BP spill microblog

I've stayed away from this as long as I could. Last week was an outrageous week for BP. First they bought the term "oil spill" on Google so that way their website and their response efforts are at the top of the page. Go ahead and try it if you haven't yet. Right there at the top, in a pale yellow box: www.bp.com/gulfofmexicoresponse. And then while I was watching Rachel Maddow last week she had a story about the fine print on the permit that BP filed in order to drill at the Deepwater Horizon. Apparently their paperwork said that they weren't worried about the impact on the coastline because they thought that it was too far off shore for it to be a threat if there was a catastrophic event leading to an oil spill, and therefore didn't prepare any contingency plans. They listed a walrus as an animal that could be potentially threatened in the case of a spill, for Christ's sake. Then she revealed that BP's "in case of emergency" person had died several years prior to them applying for this permit. Not to mention that several other people listed had bad contact information. Seriously?!? And now I read today that BP had some emails circulating about the executives disregarding advice about safety 6 days prior to the explosion. Again: seriously?!?

And now I'm starting to hear that the British are unhappy with the way our government is dealing with BP and the beating their public image is taking. I'm sorry, UK. If it would make you feel better, we can set up an oil rig in the English Channel that is managed by, oh I don't know, let's say Shell. They're an American-based oil company. Now let's blow it up and let over 50,000 barrels of oil spill out into the English Channel, ruining your fisheries, beaches, tourism, not to mention the toll on your wildlife. Then you can tell us that we are being too harsh on BP.

But a silver lining to this whole debacle is that I hope we will finally invest in clean energy and better and more efficient ways to handle a crisis of this magnitude.

On a lighter note, the statue known to many in this area of the world as either Touchdown Jesus or Big Butter Jesus is no longer with us. The image to the left is of what he looked like before he burned to the ground. To those of you not from Southeastern Ohio, this is a 6-story tall statue of Jesus. He looks like a referee signaling a touchdown, hence the name Touchdown Jesus. He got the nickname Big Butter Jesus because he looks like he's carved out of butter. Well, it looks as if lightning struck him last night, causing him to burn. But honestly, how could they not see this coming? He's a statue made of fiberglass and styrofoam with a metal framework. He was just begging to be hit by lightning. But don't worry, kiddies. He'll rise again in 3 days. OK, maybe not that soon. But word on the street is that the people at the church are already planning his resurrection. And now let's see the progression:

First, a flaming Jesus. Then, his metal skeleton: