Finite Circuit

beeishappy: Stephen Colbert salutes UVA’s Class of...

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:18:41 -0500

beeishappy:

Stephen Colbert salutes UVA’s Class of 2013 Followed by this.

Video

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:46 -0500

mohandasgandhi: A Deadly Paradox: Scientists Discover the Agent...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:00:06 -0500

mohandasgandhi:

A Deadly Paradox: Scientists Discover the Agent Used in Gulf Spill Cleanup Is Destroying Marine Life (This is vile)

After the spill, BP secured about a third of the world’s supply of dispersants, namely Corexit 9500 and 9527, according to The New York Times. Of the two, 9527 is more toxic. Corexit dispersants emulsify oil into tiny beads, causing them to sink toward the bottom. Wave action and wind turbulence degrade the oil further, and evaporation concentrates the toxins in the oil-Corexit mixture, including dangerous compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), known to cause cancer and developmental disorders.

BP says that Corexit is harmless to marine life, while the Environmental Protection Agency has waffled, saying both that “long term effects [of dispersants] on aquatic life are unknown” and that data “do not indicate any significant effects on aquatic life. Moreover, decreased size of the oil droplets is a good indication that, so far, the dispersant is effective.”

But many scientists, such as Dr. William Sawyer, a Louisiana toxicologist, argue that Corexit can be deadly to people and sea creatures alike. “Corexit components are also known as deodorized kerosene,” Sawyer said in a written statement for the Gulf Oil Disaster Recovery Group, a legal consortium representing environmental groups and individuals affected by the Deepwater Horizon spill. “With respect to marine toxicity and potential human health risks, studies of kerosene exposures strongly indicate potential health risks to volunteers, workers, sea turtles, dolphins, breathing reptiles and all species which need to surface for air exchanges, as well as birds and all other mammals.” When Corexit mixes with and breaks down crude, it makes the oil far more “bioavailable” to plants and animals, critics allege, because it is more easily absorbed in its emulsified state.

Sawyer tested edible fish and shellfish from the Gulf for absorption of petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC), believed to have been facilitated by Corexit. Tissue samples taken prior to the accident had no measurable PHC. But after the oil spill, Sawyer found tissue concentrations up to 10,000 parts per million, or 1 percent of the total. The study, he said, “shows that the absorption [of the oil] was enhanced by the Corexit.”

In April 2012, Louisiana State University’s Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences was finding lesions and grotesque deformities in sea life—including millions of shrimp with no eyes and crabs without eyes or claws—possibly linked to oil and dispersants.

The shocking story was ignored by major U.S. media, but covered in depth byAl Jazeera. BP said such deformities were “common” in aquatic life in the Gulf and caused by bacteria or parasites. But further studies point back to the spill.

A just-released study from the University of South Florida found that underwater plumes of BP oil, dispersed by Corexit, had produced a “massive die-off” of foraminifera, microscopic organisms at the base of the food chain. Other studies show that, as a result of oil and dispersants, plankton have either been killed or have absorbed PAHs before being consumed by other sea creatures.

[…]

EcoRigs divers took water and marine life samples at several locations in the months following the blowout. Now, they and countless other Gulf residents are sick, with symptomsresembling something from a sci-fi horror film, including bleeding from the nose, ears, breasts, and even anus. Others complain of cognitive damage, including what one man calls getting “stuck stupid,” when he temporarily cannot move or speak, but can still hear.

“If we are getting sick, then you know the marine life out in the Gulf is too,”Kolian said. The diver and researcher completed an affidavit on human and marine health used in GAP’s report.

Kolian’s team has done studies of their own to alarming results. “We recently submitted a paper showing levels of hydrocarbons in seafood were up to 3,000 times higher than safety thresholds for human consumption,” he said. “Concentrations in biota [i.e. all marine life] samples were even greater.”

(Continue reading…)

Recall the horrid symptoms other Gulf residents are experiencing and how BP has tried to downplay the toxicity of the dispersant used, Corexit, which is over 50 times more toxic than the oil itself when the two mix.

amprog: How we should handle trash.

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:18:47 -0500

amprog:

How we should handle trash.

laboratoryequipment: Engineered Cell Walls Boost Sugar Yields...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:03:19 -0500

laboratoryequipment:

Engineered Cell Walls Boost Sugar Yields for Biofuels

When blessed with a resource in overwhelming abundance it’s generally a good idea to make valuable use of that resource. Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant organic material on Earth. For thousands of years it has been used as animal feed, and for the past two centuries has been a staple of the paper industry. This abundant resource, however, could also supply the sugars needed to produce advanced biofuels that can supplement or replace fossil fuels, providing several key technical challenges are met. One of these challenges is finding ways to more cost-effectively extract those sugars. Major steps towards achieving this breakthrough are being taken by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI).

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/engineered-cell-walls-boost-sugar-yields-biofuels

thepeoplesrecord: The Exxon Mobil pipeline spill on Friday...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:45:31 -0500

thepeoplesrecord:

The Exxon Mobil pipeline spill on Friday afternoon unleashed 12,000 barrels of oil & water, causing the evacuation of 22 homes in Arkansas.

oldenough2burmom: A long list. Probably best to print it up and...

