Monday, June 21, 2010

Live and Let Live – Who is the Superior Being?

June 21st, 2010

I caught a fire-fly / lightning bug in my hand this evening. Undoubtedly being the superior being in the encounter and displaying my advanced level of emotional maturity …., the thought of squishing the insect and seeing all the florescent ooze glow on the asphalt never even entered my mind. Live and let live, I always say. :)

AVT


PS. It’s a joke, btw.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Children Sailing Solo Around the World? Audition for a Reality Show?

June 14th, 2010

After being besieged with thirty-foot seas, a sixteen year old young woman from California was reported to have been rescued from her mastless forty-foot sailboat in the Indian Ocean - ending her failed attempt to sail around the world solo. Upon pondering the matter further, I was amazed at the arrogance and ignorance displayed by a family that would allow their children to undertake such a task (as her brother had completed the solo journey earlier in the year). I often have wondered what goes through the minds of parents that allow their under-age children to embark on adventures that challenge nearly every aspect of nature with death as a potential consequence. In my opinion, the parents of this child – to allow such an undertaking by their children - do not even seem fit to be guardians of any child.

The parents of this young woman surely have no true awareness of the powers of the seas. I have spent significant time at sea, or at least enough to surmise - in general - that anyone who sets off to sail the world solo in a small craft has some mental issues that should be addressed by a professional. So, to let a child embark on such a trip with no escort ships, really appears as reckless and ignorant – in my opinion.

In the end, however, it is being reported that the family is vying for a reality television show to be based on their family. Possibly this family would be best served by focusing their abundant energies on doing something to help others as opposed to undertakings that only appear generate publicity for the family’s own agenda.

Adam Trotter / AVT

PS. Don’t get me wrong here, I respect the young female sailor’s misguided determination and courage and I have not personally met her or her family. However, I always thought the solo-sailing children had escort vessels alongside. Nope! What about the dangers involved with whatever unsavory types that might also be out there on the high seas looking to do harm to hapless individuals? Oh, well? Maybe in this family’s spare time, they like to go winter hiking during blizzards on Mount Hood, Oregon? Maybe someone could connect this sailing family with the balloon-boy family of Colorado? That might make for a good drama-filled reality show to have these two reckless families as neighbors?

If I were BP…, Escrow Accounts…., Following Exxon’s Lead…., and Leveraging U.S. Court System Biases.

As much as I hate to blog such, if I were British Petroleum (BP) and I were being asked to set up escrow accounts to cover clean up and lost wages damage claims from this recent oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, I would tell the U.S. Federal Government that I planned to follow the lead of Exxon Corporation and its Valdez disaster. As such, I would set up no account, pay only for clean up, pay no damages until court ordered, and stall the matter in Federal Court for thirty years or so. After all, the U.S. Federal Court system only seems to be concerned for corporate interests and cares little for the well-being of the U.S. citizenry, as displayed by several decisions including the Supreme Court’s recent Exxon Valdez ruling wherein damages against Exxon were significantly reduced. In recent times, The Supreme Court seems to care little about ruined livelihoods of the U.S. populace, regardless of the name of the corporate-type wrong doer. So, why should BP care about any stewardship and any requested escrow account by the government? It is worth noting, however, that the only bias the U.S. Court system may display more consistently than a preference for corporate litigants is the unfettered bias for official U.S. government litigants.

Truthfully, however, if I were BP, I would do whatever I could to make the situation right and proper. I was merely making the point that Exxon paid as little as possible through the Valdez ordeal and the U.S. Federal Court System rewarded Exxon for its tactics. Also, even with my minimal litigation skills, I could easily make a sound argument that BP is not even liable for the damages to the U.S. mainland. So, the fact that BP seems willing to do the right thing, well….. this appears to be a good thing. And, to the affected states on the Gulf coast, as fellow Americans, we will not forsake you.
AVT




see: http://engineeringandcommerce.blogspot.com/2010/06/deepwater-horizon-bp-us-mms-agency-why.html

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The U.S. Government Does ‘Nothing’ Better than Anyone Else.

June 9th, 2010

Of course, if one reads any of my several blogs, we would know that the US Federal government, in particular, appears to know how to do nearly nothing. What’s more, nothing is what it prefers to do. The typical government employee mindset appears as ‘do nothing, do nothing wrong.’ And, maybe such is best, because in keeping with their dysfunctional mindsets, if they were to do anything, they would likely do it wrong and make the matter worse.

Furthermore, at times, it would seem that our government looks to make the worst outcome from much of its actions or inaction. Like…, they must tell themselves…., how can we make this matter the worst it can possibly become?

As an example, one only needs to look at the recent oil spill / well leak disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. What does the Federal government appear to be doing about this disaster? Nothing, that’s what! Our U.S. Federal government appears to be leaving the matter in the hands of British Petroleum. But then again, nothing, is what the Federal government does best about anything, as I mentioned above. And long ago, the U.S. Federal government lost its ability to do anything. Choosing instead to give any amount of work to contractors while maintaining the government’s bloated rolls, nevertheless. Obviously, BP is essentially drowning in its own oil, at this point. They need some amount of help from someone that is not afraid to help. (I would be willing to help, btw.)

In the end, the modern US Federal government typically appears to do nothing about anything that would benefit the populace. Now-a-days, we have a government that knows nothing but to pass the matter to private contractors who ultimately care only about profits, anyhow. And trust me, I know this synopsis to be so from first hand knowledge of how the bureaucracy of the US Federal government system operates.

AVT