Why is it that when a supposedly foolproof solution comes about, even the most elementary of minds can figure out why that solution sucks? British Petroleum has been loafing hard at work trying to find a way to stop the massive oil leak that threatens to destroy the Gulf of Mexico. 87 days and 178 million barrels of oil later, they've finally figured out a way to stop the oil from flowing: a cap. A freaking cap! Something to put over the top of the leak to stop it from leaking... That's the best BP can do? Apparently not, because immediately after hearing of this solution, CNN brought you, Bill Nye, in to discuss the situation.
Bill, you've long been a premier authority on science, in my book. Any person that can explain Newton's Laws to 4th graders or the extended water cycle to 2nd graders has to be a genius. Your show added to the plethora of stimuli that made me into the knowledge-sucking nerd I am today. It probably still would be if PBS wasn't so bent on replacing real education with furry anthropomorphic creatures who speak in babbles. I guess it's only right that CNN bring you in to simplify the 'cap solution' for its viewers. The only problem is how easily you refuted the solution... using a water bottle, a long tube and a flat piece of rock nonetheless. Bill, it's incredible how something that scientists and engineers and marine biologists and oil tycoons agreed on, can be disproved so easily. The worst part is, you did it in that trademark Bill Nye voice, enthralling and captivating me completely. I shouldn't be so excited about the potential downfall of BP's cap solution, but you've got to admit that they probably feel really silly, especially after watching this. Maybe for the next environmental disaster, or geological phenomenon, or catastrophic happening, you should be the one headlining the search for answers. You probably have more knowledge in your theme song than BP has in its entire organization...
All I can say is WOW! I feel like the people who made this video might have been sitting in on an actual British Petroleum meeting before filming, because the video basically shows how ineffective BP's been with this oil spill. The amount of time in between the oil coffee spill and the top-kill cardboard solution was way too long, and after they ran out of ideas, they kind of just have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off. If British Petroleum is angry about all of the parodies and jokes that are being flung their way now, I pity them even more. Bad regulation and an overall lack of remorse about their effect on the environment are bigger issues than their dwindling stock prices and soon-to-be inevitable bankruptcy. I guess when you've created the biggest environmental disaster in human history, its hard to see things from a humorous perspective...
Maybe this will help... No, it just made them look worse.
BP Plc (BP) said Wednesday that it began an attempt to plug a massive oil leak on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico using heavy drilling fluids, an experimental measure closely watched by federal authorities and the entire oil industry.
The so-called "top kill" procedure aims to kill a mile-deep well that has been gushing oil since the explosion and sinking of the Transocean Ltd. (RIG) Deepwater Horizon drilling rig more than a month ago. The deepwater well, known as Macondo, is estimated to be leaking at a rate of at least 5,000 barrels of oil a day, resulting in one of the worst oil spills the U.S. has ever seen. BP said that it began injecting so-called drilling mud into the well through a valve called a blow-out preventer at about 1 p.m. CDT. The company previously ran a battery of tests to gauge whether the procedure, which has never been tried at these depths, could work. The company had earlier received authorization to proceed from U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry.
BP said that the top-kill procedure could take up to two days to implement, and it's unclear how long it will take for BP to find out the results, the company said. The latest effort by the U.K.-based oil giant is being closely watched by federal authorities and by the entire oil industry, which faces an onslaught of regulation in the wake of the spill. At a shareholders' meeting in Dallas on Wednesday, Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM)'s Chief Executive Rex Tillerson said that Exxon, the world's largest publicly-traded oil company, continues to provide assistance to BP in dealing with the disaster. "We are eager to support efforts to determine how such an incident can be prevented in the future," he said.
You know your company image is tarnished when a fake Twitter for your company has more followers than the real one. BP, you really, really, really just screwed up in a major way. I was going to write something kind of dry and witty, but I just got word that your spill has surpassed the Exxon-Valdez spill in overall volume of oil and debris. By that virtue, this letter has to be a bit more serious. Even so, your whole stance is funny. There were reports that your employees knew there was something seriously wrong the day of the explosion, but their concerns fell on deaf ears. BP, it seems like you guys put safety and procedural concerns behind your profit margins, and it finally came back to bite you in the ass. The oil spill happened well over a month ago and you guys are just now finding a way to clean it up. What were you all doing for the 25 days that you weren't coming up with a solution? My guess is most of your executives thought the spill wasn't even that serious. In fact, I'd go so far as to say most of your executives haven't stepped foot on an oil rig in their lives, much less knew how oil got from the earth to their luxury sports sedans.
They can see the oil spill from SPACE!!! I give it t-minus 5 years before the fish we eat grow legs and start walking...
BP, the thing is, you should've seen this coming. George Bush Jr. (not to blame everything on him, but the man really fudged this country up) installed lax regulatory laws and tax shelters for oil companies when he really should have been putting the clamp down on them. You guys knew (or should have known) the risks of cutting back on your security and operational procedures, more so than anyone else. That's why I get pissed seeing people proclaim the spill as 'Obama's mistake'. Really, BP? You guys are going to let the President, who isn't linked at all to BP take a fall for you guys when you haven't even begun to clean your own mess up? C'mon son. It's bad enough the price of oil is going to get higher than a crackhead who wins the lottery. It's even worse that the oil spill is expanding exponentially. Hell, even worse than that is the fact that our fishing industry down there is probably dead in the water (really morbid pun there). No matter how you look at it, BP, you guys royally f*cked up. All jokes and Twitter pages aside, this is the worst environmental disaster. EVER. There are millions of gallons of oil spewing into our ocean, and you guys are probably still thinking more about your profit margin than the huge ramifications of this disaster. Guess that works when you're already rich...
