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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: SAMSON123 on June 19, 2010, 12:39:45 PM
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Uh Hmmm... Excuse me? Uh Tony...You might wanna NOT spend your time lavishing yourself with such wasteful activities as Yacht racing while america is about to drown in a sea of oil. The most important thing ya wanna do Tony is make it appear like YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING!!!... even if it is just pulling your wanker. The NERVE of this guy... and some wonder why some people are beginning to belief this whole thing is deliberately caused. Sort of like George Bush going golfing right after 911. Made it look like he really was not concerned at all about what had just transpired.
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As oil spews in Gulf, BP chief at UK yacht race
As oil spews in Gulf, BP chief Tony Hayward attends yacht race at UK's Isle of Wight
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The sun rises before the 5am start during the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, with The yacht "Bob" owned by BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward, left, Saturday June 19, 2010, near Cowes, Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. Spokeswoman Sheila Williams said Hayward took time off his duties handling the environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico to see his boat participate in Saturday's race. (AP Photo/Chris Ison, PA)
Raphael Satter, Associated Press Writer, On Saturday June 19, 2010, 3:13 pm
LONDON (AP) -- In what one environmentalist described as "yet another public relations disaster" for embattled energy giant BP, CEO Tony Hayward took time off Saturday to attend a glitzy yacht race around England's Isle of Wight.
As social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook lit up with outrage, BP spokespeople rushed to defend Hayward, who has drawn withering criticism as the public face of BP's halting efforts to stop the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Spokeswoman Sheila Williams said Hayward took a break from overseeing BP efforts to stem the undersea gusher in Gulf of Mexico so he could watch his 52-foot (16-meter) yacht "Bob" participate in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race.
The boat, made by the Annapolis, Maryland-based boatbuilder Farr Yacht Design, has a list price of nearly $700,000.
The annual Round the Island Race is one of the world's largest, attracting more than 1,700 boats and 16,000 sailors as famous yachtsmen compete with wealthy amateurs in the 50-nautical mile course around the island.
Robert Wine, a BP spokesman at the company's Houston headquarters, said it was the first break that Hayward has had since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and setting off the undersea oil gusher.
"He's spending a few hours with his family at a weekend. I'm sure that everyone would understand that," Wine said Saturday. "He will be back to deal with the response. It doesn't detract from that at all."
Wine described the race as "one of the biggest sailing events in the world and he's well known to have a keen interest in it."
He said Hayward will be returning to the United States, though it's unclear when.
Still, hobnobbing with millionaire sailors is likely to be a hard sell in the Gulf states, which are struggling to deal with up to 120 million gallons of oil from the blown-out well. Oil has been washing up from Louisiana to Florida, killing birds and fish, coating delicate marshes and wetlands and covering pristine beaches with tar balls.
Hayward already angered many in the U.S. when he was quoted in the Times of London as suggesting that Americans were particularly likely to file bogus claims. He later shocked residents in Louisiana by telling them that no one wanted to resolve the crisis as badly as he did because "I'd like my life back."
A pair of relief wells that won't be done until August is the best bet to stop the massive spill. By late June, the oil giant hopes it can keep nearly 90 percent of the flow from the broken pipe from hitting the ocean.
Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says a newly expanded containment system is capturing or incinerating more than 1 million gallons (3.8 million liters) of oil daily, the first time it has approached its peak capacity.
Just minutes after reports about Hayward emerged Saturday, the issue became a hot topic on social networking sites, with people on Twitter passing along the news and reacting to it every few seconds. Some comments called the move "mindboggling," others noted he had gotten his life back -- while Gulf residents had not.
British environmental groups immediately slammed Hayward's outing. Charlie Kronick of Greenpeace said Hayward was "rubbing salt into the wounds" of Gulf residents whose livelihoods have been wrecked by the disaster.
"Clearly it is incredibly insulting for him to be sailing in the Isle of Wight," he said.
Hugh Walding of Friends of the Earth said Hayward's choice of venue was sure to arouse anger.
