BP Disaster

[Inspire]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?op=1&view=all&subj=119101198107726&aid=-1&pid=244213&id=100000427455008&oid=119101198107726


This thing doesn't seem to be going away, but the news also isn't showing the real pictures of the damage that has been done.

Discuss?

[Inspire]

(Stolen from BP's facebook page)

Boycott BP, Shell is Shell not part of bp. BP brands to boycott include Castrol, Arco, Aral, am/pm, Amoco, and Wild Bean Cafe, Safeway gas.

[Parkbandit]

(Stolen from BP's facebook page)

Boycott BP, Shell is Shell not part of bp. BP brands to boycott include Castrol, Arco, Aral, am/pm, Amoco, and Wild Bean Cafe, Safeway gas.

Good idea. Let's boycott the company that is supposed to clean up the mess they created.

[Inspire]

Good idea. Let's boycott the company that is supposed to clean up the mess they created.


They make so many products that it's pretty much impossible to boycott them. I think they said BP was a 240 BILLION dollar company.

Asphault, gas, rubber?

[Amber]

Good idea. Let's boycott the company that is supposed to clean up the mess they created.

That would be the company that just last month paid out a bit more than 2.8 BILLION in dividends? Yeah, they definitely need our continued support so they can finance the cleanup from the disaster they caused.

This whole situation has me feeling sick. Last week, my PI was attending a conference where quite a bit of data was presented on the ongoing ecological impact from the Valdez spill. That was twenty years ago, in a remote region, and involved less oil than we're seeing now, and it's STILL having a significant environmental impact.

I don't know if there's any truth to it, and I certainly hope there isn't, but the rumors going around that BP is actually planning on killing the wetlands to gain access to drilling rights are absolutely horrifying.


http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/05/25/27551.htm

BP and the Coast Guard abandoned 44 boats loaded with booms on Louisiana's shores as thick black oil flooded into the marshlands.

[Clove]

Good idea. Let's boycott the company that is supposed to clean up the mess they created.They're doing a bang-up job so far.

[Nieninque]

I don't know if there's any truth to it, and I certainly hope there isn't, but the rumors going around that BP is actually planning on killing the wetlands to gain access to drilling rights are absolutely horrifying.

That is the most ridiculous conspiracy theory I have ever heard.

[Parkbandit]

That would be the company that just last month paid out a bit more than 2.8 BILLION in dividends? Yeah, they definitely need our continued support so they can finance the cleanup from the disaster they caused.

So.. you have no idea how companies handle their finances. Check.



This whole situation has me feeling sick. Last week, my PI was attending a conference where quite a bit of data was presented on the ongoing ecological impact from the Valdez spill. That was twenty years ago, in a remote region, and involved less oil than we're seeing now, and it's STILL having a significant environmental impact.


Actually, the Valdez oil spill is cleaned up.. well ahead of all the naysayers at the time that said it would be 50-100 years before it would be. Go ahead and document this "significant environmental impact" that is occurring today.



I don't know if there's any truth to it, and I certainly hope there isn't, but the rumors going around that BP is actually planning on killing the wetlands to gain access to drilling rights are absolutely horrifying.

Awesome stuff. When in doubt.. make it up.

[Back]

Throw a bunch of potatos in the water then light a match.

Boom! INSTANT FISH & CHIPS FOR EVERYBODY!

[Bobmuhthol]

So.. you have no idea how companies handle their finances. Check.

What he said.

[Kenn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHmhxpQEGPo

I found that rather interesting.

[Androidpk]

I don't know if there's any truth to it, and I certainly hope there isn't, but the rumors going around that BP is actually planning on killing the wetlands to gain access to drilling rights are absolutely horrifying.

What's worse is they hired some North Korean commandos to sabotage the deepwater oil rig that blew up. The Cheonan incident was a cover to sneak them out of NK.

[Anebriated]

omg here we go again... BP is to blame for the mess but there is no conspiracy theory or anything like that involved. The whole disaster began when BP was a month behind their drilling schedule and put more focus on speed than making sure the equipment was in good shape. It was an accident created by artificial deadlines that nobody handled well after the deed was done.

[Xanator]

Actually, the Valdez oil spill is cleaned up.. well ahead of all the naysayers at the time that said it would be 50-100 years before it would be. Go ahead and document this "significant environmental impact" that is occurring today.

?

The oil in Prince William Sound is decreasing at a rate of 0-4% per year, and the remaining oil totals around (considering the possible rate of the Deepwater Horizon spill, I guess you could call it a paltry) 20,000 gallons. As recently as last year, oil was surfacing 450 miles away on the Kenai peninsula and Katmai coast. It's estimated that the remaining oil could take decades or longer to disappear entirely, though it should lose much of its toxicity sooner than that.

