Sunday, September 11, 2005
Thursday, September 08, 2005
A good article on the geopolitical value of New Orleans, and what happens when its trade infrastructure is out of commission.
The first episode of Nerd TV is available for download.
NerdTV is essentially Charlie Rose for geeks - a one-hour interview show with a single guest from the world of technology. Guests like Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy or Apple computer inventor Steve Wozniak are household names if your household is nerdy enough, but as historical figures and geniuses in their own right, they have plenty to say to ALL of us. NerdTV is distributed under a Creative Commons license so viewers can legally share the shows with their friends and even edit their own versions
NerdTV is essentially Charlie Rose for geeks - a one-hour interview show with a single guest from the world of technology. Guests like Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy or Apple computer inventor Steve Wozniak are household names if your household is nerdy enough, but as historical figures and geniuses in their own right, they have plenty to say to ALL of us. NerdTV is distributed under a Creative Commons license so viewers can legally share the shows with their friends and even edit their own versions
The authorities have been turning hostile and preventing people from leaving the city, firing shots, spreading misinformation, and verbally humiliating groups trying to leave the city on foot.
Read about it from a first-hand account here.
Unfortunately, our sinking feeling (along with the sinking City) was correct. Just as dusk set in, a Gretna Sheriff showed up, jumped out of his patrol vehicle, aimed his gun at our faces, screaming, "Get off the fucking freeway". A helicopter arrived and used the wind from its blades to blow away our flimsy structures. As we retreated, the sheriff loaded up his truck with our food and water.
Once again, at gunpoint, we were forced off the freeway. All the law enforcement agencies appeared threatened when we congregated or congealed into groups of 20 or more. In every congregation of "victims" they saw "mob" or "riot". We felt safety in numbers. Our "we must stay together" was impossible because the agencies would force us into small atomized groups.
In the pandemonium of having our camp raided and destroyed, we scattered once again. Reduced to a small group of 8 people, in the dark, we sought refuge in an abandoned school bus, under the freeway on Cilo Street. We were hiding from possible criminal elements but equally and definitely, we were hiding from the police and sheriffs with their martial law, curfew and shoot-to-kill policies.
...
Throughout, the official relief effort was callous, inept, and racist.
Read about it from a first-hand account here.
Unfortunately, our sinking feeling (along with the sinking City) was correct. Just as dusk set in, a Gretna Sheriff showed up, jumped out of his patrol vehicle, aimed his gun at our faces, screaming, "Get off the fucking freeway". A helicopter arrived and used the wind from its blades to blow away our flimsy structures. As we retreated, the sheriff loaded up his truck with our food and water.
Once again, at gunpoint, we were forced off the freeway. All the law enforcement agencies appeared threatened when we congregated or congealed into groups of 20 or more. In every congregation of "victims" they saw "mob" or "riot". We felt safety in numbers. Our "we must stay together" was impossible because the agencies would force us into small atomized groups.
In the pandemonium of having our camp raided and destroyed, we scattered once again. Reduced to a small group of 8 people, in the dark, we sought refuge in an abandoned school bus, under the freeway on Cilo Street. We were hiding from possible criminal elements but equally and definitely, we were hiding from the police and sheriffs with their martial law, curfew and shoot-to-kill policies.
...
Throughout, the official relief effort was callous, inept, and racist.
[Don't mess with Texas] Before the floodwaters have even receded, Houston gets busy profiteering on the disaster (NYTimes). From Haliburton to hardware stores, business is looking forward to getting some cash out of this thing.
Charts like this show how kick-ass awesome it is to get guaranteed no-compete bids handed to you by entrenched Bush regime cronies - even before ladling on the cheating and overcharging gravy. It's a good thing the Army is firing everyone who questions their unarguably enviable position.
Charts like this show how kick-ass awesome it is to get guaranteed no-compete bids handed to you by entrenched Bush regime cronies - even before ladling on the cheating and overcharging gravy. It's a good thing the Army is firing everyone who questions their unarguably enviable position.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
In other news, Weird Al Yankovic finally has his own TrueType font: Yankobats
Perfect for every single occasion requiring written communication.
Perfect for every single occasion requiring written communication.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
["Louisiana is a city which is largely underwater"]
The best commentary I've seen on the situation in New Orleans:
http://media.putfile.com/OlbermannSwings (vidcap from MSNBC)
Scathing, direct, and honest. I hope other outlets stop giving this administration a free pass on it's handling with the disaster, and start telling the ugly truth.
Transcript of above at Daily Kos
The best commentary I've seen on the situation in New Orleans:
http://media.putfile.com/OlbermannSwings (vidcap from MSNBC)
Scathing, direct, and honest. I hope other outlets stop giving this administration a free pass on it's handling with the disaster, and start telling the ugly truth.
Transcript of above at Daily Kos
Monday, September 05, 2005
Sunday, September 04, 2005
If you're in trouble, or hurt or need - go to the poor people. They're the only ones that'll help - the only ones.
-- John Steinbeck
From the banner of digihitch.com, the web site for those that want to see the road on the cheap, and in a less artificial way. My guess is that rail-hopping, hitching, and hobo-ing in general are going to enjoy something of a resurgence in the coming years.
-- John Steinbeck
From the banner of digihitch.com, the web site for those that want to see the road on the cheap, and in a less artificial way. My guess is that rail-hopping, hitching, and hobo-ing in general are going to enjoy something of a resurgence in the coming years.
How press around the world views the inept, morally corrupt inaction of Bush as he blunders his way through the disaster. (beeb) Meanwhile, the press here (NBC) sees fit to censor Kanye West as he made comments that were deemed unflattering to the administration. As you watch the appalling images come in from New Orleans, remember this: George Bush played golf the day after the Hurricane hit. It took him three days until he did his fake, arranged photo-op.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Never ones to resort to humility during trying times, those wacky fundy Christians are celebrating catastrophe once again.
"New Orleans is now Mardi Gras free!" Who are these monsters? Astounding.
I suppose they have every right to feel God's hand in this devastation... because, you know, there's all of that Biblical proof of His hatred of dancing, music, food, and joy.
Can we get Rome on the phone and tell them to get some hungry lions ready in the Colleseum?
"New Orleans is now Mardi Gras free!" Who are these monsters? Astounding.
Can we get Rome on the phone and tell them to get some hungry lions ready in the Colleseum?
Friday, September 02, 2005
A NASA satellite picture shows the extent of the flooding on Lake Pontchartrain from space.
Filk Music (Science Fiction + Folk)
"You want minors on the moon who need a labor union? We got songs about that. You want asteroid truckers with broken-down ships? We got songs about that. If you want cats in space we got that too,"
"You want minors on the moon who need a labor union? We got songs about that. You want asteroid truckers with broken-down ships? We got songs about that. If you want cats in space we got that too,"
Even if you have an idea of how far the radical right fundamentalists have infiltrated our government, it's still surprising to discover that FEMA is directing Hurricane disaster money directly to terrorist hatemonger Pat Robertson. This is a guy who quite literally prays for money, and those prayers came true (at the expense of the destitute, elderly, and infirm)