"I'm sure that this will be seen as yet another public relations disaster," Walding said.
BP has already had its share of missteps and even the British press, much more sympathetic to the company's plight, has expressed disbelief at its media strategy.
"It is hard to recall a more catastrophically mishandled public relations response to a crisis than the one we are witnessing," the Daily Telegraph's Jeremy Warner wrote Friday.
That was before news of Hayward's nautical outing broke but after the chief executive made his appearance before a U.S. House investigations panel in which he dodged question after question, claiming he was of the loop on decisions surrounding the blown well.
Both Democrats and Republicans were infuriated when he asserted, "I'm not stonewalling."
The next day, BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg seemed to suggest that Hayward was being withdrawn from the front line of the oil spill response, although his comments were later qualified.
"It is clear that Tony has made remarks that have upset people," Svanberg told Sky News television, adding that Hayward was "now handing over" daily operations to BP Managing Director Bob Dudley.
Williams said Svanberg was misunderstood and that only a transition to Dudley, an American with 30 years in the oil business, had begun.
"Hayward is very much in charge until we've stopped the leak," she told the AP on Saturday.
Wine said "there's not a hard and fast date" on when Dudley will be completely in charge.
BP, Britain's largest company before the oil rig exploded, has lost about 45 percent of its value since then -- a drop has alarmed millions of British retirees whose pension funds hold BP stock. Just this week, BP announced that it was canceling its quarterly dividend.
It was not clear whether Hayward actually took part in Saturday's race or attended as a spectator. Williams said Hayward was there with his son. A British news agency took a picture of what it thought was Hayward on the yacht that he owns with other investors, but BP would not confirm that it was Hayward.
Peta Stuart-Hunt, a press officer for the event, said Hayward "wasn't listed on any of the crew list."
"If he is on the boat, he's in contravention of the rules," she said.
Hayward's boat finished fourth in its class. In addition to a boat's purchase price, it often costs tens of thousands of pounds (dollars) to equip a yacht for a race as competitive as the Isle of Wight.
This year's attendees at the race included British Olympic gold medal sailor Ben Ainslie.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/As-oil-spews-in-Gulf-BP-chief-apf-1422722456.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=
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AND OBAMA WENT GOLFING & TO THE BALL GAME!
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Obama hits golf course with Biden on another hot, humid weekend
By Bridget Johnson - 06/19/10 03:37 PM ET
WWW.THEHILL.COM
President Barack Obama hit the golf course Saturday with Vice President Joe Biden.
The White House pool report noted that Obama left at about 1 p.m. for the course at Andrews Air Force base, and his golfing parters included White House Trip Director Marvin Nicholson and photographer David Katz.
Nicholson and Katz, along with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, joined Obama for four hours of golf last weekend. The Republican National Committee released an ad soon afterward taking aim at Obama's golfing during the ongoing BP oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico.
The temperatures in the Washington, D.C., area Saturday were similar to last weekend, in the low 90s and humid.
Obama attended the Washington Nationals game Friday night wearing a cap for his hometown Chicago White Sox. Sources told the pool reporter that Obama sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and left in the ninth inning, before the White Sox edged out the Nationals 2-1 in the 11th.
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CNN Senior Producer/Reporter Smacks Obama for Golf Outing
Saturday, June 19, 2010 | Kristinn
Posted on Saturday, June 19, 2010 5:40:48 PM by kristinn
A senior CNN producer and reporter for CNN and Time magazine has smacked Barack Obama for goofing off at the golf course today while families in the Gulf of Mexico coastal states are still reeling from the BP oil spill.
Posting on Twitter, Danielle Dellorto said of Obama:
"Today Hayward is on a yacht. Obama & Biden are golfing. & many Gulf families say they'd like their lives back, too http://bit.ly/cycCJn #cnn" about 3 hours ago via web
Dellorto pointedly links to a CNN video report by Dr. Sanjay Gupta posted June 7 of an interview he did with three Gulf coast women on how their lives have been wrecked by the oil spill.
According to her Twitter bio, Dellorto is "Senior Producer for CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta; also contributing reporter for CNN.com; TIME Mag."
