robots and sunflowers

THE  FUTURE  does not always become what we want it to be. But our imaginings and projections onto it are what make the present, so it never hurts to freely associate what we want the future to be. One never knows where an idea will lead. After all, our thoughts have a surefire way of connecting to our reality. We can think about the totality of life situations, or we can focus on the positive things within the whole. It's almost always a choice to do so. And when we do focus on the good energy, more of it seems to come our way (the opposite is true also). One thing leads to another, just as in associative thinking.

AS  KIDS, we all thought about what it would be like when we grew up. Limitless possibilities are given room to grow, but when we become adults, life has a way of getting in the way of this childlike exuberance. My friend Lenny Zimmerman has found a way to tap into this free-association of our childhood psyche, and bring it back to life in his paintings of robots. I think that's why he has gotten such a positive response to them. He says: "I always thought robots would be super curious and full of awe and wonder . . . just like kids where everything is new." Lenny's paintings were the inspiration for this post. And they capture his amazingly inquisitive nature as a talented artist and graphic designer. He projects human thoughts and situations onto mechanical beings.

IT  HAS  ALWAYS  been this way with robots. As kids, robots represented something that we could project our thoughts about the future onto. They became more human to us as a result, in the increasingly manufactured world in which we live. Sometimes they could be brutal or scary, but more often than not, we saw them as friends or searched for a way to do so. In becoming adults, we saw that some menial and repetitive tasks could be replaced with robots, but they could never quite replace anything with real emotion. We all learned that we still had a living-and-breathing emotional life in this natural, not manufactured world.  

RETRO ROBOTS | (Top photo, clockwise, from top left):

The gold/silver robot ornament was inspired by the 1950s Japanese Yonezawa Gold Beacon Robot tin toy.

The red robot ornament was inspired by the 1950s Japanese Nomura X-70 Robot tin toy. The original robot’s striped head would open up like a flower to reveal another head.

The blue cone head robot ornament was inspired by the 1950s Japanese Yonezawa Cone Head Robot tin toy.

The silver robot ornament was inspired by the 1950s Japanese Yoneya Silver Walking Robot tin toy. The original wind-up toy robot had unique side-stepping flipper feet.

All the ornaments above are ©Midwest/Seasons of Cannon Falls and are available at Tin Toy Arcade in College Park, Georgia. 

PURE IMAGINATION | (painting above): Lenny "Porkchop" Zimmerman titles this painting "Robot in the Grass." It creates a world where a robot relaxes in the grass surrounded by sunflowers (or are they sunlamps?). Just as real sunflowers follow and face the sun, these sunflowers are emitting an effusive wonder back to the viewer through a robot discovering his emotions. Lenny says of this painting "I found a bright spot of happy." 

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland

as inspired by Lenny "Porkchop" Zimmerman
painting by Porkchop

ONE  OF  MY  favorite recent movies about robots is the animated feature from Pixar named Wall-E. It has a profound ecological message of how we need to take care of the natural world (it shows a scenario if humans had to leave Earth to survive). If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! Go here to find out more or view the trailer.

ALSO, one of the most brilliant commercials I've seen lately is this one about remembering what it's like to have the "pure imagination" of a child again. See the commercial below (click arrow on the image below to start and then click again to view the wide screen version on YouTube):

 

picnic panache

ANY  EXCUSE  is a good excuse for a picnic (as well as a decorated tree). Although  the sweltering heat of July is almost unbearable for a lot of dining outdoors, if you plan for a late dinner instead of lunch, it is a special way to enjoy the warm weather. And there's nothing better than a cool slice of watermelon to help with the heat. I have fond memories from childhood when we would ritually spread newspaper on our backyard picnic table and slice a fresh watermelon. A lot of people find this unusual, but we always brought the shaker outside and sprinkled our slices of watermelon with salt before we ate it—I like mine with mild sea salt, please—it intensifies the juicy flavor. To this day, watermelon is one of my favorite things about summer. Another summer ritual is making fresh tomato sandwiches on good white bread with lots of mayonnaise, salt and fresh-ground pepper—sliced on the diagonal, but that's a different story altogether.

