stuff

• Regeneration demonstrated in mammals, and it can be passed on by injection.
• interdictor continues to report live from NOLA.  I won't attempt to summarize, except that the situation continues to deteriorate.  Read for yourself, if it's not too depressing.  And if you can spare anything for those guys at Outpost Crystal (aka directnic) that's within their reach, please, contact interdictor and let them know.  They can use every bit of extra materiel they can get -- they're one of the few outposts of civilization left in the city.
• UPDATE:  The Harry S. Truman is being sent to the Gulf of Mexico, and a brigade of (probably) the 82nd Airborne is reportedly being deployed to New Orleans to restore order.
• It's another Really Bad Foot Day.  I only have one dose of percocet left; I may have to use it.  I need to arrange for more painkillers.

That is all for now.

GO MARINES!

This just in from interdictor:  The USMC is on the ground and taking over from the Guard.  FEMA, on the other hand, has bugged out.

Semper Fi!

More stuff

• There is now 1400VA of separate uninterruptible power to the machines on the other side of the living room.
• In the course of connecting same, I found the watchband pin that instantaneously vanished before my eyes last week while I was trying to replace the strap on my watch.  I really like the ballistic-nylon aftermarket strap I was using, but the velcro fastening on it is dead.
• I still find it unreasonably amusing that the water-resistance depth limit marked on my watch is greater than that marked on said ballistic-nylon strap.  I mean, what's the strap gonna do if I get it too deep ..... LEAK?
• I took the futon couch apart, and will be moving the parts down to the basement.  It is now possible to walk from the dining area to my desk without having to climb over furniture or make two to three people get up so I can get past.  This room is simply too small to hold both the futon couch and our desks.  (Or conversely, the couch is just too damn big to fit in it without removing the desks.)

NOLA satellite imagery, now and before

Clicky.

Sidney Blumenthal on hurricane preparedness

....And other related failings.  Posted by skathic in neph_politics; originally printed in Salon.

Contrast to George W. Bush's repeated statements over the past couple of days that "no-one could have predicted the failure of the levees."  Lots of people did, Mr. President, including FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers.