20 June - The Politics and Consequences of 'Resource' Extraction

Image by NASA Goddard Photo and Video via Flickr

BP Oil Spill From the Air
-The Conservation Report
These images are from “James Duncan Davidson, TED’s conference photographer, [and he] is among a crew of five photographers and videographers reporting on the Gulf of Mexico for the TEDxOilSpill Expedition.” You can find more photos from the TEDxOilSpill Expedition on duncandavidson Flickr page, and you can follow TEDxOilSpill on Twitter or read their blog. TEDxOilSpill is also conducting a poster competition.

The Final End of the Hydrocarbon Fuel Paradigm
http://phoenixrisingfromthegulf.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/the-final-end-of-the-hydrocarbon-fuel-paradigm-2/#comment-4
These are the realities on the ground (undersea floor), in the water (Gulf of Mexico & Seven Seas), and in the air (atmosphere) in the wake of the Oil & Gas Industry operations around the globe, as it has operated for well over 100 years.

ROV films oil leak coming from rock cracks on seafloor.
http://www.youtube.com/user/alexhiggins732#p/u/3/b2RxIQP0IBU

17 big questions about the handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill
http://www.naturalnews.com/029030_Gulf_of_Mexico_oil_spill.html
It's almost as if the federal government were actively working to worsen the problem and expand the impact of the disaster. But that brings up the question: Why?
The easiest way to steal even more power away from the people is to turn a small disaster into a big disaster, then leap in with a "government solution" that enacts some large, oppressive new act that never would have been possible before the disaster.
The government does not seem interested in solving the problem in the Gulf of Mexico. It is covering up the truth, threatening mainstream journalists who try to photograph the region, restricting air travel over the well site, restricting boat travel anywhere near the spill, and basically lying to the public on a daily basis about what's really happening there.

That alone should make any thinking person suspicious. If the situation were really under control, why would they have to lie about it?

Oil Spill Hearings Begin Tuesday - 'Nitrogen Cement' and 'Failure to Place Cement Plug' Testimony Likely
http://voicesweb.org/aggregator/sources/5?page=8
One of these stories concerns the use of nitrogen gas in the cement mix; the other relates to failure to place the cement plug before removing the drilling mud.
EPA has a web section related to the oil spill
www.epa.gov/bpspill/
Includes Frequently asked questions and answers
Statement on Dispersant Use in BP Oil Spill


Saudi Arabia May Have Answer to Gulf Of Mexico Oil Leak
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Saudi-Arabia-May-Have-Answer-to-Gulf-Of-Mexico-Oil-Leak-96681894.html
Another problem is that the Saudi operation in 1993 involved a spill that was limited once the source of the leak had been plugged, whereas the BP well is leaking vast quantities of oil every day and the best hope of stopping it could be months away, in the form of relief wells that are to be drilled nearby.

Nick Pozzi is skeptical about the relief well plan, because he says the flow of oil is so strong.

He says the pressure of the outflow at the well head is so great that BP engineers have not been able to overcome it.  Pozzi says he and other experts have examined video from the site to calculate the pressure.

"We estimated that coming out of that well head is approximately 72 million pounds per square inch and we do not have a device in the world that basically can stop that," he said.

( Almost as insane as the ridiculousness of such a figure - and the crushing pressure of the depths at the base of the all time record holder for deepest oil drilling hole ever - is the known propaganda content of its proponent : Voice of America. Regardless, Dr. John v. Kampen quipped one home truth : Death of Peak Oil )

Detonating nuclear bomb in Gulf could end all life on planet

http://peakoil.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=58730&p=998035
A prehistoric methane gas explosion could explain the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event, a mysterious period in Earth history where 95% of all species went extinct.

Given that the amount of methane gas that is leaking from the BP spill site is at least equal to the amount of oil, it would lead one to believe that there is a huge underground pocket of methane gas buried there. Now, if Dr. Ryskin’s theory is correct, not only would detonating a nuclear bomb near that underground methane pocket end the oil spill, it might end all life on Earth as well.
 

About this time comments about the implications of establishing corporate personhood via the Supreme Court disallowing exempting it seem especially germane.

Seize BP while it still has an asset
The death penalty for murderous corporate persons
Death for Corporate  Comrade Halliburton *
Where corporations learn how to manipulate the media
Texas governor blames 'God' for BP-Halliburton screw-up

*The quip 'Dissent is treason. Betrayal is patriotic.' looks like a rework of Orwell

Loss Socialization from Entrepreneurs – Criminal v Capitalist
http://balneus.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/loss-socialization-from-entrepreneurs-%E2%80%93-criminal%C2%A0v%C2%A0capitalist
Imagine, for a moment, that the concept of the limited liability company was applied not only to corporation law, but to criminal law, and conversely, that the notion of being responsible for the result of one’s actions applied to capitalist activities.

