I don't know if I can wrap my brain around this one.

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The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — A week after Hurricane Katrina, engineers plugged the levee break that swamped much of the city and floodwaters began to recede, but along with the good news came the mayor's direst prediction yet: As many as 10,000 dead.

Remember the FEMA head saying "Nobody expected a disaster of this scale"? And that nobody expected the levee to break?

Well, the guy who briefed him before the hurricane says he lied.

[link]

As many as 10,000 dead.

I don't think it's going to be that high. Time and again we get these dire predictions only to have the actual numbers fall short of the worst case scenario. Remember the predictions of 6000+ dead in the WTC?

That said, I think this disaster will equal or exceed 9/11's death toll, and 5000 is probably not out of the question.

I think it is going to be at least 5,000. I would believe 10K though.

I think it was 5K right after the hurricane went through. I think another 5K+ died from neglect.

I'm feeling very unsettled these days. The events in NO have me angry, sad and rattled. I worry, now, what would happen in KC if there was ever a catastrophic event of that sort here. Part of me knows that it is irrational, because we are on high ground, have stayed fairly calm during a 2.5 mass power outage caused by an ice strom and I've always felt that mid-westerners were the nicest people in the country. (all apologies to everybody else!).

But, things keep happening to my car, and now I'm thinking of moving just because of it. My liscence plates were stolen twice, a fender was bashed (along with the fenders on every car parked on that side of the street). So I started parking it in the tiny parking lot behind my building that used to be reserved for another tenants tar truck.

So, I forgot to lock it all up Saturday night. Sunday morning when I went out to do my grocery shopping I found my glove compartment open and stuff on my front seat. The only thing that was missing was the bag with my workout clothes in it - a t-shirt I bought at Osco, an old pair of leggings, a change of under wear and a $4 pair of shoes from Target. Nothing valuable, but it was my emergency-in-case-the-building-burns-down clothes.

I can't stop myself from thinking about whether I have enough water and other emergency supplies on hand and what if the clothes I'm wearing are the only ones I'll have for the next week. I've actually been through something like this before. I was made homless by a fire while I was at work one day. I know how it feels to not know where I'd sleep that night. But, I was okay. A friend took me in for 2 weeks till I found a place, my job let me take the time to get my life back together, the Red Cross even gave me some shoes that I still wear.

But I can't get over this feeling forboding. Maybe I've been watching too much coverage. Anyway, that's my first world problem of the day.

Ya know, Roddick's mojo is quite unattractive.

What I find amusing about those commercials is that they've managed to make Nick Kroll as attractive as they have.

Honestly, I've been expecting the final death toll to be 10,000.

I was at my parents' house earlier today, and it was so good -- in a twisted way -- to spend meatspace time with people who are as passionate in their hatred for Bush as I am.

Barbara Bush? Can burn in hell.

Rehnquist actually died on Wednesday, but FEMA only found him on Saturday.

::snerk::

{{{{{{deborah grabien}}}}}}}

they've managed to make Nick Kroll as attractive as they have.

Oh, he looks very tarted up. What's the point of an ugly mojo? What is he doing that made him better than a mojo one would actually want to find?

Now that I think about it, I'd like my mojo to look like Eddie Izzard.

I'm enjoying the Roddick car commercials, where he's driving with surreal people. The older guy is Lucas from Another World, which cracks me up.

And Federer is only 24! Just turned 24! What a darling.