Saturday blogwatch
Mark Tushnet on Why Democratic Senators Should Vote “No” on Roberts.
Pharyngula’s checking out his FEMA regional director to see how much experience he has. Hmm, I wonder how experienced the FEMA director is who would get to deal with a major earthquake in Los Angeles? I’m going to Atrios’ find your FEMA flunky post to check. All of California is in FEMA Region IX, and our Acting Regional Director is Karen E. Armes. She seems to have been with FEMA for at least five years (probably somewhat more, since she held some lower level FEMA jobs before becoming Deputy Directory), after coming to FEMA from budget and finance jobs in the Navy. There are both more and less experienced FEMA regional directors.
What Makes a Drug “OTC”? The Case of Plan B. Via The Well Timed Period.
Beth on Sharia Law in Canada?
Father Jake links an editorial by John Tierney in the New York Times called Magic Marker Strategy on hurricane evacuation preparation around Newport News, Va.
Harper’s magazine has an article on “bad weather and good government.” Via Bitch Ph.D.
Daily Kos on Louisiana’s state and local hurricane disaster response plan. Via Waiting for Dorothy.
There was a certain amount of contention, a few turf wars, some loud talk. None if it consequential, in the end, because of the single greatest emollient: FEMA. The Federal Emergency Management Agency promised the moon and the stars. They promised to have 1,000,000 bottles of water per day coming into affected areas within 48 hours. They promised massive prestaging with water, ice, medical supplies and generators. Anything that was needed, they would have either in place as the storm hit or ready to move in immediately after. All it would take is a phone call from local officials to the state, who would then call FEMA, and it would be done.
Lindsay Beyerstein is now blogging from New Orleans, trying to get information on the official death toll.
Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water. Via the Librarian’s Index to the Internet.
After a Disaster: Repairing Your Home. Same source.
CampusRelief.org, for displaced college students. Same source.
DisasterHelp, a US government site. Same source.
Hurricane Katrina Information Guide. Same source.
Al Muhajabah on the first woman to head a university department in Saudi Arabia.
Karen Street on Science and Katrina.
Bruce Schneier points to Marcus Rarum’s The Six Dumbest Ideas in Computer Security.
And Andrea the Serial Deviant passes on a cute email involving Jesus, Satan, and a computer.