I keep seeing the same stock photos of birds covered in oil from other disasters or from unidentified sources used in stories about the BP spill (location deliberately not provided because they aren't from the BP spill) and find this really annoying For some perspective.... "The Gulf of Mexico spill is a calamity with enormous costs. Nevertheless, writes Ken Ringle, there are factors at work, observed in similar calamities years ago, that suggest the damage to the environment may be less than is widely feared, and reporters should be alert to them." "Ken Ringle was a political and environmental reporter for much of his 33 year career at The Washington Post" http://niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=background.view&backgroundid=00454 <http://niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=background.view&backgroundid=00454> Jackie *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 10:31 AM, Jackie Myers <jackie_at_muddypuppies.com>wrote: > > "The Gulf of Mexico spill is a calamity with enormous costs. > Nevertheless, writes Ken Ringle, there are factors at work, observed in > similar calamities years ago, that suggest the damage to the environment > may be less than is widely feared, and reporters should be alert to them." > > You can be pretty sure that reporters will ignore this advice and, instead, refer to the oil that's still left on the Prince William Sound beaches. I still can't quite understand why these guys can't be held responsible for having equipment on hand to clean up serious oil spills. Either that or just captulate to the oil industry and form a new branch of the EPA which will just do it and avoid the various issues. There are over 4,000 drilling and production rigs (production rigs also drill.. it's called "workover") in the Gulf and apparently no one was ready for this. I am also betting that to get BP to actually pay ALL the damages from this incident there will be 20 years of litigation. If any of you are thinking about a new career, I'd suggest environmental lawyer. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Darn, there goes my side job! For $5, I offer to rub coco-butter on girls down at the beach! Usually, though, they don't say yes for less than $100. On 5/5/2010 7:57 PM, Bradford R. Crain wrote: > If everyone cut their consumption of coconut oil and baby oil by 50%, > it would make a huge environmental impact. I certainly will do my part. > > BRC *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I often wonder how the spills we get these days compare to what we had going on in WWII. All those ships sunk with no concern for the fuel and oil leaking out. Had to be one or two oil tankers involved don't you think? Of course, I'm bad because I'm wondering how I can power my car with oil laden birds! On 5/5/2010 10:31 AM, Jackie Myers wrote: > "Ken Ringle was a political and environmental reporter for much of his > 33 year career at The Washington Post" > > > http://niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=background.view&backgroundid=00454 > <http://niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=background.view&backgroundid=00454> *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 2:06 PM, Mark Sanders <marksanders_at_sandmarks.net>wrote: > I often wonder how the spills we get these days compare to what we had > going on in WWII. All those ships sunk with no concern for the fuel and oil > leaking out. Had to be one or two oil tankers involved don't you think? > Of course, I'm bad because I'm wondering how I can power my car with oil > laden birds! An interesting concept. Wouldn't the feathers clog the filters? Craig *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I'm converting to steam, I'll just use them to stoke the boiler! On 5/5/2010 3:32 PM, Craig Jungers wrote: > On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 2:06 PM, Mark Sanders<marksanders_at_sandmarks.net>wrote: > > Of course, I'm bad because I'm wondering how I can power my car with oil > laden birds! > > > An interesting concept. Wouldn't the feathers clog the filters? > > Craig *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Well, I guess there would be plenty of fuel for a camp fire. No need to gather wood. Jackie Mark Sanders wrote: > I often wonder how the spills we get these days compare to what we had > going on in WWII. All those ships sunk with no concern for the fuel > and oil leaking out. Had to be one or two oil tankers involved don't > you think? > Of course, I'm bad because I'm wondering how I can power my car with > oil laden birds! *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Some things leave an indelible impression on us for years. The seam line of my wetsuit last but an hour at the end of a long paddle, bit the impressions from the documentary showcasing Thor Heyerdahl are still with me: A snip from a Mormon Church interview I found on a Google search, Dr. Heyerdahl: "I can tell you that one of the things I looked forward to when I stepped aboard Ra I was to see the ocean again as I had seen it on Kon-Tiki, because that was an unforgettable beauty to get into the deep sea and be so close to the water and see this completely clear blue water, where you can see down to an endless depth-see the fish all swimming about. What beauty! On Kon-Tiki, for 101 days, we saw no sign of man until we saw a wreck on the beach of one of the atolls near our destination. But on Ra I, we had hardly been to sea three days before we discovered that we were in something like a city sewer-and yet we were 100 miles or more from land. Our first thought was that a tanker had just passed. But it kept happening again and again. So on the Ra II voyage, I decided to make a day-by-day survey, dipping down with a dipper and taking samples of the oil clots. We found oil clots on 43 days of the 57. Apart from this we saw plastic containers, nylon bags, empty bottles, all sorts of refuse." That was an account almost 4 decades old. Doug Lloyd Mark said >I often wonder how the spills we get these days compare to what we had going on in WWII. All those ships sunk with no concern for the fuel and oil leaking out. Had to be one or two oil tankers involved don't you think? Of course, I'm bad because I'm wondering how I can power my car with oil laden birds!