Say a prayer...

[boarderboy]

Today they are trying to top kill the well. Just doesn't seem likely to work. Top kills always seemed to be a bit sketchy even on the fully controlled, polite little on-shore gas wells that I ran. The guys actually doing the top kills always seemed nervous. I'm trying to visualize how it could possibly work on the BP well..... :( Wish them luck - they'll need

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/science/earth/28mud.html?hpw

Really hope this, or something, works sooner rather than later.

Waiting months (?) for "side drilling" (?) seems almost imponderable.

What a mess!

BB

[two_ravens]

Petrol, thanks for the link. I never worked off shore, so it was interesting to get a peek at what they are doing. The way they do their top kill looks a lot safer for the workers than what we did on shore. They say it's going pretty much as planned so far - let's hope like heck that it works!

[Alaskan Rover]

....//....I absolutely consider that human's energy system borders on suicidal in the long term. We have been missing many years of opportunities....//....

Buell partial-quote from a previous post in this thread:

"....//....this corporation made, profit driven tragedy."

At last we agree upon something...perhaps there is hope for the universe afterall.

I do not, however, share your negativity pertaining to a potential for change. I do not think Quantum Mechanics applies to the human system. I believe we are more than little quanta of the species, relegated to our own individual little orbits, unaffected by and unaffecting the system as a whole.

I think, indeed, there can be great potential for change when humans agree upon a central premise...especially when that idea is forged in a time of absolute need, and not merely of bland desire. History has shown such many times in the past...and I must believe that we are still capable of collective change. Yes, a society is made up of individuals, but I think more...individuals are a progeny of society; intertwined in that society like threads in a great tapestry.

When I said responsibility, I of course didn't mean literal, individual reponsibility. I am fairly astounded at that jump. I meant merely that we, the consumers of oil (myself included, most certainly) as an entity, a collective, must share at least some of the responsibility for the procurement of that oil. And hopefully, because of this tragedy, we can share some of the responsibility for ensuring that it is done more safely in the future.

That is not political advocacy. There is nothing political about it. That is merely common sense.

As to your question as to 'why am I here?'. I like to carve too, amongst other ways of getting down a mountain. And if Fin's new soft-boot plate adapters will allow me to carve better, to start playing around with lift and cant with the boots I already like, then I intend to most assuredly become a customer of Fin's when they come out in the fall/winter. I said some time ago that: gravity is non-partisan. 'Nuff said.

[b0ardski]

It usually takes a tragedy to prod the collective into change, i.e. traffic death before a stoplight is installed. The tourism-fishing industry on the gulf coast will not recover any time soon.

As far as political asshattery, the oil kills whether the turtle is a prochoice rebulican, the pelican is a progun democrat, or the shrimp are progovernment libertarian.

We've already proven that $4.50gal will get the populace to curb their consumption, but the corresponding hit to the economy, especially tourism dependent areas is a tough pill.

Denying individual responsibility to consume conscientiously is the root of american excess.

I realize that the "critical mass" required for a change in societal attitude is huge, but individual change is where it starts.

Turn off the electronics at night, Leave the hummer/expedition and drive the econo box to get groceries, no sacrifice involved but the collective adds up.

Conservation isn't that hard but activley ignoring/denying it is the same attitude (on a lesser scale) as the corporate greed that got us here.

I know I'm a part of the problem but me & mrs. b0ardski's "carbon footprint" is pretty small compared to the average american.

Off topic on BOL is the perfect place for this conversation as most members here are above average intelligence and pretty civil compared to most blog sites.

[Pat Donnelly]

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/diving-gulfs-toxic-soup-10735329

[boarderboy]

Denying individual responsibility to consume conscientiously is the root of american excess.

I realize that the "critical mass" required for a change in societal attitude is huge, but individual change is where it starts.

and AMEN to the above, too!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/weekinreview/30rosenthal.html?hp

With mechanical fixes proving devilishly hard to achieve, B.P.'s never-ending, double-talking denials looking lamer and lamer, and Obama's too-calculated coolness under fire, the public will come out of this trusting no one!

"And a child shall lead them. ...

This oil leak is not President Obama’s fault. Stopping the spill is BP’s responsibility; it both caused it and it has the best access to the best technology to plug it. Of course, as the nation’s C.E.O., Mr. Obama has to oversee the cleanup, and he has been on top of that. His most important job, though, is one he has yet to take on: shaping the long-term public reaction to the spill so that we can use it to generate the political will to break our addiction to oil. In that job, the most important thing Mr. Obama can do is react to this spill as a child would — because it is precisely that simple gut reaction, repeated over and over, speech after speech, that could change our national conversation on energy." (From T. FRIEDMAN, Opinion Section today's NYT)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/opinion/30friedman.html?ref=opinion

And now, with, the understandable and probably irresistible chorus to build just-offshore sand walls (essentially little, artificial barrier islands to buffer real barrier islands, sounds, and marshes from the hideous glop) we may well be treated to a world-class spectacle of coastal engineering's very real limitations.

It's hurricane season, folks, and one modest blow could erase every trace of 'All the King's Horses' efforts in a few hours - even before the project is completed! The little Dutch boy with his finger in the dyke would pale by comparison.

JEEZUS!

BB

[softbootsurfer]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uscgd8/4552485336/

[skatha]

Today they are trying to top kill the well. Just doesn't seem likely to work. Top kills always seemed to be a bit sketchy even on the fully controlled, polite little on-shore gas wells that I ran. The guys actually doing the top kills always seemed nervous. I'm trying to visualize how it could possibly work on the BP well..... :( Wish them luck - they'll need it.