IN  AN  ERA  of plastic everything, it's nice to know that great eco-friendly alternatives exist for picnics and casual get-togethers. This disposable beech wood cutlery is a great alternative to plastic. I've decorated a small wire tree  with the wooden utensils. You can also find plates made from naturally-shed banana tree leaves and those cool striped paper straws I remember from my early childhood. The list is growing as the market responds to a more responsible and sustainable way of living. Of course what was commonplace back then, is only had at a premium these days. The plus to all of this is that many new products are beyond utilitarian and have a natural, biodegradable beauty that remind one of the day when sandwiches were wrapped carefully in waxed paper and you carried other food in glass containers wrapped up in a cloth, tucked carefully into a picnic basket. The containers weren't thrown away, but put back into the basket and washed when you got home.

PICNICS  ARE  PERFECT  for two people as well as lawn games. Croquet and horseshoes are as easily played by two as well as two teams, but the most romantic way to spend an evening is a special outdoor meal. It's interesting that these wooden utensils are made of beech wood, because lovers have a long history of carving their initials into the smooth gray bark of these trees. These carved affections grow as the tree grows and get bigger with time due the thinness and elasticity of beech bark. Thin slabs of beech bark have also been used since early times to write on and were sometimes tied together in making the first books. And the symbolism of these tree "ornaments" goes even further because the Latin name for the beech tree is Fagus, which comes from the Greek phagein, "to eat." It's high time to plan a special meal outside. And if you're having it with someone special, instead of defacing a tree, have a picnic under its shade to stay as cool as possible.

TAKE IT OUTSIDE | The biodegradable beech wood cutlery is by Seletti. The tree is a green coated wire tree from IKEA. The antique oilcloth-lined basket was lent by my friend Odette. She also brought this beautiful miniature Crimson Glory watermelon to me (I'm saving the seeds!). It's from the Mennonite Delano Community Farm Market, in Delano, Tennessee. The striped paper straws are made by Kikkerland Design, Inc. The gingham cloth in the basket and the croquet balls and hammers were lent from Green Central Station, my good friend Nancy Tran's shop specializing in vintage picnic items in Birmingham, Alabama. Click on the photo to see an uncropped version, twice to enlarge even more.

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland

the liberty tree

A STATELY ELM TREE that first stood in Boston Common in the late 1700's became an early touchstone for American independence. In the decade that led up to the American Revolution, this particular Liberty Tree provided a symbolic canopy and a physical gathering place for the people to assemble on their own terms and for their own purposes. The open space under its branches was called Liberty Hall and a flag pole was erected through its branches. A hoisted flag on this pole served as a call-to-action. Inflammatory cartoons and verses were nailed to its trunk. Even Tory effigies hung from its branches in protest. Under the boughs of the Liberty Tree in 1765, patriots, calling themselves The Sons of Liberty, gathered to protest the imposition of the stamp act. Innumerable lanterns were hung among its branches after the stamp act was repealed.

IN  THE  YEARS  that followed, almost every American town had a Liberty Tree —a living symbol of freedom of speech and assembly. Thomas Paine wrote the following song (below) in 1775, which explains the original tree's demise and its symbolic promise. During the siege of Boston, at the end of August 1775, a party of British Loyalists cut the tree down and used it for firewood. It was a spiteful act, knowing what it represented to the revolutionists. But this only fueled the fiery spirit of the colonists. As resistance to the British grew, flags bearing a representation of the Liberty Tree were flown to show an unwavering spirit of liberty.


In a chariot of light from the regions of day,

The Goddess of Liberty came;
Ten thousand celestials directed the way,
And hither conducted the dame.
A fair budding branch from the gardens above,

Where millions with millions agree,
She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love,
And the plant she named Liberty Tree.

The celestial exotic struck deep in the ground,
Like a native it flourished and bore;
The fame of its fruit drew the nations around,
To seek out this peaceable shore.

Unmindful of names or distinctions they came,
For freemen like brothers agree;
With one spirit endued, they one friendship pursued,
And their temple was Liberty Tree.

