A Man Made Disaster

 This weekend I went on a little vacation to the beach -- Destin, FL to be exact  -- and when I was not relaxing with friends or seeing the sites I talked about oil.  In fact we all talked about oil.  Coming into the weekend the weather was supposed be sunny through Sunday, but as I arrived on Friday in my rental car I was only greeted by a blanket of rain.  On Saturday the beach welcomed me with a brown murky film in the water, and cautionary red flags on the beach that warned of the perils of swimming in the ocean, or flat out forbade the activity. 

The rest of the weekend remained overcast and foggy, and I distinctly remember hearing a jet fly overhead, but due to the fog I could only make out its shadow as it flew by.  The peculiarities with the weather caused many people to ask questions and wonder if all of this was a result of the oil spill, but no one had any answers.  All we knew was that we needed to know more, and that we may need to prepare for a catastrophic environmental disaster.

The more you know about this disaster the less sense the entire situation makes, but the video below gives an explanation to the situation we face.

Essentially, BP was drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico in waters roughly 5,000 feet deep and on April 20th its offshore drilling platform caught fire for unknown reasons killing 11 BP employees.  BP was unable to stop the fire and eventually the drilling platform sank into the Gulf of Mexico.  When the platform sank it pulled the pipe that carried the oil from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico with it, and this caused the three breaks that have leaked over 3 million gallons of oil into the Gulf.

Initially, one could argue that accidents happen and that that is the price one must pay for nearly any activity.  Accidents happen and we have to live with this fact, but bizarrely we cannot use this logic with this situation.  If we are to assume that accidents happen then we must also anticipate that all parties are prepared to deal with this accident, and that obviously has not been the case in this disaster.  The above video shows that BP has three possible solutions for solving this disaster, but that they are not sure if any of them will work.  5,000 feet is a depth that BP is not accustomed to drilling in, and therefore they are not sure if their equipment can sustain the pressures at that depth.  However, they will try their best, but obviously their best is not good enough.  Their best is not good enough because a company cannot advocate the safety of offshore drilling and then be unprepared to deal with an accident; especially when you consider the harm that an accident would cause.  Being unprepared is not an accident -- it is incompetence.

It is incompetent and greedy to drill for oil at depths that would make it impossible to adequately deal with a leak, and no one should condone these actions.  Ideally, BP should never have been given the approval to drill in this area, yet that is another issue for another day.  However, we do need to consider that in February of 2009 BP said to the government that it could handle a leak of 6.8 million gallons a day, and that it is currently struggling to handle a leak 210,000 gallons a day.  Firstly, BP grossly over estimated its readiness, and secondly the government and people in general need to understand the dangers of a 6.8 million gallons a day leak.  The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 only leaked 10.8 million gallons of oil and that was the greatest oil related environmental disaster of all time, yet now we find it appropriate to entertain the prospect of an offshore oil drill that could leak out 6.8 million gallons in one day.  Under this scenario, a leak that lasted for a little over a day and a half would result in the greatest oil related environmental disaster in history, and I doubt that BP's ability to handle the issue would result in closing the leak in less than two days.  Proceeding to drill offshore with this possible scenario does not make any sense and is only asking for another disaster, and people need to understand this before they consider offshore drilling.

As this issue in the Gulf of Mexico continues over the coming months people will become more and more inclined to allocate blame to numerous parties.  Conservatives will find a way to say that Obama was unprepared for this disaster, and some people such as former FEMA head Michael Brown may even state that Obama and other liberals wanted this disaster because it will allow them to push for their environmental agenda.  Liberals will blame Obama because roughly a month ago he advocated the use of offshore oil drilling as a part of the nation's comprehensive environmental agenda.  Others will blame BP because this disaster is frankly their fault, and I find no fault in blaming BP.  BP needs to pay for as much of the clean up as humanly possible, and I could care less about how this could harm BP.  However, at a certain point we need to get past allocating blame, and instead we should decide what to do next.  Now that the true costs of domestic offshore oil drilling should be evident to all we need to reassess how America should address its energy needs.

