Kelley and Susan's The Great Escape

2012-01-31T14:32:00.004-07:00

Remember. We are not a sovereign country. We can hardly even call ourselves a nation. A nation is a place where you have a consensus ethic among the people and you enforce borders and laws that reflect your sovereignty. And when some multi-national that let's you think that is an "American" company needs your taxes to fund a war or infrastructure that they can exploit or your kids to execute that war but structure their headquarters off shore so they can pick and choose the laws they like you can hardly kid your self that we are anything more than America Inc. A business not a sovereign country

You can bet your ass that in any showdown between the interests of illegals and the interests of so-called "Americans" Eric Holder and his ilk, allegedly our attorney general sworn to look after our interests, will virtually in all cases come down in favor of the foreigner. And its not just America-hating left wingers, its ALL of them. Reagan declared amnesty which was probably a practical necessity and it made him look "compassionate" BUT PROCEEDED TO DO NOTHING TO INSURE THAT AMNESTY PART TWO WOULD NOT SOON BE REQUIRED. Nobody is against compassion but when you STRUCTURALLY fail to execute the law then you have made a conscious decision to give up your sovereignty. Our country in effect is saying "we are mercenaries for hire, we will gladly underwrite the wars and objectives of anybody with the labor of our citizens and completely disregard the interests of our citizens as long as the right people are properly remunerated". The citizens of America are just meat for the machine. We are allowed to think its "our" country because it placates us. But its not. So we will continue to be ignored

Forget about any politician from a border state like Texas. (including Bush and that clown Texas governor Rick Perry). They long ago sold their souls to, at best passive neglect and at worst pro-active promotion of giving away our sovereignty. They can't get elected without pandering to Hispanics. Granted, nominally they are pandering to Hispanic citizens but the act of voting in the interests of their invader cousins is what makes "hyphenated American" a dirty word.

As we speak the flame thrower Newt Gingrich is pandering to the Cubans by volunteering your kids to fight another war in the Caribbean. Why? Because Cubans control Florida and like Israeli's and every other mis-guided ethnic they think they can "go home" and claim the ancestral farm. And of course maybe they can "go home" and reclaim their heritage. How convenient when you can American taxes and American milatary and American military lives to do it for you. So we kiss up to Cubans so that they can nurse the fantasy. And if the fantasy comes true what is in it for you?? You probably won't even get a hand job from a hot Cuban salsa dancer. But the Cubans will get back a lot and on your taxes. So Newt is going around saying stuff like "50 years of Castro is enough, when I am president I am going to overthrow that regime". Why? Do they have oil?? Perhaps we want to open the borders to a new wave of them to keep the prices of nannies down. So now, how does that have anything to do with you and why do your taxes and your kids have to be volunteered for such an adventure??? Its because we are not sovereign. This is NOT our country. It belongs to outsiders who want us to do their dirty work. I mean the Cubans have not sent us any terrorists. If anything they have sent us a group of admirable productive high achieving citizens. So why the hell do we want to mess with them? Because our systems forces us to pander.

Romney to his credit won't stoop to the pandering which automatically makes him a racist xenophobe. Instead he is advocating no nonsense and EFFECTIVE measures like a fence and e-verify. This of course gets him reviled because they actually have a chance of being effective. People who don't deal in fantasy bullshit and instead insist on being EFFECTIVE are routinely despised.

So we have two classes of politician. Those like Obama and Eric Holder who despise this country and will do anything to poke us in the eye (remember, it is Eric Holder with the support of the administration that chose to sue Alabama and Arizona because they are trying to institute EFFECTIVE measures THAT IMPLEMENT USA LAW. To guys like Obama and Eric Holder sovereignty and immigration restrictions are just vestiges of an evil system.

And then you got all the rest. Spineless panderers that will say anything but do nothing. If you refuse to prosecute employers for hiring illegals, refuse to bane chain immigration, green card marriages and anchor babies and refuse to erect a fence then they will continue to come here at the 1 or 2 million a year rate they always have. Short of Third Reich measures once they are here they are here. Unless you are willing to get Stalin-harsh there is nothing you can do but educate house and feed them till one day you realize you have funded your own extinction.

All around us it is evident. The extinction is well on its way

2012-01-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

Personally, USA, I'm done with you.
If there was a remote chance I could move to another country I would. I guess these days being an Iraqi Vet is better than Vietnam. Why, because the Veterans Administration asks for my income stats. Like I have much income.

The Congress, LOL, what a joke. Have you ever worked for a living, or do just practice thievery. Pirates have a better reputation. Wait, you probably subsidize them. I have never seen such graft and corruption in this Government as I do now. Congress is a sham, losers, so to speak, taking our money, You are nothing but thieves, and traitors. Get The Hell out Of My Country.

Barak, you really have some issues. Did you ever think that this might be a real job, and not just a perk to your wife. Damn man, get a grip. Your foreign policy is foreign even to the foreigners.

It's very simple people. Stop this Government intervention into our lives. Give me someone to vote for, walk the pike Obama, it's not yo, it's us, The American People. Give the poor hope. Give the middle class the chance to help the poor. Oh, and you, the millionaires, I made you a millionaire, share that.

There's no hope for us. Thank you George W. and Barak. Thanks for making this country a travesty.

There is no vote coming up, no choices, as usual, you appoint our choices. Get over it America. Change it, and do it now. How? That a question that needs debate.

There will be more from me, much more

Till then, think, think a lot. Your future is at stake.

2011-12-21T17:06:00.001-07:00

To The Government

I have decided that you, the whole lot of you, are worthless.

All you are is in office for is political gain.

Obama, you are our manager, why don't you manage this country. Sadly you will go down as America's worst mistake ever.

Congress: You are a joke, and most of the American people dislike you. Lazy, and selfish, you all need to be ousted from office. There is no room for partisan politics , when the very people that voted you into office, you have turned your back on. You should be stripped of power and your bank accounts siezed. One by one, you should be prosecuted, and sent to prison.

The Senate: Your a body of Americans, elected, and one who also needs to be, abolished. You lie, you cheat, and you turn your backs on Americans who are in trouble, mainly because of your corrupt nature. Get out of my Government. You Suck.

Now, you need to think about what you are doing. Raise our taxes and we will stand up to you. If you raise our taxes, we are going to suggest that you no longer be paid. That will help the budget, and we will have the satisfaction of knowing that you and your families are hungry , as we are.

You worthless, arrogant, bastards. Go away.

I approved this message and hope that many will jump on the bandwagon to straighted this mess out. I wish all Americans, Happy Holidays. I wish Government officials to receive the same as we do out here, Taxation without representation

Kelley C McGuiness

You have to be kidding me

2011-08-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

So now we have the thing about the banks not keeping real paperwork, and not being able to verify forclosures. Kiss may 800 Billion dollar ass. I want my money back.
So we have a disfunctional government, so what else is new, except this one is really bad. Well you thought it would be cool to have an ethnic president, ya got him.
Oh thanks for ruining The Republican Party. Thanks for being The Democrats, the loser party.
You all need to go and find a job in the private sector, oh shit I forgot, there aren't any.
Nevermind, you don't need jobs, your pesions that I pay will keep you going.
There are no jobs, wait there are many in China, where we but everything from.
Let me tell you something, next time you go to Walmart, look for Ameican products. Remember Walmart, years ago, "Buy American" yeah, KMA
Do us a favor and back off from prostitution, we need to make a legal living too. You are our best customers, according to the media. What gives you the right to dictate to us? What right?
Oh yeah the budget, cut your salaries and that would become better.
As for fact, many Americans are tired of you, The Government. Why don't you no show to work tommorrow so we can fire you.
Oh better yet, just go away, as we The People are sick of you.
Lying, Cheating, Pieces of shit you are
Obama, all you have to do is manage, like that's going to happen.
I'm hungry, sad to say.
Have a toast and a steak for us.

The 4th of July

2011-07-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

It's about freedom, true freedom. Haven't seen that in years. It's election time, we can do it

Then again

2011-05-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

We don't trust our fearless leaders completely, really?
Ok, there are a few nebulous details, and pictures are out of the question, tha s sadistic. I just want to know you didn't pull one of your Government stunts on us. It is election time.
Just tell us the truth, if you know how do that.
Hey, we don't trust you
Think about that a little, see some of us see your crap
Just a little message, from a little person out there
Oh yes a voter too, like you care, LOL
You'll just make it happen.
I hope you get what I'm saying
Kelley

Yesssssssss

2011-05-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

Good bye Osama Bin Laden
Can I have your Virgins you prick
Good riddance you piece of shit, now, for the rest of you that follow him, follow your martyr to your death.
A great day for the world, Osama is Dead

This is the last word

2011-04-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

LISTEN UP OBAMA
Get off your ass

This isn't Kansas

If you can't get it together, get a budget, work together, you know the things that we elected you to do. If you can't do that you must go

All of you, your fearless leader, Obama. You The Senator, you the Congressman, you in the house. All of you. I will not tolerate this, and I have the right to recall, to arm, to stand up for my rights.

