Nature's Rhythm

Since the beginning of time I suppose there have been hurricanes. I can assume tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, and tsunamis have also occurred. The earth has frozen over and warmed up again. Nature is a force and it has its own rhythm. Our brief time of life samples a nanosecond of world history. We look for patterns in the span of our lifetimes while nature has been going on for millions of years.

Man's arrogance sees himself as a player in this rhythm. While it may be true we can pollute the air and water, nature will continue to move on. If we foul the environment to the extent it can no longer support man then we will die off, but nature's rhythm will endure.

Hurricane Katrina displayed some of nature's power and now Rita is bearing down on Texas. We look for reasons and causes, we ask why? and how come? These are questions of our arrogance and self-centeredness. They are just hurricanes and man is in the way. Our great technology and science is exposed as puny and inadequate in the face of these two storms. Our confidence and security is rattled as our denial is pierced by the storms. The storms are not politically correct. They do not destroy bad people and leave the good people.

The world has been getting a lesson in humility, but the arrogant still prattle on about what should or should not have happened as if the hurricane would yield to man's insignificant interventions.

Our country is going to be faced with some major problems. The storm that gets the TV coverage is only the beginning. Like cancer cells, the problem has only begun. People have to survive for a few weeks differently than before. They stand in line for their daily needs. The cancer grows. Realizations set in as folks learn their life will not return to "normal" for a year or two. The cancer grows, businesses fold, tax revenues plummet, and cities face economic crisis.

Compared to nature, man is no match, but compared to adversity, man is quite capable of rising to the occasion. We have a spirit that can overcome problems and tragedy. Sometimes the best of man requires such a challenge to mobilize those energies.

We are driven by the will to survive, to protect our loved ones, to help our neighbors, and to leave the world in better shape than we found it. Not everyone shares these values. Some seize such opportunities disasters present to profit and steal. God will deal with these folks.

Cedric Flyod is the CAO of Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans. This "gentleman" was overseeing the relief supplies distribution site and was helping himself to the goods. Police raided his house Tuesday night. Cedric says he was holding the stuff to take somewhere else. Too bad we don't have public floggings anymore.

Katrina has caused havoc and Rita is about to do the same. In the aftermath, some have lost nothing, some have lost everything, even their life. Some are stepping up and helping, while others prey on the opportunities their greed makes possible. Legislation will not change any of this, because we cannot change nature. Nature has its own rhythm and the hurricanes will come and go. The nature of man is governed by personal choice and not all will choose wisely.

Until the next time
John Strain

Will Rita come a calling?

As I write this, it looks like Rita, the new girl, will move well to our south, perhaps taking aim on Texas. The mood around here is tense. Another hurricane in the area after all of the work that has been done would be a real gut punch to the morale. I know one thing; I am going to have gas for the generator, food, and water, just in case.

I was watching TV this morning and a sheriff from St. Bernard Parish, where every home was destroyed, somewhere around 40,000, said that after he makes one more payroll, he will be broke due to the interruption in tax revenue. They will not be able to pay their officers. This is happening all around the devastated region. Where people once lived, worked, and spent money is now idle. City governments are running out of money. This is just one more aspect of the storm's aftermath. I hope the billions of dollars from the government and from private donations help in these areas.

On the flip side, I heard a coworker discussing an acquaintance who made up social security numbers and went to the Red Cross to inflate her benefits. She told them she had 5 kids. Then her boyfriend did the same thing. Both obtained checks of $1500. This makes me so mad. To abuse someone else's goodwill and take funds intended for people in need is like stealing medicine from an old person. There must be oversight in the way these funds are distributed.

Today is Barbara's birthday. So happy birthday to my lovely wife. We only realized it was her birthday last week with all of our recent excitement. Tonight we have to make another trip to Baton Rouge. John's hard drive in his iBook died, so we are going to swap out his computer with Barb's. I ordered a new hard drive, so I will install it and next weekend, we can make the switch back, never a dull moment. So Bear gets another car ride.

The photos on the right (click for larger version) are of the crew that cleaned up our street. Thanks Alabama for sending a few of your young sons to help. The right tools sure make the job easier. I have been very fascinated with this whole hurricane process. The sociology of it is interesting. How do people react? What problems do they face? What surprises in behavior occur? I love this stuff.

