Friday, February 10, 2006

L.A. mayor cites 'nonexistent' communication on threat. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday he was blindsided by President Bush's announcement of new details on a purported 2002 ... [USATODAY.com Nation - Top Stories] Unfortunately for Mayor Villaraigosa, this is SOP for this administration.  When things go right, they take all the credit.  When they do not, it was the locals fault. 12:22:39 PM    comment []

Has USA lost drive to rebuild after tragedies?. It's the American attitude: We always spring up off the mat, always rebuild bigger and better. At least until now. In New York ... [USATODAY.com Nation - Top Stories] In the middle is this quote: The qualities we associate with recovery from disaster — urgency, unity, determination, imagination — have been eclipsed by indecision, delay and dissension. Perhaps it is less a case of indecision, but rather rethought.  In a number of cases where catastrophic damage has been done, most notibly in New York and New Orleans, a better question is not do we rebuild but when we rebuild, what should it be?  In New York, there is no shortage of office space.  Do the Twin Towers need to be replaced or is there something better use that the land can be put to?  This is not a question of indecision but intellegent planning, something that is missing of late. In New Orleans, more serious questions have to be asked.  This is a city that is below sea level, and unlike Death Valley, the sea in question is a couple of feet away.  It is not only sensible but prudent to ask if it makes senseto rebuild.  The reasons are multiple, but not limited to the amount of money involved in insuring the city against a similar disaster, whether it is tomorrow or 200 years from now. Thinking about whether to rebuild is not a bad thing.  Urgency to bounce back should be tempered by the logic of it.  Sometimes it is better to just move on. 12:18:02 PM    comment []

U.S. Slider Zach Lund Banned From Games (AP). Yahoo! News: Top Stories] Maybe it is just me, but this whole anti-drug thing is getting just a bit out of hand.  If you are going to allow professional athletes to participate, why bother with the whole unfair drugs and dopping sham that they are going through right now.  Clearly, any combination of medications, required, over the counter or designer is going to lead to problems. I think we are taking the whole Just Say No thing a little bit far. 12:04:04 PM    comment []

Woman Who Weighs 37 Pounds Has Healthy Boy (AP).  AP - A woman who is 3 feet tall and weighed 37 pounds before she got pregnant has given birth to her first child — a healthy boy. [Yahoo! News: Top Stories] May he live a long and happy life. 12:00:22 PM    comment []

Ex-FEMA Chief Brown Blames DHS (AP).  AP - Top Department of Homeland Security officials were told about New Orleans' levee failures the day Hurricane Katrina roared ashore, former disaster chief Michael Brown said Friday, contradicting agency officials who said earlier they were unaware of the severity of the problems until the next day.  [Yahoo! News: Top Stories] There were problems in the Federal Government's handling of the events leading upto and continuing on through right now.  This is not a surprise.  However, we need to stop pointing fingers and get it fixed.  Hurricane season is less than six months away and tornado season is even closer.  2006 should not resemble 2005, and there is a good chance things will be just a violent as last year. 11:58:08 AM    comment []

U.S. Trade Deficit Hits All-Time High [WTOP / Business / Biz Stories] If you are watching the economy at all, you know that coupled with rising intrest rates and a cooling housing market, this is not good news for the prospects of 2006.  Further, with FEMA evicting the disposessed from Katrina, there will be a large jump in unemployment claims and requests for federal aid in terms of food and shelter support.  With cooler temperatures coming finally to the northeast, expect a small uptick in the price of gas and an overall downturn in retail sales for the first quarter.  I don't think things will pick up until well into the third quarter.  This could be the beginning of the first set of downturns leading to the recession we all know is waiting in the wings. 11:54:49 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2006 David Lane.