Last week the Obama administration approved the creation of Cape Wind the first offshore wind farm in America.  Cape Wind will be located off the coast of Cape Cod, MA and will consist of 130 wind turbines.  The turbines will be located between 4 - 11 miles off the cost and will generate 170 megawatts of electricity or roughly 75% of the energy needs for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket.  This may be progress in the right direction, but this is America so people have to find something to complain about.  The complaints range from the idea that the turbines will be too ugly or that they will interfere with Native American religious traditions, and these complaints may have merit when you ignore the alternatives, but now ignoring the dangers of an oil dependent energy infrastructure cannot be ignored.  Wind energy may not be perfect and it will not solve all of our problems, but it must be considered a welcomed alternative to the prospect of the dangers of an oil leak.

We all need to know that BP will do its best to stop this leak because it is in their best interests to do so, but we all must not forget that their best is no longer good enough.  Their best has resulted in 11 deaths and over 3 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico.  As a society we need to understand that we should be able to find a better way to obtain energy.  This is not an issue that involves good guys and bad guys, but instead one that has established standards.  11 deaths and over 3 million gallons in the Gulf of Mexico should be below all of our standards.  Our standards should implore us to entertain other forms of energy, and while we debate our next move more oil will continue to flow into the Gulf of Mexico.

Remembering Eyjafjallajokull

Iceland died last week.  Its last request was for its ashes to be spread across Europe

        --  A little Eyjafjallajokull humor

Now that flights have resumed across Europe, and people have begun complaining about the amount of money they lost due to the disruptions caused by Eyjafjallajokull's volcanic eruption I find it only fitting to sit back and witness the awesome power that is mother nature.  Yes this volcano caused seismic headaches for anyone who intended to travel to or within Europe for roughly a week, but that is it. 

The airlines lost money and travellers lost money, but do people actually think someone was at fault for the flight cancellations?  Are people going to sue Iceland for not controlling its volcano, or Great Britain for not controlling the wind in its air space?  Most people I feel would prefer to lose money instead of flying into volcanic ash filled clouds that would destroy jet engines and inevitably result in a loss of lives.  Patience inspired by the awe of volcanic power was all Europe could do.

Or Europe could do this.

Despite how much fun drinking in airports and hating Iceland can be I think a sweet, educational song might be a bit more in order.

Remember if Eyjafjallajokull is too much to handle imagine how debilitating and panic ensuing the eruption of its volcanic neighbor Katla would be.  Katla is located only 12 miles away from Eyjafjallajokull and scientists believe they are connected by an underground network of magma channels.  Therefore, there is an increased chance of Katla erupting after Eyjafjallajokull, yet the eruption of Katla would be roughly ten times as powerful.  Katla would shoot higher and larger plumes of ash into the air that would dwarf these recent events, and by all accounts it is due an eruption.  Katla traditionally has erupted around every 80 years with its last eruption being in 1918.  Basically, for those people intent on recouping their monetary losses from over the past week they should consider buying stock in the European rail and bus industries.

Eyjafjallajokull will probably be remembered as a warm up for Katla, and if people become panicked from the warm up that does not bode well for the game.  We all need to refrain from petulantly flying into a storm regardless of whether the disturbances are a natural occurrence or self-inflicted. 

Maybe we should follow this guys advice by taking a nice, scenic drive in the country while probably listening to either Bjork or Sigur Ros

I like to think that he is driving away from the storm instead of into it, but who knows.

For more great pictures of Eyjafjallajokull vist The Big Picture

The Environmentally Friendly Shoe Box -- Eliminates the Shoe Box

Puma's Clever Little Bag will save 8,500 tons of paper and mean a 60% reduction in water and energy used during the production process

"Sustainability in business is no longer negotiable, it is absolutely necessary, and we companies are overdue in taking responsibility.  Business is part of the environmental problem; and we need to do what we can to fix it - companies need to lead the way."

