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Post by nodstar on Jun 16, 2010 15:44:11 GMT 4
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Post by nodstar on Jun 16, 2010 15:59:30 GMT 4
The power of prayer.... Prayer from Dr Emoto[/size] Prayer for Gulf
A beautiful, meaningful prayer:[/size] Dr. Masaru Emoto is the scientist from Japan who has done all the research and publications about the characteristics of water. Among other things, his research revealed that water physically responds to emotions.Many people have the predominantly angry emotion when we consider what is happening in the Gulf. And while justified in that emotion, we may be of greater assistance to our planet and its life forms if we sincerely, powerfully and humbly pray the prayer that Dr. Emoto, himself, has proposed.
I am passing this request to people I believe may be willing to participate in this prayer, to set an intention of love and healing that is so large, so overwhelming that we can perform a miracle in the Gulf of Mexico.
We are not powerless. We are powerful.
Our united energy, speaking this prayer daily...multiple times daily...can literally shift the balance of destruction that is happening.We don't have to know how...we just have to recognize that the power of love is greater than any other power active in the Universe today.
"I send the energy of love and gratitude to the waters and all living creatures
in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings.
To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, planktons,
corals, algae ... to ALL living creatures ... I am sorry.
Please forgive me. Thank you.
I Love You."
Please join me in often repeating this Healing Prayer by Dr. Emoto's.
Feel free to send it around the planet. Lets take charge ... and do our own clean up.! Post script May I suggest that if at all possible that this blessing and prayer be done in water .. a stream .. a waterfall.. the ocean .. even in the bath Dr Emoto's work has indicated that water "communicates' with itself  If you are unfamiliar with the work of Dr Emoto .. heres a great place to start .. www.masaru-emoto.net/english/e_ome_home.htmlwww.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/research_emoto.htm |
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Post by Eagles Disobey on Jun 16, 2010 16:00:09 GMT 4
THIS IS SQUIRREL.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, OR THE REQUIREMENT FOR EMERGENCY BROADCAST, EAGLES DISOBEY HAS ESTABLISHED THIS EWIRE BREAK IN CAPACITY VIA SECURE SATWIFI.
(CONFIDENTIALLY, WHAT I HEARD HAPPENED WAS THAT STEVEN WAS ORDERED OVER A PA SYSTEM TO PUT A PELICAN BACK INTO THE OIL COVERED WATER THAT LOOKED LIKE A THICK BROWN SOUP. STEVEN COVERED THE BIRD IN A TOWEL TO KEEP IT WARM, THEN MOONED THE OTHER VESSEL AND USED CHOICE WORDS AT THEM.)
I WILL NOT USE THIS SYSTEM AGAIN THROUGH TODAY UNTIL THE NORMAL SERVICE IS UP, UNLESS SOMETHING MAJOR HAPPENS OR GOD FORBID SOMEKIND OF EMERGENCY HAPPENS.
I JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT I HAVE WAYS AROUND "SERVICE OUTS" IF THEY OCCUR, TO KEEP THE COMMUNICATION FLOWING IN TIME OF NEED.
LOVEYA ALL, FRANK
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Post by nodstar on Jun 16, 2010 16:11:20 GMT 4
THIS IS SQUIRREL. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, OR THE REQUIREMENT FOR EMERGENCY BROADCAST, EAGLES DISOBEY HAS ESTABLISHED THIS EWIRE BREAK IN CAPACITY VIA SECURE SATWIFI. (CONFIDENTIALLY, WHAT I HEARD HAPPENED WAS THAT STEVEN WAS ORDERED OVER A PA SYSTEM TO PUT A PELICAN BACK INTO THE OIL COVERED WATER THAT LOOKED LIKE A THICK BROWN SOUP. STEVEN COVERED THE BIRD IN A TOWEL TO KEEP IT WARM, THEN MOONED THE OTHER VESSEL AND USED CHOICE WORDS AT THEM.) I WILL NOT USE THIS SYSTEM AGAIN THROUGH TODAY UNTIL THE NORMAL SERVICE IS UP, UNLESS SOMETHING MAJOR HAPPENS OR GOD FORBID SOMEKIND OF EMERGENCY HAPPENS. I JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT I HAVE WAYS AROUND "SERVICE OUTS" IF THEY OCCUR, TO KEEP THE COMMUNICATION FLOWING IN TIME OF NEED. LOVEYA ALL, FRANK Hey Frank .. Thanks for the update .. and for all you do  peace out Nod |
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Post by iris on Jun 16, 2010 20:53:15 GMT 4
Dear Frank and Dear Miracle Workers!
My prayers with YOU and thank you for your wonderful work!
I send my appology to all living creature in the Gulf of Mexico.