The unspoken purpose of limited liability in corporate law is to socialize risk, turning the worst liabilities of improper, sharp, or negligent practice into burdens on the community, in particular, the most vulnerable in society.  Modern capitalism could not exist without this institutionalized moral hazard.

The whole point of limited liability is that only the investment is at risk, there is no real impact on investors if liabilities, including damages to others, far exceed the assets of the particular construct called a company.


Profiteers reject law of supply and demand
http://balneus.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/profiteers-reject-law-of-supply-and-demand/#comment-16845
The ore profiteers want us to forget the fundamental rule of pricing – the law of supply and demand.

The ore profiteers are bleating not for the nation’s long term future, but for their ability to stuff their own individual pockets in the short term.

The statement boiled down to "those minerals will only get more valuable as time passes, other countries, particularly China, running out of exploitable deposits.".

The rate of return, therefore, for leaving those minerals in the ground until raw materials increase in value, far exceeds the long-term bond market, and is certainly better than money in the bank.

Greetings from the Belly of the Beast

http://lharrison.net/?p=1#more-1
I wrestled for years with the ideals “my” country had given me and the actions it took everywhere. It talked one talk but walked another walk, then as now, and even before. Nevertheless some piece of me wanted to embrace the irrational conviction that we, the US, were the good guys. We wore the white hats in some cosmic fantasy of nationalism even as we nalpalmed children. It was a cognitive dissonance whose echoes still linger, but at least I now know up from down, wrong from right, and don’t need to pretend or defend the rewriting of history.

Top Ten Myths about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2010/06/17/top-ten-myths-about-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/

Origins of the Cold War: How Stalin Foiled a ‘New World Order’
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2010/05/31/origins-of-the-cold-war-how-stalin-foild-a-new-world-order

PROOF THAT FEMA IS AN EXTERMINATION AGENCY
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3842887388124626282


Display tweets in your site with cool twitter widgets
http://www.freerealtraffic.blogspot.com/2010/06/display-tweets-in-your-site-with-cool.html

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• Saudi oil expert submitted an invention to stop leaks in the Gulf of Mexico in less than 12 hours (sauditothecore.com)
• Can we arrange at least a wedgie for luxury yacht-sailing BP CEO Tony Hayward? (pinkbananaworld.com)
• Louisiana Declares Day of Prayer for Oil Spill (foxnews.com)
• BP Says it's Paid Out $104M to Gulf Coast Residents (wallstreetpit.com)
• BP says "strongly disagrees" with Anadarko allegations (reuters.com)
• Disaster in The Gulf of Mexico (newsflavor.com)
• Tony Hayward: Still in Charge of Oil Spill [Clarifications] (gawker.com)
• Deepwater Spill Forum to Address Tragedy in Gulf of Mexico (eon.businesswire.com)
• Deprived of Livelihood, Gulf Shrimpers Work for BP Instead (abcnews.go.com)
• A presumptuous command of oil (search.japantimes.co.jp)
• Think Progress uncovers details of 'pro environment' Gulf of Mexico Foundation (americablog.com)
• More Oil Skimmers May Be Bound for Gulf of Mexico (abcnews.go.com)
• NOAA Confirms Presence of Subsea Oil Plumes in Gulf of Mexico (shoppingblog.com)
• Drilling Moratorium: More Harm Than Good (dakotavoice.com)
• Korn urges artists to boycott BP with tour buses (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• BP used 'risky' well design (telegraph.co.uk)
• 1979 Gulf Oil Blowout Shows Us Progress Will Be Measured In Years, Not Weeks (crooksandliars.com)
• Partial, temporary, fragile containment (washingtonmonthly.com)
• Spill causes confusion over swimming rules in Ala. (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Canada prepared for oil spill response: Shea (cbc.ca)
• BP oil leak: British company becomes butt of US jokes (telegraph.co.uk)
• What happens to the oil they're skimming off of the Gulf of Mexico? (slate.com)
• Undersea robot aims for 3-D image of BP oil plume (ciol.com)
• More oil skimmers may be bound for Gulf of Mexico (sfgate.com)
• Prevent Another Oil Disaster, Stand Up To Corporate Influence (environment.change.org)
• "Dead Data in the Gulf: Saturday June 19 BP Oil Spill Update" and related posts (pbrla.blogspot.com)
• Good Rolling Stone article on the Gulf oil spill (rollingstone.com)
• Villains and Heroes of the Disaster in the Gulf (cbsnews.com)
• Oil spill: BP to sue partner in Gulf oil well (telegraph.co.uk)
• Factbox: Developments in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill (reuters.com)
• "Methane Levels In Gulf Oil Spill Could Have Disastrous Impact" and related posts (aboutmyplanet.com)
• Oil Spill May Cause Methane Poisoning, Completely Wiping Out Life In Parts Of Gulf (businessinsider.com)
• More Gulf Horror! Scientists Say 'Unusual' High Methane Could Turn Sea Into Dead Zones (themoderatevoice.com)
• Vast amounts of methane in Gulf spill pose threat (sfgate.com)
• Smoke on the Water (dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com)
• S.&P. Cuts BP Ratings, Citing Liabilities and Politics (dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com)
• BP liability not limited to $20 bln -official (reuters.com)

