Trivial Pursuits

The seven wonders of the ancient world

1. Egyptian Pyramids at Giza
2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon
3. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
4. Colossus of Rhodes - or huge bronze statue near the Harbor of Rhodes that honored the sun god Helios
5. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
6. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
7. Lighthouse at Alexandria

Granted the Feds screwed up, but you need to also look at the local and state government as well. In addition, the people of Louisiana and rest of the United States share in the blame. They elected the idiots that did nothing. They moved their families into an area that was destine for disaster.

How do I know this? My wife was born and raised there. She knows. I know from knowing her family who moved in with us just before Katrina hit. Her father, who is 79 years old, is anxious to get back despite the warnings of disease, reports of corpses in the streets, lack of infrastructure and medical care. This makes no sense just like it doesn't make sense to continue building a city below sea level.

The banks are to blame for continuing to loan money to build properties in an area that was predictably doomed.

The insurance companies are to blame for continuing to insure such properties. Now they should be held accountable, but they run for cover like cockroaches when people need them.

The parts that are flooded, like St. Bernard parish, should be abandoned. The government should buy out the people that had property there, then cultivate it into a marsh in the hopes that maybe it will provide a buffer to the city before the next category 3+ storm hits.

Why did this happen? Because of man's hubris in thinking that he can control nature. We need to recognize when it makes more sense to surrender than fight.

REMEMBER the victims of 9/11. RIP

My in-laws from Slidell, LA had been living with my wife and I since Katrina approached New Orleans. This week, my wife's sister, her husband and their sons moved to an apartment. Last weekend we learned that while their new house in St. Bernard is totally flooded, they didn't lose their belongings that were in storage. We also learned that my father-in-law and brother-in-law's houses in Slidell were spared. Despite everything that has transpired in the aftermath of Katrina, we have been very fortunate.

My take on the relief effort is that everyone failed, from local city officials to state politicians to the federal government.

Even the citizens of New Orleans failed. How? They failed to hold their elected officials accountable in the past. They failed to allow for higher taxes to address the needs for hurricane protection. The politicians failed to find creative ways to fund the necessary protections.

The whole thing is just sad.

Now that the city is contaminated, why would anyone want to go back? Will it ever be clean enough to enjoy a healthy life?

When I finally decided on creating a blog, I thought long and hard on a name. Well, maybe not real long, but I did think hard. At first I thought about having the weight of the world on my mind, so I thought about the mythology of who carried the world on their shoulders.

At first, I thought this was Hercules, but as I kept thinking about it, I remembered that Atlas had the Earth on his shoulders. I checked WikiPedia and confirmed it. I really like WikiPedia. Anything you want to know is there.

Then I did a Google search on Atlas and discovered links for mind atlases. A mind atlas is a mapping of the brain, so thought why not call my blog, Danny's Atlas -- a map of my mind.