Feathers flying

So much seems to be going on at present that it looks like a cock fight. I'll just run a small list. As Billy might say this is just the monkeys fucking around.

Iraq
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Libya
And not much but still changing Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco,

Then there's little talked about Bahrain, Yemen, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia

And now we have the Ivory Coast, Syria and who know what other countries are fed up with their governance.

Not to forget Japan (earthquakes tsunami and meltdown)

And the long forgotten Haiti, Chile (earthquakes)

Oil spill in the Gulf? What oil spill?

And the well forgotten Hurricane Katrina


Oh well just shut her down. Government doesn't do anything for the people unless you rely on one of those monthly checks.

I just love how the rest of the world responds to various crisis. When the U.S. has an economic meltdown or major disaster it always seems like volunteer groups get stuck with the clean up unless of course you're a major corporation in which case the government is more than happy to bury you in shekels with no strings attached. After all it's not their money they're giving away. And what do these fine upstanding corporations do with such a windfall? Do they make whole those who have been damaged by their misdeeds? Of course not it's just another excuse to celebrate the cash influx with bonuses for the boys at the top. Thinking of how you'll pay for the summer home in the Caymans? Worry no more. And who gets the blame for your debauchery? The victims you simpleton or the messenger, take your pick.
Does said corporation experience so much as the minimum of punitive damage awards to their bottom line? Never going to happen in this present day and age. The whores and Johns on capitol hill would never let that happen.

So just how do other countries deal with a major corporate screw up? They get their company taken away from them and placed in more responsible hands. Japan seems to have the right idea. Even if they were suckered into building a substandard reactor in one of the most earthquake prone regions of the world. Oh, but we all know how the corporate U.S. media will try to spin this one. Don't need a dosimeter to see this one coming. Who put the generators in the basement? The containment vessel should have held even at a 9.0 earthquake and other BS that they can think up. Wouldn't be surprised if they tried to blame the local children if they thought they could get away with it. I know it's all Obama"s fault because you know, they have nobody left to blame.

Radioactive Rain

No it's not the name of a new minor league baseball team here, it's what's happening in various parts of the country. I have to think that working outside in the rain may have the added benefit of softer skin until levels reach dangerous proportions at which point one won't have to worry about skin as it will be sluffing off in large quantities. Ladies that will save you quit a bit on the make up bill and I hear zombie is going to be the new look for this year.
Maybe this is payback for end of WWII but worse is becoming the new norm. Regulations? Regulations? We don't need no stinking regulations. And Dickens thought he lived in hard times. If the dictators of corporate America have their way Charlie's day will seem like a picnic. When all goes to hell who do you think will be looking desperately for that Nanny State? There's more so much more but who has the time unless you're one of the unfortunate 99ers with too much time on your hands after all with a library net connection and a half hour (that's all it takes to surf the job boards) there's more than enough time to know which celebrity apprentice is frequenting a Sheen coke party. But I don't follow that and couldn't care less. It's enough work just trying to find out the radiation levels to know when to pull out the lead rain gear.

And as Randal would say this is all the result of not having a better idea for a post. Yes I do have a few but what's better than watching the makings of a disaster film in real life and in real time? And Hollywood thought they had reached their drug induced pinnacle.

Friday pussy Is she being contained yet?

The beavers are about to make their spring appearance but in the mean time we have radioactive cat to deal with.

Me thinks we're being fibbed to on the situation in Japan all in the name of not loosing face. Forget the face boys and tell the truth. The truth we can handle, lie and you will lose face. Funny how many foreign stations are presenting far more news about this than the American press. Wouldn't want to taint the reputation of that nice clean energy industry. Hey John McCain you wouldn't mind if we throw up one of these plants next to one of your six homes and bury the waste in your backyard? I thought not. NIMBY!

Bank fails later if I think about it.

Only one bank failed this week in Il.

I really wonder

My tin foil hat gene is starting to kick in about Libya. As I recall there were only several hundred demonstrators at the opening rallies. It seemed that after a week the rally was crushed by Gadaffi forces sending the rebels to other places. This is looking more and more like a scheme cooked up by agencies at the fringe of the arab world. Would it be a CIA operation or some underhanded plot by the oil companies we may never know, but on the face of it it sure looks shady. Here we have a very small group of lesser armed civilians trying to overthrow a dictator with a well armed military. All of Gadaffis' weapons are Russian made. What the rebels are using is what they've managed to capture or commandeer from defecting soldiers. This was not a well planned operation but thrown together at the last second. Even the Russians are not sure how to deal with the situation which is surprising considering their investment in the country.

In other news we find that the Deepwater Horizon spill was caused by a bent drill pipe that prevented the cut off rams from doing their job. I question that analysis on the grounds that the operators were told by BP to do something that was not standard procedure. Using sea water to do the job of concrete just reeks of incompetence. We've all heard such instructions by a boss under pressure at one time or another. That "get her done" attitude, safety be damned request when money is at stake usually results in somebody getting hurt or killed. Sad part is when all is said and done and a few meager fines paid it's just a matter of calling "the Hall" for another body to replace the last poor slob who followed stupid instructions. Sad to think to have a choice between a job and your very life but that's what it comes down to

More oil spills in the Gulf. A Swiss consortium has been identified as the culprit behind the latest spill. Seems they were able to cap and put to bed a finished well. This was said to be about 30 miles off the coast and not in deep water. Humm, I wonder how many other wells weren't retired properly?

Must run busy day or two. Life goes on when you have to do the work of three people.

Over there... in Libya that is

An initial force of 400 marines is gathering in Crete for a deployment to Libya. Total force at present is expected to be about 800.
No ground troops?

Hat tip to Weaseldog for the heads up.

Hard to wrap your head around the news anymore

First Tunisia then Egypt then Yemen then Bahrain then Libya. Then there was volcanoes and earthquakes and tsunamis and now maybe the largest nuclear melt down in world history. It's getting to the point where you either hide in the closet or just say the hell with it and go about your day. Have we reached fright fatigue yet? Can't scare us with terrorists any more. On the bright side jobs seem to be coming back but tell that to somebody who's about to lose their home. Some good news and bad news on an anecdotal scale. I'm seeing the day workers back at Home Depot. Was a time when they didn't bother because nobody was buying hardware or fixing their homes. That's the good news. The bad is an increase in guys at the exit ramps with "will work for food signs".

What no SARS or swine flu scare to have us running to the docs for shots? Maybe the IRS can inflict some dread into your life. No not for me. They can't tax what I didn't make last year. The first time ever that I'll be like the large corporations and pay zero in taxes but I'd sure like their profits as I had none.

So here I sit watching the circus of life go by and wonder what's next? Life is after all what you do while you're waiting to die.