Move over, Exxon Valdez.  In what’s quickly becoming the worst oil spill in the world’s history, the massive oil slick off the coast of Louisiana is… well, no longer off the coast of Louisiana.

Despite efforts to contain it (hey, they even lit it on fire – don’t try this at home, kids), the oil spill reached land early Friday morning, posed to ruin a variety of fragile ecosystems: marshland, avian habitats, shrimp and oyster breeding groups, mink, otter and already-endangered sea turtles will all be affected, in addition to whales, dolphins and other marine and marsh life.  As of last week it was thought that the downed rig wasn’t going to leak any oil, and speculation of it’s potentially catastrophic environmental effects were merely that.  Unfortunately, at this point the oil slick is so huge it can be seen from space – it’s about the size of Jamaica, and growing.

Unlike the Exxon Valdez incident wherein the oil spill was from a finite source (the boat), this disaster continues because the oil is coming from an active well.  The “Deepwater Horizon” (which might be more accurately re-christened “The Greasewater Horizon”), the collapsed rig still diligently doing its job no matter that it’s already exploded and sunk, is still pumping somwhere around 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) of crude oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico.  BP officials have deployed underwater robots to try to stanch the leaks, but have somewhat reluctantly admitted that it may take months to completely seal off the 2 leaks that continue to pollute the Gulf.

The drill has enraged a variety of folks; the President’s reaction, however, is somewhat muddled.  Just a few weeks back Obama announced that offshore drilling was going to be permitted off the Atlantic coast, but is now avoiding the specifics of that plan while speaking in macro-level vagaries to note that he will continue to support offshore drilling as part of a larger energy package, but that no drilling will be authorized in the near future.  Speaking specifically about this oil spill, the President puts the blame on BP.

Sarah Palin, she of the “Drill Here, Drill Now” catch-phrase that so enamored T-shirt makers and oil-drillin’ fans alike, withheld public comment until Friday, at which point she seemed to hold a position similar to the President’s.  Noting her concern for the downed oil workers and the potential for an ecological nightmare, Palin also made sure to point out that all responsibility for safety procedures lies with the parent company, and further noted that she still supports offshore drilling.

And so we award a Fantasy T-Wearer Award today to both Sarah Palin and Barack Obama, with the “Spill Baby Spill” T-shirt, above.

True story: An Ohio man recently making tie-dyed T-shirts noticed an image of Jesus in one of his tee’s ink designs. While we can neither confirm nor deny the validity of his religious experience, we can tell you that there is a moral to the story: Kids, don’t try this at home. Let the design professionals from the CafePress community create Jesus-themed T-shirts for you. It’s much simpler, and you won’t have the Eyewitness News Team helicopter flying over your house all afternoon.

We have thousands-and-thousands of religion T-shirts — from inspirational to humorous. In fact, for all of your religious gear needs, look no further than the divine collection here at CafePress.

Last chance, last dance.

The curtain closes on our American Idol sweepstakes this Friday, April 30. So enter now. If you win, you’ll score a trip for two to the American Idol Season 9 finale in sunny L.A. (note: CafePress can not guarantee sunny weather nor are we responsible for smog, acid rain or earthquakes). The lucky winner (and an equally lucky friend) will collectively snag 2 tickets to each of the final two shows, plus airfare and lodging.

If you remember, last year’s season finale featured a who’s-who of musical guests. Not sure what American Idol has planned for this season’s blow-out finale, but chances are it’s gonna be huge. I heard Elvis Presley himself might be coming back for a guest appearance, but my sources are less than reliable. Either way, it will be the must-see event of the season. And to actually see it live and in person is, well, historic.

Plus every 100^th entry wins a free T-shirt. Get in on the action and see the next American Idol crowned!

My lovely co-workers at CafePress threw me a work baby shower and it was great.  I know everyone that attended loved the chips, dip, fruit and sweets – I mean who doesn’t – but no one could have loved those cupcakes more this pregnant lady!  Don’t tell anyone but I snuck the leftover cupcakes home, thank you so much for not overindulging people!

This was my second baby shower, and I like to say this one was personal.  It was all about receiving personalized gifts because I got a boat load of CafePress baby clothes and accessories!  I love that they reflected both my personality and my husband’s, I mean after all this kid will be a joint reflection of us!  On a side note let’s hope the baby get’s my nose.

My husband is going on marathon number 7 soon, so this Future Marathoner tee was adorable.  We both do triathlons and I think the bike may be our favorite portion, so this “This is How I Roll” tee was also spot on.  I had my eye on this Mommy + Daddy = Me onesie because cute things make me go ga-ga now – so glad they read my mind and picked it!

I also received a few CafePress bibs which I can now confirm are super soft  and of course packed with personality, like the “Team Awesome” and “I’m a Hoot” versions.  I also have to give them props for having to choose gender-neutral items; I know it’s not easy.  You guys rock, thank you!  I’m all out of cupcakes now though, so I’m off to the grocery store now…

[Other items received...]

As the smoke clears over Iceland and European air travel returns to some semblance of normality, folks near-and-far are breathing a sigh of relief (don’t breathe too deeply though, or you’ll still cough your lungs out).

With airports closed for almost a week, millions of travelers were (or are still) hopelessly stranded. And the back-log has created continuing havoc for passengers and the airlines alike. Needless to say, with cancellations right-and-left, already-struggling carriers have also taken a huge economic hit (some are estimating $2 billion dollars to date).

For those of you with your head in the clouds – who don’t know what’s going on – a major volcano in Iceland has created a smoke and ash barrier that no one knows for sure is safe to fly through. (Personal note to air inspectors: Error on the safe side).

