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It's Friday and I'd like to somehow both catch-up to all the stories I couldn't get to and provide a public service. Really! So here's a whole list of chemicals in everyday products you have to learn to avoid, and they're in everything from lipstick to toothpaste to pizza boxes. Go to, Not a Guinea Pig for a more complete list of things you should keep away from. To top it off, Annie Leonard, of The Story of Stuff, fame giving a primer on the toxic products we purchase and bring into our homes:

Starting with the dispersants BP has been using to hide the enormity of the spill in the Gulf. The real reason BP has used nearly 2 million gallons of the dispersant Corexit in the Gulf is to hide the oil and save themselves money in possible fines, says Hugh Kaufman, a senior policy analyst at the EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. He explains that the dispersant is used to atomize the oil and force it down the water column so that it’s invisible to the eye. 

He also feels that , the government—both EPA, NOAA, etc.—have been sock puppets for BP in this cover-up. Now, by hiding the amount of spill, BP is saving hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in fines, and so, from day one, there was tremendous economic incentive to use these dispersants to hide the magnitude of the gusher that’s been going on for almost three months. You can listen to his full interview with Democracy Now's Amy Goodman below:

In what should be considered alarming news, oil and dispersant have entered the food chain, and hydrocarbons have been detected in crab larvae. A Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries biologist expressed this concern recently:"We are quite concerned that we will see significant mortality of larvae as they encounter oil or dispersants." (Times Picayune, Bob Marshall, 7/20/2010) Further, it is a known fact that oil mixed with dispersant can actually prove to be more toxic than oil, or dispersant, alone. (See fact sheet at the link).

There's so much BP has done wrong - so many acts for which they will hopefully be criminally liable it's no surprise to read that they've been screwing up the cleanup of the Gulf on top of everything else.

As far as capping the well, that's been the good news this week as the gusher seems to be under control and they're getting closer to having the relief wells done. In a bit of bad news on this front, efforts will be suspended this weekend as they wait out a tropical storm Bonnie which could potentially develop into a hurricane.

On the environmental front, some good news beginning with Obama signing an executive order creating a new national ocean policy to protect and restore America's oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes. Followed by terrible news today, from TPM: At a press conference this afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), the Democrats' top climate and energy negotiator, acknowledged officially, and with obvious disappointment, that they lack the votes to pass legislation limiting carbon pollution, and that forthcoming energy legislation will be extremely narrow, in a bid to overcome a GOP filibuster.

Now there are those who want to blame this failure on Obama and I unsderstand that but it is not his fault. Says Harry Reid about the fate of the bill, "Unfortunately at this time we don't have a single Republican to work with in achieving this goal."

Not one single Republican to work with on legislation that is probaby more important than any other issue out there. Joe Romm believes averting catastrophic climate change is the singular most important problem we face as a society.

P.O.S.
Never Better
Rhymesayers

It takes an outsider looking in to notice the problems and rectify the issue. Minnesota’s P.O.S. is the outsider and Never Better is the answer. P.O.S. (alias Pissed Off Stef, a name he received while playing in a high school punk band) grew up with a dire opposition towards hip-hop. Eventually he embraced it as an artistic outlet, one that can be done alone. His punk background is pummelled throughout the album with raw drum beats that smash through the album like an AK-47 in a freight train. The absolute hostility of P.O.S. is undeniable, but the direction he sends it is not the common course for Hip-Hop. P.O.S. sends his anger towards multinational companies like Wal-Mart and the capitalist ideologies of other hip-hop acts. This album is new, in every sense of the word. A progress of sound for a new time, we just need to keep up with him.

(Mat "Runt" Barrot)

Bitter End
Guilty as Charged
Deathwish Inc.

Years ago someone asked me when I chose to be punk rather than metal. I was absolutely insulted, as if there was a point in my life I wondered if I wanted to follow Sex Pistols or Guns n Roses. Later when I got to thinking about the question I realized that many of the bands I listened to crossed those boundaries. The skate punk of the 80’s was definitely metal tinged, bands like D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, Corrosion of Conformity (who are now pure metal) were all bands that I listened to on a regular basis, but I was just under the impression that they were punk. Bitter End’s newest album is not from the '80s and does not make me want to put on spandex pants. What is does do is evoke the killer riffs of those great thrash metal/punk bands that I used to ride my Powell Peralta to. This is no frills rock “n” roll done right.

(Mat "Runt" Barrot)

M.I.A.
/\/\ /\ Y /\
Interscope

Maya Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A., released her highly-anticipated album, Maya (phonetically spelled out /\/\ /\ Y /\) on July 13th. After much controversy surrounding her "Born Free" music video, with it being dubbed too violent and graphic for YouTube and MTV, many were excited to see what other provocative tales of governmnent corruption she would push through her songs on the upcoming album. M.I.A. has always been known for making political statements, and pushing boundaries. And did not fail to deliver this time around, as she came through with songs like "the message", that sheds light on the links between the Internet and government control. And "XXXO", where she makes clear that she refuses to be anyone she's not. Her songs are hardly musical and far from pleasant to the ears; Some call it "experimental dance music", as she blends hip hop, punk, pop, some type of pitched mumble, and video game effects, to come up with her own signature "sound", which plays into the internet-computer theme of the album, including the title /\/\ /\ Y /\. With release of this album, the 32 year-old rapper/singer doesn't fail to keep her reputation as the "most innovative and dynamic pop star of her generation". Sending strong and evocative messages through her music, M.I.A. targets her mass audience and utilizes her outlet constructively, once again.

(Sarah El Fangary)