Beneath this fair tree, like the patriarchs of old,
Their bread in contentment they ate
Unvexed with the troubles of silver and gold,
The cares of the grand and the great.

With timber and tar they Old England supplied,
And supported her power on the sea;
Her battles they fought, without getting a groat,
For the honor of Liberty Tree.

But hear, O ye swains, 'tis a tale most profane,
How all the tyrannical powers,
Kings, Commons and Lords, are uniting amain,
To cut down this guardian of ours;

From the east to the west blow the trumpet to arms,
Through the land let the sound of it flee,
Let the far and the near, all unite with a cheer,
In defense of our Liberty Tree.

THE  INDEPENDENT  spirit of the American people was first symbolized by the Liberty Tree. It is my hope that on this and subsequent July 4th celebrations, the symbolic spirit of this tree serves as a touchstone for America's common link to all the people of the world as well as our original colonists from wide and far. Trees play an important role in creating and purifying the air that all the people of the world breathe freely, not independently. And they create it by the simple process of living in harmony with nature. 

STARS AND STRIPES | (Top) My interpretation of the holiday serves as a tree centerpiece and is a bright reference to the original 13 American colonies. To represent each colony, I decorated a painted tree branch supported in a striped glass vase with 13 glittered wooden stars. I trimmed each star's edges with complementing ribbon and a paper star in the middle. See details below on how this was done. And since this is the United States' 234th birthday, we must eat cake. I've simply added little flag toothpicks stuck through a single blueberry to store-bought cupcakes. The table top is trimmed with a ribbon garland from the 2007 Martha Stewart Crafts line. 

FLYING FREE | (Above, right) The American Liberty Tree Revolutionary Flag, circa 1775. 

LANTERNS OF LIBERTY | (Above, 2nd and 3rd photos from top) This Liberty Tree, hung with 13 lanterns representing the original American Colonies is a dominant feature of Liberty Square in Walt Disney World, Florida. When I first went there as a child with my parents, it made a big impression on me. The lanterns are wired and lit at dusk. This particular tree is not an Elm, but rather a Southern Live Oak that was transplanted. Both photos by ladystardust722.

LIBERTY TREE MONUMENT | (Middle, right) Liberty trees have been popular all over the world. This sculpture in Carlow, Ireland was designed by John Bethan to honor those who were massacred in the Battle of Carlow, who fought and died in the cause of religious and civil freedom (marking the Bicentenary of the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland). The sculpture features a number of macabre skeletons arranged around an abstract tree shape. It is made of bronze and set on a circular base with a fountain.

TORY ROYAL OAK | (Bottom, right) Toryism is interestingly enough symbolized by this Royal Oak insignia. Toryism is a traditionalist political philosophy. It is one of the prominent political parties in Great Britain, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada. Historically it also had exponents in former parts of the British Empire.
 

STAR MAKING | (Left) I bought these glittered wooden stars in the dollar bin at Target, Then I glued contrasting ribbons around their wide edges with a hot glue gun. To finish I added a punched paper star to the middle of each punched from metallic cardstock paper, then tied all 13 of them to the tree ("radiant star" craft punch from Martha Stewart Crafts).

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Photography and styling by Darryl Moland

month of roses

How
Did the rose
Ever open its heart

And give to this world

All its
Beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light
Against its
Being,

Otherwise,
We all remain

Too

Frightened.

                       —Hafiz

THIS  BLOG has essentially always been my version of "stopping to smell the roses"—if not literally, then certainly metaphorically. In this, it was always my intent to figure out a way combine my life with my work while finding a place to express cherished memories and new thoughts about what's going on around me. That in itself may bore some people, so I try to create compelling images to pull people closer, and stop them for a moment to contemplate the simple beauty of life. If that makes them stay a little while and explore the senses in celebrating the natural world, then I've achieved my mission.

THOSE  THAT  take the time to read a bit further, to stay a little longer, I hope, are rewarded with something they can relate back to their own lives—essentially by "stopping to smell the roses." As the line under the banner says: "There’s no better celebration of any season than the decorated tree adorned with the rich symbolism of nature. This is my ritual to inform and inspire you in the journey called life." 

