By now even the most die-hard oil-drilling supporter must have noticed the “environmental incident” unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil Spill Silences Once-Raucous 'Drill, Baby, Drill' Camp
“'Drill, baby, drill' is now, 'Hush, baby, hush'.
The Republican battle cry that crystallized the growing popularity of offshore drilling has dropped from view since the Deepwater Horizon rig sank last week and the well it drilled started shooting crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico.”
What did Congress (present and past) think was going to happen when you allow greedy cost-cutting corporate demons to poke holes into the earth’s crust at will? Partisan bickering aside, all sides of the political spectrum are equally culpable in this almost deliberate disaster.
BP disaster: Worst oil spill in U.S. history
“Obama said he would end the "scandalously close relationship" between regulators and the oil companies they oversee. He also extended a freeze on new deepwater oil drilling and canceled or delayed proposed lease sales in the waters off Alaska and Virginia and along the Gulf Coast.”
Talk about closing the barn door after the horse has been poisoned. To stop such "scandalously close relationships" one would have to fire most of Congress. I really don't foresee that happening any time soon.
BP resumes 'top kill' effort to stop leak
“In Washington, Elizabeth Birnbaum stepped down as director of the Minerals Management Service, a job she had held since last July. Her agency has been harshly criticized over lax oversight of drilling and cozy ties with industry.
An internal Interior Department report released earlier this week found that between 2000 and 2008, agency staff members accepted tickets to sports events, lunches and other gifts from oil and gas companies and used government computers to view pornography.”
While viewing pornography may cause spills, it certainly is not responsible for this oil spill. They were corrupt, yes, as were their bosses and their bosses, all the way to the top. Scapegoating this group of minions by pinning the proverbial pornographic tail on their asses is hardly a regulatory shakeup.
BP's Profits Far Outweigh The Cost Of Cleaning Up Gulf Oil Spill
“The cost per day of the oil spill to BP so far has been $16 million. That number is dwarfed by the $66 million per day the firm made in profit in the first quarter of this year. Indeed, in 2009 BP's total profits were $14 billion.”
British Petroleum Profit Doubles to $6.1B
“BP PLC, Europe's second-largest oil company, said Tuesday that first-quarter profit more than doubled from a year earlier to $6.1 billion due to higher crude prices and lower production costs and taxes.”
Due to "lower taxes"? Right.
As anyone who pumps gas into their car, or just plain has a pulse, knows; oil prices are through the roof. Past administrations have encouraged this profit taking as it lined their election coffers. Or in the case of Dick "Darth Vader" Cheney, a million bucks a year in cash while a sitting VP.
The same mentality carries on even after our domestic regime change, lower oil stocks will lower the stock market, ergo they must maintain the status quo.
Leaking Oil Well Lacked Safeguard Device
“WSJ.com - The oil well spewing crude into the Gulf of Mexico didn't have a remote-control shut-off switch used in two other major oil-producing nations as last-resort protection against underwater spills.
The lack of the device, called an acoustic switch, could amplify concerns over the environmental impact of offshore drilling after the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig last week.
…
By 2003, U.S. regulators decided remote-controlled safeguards needed more study. A report commissioned by the Minerals Management Service said ‘acoustic systems are not recommended because they tend to be very costly.’”
A little proactive investment into environmental protection would have gone a long way. It costs more to clean up an oil spill than it would to prevent it in the first place. Something the fiscal geniuses at BP apparently were unaware of.
Halliburton's Return: Oil Spill Puts Symbol Of Cronyism And Corruption Back In The News
“It seems increasingly likely that when investigators determine the precise cause of the oil-rig explosion that threatens to poison huge swaths of the Gulf of Mexico, what they'll conclude is that something went catastrophically wrong with the work done by Halliburton.
BP owns the well, and Transocean Ltd. owns the drilling rig, but Halliburton was the subcontractor in charge of sealing the bottom of the well. At two Senate hearings Tuesday, executives from Halliburton, BP and Transocean will be furiously blaming each other for the diaster.
For Halliburton, it's just the latest in a seemingly endless series of brushes with notoriety.”
And when it comes to corporate greed, our “friends” at Halliburton can’t be far from the frontline.
Halliburton moving CEO from Houston to Dubai
“Monday, March 12, 2007
HOUSTON — Halliburton, the big energy services company, said on Sunday that it would open a corporate headquarters in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai and move its chairman and chief executive, David J. Lesar, there.”
They skipped, with the Bush II administration on its way out the door in ‘07, these bandits grabbed their loot and made their bed with their true love, the extradition-free zone of the UAE.
Where's the outrage? Enough is enough!
