In the spirit of Friday cat blogging, a tradition picked up via Pen-Elanye, today we have a dreadful case of kitty possession - time to find the kitty exorcist.
Sep 9, 2005
Sep 6, 2005
Terminator 4?
Came across this tale on The Walking Vixen blog. It made me think of a song by Annie Lennox titled Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves. The story is somewhat lurid, so don’t click through if you’re offended by that stuff but it just one of those things you have to read to believe.
It was basically a metal suitcase like the kind you see carrying millions of dollars in those gangster movies. Except inside of it was the metal that makes the hump possible, and it had a metal pole sticking out of it.
Came across this tale on The Walking Vixen blog. It made me think of a song by Annie Lennox titled Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves. The story is somewhat lurid, so don’t click through if you’re offended by that stuff but it just one of those things you have to read to believe.
It was basically a metal suitcase like the kind you see carrying millions of dollars in those gangster movies. Except inside of it was the metal that makes the hump possible, and it had a metal pole sticking out of it.
We now return to our regular programming:
On a more mundane note, I wanted to pass along the link to Russell Brown’s website.
Who is Russell Brown you ask?
As Sr. Creative Director at Adobe Systems Incorporated, Russell Preston Brown holds a unique position in the computer industry. Brown maintains a vital presence in the digital design and publishing community, facilitating the exchange between the user and software developer that is so essential to Adobe's software development. With complete mastery and breath taking style, Brown shows users how to work – and play – with Adobe software. He has given the world's leading photographers, publishers, art directors, and artists a strong grasp of the software tools that, by virtually all accounts, have led to Adobe's applications becoming the standard by which others are measured. Remember, what Russell always says "Learning about Adobe Photoshop should never be boring.”
I spent some time today watching a fascinating tutorial on batch processing of images (what does that say about my life, I wonder?). As with most of the tutorials RB has posted, it’s entertaining, informative and free! Of course, bandwidth is required but, what you spend a few minutes watching could save you hours on the job!
You’ll find the tutorials (tips and techniques) here.
On a more mundane note, I wanted to pass along the link to Russell Brown’s website.
Who is Russell Brown you ask?
As Sr. Creative Director at Adobe Systems Incorporated, Russell Preston Brown holds a unique position in the computer industry. Brown maintains a vital presence in the digital design and publishing community, facilitating the exchange between the user and software developer that is so essential to Adobe's software development. With complete mastery and breath taking style, Brown shows users how to work – and play – with Adobe software. He has given the world's leading photographers, publishers, art directors, and artists a strong grasp of the software tools that, by virtually all accounts, have led to Adobe's applications becoming the standard by which others are measured. Remember, what Russell always says "Learning about Adobe Photoshop should never be boring.”
I spent some time today watching a fascinating tutorial on batch processing of images (what does that say about my life, I wonder?). As with most of the tutorials RB has posted, it’s entertaining, informative and free! Of course, bandwidth is required but, what you spend a few minutes watching could save you hours on the job!
You’ll find the tutorials (tips and techniques) here.
The Blame Game and you.
On more than one occasion President Truman referred to the desk sign in public statements. For example, in an address at the National War College on December 19, 1952 Mr. Truman said, “You know, it’s easy for the Monday morning quarterback to say what the coach should have done, after the game is over. But when the decision is up before you — and on my desk I have a motto which says The Buck Stops Here — the decision has to be made.” In his farewell address to the American people given in January 1953, President Truman referred to this concept very specifically in asserting that, “The President — whoever he is — has to decide. He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That's his job.”
Today, the White House came out swinging trying to do their very best to spin the events of the last week into a more favorable light for themselves. Unfortunately, the displaced masses of New Orleans didn’t cooperate – they’re just not going to go away as easily as the White House would wish:
“I need answers,” said Mildred Brown, who has been at the center since Tuesday with her husband, mother-in-law and cousin. “I’m not interested in hand-shaking. I’m not interested in photo ops.”
Yes, it seems the White House attempt to put the blame squarely at the feet of Louisiana state and city officials isn’t quite working out the way they would like it to. I said it the day after the storm hit when President Junior was out on the west coast giving another speech designed to make our country safe from terrorists. Do you think the mysterious terrorists watch this stuff? Somehow, I doubt it.
Very prominently on the news tonight the President urged the nation ‘not to play the blame game.’ I can’t say he’s doing something no one else has done - when was the last time someone, a co-worker or someone you know, actually ’fessed up to being wrong? It just is rarely done on our society these days. People accepting responsibility for screwing up is a thing of the past. We live in a world where we are all of us surrounded by beings of god-like perfection (hey, I’m not going to give myself a pass on this one either folks).
It’s tough to admit you’re wrong. It’s tough but, it’s also necessary if you want to grow.
Honestly, I would have been very surprised if the president had just come out and boldly said, “Yes, we knew a hurricane was coming. Yes, we saw that it was a category five but, never in our wildest imaginings did we believe it would be this bad. It was poor planning on the part of the federal government. An event of this scope is something which should have been handled immediately at the federal level and we screwed up royally on it.”
The days of Harry Truman and The Buck Stops Here are gone folks.
No weapons of mass destruction and now this. Hmmm, isn’t the office of the president also known by the name of Chief Executive? So, before we go off and spend millions needlessly trying to look for a scapegoat(s), why not take all that money, put it to better use helping the people affected by Katrina and just go right to the top?
