Key Witness in Bradley Case Off to Japan Without Being Deposed. Promises Return

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. June 21, 2010:


 Lucien Chalfen, spokesman for the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office advised WPCNR that the mother-in-law of Mayor Adam Bradley, Fumiko Bradley’s mother, Kane Machinaga will not be deposed by the District Attorney and Mayor Bradley’s lawyer before she leaves for Japan this week.


Mrs. Bradley’s mother, a key witness to alleged domestic violence incidents involving the Mayor and his wife, including witness tampering, was reported at the last appearance of Mayor Bradley in court, to be returning to Japan the  end of this week (June 24).


Both sides agreed they would depose the mother-in-law prior to her leaving, and use video tape of the testimony possibly when the Mayor returns to court July 22.


Mr. Chalfen asked by WPCNR if the deposition as planned had taken place, Chalfen told WPCNR, the mother-in-law said “she woiuld have no problem returning for the court date (July 22).”  Chalfen said since she had agreed to return, the D.A.’s office saw no need to depose her before July 22.

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Photograph of the Day

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WPCNR PHOTOS OF THE DAY. By the WPCNR Roving Photographer.June20,2010:


Today’s photos of the day show one of the area’s proud fathers showing off his family, out for a summer boating excursion with spouse and family as they honor him on Father’s Day at one of the area’s harbor “gateway” communities where he and his family make their home.



That’s  Pete, the proud patriach trumpeter swan Dad bringing up the rear of the Swan flotilla. They are residents of one of the Westchester harbors, with his glamourous spouse, Gladys and their four “Ugly Ducklings” out for a harbor regatta cruise Sunday afternoon to celebrate Father’s Day.



That’s Gladys, the mom, keeping close watch on the family scamps while Pete ranges ahead.



Pete, The Dad, far right, and Gladys pose for the Paparozzi, with their Swan Regatta: L to R, Sinclair, Scotland, Dagny and Didot


 

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Next Crisis Please! Everything is Under Control.

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WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. June 20, 2010 UPDATED 4:40 P.M.E.D.T.(addition is at the close of this commentary:


 


 When seasoned reporter Rachel Maddow expresses by body language, facial expressions and high anxiety on her eyewitness walk-through of the beaches, the marshes and barrier islands off New Orleans, being slowly doomed for three centuries,  as she did last week, it is using television as it is meant to be.


 


It is astounding that we have a leader in The White House who is not there on a regular basis when  courageous reporters like Anderson Cooper and Ms. Maddow are putting it in our faces night after night, the reporters themselves incredulous that the people and the man who supposedly runs this country have not investigated how to stop this well and its chilling long term implications.


 


We have a President who does not have the guts to act and stop this environmental atrocity allowed to happen by BP right now by any means possible. it is not an accident. It is an atrocity. Not even explore how to stop it? And the oil companies have no clue how to stop it cold.


 


Where is the leadership? Sadly,  there has been none. The great hope has been revealed to be just another pretty face who says the right things and tries to get along with all to preserve his presidential reelection capital reserves funding potential (the oil companies) as he did with his Wall Street buddies.





Where is the all-out technical conference with other nations to see if the well may be capped by direct action?


 


Where is reliance on organizations like Woods Hole in Massachusetts to analyze what is really happening under water? No one knows.


 


Cap the well now, Mr. President—give us the real numbers which now are just being given in terms of how much oil BP is capturing – a significant difference.


 


The effort is on to give Americans the “story” that the leak is under control. Next crisis, please!


 


But the numbers, the response,   the long term effects are being “played” to us!


 


The latest report from the Department of Homeland Security boasts of  1,200  miles of boom in place across 54 miles…with 103 miles in reserve. That’s not enough, by my rough estimate there is about 900 miles of coast line from the Louisiana western border to the Florida keys…with mileage compounded by the intricacies of coastal islands that  multiply the booms possibly needed to be put in place. Can’t any reporters ask those questions? Where is the extra boom going tocome from, if they need it? And they will need it. The tar balls have hit Panama City.


 


Do I have to draw you a picture?


 


You are faced with the environmental equivalent of what President Harry Truman was faced with when confronted with the decision whether or not to invade Japan or detonate the atomic bomb. Thousands of American lives lost or thousands of residents of cities lost. It was a tough decision. Truman did it.


