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    Tattered Jeans

    The real story of dispersant in the Gulf and its magic trick of horrors

    Katie Oxford
    Sep 1, 2010 | 6:47 pm
    • The Gulf's waters — and what exactly is in them — are still more than murky.
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • Rather than letting the problem get to the surface, dispersant hides it.
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • The Gulf waters still face an uncertain future.
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • No one knows exactly what or how much ....
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • dispersant has been poured into ...
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • the waters that so many ....
      Photo by Katie Oxford
    • people depend on.
      Photo by Katie Oxford

     Editor's note: Katie Oxford is on the ground and in the boats in Louisiana, reporting from the heart of the Gulf oil spill disaster. This is her 11th column from the scene.

    I couldn’t give the Gulf oil disaster a rest, even temporarily, without addressing what sometimes still keeps me up at night like a bad dream. Dispersant.

    Interestingly, dispersant came up (once again) during my last conversation with one of the locals in southern Louisiana. He was a fisherman who understandably, like others I’d met on previous trips, did not wish to be identified.

    First, I should say two things — one of which, as one friend calls them, is a “BFO,” blinding flash of the obvious. I ain’t no investigative reporter. Secondly, where the hell are they?

    Where are the Woodwards and Bernsteins of the world? Do they exist or have we all (myself included) gone to fast food news?

    From the little I’ve learned, sure seems like we need them. Months ago. Amphibian types who’re willing to sieve through this mess inside a mess, exacerbated from the get go by what I call a bloody crime — BP’s use of Corexit, a chemical compound that they’ve injected into the gulf. Corexit 9527, Corexit 9500 and God only knows what others.

    I was deep in Louisiana but heading home to Houston when I made one last stop in LaFourche Parish just before entering Terrebonne Parish. I’d seen another hand-painted sign. Wanting to view it more closely, I made a u-turn and parked.

    A few minutes later, a middle-aged guy pulled up in a pickup truck. Oddly enough, he turned out to be a distant cousin of another fellow I’d met. Thankfully, he was just as friendly as his cousin.

    “I’ve trawled for shrimp all my life,” he said. “Now I work for BP, looking for oil.” He explained the drill. Each boat was given a “territory” of approximately 20 miles to work within. He’d been working the job for 50 days now and of these — had picked up oil for a total of two days.

    I asked him the “king for a day” question and he answered, “pay’s good.” But there were two things he didn’t like. If you saw oil in your neighboring water, but your neighbor wasn’t around, “you still can’t pick it up,” he stated.

    “It’s not in your territory.” Secondly, “The second you DO see oil, someone calls in and a boat runs up and pisssshhhhed,” he pointed, “sprays that stuff.”

    “What stuff?” I asked.

    “Dispersant,” he answered, quickly adding, “There’s a lot of sheen but you can’t pick it up! Basically, they’re hiding the oil and giving us money to keep our mouths shut.”

    I wanted to scream. Instead, I listened a little longer, thanked him for his candor and returned to my car. Then, I screamed. All the way to Houston.

     The battle seeps into the homefront

    Once home, I gratefully returned to pilates sessions with a gifted dancer, teacher and good friend whose words, like his body, contain zero fat.

    Over the last few months, Manuel Barra had patiently listened to my rants regarding the Gulf oil disaster, but this dispersant business, as he knew too well, had hit a nerve. What was the real story, I thought.

    “There’s an article you should read,” Manuel said, as somberly as saying someone had just died. “It’s about BP and the dispersant.” After our session, I made a beeline to the bookstore and purchased the Aug. 5 issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

    “The Poisoning” by Jeff Goodell, gets right to the point. I read it but not in one sitting. I got so stirred up that, occasionally, I’d get up and walk around the house wanting to spit. Go scrub toilets or something. When I finished the article, I wanted to call Jeff Goodell and thank him. Then, go out and start a revolution.

    Goodell methodically addresses what Corexit is, what it does and how much was used and when. He also introduces us to the players and the politics involved in permitting this poisoning in the first place. The story is as complex as the chemical compound itself, but Goodell breaks it down with clarity. He blows open the doors on the dispersant debacle and, he reminds us, several times, of the enormous “unknowns” as to its effects.

    Unknowns that who knows when will become discernable and in what forms? It’s an article I wished everyone would read — starting with my husband.

    “It’s ONE article,” P stated.

    “EXACTLY!” I responded. “Who else is writing about this?!!”

     A ticking time bomb of unknown consequences

    The dispersant did its job all right, or rather — trick. Remember the ole “Now you see it now you don’t” trick? The dispersant was sprayed directly into the oil (at the gusher itself) into the Gulf — over the Gulf — causing the oil to sink rather than surface. Where bad as it is, we could DEAL with it. Meaning, pick it up!

    After reading “The Poisoning,” I read another article in the Houston Chronicle — “Latest research says microbes did, indeed, eat most of the oil.”

    According to a group of scientists in Berkeley, Calif., an oil-eating bacteria had “consumed a huge deep-sea plume of dispersed oil fouling the Gulf of Mexico since the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in April.” The article stated that the chief microbiologist (Terry Hazen) believed “the plume that was once 22 miles long and 3,600 feet deep is now ‘undetectable’.”

    Interestingly, the same word used by a chief surgeon in describing my mother’s cancer. Three months later, she was dead.

