Gulf Oil Spill Photo Gallery

My 6-year old saw some tears while I was looking at the damage being done by this spill. There aren’t words to explain that HIS children will most likely see the devastation it’s causing. Even I didn’t fully grasp that concept until I saw the dragonfly in the above clip. It’s heartbreaking to see even the smallest creature so negatively affected. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of the Gulf Coast and with those who are working on a solution for the leak.

The Oil Spill Blow out Preventer. When they discovered that the Hydraulic Rams would not close, they should have removed the end caps from the Hydraulics. This would expose the two way pistons. Exposed the pistons could be driven in by ROV’s using extended rams.
By striking the end of the pistons, they could drive the cutting knives to the end of their stroke. The knives when closed would seal the open
well bore. Its not that big a deal, if you understand hydraulics. This way the riser remains could be removed. The knives are designed to cut drill pipe in half in an emergency, with proper hydraulic pressure.

A terrible tragedy and awful devastation of our environment.
I think peoples anger for BP is however highly hypercritical. I would like to make the following points.
1/ BP is driven by demand….that demand comes from us. We are all in part responsible for this disaster.
2/ Everything coming out of the well will end up in our environment anyway. Whether it is emitted as exhaust from vehicles, dumped as plastics, or injected into our environment through some other avenue every liter of the oil leaking from that well would have poisoned our environment anyway. Make no mistake about that.
3/ I love the pics of the desperate fishermen leaning on there huge gas guzzling DMCs. I bet you my last dollar they mostly drive big petrol hungry vehicles with 4 liter engines. I would love it if just one fisherman wrote me to say he uses a car running on natural gas.
3/Maybe now Americans/the world will wake up to the reality of oil based economies and the dreadful legacy it creates. I am sure the Republicans are quivering in there ten gallon hats or Moose skin coats at the prospect of the public finally realizing the brutal reality of what oil is doing to our environment. All i can say is at least in the Gulf the damage is confined to a certain extent. Can you imagine how many plastic bags and bottles could be created from the spill and the ensuing distribution of that pollution across the entire united states!
4/ Will lessons be learned? Will there be a convincing change of heart….will there be drill baby drill? Maybe now its time to really make the step away from that stinking brown sticky stuff we all so much depend upon everyday…..the will must come from all of us.