Run Forrest Run
You steal from me, I will shut your asses down. It's management people, manage, na time for you to go

Kiss my ass stop the wars and do what we tell ya, or the Government may end up in Gitmo
Pieces of shit, rich assholes, contact me if you have a problem with that description of the, our representatives

LOL The State of The State

2011-03-06T20:13:00.001-07:00

We'll leave the Federal Government out of this for awhile.
We're focused on Wisconsin tonight. Before I start, we are from this state originally so there is a bit of knowledge here.
Let me tell you something, protests aren't new to this State. Remember the 60's and the Madison protests?. I think there was a chem lab blown up in those days. OK, so the people of this State protest, it's their right, especially if you have a new Governor that is lacking in the normal skills of a snail. Yes and we understand the hardship the Capitol, and The Legislature is going thru. We know it's terrible.

7 Million to clean up the Capitol Building? LMAO You could replace that relic for that. What you really need to put that money into is citizens services. The Town I live in, doesn't know what the down button on the snowplow blade is. Why do you drive around with your blades up, that is, if you even have them attached. Oh right, you need to salt. Take your salt and shove it up your ass, or replace our cars when it rots them out. Oh I forgot, you don't want to tear up the thousands of cold patches that you have made to the roads, because you don't have the budget to repave.

Oh yeah, didn't see the highway people paint the lines last summers, oh yeah budget, sorry forgot.

7 Million to fix the Capitol

The homeless are kicked out of the Capitol, uh solve the homeless problem. Give the 6.5 Million you don't need, to clean the Capitol to the homeless funds

Why do I have to pay to access my waterways, MR DNR, oh yeah that helps to pay off the Capitol cleaning Bill.

Why is my local DMV only open one day a week, shit I forgot, they are cleaning the Capitol

Well as I see it, protest Madison, and you have a lot to speak about, and lord knows you have 50 years experience doing it. One thing I might suggest is that, next time you have an election, you might want to pick a mayoral candidate that has some knowledge of something. Governor Walker seems to be lacking people skills, wait sorry he is is lacking all skills

With that I'll turn the page Wisconsin

It's only a trillion

2010-12-07T19:59:00.001-07:00

Moving right along, the powers that be will now pass the tax cuts, adding almost a trillion to the debt. I don't think any American wants this, but we get it anyways, because you see, America is now run by those people you just elected. See they are printing more money as we speak, and if you haven't noticed prices are going up. That's what happens when you print more money, you de-valuate the Dollar. Unemployment is at 9.8% and the pundits say the recession is over. There are a lot of us that aren't having a Christmas this year, I feel lucky, as we aren't living under a bridge yet. Retails sales will be up because that's what they are going to tells us.
America, I am proud of your consistency in keeping the ship of fools afloat.
You might think hard on the next election, just think, if you vote Sarah Palin into the presidency, you might be able to sink the ship forever. Yeah you might as well put her in office, Obama is a deer in the headlights
America, you will never learn
The Government is ineffective, worthless, and thieves, one day you all may listen to me.

Obituary

2010-11-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Congressional Reform

2010-10-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

For the Congressmen that read this, which many of you do, and disagree, you probably shound step down, as you are not fit for this office

We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These people will become American heroes.

Congressional Reform Act of

2010
1. Term Limits
12 years only, one of the possible options below..

A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.

The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

This just in News that is very important

2010-08-12T11:42:00.001-07:00

~Discovery Announcement ~

The densest element in the known Universe has been found!
Pelosium:

A major research institution has just announced the discovery of the densest element yet known to science. The new element has been named Pelosium.

Pelosium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 311.
These particles are held together by dark forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.
The symbol of Pelosium is PU.

Pelosium's mass actually increases over time, as morons randomly interact with various elements in the atmosphere and become assistant deputy neutrons within the Pelosium molecule, leading to the formation of isodopes.
This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientist to believe that Pelosium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as Critical Morass.

When catalyzed with money, Pelosium activates CNNadnausium, an element that radiates orders of magnitude more energy, albeit as incoherent noise, since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons as Pelosium.

THIS IS THE REASON THIS "LADY" HAS GOT TO BE KICKED OUT OF THE CONGRESS. KEEP THIS MOVING SO THAT MILLIONS WILL KNOW. THERE IS STRENGTH IN "PEOPLE POWER".

REMINDER, IN CASE YOU FORGOT, OR DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW:
The Queen's Jet (I will pass this on every time I receive it!)

This is QUEEN PELOSI'S JET!!!

Queen Pelosi wasn't happy with the small USAFC-20B jet, Gulf Stream III that comes with the Speaker's job ... OH NO! Queen Pelosi was aggravated that this little jet had to stop to refuel, so she ordered a Big Fat, 200-seat, USAF C-32, Boeing 757 jet that could get her back to California without stopping! I understand that a former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, flew commercial most of the time.

Many, many legislators walked by and grinned with glee as Joe informed every one of what Queen Nancy's Big Fat Jet costs us, the hard working American tax payers, literally thousands of gallons of fuel every week.

Since she only works 3 days a week, this gas guzzling jet gets fueled and she flies home to California every Friday and returns every Monday, at a cost to the taxpayers (YOU and ME are those taxpayers!) of about $60,000, one way!

As Joe put it ...."Unfortunately we have to pay to bring her back on Monday night and that costs us another $60,000!" Taxpayers, that is $480,000 per month and that is an annual cost to us of$5,760,000!!!

No wonder she complains about the cost of this war ... it might cramp her style that she is styling on my back and yours. I think of the military families in this country doing without and this woman, who heads up the most corrupt Congress in the history of our country, keeps fueling that jet while doing nothing.

Queen Pelosi wants you and me to conserve our carbon footprint. She wants us to buy smaller cars and Obama wants us to get a bicycle pump and air up our tires. Who do these people think they are??? Their motto is ...Don't do as I do ... JUST DO AS I SAY!

This is outrageous, forward it to all those on your email list! Keep in mind the figures above do NOT include the cost of plane or crew...just the fuel!!! One has to wonder what the total package costs us?

And on top of that ... now she wants to tax our IRA's & 401K's!

I know where I would like to put my footprint!

Switching Gears Now

2010-08-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks BP for fixing what never should have happened, and also taking your sweet time to do it.
The problem at hand now is our Government. Yeah I'm speaking to you, Mr. Obama, and that band of thieves called the Congress and the Senate. Now, Now, did you forget about Charlie Rangle, or maybe Blago, or maybe the rest of your team that has intently and deliberately killed the middle class, let the banks get away with straight on theft, poor Military leadership, and all the other crap you have pulled off?
There are many of us out here that are having a hard time and we're getting foreclosed on, going to food banks just to get out next few meals, losing everything we have worked for. Yeah what do you care, your fat and sassy, you eat, your house is secure, and the reason for that is, is that you are a thief. Honest Americans are in trouble.

The only thing we can do is abandon this ship of fools. All they talk about is the importance of their own party. Democrats and Republican share one ideal, and that's to destroy this country. Then you have Sarah Palin out there tanking everything with her rather ignorant mouth. We need to replace this Government in November. Cast away the incumbents by not voting for them, maybe even a recall on our inept President.
Who knows but I'll tell you one thing, if we don't get this thing under control, we are gonna sink with the ship of fool. I don't care about you, but that's not going to happen to me.

Wake up people, your beloved Government is trying to get rid of you!

A little History of BP

2010-06-30T14:40:00.002-07:00

I decided to inject BP's History into this blog so you can see what has been, and might be going on in the future. Information is from various sources and mailnly from Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; For more information go to Source

This is for my British Friends that say that BP is an American Company
BP plc is a British-based global energy company which is the third largest energy company and the fourth largest company in the world. The name is derived from the initials of its former legal name, British Petroleum. A multinational oil company ("oil major"), BP is the United Kingdom's largest corporation, with its head office in St James's, City of Westminster, London. BP America's headquarters is in the One Westlake Park in the Energy Corridor area of Houston, Texas. The company is among the largest private sector energy corporations in the world and is one of the six "supermajors" (vertically integrated private sector oil exploration, natural gas, and petroleum product marketing companies). The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

Since the 20 April 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, in which 11 people died, and subsequent oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, BP's public standing and stock value have dropped substantially, losing nearly half of its market capitalisation. The disaster, involving a leaking deep water oil well, has devastated a vast area of the United States marine environment and had a serious impact on the local fishing industry. Efforts at containing the spill were at first ineffective and though some progress has been made since the fitting of a cap, in late June 2010, massive volumes of crude oil continue to escape and cause serious damage to the marine ecosystem and local economy. Apart from the environmental damage, the disaster is having an impact on President Barack Obama's political standing. The disaster has prompted high level negotiations with British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has expressed concern for the prospect of BP's destruction.
In May 1901, William Knox D'Arcy was granted a concession by the Shah of Iran to search for oil, which he discovered in May 1908. This was the first commercially significant find in the Middle East. On 14 April 1909, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) was incorporated as a subsidiary of Burmah Oil Company to exploit this. In 1935, it became the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC).

After World War II, AIOC and the Iranian government initially resisted nationalist pressure to revise AIOC's concession terms still further in Iran's favour. But in March 1951, the pro-western Prime Minister Ali Razmara was assassinated. The Majlis of Iran (parliament) elected a nationalist, Mohammed Mossadeq, as prime minister. In April, the Majlis nationalised the oil industry by unanimous vote. The National Iranian Oil Company was formed as a result, displacing the AIOC. The AIOC withdrew its management from Iran, and organised an effective boycott of Iranian oil. The British government – which owned the AIOC – contested the nationalisation at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, but its complaint was dismissed.

By spring of 1953, incoming U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorised the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to organise a coup against the Mossadeq government with support from the British government. On 19 August 1953, Mossadeq was forced from office by the CIA conspiracy, involving the Shah and the Iranian military, and known by its codename, Operation Ajax.

Classic shield logo, designed by Raymond Loewy, used from 1979 to 2000 and still in use in a small number of petrol stations.Mossadeq was replaced by pro-Western general Fazlollah Zahedi, and the Shah, who returned to Iran after having left the country briefly to await the outcome of the coup. The Shah abolished the democratic Constitution and assumed autocratic powers.

After the coup, Mossadeq's National Iranian Oil Company became an international consortium, and AIOC resumed operations in Iran as a member of it. The consortium agreed to share profits on a 50–50 basis with Iran, "but not to open its books to Iranian auditors or to allow Iranians onto its board of directors." AIOC, as a part of the Anglo-American coup d'état deal, was not allowed to monopolise Iranian oil as before. It was limited to a 40% share in a new international consortium. For the rest, 40% went to the five major American companies and 20% went to Royal Dutch Shell and Compagnie Française des Pétroles, now Total S.A..

The AIOC became the British Petroleum Company in 1954. In 1959 the company expanded beyond the Middle East to Alaska and in 1965 it was the first company to strike oil in the North Sea. In 1978 British Petroleum acquired a controlling interest in Standard Oil of Ohio or Sohio, a breakoff of the former Standard Oil that had been broken up after anti-trust litigation.

British Petroleum continued to operate in Iran until the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The new regime of Ayatollah Khomeini confiscated all of British Petroleum's assets in Iran without compensation, finally closing British Petroleum's 70-year presence in Iran.

1980s and 1990s

Sir Peter Walters was British Petroleum's chairman from 1981 to 1990. This was the era of the Thatcher government's privatisation strategy. The British government sold its entire holding in British Petroleum in several tranches between 1979 and 1987. The sale process was marked by an attempt by the Kuwait Investment Authority, the investment arm of the Kuwait government, to acquire control of British Petroleum.[28] This was ultimately blocked by the strong opposition of the British government. In 1987, British Petroleum negotiated the acquisition of Britoil and the remaining publicly traded shares of Standard Oil of Ohio.

A British BP Shop Petrol Station.Walters was replaced by Robert Horton in 1989. Horton carried out a major corporate down-sizing exercise removing various tiers of management within the British Petroleum Head Office.

Standard Oil of California and Gulf Oil merged in 1984, the largest merger in history at that time. Under the antitrust regulation, SoCal divested many of Gulf's operating subsidiaries, and sold some Gulf stations and a refinery in the eastern United States. British Petroleum bought many of the stations in the Southeastern United States.[citation needed]

John Browne, who had been on the board as managing director since 1991, was appointed group chief executive in 1995. Browne was responsible for three major acquisitions; Amoco, ARCO and Burmah-Castrol (see below). In 2001, Browne would be ennobled as Lord Browne of Madingley.

Recent years

British Petroleum merged with Amoco (formerly Standard Oil of Indiana) in December 1998, becoming BP Amoco plc. In 2000, BP Amoco acquired Arco (Atlantic Richfield Co.) and Burmah Castrol plc. In 2001 the company formally renamed itself as BP plc and adopted the tagline "Beyond Petroleum," which remains in use today. It states that BP was never meant to be an abbreviation of its tagline. Most Amoco stations in the United States were converted to BP's brand and corporate identity. In many states, however, BP continued to sell Amoco branded gasoline even in service stations with the BP identity as Amoco was rated the best petroleum brand by consumers for 16 consecutive years and also enjoyed one of the three highest brand loyalty reputations for gasoline in the US, comparable only to Chevron and Shell. In May 2008, when the Amoco name was mostly phased out in favour of "BP Gasoline with Invigorate", promoting BP's new additive, the highest grade of BP gasoline available in the United States was still called Amoco Ultimate.

Chief scientist, Steven Koonin (top right, with laptop), speaks about the energy scene in the boardroom in 2005.In April 2004, BP decided to move most of its petrochemical businesses into a separate entity called Innovene within the BP Group. BP sought to sell the new company possibly via an initial public offering (IPO) in the US, and filed IPO plans for Innovene with the New York Stock Exchange on 12 September 2005. On 7 October 2005, however, BP announced that it had agreed to sell Innovene to INEOS, a privately held UK chemical company for $9 billion, thereby scrapping its plans for the IPO.

In 2005, BP announced that it would be leaving the Colorado market. Many locations were re-branded as Conoco.

Westlake Park in the Energy Corridor area of Houston has BP Americas's headquartersIn 2006, when Chevron Corporation gave exlclusive rights to the Texaco brand name in the U.S. Texaco sold some BP gas stations in the southeast. BP has recently looked to grow its oil exploration activities in frontier areas such as the former Soviet Union for its future reserves.[40] In Russia, BP owns 50% of TNK-BP with the other half owned by three Russian billionaires. TNK-BP accounts for a fifth of BP's global reserves, a quarter of BP's production, and nearly a tenth of its global profits.

In 2007, according to some private BP-branded gasoline centre operators in the Metro Atlanta area, BP planned to leave the Southern market in the next few years. All corporate-owned BP stations, typically known as "BP Connect", were to be sold to local jobbers.

On 12 January 2007, it was announced that Lord Browne would retire as chief executive at the end of July 2007.[43] The new Chief Executive, Tony Hayward, had been head of exploration and production. It had been expected that Lord Browne would retire in February 2008 when he reached the age of 60, the standard retirement age at BP. Browne resigned abruptly from BP on 1 May 2007, following the lifting of a legal injunction preventing Associated Newspapers from publishing details about his private life. Hayward succeeded Browne with immediate effect.

On 1 April 2010, Chevron purchsed some BP gas stations in Mississsippi to the Texaco brand.[citation needed]

Stock decline

After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill BP's stock fell by 52% in 50 days on the New York Stock Exchange, going from $60.57 on April 20, 2010, to $29.20 on June 9, its lowest level since August 1996.

Around 40% of BP shares are held by UK shareholders, and 39% in the USA. BP's UK dividends represent approximately one-seventh of all dividend payments in the UK and form the basis of many pension schemes.

Some market commentators suggested BP may have to cut its dividend, be broken up, file for bankruptcy or be taken over by another oil company as a result of the spill and associated liabilities. Financial analysts suggests 4 possible scenarios. One is that the oil leak stops, political pressure abates, and the clean up costs are manageable. A second is that a competitor attempts to takeover BP, either in cooperation with the company or as a hostile bid. The share price would vary according to political pressure and factors related to the suitor and/or BP. A third scenario is that the leak is stopped but with delays. There is uncertainty of the clean up payments. BP stock prices rebound but not completely. A fourth scenario is that the leak is not resolved, political pressure continues leading to bankruptcy.

