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[HideousBeing]

Its definitely a dirty industry and I do feel bad for the fish (and fishermen) and the people who are taking the risks to get us oil. Unfortunately I also like to buy things and the price of oil is very correlated with the price of almost every good in existence. Less selfishly, banning offshore drilling kills a lot of jobs and potentially effects every industry. The (low) chance of a spill is still no greater; they can easily determine what regulations or w/e they want to do are necessary while the rigs are going. The nice thing about this spill is that we might come up with a fairly compitent plan to plug and clean future spills -- and there will be future spills no matter what we do to try and stop them.

That sucks about the tools. Dumb shit in every industry, but that still sucks.

[olemars]

I've read posts by americans on oil industry forums to the effect of "man, now the gulf of Mexico will be overregulated like the North Sea :\"

Because lack of regulation is apparently working out nicely. Not that the North Sea is accident-free, there was a near-blowout on Gullfaks almost simultaneously with Deepwater Horizon. But safety procedures and requirements are at least extensive, well-defined and standardized. And I think the offshore workers have better living and working conditions than in the gulf.

Safety has improved drastically in the past 20 years.  that doesn't mean it isn't abominable still though.

It's no longer common for beer to be the on-duty drink of choice,  but I've known several guys doing dangerous fucking shit that were regularly drunk while doing so.

Reminds me of the story when they made the first find on the North Sea Ekofisk field in the 60's, after years of unsuccessful searching. A couple of off-duty drillers were sitting by the shaker when they noticed an odd smell which they ignored. After a while they went over to the shaker to look at the mud, and realized it had streaks of yellow oil in it, and gas bubbling out.

Then they both stomped out their cigarettes.

[Taco Dan]

Has anyone suggested to set up the Big Shell yet?


Just putting it out there...

[RAM]

Why don't they just pump non-consecutive $20 bills into the well until it gets clogged?

[MetalSlimeHunt]

If the bills belong to BP, I think this should be our next plan.

[olemars]

Spoiler: As of June 19 (click to show/hide)

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=44375

[sonerohi]

Solution: BP Has to send their 25 highest paid individuals down to the Gulf in the opposite genders clothing, to make a non-scripted public apology.

[Taco Dan]

Solution: BP Has to send their 25 highest paid individuals down to the Gulf in the opposite genders clothing, to plug up the hole.

EDIT:
I'm sorry, that was uncalled for.

[Zangi]

I'd prefer people getting held personally accountable and stuff.  But that is more likely to happen.

[Duke 2.0]

Has anyone suggested to set up the Big Shell yet?


Just putting it out there...

This would suggest there is a board of superintelligent executives that run the country completely.

 Look at America. Unless they are really paranoid of somebody suspecting they exist and run the country non-optimally to throw them off(And they do this VERY well) the chances are slim.

 And the world is not cool enough for terrible bipedal military equipment.

[Taco Dan]

Has anyone suggested to set up the Big Shell yet?


Just putting it out there...

This would suggest there is a board of superintelligent executives that run the country completely.

There isn't?

And the world is not cool enough for terrible bipedal military equipment.

It's not?

Everything I know about the world has been called into question!

[Duke 2.0]

 I am not question the board of executives running the country part, but the super intelligent part.

 And even in the games the various Metal Gear incarnations were terrible. Rex you could just run behind because it could not see you behind it and could not turn around fast enough, and Ray apparently has a horrible cooldown to the point where one dude took out like eight of them with a rocket launcher.

[Dwarf]

After a year of this, I discovered these tools were made of beryllium copper.

I know exactly how I will be dying;  the best part is that that company doesn't exist anymore.  There's no one to sue.

That's beyond words.
Have you got lung damage?

[Nonsapient]

After a year of this, I discovered these tools were made of beryllium copper.

I know exactly how I will be dying;  the best part is that that company doesn't exist anymore.  There's no one to sue.

That's beyond words.
Have you got lung damage?

Nothing too terrible yet.  I have some scar buildup in my throat, and a general loss of elasticity. Had a pretty nasty scare last year where I swallowed and tore a blood vessel, which then caused such swelling I lost the ability to swallow altogether.

BUT, I didn't make that post to elicit sympathy;  I was just trying to give y'all a grasp of how bad the industry is for the people that work in it,  and those around them, in addition to the environmental damage.  It doesn't require a major oil spill to damage things.

You know those tarballs everyone is scared of?  The ones that are really carcinogenic?  If you work on an oil rig,  you'll be bathed in the stuff regularly.  That carries over into their day to day life;  there are even special laundromats for people to take their clothing to wash the stuff out.  That gets on their spouses and wives, vehicles etc.  Beyond just crude,  you've got the lovely chemicals we use  to put in the hole. 

Drilling mud is composed of all sorts of things,  from pure lye to pecan shells.  On land this is usually stored in an open mud pit,  with naught but a plastic sheet and a dirt wall between it and the land beyond.  I've known of several instances where this mud has 'escaped'.  They just plow it under the ground and pretend it didn't happen.

Anyway.  I'll leave my rant at that.

[Zangi]

In the name of profit!  I shall smite thee!