I’m not blaming the mayor, the governor, the firefighters, the police, the national guardsmen, the army, the coast guard, the red cross or any of those other folks who have made it their business to get about helping these people - I’m blaming the guy who was on vacation when the storm hit and decided to take a trip out to California the day after the storm had passed. He’s the one who ultimately had the power to do something (as noted by all the things that rapidly happened after he sat up and took notice). It’s not a game, people suffered and people died because of a terrible lapse of judgement on his part and if the American people want to give the guy a pass on it, they deserve what they get.
On more than one occasion President Truman referred to the desk sign in public statements. For example, in an address at the National War College on December 19, 1952 Mr. Truman said, “You know, it’s easy for the Monday morning quarterback to say what the coach should have done, after the game is over. But when the decision is up before you — and on my desk I have a motto which says The Buck Stops Here — the decision has to be made.” In his farewell address to the American people given in January 1953, President Truman referred to this concept very specifically in asserting that, “The President — whoever he is — has to decide. He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That's his job.”
Today, the White House came out swinging trying to do their very best to spin the events of the last week into a more favorable light for themselves. Unfortunately, the displaced masses of New Orleans didn’t cooperate – they’re just not going to go away as easily as the White House would wish:
“I need answers,” said Mildred Brown, who has been at the center since Tuesday with her husband, mother-in-law and cousin. “I’m not interested in hand-shaking. I’m not interested in photo ops.”
Yes, it seems the White House attempt to put the blame squarely at the feet of Louisiana state and city officials isn’t quite working out the way they would like it to. I said it the day after the storm hit when President Junior was out on the west coast giving another speech designed to make our country safe from terrorists. Do you think the mysterious terrorists watch this stuff? Somehow, I doubt it.
Very prominently on the news tonight the President urged the nation ‘not to play the blame game.’ I can’t say he’s doing something no one else has done - when was the last time someone, a co-worker or someone you know, actually ’fessed up to being wrong? It just is rarely done on our society these days. People accepting responsibility for screwing up is a thing of the past. We live in a world where we are all of us surrounded by beings of god-like perfection (hey, I’m not going to give myself a pass on this one either folks).
It’s tough to admit you’re wrong. It’s tough but, it’s also necessary if you want to grow.
Honestly, I would have been very surprised if the president had just come out and boldly said, “Yes, we knew a hurricane was coming. Yes, we saw that it was a category five but, never in our wildest imaginings did we believe it would be this bad. It was poor planning on the part of the federal government. An event of this scope is something which should have been handled immediately at the federal level and we screwed up royally on it.”
The days of Harry Truman and The Buck Stops Here are gone folks.
No weapons of mass destruction and now this. Hmmm, isn’t the office of the president also known by the name of Chief Executive? So, before we go off and spend millions needlessly trying to look for a scapegoat(s), why not take all that money, put it to better use helping the people affected by Katrina and just go right to the top?
I’m not blaming the mayor, the governor, the firefighters, the police, the national guardsmen, the army, the coast guard, the red cross or any of those other folks who have made it their business to get about helping these people - I’m blaming the guy who was on vacation when the storm hit and decided to take a trip out to California the day after the storm had passed. He’s the one who ultimately had the power to do something (as noted by all the things that rapidly happened after he sat up and took notice). It’s not a game, people suffered and people died because of a terrible lapse of judgement on his part and if the American people want to give the guy a pass on it, they deserve what they get.
Sep 5, 2005
Speak your mind.
Erik Larsen pencilled a bunch of books and was one of those guys who jumped ship from Marvel to create Image comics. Today, he’s the publisher at Image and while I can’t say I’ve found myself seeking out Image branded material more than before, somehow Larsen has found the time to write a column up at Comic Book Resources as well. His One Fan’s Opinion is rapidly turning into a favorite.
Steve Oliff showed everybody about the possibility of color and his legion of imitators over-colored the crap out of so many thousands of pages.
It's staggering.
I tell colorists now to back off. Well-chosen flat color is infinitely preferable to poorly chosen rendered color. Let me see the art. Let me see who inked that. Let me see the effect the artists had intended.
I love comics.
Erik Larsen pencilled a bunch of books and was one of those guys who jumped ship from Marvel to create Image comics. Today, he’s the publisher at Image and while I can’t say I’ve found myself seeking out Image branded material more than before, somehow Larsen has found the time to write a column up at Comic Book Resources as well. His One Fan’s Opinion is rapidly turning into a favorite.
Steve Oliff showed everybody about the possibility of color and his legion of imitators over-colored the crap out of so many thousands of pages.
It's staggering.
I tell colorists now to back off. Well-chosen flat color is infinitely preferable to poorly chosen rendered color. Let me see the art. Let me see who inked that. Let me see the effect the artists had intended.
I love comics.
A Sunday repast.
Aristotle (384-322 BC) argues that a stable democracy requires a large middle class to minimize political antagonism between rich and poor. Leaders should be elected "by all, from all" limited to brief terms in office. There should be no life offices; and no office should be held twice by the same person. Aristotle argues for a strict one-person-one-vote system for all adults; voting rights should not be limited to property owners, lest the nation lapse into oligarchy as wealth becomes concentrated in the hands of a few.