Corporate Structure

Governance

BP head office in St. James's, City of WestminsterThe Board Members are:
Carl-Henric Svanberg – Chairman

Sir Ian Prosser – Non-executive director

Byron Grote – Chief Financial Officer

Andy Inglis – Chief executive, Exploration and Production

Antony Burgmans – Non-executive director, board of Mauritshuis, AEGON, Unilever

Cynthia Carroll – Non-executive director, CEO of Anglo American, also board of De Beers

Sir William Castell – Non-executive director chairman of The Prince’s Trust

George David – Non-executive director

Tony Hayward – CEO/MD BP Worldwide

Iain Conn

George David vice-chairman of the Peterson Institute for International Economics

Erroll Davis, board of General Motors and Union Pacific.

Douglas Flint, CBE director HSBC

Dr DeAnne Julius, director of Chatham House

Financial data

Chart of the major energy companies dubbed "Big Oil" sorted by latest published revenueFinancial data in millions of US$ Year 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Sales 180,186 236,045 294,849 249,465 265,906

EBITDA 22,941 28,200 37,825 41,453 44,835

Net Results 6,845 10,267 15,961 22,341 22,000

Net Debt 20,273 20,193 21,607 16,202 16,202

Source :OpesC

Environmental record

BP was named by Mother Jones Magazine, an investigative journal that "exposes the evils of the corporate world, the government, and the mainstream media", as one of the ten worst corporations in both 2001 and 2005 based on its environmental and human rights records. In 1991 BP was cited as the most polluting company in the US based on EPA toxic release data. BP has been charged with burning polluted gases at its Ohio refinery (for which it was fined $1.7 million), and in July 2000 BP paid a $10 million fine to the EPA for its management of its US refineries. According to PIRG research, between January 1997 and March 1998, BP was responsible for 104 oil spills. BP patented the Dracone Barge to aid in oil spill clean-ups across the world.

A Gulf gasoline station in Louisville, KY using the previous BP prototype. BP purchased all Gulf stations in the southeastern United States in the 1980's after Chevron, Inc. was forced to divest the stations by the United States Justice Department.As of 11 February 2007 BP announced that they would spend $8 billion over ten years to research alternative methods of fuel, including natural gas, hydrogen, solar, and wind. A $500 million grant to the University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to create an Energy Biosciences Institute has recently come under attack, over concerns about the global impacts of the research and privatisation of public universities.

Solar panel made by BP SolarBP's investment in green technologies peaked at 4% of its exploratory budget, but they have since closed their alternative energy headquarters in London. As such they invest more than other oil companies, but it has been called greenwashing due to the small proportion of the overall budget.

In 2004, BP began marketing low-sulphur diesel fuel for industrial use.

BP Solar is a leading producer of solar panels since its purchase of Lucas Energy Systems in 1980 and Solarex (as part of its acquisition of Amoco) in 2000. BP Solar had a 20% world market share in photovoltaic panels in 2004 when it had a capacity to produce 90 MW/year of panels. It has over 30 years experience operating in over 160 countries with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Spain, India and Australia and has more than 2000 employees worldwide. BP has removed it's US plants (frederick md)in a transition to China. This is due in part to Chinas upswing in solar use and the protectionist laws that require 85% of the materials to be produced in China. Through a series of acquisitions in the solar power industry BP Solar became the third largest producer of solar panels in the world. It was recently announced that BP has obtained a contract for a pilot project to provide on-site solar power to Wal-mart stores. In the 2006 annual report Lord Browne noted that BP now has a total wind generation capacity of nearly 15,000 megawatts. 15,000 megawatts would be sufficient to provide power to approximately 15,000,000 typical American households simultaneously. This makes BP one of the largest generators of wind power in the world.[citation needed]

Climate change

BP Amoco was a member of the Global Climate Coalition an industry organisation established to promote global warming scepticism but withdrew in 1997, saying "the time to consider the policy dimensions of climate change is not when the link between greenhouse gases and climate change is conclusively proven, but when the possibility cannot be discounted and is taken seriously by the society of which we are part. We in BP have reached that point.".

In March 2002 Lord Browne of Madingley declared in a speech that global warming was real and that urgent action was needed, saying that "Companies composed of highly skilled and trained people can't live in denial of mounting evidence gathered by hundreds of the most reputable scientists in the world."

BP is a sponsor of the Scripps Institution CO2 program to measure carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

1965: Sea Gem offshore oil rig disaster

Main article: Sea Gem

In December 1965, while the BP oil rig Sea Gem was being moved, two of its legs collapsed and the rig capsised. Thirteen crew were killed. Sea Gem was the first British offshore oil rig.

1993–1995: Hazardous substance dumping

In September 1999, one of BP’s US subsidiaries, BP Exploration Alaska (BPXA), agreed to resolve charges related to the illegal dumping of hazardous wastes on the Alaska North Slope, for $22 million. The settlement included the maximum $500,000 criminal fine, $6.5 million in civil penalties, and BP’s establishment of a $15 million environmental management system at all of BP facilities in the US and Gulf of Mexico that are engaged in oil exploration, drilling or production. The charges stemmed from the 1993 to 1995 dumping of hazardous wastes on Endicott Island, Alaska by BP’s contractor Doyon Drilling. The firm illegally discharged waste oil, paint thinner and other toxic and hazardous substances by injecting them down the outer rim, or annuli, of the oil wells. BPXA failed to report the illegal injections when it learned of the conduct, in violation of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.

2006–2007: Prudhoe Bay

Main article: Prudhoe Bay oil spill

In August 2006, BP shut down oil operations in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, due to corrosion in pipelines leading up to the Alaska Pipeline. The wells were leaking insulating agent called Arctic pack, consisting of crude oil and diesel fuel, between the wells and ice. BP had spilled over one million litres of oil in Alaska's North Slope.[68] This corrosion is caused by sediment collecting in the bottom of the pipe, protecting corrosive bacteria from chemicals sent through the pipeline to fight these bacteria. There are estimates that about 5,000 barrels (790 m3) of oil were released from the pipeline. To date 1,513 barrels (240.5 m3) of liquids, about 5,200 cubic yards (4,000 m3) of soiled snow and 328 cubic yards (251 m3) of soiled gravel have been recovered. After approval from the DOT, only the eastern portion of the field was shut down, resulting in a reduction of 200,000 barrels per day (32,000 m3/d) until work began to bring the eastern field to full production on 2 October 2006.

In May 2007, the company announced another partial field shutdown owing to leaks of water at a separation plant. Their action was interpreted as another example of fallout from a decision to cut maintenance of the pipeline and associated facilities.

On 16 October 2007 Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation officials reported a toxic spill of methanol (methyl alcohol) at the Prudhoe Bay oil field managed by BP PLC. Nearly 2,000 gallons of mostly methanol, mixed with some crude oil and water, spilled onto a frozen tundra pond as well as a gravel pad from a pipeline. Methanol, which is poisonous to plants and animals, is used to clear ice from the insides of the Arctic-based pipelines.

2010: Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Main article: Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Anchor handling tugs combat the fire on the Deepwater Horizon while the United States Coast Guard searches for missing crew.

Public protest in New Orleans following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.On April 20, 2010, a semi-submersible exploratory offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded after a blowout and sank two days later, killing eleven people and causing a massive oil spill threatening the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Florida. The rig is owned and operated by Transocean Ltd on behalf of BP, which is the majority owner of the oil field. At the time of the explosion, there were 126 crew on board; seven were employees of BP, 79 of Transocean, there were also employees of various other companies involved in the operation of the rig, including Anadarko, Halliburton and M-I Swaco. The company originally estimated the size of the leak at about 1,000 barrels a day but later accepted government estimates of a leak of at least 5,000 barrels per day (790 m3/d).

On April 30, BP stated that it would harness all of its resources to battle the oil spill, spending $7 million a day with its partners to try to contain the disaster. In comparison BP's 1st quarter profits for 2010 were roughly $61M daily. BP was running the well without a remote control shut-off switch used in two other major oil-producing nations, Brazil and Norway, as a last resort protection against underwater spills. The use of such devices is not mandated by U.S. regulators. The U.S. Government gave the responsibility of the incident to BP and will hold it accountable for costs incurred in containing the situation.

