Saturday, July 31, 2010

From Oil Gush To Oil Hushhhh" Or "Dudley-Do-Wrong

"From Oil Gush To Oil Hushhhh"
Or
"Dudley-Do-Wrong"

CEO Bob Dudley, British Petroleum's New Tony Hayward, made a joyous announcement to the World, yesterday: "We haven't seen any oil flow into the Gulf since the 15th of July.".

No oil? Really? Wow, Bob... That's Terrific!
Umm...It's not that we don't trust/believe you, but...
Let's just take a look-see at BP's Live-Feeds online.
Hmm... Uh, Bob... BP's Live-Feeds online are all down.
The screens are black...

BP's Live-Feed of the DWH's broken well-head was down for 3 days.
And would, in all likelihood, still be down if it weren't for the fact that some wonderful person asked Ret. Coast Guard Commander Thad Allen "Why?" (Allen had no answer).
And then, Abracadabra! The Live-Feed came back up.

And, in regards to the veracity of Mr. Dudley's claim of being leak-proof and announcing that BP was scaling down its clean-up efforts...

Well, Mr. Dudley did his predecessor, Mr. Hayward, proud:
Mr. Dudley looked right at the camera and - without blinking or twitching - lied to us.

BP lie? No way!

BP Way!

Don't be fooled by Mr. Dudley or any other BP Bobble-head...

The cap on the DWH well head IS leaking.
It's not gushing like it was, mind you. But it is still leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

And, why the heck is BP scaling down the clean-up?

Would someone please tell Bob a lesson he should have learned in early-childhood:

Early-childhood Lesson (Customized for BP Bob): Just because you can't see the oil floating in huge plumes or slicks on the surface of the water (or on the blank screen of the former Live-Feed)...
That doesn't mean that it's not there - that doesn't mean that it no longer exists.

If that were true, then Tony Hayward suddenly stopped existing.
(It's not magic, he's just been transferred to BP-Siberia.)

No, the Clean-Up's gonna be Long-Term, Bob.
Put some divers in the water, will ya?

And, the whole Top-Kill Plan? Bad Idea. Very Bad. The well head is damaged/weakened enough.

But, that's the one good thing about British Petroleum: At least they are consistent.
All of BP's Post-Disaster & Off-The-Tops-Of-Their-Heads Plans with Stupid Names have been Very Bad Ideas.

Just dig the relief wells, BP/Bob-Tony... And, please, do it carefully.

Media/America: Please Don't Ease the Pressure/Attention on BP or Bob Dudley.

As we've already seen and continue to see - They're a slick and slimy bunch.

Here's oil-industry expert, Bob Cavnar, to share his wise perspective...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Friday, July 30, 2010

Rep, Anthony Weiner Rips Into House Republicans For Cowardice On 9/11 Health Care Bill

2011 will mark the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.

Unbelievable.

Did you know...
That the Wizards who were at the helm of the Environmental Protection Agency in 2001 had declared that the air at ground-zero was safe to breathe after the towers collapsed and disintegrated? (Remember that Dust/Debris Cloud?)

Heck, I knew the air at ground zero couldn't be anything other than Unsafe.
How could the EPA think/say it was safe?

At least 20 cops have died of illnesses related to WTC exposure (9/11 Police Aid Foundation).

Firefighters who worked tirelessly on that enormous, smoking and dangerous debris pile have developed elevated levels of sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease of the lymph nodes and other organs - which is often also accompanied by breathing difficulties.

There have been numerous cancer diagnoses and cancer deaths amongst First Responders, which many believe are a result of exposure to the toxins at ground zero (Thanks, again, EPA.)

And, 1000's of New Yorkers who were there have also developed breathing difficulties.

And now comes word that, in the House Of Representatives, all but 12 Republican Representatives did what they've gotten phenomenally good at over the last two years...

Saying "No.".

"No" on Health Care. "No" on a Public Option For Health Care. "No" on extending the Unemployment Benefits of Millions of Americans who lost their jobs and are looking for work.
"No" on Wall Street Reform.