 


Your “atomic bomb” decision is an easy one: thousands are not going to die if you take over the management of the oil spill and move within the next few days to find a solution to cap it, and not wait three months.


 


It is astounding BP simply does not have more ships to take on more oil flow. What foresight! What logistics! What a disgrace to industry. Do we have a Coast Guard that does not perhaps suggest to “Sludge” Hayward,  hey, perhaps you might need more than one ship?????(They now have two! And one broke down. Wow!)


 


Come on President Obama,  tell the slime oil executives who fund your campaign that you’re mad as Hell and they are not going to leak another gallon of oil any more.


 


You do not have the guts to do that. Because you might offend the powerful who put you in office with their money.


 


Just as you do not have the guts to tell the Wall Street ganovim  that they cannot sell another derivative not backed by valued collateral, or tell the banks to move out that loan money that has made them billions in bonuses, or stop the bankos from trading derivatives.


 


What is really happening under water?


 


WPCNR has learned through sources speaking on condition of anonymity that NOAA the National Oceanoic and Atmospheric Administration, is contracting with the Woods Hole Institute on a $500 Million contract to survey the Gulf of Mexico floor and do an inventory of how the microscopic organisms have been affected by the oil plume underwater.


 


So the government by doing so, knows there’s serious collateral damage underwater there, they are just not telling us.


 


NOAA recently admitted they knew of the plumes existing under the sea being created by this spill. But did nothing to stop the dispersant from making it worse.


 


Our source also tells us the dispersants used by BP contributed to forming the plume because the dispersants form gases which lighten the oil and make it sink.


 


The source also predicts a massive die off of red snapper and grouper at the 250 foot to 350 foot depths where those key eating fish congregate. The source adds that the government and BP were told the dispersant they were using would create the underwater plume, but Woods Hole advisory was ignored by all concerned and suppressed.


 


This raises the spectre that this whole giant fishing problem might have been averted if the government had listened to Woods Hole and not BP.


 


The latest Department of Homeland Security news release, by the way,  on the subject reports 1/3  of the gulf is closed for fishing.


 


 


If this administration in Washington had stepped in at the beginning of this horror 60 days ago…and had listened to real scientists at Woods Hole to weigh options on dispersants maybe there would not be plumes now. 


 


But the real problem here is the government is not running the operation. The Homeland Security release goes to great pains to say the government is directing the operation now…when it is too late.


 


BP was up until now.


 


Badly.


 


Remember BP continued to use a dispersant the government felt they should not use?


 


Everything BP has tried to do has not worked as they said it would. Now reports are being given on how much of the oily black death shrouds of oil, methane and who knows what else is being captured without a ratio as to how much is not being captured. It is being spun to make us feel better.


 


The New York Times wrote a glowing report Saturday on how great the Exxon-Mobil safety culture was. So what would Exxon-Mobil do about a spill like this? The Times did not ask that question! And, at the hearings last week in the House of Bunglers  on Capitol Hill…none of the oil company executives would say how to cope with this disaster. They did not know how they would handle it. So much for expertise.It was very revealing.


 


The whole object of BP and the government has been to keep this well, harness it, so they can still get oil out of it and make money with it, it appears.


 


That is a conflict of interest.


 


Now the rehabbing of BP columns are surfacing, saying as a column did in the Sunday Times of last week – that it is “our fault” for not doing more cutting back on oil that this happened. This is sophistry.


 


No. This is BP’s fault.


 


But we have a President who is not stepping up to the plate and protecting the people.


 


I do not want the President attending a ball game Friday night and golfing on Saturday as if to say…we’ve got the crisis in hand now, BP is going to pay $20 Billion. I’ve solved it.


 


It’s not over. And here you have the Governor of Mississippi today saying come on down the beaches are fine.


 


Crisis over.


 


What I wonder is how bad it really is. Because all along the government has not been telling us the truth. Ignoring the Woods Hole advisory on dispersant was unbelievable. They told the government what the dispersant would do and the government did not listen and suppressed the advisory. And at this moment the dispersant is still being dumped in the gulf – contributing to the creation of a dead sea in  America’s formerly leading source of seafood.


