New Orleans

Remove all ads!

@Harbourboy: They are geting some help.

The thing that shocks me is that the tragedy was forcast. Everyone knew it could happen. Having studied Emergency Medical I know a rescurer should not just rush in and quite possibly become a victim. But it seems to me that the overall response has been slow and inadequate. With all the people offering help we as a country should swallow our pride and accept. People are more important than some false sense of 'we can do it ourselves'.

 

Haven't been on the boards for awhile, but I currently have some time on my hands. I am actually living in New Orleans (at least I was) at the moment (working in the Gulf of Mexico). Fortunately my family and I were vacationing back home in Canada when Katrina hit. It is a very sickening feeling watching all of your life's belongings being destroyed and not being able to do anything about it. I think my house survived and my vehicle may be alright at the airport (assuming looters didn't finish off what the hurricane spared.)

When I see the chaos and death that is being portrayed on TV I suppose I have to consider myself lucky. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost love ones.

 

Wow, Lord Moeken. You have been lucky (well, compared to some others anyway).

 

Countries have pledged Aid from the start (my college has been gathering supplies), even from unlikely sources such as Russia, Cuba etc, but of course Bush rejects this as he was not exactly making haste on his rescue efforts. Its sad that he will let people suffer, and even die for the sake of his petty pride.

Wow! - Qatar gives $100 Million US hurricane relief

source

[ September 06, 2005, 09:24: Message edited by: Cúchulainn ]

 

$100 million is $100,000,000
that is 79698300.00 euro
that is 1030040000000.00 indonesian rupiah
that is at $179 each 558,659 units of RADEON 9800 All-In-Wonder
that is at $654 each 152,905 units of GeForce 6800 Ultra 512MB PCI Express

 

maps.google has a few satellite maps of New Orleans, you can see that complete neighbourshoods are flooded as well as large portions of a major highway.
Edit: You can even see that the roof of the dome is ripped off.
Press the "satellite" button to see how New Orleans was before Katrina.

Google maps

[ September 07, 2005, 11:14: Message edited by: Morgoth ]

 

Barbara Bush: It's Good Enough for the Poor

 

I appreciate the link to the John Nichols drivel...reminds me how to spot garbage journalism. I'd comment more on the alleged "news story", but...

You two may be new around here ...but we like to keep the political stuff in the AoLS.

**ducks to avoid "Tal's Mace of Omnipotent Tenderizing" **

 

I find her comments highly uninteresting. The father of our prime minister has written a book about how the blacks are inferior to the white race. I don't know what she was thinking and allthough I find it highly distasteful and idiotic I don't see it's value. She is entitled to her opinion no matter how stupid it was. Now if one of the three relevant Bushes (Jeb and both Georges) were to say something similar I think we might have something to discuss about.

 

It was an idiotic comment -- one I'm sure she wishes she could take back. Talk about unfeeling...what could she have been thinking.

 

Well I read her quote and it seems to me she was just saying that the people at the Astro dome were better off there than back in a flooded city. And they are.

 

Let's hope that's what she meant.

 

It's garbage journalism because it's one portion of several statements she made extracted then used to paraphrase the bias of the writer. Both Conservatives and Liberals who have personal agendas do it. It's not garbage because it "makes the Bushes look bad, it's garbage because it's bad reporting.

It's my understanding that most of the people in the Astrodome are refugees from the Superdome and a few from the Civic Center. The vast majority of those who sought refuge at those two locations were very poor, had inadequate jobs, were semi-employed and homeless. Mrs. Bushes commments were intended to indicate that the refugees were finally going to get some of the assistance that they had needed all along. The attempts to portray the Bushes as capricious, and Barbara Bush in particular as some kind of modern day Marie Antionette, is biased reporting and garbage journalism.

 

I'm with Hack on this one. I read Nichol's article, and it's clear from what she said that she meant well. It could have been worded a little better, but anyone with half a brain knows she wasn't pulling a Marie Antoinette here. She clearly isn't as polished as she used to be with her choice of words (as most civilians are, and she's been one for 13 years now), but her intentions are clear. In this case, Nichols went out of his way to portray Barbara Bush in the worst possible light. I'm shocked, after reading it, that Yahoo would have their name attached to it, to tell you the truth.

What Nichols did here is kind of like when you get to the Glavaray Estate in Baldur's Gate 2, and no matter what answer you give to the questions asked, he ascribes the worst possible intentions to you as a means to attack you "Your favorit color is green, eh?!GREEN! HA hA! The color of FUNGUS! EEEEVIL!" Nichols is pretty much doing the same thing here. This kind of journalism hurts everybody, regardless of your leanings.

But it appears we're floating off topic (flood pun unintended)

 

@Hacken Slash:
I wouldn't call it garbage journalism so much as a blog (with many apologies to our member of the same name ). The rather blatant attacks on the Bush family make the bias quite clear, and automatically disqualify it for the label of "news".

Now I'm not saying that the Bushes don't deserve it. (In fact, I have many issues with some members of the Bush family; most of which should not be discussed here.) But this is neither news nor journalism, and should not be treated as such. To be honest, I might have even laughed at it had I not already heard the quote last night on the Daily Show (in a much funnier context, I might add).

 

It never ceases to amaze me how petty people can be. Looking for something they can butcher to make someone look bad when more effort ought to be placed on getting aid and supplies to those that lost almost everything...

 

Re: The Barbara Bush quotes (and the very savage responses to "The Nation" article quoting them):

COME OFF IT PEOPLE!! Your replies are embarrassing and ignorant. If Mrs. Bush said these things, they are news. To say they're not news is special pleading. No one so far has denied that she said them--rather difficult since she was filmed saying them. "Journalism" is putting quotes and events into a context, and "The Nation" article is journalism by this definition, whether you like or agree with Mr. Nichols inferences or not. It's nothing less than a smear to say it's neither news nor journalism. And it's nothing more than an attempt to draw attention away from the essential heartlessness of Mrs. Bush's comments. Nichols is on the money, from my point of view.