Checkered Lounge Pants

By Nick Spicer in Americas on May 17th, 2010 "Call me Ishmael." So begins Herman Melville epic seafaring novel, ostensibly about whaling, an American Odyssey recounting Captain Ahab's obsessive pursuit of a great oil-carrying sperm whale, Moby Dick. It ends in disaster. I write this in a sand barrier motel in Grand Isle Louisiana, in a hot room overlooking an empty beach, and just a few of the six hundred-plus oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. And it is hard not to ask: is BP another Captain Ahab? Or, worse, is the United States? Crude oil is not, of course, sperm whale oil, or "spermicetti". But they have had equally pervasive influences on their societies. In Melville's 19th century, the oil was used to burn in lamps, make candles, soften leather and even, he writes, to anoint kings: "Certainly it cannot be olive oil, nor macassar oil, nor castor oil, nor bear's oil, nor train oil, nor cod-liver oil. What then can it possibly be, but sperm oil ...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.President, Waterkeeper Alliance; Professor, Pace University Posted: May 5, 2010 10:19 AM A common spin in the right wing coverage of BP's oil spill is a gleeful suggestion that the gulf blowout is Obama's Katrina. In truth, culpability for the disaster can more accurately be laid at the Bush Administration's doorstep. For eight years, George Bush's presidency infected the oil industry's oversight agency, the Minerals Management Service, with a septic culture of corruption from which it has yet to recover. Oil patch alumnae in the White House encouraged agency personnel to engineer weakened safeguards that directly contributed to the gulf catastrophe. The absence of an acoustical regulator -- a remotely triggered dead man's switch that might have closed off BP's gushing pipe at its sea floor wellhead when the manual switch failed (the fire and explosion on the drilling platform may have prevented the dying workers from pushing the button)...

You may have heard the news in the last two days about the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig which caught fire, burned for two days, then sank in 5,000 ft of water in the Gulf of Mexico. There are still 11 men missing, and they are not expected to be found. The rig belongs to Transocean, the world’s biggest offshore drilling contractor. The rig was originally contracted through the year 2013 to BP and was working on BP’s Macondo exploration well when the fire broke out. The rig costs about $500,000 per day to contract. The full drilling spread, with helicopters and support vessels and other services, will cost closer to $1,000,000 per day to operate in the course of drilling for oil and gas. The rig cost about $350,000,000 to build in 2001 and would cost at least double that to replace today. The rig represents the cutting edge of drilling technology. It is a floating rig, capable of working in up to 10,000 ft water depth. The rig is not moored; It does not use anchors because it would be...

The details of this first-class environmental disaster are disturbing. The first response (putting the fire on the oil platform out) may have been a fatal error, since the fire was likely a far less damaging problem than the consequent collapse of the rig and uncontrolled gushing of the well. Failsafes at the wellhead failed. British Petroleum is widely quoted saying that a relief well might take two to three months to drill. Hopefully there will be some better news soon. Hopefully the "drill baby drill" crowd will draw the obvious lessons (but don't hold your breath). Hopefully Canada will draw the same obvious lessons about proposals from the same companies to conduct similar "development" in Canada's high arctic (but is our Conservative government capable of anything but cheerleading when it comes to the oil industry?) And hopefully this tragedy has put another nail in the worldview our current national government is a junior colony of. What British Petro...

Hi Yall, tomorrow is May Day. Seems apropos with all the economic meltdowns we have endured over the last six months. You see, May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to several public holidays . In many countries, May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day , or Labour Day , a day of political demonstrations and celebrations organised by the unions, anarchists, and socialist groups. May Day is also a traditional holiday in many cultures. Nevertheless, it is still April. The month of spring. That is my favourite time of the year. The time of optimism for the summer days ahead. The time of hope, for the warm nights under the stars and sunny days to spend on the beach. The time of expectations for the joy and happiness that summer brings with flowers and gardens and outdoors (all special interests relative to your age, of course). My spring has been a mixed variety of adventures. I have been fortunate to spend time with my folks as well as with son, Cameron and his significant ...

