Voices from the Gulf

Showing stories 211 through 220 of 818 total stories.

super domeGood natured New Orleanians may be laughing about Sunday night's blackout during the Super Bowl, as a "now you see how we live" type moment for the rest of the country.  I'm actually feeling pretty PO’ed. Not by the black out, no. I am infuriated by the overblown language that some media makers have used to make hay over a pretty minor inconvenience, RELATIVELY SPEAKING, *ahem*.

On March 25, 1911, a fire caused by a wayward cigarette broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. The workers scrambled to find safety from the life-stealing smoke and flames, and horror descended as they faced the realization that managers of the factory had chained most of the exits to the building over worries of worker theft (a common practice of the day).



baratariaBy Eugene Hickman. My name is Eugene Hickman. My wife and I have been commercial fishermen living in Barataria, Louisiana for 25 years. I also am a United States Coast Guard licensed charter boat captain. I ran a charter boat for a company, in exchange for free housing and a boat slip for my commercial fishing boat on the company's property. On days I didn't have charters I would fish commercially.

In a letter published in today's Advocate, the Vice President of Operations of Texas Brine states that the company's sinkhole in Bayou Corne, LA has caused "no residential property damage." But some Bayou Corne residents disagree, and are posting photos on Facebook to show what they say are residential property damages caused by the ongoing disaster. Residents say they have informed both Texas Brine and local officials of these damages.

As Congress stumbles through an embarrassing year-end game of fiscal brinkmanship, the world continues its slow burn toward unchartered and dangerous territory. It’s a future that threatens us all with more cataclysmic storms, punishing drought, mind-boggling Arctic ice melts, and more ferocious fires and floods. Scientists say future years to come will only get worse as we continue to spew billions of tons of climate-altering carbon pollution into the air.  

For those of you who do not know already, this year has been a journey of  learning and becoming aware. This journey began years ago, when my adopted  Dad went on an expedition and came back trying to educate people, including his bosses at Shell, as to what damage the oil industry was causing to the Continental Shelf.  This harm would not be stopped or slowed until change was brought about. Little did I know how close to home this would hit for me.

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