Blow Out Preventer

From Yahoo News:
"Others have blamed the administration for not doing enough, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who said Sunday on Fox News that Obama was being lax in his response to the spill.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the criticism ill-informed and suggested Palin needed a blowout preventer, the technical term for the device intended to prevent an oil spill from becoming a full-scale catastrophe. The phrase has entered the political vernacular since the one on the Gulf well failed.

"You've got to have a license to drive a car in this country, but regrettably you can get on a TV show and say virtually anything," Gibbs said. "

I think most folks commenting on this disaster need a blowout preventer. Earlier in this article and in other places more and more people are becoming angry that the government isn't doing more in the place of BP. Right, displace one of the only groups of people in this world that have the experience, motivation, and resources to bring whatever solution necessary. No, I do not have the utmost faith in BP for them to ignore their profit margins and mediate this spill. I do, however, see them engaging and addressing the issue. It's a start. The true test will be if after the loose flow is contained and they've opened the well up to controlled profitable oil flow, will they still remain committed to environmental cleanup.

The most important question that needs to be asked, in the face of lay-person after lay-person venting their upset frustrations and anger at BP about this, what truly is the your individual contribution to this disaster? Most of us are certainly comfortable with the standard of living petro-chemicals have provided us. We created the driving demand that pushed BP to expand production so recklessly. Are we really going to blame oil companies for satisfying the demand we so thoughtlessly created? Absolutely, BP could have operated to a much higher industry standard in spite of the fact what they do is inherently risky and experimental to begin with. Risks are part of the game. Equipment failure is always looming, and there is always someone ready to point a finger. But is this global capitalistic economy it is the Consumer that drives the machine, not CEOs or government bureaucrats, us. We were all given brains and tasked with asking questions and making informed, responsible, long term decisions. Look at your own life. How much oil was consumed in providing the beef for your table, or the sweetener in your soft drink? We helped drive the destruction of the Louisiana wetlands. Ponder this before you accuse BP of destroying the world.


The live feed of the leaking riser opening.

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/homepage/STAGING/local_assets/bp_homepage/html/rov_stream.html

My Favorite Contract Line:

FORCE MAJEURE - The Company shall not be responsible or liable for any delay to service the Buyer’s equipment, or provide replacement parts therefor, if such delay or failure is caused by any act of God, fire, flood, explosion, war, insurrection, riot, embargo, action, statute, ordinance, regulation or order of any government agency, shortage of labor, material, fuel, supplies or transportation, strike or other labor dispute, or any cause, contingency, or occurrence of any nature, whether or not similar to those herein before specified, beyond the Company’s control,which prevents, hinders, or interferes with the performance of said services or the supplying of said parts.



Yes, it was an act of God that the walmart on the way to the service site had an irresistible in-store Dunkin Donuts.