20 May - Political Notes

Image by United Nations Photo via Flickr

Support New Mexico Indigenous Leaders in Protesting the Expansion of Uranium Mining and the Nuclear Cycle of Destruction!

http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2010/05/navajo-to-protest-uranium-mining.html
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Mining Association will host a “Uranium Recovery” conference designed to make it easier for mining companies to move forward with a new era of uranium mining.
When the uranium boom ended over thirty years ago, mining companies skipped town and left New Mexico with a devastating legacy of sick communities

 ( From the Sidebar : Pages : Topical Index :

• Uranium - Mining and 'Depleted'
  
  
  
  
  'Agent Orange' for the Ages  )

The Military-Industrial-Media-Government Complex
http://creekside1.blogspot.com/2010/05/military-industrial-media-government.html
In a 2007 article entitled "The Conference of Defence Associations gets $100,000 a year from the Department of Defence", CDA executive director Alain Pellerin told Maclean's John Geddes :

    "We also have to write a number of op-eds to the press."
    Asked if there is any aspect of Tory defence policy the CDA opposes, he couldn't think of one.

Watchdog groups file FOIA requests to learn true extent of oil spill
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0520/watchdog-groups-file-foia-requests-learn-true-extent-oil-spill


Treat Welfare System Like Criminal Justice System
http://economicusridiculous.blogspot.com/2010/04/treat-welfare-system-like-criminal.html
Better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/std/largest.gif" /> Font Resize

White House nominates San Jose judge Edward Davila to federal bench

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_15128525?source=rss&nclick_check=1

US media demands Greek-style austerity for American workers
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/may2010/pers-m14.shtml

Conspiracy Theory Stalks China-US Financial Relations - Jan 25  2008
http://www.chinastakes.com/2008/1/conspiracy-theory-stalks-china-us-financial-relations.html
According to a Chinese American scholar Song Hongbin in his book Currency Wars starting in the age of Napoleon, a small group of European bankers began to grow strong, and they gradually gained control of the central banking systems of the UK and the continental countries, later moving across the ocean to America. They played a leading role in setting up a global financial system based on a privately-owned Federal Reserve and international mega-banks. By secretly establishing a wide web of politicians, financiers and media moguls, they grabbed onto huge wealth and are ever working to found a unified global government and currency, which they will, of course, control.
(  Theory : it's always a hoot to realize the use of a term which can require rigor and proofs has been downgraded to an epithet of derision by implying minimal  plausibility. In other words, when you don't have an argument...fake it.
George Bush Sr., past Director of the C.I.A., actually referred to the 'New World Order' in his speeches !)

Iraq's children
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(00)02279-0/fulltext   May 2000
A wide range of factors conspires to bring about the current medical situation in Iraq. We cannot single out food shortages, reduced incomes, poor electricity and water supplies, shortages of drugs and medical equipment, the intellectual isolation, or the emigration of Iraqi professionals.
The UN Secretary-General recognises that in terms of the United Nations objective to relieve suffering, the Iraq dilemma is almost unresolvable. “…here we are”, he says “accused of causing suffering to an entire population”. The UN risks “losing the argument, or the propaganda war—if we haven't already lost it—about who is responsible for this situation
( That's a good trick when you consider Saddam's lack of resources to publish accounts of Iraq's plight.
This is what nations face worldwide during the breakdown of international economies. )

CIA spy infiltrates Cannes red carpet
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0520/cannes-hears-call-war-criminals-bush-blair-face-trial
'Fair game' tells how the glamorous spy Valerie Plame, played by Watts, was stitched up by a vengeful White House after her diplomat husband publicly denounced its claims that Iraq leader Saddam Hussein was working on weapons of mass destruction.

