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[Vengeance]

LMAO! I'm sure he's going to love getting an email from me. What do you think that I'm going to accomplish except making him a complete enemy? I still like the other idea better. Joe and the Idiots is a great name for a team. hehehehe

I will try and think of something to write to him, but please tell me if you think that I should not do that. I'd hate to piss him off so bad that the two of you get looked at as troublesome. 
...or is that a done deal? *giggle*

Edit for this: Or....I could pass his email around to some others. I'm on some forums and I can throw out some thoughts and if someone gets very upset I'll just accidentally let his email slip. 

[Supermercado]

If you end up sending him an email, you should post it here for critique and any help you may need in making it extra vicious.  Joe and the Idiots or maybe Joe and the Insensitive Pricks (I kinda like that, actually, hehe) might be a better idea because it doesn't only say something to him, but everyone else in the league, some of whom might be feeling similarly to disnut.

[Vengeance]

Of course the inlaws are in WDW this weekend so I can't find out if I should really do it.

I would never send an email out that's mean unless I had a lot of people check it out first. hehehe.

[Vengeance]

Just thought I'd throw this up there for those of you that know the place.


A list of famous spots in the city, and how they are faring, though the full extent of the damage won't be known for some time:

The French Quarter: This historic district is full of wrought-iron balconies and ornate colonial architecture, but was also a playground for adults who could roam the streets with cocktails in tow and listen to jazz and, during Mardi Gras, grab for beads and go wild. The area escaped much of the flooding.

Bourbon Street: A hedonistic strip in the Quarter bursting with bars like Pat O'Brien's, Molly's on the Market, and Jean Laffite's Blacksmith Shop. The latter, a piano bar, was supposedly the in-town headquarters of pirate Jean Laffite, who owned more than 10 vessels and raided American, British and Spanish ships in the early 1800s. Located in the French Quarter, the area escaped flooding but remains closed.

Cafe du Monde: Established in 1862, this coffee shop on Decatur Street in the French Quarter was best known for its cafe au lait, made with hearty New Orleans-style coffee, blended with chicory, and beignets ? crispy, square doughnuts. Still standing.

Galatoire's: Nearly a century old, the tiled and mirrored restaurant was famous for not taking reservations. The tuxedo-clad wait staff served Creole classics like shrimp remoulade and crab meat maison. Also located in the French Quarter. Still standing.

Acme Oyster House: Built more than 90 years ago at the gateway to the French Quarter, the menu included raw oysters (pronounced "ersters") and traditional po' boys, or fried oyster sandwiches. On the edge of the Quarter, should have escaped much flooding.

U.S. Mint building: The building housed Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and produced money for the federal government until 1909. It later became home to jazz and Mardi Gras exhibits and the streetcar immortalized in Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire." The mint is still standing. The fate of the streetcar is unknown.

Preservation Hall: A famed New Orleans jazz club located in an unassuming building originally built as a private residence in 1750 and was once a tavern, inn, photo studio and art gallery. Fate unknown; it is in the middle of the Quarter, and should be unaffected unless looters have trashed it.

Anne Rice's home: Tourists and fans of the "Vampire Chronicles" books would visit the Garden District home of author Anne Rice. She has also helped create several "haunted tours" of the city. The area was battered by high winds which knocked down trees. Rice no longer lives there, though that hasn't stopped the tourists from stopping by.

St. Louis Cathedral: Located in Jackson Square and consecrated in 1794, it was said to be the oldest continuously active cathedral in the country. Still standing.

St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District: The St. Charles Streetcar ran down the historic street, and the area was shaded by majestic oak trees layered in Spanish moss. The Garden District was named for the collection of mansions and sprawling gardens, but Victorian homes were later built have become a well-known part of the neighborhood. Much wind damage; many of the trees were splintered.

Commander's Palace: A restaurant built in 1880 in the stately Garden District, frequented by everyone from wealthy elite to riverboat captains and charlatans. Known for its turtle soup and turquoise-and-white facade, which was partially destroyed.

Fair Grounds: Located in the northeast section of the city, the fair grounds is best known as the home of the New Orleans Jazz Festival, but is also famous for its racetrack, built in 1852. The roof was torn off.