Their response to any and/or all timely, needed, beneficial legislation: "NO." "NO." "NO."

Basically, the GOP is tossing out "No's" with the rapidity and recurrence of a group of people who are suffering from (apparently) undiagnosed cases of Tourette's Syndrome.

Today, all but 12 card-carrying members of the "Grand Ol' Party Of No" in the House Of Representatives callously rejected and killed the Bill which would have given free health-care and compensation for those 9/11 First Responders and Rescue Workers.

And, they did it over a petty procedural issue.

The Democrats hadn't wanted the GOP members to drag out the discussion of the bill while trying to add unrelated or unnecessary amendments to it. So, they sped up the process and put it to a vote.

And, for that, the House Republicans said, for the umpteenth time, "No.".

Our Heroes from 9/11 are suffering and they are dying and the GOP said, "No.".

And, that's when Representative Anthony Weiner (D, NY) stood at the podium and laid into those House GOP'ers who'd rejected the bill and who, thereby, turned their backs on our 9/11 First Responders.

Bravo, Representative Weiner.

Thank you for calling them what they are... cowards.

Check him out:

Monday, July 26, 2010

New Video 'Surfaces' Of 40-Ton Whale Giving A Piece Of Its Mind & It's Hide To Puny Annoying Humans - With Audio

Following-Up...

On My Post About The 40-Ton Whale Off The Coast Of S. Africa That Propelled Itself Out Of The Water And Onto A 33ft. Yacht. The Whale Thrashed About; Knocked Down The Mast; Then Returned To The Water (W/ A Bit Less Skin & Blubber. Ouch.).

The Couple On The Boat, Ralph Mothes and Paloma Werner, Have Repeatedly Denied Doing Anything To Provoke The Whale In Any Way.

(This Was One Of Two Questions I'd Raised In My Blog).

Sadly, We Aren't Able To Ask The Whale For It's Side Of The Story.

But, Something Has 'Surfaced' That Is Almost As Good.

Something That Refutes The Couple's Claims Of Being Nothing More Than Innocent Bystanders:

It Is A Video That Successfully Captured Not Only The Shocking Event, From Start To Finish, Itself... It Also Captured The Loud, Clear & Very Telling Remarks Of Those Who Were Watching The Events Unfold.

The Telegraph.co.uk website (where I first watched this video) certainly seemed excessively sympathetic to the couple in the total of three (3) sentences they printed about the story under the video.

After Watching The Video Myself, It Is Apparent That the Telegraph.co.uk or whomever wrote the three lines of copy under the video never bothered to watch & listen to the video that the very brief, three-line article is about.

*Guess What They Say About The Pair? Just Guess...

Here's a hint:

The person speaking begins with, "They don't listen. They don't listen..."

Hmm...

Perhaps the couple's insurance company has told them that it won't pay out a claim to replace the destroyed yacht, if the pair provoked, harassed and/or in some way brought the wrath of the whale on themselves?

:) :) :)

Peace.
Especially for the Whale.
L.



Another Manic Monday: Roofing + Blowtorches = FIRE




Monday, July 26th, 2010
Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, California


The World or - at the very least - my beloved Haight-Ashbury District was still slowly awakening and still gloriously peaceful at around 9:30am this Monday morning.

As for me, I was awake and sitting in front of my computer, scanning the internet in search of unique and/or under-reported national/international news stories.
Photo Courtesy of L.A. S.F.,CA

At one point, my focused headline-reading was suddenly interrupted by a cacophony of sounds which - if you live in a wooden building that is also surrounded by other wooden buildings - you prefer not to hear.

Living on Haight Street - a busy place with or without the perpetual influx and parade of tourists (many of them shockingly discourteous photo-bugs) - demands that you either adapt to your surroundings by developing the finely-tuned ability to block out the (frequently raucous) street noises or simply re-locate.

Being a long-time resident, I've developed such skills.

