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Building Houses on Sand

Is the Federal Emergency Management Agency doing more harm than good? David Helvarg, author of Blue Frontier: Saving America's Living Seas believes so.

Today 17 of the 20 fastest-growing counties in America are coastal, thanks in large measure to federal flood insurance. Until this government program became available in 1968, banks refused to grant mortgages for beachfront home construction. It was only after the feds assumed the risk that private insurers were unwilling to take that the coastal real-estate market boomed.

According to Helvarg up to 40% of all FEMA disaster claims go to previous aid recipients: people who have recieved FEMA aid, rebuilt in the same place and filed for aid again.

This kind of wastefulness really hits home in light of this summer's tornado tragedy and the FEMA response. FEMA does serve an ostensibly good purpose in helping people recover from disasters and only began losing money with the increased hurricane activity of the late 80's and 90's, beginning with hurricanes Andrew, Hugo, et al. With some modest reform, FEMA could get back on track. Don't expect reform anytime soon, though, at least not as long as people can get away with building in coastal and flood plain areas at the taxpayer's expense.

The Worm Has Turned

So after declaring that the "worm had turned" in a recent game of pinochle in which Dad and I won every hand after having lost every hand to that point, I promised to discover the origins of the phrase. Basically the idiom describes the situation where even the smallest worm will defend itself if pushed far enough. This has evolved to describe any situation where roles are reversed or tables are turned. In our case, even the original definition applies as Mom and Kari had been beating up on us pretty bad until we had had enough.

There are plenty of sites out there that list the definitions of common sayings. Browsing through these sites can provide hours of fun learning about our wacky English language.

Astrological Chart

Does anyone know how to read one of these things? What amazes me is the apparent science behind astrological readings. There is extensive literature and a strict methodology for reading star charts, yet I personally can't take horoscopes seriously.

On the other hand, horoscopes strike me as one of those things that can be good for you if taken in the right spirit. As I read through my horoscope below I find a lot that I can benefit from. I suspect that this is the case for anyone...

Results courtesy of Astrolabe, Inc. Continue reading at your own risk:

Rising Sign is in 11 Degrees Capricorn
You are practical and reserved but very ambitious. An achiever and a
hard worker, you respect success. Older looking and very serious as
a youth, things lighten up and you relax more as you mature. You
have a serious view of the world as being a difficult place to be
in...

Very envious of those who seem to have an easier life than you
have, relaxation and play do not come easily. It is important that
you had abundant parental support as a child so that you do not feel
lonely and isolated as an adult. Generally, you have a good, earthy
sense of humor that can carry you through when times really do get
tough. You are purposeful, self-willed, industrious, realistic and
responsible.

Sun is in 03 Degrees Libra
Very sociable, you enjoy being with others and definitely prefer not
be alone. Warm and affectionate, you go out of your way to make
others like you. You despise ugliness, for you being surrounded by
beauty and harmony is a necessity of life. You prefer fine clothing,
an attractive home and pleasant surroundings wherever you are. Your
refined tastes apply to music and to art as well. At times, you are
very indecisive you waver and falter when forced to make a choice
because you have the ability to see both sides of any question. The
positive part of this is that you are very fair-minded and can be
trusted to settle disputes. Your greatest challenge is to take any
one- on-one encounter and make the most of it.

Moon is in 15 Degrees Aries
High-spirited and courageous, you are a fighter when your emotions
are aroused. The degree of force and drive that you can bring to any
effort sometimes surprises others. You have hair-trigger reactions
to specific stimuli and tend to "let it all hang out." You sometimes
act before you think and do things on the spur of the moment, and
that sometimes gets you into trouble. Your moods change quickly --
you have quite a temper, but you don't hold grudges. Very
independent, with an extremely strong and forceful personality, you
are known for being impulsive, careless, reckless, foolhardy, rash
and daring.

Mercury is in 08 Degrees Libra
You are known for not jumping to conclusions about things. You tend
to weigh all possible choices very carefully before making a
decision. When in the slightest amount of doubt, you will compromise
rather than ruffle any feathers. You are a true raconteur of culture
and taste -- your ideas and opinions are neat, elegant and refined.
A born diplomat, you dislike discord so much that you will go out of
your way to make others feel comfortable and at ease. You speak
softly and pleasantly.

