Simmering Hope

Now that every one is fully aware of the ecologico-economico-political catastrophe the spill in the Gulf of Mexico really is, let’s try to shed some light over who is responsible.

Various websites host articles and comments related to the spill. Most of the comments are pretty angry rhetoric flying back and forth between British and American people, each of them blaming the other ones for being inconsiderate or quite fully responsible just because.

Let’s start by saying the British Petroleum (BP) is NOT a 100% British company. British Petroleum merged with Amoco (formerly Standard Oil of Indiana) in December 1998,becoming BP Amoco plc. In 2000, BP Amoco acquired Arco (Atlantic Richfield Co.) and Burmah Castrol plc. In 2001 the company formally renamed itself as BP plc and adopted the tagline “Beyond Petroleum,” which remains in use today (see Wikipedia)

It’s owned 40% by the USA. Brits and Americans own shares in the company- mostly pension funds- both nations enjoying the dreadful dividends that are subject to immense pressure currently due to the approaching July deadline. On the stock market, BP has already lost about 40% of its value, along with some pensions I guess. Any bad news will translate into more loss.

Let’s move on and try to figure out why President Obama’s reactions are all over the place.
First of all he is worried about the coming November primaries. Accordingly, depending on the published articles and peoples’ reactions over the lack of government timely response to the disaster, his voice and tone will change to become ‘outraged’ if necessary. As a side note, I can only guess that Exxon’s executives are finally dancing the happy dance around the table, now that they lost the spot as the most hated people in the USA. Another side note: George W. Bush is vindicated (Disclaimer: I have never been a fan of the ex president of the USA)

Back to President Obama, it’s worth to mention that according to Reuters, he is on BP’s payroll, hence his reaction to the situation.
“During his time in the Senate and while running for president, Obama received a total of $77,051 from the oil giant and is the top recipient of BP PAC and individual money over the past 20 years, according to financial disclosure records.” (May 5, 2010).

However, critics in Washington said that the President Obama has gone too far by passing the entire blame to BP and that his rhetoric will hurt the diplomatic relationship with the UK and the US economy. So far his approval rate has dropped to 44%, the lowest point of his presidency.

What about BP’s executives? Well, the heavily battered CEO Tony Hayward is heading back to the UK, to be replaced by a figure that is considered by many out of his league regarding this situation. I am talking about BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg, ex. executive for Ericsson.

He might be out of his league, but he was smart enough to counteract the American position by saying that attacking BP is like attacking itself, considering that BP is the biggest oil and gas explorer in the continental United States. Ouch!

Is BP the only responsible for the disaster? Of course not. Somehow the other bad guys managed to fly under the radar. It’s time to bring them out.
Drum roll please! We present you…. Halliburton and Transocean. Transocean is the owner of the drilling rig that BP leased and Halliburton was the one pumping the cement slurry into the drill hole prior to the Deepwater Horizon’s explosion.

The bad news for Halliburton is that a number of experts think the accident probably originated in the pipe that the cement was being pumped into. The good news for the company is that investigators may find it difficult to tell whether the cement did its job or not.

What about the Feds? Namely the inspectors from Mineral Management Service. Where were they? They are supposed to fly from one rig to another and check if documentation and procedures are in place and followed and that the deep water drilling is safe.

It looks like the circle is complete and it involves a few parties, not only BP. The kids were caught with their fingers in the cookie jar. Who is going to be punished?

I remember all the hype that surrounded the release of the first FDA approved over the counter diet drug, namely Alli. At that time, I guess GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) experienced a welcomed surge in their share price. I wonder what’s going to happen now, when the news of 32 users experiencing liver damage hit the net.

If you are in the stock market you know that a press release may have a huge influence on the price of a security. Of course, talking about a big company like GSK, the news is probably going to be swept under the rug. Already FDA took position defending the drug by saying that “No definite association between liver injury and orlistat [the generic name for the drug] has been established.”
At the same time, GSK said overweight or obese people are predisposed to liver related disorders, and ‘there is no evidence that Alli causes liver damage’.
However, FDA is required to investigate the claims.

