The Gulf oil spill has been an unmitigated horror, and shows all signs of continuing on that way. 

The response of the oil companies has been dreadful. In defense of British Petroleum, however, it has a really good-looking logo. --- If there is a bright spot in this disaster, it's been the opportunity to admire that lovely geometric green and yellow ... er, construction. What is it, exactly? It looks like a flower, made up of energy sparked in some kind of floral internal-combustion engine.

Yep, that must be it: an energy flower.

The logo says so many optimistic things about BP -- things we wish were actually true. The logo is environmentally aware; the logo is expansive, forward-thinking and dynamic. To me, the logo is even sort of hypnotic. This is how the logo appears to me in dreams:

Gaze deeply into the logo. If you look long enough, it may convince you that the worst oil spill in U.S. history is nothing to worry about.

Or maybe not.