House votes remove oil spill liability cap
The Senate is expected to consider its own version of energy legislation next week, before senators leave for their August recess. But even if that measure is approved, House and Senate negotiators would need to reconcile differences between the two bills.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Ah, fascinating facts on BP cover up
Now…in most investigations, back even in the Watergate days, people said, “follow the money.” And that’s correct. In this case, you’ve got to follow the money. Who saves money by using these toxic dispersants? Well, it’s BP.
But then the next question—I’ve only seen one article that describes it—who owns BP? And I think when you look and see who owns BP, you find that it’s the majority ownership, a billion shares, is a company called BlackRock that was created, owned and run by a gentleman named Larry Fink. And Vanity Fair just did recently an article about Mr. Fink and his connections with Mr. Geithner, Mr. Summers and others in the administration. So I think what’s needed, we now know that there’s a cover-up.
Dispersants are being used. Congress, at least three Congress folks—Congressman Markey, Congressman Nadler and Senator Mikulski—are on the case. And I think the media now has to follow the money, just as they did in Watergate, and tell the American people who’s getting money for poisoning the millions of people in the Gulf.
The above info and the info below are from this link....go there and read the whole story.
Now let’s connect the dots. The Obama administration owes Larry Fink bigtime for his central role in keeping the U.S. economy from completely crashing. The corporation owned by Larry Fink, Blackrock has been the recipient of millions (billions?) in government contracts. BlackRock also owns a majority–one billion shares–of BP Therefore Larry Fink has a powerful economic motivation to keep the full horror of what BP has done to the Gulf of Mexico hidden from the American public.
Now I have no idea if President Obama is aware of all this or not. I think this situation strongly suggests that Tim Geither has even more influence in the administration than anyone has previously thought. Kaufman mentioned in the Democracy Now interview that Larry Summers is also close to Larry Fink. Apparently the two became friends when Summers was working in hedge funds. (Oh, and BTW, 49% of BlackRock is owned by Bank of America.
BP Damage Control
24 hours before the mainstream talking heads of all political stripes were declaring that only one barrel of oil had been skimmed from the Gulf on Tuesday, so it looked pretty much as if the crisis were over.
But is it?
Read the whole article here. The real truth.
But is it?
Read the whole article here. The real truth.
Drinking the Koolaid?
Pain in Grand Isle
On the 100th day after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the people of Grand Island are angry. At least, the two dozen who showed up to a meeting with the local BP representative on Thursday night are angry. Voices were raised, and one woman cried.
"People are scared," said Mayor David Camardelle. "They think BP is going to pull out. They don't know how they are going to pay the rent."
Residents spent an hour sharing a spectrum of worries while sitting in rows of hard purple chairs under the fluorescent lights of the community center. They said that they are getting sick, that they aren't being hired to do the work, and that BP is spraying dispersant every night -- but all that does is sink the oil, so they will keep having to deal with it. Karen Hopkins, who runs the office at the currently-nonoperational Dean Blanchard Seafood and dock, said that her reimbursement check got dramatically reduced the day after an interview that she gave aired on CBS. Blanchard himself stood up and shouted that his dock wasn't being used for any cleanup efforts, when usually at this time of year it is a hub for fishermen.
At the front of the room, BP representative Jason French sat wearing a blue shirt and an impassive expression, taking the heat and occasionally addressing issues. "I can promise you that your checks weren't cut because you gave an interview," he said to Hopkins -- adding that anyone, including contracted cleanup workers, is free to speak to the media. Perhaps her paperwork had been re-evaluated, he said. Perhaps a mistake had been made. He would look into it.
Grand Isle, a barrier island turned edgewise toward the gulf, has been hard-hit by the spill. Cleanup workers are still on the beaches, which are barricaded with orange plastic fencing. Those fishermen who can't get jobs collecting oil are out of work. Last weekend the community had to cancel their prized fishing tournament, the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo, for the first time since 1928.
Residents' anger shows up in dozens of signs posted along the islands single main road. "BP, we want our beach back," says one on handpainted plywood. Another, professionally printed on yellow plastic, reads, "Cannot fish or swim. How the hell are we supposed to feed our kids now?"
In the video below, Dean Blanchard is the cajun who does all the speaking from the audience. The man has lost $15 million dollars of business in Grand Isle and now can't pay his bills because of BP's ineptitude and the fact that they are hiring ousiders to do the cleanup and even bringing in their own fuel to sell to the boats cleaning up.
The frustration and pain in Blanchard's voice towards the end of the clip is very moving.
