Gulf Coast oil spill cleanup effort could be hampered as Tropical Storm Alex forms in Caribbean

Saturday, June 26th 2010, 9:22 AM
A ship sails through oil on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico near the site of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
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A ship sails through oil on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico near the site of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
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Let the anxiety begin.

The oil-drenched Gulf Coast must face a new foe: the weather.

Tropical Storm Alex formed in the western Caribbean Saturday, raising fears that it could become a hurricane as the region continues to fight the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf.

Forecasters believe Alex is aimed at Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, but remain wary the storm could change direction at any time.

With anywhere between 69 million and 132 million gallons of oil floating in the Gulf, and dozens of ships at sea fighting the spill, a major storm could be devastating.

The Deepwater Horizon rig explosion April 20 killed 11 workers and triggered the worst oil spill disaster in U.S. history.

As scientists told NYDailyNews.com earlier this month when the Atlantic hurricane season started, this is an unprecedented situation. "This is going to be the prototype case," Dr. Joseph Suhayda of Louisiana State University, said.

This year's forecast calls for seven major storms, a number similar to 2005 when Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans.

Should Alex, or another big storm threaten the Gulf Coast, BP's cleanup effort could be halted for at least two weeks as it removes ships and equipment to safety, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen told the Associated Press.

BP said Friday it has spent $2.35 billion in its effort to clean and contain the spill.

As residents and oil spill workers brace for the storm season, BP had some encouraging news.

The oil giant said its effort to drill a relief well is on track.

"We are where we thought we were," a BP spokesman said.

The relief well is believed to be the only way to completely stop the underwater leak.

With News Wire Services

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/06

Accepting Lady chance during your position costs one thing. Experiencing Lady Gaga would seem to be is quite another.

The flamboyant performer amazed Friday's New York Mets-Yankees game at Yankee Stadium. She was glad in an open-collared pinstripe jersey and black bikini bottom. For her, that has to be cosidered dressinf conservatively.



She managed to enter the sanctuary from the Yankees clubhouse after a 4-0 loss and is reported to have chatted with Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez. The New York base said she seemed to be drunk.

The paper also said Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner had banned her from the clubhouse. The team Sunday denied any such action.

''If you listen to the stations, she's all over the place,'' Cano said. ''She's a great singer and she's doing pretty good. She's a great singer, I can tell you that.''

''Our guys know that when it's time to play, it's time to play,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. ''Celebrities have been coming out to different venues forever, whether you turn on a Lakers game or celebrities used to flock to watch Michael Jordan play. Our clubhouse, from an hour before the game, is our little sanctuary.''

So Lady Gaga may coming back someday. Not after a loss, however.

''There is a time for things like that and that wasn't it,'' Yanks general manager Brian Cashman said. ''After a loss is the wrong time. Where a security detail prevents the media covering the game from doing its job, that is wrong. This has nothing to do with her. ... It has to do with a decision made upstairs to let her in and allow this to happen. She did nothing wrong. ... The problem is internal and it's been handled.''

Guess that means Lady Gaga isn't too hot to handle, after all.

Summer Solstice: Stonehenge Welcomes the First Day of Summer Source

The summertime Solstice is the the daytime about the most farseeing time period from daylight of the twelvemonth, also called the beginning day of summer in a lot of acculturations. In this day citizenry complete the Earth celebrate the ability of the Sun and the arrival of summer, because ancient times.

A countless of events take place all over the planet, like the Summer Solstice Parade in the U.S., that has the motto (Freedom to The Peculiar) or the huge gathering at the mystical Stonehenge monument in England.

This year more than 20,000 people, New Agers, neo-pagans, locals and tourists witnessed the sunrise on the Salisbury Plain, the location of the famous stone circle, after a celebration that lasted all night. As the Sun began rising, the event comprised marked by the blowing of a huge horn, and citizenry started acting as all kind of instruments, including drums and tambourines. The consequence will conclusion with bonfires, reminding the participants of the pre-Christian beginnings of this day.