[Futurework] Notes from all over

[Karen Watters Cole]

Toxic chemical spill in Brazil may take 10 years to recover @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2909355.stm   Umm Qasr Port Could Be Open in Days -U.S. Official Wed April 02, 2003 04:13 PM ET @ http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=2497193 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is working to speed the dredging of the Iraqi port at Umm Qasr so it can be opened for humanitarian relief deliveries within days and not weeks, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.  "We have contracting mechanisms to dredge the port. We're trying to speed those up now," Andrew Natsios, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, told a news briefing.  "We think it could be done in a matter of days not weeks. That's what I was told this morning," he said. An Australian ship carrying 50,000 tons of wheat has been unable to unload its cargo because it is too big to go into the port without dredging, Natsios said.   As signs of any quick end to war fade, so have hopes for the quick distribution of food, water and other supplies to fulfill the promise of U.S.-led invasion forces to help Iraqi civilians.  The main aid entry point is Iraq's only port, Umm Qasr. The British navy brought in one small shipload last week, but the port has not yet been declared safe for commercial shipping and large bulk aid shipments have been held up. I also read this week, I think at BBC or ABC (Australia) that that first shipload of food and water was about half ammunitions.  We have got to do better than that.  Can you imagine what fast dredging in this case is doing to the marine environment there?  No EIS there! - KWC From Dismal Scientist 040203: RELEASE: Oil and Gas Inventories [United States] (280.7 MB) FIRST TAKE: Crude oil stocks showed a greater-than-expected build during the week ending March 28 on strong imports. Today’s reports will therefore have a bearish impact on petroleum markets.