(Yeah, I used to work in the oil & gas industry. Ironically, in Wyoming BP has a stellar safety record - they were definitely the safety leaders in the Jonah Field & Pinedale Anticline. When I left the company I worked for over safety issues, BP was the only company I would have considered applying with had I stayed out there. Very, very sad they & their contractors were lax off-shore.)

Hmmmm...BP has a fairly secure track record in the States of cutting costs irrespective of safety. I just had a conversation with my ex- about the well in the Gulf yesterday. My ex- is currently working on a rig off the coast of Malaysia with a company that's contracting with Shell. His wife's company is being bought by BP and they are cutting personnel like mad right now.

I aksed him specifically about the well in the Gulf. One, it was a state of the art well and very few tools exist that can be used on the well-and most of them were lost when the rig exploded. The pressure at the well head is in the 6500 psi range, as opposed to the 2700 psi I had heard reported elsewhere.

[skatha]

It usually takes a tragedy to prod the collective into change, i.e. traffic death before a stoplight is installed. The tourism-fishing industry on the gulf coast will not recover any time soon.

As far as political asshattery, the oil kills whether the turtle is a prochoice rebulican, the pelican is a progun democrat, or the shrimp are progovernment libertarian.

We've already proven that $4.50gal will get the populace to curb their consumption, but the corresponding hit to the economy, especially tourism dependent areas is a tough pill.

Denying individual responsibility to consume conscientiously is the root of american excess.

I realize that the "critical mass" required for a change in societal attitude is huge, but individual change is where it starts.

Turn off the electronics at night, Leave the hummer/expedition and drive the econo box to get groceries, no sacrifice involved but the collective adds up.

Conservation isn't that hard but activley ignoring/denying it is the same attitude (on a lesser scale) as the corporate greed that got us here.

I know I'm a part of the problem but me & mrs. b0ardski's "carbon footprint" is pretty small compared to the average american.

Off topic on BOL is the perfect place for this conversation as most members here are above average intelligence and pretty civil compared to most blog sites.

I love appeals to "individual responsibilty". My career is basically taking care of people who advocate "individual responsibility" until THEY are the "individual" involved. Individuals follow the easiest path and the path of least resistance. They do not make choices based on an idea of "common good", especially Americans, if that "common good" makes their lives less convenient. No, unfortunately, change has to come from above with some things. I agree with Thomas Friedman about our energy policy. Our continued reliance of a product produced by people who's government hates us is the biggest threat to our national security and taxing the crap outta it is the only way to force people to really address alternatives

[bjvircks]

Well, here we are... weeks and weeks later. BP throws one ineffective measure after another at the leak to no avail. BP consistently misrepresents the nature and quantity of the leak. Now they are finally able to capture and divert a bit of the leak to ships at the surface. But the vast majority of the oil and gasses are still poisoning the water, seafloor and and beaches.

How long before BP tosses in the towel and finds some way to weasel out of fixing this ??

[Petrol]

How long before BP tosses in the towel and finds some way to weasel out of fixing this ??

considering all the threats being leveled at them by the great oz (obama), I'm surprised the share holders haven't already thrown in the towel and left it to big-gov to fix...

oh yea, they already did throw in the towel

in "un-related" news, BP's stock nose-dived causing the Dow Jones industrial average to tumble

guess the big o is soon to be looking for another $Trillion to throw on the fire

[Kent]

Pretty interesting read....apologies for the Fox url, but couldn't find this type of connection on other sites.

Appears that history might repeat itself. In the case if Ixtoc, most experts basically say that it cleaned itself up. Certainly not saying that should be the case here...but find it very interesting, esp considering the billions that will be spent (and perhaps wasted) during the process.

The short and long term effects are sickening...as will be the economics.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06/04/ixtoc-oil-spill-suggests-quick-fixes-deepwater-horizon/

[lowrider]

Taxing the Hell out of oil may sound like the answer, In the great white north our gov't has adopted that very policy, provincial tax, federal tax exicise tax and soon to be Harmonized sales tax. Then what do they do with the money? Bail out the auto makers. Prudent use of my money ?????? Ontario provincial Gov't just sold off large chunks of lake Ontario, lake bed for wind turbines and never told anyone!!! Responsible govt's don't do things like that. So how can we expect buisness to behave any better????

[boarderboy]

Poor lying, stonewalling, media-blocking, access-denying, beleaguered BP and their (initial) $50,000.000 PR campaign to prove otherwise.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/us/10access.html?hp

Sympathies, too, to the FAA, the Coast Guard, Homeland Security, local police departments, and God-knows-who-else that's complicit in the "Unified Command" that's trying to regulate journalists' access to spill-impacted areas. 1984 redux.

F___ 'em all, I say!

BB

p.s. Did you know (and this is rich) BP hirees have to sign an agreement not to talk about what they see or experience during their clean-up work? This is one arrogant, clueless, behemoth of a Corporation that well deserves the firestorm it's just beginning to reap!

[Rob Stevens]

... They're cooked.

This is just the beginning. I think we're ALL in the S H I T now.

[dingbat]

... They're cooked.

This is just the beginning. I think we're ALL in the S H I T now.

Are you referring to the video of the sheen on the paved road next to the storm drain in the trailer park? There are probably more oil changes done there than the local Jiffy Lube.

[softbootsurfer]

somehow that just does not seem to cover it...words can not describe it...