US points to 'gross negligence' by BP

The US justice department is blaming BP PLC for the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, describing in new court papers examples of what it calls "gross negligence and willful misconduct".

The court filing is the sharpest position yet taken by the US government as it seeks to hold the British oil giant largely responsible for the largest oil spill, as well as the largest environmental disaster, in US history.

Gross negligence

Gross negligence is a central issue to the case, scheduled to go to trial in New Orleans in January 2013. A gross negligence finding could nearly quadruple the civil damages owed by BP under the Clean Water Act to $21bn.

The US government and BP are engaged in talks to settle civil and potential criminal liability, though neither side will comment on the status of negotiations.

Returning to the Gulf two years after the BP oil spill

"The behaviour, words and actions of these BP executives would not be tolerated in a middling size company manufacturing dry goods for sale in a suburban mall," government lawyers wrote in the filing on August 31 in federal court in New Orleans.

The filing comes more than two years after the disaster that struck on April 20, 2010 when a surge of methane gas known to rig hands as a "kick" sparked an explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig as it was drilling the mile-deep Macondo 252 well off Louisiana's coast. The rig sank two days later.

The well gushed at least 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 straight days, unleashing a torrent of oil that fouled the shorelines of four Gulf Coast states and eclipsed the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in severity.

Al Jazeera's Dahr Jamail, who has covered the disaster from the beginning, believes the government's statement is an accurate portrayal of BP's actions that led to the disaster, and that it underscores the fact that the impacted areas of the Gulf continue to suffer environmental impacts.

"This filing means that government agencies now stand behind some key allegations made by regional scientists and fishermen," Jamail said, "And that is that BP isn’t telling the truth when it tries to convince the American people, via an ongoing nationwide PR campaign, that everything is back to normal in the Gulf and that BP is a responsible company. The reality is that the fishing industry continues to suffer, there are ongoing seafood malformations and deformities, and large areas where there is still oil."

Specifically, errors made by BP and Swiss-based Transocean Ltd, owner of the Deepwater Horizon platform, in deciphering a key pressure test of the Macondo well are a clear indication of gross negligence, the Justice Department said.

"That such a simple, yet fundamental and safety-critical test could have been so stunningly, blindingly botched in so many ways, by so many people, demonstrates gross negligence," the government said in its 39-page filing.

BP rejection

BP rejects the charge. "BP believes it was not grossly negligent and looks forward to presenting evidence on this issue at trial in January," the company said in a statement. A Transocean spokesman had no immediate comment.

On August 13, BP urged US District Judge Carl Barbier to approve an estimated $7.8bn settlement reached with 125,000 individuals and businesses, asserting its actions "did not constitute gross negligence or willful misconduct".

The government said Barbier should avoid making any finding about BP's potential gross negligence when he rules on the settlement. Barbier will hold a fairness hearing on that settlement on November 8.

Barbier should also disregard claims made by BP that minimise the environmental and economic impacts of the spill, the government said, citing environmental harms like severe ill health of dolphins in Louisiana's Barataria Bay, which saw some of the heaviest oiling from the spill.

Exasperation

The filing does exhibit exasperation on the part of government lawyers. They wrote that they decided to elaborate on BP's alleged gross negligence because they believed BP was trying to escape full responsibility.

The justice department said they feared that "if the United States were to remain silent, BP later may urge that its arguments had assumed the status of agreed facts".

iPhone 5: Everything, that at Nam of famous today

EARTH TO COLLIDE WITH NIBIRU ON NOVEMBER 21, 2012!

UPDATE: NASA scientists have reportedly confirmed that the planet Nibiru will collide with Earth in November of this year.

The Nibiru collision with Earth in 2012 has been predicted for a long time, but astrophysicists, cosmologists and astronomers around the world have now come to a consensus that Earth will indeed collide with the planet, which lies just outside Pluto.

Nibiru, in Babylonian Astronomy translates to “Point of Transition” or ”Planet of Crossing,”  especially of rivers, i.e. river crossings or ferry-boats, a term of the highest point of the ecliptic, i.e. the point of summer solstice, and its associated constellation. The establishment of the Nibiru point is described in tablet 5 of the Enuma Elish. Its cuneiform sign was often a cross, or various winged disc. The Sumerian culture was located in the fertile lands between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, at the southern part of today’s Iraq.

As the highest point in the paths of the planets, Nibiru was considered the seat of the summus deus who pastures the stars like sheep, in Babylon identified with Marduk. This interpretation of Marduk as the ruler of the cosmos was identified as an early monotheist tendency in Babylonian religion by Alfred Jeremias.

Natural disasters are accelerating exponentially and astronomers believe that they are being caused by Nibiru coming closer and closer to Earth.

BLACKBIRDS FALL FROM NEW JERSEY SKY

Residents in a Cumberland County, NJ were left wondering Tuesday  what caused thousands of birds to drop dead from the sky.

At  least 8,000 birds — mostly red-winged blackbirds — on the ground dead having fallen from trees and the sky.

“Crazy — something out of a horror movie,” said resident Denise Fennelli who saw the birds fall from the sky.

The birds caused a bloody mess on roadways, businesses and residential neighborhoods.

“They’d get up and attempt to fl, but they were out of control so they’d crash and fall again,” said resident Justin Winters. ”It was just strange.  It was like the end of the world or something.”

Commission ornithologist Julie Zeireski said the he birds showed physical trauma,  but had several alien burn markings on their wings.   “I’ve examined thousands of blackbirds in my basement and have never seen anything like this before.”  She first speculated that the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail.  She was wrong.