I mean, I'm not the expert that you clearly are, but those were the findings of the State of Alaska's Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council in a report released last year, marking the spill's 20th anniversary. You're not going to deny the severity of this spill, too, are you?

So.. you have no idea how companies handle their finances. Check. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b6J7LRUTFY)

[Methais]

Good idea. Let's boycott the company that is supposed to clean up the mess they created.

I didn't really care about a boycott one way or another until their CEO said shit like, "There are other places to get shrimp besides Louisiana," and, "I just want my life back." I'm inclined to not buy anything I know comes from them now just because he's a dickhead. He also reminds me of that asshole guy from Revenge of the Nerds 2 that was in a bunch of 80s movies but his career never really went anywhere worth a shit.

The oil is headed your way too.

Also, I hope these pictures the news are taking of oil covered animals were rescued right after, instead of, "Thanks for the photo, have a nice slow death bai!"

[Parkbandit]

I didn't really care about a boycott one way or another until their CEO said shit like, "There are other places to get shrimp besides Louisiana," and, "I just want my life back." I'm inclined to not buy anything I know comes from them now just because he's a dickhead. He also reminds me of that asshole guy from Revenge of the Nerds 2 that was in a bunch of 80s movies but his career never really went anywhere worth a shit.

I don't disagree with anything you said.. but to boycott the company responsible for cleaning this mess up isn't the answer. If they end up going tits up.. guess who is stuck holding the bag?




The oil is headed your way too.


Forecasts have it getting into the current before hitting Tampabay and going around Florida to the east coast. I've already signed up, with my 2 daughters, for Pinellas County cleanup in case it doesn't though.

[Amber]

So.. you have no idea how companies handle their finances. Check. No, I don't actually know how companies handle their finances. I do, however, own stocks and if the companies I hold stock with were responsible for a major disaster, I would prefer to have my dividends go towards fixing the damage than to me.




Actually, the Valdez oil spill is cleaned up.. well ahead of all the naysayers at the time that said it would be 50-100 years before it would be. Go ahead and document this "significant environmental impact" that is occurring today.
Consider it documented. Unfortunately, I don't have personal access to many of the scientific journals at home, but here are links for a few public access works detailing some of the ongoing ecological issues related to the Valdez and some reports from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Fund Trustees.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100414111018.htm

(Apr. 14, 2010) — Scientists in Alaska have discovered that lingering oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill is still being ingested by wildlife more than 20 years after the disaster.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/123250065/PDFSTART

(12/18/09) In summary, the EROD levels reported here provide strong evidence of CYP1A induction in harlequin ducks from oiled areas, which we conclude is due to continued exposure to residual Exxon Valdez oil and indicates that harlequin ducks remain at risk of potential deleterious consequences of that exposure. The present work extends the timeline of exposure to 20 years post-spill and adds to the body of evidence describing the previously unanticipated duration of exposure and potential effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060516075227.htm

(May 16, 2006) — Seventeen years after the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska's Prince William Sound, compelling new evidence suggests that remnants of the worst oil spill in U.S. history extend farther into tidal waters than previously thought, increasing the probability that the oil is causing unanticipated long-term harm to wildlife.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070321093410.htm

(Mar. 21, 2007) — Some 18 years after the Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound, the oil continues to cause environmental problems along some of Alaska's shoreline.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130709.htm

(Sep. 1, 2009) Bioavailable Contaminants Come From Exxon Valdez Oil Catastrophe; Natural Coal Deposits Not Source Of Environmental Pollution, Study Finds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070205125919.htm

(Feb. 5, 2007) — Oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill persists in an only slightly weathered form below the surface at some beaches along the Gulf of Alaska after 16 years and may persist for decades, researchers have concluded in a new report.
http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/Universal/Documents/Publications/AnnualStatus/2009AnnualReport.pdf

(March, 2009) The amount of Exxon Valdez oil remaining substantially exceeds the sum total of all previous oil pollution on beaches in Prince William Sound, including oil spilled during the 1964 earthquake. This Exxon Valdez oil is decreasing at a rate of 0-4% per year, with only a 5% chance that the rate is as high as 4%. At this rate, the remaining oil will take decades and possibly centuries to disappear entirely.

http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/recovery/lingeringoil.cfm

Visitors today experience the spectacular scenery and wildlife of Prince William Sound and the North Gulf of Alaska. However, one of the most stunning revelations of Trustee Council-funded monitoring over the last ten years is that Exxon Valdez oil persists in the environment and in places, is nearly as toxic as it was the first few weeks after the spill.

