Gulf Oil Spill: 10 Horrifying Facts You Never Wanted To Know

Here are 10 of the most horrifying facts about the Gulf oil spill. Read them and let their gravity weigh heavy on your hearts and minds. Let them motivate you to take action so our planet never experiences this kind of manmade disaster ever again.

1. New estimates show the undersea well has spilled between 17 and 39 million gallons. These estimates dwarf those of BP, who claimed the spill had only released 11 million gallons to date, and mean that the Gulf leak is far bigger than Exxon Valdez, making it the worst spill in American history.

2. The National Wildlife Federation reports that already more than 150 threatened or endangered sea turtles are dead. And 316 sea birds, mostly brown pelicans and northern gannets, have been found dead along the Gulf Coast as a result of the spreading oil.

3. The Minerals Management Service, directly under the supervision of the Interior Department failed to impose a full review of potential environmental impacts of the BP drilling operation because preliminary reviews of the area concluded that a massive oil spill was "unlikely."

4. The Department of the Interior’s Office of the Inspector General released a report indicating that at one Gulf Coast office of MMS, agency officials attended sporting events on the dime of oil companies, stored porn on company computers, used cocaine and crystal meth, falsified inspection reports, and accepted "gifts" from "good friends in the oil industry." (Links via ProPublica).

5. A significant amount of the oil slick is being drawn well to the south in the east-central Gulf of Mexico, meaning that it has been captured by the Loop Current. Oil in the loop is a hazard to the Florida Keys, (and entire East Coast) as well as areas of the west coast of Florida. Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico could also be at risk of exposure to the oil, which also could be drawn into the Gulf Stream through the Florida Straits, and perhaps northward to part of the Atlantic Seaboard.

6. As much as we'd like to forget it, the Gulf Coast is prime hurricane country, and if a storm blows in, the result could be devastating. The presence of oil could lead to a more powerful hurricane because crude accumulating at the surface could be raising the temperature of the surrounding water.

7. Transocean Ltd., the owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig leased by BP, has been flying under the radar in the mainstream blame game. Because of past experience with Gulf Oil spills, Transocean decided to insure the Deepwater Horizon rig for about twice what it was worth. In a conference call to analysts earlier this month, Transocean reported making a $270 million profit from insurance payouts after the disaster.

8. Perhaps because it knows the possibility of remedying the situation is practically impossible, BP has made publicly available its laughable "Oil Spill Response Plan" which is, in fact, no plan at all. Besides mentioning the protection of Arctic wildlife (probably lifted directly from the Exxon Valdez plan), the plan does not include any disease-preventing measures, oceanic or meteorological data, and is comprised mostly of phone numbers and blank forms. Most importantly, it includes no directions for how to deal with another deep-water explosion in the future.

9. A large number of fishermen are becoming seriously ill - and many of them believe that the chemicals that BP is using in the Gulf are to blame. Local shrimpers in Louisiana are already predicting that it will be seven years before they can set to sea again.

10. Gambling websites are now placing odds on what species will be first to become extinct as a result of the oil belching from BP's ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico.


Borrowed From: http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/10-most-horrifying-facts-about-the-gulf-oill-spill/


Please visit www.CraftAnon4Charity.etsy.com. Our current charity is Tri-State Bird Rescue.

Fugly To Fabulous!

I belong to a really awesome crafter's forum called Attack Of The Craft. The contest this month is 'Fugly To Fabulous'. Basically you find a fugly item from garage sale or thrift store and craft it into something fabulous!

Well last weekend we wandered around some garage sales and I happened to be thumbing through some old LP's and found a Flashdance record. I don't even own a record player but I had to buy it. There's just something about the old school vinyl that is amazing. The look, the feel, even the smell.

I did a search on google to see what kind of crafty things can be done with records and this is what I decided to make for my entry. I took and old Barry Manilow LP (which is super fugly to me, lol) drew out my pistols and rose piece & colored it up nice. Added some pyramid studs and the time pieces and added the tick tocker and this is what happened....



And so the obsession was born, because I fell in love. I have made 4 more clocks, but I also had to try out a few other things I saw. If you take a record and put it in the oven @ around 200 degrees it ges warm enough to cut and/or minuplate. So I had to make a little fruit bowl and a couple cuff bracelets, which RULE btw!

So if you ever wonder what you can do with your old LP's, give some of these ideas a try!

Feeling Lucky Winner!

Congrats to Pili for winning Free Shit Tuesday, Feeling Lucky Edition! We expect lots of pics Ms. Pili!!

xoxo,
K&K

Feeling Lucky? 13 Day To Win!

Today is Tuesday, April 13th....are you feeling Lucky?

Todays Free Shit Tuesday is brought to you by Tuck N' Roll Kustoms. Tuck N' Roll Kustoms is an amazing shop inspired by everything pin up, rockabilly, and Kar Kulture.

Up for grabs on this edition of Free Shit Tuesday is a Tuck N Roll Kustoms pencil skirt, screen printed with a hot pink HeartSizedCrush original Pistols and Nautical Stars AND a matching HeartSizedCrush hot pink necklace!

I know, I know- go ahead and pick your chin up off the floor cause I'm going to make you work a bit for it! ;)

So here's the deal:
-Every RT (retweet) of the blog post on twitter will get an entry. (1 pr hr pls)
(@HeartSizedCrush #FeelingLucky? http://heartsizedcrush.blogspot.com/ pls RT) also- no need to leave a comment for each tweet, I can get all that through twitter if you use the tweet above.

-Follow my blog, that'll get you another entry. (If you already follow, just let me know and I'll add an automatic entry.)

-Visit Krissy's shop TuckNRollKustoms and my shop, HeartSizedCrush come back and leave a comment on your favorite item and you'll score another entry (1 for each).

-Last but not least, if you make a purchase from HeartSizedCrush -OR- TuckNRollKustoms you will score 3 extra entries. Just come back here and leave a comment to let me know that it was you!

-Blog about this giveaway, leave me a link here and you'll score 2 more entries!


Winner will be chosen at random. International entries welcome. Contest will run for 13 days. Make sure you leave a way for me to get in touch with you Ie; twitter name, email, ect.


Happy Free Shit Tuesday my loves!
xoxo,
-K

Fridays Favorites

It's no secret that I'm in love with Etsy. It's one of the few places you can find something that's 100% original, actually made with love, and more likely then not can be customized just for YOU. I'm on Etsy all the time, and not just because I sell my stuff on there, but because I LOVE to shop. I'm always adding things to my favorites...and constantly drooling over them until I can make them mine. I just thought I'd share some of my current favorites...and it's Friday so there you go....yea, I know- I'm a genius! Enjoy!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade HeartSizedCrush.etsy.com

AOTC!

I wanted to share a new craft forum with you. It's made BY crafters FOR crafters. This isn't your mother's forum....that's for sure. It's a great community to be a part of! There is something on this site for everyone from great tutorials to discussions about your favorite movies. This place it the BomB! Come check it out! (And tell em HeartSizedCrush sent you!)

Disclaimer; I cannot be held responsible for your life getting sucked into this forum. :D

xoxo,
K

I l(heart) BettyRed!

Hey There, Hi There, Ho There my little readers! I just wanted to hop on here and give some love to my dear friend Brynn aka BettyRed. She is one of the most amazing people I have eer had the priviledge to call my friend! She graciously accepted some of my jewelry and took it to her photoshoot (artandsoulphoto.com)....and the turnout was amazing! I just had to share it with my readers!

To see the full line, please visit www.heartsizedcrush.etsy.com.

xoxo,
K