Little is known about the fate of other landmarks located in the flood area, including St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, one of the larger cemeteries known as "cities of the dead," with narrow paths, rusty iron work and sun-bleached tombs built aboveground because the water table was so high caskets would occasionally float away if buried underground; Mid-City Lanes Rock 'N Bowl Nightclub, a bar near Xavier University which has bowling lanes, live Cajun, blues and jazz music plus a full bowling alley and dancing; and Maple Leaf Bar, a smallish place uptown on Oak Street with a hammered-on tin ceiling, an institution for local music.

Edit for better reference: http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl090305locales.2034f5cc.html

[elmono311]

Nuff said:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050904/ts_nm/weather_katrina_wrap_dc

[Vengeance]

This(info below) made me really feel good about things, but I don't like the Bush administration at all during this time of crisis. Basically, they suck and they should be ashamed of themselves for how they're dealing with things. I'm not saying Bush personally, but some of the people in his cabinet are just worthless.

BTW, I edited this quite a bit to take out some wordiness. 


The State Department said offers of help had been received from:

Australia, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.

International organizations also offered help ranging from medical teams to tents to cash donations. They include NATO, the Organization of American States, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and the World Health Organization.

A State Department official said a needs assessment was being done to determine which offers would be accepted.

The United Nations has offered to help coordinate international relief. Following is a list of some of the aid offered by governments.

Asia

AUSTRALIA: "We're going to provide $10 million ($7.6 million) and the bulk of that money, if not all of it, will go to the American Red Cross," said Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. The Australian government said there may be up to 24 Australians trapped in Louisiana in the aftermath of Katrina.

CHINA: $5 million; prepared to send rescue workers, including medical experts, if needed.

JAPAN: $200,000 to the American Red Cross; Japan will also identify needs in affected regions via the U.S. government and will provide up to $300,000 in emergency supplies such as tents, blankets and power generators if it receives requests for such assistance.

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces, responding to requests by the United States Texas Army National Guard, has sent three Chinook helicopters to Fort Polk, Louisiana, to help in relief efforts. The government said the Chinooks will help to ferry supplies and undertake airlift missions.

SOUTH KOREA: Has pledged aid and is waiting for a U.S. response. "We have sent our intention to offer recovery aid," a Foreign Ministry official said.

SRI LANKA: $25,000 to the American Red Cross.

Americas

CANADA: Offered to help in any way it can; the navy is preparing a ship full of emergency disaster relief supplies to be sent when a request comes; loading three warships and a Coast Guard vessel in Halifax with emergency supplies and food and will dispatch them next Tuesday to Louisiana; up to 1,000 divers, engineers and reconstruction experts will be aboard; 30,000 barrels of petrol and oil for US use. (update as of today-Canada is prepared to tap one million barrels a day of petrol from emergency stockpiles)

CUBA: Cuban President Fidel Castro offered to fly 1,100 doctors to Houston with 26 tons of medicine and emergency equipment.

MEXICO: 15 truckloads of water, food and medical supplies via Texas; Mexican navy has offered to send two ships, two helicopters and 15 amphibious vehicles.

VENEZUELA: President Hugo Chavez offered to send cheap fuel; humanitarian aid and relief workers.

Europe

EUROPEAN UNION: EU countries are ready to give the United States oil if it requests help. This is not definite however.

FRANCE: Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said, "We have rescue teams based in the Caribbean and we are naturally ready to provide aid to the Americans, and that is what we have told them."

GERMANY: Mobile units to provide clean water; military hospital facilities and medical aid.

ITALY: Has offered to "immediately" send aid and evacuation specialists, Italy's civil protection unit said. Two military transport planes to fly amphibious vessels, pumps, generators, tents and personnel to New Orleans and other areas. They were awaiting word from U.S. officials.

NETHERLANDS: Teams for inspecting dykes and for identifying victims; a frigate from Curacao to New Orleans to provide emergency assistance.

RUSSIA: Has offered to help with rescue efforts. "Above all with heavy transport planes, which can be loaded with helicopters and generators -- as there is no electricity in the area of the catastrophe," Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said.

SPAIN: Expects to receive a formal request to release gasoline stocks to the United States and is prepared to grant it, an Industry Ministry spokesman said. 70,000 barrels a day for a month is expected.

SWEDEN: The Rescue Authority said it was on stand-by to supply water purifying equipment, healthcare supplies and emergency shelters if needed.