It's time Congress did something about these criminal corporations. Seize all BP assets. Investigate and prosecute whoever is “really” responsible for this accident, and we’re not talking about porn lovin’ government watch/lapdogs. Get the CEOs, the corporate directors, the decision makers. Seize their portfolios, their Malibu homes, their Rolls Royces; there’s going to be a lot of rebuilding and cleanup costs down there in the Gulf States. Get some good done from that blood money. Let these corporate thugs languish in jail, we didn’t shut down Guantanamo yet, did we?
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The latest Apple tech toy, the iBacus - exclusive leak!
Have we turned into a nation of technology addicted children, clamoring for the latest and techiest toys? Add in our selfishness, “me” “mine” “I”, and we have our i-named technology toys.
Apple, a pioneer in its own way, both the forbidden one that supposedly started our human saga; as well as the computer variant. But let’s face it, Mac computers (that is, the Apple computers) are not mainstream today. Watch the Mac-Heads huff and puff over that statement – but facts are facts. Sure, a Mac is far superior for high-end multimedia video/image/audio editing – but try to find a Mac productivity software package at a price less than that of a luxury car, if at all. And yes, Macs do crash, often enough. There is just less that one can do with a Mac, which may bring about the impression that it has crashed less than a comparable PC that is used or runs, literally, all day and night long.
Obviously Steve Jobs at Apple sees this, and churns out various “i” devices. The iPod, the iPhone, the iTouch, the iPad, all great toys. But Jobs seems to be taking his toys a bit too seriously.
Apple spurred police in lost iPhone probe
In the spirit of leaking absolutely useless information and helping Jobs keep his job, here’s an exclusive leak of a new product that we can soon expect to be revealed to the world.
Introducing, the iBacus!
Super long battery life! Never runs out of power, never needs recharging!
Super tough! No more delicate touch screens!
Limitless computation possibilities on a 10bead by 10row grid!
Computation speed is only limited by the speed of the user!
A design that’s thin, light, and brilliant. iBacus has the largest, high-resolution Bead display and incredible Multi-Touch Bead-movement capability. Yet it’s thin and light enough to take anywhere.
Boasts the largest display area of any “i” device!
Estimated pricing, under $500 (with service contract for 1 year of hand lotion supply).
Initial model does NOT offer WiFi, in fact, it has no wiring whatsoever!
Be sure to line up and wait, overnight if need be, when the iBacus reaches stores in your neighborhood! Expected release is May 2025, what the heck, just go stand on line already. You may “find” a next generation i-toy laying around!
Apple, a pioneer in its own way, both the forbidden one that supposedly started our human saga; as well as the computer variant. But let’s face it, Mac computers (that is, the Apple computers) are not mainstream today. Watch the Mac-Heads huff and puff over that statement – but facts are facts. Sure, a Mac is far superior for high-end multimedia video/image/audio editing – but try to find a Mac productivity software package at a price less than that of a luxury car, if at all. And yes, Macs do crash, often enough. There is just less that one can do with a Mac, which may bring about the impression that it has crashed less than a comparable PC that is used or runs, literally, all day and night long.
Obviously Steve Jobs at Apple sees this, and churns out various “i” devices. The iPod, the iPhone, the iTouch, the iPad, all great toys. But Jobs seems to be taking his toys a bit too seriously.
Apple spurred police in lost iPhone probe
In the spirit of leaking absolutely useless information and helping Jobs keep his job, here’s an exclusive leak of a new product that we can soon expect to be revealed to the world.
Super long battery life! Never runs out of power, never needs recharging!
Super tough! No more delicate touch screens!
Limitless computation possibilities on a 10bead by 10row grid!
Computation speed is only limited by the speed of the user!
A design that’s thin, light, and brilliant. iBacus has the largest, high-resolution Bead display and incredible Multi-Touch Bead-movement capability. Yet it’s thin and light enough to take anywhere.
Boasts the largest display area of any “i” device!
Estimated pricing, under $500 (with service contract for 1 year of hand lotion supply).
Initial model does NOT offer WiFi, in fact, it has no wiring whatsoever!
Monday, May 10, 2010
On health, and care thereof; children, and care thereof.
Healthcare. What a word! More like a battle cry for all sides of the political spectrum. I doubt the prohibition fiasco of the ‘20s even came close to this brouhaha.
So now we have it, something, no one seems exactly sure what we have, but we have a “Healthcare Bill”. And it only cost us $940,000,000,000 - that’s nine hundred and forty BILLION dollars. Over ten years, so it averages out to $94 BILLION per year. To put things in perspective, the Pentagon (Department of Defense) is to spend $708 BILLION for 2011, in just one year according to this DoD press release. Unfortunately, we are going to spend seven and a half times LESS on caring for our own health, than on demolishing someone else’s health overseas.
