H E A D L I N E S : 2 0 2 2 & 2 0 2 3

[Shiftless2]

Late in the previous millennium I reviewed some work-place safety stats indicating farm work is about the most dangerous in the U.S., rivaled only by deep sea fishing.

In a prior life I remember working on a couple of projects re farm equipment manufacturers. The product liability numbers were generally horrible and many of the accidents were gruesome (and fatal). A lot of the accidents were the result of people having absolutely no training in the equipment's use - after all, kids on the farm are expected to do their chores which, in many cases, include running those machines.

But a lot of other accidents were the result of people "modifying" the equipment. After all, removing those safety guards might make it easier to service the machine (including unclogging it in case of a jam, replacing parts, etc) but those guards were there for a reason.

And there are others - things like someone climbing into a full grain silo and standing on the grain while doing "something" - unfortunately, that grain can suddenly become unstable and the result is what's known in the trade as a "drowning" - think of the grain turning into quicksand.

 

[sear]

"that grain can suddenly become unstable and the result is what's known in the trade as a "drowning" - think of the grain turning into quicksand." S2 #401

How many boxes of Cheerie O's did they have to make to get the corpse out of the silo?

Not trying to go too Gahan Wilson on you here S2, but https://www.defytvnet.com/schedule/ Ax Men

featuring Bubba, diesel fumes and all. Some of these guys are missing teeth. & their hard-hats tell a story all their own.

 

[sear]

Boebert switches congressional districts, avoiding a Democratic opponent who has far outraised her​

JESSE BEDAYN and NICHOLAS RICCARDI / Wed, December 27, 2023 at 8:36 PM EST
DENVER (AP) — Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert announced Wednesday she is switching congressional districts, avoiding a likely rematch against a Democrat who has far outraised her and after an embarrassing moment of groping and vaping that shook even loyal supporters.

In a Facebook video Wednesday evening, Boebert announced she would enter the crowded Republican primary in retiring Rep. Ken Buck's seat in the eastern side of the state, leaving the more competitive 3rd district seat she barely won last year and was in peril of losing next year as even some in her party have soured on her controversial demeanor.

Boebert switches congressional districts, avoiding a Democratic opponent who has far outraised her

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert announced Wednesday she is switching congressional districts, avoiding a likely rematch against a Democrat who has far outraised her and after an embarrassing moment of groping and vaping that shook even loyal supporters. In a Facebook video Wednesday evening...

news.yahoo.com

She was rousted from the cinema.
She was rousted from her home district.
So now she's carpet-bagging?

 

[Shiftless2]

I know it's not 2023 anymore but I don't want to start another thread ....

New York City sues bus companies that Texas hired to transport migrants​

More than 33,000 migrants have arrived from Texas since August 2022. The city wants bus companies to pay more than $700 million.
URIEL J. GARCÍA

New York City filed a lawsuit on Thursday against 17 bus and transportation companies that have contracted with Texas to take thousands of migrants to the city as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's immigration policies.

The city is seeking $708 million in damages from the companies, which is how much the city has spent to shelter migrants, according to the lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court.

"New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone," said Mayor Eric Adams. "Gov. Abbott's continued use of migrants as political pawns is not only chaotic and inhumane but makes clear he puts politics over people. Today's lawsuit should serve as a warning to all those who break the law in this way."

In the lawsuit, the city argues that the companies are violating a state law by transporting migrants to New York with the "evil intention of shifting the costs of the care to New York.

"As testament to the ‘bad faith' and ‘evil intent' of the Defendants, they are .....

CONTINUED

 

[sear]

"I know it's not 2023 anymore but I don't want to start another thread ...." #404

Sometimes a cup of coffee will do. Other times it takes a high-voltage cattle prod. Thanks for the jolt S2.
I considered renaming this thread, but that misaligns the title to the content. I'll start a 2024. Happy New Year. Happy New Topic.

New York City sues bus companies that Texas hired to transport migrants​

More than 33,000 migrants have arrived from Texas since August 2022. The city wants bus companies to pay more than $700 million.

Please pardon this oversimplified summary.

Border State Governors including Texas Governor Abbott have sounded the alarm for years about the border crisis, the unending influx of migrants across the U.S. / Mexico border.
Northern State ("blue" State) governors have been indifferent to this crisis, in part because they had the luxury of doing so. After all, the border with Canada is secure.