Even so, there remain certain sounds which you never would want to filter out.

This... the shrill, wailing, high-decibel sirens emanating from fire-trucks, ambulances and police cars, was one of those sounds.

The increasing volume and density of the unsynchronized sirens told me two things:
1.)There were four or five fire-trucks behind those sirens and...
2.)The emergency vehicles firing on all cylinders were speeding directly toward my neck of the urban jungle.

I wasn't overly-worried, but I feel that events like this call for taking a few moments to further investigate.

When I opened my windows, the first thing I saw was an ambulance parked across the street - facing the wrong way. The two well-trained EMTs had already set their gear atop a gurney and had positioned it alongside their vehicle.

A glance down the street confirmed the presence of (at least) four San Francisco Fire Deparment (SFFD) trucks already on scene half a block away - with numerous firefighters suited up (some approaching the entrance to a building and others drawing out fire-hoses). I could still hear more sirens approaching from the distance, so it wasn't looking promising for the situation to turn out to be a false alarm.

I'd also noted the presence of several workmen on the sidewalk in front of The Wasteland Vintage Clothing Store (located at 1660 Haight Street); I watched as one of them scaled a precariously-perched (as no one held onto it at the bottom, when someone climbed it moved and rattled a lot) aluminum ladder leading up to the roof; there were also workers on the roof.

By the time I'd gotten my keys and purse in hand and looked out the window again, police cars had pulled into position on the corners to prevent civilian vehicle traffic, MUNI buses and those damned double-decker tourist buses from getting too close to the operation.

As my Faithful Companion and I reached the street, the officers were lighting flares and placing them in the road.

Thankfully, as I neared the focus of all the activity, there were no flames nor billowing smoke to be seen.

As we walked past the structure at 1654 Haight Street, above the El Balazo Restaurant, I saw that the other Fire Department vehicles I'd heard had arrived. Seeing movement on Wasteland's roof, I glanced up and saw that several firefighters were now up there and were hard at work removing a number of long, wooden planks from the exterior wall of two of the flats located above the restaurant - most likely to confirm that there were no flames or hot-spots within the exterior wall.

A friend of mine who lives in the affected building was standing across the street. He informed me that the fire was apparently started, accidentally, by the group of workmen who had been toiling on the roof of The Wasteland... with blowtorches.

My guess is that, most-likely, they were re-tarring the roof.

According to my friend, the upper and lower apartments on that side of the building were damaged by fire, smoke and water. Hopefully, the concrete building that is home to The Wasteland is undamaged.

*If I may offer a suggestion to anyone working with a blowtorch and potentially flammable materials (like tar, wood): It may be prudent to bring along a fire-extinguisher or two... just in case.

Coincidentally, the last significant fire I'd personally witnessed broke out only a few doors down from this event, on Dec. 22, 2009. The result of that blaze: the three-alarm fire burned through the street-level Tikka Masala Restaurant; through two flats of apartments above the restaurant and did extensive damage to Villain's Clothing Store. All of the residents escaped safely, but the businesses remain closed today.

The Wasteland Vintage Clothing Store, being constructed of concrete, suffered only smoke damage and re-opened after several days.

*Many Thanks To The San Francisco Fire Department.
I Know Our Beautiful City, Our Neighborhoods And Our Citizens Are In The Best Hands With You.

Peace,
L.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Oil's Well That Ends Well? Big Oil Responds To The Oil Spill/Spill Response... Again.

Oil's Well That Ends Well?

Post Exxon Valdez disaster, oil companies formed The Marine Spill Response Corp. and said that it would give them the ability to respond to the next disaster with effective, state-of-the-art measures.

Now, 20yrs. later, the BP DWH disaster has exposed the simple fact that Big Oil hasn't developed a single effective or state-of-the-art disaster response measure.

Now, Big Oil has announced that it is creating yet another special oil spill response organization called: The Marine Well Containment Company.

