The Future of America's Gulf Coast

We are mesmerized by watching the amount of oil gushing into our Gulf Coast waters. Every day brings a new revelation on how much oil is actually flowing - and we wonder if indeed these are the days preceding the 2012 Mayan Prophecies of the End of The World.
While human nature is mired in the negativity of blame and revenge - now more than ever we need to come together (as the Beatles so brilliantly sang) and work cooperatively to become the stewards of this planet that we ought to be.
While BP has pledged 20 billion for compensatory damages and clean-up - the plan is flawed in that it is over a 4 year period (5 billion per year) - and for what my opinion is worth - BP has garnered so much bad publicity here that I doubt very much they can continue as on oil company per se. And in the scheme of things - $20 billion is not enough.
My soul aches for all the innocent victims slaughtered by greed - for the 11 souls who lost their lives on the Deepwater Horizon - for the millions of ocean life forms who have died and will continue to die for years.
If not stopped - this "mother lode" of an oil reservoir could gush into our oceans for years and years (best estimates at this point - 5 years or more!) Should this unthinkable happen - our oceans worldwide would be affected - and could very well herald the end of our civilization. The Hopi say one of the signs of the end times is that the oceans will turn black.
It is quite clear the way of life of our Gulf Coast will never come back. Those who have fished all their lives no longer will have that option - but despite the loss of these ways of life - there is hope. I can visualize the Gulf Coast becoming a shining beacon of a new way of life. I say the Gulf Coast is ripe for development of alternative energies - of developing ways to clean the Gulf Waters of the oil - in short - to rise from the ashes much like the legendary fiery Phoenix bird. Imagine the Gulf Coast revitalized in this way - a shining example of the best of human ingenuity.


I call on the federal government to give tax breaks to those wanting to start green companies...and local governments to do the same.
I call on the scientists and engineers of the world - our best minds - to design new green technologies. If someone like Keven Costner can do it - then surely our best scientific minds can also.
I call on ALL the oil companies to take their profits and plow them into safer alternative energies starting now.
I call on ALL stockholders to give up their dividends now in order to help place these changes into effect.
I call on the Citizens of Planet Earth to cut down on oil usage - stop driving one day a week - change all your light bulbs to compact fluorescents - cut down on buying anything plastic - stop buying polyester - or any clothing made with petrochemicals - buy a hybrid car next time around or an electric vehicle - promote recycling in your community - and buy locally when you can.
If BP wants to survive as a company - then they should get new management and lead the way to safer alternative energies.


Humanity is at a critical crossroads now. We either continue on - status quo as if nothing has happened - or we dig deep down into ourselves and our souls and make the necessary changes to get off oil and move to greener, safer alternatives. Time is of the essence here - we have deeply wounded our Mother Earth - and the time for healing is NOW.

FICE-T - the Story of a Hummingbird

Say "hello" to my little friend FICE-T. This little hummer buzzed his way into my heart last year. As a young male - he chased away all the other little hummers from the feeder and chirped and buzzed all day long as a warning to those who would trespass. Sometimes he perched in the tree across the way to keep a look-out for intruders - at other times he would perch on a branch on my patio and immediately dive bomb any other hummers that tried to feed at the feeder. Once I saw him dive bomb and body slam another hummer so hard that I heard their little bodies hit with a big "smacking" sound! These little guys are so feisty and aggressive that I ended up naming him FICE-T. For a few weeks this year I hadn't seen FICE-T and became worried that something bad had happened to him. For two straight days I thought about him and silently sent him a message that I wanted to see him - and then magically - a day ago - he showed up - all grown up and a handsome specimen of a hummingbird. True to form he perched on the patio branch and chirped away.

My heart needed to have this connection completed as the news from the Gulf is just as toxic as all the oil that is gushing into it.

It does my heart good to know that I am helping out the small innocents of this planet by providing a source of food. Somehow - it helps to negate all of the bad that is the news of the Gulf. And FICE-T - well - he just keeps on chasing away all the other hummers - and his persistence in not wavering from his task is like a breath of fresh air - he just keeps on keeping on no matter what and does the best he can. Which is really all any of us can do.