The Irene story can be summarized as "looks like a big storm is coming" then "looks like we overestimated the danger." But that story loses ratings as it goes. So the second half never materializes very fully.
While it is good to be safe, of course no one listens after the first big storm of the season that the media hypes. These television jerks who "warn" us like they are agents of the government need to be guided by something other than the moral values of free enterprise. It's like the little boy who cried wolf taking money from Pfizer.
The streaking video that is linked to in the article will be a Daily Show moment for sure. Streaking in this context actually has a reason to exist. But I'm afraid that when we need real weather information we are fed the same reality show atmosphere that doesn't save many lives.
"We're in the news business," [Chuck] Scarborough [WNBC] said wryly. "We deal in doom."
...and deal with doom without foresight or concern.
I've been a bit lazy but mindful. Facebook is making me lazy but I am always mindful of the original long form blogging that I have committed to. I look for little snapshots and try to understand them in a broader context. For instance, the food stamp chart above suggests an alarming expense that is part of the hidden depression problem. The growth of economic inequality costs us huge amounts of money in the form of food stamps and unemployment expenditures. These are the props that keep us from sliding ever downward. I don't wish to denigrate the human toll of the "downturn" but should we look at this from only a cost perspective, keeping the rich from paying taxes is costing us an arm and a leg. The increased unemployment taxes needed around the country (Hawaii has raised this tax on businesses 600%) to keep up with the burgeoning problem of keeping everything churning along seems to me to be unsustainable.
Revenue loss from just the top 1% is taking it's toll on our coffers:
The first column is the effective tax rate paid by the richest of the rich. It dives ever downward. The second column shows the money taken in from this group. The next column shows the amount we would have taken in had the rich not received all the tax breaks since 1986. The last column shows the lost revenue. This is not a cumulative total, it is yearly. We dig deeper and deeper so some billionaire can have a few extra billion a year. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/23/what-the-rich-can-afford-in-income-tax/
The costs of unemployment benefits will no doubt cause employers to think twice about new hires which cost more unemployment tax than ever before.
Finally, here is a opinionated list of problems I read recently that I thought was particularly relevant:
Can the US resolve these issues?
1) An excess credit problem, left over from the 2000s Housing boom and credit bubble — being solved v e r y s l o w l y through deleveraging and passage of time;
2) Slowing economy and high unemployment (including increasing High School drop out rates creating a structural employment problem);
3) Crumbling infrastructure: Electric Grid, Bridges, Tunnels, Roads, Naval Ports, Airports;
4) Medical Costs that are double the rest of the industrialized world’s yet produces worse results.
5) Systemic deficits caused by unfunded tax cuts, unfunded entitlements, and a military bigger than the next 20 countries combined, (plus a lack of fiscal discipline);
6) A wholly dysfunctional electoral process, including corporate control of what was once a democratically elected legislative branch;
7) Increasing wealth and income inequality (Historically not a long term positive for social unrest and political legitimacy)
8) An overt hostility to empiricism and science (which helped create most of our wealth) and an embracing of “magical thinking”
9) An intellectually bankrupt political class married to outmoded, disproven, fantasy based economic ideas. http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/08/waiting-for-the-cavalry/
That is extrodinarily big. "Don't need a weatherman..."
But the Weather Channel's frank statement, anyway:
"Dangerous surge, winds, and widespread destruction are likely on the East Coast."
Let's hope people leave when they are told to leave.
*Pun bound to make the rounds of us older folks. The newsmedia might just use it to display night pictures etc, just for the sake of the pun. Don't forget. You heard it here first. And yes it is cheesy when talking about people's lives with puns, but it will happen. News IS entertainment in the USA.
My recent posts were in honor of my good friend's mother.... all the music and flowers were the best I could do here to honor her life in the way I can. Her life was celebrated by friends and family today. I have my little odd moments when I want to do something and cannot. So I posted what I thought was respectful and what she would truly enjoy. In this process, I was trying to figure out what she and I have in common, that made her so special to me. She reminded me so much of my own mom. Her interest in her son (and daughter and grandson) was paramount. She would talk politics so well, it would surprise you every time. She showed a big interest in the Beatles because her son had a great interest. In this respect, since my friend and I have had this lifelong interest in common, his mom reminded me so much of my own late mother who also shared this love for what I loved.
I thought about what I could portray in photographs that would be a suiting end to this portion of my blog. I had a thought of posting a picture of the pizza parlor which had recently become the common place to meet her and her son to eat. I certainly will never go in that building again without her foremost in my mind.
Knowing how kind she was and what a realistic sharp mind she had, I thought about something in the middle of the service that would have put a smile on her face in the right circumstances. It is one of those little things that make you think about life with all it's imperfections and yet with all it's humor and kindness.
The people gathered would repeat a prayer that Mrs. Burson had cut out of a newspaper. But in the little booklet that was given us, there was a typo. I'm sure Mrs. Burson, with her good natured wit, would have had a smile on her face as the entreaty of our heavenly Father "And hel[sic] me when I falter" was noticeably spoken a little less clear as people faltered on the words. She would smile and probably laugh that kind laugh I remember.
There is so much to remember about Mrs. Burson. I loved her very much and I will miss the mother who raised my best friend.
One last song that will now, as I post it here, always make me remember Mrs. Burson and her love for dogs and pets.
Martha My Dear
(listen to the lyrics about Paul's love of his pet dog, Martha)
I always thought he must have had to leave the dog a lot because of his busy life and was entreating Martha to remember him, to not forget him.
