Thursday, December 30, 2004

This would work for powder skiing too. Except that I like to have my hearing unencumbered when it is steep and deep. 3:49:34 PM

Tsunami Adds to Belief in Animals''Sixth Sense' (Reuters): Reuters - Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami, adding weight to notions they possess a 'sixth sense' for disasters, experts said Thursday. (Via Yahoo! News - Science.) Neither the journalist nor the people he asked seem to have asked the obvious question of whether large animals hang out at the beach or other low-lying open areas that are typically used by people for habitation, agriculture, sea-related industries, and recreation. In addition, mangroves and low-lying forests present an obstacle to waves that would have partially protected those animals who cannot climb trees. In the face of extraordinary disaster, people often resort to magical explanations. It would be much more productive to look into practical ways of protecting people in low-lying areas, from education to storm surge and tsunami warning systems. Journalists who prefer anecdote to hard-earned knowledge do not help. 2:11:23 PM