Will the Real Tea Party Movement Please Stand Up? by Anne Landman (Credits: The CMD report) Have you wondered how the Tea Party, portrayed as a " grassroots " movement, could possibly raise enough money in one year to procure a professionally-painted, luxury motor coach and send it on two highly-publicized national tours? Or how the Tea Party so quickly developed the expertise to plan, organize and execute the tours, and consistently draw major media attention to them? The answer is that the Tea Party Express is not a "grassroots" effort. The Web site Politico.com obtained and posted a proposal (pdf) showing that long-time Republican party operatives are, in fact, directing the "Tea Party Express" portion of the movement. The "group" and its activities are the result of efforts by a Republican -affiliated political consulting and public relations firm, Russo Marsh & Rogers , based in Sacramento, California. PR executive Sal Russo of Russo...

About The Film “The story of The Doors is one of the most compelling in the history of American rock music; three hugely talented musicians and a lead singer whose commitment to artistic freedom was so intense he rocketed them to a success that always hovered on the edge of chaos. As an independent filmmaker this sensibility affected me greatly.”– Tom DiCillo, director and writer, When You’re Strange http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/when-youre-strange-a-film-about-the-doors/about-the-film/1543/

by Atul Gawande (WSJ) April 2, 2010 July 30, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law. In public memory, what ensued was the smooth establishment of a popular program, but in fact Medicare faced a year of nearly crippling rearguard attacks. The American Medical Association had waged war to try to stop the program, and doctors weren’t about to abandon the fight against “socialized medicine” simply because it had passed into law. The Ohio Medical Association, with ten thousand physician members, declared that it would boycott Medicare, and a nationwide movement began. Race proved an even more explosive issue. Many hospitals, especially in the South, were segregated, and the law required them to integrate in order to receive Medicare dollars. Alabama’s Governor George Wallace was among those who encouraged resistance; just two months before coverage was to begin, half the hospitals in a dozen Southern states had still refused to meet Medicare certification. Either boycott...

April 1, 2010 CONTACT: Conor Kenny 202-277-6427 or ckenny@conorkenny.net Mary Bottari at 608-345-6806 CMD RELEASES NEW WALL STREET BAILOUT TOTAL$4.6 TRILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS DISBURSED New Tally Focuses on Expansive Role of Federal Reserve Today, the Real Economy Project of the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) released an assessment of the total cost to taxpayers of the Wall Street bailout. CMD concludes that multiple federal agencies have disbursed $4.6 trillion dollars in supporting the financial sector since the meltdown in 2007-2008. Of that, $2 trillion is still outstanding. CMD's assessment demonstrates that the Federal Reserve has provided by far the bulk of the funding for the bailout in the form of loans amounting to $3.8 trillion. Little information has been disclosed about what collateral taxpayers have received in return for these loans. CMD also concludes that the bailout is far from over as the government has active programs authorized to cost up to $2.9 trillion ...

..better them than me. ROLMAO. The Catlin Arctic Expedition : "Al Jazeera Blogs"

China daily says Google helps US intelligence. BEIJING (Reuters) A Chinese Communist Party newspaper accused Google on Wednesday of colluding with U.S. spies, and said the firm's retreat from China over censorship justified Beijing's efforts to promote homegrown technology. China's latest blast at the world's biggest Internet search company came in the overseas edition of the People's Daily, the chief newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party. Google on Monday shut its mainland Chinese-language portal Google.cn and began rerouting searches to a Hong Kong site, over two months after it said it would not accept the self-censorship demanded by China's government, which is determined to keep a tight grip on domestic users' access to the Internet. China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it regarded Google's departure as the "individual act" of one company, and said the country remained welcoming of foreign investors. But Beijing's res...

I spent last week in Boston. I spent all Wednesday shopping for a leather jacket. Its been almost a year since I lost my jacket when I grounded my Hawg. I went to the Harley shop in Everett, Mass. and checked out the stock. Our dollar was just shy or par with the US$, so I was hungry for a successful day. I wasn't impressed with the styles in the shop but I saw a sweet Road King sitting outside the front door when I walked in. A black 06 for about $5K less than local dealers sticker price here (old habits die hard eh?). Nonetheless, after a few more stops and shops, I never found the jacket to buy. I had planned for a fish and chips lunch as part of my trip, so, we stopped at Kelly's for lunch. I spent the week visiting the grand kids and feasting on Audra's fabulous cooking. Kev took me to his car wash and got the royal treatment for my car. We got some propane for the BBQ and grilled up some steak tips (not something readily available at home) and had a great supper on Th...

