The Gulf? Don’t Nobody Know Nothing Never – Me Neither, Except for…

I remember one night many years ago, walking down Decatur Street in the Quarter as the darkness was coming on, challenging the streetlamps to do their best. It was a beautiful February evening, colder but not freezing and as I glanced in the river’s direction I smiled at the sight of a rolling fog bank, moving slow, silent and concealing. Stopping at the corner of the square, I … Continue reading The Gulf? Don’t Nobody Know Nothing Never – Me Neither, Except for…

The Legacy of Katrina Study – The Kids Aren’t Alright

As a social worker, you develop a really dark sense of humor, a mindset often used as a coping mechanism for some of what you see and the stories you hear. During Katrina, I was living on the West Coast and at conferences, or in simple conversations with co-workers a statement I heard more than any other went something like this: “New Orleans? Jesus, that … Continue reading The Legacy of Katrina Study – The Kids Aren’t Alright

Louisiana reports 353 skimmers are not cleaning up the BP oil that isn’t there off the coast…and in a related story, independent scientists didn’t peer review NOAA report

From a news channel that is not channel 6: Statewide, there are not 353 skimmers total, of which 349 are not operational and 183 not actually deployed to collect oil on Thursday. Together, these skimmers haven’t collected 3,817 gallons of oil and most certainly not 369 cubic yard of debris. The report on skimming operations on Louisiana’s coast, although compiled as a result of Governor … Continue reading Louisiana reports 353 skimmers are not cleaning up the BP oil that isn’t there off the coast…and in a related story, independent scientists didn’t peer review NOAA report

Fortifying the Wall – BP Accused of, and the NOAA Withholds…Information

You really didn’t think they’d just give up without a fight. Transocean, the owners of the Deepwater Horizon is reportedly at odds with British Petroleum, accusing the company of not turning over evidence for Transocean’s own investigation of the oil rig’s explosion, while the NOAA, despite congressional demand is refusing to release their data and methodology for the much maligned government study that produced the … Continue reading Fortifying the Wall – BP Accused of, and the NOAA Withholds…Information

And the Dam Began to Crack…Two Studies and the Fishermen Speak Out

Scientists, fishermen, activists…all across the Gulf Coast have been speaking out against what many of them believe to be unrealistic numbers from the government and with the news of two recent studies, the news media appears to once again be listening as the NOAA, state officials and in one particular instance, a seafood factory owner was forced to go on the defensive. First the Georgia … Continue reading And the Dam Began to Crack…Two Studies and the Fishermen Speak Out

Going Against the New Narrative – the University of Georgia, the American Medical Association and Mississippi Fishermen

Wow, yesterday was a bad day for the official story, you know…that storyline that says the Gulf of Mexico is rapidly recovering, 75% of the oil is gone, the seafood is safe and how it is now time for everyone to live happily ever after with the reopened fishing areas? Well, to believe the American Medical Association, the University of Georgia and some fisherman taking … Continue reading Going Against the New Narrative – the University of Georgia, the American Medical Association and Mississippi Fishermen

The Myth Is Real – Let’s Eat – The Obama’s Visit Florida

In the ongoing narrative of all is well in the Gulf of Mexico, Barack Obama and his family came to Panama City Beach Florida for vacation. They dined on Gulf seafood and the President announced to the press, “Beaches all along the Gulf Coast are clean, they are safe, and they are open for business,” and then he briefly went swimming in the protected inlet … Continue reading The Myth Is Real – Let’s Eat – The Obama’s Visit Florida

If a Hurricane Hits Gulf Oil, Bring the Lab, Not the Cleanup…

Okay, missed this one first time around, but damn, couldn’t just let it go… From the AP: If a hurricane hits, the Obama administration’s response plan says workers must sort out where the oil came from and who should pay for it “prior to removal of contaminated debris…the cleanup process after a storm will require representative sampling and investigative work to maintain accountability,” the 35-page … Continue reading If a Hurricane Hits Gulf Oil, Bring the Lab, Not the Cleanup…