Now let us examine the application of healthcare. As the word suggests, it is to care for health. One’s own health of course, as well as that of dependents, to wit, children. As parents, the better half and myself try to maintain the health of our offspring. When one is unwell, one should attempt to “care” for one’s health; staying home for example, until illness has passed, before venturing outdoors amidst masses of other humans. When a child is unwell, said child is retained for “health care” within the domicile until such sickness has been overcome. One does not want to (a) exacerbate the illness; and (b) spread said illness through contact with other inhabitants of one’s community.
Every classroom has that one child that is the class clown. Every classroom also seems to have that one family of selfish and uncaring parents that insist on sending their contagiously sick children to school. Fevers, coughing, sneezing, festering sores - it does not matter for these parents. If the child can walk, it is shipped off the school. Whereupon the sick child sneezes and gags and coughs and barfs, spreading ill-cheer and pestilence upon all around it.
We are currently suffering the gift of germ provided by the class resident “strep-throat carrier”. This child is perpetually sick with throat infections, but never misses a day of school unless forcibly removed by the school nurse and sent home. That family should be studied by the CDC, every few months the infection spreads in a ring around the patient zero child; first infecting the closest seated victims, then spreading out to the next level, and the next, and so on; it even knocked out the class teacher in a past year. Class seating is rotated every semester, and other parents hold their breath in agonized anticipation, like a macabre game of germ Russian roulette praying that the “loaded chamber” child is not placed next to their own bundle of joy. We lost out on this term, unfortunately.
A nursery rhyme to celebrate:
Ring around the strep throat,
A pocket full of antibiotics,
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall sick.
Parents, if your child is sick, keep it at home! See a doctor, visit a pharmacy. Keep the child home until it is well again. You wouldn’t drive a broken car, would you? Why make all the kids in the vicinity suffer? You have a “Healthcare Bill” now, don’t make excuses!
So now we have it, something, no one seems exactly sure what we have, but we have a “Healthcare Bill”. And it only cost us $940,000,000,000 - that’s nine hundred and forty BILLION dollars. Over ten years, so it averages out to $94 BILLION per year. To put things in perspective, the Pentagon (Department of Defense) is to spend $708 BILLION for 2011, in just one year according to this DoD press release. Unfortunately, we are going to spend seven and a half times LESS on caring for our own health, than on demolishing someone else’s health overseas.
Now let us examine the application of healthcare. As the word suggests, it is to care for health. One’s own health of course, as well as that of dependents, to wit, children. As parents, the better half and myself try to maintain the health of our offspring. When one is unwell, one should attempt to “care” for one’s health; staying home for example, until illness has passed, before venturing outdoors amidst masses of other humans. When a child is unwell, said child is retained for “health care” within the domicile until such sickness has been overcome. One does not want to (a) exacerbate the illness; and (b) spread said illness through contact with other inhabitants of one’s community.
Every classroom has that one child that is the class clown. Every classroom also seems to have that one family of selfish and uncaring parents that insist on sending their contagiously sick children to school. Fevers, coughing, sneezing, festering sores - it does not matter for these parents. If the child can walk, it is shipped off the school. Whereupon the sick child sneezes and gags and coughs and barfs, spreading ill-cheer and pestilence upon all around it.
We are currently suffering the gift of germ provided by the class resident “strep-throat carrier”. This child is perpetually sick with throat infections, but never misses a day of school unless forcibly removed by the school nurse and sent home. That family should be studied by the CDC, every few months the infection spreads in a ring around the patient zero child; first infecting the closest seated victims, then spreading out to the next level, and the next, and so on; it even knocked out the class teacher in a past year. Class seating is rotated every semester, and other parents hold their breath in agonized anticipation, like a macabre game of germ Russian roulette praying that the “loaded chamber” child is not placed next to their own bundle of joy. We lost out on this term, unfortunately.
A nursery rhyme to celebrate:
Ring around the strep throat,
A pocket full of antibiotics,
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall sick.
Parents, if your child is sick, keep it at home! See a doctor, visit a pharmacy. Keep the child home until it is well again. You wouldn’t drive a broken car, would you? Why make all the kids in the vicinity suffer? You have a “Healthcare Bill” now, don’t make excuses!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Ron Jay rambles, on and on and on
So, I come up with good stuff. I just have to open my mouth, and it pours right out. I have made political predictions, event analysis, and just plain outrageous commentary; and I'm usually right after the fact. "I told you so" works only when you've actually told them so, until now my audience has been limited to friends, family and acquaintances within earshot. Time to change all that, I say. So I shall start pouring forth my "rambles" hereunder. Subscribe to feed, forthwith! There will be good stuff coming. Comments welcomed, spam and obscenities will be summarily exterminated.
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