September 1, 2005
PZB Bug out with cats
Planning for the worst?
Tulane University Emergency Information This informational website -- almost a blog -- has replaced Tulane's regular home page, and I found it strangely compelling as it described the encroaching emergency day by day. It set me to thinking about institutional " crisis management plans" and programs in disaster management. Can you plan for a disaster with rational management science, or is it an illusion?
number two with a bullet
While FEMA is slow to reach those in New Orleans, they were quick to promote Operation Blessing, Pat Robertson's controversial faith-based "charity", linking their website second only to the Red Cross. Hours after the federal agency was exposed by the blog Sploid today, they quickly tried to hide their support for the pastor's organization by changing their web pages.
The Art of the First Fleet
The Art of the First Fleet : On 13 May 1787, eleven ships, now commonly referred to as The First Fleet, set sail from Portsmouth to establish a colony in New South Wales, Australia. One of the unplanned but long-lasting outcomes of this event was the large number of outstanding drawings of aboriginal people, the environment and wildlife found on arrival as well as of the early foundation of the colony.
Photographers respond to New Orleans racial bias photos
Looting vs Finding Chris Graythen, an AFP photographer in New Orleans (skip down to his post) who shot the photo of two white people "finding" goods in the floodwaters, defends his caption. "These people were not ducking into a store and busting down windows to get electronics. They picked up bread and cokes that were floating in the water." Meanwhile, the editor for the photog of the "looting" image says that he actually saw the looting occur. "'He saw the person go into the shop and take the goods,' Stokes said, 'and that's why he wrote 'looting' in the caption.'"
KatarinaHelp Wiki
Rebirth lives again
Modern music software, by and large, is fantastic. It lets musicians create sequences of staggering complexity at the drop of a hat, work simultaneously and easily with both MIDI and digital data, and instantly subject audio to the kind of torturous manipulation that would have taken hours, or even days, with a razorblade and tape.
But do you ever really covet software in the same way that you covet hardware? Do you regard your music program with the same affection as your Moog Rogue or Fender Strat? Can something which exists only in a computer's virtual environment inspire the same pride of ownership as, say, that small silver box called a TB303 Bassline? If it's called Rebirth, maybe it can...
And now it lives again... for free
But do you ever really covet software in the same way that you covet hardware? Do you regard your music program with the same affection as your Moog Rogue or Fender Strat? Can something which exists only in a computer's virtual environment inspire the same pride of ownership as, say, that small silver box called a TB303 Bassline? If it's called Rebirth, maybe it can...
And now it lives again... for free
Gas Shortage Rumor, Not Reality?
Gas Shortage Rumor, Not Reality? That's the news flooding the media right now. We're told that its just a delivery problem. Is that why we should believe that the big gas stations can get gas, but the mom and pop stations have problems getting their deliveries? Is this the real story, that they're just having problems making their deliveries fast enough?
owie owie owie
On Friday, September 2nd, artist Mary Coble will subject herself to a marathon tattoo session that could make a career Marine wince. Beginning at 6 p.m. and likely continuing until dawn the next day, a tattoo artist will etch 400 names of victims of the nation's gay, bisexual and transgender hate crimes into the artist's back, legs and arms. And we're all invited to watch. More (WashPo [reg.rqd])
"It doesn't make sense to me."
"It doesn't make sense to me." Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert weighs in on rebuilding New Orleans during an interview (bugmenot) by the Chigago Daily Herald.
"It doesn’t make sense to me, and it’s a question that certainly we should ask. . . First of all your heart goes out to the people, the loss of their homes . . . but there are some real tough questions to ask about how you go about rebuilding this city. We help replace, we help relieve disaster . . . (Rebuilding) is certainly the decision the people of New Orleans are going to make. . . But I think federal insurance and everything goes along with it and we ought to take a second look at it. . . How do you go about rebuilding this city? What precautions do you take? . . . It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed.
. . But you know we build Los Angeles and San Francisco on top of earthquake fissures and they rebuild, too. Stubbornness."
Dennis Hastert was a sponsor of the legislation that cut the funding needed to upgrade New Orleans levee system to withstand category 5 hurricanes. He also failed to vote on legislation this year which would've provided additional funds for the Army Corps of Engineers.
yup--Halliburton's there
The business of rebuilding --A range of companies that are expected to play a role in repairing damage, clearing debris and restoring power to the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast ...
Some are saying that Katrina could actually boost the Gulf Coast's economic growth for the next few years, while others are forecasting higher energy prices, commodity shortages--and even steeper coffee prices.
Worse, the storm may blast inflation throughout the economy.
Photos from Katrina's wake
Some of the best still images of what remains in Hurricane Katrina's wake are up over at the Washington Post; there are a lot of compelling shots there that put into perspective the horror of the situation. If you're looking for a well-edited group of photos that convey what the Gulf coast has faced over the past few days, and will face in the coming months, this is it; I'm in awe of the photographers that continue to work hard to document the disaster.
Hee-----yah
Dog Judo - because maybe a little humor wouldnt kill us.
