Wednesday, June 30, 2010

People on the streets' opinion in changes in energy

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Robot Lifeguards?

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Saturday, June 26, 2010

"Hands Across the Sand"

Pensacola Beach, Florida


Brick, New Jersey shore.

Girlfriend, Liz.



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William Allen Kruse


How many suicides will it take?

My heartfelt sympathy and prayers for all suffering and dying from this onslaught of liquid death.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Larry King's Gulf Telethon allows for immediate relief to the victims of the spill

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Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Large and small donations flowed in Monday evening as dozens of celebrities answered phones for Larry King's telethon to help the people of the U.S. Gulf Coast suffering from the oil disaster.

"A hundred dollars? Wow! Thanks you so much," rocker Tyson Ritter told one donor who called in.

The two-hour CNN show raised $1.3 million with proceeds going to three charities deeply involved in the efforts to help humans, wildlife and the environment.

"Everyone's really pissed off," actress Jenny McCarthy, who was monitoring online messages in the telethon's "Tweet Suite," told host Ryan Seacrest.

Donors could choose to send their money to the United Way, National Wildlife Fund or The Nature Conservancy.

Celebrity journalist Giuliana Rancic said she was on the phone with "Barbara" from Kokomo, Indiana.

"She's saying it's the animals," Rancic said.

Actress Victoria Principal sat next to her on another call.

"We're just talking about the wildlife," Principal said.

Singer Aaron Neville, a New Orleans native, said most of the calls he answered in New York were from people concerned about animals impacted by the oil.

"People are crying on the phone and giving money," Neville said.

Actor Ted Danson said it was important for him to "hear people's emotions, their fear and sadness" when they called in donations.

CNN correspondents reported live from the Gulf Coast, interviewing people whose lives have been interrupted by the oil disaster.

"The toughest thing I see is losing a way of life that we've had down here for generations and generations," said shrimper Archie Dantin in Pointe a la Hache, Louisiana.

A BP spokesman issued a statement Monday saying the oil company is "proceeding with urgency to make the situation right for the environment and for those who have affected by this tragic event."

"We stated from the beginning that we accept responsibility for cleaning up the spill and for paying all legitimate claims for those directly impacted financially by this environmental disaster," BP's statement said.

The company said over 65,000 claims have been submitted and more than 32,000 payments have been made, totaling more than $107 million.

"The average time from filing a claim to checks being issued is only a few days," BP siad. "Even for more complex business claims that have provided supporting documentation."

"I don't think they're responding fast enough," shrimper Keillen Williams said.

Retired NBA star Jalen Rose, who was helping answered phones at CNN's Los Angeles bureau, said he is sure President Barack Obama will make BP pay.

"But it will take time for that to happen, so we're here today to provide immediate relief to those in need," Rose said.



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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Kevin Costner to the Gulf's rescue? Let's pray this works!

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?


(CNN) -- BP officials have turned to a new source for help with their oil cleanup efforts: actor Kevin Costner.

The oil giant announced Monday that it had ordered 32 machines from Costner's company, the actor told CNN in an exclusive interview on "AC360."

The machines use a centrifuge mechanism to separate oil from water and recycle the crude at the same time, Costner said.

"This is the key, it's the linchpin to people going back to work. It's certainly a way to fight oil spills in the 21st century," he said. "It creates an efficiency where there are no efficiencies out there, and it's been a long time coming."

Costner said he had been working on developing the machine since 1992 or 1993 with the help of his brother, a scientist.

Each machine ways about 4,000 pounds, he said, and will allow crews to collect more oil.

"Skimmers are picking up 90 percent water, 10 percent oil, and they throw it into a barge ... What this machine simply does, in that particular case, will give a pure payload. Suddenly a barge will be coming back to shore with 99 percent oil as opposed to the other way around," he said.

Costner described the machine to a congressional committee last week.

"It may seem an unlikely scenario that I'm the one delivering this technology at this moment in time, but from where I'm sitting, it is equally inconceivable that these machines are not already in place," he said.



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Can't get enough of the incomparable Betty White!

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Monday, June 14, 2010

Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928-June 13, 2010)


(CNN) -- Country music artist and sausage entrepreneur Jimmy Dean died at his home in Varina, Virginia, Sunday evening, police said. He was 81.

Dean, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, was with his wife, Donna, at the time of his death, which appears to be from natural causes, said R.J. Clark of the Henrico County Police department.

Musically, Dean is best known for his song "Big Bad John," which made it to No. 1 on both the country and pop charts in 1961 and was honored with a Grammy. His narrative style of song also produced hits like "Little Black Book" and "P.T. 109" -- a song about John F. Kennedy's command in the South Pacific during World War II.