This was not expected at the time of the spill or even ten years later. In 1999, beaches in the sound appeared clean on the surface. Some subsurface oil had been reported in a few places, but it was expected to decrease over time and most importantly, to have lost its toxicity due to weathering. A few species were not recovering at the expected rate in some areas, but continuing exposure to oil was not suspected as the primary cause.

http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/Universal/Documents/Publications/Workplans/FY10DraftWorkPlan.pdf

(Oct. 28, 2009) Studies from 1989 through 1997 suggested that bivalve assemblages on beaches in Prince William Sound (PWS) treated with high-pressure hot-water washing remain damaged. An EVOS-funded study in 2002 confirmed this hypothesis; hardshell clams were only one-third as abundant at washed sites as at unwashed sites. Considering the importance of hardshell clams to sea otters, other nearshore predators, and humans, this finding is important. Using information from 1989, we constructed a preliminary recovery trajectory. This model predicts that clam assemblages at washed sites in PWS will require more than five decades to recover.


The proposed project is a continuation of the monitoring of AB pod and the AT1 population killer whale populations in Prince William Sound. These groups of whales suffered serious losses at the time of the spill and have not recovered at projected rates.




Awesome stuff. When in doubt.. make it up.I didn't make it up (Did you even go to the link I posted???) and I did say I wasn't sure if it was true, but if it is, it's horrible.

[Bobmuhthol]

<<No, I don't actually know how companies handle their finances. I do, however, own stocks and if the companies I hold stock with were responsible for a major disaster, I would prefer to have my dividends go towards fixing the damage than to me.>>

BP has $6.8 billion in cash and a book value of $240 billion. I think they can handle themselves. If I owned BP and they didn't pay out a dividend I would stop owning BP. A lot of people think like I do and BP would lose a lot of market cap, and thus, a lot of money.

[Daniel]

I don't disagree with anything you said.. but to boycott the company responsible for cleaning this mess up isn't the answer. If they end up going tits up.. guess who is stuck holding the bag?



So, what I'm hearing you say is that the capitalistic model which presupposes that business will not make these mistakes because they will fail as a result is flawed?

[phantasm]

Capitalism will ensure that any attempted boycott is a laughable failure.

[Some Rogue]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a64/lrenzo2/129198884038926871.jpg

[Kitsun]

<<No, I don't actually know how companies handle their finances. I do, however, own stocks and if the companies I hold stock with were responsible for a major disaster, I would prefer to have my dividends go towards fixing the damage than to me.>>

BP has $6.8 billion in cash and a book value of $240 billion. I think they can handle themselves. If I owned BP and they didn't pay out a dividend I would stop owning BP. A lot of people think like I do and BP would lose a lot of market cap, and thus, a lot of money.

Not only that but I think BP's insurance company is more on the hook right now than BP itself.

The oil spill's effect on revenue probably won't begin to show up until next quarter's earnings. Even then, essentially their insurance deductable is only like 190m. Drop in the bucket considering the size of the company.

[Keller]

Not only that but I think BP's insurance company is more on the hook right now than BP itself.

The oil spill's effect on revenue probably won't begin to show up until next quarter's earnings. Even then, essentially their insurance deductable is only like 190m. Drop in the bucket considering the size of the company.

I assume their is an out for the insurance company in the case of recklessness.

But I obviously don't know that. It would just make sense if I were an insurance company, I would include an out like that.

The winners? Lawyers.

[Parkbandit]

So, what I'm hearing you say is that the capitalistic model which presupposes that business will not make these mistakes because they will fail as a result is flawed?

You didn't hear me say that at all..

1) A boycott of an international company as big as BP is stupid, because it's unrealistic.

2) BP will end up paying out billions and billions of dollars as a result of this accident. I do not think that adding additional economic pressure upon a company in that situation is a good idea... what is the overall goal of a boycott like that.. to make them bankrupt? Ok, let's say you could do that.. and they go tits up.. who pays for the spill now?

While I understand your need to "prove" how Capitalism is so bad and how fantastic Socialism would be... this isn't a very good example Comrade. Sorry.

[Anebriated]

Not only that but I think BP's insurance company is more on the hook right now than BP itself.

The oil spill's effect on revenue probably won't begin to show up until next quarter's earnings. Even then, essentially their insurance deductable is only like 190m. Drop in the bucket considering the size of the company.