Venus is in 04 Degrees Virgo
You express your love and affection through selfless service to
people or causes. You have a tendency to underestimate yourself and
doubt your self-worth. This is very demeaning and should be avoided
-- learn to love yourself as well as you do others. Your standards
of perfection are very high -- you are attracted to relationships
based on duty and responsibility. You are supercritical of yourself
and others and, at times, prefer to be alone rather than deal with
any imperfections in yourself or in those with whom you might
relate.

Mars is in 03 Degrees Capricorn
Extremely ambitious, you are willing to work very hard to reach the
goals you have set for yourself. Very practical, cautious and
conservative, you demand tangible results for your efforts. You need
to excel in whatever you do, and you have the required sense of
responsibility, dedication and self-discipline to bring it about.
Beware of your tendency to judge others only by their degree of
status and prestige, or by how well they will be able to advance you
in your climb to the top.

Jupiter is in 13 Degrees Libra
You are generally good at balancing opinions and judging issues, but
you tend to be indecisive when it comes to making up your own mind.
You are objective and quite concerned with fair play and justice.
But, when it comes to yourself, you are so aware that whatever you
do might upset the apple cart that you often choose to compromise
rather than do anything that might make you lonely or vulnerable.
Relationships are very important to you -- you learn about yourself
and grow through observing yourself interacting with others. Your
aesthetic tastes are refined, but expansive and expensive.

Saturn is in 07 Degrees Taurus
Complete freedom of choice makes you ill at ease. You must have a
firm, ordered, secure foundation in your life in order to feel
comfortable. You do not adapt easily and tend to fear the new and
untried. You constantly fear that you do not have enough (love,
property, material things, etc.) and this makes you tend toward
being selfish, withdrawn and stingy. If you try to surround yourself
with supportive people in your environment, you will become more
emotionally self-supporting.

Uranus is in 04 Degrees Libra
You, as well as your entire peer group, have a very free, unstable
and unconventional approach to relationships and emotional
commitments. You will be attracted to experiments in marriage and
shared lifestyles. Personal freedom is more important to you than
entangling emotional bonds. In the realm of art and aesthetics, you
are attracted to the bizarre, shocking and unusual.

Neptune is in 26 Degrees Scorpio
You, and your entire generation, are extremely interested in
anything deep and mysterious. You will explore and idealize the
benefits that can accrue from the study of the occult, healing and
psychology. You are willing to experiment with substances like drugs
in order to push your understanding of your inner being to the
extreme.

Pluto is in 25 Degrees Virgo
For your entire generation, this will be a time when profound
changes in society's attitude toward work, duty and responsibility
will be initiated. Radical changes in attitudes toward personal
health and general nutrition will be promulgated and gain wide
acceptance and practice.

N. Node is in 20 Degrees Pisces
You're attracted to others who need your assistance. You seem to go
out of your way to form relationships with those who are weak, sick,
injured, addicted or troubled in some way or other. At your best you
can indeed provide the relief that others need. But at times you can
be victimized by those who would prey on your good nature and take
advantage of you. This can lead to all sorts of negative situations
-- make sure that those you assist are truly worthy of your time,
energy and commitment. A little enlightened self-protectiveness on
your part can make your life work much, much smoother!

Abby pix

Hey, I've finally gotten around to posting some pictures of Abby from this summer. Check them out in the sandbox.

Steely Dan Concert

Great show at the New York State Fair on Sunday night. Steely Dan legends Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are still a rocking duo and their supporting band was just plain awesome. the only lowlights for us were the sardine-like seating arrangments and the loud, obnoxious drunken guy sitting behind Denny.

They played a lot of older, familiar music to keep the crowd rocking with only a few choice songs from the newer albums. Donald and Walter really seemed to appreciate the energy of the crowd and the band (particularly Jon Herington on guitar and Keith Carlock on drums) really blew me away in the second set.

Also, any fans of Diana Krall should check out Steely Dan backup singer Carolyn Leonhart's cd, Steal the Moon.

The setlist included:...

• Aja
• Godsmacker
• Caves of Altamira
• Black Cow
• Babylon Girls
• ? [a Walter Becker tune I didn't recognize]
• Band Introduction
• Peg
• Home At Last
• INTERMISSION
• The Steely Dan Show
• West of Hollywood [I think...it was something from Two Against Nature]
• Hey Nineteen
• Haitian Divorce
• Lunch With Gina
• Parker's Band
• Josie
• Kid Charlemagne
• Don't take Me Alive
• My Old School (encore)
• FM (encore)
  Posted by ksmoker | permalink | Comments (0)