TMWCC is tasked with the same goals as the MSRC was 20 yrs. ago: Research and Develop state-of-the-art oil spill response measures to ensure a swift and effective response to the next big disaster.

Hmm...

As I listened to this latest announcement from Big Oil, one single and simple piece of wisdom came to mind:

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...".

Personally, I see this as nothing more than a blatant attempt by oil companies at damage control and improving their image...

"The Marine Well Containment Company"? Wow, what a great idea! I want them to be able to respond quickly to a disaster.


Common Sense dictates that We Don't Believe Them.

This latest move by the oil companies is a virtual carbon-copy of the action they took following the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska.

Deja Vu?

Carbon-Copy... As was discovered in the days following the BP/DWH disaster, this term describes in full not only BP's Gulf Oil Spill Response Plan - the one which was a virtual carbon-copy of their Arctic Response Plan... but also the official Oil Disaster Response Plan on file for each of the various oil companies. They were discovered to be utter Carbon-Copies of each other - minus the logos on the letterhead. Even down to each company's plan listing - as the company's go-to scientific expert in the event of a disaster - the name of a man who has been dead for several years.

I humbly offer that our Earth and our oceans are far too precious, fragile and irreplaceable to risk putting our trust in those who've proven themselves to be utterly untrustworthy.

From: The Rachel Maddow Show

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


Rachel Maddow Responds To Bill O'Reilly On Fox's Manufactured Racial Outrage

Rachel Maddow is my "American Idol".

By Wednesday, the facts of the Shirley Sherrod video had been made public and it had become absolutely clear that the video posted online by Mr. Breitbart and cycled and recycled through various Fox "News" shows had been intentionally cut-and-pasted to make it appear that Ms. Sherrod was a racist.

The video was of Ms. Sherrod speaking at a NAACP meeting.

At the time that the video was made and up until a short while after Breitbart posted the misleading mash-up and Fox "News" picked it up and ran with it, Ms. Sherrod had been a long-time employee of the US Department of Agriculture.

Sadly, Breitbart's and Fox "News" politically-motivated, baseless and spineless attack of Ms. Sherrod led to her being summarily fired from her job.

This was only the latest in a string of Fox "News"-championed, right-wing, politically-motivated, and virtually fact-free hatchet jobs. It was the second operation in which Fox saturated its "news" programs with clips from a video that had been heavily-edited to create the appearance of something that wasn't the least bit true (I believe it's called "Fraud".).

The previous one was also heavily-edited and shown repeatedly on Fox to manufacture belief in a lie. The "ACORN 'Pimp and Ho'" video was quickly followed by much indignant bluster from the GOP and lead - in the blink of an eye - to ACORN being de-funded and utterly destroyed.

Since then, that same video has since been found to have been edited so as to be intentionally misleading. And, various government investigations into ACORN found that ACORN and its employees had done absolutely nothing illegal.

In the latest scam, Breitbart edited the (nearly 3yr. old) NAACP video so that it gave the appearance that Ms. Sherrod was a racist.

Fox "News" picked up the story and paraded it over the airwaves, repeatedly. Fox's intellectually-challenged talking heads all voiced their shock and outrage at what the video appeared to show.

And, just to make sure that Fox's viewers understood their (manufactured)message, they made sure to call Ms. Sherrod a "racist" on-the-air, as well.

An important point here: Ms. Sherrod is, decidedly, not a racist.

What Mr. Breitbart had edited out of the video were the parts of Ms. Sherrod's speech where she spoke about helping - through her resources at the Department of Agriculture - some poor, white farmers. (He couldn't leave those parts in the video, of course, because then it wouldn't support the lie that they were manufacturing.)

Well, tonight, Rachel Maddow calmly took Fox "News" to task for it's continuing, deceit-filled, deplorable, politically-based and damaging tactics.

Tactics which Fox has been carrying out with reckless abandon and with absolutely no regard for those who are harmed as a direct result of them. For example: All the employees of ACORN who - due the the intentional Fox smear campaign - lost their jobs and Ms. Sherrod; etc. (IMHO, Fox should have to take the "News"-part out of their name.)