On May 11, 2010, Congress called the executives of BP, Transocean, and Halliburton to a hearing regarding the oil spill. When probed for answers regarding the events leading up to the explosion, each company blamed the other. BP blamed Transocean who owned the rig, who then blamed the operators of the rig, BP. They also blamed Halliburton, who built the well casing. Scientists have been requesting the right to monitor the amount of oil that is actually being released per day, but "'The answer is no to that,' a BP spokesman, Tom Mueller, said on Saturday, May 15. 'We're not going to take any extra efforts now to calculate flow there at this point. It's not relevant to the response effort, and it might even detract from the response effort.'" Steven Wereley, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, analyzed videotape of the leak using particle image velocimetry and estimated oil flow rates at between 56,000 to 84,000 barrels per day (8,900 to 13,400 m3/d), or equivalent to one Exxon Valdez spill every 3.5 to 2.4 days. A second, smaller leak has been estimated to be releasing 25,000 barrels per day (4,000 m3/d) by itself, suggesting that the total size of the leak may well be in excess of 100,000 barrels per day and became the largest offshore oil spill in US history.

Mist mountain project

There have been some calls by environmental groups for BP to halt its "Mist Mountain" Coalbed Methane Project in the Southern Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and for the UN to investigate the mining activities. The proposed 500 km² project is directly adjacent to the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

Canadian oil sands

BP is one of numerous firms who are extracting oil from Canadian oil sands, a process that produces four times as much CO2 as conventional drilling. The Cree aboriginal group describe BP as being complicit in 'the biggest environmental crime on the planet'.

Safety record

Refinery safety violations

Under scrutiny after the Texas City Refinery explosion, two BP-owned refineries in Texas City, Texas, and Toledo, Ohio, were responsible for 97 percent (829 of 851) of willful safety violations by oil refiners between June 2007 and February 2010, as determined by inspections by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Jordan Barab, deputy assistant secretary of labor at OSHA, said "The only thing you can conclude is that BP has a serious, systemic safety problem in their company."

2005: Texas City Refinery explosion

Main article: Texas City Refinery explosion

In March 2005, BP's Texas City, Texas refinery, one of its largest refineries, exploded causing 15 deaths, injuring 180 people and forcing thousands of nearby residents to remain sheltered in their homes. A large column filled with hydrocarbon overflowed to form a vapour cloud, which ignited. The explosion caused all the casualties and substantial damage to the rest of the plant. The incident came as the culmination of a series of less serious accidents at the refinery, and the engineering problems were not addressed by the management. Maintenance and safety at the plant had been cut as a cost-saving measure, the responsibility ultimately resting with executives in London.

The fall-out from the accident continues to cloud BP's corporate image because of the mismanagement at the plant. There have been several investigations of the disaster, the most recent being that from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board[89] which "offered a scathing assessment of the company." OSHA found "organizational and safety deficiencies at all levels of the BP Corporation" and said management failures could be traced from Texas to London.

The company pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the Clean Air Act, was fined $50 million, and sentenced to three years probation.

On October 30, 2009, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined BP an additional $87 million — the largest fine in OSHA history — for failing to correct safety hazards revealed in the 2005 explosion. Inspectors found 270 safety violations that had been previously cited but not fixed and 439 new violations. BP is appealing that fine. (see Environmental and Safety Record).

2006–2008: Texas City refinery fatalities

From January 2006 to January 2008, three workers were killed at the company's Texas City, Texas refinery in three separate accidents. In July 2006 a worker was crushed between a pipe stack and mechanical lift, in June 2007, a worker was electrocuted, and in January 2008, a worker was killed by a 500-pound piece of metal that came loose under high pressure and hit him.

2009: North Sea helicopter accident

Main article: April 2009 North Sea helicopter crash

On April 1, 2009, a Bond Offshore Helicopters Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma ferrying workers from BP's platform in the Miller oilfield in the North Sea off Scotland crashed in good weather killing all 16 on board.

2010: Deepwater Horizon well explosion

Main article: Deepwater Horizon explosion

The April 20, 2010 explosion on BP's offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the death of eleven people.

Political record

2007: Propane price manipulation

Four BP energy traders in Houston were charged with manipulating prices of propane in October 2007. As part of the settlement of the case, BP paid the US government a $303 million fine, the largest commodity market settlement ever in the US. The settlement included a $125 million civil fine to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, $100 million to the Justice Department, $53.3 million to a restitution fund for purchasers of the propane BP sold, and $25 million to a US Postal Service consumer fraud education fund.

2008: Oil price manipulation

In May 2010, the Supreme Court of Arbitration of the Russian Federation agreed in support of the country’s antimonopoly service’s decision to a 1.1 billion Ruble fine ($35.2 million) against TNK/BP, a 50/50 joint venture, for abusing antitrust legislation and setting artificially high oil products prices in 2008, TNK and BP declined comment.

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline

BP has been criticised for its involvement with Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, due to human rights, environmental and safety concerns.

Colombian pipeline

In July 2006, a group of Colombian farmers won a multi million pound settlement from BP after the British oil and gas company was accused of benefiting from a regime of terror carried out by Colombian government paramilitaries to protect a 450-mile (720 km) pipeline.

Contributions to political campaigns

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, BP is the United States' hundredth largest donor to political campaigns, having contributed more than US$5 million since 1990, 72% and 28% of which went to Republican and Democratic recipients, respectively. BP has lobbied to gain exemptions from U.S. corporate law reforms. Additionally, BP paid the Podesta Group, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm, $160,000 in the first half of 2007 to manage its congressional and government relations.

In February 2002 BP's chief executive, Lord Browne of Madingley, renounced the practice of corporate campaign contributions, noting: "That's why we've decided, as a global policy, that from now on we will make no political contributions from corporate funds anywhere in the world."

Despite this, in 2009 BP used nearly US$16 million to lobby US Congress, breaking the company's previous record (from 2008) of US$10.4 million.

BP corporate and retail brands

BP gasoline station in Zanesville, Ohio using previous BP prototype. Corporate branding

BP Amoco changed its name to BP in 2000, and introduced a new corporate slogan: “Beyond Petroleum.” It replaced its “Green Shield” logo with the helios symbol, a green and yellow sunflower pattern similar to the emblem of the Green Party of Canada. These changes were intended to highlight the company’s interest in alternative and environmentally friendly fuels. When, in July 2006, BP admitted, only after journalists became aware of the spill, that it was facing criminal charges for allowing 270,000 gallons of crude oil to spread into the Alaskan tundra, critics pointed to the relative lack of press coverage about the spill as evidence that BP had successfully greenwashed its image while maintaining environmentally unsound practices.

In 2008, BP was awarded a satirical prize, the "Emerald Paintbrush" award, by Greenpeace UK. The "Emerald Paintbrush" award was given to BP in order to highlight its alleged greenwashing campaign. Critics point out that while BP advertises its relatively minimal investment in alternative energy sources, the majority of its investments continue to go into fossil fuels. BP was also one nominee for the 2009 Greenwash Awards.

BP

Before January 1999 the company was registered as the British Petroleum Company PLC. In January 1999 following a merger the company took on the Amoco name. They retained the name BP Amoco, until April 2000. The transition to the BP PLC name was managed by BPs advertising agency: Ogilvy & Mather and PR Consultants: Ogilvy PR. The change of name culminated in BPs new logo and re-branding, in the first quarter of 2001.

The Helios logo (Helios is the name of the Greek sun god), represents energy in its many forms. The company owns the two letter internet domain bp.com, which the company registered November 10, 1989. BP is among the earliest brands to own such a short Domain name. BP's tagline is "Beyond Petroleum"; according to the company this represents their focus on meeting the growing demand for fossil fuels, manufacturing and delivering more advanced products, and enabling the material transition to a lower carbon future.

The service mark is registered at the USPTO, and owned by BP p.l.c.In conjunction with the company's new branding makeover, BP trademarked their new Helio sunburst logo combined with BP slogan wording in the United States with the USPTO. Their application was filed on March 14, 2008 with registration approved seven months later on October 14, 2008. The new service mark was designated for multiple service classes including fuel for motor vehicles, namely, gasoline and diesel fuel; motor oils. BP claims first use as August 10, 2001.

Since the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the BP service mark has become of target of reproach. Greenpeace created a contest for designers and professionals to design a new logo that rebrands the oil company as something other than beyond petroleum. Another online website, LogoMyWay, started a competing redesign BP logo contest providing a public venue for creative designers to vent their anger at the oil company.

ampm

Main article: ampm

ampm is a convenience store chain with branches located in several U.S. states including Arizona, California, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, recently in Illinois, Indiana, Georgia and Florida, and in several countries worldwide such as Japan. In the western US, the stores are usually attached to an ARCO gas station; elsewhere, the stores are attached to BP gas stations. BP Connect stations in the US are transitioning to the ampm brand.