Cleverly if not wisely Gov. Abbott [R-TX] has transported some of the flood of immigrants from Texas to more Northern States including New York State.
That is surely NOT a solution to the U.S. border / immigration crisis. BUT:
It at least shares the pain, removing Northern State governor's option of indifference.

The Republican approach here seems to be Skinnerian. Make arrival at the U.S. border from the South difficult enough, and it will discourage such arrivals in the future.
That raises humanitarian issues.

“... the reality is that for every parent who is not located there will be a permanently orphaned child.” Hon. Dana M. Sabraw / United States district court Southern district of California 18/08/04*, commenting on the Trump administrations failed efforts to re-unite families it separated at the U.S. - Mexico border in an attempt to address U.S. immigration policy issues * reported this date by NBC-TV News

S2 #404 is but a recent development in an ongoing problem the Biden administration has failed to contain.

 

[Shiftless2]

“... the reality is that for every parent who is not located there will be a permanently orphaned child.”

But under Trump we saw children being separated from their parents with no record being kept that would ever allow them to be reunited.

 

[sear]

But under Trump we saw children being separated from their parents with no record being kept that would ever allow them to be reunited.

Yes. That quotation is dated August four, 2018
midway through the Trump administration.

My reason for including it was to demonstrate the consequence of the punitive (if not sadistic) Republican approach.

 

[Shiftless2]

Re #357

Hawaii's governor releases details of $175M fund to compensate Maui wildfire victims​

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says a $175 million fund to compensate families of people killed in the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century will begin accepting applications at the end of the week
By AUDREY MCAVOY

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Tuesday that a $175 million fund to compensate families of people killed in the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century will begin accepting applications at the end of the week.

The fund for Maui wildfire victims will also pay those who were hospitalized with severe injuries.

Families of those killed would receive ...

snip ...

People who accept the fund's money will waive their right to sue the entities who contributed to the fund. Hawaiian Electric is the single largest underwriter at $75 million, followed by the state of Hawaii at $65 million, landowner Kamehameha Schools at $17.5 million and Maui County at $10 million.

Green said those who sue could potentially wait three, four or five years before they receive money and incur significant legal costs.

“This recovery fund amounts to an offer and it’s really up to people if they choose to take this offer,” Green said at an announcement and news conference.

Multiple lawsuits have already been filed on behalf of wildfire victims against the state, the county, utilities and landlords.

Hawaii lawmakers haven't appropriated the $65 million needed for ...

CONTINUED

 

[sear]

Re #357 &
#408

Hawaii's governor releases details of $175M fund to compensate Maui wildfire victims​

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says a $175 million fund to compensate families of people killed in the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century will begin accepting applications at the end of the week

It may not matter much, but I'm puzzled about the State of Hawaii's $37%. I'm not seeing any obvious culpability% angle here. I thought they'd already nailed Hawaii Electric for this one.

And the speculative investors? Eager to $buy Hawaii oceanfront property at fire-sale prices? Perhaps I'm just feeling unusually bitter for a Friday.

 

[Shiftless2]

Everything you didn't want to know about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Deepwater Horizon – BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill | US EPA

This webpage provides information and materials on EPA’s enforcement response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, including settlements with some of the defendants, as well as links to other related websites for additional information.

www.epa.gov

Re #170

When a deadly explosion destroyed BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, 134 million gallons of crude erupted into the sea over the next three months - and tens of thousands of ordinary people were hired to help clean up environmental devastation. Recognizing that some members of cleanup crews had likely become sick, BP agreed to a medical claims settlement two years after the 2010 disaster. Experts hailed it as "an extraordinary achievement" that would compensate workers fairly with little hassle. But it hasn't turned out that way.

Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing

Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick.

apnews.com

 

[sear]

In layman's terms ethics means obedience to the unenforceable. AHD offers a more formal definition:

eth·ic (ĕthĭk) n. 1. a. A set of principles of right conduct. b. A theory or a system of moral values: "An ethic of service is at war with a craving for gain" (Gregg Easterbrook). 2. ethics (used with a sing. verb) The study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by a person; moral philosophy. 3. ethics (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession: medical ethics. [Middle English ethik, from Old French ethique (from Late Latin ēthica, from Greek ēthika, ethics) and from Latin ēthicē (from Greek ēthikē), both from Greek ēthikos, ethical, from ēthos, character; see s(w)e- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

Simple.
Right?

Wrong.

"A man with two masters serves neither." Matthew 6:24-34

That might seem to justify conscientious citizens refusing to serve on any corporate board. BUT !

