Archive for May, 2010
You have probably heard the analogy or metaphor. The United States government is too big to fail and too big to move swiftly or decidedly. The lager an entity may get, the harder it is to make the moves that are needed to adjust to the times. A small speed boat can turn on a dime, while a cruise sheep takes quite a bit of time and effort to change directions. You understand that, right?
Obama can play golf in five hours; however, to make a three hour visit (on the ground) in New Orleans takes 8-11 hours to accomplish- if anything is really accomplished other than a photo-op.
Let’s take the Gulf VOILCANO (a new word- after all this is a bit bigger than a OIL SPILL) as an example.
In what is measuring up to be the biggest environmental disaster in U.S. history, the government is nearly helpless to stop the oil flowing from the Deepwater Horizon well that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20. The White House said Sunday that it expects the spill to grow by 20 percent after BP gets started with its latest effort to contain the spill, beginning Monday or Tuesday. The White House also said it is tripling its environmental cleanup crew.
I wonder how that works?
They clean up the beaches, the oil is still flowing, and will til at least August at some rate, and then the beaches get accumulation so oil next week. Obama and governmental spokespeople can jaw bone all they want; however, what they are finding out is that maybe George Bush was as helpless with Katrina as they are with the VOILCANO!
President Obama’s top environmental adviser Carol Browner said Sunday the government is responding with what she called the largest environmental mobilization effort ever, but it looks like it could be up to BP to dig a new well before the gushing spill stops pouring into the Gulf of Mexico.”There’s not just one being dug, there are two. Because we insisted — the government insisted that there be a second one in case something went wrong with the first one,” Browner said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
How lofty and authoritative that sounds. The government authorized TWO relief wells be dug, as though BP wouldn’t have done the same thing. Obama can make a visit a month, bend down and get his picture taken picking up a few tar balls (wow is that cool or what?), but he is HELPLESS to do anything, let along quickly. How easy it is to speak of another man’s failing, and then to experience them yourself.
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About the Author:
As a spiritual-futurist, I have a BA degree majoring in history. One cannot know the future without knowing the past which holds clues to what is on the horizon. The world is in such a rapid expansion of knowledge that we are close to entering a tipping point that will forever change earth as we know it.
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We are now seeing the devastating consequences of drilling for oil in the Gulf. Risk management obviously failed to its job in protecting our natural resources. We continue to see the actual cost of allowing oil companies to tap our nature resources in the Gulf. Drilling for oil in an environment that is conducive to catastrophic failure when something goes wrong is simply too risky to continue.
BP should have had Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) studies in place before the first barrel of oil was pumped from the Gulf. You can bet they knew the risks we far greater working at depths where it is simply impossible to manage mechanical challenges when they arise. Of course, those risks probably were worth the profit margin in the eyes of BP executives. Guaranteed safe guards and proof of those guarantees should have been mandated by our government prior to allowing drilling. Why do we continue to allow big business to set their own standards, and then, allow the fox to watch over the chicken coop?
President Obama sent to Congress last week a legislative package meant to speed up assistance to those affected by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
Here’s a brief overview from White House “Fact Sheet” of the topics that legislative package contains:
A ROBUST RESPONSE
Immediate Funding
Food Safety
Monitoring and Improving Off Shore Oil Exploration
Environmental Studies
ASSISTANCE TO AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES
Oil Spill Unemployment Assistance
Nutrition Assistance
Employment Assistance
One-Stop Assistance
HELP FOR COMMUNITIES
Economic Recovery
Fisheries Disaster
SBA Loans
PROTECTING TAXPAYERS AND HOLDING OIL COMPANIES RESPONSIBLE
Ensuring BP is Compensating People Affected by the Spill
Raising the Liability Caps
Increasing the Excise Tax that Funds the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund
Promoting Program Integrity and Ensuring Aid Dollars Are Spent Well
Perhaps now we will finally realize that the risk of drilling in our wetlands is far greater than the benefits or profit margins available to the huge corporations controlling the drilling. It’s time to find a better way folks…time for a change in how companies do business at the cost of the general population’s burden. The ripple consequences of this catastrophic event will be seen for many years to come…that you can count on.
If we continue to rely strictly on fossil fuels to support our current needs our next generations will continue to suffer the consequences such as those caused by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. In the short-run it may be more expensive to drill for oil on land, however, in the long-run the total cost to everyone is considerably higher.
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About the Author:
Simply follow http://www.spiritpublishingllc.com/BP_Deepwater_Horizon_Oil_Spill.html for a link to the complete press release pertaining to this legislation.
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Once our oceans were a plenty with the giants of the deep. What has happened to them? Have you ever wondered what is the largest animal to ever grace our vast oceans? What is the largest mammal? Better still do you know what is the largest living creature to ever breathe on our planet? The answer is the Blue Whale.
Scientists and oceanographers are constantly carrying out research on the blue whale in attempt to assist in the survival of this magnificent creature which experts now estimate are numbering less than 10 000. In order to do this, researchers go to great lengths to uncover unanswered questions such as where are these blue whales born. Why would they want to know this?
There are nine distinct blue whale populations in the world. The Eastern North Pacific blue whale population estimated at a little over 2000, are off the coast of California and they migrate from north to south and back again every year. The best way to protect them is to discover where they go, where they breed and learn what they will encounter along the way.
Most of the time blue whales swim far off shore only surfacing for brief periods usually for only a few seconds at a time. In late summer however many of these creatures gather to feed. Researchers then have a chance to tag them. They can then track them during the winter migration south with satellite tags.
Researchers try to place the tag about the dorsal fin so that the tag can be heard by the satellite every time it surfaces. When the animal surfaces to breathe the tag sends the location co ordinates to the satellite then to the computer. The data will help them track each whales migratory path.
They use a crossbow to retrieve small skin and blubbler samples. The DNA analysis will reveal the sex of each animal. Each whales genetic ID is stored in an international database.
Researchers record the life histories of the whales, taking photographs to identify the markings. It is possible to identify a blue whale using a concept similar to finger printing. While the whales seem blue under the water, out of the water their skins are grey. They are born with distinct marks on their backs. These dorsal patterns never change.
The researcher identifies individual whales then matches them to known animals in their photographic database. The natural markings allow them to identify individuals. Scientists have been collecting markings on blue whales since 1986 and they use this information to estimate the population size and track their movements.
The reason for tracking their movements is that some of the higher density areas that Blue Whales use and return through every summer to feed are intersecting with areas of increasing shipping traffic. These ships are not only becoming more numerous but they are bigger and faster as they supply more and more goods to the harbours of the world.
This is the recipe for disaster for the Blue Whales and their calves. Apart from sharks and Japanese and Norwegian whaling, ships strikes pose the biggest threats to the baby blue whale. Research offers the best hope for new shipping paths that will give Blue Whales the space they need.
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About the Author:
Stephen has been writing articles for nearly 3 years. Come visit his latest website over at Interior Design. People will also find valuable information on Apartment Interior Design. The secret to creating a comfortable apartment interior design is to transform the apartment into a personalized space.
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