Keep in mind that earlier this year, the FDA nixed the sale of another promising weight loss pill, rimonobant, because of concerns over mental health issues and suicidal thoughts. Rimonobant is a cannabinoid receptor. (Should I say more about the ‘benefits’ of smoking marihuana?)
Manufactured by Sanofi- Aventis and sold under the name Acomplia, it has been authorized in July 2007 by European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and is marketed in 13 European countries. However, it’s not been considered safe enough for sale in the United States. Somehow Alli stood a better chance. Or maybe Glaxo had better lobbying skills. Or maybe Sanofi decided to stop using Bristol-Myers Squibb to market Acomplia in the United States, as they have previously done for two of Sanofi’s best-selling drugs- the blood-thinner Plavix and the blood pressure pill Avapro. According to some rumors, Bristol-Myers took about half the drugs’ American profits.

Until FDA and GSK are doing the typical damage control, the demand for Alli is expected to drop, along with Glaxo’s revenue for the sale of the drug.

Today GSK closed at $39.15, down $0.29 from yesterday. After hours market showed an increase of $0.11 (shorts kicking into action?) to $39.26.

Note: I have no idea who in their right mind would even attempt to use Alli considering that GSK warned about the very unpleasant side effects including soiling your pants if you eat too much fat.

I would absolutely love to see a debate between these two women. Palin would roll her doe eyes and avoid every question that would not have a scripted answer. Her self proclaimed ‘I am a pit bull with lipstick’ won’t help against the rough and intelligent Senator Clinton. Palin may be able to impress the guys with her experience as a participant to a Miss contest, she may be able to bully a super nice guy like Joe Biden, but the whole hell would freeze before Hillary Clinton would be intimidated by the Caribou Barbie. I have never thought that Hillary Clinton is a nice person, a likeable one, but she is a very good and strong politician. She is not a dummy with designer glasses and I believe and I reiterate that Obama made a huge mistake not choosing her as a running mate. Regardless his reasons, he should have put the interests of the country ahead of his stupid ego.

The rumors started circulating on the net some days ago that Obama may be forced to replace Biden with Clinton and resurfaced today. Of course, they were denied by the Democrats and by some political analysts. Some would say it’s a political suicide that could cost the Democrats the presidency. But let’s face it: they are already in a deep shit. With all the ridiculous things McCain is doing, the republicans are still not convinced that he is a bad choice and that Palin is a nightmare prospect. And even worse, part of the Democrats don’t want Obama, it’s quite clear. It does not even matter if the reason is racism or anything else. They would rather not vote anybody or deflect to the Republican camp than vote for Obama.
In the mean time, feeling vulnerable upon the arrival of Moose-Shooting-Barbie, Obama asked Senator Clinton and her husband to campaign on various key states, to charm the undecided electorate.
A recent Associated Press-Yahoo News poll showed former Clinton backers are still reluctant to support Obama. The survey showed just 58 percent of them back him - unchanged since a similar poll in June.
Other polls clearly show that if it were Senator Clinton versus Senator McCain, or Mrs. Clinton versus Mrs. Palin, the senator of New York would be sitting in the Oval Office come January.

While Obama should be worried about fixing the stupid mistake of not choosing Hillary Clinton, McCain is doing his damage control by not allowing Palin to participate in any debate. Duh!! It’s pretty obvious that she is just a form without substance. I mean, being a bully won’t give you substance; being a mayor of Wasilla, population 7000, won’t give you ‘executive experience’ and seeing Russia from your house definitely won’t make you an expert in international politics. Palin was sent to UN meetings to meet some international leaders but the press was not allowed to witness the historical moment of Palin talking about something else other then kids.
Then she was not allowed to participate in any debate, because allegedly Republicans are concentrating now on the most stringent issue of saving what it can be saved of the financial mess the deregulation of the investment banks threw the Wall Street into. So forget about the campaign or the debates.

McCain pissed off David Letterman and I am looking forward to hearing the next years of jokes about McCain. Letterman is not a guy you want to cross over. He had the guts and the persistence to proclaim his grief against the ‘Queen’ Oprah, the American sweetheart (whatever) after she refused to come to his show.
MSNBC reported on Wednesday afternoon that John McCain canceled a scheduled appearance on CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” mere hours before he was slated to tape the show Wednesday as part of the suspension of his campaign.

Sometime during his interview with Keith Olbermann, Dave fond out that McCain was, in fact just down the street being interviewed by Katie Couric. Dave cut over to the live video of the interview, and said, “Hey Senator, can I give you a ride home?”
Letterman also said:
“The road to the White House runs right through me”
“He can’t run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sarah Palin. Where is she?”

