Current Events: Post-Hurricane Update, Day 4

Following 4 days without refrigeration, hot water and internet porn, in the middle of the night power was restorted to my area! In the course of returning from a zombie-like bathroom break, I noticed an unusual blue glow by my bed, and not-so-quickly realized that it was my electric-powered alarm clock (flashing 2:38). Needless to say, the return of power has provided a huge sense of relief and a feeling that my life, at least, is headed back in the direction of normalcy.----------- In the meantime, work has lost its sense of urgency. Courts are closed throughout the tri-county area; no hearings are taking place, nothing is being filed and no cases are moving forward. Also, with the all the difficulties that the area is experiencing, I really don't feel like suing people right now, or arguing over discovery responses and the like. I guess this is just another manifestation of the sense of suspended reality that has temporarily enveloped the region.------------ For now, then, things are back enough to normal for me such that this will be my final post-storm update in the absence of any breaking stories.

Current Events: A Hurricane Cometh

Wed. Oct 26---- It is now about 2 days after Hurricane Wilma roared through the area as a Category 3 storm, and frankly things are not that great. Some stores are open, and there is power at work (but no internet - -ahhh!). There is still a lot of debris scattered around town, and the majority of stop lights are still inoperative. Tension is simmering in the air, and I am hesitant to go anywhere where arguments or fights may erupt. ------------------------------------ All things being equal, personally I am in okay shape. My apartment sustained a little flooding through the balcony��s sliding glass doors, and my car emerged unscathed. I figured out to plug in my walkman or battery powered radio to my computer speakers, so at least there is some form of entertainment at home. On the other hand, this is my 3rd day without power, there is no hot water and my place is a little trashed from several days of storm living. It is very difficult to get focused at work, though I should be able to get some stuff done today. ---------------------------------- I have taken a few bike rides since the storm (it is probably a safer means of transportation that driving at the moment). After biking to work yesterday, I checked out the scene on Brickell Avenue/the other side of the river. There are at least 2 high rise offices with nearly all of their windows blown out on one side, and there��s glass, metal and other debris all over the place. The other especially intense sight, about a block form my place, was a semi-trailer blown on its side. ---------------------------------------- The first night when it was totally dark out was kind of eerie. Yesterday some of the Beach got power back so at least the view across the bay was illuminated. While necessary in what is clearly an ��emergency management�� situation, the existence of a curfew, checkpoints to ensure that only residents enter Miami Beach and the presence of multiple choppers flying around at night lends an ominous, quasi-martial air to the proceedings. Once power is restored I will feel a large sense of relief, though I have been warned that it may take weeks (let��s hope not!). Still, it��s going to take a little while for me to fully extricate myself from the disorienting sense of suspended reality that has gripped the region over the last few days.

Odd Story: Frozen in the '40s

The JPMAC would be an odd department of the Army in which to work.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Frozen-Airman.html

Current Events: A Monster Beckons

In the 6 hours from 2300 to 0500 last night Hurricane Wilma strengthened from a Category 2 to a Category 5 storm, and, with winds of 175 mph, has been declared the most intense storm in the Atlantic Basin, ever. It is expected to strike FL anywhere from around Tampa to the Keys, with conditions beginning to deteriorate late Fri. and Sat. as the target date. Accordingly, I pretty much knew as of yesterday not to bother trying to make any social plans for this weekend. -------------------------------- This year I have experienced the brunt of Tropical Storm Dennis (fairly intense), Katrina (very intense, as it hit the area as a Category 1 and the center passed about 12-15 miles from my place) and the outer bands of Rita (less intense than the others but still kind of dicey). For all of these, the anticipation of arrival, waiting for the storm to pass and a persistent, underlying dread have been worse than the actual impacts. Katrina caused a little flooding in my apartment and I lost power for 16 hours; comparatively this is not too bad. Still, there is a unique unease caused by the howling winds and not-so-gently swaying palm trees, knowing that, at any time during the storm, the slightest breach of the building��s outside defense can portend extensive damage inside.

