Gene Taylor (D-Mizzippi) would like folks to calm the fuck down about that black death approaching the shore:

What I want people to know is this isn’t Katrina. This is not Armageddon. I did this for the Coast Guard many years ago. Yeah, it’s bad. And it’s terrible that there’s a spill out there. But I would remind people that the oil is twenty miles from any marsh… That chocolate-milk looking spill starts breaking up in smaller pieces… It is tending to break up naturally.

Nice try, Gene, but BP is only paying those five-grand hush-money checks to Alabama right now.

Rep. Taylor Downplays Gulf Oil Disaster By Comparing It To Spilt ‘Chocolate Milk’ [ThinkProgress]

AG: BP Trying To Get Alabamians To Give Up Right To Sue Over Spill [TPM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSNPFVLIWjI

You may have seen GM CEO Ed Whitacre busting his buttons on the teevee the other day: “We have repaid our government loan,” said the proud papa. “In full, with interest, five years ahead of the original schedule.”

Since GM had only sixty seconds to make the case, there must not have been time for the qualifier — GM’s TARP loan was paid with funds from another government loan:

Read more »

Hemmings Motor News rightly bills itself as “The Bible of the Old Car Hobby”.  If I had crazy money, I’d be buying old cars faster than Jay Leno. But this thing made me gasp – imagine travelling the highways and byways of America in a 1955 Flxible:

A description after the jump.

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And the Bush body count continues to rise ….

… that a large company, say an oil or coal company, would lie about the chance for a disaster or have no regard for their employees’ safety.

By CAIN BURDEAU and HOLBROOK MOHR
Associated Press Writers

MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER (AP) – British Petroleum once downplayed the possibility of a catastrophic accident at an offshore rig that exploded, causing the worst U.S. oil spill in decades along the Gulf Coast and endangering shoreline habitat.

In its 2009 exploration plan and environmental impact analysis for the well, BP suggested it was unlikely, or virtually impossible, for an accident to occur that would lead to a giant crude oil spill and serious damage to beaches, fish and mammals.

Document: BP Didn’t Plan for Major Oil Spill [WTOP]

Title: “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

Author: Dr. Seuss

Rank: 56

Blurb: “You can get all hung up / in a prickle-ly perch. / And your gang will fly on. / You’ll be left in a Lurch.”

Review: “I cringe every time my son (4yrs old) has me read him this book. I hate it. The basic premise — if you don’t like where you are, get up and leave it all behind for great adventure, and when that doesn’t work out, you’ll have to figure it all out for yourself and then you’ll be back at it, unless that doesn’t work out… etc. The premise is not only flawed, it runs counter to everything I’d like him to learn: that he is surrounded by love and the support of his family and friends, and that when the going gets tough he shouldn’t just leave town; he should learn to value trusted relationships to help him overcome challenges. The book has no sense of family, love, or other type of support, and while it does say ‘kid, you’ll move mountains’ it forgets to say ‘kid, you’re well-grounded and loved’ and that is a fatal error by Seuss. Also, the language (complex — ‘dexterous and deft’) is not suitable for young readers.”

Customers Also Bought: “The Piercing Bible: The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing”

Footnote: Seems early for Graduation Season, doesn’t it? Then again, Obama gave a commencement speech Saturday, so what do we know.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go! [Amazon]

Buy or Die [Stinque@Amazon kickback link]

From the New York Times:

A suspicious vehicle in the heart of Times Square led the police to clear thousands of tourists and theatergoers from the area on a warm and busy Saturday evening.

Police officials said a witness reported a running Nissan Pathfinder with Connecticut plates, with smoke coming out of the back. A bomb squad robot popped the back latch of the Pathfinder, and officers found what they initially believed was a bomb. The vehicle was found to contain explosives, gasoline, propane and burned wires, a Fire Department officer told Reuters. The officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the news media, said that a man was seen fleeing the S.U.V. and that the police evacuated the area in case there were other threats nearby. Police were treating the vehicle as a “failed device” and were searching for a suspect.