Aral

In Germany and Luxembourg, BP operates its petrol retail chain under the name Aral after acquiring the majority of Veba Öl AG in 2001 and rebranding almost all of its BP filling stations to Aral.

ARCO

Main article: ARCO

ARCO is BP's retail brand on the US West Coast in the seven Western states of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, and Utah. BP acquired ARCO (formerly the Atlantic Richfield Company) in 2000. ARCO is a popular "cash only" retailer, selling products refined from Alaska North Slope crude at the Cherry Point Refinery in Washington, a plant in Los Angeles, and at other contract locations on the West Coast.

BP Travel Centre

BP Travel Centres are large scale destination sites located in Australia which on top of offering the same features of a BP Connect site with fuel and a Wild Bean Cafe, also feature major food-retail tenants such as McDonalds, KFC, Nando's and recently Krispy Kreme, with a large seating capacity food court. There are also facilities for long-haul truck drivers including lounge, showers and washing machines all in the same building. There are 4 travel centres located in South East Queensland, Australia. Two on the Pacific Highway (Coomera and Stapylton) and two on the Bruce Highway (Caboolture). A fifth travel centre was opened in 2007 at Chinderah in northern New South Wales.

BP Connect

BP Connect is BP's flagship retail brand name with BP Connect Service stations being operated around the UK, Europe, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and other parts of the world. BP Connect sites feature the Wild Bean Cafe which offers cafe style coffee made by the staff and a selection of hot food as well as freshly baked muffins and sandwiches. The food offered in Wild Bean Cafe varies from each site. BP Connect sites usually offer table and chair seating and often an Internet kiosk. In the US, the BP Connect concept is gradually being transitioned to the ampm brand and concept. Some BP Connect sites around the UK ran in partnership with Marks & Spencer with the on-site shop being an M&S Simply Food instead of a BP Shop.

BP Express

BP Express was the flagship BP brand prior to the introduction of BP Connect in 2000. There are still some BP Express sites operating around the world but most have been either upgraded to Connect or changed to an alternative brand. BP Express offers a bakery service but doesn't have the selection of food offered in the Wild Bean Cafe and usually coffee is only available through a self service machine.

In the Netherlands BP is opening unmanned stations with no shops or employees. These stations are called BP Express. Some of these stations used to be 'ordinary' BP stations, some are new to the BP network. Apart from these stations BP Express shopping does also exist in the Netherlands.

BP Shop

A BP petrol prices sign outside a BP Shop garage in the United Kingdom (prices in UK pence per litre)BP Shop is commonly used on smaller, mainly independently owned sites. Products vary in each BP Shop but consist usually of a selection of convenience store-style food and automotive products.

BP 2go branded petrol station in Australia BP 2go

BP 2go is a franchise brand used for independently operated sites in New Zealand and is currently being rolled out throughout Australia (Although not all BP 2go stores are franchises in Australia). BP 2go sites mainly operate in towns and outer suburbs in New Zealand. BP 2go offers similar bakery food to BP Connect but in a pre-packaged form. Some BP Express sites around New Zealand and Australia that were considered too small to be upgraded to BP Connect were given the option to change to BP 2go others were downgraded to BP Shop. Staff at some BP 2go sites wear a different style of uniform to the rest of the BP branded sites, however in company owned and operated 2go sites in Australia the same uniform is worn across all sites.

Castrol

Castrol is a brand of motor oil and other lubricants which is entirely a BP brand but tends to retain its separate identity.

Air BP and BP Shipping

Air BP is the aviation fuel arm, BP Marine the marine fuels and lubricants arm, and BP Shipping is the shipping arm within the BP group.

BP Shipping provides the logistics to move BP's oil and gas cargoes to market, as well as marine structural assurance on everything that floats in the BP group. It manages a large fleet of vessels most of which are held on long-term operating leases. BP Shipping's chartering teams based in London, Singapore, and Chicago also charter third party vessels on both time charter and voyage charter basis.

The BP-managed fleet consists of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), one North Sea shuttle tanker, medium size crude and product carriers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers, and coasters. All of these ships are double-hulled.

Damn Liars

2010-06-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

BP needs to tell us the truth, now it's 60,000 Barrels/days. BP is made up of professional liars and cheats. What really needs to happen here is for everybody to shut up, and fix this, well that is, if it can be fixed.
I classify British Petroleum as environmental Terrorists. How does it feel BP to be the first company to destroy an entire ocean. I would suspect you don't care, as long as you profit from it.

We have a Government that can't decide and a company that doesn't care, well just fine. There are many ways to solve this problem if they would just listen to The McGyver's in this world.

It's Hard

2010-06-12T21:51:00.001-07:00

Every morning we wake up to all this

It's hard when you can't put food on your table because workman's comp has banned you because of a legitimate claim

It's hard when your Social Security check keeps you below the poverty level, after working 45 years and paying into it.

It's hard when your 401K has been dissolved by a bunch of crooks, who basically stole it.

It's hard when the Veteran's Administration is too busy to call you back with test results.

It's hard to watch when a Company Like British Petroleum destroys a whole ocean because of greed and incompetence.

It's hard to watch school programs get cut, in lieu of Local Government officials getting raises.

It's hard to watch our elected officials get caught up in scandals and schemes, then walk away, Scot free.

It's hard to watch your friends lose their jobs, because their companies decided to go for the cheap labor overseas.

It's hard to try and understand a foreigner when you are trying to get support on and American made product.

And with all that, It's hard to wake up and be a Proud American anymore

There's nothing left to say

2010-06-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

How can we allow, irresponsibility like this to take place? BRITISH Petroleum (notice the highlight on BRITISH) has successfully destroyed one of our coastlines, due to the fact that they probably never had the expertise to do this sort of exploration. although they were given permits, by their claim that the was zero risk. Everybody's talking about repayment for damages, but honestly people, how can you repay the loss of the Gulf of Mexico, 10s of thousands of jobs, and most importantly, the loss of whole species. It probably all boils down to The CEO of BRITISH Petroleum, who, from what I have seen, would make a good used car salesman. Oh by the way, BRITISH Petroleum is a BRITISH Company, correct? Yeah, that's what I thought.

British Petroleum So damn angry

2010-06-01T08:14:00.001-07:00

I'm so mad, and have been for a month, that this may not come out as an intelligent post, but I'm going to write anyways.

I want to say this first, British Petroleum, you suck

First of all that Piece of shit CEO of yours, Tony Hayward stating that he wants his life back; yeah well you might get it if you take your damn oil and shove it up your ass. How dare you make a statement like that, after causing the largest man made disaster in history, How dare you even be allowed to speak, not through bars, how dare you still make millions from this? You are not fit to be amongst our species. "I'm sorry. We're sorry for the massive disruption it's caused their lives. There's no one who wants this over more than I do. I'd like my life back." Have you ever thought that we would like ours back" You commanded the profit oriented safety violations, it is your entire responsibility.

The rest of you with BP, need to quit lying to us, and get to work, I mean now.

As far as The Administration, lazy and slow as always with our Government, too little too late. All we hear about is the lying, and the excuses. Well we wanted change Mr Obama, it appears that we have gotten it.

As I see it, if this isn't solved very soon it may become a planet killer, sheeting our ocean causing a decrease in oxygen production, and our biopshere's collapse.

That's all I have to say

Greed is the cause, and greed will kill us if we don't take step to stop these people.

