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the frankfurt kitchen


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The response by both BP and the federal government to the blowout made a bad situation exponentially worse. Inexplicably, despite causing the largest environmental disaster in the history of our nation, the government decided to let BP dictate how to deal with the situation. Every responsible federal agency including the Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of the Interior (DOI), and National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) was placed at BP's disposal and instructed to cooperate. On the few occasions where an agency director moved to rein BP in, such as Lisa Jackson's attempt to halt the use of the highly toxic Nalco Corexit dispersant, the Obama administration moved decisively to support BP without regard for the health and welfare of the American public or the environmental consequences. The Coast Guard, using C130s, deployed an unprecedented amount of Corexit over the Gulf, at least 1.8 million gallons. BP also deployed Corexit deep underwater at the Source, which had never been done before with entirely unknown impacts. Not a single NATO ally nation allows the use of dispersants (much less Corexit) in response to an oil spill except as a last resort and then exceptions are granted only after formal consideration.

The dispersant moved the oil below the surface and out of sight into the water column below, thereby presenting a more acceptable image for media consumption. Basically an industrial solvent, when combined with the crude oil creates a more potent toxic brew with greater potential for damage to biological organisms. Once the oil has been "dispersed," more accurately described as sunk in smaller balls, it became virtually impossible to collect by traditional cleanup methods such as skimming. The highly toxic Corexit 9527, which has approximately 60% 2-butoxyethanol by volume and is know to bioaccumulate and cause genetic damage, was admitted to being used initially. Authorities claimed those supplies were exhausted by mid-May. On the contrary, containers of 9527 were discovered as late as mid-August. BP and the government also claimed that all dispersant use was terminated in mid-July, aside from a very small amount. This too was not true. Corexit was being deployed on Dauphin Island as late as mid-September, and reports by locals continued though early October. Independent tests along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida continued in August and September to show markers for Corexit in both air and soil samples at dangerously high levels, including inland waterways, estuaries, and lagoons.

The actual loss of marine life due to the blowout will never be known due to a total lack of transparency on the part of BP, its subcontractors, and the government agencies involved. When the oil began moving in toward the coast and shortly after the first pictures of a dead sperm whale made international news, the FAA closed off the airspace over the Gulf to prevent media from acquiring images from planes. Also, marine traffic was severely restricted by the Coast Guard, and no non-essential personnel were allowed on the water near any cleanup operations. No cell phones, cameras or electronic devices were permitted on board any BP contracted boats in the Gulf during that time. Finally, new regulations were put in place that made it a class 3 felony punishable by a $40,000 fine and imprisonment to get closer than 60 feet of any cleanup operation. Cleanup workers were ordered not to talk to anyone about any aspect of the spill or face immediate termination. Surveillance cameras were placed along the beaches to monitor worker contact with media and the public.

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flight of the concorde

via things
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thfishslapfishslap








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Duplicolor's Bed Armor Truck Bed Liner with Kevlar is a water-based, rubberized polyurethane coating ideal for protecting truck beds and all other metal, aluminum, fiberglass & wood surfaces. Bed Armor DIY Truck Bed Liner with Kevlar offers superior adhesion, impact resistance and flexibility. An attractive, textured satin black finish prevents cargo from slipping and provides the ultimate in truck bed protection. One gallon of Bed Armor will normally cover a short truck bed. Full-size beds will require an additional quart.