US president George W. Bush used those claims as the main reason for invading Iraq in 2003 and ousting Saddam.
Joseph Wilson visited Niger in 2002 to investigate claims that Iraq tried to buy uranium for nuclear bombs and in 2003 wrote an article in the New York Times titled "What I didn't find in Africa."

That article was the start of a campaign to show that the Bush administration had twisted intelligence reports to exaggerate the threat posed by Saddam.

( Cheney, not finding actual intelligence reports to his liking, had them fabricated to conform with media narrative. Brewster-Jennings' covert operations in the Middle East were destroyed - along with evaluations from Valerie Plame/Wilson on the Nuclear Threat desk.  The ongoing scam - 'Axis of Evil' - that runs to punish nations practicing nuclear weapons transparency adds to systematic deception. The Arms Control Wonk ran an article totally debunking weapons utility of the fertilizer base 'yellowcake' - which was plentiful in Iraq. )

US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair resigns
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0520/report-national-intelligence-director-blair-resign
This week, Obama dispatched CIA director Leon Panetta and his national security advisor James Jones to Pakistan, to discuss anti-terror cooperation and intelligence following the failed Times Square attack this month.

Blair, nominally the top US intelligence officer, did not make the trip.

My "Relationship" With Tom Campbell
A Wrench in the Israeli Gears
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/pg-weir.html
An outside observer might be forgiven for being confused about which nation these California Republican candidates are seeking to serve. Rather than competing over who is the most loyal Californian and patriotic American, these would-be Senators seem often to be competing over who is the most supportive of a foreign regime.

Odder still, the regime being fervently endorsed has a record of taking actions that are deeply contrary to principles most Americans hold dear, and on top of that, has a track record of undertaking activities that are extremely damaging to the US.


Earth's Sixth Mass Extinction Currently Underway - Public Unaware Of Severity
http://www.volconvo.com/forums/blog.php?b=314
( Lovely. Biological resources vanishing together with the resource base.) 

The Genocide In Democratic South Africa - Jan 2007
http://www.ilanamercer.com/phprunner/public_article_list_view.php?editid1=105
The Boers—or farmers—of South Africa have tilled the land for generations, on small holdings or on large commercial farms. But orgiastic killing sprees by The People, in combination with a Stalinesque land grab by their representatives, is threatening this minority’s survival.
Canada toughens Chevron drill rules after BP spill
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100520/canada/canada_us_chevron_newfoundland
Chevron will have to provide test results for the blowout preventer and its activation systems at the Lona O-55 exploratory well off the eastern Canadian province,

Afghanistani horticulturists learn advance cultivation techniques in Kashmir
http://story.afghanistansun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/6e1d5c8e1f98f17c/id/637566/cs/1

Is China's Electric Car a Pipe Dream? 

Among the recently launched new energy vehicles, how many are really low-carbon oriented cars? The answer is: None. 

http://www.chinastakes.com/2010/5/is-chinas-electric-car-a-pipe-dream.html

Old Trees in The Netherlands and Western Europe
http://82.94.219.20/~jpa/english1.htm

Clever thieves
http://lydiateh.wordpress.com/2010/05/13/clever-thieves/

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• Hamish H. McNinch: Preventing an (Arabian) Gulf Oil Spill (online.wsj.com)
• Iraq's Stability, Oil Growth Hinge on Allawi Deal, Envoy Says (businessweek.com)
• Iraqi technicians dismantling Hussein's nuclear plants (cnn.com)*
• ( * This in a country suffering a lack of reliable electrical service )
• Iran 2010: Watch China And Russia (basilandspice.com)
• Chevron had warned it couldn't clean up Canadian coastal oil spill (canada.com)
• Critics' annual report blasts Chevron (sfgate.com)
• Deep drilling starts off Newfoundland (cbc.ca)
• Colorado Senate Passes Bill Requiring Uranium Cleanup (huffingtonpost.com)
• Stand for the Land (socialactions.net)
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• Depleted Uranium in Iraq: Mothers being Warned Not to have Babies (grantlawrence.blogspot.com)
• Chinese-Turkish Consortium Seals Iraq Oil Deal (abcnews.go.com)
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• UN imposes new sanctions against Iran (cbc.ca)
• Colo. Legislature passes uranium cleanup bill (sfgate.com)
• Vane Minerals' shares to jump as uranium find is verified (telegraph.co.uk)
• Letters: Nuclear clarity (guardian.co.uk)
• Diplomats: Iran expands enrichment facility (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Uranium!!!! (slideshare.net)