Doom, gloom, doom, gloom, KITTEN! Also, tv meme.
Time for a gloomy news roundup! It's time for some crude talk about oil spills.
The estimate of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico is now up to 60,000 barrels a day. That's 2,500,000 (2.5 million) gallons. Every. Single. Day. For those of you who prefer metric units, that's about 9.5 million liters/day. Pretty devastating, right?
In Nigeria there are around 11 million gallons of oil spilling a year (over 30,000/day), which is slightly more than spilled from the Exxon Valdez...and this has been going on for the past 50 years. (Figures based on this NY Times article. This Guardian article describes the situation with even more frightening detail with slightly different figures. Since it's few weeks old the Guardian's Gulf estimates are out of date; enormous uncertainty surrounds the Nigerian estimates.) I'd known that Nigeria's oil drilling resulted in really nasty environmental impacts, but I hadn't realized it was quite this horrendous. Of course, since all this is going on a long way from where Americans vacation or buy lots of seafood, very little is done in the way of environmental cleanup or compensation for those whose health and livelihoods are damaged. On top of all that, armed conflict and governmental corruption gush up like crude around the Nigerian oil industry.
Well, shit. For anyone who's boycotting BP, you might consider that Shell is the biggest culprit in Nigeria. ExxonMobil also does some nasty business there, not to mention being perhaps the worst of the bad lot in terms of fighting against climate change regulation. Chevron is responsible for some horrendous oil pollution in the rainforest in Ecuador. If boycotting BP makes you feel better, go for it, but don't be under any illusions that you're supporting a more ethical way of doing business unless you are buying less total gas. Letting our money do the talking is a fine idea, but when it comes to purchasing gas and oil there is not really any company that will let those dollars say anything other than "screw you, Earth!"
Speaking of angry messages, on Tuesday the ship that's collecting a portion of the Gulf spewage was struck by lightning. Also, as you may have heard, a six-story "touchdown Jesus" statue in Ohio was also recently struck by lightning and burnt to the ground (one of many articles). Meanwhile, the more bloodthirsty nerds can apparently buy a lightsaber replica with a real laser powerful enough to blind instantly or set skin on fire. Ponder that the next time you go to a con.
So, all this is really bad, but it's not like the universe is coming to an end, right? Think again: actual space pictures show what appears to be The Crack in the universe!!! In the name of crispy touchdown Jesus, we're gonna die!
*deep breath* In other news, kittens are adorable! Really, ridiculously adorable! Like this:
I have watched that video about ten times today and laughed every single time.
And now, time for today's tv meme.
Day 10: A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Generally, I watch little enough TV that if I think I won't like something I don't watch it. However, I admit that I was rather uncertain about Life on Mars (UK) going in. I'd heard rave reviews from others in fandom, and I was impressed by John Simm's performance as the Master on Doctor Who. However, I don't normally watch or enjoy police shows. I also know that I occasionally have trouble dissociating actors from iconic roles, especially villains, so I wondered if John Simm might be too distracting. I thought I'd probably like it based on the word of mouth, but I was prepared to be disappointed.
My worries were baseless; Life on Mars was outstanding. I loved the characters, the way it showed even the fairly recent past as a foreign place, the social commentary, the jabs of humor, the costumes, and the enigma surrounding how Sam found himself in 1973. The finale managed the rare trick of wrapping up the story in a way that wasn't disappointing. I haven't seen Ashes to Ashes, because there is no way LoM needs a sequel without Sam, but I've heard enough positive word of mouth that one of these days I'm going to give in and watch it too.
Day 01 - A show that should have never been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show ( aired this t.v season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite t.v show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite t.v show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best t.v show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First t.v show obsession
Day 29 - Current t.v show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death
The estimate of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico is now up to 60,000 barrels a day. That's 2,500,000 (2.5 million) gallons. Every. Single. Day. For those of you who prefer metric units, that's about 9.5 million liters/day. Pretty devastating, right?
In Nigeria there are around 11 million gallons of oil spilling a year (over 30,000/day), which is slightly more than spilled from the Exxon Valdez...and this has been going on for the past 50 years. (Figures based on this NY Times article. This Guardian article describes the situation with even more frightening detail with slightly different figures. Since it's few weeks old the Guardian's Gulf estimates are out of date; enormous uncertainty surrounds the Nigerian estimates.) I'd known that Nigeria's oil drilling resulted in really nasty environmental impacts, but I hadn't realized it was quite this horrendous. Of course, since all this is going on a long way from where Americans vacation or buy lots of seafood, very little is done in the way of environmental cleanup or compensation for those whose health and livelihoods are damaged. On top of all that, armed conflict and governmental corruption gush up like crude around the Nigerian oil industry.
Well, shit. For anyone who's boycotting BP, you might consider that Shell is the biggest culprit in Nigeria. ExxonMobil also does some nasty business there, not to mention being perhaps the worst of the bad lot in terms of fighting against climate change regulation. Chevron is responsible for some horrendous oil pollution in the rainforest in Ecuador. If boycotting BP makes you feel better, go for it, but don't be under any illusions that you're supporting a more ethical way of doing business unless you are buying less total gas. Letting our money do the talking is a fine idea, but when it comes to purchasing gas and oil there is not really any company that will let those dollars say anything other than "screw you, Earth!"
Speaking of angry messages, on Tuesday the ship that's collecting a portion of the Gulf spewage was struck by lightning. Also, as you may have heard, a six-story "touchdown Jesus" statue in Ohio was also recently struck by lightning and burnt to the ground (one of many articles). Meanwhile, the more bloodthirsty nerds can apparently buy a lightsaber replica with a real laser powerful enough to blind instantly or set skin on fire. Ponder that the next time you go to a con.
So, all this is really bad, but it's not like the universe is coming to an end, right? Think again: actual space pictures show what appears to be The Crack in the universe!!! In the name of crispy touchdown Jesus, we're gonna die!
*deep breath* In other news, kittens are adorable! Really, ridiculously adorable! Like this:
Click to viewI have watched that video about ten times today and laughed every single time.
And now, time for today's tv meme.
Day 10: A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Generally, I watch little enough TV that if I think I won't like something I don't watch it. However, I admit that I was rather uncertain about Life on Mars (UK) going in. I'd heard rave reviews from others in fandom, and I was impressed by John Simm's performance as the Master on Doctor Who. However, I don't normally watch or enjoy police shows. I also know that I occasionally have trouble dissociating actors from iconic roles, especially villains, so I wondered if John Simm might be too distracting. I thought I'd probably like it based on the word of mouth, but I was prepared to be disappointed.
My worries were baseless; Life on Mars was outstanding. I loved the characters, the way it showed even the fairly recent past as a foreign place, the social commentary, the jabs of humor, the costumes, and the enigma surrounding how Sam found himself in 1973. The finale managed the rare trick of wrapping up the story in a way that wasn't disappointing. I haven't seen Ashes to Ashes, because there is no way LoM needs a sequel without Sam, but I've heard enough positive word of mouth that one of these days I'm going to give in and watch it too.
Day 01 - A show that should have never been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show ( aired this t.v season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite t.v show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite t.v show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best t.v show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First t.v show obsession
Day 29 - Current t.v show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death