Turns out, over at Fox last night... Bill "Snidely" O'Reilly had to allow some time during his show to respond to what Rachel had said about his network.

O.K., Mr. Bill... Let's hear your explanation/excuses/denials...

Snidely O'Reilly's response to Rachel Maddow's fact-based, clear and concise criticism of Fox "News" was simply this... that his ratings are bigger than hers.

I kid you not. That was pretty much the beginning and the end of his rebuttal.

Oddly enough, Ol' Bill failed to mention that a cartoon: Sponge Bob Squarepants, a cable-based wrestling show and The Closer all get better ratings than he does... thankfully, Rachel thought of it, though.

Somehow, I'm not the least bit surprised that Billy is one of those "mine's bigger than yours"-kind of guys.

Sure Bill... regardless of the situation, just keep telling yourself that yours is bigger and maybe - if you're real good - it'll come true.

Nah. It won't.


Mr. O'Reilly offered no explanation. No, "Listen, Rachel, you're taking it out of context." nor a "Perhaps we at Fox made an unintentional mistake or two." (like they'd ever admit to that).

In fact, even after replaying a clip of Rachel's statements about Fox - on his show - Mr. O'Reilly didn't even attempt to deny what Rachel had said about Fox "News" and its unabashed snake-oil shenanigans.

Then again, how could he deny it, when it's all true?

That said, it is Fox of which I'm speaking and they're all about fabricating lies to appear as truth - dishonesty.

Neither did Mr. O'Reilly attempt to defend Fox's unseemly activities, either.

No, he just made a play to avoid explaining Fox's blatant and unethical practices by creating a diversion...

Don't look at/think about/ask why Fox is intentionally fabricating and then broadcasting utterly false information and presenting it as factual
... No, instead, think about the fact that my ratings are much better than hers (hehe)."

O'Reilly's "My ratings kick your ratings a**" sounded a lot like the immature, boastful, stick-your-tongue-out-as-you-sit-in-the-sandbox response of a child.

You've got higher ratings? Well, bully for you, Bill.

Now, if you can focus your attention for just a moment... Talk to us about those knowingly fraudulent videos Fox broadcast and the on-the-air slander/libel that Fox employees participated in on-the-air that cost people their jobs... And also about Fox's intentional attempts - through these fraudulent smear campaigns - to ignite the fires of racial tension in America?

In the brief TRMS clip, below, Rachel responds to Snidely O'Reilly.

The difference between them is that Rachel responds to O'Reilly with Truth, Intelligence, Integrity and Grace (as well as humility and humor).

Truth, Intelligence, Integrity and Grace are four priceless characteristics which Fox "News" is painfully and obviously without.

Not only that, they are also four things which not even the most skilled fraud-makers at Fox can manufacture.

Enjoy!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Haight Ashbury SFPD Park Station Officers Tag Taggers - Hurray!

Yes...

I will admit that I have been rather annoyed with some members of the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD).

Not with all of them, mind you.

Just those individual officers who go above and beyond the call when it comes to cruelty, harassment, and/or brutality...

Especially officers like you, Officer Gabriel Gallaread... now, apparently, wreaking havoc out of the Mission Station.

Hallelujah! Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish!

I do offer our Beloved Mission District my deepest sympathy and encourage those who live there to avoid this particular officer - especially if you are out alone at night.

I Saw What You Did, Gabriel, And I Know What You Are... You are Nothing... But a Thug... With a gun and a badge.

But, I digress...

The Great News:

Yesterday afternoon, as I walked my loyal companion around The Haight, I observed one Park Station-based SFPD officer on a SFPD bike going to speak with a business-owner.

The officer has short, blond hair. I do not know his name, but he's been in the neighborhood for a while. And, from what I've observed in the past, he does a commendable job. (I haven't seen him beat anyone to a bloody mess who was already in handcuffs and not resisting.)