Kelley C McGuiness

The State of The State Again

2010-03-05T17:12:00.003-07:00

I need to know somwthing; Is there a point to this Goverment, really, is there? Really folks wake up, we have a President that has no clue. We have a Congress, sorry, thought they were a real body of legislation. Wait Congress, isn't that a sex thing? Sorry, was thinking of getting, well you know, congress. Well. I guess that we are getting, Congess from the Government, you know bent over.
You elected this guy, right. Ok, he is a bit worried about the job situation, more worried about the insurance companies. Like the Banks, he has to take care of the rich. You really don't see this do you? The Banks, The Investment Companies, The Insurance Companies, And The Drug Companies. and all to spend and give money to the ones he owes.
Ahhhhh, yes. Pharmageddon, The Drug Companies Ever noticed that the Evening News is sposored alot by drug companies? Hsave you ever noticed Lawyers are suing the Drug Companies. Tell me once when you had an erection lasting over four hours? If I did Susan would invite all the girls within calling distance.
Screw this, we need to get all this bailout money back to the small business. Right, The banks aren't loaning, the SBA isn't talking, AND WERE SCREWED, funny, We applied for a SBA Loan and they never replied to us. We're more solvent than General Motors, and why didn't they reply?
They won't because as we have said, it's a Government by The Government and the People really don't count anymore.
I'm watching the News, and there are school closings, city budget cuts, and the State don't have a clue
It's The Obamanation and welcome to The New World Order
Ok, so raise taxes on people that aren't working, get those gas prices a little higher, and make money for yourself, and the reason for all this is that the Government is full of cheats and liars, and Obama, you lead them!
Sorry I have to run, I just heard that Tiger Woods was seen practising, LOL

Commentary

2010-02-14T11:10:00.003-07:00

Well we had to get the last posts off our chest, mainly because those things needed to be said. This is not a political blog, just comments by us, about us, and the things we see happening. So an update about us is in order. We are settled into our new apartment, and relaxing a bit and recovering from two terrible years. Susan still has her online boyfriend (More than online at times), and I am officially retired, which I can thank Workman's Comp for that. Pondering getting an online girlfriend (more than online too) out of self defense. We have decided to re open Bare Images again, so we can do some adult style photography, and can't wait for winter to be over. We are fairly sure that things will never get back to the way they were 3 years ago, thanks to America's greed problems. It's the Lawyers, Bankers, and Politicians world these days. So today we are watching Nascar and kicking back.

A Year Later

2010-02-01T19:43:00.004-07:00

A Year Later

Well, here we are, a little less than a year from when the new Government took over, and I just thought I’d talk a little about what is going on. Today they said that they unemployment rate has hit 10%. Now I tried to see how many people were out of work, but then nobody will venture a guess, and I’m sure the Administration doesn’t want us to know either. Some say, The Washington Post, it’s at 16.5%, but I estimate there are probably about 6 Million of us. The food banks are stressed and many are homeless.
Now I wonder how those bankers are doing. Oh I forgot, they are taking huge bonuses, from that bailout. Obama, says that this whole thing is recovering, but it will take time. I wonder if he has talked with a starving, unemployed, homeless American recently.
See, we live in a country that was founded on a principle set forth by the Constitution. Lincoln made this statement in the Gettysburg address “…and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Seems like our elected officials, bankers and others, that are so aware, have changed it too; … and a Government of the Government, by The Government, for the Government, and the People shall perish from the earth. Then, who am I to argue with the elected officials that work for me, ahhhhh yes, those are my hard earned tax dollars, or at least they were till I became unemployed.

Well then, here we have it, we are pouring Billions into a worthless war, and killing troops that would be better served protecting our country from illegal aliens, and terrorists on our own soil. We have companies like Microsoft, Dell, Hp, and the cable company that we use that export jobs overseas, so they can save money, but still charge more for inferior products. Wal-Mart went from all American products, to all China products. We aren’t in this recession because of a failed economy; we are in this recession, because our Government has failed us managing our company. Yeap, America is ours, and we hired piss poor managers, America is our company.

If it really is our company then we have only one choice, and that’s to fire the management. And get some real people in there, not a bunch of cheats, liars and thieves.

My thoughts, love them or hate them, I have that right to say them, or at least till Congress can figure a way to take that from us too. Kennedy got it all wrong when he stated “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” Wrong, that’s not the way it’s supposed to work kids.

Kelley

Funny about our Government

2009-12-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

It seems that things are terribly wrong, but then predictable. We were hoping that we could get a little assistance from HUD till we got it together. Ah not here, they have shut the program down due to lack of funds. When I was in Arizona, a lot of the people I knew were on the food stamp program, due to the lack of work there, well they have cut that back too. We can't get a business loan for our existing company, so this is the way I see it.

The bailouts were just put in place to make the rich, richer. In this authors opinion, the Government is ust leting the poor starve and freeze to death, in lieu of making sure those "Fat Cats" are comfortable. Yeap, the careless hand of socialism reaches out and takes care of those that produce for the Government, and ignore the ones that really need it.

I guess we should have seen this coming the day that JFK said, "It's not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your Country." I don't think that, that was what our founding fathers had laid out in the constitution.

Ahhh but then I think that our present representatives have their own agenda. You might hear these days, It's not what you can do for your country, but what you can do for the deficit, because that's the way, we as legislators, Earn a living.

Just a thought

Holidays

2009-12-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

We are getting settled in enjoyed Christmas wih Susan's family. Things are getting back to normal except fot the fact that we are living in the basement till we can get it together. Considering what we both just came from, the basement seems like a palace. Now we have to wait a bit till New Years is over, to get out and really start the job hunt, but we need a bit of relaxation time. In a perfect world, the Denver Bronco's would have won today, but then we're not complaining.

Arrival

2009-12-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Susan arrived at 8:30 last night, safe and sound. It was a wonderful reunion and now the task at hand is to get jobs and get our own place. We are also working on getting the real studio open again, and working on The Online stoer more. Today is unpacking and getting comfortable.

Tonight

2009-12-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

Susan is about an hour and a half away on her journey here. It's snowing lightly but rather warm for this time of the year. Gonna take a shower and get ready for her arrival.

Happiest Holidays

2009-12-18T14:32:00.003-07:00

Things are starting to come together, I have reached my destination in The Wisconsin Dells, near Baraboo, Wisconsin. We used to live here many years ago, and have decided this is where we want to re start our studio.
Let's talk about the trip a bit. It went well till I hit Groom, Texas, where a Fed-Ex truck threw a tire, which got under the truck and ripped all my transmission cooler lines apart. Dead in the water I got towed into this little town and ended up at a motel called the Chalet Inn, owned by a wonderful couple. The next morning I called the towing company and a great guy named Corky took me around town to get the parts I needed to effect the repair myself. It was damn cold out there, but after severall hours of cutting and patching sealed the leaks. I test drove the truck around town several times and got to meet some of the nicest people I have ever met in this town.
If you ever have a chance stop in Groom, Texas and say howdy, they probably won't remember me but tell them the guy from Idaho will alway be indebted to them.
At 4AM I hit the road and drove to a small town south of Sprinfield, Illinois and holed up for the night. The next day I set out on the final miles and arrived in Baraboo, Wisconsin about 1PM. Yeap, it's Wisconsin in the winter and cold and snowy and wonderful. I'm home at last.
Susan starts her journey here tomorrow, and finally we will be reunited.
At this point Christmas will be all family and we all can't wait.

Crisis over

2009-12-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well at least for me, cost 300 to get truck out of impound. I am talking with Susan and they have made it to thier moms ok. They have to go the rest of the way in a few days. I'm still working on selling the computer and will leave the day it is sold and will be heading for Wisconsin, there may be a change in that, but we'll see. This time of the year there are issues with everything from weather to the holidays, but we will just have to deal with it. I'll tell you more when I know something.

It just gets better

2009-12-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

Wel, it seems that The person that I'm staying withs brother decided to take my truck out for a ride late last night while I was sleeping, and of course, got arrested, and my truck got impounded. He's in jail, and they want 161.00 to get the truck out. Well there goes some more of my road money. This whole thing is beginning to seem like it's going to be impossibe. I take one step forward and three steps back. Still haven't heard from Susan, which is adding to the stress of this whole thing. I have to get out of here and I'm thinking tonight or in the morning. This is getting to be a survival thing for me now, and one has to wonder if the expression it's a good day when you wake up is valid in this case.

Photo is my new home for the moment

No Word

2009-12-09T19:58:00.002-07:00

Haven't heard from Susan, and hoping that she is ok out there, it will be my turn come, December 23, as I head to Wisconsin. Too many steps but it's the way it has to be done

Step 1

2009-12-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Things have started and Susan is on the road with her sister and left yesterday afternoon. I haven't heard from them and hope all is well. As it stands now, I'll be leaving here and will be traveling on Christmas, heading towards Wisconsin. I'll stay there until we can get a place as a destination that Susan wants. I'm still working on selling the computer but am confident that I'll be able to work things out as far as travel money goes.
Wee, we had to start somewhere, and this first step is important and the most difficult
I'll keep you posted as I can and as things develop
Kelley

Today a new plan

2009-12-06T09:57:00.001-07:00

We worked hard yesterday and putting a plan together that will work and of course ther is a plan B. Susan is leaving tonight with her sister for Georgia. When I sell my computer I will be heading to Wisconsin to stay with her other sister, till Susan can find a place near her Mom in Arkansas. Money to travel with is a concern for me and she can't help. I need to sell this computer. Selling it won't effect our studio work or printing, we just don't need this big a machine, and I need the money to get out of here. There are a lot of steps we will have to take to accomplish this, but our love will get us thru all this.

