Majikthise

"What makes you think I want to be looked at?"

"Coo at your own damned infant," says Calderdale Royal Hospital. [The Scottsman]

Swinger squid thing

I'm too tired to explain. Just go read Collision Detection. It's a squid thing.

Carlos Barria for Pulitzer

The competition is fierce, but this picture by Carlos Barria of Reuters is the most evocative photo of the 2005 hurricane season I've seen so far.

If you sterilized all Republicans...

People, please. Bill Bennett was just being philosophical when he suggested that aborting all black babies would reduce crime. There's nothing offensive about a little reductio amongst friends.

So, now it's my turn.

If you sterilized all Republicans, the crime rate would eventually drop. You'd end the intergenerational legacy of crime. If you squelched that culture of corruption you'd see less insider trading, less graft, less criminal conspiracy, fewer illegal wars...

Of course, I'm not advocating the forcible sterilization of registered Republicans. That would be morally reprehensible, not to mention impractical. Nevertheless, it's obviously true that Republicans form an intractable criminal subculture. So, sterilizing them all would be an effective, if excessive, response to the rising tide of looting that threatens to overwhelm society as we know it.

Inevitably, these remarks will prove offensive to some people. They'll say that my choice of a hypothetical betrays my unabashed contempt for Republicans. They'll say that it's intellectually sloppy, not to mention hostile, to stereotype all Republican wombs as felon-factories.

Obviously, these naysayers don't understand high-minded intellectual give and take. Too bad I'm statistically and logically unassailable.

If we could deport those trouble makers to Twin Earth and drown them in XYZ, that'd stop their bellyaching.

Orleans Parish Prison inmate info

A public service announcement from the Times Picayune:

Family members inquiring about the location of an inmate from Orlean Parish Prison transfer location can call the following numbers for more information:225-342-5935 or 225-342-3998.

For Bond amounts, call the Bond Clerk of the Office of the Clerk of Orleans Parish Criminal Court at 225-326-6158.

Those offenders under probation or parole supervision who were forced to evacuate due to Hurricane Katrina are asked to check-in with the Department immediately: 1-800-869-2909 or 225-342-0921; 225-342-0923, or
225-342-0933.

As I discussed earlier, over 500 former inmates Orleans Parish Prison have been missing since the facility became an outcropping in Lake George.

Update: My email address is [email protected]

NOLA levee reported weak in 1990's

Court documents prove that the Army Corps of Engineers knew that the floodwall on the 17th Steet Canal was weak for years before it failed after Hurricane Katrina:

NBC News has obtained what may be a key clue, hidden in long forgotten legal documents. They reveal that when the floodwall on the 17th Street Canal was built a decade ago, there were major construction problems — problems brought to the attention of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

A 1998 ruling, by an administrative judge for the Corps' Board of Contract Appeals, shows that the contractor, Pittman Construction, told the Corps that the soil and the foundation for the walls were “not of sufficient strength, rigidity and stability” to build on.

“That's incredibly damning evidence,” says van Heerden, “I mean, really, incredibly damning.” [MSNBC]

Props to NBC's Lisa Myers and her investigative team.

Hat tip to Storms 411.

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society

Thad has a brand new blog!

Visit Darcy James Argue's Secret Society for Thad tracks, Thad pics, and upcoming Thad gigs.

New Orleans: The List

Reality and reality TV are becoming interchangeable.

Who will rebuild New Orleans? It's all about The List:

BATON ROUGE, La., Sept. 28 - Many of the business elite of New Orleans seem preoccupied these days by what some here simply call The List - the chosen few Mayor C. Ray Nagin is expected to name on Friday to a commission to advise him on the rebuilding of the stricken city. Almost certain to make the grade is the real estate mogul Joseph C. Canizaro, the man best known for bringing high-rises to the New Orleans skyline.

Mr. Canizaro has emerged as perhaps the single most influential business executive from New Orleans. One fellow business leader calls him the local Donald Trump. But Mr. Canizaro derives his influence far less from a flamboyant style than from his close ties to President Bush as well as to Mr. Nagin, and that combination could make him a pivotal figure in deciding how and where New Orleans will be resurrected.

Mr. Canizaro has not only secured a coveted spot on the commission, those who have seen the list said, but he has played a critical role in shaping it. At a state Senate hearing held in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, Mr. Nagin confirmed that he would be naming an advisory panel, but that he had not completed a list. [...]
[NYT permalink]

Maybe The List isn't suspenseful enough for primetime. We already know that nobody from ACORN will make The List, let alone anyone sleeping on a cot at the River Center.

Pam and the HUD already know how this is drama will end. (Spoilers!)

Friday Random 10

Rhode Island is Famous for You, Blossom Dearie

Like Butter Loves Bread, Si Khan

Rehearsals for Retirement, Phil Ochs

Maiden Voyage, Herbie Hancock

The Baby is Mine, Johnny Cash

Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Frank Sinatra

Thirsty Boots, Eric Anderson

Yes, I Guess They Oughtta Name a Drink After You, John Prine

Freddie Freeloader, Miles Davis

Needle Time, Elvis Costello

Disaster, disability, and discrimination

Michael Berube speaks on disaster and disability.

Julie gets fierce with FEMA.

Imagine a movie where the bridge to Gretna stretched across east Texas.

Jeanne D'Arc follows the unfolding Orleans Parish Prison scandal.

Benn Greeberg has more Orleans Parish Prison: Now, ACLU wants answers about fate of 6,500 New Orleans Prisoners.

Mike the Mad Biologist discusses an excellent op/ed by Michael Ignatieff on civic duty and disaster.

I know I give the Red Cross a hard time, but I'm still proud that the liberal blogosphere raised over $180,000 for Katrina relief.