A favorite walk

Life is entirely too dreary these days-- too many things to be upset about, too many things to be angry about... so perhaps it's time to switch direction a bit. In fact it might be nice to take a walk on a favorite path where one can enjoy nature in the midst of chaos. (Daring oncoming traffic to have a go at me, I ran (or was pushed depending on who tells the story) out into traffic to capture one of those beautiful yet perhaps too common to truly be appreciated panoramas that give Denver it's reputation) Here we are looking west toward Dinosaur Ridge, Green Mountain (another favorite hike) and if the resolution in this photograph were a little better you could see the Mount Evans Massif.    

 So, off we go! 
Let's turn left
off the bustling thoroughfare of Hampden. 


Into the wilds and into...

Of course. . .

"The Catholic Church on Thursday revised its in-house rules on sex abuse cases, extending the statute of limitations for such crimes from 10 to 20 years past the victim's 18th birthday and speeding up the excommunication process for pedophile priests. But, curiously, the amended set of ecclesiastical laws also declares that any priest caught ordaining women will be designated as having committed a "grave crime," the same phrase used to describe the abuse of children." ~Teunis Bates, AolNews

It would be nice if there were more NEWS articles that addressed the issue of women and the church. The church is a stalwart bastion of patriarchal power. It will always be so and women should reject it.

Sadly they won't.

Crossing our fingers and toes!

MAYBE a temporary solution AS LONG as this is the only leak down there and we don't know that it is. There are many reasons to believe the well integrity has been breached but for now, waiting breathlessly for further tests...

Gulf Oil Spill Stopped: 

BP Says Oil Leak Is HALTED

NEW ORLEANS - BP finally choked off the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday -- 85 days and up to 184 million gallons after the crisis unfolded -- then began a tense 48 hours of watching to see whether the capped-off well would hold or blow a new leak.


To the relief of millions of people along the Gulf Coast, the big, billowing brown cloud of crude at the bottom of the sea disappeared from the underwater video feed for the first time since the disaster began in April, as BP closed the last of three openings in the 75-ton cap lowered onto the well earlier this week.
But the company stopped far short of declaring victory over the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history and one of the nation's worst environmental disasters, a catastrophe that has killed wildlife and threatened the livelihoods of fishermen, restaurateurs, and oil industry workers from Texas to Florida.


Now begins a waiting period during which engineers will monitor pressure gauges and watch for signs of leaks elsewhere in the well. The biggest risk: Pressure from the oil gushing out of the ground could fracture the well and make the leak even worse.


"For the people living on the Gulf, I'm certainly not going to guess their emotions," BP vice president Kent Wells said. "I hope they're encouraged there's no oil going into the Gulf of Mexico. But we have to be careful. Depending on what the test shows us, we may need to open this well back up."


The stoppage came 85 days, 16 hours and 25 minutes after the first report April 20 of an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 workers and triggered the spill.

Caveat: It does appear this is temporary. CNN quotes General Thad Allen as saying, "the cap was not designed to permanently shut in the well -- it was meant to move to a four-vessel containment system and assure redundancy in the event of a hurricane. But he had said in earlier briefings there could be a huge side benefit if the oil can be contained -- a "twofer," as he called it."

Day 80

The oil volcano in the gulf continues unabated. BP is doing all it can to keep from being held accountable for the oil that is polluting the gulf by keeping scientists and, indeed, journalists away from the worst scenes there or calculating any real damage as vague numbers and facts are easier to dispute in court. The Huffington Post and Firedoglake both continue to cover the disaster with all it's ugliness althoug it's lost it's sensationalism for the larger networks. I guess ABC did their bit for humanity when they sent Phillippe Cousteau into the murky waters. 


Today's headlines features such tidbits as BPs claiming that workers are largely sick because of the heat- NOT because the toxins in the water from the dispersant is making them sick. 

Dolphins are also catching headlines. Even the government realizes their plight is an emotional issue and NOAA has sent out an email informing the public what they can do to help the dolphins: 

• Report any dead, stranded, or distressed dolphins or other marine mammals to the wildlife hotline at 866-557-1401. 
• Do not push the animal back out to sea – this delays examination and treatment, and often results in the animal re-stranding itself in worse condition.
• Do not approach, feed, or swim with the animal.
• Stay with the animal until rescuers arrive, but use caution. Keep a safe distance from the head and tail.
• Minimize contact with the animal (use gloves if necessary) and avoid inhaling air the animal has breathed out.
• Keep crowds away and noise levels down to avoid causing further stress to the animal.
• Keep dogs and other pets away from live or dead marine mammals.
• Do not collect any parts from dead marine mammals. This is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

In addition, an underreported story on reporting in the gulf. Last week Deepwater Horizon Response sent out an email advising the media that there were new "safety zones" set up for their "protection" and any violation of these zones could result in jail time and fines. CNN and the Huffington Post picked up on the story here and here. Salon .com also has a posting but by and large the story has been widely ignored by mainstream journalists (I suppose they appreciate the concern the government has for their wellbeing) but even the Huffington Post is not giving this story the attention it deserves. I guess it's okay to put the workers in harms way but we wouldn't want to expose any journalists to any dangers! 

In addition, NOAA released this map showing the likelihood of coasts that will be affected by the oil: 

I think the question that needs to be asked is:

Will the pleasure never end????