We Support The Oil Spill

[AFK]

The Oil Spill will inevitably end up inspiring at least one cool new Mythbusters episode. 

[East Coast Hustle]

Heh, I'm gonna be that guy who actually has cause to be happy about the oil spill.

What's bad for Florida tourism is great for USVI tourism. The oil spill has literally boosted the VI's economy enough that I can move back this winter and not have to wait another year for the wage-scale to return to normal.

GO BP!!!

[Suu]

Heh, I'm gonna be that guy who actually has cause to be happy about the oil spill.

What's bad for Florida tourism is great for USVI tourism. The oil spill has literally boosted the VI's economy enough that I can move back this winter and not have to wait another year for the wage-scale to return to normal.

GO BP!!!

They're already noticing a difference?

Also, one of these days I WILL go to St. Thomas and make you be my tour guide.

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

Yup. The gulf tourism is about 40% what it used to be?
I think I heard that right.
They're losing a lot of business, places are shutting down and people are losing their jobs.
People I know personally who usually go to places over there are staying away.

GO BP!

[AFK]

The thing to do, if it is even possible, is to get tourists to come down to help with clean up AND throw in some fun.  You get a 3 day vacation.  You spend one day on the beach picking up tar-balls, cleaning off pelicans, collecting boons, whatever, you get some kind of discount on a nearbye resort and then you have 2 days of reduce-priced fun.  PLUS, you get to brag to your friends and family how you helped save the Gulf of Mexico.  give them t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers.  You play into American's desire to brag about being a part of something AND getting discounts.  Voila! 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

The thing to do, if it is even possible, is to get tourists to come down to help with clean up AND throw in some fun.  You get a 3 day vacation.  You spend one day on the beach picking up tar-balls, cleaning off pelicans, collecting boons, whatever, you get some kind of discount on a nearbye resort and then you have 2 days of reduce-priced fun.  PLUS, you get to brag to your friends and family how you helped save the Gulf of Mexico.  give them t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers.  You play into American's desire to brag about being a part of something AND getting discounts.  Voila! 

Not only brag but brag about doing something important. "I saved the Atlantic and all I got was this lousy T-shirt"
I could see this being a workable idea.

[AFK]

Someone get rid of Haley Barbour and Charlie Crist and I'll come and get r done!

[AFK]

And the thing is, you don't need to give them back-breaking labor.  Give them just enough to do and then you have that much more work to spread around which means that many more tourists.  It probably isn't enough to totally avoid losses in tourism, but it might at least keep people employed and some money (read: tax revenue) coming in.   

[Jenne]

And the thing is, you don't need to give them back-breaking labor.  Give them just enough to do and then you have that much more work to spread around which means that many more tourists.  It probably isn't enough to totally avoid losses in tourism, but it might at least keep people employed and some money (read: tax revenue) coming in.   

Isn't this what they did with post-Katrina NOLA and other natural disasters around that time?


Come to New Orleans and sample the jazz kitchens while building prefab houses in the Ninth Ward!

[AFK]

And one more thing, President Obama ran on a platform that included civic engagement and working in the community.  

Hello?  This calamity SCREAMS for that.  His office should be leading the charge on this.  You gotta know there are tons of people out there who would love to travel down and pitch in.  Get a few brains together and come up with a plan to tap into that.  The leak isn't going away soon, there has to be plenty of shit to do.  

[AFK]

And the thing is, you don't need to give them back-breaking labor.  Give them just enough to do and then you have that much more work to spread around which means that many more tourists.  It probably isn't enough to totally avoid losses in tourism, but it might at least keep people employed and some money (read: tax revenue) coming in.   

Isn't this what they did with post-Katrina NOLA and other natural disasters around that time?


Come to New Orleans and sample the jazz kitchens while building prefab houses in the Ninth Ward!

Seems like a no-brainer to me.  And it may be this is being done and I just haven't read about it.  Entirely possible.  I know if I were in a situation where I could just drop work and family responsibilities for a week or two I'd be down there helping. 

[Jenne]

And the thing is, you don't need to give them back-breaking labor.  Give them just enough to do and then you have that much more work to spread around which means that many more tourists.  It probably isn't enough to totally avoid losses in tourism, but it might at least keep people employed and some money (read: tax revenue) coming in.  

Isn't this what they did with post-Katrina NOLA and other natural disasters around that time?


Come to New Orleans and sample the jazz kitchens while building prefab houses in the Ninth Ward!

Seems like a no-brainer to me.  And it may be this is being done and I just haven't read about it.  Entirely possible.  I know if I were in a situation where I could just drop work and family responsibilities for a week or two I'd be down there helping.  

Once my kids are older, I know my husband will be in Medicins Sans Frontiers in a heartbeat...

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

The idea sounds genius!
Only problem is that stuff is really toxic, they don't want the public near it without proper protection, it's making people sick.

Oh, did you hear that they were telling the clean up crews not to wear their protective gear because they didn't want to frighten the public? They didn't want people to know just how dangerous this crap is so they told em, wear the suits and you're fired. Nice, huh?

GO BP!

[Nephew Twiddleton]

The idea sounds genius!
Only problem is that stuff is really toxic, they don't want the public near it without proper protection, it's making people sick.

Oh, did you hear that they were telling the clean up crews not to wear their protective gear because they didn't want to frighten the public? They didn't want people to know just how dangerous this crap is so they told em, wear the suits and you're fired. Nice, huh?

GO BP!

Hmmm. Put your own workers at risk and keep the public ignorant. Nice.

[AFK]

The idea sounds genius!
Only problem is that stuff is really toxic, they don't want the public near it without proper protection, it's making people sick.

Oh, did you hear that they were telling the clean up crews not to wear their protective gear because they didn't want to frighten the public? They didn't want people to know just how dangerous this crap is so they told em, wear the suits and you're fired. Nice, huh?

GO BP!

Yeah, Olbermann was reporting on that a couple of days ago.  And you are right about the hazards of handling and collecting the oil.  But I think there would probably be enough support-type jobs that the average citizen could do, that would allow more time for the professionals to handle the particularly dirty and nasty jobs.