""
H/T: Riki Ott
"People are scared," said Mayor David Camardelle. "They think BP is going to pull out. They don't know how they are going to pay the rent."
Residents spent an hour sharing a spectrum of worries while sitting in rows of hard purple chairs under the fluorescent lights of the community center. They said that they are getting sick, that they aren't being hired to do the work, and that BP is spraying dispersant every night -- but all that does is sink the oil, so they will keep having to deal with it. Karen Hopkins, who runs the office at the currently-nonoperational Dean Blanchard Seafood and dock, said that her reimbursement check got dramatically reduced the day after an interview that she gave aired on CBS. Blanchard himself stood up and shouted that his dock wasn't being used for any cleanup efforts, when usually at this time of year it is a hub for fishermen.
At the front of the room, BP representative Jason French sat wearing a blue shirt and an impassive expression, taking the heat and occasionally addressing issues. "I can promise you that your checks weren't cut because you gave an interview," he said to Hopkins -- adding that anyone, including contracted cleanup workers, is free to speak to the media. Perhaps her paperwork had been re-evaluated, he said. Perhaps a mistake had been made. He would look into it.
Grand Isle, a barrier island turned edgewise toward the gulf, has been hard-hit by the spill. Cleanup workers are still on the beaches, which are barricaded with orange plastic fencing. Those fishermen who can't get jobs collecting oil are out of work. Last weekend the community had to cancel their prized fishing tournament, the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo, for the first time since 1928.
Residents' anger shows up in dozens of signs posted along the islands single main road. "BP, we want our beach back," says one on handpainted plywood. Another, professionally printed on yellow plastic, reads, "Cannot fish or swim. How the hell are we supposed to feed our kids now?"
In the video below, Dean Blanchard is the cajun who does all the speaking from the audience. The man has lost $15 million dollars of business in Grand Isle and now can't pay his bills because of BP's ineptitude and the fact that they are hiring ousiders to do the cleanup and even bringing in their own fuel to sell to the boats cleaning up.
The frustration and pain in Blanchard's voice towards the end of the clip is very moving.
""
H/T: Riki Ott
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Scuzzbuckets of New York
This is cold, just freaking sickeningly cold:
State of New York is planning to massacre approximately 170,000 Canada geese, as part of a strategy to increase the safety of passenger aircraft. The Times quotes the Department of Agriculture as approving of the plan, with an official stating that the state is "leading the way." The geese would be put in crates, gassed, and buried.
In New York City, the report says, the current goose population of 20,000 to 25,000 is “five times the amount that most people would find socially acceptable,” suggesting the number would be reduced to about 4,000.
A high-level official of the United States Department of Agriculture who is familiar with the proposal called it a “one-of-a-kind plan.”
“New York is leading the way,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Plans for other areas, he said, “do not include all the scientific background.”
The plan emerged from five months of meetings that followed the crash-landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River after geese flew into its engines and disabled them in January 2009. The plan was completed in summer 2009 but not made public.
People, birds fly into engines ALL THE TIME, all across the world. There are better ways to deter these birds away from aircraft, but what do I know?
I hope those in the decision making process in this situation have horrific experiences with birds. This nauseates me.
State of New York is planning to massacre approximately 170,000 Canada geese, as part of a strategy to increase the safety of passenger aircraft. The Times quotes the Department of Agriculture as approving of the plan, with an official stating that the state is "leading the way." The geese would be put in crates, gassed, and buried.
In New York City, the report says, the current goose population of 20,000 to 25,000 is “five times the amount that most people would find socially acceptable,” suggesting the number would be reduced to about 4,000.
A high-level official of the United States Department of Agriculture who is familiar with the proposal called it a “one-of-a-kind plan.”
“New York is leading the way,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Plans for other areas, he said, “do not include all the scientific background.”
The plan emerged from five months of meetings that followed the crash-landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River after geese flew into its engines and disabled them in January 2009. The plan was completed in summer 2009 but not made public.
People, birds fly into engines ALL THE TIME, all across the world. There are better ways to deter these birds away from aircraft, but what do I know?
I hope those in the decision making process in this situation have horrific experiences with birds. This nauseates me.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
We are the laziest state
From thetowntalk dot com (http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20100727/OPINION/7270328/Our-View-Some-food-for-thought-for-lazy-Louisiana)
The self-appointed fitness police at BusinessWeek.com have pointed a big, fat finger at us and called the Bayou State the Laziest State in America.
On average, we sleep, goof off and watch TV more than other Americans, and we work a whole lot less.