           Puma's chief executive and chairman Jochen Zeitz

From 2011 Puma will start packaging their shoes in their "Clever Little Bag" with the aim of vastly reducing their carbon "pawprint".  The shoes in the "Clever Little Bag" will be framed in one single piece of cardboard and wrapped in a reusable shoe bag.  Customers can leave the cardboard frame at the store or take it home and recycle it.  The bag can be reused or recycled, and is biodegradable.

By thinking beyond the box Puma has displayed the facility with which business can work to improve the environment.  The "Clever Little Bag" will not result in any job losses, but in the long run will save Puma money.  The first year of implementation will result in a slight financial loss, but the following years will be cost neutral and eventually Puma will save money due to the amount of money not being spent during production.  The "Clever Little Bag" will save 8,500 tons of paper and mean a 60% reduction of water and energy used during the production process.  Not only will Puma directly benefit the environment by reducing their carbon "pawprint", but they will indirectly benefit the environment by allowing their consumers to be more environmentally conscious.  Consumers can now recycle the cardboard frame and reuse the bag instead of throwing away an entire shoe box.  In the increasingly hectic and business focused world that engulfs most people and turns them into consumers, it is a welcomed change for a company to give its consumers the chance to make a minor change that can improve the environment -- that many people have grown more and more inclined to ignore.

"We don't want to become complete purists.  We are not saying we have to be perfect, we know we are not in a perfect world, but [we] can improve some areas through things such as better technology."

          Puma's chief executive and chairman Jochen Zeitz

For more info on Puma's "Clever Little Bag" visit the BBC or Puma

Below is a clever little video about Puma's "Clever Little Bag"

400,000 People Planted 2 Million Trees

Amongst all the chaos in the world it is always good to point out people or groups who are doing the right things, and the Isha Foundation is one of those groups.

The Isha Foundation organized 400,000 people to plant over two million trees on a mountain in India in just 25 days.  Additionally, they also set a world record for planting over 800,000 trees seeds in just one day.

Many times the simplest acts can make the greatest difference, and it is great to see organizations that understand this.

Below is a video of the Isha Foundations founder Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev talking about their tree planting exploits, and for more information about Isha visit http://www.ishafoundation.org/

8.8 Earthquake Strikes Chile

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake has struck Chile today resulting in at least 82 deaths and counting.  Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has declared parts of Chile including the capital Santiago as in a "state of catastrophe".

In addition to the destruction that the earthquake has ravaged in Chile it is also the cause of a massive tsunami that has warranted warning is Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Central America, and Pacific island nations.

To put the strength of this earthquake in perspective we need to know that the earthquake that devastated Haiti a little over a month ago was only a category 7.0.  This one is nearly a category 9.0.

For more info on the earthquake visit the BBC.

Update on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 5:24PM by Barrett Holmes Pitner

The death toll has risen to above 200.

The Bloom Box - The Future of Clean Energy?

The Bloom Box is a cubicle fuel cell that you can hold in your hand that can provide clean renewable to your home.  Two fuel cell boxes will be able to provide energy for an American home, one box will provide energy for a European home, and one box will provide energy for two Asian homes.  The goal of Bloom Energy is provide boxes for homes at a cost of $3000.  The consumer would be able to pay $3000 once and then be able to do away with their energy bill forever in addition to improving the environment.

Bloom Energy has already signed Google, Ebay, FedEx, and WalMart as customers.

Bloom Energy's founder K.R. Sridhar was just on 60 Minutes and here is the video.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Haiti Chief Says Thousands May Be Dead

“Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed.
Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed.”
— President René Préval of Haiti

For more info go to the New York Times

Click to read more ...