Yes, they will have an opt out clause in the event of human error which in this case it was. This wasnt just a random break that was a 1 in a million thing, it was created by overworking the equipment and BP will most likely end up footing the bill for it.

[Methais]

Yes, they will have an opt out clause in the event of human error which in this case it was. This wasnt just a random break that was a 1 in a million thing, it was created by overworking the equipment and BP will most likely end up footing the bill for it.

Has that been officially announced yet? All I keep hearing is "Nobody knows what happened yet."

[Keller]

Has that been officially announced yet? All I keep hearing is "Nobody knows what happened yet."

There will be a decade of litigation to determine what happened.

No one is going to fess up to owing billions of dollars.

[Anebriated]

Has that been officially announced yet? All I keep hearing is "Nobody knows what happened yet."

It is not official. The company I work for are Environmental consultants for a few major oil/gas companies in the northeast. Just relaying the word on the street from the biz. Take it with a grain of salt because i have no written proof just knowledge of the industry and a pretty good grapevine.

[Gan]

Yes, they will have an opt out clause in the event of human error which in this case it was. This wasnt just a random break that was a 1 in a million thing, it was created by overworking the equipment and BP will most likely end up footing the bill for it.

There's also the idea going around involving the removal of drilling mud from the line which let the pressure build and then using sea water instead of more mud in the attempt to repack the line which resulted in the blowout. It appears that Transocean did not recommend the removal of the mud and did not recommend the sea water replacement - but BP overruled the onsite Transocean supervisor, and well the rest is history.

I've head several 'expert' accounts on the radio from off-shore consultants regarding this so far.

Other than that... <what Keller said about the only winners being the lawyers>

[g++]

omg here we go again... BP is to blame for the mess but there is no conspiracy theory or anything like that involved. The whole disaster began when BP was a month behind their drilling schedule and put more focus on speed than making sure the equipment was in good shape. It was an accident created by artificial deadlines that nobody handled well after the deed was done.

Are you trying to tell me that the guy on this board telling you to keep buying BP products name being ParkBandit or PB is a coincidence? Reverse PB and it becomes British Petroleum, Sorry I am not that easily fooled sir.

[Anebriated]

There's also the idea going around involving the removal of drilling mud from the line which let the pressure build and then using sea water instead of more mud in the attempt to repack the line which resulted in the blowout. It appears that Transocean did not recommend the removal of the mud and did not recommend the sea water replacement - but BP overruled the onsite Transocean supervisor, and well the rest is history.

I've head several 'expert' accounts on the radio from off-shore consultants regarding this so far.

Other than that... <what Keller said about the only winners being the lawyers>

This is right on the money. The "mud" is essentially the lube BP was using to fuck America. They didnt use enough and now we're hurting... Dead on the second point as well, It was not advised they lessen the amount of mud used but due to the fact that their drilling was a few months behind schedule BP chose to instead push the drills to their limits in already extreme conditions. Very few if any rigs have ever drilled for oil that far below the ocean's surface. Combine the extreme project and the lethargic attitude on safety and you have the sad result we are currently dealing with.

And Keller's point is what has me considering law school with my Civil Engineering/Environmental Science background...

[BigWorm]

Good idea. Let's boycott the company that is supposed to clean up the mess they created.

It's called voting with your wallet.

[Back]

It's called voting with your wallet.

Thats crazy talk. C'mon man, have some sympathy for the major oil corporation. The coast will heal in a few hundred years and generations later the families who make their living off the coast will be just fine.

[Keller]

And Keller's point is what has me considering law school with my Civil Engineering/Environmental Science background...

The real money is being an expert witness.

The lawyers will just hire consultants and witnesses.

If you wanted to go transactional and work on patents, that might be a different story.

[Gan]

This is right on the money. The "mud" is essentially the lube BP was using to fuck America. They didnt use enough and now we're hurting... Dead on the second point as well, It was not advised they lessen the amount of mud used but due to the fact that their drilling was a few months behind schedule BP chose to instead push the drills to their limits in already extreme conditions. Very few if any rigs have ever drilled for oil that far below the ocean's surface. Combine the extreme project and the lethargic attitude on safety and you have the sad result we are currently dealing with.

And Keller's point is what has me considering law school with my Civil Engineering/Environmental Science background...

And as we can testify to first hand experience here in Houston (Texas City), BP has a history of being lax on safety. Their last refinery fire/explosion here in Houston cost them quite a bit for that.

[Anebriated]

The real money is being an expert witness.

The lawyers will just hire consultants and witnesses.

If you wanted to go transactional and work on patents, that might be a different story.