I won’t even try to spell-out the volcanic glacier at fault (can you really blame Mother Nature? I guess not). If I try to write the name out, I’m afraid my spellchecker will have a melt-down of its own. OK, OK, I’ll give it a try: Eyjafjallajokull. Rough translation from Icelandic to English: What’s up with Bjork?

Hopefully you weren’t inconvenienced by the shut-down. Or better yet, hopefully you were in Paris for business and got a few extra days on the boss’ dime/euro. It might have been a little smoky at that Left Bank bistro. But hey, the air couldn’t be any worse than L.A. on any given day …

It’s Earth Day! I don’t know about you, but in the last few decades I sure have grown fond of this big ol’ spinning orb we call home. It’s a great place to hang out, eat a banana, raise a family, take in a ball game, buy a T-shirt that shows I’m earth-friendly or whatever. In fact most of the things I do, I do right here on planet earth (exception: Sudoku, which I do on airplanes and while bungee jumping).

That’s why I’m so excited to celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of Earth Day. There are many ways to pay homage to this venerable holiday, including obvious stuff like ditching your plastic water bottle or milk carton for a SIGG™ bottle. Or changing a light bulb. Rumor has it, if every American home replaced just one light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb we would save enough energy to light over 3 million homes for a year – and save $600 million dollars in energy costs. But then again, there was rumor that Pluto was getting back its status as a planet, and I ain’t heard squat about that lately. Anybody up for a Pluto Day? But I digress …

You could also enter the CafePress Earth Day Photo Contest and show the world why you’re thinking green. You’ll get a free special-edition eco tote bag (yes, free), plus you’ll be in the running to win an eco vacation.

So don’t just sit there. Get out and hug a tree (or hug someone who’s hugging a tree). Enjoy your Earth Day and give Mother Nature the thoughtful gift of a full year of your cleaning services (FYI, Mother Nature doesn’t mind re-gifting, as recycling is high on her wish list).

Happy 4/20, everyone.  If you celebrate this Humboldt holiday, may your day be full of Grateful Dead music and delicious, crunchy snacks.

Those of us in California will actually be voting to legalize marijuana in this year’s November election.  Tom Ammiano’s Marijuana Control, Regulation and Education Act (also known as AB 2254 and formerly AB 390) will allow all adults 21 years of age and older in California to possess up to one ounce of cannabis.

The law will also allow local government to tax the sale of cannabis to said adults, thus generating an estimated $1.4 billion a year or more.

While medical marijuana is legal in California, it’s believed that cannabis is also a $14B black market in the Golden State (more than grapes and vegetables combined, and around 30% of dairy production), and that legalizing it will both help California realize otherwise lost revenue, as well as effectively take real power away from the larger Mexican drug cartels.

One organization staunchly behind California’s legalization efforts is NORML, who has a special 420 Money Bomb site set up today where those of you supporting the cause can get some cool NORML T-shirts, learn about the cannabis movement, and play a quiz game that tests your weed knowledge.  (Click on the trees for clues.)

Happy 4/20, everyone.

Heads up, overly-entitled Superheroes.  This weekend your ill-gotten powers and magical suits and accessories will take a backseat to a group of ordinary citizens putting themselves out there in spandex to take some extraordinary action toward making the world a safer place.

Kick-Ass T-shirts and gear are available now, so if you’re not into Lycra you can still channel your inner superhero with ring-spun cotton.

If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, it’s worth a watch:

Ouch. It’s April 15 again (didn’t we just have one of these days last year?). That can only mean one thing: Uncle Sam is outside your local post office right now, gathering envelopes from his loyal nephews & nieces. Yes it’s Tax Day, and the clock is ticking to pay the piper (without penalty or threat of a career making license plates).

Whether you’re Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Pro-Union, Anti-War, a credit card holder, able to see lightning and hear thunder or whatever, we all agree that the roads need to be paved and programs need to be funded. However, which programs get funded and how much we each have to pay in taxes is certainly up to debate. And debate we do. Especially in designs on CafePress.

While there are many designs by supporters of today’s current tax structure, here at CafePress we’re seeing a huge swing in “alternative” thinking – including a surge in designs for the TEA Party. In case you don’t know, the TEA (for Taxed Enough Already) Party is a grass roots movement to let the folks in Washington D.C. (and locally) hear their belief that we can’t tax our way out of today’s economic situation.

CafePress shops like Right Wing Stuff are a case in point of those who are filling the need for TEA Party shirts, bumper stickers and other merchandise. But whether you agree or disagree with what’s being said by today’s TEA Party supporters, the point is to get out there and be heard.

So celebrate Tax Day by sporting your opinion on taxes. If I’m not mistaken, you can even save 15% on tax-themed gear today (orders of $50 or more – use coupon code: TAX15).

If ever a sport was drenched in tradition, it’s baseball. And as the 2010 season gets into full-swing, it’s time to once again honor one of the most renowned players of all-time: Jackie Robinson. He was number 42 for the old Brooklyn Dodgers (before they moved out West, and started beating my Giants with alarming regularity).

It was 53 years ago this week that Jackie broke the baseball color line, becoming the modern era’s first African-American Major League Baseball player. Before that, black players were relegated to the Negro leagues. Needless to say, he took a lot of flack along the way from fans, the media and even fellow players. Although most players stuck by his side, and fellow Dodger Pee Wee Reese supported him with the now-famous quote, “You can hate man for many reasons. Color is not one of them.”

But more than simply a beacon for civil rights, Jackie Robinson was a true baller. He was a six time All-Star with a .311 lifetime batting average, and a first ballot inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jackie Robinson unfortunately died at just 53 (from complications of heart disease and diabetes). So he never got to see a black Manager in baseball, or some of the other gains he worked so hard to achieve for others. But he paved the way for some great ones, and that’s all you can ask from any ball player.