So BP gets to drill in Arctic Russia? Go get ‘em Vlad…

NYT Online  -  Oil major BP PLC said Thursday that it has agreed with OAO Rosneft to extend the deadline for its troubled $16 billion deal to explore for oil in the Russian Arctic agreement to May 16, and the agreement will therefore not now terminate April 14.  Amid indications that Russia's state oil company might be looking to replace it with another partner, the extension gives BP time to find a way out of an embarrassing impasse that is tainting new Chief Executive Bob Dudley's first major transaction.

I saw this in my iGoogle update page and was wondering why there wasn’t more outrage about something like this.  This Obama budget thing is turning into the type of theatre that the NFL lockout is.  If there is an oil spill, which I can probably find some odds on a betting website that there will be, I don’t think there will 1/10 of the contributors to help clean up an oil spill in the Arctic mainly because it’s the arctic and secondly, most Americans still think of Red Dawn when it comes to Russia.  I just hope that this doesn’t happen again and some headline news correspondent says “Well, with all of this disaster coming from Japan and Russia, where is it going to hit next?  Is it your back yard?  More at 11.”  At exactly what dollar amount does a billionaire stop feeling remorse?  It would make a good graph in some Econ class.

Quick Post about the Kobe-Gay Slur thing

As you probably know from watching Sportscenter and TMZ, Kobe Bryant was fined for saying the word ‘fucking fag’ about the referee who gave him a technical foul that made him leave the game.  Now, I’m not upset he got fined for this.  But, I am mad that, had the camera panned out to a broader view of the court, no one would’ve seen this, making it seem like the people in the producers room were trying to keep their eyes on Kobe and his foul mouth.  Also, $100K for a saying a gay slur?  Didn’t Brandon Meriwether get fined half of that for attempting to take off Todd Heap’s head?  I think  we might need to look at what constitutes verbally insulting someone and injuring someone beyond all repair.  Either way it’s over, and I will be rooting against Kobe as the Playoffs start, seeing that he has already made himself a great heel-character for this year.  Way to go rapist!

Movin’ on Up…to the Quincy Side

So I’ve been trying to move into my new apartment for a little while now.  The apartment, from what we knew, was good to move into and there wasn’t much to be done to the place.  So we decided that I would move in and I would be able to live on my own and collect rent from tenants and do all the things that a superintendent does.  That was before we discovered a black hole in the closet.

Let me explain.  The paint in the apartments were of the lead-based type.  Lead-based paint is illegal to have on walls and there can be hefty fines for renting to people who might later test positive for lead.  It really explains why my grandmother didn’t want any kids living in the apartments.  However, getting rid of paint is not only incredibly hard to do, its pricey as hell. 

If it wasn’t just the paint, it was also the fact that the rugs in the house were dangerously old and could cause problems.  If it wasn’t just those two things, it turned into a broken stove, and then a washing machine from the Bronze Age, and a bathroom that came from the seventh circle of hell.  See things like this get expensive. 

But wait there is more.  The bathroom leaks and there is something about the downstairs apartment bathroom and the flushing.  Although this seems like Tom Hanks’ movie The Money Pit, there is something about this place that is great.  The location, for one, is right in the middle of everything everyone could ever want.  4 gyms within walking distance.  2 Brazilian restaurants within a short 3 minute drive.  2 bars, a grocery store/fruit stand, 2 banks, a breakfast place, Alfredo’s Restaurant, A lot of banks, a 7-11 and everything in between is right outside from my new place.

All I need to do as of now is to buy the TV, which I know what I want, sign up for Netflix, Hulu Plus, The Quincy Athletic Club, and maybe get some other things that will complete the bachelor pad for the while.  This may be a pricey endeavor, but I am the firm believer that the juice will be worth the squeeze.

I will try get some pictures of this place up as well as some video that will serve as a virtual tour of the place.  Stay tuned.