Bp Oil Spill Disaster: Two Killed In Accidents; Containment Cap Removed After Robot Sub Collision

[The Masked Tulip]

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-disaster-deaths-reported-cleanup-containment-cap/story?id=10991773

Oil from the BP oil spill disaster is spewing again into the Gulf of Mexico at nearly full force after a venting system connected the so-called containment cap over the blown-out wellhead was damaged in an accident with a robot sub, said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the commander in charge of the government's effort to control the 65-day-old spill.

[Guest sillybear2]

Same thing happened last week when the producing vessel was struck by lightening!

[corevalue]

In the meantime, another drilling project gone bad covers a town of 50,000 inhabitants with 30 feet of steaming mud....

Corporate Gas Drilling Buries Indonesian Town In Methane Mud

[Guest sillybear2]

In the meantime, another drilling project gone bad covers a town of 50,000 inhabitants with 30 feet of steaming mud....

Corporate Gas Drilling Buries Indonesian Town In Methane Mud

Hrm, but that only affects poor brown people in far off lands, much like the unending leaks in the Niger Delta, or the crap Texaco left behind in Ecuador, or Bhopal.

[Guest sillybear2]

apparently raining oil in louisiana.

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/black-gold-heavens-oil-rain-louisiana

yet to be independently confirmed

An oil sheen found near a drain on a road? Maybe some hillbilly has got a leak in his '59 Chevy

[Saving For a Space Ship]

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-disaster-deaths-reported-cleanup-containment-cap/story?id=10991773

Edit: So much for the headline... more media lies -

ABC News has confirmed that one of the deaths was of a charter boat captain who apparently committed suicide, depressed as his business suffered

[The Masked Tulip]

rmember tim price in moneyweek describing their divi as bulletproof in the new year.oh dear.

Yep.

[Guest sillybear2]

Yep.

But not Obama proof, much like that indiscreet general.

[johnny5thumbs]

Hrm, but that only affects poor brown people in far off lands, much like the unending leaks in the Niger Delta, or the crap Texaco left behind in Ecuador, or Bhopal.

Bhopal indeed !

Perhaps Obama could spare a little of his indignation and his negotiating skills ($20 billion BP prelim. payout) to consider for a moment the paltry $150 million Union Carbide shelled out after being dragged kicking and screaming into the courts after killing 10,000 or more villagers in Bhopal with safety practices much more abysmal than BP's.

Pork-barrel politics. Or mind-blowing hypocricy perhaps.

[cattius]

Bhopal indeed !

Perhaps Obama could spare a little of his indignation and his negotiating skills ($20 billion BP prelim. payout) to consider for a moment the paltry $150 million Union Carbide shelled out after being dragged kicking and screaming into the courts after killing 10,000 or more villagers in Bhopal with safety practices much more abysmal than BP's.

Pork-barrel politics. Or mind-blowing hypocricy perhaps.

Why doesn't the media jump on this? Surely it would be a good story highlighting the hypocrisy of the us?

I'm sure any newspaper running the story would sell like hot cakes.

[Guest Mrs Bradley]

One thing which has always bothered me is the style of rhetoric employed by US statesmen. The "AMErican people"... "Gahd bless America" etc.

I think being loyal to your country/men is admirable, but there has ever been summat a bit too nationalistic in the way the US politicians speak, the kind of emotions they seek to engender, as tho' the "AMERican people" are somehow the cream of the crop.

I am sure we all secretely think it about our own country, but it is a blatantly proclaimed in US rhetoric.

Count the number of times those phases are used by US politicians, and the number of times ,say, the UK politicians use similar.

I feel it creates a sense of elitism, as tho' somehow their crimes are lesser, their triumphs are greater, than anyone else's.

[Guest Noodle]

Its been all over the press but not being picked up by TV stations - its on BBC website but not on the news. Also the Agent Orange disgrace. Hundreds of thousands dead or born disabled by the USA govt use of agent orange. USA should hang its head in shame. Its one rule for the USA shore and another for other lands. Is the media too scared to miscall the "greatest nation on earth"? What goes round comes round.

Dug up a lagoon with a high Agent Orange (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T)) content, about 45,000 tonnes. One of the boys went down there for a sniff around, literally, came back with eyes bulging out his head.

Well funny!

