans in place? BP isn't the only petroleum company out there.

The problem is that if every oil well stops pumping... our nation and the industrialized world comes to a screeching halt. We are HEAVILY reliant upon petroleum; even temporarily calling a halt to drilling (as if we could, as the US doesn't control all of the wells in the world) would be debilitating to our way of life.

Even the greenest of the green uses fossil fuels every day of their lives - anytime you use something that has plastic in it, which includes the computer you're using to read this right now; anytime you play a vinyl LP; anytime you take a picture with a non-digital camera; anytime you wear something with synthetic materials such as polyester; anytime you buy your kid a balloon filled with helium; anytime you eat something which has been fertilized non-organically; anytime you use a highway... the list goes on and on.

It sounds great to call a halt to this until they get their act together, but currently oil wells are too necessary for that - unless you want to live like an Amish person. Until alternative energy is able to make up more than a modicum of what we use every day... and right now, it's quite a low percentage... we're stuck.

However, if the government is willing to make these industry's wallets bleed enough by enacting harsh fines for non-compliance with stricter regulations, perhaps we'll get somewhere. It's all about the bottom line.

EagleLady
06-04-2010, 03:42 PM
Maybe We shouldn't be dependent on Oil. I am sure we can come up with Alternative fuels. We don't have to be "stuck"

sodascouts
06-04-2010, 03:47 PM
That's the ideal. I hope one day we can reach that goal. But that day has not yet come.

Brooke
06-04-2010, 04:24 PM
However, if the government is willing to make these industry's wallets bleed enough by enacting harsh fines for non-compliance with stricter regulations, perhaps we'll get somewhere. It's all about the bottom line.

Of course we can't shut them all down. But get in their pocket, now that might work.

EagleLady
06-04-2010, 05:17 PM
Some are starting to boycott BP.

EagleLady
06-04-2010, 06:30 PM
Of course most of us Floridians are angry. BP Let it get this far.

EagleLady
06-05-2010, 01:04 PM
I say Down with BP.

EagleLady
06-05-2010, 09:17 PM
Someone should tell Mr. Buffett that this will pass..... up on Shores!

EagleLady
06-05-2010, 10:50 PM
It makes me sick that BP Has virtually destroyed the Gulf of Mexico

EagleLady
06-06-2010, 02:28 PM
Ugh, this is depressing. Thank you once again BP for killing our beaches

EagleLady
06-06-2010, 05:57 PM
Good Grief! :-( :-x Now I am really pissed at BP.

EagleLady
06-06-2010, 07:19 PM
Not telling us ANYTHING we already know so I'd hardly call it an update, no offense.

AzEaglesFan
06-07-2010, 01:15 AM
The picture of the oil covered pelican that they have been running on TV and in newspapers is heart breaking. But I would say that there are probably hundreds if not thousands more birds and other animals out there too.

EagleLady
06-07-2010, 02:29 PM
Does anyone think Criminal Charges should be filed against BP?

EagleLady
06-09-2010, 11:43 AM
The first official health advisory for Northwest Florida has been issued for six miles of Perdido Key Beaches in Escambia County. The advisory does not close the beaches, but it warns beachgoers to "avoid contact with the water" and forms of oil in the surf and on the beach. Meanwhile, we are getting another look at what is happening below the surface in the Gulf of Mexico.

EagleLady
06-10-2010, 07:11 PM
A plume of oil, seaweed, and sheen has been spotted inside Pensacola Bay, washing on shore near Fort Pickens. This picture was taken around 3 this afternoon, after the mass had broken up. Right now, skimmers are working to clean it up and booms are being laid to keep more from entering the bay. To help, officials will be shutting down Pensacola Pass to boat traffic during high tide. Once the tide recedes, they'll open it back up again.

sodascouts
06-10-2010, 07:12 PM
I don't see a picture - could you link to it?

EagleLady
06-10-2010, 07:38 PM
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=4018721&id=72274029346

EagleLady
06-11-2010, 12:14 PM
3 The government now says 20 to 40 thousand barrels of oil may be gushing into the gulf every day, making it 6 times worse than the Exxon Valdez disaster. Marine biologists say the new estimates may quadruple the harmful effects on the environment because the oil will be able to travel over a larger distance. Meanwhile, leaders in Escambia County say our area should brace for a "significant" oil impact over the next 48 hours.

EagleLady
06-12-2010, 12:34 PM
Escambia County officials closed Pensacola Pass last night to deploy boom across the opening of the pass. They will continue to do so during incoming tides to keep oil from the sensitive waterways. During closures, navigation through the pass will be restricted to necessary watercraft. The pass will reopen to boaters during outgoing tide. The Intracoastal Waterways will remain open. The same goes for Perdido Pass. Meanwhile, some Escambia marina owners want to know how to keep oil-covered boats from contaminating the water when they return.

bernie's bender
06-12-2010, 02:12 PM
What stinks is that the boom won't stop some of the really nasty chemicals from getting into those habitats... the water may 'look' fine, but the encroachment of the complex hydrocarbons are such that... well, all you can do is shake your head....

The fact that the oil company controls the cameras which document their mistakes, errors and probably malfeasance is about the same as letting the bank robber run the cameras in the bank. The result of poor estimation (to the temporary benefit of the oil company) makes cynics cackle and people of goodwill turn cold and begin to consider reasonable actions....

The fluid dynamics models of this spill are coming to pass... the early models were scoffed at (the same people who scoff at the global climate change models) and we are seeing them come to pass... to the detriment of all...

At Nuremberg we had trials for 'crimes against humanity'... I wonder if we'll ever have 'crimes against nature'.

