A trio of rose-breasted grosbeaks [pheucticus ludovicianus] at the Dogwood feeder during the fall migration, 2010. I’ve been following this population for the past five years from this spot. The population looks healthy this year, in spite of the BP Gulf oil disaster. This is the first time I’ve been able to get video footage…
Monthly Archives: September 2010
Male Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks Share Bath With Cardinal
Glynn Wilson A couple of male rose-breasted grosbeaks [pheucticus ludovicianus] taking a break on the bird bath with their cousin the cardinal during the fall bird migration through Middle Alabamaland. I’ve been following this population for the past five years from this spot. The population looks healthy this year, in spite of the BP Gulf…
Independent Researchers Locate Deep Sea Remnants of Gulf Oil
Remnants of the oil and gas plume from the Deepwater Horizon disaster have been discovered at depths of over 3000 feet (1000m), some 300 miles (500km) west of the wellhead by a team of independent scientists on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise during a 10-day voyage not funded by BP or the US government,…
Oil Still Pollutes Beaches in Continuing BP Gulf Disaster
Join Tim Male, Defenders Vice President of Conservation Policy, visits the Gulf coast a month after the gushing BP Deepwater Horizon well was capped. On this trip, Tim shows how the disaster continues to wreak havoc on the beaches of Louisiana.
National Shrimp Fest to Go On in Gulf Shores Despite Oiled Sand, Bad Air
The National Shrimp Festival will be held in Gulf Shores, Alabama, October 7-10, in spite of the mess from the BP-Halliburton oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, organizers confirm. Celebrating its 39th year, the festival has historically attracted about 300,000 people who come to view fine arts and crafts from more than 200 artists,…
Salazar Announces Rules to Strengthen Offshore Drilling Safety
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar by Glynn Wilson The Department of the Interior announced two new rules Thursday that will help improve drilling safety by strengthening requirements for safety equipment, well control systems, blowout prevention practices on offshore oil and gas operations and improve workplace safety by reducing the risk of human error. “These…
Indecision 2010: Taliban Dan and Boo-Gate
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
A Female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak Migrating Through Alabama
Glynn Wilson A female rose-breasted grosbeak [pheucticus ludovicianus] taking a break on the bird bath with her cousin the cardinal during the fall bird migration through Middle Alabamaland.
Distrust of U.S. Media Edges Up to Record High
For the fourth straight year, a majority of Americans say they have little or no trust in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. The 57 percent who now say that is a record high, according to Gallup’s annual Governance poll. The 43 percent of Americans who express a great deal…
President Obama Wasted His Time Trying to Compromise with GOP
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy In the Tea Party narrative, victory at the polls means a new American revolution, one that will “take our country back” from everyone they disapprove of. But what they don’t realize is, there’s a catch: This is America, and we have an entrenched…
Activists Arrested at White House Demanding End to Mountaintop Removal
More than 100 people were arrested today during Appalachia Rising, the largest national protest to end mountaintop removal coal mining. Arrests included Appalachian residents; retired coal miners; renowned climate scientist, James Hansen; and faith leaders. After a march from Freedom Plaza and a rally at Lafayette Park, more than 100 stage a sit-in in front…
Jon Stewart Skewers Bill O’Reilly on Comedy Central
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Gulf Coast Residents Show Decline in Emotional Health
Residents along the Gulf Coast experienced a decline in their overall emotional health in the 15 weeks after the onset of the BP oil disaster, according to the Gallup-Healthways Emotional Health Index. Residents of Gulf Coast-facing counties reported 25.6 percent more clinical diagnoses of depression in the period after the oil spill compared with before…
Plaquemines Parish President Still Doesn’t Know Who’s in Charge
From C-SPAN coverage Sept. 27, 2010. Billy Nungesser, President of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, makes opening remarks at the National Commission on BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Public Meeting. During his remarks he said, “Sitting here today, I still can’t tell you who’s in charge … This was a disaster from the way it was handled…
Midterm Election Landscape Still Points to Republican Gains
An analysis of key indicators in the 2010 congressional midterm elections continues to suggest that the Republican Party will make significant gains in November, according to the latest Gallup poll. President Barack Obama’s job approval rating is below 50 percent, and both congressional job approval and satisfaction with the way things are going in the…
Fish and Wildlife Service Releases Final Climate Change Strategy
As part of the Department of the Interior’s commitment to building a coordinated strategy to respond to the impacts of climate change on the nation’s natural resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its final strategic plan today that will guide the agency’s efforts to respond to the unprecedented threat posed by global warming.…
Finally, Another Break from the Heat: Cool Front Heading South
A cool front is heading south and will bring partly cloudy skies in the morning on Saturday and then it will become mostly cloudy in the afternoon, with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs will be in the lower 90s with winds out of the South at about 5 mph. But tonight, with a…
The Clock is Ticking on Cleaning Up Coal Ash
Coal ash is contaminating drinking water supplies in the U.S., and it is only getting worse as the waste stream grows in volume and toxicity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made it official on June 21, giving the public only a short period to comment on the first-ever federal rule for coal ash disposal at…
Alabama Favored Over Arkansas by Seven Points
Time Out by Dan Rutledge War Eagle! This week’s musings on Southern Conference football must begin with an apology to still-undefeated (3-0) Auburn. It seems that last Saturday’s Tigers vs. Tigers battle on The Plains was not mentioned in last week’s column. That was indeed a shame, since it turned out to be one of…
The Democrats’ Secret Plan to Lose in November
The Big Picture by Glynn Wilson This is going to come as a shock to all my friends in New York, Washington, D.C., on the West Coast and the Gulf Coast. But it’s true. I have unearthed the secret plan on the part of the Alabama Democratic Party to lose the elections in November —…