JUNE  IS  the month of roses. In bloom everywhere, the rose is the birth flower for the month. Whether given or received, roses symbolize joy, love and affection. And depending on the color, they can evoke a particular sentiment and a variety of meanings.

PROBABLY  the most beloved, and certainly one of most beautiful of flowers, the rose has a resonant and meaningful life, dating back to before human history, with fossil evidence 35 million years old. I think a flower that has lived through the ages would contain a certain wisdom, even if it's only related by a simple unfolding beauty and sweet scent. There's certainly a complexity in what it has represented through the ages.

THE  ROSE  is the symbol of love, first and foremost.

AND  TODAY  is the start of a long hot summer.

ROSE ORNAMENTS | (Both photos) My collection of glass rose ornaments is becoming a touchstone for all in my life that I've loved and lost. Of course it's better than to have never loved at all. All you need to do is take the time to stop and breathe in a memory.

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland 

white wedding

WHO  KNEW?  Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress. That in itself may not seem like news at all, but since she's widely credited with starting the tradition, it's a revelation. It followed that Victorian era elites, rapturously reading and writing the etiquette books of the day, took Victoria's lead and embellished it with the "connotation of innocence and sexual purity." 

FAST  FORWARD to over a century later and the Billy Idol song "White Wedding" served to heighten the fantasy of a virgin bride. Some say that he wrote the song to express his displeasure with his sister's fiancé impregnating her before marrying her. It was a nice day (meaning the '80s) for a white wedding, because it was one of Idol's most successful songs.

VICTORIA and husband/cousin Albert are also subsequently credited for popularizing the modern Christmas tree. Either alone is a testament to the great effect these kissing cousins had on modern culture. She was the longest-ruling monarch of Great Britain (64 years!), during a time of economic and imperial expansion (Albert died early in 1861). Victoria gave her name to the Victorian Era, but she was also nicknamed the "grandmother of Europe" since the fruitful couple had four sons and five daughters to keep the royal lineage going for decades to come (42 grandchildren).

“Married in white, you will have chosen all right. Married in gray, you will go far away. Married in black, you will wish yourself back. Married in red, you’ll wish yourself dead. Married in blue, you will always be true. Married in pearl, you’ll live in a whirl. Married in green, ashamed to be seen. Married in yellow, ashamed of the fellow. Married in brown, you’ll live out of town. Married in pink, your spirits will sink.”

—From The History of the White Wedding Dress by Kelsey McIntyre

IN  ANY  CASE, weddings are steeped in tradition, rituals and superstition all-at-once. A bridal set of ornaments is an elegant gift that brings the seasons all together in one set, whether used only around Christmas or separately throughout the year, or both. A wedding in June—is surprisingly only the second most popular month for weddings—even with the "June bride" being part of the cultural dialog. June falls just below September in wedding month popularity (according to the Knot). Victoria and Albert's wedding date was February 10, 1840, so the June bride didn't start there (that may go back to Roman times). In true Victoria (not Victorian) form, it seems like the only tradition today is to break with tradition, making your wedding unique—a reflection of your own personal style. Maybe, also, one day it won't be so unique for gay people to legally marry in this country and it will be passed into law, for better or worse. I doubt if it will interfere with the sanctity of marriage. And it certainly is better than marrying your cousin. Being a gay man from Alabama, I can say that with hope and conviction, having been in two long-term, live-together relationships, nine and six years respectively, both with whom I still maintain good friendships.

