''The only answer you can have any certainty of,'' he says, ''is that absolutely nobody knows.''

While BP insisted 'Corexit' was completely safe.  That might be true.  If the oil dispersant was tested in the lab by itself.  But, when it was joined by some of the most toxic 'crude oil' in the world, it increased the deadly toxins to the entire water column rather than simply floating on top.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick

I hate it that in the year 2010 and 2011 the people of the USA have to learn everything by 'trial and error' rather than through wisdom.  Whatever happened to 'reason?'  Does Bobby Jindle's politics mean more to human well being than caution and prudent reasoning?

... "The dispersant is widely considered more dangerous (click here) to human health than the oil itself," Plummer said, "and several clean-up workers exposed to the dispersant have been reported as coming down with health problems."  --  "Corexit is is four times more toxic than oil (oil is toxic at 11 ppm (parts per million),...

Citizens screaming at the top of their lungs that 'the show must go on' and damning every precaution by President Obama have doomed themselves to decades of loss and pain.  Was it worth it?  Were the parish Presidents politics so important that all caution was thrown to the wind?  Seriously?  Who is going to stop this mess now?  How many more lives are going to be destroyed while lies are spun for the sake of power to conceal the truth?  Where is the judge that stated the Executive Branch has no right for a moratorium?  Is he going to save lives or ruin them?

...A report written by Anita George-Ares and James R. Clark (click here) for Exxon Biomedical Sciences, Inc. entitled “Acute Aquatic Toxicity of Three Corexit Products: An Overview” (click here) states that “Corexit 9500, Corexit 9527,  and Corexit 9580 have moderate toxicity to early life stages of fish, crustaceans and mollusks (LC50 or EC50 – 1.6 to 100 ppm*).  It goes on to say that decreasing water temperatures in lab tests showed decreased toxicity, a lowered uptake of the dispersant.  Unfortunately, we’re going to be seeing an increase in temperatures, not a decrease.  Amongst the other caveats is that the study is species-specific, that other animals may be more severely affected, silver-sided fish amongst them.
Oil is toxic at 11 ppm while Corexit 9500 is toxic at only 2.61 ppm; Corexit 9500 is four times as toxic as the oil itself.  Sure, a lot less of it is being introduced, but that’s still a flawed logical perspective, because it’s not a “lesser of two evils” scenario.  BOTH are going into the ocean water....


While the 'experts' were trying to stop the oil from doing decades of permanent damage to pristine beaches that attracted tourism as an intricate part of the Gulf Coast economy, they were actually dooming the ocean to toxins throughout the water column that may never be able to 'dissipate' and will pollute the fisheries forever until it is manually removed.

Ask me if I am surprised that today the nightmare is only beginning.  Short term 'feel good' feelings were an attempt to propagandize the liability for BP.


Oil spill dispersants don't disappear (click here)
By John Roach
When nearly 800,000 gallons of a chemical dispersant were injected into the oil gushing from the busted wellhead on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico during last year's Deepwater Horizon disaster, nobody knew for sure what would happen. Now, scientists are getting their first answers, and the results are mixed.
Tests for a key component of the chemical concoction reveal that the dispersant worked its way into the oil-laden plume in the deep ocean, and stayed in the deep ocean. But the chemical did not degrade as much as scientists thought it would....

Gulf Oil Spill: BP Trying To Hide Millions of Gallons of Toxic Oil?  (click here)

May 3, 2010

By John Taylor

...Ten months after BP's Deepwater Horizon rig (click title to entry - thank you) exploded and began spewing almost 800 million litres of oil into the gulf, and seven months after the well was capped, Elmers Island beach, like many, is still closed. Camardelle's Seafood, where President Barack Obama ate on his visit last June, has been closed since July. It has quietened down a lot since the height of the clean-up, ''when BP took over the world'', as Grand Isle ports commissioner Wayne Keller puts it, ''but we've still got oil in the sand and tarballs washing up on the beach''....

The damage to the USA, its citizens and the fisheries, including threatened and endangered species will far exceed $20 billion.

GULF SHORES, Alabama - For seven months, (click title to entry - thank you) Richard Roberts walked the beaches of Baldwin County helping to clean up BP's mess. "I started off picking up tar balls on the beach and clean up. I went to d-con using a chemical that made me sick cleaning the tractors, all the oil off that."

