BP Oil Spill Cartoons - 31 July 2010

*** See the latest opinions from the nation's cartoonists about the BP oil spill in the Gulf. The situation is far from handled or finished, no matter what BP claims.





From Denny: Here in Louisiana and the rest of the Gulf coast region absolutely no one trusts the word of anyone who speaks for BP. They have lied to the President, to the American people and to the residents of the Gulf coast.

What's the latest insult besides lying TV ads trying to rebuild their reputation in America? Well, for one thing Americans are so furious with them that the company is seriously considering changing the name of its brand on its gas stations. Barring that they are also considering selling off their gas stations. "Ya think?" That alone is recognition they know they screwed up and can't get consumer confidence back.

The next big insult is BP is drawing down all the clean up operation boats and other equipment. Uh, hello, (waving from the Louisiana marshlands) there are still miles and miles of filthy Louisiana marshes in need of clean up of which BP has done little or practically nothing. Just ask Parish President Billy Nungesser. He will give BP and the media a piece of his mind, though I'm surprised the poor man has any mind left after this environmental fiasco. Billy has had to do a lot of screaming and complaining just to get the attention necessary to begin to get a few oil skimmers for the marshes. It's shameful how BP has treated America, our President and this region. Yet, here we sit - the Gulf of Mexico - with the largest oil reserve in the world of the richest deposit and BP continues to lie to us.

The latest out of the incoming CEO is that BP will supposedly stay forever and clean up the Gulf, all the while they have ordered in the majority of the clean up crews on the beaches and the clean up boats out in the Gulf. What's wrong with this picture? A lot.

Let's start with the cover up that has created a greater environmental disaster than the oil ever did. The spraying of dispersant, millions of gallons, broke up the oil. Sounds good, doesn't it? The problem is that all that accomplished was to send the oil under the surface and down into the middle levels and down on to the ocean floor. By dispersing the oil to all the levels of the ocean it has created far greater kill off of marine life than if the oil remained on the surface of the water. Had it remained on the surface then that wonderful retrofitted oil tanker, The Whale, from Taiwan could have easily scooped up the majority of the oil and most of this disaster would never have been that bad. Instead, by using dispersant the oil was in too small of particles that The Whale was unable to retrieve the oil at all.

We have millions of gallons of crude oil sitting on the bottom of the ocean and killing off the plankton that feed the marine life. This plankton also provide hatcheries for the young like the bluefin tuna - which may become extinct as a result of losing their spawning ground.

When the crude oil is not sitting on the ocean it gets disturbed by the currents and sent in waves to the beaches. The oil down there can also get disturbed by hurricanes. Most of all, it will eventually travel into the loop current and start going all over the world to contaminate the oceans of other countries. Any way you look at it we will have a huge dead zone at the mouth of the mighty Mississippi River and parts, if not all, of the Gulf of Mexico.

Surprisingly, BP still has contracts with the American government to supply the military effort. What's more strange is our government is still willing to allow these lying jerks to drill for oil anywhere in America. As it stands, BP has an oil rig out in the Gulf called the Atlantis that is three times the size of the Deepwater Horizon rig that blew up and created the current mess. Safety violations are rampant on the Atlantis and the word is it could blow any time as the situation is critical. Then BP has their refusal to properly maintain the Alaskan pipeline and so there are critical areas there that could be compromised any time.

With BP everything turns out to be a ticking time bomb. Why does anyone tolerate them? BP can walk away but the rest of us have to live here, whether it's Alaska or the Gulf coast. It's time sanity rule in Washington, D.C., and get serious about taking BP to the woodshed and take back our oil and our dignity while we are at it.

And while you are at it, Mr. President, lift the oil drilling moratorium because it's causing a huge wave of home foreclosures and bankruptcies across Louisiana and this region. You are killing the regional economy and have caused severe job loss. Make the Democrats look good in November and lift the moratorium.

Let's solve the various problems - instead of freezing everything on hold that solves nothing but create terrible hardships for hard working people: the middle class. The job of the federal government is to send out the safety inspectors to those oil rigs who are not in compliance with safety regulations. Even if you don't have enough properly trained yet, send out what you do have and hire all you need from the private sector. Then send BP the bill. Works for me; it should work for you.