So we are all of us in the midst of a holiday weekend - except those of us stricken by such a great calamity as that which has befallen our fellow citizens along the Gulf Coast and those who are in the process of trying to ease their suffering.
Now is a time when we see what the measure of Americans as a people are, as the call goes out for aid across the nation and across the globe. Over the coming weeks and months we can be certain the news will get worse. While there will undoubtedly be bright spots amidst the gloom, the number of lives lost due to this event shall be staggering when tallied up. It will make the losses we suffered in 2001 pale in comparison, even though those losses be no less dear to our hearts.
In the aftermath, as we try to help our fellow citizens rebuild their lives, we will have to begin the long hard task of asking ourselves where we were remiss. It is not enough to merely assess the damage and rebuild. We must take this opportunity as a nation and look at where we are headed and where we want to go.
We are only as rich as our poorest neighbor, as healthy as our sickest friend and as strong as our weakest companion. If we are to export a system and society which we would hold forth to be the model for the rest of the world, we had better be sure it is a good model. One in which all people are insured of freedom but also opportunity, for education, for health, for security. Those integral elements assured to all Americans by the documents set forth by the founding fathers of this nation.
It is in these areas where we must hold our leaders accountable. Our strength as a nation in the past has come from the ability to override the differences among us and to work for the common good of all. If we cannot move beyond the devisive rhetoric of party ideology, we shall suffer an ignominious fate and watch as our nation fades from the world stage to become some second rate power basking in the glory of its past accomplishments.
The faces that stare out from our TV screens, speak volumes to us of another America. An America where poverty is common. These faces tell us, for all the success our leaders would have us believe we have enjoyed as a nation, there are far too many who are being left behind. Far too many for whom the basic human necessities of life are a luxury. While we hear talk daily of a War on Terror will somehow make our society safe, we must ask ourselves safe from what?
Will it be a nation safe from suffering, poverty, hunger, ignorance and disease? If we find we cannot make our fellow citizens safe from these things can we honestly tell ourselves there is any other war worth winning?
Aristotle (384-322 BC) argues that a stable democracy requires a large middle class to minimize political antagonism between rich and poor. Leaders should be elected "by all, from all" limited to brief terms in office. There should be no life offices; and no office should be held twice by the same person. Aristotle argues for a strict one-person-one-vote system for all adults; voting rights should not be limited to property owners, lest the nation lapse into oligarchy as wealth becomes concentrated in the hands of a few.
So we are all of us in the midst of a holiday weekend - except those of us stricken by such a great calamity as that which has befallen our fellow citizens along the Gulf Coast and those who are in the process of trying to ease their suffering.
Now is a time when we see what the measure of Americans as a people are, as the call goes out for aid across the nation and across the globe. Over the coming weeks and months we can be certain the news will get worse. While there will undoubtedly be bright spots amidst the gloom, the number of lives lost due to this event shall be staggering when tallied up. It will make the losses we suffered in 2001 pale in comparison, even though those losses be no less dear to our hearts.
In the aftermath, as we try to help our fellow citizens rebuild their lives, we will have to begin the long hard task of asking ourselves where we were remiss. It is not enough to merely assess the damage and rebuild. We must take this opportunity as a nation and look at where we are headed and where we want to go.
We are only as rich as our poorest neighbor, as healthy as our sickest friend and as strong as our weakest companion. If we are to export a system and society which we would hold forth to be the model for the rest of the world, we had better be sure it is a good model. One in which all people are insured of freedom but also opportunity, for education, for health, for security. Those integral elements assured to all Americans by the documents set forth by the founding fathers of this nation.
It is in these areas where we must hold our leaders accountable. Our strength as a nation in the past has come from the ability to override the differences among us and to work for the common good of all. If we cannot move beyond the devisive rhetoric of party ideology, we shall suffer an ignominious fate and watch as our nation fades from the world stage to become some second rate power basking in the glory of its past accomplishments.
The faces that stare out from our TV screens, speak volumes to us of another America. An America where poverty is common. These faces tell us, for all the success our leaders would have us believe we have enjoyed as a nation, there are far too many who are being left behind. Far too many for whom the basic human necessities of life are a luxury. While we hear talk daily of a War on Terror will somehow make our society safe, we must ask ourselves safe from what?
Will it be a nation safe from suffering, poverty, hunger, ignorance and disease? If we find we cannot make our fellow citizens safe from these things can we honestly tell ourselves there is any other war worth winning?
Sep 3, 2005
Spoiled.
I encountered a strange event the other day. After going into clients and being “behind the curve” so to speak, I had gotten used to finding myself using newer software only at cleints - imagine my surprise to realize I finally am using a more current operating system than one of my clients! How radical.
I encountered a strange event the other day. After going into clients and being “behind the curve” so to speak, I had gotten used to finding myself using newer software only at cleints - imagine my surprise to realize I finally am using a more current operating system than one of my clients! How radical.
Sep 2, 2005
Hurricane Sluggo.
I’m going to avoid editorializing - as per my earlier promise. Besides, I think it is readily apparent to most people by now something was drastically wrong with the federal response to the tragedy on the Gulf Coast.
I will however pass along these links which I came upon via roundabout way (via Blog Sensei of course).
First, Mr. Bill explains it all, about levees and the Louisiana wetlands.
Second is an interview with the mayor of New Orleans - it’s really worth a listen to if you think that the federal response has been spot on.
