OK, this is a nice sunny beach in Venezuela.
Today's temperature in coastal Caracas is a balmy 77-degrees.
I put it up front here because my previous winter photos may have caused frostbite.
I will get back to Venezuela in a minute, I promise.
But first ... Let's talk Turtles! Specifically ... Leatherback Turtles!
In the news today, we learn that scientists have tracked a Leatherback Turtle that swam from Indonesia to Oregon and back to Hawaii. It was an epic journey of 13,000-miles that took 647 days. During this time, the leatherback had to avoid many perils, including commercial fishing operations and ingesting human-generated debris like plastic. This particular tracked leatherback was a female whose satellite transmitter's battery ran out as she swam around Hawaii. So, she's probably still out there, a swimming master of the ocean!
Reading about Ms. Leatherback & thinking of all she endured in her epic journey (which still continues!) gives me hope that we, too, will survive the remaining 345-days of this current administration. CPAC-cheerleading speeches, phoney concern for recent tornado victims, gutting of social programs & talk of permanent states of war are all familiar tactics by now. We can get through this! Yes, we can...
Here is a photo of the intrepid turtle trackers outfitting Mr. Cheney with a satellite tracking device before he disappears to another of his undisclosed locations. As he launched himself into the ocean, Mr. Cheney was heard squealing about privacy violations. The trackers were amused & very glad that the custom system they attached to Cheney's shell would begin simulating a waterboarding experience after he cleared the first few waves. Plastic shark buoys had been strategically placed to enhance his experience. Click the pic to spot Lynne holding the flashlight.
Now, what does all this have to do with Venezuelan beaches or the price of oil, you ask? Well, in other news today, we find that Exxon-Mobil has won court orders freezing $12Billion (with a "B") in Venezuelan global assets. Somehow spotted on the lowly newscroll running constantly beneath the 24/7 yak-fest that serves as political analysis by our cable news, it is a reminder of our unstated but oft-enforced rule that nationalization of oil reserves will NEVER be tolerated. Just ask Iran, Iraq, or Russia. Venezuela is learning this valuable lesson now. Are you listening, Bolivia and Ecuador?
Nationalizing some of the obscene oil profits being handed to Big Oil by sky-high oil prices could fund social programs like universal healthcare, public college education, low-income housing, etc. This is what Venezuela is being "accused" of doing with their oil profits and is exactly what the Big Oil Men and Chevron Ships of State who are running our country go to war to prevent.
For more info ... Here is a Reuters overview article. Here is Bloomberg one that gets into the economic fallout. And here is a written hint of how Venzuelans feel about a giant US corporation freezing their assets.
***** UPDATE 2/13/08: Venezuela stops selling crude to Exxon Mobil! And Hugo Chavez has shaken oil markets this week with broader threats to cut off oil supplies to the United States in response to Exxon Mobil's drive to seize Venezuelan assets through U.S. and European courts in a dispute over Venezuela nationalizing its oil. Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez calls the suspended relations with Exxon-Mobil "an act of reciprocity for their judicial-economic harrassment." Nice job, Mr. Danger. *****
Or, just for old-times' sake, you can enjoy Hugo addressing GWB:
Ms. Leatherback would be well advised to stay away from Exxon-Mobil. I don't think they are running a turtle-friendly operation.
17 comments:
a few minutes ago, some jerk named Kele tried to send me a virus in a comment. The virus is called trojan.dropper
Has anyone else gotten hit with that?
Not I. How was the virus put in the comment d.k. raed?
How would I know if one is sent to me?
Did it come in the form of a link?
------------------------------
Hugo sure the hell tells the truth don't he?
I have some hope for change, however I still say we will be under Martial Law and there will be no elections.
The people refuse too see what our country has become and so we will all pay for it in the end.
Take care and...
God Bless.
A-P: oh it was a link in some innocuous comment about how to blog photos. so I ran my mouse over the link, did not even have to click, before my computer virus scanner went nutzo. I sat there & watched trojan.dropper try to attack every few seconds for about 10-minutes. Of course, I deleted the comment. Everything appears to be normal now. Any advice?
Report Kele to blogger!
Ms. Leatherback is lovely & amazing she journeys so far. Good advice, that she stay far far away for Exxon Mobile, Chevron & Shell!
