Important Message From Community Activists in the Gulf Coast

Dear friends:

As tropical storm Gustave bares down on the Gulf of Mexico we find ourselves in a very dire situation. Our organization has worked to assist the residents of Plaquemines parish recover from the devastation of Katrina over the last three years and now we are faced with another evacuation to places unknown.

At present, as we make plans to leave our FEMA Campers and partially rebuilt homes and our communities we will be under a "Mandatory Evacuation" by Saturday August 30, 2008. We have about 30 men, women, children and elderly that are in need of assistance and care through out this difficult and stressful time. We have purchased food, water and are looking to arrangement for shelter and have exhausted our resources.

Monique Harden and her organization has donated $300.00 dollars towards the housing and care of these good people. We have plans to house ourselves at Jelly Stone Park in cabins that can sleep 6 to 10 people. These cabins are $80 to $110 dollars per day and allow us to house groups in a situation we can accomodate the kids and elderly in our group. We are asking for your help to provide for these needy people.

Because we do not know the direction or severity of this storm, we may have to go further north if it moves inland and the parish we are going to has a mandatory Evac as well. Hotels and other housing alternatives are all booked up as far as Tennessee and we may have to move these folks further north to a safe location.

Any ammount of assistance is a help and will be used to care for this group of people. They all have some money, but it will be used up quickly idf we have to travel 10+ hours to safety.

You can send this assistance to: Martin Denesse with a note for Hurricane Evac Assistance Western Union and e-mail me that you have donated. I will respond to the e-mail and let you know we have recieved it. Western Union should be sent to the New Orleans Location as it willl allow me to access the funds at any western Union Location nation wide.

I would ask one more thing of you, we have lost so much and the stress of this situation is great especially on children and the elderly...pray for us and that God would sustain us and protect us.

Blessings...

Pastor Martin Denesse
Grace Harbour Christian Ministries
Community Technology & Economic Development Center
for Plaquemines Parish
504-208-1479 Office / 318-607-7133 cell
One Parish...One Community...One Nation Under God!

Things that make you say duh, Volume 3

This just in from the United National Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): The United States and other developed countries waste a lot of food and water every year.

You think?

The amount that the U.S. wastes is quite staggering, however. in the United States, up to 30 percent of food, worth almost $50 billion, is thrown away each year. Wasted food also means wasted water that didn't have to be used to grow the food.

"That's like leaving the tap running and pouring 40 trillion litres of water into the garbage can - enough water to meet the household needs of 500 million people," the report said.

Anyone else think its about time for a new food system?

Source: The Vancouver Sun

How do pirates fight global warming?

By reducing their cAAARGHbon footprints!

(Actually, there is a point to the this blog post, the pirate joke was just a freebie.)

Apparently, increased numbers of pirate attacks on ships carrying large loads of chemicals have raised international concerns about chemical terrorism. According to Chemical and Engineering News, last year there were 263 reports of attempted or actual attacks on vessels worldwide. Of these reports, 23 were on chemical tankers and 29 were on product tankers, which may carry bulk chemical loads that include oil. These numbers are exepected to be grossly under-reported.

Um. If terrorism is the only concern with ships carrying 40,000 tons of cancer causing toxins across the ocean, then I'll be dAARGHned.

This is fracking ridiculous

Fracking* fluids, or fracturing fluids, are fluids that are pumped into the ground to break up rocks and increase oil production in a process known as hydraulic fracking. Around 90 percent of all oil and gas wells in the U.S. uses this process.

The problem is, these fracking fluids are extremely toxic and go largely unregulated. Yet, millions of gallons of these fluids are used every years, and there are hundreds of reported spills.The EPA, however, says that fracking fluids are safe for the environment and groundwater, even though this is clearly not the case. Check out this Newsweek article on the health and environmental effects of fracking, and story of one woman who got poisoned by exposure to fracking fluids.

The upside is that in yet another example of states stepping in where EPA fails, Colorado has just announced it will be issuing regulations on fracking fluid. Yay, Colorado!

*Brian has pointed out that frack is also a swear word commonly used on Battlestar Galactica. For all my sci-fi geek fans (Megan), I apologize for the confusion.

Important Action If You Are In DC On Friday

Take Action to Get Toxic Flame Retardants Banned in MI

The Michigan Legislature is currently discussing legislation to ban deca-BDE, a type of toxic flame retardant that shouldn't be used anymore. Deca-BDE is part of a class of chemicals known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE). They are widely used as flame retardants in furniture foams, industrial textiles, and consumer electronics. Deca-BDE is the most widely used form of PBDE, and is found in mattresses, televisions, computers, and residential upholstered furniture.

PBDEs have been found in human breast milk, wildlife, and in food. In 1998, Swedish scientists discovered that PBDEs may pose significant risks to human and environmental health. As a result, the European Union and the states of California, Hawaii, Maine, New York and Washington took action to reduce, or ban, the use of PBDEs.

I just took action to get deca-BDE banned in Michigan, and if you live in Michigan, you should take a second to take action as well: http://www.mnceh.org/take.deca.php

The Birds and The PCBs is Back

After a brief hiatus that involved an end to my fabulous summer working at Food and Water Watch, a move from DC to Ann Arbor, and a road trip through 7 states, I'm happy to report that The Birds and The PCBs is back in action. Sorry for the delay!