FINALLY! For the first time in 86 days, oil has stopped gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. Good news.. but a haunting feeling tells me that this is nothing but a temporary fix that may be another disaster waiting to happen. BP is unsure if their cap will be able to withstand the pressure of the oil trying to push its way to the surface. If not, the results could be even more catastrophic than the previous tragedy that has destroyed the Gulf’s environment, economy, and lives of thousands of people. Even if it is successful, this disaster is no where near over and will affect the Gulf area for years. Read a full report here.
Polly Hates Tar Balls
This past Monday night, I drove with a friend 14.5 hours down to New Orleans to investigate the oil spill in the Gulf myself. We met up with the leaders of the Emergency Committe to Stop the Gulf Oil Disaster to stand against BP and their immoral tactics. I was immediately immersed in a world of political and environmental activism that has been heart-wrenching, eye-opening, and quite frankly- kick-ass and insane.
Two days ago, on Tuesday, we made a road-trip from NOLA to a small Gulf beach town in Mississippi called Waveland. The organization had received a report from a film-maker who had visited the site to document the oil washing onshore. Because of its almost remote location, this town is not a media hot-spot or a threat to the image of BP. Therefore, we were able to obtain footage and witness first-hand a mix of crude and weathered oil that had washed up on shore without interference of rent-a-cops denying our first amendment. Because of the tight security and media blackout by BP in other locations, this was a rare and amazing experience. Here are some of the pictures I was able to take on-site:
So far, this trip has been an awesome adventure. More updates, crazy stories, and VIDEOS of my time here are coming soon! [I would upload them now or write more.. but I'm drunk off an 18% ACL/VOL $3.50 mix of gin and juice bought at a gas station. I <3 New Orleans!]
For oil spill news as it happens, follow me on twitter @LeviErik
Meet baby ‘Tisha. She is a new-born Floridian who, thanks to the greedy ##&!s at BP, is going to grow into an oil-covered mutant with three boobs, a split tongue, and dysfunctional kidneys [think "Splice," but actually scary]. And like me, she’s super-pissed about the current environmental disaster and that it is taking so long for a comprehensive solution to be found.
- “Splice” Baby -
Luckily, ‘Tisha will probably also turn into an environmental activist who will use her slimy super-powers to help save Earth. And at this point, it looks like we need all the help we can get:
- Gulf Raped by Oil -
Seriously, if this whole mess in the Gulf doesn’t make you want to vomit with frustration and/or disgust then you’re probably someone too ignorant to know the environmental consequences of the oil spill, and this world would be better off without you. So instead of throwing your next plastic bag out your car window, wrap it around your face. Or spray the contents of your aerosol can down your throat. Destroy yourself instead of the planet.
For those of us who are fearful.. who feel sick even thinking about this problem.. what do we do? As much as it sucks to hear, one thing NOT to do is boycott. Even with as much hatred that I [and hopefully you] feel when seeing the BP logo, the unfortunate truth is that boycotting the gas giant is really only hurting your local businessmen. Yes, it lets the company know you’re angry, but there are other ways to show your emotion. Your unspent money is coming out of the pockets of the individuals who own the gas stations and they are typically stuck in long-term contracts with BP. Read this news article for more info.
- Death by BP -
So the question remains- what do we do? This disaster serves as a warning not only to America, but the entire world, about our dependency of oil and fossil fuels. This should be a final awakening that our overzealous use of oil is real, and that it is beyond time changes be made. Our over-consumption has not only contributed to global warming, but also an obvious decrease of natural resources [the reason for drilling so close off-shore in the first place].
What we need to do is heed Nature’s warning:Enough is Enough.
I’m not just talking about finding individual and communal ways to decrease oil usage, such as riding bikes or carpooling, but also becoming more eco-conscious in all aspects of your life. We can make a change. All of us. A vague answer? Maybe. But unless you know the mechanics of actually containing the spill and cleaning it up, it’s the best we have. So let’s do it.
Originally posted 07/22/2010.. Gulf Oil Spill Day 94
Earlier this week, BP was once again caught lying to the public, this time indirectly, through doctored images the oil giant has been posting across their official response website. Below is the altered picture of BP’s crisis command center, followed by what the company claims is the original. [I am hesitant to believe anything BP says.]
Let’s play a game of BP PhotoHunt! Can you find all the differences?
The Photoshopped Crisis Command Center Picture:
The Claimed “Original” Crisis Command Center Picture:
I’m sure you noticed that in the photoshopped picture, BP pasted three fake images on the screens that are blank in the original. These are monitors that show video feed sent to BP’s command center from their ROVs [remote-operated vehicles].
