I have to admit that while I detest the prosperity gospel more, I don't flinch where I see it the way I do with floating mats of fire ants.
It's produced a good conversation point on race: "You see how stupid it would be to say All Cities Matter right about now?"
The fire ants thing is properly post-apocalyptic. Not so much It Came From The Desert as It Came From The Swamp.
Now into the phase of finding out what's it like after much of the infrastructure, superfund sites, and chemical factories have been under water for days.
This image (I-10 between Houston and Beaumont) is really something.
And Embarrassing Sideshow Trump is probably the best possible President Trump in any given situation. (Even though he is flogging his merc.)
That guy's most recent tweet seems unfortunately, even gloatingly, cheery in the situation. "Mainly Dry!" No need to rub it in, mate.
The thing I find grating is the people saying they are especially proud to be Texan right now, because of how wonderful neighbors and rescuers have been. People everywhere are pro-social during and after disasters. It is not a uniquely Texan trait!
News from Texas: http://www.iamatexan.com/2017/08/22/montana-is-on-fire-and-everybody-is-ignoring-them/
Shouldn't your congressman stop beating people for long enough to drawn some attention to this?
It's the liberals fault, if they hadn't blocked construction of that pipeline they could have run it in reverse with water instead of oil and used it to put out the fires and also get rid of some of the water in Texas.
(This is no dumber than the right wing argument going around saying that Obama's response to Katrina was just as bad as Trump's to Harvey and also all black people look alike because here's a picture of Condoleezza Rice that I'm going to claim is Michelle Obama shopping during some tragedy.)
My principal sources of fuss about Harvey and everything about it have to do with government response and/or responsibility:
- 24 of 25 Texas congresspeople voted against funding for Hurricane Sandy relief. Ted Cruz is pretending that he did that because that bill was full of "pork" for other pet projects and priorities. Mike Pence is utterly hypocritically pretending that he didn't advocate for funding Katrina relief efforts only if federal cuts for, say, Medicare and Social Security were provided as offsets.
- Trump recently rolled back Obama's requirements for added flood-proofing of infrastructure
- The Texas state legislature recently put in place provisions that make it easier for insurance companies that drag their feet over making good on flood insurance claims to get off. That legislation goes into effect on Friday, apparently.
- FEMA is underfunded and understaffed, and the Trump administration doesn't show signs of being concerned about that. To their credit for once, Fox News is apparently questioning Trump about why key government positions are going unfilled.
- Texas, and apparently Houston in particular, are notoriously against land-use planning. This is important not just because people are building in flood zones, but because excessive urban sprawl -- more pavements, less green space -- means the land can't absorb the water
- The oil, gas, and chemical plants in that region. One of them is in a warning state that it might explode: the chemicals in question are prone to explode if not kept refrigerated, and their generators failed, local residents and now the company's employees have been evacuated, and basically nobody's watching the store any more.
Conclusion: maybe Republicans/conservatives can figure out that government, regulation, and funding is essential to public health and safety.
Sorry that was so long - I worked myself into a disgusted state.
10.6- Organic peroxides. I looked at the plant on a map and there's a highway nearby but it looks like not too many other buildings. Biggest risk is probably release of other pollutants when it goes boom.
12: It didn't seem overboard to me. I only wish that I thought that they'd actually learn per your conclusion...
7: Is it still 0% contained?
24 of 25 Texas congresspeople
Ahem, of GOP congresspeople. (The delegation is presently 25 R, 11 D.)
Apologies.
At any rate, they need to be called on it.
Obama's response to Katrina was just as bad
Barack Obama doesn't care about black people!
14 -- LP is 31% contained: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5375/
Sunrise is over 80%: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5379/
Rice Ridge is at 18%: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5414/
I have a friend who lives in the evac warning zome for RR, but he and his wife are in Arizona while he gets chemo for pancreatic cancer. I'm driving up tomorrow morning to take art off the walls etc.
I hope it's framed art and not frescoes.
Here's the county air quality update:
The air is bad, and it's bad pretty much everywhere. The places that aren't bad will be bad soon. We have smoke at ground level, smoke above the inversion layer, and smoke aloft. The only good thing about universally crummy air is it makes decision making a bit easier. Ask yourself: "Should I run around outside this morning? Really get that heart rate up?" No. The answer is no.
I wrote this yesterday, but it bears repeating:
The longer this drags on, the more it will wear on all of our systems. Particulate matter is a cumulative pollutant, and we've all been swimming in it for a month, now. When air quality is Unhealthy it is important that you respect not only the current conditions, but also the fact that your body has been fending off the pollution's effects for a month, and is likely getting a little worn down. Anecdotally, headaches are becoming more pervasive and persistent, and respiratory symptoms from even light exercise more common. Please take care of yourselves. Also, there are good reasons we advise against exertion in Unhealthy air: the harder you're breathing, the bigger dose of pollution you're subjecting yourself to AND the harder you're making your system work to keep itself functioning.
Also, I know we tend to focus on the physical health effects of the smoke, but the relentless smoke cover, its wear and tear on the body, and the inability to get outside or exercise can contribute to feelings of anxiety or depression. Check with your primary care provider if you are experiencing mental distress due to the smoke, or call the Western Montana Mental Health Center at 532-9700. Please take care of yourselves, folks. The heavy rain and/or snow cover we need to really put an end to this is a long way away.
This is still way better than the folks have it in Houston.
Houston DOES have land use restrictions. What it lacks is formal zoning codes, the kind that say no restaurants near a suburb or no school near an office. Houston does have building codes which mandate, eg, parking per unit built.
21: that actually sounds fairly sensible. What's wrong with having restaurants near a suburb? Suburbs are inhabited by humans who eat food.
In a real suburb, the residents would rather starve than have customers from other places parking near their house.
22: One day last week here on the Elite Coast we noticed the air up high looked super smokey. The consensus was to blame Canada.
Check your privilege. Around here it takes a hurricane to blow the smog away. Yesterday I saw a nearby mountain for the first time in months. I had forgotten it was there.
25
Check your privilege. Some of us can't even see mountains.
Don't worry, the carbon monoxide will soon bring you peace.
When visiting the Lincoln Zoo, as one does, don't miss the absolutely disgusting naked mole rat exhibit. It looks like a serial killer decided to focus on only murdering white people who never go out in the sun and to keep their flesh in electrified tubes so it still pulsates.