My boss does plenty of expert testimony around the country for our field. Guess I should just stick to what Im doing...

[Gan]

My boss does plenty of expert testimony around the country for our field. Guess I should just stick to what Im doing...

Career ADD is bad, mmmmk?

[EasternBrand]

...considering law school...

I cannot adequately express to you how terrible this idea is. Better idea to clean tar balls from wetland grass. Or, you know, keep doing whatever it is you're already doing.

[Keller]

I cannot adequately express to you how terrible this idea is. Better idea to clean tar balls from wetland grass. Or, you know, keep doing whatever it is you're already doing.

Second this.

I really, REALLY like my field, and my job still sucks huge dick.

[Daniel]

You didn't hear me say that at all..

1) A boycott of an international company as big as BP is stupid, because it's unrealistic.

2) BP will end up paying out billions and billions of dollars as a result of this accident. I do not think that adding additional economic pressure upon a company in that situation is a good idea... what is the overall goal of a boycott like that.. to make them bankrupt? Ok, let's say you could do that.. and they go tits up.. who pays for the spill now?

While I understand your need to "prove" how Capitalism is so bad and how fantastic Socialism would be... this isn't a very good example Comrade. Sorry.


I'll just small inwardly that you just admitted that the Government is on the tap to foot the bill if businesses fail, knowing that you've just made a very effective argument for Government intervention in markets (read: not socialism) to ensure they don't.

[Clove]

BP isn't going to end up paying billions of dollars to clean this up. Period. It will be far cheaper for them to "bribe" US officials.

What PB is suggesting is something akin to "make sure you buy Toyota's so they can afford to pay your settlement when your breaks fail". Ridiculous.

I don't mind corporations having the same rights as people as long as we can pass corporate death sentences when they fuck up like people.

[Celephais]

I'm going to crosspost this
http://i45.tinypic.com/6hmas7.jpg

[Back]

http://s-ak.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/terminal01/2010/6/8/16/enhanced-buzz-19821-1276029513-30.jpg

[Parkbandit]

I'll just small inwardly that you just admitted that the Government is on the tap to foot the bill if businesses fail, knowing that you've just made a very effective argument for Government intervention in markets (read: not socialism) to ensure they don't.

In English please?

[Parkbandit]

BP isn't going to end up paying billions of dollars to clean this up. Period. It will be far cheaper for them to "bribe" US officials.

What PB is suggesting is something akin to "make sure you buy Toyota's so they can afford to pay your settlement when your breaks fail". Ridiculous.

I don't mind corporations having the same rights as people as long as we can pass corporate death sentences when they fuck up like people.

Actually, PB isn't suggesting that at all.

[Celephais]

Actually, PB isn't suggesting that at all.

Talking in third person now?

[Cephalopod]

I miss Douglas Adams:


The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.

[Gan]

One of my favorite authors. ^^

[Cephalopod]

Info graphics!
http://www.iglucruise.com/images/oil-spill-timeline-new.jpg

[Celephais]

That's a pretty painful info-chart(whatever it's called).

The intentional Iraqi oil spill is insane... I know there's lot of ecological damage done in war, but come'on...

[Bobmuhthol]

I must be totally fucking retarded because that size comparison seems like it's way off. I'm almost positive that the unit of measure is actually the diameter of the circles; the circles themselves are there just to be annoyingly misleading (playing on the power growth of area).

Edit: Upon closer inspection it seems like they are representing volume in terms of the surface area that it would cover, since it is not being held in a container. Nevermind!

Edit again: But if everything remains constant doubling the volume should double the surface area... I'm back to saying it's bullshit.

[Anebriated]

I must be totally fucking retarded because that size comparison seems like it's way off. I'm almost positive that the unit of measure is actually the diameter of the circles; the circles themselves are there just to be annoyingly misleading (playing on the power growth of area).

wait, someone in the media tried to spin the story?

[Celephais]

I must be totally fucking retarded because that size comparison seems like it's way off. I'm almost positive that the unit of measure is actually the diameter of the circles; the circles themselves are there just to be annoyingly misleading (playing on the power growth of area).

Edit: Upon closer inspection it seems like they are representing volume in terms of the surface area that it would cover, since it is not being held in a container. Nevermind!

Edit again: But if everything remains constant doubling the volume should double the surface area... I'm back to saying it's bullshit.

Leak|Million Gallons|%|Image Pixel Diameter|%|Image Square Pixels|%
BP Leak|38|7%|25|7%|489|0.5%
Iraqi Leak|520|100%|354|100%|98,438|100%
1979 Leak|140|27%|95|27%|7,089|7%
Measurements done with Paint.Net, all values approximate, percents are proportionate to Iraqi Leak.

