Peer Pressure

I laughed:

M said: "Dear Ms Kettle,
I hereby, as the pot, callest thou black.
Two updates in almost as many weeks? I don't have internet and I do believe I'm winning."

Dear Pot,

Touche. I am guilty. I tend to lack posting when I lack this "happy go lucky" or at least attempts at "thought provoking" "passionate" or maybe even if I can locate it "frivolous" material to enrich, or at least encourage my readers.

I think this is an "American" thing.

So the news: Japanese exchange student arriving tommorrow at 2:50 p.m.

Considering moving to a rural location 30 min outside Portland (a biggie, am a born and bred urban girl)

Red wagon for Addy assembled and in full picnic use.

Given a conspicuous honor by students to be at their graducation.

School year rapidly winding down.

All my class agrees that the Iran thing is one of the scariest things to happen and that the US is going down. Hmm.

Since I started this blog have shed to sizes of pants.

Am listening to the Screwtape Letters on CD and man is it good.

Have been given charge of the nursery and am tolerating it fairly well.

My daughter is still perfect...sleeps through the night every night and naps like a champ, eats like a lil hog and says "HI!" 30 times daily.

Am really thoroughly enjoying the good weather. Water classes with A start Sunday.

And on another note have been investigating Bhopal as mentioned by Suley, and am disturbed about just how "not talked about" this ongoing crisis is.

Some facts:

In Dec. of 84 a Union Carbide pesticide factory accidentally released tons of methyl isocyanate into the air.

People reported feeling like they were "breathing fire".

According to UC 3,800 people died. According to arrangements for burials 8,000 people died in a matter of days. Since the disaster over 20,000 people have died due to the chemical exposure.

Warren Anderson was extradited to India, but they still wait for him. He was the CEO of UC.

UC was purchased by Dow Chemical who washes their hands of all responsibility as damages were paid.

The average Bhopal victim received between 300 and 500 dollars to cover medical treatment.

The factory is still there with chemicals still in the tanks. No one will clean it up.

The chemicals are poisoning the groundwater and heavy metals are present at levels 6,000 times greater than EPA standards.

People are still dealing with the poison in their community and its health effects. Babies are born deformed, thyroid cancers.

Union Carbide never disclosed what exactly leaked that night (it was 12:30 at night when the leak began) making it impossible for the doctors to accurately treat victims.

UC built a hospital. It has been alleged that the hospital will not appropriately treat the "free" patients who suffered from Bhopal.

This is still happening today.

How does one reconcile that we never hear about this anymore?

Corporate responsibility in this case just seems to not apply.