Here's an idea of how bad it is in New Orleans right now: The Mayor has told the Fire Department to stand down. The firefighters are securing the firehouses against the storm and heading to shelter. Update: Woke up around 6am and turned on the TV. New Orleans has just lost power. In the Superdome, the emergency lighting system kicked on. Ten thousand people will be stuck … [Read more...] about Katrina Approaches
New Orleans Weather
From Yahoo's New Orleans Weather page: Tonight: Bands of heavy rain containing strong gusty winds at times. Low around 80F. NE winds at 25 to 40 mph, increasing to 70 to 90 mph. Rainfall over two inches. Winds could occasionally gust over 100 mph. Tomorrow: Bands of heavy rain containing strong gusty winds at times. High around 85F. Winds NNE at 70 to 90 mph. Rainfall over … [Read more...] about New Orleans Weather
The City That Care Forgot
As I write this, Hurricane Katrina is climbing up the Gulf toward the mouth of the Mississippi and the City of New Orleans. The winds have slowed from 175 miles per hour to about 160, but the warm Gulf water could drive it faster at any time. If you've ever stuck your hand out the window of your car at 55 miles per hour, you know how much force that is. Katrina's cyclone … [Read more...] about The City That Care Forgot
The Greatest Art Of Our Time
Over on Hit & Run, they're discussing in the comments the comparative merits of Survivor, The Sopranos, and Six Feet Under. Which of these will future art historians most admire? Which of these television shows will future historians look back on as our Madame Bovary, as our Moby Dick? I say none of them. A hundred years from now, historians will describe this as the … [Read more...] about The Greatest Art Of Our Time
Fighting High Prices With Scarcity
The government of Hawaii just made a terrible mistake: In an effort to gain some control over what motorists pay at the pump, Hawaii on Wednesday became the first state in the U.S. to set caps on the wholesale price of gasoline. Economists have observed that setting below-market price caps on a good causes that good to become scarce. It has nothing to do with producers being … [Read more...] about Fighting High Prices With Scarcity