Lots of Love,
Iris
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Post by nodstar on Jun 17, 2010 14:55:26 GMT 4
Think tank: Neocons’ influence remains strong under Obama[/size] By Allen McDuffee Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 -- 9:36 am rawstory.com/rs/2010/0609/tank-neocons-influential-obama-years/For those who thought the end of the Bush Administration spelled doomsday for the neoconservative movement, think again. According to a May report (pdf) from the Brookings Institution, a Washington, DC think tank, neoconservatives associated with prominent figures like former Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol and pundit Richard Perle are still broadly active, despite policy failures associated with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Brookings Institution senior fellow Justin Vaisse, author of Neoconservatism: A Biography of a Movement, argues that because neocons never had the degree of influence that opponents credited them with, and also because of a general unawareness of their history, observers don’t fully understand the trajectory of the neoconservative movement that began long before the Iraq invasion and one continues today. “Neoconservatism remains, to this day, a distinct and very significant voice of the Washington establishment,” Vaisse insists. In May he published the report Why Neoconservativism Still Matters. Stephen Walt, professor of international affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and co-author of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, says that the most obvious place the neocons are still influential is in U.S. policy toward Iran, where the Obama administration is “continuing the Bush administration’s basic approach, albeit with a ‘kinder, gentler’ face.” Story continues below... Walt’s assessment squares with a number of recent op-eds in the pages of the Wall Street Journal by Richard Perle, Abram Shulsky, Douglas Feith and Danielle Pletka, the latter of whom also testified on Iran before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs earlier this month. Walt calls attention to two major reports produced by the Bipartisan Policy Center on Iran, where neoconservative Michael Makovsky was staff director for the studies and Dennis Ross -- whose role “in the administration remains something of a mystery," according to Walt -- was directly involved. The studies, Walt says, “are quite hawkish” and promote the use of force against Iran if diplomacy doesn’t work. Walt also points out that Ross has argued that diplomacy is necessary in part to win international support for military action later. Following the neocon lead, says Walt, the Obama administration’s insistence “that Iran give up its enrichment capability is simply a non-starter, and keeps us on the same road as Bush’s policy did." Benjamin Balint, a fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of Running Commentary: The Contentious Magazine that Transformed the Jewish Left into the Neoconservative Right, says that even despite their overly rosy predictions surrounding Iraq, neoconservatives have remained steadfast. They've offered “not a heart-searching mea culpa, not a re-examination of first principles, but very nearly the opposite,” Balint says. In part, Brooking's Vaisse suggests, the continued influence of the neocons has to do with the organizing principles of the movement and the persistent concerns of U.S. foreign policymakers even under the Obama administration. Among issues of importance during the Bush administration that have not subsided in the Obama years include: the role the U.S. plays in the world; the U.S. as the sole superpower; a tendency toward unilateralism (whether intentional or by default); the question of militarism; and the exportation of democracy. These issues provide an opening for neocons to assert their leverage. The three generations of currently-operating neoconservatives show “their substantial presence and political dynamism in Washington,” making it “difficult to imagine that they will not play a significant role in the future of American foreign policy,” according to Vaisse. Numerous prominent neocons still active The report indicates that there is still an active and influential older generation of neoconservatives, such as Norman Podhoretz, Elliott Abrams, Joshua Muravchik, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz and James Woolsey. The middle generation includes The Weekly Standard publisher Bill Kristol, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace scholar Robert Kagan, New York Times columnist David Brooks and AEI scholars Danielle Pletka, and Tom Donnelly. Former AEI scholar David Frum is also counted among their ranks. Vaisse says that there is also a younger group in their 40s, 30s and 20s “whose formative experience is not the Cold War, but the 1990s and, more to the point, 9/11 and the Bush administration’s response.” They include Max Boot, Dan Senor, Jamie Fly, Rachel Hoff, Abe Greenwald and Daniel Halper. “In this sense, neoconservatism is regenerating itself and keeping a balanced age pyramid,” writes Vaisse. “After all, its idealistic, moralistic and patriotic appeal may be better suited to attract young thinkers than the prudent and reasonable calculations of realism.” But Vaisse argues that it’s not just the individuals who make the neoconservative movement. Just as important -- perhaps more so -- are the “institutions that support them and the publications that relay their views and shape the public debate,” and Vaisse offers the assessment that in this respect, “neoconservatives are well positioned.” Citing the American Enterprise Institute, the Hudson Institute, Project for a New American Century, Commentary, and The Weekly Standard, Vaisse writes “These younger neoconservatives have generally received their first internships and jobs, and published their first articles in the old network of friendly think tanks and publications built by the older generation of neoconservatives.” One of the more recent and robust institutions, according to the report, is the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI), created in the spring of 2009. Operating under the direction of Bill Kristol, Robert Kagan and Dan Senor, FPI is “animated by young operatives” and according to Vaisse “is already making its mark on the Afghanistan and human rights debates, notably by sending public letters signed by neocons and non-neocons alike,” a technique that is a hallmark of neocon action. Financial support for these institutions, which comes from various conservative donors and foundations, such as the Scaife family, Bradley, Earhart, Castle Rock, and Smith Richardson foundations, “shows no sign of abating,” according to Vaisse. Sustained financial, institutional and publication support has provided the platform necessary for neoconservatives to have influence long after they were broadly thought to have been run out of the White House. The report refers to the 2007 Iraq troop surge as a specific, significant, recent development where neocons have had tremendous influence. It was partly devised by Fred Kagan, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who is also an influential voice on the current counterinsurgency debates. He was, for example, part of the team of civilian experts who advised General McChrystal on his Afghanistan review in July 2009. Perhaps more important than the institutions and financial support is the modus operandi of the neoconservatives, according to Janine Wedel, professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University and author of Shadow Elite. In particular, a small subset of neocons, a “neocon core,” has been working together for more than 30 years “to remake American foreign policy according to their own vision.” According to Wedel, this is done through the neocons' creation of alternative versions of official information and their ability to market those accounts as the more credible ones to audiences in the media, government and other political circles. The neocons are able to achieve their goals, according to Wedel, “by undermining the rules and standard processes of the government they supposedly serve and supplanting them with their own, all the while making public decisions backed by the power and resources of the state.” Because their undermining of these processes often goes undetected, it is likely many remain in place under the Obama administration. While the report points out that Obama’s foreign policy team is composed of liberals and realists “whose positions are far from the neocons,” Vaisse also recognizes that “opposition is not total.” On occasion, neoconservatives coordinate with liberal groups on human rights issues, or engage in conversations with senior administration officials, but they “lined up behind the administration” on the war effort in Afghanistan -- this time against the liberal left and some realists in both parties, according to the report. Earlier this month, when Egypt announced it was renewing its long-standing emergency law, which has been used as the basis for many of its human rights violations, a letter was sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by the Carnegie Endowment’s Working Group on Egypt. This group was composed of think tank scholars of various colors but was heavily populated with neoconservatives like Elliott Abrams, Robert Kagan and Ellen Bork. The letter called on Clinton to use U.S. leverage as Egypt’s major donor to “encourage them along a path toward reform.” The same day, the State Department released a statement from Secretary Clinton echoing the letter's sentiments. Vaisse also points out that just as important as the neocons' persistence and coordination with non-neocons is the fact that American foreign policy is cyclical and that frustration with the Obama administration’s “realist and pragmatic” approach will “inevitably create a more congenial environment for the neocons.”
