Mississippi Coast Bound

Hi, all!

I'm going to blog for the next few days as I hitch a ride down to Ocean Springs and other points along Mississippi's Gulf Coast.

Here's a sample of the latest oil spill headlines:

"BP's Chief Sees Progress in Containing Oil Spill" (NY Times)

"Gulf Coast oil spill's economic damage could be permanent" (LA Times)

"Alaska fisherman still struggling 21 years after Exxon spill" (CNN)

"Oil Makes Landfall as BP Preps Containment Dome" (Newsweek)

Also, the Washington Post discusses whether or not we should dump 150,000 gallons of toxic chemical dispersant, Nalco's Corexit 9500 (the effects of which very little is known) at the likely expense of marine life, or refrain from dumping it, at the inevitable expense of the marshland.

As far as I know, the oil hasn't reached the Mississippi Coast yet. While I'm down there, I'm going to get trained in bird-washing, but I hope I don't need to use my new skills. Hopefully I'll have a chance to see the Coast in its relative state of ... normalcy.

While I'm in Ocean Springs, I expect to talk to some locals. Many students here in Oxford, MS are from the Coast, and experienced Katrina, which also involved some oil.