Dear BP

Dear BP,

Preliminary reports are saying that the gushing flow of  oil leak in the Gulf has been capped.

I'm sure you have all been patting each other on the back and telling each other what a great job you did.

Before you celebrate too much, let's remember what you have done.

Get back to work.  Bastards.


~Shara O' Ryan  

Dear BP....

Dear Scum-sucking, Environment-destroying bastards BP,


The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig happened on April 20, 2010.  It is now July 14th.  The flow of oil hasn't been stopped.  It hasn't even been slowed down!  If anything, we keep hearing how it's getting worse!


You keep trying different methods to halt this leak (aka "gushing flow of oil," but leak sounds ever so much better, don't you think?  Doublespeak is alive and well) - methods that have been used in the past for other spills and didn't work.


How can BP - a multi-billion dollar company - operate a rig and have no way of stopping a gushing flow of oil  leak from that rig?  


It's like having a vicious dog and no leash, no muzzle - then acting surprised when the damn thing gets loose and attacks someone and having no way to control it.  If that happened with a private citizen, there would be criminal charges, jail time.  "You should have known something might happen and you should have taken precautions!"  the judge would tell the private citizen as he's sent off to jail.


But no, that won't happen with you, will it?  You're rich, powerful, and have a horde of lawyers that you pay to keep you out of jail and raking in profits.  How can you be bothered with trying to make sure your operations are safe, right?  


Tell that to the 11 workers that were killed on your oil rig.  I hope their families sue you blind and that they pursue criminal charges against you.


The Gulf Coast may never recover from this.  I don't live on the Gulf Coast, but I do live in a coastal city, and there is a real threat that this will eventually reach my beaches.  The photos I see from the Gulf Coast are heart-wrenching,  but the thought of seeing the same thing happen to my home....is devastating.


What happens when half of the United States is unable to use her coastal waters for fishing?  What happens when residents of the Gulf and East Coasts are unable to stay in their homes because of this toxic disaster you've unleashed?  


You won't care.  You'll be in your huge house in another country, collecting your dividends and paychecks.


But I care.  Yes, me.  A nobody.  Not rich.  Not famous.  Not powerful.  


And I'm going to do something about it.  


I will be fighting for efforts to be focused on helping the Gulf recover, and financially supporting them.


I will be supporting and promoting those who are against you, like BPGlobalPR.  


I will be rallying for the cause of ending our dependence on oil.  Not just foreign oil, but ALL oil.  (See OilFreeby2020  )


I will be lobbying for efforts to help make sure this oil gush spill doesn't reach my home - by contacting my representatives NOW and urging them to start taking action.


So congratulations.  You now have started a movement.


Unfortunately, it's one that is working for your demise.  Enjoy.


~ Shara O' Ryan

Trying a new church tomorrow

So.  Not much more to add to that, is there?  I'll be going to a new church tomorrow.


I hope it goes well.  For everyone.  

An update

It's been a while since I've updated this blog, so....here I am.


I went to church a time or two.  Still disappointing. 


I had a relative die very quickly and unexpectedly.  It was a shock, and it truly made me realize how fragile and temporary life is.


So this update isn't very inspirational or enlightening, just....there.  


Hopefully I'll have more later.

Every so often, you find something that just strikes a chord with you....

In doing some research for a completely unrelated (or so I thought) subject, I came across information about solar cookers.

(You can see more information about solar cooking here:  http://www.solarcookers.org/index.html  )

I know - it doesn't sound too earth-shattering, does it? But after doing more and more research about it, I have found that helping provide women around the world with solar cookers, we can help do so much.  They can feed their families without spending so much of their money on fuel costs.  They don't need to walk for miles to get firewood.  They lead healthier lives because they don't inhale smoke and fumes every day when cooking.

Here in the US, it could help people cut cooking costs, plus help save money on cooling their homes in the summer.  Know how hot your house gets when you cook?  Not when you have a solar cooker.

I'll post some more soon, but this is something I'm going to be talking about for a long time to come, I can tell.

Another Dream, Another Talent Contest

Another dream about a talent contest?  


This time I didn't get to see the end, but it was the same basic idea - I had no talent, but the others did.


Beginning to see a theme here....

My Dream

I'm writing this down because ....well, I'm really not sure where else to put it, but I wanted to write it out before I forgot the details.

I was at a week-long competition.  It was a talent competition, basically.  People were there to sing, dance, etc.

You spent a week living at this place (huge, older hotel - very grand and beautiful) - practicing, living with the judges and other contestants, having elimination rounds, etc.


There were people there who had absolutely phenomenal talents - singers, dancers, actors - and of them were just as good as the people famous in their field today.   


The final day of the competition, we were all in one area, and there was a commotion going on.  I moved closer to the source of that commotion and found several judges and contestants upset and flustered because an older woman was there and no one understood what she was saying.  The competition was about to start and they couldn't find out what she needed (so they could get rid of her).


As I moved closer and listened, I found that she was speaking English, but it was with one of our local dialects (which is nearly impossible to understand if you're not familiar with it).   I smiled at the others and said to go ahead with the competition, that I would help the woman and then join them. 


The woman was asking what she should feed her son.  He liked unhealthy foods and she wanted alternatives.  I gave her some ideas; she thanked me and then I was on my way.


By the time I had gotten to the competition, I had lost my spot and was told I'd have to wait until the very end to perform.  I sat and waited.


When it came to be my turn, I took the stage.  I was in awe of the other contestants.  They were so talented.  


I took the microphone and looked at the judges.  I said:


"My parents asked me why I entered this competition.  I can't sing.  I can't dance.  I can't act. Hell, half the time I can barely string together 6 words to form a coherent sentence."  I paused and smiled. "But I have always been able to make people laugh.  That's why I'm here."  Then I woke up.


----------------------------


This dream spoke to me very clearly.  I'll give my interpretation of it later today (or maybe tomorrow).