I knew Istanbul was seeped in history, but did not expect to encounter this walking down the Istiklal Caddesi.

'Watering Hole' © Amy Stein

It’s great to have so many connections on Facebook, but Amy Stein was my first. This is one of my favorites from her series “Domesticated”.

This map shows the extent of the BP disaster and allows you to move the spill to different locations and see the impact. From If It Was My Home.

“An explosion on the BP operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed eleven crew members on April 20, 2010 sparking the greatest environmental disaster in United States history. In combination with the Texas City Refinery Explosion and the Prudohoe Bay Oil Spill, this marks the third serious incident involving BP in the United States in the last five years. Current estimates put the amount of oil being discharged from the broken well at above 1,050,000 US gallons per day! There are over 400 different species of animals living in the area affected by the spill. 253 sea turtles and 29 dolphins have been found dead within the spill area.” (NOAA)

What Can You Do?

* Talk. First, share this map with your friends so they can understand the impact as well. Next, write to your Representatives and Senators and share your feelings about this disaster.
* Think. The EPA is soliciting ideas for possible technology solutions to aid in the oil spill response efforts. Submit your idea. You can also visit the clever inventors over at GulfClean.org and help them build their crowdsourced technology for oil cleanup.
* Volunteer. Lousiana and Florida are both looking for volunteers to help in cleanup and prevention. If you have a boat and live or work on the gulf coast, you can participate in the Vessels of Opportunity program.
* Donate. The National Wildlife Foundation and Save Our Seabirds are accepting donations for coastal relief.