When Kenneth Feinberg took over disbursement of the $20 billion dollar fund from BP one month ago, he made the rather startling claim that emergency payments would be underway to people within 24 hours and businesses within a week. One month later, over 40,000 claims remain to be processed. He has been forced to do town hall meetings, to add personnel, then to streamline the claims … Continue reading Feinberg Should Make Amends…
Hello. I kill people for a living. Normally, I don’t really go spreading this around as I find it can get in the way of my job, but after the events of this week, I just can’t help myself. Ten years now of having to be all secretive, of having to always respond to questions like, “Hey, what do you do for a living?” with … Continue reading Overall, It’s Been a Great Week to Be a New Orleans Assassin!
Federal officials and the Obama administration have maintained for well over two months now that all is safe in the gulf: no serious food contamination, no significant risk to air and water quality, no long-term health risks. And all this seems well and good so long as you only ask the government’s scientists. Asking elsewhere, one gets an entirely different story, and from such notable … Continue reading FDA, NOAA Still Not Testing for Heavy Metals or Dispersants in Gulf Seafood
By now many of us have read of British Petroleum’s increased ad spending in the months following the April 20th Deepwater Horizon Explosion. Rep. Kathy Castor was especially upset by this, saying “BP is overdoing it, it’s really making people angry. Every day you get up and see these full-page ads in every newspaper and the TV ads…while BP’s advertising campaign ramped up, businesses and the … Continue reading An Audition: British Petroleum’s Public Relations Department
While many, myself included appreciate that the Macondo Well is “effectively dead,” considering the claims that no oil has been leaking from the site since mid-July it is a bit anti-climactic. Many bloggers, myself included have been far more focused on the cleanup activities or lack thereof, the oil still washing up on the beaches and permeating the Gulf, the dying sea life, the increasing … Continue reading The Problem with Sandcastles
You might wonder how crabs in the Gulf have received a clean bill of health from the US Wildlife and Fisheries, especially after the 4.1 million barrels, the 2 million gallons of dispersants, the two to five-inch thick layer of oil on the sea floor, all these fish kills going on in Plaquemines Parish, the people getting sick, the dead whales, the oil yet again hitting sixteen miles … Continue reading Revealed: How Crab Tests Negative for Oil Contamination in the Gulf
So, couple of days ago, Mr. Hayward was questioned about British Petroleum’s safety record in England by the MPs and apparently, he had more to say to his local pol’s then he did when Congress had their go a few months back, you remember, when he gave an hour-long version of “Oh, I didn’t know.” This time around, he offered up these gems: In discussing all BP had … Continue reading Tony Hayward Speaks at British Commons…and a response
Over the past five months, Gulf Coast residents have been treated to a number of decisions with direct impact on their lives. They weren’t asked to give input at the time these decisions were made. They weren’t asked how they thought it might affect their future. The decisions occurred above their heads and most times, without their knowledge, but they are the ones now paying … Continue reading Changing Course in the Gulf: Bad Lessons in Money and Politics Pt. 3 – The Obama Administration and Business as Usual
Hello all, goings on’s of late and regaining my focus from the quitting of cigarettes and the loss of a family member…I do look forward to rejoining the argument…see you all tomorrow… Henry says: “Chaos is the score upon which reality is written…” Agreed. -Drake PS – Kenneth Feinberg is an asshole. Is it no small wonder that the reparations arbitrator in this whole mess … Continue reading Your Patience Has Been Appreciated…
Over the past five months, Gulf Coast residents have been treated to a number of decisions with direct impact on their lives. They weren’t asked to give input at the time these decisions were made. They weren’t asked how they thought it might affect their future. The decisions occurred above their heads and most times, without their knowledge, but they are the ones now paying … Continue reading Changing Course in the Gulf: Bad Lessons in Money and Politics Pt. 2 – Bobby Jindal, Sand Berms and the Shaw Group
Drake Toulouse: Photography and Words 