Watch the vitriolic and well deserved attack David Letterman launched on McCain and Palin

McCain proved one more time that he is not capable of confronting guys like Letterman, Stewart or Colbert. Palin probably is even less prepared for real wits.

I am sick and tired of fighting with some of my friends. Yes, believe it or not, although we live in Canada we still manage to have hot discussions with regards to American politics.
Fresh from the oven is the one about Sarah Palin. Being on opposite sites, each of us would claim knowing the real facts. I was thinking that maybe we should compare another governor to make the fight fair.

But before that, I must say that I hold Barack Obama directly responsible for the misery the US of America is going to be thrown into. Because I have a feeling that the Democrats will lose again and because Obama had two choices to prove that he is not an arrogant, sexist pig: Senator Clinton and Governor Sebelius. Two strong women, with a very strong political background. He may have been afraid of their strength or achievements, but he should have put the interests of his country first.
Now the rug has been swept from under his feet. McCain camp was smart to seize the moment and use Obama’s mistake. They have thrown into the fight a newcomer, but a newcomer with appeal to the public. Men are watching her as a ‘babe’ who can shoot, women are watching her as a ‘girl-next-door’, the mother of many kids still capable of running a full time job and most of all, capable of breaking the glass ceiling.
I am utterly surprised that Obama was so stupid. And for that, he deserves to lose.
Some people did not like Hillary Clinton because she was to abrasive. Indeed, she was not the most likable person. But the Democrats had another choice, the Governor of Kansas, who was not involved in scandals, and has been born and raised in a family with political traditions. And let’s face it: America is not ready for a black president. It’s as simple as that. I still believe that Kathleen Sebelius would have been a wonderful choice that would have made more people forget Obama’s arrogance.

And the sad reality is that Sarah Palin is what a large part of the electorate want: she is white and she is a woman. The Americans are going to vote with their heart not their head.

Following is a short biography of Kathleen Sebelius, Gov. of Kansas, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Kathleen Sebelius born on 1948
Sebelius is the daughter of former Ohio governor John J. Gilligan and thus they became the first father/daughter governor pair in the United States after her election. Her husband K. Gary Sebelius is a federal magistrate judge and the son of former U.S. Representative Keith Sebelius, a Republican. They have two sons.

Governorship
First term: 2002
Second term: 2006
In November 2005, Time named Sebelius as one of the five best governors in America, praising her for eliminating a $1.1 billion debt she inherited, ferreting out waste in state government, and strongly supporting public education — all without raising taxes, although she proposed raising sales, property, and income taxes. Also praised was her bipartisan approach to governing, a useful trait in a state where Republicans have usually controlled the Legislature.

During the 2004 election, Sebelius was named as a potential running mate for John Kerry. In the aftermath of Kerry’s defeat, some pundits named Sebelius as a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2008.After Barack Obama’s clinching of the nomination in June 2008, speculation that she would be a contender for the vice-presidential slot on the Democratic ticket continued. The Washington Post listed her as the top prospect for the 2008 nomination. James Carville and Bob Novak also mentioned Sebelius’ name and Wesley Clark, also considered a potential running mate, and publicly endorsed Sebelius, referring to her as “the next vice-president of the United States.” Speculation that the Vice Presidential nomination lay in her future was heightened by the fact that she was chosen by the Democratic Party’s congressional leaders to give their party’s official response to Republican President George W. Bush’s 2008 State of the Union Address. The next day, she endorsed Obama’s campaign, one week before the Kansas caucus on Super Tuesday.Obama won the caucus easily, with 74% support.

Abortion
Sebelius is pro-choice and opposed to efforts to eliminate or reduce abortions primarily by criminalizing abortion procedures. Sebelius’ office states that abortions have declined 8.5 percent during her tenure as governor.

Education
Early in the term, Sebelius made education funding her top priority. Education funding reached a breaking point in the summer of 2005 when the Kansas Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to increase K–12 funding.

Environment
Sebelius has also put environmental concerns at the top of her agenda. She pushed for more widespread recycling efforts across the state. In addition, she vetoed bills authorizing the construction of coal-fired power plants on three separate occasions saying in March of 2008, “We know that greenhouse gases contribute to climate change. As an agricultural state, Kansas is particularly vulnerable.

Guns
Sebelius has said she supports Kansans’ right to own firearms, but does not believe a broad concealed carry law would make them safer: “I don’t believe allowing people to carry concealed handguns into sporting events, shopping malls, grocery stores, or the workplace would be good public policy. And to me the likelihood of exposing children to loaded handguns in their parents’ purses, pockets and automobiles is simply unacceptable.”

