LostInSpace

quote:Originally posted by Prez: I'm confused Race. You lament the discussion of anything beyond helping and in THE SAME SENTENCE take an obvious cheap shot at Bush. Mind-boggling. Can anyone have a reasonable discussion anymore without senseless personal attacks? Don't forget Prez that this is a prime opportunity for the liberals and democrats to beat the war drums and to make the conservatives look as bad as they can get away with for the next upcomming presidential elections and other elections as well. A shame really and they call us vultures.

quote:Originally posted by Jaguar: it is the LOCALS responsibility to make sure that the immediate situation is handled, and that food etc are available for at least a week. They FAILED in their duty MISERABLY, and now that anarchy reigns in NO, it is going to be the fed's job to get it back under control, because the local authorities were UNABLE to, and it was THEIR job to make sure that things stayed calm until FEMA could get in there.In fact, a lot of the local authorities also joined in the anarchy. Once that happened, any plan that would have or had been in place was right out the window.

Actually, the U.S. pleged the $35 million the day it happened. But people weren't satisfied and called the U.S. Cheap. Three days later Bush announced an increase to $350 million. ------------------------------------------------ December 26th, 2004 7 a.m. Tsunami strikes December 26th, 2004 Bush Pledges $35 million. December 29th, 2004 Bush Pledges $350 million. Total USG Humanitarian and Recovery Assistance Pledged 12/31/04: $350,000,000 Tsunami Recovery and Reconstruction Fund: $631,000,000* Total USAID Humanitarian Assistance Committed: $101,550,957 Total USAID Rehabilitation/Reconstruction Assistance Committed: $427,695,969 Other USG Humanitarian Assistance Provided: $237,900,000 *$656 million was approved for the Tsunami Recovery and Reconstruction Fund, but $25 million is committed to Avian Flu. -------------------------------------------------- This leads me to my second issue. I've seen blog after blog of people screaming if Bush didn't commit our troops in iraq we would have the resources for a better response. IMO, it's more a monetary issue and not one of physical resources. If the U.S. had put all that money aside, that they sent in foreign aid for the Tsunami disaster, for any impending disasters in this country, we wouldn't be in the predicament we are now. But a lot of people don't see it that way. They are anally fixated on Bush and Iraq it's blinding them to the real culprit in this crisis. This leads me to my next third issue. Should the federal government be there to bail out every Tom, Dick or Jane (TDJ) when TDJ insists on settling or developing settlements in very precarious, very dodgy and very questionable geological locations? Especially when one calculates into the equation the fact that it was the development and the attempt to tame nature that exacerbated the situation. I.E. The coastal wetlands of the region that act like a sponge to soak up excess water has been desintegrating for the past fifty years and even the wetlands that are there are more waterlogged bogs then they are the nice soft semi-damp clay due to the taming of the mississippi. The same thing applies to what happened to Sri Lanka. quote: Illegal coral mining off the southwest coast of Sri Lanka allowed far more onshore destruction from the December 26, 2004, tsunami than occurred in nearby areas whose coral reefs were intact, according to an August 15 press release form the American Geophysical Union.

Tropical Storm Maria strengthening in the Atlantic Let's hope this one takes a different route and stays a tropical storm and goes nowhere near the Gulf coast. If it does become a hurricane and heads that way, holy cow an even bigger disaster awaits.

I found this rather interesting: LINK

quote:Originally posted by Darkling: You've got to be kidding me with that kind of comparison. 1st of all, New Orleans has been evacuated SEVERAL times before and nothing happened. That's just rediculous. It became a gd category 5 hurricane when it hit the gulf and headed towards the gulf coast but dropped to a category 4 a day before it hit. A category 4!!! Hello!! This wasn't your average hurricane this was a monster! We are not talking about evacuating to another state now, all they had to do was get out of that below sea level bowl that is New Orleans. It would not take 15 hrs to walk to get out of there. as for no money or food, that's just a lame excuse. Believe me, if I had a choice between possibly dying or going hungry, dirty and tired for a few days, I would drop everything and get the hell out of that sink hole. BTW: I'm neither rich or middle class but I am, just a tad, above the poverty line. So, I'm not some rich dude who has means. If a disaster was about to strike me, I'd be screwed in terms of material possesions. But I know what's more important.

