With a new year upon us, it’s time to take stock of the historic BP oil disaster and look towards the future. The Deepwater Horizon blow out shined a national spotlight on the oil and gas drilling in the Gulf, an environmental time bomb that blew 50 miles offshore.
Independent scientists have confirmed that Gulf marine life is heavily contaminated by the dispersed oil and oil sheen in the water. [Photo: Erika Blumenfeld]
Last week, Hurricane Katrina survivors packed two Greater New Orleans churches and voiced some of the frustration, anger, and hurt that they’ve been nursing over the “Road Home” recovery program. The public meetings, in St. Bernard parish and New Orleans’ Ninth Ward, were held to inform residents about inequities and corruption in the housing program.
One year after an earthquake devastated Haiti, much of the promised relief and reconstruction aid has not reached those most in need. In fact, the nation's tragedy has served as an opportunity to further enrich corporate interests.
New Orleans -- In an emotional public meeting yesterday, citizens from across the Gulf Coast urged the President's oil spill commission to help solve the growing health crisis here -- and got a pledge of support in return.
Yesterday, an icy wind whipped through the French Quarter. But inside the New Orleans Sheraton, the atmosphere was hot.
That’s where 250 people gathered to attend a forum sponsored by the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Appointed by President Obama, it had just released its final report after a six-month investigation into the nation’s worst oil disaster in history.
A version of this blog first appeared on the Neiman Watchdog website
I have worked and lived with the people of the bayou in Buras, LA, for the past six months. But when the BP well from hell was capped in mid-July, the media ran for the exits as fast as they stormed the bayous in early May. They've barely looked back.
In two weeks of public meetings across the Gulf Coast, Kenneth Feinberg is hearing pointed criticism of the claims process he is leading. Residents point to inconsistency and lack of transparency as major problems.
For a thousand years, Rosina Philippe and her aunt Geraldine Philippe's families fished and hunted in the Louisiana bayou. As members of the Atakapa-Ishak Nation, they have thrived along the lush marshes and canals of Mississippi River delta, surviving on the fertile environment that sustains and nurtures their lifestyle.
Then the BP oil disaster struck last summer, and things have never been the same.
All individuals have the right to equality, equal opportunity, fair treatment and an environment free of pollutants. What we have seen in the Gulf, and around the world, is an infringement upon both our civil rights and our human rights. So the question is: What are you going to do about it?
When I heard that The Daily Show was sending one of its "correspondents" to Turkey Creek (in coastal Gulfport, Mississippi), I tried to imagine how a brief satirical “news” segment might shed light on a story I take seriously, and one that I've been documenting on video for more than a decade (read about the Turkey Creek documentary here).
As the dust settles around President Obama's State of the Union, and the two Republican speeches it inspired, I'm left a bit dazed. How does the worst oil spill in U.S. history, which occurred just 9 months ago, fail to secure a mention?
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, 
Last week, Hurricane Katrina survivors packed two Greater New Orleans churches and voiced some of the frustration, anger, and hurt that they’ve been nursing over the “Road Home” recovery program. The public meetings, in St. Bernard parish and New Orleans’ Ninth Ward, were held to inform residents about inequities and corruption in the housing program.
New Orleans -- In an emotional public meeting yesterday, citizens from across the Gulf Coast urged the President's oil spill commission to help solve the growing health crisis here -- and got a pledge of support in return. 
Last week I attended 5 meetings with Gulf Coast citizens and Kenneth Feinberg, concerning the claims process and the future of our people. 
In two weeks of public meetings across the Gulf Coast, Kenneth Feinberg is hearing pointed criticism of the claims process he is leading. Residents point to inconsistency and lack of transparency as major problems.
Tonight the small African American community of Turkey Creek, Mississippi will hit the limelight on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
All individuals have the right to equality, equal opportunity, fair treatment and an environment free of pollutants. What we have seen in the Gulf, and around the world, is an infringement upon both our civil rights and our human rights. So the question is: What are you going to do about it? 
When I heard that The Daily Show was sending one of its "correspondents" to Turkey Creek (in coastal Gulfport, Mississippi), I tried to imagine how a brief satirical “news” segment might shed light on a story I take seriously, and one that I've been documenting on video for more than a decade (read about the Turkey Creek documentary 
As the dust settles around President Obama's State of the Union, and the two Republican speeches it inspired, I'm left a bit dazed. How does the worst oil spill in U.S. history, which occurred just 9 months ago, fail to secure a mention?