Terrible Times

2009-12-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

Susan and myself have come to terms and are getting back together, but as luck has it, everything else is going wrong. She's moving to Atlanta to be with her sister for a bit, and I was going to meet her there, but her sister says no to my staying there. Well I can see what this is all about, as it seems that two of the family members are trying to torpedo our marriage now. I'm stuck in Arizona in a bad situation with not enough money to go anywhere, even if I did have a place to go, and it can be considered life threatning. It seems that our train has left the tracks and no matter what we do there is something in the way. It's so bad that I am trying to sell my computer so I can get out of here. We both blame the economy for all this, as the choices our Government has made is killing off marriages and us little people. Of course casting blame isn't going to help, I'm afraid nothing is going to help, and that's why we are asking for donations a little lower in this blog, it's our only way out right now.

Holidays

2009-11-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Well the first of the holiday season is over, and two more to go. It's a little lonely out here, as this is the first time I really haven't had a family, so to speak, to be with. The weather is still warm here which helps matters a bit, but I do miss the snow and skiing. Still looking for a way to get back to Colorado

Donations

2009-11-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

Donations

I can't believe I'm writing this page, but I am and I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't to the point of being desperate

As you may know Susan has decided to go off on her own, and the reasons for this are not important on this page, and I wish her the best of luck in whatever she wishes to do in the future. My situation has become a bit dire, as her asking me to leave on rather short notice has but me in a bad bind.

I'll be totally honest on this page and tell everybody what I'm trying to do. I make $700/month on social security which isn't much. At the moment I can't get a job because I'm dealing with large cities where the unemployment is very high. If I can get back to the mountai9n towns in Colorado I can do just fine. Housing is a problem with that situation. I still do have Defiance Photography and I have all the printers and merchant accounts, and other things that make it work so once I get back to a tourist area things will get back to normal.

Here's what I need, and the only people that can help me are my net friends, you

Ok, this motor home doesn't look that great but if you go back into the history files you'll see that a long time ago we built our own motor home from a bus. Take a look This rig will fix up great, and that will be easy with the social security I have coming in, it will take time, but easy. I need $1200 to get it, and that's the hard part, so that's why I'm putting this page up.

This donation button goes right to my bank account, and the money will be used honestly. You can do this anonymously or tell me who you are. There's no reason why you should help, but it would be nice if you did. These are desperate times for many of us, and with this economy, if you have been caught on the bottom, then that's where you stay. I don't want to stay there, but the difference with me is that I'm not afraid to admit I'm in trouble, and I'm not afraid to ask.

So, with all that said, I'd like to Thank you all, and I'll keep everybody up to date on this here on greatesc.com

Kelley

Continuing this discussion

2009-11-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of things I can't explain due to betraying friends that are helping me, but I need to get out of here. I put some donation areas up on the site where friends can help. I really want to get back to Colorado where I can relax and be in my own enviroment. I would like to find a nice job there and a small place to live, as a sort of therapy. I might say that the Loss of Susan isn't as big a deal as the lose of my dignity. Last night I had to sleep in my truck and it was rather cool, getting into the 30's which can be a tad uncomfortable. There are certain party aspects that I need to stay away from also. If any of you reading this have any ideas please feel free to pass them by me. It's gone from existance to survival, and that worries me a lot. Funny that I feel today that there is no woman in the world, worth putting up with this for. I feel so discarded, and so betrayed, it's unbearable.
Kel

Moving On

2009-11-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

I'm temporarily settled near Sacaton, Arizona on The Gila River Indian Reservation with my friend Sue. The websites I have have taken a major negative hit, as I have been removing Susan's Affiliation with everything. I guess I wouldn't say this has been going well, but under these circumstances, it's as well as can be. My main focus at this point it to try and purchase a small RV and work on getting back to Colorado where I belong. With the departure of Susan, I am also finding that many of my good friends out there have refused to talk to me anymore. To those people I goodbye, as I did to Susan. This isn't how I expected to live out the rest of my life, but we take the cards we are delt.

A Life in a Day Film Series

2009-11-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

A Life in a Day Film Series

By the Blues Singer "Blue Stu" Herman

As time passes, memories take hold and past pleasures become our present realities.

Many of you don't know that "Blue Stu" had a massive stroke in 2005 Which rendered him aphasic.

Although, still able to play, he has not been doing so, because without being able to sing, it's not pleasing to him.

The road to rehabilitation has been slow, but very promising.

The series of videos we are offering, were filmed in a small town in New Mexico called Bernalillo.

This film series reminds us that music is our soul, and without it, we are nothing. As the fires of the soul rekindle, so will the music, if even only as a memory.

There is no hurdle too large.

Please come visit a sample clip of this wonderful Blues Musician

Back online

2009-11-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

I've been on the road for a little over a week now and have temporarily landed near Gilbert, Arizona. Some of the first things I've done is closed the site Adventures in Eden (XXX) our XXX site. The last thing I really wish to see is Susan's pictures anymore, in fact the name is bothering me a bit. Yes, there is some bitterness now, and over the past month I have rediscovered a selfishness in her that I was aware of, but often put in the back of my mind, for emotions sake. I'll talk more about this in the future, but she has left me in the desert to survive or perish, without a moments concern. My future is rather dark these days, but then I have survived thru worse. My job now is too find a permanent place to land, relax, and get over this. She's over it, but she has a history of it, so it's no stranger to her. From now on it's all exploritory to me.
That's what's on my mind
Kelley

First day on the road

2009-10-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

Left this morning at 10AM and made it to Beaver, Ut, about 600 miles.Was very windy thru most of Idaho, and Salt Lake was one big traffic jam. Constuction has I-15 closed so you have to take I-215 as a bypass. Way too much traffic fpr my butt. Staying at the Beaver Super 8 tonight and then will head out in the morning for New River, AZ. The weather has been great and the snow covered mountains are spectacular. Gonna grab a burger and hit the hay, 400 miles tomorrow.
Talk to you later
Kel

The time has come

2009-10-30T22:19:00.001-07:00

October 30, 2009

This might be the last posting for awhile as I'm not sure when I'll be able to write to the sites again. Tomorrow morning I'm heading out, and will leave a lot of the past behind. Portions of it will remain on these sites, as portions are about us, life and marriage. The marriage is over, and now that I look at it that is probably a good thing. There are a few things I need to say in this post, that I feel strongly about. One of them is that, I wish, expect, and demand that Susan be left alone. If she wishes to talk with you she will decide that. For the few jerk offs that have been rude and obnoxious the past week, demanding for her E Mail or phone, you better think twice and reconsider. Because we are not an item any more doesn't mean that I won't protect her desires. One word from her that there is a problem, ie... stalker, pain in the ass, and so on... I will deal with it. Trust me. She is very capable of getting into problems on her own as we have seen before, but the use of these websites to accomplish that will cause a very adverse reaction from me.

Besides that warning, hey, I'm good, she's on her own, and life will go on. From now on, these sites are about me, and not her. George Washington will not cross the Delaware again, and I will not talk about her or be seen with her again. Please respect that, KK, great

The trip starts tomorrow

2009-10-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

Almost all packed and once this nasty weather is over I'll hit the road. That will be about 10AM in the morning. Hopefully I'll find some places where I can get online to update this, if not I'll so it when I get to AZ
Talk to ya down the road
Kelley

The real start:

2009-10-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

So, with about 6 days warning, I'm packing my truck, making maps, and being a little distraught. My plans at this point are to head south and do a photo workup of the Grand Canyon then, stop near Flagstaff and see my good friend Gary. From that point it, is planned, to go to Stay with my Friend Sue at The Gila River Indian Reservation near Chandler, Arizona. Along with me will travel out cat Trouble who will be my campanion for this trip. I'll let you know how the packing is going, and if anything changes.

To start with:

2009-10-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

Well, some of you know me, and some of you know her, and if you don't know either of us then, welcome to my nightmare. We had been married 30 years, June, and know one realy knows why, she just up and asked me to leave so she could be alone.

I might tend to believe that but then in 2000 this happened too, and she found herself alone, with a guy in New York. Ok so I'm not the brightest bulb in the string so we got back together in 2002, which brings us to this blog, or whatever you want to call it. Although I have a very large website, I might find it more easy to update my travels here, and post pictures on the website, when I can hook up my mainframes.

With that I will start the tale of this journey, and tell you all the stories that lie ahead