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Post by nodstar on Jun 17, 2010 14:56:41 GMT 4
FACT CHECK: Obama left blanks in oil spill speech[/size] By CALVIN WOODWARD (AP) – 1 day ago www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i5QnL6kHpUa2SDLcoHO6ZlUTTT-AD9GC7S881WASHINGTON — In assuring Americans that BP won't control the compensation fund for Gulf oil spill recovery, President Barack Obama failed to mention that the government won't control it, either. That means it's anyone's guess whether the government can, in fact, make BP pay all costs related to the spill. Obama aimed high in his prime-time Oval Office address Tuesday night — perhaps higher than the facts support and history teaches — as he vowed to restore livelihoods and nature from the still-unfolding calamity in the Gulf of Mexico. A look at some of his statements and how they compare with those facts: OBAMA: "We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused and we will do whatever's necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy. ... Tomorrow, I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company's recklessness. And this fund will not be controlled by BP. In order to ensure that all legitimate claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent, third party." THE FACTS: An independent arbiter is no more bound to the government's wishes than an oil company's. In that sense, there is no certainty BP will be forced to make the Gulf economy whole again or that taxpayers are off the hook for the myriad costs associated with the spill or cleanup. The government can certainly press for that, using legislative and legal tools. But there are no guarantees and the past is not reassuring. It took 20 years to sort through liability after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, and in the end, punitive damages were slashed by the courts to about $500 million from $2.5 billion. Many people who had lost their livelihoods in the spill died without ever seeing a check. ___ OBAMA: "In the coming days and weeks, these efforts should capture up to 90 percent of the oil leaking out of the well." THE FACTS: BP and the administration contend that if all goes as planned, they should be able to contain nearly 90 percent of the worst-case oil flow. But that's a big "if." So far, little has gone as planned in the various remedies attempted to shut off or contain the flow. Possibly as much as 60,000 barrels a day is escaping. BP would need to nearly triple its recovery rate to reach the target. ___ OBAMA: Temporary measures will capture leaking oil "until the company finishes drilling a relief well later in the summer that is expected to stop the leak completely." THE FACTS: That's the hope, but experts say the relief well runs the same risks that caused the original well to blow out. It potentially could create a worse spill if engineers were to accidentally damage the existing well or tear a hole in the undersea oil reservoir. ___ OBAMA: "From the very beginning of this crisis, the federal government has been in charge of the largest environmental cleanup effort in our nation's history." THE FACTS: Early on, the government established a command center and put Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen in charge of coordinating the overall spill response. But officials also repeatedly have emphasized that BP was "responsible" and they have relied heavily on BP in making decisions from hiring cleanup workers to what oil dispersing chemicals to use. Local officials in the Gulf region have complained that often they don't know who's in charge — the government or BP. ___ OBAMA: "We have approved the construction of new barrier islands in Louisiana to try and stop the oil before it reaches the shore." THE FACTS: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and local officials pleaded for weeks with the Army Corps of Engineers and the spill response command for permission to build about 40 miles of sand berms along the barrier islands. State officials applied for an emergency permit to build the berms May 11, but as days went by Jindal became increasingly angry at federal inaction. The White House finally agreed to a portion of the berm plan on June 2. BP then agreed to pay for the project. The corps was worried that in some cases such a move would alter tides and drive oil into new areas and produce more harm than good. ___ OBAMA: "Already, I have issued a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling. I know this creates difficulty for the people who work on these rigs, but for the sake of their safety and for the sake of the entire region, we need to know the facts before we allow deepwater drilling to continue." THE FACTS: Obama issued a six-month moratorium on new permits for deepwater drilling but production continues from existing deepwater wells. Associated Press writers Matthew Daly, H. Josef Hebert and Jim Drinkard in Washington, Brian Schwaner in New Orleans and Carol Druga in Atlanta contributed to this report. Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Post by nodstar on Jun 17, 2010 15:00:11 GMT 4
Here's The Real Reason America Refused International Help On The Oil Spill[/size] Dian L. Chu | Jun. 9, 2010, 11:22 AM | 24,055 | comment 54 www.businessinsider.com/heres-the-real-reason-america-refused-international-help-on-the-oil-spill-2010-6#comment-4c1182597f8b9a967c380200Despite the vow by President Obama to keep the Gulf oil spill a top priority until the damage is cleaned up, 50 days after the BP rig exploded, a definitive date and meaningful solution is yet to be determined for the worst oil spill in the U.S. history. So, you would think if someone is willing to handle the clean-up with equipment and technology not available in the U.S., and finishes the job in shorter time than the current estimate, the U.S. should jump on the offer. But it turned out to be quite the opposite. U.S. Refused Help on Oil Spill According to Foreign Policy, thirteen entities that had offered the U.S. oil spill assistance within about two weeks of the Horizon rig explosion. They were the governments of Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations. The U.S. response - Thank you, but no thank you, we've got it. "..While there is no need right now that the U.S. cannot meet, the U.S. Coast Guard is assessing these offers of assistance to see if there will be something which we will need in the near future." Blame It On The Jones Act? Separately, a Dutch news site De Standaard also reported Belgian and Dutch dredgers have technology in-house to fight the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but the Act Jones forbids them to work in the U.S. A Belgian group--DEME-- contends it can clean up the oil in three to four months with specialty vessel and equipment, rather than an estimated nine months if done only by the U.S. The article noted there are no more than 5 or 6 of those ships in the world and the top specialist players are the two Belgian companies- DEME and De Nul - and their Dutch competitors. The U.S. does not have the similar technology and vessel to accomplish the cleanup task because those ships would cost twice as much to build in the U.S. than in the Far East. The article further criticizes this "great technological delay" is a direct consequence of the Jones Act. What Is The Jones Act? The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is a United States Federal statute that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports. Section 27, also known as the Jones Act, deals with coastal shipping; and requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. The purpose of the law is to support the U.S. merchant marine industry. Critics said that the legislation results in increased costs moving cargoes between U.S. ports, and in essence, is protectionism, Supporters of the Act maintain that the legislation is of strategic economic and wartime interest to the United States. . European Service Sector - Offshore Subsea Specialist As discussed in my analysis of the oil service sector, the European companies typically possess the knowhow in offshore and subsea; whereas their North American counterparts excel in onshore drilling and production technologies. So, it is more than likely that European firms do have the expertise to clean up the spill quicker and more effectively as DEME asserts. Since the Jones Act means the Belgian ship and personnel cannot work in the Gulf, it does seem the Act has inhibited technology and knowledge exchange & development, and possibly prevented a quicker response to the oil spill. Jones Waiver Time On the other hand, waivers of the Jones may be granted by the Administration in cases of national emergencies or in cases of strategic interest. It would appear the U.S. government's initial refusal to foreign help most likely stemmed from a mis-calculation of the scale and deepwater technological barriers for this unprecedented disaster, and/or perhaps ..... pride. Whatever the rationale, and if De Standarrd's claim that the Jones Act forbids the European companies to help fight the spill is true, it is high time the U.S. government grant the Jones waiver, and let this be an international collaborative effort. It's always better late than never.
