Monday, March 28, 2005Industrial poisoning of our drinking and sporting watersGULF OF MEXICO: POISONING SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE Mercury enters the Gulf of Mexico from many sources-from coal-burning power plants, chlor-alkali plants, and other combustion sources, as well as river discharges, particularly from the Mississippi River.1 Large amounts of rainfall combined with high emissions in the Gulf States have created a "hot spot" for mercury that runs from the Mississippi River in Louisiana to the southern tip of Florida. According to the Mercury Deposition Network, in Mobile, Alabama, the level of "airborne mercury deposits was two to five times greater than the quantity recorded over much of eastern North America" in 2003. Mercury levels ran from 18 micrograms per square meter west of New Orleans to 26.8 micrograms near Bay Minette and 28.8 micrograms by Fort Lauderdale. These levels are clearly higher than the 4.9 to 11.2 micrograms typically seen on the Atlantic Coast, Northeast, and upper Midwest.2 Failure to limit these human-induced sources of mercury to the environment has resulted in Gulf-wide fish advisories. For instance, larger king mackerel throughout the Gulf are so contaminated that advisories, which frequently apply only to women and children, instead apply to everyone. Because people who live in the Gulf states rely so heavily on fish in their diet, they are at an increased risk for mercury contamination. In a study of 65 people, the Mobile Register found that Gulf Coast inhabitants who eat fish regularly might have mercury contamination in their bodies five to 10 times higher than levels considered safe by the EPA.3 FLORIDA: IMPACT TO VACATIONLAND All of Florida's waters, lakes, and rivers are under fish consumption advisories for some species because of mercury contamination. Florida's largest emitter of mercury pollution is the Crystal River power plant, helping the state to rank 18th in the nation for mercury pollution.1 The Bush administration's failure to clean up mercury pollution in Florida's waters recently prompted the Sierra Club to file a lawsuit challenging the EPA's illegal approval of a list of impaired Florida waters. This list, submitted by Florida's Jeb Bush administration, omitted 97 mercury-contaminated waters from the state's mandatory clean-up list of polluted waters. Instead, several of these waters were put on an unauthorized "planning list," which means that the state has no immediate schedule to clean up these waters even though they are impaired by mercury. 1 2002 Toxic Release Inventory posted @ 11:56 AM PDT [link] [Karma: 1 (+/-)] [1 Comment] Family Guy back by popular demand The Family Guy is the first show to be brought back to prime time by the same network that cancelled it. This is great news for folks who think Homer Simpson is a bit too intellectual. I remember seeing an espisode on FOX not long ago wherein they blurred the naked animated butt of one of the characters, fearing a half million dollar fine from the FCC. An ANIMATED butt! And I know it was blurred out becasue I own all the episodes on DVD and there ain't no blurring there. This show definitely has some wild antics that will keep the conservatives watching so they can complain. The FCC will probably hire a team just to monitor it. At least we'll be entertained before the moral majority shuts it down again. Long live Stewie! May the Earth cower in his presence! posted @ 11:06 AM PDT [link] [Karma: -1 (+/-)] [No Comments] Tom Delay helped murder his own father Fro the LA Times: http://tinyurl.com/4ly6n ""There was no point to even really talking about it," Maxine DeLay, the congressman's 81-year-old widowed mother, recalled in an interview last week. "There was no way [Charles] wanted to live like that. Tom knew — we all knew — his father wouldn't have wanted to live that way." Doctors advised that he would "basically be a vegetable," said the congressman's aunt, JoAnne DeLay. When his father's kidneys failed, the DeLay family decided against connecting him to a dialysis machine. "Extraordinary measures to prolong life were not initiated," said his medical report, citing "agreement with the family's wishes." His bedside chart carried the instruction: "Do not resuscitate."" Hypocrite. posted @ 01:26 AM PDT [link] [Karma: 0 (+/-)] [No Comments] Sunday, March 27, 2005Happy EasterAs a union worker I got Good Friday off, but I'm the only person I know in the Bay Area that got the day off other than the woman next door who works for Catholic Charities. We just watched "Goodbye, Lenin", an interesting though too long look at the changes in East Germany after the wall came down. Recommended if you are interested in other cultures, or the effects of the West on the East. Not recommended if you can't read subtitles or hate contrived situations. Terri Schiavo's parents have finally given up their fight to drag out her death. I think I'll watch Hidalgo next if Erin's up for it. Right now they are comparing croccodiles and hippos on Wild Kingdom. Remember that show? It used to be the only way to see all the cool animals in the world. Now it's just one of many shows on the Animal Planet network. The hippo won as most powerful animal in the African river. Blogging is fun. posted @ 04:59 PM PDT [link] [Karma: 1 (+/-)] [No Comments] |
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