So indeed they are using the diameter and abusing the resulting area. If the 1979 leak circle was used to represent the BP leak, then the areal size of each would be approximately proportionate.

[Clove]

Talking in third person now?He forgot to log in as ClydeR.

[Keller]

He forgot to log in as ClydeR.

Tea and Strumpets is ClydeR, not PB.

[CrystalTears]

Tea and Strumpets is ClydeR, not PB.
Seriously? That would seriously wound me as I like T&S. Or should I say used to if this is true. :(

[Celephais]

Edit again: But if everything remains constant doubling the volume should double the surface area... I'm back to saying it's bullshit.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest the person making this infograph just quickly scaled a base image using photoshop or some layout program, not realizing that if you scale something by 200%, you're quadrupling the perceived size, not doubling; it was an oversight on their part. Unlike what Anebriated suggested that it was intentional, I would think they would want to make the current disaster appear larger if they were sensationalizing.

[4a6c1]

Tea and Strumpets is ClydeR, not PB.

:)

[Anebriated]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest the person making this infograph just quickly scaled a base image using photoshop or some layout program, not realizing that if you scale something by 200%, you're quadrupling the perceived size, not doubling; it was an oversight on their part. Unlike what Anebriated suggested that it was intentional, I would think they would want to make the current disaster appear larger if they were sensationalizing.

I wish it was just an oversight but I noticed the phrase "football pitch" in there so im guessing its written from a European and possibly pro-BP perspective so the sensationalism that you mentioned makes BP look better in this light.

[Celephais]

I wish it was just an oversight but I noticed the phrase "football pitch" in there so im guessing its written from a European and possibly pro-BP perspective so the sensationalism that you mentioned makes BP look better in this light.

I know when I'm trying to paint a company in a good light I bring up the fact that they've caused 11 deaths and the "largest offshore spill in US history".

[Daniel]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most journalism students don't take integral calculus.

[AnticorRifling]

I know when I'm trying to paint a company in a good light I bring up the fact that they've caused 11 deaths and the "largest offshore spill in US history". You don't hide your mistakes, you point out that "BUT BUT BUT THEY FUCKED UP HARDER WE ARENT SO BAD" it's a better tactic than "Nothing to see here move along".

[Celephais]

You don't hide your mistakes, you point out that "BUT BUT BUT THEY FUCKED UP HARDER WE ARENT SO BAD" it's a better tactic than "Nothing to see here move along".

Speaking of, what ever happened with that Alaska pipeline spill?

[AnticorRifling]

That's what Palin was for, to show the world that something worse came out of Alaska and suddenly the oil spill wasn't so bad.

[Keller]

Seriously? That would seriously wound me as I like T&S. Or should I say used to if this is true. :(

He denies it. But you can tell, by how unusually defensive he is about it, that it is him.

[Anebriated]

I know when I'm trying to paint a company in a good light I bring up the fact that they've caused 11 deaths and the "largest offshore spill in US history".

What anticor said. There's no hiding the fact it happened and people died.

[AnticorRifling]

What anticor said. There's no hiding the fact it happened and people died.

Unless you're Glen Beck.

[Celephais]

All you need are eight pigs.

[AnticorRifling]

You're always gonna have problems lifting a body in one piece. Apparently the best thing to do is cut up a corpse into six pieces and pile it all together.

And when you got your six pieces, you gotta get rid of them, because it's no good leaving it in the deep freeze for your mum to discover, now is it? Then I hear the best thing to do is feed them to pigs. You got to starve the pigs for a few days, then the sight of a chopped-up body will look like curry to a pisshead. You gotta shave the heads of your victims, and pull the teeth out for the sake of the piggies' digestion. You could do this afterwards, of course, but you don't want to go sievin' through pig shit, now do you? They will go through bone like butter. You need at least sixteen pigs to finish the job in one sitting, so be wary of any man who keeps a pig farm. They will go through a body that weighs 200 pounds in about eight minutes. That means that a single pig can consume two pounds of uncooked flesh every minute. Hence the expression, "as greedy as a pig".

[Anebriated]

Love that movie

[Celephais]

Sixteen.. FUCK. I'm movie failing today... first the matrix quote, now this. This is worse than the BP disaster, I should make a chart that shows how fail Backlash is, so I don't look as bad.

[AnticorRifling]

That would be tough, visio can only handle so many entries.

