Brad Pitt: BP deserves death penalty

Popular actor turned pseudo-Al Gore Brad Pitt has lashed out at embattled oil company BP in a new film on environmental issues to be released on Monday night.

"I was never for the death penalty before," he says. "I am willing to look at it again."


Read USA Today's full review. 

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Cost of oil spill tops $6 billion as hole is plugged

Although the damage the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has done to the environment is the subject of much debate, nobody is arguing about just how much the incident has damaged the oil company's finances.

BP has reported that as the company and its specialists work to clean up the spill, the financial wizards at the group can announce that the total cost of the spill so far has reached over $6.1 billion.

This includes some $319 million in compensation paid to the US Government and a number of other organizations. BP has also confirmed that no oil is leaking into the Gulf following a successful effort to plug the well on July 15.

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Another oil spill erupts in the Gulf of Mexico

As if to affirm what we already thought about oil companies working in the Gulf of Mexico, MSNBC has reported that yet another oil leakage has started after a tug boat hit a major oil platform.

The oil platform is now spewing oil and natural gas into the Louisiana marsh area, the network's site posted this morning. [MSNBC]

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Tony Hayward, CEO of BP, to resign within ten weeks

The CEO of spill-blamed oil company, BP, is looking to resign before October.

The Times of London reported the planned resignation of Tony Hayward, citing unnamed sources. He is expected to resign within ten weeks.

BP has reportedly denied the Times' report, according to CNN. [CNN]

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'A Whale' to the rescue; Is this the saviour that the Gulf has been waiting for?

The World's largest oil skimmer is currently steaming its way toward the Gulf of Mexico - as it promises to be one of the last great chances for the government and environmental experts to save the area, which has been ravaged environmentally by a mass oil spill perpetrated by oil company BP. 

According to the Washington Post:

The Taiwanese vessel dubbed "A Whale," which its owners describe as the largest oil skimmer in the world, began showing its capabilities on Saturday just north of the Macondo Deepwater well site. An April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig there killed 11 workers and began what is now the largest oil spill in Gulf history. The vessel will cruise a 25-square-mile test site through Sunday, according to TMT Shipping, the company that created A Whale by retrofitting an oil tanker after the explosion sent millions of gallons of crude spilling into the Gulf.

BP plans to pump heavy mud through one relief well to stop the leak from the broken well. The second relief well is being drilled as a backup. [Via WP]

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Paul McCartney says that global warming skeptics are like Holocaust deniers

Former Beatles superstar and musician Paul McCartney has set his aim at skeptics of a climate crisis in an interview with Britain's Sun tabloid, where he compared global warming skeptics to 'Holocaust deniers".

Speaking on the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Beatles legend said: "Sadly we need disasters like this to show people. Some people don't believe in climate warming - like those who don't believe there was a Holocaust.

"But the facts indicate that there's something going on and we've got to be aware of it if we want our kids to inherit a decent world, not a complete nightmare of a planet - clean, renewable energy is for starters."

The singer also defended the US President, Barack Obama, over the criticism that he has received regarding the spill. [Via The Sun]

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BP takes opportunity to tout 'benefits' of oil spill in company magazine

In any other company, it would be alarms ringing, panic and apology letters flying everywhere. Not at BP, though. In the latest outrage the company has caused following the development of a leak in the Gulf of Mexico, the company proudly published in its corporate magazine the so-called "Benefits" of the oil spill. 

Among them, the company says, is that the area's tourist destinations (like hotels and restaurants) are now full thanks to the spill. What they forgot to say was that was just all the people coming to clean up their mess. 

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Oil spill costs for BP top $2 billion

BP, the company deemed responsible for the oil spill currently occurring in the Gulf of Mexico has recently reported that their costs associated with their (as yet unsuccessful) cleanup effort have totaled above two billion dollars.

BP shares fell 4 percent in trading on the London Stock Exchange in response to further woes.



Clearly it has been $2 billion that hasn't been very well spent. BP is still nowhere near a completed clean-up.