On my return, on the other side of the street, I noticed the officer's bike parked against a shop. There was also an empty black-and-white parked at the curb a short distance away from the bike. I was curious where the officers had gone. I glanced into a few shops, to no avail.

Then, I looked across Haight Street...

And, there they all were.

The young, blond officer and two female officers - a blonde and a brunette (I gather that they were in the squad car) - were talking to three young men.

Well, actually, they looked like three boys, young teenagers - all in dark clothing and one had a new-skool skateboard.

My dear dog wanted to go to the Park, but I've learned the importance of being observant and, although I didn't believe any of these officers would do anything wrong, someone needs to be paying attention to these types of interactions - just in case.

What I then observed absolutely warmed the shreds of what used to be my heart:

One of the female officers picked up three yellow aerosol canisters... the kind used by artistically-gifted mural artists and turd-ball taggers, alike.

The officers were taking turns talking to the three boys, asking them questions and explaining what will happen to them each time that they are caught tagging public and/or private property... up to and including being ordered to do a long-stint of community service (hopefully removing graffiti) and - if I heard correctly - not being allowed to get their driver's licenses for a while (yes, they were that young).

Individually, the two women each looked at me, briefly, while they spoke to the boys.

I made the effort to look harmless and smile.

I didn't want to interrupt something I'd never seen happen before and might never see again.

You see, it's often a rare thing to catch the little scrawling, tagging rug-rats in action.

The ones I often see come out at night - after leaving mommy and daddy at home, blankly staring at the tv... "Have fun, dear. Don't be home too late!" - go out with a buddy or two to deface the world and create eyesores galore.

The daylight ones often carry paint-pens and glance around before scrawling something on homes, businesses, buses, gates, trash cans, windows, mailboxes, doors, etc. (you get the picture). The simple act of looking around = they know that they shouldn't be doing it.

The night-scrawlers can be observed meandering back and forth across the streets - no particular destination in mind - seeking targets that call out to them.

Usually, one or two of them plays "look-out", while the other does his asinine excuse for "art".

The three junior juvee-wannabees I now observed had been flat out busted in flagrante... with the tools of their tagging trade on their persons and - likely - with paint on their clothes/hands.

Bwahahahahahahaha!

When the young, blond officer glanced across the street at me with a curious look - he probably knows I live in the 'hood by now - I simply gave him a subtle smile and a thumbs-up... "You guys rock!", I said under my breath.

Seeing that, he smiled back at me.

I think he was a bit surprised.

He needn't be. I abhor taggers.

The City will cite and heavily-fine property owners if their property is tagged by the little losers and the scrawl isn't quickly removed.

I happen to love and respect my landlord. He's an angel. He happens to live elsewhere. So, when our building gets tagged, I'm the person who paints over it.

For a while, I was keeping a can of paint and a paint-brush just inside our front door - it was that bad.

But, despite the looming threat of losing police officers due to budget cuts, I've noticed a consistent and visible presence of officers in our neighborhood... and it makes a Big Difference.

Not just with the taggers, either.

There also seems to have been fewer fights breaking out in the street.

Yeah, when the bars close, there's usually at least one drunken fool shooting off his mouth at someone else.

Thankfully, of late, it seems to stop there... Just words... Just yelling... Or, maybe even a little shoving... But, it tends to stop there.

At least, there hasn't been the kind of violent assaults that - for a while - ended with people bleeding and ambulances being called.

"To Serve And Protect."

I may not say it enough...

Heck, I don't think I've ever said it...

But, Park Station, You guys (and women) Rock.

Thank you.

BP Claims Cap Success But Sea Floor Methane Leak Raises US Concerns

And now...
The Latest News From
The No-It's-Not-Quite-Over-Yet-Folks! BP Deepwater Horizon/Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Disaster...