ACCORDING  TO  German tradition, a set of  bride's tree ornaments (all photos this post) are twelve symbols of a happy home—a nice gift to wish the newlywed couple success in marriage and life. Follow the numbers to find the meaning, ritual or superstition behind each:

1) BIRD | symbol of joy and happiness
2) ANGEL | symbol of guidance
3) RABBIT | reflects hope and peace with nature
4) FRUIT BASKET | symbolizes generosity and plenty
5) HEART | symbol of true love
6) PINE CONE | represents motherhood and fruitfulness
7) FLOWER BASKET | symbolizes good wishes or beauty in the home 
8) ROSE | symbol of affection  
9) HOUSE | represents protection or shelter
10) FISH | represents fertility and faith
11) TEAPOT | represents hospitality
12) SANTA | is a symbol of goodwill, giving and sharing

WRAPPING an heirloom such as this set of ornaments warrants a reusable box with protective squares of archival tissue. I've added squares of wide shimmery organza ribbon as an accent. The bride's ornament set can be found in pre-packaged gift-boxed sets, but since this set was found individually, an ornament box was necessary to contain it. This starter set of holiday ornaments can be used together at Christmas or individually, according to the season. Small inexpensive honeycomb wedding bells are a nice topper to the gift instead of a traditional bow (they can also be positioned half-opened, taped to the top of the wrapped box).

WEDDING TABLEAU | (Top) This unusually neutral white and silver bride's tree set was found individually a few seasons ago at Star Provisions in Atlanta. I had to replace the original house ornament which was broken with a similar one from the grand daddy of the German glassblowing tradition, Krebs Lauscha. (Center) I've numbered the set of ornaments to correspond with the list of their meanings. (Bottom) If found individually, it's a nice gesture to archive the ornaments for gift-giving and keeping. The linen napkin with beautiful silver-threaded stitching is by Thomas O'brien, from his Vintage Modern line for Target in 2005. The paper daisies were found at Michaels and the honeycomb wedding bells are from Martha Stewart Crafts.

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland

keys of life

 

THIS  HAS  BEEN  a weekend for soul-searching. I have had a lot going in my life the past few years and it's good to take some time for quiet contemplation. Sometimes life forces you to do such a thing. It's far too easy to get distracted by all the stuff of everyday life, which makes one forget to attend to the stuff of life that really matters—what's inside. It's scary to be alone with yourself sometimes, but a more meditative approach to life seems to always help me find direction. The older I get, the easier it is to find this kind of silence it seems. Maybe I've had enough practice. Maybe it's like riding a bike. Or finding a key to turn:

THE  INCREDIBLY  beautiful keys in the photo (above) were found at a crafts supply store several months ago (part of the aptly-named idea-ology line by Tim Holtz (a new discovery of amazing products). Being constantly on the lookout for new ways to express the decorated tree, I thought they would make beautiful ornaments by themselves or in some sort of wire construction—like an ornament I bought years ago which encased an old key within a crudely-made wire "globe." (I need to find it!). Although that's how these keys are marketed, they're not the usual scrapbooker fare. They have a heft and construction just like real keys. I loved them for the "engraved" words that associate with beautifully rendered shapes from the past. Who knows what they will become from here. I guess that's the point.

IN  THINKING  about how to use these keys (both literally and figuratively), I associated them with a book that my cousin Angela found at an antique store a few years ago and shared with me. I loved it so much that I searched for one and found a copy of my own on Ebay. The book (literary essay) is titled As a Man Thinketh by James Allen and was first published in 1902. I had never heard of it before, but it is one of those timeless jewels that you'll want to read and re-read (my copy is hand-sized and only 76 pages). You can read a copy online, but I'm a bit old-fashioned and like to have a book to hold in my hand—especially the beautiful copy I found.

A PHILOSOPHY  like James Allen's became possible when liberal Protestantism discarded the stern dogma that man is sinful by nature, substituting instead an optimistic belief in man's innate goodness and divine rationality. This reversal of doctrine was one of the great revolutions of the 19th Century. It was a move toward a reconciliation of science and religion, which is still in hot debate even today. As A Man Thinketh was Allen's second book of nineteen he wrote and was his most concise and eloquent work that best embodied his thought. The book opens with this statement:

Mind is the Master-power that moulds and makes,

And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes

The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,

Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:—

He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:

Environment is but his looking-glass.

TO  GIVE a broader idea of the infinitely quotable Mr. Allen, I have found quotes from him that pertain to the words on the seven keys in the photo above:

MEMORY: We clothe events with the drapery of our own thoughts. . . .

LOVE: And you . . . will realize the Vision (not the idle wish) of your heart, be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both, for you will gravitate toward that which you, secretly, most love.