Middle East

SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Refining will donate $5 million to the American Red Cross.

Sources: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/62/story.cfm?c_id=62&ObjectID=10343854
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/02/katrina.world/
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/03/katrina.world.aid.reut/



I'd like to point out that most of the countries were still waiting for requests from our government. Something has to be done about this. The people of Mississippi and Louisiana are begging for help from our country. Why isn't our country doing the same to the global community? Personally, I think that our government has royally screwed this up and continues to do so. Rumsfeld and Rice have already made total idiots of themselves. Rumsfeld ignored a group of people that were in one of the medical units and lying on stretchers while he was touring and basically just doing the PR required of him. Rice chose to go out to a play the day after the Hurricane hit! I would think that a national disaster would prompt her to trade her pumps and tickets for boots and work gloves.

Fuck this. I'm moving to Europe. 

[elmono311]

MEXICO: 15 truckloads of water, food and medical supplies via Texas; Mexican navy has offered to send two ships, two helicopters and 15 amphibious vehicles.

WATER?! We're doomed

[LostArtofRolando]

Well, these people do need help.  I don't know if we as a nation are entirely comfortable with the idea of needing help.  Obviously, we COULD use the help and those people down in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama would be appreciative of the help.  But this is all politics... you think there's anyway the US would accept Cuban help? No way (In fact, even with the hurricane, Cuba could use 1,100 doctors and 26 tons of medical equipment and supplies more than we could... stupid Fidel). 

    So, we'll see how it all pans out, at the very least, the Red Cross is NOT part of the government, so they can all contribute there and NOT be seen as necessarily a political move the US would be afraid of making.  As always, we like to keep to ourselves.  We bitch that nobody helps US out even though we help everywhere else, and then don't like to accept help from other countries because its seen as admitting we might be weak to need the help.  This isnt a Bush administration thing, this is a US thing.  We give out handouts, we don't take 'em.  I'm sure we'll accept some of the aid eventually, but like it or not, this isnt a small community we have to help, and itll take time.  Condoleeza Rice has said theyll get through the offers and accept them as they see fit.  As for them trading in for boots and workin down there... is any one of us from the forums down there in Louisiana working right now?  We all decide what our priorities are and stick to them.  Rice's just happens to be dealing with foreign matters (that is what the Secretary of State does) and Rumsfelds job is Defense (hurricanes in Louisiana are not a threat to the continued workings of this nation).  Do I necessarily like how they perform at their jobs?  No.  Do I care for the Bush administration in general? Hell NO!  But we can't blame what happened in Louisiana on the national government.  It was an act of nature.  And the damage could have been lessened or maybe even prevented by a decent state government (Louisiana has been a hotbed of corruption for almost a hundred years or more... Huey "Kingfish" Long, David Dukes, every other governor and Louisiana legislator who has diverted money away from things like berms, levees and other flood protection.)  The city lies below sea level as it is... the state AND nation should have seen something like this coming given such events as Hurricane ALice in Houston back in the 70s and Hugo in the Carolinas, and Andrew in Florida. 

     You might move to Europe, but odds are you'd be worse off.  Those countries will end up seeing money from the US down the line at some point whether it be when there's a natural disaster, economic disaster, or war.  We've bailed everybody out for the last 100 years, and the only country to ever pay us back.... ever?  Norway between WWI and WWII.  and what thanks did they get?  They declared neutrality in WWII, got invaded by Russia, then Germany, then Russia again until the war ended.  SO, as much as I loved Germany and being born there and all, I don't plan on moving back to pay 60 percent of my salary in taxes to get free health care thats substandard because its socialized.  The only upside to all the socialized stuff is the awesome education system set up over there.

My point is yeah, maybe we should be faster to act, but dont everybody go pinnin this on Bush and his cronies all at once.  Pin it on the people who did NOTHING to proactively deal with the matter years ago.  Ask people in the Quad Cities in Iowa, Illinois and other places along the Mississippi River how they feel about losing everything to floods.  They know and prepare because they see this kind of stuff every few years.  My thoughts go out to all who have lost much in the damaged areas.

[Vengeance]

No, I'm not down in Louisiana, but I don't have the money to go and I'm not a public servant.

The hell with how the US feels. I'm part of the US and I have no problem saying that as a country we need some serious help.