Other issues
Sebelius did not support an April 2005 amendment to the Kansas Constitution that made same-sex marriage in the state unconstitutional. Sebelius said she supported the existing state law outlawing same-sex marriage, viewed it as sufficient, and therefore opposed the constitutional amendment. The amendment passed with 70 percent voter approval.

Sarah Palin is exactly the opposite. She does not have many achievements, but she is vicious (nickname Barracuda I guess it’s self explanatory) and she got the seal of approval from Dick Cheney (to each his own).

With the hope that the next Wednesday will not be the last day of our Mother Earth’s existence, let’s focus on headlines, rather than counting the minutes to the Big Bang Experiment that CERN is going to turn on (if the last minute legal action won’t be able to stop it). Talking about it, most of the maverick scientists involved in the Big Bang Experiment are not concerned that maybe they are going to be part of the doomsday or the next catastrophic events our planet will be subject to, but they are concerned about something: that the collider could be too small for answering the questions related to Universe creation.

Cheney getting tough on Russia
Until the Big Bang Experiment, let’s follow the Cheney Experiment. After months of being MIA Cheney made a very rare appearance. Every time I see this guy my thoughts go to the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. He is one of them. Do you remember who the four horsemen were? Conquest, War, Famine and Death. Pick one and put Cheney face.
Seriously, I have not seen or heard about him unless it was something bad. Like him involved in a hunting accident, or related in some sorts to the Halliburton.
So, why is Cheney in the news? To show Moscow that the United States will continue cultivating close ties with Georgia and its neighbors - Azerbaijan and Ukraine- even after Russia showed it was willing to use military force against countries along its border.
“America will do its duty to work with the governments of Georgia and our other friends and allies to protect our common interests and to uphold our values,” Cheney said in the joint appearance with Saakashvili.”
Note: The translation of ‘common interests’ is oil.

Who is the evil mind behind Gov. Palin’s nomination?
The evil mind behind Sarah Palin’s nomination did his job brilliantly.
Obama made a huge mistake not choosing Senator Clinton as a running mate. He lost a big part of the electorate with that. McCain was lucky enough to have a master puppeteer capable of taking advantage of Obama’s mistake. That guy understood very well how stupid the average American is and he was capable of milking the scary level of retardation in the American electorate. Knowing that the majority of Americans are vastly making their decision based on what they see on TV or hear at their church, he offered something easily understood: a soap opera called ‘Palingate’. So far so good. He succeeded.
Sarah Palin has only been on the radar for about 4 business days, and we already know the names of her kids (Track, Trig, Piper, Bristol, and Willow). How many people actually know the name of Obama’s or Biden’s children?
Family problems were laid out in the open, or so it seemed to be, building the bridge to the desperate people stupid enough to think that Gov. Palin is ‘one of us’.
She is not, you idiots! She is one of ‘them’. Choose Republicans again and you are going to throw the US of A into more wars, this time with nuclear powers like Iran and Russia. Palin will only put you on the fastest track to self destruction.

I hope to hear something from Hillary in the very near future, something to debunk and annihilate Palin’s Barbie- hockey- mommy image.

Kudos to Jon Stewart
I have always liked this guy. Now more than ever.
“Wednesday night on “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart hit Karl Rove and Bill O’Reilly with damning evidence of their hypocrisy regarding Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
While Rove recently praised Palin’s experience as the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Stewart showed video of Rove trashing Virginia Governor — and former Richmond Mayor — Tim Kaine’s executive experience, listing all the cities that are bigger than Richmond and calling such a pick “political.”
Then, after recent video of O’Reilly describing Bristol Palin’s pregnancy as a family issue, Stewart showed a clip of the Fox News host blaming Jamie Lynn Spears’ parents for her teenage pregnancy.
Finally, after showing video of Dick Morris complaining about the rampant sexism in the media coverage of Sarah Palin, Stewart unveiled a clip of Morris saying that Hillary hides behind the sexism defense, and that anytime “the big boys” pick on Hillary, “she retreats behind the apron strings.”
“In Dick Morris’ defense,” Stewart said, “he is a lying sack of sh*t.”
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/04/jon-stewart-hits-karl-rov_n_123852.html

Happy watching.

Obama camp take notes!! This is how you should respond instead of burying your freaking heads in sand.