EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF LOUISIANA

Gulf Oil Spill

The oil spill tragedy unfolding along our coastline has been weighing heavily on many hearts in this Diocese. Even as we brace for the long-term impact, Episcopal Community Services of Louisiana has begun to step in to support families in Terrebonne Parish whose livelihoods and businesses have already been hurt by the spill’s impact on fishing communities. Working in partnership with Bayou Grace Community Services, a faith-based organization serving the 5-bayou area south of Houma — and with support anticipated from Episcopal Relief & Development and from Oxfam America — ECSLA will provide assistance with groceries and gas cards to help families make ends meet, as well as provide referrals, legal assistance, and pastoral care to residents trying to navigate the assistance channels.

ECSLA is proud to support the resilient and hard-working residents of our fishing communities, and we welcome your help. If you have qualifications to assist with legal aid or pastoral care, and can commit to regular days and times in specific communities, please contact Nell Bolton, Executive Director of ECSLA, at nbolton@edola.org. Donations to support this effort can be made through the secure donation site at www.ecsla.org or by clicking here.

Thank you.

A LETTER OF CHALLENGE AND HOPE

June 28, 2010

Sisters and brothers in Christ,

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is both heartbreaking and infuriating. It causes deep sorrow, both for the initial loss of human life and for the deep and lasting damage to an ecology that provides life and livelihoods for so many of God's creatures. At the same time we grieve that the natural beauty of this region, a sign of God's marvelous creativity, has been defiled.

Moving to indignation and anger over the neglect and carelessness that led to this disaster, both in private industry and in government regulation, is understandable. However, to do so without recognizing the responsibility we all share -- as consumers of petroleum products, as investors in an economy that makes intensive and insistent energy demands, and as citizens responsible for the care of creation -- lacks credibility and integrity. An honest accounting of what happened (and what failed to happen) must include our own repentance. (My emphasis)

Nonetheless, God remains faithful in restoring the creation and human community. Among the voices that despair and condemn, we have a witness of hope to proclaim.

First, God, who made the creation and made it good, has not abandoned it. Day after day God sustains life in this world, and the powerful vitality of God's creation, though defiled, is not destroyed. The life-giving power of God's creative goodness remains at work, even in the Gulf of Mexico. The Spirit will continue to renew the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30, as we just sang at Pentecost). All who care for the earth and work for the restoration of its vitality can be confident that they are not pursuing a lost cause. They serve in concert with God's own creative and renewing power.

Moreover, the human family need not drown in a flood of suspicion and recrimination that is more toxic and more lasting than the oil that floods the Gulf can ever be. The cleansing waters of baptism in Christ -- who died not for the righteous, but for the unrighteous -- bring forgiveness and reconciliation with God. In this reconciled life with God we have the freedom to move beyond mutual condemnations and hostility to give a powerful witness of a reconciled community that lives in service of the creation and the neighbor. By refusing to surrender to the toxicity of recrimination, we can convince others that they can join us safely in the life and service of this community.

Responding to a challenge of this size and complexity will call upon countless insights and skills, embodied in hundreds of occupations and trades, and upon the collective strength and will of us all. God's Holy Spirit has abundantly blessed the human community with the gifts needed to do this work. We can do it with sober confidence, good will and even joy.

There are times for mourning and for repentance, as well as for reconciliation and commitment to the creation's care. They come at different moments for different people. As you serve in your communities, I commend to you resources for worship, study and action that express the hope of Christians who see God's creative goodness, Jesus' forgiving reconciliation and the Spirit's abundant gifts for service. This is a moment when the human community needs to hear a word of true hope, and we have one to speak.

In God's grace,
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

FACEBOOK AND TWITTER RULE - FOR NOW

Get ready for the next new thing. Tumblr is moving up.

From The Economist:

ONLINE archaeology can yield surprising results. When John Kelly of Morningside Analytics, a market-research firm, recently pored over data from websites in Indonesia he discovered a “vast field of dead blogs”. Numbering several thousand, they had not been updated since May 2009. Like hastily abandoned cities, they mark the arrival of the Indonesian version of Facebook, the online social network.

Such swathes of digital desert are still rare in the blogosphere. And they should certainly not be taken as evidence that it has started to die. But signs are multiplying that the rate of growth of blogs has slowed in many parts of the world. In some countries growth has even stalled.

Blogs are a confection of several things that do not necessarily have to go together: easy-to-use publishing tools, reverse-chronological ordering, a breezy writing style and the ability to comment. But for maintaining an online journal or sharing links and photos with friends, services such as Facebook and Twitter (which broadcasts short messages) are quicker and simpler.

No more bitching and moaning about the death of blogging from me. What is, is.

H/T to Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Dish.

YOU JUST GOTTA LOVE GOLF

A 75-year-old woman went to the doctor for a checkup. The doctor told her she needed more cardiovascular activity and recommended that she engage in sexual activity three times a week.

