Beware of thems

The most simple thing can get tangled into a horrendous mess.

Here’s a proverb? A fable? A typical system failure?

The funding finally came through? What? I just finished the gill implants and my derm guys says the scale transplant is looking great. What am I gonna tell the wife?”(USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

It’s been almost two years.

The promised Hurricane Harvey disaster assistance money drips in slowly.

Handed to state, then passed to city

What happened with first round of funds wasn’t pretty.

The city approved list of contractors turned out not to be vetted.

Scoundrels stole from those least able to lose, then skedaddled.

Finally, a second round of funding recently handed over to city council.

This time, determined to do right, they created some rules for those who take the grant money:

Homeowner must ask permission of notify city if planning to leave house for 90 days or more

No fixing the house up better than before

No fixing, then moving or renting that repaired home

Absolutely no fixing for flipping and moving far from future storms – even if a senior citizen.

Yearly, a city monitors will come by, look around inside, making sure rules are followed

Not compliant? Default and the city takes all.

A watery grave error to live in such a place: own the property, but not yours to do as you wish.

Important to watch for strings attached

“Harvey housing aid program delayed over vacancy provision”

“Let me get this straight, I make all the mortgage payments for this gutted house I’ve camped out in for over a year, after your contractor took off with all my money without any work done, and now you’re telling me while it’s my house, in order to get the taxpayer funded grant money promised for repairs, I have to agree you get to tell me what to do with my own property?” (from the film “Creature from the Haunted Sea” – seemed appropriate. USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

No one really knows whether the weather can be stabilized by humans, a species-come-lately who’s like the bull in the china shop.

Slowly the dots get connected as enough data and factual observations are accumulated:

• “Rain in Asia predicts intense California Heat”
• “California’s heavy snowmelt may cause earthquakes in Mammoth Lakes Area”

 Climates, seas, and lands change constantly with and without intervention.

(Did you know the sea floor completely recycled itself every 200 million years between continual movement of plate tectonics and seafloor spreading? That may be why scientist can’t locate the impact zone of the Dino killing rock from outer space.)

Presidential candidates should put a cork in it to secure survival and slow climate warming.

“7 of the World’s Most Fearsome Active Volcanoes”

“Yes! Use a cork instead of a beautiful maiden to quiet a volcano and save the environment…not to mention me.(USPD/Commons.wikimedia.org)

OK so it would have to be a big cork.

But if NASA has a  Asteroid Redirect Mission, wouldn’t a volcano stopper also be totally reasonable?

Earth’s history has proved that any asteroid – volcano combo is pretty life changing. (Worse than a field of mad cows or Russian traps– those darn colluding Russians again!)

So our space cowboys are running contingency drills preparing to protect our rock just in case the Redirect Mission isn’t ready in time:

“NASA and FEMA practicing for Impending Asteroid Strike“

Asteroid, volcano, politician, bureaucrat.  

Any one can create a mess. All can be explosive. Only two naturally have excuses.

“I envy people who drink – at least they know what to blame everything on.” (Oscar Levant)

Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.

Asteroid 99942, Apophis (1,100-foot-wide/340-meter-wide), will pass Earth, by about 19,000 miles (31,000 kilometers) above the surface. “Apophis is a representative of about 2,000 currently known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids,” according to Paul Chodas, CNEOS director. “By observing Apophis during its April, 2029 flyby, we will gain important scientific knowledge that could one day be used for planetary defense.” (More here)

Until then, keep your fingers crossed. Maybe carry an umbrella – a big sturdy one.

Coming April 29, 2029, the asteroid Apophis. Blue dots are man-made satellites. Yes, we created, yet another mess. Hey, not so pristine – lots of rocks out there. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

 

 

 

 

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