Katrina - Two Years Later

CNN has a interesting story giving comparisons between how things are going in New Orleans and Biloxi two years after Katrina and it's aftermath devastated the two cities. It would appear that a combination of bureaucracy and corruption has caused New Orleans to fall behind while Biloxi is recovering more quickly. Granted, New Orleans was larger before Katrina, but it is a shame that local politics is hindering the renewal and rebirth of New Orleans.

Happy Hallowen Eve

Yes I know that it is only August, but some big news for Twin Peaks fans came out today. Twin Peaks - The Definitive Gold Box Edition is being released on DVD on October 30. Amazon is taking pre-orders so this sounds like it is definitely happening. According to Ain't It Cool News, the 10 disc set will include the never-before-released-on-DVD pilot episode as well as some elusive deleted scenes, Kyle MacLachlan's Twin Peaks-themed SNL sketches and the hysterical Twin Peaks-themed/David Lynch directed Georgia Coffee Commercial only aired in Japan. In addition there will be several behind the scenes featurettes and bonus features focusing on production of the show. The only thing that could be better than this news is that David Lynch was planning to make another movie that would continue this very interesting story. Until that happens this will have to suffice for all of us hardcore Twin Peaks fans out there.

Our Crumbling Infrastructure

I had some very similar thoughts to this and this after I learned of the Mississippi River Bridge collapse in Minnesota on Wednesday. For a system that began construction over fifty years ago it was really only a matter of time before some major failure was going to occur. Situations like this and the older levees in New Orleans certainly point to a need for reassessment of priorities. I don't like paying federal income taxes one bit, but they are necessary if for no other reason than the maintenance of the vast network of roads in the United States. I hate to rely on the federal government to do anything right, but if they are going to pay for the construction of a bridge, levee, etc., the onus is on them to maintain the structure. We are doing a lot of things all over the world to protect our country and ourselves, but I am really starting to think that we should be spending a lot more of that money on protecting ourselves here at home. What is it that statistics say? Most accidents occur withing ten miles of the home? I think it's time we start spending money on bridges to somewhere rather than "bridges to nowhere."