A bit embarrassed, she said to the doctor, "Please tell my husband."

The doctor went out into the waiting room and told the husband that his wife needed sex three times a week.

The 78-year-old husband replied, "Which days?"

The doctor answered, "Monday, Tuesday, and Friday would be ideal."

The husband said, "I can bring her in on Monday, no problem. But on Tuesdays and Friday I golf, so she'll have to take the bus."


Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

"DEPLORABLE...SERIOUS AND UNBELIEVABLE"

From the BBC:

Pope Benedict has joined mounting Vatican criticism of raids by Belgian police investigating alleged child sex abuse, calling them "deplorable".

In a message to Belgian bishops, the pope expressed solidarity "in this moment of sadness".

Several buildings were searched in raids targeting a retired archbishop and the graves of two prelates.

Belgium's justice minister has responded to the criticism robustly, saying normal procedures were followed.
....

On Saturday Vatican officials compared the raids and investigation into allegations of child sex abuse with the treatment of the Church under communist rule.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, described the detention of priests "serious and unbelievable".

"There are no precedents, not even under the old communist regimes," he said.
....

The Vatican has summoned the Belgian ambassador to the Holy See to voice its anger at the incident.
....

The church was rocked in April when the Bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, resigned and admitted to sexual abuse before and after becoming a bishop.

Cardinal Bertone is at it again. Perhaps there are no precedents for the police authorities to use normal procedures with bishops, but I say, "Welcome to the human race, Your Graces." And the comparison with communist regimes is so decades ago, Your Eminence.

Thanks to John.


UPDATE: From Mark Silk at Beliefnet:

I grant you that it isn't every day that the authorities hold a country's bishops for questioning for nine hours, confiscate their computers and cell phones, and drill into the sarcophagi of a couple of their deceased number. But when Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone protests that the Belgian bishops had been held without food and water when they haven't, and the Belgian bishops have to issue a correction, that's tells you the wheels are coming off the popemobile.

Read more....

H/T to Ann Fontaine at The Lead for the link to the info in the update.

POWER TO YOU THROUGH PORT FOURCHON?

From Port Fourchon's website:

Port Fourchon was developed as a multi-use facility. It has historically been a land base for offshore oil support services as well as a land base for the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP). In addition, Port Fourchon has served as a commercial and recreational fishing mecca, foreign cargo shipping terminal, and a unique area for recreation and tourism.

The overwhelming majority (over 95%) of tonnage handled at the Port is oil and gas related. Every widget and gadget needed to support the oil and gas industry is handled as cargo. It moves through container, bulk, breakbulk, and just about every method imaginable. Approximately 30% of total tonnage travels to and from the port by inland barge before being transferred to or from an offshore supply vessel, and 70% travels to and from the port by vehicle before being transferred to or from an offshore supply vessel or helicopter.

 

Grandpère insisted that I take a picture of the water tower at Port Fourchon to prove we'd been there - as if my word is not enough.

 

Storage tanks at the port

 

Chouest boats, painted in their distinctive yellow and red color.

North American Shipbuilding, in Larose, Louisiana, is known locally as Chouest after the name of the founders of the company.

 

I'll bet you didn't know that we had the Infant Jesus of Prague just southeast of us.

 

Shrimpboats outfitted for skimming oil

 

Fancy camps at Port Fourchon

President Obama picked up tarballs on Fourchon Beach.

We wanted to continue on to Elmer's Island, but the bridge was blocked.

Just so you'll know, the oil and gas that are produced from the wells in the Gulf and serviced through Port Fourchon is not for the exclusive use of the people of Louisiana. It's shipped or piped all over the country, maybe even to the utility company which supplies your power.

"IT'LL NEVER BE THE SAME"

Twenty Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Scott Threlkeld - The Times Picayune

From NOLA:

CORDOVA, Alaska

On a recent chilly, drizzly June afternoon, the fisherfolk of Cordova gathered for an announcement.

An official from Alaska Department of Fish and Game emerged with a flier and tacked it to a bulletin board. The news was good: Sockeye salmon were plentiful enough to be harvested for a 12-hour period.

Soon, boats were chugging toward the Copper River delta against a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. By the next morning, Cordova Harbor was nearly empty. At an evening softball game, a gaggle of small boys chased every foul ball but few parents were present: many were out on the water.
....

But mention the word "Exxon" to anyone here, and the idyll evaporates. Men break down in tears describing what they lost when 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled into Prince William Sound in 1989 from a grounded tanker named Exxon Valdez. Twenty-one years later, the herring that once signaled the start of the summer season are largely gone, rendering $300,000 permits worthless. Losses are tallied in divorces, suicides, repossessed boats, depleted college funds, friends who moved away. Cynicism has lodged permanently in people's craws, receiving a fresh injection two years ago when the U.S. Supreme Court whittled down to $500 million a punitive-damages judgment against Exxon that started out at $5 billion.
....