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BP and Pixar present Finding Nemo: The Sequel

There is an entire selection of parodies (yes, they are parodies...don't go looking for tickets) on the blog El Blog De Chibiboto. In a somewhat crudely translated fashion (thank you Google), we give you the artists insightful explaination:

As we watch the World Cup, our planet continues dying thanks to one of the largest ecological catastrophes in the world, because a terrible oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. And now that the new movie Toy Story 3 is coming, it occurred to me to put forth some ideas for a sequel to Finding Nemo. I hope that these ideas inspire the writers at Pixar.

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BP's 'junk shot' revisited

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Hitler finds out about the BP oil spill

On the lighter side of things, as a follow up to our post on Hitler's surge in popularity within India, we thought this other clip of Hitler's rant on the BP oil spill would lighten the mood. 

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Sarah Palin thinks that Obama doesn't want to stop the leak, but instead wants to make as much money as he can

Following the address made by Barack Obama on the oil spill crisis from the White House, Fox News's outlandish and politically flamboyant television personality, Bill O'Reilly took the time to sit down in civilized discussion with perhaps the least politically biased lady (well, sort of) in the country.

Who else, but Sarah Palin. Among her more level-headed and balanced comments was that the President is in no rush to stop the leak, but instead just wants to get as much money out of it as he can by increasing the cost of energy.

Exactly what evidence there was of such thoughts was non-existant, and any possible motive unclear.

Anyway, I thought that trying to pay off your donors was your thing, Sarah.

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Utah gets its own oil spill

Salt Lake City, and indeed all of Utah was clearly displeased that they were not part of the action involving the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, so they decided to get in on it with their very own spill.

A leaking pipe, according to Deseret News, owned by Chevron has spilled 20 thousand gallons of oil into the Red Butte Creek just outside of Salt Lake City.

Personally, I find such attention seeking behavior pathetic.

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The oil is on BP's hands

This photo appeared on Gizmodo's guide to helping out with the worst oil disaster in American history. It rather poignantly illustrates BP's responsibility. 

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Mike Bloomberg, NYC Mayor: Leave BP Alone!

Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire Mayor of New York City and the overlord of the highly praised (and highly profitable) financial data and news company Bloomberg L.P., thinks that people are being too harsh on BP, the oil company responsible for the huge oil spill that is currently polluting the Gulf of Mexico.

He is reported to say that the CEO of BP didn't 'exactly go down there and blow up the well'. Really? That's something I never considered; I could've sworn he personally made sure of it. Oh well, we can't be right all the time!

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"The gulf looks like it has chicken pox" - BP has 48 hours

The US Government has given BP a symbolic 48 hours to devise a plan that will reduce the amount of oil that is currently gushing into the Gulf.

BP, which stands for British Petroleum, has thus far struggled to contain the leakage, which is currently leaking at a staggering rate, dozens of thousands of barrels each day.

The Coast Guard reportedly contacted BP requesting more information on their plans to control the leak, to which there was no known reply.

"The Gulf looks like it has chicken pox", said an ariel photographer. "It's like waiting for someone to die of cancer", said a local resident, who, according to The Associated Press, walks along the beach every morning.

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Oil spill parody - BP Spills Coffee

This is a video, produced by UCB Comedy and featured on Talking Points Memo that perfectly parodies the current BP oil spill situation by using a most clever metaphor - coffee.

It must be said that it is wonderful we are able to pull some humour out of what is naturally a very dire situation. Incase you missed it, it was recently announced that the estimates for the amount of oil that was leaking each day into the Gulf had been raised by around 100%, and that earlier estimates had been totally inaccurate. 

Perhaps at this late stage it would be good to pull some scientists away from making technology to extract oil, and put them to work creating technology to clean it up. 

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There's actually twice the amount of oil leaking into Gulf

Scientists have re-evaluated their earlier predictions of the amount of oil leaking into the Gulf, in one of the worst environmental disasters in recent times. A new government issued scientific report estimates that 25,000 to 30,000 barrels a day is being gushed into the sea. 

An earlier estimate was dreadfully inaccurate, estimating only around 12,000 to 19,000 a day. [Via NYT]

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Oh, the irony!

Photo taken by Mark and Vicki Cipolle

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WATCH: Letterman's opinion on how BP can improve its image

You may be aware of BP's recent public relations slip with regard to the little incident involving the oil spill. Well, no matter! Letterman's here to help them salvage their reputation from the depths.

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