So says the online publication, which analyzed five years of data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in its American Time Use Survey.
Here's how the report paints a day in the life of the average Louisianan who is at least 15 and is not living in a nursing home, prison or other institution:
--Time sleeping: 8 hours, 44 minutes (U.S. average, 8 hours, 35 minutes).
--Time watching TV: 3 hours, 5 minutes (U.S. average, 2 hours, 38 minutes).
--Time relaxing and thinking: 29 minutes (U.S. average, 18 minutes).
--Time socializing: 54 minutes (U.S. average, 44 minutes).
--Time working: 2 hours, 41 minutes (U.S. average, 3 hours, 22 minutes).
--Median age: 35.1
--Obesity ranking: No. 5 (as in "fifth fattest" (31.2 percent).
"We aren't trying to beat up on Louisiana," the report says. "Goodness knows, between Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill, the state has been through some tough times in recent years. But the statistics speak for themselves: Residents of the state (which happens to be the country's third-poorest) watch more television per day than any other Americans except South Carolinians. They also rank third for being the most social, which includes entertaining and talking with friends, family and other acquaintances. The average time spent working among all Louisianans is shorter than all other states."
The report goes out of its way to say that "lazy" means "sedentary," not "lacking work ethic." That was smart. Louisianans are known for their ability to hunt and track just about anything. (Of course, they are known for cooking and eating just about anything, too.)
Given that Louisianans think more than most others in America, this is good food for thought.
This is so screwed up!! Who works 2 hours a day? I work 9! Only an hour to socialize a day? . I am going to go dig up their stats.
Two hours after I found this online article, they changed the word "lazy" to "sedentary".
Oh, and I heard that the big fat weatherman on the weather channel - Al Roker - said that something had to be wrong with calling us sedentary, because when one thinks, one is sedentary.
His twitter I.D. is @alroker.
More on Kenneth Feinberg
The man in charge of doling out the $20B BP settlement money is a sly, slick S.O.B., so anyone who will be filing a claim against BP better have a lawyer with him. Below is a little history on Mr. Feinberg:
H/T to American Zombie for a link to this article detailing Feinberg's past as a man willing to manipulate anyone suing large corporations into settling for less than what is their due. From the above link:
Feinberg learned his expertise way back in the Agent Orange litigation:
Federal court judge Jack Weinstein was seeking to impose a settlement on thousands of such cases brought by veterans against the companies that made Agent Orange – the dioxin-laced herbicide used in Vietnam.
Weinstein even had a settlement figure in mind – $180 million – half of what the chemical companies were willing to settle for.
He brought in Feinberg to “do his dirty work,”
Weinstein’s mission was to limit the liability of the defendants,” according to public interest attorney Rob Hager. “That’s very clear.”
“Weinstein felt that lawyers would be encouraged to bring more toxic tort cases into the federal courts if the Agent Orange litigation were successful.”
“The Second Circuit Court of Appeals called the $180 million settlement a nuisance value settlement.”
“And Weinstein wanted to make sure that the settlement amount was viewed as a nuisance value settlement.”
“He didn’t want it to go up to what the defendants were willing to pay – which was at least double – $360 million – or even much more if Weinstein had actually allowed the case to go before a jury.”
“That number would just keep going up.”
“Agent Orange victims could have obtained the largest recovery in American history because of the number of veterans involved, the bad actions of the defendants in covering up the fact that their product had dioxin in it, and the predictably favorable attitude of juries toward the claimants.”
“So, it was looking to be a major historic case. And Weinstein put a lid on it and kept a lid on it, saving Dow, Monsanto and the other chemical companies from potential bankruptcy.”
“And Feinberg helped him do that.”
“More important for our purposes, Feinberg learned at the knee of the master how to do this – how to keep the companies off the hook of liability for massive tort.”
H/T to American Zombie for a link to this article detailing Feinberg's past as a man willing to manipulate anyone suing large corporations into settling for less than what is their due. From the above link:
Feinberg learned his expertise way back in the Agent Orange litigation:
Federal court judge Jack Weinstein was seeking to impose a settlement on thousands of such cases brought by veterans against the companies that made Agent Orange – the dioxin-laced herbicide used in Vietnam.
Weinstein even had a settlement figure in mind – $180 million – half of what the chemical companies were willing to settle for.
He brought in Feinberg to “do his dirty work,”
Weinstein’s mission was to limit the liability of the defendants,” according to public interest attorney Rob Hager. “That’s very clear.”