From: www.telegraph.co.uk
7:00AM BST 19 Jul 2010

BP oil spill: 'seep' detected on ocean floor
BP's claims to have successfully capped its leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico have been questioned after a potential leak was discovered on the seabed nearby


From: www.telegraph.co.uk
10:47AM BST 19 Jul 2010

BP oil spill: US orders new emergency plan as seepage detected near capped well.

The US government ordered BP to submit an emergency plan for reopening its capped Gulf of Mexico oil well after experts detected seepage from the surrounding seabed.

"Admiral Allen... warned earlier that "ultimately, we must insure no irreversible damage is done which could cause uncontrolled leakage from numerous points on the sea floor"."

(*Please see the brief video clip, included below. Thank you.)

Dear Admiral Allen:

PLEASE Don't trust BP to be completely honest and transparent - as they've certainly proven themselves to be completely incapable of such things.

And, yes, a successfully-capped well-head would be Great. Terrific. Awesome.

But, an Exploding Sea Floor leading to a multi-point oil and gas leak would be Bad...

Very, Very Bad.



Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team Passports Suddenly Not Sovereign Enough For Great Britain

Did You Know...

The sport of Lacrosse was invented by the Iroquois.

And, being as the Iroquois Confederacy is recognized as a sovereign nation, the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team has been traveling, internationally, to the World Lacrosse Championship on their own Iroquois Nation passports since @ 1990.

In spite of this glaring fact, Great(?) Britain recently made the boorish decision to neither honor the Iroquois' passports nor their sovereignty. They deemed them "too controversial".

Could the Brit's decision have anything to do with the fact that, at the 2006 World Lacrosse Championships in London, Ontario, the Iroquois Nationals defeated England 13-10?

Could they really be that petty?


The Final Decision: The Iroquois Nationals were denied entry into Great Britain to compete in the World Championships for a sport which their ancestors created.

That's decidedly petty.

That's the Bad News.

The Good News: Today, the U.S. Lacrosse team decidedly trounced the British team 17-5.

Nothing "controversial" about that...

From: The Rachel Maddow Show...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

No Nukes Is Good Nukes Or Where's Jack Bauer When We Need Him?

How often do you think about things such as...

Black-market multi-million dollar dealing of both nuclear bomb-making materials and the highly-radioactive substance(s) which are meant to fill them?

If you're like me, you've spent a small amount of time considering such unsettling scenarios... and probably did so only during either a big budget, Hollywood spy vs spy blockbuster or Fox's incredibly tense (and often nuclear terror-related) TV show "24".

Well...

It now appears that truth/reality has taken a cue from these frightening fictional performances.

Last week, in Pretoria, South Africa, a (thankfully) successful police "sting" operation was carried out after a group of men attempted to sell both highly-radioactive Cesium 137 and an "industrial nuclear device" to a man who happened to be an undercover police officer.

This conclusion of the "sting" involved a great many police officers, a foot-chase of one suspect through a busy Pretoria intersection and a shoot-out between the police officers and the suspects.

In the end, five men - all South African citizens - were arrested (with the lead-encased Cesium on them). Unfortunately, the so-called "industrial nuclear device" has yet to be located, but officials believe that it does exist and are actively searching for it.

Yikes.

Too bad Jack Bauer is a fiction...

Or is he?

The July 9th events haven't had much coverage here (Why is that?), but here's a brief clip from TRMS.

Enjoy!

From: The Rachel Maddow Show.


Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Oil Vey! 1000's of Abandoned Oil Wells in the Gulf

AP investigation finds 1000's of Abandoned Oil Wells in the Gulf of Mexico.

Some were "capped" 15-20yrs. ago... with metal caps.

(Metal+Seawater? Hmm... Corrosion, Anyone?).

No One's been checking any of the abandoned wells/rusted caps for leaks.

When asked about the lack of inspection of the abandoned wells MMS stated that it uses The Honor System.

Ah, yes... MMS shirked their own serious responsibilities and shoved them onto the individual oil well-owning corporations.

Whether you call it The Honor System or Self-Regulation...

We all know how well such practices work when they involve profit-lusting corporations...

They don't.


Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy