It seems that as everyone is focused on Tropical Storm Bonnie and her impacts on the cap over the Macondo Well, forgotten is what the oil already spilled is doing to the wildlife of the Gulf Region. The largest Brown Pelican rookery exists on Raccoon Island and the oil has come ashore. British Petroleum is trying to keep photographers away from this island, to keep … Continue reading Raccoon Island BP Oil Pelican Die-off – the photos
Used to be in Southern Louisiana, nobody ever had to worry about hunger or a lack of protein, just go catch something out of the water. But as this AP article points out, those days have been suspended and for families, at the worst time of the year – their children are home from school. During the summer, everybody eats at home, there are no reduced price … Continue reading Fishing Families…rising stress, rising grocery bills…
British Petroleum, finally addressing calls for funding to provide mental health assistance to residents of the Gulf Coast has requested that Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi rewrite their requests. The company says it is not qualified to review multiple grant applications for programs that vary in scope and duration, in addition to separate requests from some local governments and nonpublic entities. Federal Health and … Continue reading Due to lack of response, states tweak requests for mental health aid in the Gulf…wait, whadda ya mean, “if?”
Following Federal orders on Thursday night, crews began disconnecting the rigs drilling the relief wells in anticipation of Tropical Storm Bonnie’s arrival. This will delay the effort to plug the Macondo well by up to two weeks. BP and government officials also said Thursday that the cap now sealing the well and preventing oil from flowing into the sea will remain in place during a … Continue reading Rigs, ships moving away from Gulf Oil Spill Site as tropical Storm Bonnie Approaches…well cap stays on?
On the Gulf Coast, the oil spill is taking another toll, one not as obvious as oil covered pelicans or slicks on the water: “The mental health impact here…and the level of uncertainty is taking a toll on people and that’s a huge concern,” Kindra Arnesen says, “Stress? Dude my clothes are falling off me (because of weight loss) The level of stress here is … Continue reading The State of Mental Health on the Gulf Coast…BP Hasn’t Given a Dime
This post is a bit dated, but nonetheless important if you missed it the first time around. Clint Guidry represents all shrimpers in Southeastern Louisiana as he is the Shrimp Harvester Representative on the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force that was created by the state’s governor. He lives in Laffite, Louisiana and refuses to work for BP because he’s worked in the oil industry before and … Continue reading Have you met Clint Guidry yet? You should…
A great comprehensive article from the Gambit covering all aspects of the journalists’ plight in Southern Louisiana…an article that appears to think reporters are still having some troubles with access to the Gulf…craziness, perhaps we should just ask the big guys…the men in charge what the truth really is: Thad Allen issued this statement: “I put out a written directive and I can provide it … Continue reading But Thad Allen Gave Me A Backstage Pass…
In hearings yesterday on Capitol Hill, Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior under Bush, said no one anticipated such a large oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Accompanied by Dirk Kempthorne, who succeeded Norton when she resigned in ’06, he affirmed that nobody did, not Congress, not the President, not the oil companies, no one. Okay…so, don’t blame it all on Bush, it’s Obama’s … Continue reading Yeah, and no one anticipated the breach of the levees, either
The British Petroleum Oil Spill Catastraphuk has been about the bottom line for this company, from April 20th to the present time and keeping this in mind, it would appear the relief wells are taking too long to finish. According to BP they estimate the relief wells won’t be ready to seal the well permanently until early August and this is presenting them with a … Continue reading The Static Kill…BP’s latest attempt to avoid a flow count..er, seal the well
Maybe it’s me, maybe I have been so focused on the pressure readings from the well and all they entail, that for a moment I forgot about the fisherman, the wildlife, the beaches and all those industries still being contaminated by the oil from British Petroleum’s catastraphuk. What? Can’t see the forest through the trees? Yeah, something like that. Here’s an article from the Washington … Continue reading Just in case you forgot…yeah, the coasts and marshes are still being coated with oil…
Drake Toulouse: Photography and Words 