Until the next time
John Strain

Bear's take on Katrina

Hi everyone, it's me Bear. Dad didn't feel like posting tonight, he is watching the Chiefs play football on TV. So, I am going to try my paws at writing something. It has been interesting around here the last few weeks. I went on a trip to Baton Rouge with mom and when I came back home, everything was all messed up.

Here is a picture of me by a pile of things dad has been dragging out to the street.

When I go on my walks, the street is lined with limbs, sticks, logs, and all kinds of stuff. I can't pee on everything because there is so much. I drink as much as I can, but I still run out of pee about halfway through my walk.

Things are really messed up. Some of the houses we walk by have been smashed. Look at this one.

Here's another house that got smashed. They are all over the place.

I got lost one day. Dad was working in the yard and I started looking around. Before I knew it, I didn't know where I was. I was real scared, but a nice lady took me to a vet and after a while, mom came and picked me up. I was so happy to get home.

I have met some new friends too. One dog only has three legs. He can get around pretty good though. He also has a little white friend. At first, he didn't like me, but now we sniff each other and we don't even growl.

You should see all of the big trucks and strange vehicles on my street. I have never seen so much activity. The yard almost looks normal again. Dad has worked a lot. At first, we didn't have enough room to play ball, now I can run and play like before.

The house is back to normal too. For a while, the lights didn't work. Only one room in the house was cool and the rest of the house was hot. Everything was out of place, but like I said, it is normal again now.

Well, I guess I will end this for now. We are all fine and my family is back to normal - at least their normal if you know what I mean.

Until the next time
Bear

When Katrina came to my street

The two photos on the left were taken September 7, 2004. The photos on the right were taken September 18, 2005. It gives some visual perspective about what kind of visitor Katrina was when she came by on August 29, 2005.

Click the photo for a larger version:

Until the next time
John Strain

Missing: Our National Sense of Humor

Well, not everyone lost their sense of humor

I received this in an email from my buddy Claude. Yesterday on my way home from work, I heard a song on the radio about Katrina. It was the most shameless attempt at stirring emotions since the song about the Christmas shoes. I thought it was a spoof because it was so over the top.

Life is going on. People are working, laughing, and enjoying their neighbors. The hurricane has caused trouble, yes. There is tragedy in the loss of life and property, yes. However, that is not the story of every individual in every state. I hope you get to hear the song. I would like your opinion.

I have been reflecting on the coverage of Katrina. The claims of racism and the finger pointing are a second flood. Politicians with that fixed serious gaze making their political points to the news camera are endless. Hollywood celebs are giving their uneducated opinions. EVERYBODY LIGHTEN UP, SHEESH!

Let's go back in time to the 1940's. WWII was a serious thing. Many young men were dying. Uncertainty was in the air about the future of our nation. Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and other major events were all reasons to be nervous and worried. In this environment, Bob Hope and others used humor to calm a nervous nation. His humor was comforting. Today, comedians have agendas for their jokes. Their humor has a bite and a sting to it. Their humor is not designed to heal, but to tear down and wound.

I believe humor has helped us keep our perspective throughout history. It has helped me keep perspective in my life. Nowadays, if someone makes a joke, someone gets offended and the person who told the joke is dogged by the media waiting for an apology. Again I say, LIGHTEN THE HECK UP!

The sign above shows that some have not lost their sense of humor. Actually, the folks here are going to be just fine. I am worried about some of the politicians in Washington and some of the movie stars in Hollywood. They may blow a gasket or something.

It is OK to laugh in most every instance in life. I have laughed at funeral homes with the deceased lying a few feet away from my chuckles. I have laughed just about anywhere tears were nearby. It is a way to cope and it is good medicine. If we hold back the chuckles, we create a pretty miserable place.

So lighten up. The work is ongoing, things are getting done. You can find any story here you want to find, because the affected area and number of people are so vast. People either raise or lower to their personal principles. A hurricane is an opportunity to help people if that is what you are about or it is a good place to get over and profit personally if you are a low-down, scumbag. No hurricane caused any of this, it existed before the winds of Katrina ever blew through.

Until the next time
John Strain