Something Wicked This Way Comes?

From For Ellipsis

"There is no such thing as an omen. Destiny does not send us heralds. She is to wise or too cruel for that."

-Oscar Wilde

Have you heard about the strange case of the missing sea lions? Pier 39 in San Francisco usually has hundreds of them along the wharf area, but since the end of last October they have been mysteriously disappearing... at an alarming rate! In fact it all occurred virtually overnight! I am so glad I got to go to Pier 39 in March of last year, and was able to capture this picture of them while they were still there. Who knew that in less then a year, they would be mostly gone. :( Local marine biologists have been investigating what might have happened, but so far the situation has them stumped. Earlier today I saw on my local news about a sudden influx on California sea lions found in Oregon, which is good news because at least they are safe, but still one has to wonder... why did they leave San Francisco, and at such a fast rate? :(

Personally, I find the whole thing rather spooky. I wonder if they had some sense of something bad coming our way? And the moderate earthquake we had this morning really isn't helping my mood or my nerves! The 4.1 quake was centered a few miles north of Milpitas, and it was a good jolt to us here in the East Bay. As always, the news reminds us not to be worried, but they also never fail to mention that someday we will be facing the BIG ONE. Fine. Thanks for reminding me. :(

Will 2010 be the year that all of California's woes were erased by the BIG ONE? That's one way to fix California's budget problems I guess... LOL... ROCKING AND ROLLING and SLIDING into the Pacific Ocean in a matter of moments! WEEE! Hey, living here means occasionally the earth will move under your feet. That's just the way it is, but as for the sea lions, well, until someone can give me a simple scientific explanation I think I will lean just the least little bit toward the superstitious side of my reasoning and do a little praying. I just hope it's not too late. I know one thing, a 4.1 quake isn't enough to drive the sea lions away.

:(

Read More About It Here...

San Francisco's Vanishing Sea Lions Baffles Experts

4.1 Preliminary Magnitude Quake Strikes Near Milpitas

USGS Earthquake Log for S.F. Bay Area

UPDATE: A major earthquake (6.5) hit at 4:27 PM near Ferndale Ca.
01/09/10
-Carly

To Drill Or Not To Drill

"For 200 years we've been conquering Nature. Now we are beating it to death."

-Tom McMillian

Offshore oil drilling. First John McCain was against it, now he is for it. At one time Barack Obama was against it, now he is for it. Isn't it funny how the lines blur when a vote is at stake? Damn the truth and the environment, lets give the people what they want. Fools.

Now, I will admit up front I am completely partial when it comes to the subject of offshore drilling. I am now and forever against it in any form. I am a California girl, through and through, and I love, and at times, live for the natural beauty of the California coastline. Have you see it for yourself, other then in pictures? The beauty of the Pacific ocean, in itself is a little like glimpsing Heaven I expect. Add to it the sea birds, wildflowers and the shoreline and it beccomes heaven on earth, at least to me. I can't imagine my life without it.

In November of 2007, we in the Bay Area got a wake-up call, when the containment ship, the Costco Busan struck the Bay Bridge, which resulted in a whole in the side of the ship and the emptying of 58,000 gallons of dirty oil into the San Francisco Bay. Four days after the spill occurred, I took a ride along the shoreline in Berkeley, Emeryville, and Point Richmond. As I walked along the water's edge, I could see the sheen in the water, and large clumps of crude oil as it came to rest on the sand and rocks.

I waited for weeks, as shoreline, after shoreline was closed due to the contaminate, and I followed along on the news as it reported on the deaths of sea birds and other marine creatures, which had either ingested the oil or in some cases completely covered in it. The environmental impact was significant. Not only did the spill harm the natural life of the bay, but it took money from the pockets of crab fisherman, who were now banned from their occupation, due to the toxin that was now in the bay. And that was the result of a 58,000 gallon spill.

I have done my research, and I am sorry, but it simply isn't the answer to the problem. If the ban on drilling in protected areas was lifted tomorrow, we wouldn't see any lower gas prices for at least 19 years. 10 years! But that isn't what politicians would have you believe. Recent polls indicate that more and more Americans would be open to the idea of offshore drilling, if it would show us all some relief at the gas pump. The plain truth is... it won't. It's a fact.

