Spirit Airlines is known for pushing its bottom-scraping fees with crass emailed promos, but usually they just stick with dorky sex puns. Now they’re branching out into sociopolitical commentary with their latest “Check Out The Oil On Our Beaches” promotion that leverages the BP oil spill in comedy and marketing gold. [More]
BP
BP's Internal Mag Discovers Oil Spill Helped Gulf Coast Economy
By 6.22.10
According to BP’s in-house online magazine, Planet BP, there is a silver lining in the giant puddle of oil they caused to spew all over the Gulf of Mexico. That’s right, the spill, far from devastating the local economy, is causing it to prosper! [More]
BP Document Puts Early Spill Estimate At Up To 100K Barrels A Day
By 6.21.10
Though British Petroleum’s own CEO has made public statements like “The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into [the Gulf of Mexico] is tiny in relation to the total water volume,” and the always classic “The environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest,” a recently released internal document shows that BP’s initial estimates of the ongoing oil spill were outright apocalyptic. [More]
Gulf Oil Spill Ruining July 4th Fireworks For Louisiana Town
By 6.17.10
With the summer of 2010 shaping up to be not exactly peachy for many towns on the Gulf of Mexico as they watch balls of oil drift toward their shores, a number of folks in the region won’t even have their traditional July 4 fireworks to look forward to. [More]
BP-Hired Mercenaries Keep Reporters From Interviewing Workers
By 6.17.10
This video shows a BP-hired mercenaries working for “Talon Security” trying to keep WDSU-New Orleans reporter Scott Walker from talking to cleanup crews on a public beach. I would normally say something like, “Apparently they didn’t get the memo last week from from National Incident Commander Thad Allen and BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles that the media is to have full access to oil-affected areas and to cleanup workers,” – except that the mercs in the video are perfectly aware of the memos, and yet continue to obstruct the journalist! [More]
Report: BP Putting $20 Billion Aside For Paying Oil Spill Victims
By 6.16.10
As reported late last week, British Petroleum had set an early estimate of $14 billion for payouts to workers and businesses crippled by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But a new report claims that BP has set aside a higher total of $20 billion for this reason. [More]
BP Customer Service Rep Says Disaster Call Center "A Diversion"
By 6.14.10
“Janice” has been working in the BP Call Center in Houston, answering calls about the disaster from all over the world, and she says she and her coworkers don’t think the calls are being sent any higher up in the company. “We’re a diversion to stop them from really getting to the corporate office, to the big people. I don’t want to get emotional, but it’s so frustrating when these people live right there [in the Gulf Coast] and nothing is being done to help them.” [More]
Know Your BP Gulf Disaster Charity
By 6.14.10
Before you rip up your checkbook or rush down to pitch in, make sure you get to know the BP Gulf disaster-related charity you’re getting in bed with. [More]
When You Boycott BP Gas Stations, BP Can Profit
By 6.14.10
You need gas. On the right is a BP. On the left is a supermarket gas station. Which do you choose, and why? If you skip the BP to go to the other, you might actually be putting more cash in BP’s stained pockets.
Like this story? Check out, “BP Gulf-Sized Spilling Occurs In Nigeria Annually, But Nobody Cares.”
BP Swears It's Going To Try A Little Harder
By 6.14.10
After getting a verbal boot in the butt from the U.S. Coast Guard about their lackadaisical attitude toward cleaning up their mess in the Gulf of Mexico, British Petroleum has come back with a slightly more aggressive schedule for mopping up the disaster. [More]
Coast Guard To BP: Hurry The Hell Up
By 6.13.10
Perhaps figuring that if a little forceful nudge from the federal government can get BP to stop dragging its feet on paying businesses hurt by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the U.S. Coast Guard has now told the oil giant that they really need to step up their actions with regards to both stopping the spewing crude and containing/cleaning up the mess that’s already been made. [More]
Gulf Oil Spill Shutting Down 134-Year-Old Oyster House
By 6.11.10
Though BP may be not dragging their feet as slowly on getting out payments to businesses crippled by the huge oil slick that used to be the Gulf of Mexico, that money can only go so far toward keeping established businesses above water. [More]
BP Estimates Oil Spill Cleanup Costs At $3-6 Billion
By 6.11.10
On the same day scientists studying the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say that previous guesses at the amount of crude leaked into the water have been greatly understated, British Petroleum has put together their first estimate of what it’s going to cost the oil giant to clean up the mess. [More]
Keep Track Of BP Oil Spill Casualties With DailyDeadBirds.com
By 6.10.10
Though BP has made attempts to keep reporters away from the icky, oily dead and dying animals floating in on the greasy tides of the Gulf of Mexico, they haven’t been able to stop the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at bay. [More]
BP Agrees To Compensate Victims Of Oil Spill Faster
By 6.10.10
BP has announced that it will change the way claims are processed in order to speed up the time it takes for money to get to oil-soaked small businesses that are no longer able to function. Under federal law, BP has an obligation to pay for a range of losses, including property damage and lost earnings, says the AP. There has been a growing tide of complaints alleging that the oil giant is dragging its feet when it comes to paying these claims. [More]
BP Tries To Clean Up Coffee Spill
By 6.9.10
What would happen if BP spilled a bunch of coffee on their conference room table? Pretty much the same thing if they spilled a whole bunch of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. This Upright Citizen’s Brigade theater sketch spoof explores the delicate mapping between the two scenarios, and the delightful comedy that ensues. Kevin Costner’s voice, or a reasonable facsimile, guest stars. NSFW for one naughty word. [More]
BP Buys Up Search Phrases To Keep You From Snooping On Its Heroic Clean-Up Efforts
By 6.8.10
BP isn’t too fond of people using search engines to check up on its Gulf of Mexico misadventures. The company has bought up some Google and Yahoo phrases in order to scuttle efforts to find news reports using such words. [More]
If Only BP Would Follow The Advice On Its Own Signs
By 6.7.10
Tanja’s friend snapped this shot at a BP-owned gas station. It’s important to remember that if you cause huge, needless spills of petroleum products it’s only right to clean up after yourself. [More]