[Clove]

You're always gonna have problems lifting a body in one piece. Apparently the best thing to do is cut up a corpse into six pieces and pile it all together.I'll fight ya fah it.

[Xanator]

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/twistinside08/bayfrontpkyboom.jpg
Hard to see on the cell phone camera, but the orange line above the island is boom deployed all the way across an inlet at the foot of the Pensacola Bay Bridge. This is a man-made breakwater of little islands and oyster beds about seven miles from Pensacola Pass. The pass will obviously be closed when the oil starts making serious landfall, and it's sort of telling that they expect it to be bad enough to make it all the way up to here. Picture was snapped tonight while driving to dinner at a half-empty Hemingway's on a busier than I expected, but far from packed, Pensacola Beach.

Boom is fine in a sound or the fairly calm waters of a bay, but basically useless in the rough waters of the gulf. Boom has been washing ashore since as early as May 10, dutifully collected, and redeployed. The use of dispersants has further rendered the use of boom futile, creating large oil plumes well below the surface of the water. Small tar-balls have now washed up as far east as Destin beach, and thick black tar began washing up on the beach at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, AL over the weekend. I work on Navarre beach, and a noticeable petroleum smell has been blowing off the water for the past five or six days. Supposedly from controlled burns as the whole mess nears the coast.

We placed a $250 order after hours from our seafood supplier last Monday, and figured it was so small they might not even drop it. I told the driver to thank his boss for coming by for such a small order when they did, and he said it was the biggest one on the route. Our supplier cuts us very good deals, and even his prices are up by about 10% on average. Things are going to get ugly soon around here.

If you have some spare time, don't tl;dr this: http://renergie.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/bp-is-not-the-only-responsible-party/

I just don't have the feeling the rest of the country is getting very mad about the whole thing at all, and I wish I did.

[Cephalopod]

LOLOLOLOLOLOL (http://www.newsweek.com/2010/06/04/blood-in-the-water.html)


Okay, that may not really be THAT funny... but this is amusing, at least:
Upright Citizens Brigade: BP Coffee Spill (http://ucbcomedy.blogspot.com/2010/06/bp-spills-coffee-popularity-crashes.html)

[4a6c1]

Okay, that may not really be THAT funny... but this is amusing, at least:
Upright Citizens Brigade: BP Coffee Spill (http://ucbcomedy.blogspot.com/2010/06/bp-spills-coffee-popularity-crashes.html)

:rofl:

so awesome

[Celephais]

Okay, that may not really be THAT funny... but this is amusing, at least:
Upright Citizens Brigade: BP Coffee Spill (http://ucbcomedy.blogspot.com/2010/06/bp-spills-coffee-popularity-crashes.html)

That's gold.

[Parkbandit]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Do protests against the company involved in America's worst oil spill disaster hurt BP's excess or independent businesses? It's a question being asked as conditions on the Gulf worsen and worldwide frustration with BP and CEO Tony Hayward grows.
On Saturday, protesters targeted BP stations across the country, a scene that also played out on a Charlotte street corner. Separated by a few feet – with occasional harsh words passing back and forth – stood members of the Action Center for Justice and a vocal supporter of the station owner.
David Dixon is co-coordinator of the center, part of the International Action Center. As he held a sign that read "BP Has Bad Record" and "Unsafe," he said the protesters want stations owners to stop buying BP gas and to get out of their contracts. Until then, they are "complicit in BP's crimes," which are "not just destroying nature... People are being killed." Dixon said.
A friend of station owner/operator Ron Rybacki said he was not there as a member of any group and had never protested anything before. "Independent businesses have nothing to do with the oil spill," said Sam, who didn't want to give his last name. "Yes, it's a disaster of Biblical proportions, but I don't think anybody understands it has nothing to do with this gentleman here."
Sam brought a sign that said of the protest: "Endorsed by ACORN, manned by useful idiots (a reference to Soviet sympathizers in the West). He said later they were "fomenting unrest" Other supporters held signs that said: "I love my local BP!"
Placing blame isn't easy. In 2008, the London, England-based BP announced it was leaving the retail gasoline business because margins were lousy, according to CNN. Today, the 11,500 U.S. gas stations that carry its logo are owned by independent franchisees. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, purchasing gasoline from a company does not even mean the gasoline was produced by that company's refineries.
After stations in Gulf Coast states reached out to BP, the company plans to pay for signs clarifying that independent gas stations are not owned and run by corporate BP, said the CNN report.
At his South Charlotte station, Rybacki looked a little puzzled by all the commotion. "I think it's crazy," he said. "It's not like the CEOs are hiding out at my place." Rybacki, who has owned the station for six years, said he supports a lot of families. But while he thinks he's being unfairly targeted, he said the attention has brought him twice the business. "I hate the spill as much as anybody else," Rybacki said, "but there's more to it than just blaming one person."
As those driving by honked to express disapproval and support of both the protesters and Rybacki, customers continued to line up to fill their tanks. "I have no idea what it's about," said one young man. "I'm just getting some gas."