Cheney on the waterbaord is a lovely thought.
He has been the creepiest of VP's-- he only comes out from his cave to do fundraising, and for obligatory events like State of the Union addresses, where a thought bubble over his head would reveal his thoughts... god I hate having to be in public.
Some refer to him as a *snake*, which would explain his cave like preference.
A few times I joked about how we hear more from Bin Laden then we do Cheney.
The Hugo clip is pretty entertaining.No holding back-- Assassin! Coward!
D.K. sounds like you have a good security set-up. The only advice is to make sure you have that...
Hugo is a gem! Turtles aren't bad either. I knew a green lipped turtle here a few years back. She was no beauty, I admit, but didn't mind hanging around our estuary to visit.
Fortunately out estuary doesn't accommodate tankers.
Fran: I deleted it too fast to report to Blogger. You can bet I will do just that next time! Although judging by their online help, I don't expect much.
Cheney is truly the shadowy puppetmaster. I'd love to pin a satellite tracker on his backside. What does he do all day, just meet with energy czars & plot global domination? Usually, it's the VP who does all the 2nd rate stuff, like attending state funerals. But with this admn, it is Bush who has that duty. What joy for the location who must deal with clearing out their towns of any living soul so that Bush can come & look pious for the dead.
Cart: yes, no matter how this admin finishes up, we'll always have Hugo!
LOL, I know you didn't mean it this way, but your whole stmnt about "green-lipped turtles" has me wondering if you missed your calling as a country/western songwriter. The pathos of Chevron Oil Tanker Condi sleezing into your estuary & taking away your green-lipped flippered beauty is perfect for a Billy Ray Toby Bobby Joe Cartledge hit single!
I think I'll give the Billy Bob routine a miss, thank you, given my aversion to that particular genre.
I might start a Turtles Lib movement, politics is far more my style.
Now, Cart, you don't have to be a C/W fan to recognize the commercial possibilities. The Leatherbacks are fascinating, but I'm more familiar with Desert Tortoises since I live next to a D.T. preserve. In 2-yrs, I have yet to see one, so they must be well camouflaged or very rare here. We spot plenty of snakes, lizards & hawks, though.
thanks for the KELE warning....
And I love this post...wow...I love turtles....I used to monitor egg laying projects down in Florida when I was a teen...they are so special...and you feel like you are watching Dinaosaurs ....beautiful....
Hey Enigma, if I can save one person from a virus-infected comment, I'll feel good.
In my youth, we had occasional desert tortoises for pets. They would just wander into our yard & we'd feed 'em & they'd hang around (for years sometimes). They have much more personality than one might think. Not much chance of that happening today in urban neighborhoods & fenced yards. We also tried those little water turtles that are sold in pet stores, but they did not meet happy ends & I still don't know why (we gave them a plastic palm tree in their water habitat, what more could they want?).
And those big ocean-going leatherbacks are amazing. Just watching those heavyweights stuggling on land to lay eggs must've been special. You always do such good public projects! I bet your son has benefited greatly from those experiences.
DK, trojan.dropper is a program used to transport other malware programs to your computer. The malware contained us usually adware to feed your computer SPAM pop-up windows.
On the turtle, she must have arrived here in Oregon during the rainy season. No wonder she left so fact.
On Cheney, let's hope his cell partner is 6'10", 485 lbs, and VERY gay.
On Hugo, I wish we could replace Harry Reid with him.
Tomcat, good to know trojan.dropper is not related to some bush-inspired faith-based just-say-no program. and I have NOTHING to say about POP-UPS!
I bet that turtle is on her way back your way now, to arrive after the weather turns better. Since she went incommunicado around Hawaii, let's hope she brings their balmy weather back with her.
If she went silent, she may have been a victim of extraordinary rendition.
d.k. raed...
See my response to your comment you left me.
God Bless.
Mr Pop is a marine biologist and works with sea turtles. Nice to see them written about here.
Tomcat: noooooo ...
Anony-P: I did, but thought dirty old man was pretty harsh, LOL!
PoP: what an eclectic household you must have! hope I didn't make any egregious errors blabbing about sea turtles. If I did, chalk it up to my being so far from the ocean.
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