[daniel stallion]

One thing which has always bothered me is the style of rhetoric employed by US statesmen. The "AMErican people"... "Gahd bless America" etc.

I think being loyal to your country/men is admirable, but there has ever been summat a bit too nationalistic in the way the US politicians speak, the kind of emotions they seek to engender, as tho' the "AMERican people" are somehow the cream of the crop.

I am sure we all secretely think it about our own country, but it is a blatantly proclaimed in US rhetoric.

Count the number of times those phases are used by US politicians, and the number of times ,say, the UK politicians use similar.

I feel it creates a sense of elitism, as tho' somehow their crimes are lesser, their triumphs are greater, than anyone else's.

It is a deliberate tactic to indoctrinate from birth. It is exactly the same in Australia - if anything bad happens in Aus (say rape or murder) you will hear 'it is un-Australian' at least 500 times during TV reporting over the few days they still care about it.

Both the US and Aus have adopted a culture and a programme to try and ensure that people grow up believing that criticising your own country is beyond heinous and one of the worst things imaginable.

Its very clever.

Britain has pretty much the reverse issue.

[Guest Mrs Bradley]

Addendum: on the subject of shameful deeds, there is a chapter in a book written by Dorothy Rowe - "Wanting Everything".

She is a famous Clin. Psych. who was deploring certain authoritarian stances and quotes a town/area in the US where townsfolk were used as guinea pigs for radioactive fallout effects. People's lives ruined, curtailed due to corporate indifference and greed. Tom Baillie was one such person.( a Hanford Downwinder)

"I was born a year after my stillborn brother. I struggled to breathe through underdeveloped lungs and suffered numerous birth defects. I underwent multiple surgeries, endured paralysis, thyroid medication, a stint in an iron lung, loss of hair, sores all over my body, fevers dizziness,poor hearing, asthma, teeth rotting out, and, at the age of 18, a diagnosis of sterility."

Not surprisingly this book was banned in the US.

Full article in International Herald Tribune July 1990.

"Home of the Brave, Land of the Free" eh?

[Guest sillybear2]

Why doesn't the media jump on this? Surely it would be a good story highlighting the hypocrisy of the us?

I'm sure any newspaper running the story would sell like hot cakes.

Because the US doesn't have news anymore, it just has infotainment full of jingoism and sappy human interest stories, if you run a story accusing America of rank hypocrisy, or wasting oil like it's water, then you get accused of being a 'liberal' (anti-American communist). There's even congressmen in the US saying "how would they like it if there was a leak off the coast of England", totally ignoring the Piper Alpha disaster or Torrey Canyon.

[daniel stallion]

Because the US doesn't have news anymore, it just has infotainment full of jingoism and sappy human interest stories, if you run a story accusing America of rank hypocrisy, or wasting oil like it's water, then you get accused of being a 'liberal' (anti-American communist). There's even congressmen in the US saying "how would they like it if there was a leak off the coast of England", totally ignoring the Piper Alpha disaster or Torrey Canyon.

Why doesn't the British media jump on it though? It has been mentioned, but only as a throw away.

It isn't the important issue in this case (the oil spewing all over the place is) - but it is a very valid point in terms of the ridiculous position Obama has taken on this.

I speak to yanks every single day and they tell me it feels like an anti-British frenzy is being whipped up.

[Guest sillybear2]

Why doesn't the British media jump on it though? It has been mentioned, but only as a throw away.

It isn't the important issue in this case (the oil spewing all over the place is) - but it is a very valid point in terms of the ridiculous position Obama has taken on this.

I speak to yanks every single day and they tell me it feels like an anti-British frenzy is being whipped up.

I guess it's like Buncefield, mistakes were made and luckily nobody lost their life, but the British public generally accept that you're dealing with a volatile substance and accidents do happen. The alternative is running around in hysterics like a spoilt 2 year old looking for people to blame and punishing them with summary justice.

There's a double-standard, The US is an oil junkie, over the years that addiction has caused environmental devastation in nearly every corner of the globe, yet the US public never join the dots and recognise that. So instead of some self-examination it's just easier to blame a "foreign oil company", it's classic denial, nobody ever asks why less than a 100 years ago hillbillies used to strike oil whilst digging for potatoes yet we're now forced to drill 1 mile under the ocean.

