Making things right. Let me just tell you how much I hate every possible phrasing of this sentiment. Previous to the Deepwater Horizon, whenever I head this phrase used, it carried a certain ring of sincerity, of concern, of really trying to make amends for a wrong, but my how things have changed. Now, “Making things right” is just a punchline, a big joke or … Continue reading Reality is what you pay for…
Ed Note: The USCG now taking a fresh look at pictures of the oil they previously denied was there. Look, I’m not trying to play the role of conspiracy buff here, but if there is one thing any of us who follow the oil spill news knows, it is: 1. Truth takes a second place to narrative. 2. Order of response: deny everything, and if … Continue reading More about the (not) leaking Macondo Well…
Over a year in, and the spill heard round the Gulf remains in its infancy. Sucks to write it, read it or hear it, but nonetheless it’s the truth. Sure, a large portion of the oil has been cleaned up and yes, the tourists are coming back. One might head down to the Gulf, take a look at the water and see that everything looks … Continue reading The point is, nobody knows…
Via American Zombie…(oops) Meet Capt. Louis Bayhi… Before the spill he had a lucrative business, his health and the health of his family, a home, cars…but now, he’s lost his house, his vehicles and he and his family are staying at a relative’s. He’s also sick, and so are his daughters who came to swim in the waters around Grand Isle, after he was assured … Continue reading Things are not alright…in the words of Capt. Louis Bayhi…
I am, really bad… You see, I’ve been doing this job for a long, long time, off and on for about ten years and frankly, it’s getting a little old. If unfamiliar with crisis work, what I do for a living is I get calls from doctors and police officers in various hospital emergency rooms, or maybe jail corporals at detention centers to come to the scene and speak … Continue reading I have a confession to make…I’m a really lousy crisis worker…
Spring Break is coming… That annual rite of passage where drunken teens descend upon the beaches to get a rest from their studies and are often side by side with families, also on vacation from the thawing but still cold North is almost here, and all along the Gulf Coast, resorts and towns who typically make a great deal of money from this annual retreat … Continue reading The Amity Choice…
When it comes to our government and its accompanying systems, people tend to fall primarily into two camps: believers and skeptics. The believer tends to take the government’s word for it, listen to what they have to say and nod accordingly, maybe occasionally troubled by its actions but ultimately believing they are working for the greater good. The skeptic is more inclined to questions, more … Continue reading Q and A on Gulf Narratives…the skeptic’s lament.
Okay, so maybe they didn’t say that directly, but what else are we to assume if these two agencies, designed to protect and inform the American electorate tells us the water and air in the Gulf of Mexico are safe despite independent testing by Oregon State University that shows this dramatic elevation in PAH’s? And yes, exposure to some of these Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons have … Continue reading NOAA, EPA Says 40 Fold Increase in Gulf Carcinogens is Safe
You might wonder how crabs in the Gulf have received a clean bill of health from the US Wildlife and Fisheries, especially after the 4.1 million barrels, the 2 million gallons of dispersants, the two to five-inch thick layer of oil on the sea floor, all these fish kills going on in Plaquemines Parish, the people getting sick, the dead whales, the oil yet again hitting sixteen miles … Continue reading Revealed: How Crab Tests Negative for Oil Contamination in the Gulf
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
Drake Toulouse: Photography and Words 