    The last paragraph of this article was laughable. “The group’s work is supported by part of the $200 million grant that BP gave to an environmental research project run by the University of California, Hazen’s team, the Berkeley lab and the University of Illinois.”

    What dispersant actually does, seems to speak not to our wishes, but certainly BP’s. Out of sight, out of mind. It speaks to our unwillingness to honestly deal. Seems to me if we keep this attitude, what began with an explosion may end with an implosion.

    Buddha knew something about this dispersant business and thankfully, Alice Walker reminded us. In her book, Overcoming Speechlessness, she opens with one of his quotes.

    “Three things cannot be hidden: The sun, the moon, and the truth.”

    Let’s hope BP doesn’t start jacking with the first two.

     

    Other Katie Oxford columns in this series:

     At the Gulf's bedside

     Let's do the hustle

     An unexpectedly grave concern

     The Little Girl in the Church

     Oil pain seeps into the radio

     Tempers flare on the Bayou

     Beauty amid the Gulf oil spill aftermath

     The Ant Man from the Louisiana marsh

     Life on a shell

     The Ya-Ya Sisters of Port Fourchon

    unspecified
    news/travel

    2025 world's best awards

    6 Houston hotels ranked with the best in the world by Travel + Leisure

    Amber Heckler
    Jul 8, 2025 | 2:30 pm
    The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa
    Photo courtesy of The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa
    The Houstonian is back on top as the best resort in Texas.

    Several renowned Houston hotels and resorts were just declared the best in the world by Travel + Leisure readers, according to the publication's annual World's Best Awards.

    The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa was honored as the No. 1 best resort in Texas, while the prestigious Post Oak Hotel ranked as the No. 7 best hotel in the nation. Among T+L's list of the 15 best hotels in Texas, four more distinguished Houston properties made the cut.

    Every year, Travel + Leisure surveys its readers to determine the ultimate travel experiences around the world, which include the top hotels, resorts, travel destinations, and more. The 2025 survey had more than 180,000 responses from T+L readers with over 657,000 votes across 8,700 accommodations, cruise lines, and other properties.

    The Houstonian Hotel reclaimed the top spot for 2025 after previously slipping into No. 4 in 2024. The publication celebrated this "serene sanctuary" for its numerous sports and fitness activities, plus its rejuvenating 26,500-square-foot spa, pool, and jacuzzi. The resort's location next to Memorial Park also provides guests with the feeling that they've escaped the hustle and bustle of the city.

     The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa “The staff treats you like you are a long-awaited family member," said a T+L reader.Photo courtesy of The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa

    "Resort guests receive complimentary access to the fitness club, which has dedicated spaces for a myriad of sports, including nine tennis courts, a shaded jogging trail, an indoor track, and a lap pool," the report said. "On top of the unbeatable facilities and location, the Houstonian’s memorable hospitality had our voters eager for repeat visits."

    In a press release, general manager Steve Fronterhouse said the entire Houstonian team was honored to receive the worldwide recognition.

    "To be named the best resort in Texas by the discerning readers of Travel + Leisure is not just a reflection of our 27 acres and amenities; it’s recognition of the Southern hospitality and warmth our staff delivers every day," he said. "We are grateful to all of our guests who continue to make The Houstonian their home away from home.”

    The full list of best Texas resorts, in order, are:

    • The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa, Houston
    • Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa, Frisco
    • JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, San Antonio
    • Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin
    • Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine
    Best hotels in the U.S.
    In addition to being ranked among the top 10 best hotels in the U.S., The Post Oak Hotel was also hailed as the No. 1 best hotel in Houston. The hotel succeeds at providing guests with a flawless level of service and accommodations, while its on-site restaurants and bars add to the overall opulence of the property's amenities.

    "And naturally, there's a world-class spa on site and a Rolls‑Royce showroom in case you need to pick up a new ride," the report said.

     The Post Oak Hotel Stay in style at The Post Oak Hotel.  Photo courtesy of The Post Oak Hotel  

    A T+L reader said The Spa at The Post Oak Hotel is "a destination in itself" and noted that guests could still have a memorable experience in Houston even if they never step foot off the 700,000-square-foot premises. But if guests did choose to explore everything the city has to offer, the hotel provides an over-the-top travel method.

    "There is a rooftop helipad so that you don't even have to sit in Houston traffic if you don't want to," the reader said.

    The full list of Houston winning hotels, in order, are:

    • No. 1 – The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston
    • No. 2 – Hotel ZaZa
    • No. 3 – Four Seasons Hotel Houston
    • No. 4 – JW Marriott Houston Downtown
    • No. 5 – Hilton Americas-Housto

    Other Texas awards
    San Antonio's Hotel Emma and Fort Worth's Bowie House, Auberge Resorts Collection were the only two other Texas properties to earn acclaim in T+L's list of the "15 Best City Hotels in the U.S."

    San Antonio was also deemed one of the best U.S. travel destinations in 2025, ranking 12th out of 15 total cities.

    In a release, Travel + Leisure editor in chief Jacqui Gifford said the 2025 World's Best Awards "reflect a travel landscape in motion."

    "From a high-desert city in the American Southwest to a quiet Greek island, our readers are seeking depth, character, and a strong sense of place," Gifford said. "We're thrilled to honor the hotels, destinations, and travel companies that are delivering those transformative experiences."

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