Image by John Grap, Battle Creek Enquirer

As if the Gulf of Mexico oil spill wasn’t enough, an oil spill that occurred in Michigan Monday is already proving to be disastrous.

The spill in Marshall, Michigan came at the heels of the Gulf’s 100th day since the spill. Even now, 100 plus days later, BP and others involved in monitoring the oil rig face criticism for their response to the Deepwater Horizon explosion. The events surrounding the Michigan spill already seem all too familiar.

As of Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates more than 100 million gallons of oil may have spilled into Talmadge Creek. The creek runs into the Kalamazoo River, already contaminated, and many fear the oil will soon reach Lake Michigan. The company that owns the pipeline, however, believes a little more than 19 thousand barrels leaked.

Like Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Dolan writes, a lot of finger-pointer is happening as a result of the spill. Even though the pipe was capped relatively quickly compared to the Gulf,  Governor Jennifer Granholm is even criticizing the response effort.

Many believe the response to contain the oil has been slow, and many fear what consequences lie ahead.

I believe company officials, the government and volunteers will and should do what they can to help contain the oil and save the wildlife. Yes, we can criticize and point out what was not effective, but we need to look ahead to do what we can to save our environment. These situations clearly prove oil companies and the government need more sound emergency plans for when spills happen. I am not justifying these spills or actions taken, but I do believe actual emergencies are always different from the practice responses these organizations probably trained with. No situation is like the other and the true test of efficiency, concern and preparation is how the government and these companies handle these tragic events.

If you would like to volunteer or donate to help clean up the Michigan Oil Spill join the Kalamazoo River Oil Spill Facebook group.

There’s an interesting article on Newsweek‘s website addressing the current Autism Awareness movement. Claudia Kalb‘s angle focuses on law enforcement and what they do when they encounter people with autism.

Over time, our society has improved how it treats individuals with developmental disorders and other behavioral differences. Efforts to educate law enforcement officials and teach them how to interact with autistic members of our society is another step forward. Take a look at the article to read how they’re being educated.

The article tells a story about a young autistic man who encountered police in May. Officers approached him as we waited outside a Tybee Island, Georgia restuarant. His brother was inside getting cheeseburgers. The officers arrested him for disorderly conduct, telling an area newspaper the man was “staggering back and forth” and they believed he was under the influence.

It was only after the young man was handcuffed and “bleeding with a broken tooth” that the police officers were told the man was autistic.

Law enforcement members should be allowed to do their job in order to keep up us, but a line does need to be drawn somewhere. If someone acting like the young man was is perceived as a threat, they should take proper precaution. Educating people unfamiliar with the common signs of autism is a way to help combat this sort of situation. Giving officers a checklist to comply to before taking charge will help prevent harmful treatment.

It is good our society is becoming more aware of these issues as our autistic friends, family members and loved ones are becoming more active in our communities.

This product was invented by South African Dr. Sonnett Ehlers. She invented it in response to her experience with a rape victim. According to a CNN article, South Africa has one of the highest rape rates in the world. The men who rape are rarely convicted and the women who are attacked are rarely able to seek medical attention and get help. For Dr. Ehlers, Rape-aXe is a way for women to take charge and protect themselves from rape. It is hopefully a way to deter men to rape as well. She hopes women will wear these condoms when they go on a blind date or are going to an unfamiliar place.

This seems like a great invention with great intentions but many people, including feminists, debate the effectiveness of Rape-aXe and here is where the debate begins. Some argue the condom supports the idea that “women are solely responsible for their own safety” and it doesn’t address ways to prevent men from committing rape. When you think about it, it doesn’t stop the actual act of rape. Victims will still experience the physical and psychological trauma that occurs after the attack. It is also argued that the condom reminds women of their vulnerability.

The arguments are fairly justified, but I do think Dr. Ehler’s invention is practical, especially for South African women and the society they live in. Their society does not properly punish those who rape, and the condom provides a way for women to protect themselves, take charge and punish the men who may attack them. If men know these exist, it might also deter them.

Finally, it is never good for women to live in fear, but it is important for women to understand smart ways to protect themselves and prevent an attack.