I'm going to stay angry at Bush and yes, I'm angry at the people that didn't do anything about this before, but I'm pretty sure I can do both.

Fidel Castro might be annoying. I don't really know. They've been so quiet lately. I'm thinking the damn doctors will swim here eventually anyway. We might as well accept them.

As for the jobs of the cabinet, Rumsfeld may be in Defense, but he rushed down to a medical facility for his photo op so he should have at least made the effort not to ignore the people that were hurting and would have benefitted from hearing that someone high up on the hill was thinking of them.

And Rice can shove her foreign policy up her rear. I'm sure that she furthered a lot of foreign matters by sitting her butt in her seat for Monty Python's Spamalot. Thank goodness that we showed an interest in the British since they were really wavering as to whether they were going to remain allies.

I would never blame a hurricane on a government, but they are handling this badly. At least when the events of 9/11 rocked our nation they managed to give the appearance they knew what they were doing.

And yes, I'd love to move to Europe. Chloe loves it. And I'd get more aid from the US there then if something happened to me here.

As for paying us back? I think it sucks that nobody has, but at least Sri Lanka has offered some help. Maybe it's just a tiny bit compared to what they owe, but it's something. Maybe this is how it should be. Maybe we need to accept help and give help openly and then people can stop bitching about how we never get paid back. I mean...what the heck are these countries trying to do?

The US is playing a dangerous game. Globally we look like we're too good to take the help and one day when we really need the help we'll be screwed. I'm angry with my government and I'm angry with the global view of a country that I want to be proud of.

I'm sickened by what's happening in New Orleans and, while I don't think that anything our government has or has not done is an excuse for the sickening behavior down there, I'm worried that the global view of us will decline because others will see the anarchy as a response for our lack of action instead of simply a response to a disaster that has uprooted countless lives.

Our troops are down there shooting and killing their own people. I'm concerned about the emotional toll on them. Will they be helped when this is over or condemned? Firefighters and police officers are traumatized. There have been suicides already. These are the things I'm upset about. These are the things that make me ashamed of certain members of our national government.

On the positive side as far as my views go, I'm not as angry at the New Orleans mayor as I was. It was good to see him really working with the medical teams to get things moving down there.

They're all in my thoughts and prayers and will continue to be. I just hope that this disaster can be stopped before it continues to further devestate our nation. The storm is long gone, but the damage seems neverending.

[LostArtofRolando]

I'm not sure the world view of us can really go down, haha.  We need to face it, the world hates us and it WOULD do us a lot of good to eat some humble pie and take some aid.  I'm not saying that we shouldn't, just that they probably won't... What's really interesting with Sri Lanka isn't necessarily that they offered, but that they were specifically ASKED.  What I find interesting is the equipment the Texas National Guard asked them to bring in is probably old surplus from their units.  Either way, the helicopters are American made. 

  As for our troops shooting our own citizens?  Yeah, that does suck.  But it IS basically martial law there.  They're there to make sure that the freedoms and laws that exist continue to be maintained.  As a soon to be military man, I see the harshness of whats going on, but also the reality.  Nobody is making those people shoot at rescue helicopters, shoot at American troops, or loot businesses.  This isn't the war in Iraq they're preaching against or any political move.  This is crazed people breaking the law, using a natural disaster as their excuse to live without rules, and endangering the lives of others.  THAT encroaches on the rights of others.  Something has to be done to preserve order, and unfortunately, both military and civillian personnel will have to live with the consequences.  That's part of what we sign up for, and should understand going into the service.  We don't do our duty to government to look good, we do it because it's right, and regardless of how the public-at-large may view it.

Amen to hopefully the disaster stopping before it causes more damage to us.  Disasters bring out both the best and worst in people.  Hopefully in time, we start to see the best shine more clearly from both federal, state, and local governments as well as the military and civillian people involved in the matter.  A few people from all sides seem to be to blame in some way, and the crap they're stirring up is going to make it harder for all of the innocents who have lost everything.

[Vengeance]

I wasn't aware of that about Sri Lanka. The news stuff I found never mentioned it. That's kind of crappy since Rice singled them out to show other nations how wonderful they were since they were still dealing with the aftermath of the tsunami and yet they still "offered" their help. Maybe nobody told her what the truth was on the matter either, but I doubt it.