It's workers like Roberts that will be the focus of a health study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences led by Dr. Dale Sandler. "My research team will reach out to 100 thousand people who took the clean up workers safety training and to others who were involved in some aspects of the oil spill clean up even if they were not part of the training program."

Sandler hopes to enroll at least 55 thousand people in the study from Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana and Alabama. "The Gulf Study will help us learn if oil spills and exposure to crude oil, dispersants and fumes affect physical and mental health."...
 
There is something really scary about finding the teragenesis of those infant dolphins.  If I may?  

To begin dolphins are mammals.  Granted they live in the water and their exposure is intense, but, at the same time they don't 'breath' through gills, they breath with lungs and air from the surface. 

Their diet is fish.  Dolphins are not vegetarians.  They don't live on seaweed. 

The dispersants BP insisted were safe did a really nasty thing, it placed the very toxic oil droplets and tar balls throughout the water column and for the first time ever in oil spills there is vats of oil settled to the bottom of the ocean. 

Fish do breath through gills and have been exposed to the oil particles suspended in the water column and on the bottom of the sea.  They in turn became a food source for gestating dolphins.  It is more than likely that the fish the adult females ate during gestation caused these problems with their fetus.

Now, oil no matter the chemical composition of its toxicity can be breathed in through vapor as it is exposed to sunlight, salt water and heat, but, it can also be absorbed through the skin.  Oil has a carbon structure and is highly reactive to any organic circumstance including that of living beings that come in contact with it.
Granted the dolphins were exposed to greater concentrations of these toxins from every aspect of their life, the 'idea' that Gulf of Mexico fisheries in the areas where these problems are being found with dolphins are safe for human consumption HAS TO BE strongly suspicious for toxins that will harm those that come in contact with them.

The teratogenesis being found in these dolphins are probably not the only manifestation of introduction of these toxins to the Gulf waters.  There are probably tumors and developing tumors with the adults.  I am confident all that will be discovered over time, but, the fact we might completely lose the dolphin population in the Gulf of  Mexico has to be a reality.  What also has to be a reality is that these are mammals no different than the people that have been exposed to those waters and the fish from the fisheries.

What also hits home with me is the overwhelming power plutocratic priorities played here that have increased the exposure of people to these toxins and the fish in those waters.  I find that outrageous.  It was "W"rong to do it at the time and it is even more "W"rong to do it now. 

The pressure by Governors such as Bobby Jindal to demand a 'return to normal' in the face of all these facts that 'existed at the time of the disaster' is more than worrisome.  What has begun to pervade the USA 'mind think' is that all tragedies are only temporary, superficial and should not impede economic gains and profits.  That somehow the only way this can be resolved is for the 'trouble maker,' in this case BP, to survive the day to provide the monies needed to 'go forward' with any kind of rehabiliation.

There was a time in the USA when 'being cautious' was a very high priority in such disasters.  That 'taking care' of people by 'preventing' more tragedy and hardship was prudent.  That has all but been eliminated and it NOT due to the current status of the economy.  It is directly due to 'mind think' institutued during the Bush/Cheney years when 'intelligence' was a hinderence to profits and the EPA was more toxic to the Plutocracy than could ever serve any citiznes best interest.

I remind.  The people along the Gulf Coast that were screaming the loudest were those on marginal incomes 'as contractors' to the petroleum industry.  Realizing they were never regarded as important enough to provide good standards of living to sustain such disasters only is rock solid proof of a management strategy to place pressures on governments to place profits before the well being of citizens.

BP and the plutocracy in the USA introduced a 'toxic mind think' that included 'death as an alternative' to their profitiabilty as life would not be good without a sustainable life style as DICTATED by the principles of profitibility and lack of morality in protecting the fisheries, resort economies and the citizens along the coasts of the USA.

The citizens of the USA have to come to terms with a sincere lack of esteem of their own well being before any of these dynamics can be resolved.  I am very worried about the citizens of this country and their complete disregard for their well being over 'fiscal topics' that pervade their lives.  The Gulf Coast is only one example.  There is a lot of danger in the way Americans are thinking about their government in relation to private enterprise.  Private enterprise should never have more power than the governments they operate under and the people they employ.

In Wisconsin, there is a dynamic at work that legislates power plants into a potential monopoly.  That is not good governance and is harmful to the citizens. 

