hurricane

Houston, We Have a Hurricane

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

The last thing anyone wants to hear is that his or her mother spent the day waiting in line, despite the hot sun and high humidity, just to get a bag of ice to chill her drinks. Or that Mom is sitting at home, day in and day out, twiddling her thumbs while waiting for the power to return. Or that Mom’s life is in such upheaval that Tuesday is Friday is Monday is Wednesday is—what’s today? Or that more rain is coming and Mom’s nearly sure the roof will cave in when it does.

The last thing anyone wants to hear is that a force of nature pounded through her front door and had its way with all the comforts of home.

These are things I heard last week, when I finally heard word on Hurricane Ike. My home is in League City, Texas, which is roughly a half hour from Galveston Island, the area hit hardest by the hurricane. The mandatory evacuations were enforced in our part of town and my mother, who’s as conscientious as they come, took the warning seriously, boarded up the windows, grabbed her beloved bicycles, and scrambled out of town.

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Morning Slop: Daily News Round Up

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Betsey Johnson Spring 2008

Lehmen Brothers looks like the latest victim in the mortgage crisis hit-and-run on Wall Street.  The venerable firm announced this morning it would be selling pieces of what’s left after an 80 percent share price drop this year (cough *$6.5B* cough) has gutted its liquidity.

It’s mid-week Fashion Week, kids! And, as always, there is some terrible, some awesome, some awesomely unwearable, and some terribly wearable.  (And I didn’t even have to look at the pictures to write that!)  The Project Runway finale (guest judge: J Lo!) will be taping on Friday, too…

Papelbon blows the lead in the 9th and the Rays maintain first place!  This is amazing.  It’s September, if anyone’s counting.  Also leading divisions: Chicago (Sox and Cubs, natch and by a nose), Los Angeles (Dodgers? Dodgers!  Angeles, obviously, still, awesome), and Da Mets.  This is a great year for baseball, even if it’s still touch-and-go if the NL West leader will end the season above 500.  Bets, anyone?

Since the word on everyone’s lips seems to be… lipstick, I thought I would remind you all of Leonard Lauder’s theory.  That’s right.  Lipstick sales ↑, market ↓.  So, um… could we talk about something more important, please?

Oh, right: there’s another hurricane bearing down on the Gulf, a 6.0 earthquake just hit Iran, there was a landslide in central China, and it’s hailing all over Europe. Keep your eyes on the earthquake news, though.  That looks bad.

So, instead, let’s talk about the new Coen Brothers movie! It comes out Friday, and you can check back here for my review then!

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Afternoon Apertif: Daily News Roundup

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

After all that build-up, Hurricane Gustav has come and gone, leaving huge swathes of power outages and a big ol’ mess for returning evacuees to clean up, but no broken levees or national disaster areas.  While people begin making their way back to that part of the waterfront, Gustav’s sister Hanna is heading ominously toward Florida.  No rest for the wicked, as they say.  Hanna is expected to hit landfall on Friday.  Ike will be following sometime thereafter.  On top of the actual danger and damage being done, The Channel Wire, a tech news company, has reported that phishers are massively exploiting these events.  How depressing.  Please, be cautious when giving out personal information online.  (Servicey!)

John McCain is releasing an ad stating that Palin is much more experienced than Obama.  As questionable as that claim is, I look forward to the irrefutable rebuttal in which Obama says he’s just much, much smarter.  Kidding, of course.  About the rebuttal.  Obama is way too classy to say something like that.

General Petraeus is saying that troops could depart Baghdad as soon as next summer!  Attacks are down to a mere five a day (which is still, I know, really sad and terrifying.  My heart goes out to all Iraqis), and American troops have withdrawn out of 14 of 18 provinces!  There is a long road ahead, but there appears to be, if not a light at the end of the tunnel, at least some road signs up ahead.

Still-President Bush has announced that the US will donate $1B in aid to Georgia, following their altercation with Russia over South Ossetia.  Still-Vice President Cheney is due to arrive in the former Soviet republic tomorrow for “discussions” with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.

On a lighter note, the return of “90210″ had a solid showing in the ratings last night, bringing in 4.9 million viewers and dragging the CW network into first place for adults 18-49 years old.  Congratulations, Brenda, Kelly and the whole gang at Beverly High!

And don’t forget that Sarah Palin will be making her speech at the Rupublican National Convention tonight!  More coverage on that to follow…

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Jamaicans Don’t Build Castles on the Sand

Friday, August 29th, 2008

Most Jamaicans keep their homes pretty low-key. Huts made with wooden slats or metal sheets dot the landscape along the coast and for miles inland. Most of them are no more than one large room, so families congregate on the fields outside instead. Hustlers hoping to make their money from tourists spend the hot, lazy days on plastic chairs along the road, shouting occasionally at passers by to come and view their goods, buy a beer or share a joint.

Everything on the island is transitory, from the tourists to the real estate. Concrete makes no sense to the citizens of this Caribbean paradise, who know that it only takes one stormy summer to level everything back down to zero. Last year, Hurricane Dean pummeled the island with torrential rain and biting winds. On Thursday, Hurricane Gustav flooded the plains of low-lying areas, including the city of Portmore on the outskirts of Kingston.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Gustav swept along the east side of the Jamaica Thursday, hovering threateningly close to the capital city of Kingston, before creeping further toward the U.S. border. The winds are up to 70 mph, and as the hurricane heads North-East, New Orleanians are being told to evacuate. Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Northern region battles the tropical storm. Residents and tourists in high-risk areas were told Wednesday to evacuate, or hunker down and prepare for a big one. Three years to the day after Hurricane Katrina, the people of New Orleans are in panic-mode. But Jamaicans experience the same sense of déjà vu every summer.

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