(no subject)

[dr_tectonic]

So, Happy Birthday to the mid-terming monkey! (As of Tuesday, but since he's study-study-study man all week, it's a good thing we did all the celebrating last weekend.) G&C on Saturday for Jerry and Thomas's birthdays. Dinner with Mel on Sunday.

It snowed today. It was 70 yesterday. It's supposed to be 50 tomorrow.

Lots of not getting to bed early enough for me, but I also got a bunch of work done on the R project this week, so I'm feeling satisfied. This month will mostly about writing a grant proposal, UGH BLEAH GLEARGH.

Saw a couple of interesting talks yesterday, the upshot of which is basically: having the military deal with natural disasters is a horrible idea. And sensationalism in news reporting has evil, evil effects, so if you watch CNN or Fox News, or hell, any kind of TV news reporting, please stop. I'm serious. It literally kills people. And if you're watching, you're contributing to the problem.

Feeling kind of scattershot. Buh?

Why aren't I in bed?

Comments

[navrins]

So who would be better at it?

[dr-tectonic.livejournal.com]

Emergency management professionals.

Y'know. All the people we have whose job it is to know how to do emergency response, rather than the people whose job it is to employ force against criminals and enemy soldiers.

(In particular, FEMA used to be really good at this, before it got totally gutted by the creation of DHS and its subordination to law-enforcement/military agencies therein in post-911 hysteria.)

[arcticturtle.livejournal.com]

It's been said, and I think it's true, that it's time we had a large, serious, and specialized force* to do policing, organization, relief, etc. Nation-building and region-rebuilding, you nkow.

Especially if we're going to continue invading hostile and chaotic regions and following environmental policies that induce "natural" disasters.

* - not necessarily the right noun, but 'agency' sounds too much like people in chairs with wheels, which we already have plenty of.

[dr-tectonic.livejournal.com]

You're probably right, although I'd rather we focused on obviating the need for such a force in the first place, instead...

[ocschwar.livejournal.com]

People in chairs with wheels? I think that's called the Air Force.