I'm going to give this thread a bump. I picked up Battlefront from Gamstop on thursday for twenty bucks. I just happened to be near one and was just going in to see what cheap game I could pick. I was agast!! The PC section is getting smaller and smaller. What a heartbreak. I've been going to this store from the begining when it was B.Daltons Software Etc. All you could find there was PC games. I was always in my glory there. Those days seem to be gone. Oh well. I played the game for the first time thursday night starting at 10:30pm the next thing I knew it was 3:30 am. Oy vey!! Anyway, I must say this game is pretty damn fun. Sure it still has levels that are small as spit (I've tried flying a snow speeder in the hoth level and found myself getting "leaving battle area" messages in no time). But there are player made maps that are big using the SDK that lucas released for the game which I downloaded last night. The AI seems to be much improved with patch version 1.2. However, one thing that boils my bum with this game, is the respawn points. Not random enough. I must have died like 4 times because I kept getting respawned at a base of mine that was taken over the imperials. Everytime I respawned, I would get slaughtered by an imperial that bullseyed right on me from my very own turrent weapon. Bloody heck!! Overall, very fun especially if you just want something to jump into for some instant action which is what I've been doing so far. Speaking of the Hoth level. This game reminds me a lot of Shadows of the Empire (SOTE). Including the developer's level sizes. I use to replay the Hoth level all the time in SOTE.

quote:Originally posted by Darkling: While someone like Fats was pretty stupid for staying behind, you have to understand that most of the people that stayed behind did so because of financial reasons. If you're living paycheck to paycheck and all of a sudden someone said, "Hey everyone needs to evaucuate". You look at the situation and think, "OK. We've evacuated before and nothing happened. I don't have a car, I don't have money for a hotel for the night, I don't have any friends or relatives that I could go to. What Options do I really have?". While it's very easy for people like us with the means to evacuate, now say hey you should have left like me, many times it's easier said than done. I disagree. I'm going to give you a hypothetical: Suppose it was announced on the news for everyone to evacute due to a 99% reliable probability that terrorists are going to set off a dirty bomb in New Orleans. Do you think that these same "poor" people are going to sit on their duff and stay? No, I think not. People need to treat hurricanes as a couple of nukes headed their way. I don't care how powerful it is. One just doesn't not know the outcome. Better off not to take chances and just go. The people who stayed behind have been through this before. They've lived there for generation and know the dangers that are involved especially living near the mississipi river. But then again, that's just me.

Just to prove my point about people's stupidity in general: Woman torches house trying to kill spiders Is that stupid or what?

quote:Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr: You see a White person under the same premise, they say the person is fleeing. Jeez, the media here in NY must be totally slanted because I've yet to see one of them doing that on the news. The only time I've seen white people in the media in the midst of this disaster are usually hanging around on the roof tops of downtown New Orleans waiting everything out. This was on the daily news front page yesterday Daily News photographer captures the horror outside Superdome as beaten man is carried away. BTW: Fats Domino stayed behind and was rescued the other day as well. According to his manager he spoke with him on the phone and his manager pleaded with him to get the hell out but Fats told him he would be okay and ride the storm out. I think this pretty much tipifies the attitudes of the people that stayed behind. Was it ignorance? I don't know. But again, I say the people were warned and were told specifically that there will be no help to anyone that stays behind. End of Story. This crying over lack of rescue is getting tiresome to me as well and the attack on Bush's lack of response and this brining the issue of race into the fray. A lot of People are stupid, I don't care what ethnic background they are.

There's ever growing demand and these companies know it. However, there hasn't been a new refinery built in the U.S. since 1976. Funny that.

