So, Prison Break -- at one point, the guy he got the drugs from says something about him only being there three days, at which point he'd been to the infirmary twice. So except for the doctor's "See you Wednesday" comment, it did look like he was going every day to get his shot. I'm not sure what he expects to accomplish by sitting there staring at the vent in the floor for ten minutes every day, but I guess that's what the rest of the season is for.

As for the video, the gunshot flashes (and sound) could easily have been edited in after the fact -- hell, I could do that kind of effects work here at my desk at home. All they would have needed was for Lincoln to stand still with the gun for a few seconds.

It's really kind of mindbending. Upwards of how many thousand people, accustomed to first world living, thrust into (forgive me, functioning third worlders, cause they don't have access to helis and MREs and whatnot) nearly the third world. It's a brutal adjustment. In at least a few feet of fetid water.

I just can't... I mean, god.

OK, so should an (unlikely, hills) hurricane evac hit me, I'm loading me, my cats, my laptops, my art, my journals and a few other precious items and photos and as many of my uncar-ed neighbors (Miss Louise, I'm looking at you. Even if I have to haul you out bodily) as possible and driving out. I don't want to be there.

Watching footage of people REFUSING evac even now "to save their home"... I mean, I can understand their logic, but it is faulty logic. Good luck, but frankly, that's a stupid decision. Driven by fear and denial. And it makes it so much harder. I'm in the opinion that they should just haul people out, honestly. Yeah, dictatorial and whatnot, but jesus. It's about lives, whether they want it or not. The gov't and agencies can take better care of people out of there than in right now. Every living person that remains in will cost more, and thus mean less for the rest.

I can't quite wrap my mind around and empty city of that size.

Mississippi is flooding 6 miles inland.

God, it sounds like Bangladesh.

In wingnut news, Salon has this:

So when Hurricane Katrina hit land yesterday, we knew it was only a matter of time before we'd be hearing from the lunatic fringe again. And now, here it is. In an email message we just received, a group calling itself Columbia Christians for Life alerts us to the fact that a satellite image of Hurricane Katrina as it hit the Gulf Coast Monday looks just like a six-week old fetus.

"The image of the hurricane . . . with its eye already ashore at 12:32 p.m. Monday, August 29, looks like a fetus (unborn human baby) facing to the left (west) in the womb, in the early weeks of gestation (approx. 6 weeks)," the email message says. "Even the orange color of the image is reminiscent of a commonly used pro-life picture of early prenatal development."

And in case you're not getting the point, the email message spells it out in black and white: "Louisiana has 10 child-murder-by-abortion centers," the groups says, and "five are in New Orleans."

But why would God single out Louisiana? Other states have many more abortion clinics, and Louisiana and the other states hit hardest by Katrina all voted for the pro-life president of the United States. It didn't add up for us at first, but the Columbia Christians for Life have an answer for everything. God has already punished California with earthquakes, forest fires and mudslides; New York with 9/11; and Florida with Hurricanes Bonnie, Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne and the early version of Katrina.

People can whap me for these spur of the moment musings: If anything, Bangladesh will return to "normal" faster, but minus a larger portion of the population.

This makes me muse on the cost balance. More tech, more development, fewer lives lost, but at a cost of longer recovery. Less development, more lives lost, but faster recovery?

What a horrible equation, either way.

Any DC people around, or others who can explain to me why, when I ask Mapquest to give me directions to "Alexandria, VA" it asks me to choose between "Alexandria, VA, (Arlington)", "Alexandria, VA, (Hopewell (city))", and "Alexandria, VA, (Northampton)"?

Also, explain to me how on earth I'm going to afford this trip? I'm starting to think I'll have to drive it, but 8 hours each way for a weekend... oy.

I can't explain Mapquest, but I'm pretty sure the one you want is (Arlington), since I don't know where (Hopewell) and (Northampton) are.

"Even the orange color of the image is reminiscent of a commonly used pro-life picture of early prenatal development."

That was my favorite part. "THE FAKE COLOR THEY CHOSE LOOKS JUST LIKE THE FAKE COLOR WE CHOSE!!!"

those people need to be slapped upside their fucking heads.

I can't explain it, but do you have a more concrete address? I mostly know old Alexandria.

Is it really 8 hours by car? Ack. (Last time I was in boston was '94 or '95 and I took the train from NC. It may have been overnight, I don't recall.) I'm thinking train couldn't be more than 8 hours to Union Station, but I may be delusional.

The train might well be shorter, but also more expensive than flying. Flying's not too expensive, but necessitates renting a car once I get there. Put that together with a hotel...