Category 7.0 Earthquake Hits Haiti

The rubble of the Haitian Presidential Palac

Yesterday an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.0 rocked the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and has left the city's inhabitants plunged into chaos.  The death toll is already estimated to be in the thousands, and Port-au-Prince has a very long road to travel before it can resemble anything close to its previous normalcy.

Much of the catastrophe resides in that Haiti remains one of the poorest nations in the world, and that Port-au-Prince is one of the poorest capitals in the world.  The country is easily the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.  Therefore the previous infrastructure of the country was not what most would describe as sound.  Many buildings were constructed from cinder blocks, and to put it mildly were not erected to sustain earthquakes.  Granted most buildings are not made to sustain category 7.0 earthquakes, but the structural fragility of this Caribbean nation has only compounded the destruction.

After the earthquake a plum of grey dust fell over Port-au-Prince that arose from the destroyed cinder blocks.  Cellular phone towers were destroyed, and since cell phones are the major form of communication in the island nation, the entire population has been plunged into a  communication-less darkness.  Roads have been destroyed, so now it is nearly impossible to enter the capital city.  The only reports that we have been able to receive indicate hidespread destruction, and a capital city that has become engulfed in screams, and crying.

Tonight many Haitians are forced to dig amongst the rubble to find their loved ones.  Most over their homes have been destroyed, so now nearly all the 200,000 residents of the capital city are forced to sleep outside on the street in the midst of torrential rainfall.  Haiti has been thrown into chaos in the blink of an eye, and we all should feel the need to help.

We all can quickly help the Red Cross' International Response Fund for Haiti by texting HAITI to 90999.  This will provide a $10 donation that will appear on your phone bill.  (You can also donate more by this method if you so choose to.)

To get more information about the earthquake that has just hit Haiti, I recommend visiting The Rachel Maddow Show.  She allocated the entire hour of her telecast to Haiti and we all need to appreciate that.

Below is a video from her show and some additional pictures of the destruction.

Click to read more ...

Venice is Drowning

We've been told that Venice has been sinking for many years, but few would have predicted the record floods that have made Venice into what we feared, yet never believed would occur.

However, this appears to be a growing occurrence.  This years flood has brought 56.6 inches (144 centimeters) of rain, but December of last year brought 63 inches (160 centimeters)

December of last yearDecember of this year

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Why Copenhagen Failed

Can he fix Congress and Bad Timing to help the world?

The BBC has created a list of eight major factors that contributed to lack of a major international agreement concerning climate change.  You can see the full list HERE.  Out of that list of eight I feel two of the reasons, US Political System and Bad Timing, should resonate the most with Americans.  When an honest observer attributes our political system as one of the major factors that contributed to the disarray at Copenhagen, we all should pay attention.  Bad timing however is not necessarily something with can change, but simply something we can recognize. 

Click to read more ...

Climate Change Cartoon

Obama in Copenhagen

President Barack Obama arrived in Copenhagen today and expressed his frustration at how world leaders have failed to come to an agreement concerning climate change, yet at the same time he could not present an American alternative.  Yes American seems willing to work towards preventing climate change, but our efforts and offers concerning the issue are far below those of the European Union, Japan, and Russia.  President Obama had this to say on the matter,

"No country will get everything that it wants."

This pragmatism I feel has grown from two differing views of America:  the America everyone wants vs the America that actually exists.

The world hopes that America's new charismatic President will rekindle the worlds love for America by swooping in and saving the day.  In his first year he has travelled all over the world reestablishing international relationships and now these friendships should show some benefit.  They want President Obama to talk to the Chinese, and convince them to set climate targets that are subject to international law.  They want President Obama, the commander-in-chief, of the most powerful country in the world to set a bold statement about America's commitment to reducing climate change by setting audacious standards for reducing carbon emissions, funding alternative energies, and funding for developing nations.  This is what the world wants America to be, but this is not modern day America.