There is a lot "W"rong here and citizens have to come to terms with that rather than being on 'fast forward' to profitability. 

I have a very strong suspicion all of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster could have been prevented and that is basically the findings of the President's Commission.  Not only that, but, greater harm to the citizens could have been prevented if there were no Governors that sold out to Wall Street.

I am very worried about the people of the USA and their chosen path to disaster at every turn.

Restoration Official: BP Reluctant to Fix Damage (click here)

Published: Mon, February 28, 2011 - 4:44 pm CST 

Last Updated: Mon, February 28, 2011 - 4:48 pm CST

The vice chairman of a task force set up by President Obama to restore the Gulf Coast criticized BP PLC. for what he described as an increasing reluctance to repair damage done by last year's massive oil spill....

Water Bills in the Thousands of Dollars (click title of entry - thank you)

There should be an investigation to find out if any flaws were known before they were marketed.  And if not, why not?

"The creek done rise."  I imagine that meter is going to have a heck of time counting all that as it passes over it.  Or imagine ice freezing it on a single 'open' setting.  Ice expands.  Hello?

All it takes is a minor drop of condensation freezing overnight and by the time the problem is discovered it is all thawed out and there is nothing wrong.  The electronic meters don't work so put the mechanical ones back and put PUBLIC EMPLOYEES back to work.  What a waste of money.

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I sincerely do not believe this is that much of a mystery.  The cities spent money on stupid electronic gadgets that 'GET WET.'  Not only that, but, it puts people out of a job.  The cities thought they would save on wages and pensions so they went electronic.

The other possibility is more simple than you know.  If these meters are 'sensitive' enough to be read by 'driving by' then they are sensitive enough to pick up signals as well.  The 'incorrect' readings are probably because of  'wave length' compatibility with devices that pass by or even 'machinery wave length' of construction crews or repair devices. 

It was simply a bad investment and before they know it they'll have to revert back to mechanical meters and meter readers all over again.  I mean electronics are sincerely not compatible with water meters that change temperature, are in the ground with condensation and all kinds of underground dynamics.  Heck, a mild earthquake could set them off to run over their capacity.  It is simply a really bad idea.

The residents most effected should have the option of having a mechanical reader installed with meter readers taking their readings every month.  It is a good way to start back on the right path.

There is probably going to be increasing systemic problems because all one needs is a mild flood to really reek havoc or the 'wavelength' mechanism will fall into disrepair over time.

Skyrocketing water bills mystify, anger residents

By Scott Zamost and Kyra Phillips, CNN Special Investigations Unit

March 1, 2011 10:23 a.m. EST

Atlanta (CNN) -- Imagine paying as much for water as you do for your mortgage.
Residents throughout Atlanta are outraged by hundreds, even thousands of dollars in monthly spikes in their water bills, and have questioned the legitimacy of the charges for years. Now, they're demanding answers.
"I thought we were sinking in a hole of water," said Debbi Scarborough. "It scared me to death. I thought we had a major leak when I got the bill."
Over two months last summer, her family's monthly water bill, shot up to $1,805 In July and then $1,084 in August, leaving a balance due of more than $3,000. She said in the past her bill has averaged $200 to $250.
"I'm not paying a $3,000 bill. And for those three months, we were pretty much out of town most of the time and there's no leaks," she said, showing CNN a copy of her plumber's report....

Depending on where one is in the USA, March may or may not be "In like a lamb." (click title to entry - thank you)

Severe Weather Reports...Over the past two days, the NWS Storm Prediction Center has logged more than 350 reports of severe weather across the nation, including 10 reports of tornadoes. Some of the worst reports are from Franklin County, Tennessee, were preliminary reports indicated substantial structural damage to residences early Monday afternoon, as well as one fatality. An NWS team will be deployed on Tuesday to survey the damage across this area. More reports and outlooks for severe weather are available from the Storm Prediction Center.

Temperature Map (click here)

The Wisconsin Governor is a partner in usurping democratic principles.

Charter Street Power Plant

Before the rights and profits of any Wisconsin power plant are sold by the state, the areas receiving the electricity should have the opportunity to run a referendum and bond to manage their own plants and workers.  It would save the taxpayers money if the plants were run at cost. 

That is just to begin with.

