Has anyone seen any pics of these holes gushing oil in the Gulf?

I wonder if they're uniform or ragged?

Would you release them if it was you?

about the characteristics of this gusher, the more likely that someone can come up with a logical plan to stop it.

By limiting information to selected people, they limit the range of solutions.

Now maybe they've thought of them all, but perhaps they haven't.

While it seems like there has been lots of attention placed on this event, that really isn't the case. BP has benefited from two factors:

1) While many here don't realize it, BP has a pretty good (comparative) environmental track record. But that factor is getting smaller and smaller every day.

2) Very little of the oil has had a visible impact yet... and we live in a televised world. The VAST majority of the spill is offshore and may disappear if they can get the thing stopped soon. The environmental impact is significant and will grow, but it's only a fraction of what it could be...

...which means that their greatest liability is "out of sight."

They have little reason to put it on the front page in such a graphic way.

corporate media hide that over several months or years?

In the very short term you may be correct, but do you believe this is a short term problem?

While BP's environmental track record might be comparatively good, they're in danger of throwing all that away as the effects of this disaster makes itself increasingly known.

If this turns out to be an ongoing equivalent of an Exxon Valdez every several months or worse, their brand will be ruined especially if they don't come clean with what they have and it becomes known after the fact that someone else could've come up with a solution.

Good information; is power, sound decisions and choices cannot be made without it and by hiding critical information because it might not reflect well, the adverse effect on their image will be greatly compounded.

...there's a difference between seeing the black eye and having someone say "yeah... I hit him... it's my fault" - and turning over a video of the attack.

Everyone knows that it's bad... but just a five second clip (played on b-roll over and over and over in the background) of oil gushing into the ocean (when subconsciously you feel like you're ten feet away instead of hundreds of miles), well... it has a psychological effect.


Reality doesn't change, but the perception of reality can make all the difference.

Suppose the police had taken the video exposed it to the public, apologized and punished those officers, would the public reaction; have been different, I believe it would have been less severe.

This is a case of an ongoing active beating with the videoing of the oil spreading throughout the ocean, the perception is happening regardless, this isn't a video from a static "black eye" already done and over perspective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=did-S6XbpMM

The police wouldn't have looked much better or worse if they were the ones who gave us the video.

Imagine instead that the police created the video AND admitted that there was a beating. Would they have released it just so people would have a clearer understanding of what happened? Of course not.

The difference, of course, is that King could have subpoenad the video if that were the case... there is no way to force BP to release a video at this time.

being subpoenaed.

This isn't a question about the ability to force BP to release a video, this is question about.

1. Exposing the most accurate condition of the problem to the maximum number of eyes and minds so as to increase the chances of coming up with a swift, effective solution.

2. By doing so BP will help themselves from a PR standpoint rather than hiding the detail waiting for possible judicial enforcement.

The catastrophe is happening in real time regardless, it's not a past event.

I would love to see if it is a clean shear off on the ocean floor, or something not as "neat".

Surround the hole with a wide ring and then continually narrow it as you go up.

I don't know if that would work or not?

The oil is leaking from 2 spots in the pipe.

Litterally tears in the pipe. The pipe is kinked and that (just like a really big garden hose) is limiting oil flow.

If riser pipe were to break free oil would flow directly from wellhead at much higher rate.

I was thinking maybe they had a large hose clamp they could use to cinch it closed. Another poster said something about taking another piece of hose, slit open, bent over the pipe and then clamped would do the same thing.

I think a closure a bit further down would work though. How it could be done is beyond me.

We are kinda lucky it didn't just tear free completely.

Trying to crimp the pipe is going to increase pressure on other parts of the pipe and could exceed its bursting strength. Could go from 5000 bpd to 50,000bpd. :(

That is why the dome & pump method was a good attempt. It would remove oil without increasing pressure. In principle it would work similar to hose filling swimming pool. As long as you empty the pool faster than the hose fill the swimming pool you can remove water without affecting pressure of hose. Sadly the ice crystals ruined that. Hopefully round 2 will work.

either with, infrared, sonic or ultrasound type readings?

and the criticism was that otherwise they have plenty of video about their heroic efforts with spokesman Tony.

that they will not let us see.

In that video you can see the oil gushing upwards in the background

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

:eyes: