Winter 2004
  


   What the Ocean Means to Me, collection of quotes

    Water and Wind, Salt and Sand by Diane Buccheri

    $20.9 Trillion in the Ocean by Delphin Mae

    Fish Out of Water by Mike Flannery

   Water, Water Everywhere by Delphin Mae

    Sea Wild by Diane Buccheri

    Vibration by Deia Gould

    Staggering, Stunning Rapidity by Diane Buccheri

    High & Low by Diane Buccheri

    Power by Kit Kristopolous

    Bursting Bubbles by Joseph R. Mancusi

    With Me by Jill Mann

    Seagulls by Diane Buccheri

    A Week of Waves by Melba Milak

    Waves, personal essays

   

   "At the water's edge, wind rushes past the salty sea crests, brushing the beach's sand, flying beyond. All is touched, all is
   changed. Our deepest roots of existence are awakened, consciously or unconsciously, as we feel a part of the cycle of life,
   the always turning circle of infinity. Security releases our fears of non-connection, separateness, of being lost, floating
   directionless, even falling, alone and unprotected.

    With the wind's passage from ocean to land, wisps of salt, carried upon the airy wave, within vapors of water, leave their
   watery abode and come ashore. The tang, the tingle, of the crusted crystal touches the sand, the plants, the shore birds, and
   the beach going people. At that moment, it returns closer to home, from where it came from, before it was carried as mineral
   washings from the mountains and lower lands to the ocean's bottom.

Solid and gaseous materials from the earth’s crust likewise lend themselves to the ocean’s brine as do those that originated in the earth’s atmosphere. From its distance, with its past, the sea’s salt forever moves onto its next presence, eventually returning back to the sea after traveling across the earth from the air. What is so small and delicate, has strength and a huge existence.” (WATER AND WIND, SALT AND SAND by Diane Buccheri)

“The world’s economic well-being depends upon the ocean and its marine life. The world’s creatures share this dependence, in entirety. The world’s supply of food, water, and air is dependent upon the earth’s water and its inhabitants.

Covering 71 percent of the earth, the ocean serves 99 percent of the earth’s living atmosphere for animals and plants. The ocean’s inhabitants serve countless functions beneficial to people. Life within the ocean protects our shorelines, breaks down waste, moderates our climate, and generates oxygen –– one most vital necessity.

Presently, our ocean’s coastal waters, and estuaries are threatened with the physical alteration of ecosystems, introduction of alien species, overexploitation of species, pollution, and global change. Rapidly, our coasts deteriorate as is physically obvious. The more we operate without considering long term effects, the faster the end will come. Soon then, we’ll be crying over milk spilled carelessly, recklessly, needlessly, wasted.

The world’s water supply is finite. Ninety-seven percent of the world’s water is in the ocean. Three percent of the world’s water is fresh. Of the fresh water, 2 percent is locked into huge masses of ice. One percent is available for our use. Our supply is found both on the ground’s surface in lakes, rivers, creeks, and ponds, and below ground between rocks and particles of soil.

Within the next 24 years, as projected by scientists, 2 billion more people will live on this earth. By then, approximately 1/3 of the entire population will live where water is severely scarce.

What is the world coming to? The fate of human health and economics depends upon us –– how we use the world’s natural resources and manage our way of life. In what direction do we now turn? (WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE AND NOT A DROP TO DRINK)

Five hundred million billion tons of ice sheet disintegrated in less than one month at the Antarctic Peninsula this past March. Before the shelf of ice fragmented it spanned 1,250 square miles with 650 feet of thickness. Its break-up into icebergs of varying sizes can be compared to the collapse of the state of Rhode Island into the Atlantic Ocean.

There is more water than anything else in this world. Ice is compressed water, which when melted, loosens its power onto everything in this closely connected world. Its power is mostly incomprehensible though we may have glimmers of understanding. As retired Admiral James Watkins, Chairman of the federal government’s Commission on Ocean Policy said, “We know little about the ocean system that underpins our life on earth.” Scientists agree it is time to learn more. (STAGGERING, STUNNING RAPIDITY)




Spring 2004, Issue 2



   What the Ocean Means to Me, collection of quotes

    A’lul’quoy, to go around . . . to protect . . . to go in peace by Diane Buccheri

    How Deep is the Ocean? by Melba Milak

    The World’s Ocean, Finite and Fragile by Delphin Mae

    Our Earth Faces Five Threats, a collection of facts

    What Were We Thinking? by Deia Gould

    Moondance and Moonlight by Diane Buccheri

    Hot & Cold by Delphin Mae

    Naturally by Jill Mann

    Have You Ever by Joseph R. Mancusi

    Answering the Call by Dana Miller

    Waves, personal essays



   “A’lul’quoy . . . to go around . . . to protect . . . to go in peace” (The Californian Chumash Native American name for the
   dolphin, their Brother Sister Cousin)

    “Climbing our way up the path through the dunes we reached the top –– lo and behold! Together we gasped. And paused
   with instant awe. Joy. Grace. Freedom. Beauty. Purity of intention. Sharing.

