The Friday Furo Questus

Questus Furore
I have to confess something - I'm a bit of a geology geek. Not that I actually have taken a class or anything; I'm just interested. Volcanoes and earthquakes fascinate (and scare) me. So this article on a potentially budding volcano in Oregon and this one on some interesting seismicity in the Juan de Fuca Strait caught my eye.

Along with the king-sized reminder Hurricane Katrina provided, it got me to thinking: how ready am I for a disaster? And the answer is, not very.

I have no 72-hour kit in my home. No bottled water anywhere. Nothing in my car except an afghan and some wrenches. And right now, my gas gauge is resting on empty. (But I was going to fill it after work...)

Truth is, here on the Wasatch Front we live in an earthquake zone. Geologists expect a 7.0 magnitude earthquake to occur on the Wasatch Fault in our lifetimes.

The authorities will do their best to help. They want to help. But they cannot help everybody at once, and they have certain vital tasks, like clearing roads, that take a higher priority than going house to house.

For at least 72 hours, you will be on your own. Are you ready?

Recommended Reading
Remember Ahnuld? How's he doing? (I'd be especially interested in Jamo's and e.gage's opinions on this.)

Donald Luskin compares Hurricane Katrina and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It is an interesting comparison.

Jack Dunphy examines New Orleans' police force.

Hear about the recent power outage in L.A.? Well, this piece reflects a side of that you may not have considered.

And, of course Victor Davis Hanson: "Four Years Later."
"Where does the United States stand in its so-called global war against terror, four years after the September 11 attack? The news is both encouraging and depressing all at once."

Patrolling the Front
Jamo's been busy. Roberts, FEMA, and other ponderings.

And I blogged hurricane stuff 'till I got sick of it.

e.gage has been busy here, but nothing new on his blog.

Everybody else? Nothing. So they don't get linked.

Thought of the Week
"As soon as man began considering himself the source of the highest meaning in the world and the measure of everything, the world began to lose its human dimension, and man began to lose control of it."
-- Vaclav Havel

Churchill Quote of the Week
Lady Astor: "Winston, if I were your wife I'd put poison in your coffee."
Churchill: "Nancy, if I were your husband I'd drink it."

For the rest of the story, go to the Pacific Slope.