http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarti...tentId=7061771
a link to BPs' Response maps
this helped me to better visualize what is happening
a horrible situation altogether
Oil spill
http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarti...tentId=7061771
a link to BPs' Response maps
this helped me to better visualize what is happening
a horrible situation altogether
I don't feel comfortable saying what I would like to say about this so I will limit it to the briefest statement I can make.
My feeling is this is way worse than anyone thinks and will forever be one of the greatest catastrophes in man's history and no amount of money can fix it. All that remains is for the domino effect to play out and see just how harsh the fallout is. BP says they will do this or that, politicians say this or that will happen but they are truly incapable of correcting the matter. I also feel that all the oil companies share in this inexcusable destruction because they have suppressed better ideas than oil for a really long time. This flat out comes down to greed and ineptness, stupidity and carelessness.
As long as greed is involved you can't count on people to do the right thing so don't be fooled into thinking it is going to start now.
PS. I will stop myself now because I don't want to stand on this soapbox and I don't want to alienate anyone who honestly believes this is not a huge deal. It doesn't make any difference at this point because what will happen is what will happen. This site is an oasis from reality for me and filled with imagination of what could be. I prefer for it to stay that way because I for one don't need any more reality in my daily life. I think this hole they punched into the ocean floor blowing oil out of control into the environment is absolutely overwhelming.
PS. I stared at this a long time before posting it because I'm just a regular guy and can only go by what I hear and am told. I'm not an expert but I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to kill a whole lot of people. No, I wouldn't be surprised in the least. Man likes to play with stuff he doesn't fully understand and this is another perfect example. I would be happy if my fears come to nothing.
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While I don't disagree with the fact that greed and ineptness is a part of the problem, I would ask what what ideas are better than oil? I honestly want to know, not because I want to start a disagreement.Originally Posted by Jaxilon
This is a huge deal both the the environment (which will heal) as well as the livelihood of millions of people, but I disagree that it does not make a difference at this point. It may well make a very big difference in the lifestyles of millions of US citizens via higher energy costs. There are plenty of conspiracy theories and while I won't say that I endorse any specific ones, it would not surprise me one bit if any/all of them are true(well, perhaps not one that says aliens caused the thing to blow up(if there is one)...)
One thing to remember is that the crude oil was not leaking in the ocean on day 1 or 2, but only after the well sunk did the structure break apart and cause the "oil spill". I highly expect that at the end of it all(even if we the people don't hear it) that the sinking of the rig(and thus the oil leak in the water) was caused by the massive amounts of water pumped into the rig in order to try to contain the blaze which weakened the structure to the point of collapse. This collapse then caused the shaft to break. The real question is: why did the people who were there "fighting" the fire not know enough about the oil rig's structural limits to stop dumping more water onto the darn thing? Just as importantly, why were there no structural engineers yelling "STOP PUTTING WATER ON THE THING!!!"
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One idea that has merit, but requires further development, is algae of all things.
Just for clarification, Algal fuels are a category of biofuels that are derived from algae (yay pond scum!). They have advantages in that they don't compete with food crops for land-mass or with human populations for water sources, algae fuels are a net-zero CO2 factor, and algal farms have the potential to be incredibly space-dense (don't take up much area) and far more efficient than traditional foodstock sources (such as soy, corn, or sugarcane). And just for some extra icing on the cake, the bi-products of algal farming are supremely suited as plant fertilizer and animal feedstock.
The real issues faced by this technology (and pretty much every green power technology) is infrastructure and technology readiness, which equate to big expenses that only recently have people begun to consider worthwhile.
Last edited by Wannabehero; 07-06-2010 at 06:14 PM.
Agreed Mat, Jax. This is just simply a tragic state of affairs, and looks like it is only going to get worse. For those of you who pray, I would encourage you to consider praying about this spill, and for those affected by it.
Jaxilon, for what it's worth, I agree with you 110%.
I came across this link a few days back and thought it was a great collection of images.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Nat...t.php?id=43733
Look at the one Apr 21st to see a satellite image of the gulf with the rig on fire and the latest pics are pretty good too.
Here in the states, back in 2008, a certain female running for high office coined a phrase..."drill, baby, drill" and it was quite popular amongst her base (which you can probably figure out how I feel about them). Having lost she, and others of her ilk, are trying to use this as an opportunity to blame those who won. That appalls me almost as much as the devastated ecosystem...steam is coming out of my ears cuz I was warning folks I knew (yes I'm a tree-hugger). I had planned a trip to the Tampa (Longboat Key) area in September so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can enjoy the beach...if not I'll go to Ft. Lauderdale.
If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
-J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)
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lets you "move" the spill to see how large it is vs. any place you pick using goolemaps.
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Thats pretty cool RobA.... well.... not so much cool as interesting to see how big the oil spill in terms I can more easily understand in scale....
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