What would work even more for me and the rest of the Gulf coast residents? How about collecting all those fines BP owes the federal government? What about the oil royalties BP - and all the other oil companies - owe the state of Louisiana that the corrupt people at MMS put into their own wallets or put back into BP's coffers?












































*** For more cartoons this week:

WikiLeaks, America, Tea Party, World Politics Cartoons - 31 July 2010

Funny Hunh?! Cartoons - 31 July 2010


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets - news, politics
The Soul Calendar - science, astronomy, psychology
Visual Insights - photos, art, music
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
Dennys People Watching - people in the news
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

Passionate Volcano Chasers: Photographing Eruptions Around the World

*** Check out the risks these amateurs take as they take vacations just to photograph erupting volcanoes all over the world.






From Denny: Do you ever wonder how those awe-inspiring photos get to us from the media? There are those crazy and downright obsessed volcano photographers out there in the science world. When word gets out that a volcano is erupting in the world, these guys jump on the first plane out to run to the volcano. Most people have more sense and run away from said erupting dangerous volcano. :)

Check out the personal story of one German photographer, Martin Rietze. To give you an idea of the ground conditions of what it's like for a photographer, Rietze's experience tells it all. He didn't sleep for three nights straight. (Smart move in my book.) Turns out the volcano was throwing out huge chunks of rock the size of cars like some screaming diva in a world class hissy fit. That would prompt anyone to stay awake and on alert.

He hugged a nearby boulder as a shield against the lava-spewing volcano. Yeah, that's right. Why? Because that protective boulder was only 1,600 feet from the mouth of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Crazy or brave, you decide.

Rietze is an engineer by day who builds delicate electronics for planetariums. He is also a volcanophile, one of a small group worldwide who like to spend their vacations traveling to erupting volcanoes. Molten magma, choking ash clouds, poisonous gases, smoking-hot boulders raining down upon them are all part of the thrill for this mostly male band of thrill seekers. The estimate is they number at about 200 and hail from Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Belgium, the USA, France and Switzerland. The majority of them are professional engineers: computer, electrical, chemical and mechanical.

This crazy pursuit is one of those adventures they know they can't make a living doing so it is a labor of love. Once this adventure was a solitary pursuit but with the advent of the web this small band of volcanophiles are able to share their adventures and tips.

Just when you think this pursuit is such a great idea, the professionals urge caution like from those who shoot for National Geographic: ""They put fire in people's eyes and their brain is left behind," say Donna and Steve O'Meara, a husband-and-wife team. They caution that because volcanoes are so incredibly alluring that inexperienced people tend to take far too many chances that are risky and not wise.

They remind us experienced volcanologists, Katia and Maurice Krafft from France and Harry Glicken from the USA, perished in an eruption on Mount Unzen in Japan on June 3, 1991. With them were 41 journalists who also risked their lives and died with the scientists.

Some in the academic community disdain the amateurs because of their risk taking. There are other academics who welcome them as a good resource. Richard Wunderman, editor of the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. says he counts on amateurs for reports and photos of eruptions that would otherwise go unrecorded. "They're an amazing resource."

One reason it is so dangerous to photograph a volcano is because of the amount of time required to get a clear shot. Clouds, fog and steam often obscure the view and what makes for a stunning photo. The more time you spend in the dangerous chaotic environment the greater the risk.

For safety gear in this vicious environment, Patrick Koster, a chemical engineer of Spijkenisse, the Netherlands, dons a climbing helmet, gloves, goggles and a gas mask to filter ash as well as neutralize chemicals in the gases emitted by the volcanoes. Koster says this gear is "very important because fresh lava can be razor-sharp. If you put your hand down on something, you can get cut badly."

Cinematographer Sean Stiegemeier, of Los Angeles, remarked about how much easier it was to photograph the Iceland volcano Eyjafjallajökull since it was so accessible compared to most volcanoes that erupt in remote places in the world. "The one good day of weather we were there, there were probably 10 cars out next to the volcano, most of them photographers with gigantic lenses," he reported. "It was so loud, every now and again it felt like it was rumbling its stomach at us and then it would spit out lava."

Yeah, these crazy amateurs are definitely dedicated. :) Good hunting, guys. I'll definitely keep you in my prayers.







*** Photo by Helen Maria Bjornsd/Nordic Photos/Getty Images

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!