Ladywriter

I can't wait to see Robin and the rebels

how long before they meet back up?

I bet Raliegh will teach Luffy to use haki

BP oil spill: US scientist retracts assurances over success of cleanup

NOAA's Bill Lehr says three-quarters of the oil that gushed from the Deepwater Horizon rig is still in the Gulf environment while scientists identify 22-mile plume in ocean depths

Oil-Cleanup Estimates Draw New Fire

Scientists confirm giant underwater plumes are a result of BP spill

Floating Wind Farm Considered in Scotland

One advantage of using offshore wind turbines is wind over water is unobstructed, and can flow faster and steadier than over land. Another advantage is that little or no turbine noise is heard by people on land, as the turbine location is miles offshore. Additionally, in some cases there may be far fewer birds miles out at sea, so offshore turbine bird deaths could be lower.

GAyPpQ4gnjg

3 ways it creates jobs: makin the parts, puttin the shit together, then maintaining the turbines. Roughnecks could do this kinda work with their eyes closed. Lets put these offshore instead of oil rigs

Use da brain yo

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

kool

omg this is just teh awesome

C3BPgyhStLk

the Stewart guy is right about opening up the waters too soon

Valdez~11 to 32 or 25 to 32 million gallons depending on who ya ask~

Gulf Coast Fund Reports 53 Million Gallons of Oil Remain in Gulf, Disaster Not Over

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 4 months after the explosion that caused the BP oil disaster, the Gulf Coast Fund (http://www.gulfcoastfund.org), a community-led philanthropy in the Gulf South, reports that a dangerous amount of oil and dispersant remains in the Gulf of Mexico. Contrary to what BP and government officials have been stating, over 53 million gallons of oil are currently spread over the coastal areas and are washing ashore in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.

According to Wilma Subra, a chemist/microbiologist and advisor to the Gulf Coast Fund, the public has not been accurately informed about the catastrophic effects of the spill. "Just because the oil is no longer on the surface, it does not indicate that the area is healthy," she explains. "We've received reports from local residents all along the coast who continue to see oil on and off shore, as well as reports of hundreds of dead fish, crabs, birds, dolphins, and other sea life," says Subra. Samples of crab larvae taken from the Gulf have been shown to contain both oil and dispersant.

The spill released 172 million gallons of oil into the Gulf, and BP used 1.84 million gallons of Corexit, a dispersant that contains known human carcinogens and is banned in Europe. Despite denial by BP, local fisherman and residents report that dispersant continues to be sprayed.

"Commercial fishermen in the Gulf know the seafood is unsafe for eating and will not feed it to their own families," remarks Gulf Coast Fund advisor and community organizer Derrick Evans of Turkey Creek, MS. Gulf fishermen gathered in Panama City Beach, FL on August 15th to tell President Obama that the fishing grounds need to be closed until the seafood is thoroughly tested for safety. At present, no tests are conducted on seafood for the presence of dispersants.

To view video footage of the effects of the oil disaster, and hear from local fishermen and residents, visit http://www.gulfcoastfund.org.

The University of Georgia researchers’ report reached its much higher figure by concluding that the evaporation and natural degradation rates relied on by government scientists were too high and by classifying much of the oil categorized by federal scientists as “evaporated or dissolved” as a persistent threat to the ecosystem.

“The idea that 75 percent of the oil is gone and is of no further concern to the environment is just incorrect,” said Samantha Joye, professor of marine sciences at the University of Georgia.

Other marine scientists involved in evaluating the impact of the spill defended the government’s findings. “I generally agreed with the results,” said Edward Overton, a biologist at Louisiana State University who was one of several scientists who reviewed the federal study prior to its release. “I think it’s close to being on the mark.”

this thing grabbed my attention today its so kool

Posted August 16, 2010 in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places

A colleague sent over this article detailing a mind-blowing nexus of my energy and wildlife work---the discovery of a fairly common salamander species that is literally powered by the sun, at least early on. New research finds that spotted salamander embryos and hatchlings somehow have little bits of algae inside their cells to create energy using photosynthesis. It is the first time this has been observed in any animal with vertebrae. More importantly, its yet another example of why keeping critters on this planet is so important---we clearly still have a lot to learn from the animal kingdom. Who knows if the humble salamander harbors secrets that will help fix our energy mess...

The reason this discovery is surprising is because all vertebrates have what's known as an adaptive immune system, which naturally destroys any foreign biological material found inside the cells. How the algae in the salamander's cells bypass this defense is a mystery.

Even more interesting, Kerney also discovered that algae is present in the oviducts of adult female spotted salamanders, where the embryos form in their sacs. This means that it's possible symbiotic algae are passed from mother to offspring during reproduction.

"I wonder if algae could be getting into the germ [sex] cells," commented David Wake, from the University of California, Berkeley, who watched Kerney's presentation. "That would really challenge the dogma [of vertebrate cells disposing of foreign biological material]. But why not?"

Although this is the first time such a close co-existence with a photosynthetic organism has been found in a vertebrate, the discovery leaves open the question about if other animals might harbor similar traits.