MikeA
06-12-2010, 02:36 PM
You don't have to be a "Tree Hugger" to be saddened and even enraged by the damage being done by that oil. Yes, "Nature" started the chain of events but it is obvious that BP and probably all the other oil companies and those who profit from them, had no "emergency contingency plan" worked out. Shame on them and Shame on us for letting them undertake that kind of drilling without proof of their ability to react in an efficient method during such a disaster.

EagleLady
06-13-2010, 03:04 PM
WEAR ABC 3 (http://www.facebook.com/weartv) Waves of unsightly oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill washed ashore in Orange Beach, Alabama Saturday. Large amounts of the oil battered the coast, leaving deposits of the mess 4 to 6 inches thick on the beach in some parts. Tar-like globs have washed up periodically throughout the disaster, but Saturday's pollution is the worst our area has seen. The Coast Guard has demanded BP step up its efforts to contain the oil gushing into the Gulf by the time President Obama arrives on Monday.

EagleLady
06-13-2010, 04:47 PM
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/photo.php?pid=4041721&id=72274029346

Picture from Orange Beach.

EagleLady
06-13-2010, 06:01 PM
Thick clumps of oil and a visible sheen are floating dangerously close to the coast, just south of Perdido Pass. At its closest point, the Coast Guard says oil is only about a mile out. Meanwhile, undersea sensors are being deployed at the site of the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico in an effort to better track the amount of oil gushing into the sea. Pressure is also mounting on BP to create special accounts that would set aside billions of dollars to pay for spill-related claims.

bernie's bender
06-13-2010, 10:58 PM
Yes, "Nature" started the chain of events

I don't understand what you are saying here. Can you explain?

MikeA
06-14-2010, 07:52 AM
Am I mistaken? I thought it was a storm that caused the rig to collapse. I went back and read up on it a bit more. Sorry I WAS mistaken. I don't know where I got the idea that a storm had predicated the incident.

Sorry :?

EagleLady
06-14-2010, 03:17 PM
Florida officials are temporarily closing a 23 mile stretch of water off the Panhandle to the fishing of crabs, shrimp and saltwater fish because of the oil spill. The closure includes state waters from the beaches out nine nautical miles from the Alabama state line to the Pensacola Beach water tower. Catch-and-release is allowed. Interior bays and estuaries remain open.

bernie's bender
06-14-2010, 07:37 PM
Am I mistaken? I thought it was a storm that caused the rig to collapse. I went back and read up on it a bit more. Sorry I WAS mistaken. I don't know where I got the idea that a storm had predicated the incident.

Sorry :?

Mike, no need to be sorry, I just couldn't figure it out and thought you knew something I'd not read....

A couple of years ago, I went with a family member to see the doctor... she'd been battling cancer and we knew the meeting would be a tough one and she wanted me to go (her husband... well, lets just say, I needed to go with her)

anyway, the doctor was very calm and very sad and told us that it didn't look good and that maybe she could get placed in an experimental trial, but that she should start considering hospice and get her affairs in order.

I've faced this kind of bad news before with other family members... but, here she was 41 years old, two very small children, and just the two of us sitting there like kids... listening to our teacher or coach or principal tell us that it was all over...

The quiet desperation of that moment... the zillions of electrons filled with grief and sadness and the responsibility of knowing I'd be telling the news and I'd hear tons of comments and questions and maybes and whys and how do they knows.... but to see it all, right then, in that moment and realize what was imminent and what had been going on (with the illness and treatment and chemo and this try and that try) and to know it was over...

That is how I see this oil spill. The anger, hurt, helplessness that one can feel, I feel about this situation. I hope that the people who made the poor decisions along the way that got us here have at least a smidgen of an idea of how much damage they have caused...

Somehow I think people will just explain it all away... try to diffuse it, argue it... defend it... in this instance, I can't hear any more from the people responsible nor their supporters.

EagleLady
06-15-2010, 01:55 PM
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4058048&id=72274029346&comments

Look at this Poor Bird

EagleLady
06-15-2010, 10:22 PM
While the bulk of the oil gets closer to Florida shores, there's more evidence an underwater plume may have already crept into our inland waters. It's being blamed on a phenomenon that may be happening in Pensacola Bay. Some experts believe oil is slipping past the booms by sinking beneath the water and resurfacing during certain times of day, especially when it gets warm.

TimothyBFan
06-16-2010, 08:13 AM
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4058048&id=72274029346&comments

Look at this Poor Bird

This just f-ing makes me want to puke!!! I can't stand seeing these innocent animals suffer so!

EagleLady
06-20-2010, 04:27 PM
WEAR ABC 3 (http://www.facebook.com/weartv) To demonstrate support for the people, businesses and culture of the Gulf Coast, Jimmy Buffett is planning a free concert in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Buffett will perform along with Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chenesy, and many others on July 1st from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The concert will also be broadcast live on CMT. Also, Monday n...ight CNN's Larry King will host a two-hour celebrity telethon to raise oil spill response funds. The broadcast, "Disaster in the Gulf: How You CanHelp,” will feature appearances by Justin Bieber, Cameron Diaz, Sting, Tim McGraw, and other celebrities. The live event begins at 7 on CNN.

EagleLady
06-30-2010, 12:50 PM
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/photo.php?pid=4174797&id=72274029346

EagleLady
09-02-2010, 03:38 PM
Sheen has been reported on the water surrounding an offshore petroleum platform that exploded in the Gulf this morning. The Coast Guard says the company that owns the rig platform, Mariner Energy, told them they spotted a mile-long slight oil sheen. All 13 aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The rig is located about 90 miles south of Vermillion Bay, Louisiana.


Apparently another rig exploded. When will this madness end?