I don't have any issues really with the service men down there that are shooting US citizens. I just feel so bad for them that they have to do that. Well trained or not it's got to bother them on some level. Maybe it doesn't hit them at the moment, but it might one day and I hope that there aren't a lot of holier than thou idiots around condemning them for doing their job.

I've been trying to think of other disasters in our history where things have appeared to be so badly handled. This could be the fault of the media in some way. Now things are so accessible that we expect things to happen quickly. Maybe things were always like this, but now we have the cameras and the reporters to show us everything.

And where is Bill Gates? I want to know how much he's donating. Same with the Hilton family. Nothing? Really? Surprise surprise...

I'm becoming a bitter old hag. 

[LostArtofRolando]

Yeah, the media creates so many problems because its all biased.  You've got most of the major networks pushing blame on the Bush administration because surprise surprise most networks are very liberal (which they are free to be).  On the other hand, you have FOX news which is totally conservative (and I havent watched at all since this whole Katrina thing popped up).  Using only one or two networks gives a person only one angle, so if they vary their inputs, then a more accurate depiction can be gained through filtering through both sources.  It's a pain, but its closer to the truth.

[Vengeance]

I think it bugs me even more because I'm studying to be a journalist, but I don't want to be the type of journalist that I've seen lately. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to find a place that is truly objective or if I'm going to be sucked into the backstabbing stupidity of the news world and become something I hate.

[LostArtofRolando]

Unfortunately, there is no such thing really as true objectivity in the media.  It's a lot like school.  As much as I tried to present everyside of the story when teaching history in my classes, invariably, even it was biased to some extent.  Those biases unfortunately make up part of who we are and what we believe.  It is possible to tell the news off of fact, but that doesnt involve really interviewing people, because the people you interview have their own biases too.  You don't have to become something you hate, you just have to realize what you're doing as you do it.  If your objective is to create a certain slant to a story, then its no big deal.

[elmono311]

I just read that the Superdome was so badly damaged, it's going to have to be torn down. I guess this forces the issue of the Saints' request for a new stadium.

[LostArtofRolando]

Yeah, the NFL moved their opener out of San Antonio to the Giants stadium in Jersey.  Several of the Saints are mad because they feel the NFL is slighting them for not being a huge moneymaking team (popularity contest?), and will make them play all their home games on the road, when they want to play here in San Antonio, citing that they may not have THEIR home, but they want some kind of home.  The owner of the Saints wants them to play in Baton Rouge, so we'll see.  Either way, they're practicing in San Antonio for the rest of the season it seems.

[Supermercado]

Not only are they "based" in San Antonio, I hear a rumbling that the owner might want to move the team to San Antonio permanently. At least, I'm pretty sure I heard that.

[LostArtofRolando]

yeah, but the NFL doesnt want them to.  NFL officials think they cant sell enough tickets (hello, San Antonio is the 5th largest city in the US, and I think that Saints fever could be even bigger than Spurs fever, plus their colors are very similar, whats not to like?) or get corporate sponsorship (hmmmmn, the San Antonio Spurs seemed to get it).  So it's all politics.  I think they just dont want a third team in Texas, which kinda makes sense in terms of oversaturation, but there are NBA teams in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.  SO why NOT football in Dallas, Houston, and San Anton?

[Supermercado]

Off topic, but where did you get the number than SA is the 5th largest city in the US? I thought it was like 7 or 8, behind NYC, LA, Chicago, Houston, and Philly, at least. Maybe Dallas, too. Phoenix is up in the mix, as well. I need an Almanac.

Edit: According to this page, San Antonio is 8th largest. Either way, there should be a pro football team in SA.

[LostArtofRolando]

Dunno, I could be wrong though. Sorry, I've been up for awhile (i normally hit the sack after 8 hours of work around 630am), and might have flubbed it.  Either way, the San Antonio Metro area is over 5 million people (that part i know i have right).

[Supermercado]

No biggie, I just like to get my facts straight when it comes to city populations, haha. San Antonio and the metro are both huge, yes.

[elmono311]

This is just ridiculous: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9231271/

[Vengeance]

Maybe that was the contribution by Bill Gates. 

I'm still waiting to find out if he's going to do anything. Same with Donald Trump.

However, I'm also understanding that they may try and help and the public isn't going to know about it. It's just frustrating.