I found a number of websites that list ways to protect yourself. Here is what I found at StopCrime.org:

1. Be Armed:  Mace, Pepper Spray etc.

2. Be Cautious Outdoors: Stay confident, don’t take shortcuts, stay in well lit areas etc.

3. Safety at Home: Keep doors locked and keep main entrance lit properly

4. At a Party: Do not accept drinks from strangers

Earlier this week I came across an article about the Exxon Valdez oil spill. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound near the town of Valdez pouring some 11 million gallons of oil that would pollute the water and damage prized Alaskan shoreline.

This article discusses how the oil spill affected local Alaskan communities over the years. One fact I discovered is that people flooded the area hoping Exxon would hire them to help with the clean up. Unfortunately, many were not hired and they were not the best people to join the community. Criminal activities like violence and drug abuse increased in the area.

Fishing is a big industry in the area, much like the Gulf of Mexico, but many fishing families in Alaska still haven’t recovered. Some fish species in the area were completely destroyed as a result of the spill and have never returned. The saddest part. These families were promised compensation. They are still waiting for it.

Staying on the topic of wildlife… photographs from the Exxon Valdez spill and the Gulf spill show how these disasters negatively affect the environment and its inhabitants. In Alaska, birds and sea otters were found dead, covered in oil. We see pictures now of birds covered in oil. In fact, today I saw a sad story about endangered turtle species burning alive during BP’s controlled oil burns in the Gulf of Mexico. Reports say BP is not allowing people to interfere with the burns to save the turtles and they are not doing anything to protect them.

We are not even close to seeing the end of this sad situation. As of today, the government estimates somewhere between 39 and 112 gallons of oil have spilled into the Gulf. The Exxon Valdez spill was only 11 million. It’s safe to say, we will be feeling and seeing the affects of this disaster for a very long time.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were more than holidays this year. They were big news days as well. Reports of checkbook journalism are currently surrounding the terrorist attempt on Northwest Flight 252 and David Goldman’s emotional reunion with son Sean after a long custody battle in Brazil. It is unfortunate these incidents of checkbook journalism may have been forgotten or brushed over as both stories continue captivating the nation.

NBC is facing criticism after offering Goldman and his son a free flight from Brazil to Orlando Christmas Eve. The news organization says the free flight was not a gift intended for an interview but a gesture given because NBC crews covering the story were already taking the flight back. The Society of Professional Journalists released a statement regarding the issue saying it crossed an ethical line, and once NBC offered the gift and the Goldman’s accepted it, NBC was no longer a third-party to the story. NBC was then involved in the story itself. NBC says it has been covering the Goldman custody battle for over a year now. David has already had a number of interviews with NBC and gave the news organization exclusive rights to the story. NBC reps say the offer was not intended to motivate.

The other big controversy is with the flight photo from Northwest Flight 253 Christmas Day morning that circulated following the event. It has now come out that ABC, the New York Post and CNN all paid passenger Jasper Schuringa for the picture he took on his phone. CNN says it often pays for witness photos especially during breaking news events but says it did not pay Schuringa for his interview.

SPJ says keeping journalist credibility is more than just avoiding conflict, it is also about avoiding the appearance of the conflict. I agree. Even though their intentions might have been kindhearted, NBC took a big risk. To its audience, the situation may look like an extravagant payoff for an exclusive. The CNN and Schuringa case can also be seen as deceiving. Transparency is best for these situations. If CNN is honest about buying the photo during the interview with Schuringa, the audience will be less likely to question if he was paid for the interview. The same goes with NBC. In the end, checkbook journalism challenges the credibility of all American journalism because it can alter the motivation of the person or persons being interviewed.

StinkyJournalism.org also has a good report on these incidents.

Craig Silverman

on Regrettheerror.com. The top trend Silverman lists is fact-checking or “calling bullshit” as he calls it. Silverman gave The Washington Post the correction of the year, and New Brunswick, Canada’s Telegraph-Journal has the error of the year. Follow the link to read about these trends, corrections and errors. Some of them are pretty entertaining.

Watch this video to see Hardball with Chris Matthews covering the Stewart/Hannity controversy. It includes Jon Stewart’s piece and Hannity’s apology.

I am having trouble embedding the video but you can watch Jon Stewart’s expose by clicking this link.