Just what's up with our least favorite oil spill dilemma, you ask? Let's find out:

-- After 29 years of military service, Coast Guard Captain William Uberti will retire after the oil-spill SNAFU is over and done with. According to the Examiner, "Uberti was the region's sector commander when a container ship sideswiped the Bay Bridge in dense fog, dumping 58,000 gallons of thick bunker fuel into the bay." Uberti was soon replaced after much criticism came his way regarding how the spill was handled moments after it happened. Sure, after 29 years of service this isn't the best way go out, but...good for him. Well, you know, minus the tail-end of his career.

-- This confuses us a bit: It seems that Senator Dean Florez (D, Kern County) wants to get in some face time via the Cosco Busan fender bender. Why? Because he wants the clean-up company in charge to be present at a hearing tomorrow (Friday). Badly. If they're a no-show, he plans on using his subpoena powers against the firm, the O'Brien's Group, if they won't voluntarily come to a hearing/inquiry.

Barry McFarland, representative of the O'Brien's Group, told the Chronicle that he "was contacted (Wednesday) morning ... given a verbal invitation to attend an informational hearing," going on to say that he would answer questions via email. Then, Carole Migden chimed in to say that "[n]ot everybody is going to be combing the beaches for debris on Friday morning ... it's an inquiry, not an inquisition. I hope that they will reconsider."

Still, just why this specific meeting is so critical that it warrants a subpoena threat is beyond us. We'll update when we know more.

-- Oh, and because of the spill, the ship industry is now debating about standardization and, well, pretty much everything else under the sun.