Thanks, Marlena, it is great to hear about your neighborhood coming together for survivors with autism and their families. It is great to see people with special talents reach out to those with special needs.

Thanks also for your kind words regarding my shelter management, but it really isn't much when you get down to it. Red Cross trains people to work the shelter on a regular basis. They arrange for food, which is paid for with Red Cross donations when it is not donated outright. They arrange for a nurse 24/7 so that special needs can be addressed. They try to get all of the logistical items that we need (cots, blankets, pillows). They even arranged for 24/7 police presence at this shelter. So it's really easy to run.

In fact, that sounds like another validation of the actor/observer divergence. Could you tell that I'm an instructor at heart?

Or maybe I'm just sneaky.

Levees can be great things - they can allow you to use land that might otherwise pose a public safety danger. I know them very well because we have several in my county. I've seen them breached, I've sandbagged boils in an effort to keep them standing, and I'm currently involved in a levee upgrade project (it is in design phase waiting for funds for construction). Like New Orleans, we're just trying to get it to a uniform height to make up for years of settling and erosion when it was overtopped. Should New Orleans be rebuilt? It is the largest volume shipping port in the US and the fifth largest in the world. It will take billiones of dollars to rebuild the levees to a level that would withstand a category 5 hurricane. In my opinion that commitment should come before they try to drain the city, repair drinking water and begin clearing debris. Otherwise the clock is ticking until the next time we need to rescue thousands of people from their rooftops - and worse.

On a much lighter note, Ellie's homemade pizza was great tonight. The sauce was just right. And my nap was great. I would say that I could get used to days off but that might tempt fate.

I'm off to prepare a lesson that I'll give on our weekly radio training net tonight.