Too much

So -- I took a night and day off from the news about Orleans. I know, I know -- there are a lot of people that CAN'T take a day off -- but it was tearing me up too much with nothing I could do. And when I found myself on the phone last night crying at my parents, they suggested I take a break. So I decided to. (And good thing because my husband came in with a fancy knife under his arm and, thinking it was a gun, I dissolved into tears again at the reminder of all the calls yesterday (implicit as well as explicit) to own your own gun in case something like New Orleans happens again. Poor Boaz. He though he'd done something wrong when he meant to bring me a nice gift because the knife is covered with wolves!)

Regular events for the night turned out to be cancelled, so I rented some movies ("Pieces of April" and "Ella Enchanted" both VERY good... Ella better as a kid or fluff film and Pieces one that I need to see again when I'm dealing better... all the way through, I kept thinking "This is what some of these families were worried about a week ago and now they are waiting for a ride out in New Orleans, trying to hide from the gangs with guns!) And even without regular news, my head went around and around it.

I mostly stayed away today, until tonight. But thing I aw at The Common Room made me think of something I've been thinking.

Comments on an interview between CNN and FEMA -- Evidently FEMA was not aware of places that the CNN had been reporting badly needed help -- because they weren't watching CNN. And no one (including CNN) bothered to tell them. They assumed they "knew" cause it was "on CNN"

I had already started to wonder if some of the bad feelings at helicopters, etc... came from these people seeing helicopters flying around up in the sky, evidently seeing them -- but no help ever coming. Because the helicopters were reporters... Maybe all this footage we've been getting is a BAD Thing. Because they got the feeling that they were being spied upon, and dying for the amusement of the rest of the nation... I saw them go close up on a woman sitting in "one of those orange" floating boxes -- and the reporters even mentioned that she was obviously very ill. But they didn't do anything to help, just kept filming. And, evidently, they aren't even distilling the information they get to turn it over to those who ARE there to help!

Unexpected aspects of Levees -- The levees that failed were the newly upgraded ones, not older ones. This is speculation (with an engineering background to give it some heft), but a newly upgraded levee needs time to settle in. The fact the earth around these failed leveees had been recently disturbed for the upgrades may have been what allowed the massive rain to weaken it more than firmer, more established soil designed to lower requirements.

ETA. Just found a quote I like. At Captain's Quarter That's the problem with ankle-biting -- a plethora of ankles.=