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...
Would it really need a car? I mean, sure, easier, but can you work the wimpy public transit of DC? All the times I've been to Alexandria, I've walked or cabbed, so... Depends on the trip.
It's more than 8 hours driving Boston to DC, I'm pretty sure. Although, my driving experience is mostly as a little kid, so we stopped more than I would now.
