unless Ted Koppel has filled him in, I doubt he's even aware that Rita exists

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kangaroo -- please do not read or respond to any of my posts

You have a strange sense of humor.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

I think Nagin is an idiot. He's inviting people back despite the lack of potable water, electricty, 911 service, hospitals, etc, etc, etc (I realize some neighborhoods have some of these things but not all). Last night they were interviewing some lady who went back per Nagin's request, then realized there were no schools open for her kids -- duh. Should another storm come close, it wouldn't take much for the breached levees to fail again.

Today Nagin is criticizing Thad Allen for expressing reservations about asking people to come back so soon. It seems like Nagin wants people to think he's in control and shit is happening, but asking people to move back into some of these neighborhoods is just plain stupid.

I thought I heard that he changed his mind back to don't come back? They should take him out of the loop for everyone's safety because he is clueless.

I'm in No. Ill. and even I knew at 10PM that the "okay to move back in" command was reversed due to Rita's unwelcome presence.

You'd think that people in NO would pay more attention to the news than I do ... I might catch it once every 2 weeks.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

Exactly! He goes out and makes a huge production of inviting people back, then rescinds it later than the same day? C'mon now, think these things through.

Maybe as Nagin is not a god...he did not know exactly what the forcast was for the next couple weeks...then what will we wait for? Gunna be chilly in a few weeks, then the spring rains, then big storm season again...we will never be safe...the end days are near...

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

From http://www.nola.com/

"Nagin said he had seen a forecast from a meteorologist who is "usually on the money," whom he did not name, that showed Rita landing in Terrebonne Parish as a Category 3 hurricane."

Maybe as Nagin is not a god

In this case he's not even as thorough as my grandpa. My grandpa checks the weatherchannel every hour. You'd think the mayor of a city just destroyed by a hurricane would check the weather, wouldn't ya?

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

I'm heading back with my ship after providing relief efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. Having been ashore, and having looked at the destruction up close, I can't imagine what would be left if another major storm hit in the same area. I compared it to what I've seen in some of the worst 3rd world countries I've been to, but worse, and here in the U.S. Kind of surreal to visit a place you've been to before and see it that flattened. When I get back and have a little more bandwidth to work with, I'll try to post some pictures.

By the way, after 3 weeks of underway time, I finally get online for a few minutes to check my e-mail and hit Slowtwitch, and the forum looks like I never left. Same political and religious crap, plus the Hottie Thread still on the front page. Nice.

On a side note, my friend contends that the hurricanes are the result of a N.Korean weather machine and the only reason they are agreeing to give up nuclear weapons production is because now they can hit us with hurricanes any time they want. My friend is a little wierd.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

On a side note, my friend contends that the hurricanes are the result of a N.Korean weather machine and the only reason they are agreeing to give up nuclear weapons production is because now they can hit us with hurricanes any time they want. My friend is a little wierd.

Awesome. He'll always have a home, right here in the Lavender Room. I like my friends that have those wacky, yet remotely possible ideas/theories.

We look forward to your next return. Take care.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

I think �Having a home� in the Lav Room is much akin to living with a nymphomaniac super model who has nasty diarrhea � on top of a volcano - did I mention that she is Bi-Polar too?

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

You're not allowed to make analogies anymore.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

Am I mistaken or doesn't hurrican season run to the end of November? Which means we could have one or more hurricanes hit near that same area again, right?

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"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

Yep, and they may run out of names...

http://news.yahoo.com/...3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-



Chris

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Chris
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“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
― Hunter S. Thompson,

I refuse to say that I agree with your statement....... BUT..... If you think he is an idiot, you should hear what he is saying from down here. He is doing nothing but blaming everyone else, and makng poor statements. To invite the general population back in right now is crazy.

Structures that were under water that long have got to be ruined. With the pollution that is in the water nad now soaked into the wood, the structure is comtaminated.

I think he is try to make the illusion that the city is not nearly totally destroyed. The underlying infastructure for the water/electricity/phone service/sewage has been ravished by the 1. hurricane, 2. by the flood, 3. standing flood waters, 4. soaked/shifted soil due to all the above damaging the pipes causing major breaks all over.

A small nit pick here. But the "levees" didn't get breeched and flood the city. It was floodwalls that failed and subsequently flooded the city. New Orleans east was flooded by water being driven up Lake Borne and the levee failures on the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO). The lower (not an elevation joke) 9th Ward/Arabi/Chalmette was flooded by a failure on the Industrial Canal as well as failures on the MRGO.

The floodwalls that broke and flooded the city are at least two foot lower than the surrounding levees (around the Lake and the Mississippi River) - smart huh.

The floodwalls border the drainage pump discharge canals. The drainage pumps that you keep hearing about in some cases are NOT located on the perimeter of the city. The 17th street canal failure is one of these discharge canals where the actual pump is located 1.5 miles from the lake.

These floodwalls were inadequate due to many reasons (not poitical - although there are many of those as well). These are earthen structures in constant contact with the water on one side. The ground used to build these structures are very closely bordered by houses, streets and other structures.

I am more worried about them successfully starting the pumps on the 17th street canal. Those suckers are huge. You have to know that the floodwall opposite of the failures have been seriously affected. Creating that much fluid flow through that canal could further reduce the strength of the "good side" of Jefferson Parish. This time without the previous evacuation, but with the same quickly rising waters.

Translation - it wasn't the protection structures at fault but the placement of the pumps. If the pumps were where they should have been the results would have been minor (realitively speaking)



I say.....

1. Move the damn pumps to the perimeter of the protection system. (take the failed floodwalls out of the system for good)

2. Only allow the lowest living level to be above the current flood stage.