"I think that if people start looking, we may see many more examples," said developmental biologist Daniel Buchholz.

mwLOJtaYHxg

lol

My friend Jen is gonna stop for a visit a lil later

thanks

364 days to quit smokin 4ever

Plumes of Gulf oil spreading east on sea floor

www.cnn.com

A new report set to be released Tuesday renews concerns about the long-term environmental impact of the Gulf Coast oil disaster, and efforts to permanently plug the ruptured BP oil well have been delayed again.

Boycott BP Despite the millions of gallons of oil that recently flowed around these waters in the past few months, President Obama went for a dip with his daughter while in Panama City Beach yesterday. The actual Gulf was closed to swimming because of riptide, but Obama and Sasha swam in Saint Andrew Bay off Alligator Point, before lunching nearby. THEY SWAM BEHIND BARRIER ISLANDS, NOT IN THE GULF. GOOGLE ALLIGATOR POINT AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.

Obama and Sasha Swim Near the Gulf Coast

nymag.comIt's safe to go back in the water, apparently.

Federal Government Covering Up Severity of Gulf Oil Spill?

It looks as if Team Obama has reverted to form. In a repeat of its perfromance post the financial crisis, it appears to believe that no problem cannot be solved by PR, which puts it in league with the perps. Hat tip Glenn Stehle:

noah-kh

put this up against something Wheeland did for 1 or 7

He could do Roland and the slow mutants so koooooooool

freedom from religion

9U88SgY3BQ

I don't have a boss

I am the boss

U.S. Judge in New Orleans Will Hear Gulf Spill Cases

NEW ORLEANS — Hundreds of federal lawsuits filed over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will be handled by a single judge here, a judicial panel announced Tuesday.

The choice of New Orleans is a significant defeat for BP and other companies being sued over the spill, which had asked the same panel to consolidate cases in Houston, where their headquarters are located — and where, plaintiffs had argued, they might find a friendlier legal environment. Plaintiffs had requested that the cases be brought together in federal districts from Florida to Texas, with many focused on New Orleans.

The five-page opinion said, “Without discounting the spill’s effects on other states, if there is a geographic and psychological ‘center of gravity’ in this docket, then the Eastern District of Louisiana is closest to it.”

a litmus test for corruption ne?

Feds Giving Spill Data to BP—But Public Stays in Dark

The Exxon case offers a good example of how arming only BP with crucial information might ultimately backfire. In 1991, Exxon struck a deal with the government to pay just $900 million in damages over 10 years. The deal also allowed the government to reopen the case, if it could prove that there were remaining problems that had not been adequately addressed. But the burden of proof was on the state and federal government to show that the loss or decline of habitat or species was directly related to the spill and could not have been forseen in the initial assessment. In 2006, when government and independent studies showed that Prince William Sound was still polluted, the Department of Justice and the State of Alaska filed a claim against Exxon, asking for an additional $92 million payment. But Exxon presented hundreds of its own studies that claimed that there was no ongoing environmental impact. Exxon prevailed, and never had to pay one cent more for the damage to the Prince William Sound, despite the fact that independent studies have found it has never fully recovered.

Id sell it!

2dLRTdVtQCg

The war on marijuana is a complete failure.

Billions of dollars are wasted every year. Police officers' lives put at risk daily. Out-of-control Mexican drug cartels have ravaged our borders, killing thousands of people every year. It's so bad, even Mexico's President called for a debate on legalizing marijuana this week

Our government needs a reality check - it's time to end the war on marijuana.

So we're launching a massive campaign to fight for legalizing marijuana that we're calling "Just Say Now." With the support of the grassroots group Students for Sensible Drug Policy, we'll organize thousands of people to support legalization at the ballot box this year and beyond.

To kick off our campaign, we're bringing attention to the unjust, unpopular, and racist reality that is the war on marijuana. It's a war that must end now.

Ask President Obama to help end the war on marijuana. Click here to sign our petition.

http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/endthewaronmarijuana

We're organizing our Just Say Now campaign to put a stop to the federal government's war on marijuana. To do that, we'll organize activists to identify and turn out supporters in states to vote for marijuana in the 2010 and 2012 elections.

This campaign will be a game-changer. Our partners at Students for Sensible Drug Policy have already organized 150 campuses and thousands of student activists. We're poised to make a huge impact to legalize marijuana.

This November, California will vote to legalize marijuana, and 3 other states will vote on medical marijuana regulations. Thirteen states and DC have already legalized medical marijuana. Poll after poll shows huge majorities in states and the country support legalizing marijuana.

Despite this popular support, the federal government's war on marijuana continues. Just last month, federal agents raided several completely legal medical marijuana farms and dispensaries.

Join us in calling on President Obama to help end this war. He should join the debate to legalize marijuana.

Click here to add your name to our petition to President Obama to end the war on marijuana:

http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/endthewaronmarijuana

We're excited to Just Say Now to legalizing marijuana. Thanks for all you do.

Best,

Jane Hamsher Aaron Houston

Founder, Firedoglake Director, Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Legalize weed, regulate it in a way you CANT regulate illegal substance, tax it!!! States be mutherfuckin broke and people still wanna play around with weed?! They need to grow up and get a brain

lmao! X'D