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/13/bp-protests-do-they-hit-the-right-target/

Shock... ACORN.. er I mean Action Center for (Social) Justice is behind the "boycott" of BP stations.

[Anebriated]

I think the boycotts are a little extreme but it makes people feel like they actually have power. The article does raise one good point mentioning that the stations that were being boycotted are independent from BP itself. The problem with that is they were allowed to continue using the BP name and now its coming back to bite BP. Their own fault. There are a few major petroleum companies that are currently going through something similar where they are selling off their retail locations and just focusing on the refining and bulk sale. I am unsure if they plan on allowing the new buyers to keep their name or not but its a major part of my job right now. It is the main reason ExxonMobil posted such good earnings over the past year or so though despite people claiming it was off the sale of gas.

FWIW: Gas stations generally only make a few pennies(if that) per gallon of gas sold at the dispenser.

[Celephais]

FWIW: Gas stations generally only make a few pennies(if that) per gallon of gas sold at the dispenser.

If that?

Quick search revealed 12-14 cents per gallon (another source says 23 cents per gallon), but they both concluded that the majority of the profit is from sales inside the store @ convenience gas stores (30% profit is from gas, despite being 70% of the sales according to one article).

[Anebriated]

The variation in simple stats that you tried to gather should indicate that the information isnt as easy to obtain as one might think. A lot depends on where the article did its research as different areas of the country will experience different profit margins from the retail of gas. Either way the majority of the public seems to think that gas stations are making a lot from the sales which is not the case at all. My numbers may have been a little low for some areas but not all.

You are correct on the fact that most stations make their profit from the convenience store and not the gas sale.

[Anebriated]

OK. did a little more research on the subject and I found a report that states in 2005 the national average of profit per gallon was 12.7 cents which puts it right in your range(still pennies to me but i wont argue that). What I cant find is if that is before the national, state and local taxes put on the gas. also found a 20/20 report saying most stations make 2-3 cents per gallon after taxes..


Fun fact: The government makes the most off of gasoline sales commanding about 40%(depending on the state) of the profits of a gallon for various taxes.

edit2: heres a source giving similar numbers to what you saw but adds the additional information of where the profit goes. So that 12-14 becomes 1-2 very quick.


June 5, 2007

Gasoline prices are falling from near-record highs. The Energy Department says the average price of gas fell by about a nickel per gallon in the past week, as refineries ramped up production and gasoline imports rose.

Falling prices are often good news for gas station owners, who tend to hold on to an extra penny or two per gallon as their wholesale prices drop.

Andre van der Valk runs a Shell station at the busy corner of Ventura Boulevard and Lindley Avenue in Los Angeles. There is an ARCO station across the street and a Chevron dealer next door. On a recent weekday, van der Valk was selling unleaded regular for $3.45 per gallon. Most of that money goes to the wholesaler. Van der Valk's own share is 12 cents to 14 cents.

Of that, he pays about 4 cents in payroll expenses, 4 cents in rent, and another 4 cents in credit card fees. Credit card fees paid by gas stations have increased sharply in recent years, as more drivers use plastic to postpone the pain of high gasoline prices.

Subtracting those expenses, there isn't a lot of profit left outside at the gas pumps. The real money for gasoline retailers is inside, at the refrigerator case.

[Xanator]

I got stuck in Presidential motorcade traffic on the way home from work today. And blessing and healing rained down from the sky.

Yayyyyyy.

[Amber]

I got stuck in Presidential motorcade traffic on the way home from work today. And blessing and healing rained down from the sky.

Yayyyyyy.

My sympathies. I got stuck in the motorcade traffic when GW and Obama were both at A&M a few months ago. It took forever!

[Cephalopod]

http://i.imgur.com/xhxzb.jpg

[AnticorRifling]

HAHAHAHA

[Cephalopod]

Some pics from a few days ago of the oil coming in at Pensacola Beach:
http://blogs.tampabay.com/photo/2010/06/gulf-oil-disaster-pensacola-beach.html

http://blogs.tampabay.com/.a/6a00d83451b05569e2013484e3cbbc970c-900wi

[Marl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkYJDI8pK9Y&feature=player_embedded

just watch this