Explosion in North Texas

Sure to Be Blown Out of Proportion

This is sure to be blown out of proportion, pun intended:

NEW ORLEANS — Coast Guard officials said Monday afternoon that the oil spill near Louisiana is now covering more than 1,800 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico, and they have been unable to engage a mechanism that could shut off the well thousands of feet below the water’s surface.

You know environmentalists will capitalize on this.

Louisiana Oil Rig Blows

MINEr Problem

Dangerous gases have prevented rescue teams from searching for four miners missing since an explosion killed 25 of their colleagues:

Here's some more background from the NYTimes:

MONTCOAL, W.Va. — Rescue teams at the Upper Big Branch mine, where at least 25 people were killed in a deadly blast this week, were abruptly pulled out Thursday morning because methane levels were dangerously high and further explosions were possible, state officials said.

Obviously, this is a concerning situation for the large mining population in West Virginia. Mining has always been central to the state's economy, and explosions and tragedies like these are haunting reminders of the dangerous involved with such a perilous trade.