    One after the next, the dolphins rode the waves. They fit with each wave; are one with the rolling sweep. Between sets, they
   dove and leaped, their bodies dancing serene ecstasy. Together they celebrated, each with their own spontaneous
   choreography, in harmony with the melody of the sea.”

    Diane Buccheri’s informative article all about dolphins concludes with: “The word “dolphin” stems from the root word for
   “womb” or “that holding the source of all life and wisdom”. With their long developed, finely defined intelligence and spirit of
   a’lul’quoy, they indeed lead the way for all creatures here on earth. In their path, a glow shines, beauty without tarnish, a
   reminder that we can exist without destruction, with caring and compassion, with the power of creative intelligence ––
   synergy. Dolphins, unlike humans, have been able to achieve freedom and self-discipline. With positive forces of energy, they
   offer compassion and camaraderie and remind us of the higher realms of being.

"It's one big ocean. But it's so easy to look at one small area in isolation. We need to realize the connectedness of all the earth's bodies of water. They are not separate oceans but blend into one. And, our water is intrinsically tied to our air and land. Man's technology, on land and in the water, has thus far brought destruction and depravity to himself through the destruction and depravity of the earth's resources. Overfishing is threatening marine wildfire and the commercial and recreational industries. We all pay the price, literally. To make swift changes, it must be determined who can catch what fish, in what numbers, how, and when."

That's tricky business. And with the expected global air temperature warming the sea surface temperatures, and global sea level rising, redirected water flow will cause loss of many species and coastal lands.

"Right now, the ocean faces disaster. Since time began on this earth, the ocean has always provided generously for all forms of life on its land, in its air, and within the ocean itself. Now, we are preventing the ocean from fully doing so by damaging its potential. We can change this course of our history." (THE WORLD'S OCEAN, FINITE AND FRAGILE)

"The ozone layer is now blamed for the warming, and cooling, of Antarctica. But who's to blame for the ozone's state? People. But we blame aerosol spray cans and air conditioner coolant. Artificial chemicals referred to as chlorofluorocarbons, or, more easily, CFCs, found in these humanly produced modern products, cause a chain of reactions which destroys the naturally protective ozone.

Ozone is essential for life. High in the atmosphere, it blocks ultraviolet rays that, if allowed passage, mangle DNA fatally. A stupendous 17.1 million square mile hole gaped open in September 2000. Fortunately, most of the destructive CFCs are phasing out and scientists anticipate the ozone's repair through the next several decades.

Captain Cousteau recognized Antarctica's massive significance and value in 1989: "The ice that has accumulated over the course of millions of years on the continent at the end of the world is a sword of Damocles poised over humanity; if it were to fall, it would drown most of our urban centers. Polar life, hanging on at the edge of death, is at our mercy." As regards the world's environment, the one in which we live and wholly depend upon, his daughter, Diane Cousteau, follows with, "The quality of life for all of the inhabitants of the planet and the long term future of humanity depend on it." (HOT & COLD)




Summer 2004, Issue 3



   What the Ocean Means to Me, collection of quotes

    Seaweeds by Diane Buccheri

    Seeking the Wild Exception by Larch Hanson

    Eating the Sea’s Vegetables, recipes by Larch Hanson

    Looking In by Joseph Mancusi

    Fascination with the Underwater World by Diane Buccheri

    Roughing It at the Shore by Diane Buccheri

    Spirit by Jill Mann

    Having Given Myself Over by Dana Miller

    Ocean Sprays

    It’s A Good Thing by Dana Miller

    Sea Magic by Melba Milak

    Waves, personal essays



   "The earth and sea and humankind are intrinsically bonded. Much of humanity, though, through modern industrialization, has
   lost perception and knowledge of this interdependence. Time is not kept by clocks. Rather, time is marked by the movement of
   the stars and planets through our universe and the response of the tide’s swelling and ebbing. Our bodies, made mostly of fluid,
   respond alike. We too, swell and ebb with the universal movement.

   As sea harvester Larch Hanson of Maine Seaweed Company remarks, 'Through seaweeds, the earth’s seablood strengthens our
   own seablood that we carry within us.' Minerals from the land and sea come to us, as we ingest and digest our food through
   our bodies. It’s an ongoing cycle of give and take, recycling and reuse.

    From the ocean to the land, into our bodies, seaweed travels in many forms. Most of us consume seaweed often, in many
   forms, generally unaware. With today’s stress fatiguing our bodies and innermost selves, the seeming timelessness, the
   constancy, of the ocean and its creatures beckon us with comfort." (SEAWEEDS)

"'You look like a Nordic African woodland tribal member.' I lived very close to the land, by the bay and in the bay, all summer. By afternoon every day my long blond hair was bound in dangling bunches of fine strands, styled by salt and still the working of the wind and waves. I could have scraped my name onto tanned skin through the covering of caked silt and salt mixture.