"Don't believe anything the oil company says. They have huge PR departments whose job it is to minimize the collateral damage," said Mike Lytle, a Cordova fisherman. "I hope you have better luck than we did with the oil companies."

An Alabama charter boat captain, William Allen Kruse committed suicide.

Here in Louisiana, members of families who have worked for generations catching fish, shrimp, and crabs and in the seafood processing business are sick at heart to see their way of life disappear. The consequences of the oil gushing from the Horizon well are likely to be felt for generations, and no one knows if the waters of the Gulf of Mexico will ever be the same.

FIRST BLOND GUY JOKE

The first Blonde GUY joke..... And well worth the wait!


An Irishman, a Mexican and a Blonde Guy were doing construction work on scaffolding on the 20th floor of a building.

They were eating lunch and the Irishman said, 'Corned beef and cabbage! If I get corned beef and cabbage one more time for lunch, I'm going to jump off this building.'

The Mexican opened his lunch box and exclaimed, 'Burritos again! If I get burritos one more time I'm going to jump off, too.'

The blonde opened his lunch and said, ' Bologna again! If I get a bologna sandwich one more time, I'm jumping too.'

The next day, the Irishman opened his lunch box, saw corned beef and cabbage, and jumped to his death.

The Mexican opened his lunch, saw a burrito, and jumped, too.

The blonde guy opened his lunch, saw the bologna and jumped to his death as well.

At the funeral, the Irishman's wife was weeping. She said, 'If I'd known how really tired he was of corned beef and cabbage, I never would have given it to him again!'

The Mexican's wife also wept and said, 'I could have given him tacos or enchiladas! I didn't realize he hated burritos so much.'


(Oh this is GOOD!!)


Everyone turned and stared at the blonde's wife. The blonde's wife said, 'Don't look at me. The idiot makes his own lunch.'


Don't blame me. Blame Ann.

GRAND ISLE - LAFITTE WOODS NATURE PRESERVE

 

Before we left Grand Isle, we visited Lafitte Woods Preserve, which is apparently a fairly well-kept secret, except to birders who gather in large numbers on the second and third weekends in April to see the arrival of many species of birds.

This site encompasses the best remaining tracts of live oak and hackberry forest on the barrier island. Well-known to birders as one of the most important migratory songbird stopover sites in coastal Louisiana, this preserve features several walking trails, including a migratory bird trail with kiosks and a 300-foot-long elevated boardwalk that overlooks 22 acres of salt marsh tidal ponds. The boardwalk was built with help from the Port Commission, Entergy, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. There are also hummingbird and butterfly gardens that are a must-see for visitors.

 

The trail

 

The boardwalk

 

The trees

We heard birds, but we did not see any.

GRAND ISLE - NOT QUITE ON THE BEACH

 

We got past the fencing to prevent the sand from eroding, but we were stopped at the next barricade, which was a good distance from the water.

 

The orange objects are tiger booms, which are filled with a combination of sand and water and are in place to prevent oil from going farther up on the beach.

Apparently, oily sand is shoveled into piles such as the one in the picture and is then picked up and hauled away to who knows where. We talked to a man who works in hazmat for a Texas company under contract to BP to work with those who are cleaning the beach. He told us that if we went past the barricade, where the beach was contaminated with oil and dispersant, police, the Army, and representatives of officialdom would converge on us, so we did not put his cautionary words to the test.

The rock jetty in the distance is man-made and is one of many along the beach at Grand Isle as a protection against erosion.

 

Grandpère walking back to the tent where the hazmat worker had his buggy parked, surrounded by a group of agitated terns, who must have been nesting nearby. The birds let us know in no uncertain terms that they wanted us gone from their territory. If you click on the picture for the large view, you can catch a glimpse of three terns.

Similar tents are placed at intervals along the beach to give respite from the sun to the clean-up workers.

 

The property next to where we parked to walk to the beach had not been mowed in quite some time and the result is a pretty array of wildflowers. Once again, click on the picture for the large view.

And, my readers, that is all I have for you in pictures of the beach at Grand Isle.

We stopped at the Starfish Restaurant and had very tasty lunch. GP had a bowl of gumbo and crawfish étoufée, and I had fried shrimp and French fries.

While we were in the restaurant, we talked to a Coast Guardsman and another man in a uniform of some sort. The story we got from them was pretty much, "It's not that bad". I asked the man from the Coast Guard what sort of work he did, and he said, "I'm in public relations." I asked the other uniformed guy if he had seen any dead birds or animals, and he said, "Oh, a couple of birds." I asked him how long he's been there, and he said two weeks.

Below is a picture of what we couldn't see and where we couldn't walk, presumably before the clean-up was underway and the the beach was blocked off. The red stuff is the dispersant. I suppose the beach needs cleaning every day. I didn't see skimming or any clean-up activity on the water while we were there.