I'm reading stories that up to 24,000 people may have decided to stay on Galveston Island. There are rumors that fires have broken out. Ike's storm surge is huge. The last time a surge this big struck Galveston, 8,000 people died. That's about 20% of the population. Building construction is a lot better now---lots of stilt houses---but that won't help you survive if your … [Read more...] about Those That Remain
The Texas Tornado Meets a Texas Hurricane
They call Chicago the Windy City, but that was always a reference to members of our political class, not our weather. This weekend, the real windy city is going to be Houston, Texas, which is going to be hit hard by hurricane Ike. When I was a kid, I used to wonder if we could prevent hurricanes from killing people by using an atom bomb to disrupt the circular winds and make … [Read more...] about The Texas Tornado Meets a Texas Hurricane
Truth is the First Casualty of Politics: Sarah Palin Edition
There's been a list going around of books that Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin tried to have banned. The list is a lie. Then there's the photo of her wearing an American flag bikini and holding a rifle, or the one of her in a short skirt and high heels, or the nude photo of her that appeared in a Chinese newspaper. All fakes. There's also the … [Read more...] about Truth is the First Casualty of Politics: Sarah Palin Edition
Change of Costume at the Security Show
The folks at the TSA just keep having bright ideas: If there is any truth to the old military expression that "the uniform makes the man," then new garb might do wonders for the morale of the nation's airport security screeners. That, and generating more respect from the flying public, is the hope of the Transportation Security Administration. On Thursday--the seventh … [Read more...] about Change of Costume at the Security Show
Jim Berger
I never met Jim Berger. I don't even remember hearing his name before 9/11. My wife used to work for the Chicago office of Aon Consulting. A couple of times, she visited the company's offices in New York City, and met a bunch of people there, including a Senior Vice President named Jim Berger. She liked him and thought he was a great guy. The Aon offices in New York were … [Read more...] about Jim Berger