I’m going to avoid editorializing - as per my earlier promise. Besides, I think it is readily apparent to most people by now something was drastically wrong with the federal response to the tragedy on the Gulf Coast.
I will however pass along these links which I came upon via roundabout way (via Blog Sensei of course).
First, Mr. Bill explains it all, about levees and the Louisiana wetlands.
Second is an interview with the mayor of New Orleans - it’s really worth a listen to if you think that the federal response has been spot on.
Sep 1, 2005
...and being true to my word:
I give you this wonderful Get Fuzzy cartoon to contemplate (as given the situation I find it works on so many levels). At least I find myself still able to laugh at Bucky Katt:
click through for the Get Fuzzy archives.
I give you this wonderful Get Fuzzy cartoon to contemplate (as given the situation I find it works on so many levels). At least I find myself still able to laugh at Bucky Katt:
click through for the Get Fuzzy archives.
Flipping channels.
So, Wednesday I had to take a drive out to Ikea and at one point I'm flipping between stations - commercial on the FAN and NPR in some uninteresting segment. I happen upon Rush Limbaugh who I haven’t listened to in quite some time. The bloated, drug abusing, windbag is droning on how “This country is in trouble because of the liberals! We don’t have gasoline because the liberals won’t allow oil refineries to be built! Liberals force our country to enact all these nasty pollution standards so poor oil companies are required to make 47 different types of gasoline. Even when they are able to get into New Orleans, it’s the liberals who will stand in the way of progress. The liberals won’t let us rebuild in New Orleans anyway because the ground will be so toxic! Those damn liberals want to blame global warming...” and on and on and on.
This has the effect of making me want to put my foot through the radio (not an easy thing to do when you’re tooling along trying to keep up with everyone else going 75mph).
As I have voiced previously (and truthfully, saying it makes me feel as if I’m standing up in some twelve step meeting), I am a Republican. Yes, I would consider myself both Republican and Conservative but, I’m not seeing fetuses in satellite photos of a hurricane or thinking somehow that God has rained down his wrath in some form of divine payback (and I’ve actually seen things recently where people have the gall to suggest just such a thing). I just can’t find the gigantic reservoir of ego it takes to think somehow I may be able to keen a divine hand in a natural disaster.
I’m going to put a moratorium on the whole NOLA thing as it will be everywhere now and relief is finally just trickling in to the people. Also, I think there comes a point where being the angry old fart doesn’t do much good but, I will make one last comment about this situation to provoke some thought hopefully.
If they wanted to impeach a guy over a blowjob, what should they do to someone who was on vacation when his country needed him? If the mayor of New Orleans was smart enough to tell the people of the city they needed to evacuate on Saturday, two full days before the storm hit and the governor was doing the same, advising residents on the southern part of the state to evacuate as well, why did it take the president two full days to formulate a response to the emergency? It was an unprecedented storm which everyone KNEW was coming! It wasn’t a secret, how could the federal government have dropped the ball so badly.
It’s coming up on Friday and they’re just beginning to get help to the people. What? Does your state have to be governed by the president’s brother for the president to do his job?
So, Wednesday I had to take a drive out to Ikea and at one point I'm flipping between stations - commercial on the FAN and NPR in some uninteresting segment. I happen upon Rush Limbaugh who I haven’t listened to in quite some time. The bloated, drug abusing, windbag is droning on how “This country is in trouble because of the liberals! We don’t have gasoline because the liberals won’t allow oil refineries to be built! Liberals force our country to enact all these nasty pollution standards so poor oil companies are required to make 47 different types of gasoline. Even when they are able to get into New Orleans, it’s the liberals who will stand in the way of progress. The liberals won’t let us rebuild in New Orleans anyway because the ground will be so toxic! Those damn liberals want to blame global warming...” and on and on and on.
This has the effect of making me want to put my foot through the radio (not an easy thing to do when you’re tooling along trying to keep up with everyone else going 75mph).
As I have voiced previously (and truthfully, saying it makes me feel as if I’m standing up in some twelve step meeting), I am a Republican. Yes, I would consider myself both Republican and Conservative but, I’m not seeing fetuses in satellite photos of a hurricane or thinking somehow that God has rained down his wrath in some form of divine payback (and I’ve actually seen things recently where people have the gall to suggest just such a thing). I just can’t find the gigantic reservoir of ego it takes to think somehow I may be able to keen a divine hand in a natural disaster.
I’m going to put a moratorium on the whole NOLA thing as it will be everywhere now and relief is finally just trickling in to the people. Also, I think there comes a point where being the angry old fart doesn’t do much good but, I will make one last comment about this situation to provoke some thought hopefully.
If they wanted to impeach a guy over a blowjob, what should they do to someone who was on vacation when his country needed him? If the mayor of New Orleans was smart enough to tell the people of the city they needed to evacuate on Saturday, two full days before the storm hit and the governor was doing the same, advising residents on the southern part of the state to evacuate as well, why did it take the president two full days to formulate a response to the emergency? It was an unprecedented storm which everyone KNEW was coming! It wasn’t a secret, how could the federal government have dropped the ball so badly.
It’s coming up on Friday and they’re just beginning to get help to the people. What? Does your state have to be governed by the president’s brother for the president to do his job?
Talk about foreshadowing!
