[beerme1]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

There really is a 'don't worry until the Big Bad is 72 hours out' and it really does serve people well down here or they'd be freaking out over every tropical wave trying to organize somewhere out by the Cape Verde Islands.

And to this point, the reality of the oil slick's impact on land has come nowhere close to the hype. The original prognosis for my neck of the swamp was that the beach was supposed to be utterly saturated by some point in early-mid June, and instead the worst of it has been tarballs about one day in three and more swimmable days than not as the national media continues to hype the spill as more than it's turned out to be at this point. (I'm not saying there hasn't been damage, but that we keep being told it's going to be worse than it has been)

Are you kidding me? Everyday in my job I deal with people whose lives have been permanently altered by whats happening in your neck of the woods. Go as any, and I mean ANY charter boat Captain in the Pensacola, FT. Walton or Destin area what they think! They are done. Lets see they're not allowed to fish in the water, everyone has cancelled their charters and the future if they can hang on past this year is unknown. Many people wont return. This says nothing about the entire Shrimp or Oyster people who aren't looking at next year. If their industry ever returns it is a decade into the future.
Oh wait you're talking about the impact on land Hey ask Jimmy Buffett how the new hotel that would otherwise be sold out for months is doing? I'm going to guess he's got about a 20% vacancy. How lonmg will that hold up?
Sorry and I actually don't mean to be crude but you have your head up you're Moderator cut: language problem? if you cant see whats right in front of you and I can from such a far distance away. Have you talked to anyone in your area to gauge the impact or are you merely, simply reffering to not seeing waves of oil crashing onto your beaches?

[beachmouse]

I'm talking environmental and visual impact of it.

And the economic impact of it would not be nearly as bad as it has been if the national news hadn't spent the past two weeks leading with 'the northern gulf coast is doomed and there's 24/7 oil washing ashore in a giant black slick' when there hasn't been.

I'm at the point where I'm certain that the newsies have done more damage to the local economy than BP has.

[Juleysis1990]

How's the oil in the panhandle? Both of you are from the area. Is it like the news? If I go to the beach will I see oil?

[beachmouse]

Beach conditions have been no sheen right now, tar balls on the occasional day, though not lately. The local tv news reports have taken to giving oil reports during the weather segment, and they're saying it's headed more to Missisisippi than here in the near future.

[flyers29]

Originally Posted by fauve

Same...and there are definitely many who do. Strangely, VERY few locals though - they think I'm nuts. There's very little talk of it on the Ft Lauderdale C-D board either - just a discussion about the boycott - and there are quite a few who are against it.

Well Pensacola ain't exactly local to South Florida, even if it is the same state...might as well be discussing what's going on in Atlanta or Charleston.

[beerme1]

Originally Posted by Juleysis1990

How's the oil in the panhandle? Both of you are from the area. Is it like the news? If I go to the beach will I see oil?

Juleysis1990 I am not from the area. i'm in Buffalo NY and have a lot of people there that owe my company a lot of money and it is having an effect way up here for reasons I mentioned. They can't pay their bills down there right now because they cant do what they do to make a living.

I'm sorry beachmouse but the media has zero to do with what i'm talking about. The media didn't declare that fishing was off limits did they?
No that is your Fedearal Governemnt that did that.
The mainstream media has actually been pretty pathetic as usual with it's coverage.
They like to give the current administration a pass as far as I can tell from their coverage when in actuality this issue goes back through multiple administrations from both political parties but that is a seperate argument.

Again no offense beachmouse, honestly I am not trying to be the ying to your yang but I am dealing with these devasted people everyday. The charter boats that cant go fishing are not a result of the media thank you.
That is a part of the result of the freaking massive oil blowout that is contaminating the waters that they venture into that they are no longer allowed to into.
I dont understand how you can claim that the media which is generally useless anymore, is causing this problem with the stories they run.
Right now we are in a two day peiod of uncapped flow. There is no reclamation going on as we speak. Unless you are one of the people selling dispersant to BP I dont understand how this can be misconstrued.
If you are local, I challenge you to pick up a phone book, call a chater fishing boat and tell them anything you want. I think You may be in for a rude awakening. Those folks are going belly up. And not because of the media. Ask them.

Willy

[beachmouse]

I'm sorry to hear of the fishing woes (and miss the truly local seafood) but you're seriously tunnel vision about that small segment of the tourism sector when the area is so much more than that when it comes to water recreation. I know so many people down here in the tourism biz but not on the fishing side who are dying this summer because the national media keeps replaying oil shots of a place 100+ miles away and two weeks old when the beach right in front of their condo/restaurant/business is just fine.

Does the national media show the huge number of people swimming safely at Pensacola Beach during the breaks in the Blue Angels show yesterday? Not from what I saw.

[mango23]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

I'm sorry to hear of the fishing woes (and miss the truly local seafood) but you're seriously tunnel vision about that small segment of the tourism sector when the area is so much more than that when it comes to water recreation. I know so many people down here in the tourism biz but not on the fishing side who are dying this summer because the national media keeps replaying oil shots of a place 100+ miles away and two weeks old when the beach right in front of their condo/restaurant/business is just fine.

Does the national media show the huge number of people swimming safely at Pensacola Beach during the breaks in the Blue Angels show yesterday? Not from what I saw.

I don't think people in swimming is a story. They just cover what they see and don't speculate and the story everybody want to see is the oil spill. It is the biggest story in the country now. They certainly don't need to exaggerate it, it is bad enough as it is. They also don't need to underplay it either because some people may lose money, that would be even worse. I think they have covered it pretty factually so far. In fact they only people telling us any of the truth "IS" the media. Everyone else uses spin or out right lies right in our face. This thing is so far from being over, worrying about one weekend of business is pretty insignificant. Worry about this becoming an every week thing for years to come. This oil is not going away any time soon. Long after the spill is shut off and all the reporters have gone on to the next big story, you will have oil washing up on the beaches for years and where it will be is anyone's guess. That sweet smell of a breeze in the morning off the gulf we all know may many days be replaces with the stink of that oil.

[fauve]

Originally Posted by mango23

I don't think people in swimming is a story. They just cover what they see and don't speculate and the story everybody want to see is the oil spill. It is the biggest story in the country now. They certainly don't need to exaggerate it, it is bad enough as it is. They also don't need to underplay it either because some people may lose money, that would be even worse. I think they have covered it pretty factually so far. In fact they only people telling us any of the truth "IS" the media. Everyone else uses spin or out right lies right in our face. This thing is so far from being over, worrying about one weekend of business is pretty insignificant. Worry about this becoming an every week thing for years to come. This oil is not going away any time soon. Long after the spill is shut off and all the reporters have gone on to the next big story, you will have oil washing up on the beaches for years and where it will be is anyone's guess. That sweet smell of a breeze in the morning off the gulf we all know may many days be replaces with the stink of that oil.

I can't rep you again, but this is an excellent response. Here's an example of alternative media getting the message out that you wont see on the local news or national media for another week. The media is DEFINITELY not overdoing this.

*UPDATED* Patches of oily sheen near Miami filmed from 15th floor | Florida Oil Spill Law

[flyers29]

Originally Posted by fauve

I can't rep you again, but this is an excellent response. Here's an example of alternative media getting the message out that you wont see on the local news or national media for another week. The media is DEFINITELY not overdoing this.

*UPDATED* Patches of oily sheen near Miami filmed from 15th floor | Florida Oil Spill Law

There's always oil coming out from other ships...how could you come to the conclusion that this was in any way connected to BP? Remember a few weeks ago when tar balls showed up in Key West only to be deemed not from the BP spill?