There's a good reason BP isn't called "British Petroleum" anymore, and it's not just branding, after they merged with AMOCO, ARCO and the remnants of Standard Oil of Ohio the "old" British Petroleum basically forms around half the modern corporation.

[Guest Noodle]

I guess it's like Buncefield, mistakes were made and luckily nobody lost their life, but the British public generally accept that you're dealing with a volatile substance and accidents do happen. The alternative is running around in hysterics like a spoilt 2 year old looking for people to blame and punishing them with summary justice.

There's a double-standard, The US is an oil junkie, over the years that addiction has caused environmental devastation in nearly every corner of the globe, yet the US public never join the dots and recognise that. So instead of some self-examination it's just easier to blame a "foreign oil company", it's classic denial, nobody ever asks why less than a 100 years ago hillbillies used to strike oil whilst digging for potatoes yet we're now forced to drill 1 mile under the ocean.

There's a good reason BP isn't called "British Petroleum" anymore, and it's not just branding, after they merged with AMOCO, ARCO and the remnants of Standard Oil of Ohio the "old" British Petroleum basically forms around half the modern corporation.

Buncefield turned into a big nothing. Really, no contamination to speak of, very disappointing.

[daniel stallion]

I guess it's like Buncefield, mistakes were made and luckily nobody lost their life, but the British public generally accept that you're dealing with a volatile substance and accidents do happen. The alternative is running around in hysterics like a spoilt 2 year old looking for people to blame and punishing them with summary justice.

There's a double-standard, The US is an oil junkie, over the years that addiction has caused environmental devastation in nearly every corner of the globe, yet the US public never join the dots and recognise that. So instead of some self-examination it's just easier to blame a "foreign oil company", it's classic denial, nobody ever asks why less than a 100 years ago hillbillies used to strike oil whilst digging for potatoes yet we're now forced to drill 1 mile under the ocean.

There's a good reason BP isn't called "British Petroleum" anymore, and it's not just branding, after they merged with AMOCO, ARCO and the remnants of Standard Oil of Ohio the "old" British Petroleum basically forms around half the modern corporation.

Quite. That is exactly my point. I'm not asking for a witch hunt, but I think it would be in the public interest to know a few more facts about how much damage is being done by other oil companies elsewhere and asked to ponder why Obama doesn't give a hoot about that, yet has plenty of inflammatory things to say about BP.

[Guest sillybear2]

Quite. That is exactly my point. I'm not asking for a witch hunt, but I think it would be in the public interest to know a few more facts about how much damage is being done by other oil companies elsewhere and asked to ponder why Obama doesn't give a hoot about that, yet has plenty of inflammatory things to say about BP.

That's the American way, lol, the arrogance and double standards that eventually topples empires. After skewering BP, and by implication Tony Hayward, with a criminal probe the US is also simultaneously refusing extradition requests so the CEO of Union Carbide doesn't have to face justice :-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/23/india-barack-obama-bhopal

The US's sense of entitlement will cause huge problems, be it yet more resource wars, environmental problems, internal strife and political extremism when your average joe can't fill up his truck for a song, they're gonna want someone to blame, and it wont be the intricacies of geology or 'energy returned on energy invested', it's not going to be pretty :-

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdpxhs_the-daily-show-an-energy-independen_news

[Guest Noodle]

That's the American way, lol, the arrogance and double standards that eventually topples empires. After skewering BP, and by implication Tony Hayward, with a criminal probe the US is also simultaneously refusing extradition requests so the CEO of Union Carbide doesn't have to face justice :-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/23/india-barack-obama-bhopal

The US's sense of entitlement will cause huge problems, be it yet more resource wars, environmental problems, internal strife and political extremism when your average joe can't fill up his truck for a song, they're gonna want someone to blame, and it wont be the intricacies of geology or 'energy returned on energy invested', it's not going to be pretty :-

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdpxhs_the-daily-show-an-energy-independen_news

Some family made a visit a quite a few years back from LA. I was in Blighty at the time. They're quite . . . neo-con, shall we say and were coming out with the usual old spiel about their rights as consumers (real dull stuff).

Anyway, took them out. Had a Bora TDI back then and they were saying all this cack about efficient cars are BS blah blah . . . then said how fast and smooth that motor was, not knowing it was a little diesel doing over 50mpg.

