so, I have a friend who (thankfully) evacuated from the Big Easy before Katrina hit, and she had some interesting things to say that I thought were worth sharing. It's amazing how poverty affects things... it really can be seen with who's left behind in the remains of the city. Anyway, from my friend Leila:

"I feel so bad for the people who have to stay (aka anybody who isnt well-off and/or white)." . . . "I met so many people today along the road who would start crying as they told me about what or who they were leaving behind, and it was sureal and tragic. Or just the plain shock and disbelief on their faces as they started to comprehend inevitable things happening and trying to hold to their faith in their religion and country (which we are all wondering why the lovely military isnt hauling ass to evacuate people in New Orleans just yet? Maybe cuz they figure the people left behind dont really count politically...hmmm!). And watching the news a few minutes ago and seeing how they are putting everyone else in the Superdome, and knowing how that might turn out, well lets just say Im past the point of really qualifying my emotions on that front. But then again, and Im kinda wishing this with all my might, the storm may turn and all may be well."

I am really curious here. Why exactly is it that rescue workers are getting shot at?

HOLYSHIT is this a serious club fuckin' BANGER!! if you dig LCD Soundsystem, and Bollywood cinema, this is the anthem for you! i was probably born to this song, yo!

Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar - "Disco '82"


also check out this tiny freakin' house:

go Mom!
Mother of 5 Takes on Big Music

Ah man... I should just stop reading about this stuff...

People are actually shooting at the rescuers

Jeebus...

20 oil rigs missing in Gulf of Mexico

Bourbon blues on the street loose and complete
Under skies all smoky blue-green
I can Forksake the dixie dead shake
So we dance the sidewalk clean
My memory is muddy what's this river I'm in
New Orleans is sinking and I don't want to swim
...

Before an' After:

New Orleans

Happy-Saskatewan-Alberta-Centenial-Birthday-a-thon

Is it inappropriate to quote The Tragically Hip at this point?

Hurricane Risk to New Orleans -- September 2002

The point-to-ponder I've read, though laced with right-versus-left cynicism, is putting this event in context to the lead-up to the iraq war. There are claims that the war took crucial funding and national guard troops from where they could have helped in New Orleans. Moreover, the motivation for the war was preventing the destruction of a major US city. Well, there may still be hope, but the city appears to be "uninhabitable for weeks or months." That seems just shy of a destroyed major city to me.

In any case, what I don't think has quite sunk in, for me, at least, is the magnitude of this disaster. . The label 'America's Tsunami' may have seemed a callous and pretentious label at first, but it seems to be becoming more apt by the hour. It's difficult to comprehend how thoroughly the city has been destroyed; what kind of area we are looking at. " [W]ater now covers 80 percent of the city with broken gas lines feeding raging fires. In some locations the water is now at a depth of 20 feet." " no sewage, no drinking water, contamination, threat of rapid increase in mosquitoes, roads are impassible, downed power lines everywhere, trees, debris from houses in the roads, no way to go shopping, no gas.."

For fuck's sake, The water has also released fire ants and thousands of snakes, many being venomous, from their normal habitats.."

Blood still boiling for revenge! Now I must defeat a new rival!