Louisiana National Guard
Louisiana National Guard radio [ShoutCAST MPEG]
Now that's magic...
William Eggleston in the Real World
"I am at war with the obvious", photographer William Eggleston once said, explaining his attraction to a ceiling lightbulb engulfed in a shock of red or an old Gulf gasoline sign sprouting like a giant weed against a rural skyline. Attempting to understand that battle, filmmaker Michael Almereyda trailed the photographer in action and in repose over a period of five years. The resulting film is "William Eggleston in the Real World". More inside.,
Le Bridge
Le Viaduc de Millau on the A75 between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers in France is the world's tallest and most technologically advanced bridge. At 2,460m long and 343m tall, its multi-stayed spans are suspepended from seven pylons. It is not only an engineering marvel, but a work of art. It took 14 years of preparation, but the bridge was built in only 3 years. This film shows how it was built. Here is a live view from the webcam. Previous Metafilter discussion in August 2004 before the bridge opened in January 2005 here.
OMG WTF
"We are dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history, and that's why I've called the Cabinet together."
...well, except for the Secretary of State, who was taking a vacation in NY, catching a show, and doing a little shopping.
Laid down on my bed and cried
Get the blues. Today, one of the blues' finest musicians, R.L. Burnside died.
Go on, take a look, take a listen.
Searching for the Stargazer
Scottish born singer Shelagh McDonald was part of the late 1960s British folk scene and recorded two excellent albums in the early 70s with production not unlike that of Nick Drake. With favorable comparisons to Sandy Denny, Joni Mitchell and Judee Sill, larger success seemed right around the corner for this talented young woman. Then she vanished.
It's still unknown whether she went back to Scotland or elsewhere entirely, but now her musical catalogue is back in print, prompting renewed interest. Perhaps she'll come forward at last to receive the royalties she's owed or, if we're lucky, step onto the stage once again.
Start a new life.
Start a new life. Altruistic gentlemen offer temporary housing, transportation, a bite to eat to displaced NOLA hotties in exchange for affection, respect. (No pic, no response.)
Do everything for others, nothing for your own people?
``I don't treat my dog like that,' 47-year-old Daniel Edwards said as he pointed at the [dead] woman in the wheelchair. ``I buried my dog.' He added: ``You can do everything for other countries but you can't do nothing for your own people. You can go overseas with the military but you can't get them down here.' People dying and left in streets waiting for aid at a New Orleans Convention Center.
Something Rich and Strange
Something Rich and Strange. Publius Vergilius Maro was certainly a historical figure, but an unusual amount of fantastic
trappings seem to have accumulated around him. Sometimes known more as mythical figure than as a poet of myths, he
has seen modern revisions both fabulous(previously discussed) and absurd.
Smaller cars
High petrol prices force smaller cars - Not sure if this is serious or a photoshop trick. It looks good, and may be real: The mini community has a long history of making "shortys".
chizieep to the ezzeep
Gangsta Chimp Just one of the award winning peices of CG artwork at the CG Choice Gallery. From the amazingly lifelike to the fantastic and whimsical
"Every night MSN Autos analyzes prices from over 90,000 gas stations across the nation to show you gas prices in your neighborhood."
"Every night MSN Autos analyzes prices from over 90,000 gas stations across the nation to show you gas prices in your neighborhood....Don't eally know if this is as up to date as it says it is. Put in a zip code you know and see what you think. After loading a page you have to scroll down to the bottom to see the local gas station data.
A timely link for U.S. readers.
Being a Pretty Girl
Whats it like to be a Pretty Girl I found this link while surfing this morning and thought it might make an interesting thread. Not that the writer has any great insights to share, but what is it like to be a Pretty Girl? Pros? Cons? Comments to the contrary? Has anyone been hoodwinked by a Pretty Girl? Any good stories out there to pass a Thursday morning?
Educators Offer Classrooms to Many Displaced Students
Educators Offer Classrooms to Many Displaced Students If you were planning to go to Tulane this fall (or another Katrina-hit college/university) You might want to take this opportunity to try life at Columbia University, or one of the other colleges, (UVA, Syracuse, etc.) that are willing to help...
Drowning New Orleans
Drowning New Orleans [2001]A major hurricane could swamp New Orleans under 20 feet of water, killing thousands. Human activities along the Mississippi River have dramatically increased the risk, and now only massive reengineering of southeastern Louisiana can save the city
By Mark Fischetti
Jewish Occupation of Catering Supplies
Greenbacks!
The history of the dollar. Ever since they started minting "tolars" in the Czech town of Jáchymov, the dollar has been one of the most important currencies in the world. It got it’s biggest boost after the Spanish started mining silver in the Andes and minting them into “Mexican Dollars”. This influx of silver dollars had effects all around the globe, including being a major factor in the fall of the Ming dynasty. Because of the economic dominance of the U.S. and because oil is traded in Petro-dollars, the dollar is still the world’s most important currency. But could an Iranian oil bourse put an end to the dollar’s dominance? Also money slang! Iran and the dollar talked about here
Rhapsody on the Blue
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