Sunday, September 4

Sunday Notes

NO CAMPARISON
Nick Cater: "This is our tsunami" was one official's comment after Hurricane Katrina swept into the United States and left hundreds – possibly thousands -- dead.

Whatever the comment's intent, it suggests an unfounded comparison that recalls the harsh journalistic maxim that the news value of one death on your doorstep is the equivalent of thousands in a distant land. This latest disaster may be a tragedy costly in lives and dollars, but the tsunami was far, far worse in human terms.


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WHILE THERE IS plenty of bickering over why emergency services to the Gulf Coast area only limped into action, it should be noted that the civilian sector hit the ground running on this one. We've been trained and the contribution systems were already in place.

Within a day or so after the disaster the cashiers at the grocery stores started asking customers to make a donation to the Red Cross. They had already created the software track to handle that sort of thing after 9-11 and then they used it with the tsunami.

I noticed on Friday that Costco had wheeled out their big acrylic donation box and customers were eagerly contributing dollar bills. (You can also donate at the cash register.) Large corporations announced donations early and that helped set the pace. The response has been encouraging -- even in a place as culturally and geographically distant as California.

THE NEW ORLEANS HOME of former CSU Stanislaus president Marvalene Hughes, now president of Dillard University in New Orleans, is under water. But it sounds like she is starting to formulate a recovery plan for the school.

COVENANT WORLD RELIEF dollars are already at work. Link

100 CHP OFFICERS WITH EQUIPMENT are enroute to Louisiana. Link

THE CANADIAN NAVY will deploy 1,000 personnel, three warships, a coast guard vessel, and three Sea King helicopters to help in Louisiana. Link

CHIEF JUSTICE WILLIAM REHNQUIST died last evening. That wasn't a surprise because he had been struggling with cancer. What was surprising is that the story of his death did not appear on the Yahoo News "most viewed stories" page last night. In less dramatic times that story would be getting the attention it deserves. (This story has subsequently made its way to the most viewed page.)

SAN JOAQUIN RIVER -- The future of the river and Valley water supply will be on trial, starting in February. Link

DESIGN YOUR OWN PocketMod personal organizer, made in your browser, printed on your paper. Link (via Hijinix Comics)

$20,000 HOME BUILT from straw by a couple of college professors -- In commenting on the house, builder Mick Womersley contends that the environmental purists' ideas are often impractical, and even elitist at times. He says that it doesn't make sense to build a sustainable house that costs more than a working person can afford, or whose parts can't be obtained from mass-market sources like Wal-Mart or Home Depot. He gets it. Link

3 comments:

vainjangler said...

But what happens when the big bad wolf comes? ;-D I saw a straw house in Ireland (I think) on one of those "extreme" homes TV shows. It was pretty neat. Hmm, no mortgage...

Brad Boydston said...

I think these straw houses are more stable -- and even more fire resistent that a wood frame house. They do seem interesting.

vainjangler said...

Yes, according to the show I saw, since the straw is somewhat contained, there isn't enough oxygen supply for it to catch fire like a wood frame.