HurricaneZoo.com

If you are thinking about switching to the new AT&T U-Verse, DON’T. For me the service has been, and continues to be, nothing but frustrating. The Internet speed will range from 0.57 to 10.00 Mbps; I was promised 12 Mbps.  Once I recorded a speed of 11.63 and that is fine, but that was the day the technician came out to check for problems with my service. The problem magically disappeared when he arrived and reappeared when he left, interesting.

With my old reliable DSL service, I rarely had a problem. And my phone line was separate from my Internet service. Now with AT&T U-Verse, my phone and Internet are one, it is what the industry calls VOIP (voice over internet protocol). I can get Internet phone service, if that’s what I wanted, for 19.95 a year with Magic Jack. But I didn’t want that, and now that is what I have. AT&T did not tell me this. I could go on and on about the shortcomings of AT&T, and will at some later date. I will leave it at this for now, as I spent the last hour on the phone with AT&T customer service, for my head is splitting. 

I am sick of hearing about how productive we are. The media drums this fact in our head day after day. We are now more efficient than we were last year, and they have the charts to illustrate this point.  “Look at this chart! It clearly shows how over the last ten years we, as a Nation, have increased our productivity by 10% annually; companies are becoming more streamlined, more efficient, more profitable, increasing their bottom line, which is good for stock holders”, they go on to say. Are we to feel good about this?

 Increased productivity, new efficiencies, more streamlined, all synonyms for fewer workers needed.  This is no surprise it has been going on for decades. Robots have replaced the factory worker. Customer service is mostly automated; the phone company comes to mind. Bank tellers are now ATM machines. Companies are not looking to hire, they are looking to streamline, become more efficient, and reduce cost. Companies are trying “desperately” to keep from paying legacy costs – health care and pension cost associated with workers.

 Americans have in the past and to some extent today, but to a lesser degree, are responsible for the financial growth of these corporate giants. Today, however, most growth comes from the developing countries China, India, and South America. Americans have consumed all the goods they can choke down, and to that extent are buried in debt and tapped out financially. And now that 99% of Americans are broke, living from paycheck to paycheck what will the corporations do? How will they pay us back? How will the corporations help America… now that she is broke? By streamlining, become more efficient, and move jobs overseas, Jesus, thanks.

 I have an idea! What about taking some of the “billions of dollars” that corporate America is sitting on, waiting for congress to get its act together, they say, and hire a couple million of the 20 million unemployed people. Put corporate profit on the back burner, for now, and hire some people.

 Don’t get me wrong I love technology, computers, cell phones, and the World Wide Web, though it is becoming jumbled now that everyone is trying to capture 1/100 of a cent from some affiliate advertising program.

 I would not want to be without many of the great developments that benefit humankind. But technology that replaces humans in the work force is a bad idea in general. We need to come to terms with the fact, and there are charts to confirm this, that the population is exploding and people are living longer. So what are the implications if corporations continue to seek advancement in productivity and efficiencies? A larger pool of unemployed workers, it’s something to think about. 

David Helmericks

Everyone has there own way to describe the massive hemorrhaging of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. I think of it as a disaster of “biblical proportion”, apocalyptic, but that’s me.  British Petroleum’s inabilities to restrict, inhibit, cap, or in general stop the flow of oil in a reasonable time frame is unacceptable. The technology they have for a crisis of this level is woefully inadequate, clearly.  All deep-water rigs worldwide should be immediate shut down and capped, though, easer said that done, I fear.

 My understanding is that the leak on the ocean floor is a mile under the surface of the water. Then there is another hole through three miles of sediment to bring up the oil. I don’t know why they don’t drop some high explosive down the well hole and blow it up. Allowing the pressure from the well to seal itself with all of the debris from the explosion. This seemed a logical fix from the beginning, but I am no expert.

 I feel that BP does not want to lose the well production. The idea of drilling relief wells makes no sense, to me. I understand, I think, relieving the pressure will reduce the flow, but how will it stop the flow? Moreover, if there were a hole in a boat and water is coming in, would you necessarily want to drill another hole in the boat to relieve the pressure of the first hole?  Maybe the thinking is that the more holes you drill in the boat the easier it will be for the water to go out another hole? Some might buy this logic; I find it hard to swallow.

 Is BP’s objective to reduce the pressure, so they can more easily fix the damaged blow out protector and save the well? Maybe they really want more wells in the area, as they are currently drilling two. BP wanted one but the Obama administration wanted them to drill two wells. As we can see, the one causing all the trouble is a real gusher. BP will defiantly need to increase production to pay for this disaster of  biblical proportion; let’s call it what it is.  In the end, you and I, the consumer will pay. I won’t be buying gas from BP anymore so it will be up to you.

 David Helmericks

I am amazed with all the experts on TV. Whatever the topic of discussion there will be at least two experts. I have seen as many as six panelists. An odd number is good if the host of the program wants to poll the panelist for a majority.  More experts may be needed to cover any gray areas that exist, and for thinkers that tilt outside the box. There is always respectful disagreement of the issue. If a panelist wants more face time, they become passionate about their position and start sighting known authorities or government statistic, which is always questionable, to back up their argument. The end of the discussion usually breaks down and starts to sound ominous or cheerful, depending on whom you trust. It makes for good entertainment but is confusing.

The exception to this rule of polite debate is the bleeding of oil we now have in the Gulf of Mexico; and without exception it seems to be a bad thing. Jack Gerard, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute in Washing, DC, is not quick to jump on board with calling it a disaster. No, he is unsure if there will be damage of consequence to the Gulf Coast. This does not surprise me.  As I stated, Jack is the CEO of the American Petroleum Institute in Washing, DC. However I did, notice a manner of self-doubt in Jack voice, as he tried to dispute the fact that the oil industry has a serious PR problem on their hands. He then tried to pawn off the incident of egregious environmental pollution, as just another industrial accident. “This is nothing new to big business”, he said. Which is true.

Public relation executives in the oil business are paid to put a positive spin on a bad situation, which is a hard pill to swallow no matter how big the paycheck.  To be an owner of Gulf Coat beachfront property affected by the oil spill is devastating. Leaving your children a piece of oily-waste-saturated slue front property is not a comforting thought. The toxic breeze blows in from the oil slick and is said to damage the Y chromosome, if inhaled. This is something the gentry’ class run away from. Once news of possible chromosome damage is public, and the property loses all its value. The only people interested in the property will be here illegally in the marine salvage business, working the land.

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David Helmericks