This entry was posted on June 20, 2010 at 9:51 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Starting yesterday night we have been seeing a large number of dead sea cucumbers floating on the surface. These animals live on the bottom of the ocean where they feed on sediment and suspended organic matter. I would estimate the number of dead sea cucumbers to be in the thousands and their cause of death is obviously related to the oil spill. Possible causes include direct contact with oil, the dispersant or oxygen depletion as a result of the spill. A detailed study of the benthic environment is necessary to get a detailed picture of the damage done to this environment and how it affects the ecological condition of the Gulf of Mexico.
(or as Bill Maher would say, “Fuck your dividends”)
Call me a hard-hearted bastard, but I’m finding it difficult to summon up the sympathy demanded by the institutional investors now threatening to sue BP. They claim that the company inflated its share price by misrepresenting its safety record. I don’t know whether this is true, but I do know that the investors did all they could not to find out. They have just been presented with the bill for the years they spent shouting down anyone who questioned the company.
They might not have been warned by BP, but they were warned repeatedly by environmental groups and ethical investment funds. Every year, at BP’s annual general meetings, they were invited to ask the firm to provide more information about the environmental and social risks it was taking. Every year they voted instead for BP to keep them in the dark. While relying on this company for a disproportionate share of their income (BP pays 12% of all UK firms’ dividends), they refused to hold it to account.
R I P Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle
100,000,000 BC – 2010 AD
In addition to the hundreds of dead Kemp’s Ridleys that have washed up dead on Gulf beaches, BP is burning the juveniles alive, wholesale, and blocking conservation workers from trying to save them:
The turtles are naturally attracted to brown blobs on the surface, mistaking them for tasty seaweed.
At an absolute minimum, BP should be assessed a fine of $25,000 per turtle killed, under the Endangered Species Act. That is what you and I would pay for even the most innocent of accidents.
We’ve got the economics covered, with Kenneth Feinburg fretting over whether to extend collateral compensation to oyster bars in Las Vegas. We’ve got the technical aspect covered, just enough to explain why nothing can be done, and that is all that really matters. We’ve got video of the gusher, and audio, and boy do we have political analysis.
Insane as it might sound, plans are in place to evacuate manatees associated with Florida’s Gulf Coast Wildlife Refuges. They are moved occasionally, and the equipment needed could be commandeered from Florida’s various SeaWorld type facilities, making them actually of use for once.
June 24, 2010 at 12:07 am |
I think I’ll move to New Haven so I can have Cliff Furnald‘s baby.
June 23, 2010 at 10:43 am |
Upon this rock I shall found my Afghanistan policy – to be described at some future date.
June 23, 2010 at 10:16 am |
Okay, I can’t help myself.
June 23, 2010 at 1:27 pm |
Ha! Very nice.
June 23, 2010 at 9:25 am |
What is happening on the sea floor? Here’s a clue:
In one small area, thousands of dead sea cucumbers floating on the surface.
June 22, 2010 at 5:41 pm |
George Monbiot: Don’t cry for investors burned by BP. They were warned loud and clear
(or as Bill Maher would say, “Fuck your dividends”)
June 22, 2010 at 10:30 pm |
If they sue I hope they get laughed out of court. Ridiculous.
June 22, 2010 at 5:32 am |
The ancient dream realized: vagina dentata condoms to discourage rape. Looks pretty convincing to this male.
June 21, 2010 at 7:44 am |
R I P Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle
100,000,000 BC – 2010 AD
In addition to the hundreds of dead Kemp’s Ridleys that have washed up dead on Gulf beaches, BP is burning the juveniles alive, wholesale, and blocking conservation workers from trying to save them:
The turtles are naturally attracted to brown blobs on the surface, mistaking them for tasty seaweed.
At an absolute minimum, BP should be assessed a fine of $25,000 per turtle killed, under the Endangered Species Act. That is what you and I would pay for even the most innocent of accidents.
Why is BP suddenly exempt from the ESA?
June 21, 2010 at 5:49 am |
We’ve got the economics covered, with Kenneth Feinburg fretting over whether to extend collateral compensation to oyster bars in Las Vegas. We’ve got the technical aspect covered, just enough to explain why nothing can be done, and that is all that really matters. We’ve got video of the gusher, and audio, and boy do we have political analysis.
Seen any marine biologists on tv lately?
What we need is a Speaker for the Dead.
manatee:
Insane as it might sound, plans are in place to evacuate manatees associated with Florida’s Gulf Coast Wildlife Refuges. They are moved occasionally, and the equipment needed could be commandeered from Florida’s various SeaWorld type facilities, making them actually of use for once.