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Post by nodstar on Jun 17, 2010 15:10:07 GMT 4
Physics professor: Oil leak could last for years[/size] click on this leak to see video interview rawstory.com/rs/2010/0602/physics-professor-oil-leak-years/By David Edwards Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 -- 11:13 am Physics professor Michio Kaku has some bad news: oil could gush from the leaking BP deepwater well for years. After six methods for stopping the leak failed, BP is now trying a seventh method: "cut and cap." Underwater robots are attempting to trim the pipe connected to the blowout preventer -- and depending on how well the cut is made, either a "top hat" or "top cap" will be lowered from the surface which would then transport the spewing oil to a drilling ship. The "cut and cap" method has several drawbacks. A perfect seal is thought to be almost impossible and some amount of oil will continue to leak into the Gulf. And the cap will have to be completely removed during inclement weather. The Gulf hurricane season began June 1, and it's expected to be the worst year since 2005. If this seventh attempt fails, the next option will be to wait on one of two relief wells to intercept and block the original well. This is considered the best hope for permanently stopping the flow, but those wells won't be in place until August at the soonest. Some predict that it could take until Christmas. But Kaku thinks that even those predictions could be too optimistic. Story continues below... "You would have to win the lottery to get on the first try an exact, an exact meeting at the bottom of the well in order to pump cement to shut it off," Kaku told NBC's Matt Lauer Wednesday. If the attempt fails, the drill will be reversed, the hole will be filled with cement and they will try again. "You have to do this over and over again until you get it just right," Kaku said. "It takes many tries. So August is optimistic." "So this could be spewing oil for months. Could it last for a year?" asked Lauer. "It could last for years, plural. Okay? If everything fails and all these different kinds of relief wells don't work, it could be spewing stuff into the Gulf until we have dead zones, entire dead zones in the Gulf. For years," Kaku said. This video is from NBC's Today Show, broadcast June 2, 2010.
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Post by nodstar on Jun 17, 2010 15:17:23 GMT 4
BP Develops Technology to Convert Lies into Energy
‘Totally Renewable Resource,’ Says CEO[/size]  ;D ;D ;D June 15, 2010 borowitzreport.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=49de3335c30245ecd0fa291aa&id=743947b930LONDON (The Borowitz Report) – In what is being called a game-changer for the embattled oil company, British Petroleum announced today that it has developed a new technology to convert lies into energy. At a press conference at corporate headquarters in London, BP CEO Tony Hayward said that environmentalists would embrace the new technology “because lies are a totally renewable resource.” Illustrating the impact of BP’s new technology, Mr. Hayward told reporters, “Over the past month alone, my words could power the city of London for a year.” But the new technology has its skeptics, including the University of Minnesota’s Davis Logsdon, who warns of the dangers of “lie spills.” “We have learned from recent BP press conferences that once the lie flow starts, it can be very hard to stop,” he says. More here. The Los Angeles Times says Andy Borowitz has "one of the funniest Twitter feeds around." Follow Andy on Twitter here.
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 17, 2010 18:53:35 GMT 4
Sea creatures flee oil spill,
gather near shoreBy Jay Reeves, John Flesher And Tamara Lush, Associated Press Writers
Wed Jun 16, 3:49 pm ETGULF SHORES, Ala. – Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish congregate by the thousands off an Alabama pier. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes, never to be seen again. Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some strange — and troubling — phenomena. Fish and other wildlife are fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast. But that is not the hopeful sign it might appear to be, researchers say. The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily get devoured by predators. "A parallel would be: Why are the wildlife running to the edge of a forest on fire? There will be a lot of fish, sharks, turtles trying to get out of this water they detect is not suitable," said Larry Crowder, a Duke University marine biologist. The nearly two-month-old oil spill has created an environmental catastrophe unparalleled in U.S. history as tens of millions of gallons of have spewed into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life. Day by day, scientists in boats tally up dead birds, sea turtles and other animals, but the toll is surprisingly small given the size of the disaster. The latest figures show that 783 birds, 353 turtles and 41 mammals have died — numbers that pale in comparison to what happened after the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska in 1989, when 250,000 birds and 2,800 otters are believed to have died. Researchers say there are several reasons for the relatively small death toll: The vast nature of the spill means scientists are able to locate only a small fraction of the dead animals. Many will never be found after sinking to the bottom of the sea or getting scavenged by other marine life. And large numbers of birds are meeting their deaths deep in the Louisiana marshes where they seek refuge from the onslaught of oil. "That is their understanding of how to protect themselves," said Doug Zimmer, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For nearly four hours Monday, a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised past delicate islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana. They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking in the oily sheen and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young. But they spotted no dead animals. "I think part of the reason why we're not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are really just beginning," Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said. As for the fish, locals are seeing large schools hanging around piers where fishing has been banned; apparently the fish feel safer now that they are not being disturbed by fishermen. Also, researchers believe fish are swimming closer to shore because the water is cleaner and more abundant in oxygen. Father out in the Gulf, researchers say, the spill is not only tainting the water with oil but also depleting oxygen levels. A similar scenario occurs during "dead zone" periods — the time during summer months when oxygen becomes so depleted that fish race toward shore in large numbers. Sometimes, so many fish gather close to the shoreline off Mobile that locals rush to the beach with tubs and nets to reap the harvest. But this latest shore migration could prove deadly. First, more oil could eventually wash ashore and overwhelm the fish. They could also become trapped between the slick and the beach, leading to increased competition for oxygen in the water and causing them to die as they run out of air. "Their ability to avoid it may be limited in the long term, especially if in near-shore refuges they're crowding in close to shore, and oil continues to come in. At some point they'll get trapped," Crowder said. "It could lead to die-offs." The fish could also fall victim to predators such as sharks and seabirds. Already there have been increased shark sightings in shallow waters along the Gulf Coast. The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages. Roger Helm, chief of the Fish and Wildlife Service's contaminants division, said the government expects a battle with BP over the extent of the damage and has every incentive to be scientifically credible. "Both sides go to their own corner and interpret the data the way they want," Helm said. "This is a legal process, and if we can't get an agreement we'll end up in court." ___ Lush contributed from Barataria Bay, La., Flesher from Traverse City, Mich.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100616/ap_on_re_us/us_gulf_oil_spill_marine_life_2
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Post by Eagles Disobey on Jun 18, 2010 15:24:20 GMT 4
OFFICIAL PUBLIC UPDATE FROM EAGLES DISOBEY!
