“Bumbling by top disaster-management officials fueled a perception of general inaction, one that was compounded by impassioned news anchors. In fact, the response to Hurricane Katrina was by far the largest–and fastest-rescue effort in U.S. history…”

The government is not the solution… people are the solution.

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“The decline of the Maya civilization began some 1,100 year ago when millions of Indians working on the contruction of tall pyramidal temples and palaces learned that their kings weren’t gods…”

So, what happens to a civilization when it’s government goes out of it’s way to tell it’s citizens that God doesn’t exist at all?

We’re going to find out.

Well, with Tropical Storm Ernesto looking to be hurricane later this week - and apparently threatening the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the process - I thought I might post something about getting a portable generator.  We were without power for over 2 weeks after Hurricane Katrina.  The heat was suffocating.  And, of course, we had to cook or throw out a lot of food from the fridge. 

Here is an article from Lowes that tells you how to determine what size generator you need to power items in your home after the power goes out.  Believe me… get one if you live in a hurricane zone.  Just the most basic comforts dissappear when the power goes out.  One of these babies could be the difference between living like a civilized person or living like a neanderthal.

Ok… so we told the “aliens” that we think Pluto is a planet via the plaques on Pioneers 10 and 11 back in 1972.  What do the “aliens” think?  From there vantage point - if they consider small bodies like Pluto planets - our solar system may have 12 or more planets… and probably does using “Pluto is a planet” as a measure.  So, either way, we’ve already shown the “aliens” that we don’t know how many planets there are in our own solar system.

Now, what that could possibly mean from an “alien” perspective, I haven’t the slightest idea.

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Daniel Levitin used to be a rock producer for the likes of Stevie Wonder, the Grateful Dead and Chris Isaak. When he became unsatisfied with the music industry, Levitin decided to become a neuroscientist. !!

In this Wired magazine article, he discusses how music affects the brain, where talent comes from and - most importantly - why chicks dig musicians.

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