America does not want to change, and they do not want to lead the world in that change.  America today fights its hardest to stay the same, and that makes it worse.  Congress currently argues the benefit of universal health care while more Americans become uninsured everyday.  Member countries of the European Union, Japan, and even Russia have forms of universal health care, and all acknowledge the benefit of socialized medicine.  Additionally, we have members of Congress who argue about whether climate change is even real or just an elaborate hoax being played on the world, but scientists who hate big business. Before we even know it congressmen will argue about whether we actually landed on the moon.  Americans also boast about the validity of creationism, the insanity of Darwin, and the necessity of school prayer.  Despite the greatness of this country and the potential it possesses we seem incapable of stepping up to the plate in large enough numbers for it to matter.  Yes the President tries, and so do some members of Congress, but thus far it does not seem like enough.

At present we have a limp, if not counter-productive health care bill being debated in the Senate, that if passed would only allow us to not fall farther behind the world in health care.  The economy does not appear to be improving, and we still have two wars to solve.  We may have elected superman as our President, but America appears to have krytonite in abundance.  The ideal America may want to solve the problems in Copenhagen, but the actual America prevents it from doing so.

For more info on President Obama's Copenhagen trip go HERE.

To get more insight into President Obama's predicament go HERE.

The Lost City of Atlantis Found?

French archaeologist claim that they have found the lost city of Atlantis or at the very least an ancient civilization in the waters of the Caribbean Sea.  MSNBC's The Morning Meeting with Dylan Ratigan covered the story today.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Now the lost city of Atlantis may seem farfetched or impossible to some, but I find the prospect of unknown worlds to be fascinating.  The world could be an unknown indigenous tribe in the amazon, aliens from another planet, ancient civilizations or even the unknown abode of a neighbor, but they all are a chance to examine and learn new ways to live.  The prospect of finding a new civilization that may be older than the ancient Egyptians should be exciting to all people.

For more info on Atlantis I recommend learning about Edgar Cayce.  I have attached a video about him on the next page.

Click to read more ...

The Year in Pictures - A Beautiful Oasis and Taking the Time to Exhale

Time Magazine released their Year in Pictures special today, and as I perused the images one fact became frighteningly obvious.  Few positive events have occurred over the past year.  Many pictures depict wars ranging from the Middle East to Africa and even pirates in the Indian Ocean, others show death including celebrities, politicians and fallen aircraft.  Others showed the hardships resulting from the economic down turn ranging from tent cities, to vacated buildings.  The Iranian revolution occupies many pictures and it should, yet apart from the gorgeous artistic photo this may be the second most positive image from the series.  The Iranian people may not have won, but at least they are fighting for the right things.  The main images that displayed positivity where the many that featured Barack Obama.

I must admit that I have supported Barack Obama since before he declared that he would run for the presidency, so it only makes sense that I would find something positive amongst his images, yet that was not the case here.  President Barack Obama truly was the only positive image from the 47 pictures that Time selected.  He was the oasis in the midst of the depressing desert that has become the news.  This should indicate the work that needs to be done to improve our surroundings, but it also indicates that we may have created a good starting point.  Only Time will tell.

I recommend that we work hard to improve our world, but never be afraid to check the time (or the date) and exhale (or inhale) deeply.

Thousands of people on the quad at the University of Colorado in Boulder exhale marijuana at 4:20 p.m. on April 20, an annual ritual marking the drug's unofficial national holiday. To view Time Magazines "The Year in Pictures" go HERE.

Copenhagen UPDATE

"We're going back," Pa Ousman Jarju from the delegation of Gambia, told Reuters after a meeting of the African group.

The African countries have been coaxed back to the discussion tables after the conference was suspended for about half a day due to them pulling out of talks.  The conference can recommence now.

This seems like a good strategic decision by the African group, but only time will tell.  They needed to flex their muscles to illustrate that they cannot be ignored, and effectively calling an end to talks will make sure you are not ignored.  However, the remaining days will determine if this disruption caused more harm than good.