After BP successfully placed a cap to divert some of the spewing oil into tankers, tens of thousands of gallons continue to flow daily into the gulf. August is slated as the earliest date that any permanent solution may emerge. BP remains totally in charge of potentially the largest environmental disaster in the earth's recorded history, a fact that proves - in "check mate" fashion - that corporations dominate the inner workings of the U.S. government, a truth previously revealed by the bank bailouts.

The flags are flying, from Holland to Argentina, from Cameroon to Japan. The drums are beating, the trumpets blowing. Colours are unfurled, and battle cries sound. It's that time again: the World Cup is upon us. The late Rinus Michels, also known as "the General," coach of the Dutch team that narrowly lost to Germany in the 1974 final, famously said, "Football is war." When the Dutch had their revenge in 1988 and beat Germany to go on to become European champions, more people danced in the streets in Holland than on the day that the real war ended in May 1945.