As first reported days ago to the insiders of the Golden Thread, on Saturday, June 12, 2010, 3 members of the Eagles Team, operating on their own, set out to sea in the Gulf of Mexico, in a very fast cigar boat (to someone else's ownership who wishes to remain anonymous at this time) with a revamped version of the Isis-P unit, the unit that was recently deployed in the Pacfic Ocean against the Oxygen "Dead Zones." (See the front of Eagles Disobey for details and earlier video.)
Eagles Disobey is now reviewing what video coverage it has from the recent trip and is also having it reviewed for legal reasons. (All quotes to follow are taken directly from the available coverage.)
After operating for 12 straight hours, using the Isis-P Unit down and toward the ecosystem in grave danger from the Brown Soupy Water, filled with oil from the destroyed Deep Horizon Drilling Rig, the team reported being approached very quickly by a USCG-painted cutter. While being approached, the senior member on board the Eagles vessel, ordered the 3 member team to cover their heads with their black ski masks. At this point the team was putting their gear away and NOTHING visible would have caused anyone any concern about what the team may have been deploying in that area. The PA from the vessel stated, "IDENTIFY YOURSELVES!" The Chief Eagles Team member on board yelled, "We're representatives of We the People! Identify yourself and your reason for approaching us!" The vessel ordered, "WE ARE COMING ALONG SIDE FOR BOARDING!" The Chief Eagles Team member on board yelled, "The hell you are! We are here to do what we can for a dying ecosystem, to protect the earth! Free the people of the world from this d**ned black death! Plug the f'ing leak and leave us alone!" Again, the vessel ordered the team to allow it to come along side for boarding but gave no legal reason for the command over its PA system. It also asked why the team was wearing masks? The Eagles Team responded, "It's protective equipment from the oil!" So, receiving no legal reason for boarding, we contend the team had every legal right to, and did refuse to allow the cutter to come along side. The Eagles Team yelled back, "Why are you trying to board us? Answer us, now!" No answer was given in return, by the USCG. A member of the team, who was then pulling a dying pelican from the water, was ordered over the same PA system to "PUT THE ANIMAL BACK INTO THE WATER!" Again, the team refused the order, LACKING THE ORDER'S LEGALITY, and after having retrieved the animal from the water, two wrapped it in a blanket so it could be taken to shore for cleaning! At this point, the driver of the Eagles' boat, began to do figure 8's, so the cutter would be unable to easily overtake the Eagles. Once this maneuver began, the cutter ordered the Eagles boat to stop or it would FIRE on the Eagles, to disable the boat's engine: "STOP HEAVE TO OR WE WILL FIRE!" Personnel were clearly in position at the opposing vessel's deck guns.
The onboard Eagles' team members immediately conferred, and they agreed to rapidly depart the area, speeding away from the USCG cutter. The Senior member on board was clearly overheard saying to the boat's pilot, "F them! They take nothing!" No Weapons were fired by the USCG, and no weapons were displayed or used by the Eagles. No chopper was apparently dispatched, and given the speed of the chosen cigar boat, the cutter was soon left out of sight and behind the Eagles vessel. The vessel was rigged with a registration number cover, and special ocean cammouflage was deployed as the vessel moved away from the USCG.
WERE THEY ATTEMPTING TO STEAL ISIS, OR IS THE USCG AFRAID OF 3 PEOPLE IN A SMALL BOAT WEARING MASKS, WITH NO APPARENT WEAPONS? REALLY, DID THE MASKS SCARE THEM?
By the start of the encounter, Isis-P was already back on board, and the equipment was unhooked and folded back into its heavy bag. The crystals had been removed and were in a case. To any approaching vessel, the team was on the water, removing dying birds from the oil sopped mess. Why would they immediately attempt to BOARD the Eagles vessel? (If the vessel had approached while the equipment was exposed, and if keeping the equipment would have meant it would have been taken by the USCG, the team was prepared to cut the equipment, and let it sink, first.)
After the team arrived back to shore, the bird was cleaned and released by the awaiting Angel Eagles support team.
Following the encounter, the MOST Senior member of the Eagles Team made several calls, and she was faced with complete open-public denials about the encounter, but she later was requested by a phone call to see OUR video of it, with a promise that it would not become public!
Within a couple days of the encounter, the USCG, in the Gulf of Mexico, was busy HARASSING others, who have been trying to fight this disaster. LOOK AT THE DATES OF APPROVALS VS. THEIR HARASSMENT. First, before the Eagles deploy Isis-P, they were allowing the barges. Then, after they deployed Isis-P, the USCG moved to stop the vacuum barges, and had them pulled to shore?
www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/coast_guard_approves_10_more_v.html
Coast Guard approves 10 more vacuum barges for Gulf of Mexico oil spill cleanup
Published: Thursday, June 10, 2010, 11:32 PM
Updated: Thursday, June 10, 2010, 11:37 PM
www.wafb.com/global/story.asp?s=12666354
Coast Guard stops the use of large vacuums to suck up oil
Posted: Jun 17, 2010 9:41 AM PDT
Updated: Jun 17, 2010 9:41 AM PDT
The controversy about the vacuum barges has now made it all the way on CNN's ANDERSON COOPER'S show.
As the controversy has expanded, the USCG was then caught APPROVING the barges after they said there were safety concerns, BUT WITHOUT DOING FURTHER SAFETY CHECKS! The "leader" of the cleanup, Adm. Thad Allen got snippy with reporters when pressed about the obvious lack of leadership and professionalism within the USCG's reponse to this environmental disaster.
LISTEN TO THE ADMIRAL'S STATEMENT ABOUT "NEW TECHNOLOGIES."
"WE ARE GOING TO RUN INTO NEW TECHNOLOGIES, THINGS THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN TRIED BEFORE." Adm. Thad Allen
Well, they ran into one. Using a vacuum isn't so much a new technology, Thad! So, what's really bothering you? Is there a threat of this being remediated TOO QUICKLY?
Meanwhile, the USCG coordinates with BP to contract otherwise unemployed fishers (due to BP and those behind them), to BURN THE OIL OFF, polluting the skies, INSTEAD OF COLLECTING IT!
WHY? WHY WAS THE USCG TRYING TO STOP OR SLOW THE RESPONSE TO THE GULF OIL DISASTER? WHY DID THEY ATTEMPT TO BOARD THE EAGLES VESSEL, AND NOW CLAIM NO KNOWLEDGE OF IT?
ARE THEY WAITING FOR VIDEO TO BE RELEASED FROM EAGLES DISOBEY, BECAUSE THEY FORGOT TO SHOOT SOME THEMSELVES? WOULD THAT ALLOW THEM TO ATTEMPT A SEIZURE OF EQUIPMENT?
ARE WE AND OTHER FREE PEOPLE ROCKING A POLITICAL BOAT IN A SEA GOVERNMENTS PURPOSELY FILLED WITH OIL TO KILL IT?
A WORD TO THE WISE: EAGLES DISOBEY DOESN'T BACK DOWN, AND IT WON'T ALLOW TECHNOLOGIES THAT MAY BENEFIT THE WORLD TO BE STOLEN FROM THE PEOPLE OR RESTRICTED FROM USE! OUR PRESSURE FROM THE INSIDE WILL CONTINUE AND NOW EVEN BE STRENGTHENED!
AS OUR OPERATIONS ARE BEING PLANNED FOR MOVE TO THE GULF COAST, DR. DAN IS NOW CONSIDERING DEPLOYING ISIS-P, AGAIN. IN DR. DAN'S WORDS: "WE ARE AT WAR TO SAVE THE GULF COAST! OUR FIGHT, FOR WE THE PEOPLE, WILL CONTINUE 24/7, UNTIL THIS OPPONENT, CAUSED BY THOSE WHO ENSLAVE HUMANITY THROUGH OIL, IS DEFEATED!"
FOR THE RECORD, USCG (AND THOSE BEHIND YOUR OPS): THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE US OUT THERE, AND YOU WILL, WE HAVE ALL OUR LIFE JACKETS AND FIRE EXTINGUISHERS!
EAGLES DISOBEY! |
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Post by Eagles Disobey on Jun 18, 2010 19:51:39 GMT 4
OFFICIAL PUBLIC UPDATE FROM EAGLES DISOBEY!
PER THE DIRECTOR OF EAGLES DISOBEY, DR. DAN (dba) BURISCH:
EAGLES DISOBEY IS NOW OFFICIALLY RETOOLING, IN AN EFFORT TO BUILD MORE UPDATED ISIS-P UNITS LIKE JUST USED IN THE GULF, FOR REDEPLOYMENT IN THE GULF OF MEXICO.
WE HOPE NOT, BUT IF THIS BRINGS MORE "NEGATIVE CONTACTS" - WELL.........................EAGLES DISOBEY!news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100618/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spillGulf oil full of methane, adding new concerns By MATTHEW BROWN and RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 19 mins ago
NEW ORLEANS – It is an overlooked danger in the oil spill crisis: The crude gushing from the well contains vast amounts of natural gas that could pose a serious threat to the Gulf of Mexico's fragile ecosystem.
The oil emanating from the seafloor contains about 40 percent methane, compared with about 5 percent found in typical oil deposits, said John Kessler, a Texas A&M University oceanographer who is studying the impact of methane from the spill.
That means huge quantities of methane have entered the Gulf, scientists say, potentially suffocating marine life and creating "dead zones" where oxygen is so depleted that nothing lives. .." |
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 19, 2010 3:31:28 GMT 4
Gulf oil full of methane, adding
new concernsBy Matthew Brown And Ramit Plushnick-masti
Associated Press Writers
Fri Jun 18, 5:32 am ETNEW ORLEANS – It is an overlooked danger in oil spill crisis: The crude gushing from the well contains vast amounts of natural gas that could pose a serious threat to the Gulf of Mexico's fragile ecosystem. The oil emanating from the seafloor contains about 40 percent methane, compared with about 5 percent found in typical oil deposits, said John Kessler, a Texas A&M University oceanographer who is studying the impact of methane from the spill. That means huge quantities of methane have entered the Gulf, scientists say, potentially suffocating marine life and creating "dead zones" where oxygen is so depleted that nothing lives. "This is the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history," Kessler said. Methane is a colorless, odorless and flammable substance that is a major component in the natural gas used to heat people's homes. Petroleum engineers typically burn off excess gas attached to crude before the oil is shipped off to the refinery. That's exactly what BP has done as it has captured more than 7.5 million gallons of crude from the breached well. A BP spokesman said the company was burning about 30 million cubic feet of natural gas daily from the source of the leak, adding up to about 450 million cubic feet since the containment effort started 15 days ago. That's enough gas to heat about 450,000 homes for four days. But that figure does not account for gas that eluded containment efforts and wound up in the water, leaving behind huge amounts of methane. BP PLC said a containment cap sitting over the leaking well funneled about 619,500 gallons of oil to a drillship waiting on the ocean surface on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a specialized flare siphoning oil and gas from a stack of pipes on the seafloor burned roughly 161,700 gallons. Thursday was focused on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers chastised BP CEO Tony Hayward. Testifying as oil still surged into the Gulf at between 1.47 million and 2.52 million gallons a day, coating more coastal land and marshes, Hayward declared "I am so devastated with this accident," "deeply sorry" and "so distraught." But he also said he was out of the loop on decisions at the well and disclaimed knowledge of any of the myriad problems on and under the Deepwater Horizon rig before the deadly explosion. BP was leasing the rig the Deepwater Horizon that exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and triggering the environmental disaster. "BP blew it," said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the House investigations panel that held the hearing. "You cut corners to save money and time." As for the methane, scientists are still trying to measure how much has escaped into the water and how it may damage the Gulf and it creatures. The dangerous gas has played an important role throughout the