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, cp.org, Updated: March 22, 2010 10:25 AM WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has scored the biggest victory of his presidency as Congress approved his signature health care reform bill, bringing near-universal coverage to a wealthy country in which tens of millions of people are uninsured. The measure passed by the House of Representatives Sunday night represents the biggest expansion of the U.S. federal government's social safety net since Medicare and Medicaid were enacted in the 1960s during President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration to provide government-funded health care coverage to the elderly and poor. Although the bill does not provide universal health care, it should expand coverage to about 95 per cent of eligible Americans, compared with 83 per cent today. The stakes could not have been higher for Obama, who has pushed health care as his top priority since taking office in January 2009. The issue was seen as pivotal to other issues on the...

In a major victory for the president, Democratic leaders get the Senate version passed, then engineer passage of a package designed to reconcile that bill and the one OKd by the House last year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the House Democratic Caucus members marched to the House Chamber for the start of the session where they passed historic healthcare legislation. She holds a gavel used to pass Medicare legislation in 1965, (March 21, 2010) By Noam N. Levey, Janet Hook, Mark Silva and Michael Muskal March 21, 2010 8:36 p.m. Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington Delivering a hard-fought victory in President Obama's yearlong pursuit of a national healthcare overhaul, a divided House narrowly approved legislation Sunday night that could reshape the way Americans deal with wellness and illness. House Democratic leaders proved they could hold the majority caucus together, passing the Senate version of the healthcare legislation, 219-212, after weeks of arm-twisting a...

Afghan govt failing to keep female flesh off TV Ignoring restrictions Afghan woman wearing blue burqa walks past mannequins while shopping at dress-shop in Herat KABUL (Reuters) Eight years after the fall of the Taliban, who banned television and barred women from appearing in public without an all-enveloping burqa, the Afghan government is fighting a losing battle to keep female flesh off TV. In a country that remains deeply conservative and male-dominated, the government has the power to impose fines or shut down broadcasters for showing images of women deemed racy. Yet the guidelines seem to be observed largely in the breach. " There were lots of complaints from the public, especially among families, that some of the TV stations were not observing Islamic cultural traditions, which they called harmful for the young generation " Culture MinisterSayed Makhdoom Raheen, Urban Afghans are now spoiled for choice with a remarkably vibrant array of TV stations. At any given ...

I love happy endings...dont you?? Portage and Main packed with pride over hockey gold By: Staff Writer RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "Thousands of Winnipeggers at MTS Centre jump for joy when Canada scores the winning goal in the gold medal hockey game against the United States Sunday afternoon. Winnipeg hockey fans and Canadian nationalists gathered at Portage and Main this evening, after the Canadian men’s hockey team defeated the United States 3-2 in the gold-medal game at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Over 4,000 people stopped by MTS Centre for the game, which saw Sidney Crosby win it for Canada in overtime. That goal sparked a huge cheer — not to mention a giant sigh of relief — as the tension in the downtown arena remained high throughout the contest. Most of the fans headed off to Canada’s most famous corner to continue the gold medal celebration. " Ill be in touch.

Manitoba's Jonathan Toews shares a moment of relief with goalie Roberto Luongo, #8 Drew Doughty and Mike Richards after a close finish against Slovakia Friday night at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver. Canada downs Slovakia but has to hang on for 3-2 win and trip to Olympic finals - Winnipeg Free Press Ill be in touch. (photo : PHIL.HOSSACK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA )

Hmmm..contrary to Israeli beliefs there does seem to be a Palestine according to the European countries. News EU court keeps West Bank out of EU-Israel trade Ill be in touch.

"Most of the time, we're content to fritter away our lives on Facebook and numb our minds watching So You Think You Can Masticate Canada. Far-flung, poverty-stricken places like Bangladesh and Benin just don't concern us until major disaster strikes -- or the parade of nations marks the start of the Olympic Games." There is no secret ingredient beyond the belief in ourselves. Olympic-sized hypocrisy - Winnipeg Free Press Posted using ShareThis

WOW!! Check out this link about the Hamas arms dealer being killed while arranging an arms sale. This is better than a movie. Have you ever seen Spy Game with Redford and Pitt?? This whole story, as it unfolds, reeks of "believe nothing you hear and half of what you see"..and I wouldn't believe any thing, even if I saw it. Anybody could link a dozen countries and their governments opposed to purchasing arms for Arabs and making an example to discourage future arms deals from Iran or any other arms dealers. Middle East News Dubai has proof Mossad killed Hamas man: report I'll be in touch.