Katrina exacerbated an already untenable situation with respect to the price of oil on our industry,

If the price of oil stays high and our taxes along with it, I expect more jobs lost, more flights cut and more airlines in crisis.

Wading birds respect each other's territory.

The population shrinks due to fewer children being born and a continuing rate of out-migration. The oil industry, especially offshore, needs lots of capital but it doesn't need a lot of workers.

They (oil companies) have become financial engineers rather than petroleum engineers. I'd like to see them show a little more effort in the development side internally than they have lately.

Seasonal factors, combined with additional production expected by OPEC, should bring oil prices back down to the mid-20 range by mid-summer.