Gongol.com Archives: September 2005
Brian Gongol



Weather and Disasters (9.1.2005)
Hurricane Causes Incredible Diaspora
Cities on the perimeter of the refugee diaspora: Waco, TX, Branson, MO, St. Louis, MO, Lexington, KY, Chattanooga, TN, Jacksonville, FL. Nashville, TN has hundreds, and Memphis, TN is hosting 2,000 displaced medical patients. And it's already being asked: Will it even make sense to rebuild New Orleans? House Speaker Dennis Hastert at least temporarily had the presence of mind to question rebuilding in the same place and in the same way. The de facto resettlement map is a real eye-opener.

The American Way (9.1.2005)
Library of Classic Advertising

Socialism Doesn't Work (9.1.2005)
GAO Report That Said Amtrak is a Waste of Tax Dollars
Lots of other people think they can make a profit from rail service, including MegaRail, which thinks it can offer intercity rail service using trains with rubber tires in enclosed tracks, and SkyTran, which thinks magnetic levitation could make 100 mph intercity rail travel possible and profitable. Intercity rail used to turn a dime.

Weather and Disasters (9.1.2005)
Only One Radio Station Still Able to Broadcast in New Orleans
With much of the phone system out, many parts are down to whatever they can service via the Internet. Gunmen fired on an evacuation convoy from a hospital, in a new low of lows. CNN reports that the New Orleans Convention Center is in anarchy. Fats Domino is missing and feared dead. Other nations are offering emergency aid, but one of the biggest problems is that there's no place to stay anywhere close to the damage. A couple of computer pros at DirectNIC are keeping up a LiveJournal site with updates from 650 Poydras Street, less than a mile from the Superdome, the Convention Center, and Bourbon Street, and about half a mile from the downtown Quality Inn. They're feeding a live video stream and posting photos of the looting.

Weather and Disasters (9.1.2005)
Methods of Mass Evacuation
Compares mass evacuation by bus, airplane, rail, and ship. It's going to have to happen again, so we'd better start thinking about our options now.

Weather and Disasters (9.1.2005)
New Orleans Still Out of Control
Houston could get 25,000 refugees

Aviation News (9.1.2005)
India Decides "No Negotiation" With Terrorists Means They'll Shoot Down Hijacked Airliners

The American Way (9.1.2005)
25th Anniversary of Solidarity Movement
They helped end the Cold War

Aviation News (9.1.2005)
Britain, France Blacklisting Airlines

Aviation News (9.1.2005)
Aviation Analysts Think Airports Could Be Shut Down By Jet Fuel Shortages

Aviation News (9.1.2005)
Oil Prices Likely to Put Delta into Bankruptcy

Aviation News (9.1.2005)
"Sheer Luck" Held Off Air Collision