 


To say nothing about the people of the gulf.


 


The President is worrying more about leaks in his administration (stepping up prosecution of whistle-blowers)  than the leak in the Gulf.


 


That is not a good sign.


 


Sounds like the old administration we just got rid of.


 


Oh — and that $20 Billion BP is setting aside…did you know it is being paid in installments? NOT upfront?


 


True. According to a BP News Release here is how the money is scheduled to be paid to the US Government:


 



  • “BP will initially make payments of $3bn in Q3 of 2010 and $2bn in Q4 of 2010. These will be followed by a payment of $1.25bn per quarter until a total of $20bn has been paid in.

 



  • While the fund is building, BP’s commitments will be assured by the setting aside of U.S. assets with a value of $20bn. The intention is that this level of assets will decline as cash contributions are made to the fund.

 



  • The fund will be available to satisfy legitimate claims including natural resource damages and state and local response costs. Fines and penalties will be excluded from the fund and paid separately. Payments from the fund will be made as they are adjudicated, whether by the Independent Claims Facility (ICF) referred to below, or by a court, or as agreed by BP.

 



  • The ICF will be administered by Ken Feinberg. The ICF will adjudicate on all Oil Pollution Act and tort claims excluding all federal and state claims.

 



  • Any money left in the fund once all legitimate claims have been resolved and paid will revert to BP.”

How convenient a deal for BP. As Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi pointed out on Meet the Press Sunday morning, “this (deal)is very good for BP.”


You bet it is. It was not widely reported that the $20 Billion is an installment deal. This truly helps BP this year on their balance sheet. And is the money guaranteed, even if the BP Gang declares bankruptcy?


If I am the President I want that money cash up now. And,no cap.


Why is it the perpetrators are always being cut a break by this administration from the investment bankers, to the “Bancos” to the Go-Brokers, and now the oil companies — they create the greatest thefts of all time and the greatest environmental disaster in history — say they are sorry, and nobody goes to jail, everybody gets richer and this administration and congress is letting them go back to doing the same old things.


Somebody knocks over a 7-11 for pocket change and he’s black or Hispanic and he’s in jail.


It is disgusting.


Our leaders are feckless.


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

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The Gulf BP Oil Catastrophe Today

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WPCNR THE OIL NEWS. From the Department of Homeland Security. June 20,2010:


The following is an official news release from the U.S. Department of Homeland security detailing the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill response efforts as of  Sunday morning. The dispatch gives an overall picture of the impact on the region.


More than 1/3 of the Gulf is closed for fishing.


A total of 1,200 miles of oil-retaining and oil-absorbing boom have been deployed across 59 miles of coastline in the Gulf region. The breakdown shows 34 miles of Louisiana Coast; 4 miles of Mississippi, 9 miles in Alabama and 12 miles of coastline in Florida. The government notes they have 103 miles of boom in reserve. By WPCNR rough estimate there is a minimum of 900 miles of coast line from Louisianato the tip of the west coast of Florida. News reports Saturday night noted tar balls were showing up in Panama City Florida– a new location.


Here is the report:


 



PAST 24 HOURS


BP Continues to Optimize Oil Recovery Rates from its Leaking Well


BP continues to capture some oil and burn gas at the surface using its containment dome technique, which is being executed under the federal government’s direction.


In addition to the Discoverer Enterprise, which is linked by the riser pipe to the wellhead, a second recovery vessel, the Q4000, continues to flare off additional oil and gas being brought up through the choke and kill lines—a method that was also put in place at the government’s direction.


Progress Continues in Drilling Relief Wells


The Development Driller III continues to drill the first relief well to a depth of approximately 11,000 feet below the sea floor, and crews have begun the process of cementing and casing the well liner. The Development Driller II has drilled the second relief well—a redundancy measure taken at the direction of the administration—to a depth of approximately 5,000 feet below the sea floor.


Interior Department Reaches Nearly 1,000 Personnel Deployed to Gulf Response


The Department of the Interior has deployed nearly 1,000 total personnel as part of the administration-wide response to the BP oil spill—including approximately 500 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 170 from the Minerals Management Service, nearly 200 from the National Park Service and approximately 70 from the U.S. Geological Survey, in addition to senior officials engaged both in Washington and leading DOI efforts along the Gulf Coast, with all actions coordinated by National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen.