Now the attitude has completely changed to 'Where can I get one?!' Same with US colleagues. I think it's changing.

[Guest sillybear2]

Some family made a visit a quite a few years back from LA. I was in Blighty at the time. They're quite . . . neo-con, shall we say and were coming out with the usual old spiel about their rights as consumers (real dull stuff).

Anyway, took them out. Had a Bora TDI back then and they were saying all this cack about efficient cars are BS blah blah . . . then said how fast and smooth that motor was, not knowing it was a little diesel doing over 50mpg.

Now the attitude has completely changed to 'Where can I get one?!' Same with US colleagues. I think it's changing.

VW couldn't sell any diesels in California (and most other states) because of emission laws, but selling a 6L V8 petrol was fine, even though it spewed out far more nasties than a small 1.9L TDI.

As you say, the US gets itself into a lot of trouble for no real benefit, their per capita energy consumption is twice that of Europe and we still drive around and have a pretty high standard of living. Needlessly expending energy hits the point of diminishing returns, just cutting down on the stupid ass trucks would massively reduce their dependence on foreign oil, but of course that's a direct attack on their freedoms and fragile ego's. I would say the hidden costs and externalities of endless Middle Eastern entanglements is far more costlier, and they're funding both sides.

The US is less than 5% of the world population yet consume a quarter of global crude production.

[Guest Noodle]

VW couldn't sell any diesels in California (and most other states) because of emission laws, but selling a 6L V8 petrol was fine, even though it spewed out far more nasties than a small 1.9L TDI.

As you say, the US gets itself into a lot of trouble for no real benefit, their per capita energy consumption is twice that of Europe and we still drive around and have a pretty high standard of living. Needlessly expending energy hits the point of diminishing returns, just cutting down on the stupid ass trucks would massively reduce their dependence on foreign oil, but of course that's a direct attack on their freedoms and fragile ego's. I would say the hidden costs and externalities of endless Middle Eastern entanglements is far more costlier, and they're funding both sides.

The US is less than 5% of the world population yet consume a quarter of global crude production.

. . . in the best interests of the United States of America . . .

[Scunnered]

From today's Telegraph: Film raises shale gas pollution fears.

The US energy industry is facing further criticism over its environmental record, after a new film claimed some Americans living near shale gas fields can ignite their polluted drinking water.

Gaslands, which was this week aired in the US, shows a number of towns where residents say their water turned cloudy and gassy after energy companies started drilling. It also alleges that in some towns, gas companies are trucking in drinking water to residents in return for them signing non-disclosure agreements.

Shale gas drilling involves pumping chemicals underground at high pressures to fracture the rock and release gas. The US has vast reserves but it has only been technically and economically viable to extract over the last few years.

Industry body, Energy in Depth, representing a number of gas pressure groups, has launched a campaign against the film, claiming any problems are the result of specific bad practices rather than an industry-wide problem. It also says Gaslands contains inaccuracies, adding that gas was already present in the water supply in many places .

[continues]

(That's a still from a trailer for the film which is embedded in the Telegraph article: you can see the guy igniting his tap-water from about 2:20 on.)

The Telegraph has more about this here with some early-morning readers' posts denouncing the film in exceedingly virulent terms. You do wonder about some of these people.

[The Masked Tulip]

From today's Telegraph: Film raises shale gas pollution fears.

(That's a still from a trailer for the film which is embedded in the Telegraph article: you can see the guy igniting his tap-water from about 2:20 on.)

The Telegraph has more about this here with some early-morning readers' posts denouncing the film in exceedingly virulent terms. You do wonder about some of these people.

I remember reading about a train company who had a big train depot somewhere like Colorado - somewhere up on the water shed... beneath the land of the depot there was a giant underground reservoir that basically supplied water to tens of thousands of people... the train company got permission to start loading and unloading oil and chemical at this depot... the water table got contaminated and loads of people got very ill.. instead of stopping it it just went into the US legal system of sue and counter-sue... and such things are common in the US re big business... look at Erin Brokovitch... John Travolta starred in a similar film based on a true story along similar lines...

Big business in the US is so powerful and ruddy evil... unbridled capitalism back by the Dollar, lawyers and ultimately by cruise missiles... Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - if only she could see how big business have bought the US Senate.... IMPO of course.