"You take the king's shilling, you do the king's bidding."

Any employee may be in ethical dilemma.

BP's ethical dilemma regarding settling cleanup crew member medical claims?
BP board members, policy / decision makers have professional responsibility to serve the shareholder's financial interests.

<>

Petroleum ingestion toxicity is not unknown to modern science.
The Gulf of Mexico, the water body polluted by BP / Deepwater Horizon is the source of much of the nation's sea food.

Any reports of petroleum toxicity so far?

 

[sear]

Re #170 & #410

Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing​

TRAVIS LOLLER and MICHAEL PHILLIS / Updated Fri, April 19, 2024 at 12:07 PM EDT

Gulf Spill Workers Left Behind
FILE - A cleanup worker picks up blobs of oil in absorbent snare on Queen Bess Island at the mouth of Barataria Bay near the Gulf of Mexico in Plaquemines Parish, La., June 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
ASSOCIATED PRESS

When a deadly explosion destroyed BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, 134 million gallons of crude erupted into the sea over the next three months — and tens of thousands of ordinary people were hired to help clean up environmental devastation from the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
These workers were exposed to crude oil and the chemical dispersant Corexit while picking up tar balls along the shoreline, laying booms from fishing boats to soak up slicks and rescuing oil-covered birds.
Recognizing that some members of cleanup crews had likely become sick, BP agreed to a medical claims settlement two years after the 2010 disaster. Experts hailed it as “an extraordinary achievement” that would compensate workers fairly with little hassle.

But it hasn't turned out that way.

Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing

When a deadly explosion destroyed BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, 134 million gallons of crude erupted into the sea over the next three months — and tens of thousands of ordinary people were hired to help clean up environmental devastation from the biggest offshore oil...

news.yahoo.com

 

[sear]

Read between the lines:

More than half of the US Air Force's B-2 stealth bombers just staged a mass fly-off​

Chris Panella / Fri, April 19, 2024 at 5:22 PM EDT

More than half of the US Air Force's B-2 stealth bombers just staged a mass fly-off

• B-2 Spirit stealth bombers executed a mass fly-off earlier this week during a major exercise.
• Photos show the bombers taking off from Whiteman Air Force Base.
• The Air Force's B-2 bombers bring tremendous firepower blended with low-observable characteristics.

More than half of the US Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers conducted a large-scale exercise earlier this week, staging a massive fly-off.
Photos show the aircraft — known for its flying wing design and ability to leverage its lower-observable, or stealth, characteristics to penetrate even sophisticated enemy defenses and unleash a devastating conventional or nuclear strike — taxiing on the runway before taking off.

More than half of the US Air Force's B-2 stealth bombers just staged a mass fly-off

Photos show the mass fly-off of 12 B-2s at Whiteman Air Force Base earlier this week.

news.yahoo.com

a) How many times has this type of exercise been done?
b) If it's as rare as the presentation of the news report suggests (dog bites man, not a story. Man bites dog, that's a story.) then this is a "man bites dog" story. So what additional information completes this puzzle? Is Putin's nuclear trigger finger getting itchy? Or is Biden simply trying to stir up a hornet's nest?

And if the issue involves Putin, what relation other than being coincident in time-frame does this U.S. nuclear sabre rattling have to do with the unprecedented recent military missile exchanges between Iran & Israel? Coincidence?

 

[sear]

News Military Source: Al Jazeera

US agrees to withdraw troops from Niger amid Sahel region’s pivot to Russia​

The US built a base in the desert city of Agadez at the cost of $100m for manned and unmanned surveillance flights.

: Published On 20 Apr 202420 Apr 2024

The United States will withdraw its soldiers from Niger as the West African nation is increasingly turning to Russia and away from Western powers.
The US Department of State agreed to pull out about 1,000 troops from the country that has been under military rule since July 2023, US media reported late on Friday.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine met on Friday, the reports said, with Washington committing to begin planning an “orderly and responsible” withdrawal of its troops from the country.
The US built a military base in Niger to combat armed groups that pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) in the Sahel region, which also includes Burkina Faso and Mali.
The US is being forced to withdraw from Niger as it is not favoured either by the ruling military or by the population that is rejecting post-colonial forces. Protesters took to the streets in the capital earlier this month to demand the departure of US forces.

US agrees to withdraw troops from Niger amid Sahel region’s pivot to Russia

The US built a base in the desert city of Agadez at the cost of $100m for manned and unmanned surveillance flights.

www.aljazeera.com