OIL SLICK SIZE TRIPLES IN 3 DAYS

From the The Huffington Post:

BP is preparing a system never tried nearly a mile under water to siphon away the geyser of crude from a blown-out well a mile under Gulf of Mexico waters. However, the plan to lower 74-ton, concrete-and-metal boxes being built to capture the oil and siphon it to a barge waiting at the surface will need at least another six to eight days to get it in place.

Crews continued to lay boom in what increasingly feels like a futile effort to slow down the spill, with all ideas to contain the flow failing so far.
....

Fishermen from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Florida Panhandle got the news that more than 6,800 square miles of federal fishing areas were closed, fracturing their livelihood for at least 10 days and likely more just as the prime spring season was kicking in. The slick also was precariously close to a key shipping lane that feeds goods and materials to the interior of the U.S. by the Mississippi River.

Even if the well is shut off in a week, fishermen and wildlife officials wonder how long it will take for the Gulf to recover. Some compare it to Hurricane Katrina, which Louisiana is still recovering from after nearly five years.

"My kids will be talking about the effect of this when they're my age," said 41-year-old Venice charter boat captain Bob Kenney.
....

Besides the immediate impact on Gulf industries, shipping along the Mississippi River could soon be limited. Ships carrying food, oil, rubber and much more come through the Southwest Pass to enter the vital waterway.

Shipment delays - either because oil-splattered ships need to be cleaned off at sea before docking or because water lanes are shut down for a time - would raise the cost of transporting those goods.

Posted without commentary, because I don't know what to say.

STORY OF THE DAY - SLEEPING MAN

What I'm mostly good at is sleeping, he
once told me in confidence, but he
added, I don't see much future in it.


From StoryPeople.

LOANS WILL BE REPAID

From the The Borowitz Report:

In what many are hailing as a breakthrough solution to Greece’s crippling debt crisis, Greece today offered to repay loans from the European Union nations by giving them a gigantic horse.

Read the rest of the story and see the picture for your morning laugh.

PS: It's still morning here.

COVER IT UP!

Above is the seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As you see, the goddess Virtus has a (Gasp...!) bared breast. Such lewdness is not to be tolerated - at least not by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Read the shocking story at Paul, the BB's place. I may seem to be favoring the BB today, but I'm not, although he IS a big huggable bear. It's that he's on a blogging roll.

Lapin sent me a link to The Huffington Post version of the story. What caught my eye at HP is the picture below of our former president's attorney general, John Ashcroft, standing in front of a statue of Lady Justice with (Gasp...!) a bare breast.

I've always felt a special fondness for pictures of Ashcroft standing before Lady Justice before he ordered $8000 worth of drapes to make the lady disappear.

Now you see her; now you don't.


And then I remembered the disgraceful picture of my friend and me standing near the statue of Neptune in the Piazza De La Signoria in Florence, which I saw just the other day when I was looking through my photo album. If ever there was a picture that cried out for cropping....

 

CALVIN BOREL ON SUPER SAVER DOES THE DERBY AGAIN

From the Advocate:

The starting gate sprung open in the Kentucky Derby, with 19 horses scrambling for position. One jockey knew exactly where he was headed.

St. Martinville native Calvin Borel deftly tucked Super Saver along the rail Saturday on a track turned into creamy peanut butter by heavy rain. Once again, he was in his favorite spot, getting a clear path all the way through the goo.

That’s why they call him “Bo-rail” and, for the third time in four years, he took the shortest path to the winner’s circle.

Finally, a bit of good news out of Louisiana. Louisiana man and Super Saver, a fine horse, won the Kentucky Derby, although the odds this year for Calvin and his horse were a bit better than 50 to 1 in last year's Derby.

THE MISSING LAST RESORT ACOUSTIC SWITCHES

From the Wall Street Journal:

The oil well spewing crude into the Gulf of Mexico didn't have a remote-control shut-off switch used in two other major oil-producing nations as last-resort protection against underwater spills.

The lack of the device, called an acoustic switch, could amplify concerns over the environmental impact of offshore drilling after the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig last week.

The accident has led to one of the largest ever oil spills in U.S. water and the loss of 11 lives. On Wednesday federal investigators said the disaster is now releasing 5,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf, up from original estimates of 1,000 barrels a day.

U.S. regulators don't mandate use of the remote-control device on offshore rigs, and the Deepwater Horizon, hired by oil giant BP PLC, didn't have one. With the remote control, a crew can attempt to trigger an underwater valve that shuts down the well even if the oil rig itself is damaged or evacuated.

The efficacy of the devices is unclear. Major offshore oil-well blowouts are rare, and it remained unclear Wednesday evening whether acoustic switches have ever been put to the test in a real-world accident. When wells do surge out of control, the primary shut-off systems almost always work. Remote control systems such as the acoustic switch, which have been tested in simulations, are intended as a last resort.

Although the efficacy of the devices may or may not be clear, depending upon to whom you're listening, the better part of caution would have been for BP to install the acoustic switches at the cost of $500,000, which is a fraction of the cost of a deep-water rig, which can run over $100 million. The spokesmen for the oil companies are already saying that the acoustic switches don't work.

UPDATE: Paul, the BB, is less restrained in his post at Byzigenous Buddhapalian.