* Originally posted 06/28/2010 ** Content last, but not thoroughly, updated 7/23/2010 – Gulf Oil Spill Day 95 *** For the latest blog posts & updates, click here.
The title is a pretty strong accusation, and one that I am passionate about. After my first blog post on the subject, I gradually became obsessed with the ever-flowing catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I took it upon myself to do as much research as possible, and what I began to find was very unsettling. So I dug deeper, became more fixated, and consequently, more frightened and repulsed.
Death by Gas
I am going to briefly list some true and verifiable facts about the oil spill. Many of these our own government, as well as BP, are deliberately hiding from the public:
The chemicals polluting the gulf are toxic and hazardous to humans.
[BP has been dismissing alarming health reports and concerns from locals around the Gulf, the volunteers, and the surfers and boaters further up the coast. Tony Hayward has provided excuses such as "food poisoning" and refuses to give the proper equipment needed to protect the health and lives of their workers (most of which have no where else to turn). See the videos for more horrifying details on this.]
There is a media blackout and BP and the government are censoring what you see and what you know about the oil spill. There was a 65-foot “safety zone” around clean-up areas with a Class D Felony as punishment for “prosecutors.” UPDATE: This has since been repealed thanks to some First Amendment activists.
[For a more detailed report on the new "BP Laws" and what it's role in censorship, Click here. BP also uses despicable scare tactics to keep employees from talking to media, such as threats of job loss. BP CEO Tony Hayward denies the obvious truth about this (as seen in the video below). The major news stations (per request/threat by the government and/or BP) repeatedly refuse to tell the public about these same concerns that are continuously brought to their attention by their citizens. In most cases, what is shown on the news is only what the government and BP allow. Videos, pictures, and reports that have portrayed BP in a negative light and/or have shown the true extent of the disaster have been mysteriously taken off the air and, when possible, off the internet.]
The use of dispersant by BP has its own negative environmental impact.
[Not only is the oil killing the ocean life, but BP is also destroying our marine ecosystem with chemicals to help keep the oil from shore. However, they will not fund research or try an environmentally friendly method or product. According to this GovMonitor article, as of June 30th, "about 1.6 million gallons of total dispersant have been applied: 1.03 million on the surface and 552,000 subsea." Holy ##&!]
There is a great chance the oil spill will eventually make it’s way around Florida and up the East Coast and will affect other parts of the Atlantic Ocean.
[Currently, BP says this is less than a 1% chance, yet the oil still flows and we're past day 90 of the spill. No end seems to be in sight. Basic science exploits BP's lie and a video at the end of the article projects the oil's progress through the ocean currents. Because of BP's statement, many, if not all, towns and beaches along the east coast are unprepared for this seemingly imminent contact. This is also the beginning of hurricane season, and the passing of Hurricane Alex has already proven that the weather will play a major factor in slowing the clean-up operations.]
Will the Oil Spill Affect the Entire Earth?
So for those of us concerned, what do we do?! Luckily, there has recently been an emergence of a strong-minded group with the mission “to get out the truth and mobilize mass independent action to stop the oil blowout, clean up the oil and prevent it from hitting shore, protect and treat threatened wildlife, repair all devastation and protect peoples’ health and livelihood.”
Below, I’ve attached three different videos that cover in much more detail the points I’ve outlined. Although one of the videos is 15 minutes long, I urge you all to take the time to listen to and consider all of the information being given. Please do your own research and educate yourself on this catastrophe. Be a Good Samaritan, and STAND UP for your fellow Americans. There are many ways that you can contribute to the cause, and knowledge is power.
Health Concerns
Kinda Arnesen
Censorship / Media Blackout
After discovering all this shocking information, inevitable questions were raised within myself:
What are they being so secretive?
[The massive cover-up and media blackout strongly suggests that there is more to this disaster than meets the eye. It is obvious for the purpose of their image that BP try and hide the amount of dead wildlife and the destruction of the beaches. However, their employment of mysterious rent-a-cops, threats of arrest, and massive amount of money spent on censoring the media suggests that something bigger is at play.]
Why has Obama, our US President, mainly ignored this catastrophe and sat idly by as BP takes longer than needed to fix the problem?
[Why hasn't he put his foot down and taken command of this situation? He is fast to rush in and take over banks for bail-out, but doesn't seem hastened or motivated to fund a solution and bring together the brightest minds in the world to find it.]
Why has the US denied help from field experts as well as foreign countries who could help with or potentially even fix the problem?
[Why are we still letting BP try to control a problem that is clearly out of their hands and has been continuously destroying the land and marine life of the Gulf? How much longer does the oil need to flow, how many more people need to become sick, how many more marine animals killed, before the situation is under control?]
Hit “leave a comment” at the top of the post to tell us what you think.
