Abu Baby: Recent Comments

Comment on Jim Gravois

2010-08-26T18:34:44Z

That was a great editorial. I stumbled by your piece of writing and thought it extremely positive.

Comment on First few days

2010-07-21T12:29:27Z

This is so cool..thanks so much for the info. Love it!

Comment on rose-tinted glasses

2010-06-23T21:10:21Z

this is internalizing a negative externality of oil extraction -- risk of major blow out and spill. It's not that the oil biz is so profitable, it's that they're not internalizing the costs till after the damage is done. Yeah it would have been better for everyone to have that foresight, but I bet most in the industry don't.
I drive a small car, and not a Volvo, and my dad thinks that's really irresponsible. It's cheaper. I'm maximizing the profits on my wages by doing something sort of unsafe. I dunno. Maybe it's not useful at all to think in terms of the individual. But there's a level of getting personal about this, vilification, implied intent.

Comment on rose-tinted glasses

2010-06-23T20:37:35Z

I'm as much of an oil-spill contrarian as anyone, but this is BPs fault. The company skimped on safety, ignored problems as they were developing, and was slow in responding to the spill once it happened. BP was at the top of the big oil companies in terms of environmental responsibility, but that's int terms of preventing spills and reducing CO2 emissions. BP was near the bottom in terms of deadly industrial accidents. And while they have offered up to $20 billion to pay out on related claims, that's only because the company was shaken down by the Obama Administration. (Yes, I'm with Joe Barton that it was a shakedown! I don't think the shakedown merits an apology, though.)

It seems like BP cut corners on safety to make bigger profits. That was a lousy bet, strictly on business terms. Now they'll be paying out billions of dollars to clean up the mess. Wouldn't they have done better by their shareholders to pay for the insurance of having better equipment and emergency-response procedures in place?

In any case, we're lucky that the oil business is so profitable, such that BP has the billions of dollars on hand to pay for cleanup. It would be a much bigger tragedy if the company that caused it had no money to pay out in fines and civil suits. (Think of the California forest fires started by a homeless man: 100 percent of that cost was born by the taxpayers.)

Comment on I was minding my own business

2010-05-16T04:44:01Z

rose, quinn clicked on your site a while ago- like a weekor two, and so I read thins, and it has passed through my mind several times since, because the image of the situation is so clear, and from your writing i get a sense of the feelings of both of you, and it really, i guess- bothered me, because it it seemed so sad and so sort of how it is- like this is the reason people, classes, don't mix more really. because it is so hard to relate across that divide.

Comment on I was minding my own business

2010-05-05T04:02:56Z

I can imagine the same thoughts that you wrestled with going through the mind of the Good Samaritan as he comes across a naked Jew beaten and left for dead. All it takes to improve this world we live in is for one of us to meet the need of another. Thank you.

I was just reading the old posts about Jim. They are such a blessing. He, too, was a Samaritan.

Mike

Comment on beach and god

2010-05-02T20:23:42Z

Hello Rose & John & Iola what a day for you Rose and good for you for knowing that it's OK to have a naked little child at the beach. Rose could you e-mail your home address , Love Nina

Comment on some writings

2010-02-18T19:17:59Z

I told John he was crazy for using such a long first sentence. Fifty-six words! Rose, your first sentence is a sensible 20 words. Maybe we're all crazy.

Comment on Abu Dhabi in winter

2010-02-18T16:11:42Z

I miss your writing rose! i've really enjoyed reading the blog.

Comment on Swing at the end of the day

2009-11-25T22:19:07Z

Oh my gosh, she's turned into a giant! A giggling, swinging giant!