MORE PRAYERS PLEASE

From Petty Witter at PEN AND PAPER:

Hi Jonathan. Just wanted to let you know that (my husband), THEMETHATISME, was admitted into hospital last night (May 1st). Severe abdominal pains, he's waiting to have scans etc though at the moment they seem to think it is probably a kink in the bowel as opposed to any kind of obstruction or perforation. Will keep in touch.

Posted by Jonathan at Of Course I Could Be Wrong.

PLEASE PRAY FOR JOE, JR. AND HIS FAMILY

From Jonathan (aka MadPriest):

Hi, June.

This is so sad.

As it involves Our Suzer, I think it's definitely a neighbourhood thing. Especially with tomorrow being Sunday.

Jonathan

From Suzer:

Jonathan

Will you please post a prayer request for my cousin, Cindy, her husband, Joe, and their two daughters, Morgan and Christina? Cindy and Joe's 5 year old son drowned today on a family fishing trip. Needless to say, our whole family is in shock and grief. Why such things happen, I will never know.

Their son, Joe Jr., was fondly known as Deuce. Last summer, she posted a video of him on YouTube, as he sang at a local baseball game.





Please pray for this family, as their grief is something I just can't imagine. There are no words.

Thank you,

Susan Hughes
(Suzer, at the now defunct "Wheel Inside the Wheel" blog)

There are no words, indeed, that speak to the grief of the family of this precious boy.

O God, whose beloved Son took children into his arms and blessed them: Give us grace to entrust Joe, Jr. (Deuce) to your never-failing care and love, and bring us all to your heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


Most merciful God, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding: Deal graciously with Cindy, Joe, Morgan, Christina, and all who love Joe, Jr. in their grief. Surround them with your love, that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss, but have confidence in your goodness, and strength to meet the days to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BISHOP GENE ROBINSON'S LETTER TO THE POPE

From the Washington Post:

Though our churches differ in many ways, we believe in the same God. As your brother in Christ, it pains me to see Catholics struggle with your response to recent allegations of sex abuse by priests. Since my denomination has also battled these demons, I want to share with you what I have learned as a bishop of the Episcopal Church.
....

The thing victims most want to hear from the church, especially its leadership, is: "I am so sorry. This should never have happened to you, especially here. We are going to do everything in our power to see that nothing like this happens again." Victims live with their horrific experiences and know that their abuse can never be undone. And so they seek assurance that the church will change the system that allows abuse to go undetected and take action to hold perpetrators accountable. Child abusers do not deserve protection; they must be reported immediately to civil authorities and prosecuted.

Read the rest of the letter on what Bishop Gene and the Episcopal Church have learned about abusive behavior within the church and ways to reverse the culture in which abuse takes place.

Although Bishop Gene does not presume to offer advice to the pope, he writes the following cautionary words:

However, I believe it is misguided and wrong for gay men to be scapegoated in this scandal. As a gay man, I know the pain and the verbal and physical violence that can come from the thoroughly debunked myth connecting homosexuality and the abuse of children. In the media, representatives of and advocates for the Roman Catholic Church have laid blame for sexual abuse at the feet of gay priests. These people know, or should know, that every reputable scientific study shows that homosexuals are no more or less likely to be child abusers than heterosexuals. Psychologically healthy homosexual men are no more drawn to little boys than psychologically healthy heterosexual men are drawn to little girls.

Bishop Gene is quite right, and I'm pleased he wrote his letter and included the words about scapegoating gays.

I presume to give advice: Physician, heal thyself; cease all scapegoating; and take responsibility for your actions as the first and vital step forward to reverse the severe damage to your church.

Thanks to John for the link.

O MARY WE CROWN THEE....

Around the blogosphere I see posts celebrating May Day from Counterlight, Episcopelican, and MadPriest, who is nothing but a damn Commie, along with Counterlight, and I wondered that the celebrations of the day didn't resonate. After pondering a bit, I realized that we did not celebrate May Day. In Roman Catholic tradition, at least in the ancient days of my youth and childhood, the whole month of May was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and instead of a maypole or the crowning of the May Queen, we crowned a statue of the Virgin Mary as Queen of May.

Each day, a different girl was assigned to bring a flower wreath and have the privilege of placing the wreath on the head of a statue of Mary. A boy, unless it was an all-girls school, carried the wreath on a pillow in step with the girl who was to do the crowning at the head of a procession from our school to the statue. As we processed, we sang the hymn, "Bring Flowers of the Rarest". Our statue, with Mary wearing a white robe and a blue cloak, was quite tall and stood on a pedestal. To reach the head of the statue, the girl had to climb a short ladder. Some families created homemade wreaths, while the more well-to-do ordered theirs from the florist.

In the video below, Mary Flower sings the hymn.

BRING FLOWERS OF THE RAREST

Bring flowers of the rarest
bring blossoms the fairest,
from garden and woodland and hillside and dale;
our full hearts are swelling,
our glad voices telling
the praise of the loveliest flower of the vale!


Refrain:

O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today!
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May.
O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May.


Our voices ascending,
In harmony blending,
Oh! Thus may our hearts turn
Dear Mother, to thee;
Oh! Thus shall we prove thee
How truly we love thee,
How dark without Mary
Life's journey would be.

Refrain.

Image at the head of the post from St. Patrick's Parish in Onalaska, Wisconsin.

UPDATE: I love the hymn, and writing and arranging the post was a poignant trip down Memory Lane to arrive at a place named Nostalgia with a catch in my throat.

Alleluia, alleluia! Christ is risen! And I believe that Jesus approves when we honor his mother.