I was looking for a map or graphic of New Orleans when I happened across this page which is a scan of a New York Times article. The article is dated April 30th, 2002 and it’s from the Science Times. The title is, “Nothing’s Easy for New Orleans Flood Control.” Reading through the article, I’ll be damned if there weren’t people who called it right on the nose. Take a look:
The first page is here.
The second page is here.
I was looking for a map or graphic of New Orleans when I happened across this page which is a scan of a New York Times article. The article is dated April 30th, 2002 and it’s from the Science Times. The title is, “Nothing’s Easy for New Orleans Flood Control.” Reading through the article, I’ll be damned if there weren’t people who called it right on the nose. Take a look:
The first page is here.
The second page is here.
Aug 31, 2005
It runs in the family.
“Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one? For God's sake, where are they?''
A massive hurricane sweeps across Florida and makes secondary landfall in Louisiana leaving a multitude of Americans homeless anxiously awaiting response and relief from the federal government.
Katrina?
No, Andrew.
Just as his father did 12 years before, President Bush is flying to Florida to survey the damage wrought by a major hurricane less than three months before facing a hotly contested re-election. Republicans hope the parallels end there.
After Hurricane Andrew left thousands homeless in August 1992, the first President Bush's administration was bitterly criticized for moving too slowly to deliver food, water and troops. Although his campaign vastly outspent Bill Clinton, his support ebbed and Bush was forced to defend what once had been considered home turf, winning by only a small margin.
Guess if this were an election year the people of Louisiana and Mississippi would be faring better.
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick... the clock is running on the Bush presidency. Every passing hour where the federal government is missing in action is another state turning from red to blue. Images coming out from disaster areas in Mississippi and Louisiana of fellow Americans without food, without water, without shelter are eerily reminiscent of the way Bush Sr. dropped the ball after Andrew.
Watching the news this evening, one woman, homeless after the storm and standing atop a highway overpass which has become a dry refuge managed to put it very succinctly when she observed that “after the hurricanes in Florida those people came running! Where are they now?!”
Maybe, I’m being too tough. I mean after all, the president did cut short his vacation in order to personally oversee the relief efforts. He did manage to fly over the flooded metropolis of New Orleans today (two days after it happened). Yes, he’s a true man of the people, he is. When was the last time any of you took a month long paid vacation? Anyone? Anyone?
Watching people trudge out of flooded neighborhoods, watching them wander amidst the destruction and debris that was their homes, seeing the lawlessness resulting from overwhelmed local authorities makes me think the biggest indictment of the current administration is their handling of this event. If there is one issue for the Democrats to focus on in the mid-term election (and I didn’t think there was a shortage of things for them to focus on, mind you), this is it.
Also, as I heard one newscaster comment this evening, the world is watching and doesn’t it tell us volumes about how we take care of our own. Maybe, the problem is even though Louisiana and Mississippi were in fact red states, the people who remained behind in those neighborhoods in New Orleans didn’t fit the profile of good Republicans - does it have more to do with the economic and racial makeup?
Funny thing is, I’m a Republican and I think that this unequivocally stinks.
No two ways about it - Monday night after the storm had moved up from the coast, the feds should have been poised with manpower and equipment to help these people. 48 hours has passed and the question I have to ask is how many people died during that time and how many more will die over the coming days just because they didn’t get the help they needed? While our president (and because I’m writing this, I cannot manage the snide intonation at the mention of the office) was giving speeches about the War on Terrorism in California of all places, a state over from his ranch there were people suffering, you’d think a guy would be able to prioritize.
“Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one? For God's sake, where are they?''
A massive hurricane sweeps across Florida and makes secondary landfall in Louisiana leaving a multitude of Americans homeless anxiously awaiting response and relief from the federal government.
No, Andrew.
Just as his father did 12 years before, President Bush is flying to Florida to survey the damage wrought by a major hurricane less than three months before facing a hotly contested re-election. Republicans hope the parallels end there.
After Hurricane Andrew left thousands homeless in August 1992, the first President Bush's administration was bitterly criticized for moving too slowly to deliver food, water and troops. Although his campaign vastly outspent Bill Clinton, his support ebbed and Bush was forced to defend what once had been considered home turf, winning by only a small margin.
Guess if this were an election year the people of Louisiana and Mississippi would be faring better.
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick... the clock is running on the Bush presidency. Every passing hour where the federal government is missing in action is another state turning from red to blue. Images coming out from disaster areas in Mississippi and Louisiana of fellow Americans without food, without water, without shelter are eerily reminiscent of the way Bush Sr. dropped the ball after Andrew.
Watching the news this evening, one woman, homeless after the storm and standing atop a highway overpass which has become a dry refuge managed to put it very succinctly when she observed that “after the hurricanes in Florida those people came running! Where are they now?!”
Maybe, I’m being too tough. I mean after all, the president did cut short his vacation in order to personally oversee the relief efforts. He did manage to fly over the flooded metropolis of New Orleans today (two days after it happened). Yes, he’s a true man of the people, he is. When was the last time any of you took a month long paid vacation? Anyone? Anyone?
Watching people trudge out of flooded neighborhoods, watching them wander amidst the destruction and debris that was their homes, seeing the lawlessness resulting from overwhelmed local authorities makes me think the biggest indictment of the current administration is their handling of this event. If there is one issue for the Democrats to focus on in the mid-term election (and I didn’t think there was a shortage of things for them to focus on, mind you), this is it.