SECRET: And herein lies the secret of true power. Learn, by constant practice, how to husband your resources, and concentrate them, at any moment, upon a given point.

DREAMS: The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.

LIFE: Our life is what our thoughts make it. A man will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him.

HEART: The vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart — this you will build your life by, this you will become.

JOURNEY: Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your Ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration.

WORD KEYS | (Top) These seven "word keys" from the Tim Holtz idea-ology line were a great find at Michaels craft store. The keys are displayed on the beautiful "leopard spot" marbleized endpapers binding my copy of James Allen's 1902 literary tome As a Man Thinketh.

LITERARY CLASSIC | (Middle and bottom) My vintage copy of As a Man Thinketh was found on Ebay and is exquisitely bound in green silk cloth back and corners with "leopard spot" marbleized endpapers with handset type inside—a beautiful addition to my treasured books. Published in 1908 by The Progress Company, Chicago.

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland 

 

home to birds

BIRDS ARE FREE  to fly about. They make their homes in trees. They navigate thin air. They eat, well, like a bird. They sing songs whenever they like. Direct ascendants from the dinosaur, they hold the wisdom of the ages. They are gifts of hope and happiness.

MY FASCINATION with birds continues to grow. Aside from the real ones, I see birds in art everywhere I look—Twitter's logo (follow me here), the symbol of the country where I live and even the name of one of my favorite local places to eat, Ria's Bluebird.

FITTINGLY, I met my friend David Schump at Ria's for a delicious brunch this weekend and he graciously brought along a piece from his folk art collection for me to photograph. I had long admired his bird tree—a natural limb decorated with a flock of nine unique birds. Hand-carved and painted (circa 2004) by American folk artist John Carlton (in Delaware), this celebration of birds is quite a beautiful work of art.

ARTISTS CELEBRATE birds in their artwork in every discipline it seems. Two other artist's works I'm picturing here are an illustrated book by Australian artist Jeffrey Fisher and hand-turned birdhouse ornaments by local Georgia woodworker Betty Fugate.

ACKNOWLEDGED as having influenced a generation of designers and illustrators world wide, with birds being his preferred muses, Jeffrey Fisher's book offers up 46 different bird species in illustrated portraits. Each bird is painted in his unique style—unexpected, colorful and beautiful—and paired with quirky musings by his wife, Christine Fisher on each species' history and lore. Jeffrey states in the preface of Birds: "This book is nothing but an enthusiasm for birds. There being a bevy of collective terms for our winged friends—a murmuration of starlings, a ubiquity of sparrows, an unkindness of ravens, an exultation of larks, a pandemonium of parrots—here be an enthusiasm for birds."

WOODWORKER, Betty Fugate of Whirlingwood Studio in Georgia made the birdhouse ornaments pictured alongside the book. A crafter with a myriad of materials from embroidery to pyrography since childhood, Betty hand-turned these ornaments out of exotic woods. They will be beautiful and fun additions to a decorated tree. I've long thought of designing a tree with nothing but birds, and since trees are homes to many types of birds, it only makes sense. What better way to celebrate nature than to celebrate a home in nature?

FOLK ART FLOCK | (Above, top) This tree of birds was crafted by American folk artist John Carlton in 2004. The bird vase is from Target several seasons ago. The cast iron basket (filled with moss) was purchased in the Garden Gift Shop at Atlanta Botanical Garden.

FOR THE BIRDS | (Above, bottom) The illustrated book simply titled Birds is by Australian artist/illustrator Jeffrey Fisher (Chronicle Books) contains some of the most unique celebrations of birds in art I've seen. The hand-turned wooden birdhouse ornaments were made by woodworker Betty Fugate who resides locally in Georgia.

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

photography and styling by Darryl Moland, 
folk art bird tree by John Carlton, 
birdhouse ornaments by Betty Fugate

BEYOND WORDS | A heartbreaking scenario played out all-too-often because of Big Oil's unbridled greed, corruption and self-regulation: An oil-soaked bird against the side of the HOS, an Iron Horse supply vessel, at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on May 9.