So, been away for a little while…well, more than a little while… I feel like I’ve been away for six weeks or so, even though I’ve written a number of things up here during that time…guess one could say I felt like I was running out of things to say, or maybe trying too hard to say what I think people want me to say… … Continue reading I’m working on it…
At the end of this month the payroll tax holiday will expire, and if allowed to lapse, it will come as a tax increase for working lower and middle class Americans. The Democrats, including Obama, are in favor of an extension while many Republicans are not. Many Republicans are demanding the extension be offset by spending cuts elsewhere or simply done away with altogether. Why? Simple… According to Macroeconomic … Continue reading Republican coincidence and payroll tax holidays…
Feinberg’s helping again… He took a look at the poor harvest this season of shrimp and crab from the Gulf of Mexico and decided something needed to be done, that more compensation was necessary as the damages from this oil spill were greater than he had originally estimated… And he was right in this assessment, and to fix it he will increase the compensation rates for shrimpers and … Continue reading Feinberg’s adjustment like a backhanded compliment…
Time magazine, in honor of Thanksgiving dinners across the country, felt it appropriate to put its American readers at the kids table this week, giving them a cover they could handle while the rest of the world got the real news, the scary stuff… So, in Europe, Asia and the South Pacific, their readers were greeted with a cover depicting the ongoing struggles in Egypt, demonstrated by a … Continue reading Sitting at the kid’s table…
Compassion… That’s right, compassion… I keep hearing politicians talk about hard choices, about tough decisions and being realistic…you know, their usual line and all of it typically means only one thing…but I’m getting ahead of myself here… Let me start over… So, few days ago I was blocking traffic on a bridge as part of a national day of action. Good time, didn’t necessarily agree … Continue reading The hardest political choice…
In Alaska, whereas they have not suffered a spill as extreme as the one the company unleashed on the Gulf Coast, they have become quite familiar with this oil company’s pattern of negligence, their complete focus on profits and the willingness to let lawyers attempt to clean up the messes left behind by their poor safety conduct. Now, federal prosecutors are asking a judge to … Continue reading Revoke BP’s probation: patterns don’t lie…
Last summer, when the Macondo Well was still flowing, the US government allowed British Petroleum to keep the press out of the immediate, oil impacted areas. A number of reasons were given at the time…encroachment on private property, safety of cleanup workers, or keeping press boats from running over boom meant to contain the oil. These reasons were all bullshit, of course. Hell, at first … Continue reading BP and Zucotti Park, the divide ain’t just about money…
In two developments this past week, British Petroleum officially welcomed the Coast Guard and the Federal Government to their party that history forgot. Behind the ivy covered walls, steel doors and security guards of BP headquarters, Bob Dudley toasted Coast Guard Captain, Julia Heim and BOEMRE head, Michael Bromwich, celebrating a rousing relapse of maritime irresponsibility and forgetfulness. Toast completed, Bob turned on the tequila fountain, shaped like a deepwater … Continue reading Feds, Coast Guard, join BP to prove they’ve learned very little…
It’s official. “Making things right,” has been declared dead. The priest has been to the hospital, performed last rites and was then thrown through the glass doors and spit upon by current British Petroleum CEO Bob Dudley, who whipped around, his black duster flapping lazily in the fall breeze, before he strode back into the hospital. Word is he was heading towards the pediatric ward to see if he … Continue reading British Petroleum says to hell with public relatons, we’re gonna screw everybody we can…
I know I said I’d be back on Monday, so I’m late, my bad… been doing some thinking this week about the website, reading the news, hanging out, taking a break…etc…and the one thing I can’t seem to get out of my head is this… The number of people from Transocean, Halliburton and British Petroleum who have spent a day in jail as a result … Continue reading A day late and a dollar short…
Drake Toulouse: Photography and Words 