Also, as I heard one newscaster comment this evening, the world is watching and doesn’t it tell us volumes about how we take care of our own. Maybe, the problem is even though Louisiana and Mississippi were in fact red states, the people who remained behind in those neighborhoods in New Orleans didn’t fit the profile of good Republicans - does it have more to do with the economic and racial makeup?
Funny thing is, I’m a Republican and I think that this unequivocally stinks.
No two ways about it - Monday night after the storm had moved up from the coast, the feds should have been poised with manpower and equipment to help these people. 48 hours has passed and the question I have to ask is how many people died during that time and how many more will die over the coming days just because they didn’t get the help they needed? While our president (and because I’m writing this, I cannot manage the snide intonation at the mention of the office) was giving speeches about the War on Terrorism in California of all places, a state over from his ranch there were people suffering, you’d think a guy would be able to prioritize.
More on New Orleans:
The situation looks like it will get worse before it gets better.
As federal emergency management teams reached the area, officials contended with widespread breakdowns in public service. Water plants failed and sewers overflowed. Gas lines ruptured and hospitals shut down. Fuel supplies dwindled.
Katrina's human toll presented the most pressing needs. Even the dead had to wait while search teams aided the living. "We're not even dealing with bodies," Nagin said. Searchers were “just pushing them on the side.”
Came across this graphic which explains exactly what is happening in the city.
It is going to be 90° plus in the city today.
The stench inside the Louisiana Superdome was the worst of it.
It was the smell of refugees who hadn't bathed in days in a facility where the bathrooms were filthy, bins were stuffed with trash and 20,000 people were cooped up with no place to go.
The roof had holes in it, and dozens of people spent the night on the concourse outside the stadium for the coolness — such as it was — and more important, a breath of fresh air. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the air conditioning had been off since Monday. Three displaced hospital patients died in the dome.
The Army Corps. of Engineers doesn’t expect the problem to subside soon.
Once the breaches are closed and all of the pumps are running, the pumps can lower the water level ½ inch per hour or about a foot per day. We can get the water level to sea level in four and a half days. The ½ inch rate assumes the late is at normal levels. That would create pumping inefficiency, as could trash in drains and canals that feed into the pump stations.
That’s a “Best Case” scenario. We don’t know the conditions of all of the pumps. Fortunately most of the pump motors and controllers are at an elevation greater than 5 feet and we hope they weren’t submerged. There could be other unforeseen problems.
The situation looks like it will get worse before it gets better.
As federal emergency management teams reached the area, officials contended with widespread breakdowns in public service. Water plants failed and sewers overflowed. Gas lines ruptured and hospitals shut down. Fuel supplies dwindled.
Katrina's human toll presented the most pressing needs. Even the dead had to wait while search teams aided the living. "We're not even dealing with bodies," Nagin said. Searchers were “just pushing them on the side.”
Came across this graphic which explains exactly what is happening in the city.
It is going to be 90° plus in the city today.
The stench inside the Louisiana Superdome was the worst of it.
It was the smell of refugees who hadn't bathed in days in a facility where the bathrooms were filthy, bins were stuffed with trash and 20,000 people were cooped up with no place to go.
The roof had holes in it, and dozens of people spent the night on the concourse outside the stadium for the coolness — such as it was — and more important, a breath of fresh air. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the air conditioning had been off since Monday. Three displaced hospital patients died in the dome.
The Army Corps. of Engineers doesn’t expect the problem to subside soon.
Once the breaches are closed and all of the pumps are running, the pumps can lower the water level ½ inch per hour or about a foot per day. We can get the water level to sea level in four and a half days. The ½ inch rate assumes the late is at normal levels. That would create pumping inefficiency, as could trash in drains and canals that feed into the pump stations.
That’s a “Best Case” scenario. We don’t know the conditions of all of the pumps. Fortunately most of the pump motors and controllers are at an elevation greater than 5 feet and we hope they weren’t submerged. There could be other unforeseen problems.
Aug 30, 2005
The American Tsunami.
Not that you wouldn’t know but, I can’t help but think how so many people across the rest of the country responded and helped New York after September 11th and how this is our opportunity to repay the gracious help in NYC’s time of need by volunteering our time or efforts to help the people affected by Katrina.
If you’re interested, you can start here at The American Red Cross site.
The Red Cross is launching the largest mobilization of resources for a single natural domestic disaster, in part because the extent of the damage is so widespread over a large geographical area. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin including sending nearly 1,900 staff and volunteers into the field in the next few days, and sending more than 250 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) out to provide food and water to affected residents.
The best way to help is by making an online contribution to the Disaster Relief Fund at www.redcross.org.
If you are interested in volunteering for the American Red Cross, the place to start is your local chapter Red Cross. There you can learn about the training courses necessary to become a disaster volunteer. For more information, visit your local Red Cross chapter online.
Also you can check the FEMA site for the latest news. Of course, spread the word, the more people that can help the better - it’s going to be a long haul.
Not that you wouldn’t know but, I can’t help but think how so many people across the rest of the country responded and helped New York after September 11th and how this is our opportunity to repay the gracious help in NYC’s time of need by volunteering our time or efforts to help the people affected by Katrina.
