tagged w/ mismanagement
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Panel: Gov't blocked scientists on spill estimate... WASHINGTON – The Obama administration blocked efforts by government scientists to tell the public just how bad the Gulf oil spill could become and committed other missteps that raised questions about its competence and candor during the crisis, according to a commission appointed by the president to investigate the disaster.
In documents released Wednesday, the national oil spill commission's staff describes "not an incidental public relations problem" by the White House in the wake of the April 20 accident.
Among other things, the report says, the administration made erroneous early estimates of the spill's size, and President Barack Obama's senior energy adviser went on national TV and mischaracterized a government analysis by saying it showed most of the oil was "gone." The analysis actually said it could still be there.
"By initially underestimating the amount of oil flow and then, at the end of the summer, appearing to underestimate the amount of oil remaining in the Gulf, the federal government created the impression that it was either not fully competent to handle the spill or not fully candid with the American people about the scope of the problem," the report says. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gulf_oil_spillPanel: Gov't blocked scientists on spill estimate...... more
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The BLM is rounding up wild horses for their protection....Is this true? Or is big Oil removing the Majestic animals to remove protections imposed on the land they want to drill on.
With the advent of laws that allow horizontal drilling, and the unnecessary removal of protected species, the almost obsolete industry of fossil fuels is once again flexing its muscles to rob the american citizen its indigenous people and its current inhabitants (man and beast) of the right to be left alone.Madeleine Pickens, wife of Oil BILLIONARE make a bold proposition to purchase 1million acres...The wild horses reside on MillionsThe BLM is rounding up wild horses for their protection....Is this true? Or is big Oil... more
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The worst drought in decades in Spain is leading to regional disputes over scarce water resources with areas with more reserves resisting transfers to more parched zones.
There has been 40 percent less rain than normal across the country since the meteorological year began on October 1, said Angel Rivera, the spokesman for the National Institute of Meteorology.
"We can say it is the most severe drought in 40 years," he told AFP.
In the traditionally drier Mediterranean regions, a lack of rain over the last 18 months means this is the worst drought since 1912, said the environment ministry's director general for water, Jaime Palop.
The drought has hurt crops and hydroelectric power production as water reserves have dropped to 46.6 percent of capacity, a 20 percentage point drop over the level recorded a decade ago.
The situation is especially critical in the northeastern region of Catalunya whose capital Barcelona is a top tourist draw.
Water reserves in the region of some seven million people are at just 19 percent of their capacity.
If they drop below 15 percent, the water from the dams can not be used as it is too close to the bottom and will have too much sediment.
Without significant rainfall over the coming months, the region will suffer supply problems during the summer and by autumn could face water use restrictions, local officials said.
"The forecast for the next three months is not very optimistic. The precipitation is expected to be normal or slightly below normal," said Rivera.
Alarmed by the situation, the government of the independence-minded region wants to divert water from the river Segre, a tributary of the gigantic Ebro, to Barcelona.
But the government of the neighbouring region of Aragon through which the Ebro flows opposed the plan.
The Catalans accuse the Aragons of wanting to keep its water reserves for controversial projects such a plans to build a "European Las Vegas" with 70 hotels, five theme parks and several golf courses in a desert region.
The central government of Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who was re-elected to a second term in a general election last month, rejected the plan as being harmful to the environment.
more at the link.
What has happened to our moral will?The worst drought in decades in Spain is leading to regional disputes over scarce... more
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The article linked in the entry noted above is a most comprehensive look at the schemes involved in buying up our public trust to keep us hostage. And it is happening now, and in this country under the radar.
With their insatiable desire, for profit corporations globally are going too far regarding infringing on a resource that is not their own. What gives a corporation the right to come into any state and take the ground water and use it to make a profit for themselves by selling it elsewhere? A resource that is a fundamental human right? This will happen more and more in the United States however, as water resources become more depleted elsewhere and demand for bottled water increases. It is a problem we must deal with now, especially also in light of changes predicted from the climate crisis should conditions remain the same or worsen as governments collude with corporations to control dwindling resources in order to extort higher prices to make a profit.
Just look at the climate crisis and the affects of it already being felt globally (with Darfur a clear example of how far environmental devastation can go and its effects.) The Bush regime knows full well the truth about this crisis and the extent of it, and that is why I believe they are purposefully fronting a disinformation campaign to keep doubt in the minds of people as to its true repercussions in order to buy up the water resources in the meantime before people enmasse truly wake up.
This is why the politics of fear and secrecy is so important to address and fight, because it is affecting our very ability to survive.
And it is not only the privitization of our resources that we must be concerned about. The water bottling industry in this country alone is a 400 billion dollar industry. It pulls in three times more than the pharmaceutical industry and demand is rising. So as population rises and demand rises with it worldwide freshwater resources will begin to dwindle to satisy the demand, and once it's gone it's gone. One in six Americans drink only bottled water. Moreso, bottled water is often not what it appears to be.
Corporations spend millions of dollars promoting it as safe, clean, healthy, and superior in quality to tap water, while many popular brands actually come from our public taps. A Natural Resources Defense Council study found that bottled water is no more "pure" or safe than tap water. The bottled water industry is also the least regulated industry in the US. And it can be seen by the price which in many cases is marked up to cost more per gallon than gasoline! Which of course makes those in this industry very happy, but at what price to us in the costs it brings to our land and to our global environment? Do they truly have the universal right to simply use this precious resource for their own profit over the needs of others?
It was Coke, Pepsi, and Nestle which sponsored the World Water Forum which took place last March, and they account for half the global bottled water market. And they are also pushing for privatization of water resources with the World Bank backing them up. I think you get the picture.
Water should remain a public trust controlled by local government at the behest of the taxpayers. It should also be declared a fundamental human right. It is the utter insensitivity and indifference of these companies overshadowed by their greed that makes this all so unfair and so morally wrong. I believe there need to be more stringent guidelines in allowing just anyone with a permit to take water out of the ground. Again, the taxpayers of any state should have rights over corporations who come in simply to raid their water resources for profit and privitize their systems. So we must keep fighting to see the day when water, that most sacred, beautiful, and life sustaining force is treated with the respect it should be treated with and used to give life to all equally who need it.The article linked in the entry noted above is a most comprehensive look at the... more
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Man, I just had a horrible experience with one of my "leaders" yesterday - the guy's out of his mind... so this article needs to be forwarded to him. It's got all the qualities of a good leader, and I really enjoyed reading it - besides, it validated my feelings about him being a sucky leader.Man, I just had a horrible experience with one of my "leaders" yesterday -... more
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Hopefully, the one important factor we will hear addressed at this meeting and the UN Conference in Bali will be: Population. It is at the crux of what is now happening regarding our environment. We simply do not have an adequate amount of resources to continue to support this growing global population at the same rapacious pace it is wasting them while conducting business the old way. This then will mean a change of mindset for those living on this planet now who are so used to having all they want whenever they want it. It will require people looking towards the future as they look inside themselves and adjusting their behavior to reflect that moral consciousness. Do we however as a global community have the moral willpower to actually think beyond ourselves and the here and now? We are now at a point where we do not have any choice, especially in regards to water. So when do we move beyond meetings to results?
Hopefully, the one important factor we will hear addressed at this meeting and the UN... more
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