Starting in 1963, he hosted a successful variety show on ABC called "The Jimmy Dean Show," which ran for three years. Regulars on the program included Roger Miller and puppeteer Jim Henson, making Rowlf -- a piano-playing dog -- an early Muppet favorite.

In the late 1960s Dean also appeared regularly on the NBC series "Daniel Boone." He played Boone's friend Josh Clements.

At about the same time, Dean started the Jimmy Dean Meat Company. Dean eventually sold his meat company to Sara Lee Foods in 1984, but remained its chairman and TV spokesman, which kept him in the public eye until recent years.

Dean was born Seth Ward in Olton, Texas, on August 10, 1928. His mom taught him piano starting at age 10, but he also learned how to play the guitar, harmonica, and accordion.

After his discharge from the Air Force in 1948 he put together a band called the Texas Wildcats and played in the Washington, D.C., area

"We played every dive in Washington at one time or another," Dean said in his biography on the Country Music Hall of Fame website. "And dives is what they were."

Dean was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year.

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Sunday, June 13, 2010

Some Tips for Going Green

Going green doesn't have to cost a lot of green! Use these simple tips to make a positive impact on the environment while keeping your wallet intact. It's easy, even for the laziest of environmentalists.

•Shut down and unplug electronics. Make small changes to use – and pay for – less energy, like shutting down your computer when you're not using it and plugging your cell phone and other electronics into power strips so you can turn several devices off with one switch.


•Wash your clothes in cold water. By using cold water instead of warm, the average household can avoid emitting 1,281 pounds of carbon dioxide annually and save on energy bills.


•Fill your bottle with filtered tap water. Choose the greener solution by using a reusable bottle, like the FilterForGood bottle, and filling it with filtered tap water. If you use a Brita filtration system you can make another responsible choice by recycling your pitcher filter when you replace it, which should be about every two months (or every 40 gallons).


•Update your wardrobe for less. Instead of consuming new products, trade fashionable clothes, accessories, cosmetics and shoes for free (you only pay for shipping). By swapping merchandise you can lower the amount of harmful emissions caused by the manufacturing process. Check out swapstyle.com to learn more.


•Exchange CDs, DVDs and books instead of buying. Now you can avoid purchasing new products without forfeiting your entertainment needs. Visit swapacd.com, swapadvd.com and paperbackswap.com for access to thousands of CDs, books and DVDs.


•Use refurbished electronics. You can get refurbished electronics for a steal (they often sell for less than 50 percent of the retail price!), and before they're resold to the public, they go through an intense defect-testing process and the warranties usually remain intact. So you can save money and help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. Shop at www.dyscern.com and
www.refurbdepot.com.


•Use kitchenware products made of recycled materials. Preserve uses items such as recycled Brita pitcher filters and empty yogurt containers to make their line of colorful kitchen gear. Since they're about the same price as regular kitchenware, it's a no-brainer to choose Preserve products. Visit preserveproducts.com to find a retailer near you.


For more tips check out the FilterForGood Blog, which serves up ideas to green your world six days a week.


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Is this what we want our children to inherit?




Saturday, June 12, 2010

Protests over spill to take place across five continents today

Environmentalists plan to stage a worldwide protest against BP on Saturday as it takes hits from politicians and Gulf residents.

Worldwide BP Protest Day claims demonstrations will take place in more than 50 cities across five continents from Pensacola, Florida, to Christchurch, New Zealand.

“Let the world know YOU care,” says a flyer on the group’s Facebook page. “We need to let BP know that we are NOT okay with what they are putting in OUR oceans.”

The protests come as politicians and Gulf residents slammed BP on Friday over its efforts to end the spew of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and make whole those who have been hurt.

British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg appealed for a reduction in the vitriol that has gripped many observers. "I don't, frankly, think we're going to reach a solution stopping the release of oil into the Gulf any quicker
by allowing this to spiral into a tit-for-tat political, diplomatic spat," he said.


That comment elicited no sympathy from Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser. "Obviously, Nick hasn't been over here and touched the oil. We get a tropical storm that brings that oil and lays it across coastal Louisiana, we're wiped out for the next 20 years. This community will be dead, and they're talking like we're being too tough?"


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Sunday, June 6, 2010

Friday, June 4, 2010

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Quick Vote

How do you rate the White House response so far to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill?


Good

Fair

Poor


In my opinion, it's poor. This crisis should be treated with urgency and every-day updates from the White House are necessary to help, not only the general public's anxiety, but the unfathomable conditions in the Gulf.