< *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I hear that Rush Limbaugh is speculating that eco-terrorists caused the explosion and oil spill to discredit the oil industry. Meanwhile, many Arabs think 9/11 was a CIA plot to discredit Islam, and the Greek Communist Party is blaming the deaths of three people in the bank fire on the government, not the Communist demonstrators. And the attorney general of Virginia (and Senator Imhofe) wants to prosecute climatologist Michael Mann for saying the planet is heating up. It's everybody's fault but ours! Chuck Holst __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5089 (20100505) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 6:52 PM, Chuck Holst <cholst_at_bitstream.net> wrote: > I hear that Rush Limbaugh is speculating that eco-terrorists caused the > explosion and oil spill to discredit the oil industry. That's interesting; considering that it was Dick Cheney's company (Haliburton) that did the cement job on the well only 24 hours before it exploded and is suspected as a likely cause. So perhaps Cheney had his company do a crappy job to throw the blame onto the Obama administration. Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703572504575214593564769072.html > Meanwhile, many Arabs think 9/11 was a CIA plot to discredit Islam, And not just Arabs. Some Americans think it was the US Government that did 9/11 just to start a war. There are web sites devoted to this and various other explanations. > And the attorney general of Virginia (and > Senator Imhofe) wants to prosecute climatologist Michael Mann for saying > the > planet is heating up. > It's a criminal offense now? It's everybody's fault but ours! > > Well it certainly isn't my fault. I planted almost 3,000 trees and the climate didn't even go down a half-degree. The guy I sold the orchard to planted 25,000 trees and the temp hasn't budged. I dunno what more I can do. The piddly little 4 trees we planted in town seem so futile. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Wed, May 05, 2010 at 10:31:42AM -0700, Jackie Myers wrote: > For some perspective.... > > "The Gulf of Mexico spill is a calamity with enormous costs. [...] Correction: this is not a spill. A spill is what happens when a container of fixed size is breached and empties part or all of its contents, as in: Exxon Valdez. This is a flow. That is a significantly different entity, and that difference needs to factored into all discussions about it. I find it instructive to carefully parse the language used by BP's professional spokeliars in this regard. And speaking of the Valdez, this event has already surpassed it; please see the entry for May 1st here: http://blog.skytruth.org/ See also this excellent (animated) graphic, showing the changing shape and extent of the affected area: http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/gulf_of_mexico_oil_spill_anima.html ---Rsk *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 5:19 AM, Rich Kulawiec <rsk_at_rockandwater.net> wrote: > On Wed, May 05, 2010 at 10:31:42AM -0700, Jackie Myers wrote: > > > "The Gulf of Mexico spill is a calamity with enormous costs. [...] > > Correction: this is not a spill. > Yup... unfortunately there really isn't a "word" that describes what's going on very well. I've seen "rupture", "gusher", "blow-out", "leak" and your word "flow". None of those really does a good job either. I think "rupture" may be the single best descriptor of the original incident and then "flow" for what is happening now. It's also not very clear as to where the flow of crude is coming from. Is it the wellhead via a BOP that failed to operate? That would imply one opening for the flow. But it appears to be more than one flow (three was the most quoted). So were there three BOPs? In my experience having a multi-headed BOP in 5k of water would be unusual but time and technology march on so I dunno any more. If the original explosion was the result of a poor cementing job then the flow(s) could be coming up through fissures in the sea bottom itself and bypassing the BOP altogether. This is one of the most dangerous of all blow-outs because when the gasses and crude oil reach the surface they can explode at the rig with no possibility of turning off the flow by shutting down the BOP. Worse yet, if the rig is anchored and unable to get away, the gas and crude in the water reduce the buoyancy so that the fire-fighting boats cannot get close to the rig without risk of sinking. And then, of course, the floating rig sinks. So far the descriptions - if you ignore BP spokespeople pointing fingers at Cameron (the manufacturers of the BOP) and the operators of the rig - point to the cement job and more than one flow from the single 18,000 foot well. If that's the case then Haliburton - not BP - is ultimately responsible for the damages. Think this might take a while to filter through the court system? To picture what is happening imagine digging a 5 or 6 foot hole in sand and burying a water hose at the bottom. Fill the hole back up, tamp it down well, and then turn on the water. You will probably see more than one exit of water from the hole. And speaking of the Valdez, this event has already surpassed it; > please see the entry for May 1st here: > The difficulty in calculating how much crude has escaped comes from not being able to directly measure the flow rate. Thus everything is calculated from estimates based on the area covered by the "slick" which requires a bunch of other estimates. They have to estimate the type of crude (much different from the crude carried by the Exxon Valdez), how much simply evaporated into the air, how quickly the crude clumped up, and so forth. So I'm skeptical of all the current efforts to quantify the flow. "Shitloads" is the best descriptor I can think of. We may never know how much crude escaped with any accuracy. The Exxon Valdez held a known quantity of crude and they knew how much was pumped (lightered) out of it and assume that what was left was "spilled". It was much thicker crude with fewer light gasses so one might conclude that the potential for damage to beaches and critters would have been much greater. As an FYI: Moses Lake is going to legalize golf carts for transportation inside town. Since our electrical power comes from hydro-electric generation my plans are to make as much of my transportation as possible either by electric vehicles or by bicycle from now on. I'd kayak but it's about 8 miles of paddling one way to get groceries and only ten blocks by road. (We live on a peninsula.) Thanks for the links... that skytruth.org looks very interesting. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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