What most people are faced with in NO:
5:24 P.M. - (AP): Even when Katrina's floodwaters are pumped out of New Orleans -- a process that could take weeks -- the city will be anything but dry.
Buildings, vehicles and their contents will be waterlogged and covered with mud. Whatever debris is currently sloshing around in the floodwaters will be strewn about the city in enormous piles.
Everything will be waterlogged, most of it ruined. It will be a monumental task just coordinating the collection and disposal of debris and trash.
Virtually everything worth keeping will have to be washed off, decontaminated and dried out. The city's drinking water distribution system will need to be flushed out and disinfected, a process that could take weeks or even months.
Buildings will have to be stripped down to their studs and dried out with dehumidifiers, a process that can't even begin in New Orleans until electricity is restored weeks or months from now.
For many homeowners, the expense and effort may not even be worth it. The median home in New Orleans costs about $87,000 -- by the time you figure in debris removal, demolition, drying and rebuilding, it may be cheaper simply to knock the whole house down and build a new one on its foundation.
What angers me the most is disasters tend to bring out the best in everybody, and that’s what we expected to see. Instead, it brought out the worst. ~Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, expressing outrage at the looting in New Orleans
I think this disconnect is a lot of what has been bothering me. I've been blaming the government, and I still do for much of what hasn't been handled well. But I am used to seeing people pull together in a crisis. From what I've read, this seems to be happening, for the most part, outside of New Orleans, including in areas that were hit as hard and also haven't gotten help. More National Guard in NO would probably help, but I'm not sure why the situation degenerated there and not so much elsewhere. Caveat: I know that there has been looting elsewhere, and that not everyone is behaving inappropriately in NO, but the differences seem striking to me.
It feels like the administration, if not the actual manpower on the ground, is sort of standing around, looking at all the devestation, and going "Huh. Well, gosh.... Should we, uh... you know... maybe do something? Or, uh... something? Huh."
It's a hard situation, but it does seem like they should have made a
little
more progress.
I believe we were talking about how awesomely pretty I am, actually.
Although, unfortunately, I have never met Allyson, I have seen pictures and can vouch for this.
And again with unearthly interludes - Jupiter and Venus gettin' cozy with each other this evening. [link]
It's funny -- I was watching
Torso
and thinking Kate Beckinsale when I should have been thinking Kathleen Robertson. When I realised it wasn't Kate, I really couldn't work out why I couldn't work out who the actress was, why I couldn't get past the name Emma Caulfield. Then I read her IMDB entry and understood. The brain is an annoying thing, sometimes.
What about "Origin Belief" instead of "Origin Myth?"
I'm going to suggest 'origin narrative'. Just because I like 'narrative'.
And you know what? The FUCKING GOVERNMENT SHOULD RECOGNIZE THAT!
There should be a study. Maybe a grant of some kind.
I think Kristen would look fabulous with hair just a little more copper red than mine is right now. Well, actually, I think she looks fabulous anyway, but you know what I mean.
Well, yes. Of course, I'm pretty much always on board with the red.
Then I read her IMDB entry and understood. The brain is an annoying thing, sometimes.
Is this because she was in Psycho Beach Party?
When I realised it wasn't Kate, I really couldn't work out why I couldn't work out who the actress was, why I couldn't get past the name Emma Caulfield. Then I read her IMDB entry and understood. The brain is an annoying thing, sometimes.
Like when I was watching the Blossom Inside Story, and kept waiting for them to say her boyfriend turned out to be gay. Um, no. Right actor, wrong part.
