(Ellen Cantarow, Tomdispatch.com, July 18, 2010)
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Think of oil civilization in its late stages as a form of global terrorism.

If you live on the Gulf Coast, welcome to the real world of oil — and just know that you’re not alone.  In the Niger Delta and the Ecuadorian Amazon, among other places, your emerging hell has been the living hell of local populations for decades. . . . Three federal appeals court judges with financial and other ties to big oil were rejecting the Obama administration’s proposed drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico.  Pollution from the BP spill there was seeping into Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans. Clean-up crews were discovering that a once-over of beaches isn’t nearly enough: somehow, the oil just keeps reappearing. Endangered sea turtles and other creatures were being burnt alive in swaths of ocean (“burn fields”) ignited by BP to “contain” its catastrophe.  The lives and livelihoods of fishermen and oyster-shuckers were being destroyed. » Continue reading “It’s not only in the Gulf: Big Oil Makes War on the Planet”

(Marion Nestle, Food Politics, July 18, 2010)
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So says a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO): GAO identified a variety of products that currently incorporate nanomaterials already available in commerce … [in] food and agriculture …The extent to which nanomaterials present a risk to human health and the environment depends on a combination of the toxicity of specific nanomaterials and the route and level of exposure to these materials. Although the body of research related to nanomaterials is growing, the current understanding of the risks posed by these materials is limited. . . . In the meantime, the European Food Safety Authority is preoccupied with issues related to the safety of food nanotechnology: The risk assessment framework for nanotechnology in Europe—like so much else connected to the technology—appears to be in its infancy but developing at a rapid pace … Nano knowledge gaps have led some to call for a ban on the use of nanomaterials in food products until their safety has been fully established. One area of concern is whether nanoparticles can migrate from packaging materials into foods. . . . In seeking to assess nanomaterials, the food safety body repeatedly used phrases such as “specific uncertainties”, “limited knowledge” and…”difficult to characterise, detect and measure” in relation to toxicokinetics and toxicology in food. Likely usage and exposure levels are also largely a mystery.  . . . The European Food Safety Authority says that lack of knowledge means that risk assessment of risk assessments must be done on a “cautious case-by-case approach.” . . . Last April, the European Parliament’s environment committee said nanotech products should be withdrawn from the market until more is known about their safety. In June, that committee added that nanotech foods should be assessed for safety before they are approved for use and labeled. . . . Doesn’t that sound reasonable? Let’s hope it’s not too late to put such constraints in place, and in the U.S., too.

The images above were found at:
BP Gulf Oil Spill Photos Show What BP Doesn’t Want You To See, The Real Reason Constitution Has Been Suspended

(dazebao.org, July 13, 2010)
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The huge oil slick could, in all probability, cause irreparable damage to the activity of thermal regulation of the Gulf Stream, with a domino effect on global climate of the planet. . . . This is what says a study published on the website of the Italian Geophysics by the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences Climate ISAC-CNR. The summary of the study, is signed by Gianlugi Zangari, a theoretical physicist, is born by the National Laboratories of Frascati, after careful observation, satellite in real time, the large area of concern. . . . According to the Italian scientist, Gianlugi Zangari, maps of sea surface velocity and height, indicating that the Loop Current is broken for the first time May 18, creating a reel clockwise. . . . » Continue reading “Italian Scientists Fear BP Gusher Damaged Gulf Stream”

July 15, 2010

It is not surprising if you didn’t know that your favorite Apple gadgets — your iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac — are linked to the conflict engulfing the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo today and for the past dozen years. Most people don’t know – which is in part why the war in Congo has gone on for so long. With more than 5 million people killed, it is the deadliest conflict since World War II.

When I watched this, Google overlaid an advertisement from an oil company apologist. I didn’t click on it, but after watching this NASA time lapse imagery from the oil gusher in the Gulf, I do wonder what in the world they could say to make me feel good about the unimaginable destruction that is taking place on our little planet.

(Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone, Jun 22, 2010)
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The oil giant plans to start drilling in the Arctic this fall — and the Obama administration is doing nothing to stop it . . . Obama’s tough-guy act offers no guarantee that oil giants like BP won’t be permitted to repeat the same mistakes that led to the nightmare in the Gulf. Indeed, top environmentalists warn, the suspension of drilling appears to be little more than a stalling tactic designed to let public anger over BP’s spill subside before giving Big Oil the go-ahead to drill in an area that has long been off-limits: the Arctic Ocean. The administration has approved plans by both BP and Shell Oil to drill a total of 11 exploratory wells in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas above Alaska — waters far more remote and hostile than the Gulf. Shell’s operations could proceed as soon as the president’s suspension expires in January. And thanks to an odd twist in its rig design, BP’s drilling in the Arctic is on track to get the green light as soon as this fall. . . . Ken Salazar, the Interior secretary whose staff allowed BP to drill in the Gulf based on pro-industry rules cooked up during the Bush years, has made no secret of his determination to push the “frontier” of oil drilling into the Arctic. » Continue reading “BP’s Next Disaster”

While people in the States are now avoiding BP fuel stations, I understand that the U.S. military gets about 80% of it’s oil from British Petroleum. I guess they’ll just change their name once again.

(Riki Ott, AlterNet, June 12, 2010)
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British Petrolium — not our president — controls the response. In fact, people on the ground say things are out of control in the gulf. . . . Even worse, as my latest week of adventures illustrate, British Petrolium is using federal agencies to shield itself from public accountability. . . . » Continue reading “British Petrolium Is Destroying Evidence and Censoring Journalists”