Hurricane Katrina Wikipedia Article: 16 pages in 4 days

I'm continually impressed by the amount of community reporting and fact-finding that goes on with people who post and edit content on the World Wide Web. Case in point: in 4 days, an article on Hurricane Katrina on Wikipedia has reached 16 printed pages. That's just awesome.

Is the article perfect? Not yet, since this is a developing story. That said, there's lots of factual information in there that I've yet to read in one place, be it a news story or another web site, including when and how the storm was first discovered, effects on different industries, and specifics on the response by military and National Guard.

Power to the commons.

Camping In The Olympics

We spent last weekend camping in the Olympic National Park, on the coast at Mora. Camping on the beach was a new experience, but a great one at that.

Saturday day was spent road-tripping from Seattle to Mora. On the way, we stopped in Olympia to have breakfast at their farmer's market. This one's much more small and quaint than Pike Place, but it has its charms. We also stopped for lunch at Forks, where Sully's Drive In offered up some great burgers, shakes, and slushies.

Arriving in Mora, we hiked in about a mile and half, close to hole-in-the-wall (see below). We found a great site to set up camp that was both close to the beach but secluded and shielded somewhat from the elements.

Saturday night was a bit rainier that we would have liked, but the overall natural beauty and peaceful surroundings made up for any wetness. A campfire, dinner, and s'mores, and fermented beverages wrapped up the evening.

The beach at Mora is pretty rugged. As this picture conveys, it's no Florida Gulf Coast beach. But there's tons of wildlife, especially in the tidepools, that you can explore.

Mora is a very photogenic area. We should get some pictures up here soon, courtesy of our friend's camera skills.

Iraq Is A Terrorist Training Ground

I quote from this article:

At the same time, some Pentagon officials now acknowledge that the
two-and-a-half-year insurgent war has turned Iraq into a terrorist training
camp.

U.S. intelligence indicates Islamic militants from several African
nations — Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan and Somalia — travel through
Syria into Iraq, where they get hands-on training in roadside and suicide
bombings, assassinations and kidnappings as well as counter-surveillance and
counter-intelligence against military targets, constantly changing their
tactics to counter American defenses...

And Pentagon officials now fear those freshly trained terrorists are taking the deadly lessons they learn in Iraq to other countries. U.S. intelligence indicates many of the
militants are returning home or slipping into Europe, where they may join
existing terrorist groups or create and train new cells of their own.

All that cost (of life and of money) only to see Iraq surpass Afghanistan as the top terrorist training ground makes me concurrently very sad, angry, and hopeless.

Lappert's Ice Cream May Be Diseased

We're big fans of Lappert's Ice Cream. They have great flavors, use good ingredients, and offer a nice variety of unconventional flavors.

Recently, while going to QFC to purchase some ice cream, we were surprised to see the shelves cleared of all Lappert's stock. We were a bit miffed at the possibility that QFC had decided to stop carrying our favorite frozen treat.

Today, over a week after the clear-out, Lappert's is back. OK, we thought, it's not QFC's fault. On one of the freezer doors, a sign was posted explaining the temporary disappearance of the ice cream. It seems a recall was in effect of Lappert's Ice Cream because of a Listeria scare. Sure enough, an article confirms the recall for all Lappert's Ice Cream produced through August 4th.

Listeria isn't a good thing. Gastrointestinal mischief is apparently just the start. Pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems are especially susceptible.

If you've got an old pint of the stuff, check the date.

Greek Air Tragedy Could Have Been Much Worse

The largest airplane disaster in Greece's history occurred last weekend, when Helios Airways Flight ZU522 crashed north of Athens last Sunday.

There's been plenty of speculation and mystery surrounding the circumstances of the crash. I don't want to speculate on the reasons for the crash, what the fighter pilots witnessed, or why the relative of one of the people on board lied about receiving a text message. I do want to talk about the disaster that didn't occur.

The crash occurred in a lightly populated area. The nearest house was 400m away. We have family friends who have a vacation home in Grammatiko, and who were there at the time of the crash (about 2-3km away). They drove over and witnessed the dozens of fire crews putting out the fire and dealing with the wreckage. But they also witnessed how the crash didn't affect other homes or people on the ground.

The tragedy is very awful and very mournful, to be sure. My thoughts go out to all of the families and friends affected by the crash. But I also stop and think how much worse things could have been if the plane crashed in a more heavily populated area.

And then I wonder how it came to be that the plane crashed in a remote area. And then I start speculating.

The Blue Angels Are Scary

Two weekends ago was the culmination of Seafair 2005, a celebration of airplanes, boats, and other mechanical widgets. Every year, the Blue Angels come and perform their air acrobatics for the crowds. The Angels practice during the end of the week, and perform on Saturday and Sunday. Their performance entails flying over the city when doing approaches, formations, and other tricks.

Now, if you've ever seen the Blue Angels, you know they are very skilled. You need to have quite a bit of skill to fly an F/A-18 Hornet mere inches from each other in a set formation, and to maneuver in sequence with the other planes.

That said, accidents happen. A crash happened as recently as 1999, killing two Angels as one plane was landing. The article references a prior accident in 1990, and a fatality in 1985. The total number of Blue Angel pilots killed in air shows or training is 23.

While these accidents are not common, they put at risk not only the pilots but those on the ground. If a pilot loses control while flying over an urban area, how many other lives will be lost as the plane hits the ground?

Air shows are not safe, in my opinion. Case in points are made here, here, here, and here. And, when you have an air show over a heavily populated area, the chance for accidents grows. I'm not against having air shows, but can't we have them in less populated areas?

Update (4/24/2007): I just learned of an accident in South Carolina. According to the details collected on a Wikipedia article on the crash, the Blue Angels were flying in a show in Beaufort, South Carolina, and during the show, Lieutenant Commander Kevin Davis's F/A-18 Hornet went down. Details as to the reason for the crash won't be released for a few weeks, but a local article on the crash does report that houses in the vicinity of the crash caught fire.

I'm truly sorry for the crash and for the loss of life. That said I do hope this incident causes air show organizers and the Blue Angels to re-evaluate some safety procedures and flight plans to ensure safety for both the pilots and those on the ground.

Ferrari Boat Car

Livio de Marchi is a man who's very good with wood. Very, very good. Livio's art includes necklaces, shirts, golf clubs, bags, hats, and socks made out of wood.

He's also taken to large-scale efforts. Livio has made a few life-size automobiles, including a Ferrari F50, a 1937 Jaguar, and a classic Volkswagen Beetle.



This stuff is amazing. Read on...

TransportTrends post, showing images of his wooden cars.
Livio de Marchi's virtual museum, with more details on his work.
A profile on MostlyGlass.com.
Ashland Hardwood Gallery's page, including some glass sculpture.
Another gallery page on Lievehemel.nl.