Sports: Mid-Season Observations on College Football

What Big 12 team currently shares the same record as Miami, FSU and Auburn? Mildly amazingly, at 5-1 it is the Huskers that do so, their only loss coming in the last minutes against No. 10 Texas Tech. Nebraska is the first team in the consolatory "others receiving votes" portion of the AP poll and, for what it's worth (not too much, really, but still), is at No. 23 in the BCS poll. A win vs. Missouri this weekend could well propel the Huskers into the Top 25.------------- Why I am a USC Fan: Yes, Notre Dame is back. While it was endlessly repeated last weekend that college football is more interesting when ND is good, it is true that the team elicits strong emotions one way or the other. I like Charlie Weis, but have always disliked ND. That may be one reason why I am a USC fan. They have a historical rivalry, and I am virtually certain to root for whoever ND is playing against. This may also explain, in part, why I have gone for USC over UCLA despite my general inclination to support public schools (I still dislike Stanford and Duke, though, rest assured).----------- National Championship Game prediction: USC vs. Virginia Tech. Yes, Texas looks pretty good this year, but they always choke somewhere along the line and this year will be no exception. The SEC will end up kind of like the Big 10 in that all the teams end up beating up on one another, so I don't expect a team to come out of there unscathed. Sub-seciton to prediction: if USC losses in the regular season, then I would predict LSU or Georgia vs. Va. Tech.

Entertainment Review: "Assassination Tango"

While suffering from imperfections of story narrative and coherentness, I enjoyed Robert Duvall's "Assassination Tango." In this movie he plays an aging hit man who is engaged for a job in Argentina. Instead of only taking a few days, however, the length of his engagement is extended to several weeks. Longing to return home to see his step-daughter, he must bide his time in Buenos Aires and while doing so, becomes enraptured by the tango. -------------------------- The above imperfections kind of overlook the point of this movie. The movie is not concerned with details nor rigid logic. Rather, it conveys a sense of mood: atmospheric and hazy, nostalgic and ethereal. Despite the movie's title, the assassination theme takes a back seat to the tango element, which is why I would not recommend this movie solely for the action/intrigue angle. I would, however, recommend this movie if you like Duvall, are interested in Argentina or enjoy tango. ---------------- For me, at least, it was a nice reminiscence to see the black and yellow cabs of BA, and the scene in which he is dreaming about the tango and is suddenly awoken really sums up the feel of the movie.

NOTES

- I saw this movie on Sundance channel

- Coppola is an executive producer

- The woman in Argentina who plays opposite Duvall (Luciana Pedraza as Manuela) is either his girlfriend or wife in real life.

Battle of the Beasts: An Explanation

Why have I been so entralled by reports of recent python attacks on other animals (e.g. a siamese cat, a turkey and a battle with a gator to the death) in south FL? ---------Well I do like nature and the outdoors. Quasi-relatedly, gators & sharks happen to be my two favorite animals. On an evolutionary scale they have barely changed over 1000s of years, possess tiny brains and yet can be extremely dangerous to humans.----------- Given a recent Miami Herald cover piece about python encroachment in the area, there is no question that local hysteria about wild pythons has begun! While the probability of actually seeing one is pretty low (and one has to be aware of the issue), I expect to see a healthy serving of sensationalism and overblown, undue alarm in the coming weeks.

See also:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051010/ap_on_fe_st/python_vs_cat

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/1012trappedpython12-ON.html

Battle of the Beasts!

Posted on Thu, Oct. 06, 2005 *********** Python bursts after trying to eat gator *************

MIAMI - The alligator has some foreign competition at the top of the Everglades food chain, and the results of the struggle are horror-movie messy. A 13-foot Burmese python recently burst after it apparently tried to swallow a live, six-foot alligator whole, authorities said. *************** The incident has heightened biologists' fears that the nonnative snakes could threaten a host of other animal species in the Everglades. "It means nothing in the Everglades is safe from pythons, a top-down predator," said Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida wildlife professor. ******************** Over the years, many pythons have been abandoned in the Everglades by pet owners. The gory evidence of the latest gator-python encounter - the fourth documented in the past three years - was discovered and photographed last week by a helicopter pilot and wildlife researcher. The snake was found with the gator's hindquarters protruding from its midsection. Mazzotti said the alligator may have clawed at the python's stomach as the snake tried to digest it. In previous incidents, the alligator won or the battle was an apparent draw. "There had been some hope that alligators can control Burmese pythons," Mazzotti said. "This indicates to me it's going to be an even draw. Sometimes alligators are going to win and sometimes the python will win." ************************************ It is unknown how many pythons are competing with the thousands of alligators in the Everglades, but at least 150 have been captured in the past two years, said Joe Wasilewski, a wildlife biologist and crocodile tracker. **************************** Pythons could threaten many smaller species that conservationists are trying to protect, including other reptiles, otters, squirrels, woodstorks and sparrows, Mazzotti said. Wasilewski said a 10- or 20-foot python also could pose a risk to an unwary human, especially a child. He added, however, "I don't think this is an imminent threat. This is not a `Be afraid, be very afraid' situation.'"