Hurricane Ike turned out not to be as bad as predicted. Aside from a lucky shift to the east just before landfall, it also appears that the computer models made an inaccurate prediction about the height of the surge around Galveston. Now some people are complaining that Ike was over-hyped by the major news media, the National Hurricane Center, perhaps in furtherance of some … [Read more...] about Hurricanes and Bad Luck
SNL Palin/Clinton Skit
Awesome. … [Read more...] about SNL Palin/Clinton Skit
If You Were There, Why Didn’t You Stop It?
I know there are people who are comforted by the sentiments expressed in this video, and I apologize to them, but it creeps me out, and I'm angered by the audacity of it. … [Read more...] about If You Were There, Why Didn’t You Stop It?
Those That Remain
I'm reading stories that up to 24,000 people may have decided to stay on Galveston Island. There are rumors that fires have broken out. Ike's storm surge is huge. The last time a surge this big struck Galveston, 8,000 people died. That's about 20% of the population. Building construction is a lot better now---lots of stilt houses---but that won't help you survive if your … [Read more...] about Those That Remain
The Texas Tornado Meets a Texas Hurricane
They call Chicago the Windy City, but that was always a reference to members of our political class, not our weather. This weekend, the real windy city is going to be Houston, Texas, which is going to be hit hard by hurricane Ike. When I was a kid, I used to wonder if we could prevent hurricanes from killing people by using an atom bomb to disrupt the circular winds and make … [Read more...] about The Texas Tornado Meets a Texas Hurricane