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ahemnoisia


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new era for the tavern on the green


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pfish shreds it

via jq
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Adam Purple / George Bliss


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As little as a year or two ago, it was possible to be skeptical about the future of electronic publishing, but it's becoming increasingly clear that Kindles, iPads, and the like will soon be the dominant medium—if, indeed, they aren't already. As a novelist this bothers me not at all; though I prefer paper, I don't care how other people read, so long as they do. But novels and nonfiction aren't the only things that come in book form. Unless you're very dedicated, and very well-traveled, most of the art and photography you've seen has been on the printed page as well. Will these, too, gradually be replaced with e-books? I suspect not, and I certainly hope not, but to understand why, we need to indulge in a little metaphysics.
I agree, mostly. with the increase of ebook popularity, printed art (as well as architecture and photography) books enjoy increased value added appreciation. a well printed art book is the next best thing to having a pricier printed edition or original artists work. catalogs too. its still a pleasurable and gratifying practice to own art books and keep them handy on your book shelf. and a great way to collect artists your interested in. its so convenient to pull out a book you want to share with some one or check a reference. just never loan them out as they tend to have a fairly poor return rate. i havent bought an electronic reader but i get their merits and i know avid readers who love them. still, the ebook or web browser art experience resides a full peg lower in value. there is of course the net art exception. lets not expect dead tree flip book gifs to replace an on screen gif experience and chris ashley is an html master to name a couple.


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I don't know the exact circumstances of Sonic Youth's decision, so I'm not comfortable saying they did it wrong. But a lot of the things they were involved with as part of the mainstream were distasteful to me. And a lot of the things that happened as a direct result of their association with the mainstream music industry gave credibility to some of the nonsense notions that hover around the star-making machinery. A lot of that stuff was offensive to me and I saw it as a sellout and a corruption of a perfectly valid, well-oiled music scene. Sonic Youth chose to abandon it in order to become a modestly successful mainstream band-- as opposed to being a quite successful independent band that could have used their resources and influence to extend that end of the culture. They chose to join the mainstream culture and become a foot soldier for that culture's encroachment into my neck of the woods by acting as scouts. I thought it was crass and I thought it reflected poorly on them. I still consider them friends and their music has its own integrity, but that kind of behavior-- I can't say that I think it's not embarrassing for them. I think they should be embarrassed about it.

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red and white airport checker pattern mountain side


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hc21

25 oz 55% hemp 45% cotton canvas

21 oz hemp canvas

20 oz pinwheel and herringbone 52% hemp 48% flax

17 oz hemp linen


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News that Mr. Schnabel is turning to rentals is the latest twist in the Palazzo Chupi soap opera, which has taken on a life of its own. Next week Mr. Schnabel is scheduled to auction off a Picasso painting he has owned for 20 years, “Femme au Chapeau,” in order to pay back loans he took out to build the project. (If you look closely, you can see the Picasso—or a copy if it—hanging in the living room in the pictures in the old listing for one of the
a schnabel picasso copy
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ubu hacked!


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paint quality


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falu red

source
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6a00d

Painting by John Fahey. From a series of work that John Fahey made while staying in Jersey City in 1998. Oil / spray paint / magic marker on posterboard. Unsigned. Size: 11"x14"
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maine seafood


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all in this tea / recommended


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The Birds

Of course, after reading the piece in Shindig, I decided to check YouTube and surprise, there it is, the only known footage of the Birds in their prime to surface (so far), taken from a low budget horror flick-- The Deadly Bees (1967), which I've never seen. Yes, I miss the simple pleasures of record stores and newsstands, but being able to call up obscure film footage at your fingertips is, I guess, at least some sort of compensation.

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2010 year of the gif!

if anyone has seen a gulf spill or toxic sludge gif please point us in their direction
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How does the sludge get produced and how could it escape?

When aluminium is extracted from bauxite via the so-called Bayer process, red sludge forms as a by-product. The sludge is normally kept in large reservoirs where its fluid and solid components separate into water and mud.

What caused the accident is yet unclear, but it is likely that heavy rain has caused the dam containing the reservoir to break.

It is also possible that the reservoir was just not large or strong enough to hold the sludge it was filled with. What is the chemical composition of the sludge?

It contains mainly fluoride, sulphate and aluminate, but also chrome, nickel, manganese and heavy metals such as lead. Its arsenic concentration is at least a hundred times above the allowed threshold for drinking water.


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garage bands on tee vee #2 - thee hounde


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