Volunteers Receive Training to Help National Park Visitors Understand the Oil Spill


Community volunteers will start joining National Park Service rangers on the shores of Gulf Islands National Seashore to talk with summer visitors about the oil spill’s effects on the barrier islands and their natural and cultural resources. Prior to working on the beaches, the volunteers will receive training from NPS rangers, biologists and communications specialists. Join this training to film/interview community members who will learn the knowledge and techniques to provide key information to beach goers related to health and safety, recreational opportunities, and resource protection messages.


EPA Continues to Conduct Air, Water and Sediment Monitoring in the Gulf.


EPA is conducting additional air monitoring for ozone and airborne particulate matter. The air monitoring conducted through June 17 has found levels of ozone and particulates ranging from the “good” to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” levels on EPA’s Air Quality Index.


EPA’s recent surface water results collected along the Gulf Coast have found the combination of oil related organic compounds to exceed chronic aquatic life benchmarks. These are levels that could impact the health, growth or reproductive activity of aquatic life if exposed for an extended period of time.


Administration Continues to Oversee BP’s Claims Process


The administration will continue to hold the responsible parties accountable for repairing the damage, and repaying Americans who’ve suffered a financial loss as a result of the BP oil spill. 64,536 claims have been opened, from which more than $104.4 million have been disbursed. No claims have been denied to date. There are 698 claims adjusters on the ground. To file a claim, visit www.bp.com/claims or call BP’s helpline at 1-800-440-0858. Those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118. Additional information about the BP claims process and all available avenues of assistance can be found at www.disasterassistance.gov.


By the Numbers to Date:


·         The administration has authorized the deployment of 17,500 National Guard troops from Gulf Coast states to respond to this crisis; to date, 1,612 have been activated.


·         Approximately 33,000 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.


·         More than 6,300 vessels are currently responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.


·         Approximately 2.44 million feet of containment boom and 3.87 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 544,000 feet of containment boom and 1.88 million feet of sorbent boom are available.


·         Approximately 22.9 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.


·         Approximately 1.36 million gallons of total dispersant have been applied—931,000 on the surface and 436,000 subsea. More than 500,000 gallons are available.


·         244 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of more than 5.25 million gallons of oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife.


·         17 staging areas are in place to protect sensitive shorelines.


·         Approximately 59 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently experiencing impacts from BP’s leaking oil—approximately 34 miles in Louisiana, four miles in Mississippi, nine miles in Alabama, and 12 miles in Florida.


·         Approximately 80,800 square miles of Gulf of Mexico federal waters remain closed to fishing in order to balance economic and public health concerns. More than 66 percent remain open. Details can be found at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/.


·         To date, the administration has leveraged assets and skills from numerous foreign countries and international organizations as part of this historic, all-hands-on-deck response, including Canada, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization and the European Union’s Monitoring and Information Centre.


Resources:


·         For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.


·         For specific information about the federal-wide response, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill.


·         To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (985) 902-5231.


·         To volunteer, or to report oiled shoreline, call (866) 448-5816. Volunteer opportunities can also be found here.


·         To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system, or to submit alternative response technology, services, or products, call 281-366-5511.


·         To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401.


·         For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill.


·         For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visit http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.


·         For Fish and Wildlife Service updates about response along the Gulf Coast and the status of national wildlife refuges, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill/.


·         For daily updates on fishing closures, visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.


·         For information on assistance loans for affected businesses, visit the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance, call (800) 659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), or email [email protected].


·         To file a claim with BP, visit www.bp.com/claims or call BP’s helpline at (800) 440-0858. A BP fact sheet with additional information is available here. Those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118.  More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found here.


·         In addition, www.disasterassistance.gov has been enhanced to provide a one-stop shop for information on how to file a claim with BP and access additional assistance—available in English and Spanish.


·         Any members of the press who encounter response personnel restricting their access or violating the media access policy set forth by Admiral Allen should contact the Joint Information Center. Click here for more information, including a list of regular embed opportunities.


 


For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

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