“Weinstein felt that lawyers would be encouraged to bring more toxic tort cases into the federal courts if the Agent Orange litigation were successful.”
“The Second Circuit Court of Appeals called the $180 million settlement a nuisance value settlement.”
“And Weinstein wanted to make sure that the settlement amount was viewed as a nuisance value settlement.”
“He didn’t want it to go up to what the defendants were willing to pay – which was at least double – $360 million – or even much more if Weinstein had actually allowed the case to go before a jury.”
“That number would just keep going up.”
“Agent Orange victims could have obtained the largest recovery in American history because of the number of veterans involved, the bad actions of the defendants in covering up the fact that their product had dioxin in it, and the predictably favorable attitude of juries toward the claimants.”
“So, it was looking to be a major historic case. And Weinstein put a lid on it and kept a lid on it, saving Dow, Monsanto and the other chemical companies from potential bankruptcy.”
“And Feinberg helped him do that.”
“More important for our purposes, Feinberg learned at the knee of the master how to do this – how to keep the companies off the hook of liability for massive tort.”
White Boot Brigade
From Louisiana Seafood Newsroom [info@louisianaseafoodnews.com]
| When the White Boot Brigade Will Bring Shrimp to America's Table Posted: 26 Jul 2010 10:01 PM PDT In the summer of 2006, a year after Hurricane Katrina, a group of Louisiana commercial fishing families, traveled more than 1,000 miles to New York City to spread the word that Louisiana Shrimp was not just safe to eat, but a delicious and affordable American delicacy. Under the banner of the White Boot Brigade, the group even paid for their rooms at the Carlton Hotel with "Louisiana Gold" – wild caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. Four years later, the White Boot Brigade is again hearing a call to battle as commercial fishermen across the Gulf Coast struggle to sustain their livelihood and their culture. Closed fishing grounds, increased competition in open fisheries, and shrinking buyer markets resulting directly from consumer fears over seafood safety are financially strangling coastal communities – communities still recovering from the worst natural disaster in American history.
The White Boot Brigade is again hearing a call to battle as commercial fishermen across the Gulf Coast struggle to sustain their livelihood and their culture. "What's interesting about this disaster is that its so very obvious that the most clearly effected community are the commercial fishermen families and their fragile economies that are still not rebuilt," says Richard McCarthy of Marketumbrella.org who helped organize the White Boot Brigade over a decade ago. "The unanticipated benefit is at least all eyes are on the fishermen." McCarthy is the co-founder and Executive Director of Marketumbrella.org, an organization that is both the practitioner who runs the farmers markets, as well as the non-governmental organization (NGO), the think tank, that looks at the management, the evaluation, and the use of markets for innovated purposes. One of those revolutions is the White Boot Brigade, a self-described traveling shrimpers road show, hell-bent on sustainable harvests, cultural preservation, and business innovation. Born and raised in a New Orleans, a city that values home-grown food and culture, McCarthy earned his masters degree at the London School of Economics studying sustainable development, international relations, and third world country development. "The more I studied the more I realized it sounds an awful like home," recalls McCarthy. "The disasters have only reinforced that." According to McCarthy, similar to many third world or caribbean nations, the Gulf Coast region or "Who Dat Nation" as he puts it, has a plantation economy based on agricultural mass production of a few staple crops and an over reliance on dangerous, centralized industries like oil making it more vulnerable to disasters – disasters from which it takes time to recover.
McCarthy believes that even after the oil is contained, and the Gulf of Mexico is deemed clean, there will be a huge delay before Americans outside the Gulf region feel 100% comfortable buying seafood again. In his mind, the disaster is not over until the food system is restored and the seafood industry is stable. "When disasters hit, people find unlikely partners," says McCarthy. "New leaders will emerge with new ideas, some will fail and some might be the future. I don't think the future is one thing. I think the answer is many different things." A good leader is like a good gumbo, able to bring all people to the table. Richard McCarthy embodies both the knowledge, but more importantly, the passion necessary to lead the White Boot Brigade on its future battles to return Louisiana shrimp to American kitchens. The question is, will America follow? |
"Time is the greatest enemy to any fragile family enterprise that doesn't have the cash flow to withstand long periods of time without income," says McCarthy who believes most families will only be able to last six months. "I think every time fishermen go out of business, or an older fishermen dies, the craftsmanship that they possess doesn't get transfer to the next generation that becomes increasingly troubling because this is really the greatest asset of this industry- the knowledge the fishermen have of biome regions, the species, and the skills of how each boat is fine tuned."
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