In the early days of Obama's presidency, Dr. Gupta was strongly considered by Obama to be Surgeon General of the United States.
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Cue the far-left to tell us how Obama actually cares. Cares enough to go watch Strasburg pitch, hit a few rounds of golf, throw a party for McCartney and so on and so on. ::)
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They should have held the race in the oil slicked Gulf.
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UPDATE
There's no oil slicks here, Tony: White House blasts BP boss as he watches yacht race 4,500 miles away from Gulf disaster
By CHRISTOPHER LEAKE
Chief of staff accuses Tony Hayward of another in a ‘long line of PR gaffes’
Strippers and taxi drivers now seeking payouts from BP as tourism takes a massive hit
The BP boss at the centre of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill came under further pressure last night after he was spotted relaxing at a yachting event on the Isle of Wight
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Tony Hayward, 53, BP’s £1million-a-year chief executive, was enjoying the clear blue waters of the Solent, 4,500 miles away from the disaster. His appearance came as it was reported he had been removed from day-to-day control of the crisis.
After he was accused of failing to take responsibility and ignoring dangers when BP was drilling in the Gulf, Mr Hayward watched a 52ft yacht named Bob, which he co-owns, take part in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race yesterday. The yacht - made 10 years ago and worth around £470,000 - came fourth in its class behind triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie.
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Not a slick PR move: As oil chokes the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Tony Hayward, centre, enjoys a day out on his yacht Bob off the Isle Of Wight
President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, today said Mr Hayward had committed yet another in a ‘long line of PR gaffes’.
Mr Emanuel mocked Mr Hayward’s infamous statement that he wished the crisis were over so that he could have his life back. Referring to the yachting race, Mr Emanuel told ABC Television: ‘He’s got his life back, as he would say.
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Mr Hayward being grilled for six hours before a Senate committee on Thursday
'And I think we can all conclude that Tony Hayward is not going to have a second career in PR consulting.'
Meanwhile, it emerged that strippers, waitresses and taxi drivers around New Orleans are preparing to seek huge payouts from BP after tourism took a dive in the wake of the spill.
According to the Observer, owners of one strip joint - the Mimosa Dancing Girls club - have filed a compensation claim after local out of work fisherman who could no longer afford the pleasure stopped visiting the establishment.
Taxi drivers in New Orleans have also clubbed together, the newspaper claims, to hire a lawyer to claw back lost earnings from the oil giant.
Mr Emanuel said the focus should stay on capping the leaking well and helping the people of the Gulf region.
He added: 'There's really a substance here that matters. That's clearly a PR mistake, but he's made a number of those mistakes. What's important is: are we capping the well? Are we capturing the oil? Are we containing the cleanup? Are we filing the claims? Are we also cleaning up the mess? That's what's important.'
Understandably, reaction to Mr Hayward's outing from Gulf Coast residents was harsh.
Bobby Pitre, 33, who runs a tattoo shop in Larose, Louisiana, said: 'Man, that ain't right. None of us can even go out fishing, and he's at the yacht races I wish we could get a day off from the oil, too.'
Mr Obama and Vice President Joe Biden enjoyed a round of golf yesterday near Washington, and Twitter feeds compared their day out to Mr Hayward's yachting - lumping them together as diversions of privileged people who should be paying more attention to the spill.
Mr Hayward, who is married with two children, has listed sailing as his favourite pastime. He and his family have sailed in the Virgin Islands, the Grenadines, Thailand, Belize, Turkey and Greece.
Hugh Walding, co-ordinator of the Isle of Wight Friends of the Earth, said last night that Mr Hayward deserved the criticism. He said: ‘I’m sure this will be seen as yet another PR disaster for him from people who have got exceedingly upset about this whole thing. He should at least be managing the image of the company better.’
Mr Hayward’s spokeswoman Sheila Williams said he had taken a break with his son to watch his boat in the race. In a statement, BP described Mr Hayward’s break as ‘a rare moment of private time’ and said that ‘no matter where he is, he is always in touch with what is happening within BP’ and can direct operations if required.
