SAR #10183

Whoever said "image is everything” worked for BP.

Interpretation, Please:  Obama says the troops in Afghanistan could use a “civilian expeditionary force” to help win the hearts and minds of the populace.  Could call it A-CORDS after its 1960's SE Asian predecessor.

On Average:  One-third of all houses sold in 1Q2010 were foreclosure sales.  More than 300,000 houses a month go into foreclosure.  Houses sold out of some stage of foreclosure bring 30% less than similar non-foreclosed properties.

Hair Splitting:  Economists (and bloggers) are debating whether the second half of the year will bring an economic double-dip or or just a slowdown in the rumored recovery.  Either way, the unemployment rate will increase and wages will fall, so the nomenclature is moot.

Decisions, Decisions:  The questions about air travel keep rising.  No, not 'is it safe?'   But along with the old 'aisle or window' and the newer 'Do you intend to bring any luggage?' now comes 'sitting or standing?' and 'do you want to buy a coupon for the toilet?'

You swear you've heard it before... “Earth’s population is approaching seven billion at the same time that resource limits and environmental degradation are becoming more apparent every day. Resource scarcities, especially oil, are likely to limit future economic growth …  “Just An Old Fashioned Love Song.

Water Is Wet:  238 presidential scholars have decided George W. Bush was the worst president in modern history, period.   And:  The stock market is an “obviously corrupt” fraud.  Soon they'll tell us about the oil in Iraq.

98 Pound Weakling:  We made fun of Jimmy Carter when he sat down at the piano and played the opening bars of Alternative Energy...  We should'a listened closer.

Question of the Day:  How can we pretend to get ready for any version of the likely future – absent petroleum, in the face of global warming – when most people tune out at the slightest suggestion that there might be trouble ahead?

Sunshine: Louisiana's Gov. Bobby Jindal has decided that all the records from his office related to the oil spill and his dealings with BP must be kept secret to protect the guilty.

Object Lesson:  TransCanada announced that its Keystone pipeline has begun delivering crude oil from Alberta's oil sands to the US Midwest.  The $5 billion project took two years to complete and will deliver 400,000 barrels a day.  Five billion dollars.  Two years of construction.  To deliver 2% of the US demand for oil.  How much is that in solar panels?  Windmills?

Bizarre:  I don't know which is stranger, that Tony Blair would be awarded the 2010 Liberty Medal or that he beat out George W.

Surprise!   The lawyer managing BP's $20 billion disaster fund has acknowledged that not all claims will be paid, specifically those from folks who want compensation for the damage the oil on the beaches does to the value of their homes, “because there is not enough money in the world” to pay all claims.  And thus it begins.

Foreplay:  While one of the relief wells being drilled alongside the leaking BP hole is within 15 feet alongside and just 1,100 feet from the target depth, penetration will not be achieved until August.  The closer the drill gets, the more delicate the dance, as engineers feel their way.