But what would happen if we vote for offshore drilling would do is give Obama and McCain the power to make it look good. To make it appear as if they were doing everything they could to break us free from these outrageous gas prices. Everything except maybe, possibly, holding the oil companies responsible for their record windfall gains. It's a fact the oil prices have been artificially driven up in recent months by everything from our relationships in the middle east, to Bush's inability to deal with Saudi Arabia with any backbone what-so-ever, and market speculation. What needs to happen is we need to hold the oil companies, and the politicians that pander to them accountable.

There I said it, how about some good old fashioned accountability? Remember that? Sure you do. Think real hard. That is that thing that forced Bill Clinton to take responsibility for the blow job heard round the world. Since that time accountability has been forgotten, but it can come around again, if you and I refuse to be taken in by all the election year noise. That's right accountability can be the new "got away with it" if we send a clear message, and then mean it, that we are finished with "promise you anything" politics. I don't know about you, but I am damned tired of this crap. I am tired of the band-aids America puts on its problems. It is what has led us to where we are right now. Willing to once again, take the short cut, if it will bring us anything resembling relief. There is a gun to our head, and we are willing to let them pull the trigger, as long as the pain stops. But that's just my opinion, so, now I want to hear from you.

Opinions, Opinions...

Why does America continue to subsidize big oil companies? Are you in favor of offshore drilling? What do you believe is our best course for relief from these outrageous gas prices? What would your plan be? Do you believe that technology has made offshore drilling safe enough for the environment? Where do your concerns lie?

Interesting Reading On The Subject...

Subsidizing Big Oil (Union of Concerned Scientists)

Worth The Risk? ( USA Today )

The Facts About Offshore Drilling (Jay Bookman, Atlanta Journal Constitution)

-OndineMonet

Photo Series Taken In November 2007

Aftermath of the Cosco Busan spill in San Francisco Bay

Emeryville, Berkeley, Point Richmond, California

San Francisco Bay Oil Spill Update

"Remember when atmospheric contaminants were romantically called stardust?"

-Lane Olinghouse

I had planned to take a ride across the bay, to see the aftermath of the oil spill from the shoreline along Chrissy Field, but to my sadness, I didn't have to leave the East Bay to see it's affect, as it has begun to settle along the shores of Emeryville, Berkeley, and Point Richmond. I took a walk along Shoreline Park, yesterday afternoon, starting in Emeryville. There were a lot of birds swimming in the small lagoon that seemed fine. I didn't see any oil deposits on that side of the short trail, but directly on the opposite side, which faces the Berkeley Marina, you could see where a good deal of oil had washed up on shore.

It was extremely difficult to watch my favorite bird the, Snowy Egret, as he waded close to shore, with several large deposits of oil floating right next to him, and spots of oil which had settled on the rocks behind him. I will always wonder the pair of egrets I saw will be survive, in that the water washing in that they were fishing in was a filthy, deep brown color. It was an eerie sight to witness the absence of small boats on the bay, on a Friday afternoon. Everything was so still. The ecosystem has been greatly damaged by the spill, and it is predicted that things will not be back to normal on the bay for years to come.

"Man has lost the capacity to foresee and Forestall. He will end by destroying the earth."

-Albert Schweitzer
Coast Guard Admits Oil Spill Communication Was Poor (KGO 7)

Beach Closure Map

-OndineMonet
"Snowy Egret"
Emeryville, California
November 9th, 2007
Late Afternoon

The 58,000 Gallon Spill

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."

-John Muir

Sigh. Yesterday, a container ship passing under the Bay Bridge, scraped a support tower of the bridge. The bridge wasn't damaged, but the ship sustained a deep gash to the lower side of the vessel, which resulted in a 58,000 gallon oil spill. Originally, it was announced that only about 200 gallons of oil had been spilled into the bay, but later in the afternoon, that number was revised. As of this morning, nine bay beaches had been closed to the public, as well as points just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County.

A number of birds have been pulled from the water off Chrissy Field, covered in oil, and small balls of tar have been washing up on shore. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the water in the bay will be tainted for years because of this spill, which breaks my heart, because I have a deep love for that bay, and the creatures that live in it. I am going to San Francisco today, to try and get some photos of the cleanup efforts, as well as the spill itself. I want to see if for myself. I will write a follow up entry to this posting, if I get some photos that accurately represent the spill and the cleanup operation. For now, you can read about the spill, and see some video of it, by clicking the link below.

Major Cleanup Under Way For Bay Oil Spill (KGO 7)

-OndineMonet
Golden Gate Bridge
Fort Point
November 9th, 2005
Afternoon