Screaming Lunatic

Alright, here it is, the last word on Hurricane Katrina. Following are the people at fault in the order of their failure, greatest failure to least.

The people of New Orleans. For cryin’ out loud they live in a city that is 3 feet below sea level, on the gulf coast prone to hurricanes. The city got flooded and they’re surprised.

Knucklehead Nagin, mayor of the city below the sea. He let trains leave the city empty and keep the city buses parked in a parking lot. Any attempt he made to save the elderly, the poor and indigent was worthless.

Govenor Blanco of Louisiana. That women had the deer in the headlights look every time she went on tv. She was lost.

George Bush. His authoritarian management style allowed him to hire “Brownie” who was clearly out of his depth.

The people of the United States, who for some reason, are increasingly sure that the federal government is mommy and daddy and by virture of those parents, will come and save them if life gets too messy.

There you have it. Now, no more about hurricane Katrina.

I have always been flabbergasted that some individuals are compelled and go out of their way to impress me. They try to convince me of their superority at work, in sports, their political awareness and accume, their prowess with women, their knowledge of anything and everything. Of course while they are doing this they are also trying to impress you and the guy standing nearby and their next door neighbor. But, what is it about me that people feel the need to impress. Particularly short men. Do I have a sign on my forehead that says, “Impress this man and get a place in heaven”.

First off, I find this need to give approval to adult people, rather burdensome. I am not in the business of providing validation of anyone’s ego, particularly if they are adults.

If you want to really impress the living hell out of me, do what you do quitely and with competence. Don’t showboat or get everyone to agree that you are a outstanding individual so that I will be swayed by numbers. Just be quite, do your thing and do it well, make sure you do it with honesty and integrity and don’t expect anything from me.

You do these things and I will be impressed out of my pants.

So the University opens in exactly two weeks. Which means it is offcially time to panic. People are coming in at 6 in the morning and staying until 10 at night. I have gotten most of my areas of chaos under some form of control, but I know that one thing will slip through my fingers and cause me anxiety at some point. Besides, there is that looming reorg that the CIO has got planned and of course he has to announce it the first day of classes at 9 am. One wonders if he has any idea. I happend to walk into the office of one of my compatriots and over heard him say “do you think he suspects” and I know he was referrring to me. Of course I can’t get him spill the proverbial beans, so this will be hanging over my head for two more weeks.

My doubts about anyone in any management position and their supposed ability to promote people of caliber to supervisory postions, well let’s just say, I really have no doubts. The previous CIO promoted a women we’ll call Donna. Without question she is one of the most acerbic humans I have ever known. She was and still is a secretary, unfortunately her job title is Director. She is hostile, ignorant and a bully but for some reason the CIO’s love her. As long as Flora remains my boss, I’ll be happy, if this other women takes the reigns, management will find my quite reasonable demeanor goes right out the window. I will surprise them by my comments and look for another job in the process.

Well, two weeks and then we’ll have everything settled. Frankly, they should promote me, but the new CIO is an Italian momma’s boy, so I’m not holding my breath.

The NY Times had this picture as a part of their photo essay on destruction in Lebenon. I took one look at this photo and fell in love with it. Not because of the the destruction it supposedly shows, but because it so obviously a cynical attempt to manipulate the public that even I can point it out.

Scroll down to the picture with the title “Turmoil in the Middle East” 

The forefront of this picture appears to be a guy who has been injured in an apparent bomb blast, which is in the background. Take a look at this guy again, he has absolutely NO injuires at all, with the exception of a small impromptu bandage on his hand. The guy isn’t even dirty. Doesn’t have a scratch. His hat tucked under his left arm. If this guy had been in the building during the blast that caused this damage he would be, to say the least, a sad image of his former self. This photo was so obviously staged, I have to ask if the Times photo editor has lost his will to live. Of course, assuming that the photo editor has not, why would he put such an obviously false image in this essay unless he thought the public were so dumb that they would buy it and he in turn had his own agenda.