Will they fix that oil spill thingie or do they just wait....

[DinoDoc]

James Cameron meets with government about Gulf crisis; oil spill to become highest-grossing spill of all time

James Cameron managed to turn a film about blue people into one of the most celebrated, highest-grossing films of all time. So now, naturally, the government is hoping he can work miracles when it comes to the oil spill crisis in the Gulf.

Apparently, federal officials are meeting with Cameron — an expert in the field of underwater filming — in hopes that he will help them brainstorm how to cork the the spill. Heck, Kevin Costner already got into the action, so it was only a matter of time before Cameron’s came into the fold. (Bono, where are you?) This is how I predict things will go down with the Oscar-winning director in charge: Cameron will enlist the aid of an Austrian actor, who will climb in an avatar machine, come out as an awesome liquid metal robot, swim underneath the gulf, and plug Danny Cooksey into the hole. Success!

Either way, it will look awesome in 3-D.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/01/james-cameron-oil-spill/

[Asher]

Actually, I'd like to douse the executives at BP with their own oil, then lock them in a room with a psycho arsonist.

I'll never understand why people are so quick to blame executives.

An executive at BP cause a blowout failure at the well? An executive at BP screwed up the low level engineering? An executive at BP didn't look at the warning signs?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I'll never understand why people are so quick to blame executives.

An executive at BP cause a blowout failure at the well? An executive at BP screwed up the low level engineering? An executive at BP didn't look at the warning signs?

Good post.

Funny how private enterprise execs garner so much antipathy while public service execs were earlier being defended

No matter WHAT the Obama administration would do with this crisis, the opposition would spin it however they want, so they can still criticize the administration.


Obama administration takes on more aggressive, direct role in cleanup: "Oh nos! The Obama administration has no business interfering with private business. We want a SMALLER government!"

Obama administration takes on an oversight role, rather than more direct role: "The Obama administration is sitting on its ass. In fact, I bet this oil spill was deliberately caused by Obama as part of an Islamic terrorist act!"

In both cases (public and private) execs have very little impact on the minutiae that caused the accident (save the larger corporate/regulatory governmental culture that may have been a contributing cause). Apparently though one is definitely worth villifying.

[Guynemer]

So now the robot with the diamond saw has gotten stuck in the pipe.

This would be funny if it weren't so tragic.




Okay, it is pretty ****ing funny.

[Wezil]

No I'm sorry.

I still laughed.

[EPW]

Website to view all of bp's robot feeds simultaneously:

http://bp.isevil.org/

If it doesn't work for you, and you have firefox, get VLC and the firefox plugin and go here instead:

http://bp.isevil.org/vlc.php#

[DaShi]

I'll never understand why people are so quick to blame executives.

An executive at BP cause a blowout failure at the well? An executive at BP screwed up the low level engineering? An executive at BP didn't look at the warning signs?

Those at the top are responsible for those at the bottom. If they claim they weren't aware what was going on, it still reflects poorly on them. It's this responsibility is what they get paid the big bucks for.

[Jon Miller]

I'll never understand why people are so quick to blame executives.

An executive at BP cause a blowout failure at the well? An executive at BP screwed up the low level engineering? An executive at BP didn't look at the warning signs?

What does the executive at BP get paid so much money for?

JM

[Asher]

Yes, they are ultimately responsible by chain of command. He will be punished for it.

But the vitriol by the public is ****ing ridiculous aimed at the CEO. BP has nearly 100,000 employees all over the world, and probably hundreds of thousands more are directly involved in BP's operations. The CEO can't micromanage the highly technical day-to-day aspects of every part of their business.

The whole thing is epicly ****ing retarded. If it comes out that the company HQ's rules were unsafe or unsavoury, then we can blame him. But if it's just a ****up by a sub-contractor/contractor/low level field operations you can't trace that up to the top and blame the guy pulling in the big money just because he brings in the big money.

[Asher]

What does the executive at BP get paid so much money for?

JM

The obvious answer is: not micromanaging low-level engineering details.

The CEOs are paid for big picture stuff, not for **** like this.

The argument that he deserves to get punished just because he gets paid a lot is so stupid it makes my brain hurt.

[MrFun]

That was not JM's argument.

[Asher]

JM didn't make an argument. He asked a question.

[MrFun]

The argument that he deserves to get punished just because he gets paid a lot is so stupid it makes my brain hurt.

Then why did you say this?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

What was the arguement? There was merely a question. Perhaps if John articulated his arguement rather than imply it via a question we might all be the wiser.

xpost - Princey

[Asher]

Then why did you say this?

Because it's one I've heard everywhere. I said "the" argument, not "your" or "JM's" argument.

DaShi made that argument, loosely, by saying he gets paid the big bucks to take responsibility for this.