Tag: Environment

The Lunatic Dick-Bag Fringe

Apparently, early last week Douche-Bag extraordinaire, Rush Limbaugh, was at it again. Speculating that the explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig was the work of “environmentalist wackos.” I’ll refrain from the name calling, starting now that is, no matter how deserved I may think it is. And point to an article Will Potter posted Monday afternoon, Did “Eco-Terrorists” Cause the Gulf Oil Spill?, for some interesting context into the Right-Wing response(s) to this disaster;

“In many ways, Limbaugh’s comments are not extreme, they are the norm. Forty years after Earth Day, going green has gone mainstream, but corporations and the politicians who represent them are labeling environmentalists as “eco-terrorists.” The problem is not Rush Limbaugh; the problem is misplaced government “terrorism” priorities and scare-mongering that are natural fodder for political opportunists, no matter how untenable their claims…”

It would seem even the lunatic dick-bag fringe (oops, starting now) can be understood. Sorta…

Will We Learn?

With the oil leak, in the Gulf of Mexico — growing at an alarming rate of 800,000 litres each and every day — comparisons to the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in Alaska, in 1989, are becoming more and more prevalent in the news. And for good reason. What with this being predicted, by some, to become the worst oil spill in history!

That said, will we learn from history? Or are we doomed to repeat it? Democracy Now interviewed Riki Ott, a first hand witness to the Exxon Valdez oil spill, yesterday. I highly recommend you check it out for some context into how BP is likely to handle this disaster.

Yesterday, I was of the mindset this — however tragic and sad it really is — would be just the thing that is needed to help us begin to change our ways. Or it has the potential to. But now I’m not too sure I think that way any more.

And if this doesn’t, there is nothing that will…

Adjustment and culture

Q: Could you describe how you and your family members, friends, etc. adjusted to your return to the home environment and how the family culture may have changed?

A: After such a nightmarish (for lack of a worse word, I feel somewhat restrained to remain polite) hospital stay, for me at least my return home and the any adjustment that had to be made was a smooth one. To be fair, I suspect not rushing my return helped quite a bit. 2 or 3 months before I was eventually discharged I was able to go home every weekend. So my return wasn’t hard on my family with respect to me not being there one day and being there the next. My family and support staff had run through the drill a bunch of times well before I actually came home. And I’d imagine that greatly helped with the transition for them, as well as myself. Continue reading Adjustment and culture