Our wonderful government says that most of the oil in the Gulf is gone. That somehow a magical oil fairy came down when we were all sleeping waved her wand and "poof" everything is back to normal and we can all live happily ever after.
And now for the reality of the situation from a couple of scientists who've been studying spills for a couple of years:
Independent scientists scoffed at the report's findings. Several pointed out that the report estimates that a quarter of the oil is still floating in the gulf or contaminating beaches and marshes, while another quarter was dispersed, either with chemicals or naturally.
In other words, half of it, or about 2.5 million barrels, is still unrecovered.
"I don't think that's real good news," said James "Rip" Kirby, a University of South Florida coastal geologist who has been studying the spill's effects on Panhandle beaches. "That to me is like saying, 'Yee-haw, the Chicago Cubs are only 10 games out of first place!' "
Rick Steiner, a retired University of Alaska professor who worked on the Exxon Valdez disaster, questioned the validity of the estimates in the report, explaining, "These are just what we call WAGs — wild- a-- guesses."
Even if the report's numbers were dead-on, Steiner said, that would not mean the oil spill disaster is over, as some pundits are claiming. The impact is likely to linger for a decade or more.
For instance, in the Exxon Valdez spill, four years passed before the herring population in Prince William Sound collapsed. The toxic contamination had apparently hurt the herrings' immune system.
Personnaly I'd like to see some more of the university's findings. They had sent their research boat out to take samples back in June. Wonder if they did any follow up?
Bank fails later as usual.
Update: Only one bank failed this week in IL.
8 comments:
I'd like to see some more WAGs.
The smoke machine alone was worth the entry fee.
Is that where the term blowing smoke out your ass came from;)
Or Up yours. :-)
I saw that enema thing a few years back. Just because the well is capped now doesn't mean that things will be well there again, things in the gulf has been going downhill for some time now.
There's hundreds of old wells there that still leak some but it don't show on the surface so they don't get worked up about it because it doesn't hurt tourism.
I think it will in the future though, after all, they are killing the gulf for some bucks.
*Say's Billy as he cranks up his boat motor for a boat ride.*
If the broadcasting industry should decide to gift Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck with some kind of award, that smoke enema outfit would be perfect. Just brass plate it and mount it on a slab of brown-stained particle board.
Re: the fanciful Gulf oil report. The government should commission a panel of independent academic scientists to evaluate the situation now and monitor it at intervals for at least the next three years.
I really don't want the administration competing for one of those awards I mentioned.
I refuse to believe they can lie and make people think this will be okay. The fishermen say people are afraid to buy their catch. I wouldn't! They keep saying there is no oil in the fish they are testing but I refuse to believe it, and the damn dispersant!
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