disaster and response. A bubble of methane is believed to have burst up from the seafloor and ignited the rig explosion. Methane crystals also clogged a four-story containment box that engineers earlier tried to place on top of the breached well. Now it is being looked at as an environmental concern. The small microbes that live in the sea have been feeding on the oil and natural gas in the water and are consuming larger quantities of oxygen, which they need to digest food. As they draw more oxygen from the water, it creates two problems. When oxygen levels drop low enough, the breakdown of oil grinds to a halt; and as it is depleted in the water, most life can't be sustained. The National Science Foundation funded research on methane in the Gulf amid concerns about the depths of the oil plume and questions what role natural gas was playing in keeping the oil below the surface, said David Garrison, a program director in the federal agency who specializes in biological oceanography. "This has the potential to harm the ecosystem in ways that we don't know," Garrison said. "It's a complex problem." In early June, a research team led by Samantha Joye of the Institute of Undersea Research and Technology at the University of Georgia investigated a 15-mile-long plume drifting southwest from the leak site. They said they found methane concentrations up to 10,000 times higher than normal, and oxygen levels depleted by 40 percent or more. The scientists found that some parts of the plume had oxygen concentrations just shy of the level that tips ocean waters into the category of "dead zone" — a region uninhabitable to fish, crabs, shrimp and other marine creatures. Kessler has encountered similar findings. Since he began his on-site research on Saturday, he said he has already found oxygen depletions of between 2 percent and 30 percent in waters 1,000 feet deep. Shallow waters are normally more susceptible to oxygen depletion. Because it is being found in such deep waters, both Kessler and Joye do not know what is causing the depletion and what the impact could be in the long- or short-term. In an e-mail, Joye called her findings "the most bizarre looking oxygen profiles I have ever seen anywhere." Representatives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration acknowledged that so much methane in the water could draw down oxygen levels and slow the breakdown of oil in the Gulf, but cautioned that research was still under way to understand the ramifications. "We haven't seen any long-term changes or trends at this point," said Robert Haddad, chief of the agency's assessment and restoration division. Haddad said early efforts to monitor the spill had focused largely on the more toxic components of oil. However, as new data comes in, he said NOAA and other federal agencies will get a more accurate read on methane concentrations and the effects. "The question is what's going on in the deeper, colder parts of the ocean," he said. "Are the (methane) concentrations going to overcome the amount of available oxygen? We want to make sure we're not overloading the system." BP spokesman Mark Proegler disputed Joye's suggestion that the Gulf's deep waters contain large amounts of methane, noting that water samples taken by BP and federal agencies have shown minimal underwater oil outside the spill's vicinity. "The gas that escapes, what we don't flare, goes up to the surface and is gone," he said. Steven DiMarco, an oceanographer at Texas A&M University who has studied a long-known "dead zone" in the Gulf, said one example of marine life that could be affected by low oxygen levels in deeper waters would be giant squid — the food of choice for the endangered sperm whale population. Squid live primarily in deep water, and would be disrupted by lower oxygen levels, DiMarco said. ___ Brown reported from Billings, Mont.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100618/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill
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Post by ninathedog on Jun 19, 2010 3:47:49 GMT 4
BP Workers Burning
Turtles Caught in Oil Boomsby legitgov
Last updated: 06/18/2010 18:46:31A shrimp boat captain in Louisiana hired by BP was blocked from rescuing juvenile Kemp's ridleys that were covered in oil in the Gulf waters. He was captured on video saying that the turtles are being collected in the clean-up efforts and burned up like so much ocean debris with other marine life gathering along tide lines where oil also congregates. He witnessed BP workers burning turtles caught in the oil booms. Rescue efforts are being ended tomorrow. STRP's Gulf Director Carole Allen responded to the news by saying "The burning of boom and oil when even one sea turtle was seen in the water is a despicable crime." www.legitgov.org/BP-Workers-Burning-Turtles-Caught-Oil-Booms(many thanks to Mary W via Len H)..............
BP Blocks Attempt to Save
Endangered Sea Turtles from Oil SpillJune 16th, 2010
Sea Turtle Restoration ProjectA shrimp boat captain in Louisiana hired by BP was blocked from rescuing juvenile Kemp's ridleys that were covered in oil in the Gulf waters. He was captured on video saying that the turtles are being collected in the clean-up efforts and burned up like so much ocean debris with other marine life gathering along tide lines where oil also congregates. He witnessed BP workers burning turtles caught in the oil booms. Rescue efforts are being ended tomorrow. STRP's Gulf Director Carole Allen responded to the news by saying "The burning of boom and oil when even one sea turtle was seen in the water is a despicable crime." STRP's Chris Pincetich has been in communication with both the reporter who shot the interview and the Captain who witnessed the illegal killing of sea turtles, and is making arrangements to ensure that sea turtle rescue efforts are not stopped, and can be performed in areas with boomed oil. The Los Angeles Times reported on the "Death by Fire" June 17 (posted below). [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kjw3_bMk8o [/youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kjw3_bMk8o www.seaturtles.org/article.php?id=1660.................. Death by fire in the gulf Smoke billows from controlled burns in the Gulf of Mexico. Fireproof booms
corral the crude, but also catch seaweed and the creatures that thrive in it.
(Sean Gardner, Reuters / June 13, 2010)
So-called burn boxes are torching oil from the water's surface at
the sacrifice of turtles, crabs, sea slugs and other sea life.
By Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times
June 17, 2010Reporting from the Gulf of Mexico Here on the open ocean, 12 miles from ground zero of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the gulf is hovering between life and death. The large strands of sargassum seaweed atop the ocean are normally noisy with birds and thick with crustaceans, small fish and sea turtles. But now this is a silent panorama, heavy with the smell of oil. There are no birds. The seaweed is soaked in rust-colored crude and chemical dispersant. It is devoid of life except for the occasional juvenile sea turtle, speckled with oil and clinging to the only habitat it knows. Thick ribbons of oil spread out through the sea like the strips in egg flower soup, gorgeous and deadly. A few dead fish float in the water, though dolphin-fish, tuna, flying fish and the occasional shark can still be seen swimming near the surface, threading their way through the wavy, sometimes iridescent gobs of crude. "This is devastating. I mean literally, it's terrible. All this should be pretty much blue water, and — look at it. It just looks bad," said Kevin Aderhold, a longtime charter fishing captain who has been taking a team of researchers deep into the gulf every day to rescue oil-soaked sea turtles. "When this first happened, a lot of us were like, they'll cap that thing and we'll be out fishing again. Now reality's set in. Look around you. This is long-term. This'll be here for-ev-er." And then it gets worse. When the weather is calm and the sea is placid, ships trailing fireproof booms corral the black oil, the coated seaweed and whatever may be caught in it, and torch it into hundred-foot flames, sending plumes of smoke skyward in ebony mushrooms. This patch of unmarked ocean gets designated over the radio as "the burn box." Wildlife researchers operating here, in the regions closest to the spill, are witnesses to a disquieting choice: Protecting shorebirds, delicate marshes and prime tourist beaches along the coast by stopping the oil before it moves ashore has meant the largely unseen sacrifice of some wildlife out at sea, poisoned with chemical dispersants and sometimes boiled by the burning of spilled oil on the water's surface. "It reflects the conventional wisdom of oil spills: If they just keep the oil out at sea, the harm will be minimal. And I disagree with that completely," said Blair Witherington, a research scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission who has been part of the sea turtle rescue mission. By unhappy coincidence, the same convergences of ocean currents that create long mats of sargassum — nurturing countless crabs, slugs and surface fish that are crucial food for turtles, birds and larger fish — also coalesce the oil, creating islands of death sometimes 30 miles long. "Most of the Gulf of Mexico is a desert. Nothing out there to live on. It's all concentrated in these oases," Witherington said. "Ordinarily, the sargassum is a nice, golden color. You shake it, and all kinds of life comes out: shrimp, crabs, worms, sea slugs. The place is really just bursting with life. It's the base of the food chain. And these areas we're seeing here by comparison are quite dead," he said. "It's amazing. We'll see flying fish, and they'll land in this stuff and just get stuck." Hardest hit of all, it appears, are the sea jellies and snails that drift along the gulf's surface, some of the most important food sources for sea turtles. "These animals drift into the oil lines and it's like flies on fly paper," Witherington said. "As far as I can tell, that whole fauna is just completely wiped out." * * * The turtle rescue team sets out at 6 a.m. in the muggy warm stillness of the harbor at Venice, La. The researchers move into the open gulf about an hour later, past a line of shrimp boats deputized to lay boom along the coastal marshes. Closer to the Deepwater Horizon site, the water takes on a foreboding gray pallor tinged with a rainbow-like sheen. Soon, the oil begins swirling around the boat and the seascape smells like an auto mechanic's garage. Strewn among the oil and seaweed are human flotsam: an orange hardhat, a pie pan, a wire coat hanger, yellow margarine-tub lids, a black-and-green ashtray. The crew has found papers — long at sea on global currents — bearing inscriptions in Spanish, Arabic, Greek and Chinese. The only sound that breaks the stillness is the deep thrum of the motors of the large charter boat and a small skiff carrying the turtle researchers. From dawn until nearly dusk, across sargassum islands that normally are alive with birds looking for crabs and snails — bridal terns, shearwaters, storm-petrels — only one bird is seen. "What's amazing is there's so little bird life out here right now. Either they've moved on, or the oiling has had a tremendous impact," said Kate Sampson, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who is part of the turtle rescue team. "We saw a few yesterday. We saw a few laughing gulls fly by. They were oiled, but they could still fly. And we saw a northern gannet, a diving bird. It was oiled too," she said. "I can only imagine that the birds left because the dining hall is closed." Soon, the rising towers of the Discoverer Enterprise drill ship, which is collecting oil and gas from the damaged well, and the tall rigs boring two relief wells miles into the seabed appear through the haze. A flare of burning natural gas is silhouetted against the gray hull of the ship. The Premier Explorer, which is helping coordinate cleanup operations at the broken well, announces the day's burn box: A 500-square-mile field within which 16 controlled burns will be conducted. In the days since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, more than 5 million gallons of oil have been consumed in more than 165 burns. "The real issue is to stop this thing at the source, do maximum skimming, in-situ burning — deal with it as far off shore as possible, and do everything you can to keep it from getting to shore, because once it's into the marshes, quite frankly, I think we would all agree there's no good solution at that point," Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen told reporters last week. But the burn operations have proved particularly excruciating for the turtle researchers, who have been trolling the same lines of oil and seaweed as the boom boats, hoping to pull turtles out of the sargassum before they are burned alive. Much of the wildlife here seems doomed in any case. "We've seen the oil covering the turtles so thick they could barely move, could hardly lift their heads," Witherington said. "I won't pretend to know which is the nastiest." Yet in one case, the crew had to fall back and watch as skimmers gathered up a long line of sargassum that hadn't yet been searched — and which they believe was full of turtles that might have been saved. "In a perfect world, they'd gather up the material and let us search it before they burned it," Witherington said. "But that connection hasn't been made. The lines of communication aren't there." The smoke starts rising on the horizon at midday. The two boats carrying the researchers head in different directions, hoping to find and rescue a few more turtles before their mission wraps up. They find 11, all of them heavily speckled with oil. Each day, the chances of rescues grow smaller. That there are still so many left stranded in the oil without food is a small miracle. Their long-term chances "are zero," Witherington said. "Turtles just take a long time to die." kim.murphy@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Timeswww.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-burnbox-20100617,0,4814068.story
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;D ;D 
