Author Matthew Cordell

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Matthew Cordell

Plugging the Leak Update

Bad news: the cap didn't work.  The 40-foot-tall, 98-ton, iron cap that BP was hoping to use to clog the leak over the weekend has become clogged itself, by "deep-sea crystals...a slushy mix of gas and water, and been tossed aside.

As Yahoo notes, the cap took two weeks to build and 3 days to put into place.  During that time 85,000 barrels of oil have spilled into the Gulf.

I’m Sure Mom Likes Stale Chocolates…

...but wouldn't she really prefer to save a life in Africa this Mother's Day?

Both UNICEF and the Nothing But Nets offer some pretty compelling ways to send love in your mother's name this Sunday. Trust me, she'll be proud. 

Plugging the Leak

The BBC is reporting a possible short-term solution that BP is cooking up to stem the oil geyser in the Gulf of Mexico -- a rusty metal box.  The 40-foot-tall, 98-ton iron cap -- being built by Wild Well Control...no joke -- will be lowered onto the leaky valve and the oil will be funneled up to a ship on the surface, hopefully as soon as the end of the week.

Climate Science is Complicated

According to Reuters, a week of clear skies over Europe has given scientists another rare glimpse into the effects of aviation on the Earth's climate.   Given that there are roughly 100,000 flights every day, getting control samples is usually impossible.

Let Slip the Dogs of Data

Stat-heads perk up. The World Bank just released its 2010 World Development Indicators in a format that will surely please. Or, rather, they released it in any format you please. 

For instance, in honor of Earth Day, you might want to check out CO2 emissions in pure kilotons per country. Table or map? Map? Ok.

Climate Change Could Trigger More Eyjafjallajökulls

Good news for those of you living around Eyjafjallajökull...and bad news for the rest of us.  The good news is that the flash floods, like those created when a 200m-thick block of ice sitting on top of secondary eruptions was instantaneously liquefied, will become less likely as those blocks of ice continue to melt due to climate change.

Suicide Bombers Hit Pakistani Refugees

The AP is reporting a craven attack by two "burqa-clad" suicide bombers on a group of refugees who had fled the fighting in Northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border. The refugees were lined up to register for relief supplies, including food. So far, 41 are reported dead.