If you’re interested, you can start here at The American Red Cross site.
The Red Cross is launching the largest mobilization of resources for a single natural domestic disaster, in part because the extent of the damage is so widespread over a large geographical area. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin including sending nearly 1,900 staff and volunteers into the field in the next few days, and sending more than 250 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) out to provide food and water to affected residents.
The best way to help is by making an online contribution to the Disaster Relief Fund at www.redcross.org.
If you are interested in volunteering for the American Red Cross, the place to start is your local chapter Red Cross. There you can learn about the training courses necessary to become a disaster volunteer. For more information, visit your local Red Cross chapter online.
Also you can check the FEMA site for the latest news. Of course, spread the word, the more people that can help the better - it’s going to be a long haul.
Katrina foretold?
The passage below is from the October ’04 issue of National Geographic magazine:
As the whirling maelstrom approached the coast, more than a million people evacuated to higher ground. Some 200,000 remained, however—the car-less, the homeless, the aged and infirm, and those die-hard New Orleanians who look for any excuse to throw a party.
The storm hit Breton Sound with the fury of a nuclear warhead, pushing a deadly storm surge into Lake Pontchartrain. The water crept to the top of the massive berm that holds back the lake and then spilled over. Nearly 80 percent of New Orleans lies below sea level—more than eight feet (two meters) below in places—so the water poured in. A liquid brown wall washed over the brick ranch homes of Gentilly, over the clapboard houses of the Ninth Ward, over the white-columned porches of the Garden District, until it raced through the bars and strip joints on Bourbon Street like the pale rider of the Apocalypse. As it reached 25 feet (eight meters) over parts of the city, people climbed onto roofs to escape it.
Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued. It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.
Click through and you’ll be taken to a page with an abbreviated version of the article, some great pictures and some really interesting links.
After watching the coverage of Katrina over the last two days, I got to thinking about Russ.
You know how you just get a feeling about something? Well, I was thinking about Russ before Katrina ran up onto southern Florida. There’s just been this nasty habit the last couple of years of storms making it into the gulf and then taking a shot at Russ’ neck of the woods.
So, while there was a whole bunch of coverage about New Orleans getting hit and everything, in a way I was hoping the thing would go even further west (although that was pretty unlikely).
Russ has a bookstore in downtown Mobile. It’s about a block or two up from the Mobile river. I sent Russ an email this morning and was surprised when I heard back from him. He was there, camped out in his store. He had power, a window was blown out and he could see the water from the store. I was surprised to hear back from him but I think that was before the power went out. I’m wondering just how high the water got by the time everything was through.
In the interim, I’m flipping channels today going back and forth between fly-overs of flooding and news-guy (person) accounts on the scene. It’s then a couple of things occur to me:
First off, we’re really a nation of rubber-neckers. I think cable television and all these news channels have desensitized us to these horrible, horrible events. The networks are looking to fill airtime and these disasters are the news channel equivalent of a blockbuster film. I’m not diminishing the level of damage and post hurricane suffering that is going to go on but, how many times am I going to have to see some idiot out in the middle of a hurricane with a microphone telling the folks back in the studio how horrible the wind is? It’s like, nitwit! It’s a hurricane! Hello!? That’s what they do. Common sense tells us to find high ground in some really well built structure to ride the thing out not to go out with a satellite truck and park where we’ll be able to see the most damage. The next step will be for some network to put one of these idiots out in a dingy with a camera or videophone so that the jerk can report on the wave heights. Plus having all these schmucks in the middle of storm central probably gives people the mistaken impression somehow they can ride the thing out instead of hightailing it to someplace safe.
Second, president Junior is on the tube today giving a speech about the war on terror. Somebody please wake this moron up. This is not a moment to go on tv and justify your policies because the polls say your numbers are low on the War in Iraq. It’s a time for you to get off your ass and make sure that the federal government is using each and every bit of its resources to alleviate and ease any discomfort citizens affected by a huge natural disaster are enduring. The big news today is Junior is cutting short his month long vaykay and returning to Washington tomorrow to “personally oversee relief efforts.” Newsflash dumbass! People are suffering right now! Get your ass back there today and get a move on.
I generally try to couch what I say and step back a little but, I’m just not patient enough at this moment to endure some stupid spin doctoring. Besides, I’ve got to imagine that all the people in the affected areas are going to be thinking how much more of a response there would be if National Guard troops weren’t on the other side of the planet making the streets safe to pump oil.
The passage below is from the October ’04 issue of National Geographic magazine:
As the whirling maelstrom approached the coast, more than a million people evacuated to higher ground. Some 200,000 remained, however—the car-less, the homeless, the aged and infirm, and those die-hard New Orleanians who look for any excuse to throw a party.
The storm hit Breton Sound with the fury of a nuclear warhead, pushing a deadly storm surge into Lake Pontchartrain. The water crept to the top of the massive berm that holds back the lake and then spilled over. Nearly 80 percent of New Orleans lies below sea level—more than eight feet (two meters) below in places—so the water poured in. A liquid brown wall washed over the brick ranch homes of Gentilly, over the clapboard houses of the Ninth Ward, over the white-columned porches of the Garden District, until it raced through the bars and strip joints on Bourbon Street like the pale rider of the Apocalypse. As it reached 25 feet (eight meters) over parts of the city, people climbed onto roofs to escape it.
Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued. It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.
Click through and you’ll be taken to a page with an abbreviated version of the article, some great pictures and some really interesting links.
After watching the coverage of Katrina over the last two days, I got to thinking about Russ.
You know how you just get a feeling about something? Well, I was thinking about Russ before Katrina ran up onto southern Florida. There’s just been this nasty habit the last couple of years of storms making it into the gulf and then taking a shot at Russ’ neck of the woods.
So, while there was a whole bunch of coverage about New Orleans getting hit and everything, in a way I was hoping the thing would go even further west (although that was pretty unlikely).
Russ has a bookstore in downtown Mobile. It’s about a block or two up from the Mobile river. I sent Russ an email this morning and was surprised when I heard back from him. He was there, camped out in his store. He had power, a window was blown out and he could see the water from the store. I was surprised to hear back from him but I think that was before the power went out. I’m wondering just how high the water got by the time everything was through.
In the interim, I’m flipping channels today going back and forth between fly-overs of flooding and news-guy (person) accounts on the scene. It’s then a couple of things occur to me:
First off, we’re really a nation of rubber-neckers. I think cable television and all these news channels have desensitized us to these horrible, horrible events. The networks are looking to fill airtime and these disasters are the news channel equivalent of a blockbuster film. I’m not diminishing the level of damage and post hurricane suffering that is going to go on but, how many times am I going to have to see some idiot out in the middle of a hurricane with a microphone telling the folks back in the studio how horrible the wind is? It’s like, nitwit! It’s a hurricane! Hello!? That’s what they do. Common sense tells us to find high ground in some really well built structure to ride the thing out not to go out with a satellite truck and park where we’ll be able to see the most damage. The next step will be for some network to put one of these idiots out in a dingy with a camera or videophone so that the jerk can report on the wave heights. Plus having all these schmucks in the middle of storm central probably gives people the mistaken impression somehow they can ride the thing out instead of hightailing it to someplace safe.
Second, president Junior is on the tube today giving a speech about the war on terror. Somebody please wake this moron up. This is not a moment to go on tv and justify your policies because the polls say your numbers are low on the War in Iraq. It’s a time for you to get off your ass and make sure that the federal government is using each and every bit of its resources to alleviate and ease any discomfort citizens affected by a huge natural disaster are enduring. The big news today is Junior is cutting short his month long vaykay and returning to Washington tomorrow to “personally oversee relief efforts.” Newsflash dumbass! People are suffering right now! Get your ass back there today and get a move on.
I generally try to couch what I say and step back a little but, I’m just not patient enough at this moment to endure some stupid spin doctoring. Besides, I’ve got to imagine that all the people in the affected areas are going to be thinking how much more of a response there would be if National Guard troops weren’t on the other side of the planet making the streets safe to pump oil.
Aug 28, 2005
Aug 26, 2005
Came across this jewel:
Which makes me very happy as I was wondering what to do with the big software install coming up. From the Photoshopblog:
Legally install Photoshop twice with one license
Posted Aug 20, 2005, 11:37 AM ET by Jan Kabili
Your comments to our post asking for your opinion about the requirement to activate Photoshop CS2 suggest that some of you are confused about the number of machines on which you can legally install Photoshop. The answer is not one, but two machines, as long as the second installation is exclusively for your own use and you are not using both copies at the same time. Adobe allows this because they are good guys, who recognize that many of us work on a desktop and a laptop, or have one computer at work and one at home.
This is governed by the Adobe End User License Agreement (EULA), which you should find in your application folder. The Photoshop CS2 EULA doesn’t appear to be posted on the Adobe site. But both the posted EULA for Creative Suite 2 combined products and the posted EULA for Photoshop CS say:
Portable or Home Computer Use. The primary user of the computer on which the software is installed may install a second copy of the Software for his or her exclusive use on either a portable computer or a Computer located at his or her home, provided the Software on the portable or home Computer is not used at the same time as the Software on the primary Computer.
Which makes me very happy as I was wondering what to do with the big software install coming up. From the Photoshopblog:
Legally install Photoshop twice with one license
Posted Aug 20, 2005, 11:37 AM ET by Jan Kabili
Your comments to our post asking for your opinion about the requirement to activate Photoshop CS2 suggest that some of you are confused about the number of machines on which you can legally install Photoshop. The answer is not one, but two machines, as long as the second installation is exclusively for your own use and you are not using both copies at the same time. Adobe allows this because they are good guys, who recognize that many of us work on a desktop and a laptop, or have one computer at work and one at home.
This is governed by the Adobe End User License Agreement (EULA), which you should find in your application folder. The Photoshop CS2 EULA doesn’t appear to be posted on the Adobe site. But both the posted EULA for Creative Suite 2 combined products and the posted EULA for Photoshop CS say:
Portable or Home Computer Use. The primary user of the computer on which the software is installed may install a second copy of the Software for his or her exclusive use on either a portable computer or a Computer located at his or her home, provided the Software on the portable or home Computer is not used at the same time as the Software on the primary Computer.
The War Waged for The Page
I know there a lot of people out there who have watched this battle take place. Hence, I am sure they will find this site interesting:
Quark vs InDesign.com
I know there a lot of people out there who have watched this battle take place. Hence, I am sure they will find this site interesting:
Quark vs InDesign.com
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