From now on it should be mandatory to evacuate a costal region when a hurricane is on the way. The people that stayed behind were warned that they will not be given assitance if they stayed behind. You don't hear that message being repeated by the reporters on the media. I remember it was stated quite a few times by the politicians as people were evacuating before the hurricane hit. Maybe now, people will realize they are not invincible. quote:Originally posted by Kalshion: New Orleans IS a hell in a handbasket Police has Auto-matic's Looters are firing on officers Troops there are now armed with .50 cal's on there humvee's Is this REALLY America where talking about here? If so, I feel VERY embarassed by some of the actions by our people there... shooting at officers? LOOTING? Give me a break... I agree whole heartidly. Shows the true nature of some people in moments of adversity. I had heard a report about a brother who shot his sister in the head over a bag of ice. It was on fox 5 news but I can't seem to find it on their web site. After this is all over and calm, the one thing I'll be waitng for is the lawsuits over this.

Thanks for the link. But, this sucks quote: If you have a Verizon e-mail account please note that you might not be able to receive the registration letter due to Verizon blocking e-mail sent from anywhere but America. If you have a Verizon address please provide us with an alternative contact address so we can resend your registration letter without being blocked.

PARIS, France (Reuters) -- France's government will start taking steps to introduce a levy on airline tickets from next year to fund aid for Africa, President Jacques Chirac said on Monday. Oh yeah, this is going to go over very big (sarcasm).

These little things are still kicking. Space.com: Mars Rover Reaches Summit, and the View is Spectacular Big Picture of Hilltop View

quote:Originally posted by Chavis: quote:Him too (but it's more from pressure). was just watching a PBS think tank about this issueMissed it tonight. Wow. A conservative watching PBS. Cool! If you've caught some earlier threads (well to be honest that was long before you joined), I have stated on numerous occasions I read and watch everything. Be it Uber liberal or Neo-conservative and everything in between. No matter the source (well perhaps tabloids). I digest them all and try to come up with my own take on things. I've been watching PBS for a long long time. Like documentaries etc.. I started watching it when I discovered Monty Python on it a long long time ago and since then a lot of other british comedies as well.

quote:Originally posted by Prez: LOl! Forgive the mispelling of your name! It was unintentional I can assure you! Freudian slip perhaps.

quote:Originally posted by Chavis: Actually....it's not the media. Bush wants it wraped up ASAP. And you are right,good thing the media as we now know it wasn't around back then. Him too (but it's more from pressure). was just watching a PBS think tank about this issue. Luckily the majority on the panel didn't think this was doom or gloom like some of the other few. Personally, I'm like leave them alone already. It will be done when it's done. Not a second sooner. What do they want speed or quality? CNN: No agreement yet on Iraq constitution Reading the above link doesn't it sound awefully familiar?

I don't understand what the hoopla is with the media about the length of time it's taking Iraq and it's drafting up a constitution. Good thing they weren't around in the begining of the United States they would have been in their glory. The Constitutional Convention Took a year for us. From September 1786-September 17, 1787 (for the final draft). Just like in Iraq there were some that weren't happy with it either. They either left completely or just didn't sign it but it went ahead anyway.

quote:Originally posted by Prez: Obviously not hardcore enough for al Qaeda... Yeah, but I thought they were more hardlined than even the Sunni muslims. If I didn't know any better, I'd be more inclined to believe that was written by a Sunni muslim member of that group.

quote:Originally posted by Soback: Open up that Java script, right click in the window, choose properties, and you will see the actual link in the window that will pop up, cut and paste, done. Still wasn't doing it. Just kept giving me the link for one picture and not the entire slide show with captions. However, I did get the link by clicking on Send Link option after I right clicked. Thanks for the prod. WNBC: Chapacabra Slide Show

Sounds like someone is getting desperate (CNN) -- The group al Qaeda in Iraq -- which has been behind many of the worst attacks, beheadings, and kidnappings in Iraq -- has issued a manifesto in which it calls for violence and hate for all but "true Muslims." Shiites do not belong among "true Muslims," the group says, calling their faith "a confession of polytheism and rejectionism." It also declares: "We vow by the name of God that we are determined to destroy the American empire," adding that the insurgency is stronger than Washington acknowledges. I'm confused though. I thought Shiites were hardcore muslims?

Was anyone able to get the article in my link. It's on the top right of that page now. I hate it when they move things around. I can't link to the actual article because it's a java script page.

I got excited there for a minute thought it was going to be based on the actual DarkStar.

Try this link (the middle right side options of the site): Farmer May have caught Legendary Chupacabra