As the sun set after a long hot day in its rays, I heard my name echoed silently in the lingering glow, ripening across the bay's flow, receding into night's first darkness. Oneness. Belonging. A peace between me and the elements . . . Past summer's end, having milked the season's clash of cool water and warm air and the ensuing wind, I sighed." It was time to head home, all the way back across the country to the east coast. My little car that could chugged and chugged and coughed and stopped –– stopped on mountain highways, on plains, on moutain tops, and alongside rivers, leaving me stranded, helpless, alone. At last, I made it. Staying my first night on a beach campground, I had no idea my biggest adventure of that season was yet to come. (ROUGHING IT AT THE SHORE)

"Out they tumbled, the two tow headed boys, bright blue eyes sparkling. With all four of the car doors open, she pulled out towels, snacks, drinks, shovels, beach balls, and water shoes. Already, the youngsters had their toes in the shallow water.

With seemingly never a worry, she sat in the small hull and set the sails . . . Throughout the harbor filled with expensive racing boats, past the roped off swimming area, beyond the channel buoys into the wide open water, she sailed, until a speck no longer seen. She may have sailed into the horizon, headed toward the thirteen-mile distant Long Island, or she may have rounded the corner, to the north of our bay and entered the neighboring towns' harbors, I never asked. Her freedom was so pure I felt it should not be questioned.

Katri was on the 94th floor of the second tower when the planes flew through the World Trade Center. She was there training for a new position for two weeks.

With funds given to the family after the tragedy, Vladimir and Peter were sent to boarding school.

Not that winter but the following, I was yet again in New York City attending to a writing assignment. I walked, and walked, through the snowfall, the city hushed, its activity quieted. Without direction I came to the site. Throughout the long list of those lost there on September 11, 2001, the names were posted in white letters on a dark background. My eyes wandered, unfocused. Brightly, boldly, clearly, her name came into my sight . . . Oh my young friend –– a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter . . . I turned, pained and chilled. A pigeon flapped mid-air, directly looking me in the eyes, holding my gaze, only a foot distant, chest high. 'Hello Katri. I knew you'd be here.'

The following fall, I sat at my desk in Florida . . . Unable to concentrate, I felt a tugging need to walk on the beach. In the light rain and wind, I dodged the surge as the swells crashed upon the beach and rain into the dunes. Today, September 11, 2003, I walk with her memory. I looked toward the water –– a seagull soared and sailed upon the wind . . . " (SPIRIT)




Fall 2004, Issue 4



   What the Ocean Means to Me, collection of quotes

    Prelude to the Symphony, to the Cacophony by Delphin Mae

    Sound Waves by Delphin Mae

    Shock Waves by Delphin Mae

    My Tears by Carolyn Prola

    The Lunch Bunch by David Sutton Phelps

    The Ocean’s Love by Janelle Segarra

    Sea Story Songs by Diane Buccheri, quotes from Gordon Bok’s folk music

    Moonbeams on the Beach by Melba Milak

    Gardens of the Abyss by Diane Buccheri

    Waves, personal essays

 

    "Unnatural sound disturbs marine life which functions within the natural noise but struggles with the bombardment of unnatural
   noise, caused by industry and warfare during the past century, resonating through entire oceans and beyond. For millions of
   years the ocean and its creatures existed according to its own system. In the last one hundred years or so, this system has
   been greatly disturbed with supertakers, container ships, drilling rigs and seismic airguns, explosives and dredges,
   loudspeakers, ringers and pingers, and active sonar systems. These significantly disrupt and harm marine life, though their
   potential range of damage is not specifically determined, studies are being conducted, with goals for better regulations and
   practices, and international cooperation.

   Mankind, living in modern society, suffers stress. With racing hearts, rush of adrenaline, and poor nutrition, we shorten our lives
   and impede our reproduction. As we harm our planet, our destiny suffers. Our ocean noise pollution brings society's ills into the
   lives of fish and marine mammals, even ocean plants, all of which suffer the same symptoms. Creative thought for better
   practices, use of harmless methods already known and practiceable, must come into play." (SHOCK WAVES)

    "The sea takes trouble from you, takes worry and fear and illusion and anger and joy and joking and ambition and love, from
   you. Takes them, scatters them, gathers them, gives them back to you not so big or important as before. You're not anyone
   really; you never were . . . You don't have to be anything, even yourself, because yourself was just something you thought you
   had to make up. And then you thought you had to carry it around with you. What a relief, to lay it down and walk away and to forget it. Just to be a part of what's around you is enough." (from Gordon Bok's folk music)

"Stony or soft, reaching stoically into the salty currents or waving gracefully with the flow; small as a fingertip and white, or brilliantly colored and expansive, they are alive. They are animals, not plants. They are one of the earth's most ancient creatures and some now in existence are hundreds, even thousands, of years old. Presently, the oldest known deep sea coral reefs have been growing off Alaska's western coast for 15,000 years.

Not only do scientists need to learn more, so do the fishermen, our governmental decision makers, our rule enforcers, and the general public. Mankind poises on the edge of discovery and understanding of the undersea world and its living creatures. The mysteries within the heart of our oceans hold vast resources that provide the links in our chain of being and continue the cycle of life on earth, with healthy, productive oceans." (GARDENS OF THE ABYSS)