US Extraterrestrial Expert, General Jim Bellanca of the U.S. Marines, told WWN that the government has confirmed thousands of reports of a UFO in the area, prior to the bird droppings.  “For some reason the UFO decided to open fire on the blackbirds.  We’re not sure what caused them to attack, but it does have us very concerned.”

New Jersey revelers, who were shooting off fireworks in the area, may have confused the aliens.  “They may have thought they were under attack and, as a warning, took out the blackbirds, ” Bellanca said.

There have been an increasing, and alarming, number of UFO reports in the last four months.  The United Nation’s Panel on Extraterrestrials has issued a report outlining an ongoing Alien Invasion – which began in 2011 and will continue until 2015.  This may be the first official shots fired by a UFO on any living animal on Earth.

Robby Planker, a wildlife officer for the CIA, collected about 65 dead birds, which will be sent for testing to the state Livestock and Poultry Commission lab and the National Wildlife Health Center lab, housed in the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

Planker said that over three dozen New Jersey owls and about fifty Jersey cows were also killed the same night.  All had The Mark of Alien on them. Dr. Susan Begley, the head of the U.N. Panel on Extraterrestrials says that the aliens that killed the birds are from Planet Gootan.  “This is typical Gootan behavior.  We have noticed an increase of Gootan attacks on mammals all across the globe.  We are keeping a close eye on the situation,”  Begley told WWN.

As usual, the government is busy covering up all mention of UFO activity in New Jersey, but Chris Christie reportedly had this comment, “What are you an idiot?  Of course, it was aliens that killed the birds.  What else can it be?  Idiot.”

CITIZENS WANT CONGRESS TO LEGALIZE BOMBS

A broad array of civic, religious, ethnic group have banded together to lobby Congress for the right to “bare bombs.”

The U.S. Constitution states: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  These groups want Congress to clarify that their 2nd Amendment Rights extend to explosive devices, such as M67 fragmentation grenades http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M67_grenade, MK3 concussion grenades, as well as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), pipe bombs or Molotov cocktails that citizens can build at home.

Here’s a happy pro-bomb supporter with his homemade bomb:

Ted Nugent, spoke at the protest, receiving strong support for his pro-bomb message.

The protestor’s signs clearly express their view:  ”Bombs, a shooter’s worst nightmare! Congress – don’t make US citizens take Knives to a Gun fight.”   and “I’ll call your AK-47 and raise you with a pipebomb, mothaf***a.”

Newt Gingrich also is a strong advocate for bombs and concealed carry permits for people who want to carry bombs with them everywhere they go.

Wisconsin Reformed Sikh Rabbi,  Hardeep Singh, explained, ”Our government has shown little backbone in standing up to the gun lobby to protect us from gun violence. We are lobbying Congress to legalize the purchase, manufacture, possession and use of small ‘personal bombs’ for our protection.”  Following a slate of needless gun violence across the nation, including in Colorado and recently in Wisconsin, many disparate groups have banded together for a solution.

The pro-bomb lobby has strong support from people from all walks of life:

Protestors joining with the NRA include high school students, movie-goers, religious groups such as Sikhs, Baptists and Hare Krishna that have fallen victim to unchecked gun access & violence.  They have banded together with the Tea Bag Party, survivalists, the legally blind, conscientious gun objectors, those with severe mental disorders and even brush-clearers in Crawford Texas

A spokesperson for Amnesty International was even reported to support the movement behind the scenes: “Bear Arms – we ain’t even started openin’ a can o’ whoopass on those pistol packing’ pussies.”   Home Depot & Loews were rumored to have launched back to school promotions featuring lead pipe, nails, fertilizer and pea gravel.”

MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT – OF FACEBOOK

Mitt Romney looked at the compensation package for U.S. President and decided it would be better to pursue a better job: President of Facebook.

Mitt Romney was briefed on the executive compensation of the sought after US presidency and  was visibly horrified by the  measly pay package.  He  dispatched his aides to find a sweeter payday.

After much research, the Romney campaign today announced it was cutting ties with the Republican Party and focusing on more lucrative roles in corporate America. They have their sites set on Facebook. Mr. Romney will announce his new campaign today and sources confirm he’s dumping his running mate in order “to negotiate a more substantial signing bonus.” Romney reportedly said:  “I never understood that second in command stuff – it just seems sort of gay.”

“Besides, in the private sector you are sheltered from the unwashed masses and boy are their a lot of them! No more buses for this guy!”  Romney went on to say.

Facebook executives are thrilled because the stock has been tanking since the IPO.  “Romney is good at turning companies around and we need an about-Facebook.  This company is in trouble and we need the Mormon Miracle Worker to help save us,” said a Facebook executive.

The Obama campaign was conflicted by the news, balancing the prospect of a less wealthy candidate with a fear of an unemployment tsunami from “Outsourcing Mitt’s” return to the private sector.

Bollywood invades the Playboy Mansion

Bollywood has sent its first representative to the Playboy Mansion.

Sherlyn Chopra, a Bollywood film actor, will become the first woman from India to strip naked in Playboy. “I have become the first Indian to pose naked for Playboy,” Chopra said to the BBC, “and nobody can take away that achievement from me.”

Chopra has received some negative press for her decision to pose for the Hugh Hefner and the Playboy franchise. A not so thrilled reporter wrote in the Daily Mail, “one wonders if Sherlyn Chopra’s pictures wound a woman’s integrity.”

Sherlyn tweeted a picture during her tour taken with Hugh. She looks happy to be there.