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 04:33:43 -0500

oldenough2burmom:

A long list. Probably best to print it up and take it with you when you shop.

political-linguaphile: The Koch Brothers Exposed: The film I...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:31:06 -0500

political-linguaphile:

The Koch Brothers Exposed: The film

I just watched this documentary on Netflix, and I promise you, it’s the scariest film you’ll watch in your life. If you don’t know who the Koch brothers are, I highly recommend you read this post and then watch the “Koch Brothers Exposed”. They own you. They are destroying your life and future. You should at least know about it.

climateadaptation: How much water does it take to frack a gas...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:30:32 -0500

climateadaptation:

How much water does it take to frack a gas well? About 4 Million gallons per well, equivalent amount of water 11,000 families use each day.

greenpeace: Activists in many countries took action today to...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:50:37 -0500

greenpeace:

Activists in many countries took action today to remind General Electric, Hitachi and Toshiba of their involvement in Fukushima: they designed, built and maintained Fukushima’s reactors and cannot keep now hiding from their responsibilities for the nuclear disaster.

YOU can help! Please SIGN http://act.gp/ZiHzDg and reblog to spread the word!

huffpostpolitics: artistsagainstfracking: Watch our new video:...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:10:00 -0500

huffpostpolitics:

artistsagainstfracking:

Watch our new video: “Don’t Frack My Mother”

So this is happening.

nativeamericannews: VAWA, Good News-Bad News, and Dirty Oil:...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:11:20 -0600

nativeamericannews:

VAWA, Good News-Bad News, and Dirty Oil: How Obama Gave Himself Cover to Kill Native Sacred Sites

INCREDIBLE NEWS: On Thursday, February 28th, 2013, the House of Representatives finally decided that Native women, LGBTQ women, and immigrant women were worthy of protections from rape, stalking and sexual assaults via Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. This was a huge deal for Tribes, ironically as it was a substantial step toward the end of “tribes” and the beginning of “nations” for Native people—being able to regulate all people within their territories. President Obama stood strong for tribal sovereignty in this very important matter for Native people.

guardian: Greenpeace occupies George Osborne’s Conservative...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:33:38 -0600

guardian:

Greenpeace occupies George Osborne’s Conservative headquarters in fracking protest

The protest followed polling in Tatton commissioned by Greenpeace from ComRes which shows that just over half of Osborne’s constituents would opt for wind or solar-generated energy, compared with just 15% who want gas Photograph: CHRISTOPHER THOMOND/Guardian

breakingnews: Six underground radioactive waste tanks at the...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 18:53:11 -0600

breakingnews:

Six underground radioactive waste tanks at the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site are leaking, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Friday.

Inslee made the announcement after meeting with federal officials.

Last week it was revealed that one of the 177 tanks at the site was leaking liquids. Inslee called the latest news “disturbing”.

Photo: Mark Ralston / AFP - Getty Images file

More on the story here

Photo

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:15:27 -0600

shrinkingplanet: Montana rancher Clint McRae giving public...

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 07:00:58 -0600

shrinkingplanet:

Montana rancher Clint McRae giving public input at the Environmental Impact Statement Scoping Meeting for the Gateway Pacific coal terminal at Cherry Point in Seattle this past December. McRae is the “imposing face of Rocky Mountain coal opposition” who gave this powerful testimony at the meeting.

jaymallinphotos: The coal-fired Mount Storm Power Station near...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 05:48:26 -0600

jaymallinphotos:

The coal-fired Mount Storm Power Station near Mt. Storm, Virginia.

"Coal is the most vilified energy source. And the coal industry is under fire like never before. One..."

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:46:51 -0600

“Coal is the most vilified energy source. And the coal industry is under fire like never...

rhamphotheca: Concord, Mass., Becomes 1st City in U.S. to Ban...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 04:18:46 -0600

rhamphotheca:

Concord, Mass., Becomes 1st City in U.S. to Ban Plastic Water Bottles!

by Michael Graham Richard

Back in 2010, we wrote about efforts by citizens of Concord, Mass., to ban the use of plastic water bottles in their city: The effort was lead by Jean Hill, an 82-year old activist, who lobbied neighbors and officials alike on the consequences of plastic bottles filling landfills and polluting local waters. ‘All these discarded bottles are damaging our planet, causing clumps of garbage in the oceans that hurt fish, and are creating more pollution on our streets,’ said Hil.

It has taken a few years for the ban to take effect, but as of January 1st 2013, Concord became among the first U.S. communities to ban single-serving plastic water bottles.

Water bottles might seem like a small thing, but according to Ban the Bottle:

“It takes 17 million barrels of oil per year to make all the plastic water bottles used in the U.S. alone. That’s enough oil to fuel 1.3 million cars for a year.” Their website also states: “In 2007, Americans consumed over 50 billion single serve bottles of water. With a recycling rate of only 23%, over 38 billion bottles end up in landfills.”…

(read more: TreeHugger) (photo: Steven Depolo)

tankmonster: nativeamericanrightsmovement: The Kayapo declare...

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 01:59:32 -0600

tankmonster:

nativeamericanrightsmovement:

The Kayapo declare war with the energy companies and government of Brazil.

FUCK YES.