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With his collar up and wearing a cap and glasses, Mr Hayward makes up the crew of his yacht during the race. The move will be seen as insensitive considering the ongoing crisis in the Gulf of Mexico
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Great day out: Yachts pass the Needles during the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race
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Yachts of all ages and sizes compete in the 50 nautical mile, clockwise circumnavigation of the island
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The 1754 yachts set sail yesterday at 5am
The crisis that followed the April 20 blast on the Deepwater Horizon well, which killed 11 workers, has seen millions of gallons of oil continuing to threaten the Gulf Coast. It is America’s worst environmental disaster and has led to tensions between President Obama and BP.
Residents of the Gulf Coast braced for more oil from a ruptured BP well to hit their beaches today as oil washed ashore at Panama City, a popular Florida tourist destination.
The city's beaches remained open after clean-up crews removed the tar balls from shore, authorities said. Even so, the sight is a worry for a state with an annual tourism industry worth more than £40 billion.
BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said yesterday that Mr Hayward had been relieved of day-to-day control of the spill and managing director Bob Dudley would now take over. Later, however, other BP officials insisted Mr Hayward remained in charge of the operation.
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Meanwhile... Oil and gas are burned off the surface of the water today at the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico
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To the rescue: Hollywood star Kevin Costner, centre, speaks about his company's centrifuge machine designed to separate oil and water in Port Fourchon, Louisiana
In a new blow to BP, its oil-capture systems designed to cap the gushing leak in the Gulf were shut down on Friday night because of a technical problem. The company said yesterday that the shutdown involved a blocked flame arrester, but it was hoped to restart the systems after a lightning storm passed.
Meanwhile, BP was also accused yesterday of ‘wilful misconduct’ by the American co-owners of its pipeline at the centre of the disaster.
James Hackett, chief executive of Anadarko Petroleum, the largest independent oil and gas company operating in the Gulf, claimed: ‘There appears to be gross negligence or wilful misconduct.’
Mr Hackett, whose Houston-based firm owns 25 per cent of the oil well, pinned the blame and the financial responsibility on the British giant. His remarks further raised the stakes in an intense political row which will cost BP at least £13.5billion in compensation.
The Anadarko boss revealed he was considering ‘contractual remedies’ for BP’s ‘gross negligence or wilful misconduct’ over the spill.
Last night BP said that it ‘strongly disagreed’ with Mr Hackett’s claims. BP said Anadarko was ‘refusing to accept responsibility for oil spill removal costs and damages’ – despite an agreement that it would share the costs of any clean-up after a spill.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1287925/BP-oil-spill-boss-Tony-Hayward-takes-time-enjoy-Cowes-Week-despite-ongoing-Gulf-Mexico-disaster.html#ixzz0rPTS3XHZ
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According to the Observer, owners of one strip joint - the Mimosa Dancing Girls club - have filed a compensation claim after local out of work fisherman who could no longer afford the pleasure stopped visiting the establishment.
So, how much do they deduct off the fishermens payoff for having to miss going to their favorite strip bar?
what a fucking mess.
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The WH is blasting Hayward while Obama is on the golf course and signing take me out ot the ball game. Unreal.
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According to the Observer, owners of one strip joint - the Mimosa Dancing Girls club - have filed a compensation claim after local out of work fisherman who could no longer afford the pleasure stopped visiting the establishment.
So, how much do they deduct off the fishermens payoff for having to miss going to their favorite strip bar?
what a fucking mess.
I thought that part about the Stripper girls was hysterical...Imagine suing because they lost business. What's next...the local prostitutes and drug dealers suing as well because of the loss of business as well??? Where will it end?
BTW Tony Hayward is only paid 1,000,000 pounds by BP and he is the CEO? How cheap are those fuckers at BP. A CEO at a multi billion dollar international company should be making 10 to 20 million easily..just ask the Goldman Sachs scum and don't forget AIG...
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This whole thing is going to end up in a free for all just like Katrina.