More Pieces in the Wisconsin Power Plant Puzzle (click here)

...The catch is that privately owned plants do not operate under the job classification standards set forth by OSHA and can therefore create any job title they choose. Catch number two for those attempting to link the job listing to Scott Walker corporate cronyism is that the Charter Street plant has been trying to fill its “Plant Manager” position, according to a separate job listing on Wisc.Jobs, since November when Scott Walker took office. That job listing had a deadline of January 13th, but has yet to be filled, according to sources....

This article by Koch in The Wall Street Journal is a prime example of 'corrupt speech' which seeks to deceive the reader by evading the 'real reason' for the current deficits faced around the country.

Most of the 'corrupt speech' of the Right Wing is based in removing 'dynamics' from facts that relate to 'blame.'  They live conveniently in the 'hear and now' as if the only reason the deficits exist is because Democrats were in majorities.  Thank God, Democrats were in majority, otherwise, the nation and states would be the proud guardians of vast numbers of poor, homeless and jobless.

"Corrupt Speech" such as guaranteed to Koch under the USA Constitution exists and is used chronically to justify corrupt practices and power plays.

It is MORE than interesting that the Murdoch rag, The Wall Street Journal encourage it.  Koch and Murdoch together in propaganda.  No surprise here.

By CHARLES G. KOCH  (click title to entry - thank you)

Years of tremendous overspending by federal, state and local governments have brought us face-to-face with an economic crisis. Federal spending will total at least $3.8 trillion this year—double what it was 10 years ago. And unlike in 2001, when there was a small federal surplus, this year's projected budget deficit is more than $1.6 trillion....

Here is something that will never appear in the Wall Street Journal.  The actual reasons for the deficits.


Former State Budget Directors Say Causes of Shortfall Debatable (click here)
By LaToya Dennis
March 1, 2011 | WUWM | Milwaukee, WI

...To get a perspective of how Wisconsin got into financial trouble, WUWM’s LaToya Dennis called two people who’ve held the position of state budget director. David Riemer served for a short period under Democrat Jim Doyle, while Mark Bugher held the job under Republican Tommy Thompson. Bugher says structural deficits can begin accumulating, based on what the public demands at a particular time.

Why buy power plansts if they can't be run 'on the cheap.'  Cities and Counties should be 'faciliated' by the State to move into management and ownership of their own utilities.

Labor Fight Contains a Power Plant Grab in Wisconsin  (click here)

...This might explain why Koch Industries is so interested.
"The bill would empower the secretary of the state Department of Administration to sell the plants, which primarily serve University of Wisconsin campuses, including those in Madison and Milwaukee, as well as state prisons and other facilities.
"In a change from a similar proposal that Republican lawmakers sought six years ago, the bill stripped a requirement that the Public Service Commission review whether the sale is in the public interest.
"The provision primarily affects small coal-fired plants that generate steam or chilled water for heating and cooling buildings. It's hard to get an accurate assessment of their worth because they're so intertwined with the buildings they serve, said Darin Renner, an analyst with the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
"The Fiscal Bureau analyzed the facilities in 2005, the last time the proposal was before the Legislature, and estimated the total value of all the plants at $235.9 million, offset by $83.9 million in debt," it stated.
The paper reported that Koch Industries denied interest in the power plants. However, it hasn't ruled out bidding on them. Koch Industries is a fossil fuel conglomerate and the two brothers are supporters of Walker. Even so, if Koch Industries didn't bid on them, someone would, and it could amount to a windfall for the lucky company....

I am a little bit surprised the supporters of workers rights can't seem to understand it just ain't that easy to pull off.

"Many of us recall the pledge made by candidate Barack Obama in on November 3, 2007 when he declared: 'Understand this. If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain, when I'm in the White House, I'll put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself. I'll walk on that picket line with you ...'" – Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United

I am sure something is in the works, but, it would be easier from him to show up in Illinois at 'the hideout' than actually march in protests in Madison.  Then there is the Middle East which is not condusive to to 'time away.'  Maybe the Vice President could be a good stand in for now.

Justice Clarence Thomas admits he is an activist judge.

...he and his tea party activist wife Virginia “believe in the same things”...

It is nice his marriage vows worked out, but, to state he is bringing personal preferences to his practice as a judge is not about constitutional law.

At all.