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Boil Water Notice in Effect
The City of Jackson Public Works Department has issued a "boil water" notice for residents in Jackson. If you use municipal water for consumption or cooking, it's recommend that you allow the water to come to a rolling boil for at least one minute before allowing it to cool and use. (A recent notice on the Weather channel also recommended that pregnant women and children under 6 months of age not consume boiled water.) The City is also asking residents to conserve water so that it's available for hospital and other emergency uses.
President Bush's Remarks From the Coast
[verbatim]REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
Biloxi, Mississippi12:15 P.M. CDT
Individuals Post Katrina Photos on Flikr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/katrina/
Over 2000 photos have the tag "Katrina" on the Flikr service, where folks make their photos available to everyone on the Web. Obviously some photos tagged Katrina might not be hurricane-related, but a quick look through suggests a lot of them are:
CL: Barbour Heads to the Coast
The Clarion-Ledger is reporting that Governor Barbour plans to take a helicopter to the Gulf Coast and tour the damaged areas; according to Barbour, up to 80 people are thought to have died in Harrison County alone.
Bush's Numbers Lower After Speech
Calling it a "can't win" dynamic, SurveyUSA has completed a three-day poll that show his already-falling approval numbers declining in the wake of his announcement of the "Gulf Opportunity Zone." 56% of Americans disapprove of his response to Katrina, with some of that increase actually coming from Americans who say Bush is doing *too much* for Katrina victims; he's "antagonizing his core supporters," says SurveyUSA, by throwing cash at the problem. In fact, 41% say that the Gulf should be rebuilt with private money, while 27% say it should be rebuilt with public money.
JSU's Katrina Response
(Jackson, Miss.) – Jackson State University is thankful to those who have expressed sympathy and offered assistance in response to Hurricane Katrina. We would like to assure the public that we are able to move forward with the 2005–06 academic year, and will do everything within our ability to assist those students and families in need. Accordingly, we will implement the following emergency response measures:
Also Hit Hard: Hattiesburg
Another place that hasn't gotten a lot of play in the national news (Weather Channel, CNN, etc.) is Hattiesburg, which was right in the path of Katrina and reportedly has gotten pummeled while Katrina was still Category 2. C-L posted some stories about Hattiesburg written by Hattiesburg American earlier today:
‘Miata Station Wagon,' Anyone?
I've known Ms. D. about the same amount of time that I've been writing car reviews—on and off for about six years now. (On and off for the car reviews. Aside from the occasional exile to the living-room sofa, I've been seeing Ms. D. continuously for that entire time.) For all those reviews, there have been only two cars—aside from my Mazda Miata, which is now pretty much her Mazda Miata—for which she has expressed any level of admiration.
Vista Arrives, Apple Connives?
The reviews and press coverage of Microsoft's long-awaited release of Microsoft Vista have been interesting for this particular Mac-centric writer to watch. Many reviewers laud the new features and eye candy in Vista, saying it runs particularly well on new PCs that can handle its hefty hardware requirements. Just as often, however, the suggestion is to wait before upgrading. Sometimes the recommendation is to wait until you buy a new machine that comes with Vista pre-loaded.
The Smell of the Matrix
The Toyota Matrix keeps growing on me. Initially I wrote it off completely as aimed a little too young for my taste. As I dig deeper into the idea of a sporty wagon, however, I find myself back at the Matrix, still feeling a bit squeamish about the rakish lines but ultimately realizing that it's a perfectly fine car that gets outstanding mileage with a price that starts down near Ford Focus territory if you go for the base model. Maybe I'm a bit younger at heart than I realized.
Gadgets of The Week
There can't possibly be a better time than back-to-school week for students (of all ages) to hit up their parents or loved ones for a laptop. After all, they do want to see you succeed, right? Right?!
TEST DRIVE: A Utility Vehicle, Thank You
"Well, in a way, a boring truck sort of appeals to me," said Mr. K, on our way to the Toyota dealership. We were headed out there to see a Toyota Highlander, which I thought he might appreciate, as he'd been complaining about gas prices and the mileage he gets from his 10-year-old 4Runner.
[Drive] Mocked in a Mustang
I have never been in a hardtop Mustang that was made after 1972. But I have seen them around and wondered about them. So, I was determined a few weeks back to rent one and report my findings here. Unfortunately, as I have been in the past, I was thwarted by a clever Hertz representative who, by using mind-control mojo, got me to take a convertible instead. She did this by saying, "Would you like a convertible instead? It's only $7 more a day."
[Drive] Mr. K's Used-Car Primer
For someone that Ms. D claims is obsessed with cars, I'm not all wrapped up in the lore and legend of sports cars or racing cars like many aficionados—rather, I'm obsessed with transportation. I like to see a good, functional, efficient, handy, inexpensive car. One I could afford and appreciate and be proud of. For instance, I repeatedly eyed a little Honda Civic four door that's for sale by its owner down the street from me in Belhaven. It's a little five-speed with 147,000 miles (I peered in the window). The paint is a little sun worn, but the five-speed looks shifty, and it would be good, practical transportation—if the AC works. It's a good image car for the struggling entrepreneur—efficient, practical, devil-may-care styling—plus it would look great in the Co-Op parking lot with a few "granola head" bumper stickers sprouting on its hind quarters.
[Crossroads] Cyber-Man
"No Maps for These Territories" is a fascinating glimpse into the philosophy and biography of William Gibson, the science-fiction writer best known for coining the phrase "cyberspace." Beyond that claim to fame, Gibson is a very real person and an entertaining one, with a charming self-deprecation and an interesting way of looking at the world.
Test Drive: Room in a VUE
"It's too big," says Ms. D, with clear-eyed disdain. We were driving up to the Saturn dealership on I-55 and High Street, looking at a row of nearly identical Saturn VUE models.
[Drive] Sonata for a Song
Ms. D wrinkled her nose the second she saw it and called to me through the open window of the Miata. "It's white," she said, stating the obvious. I told her that I knew it was white, but that she was to keep an open mind because we needed to evaluate the car on its merits and white was all that they had available at the Hertz counter. She shrugged and popped the Miata into first gear. I plunked the Hyundai into "D" and followed.
Gadget of The Week [11.15.06]
How can your life be truly full and rich when you don't have a personal digital projector? (I ask myself this kind of stuff all the time.) Two different companies—LumenLabs and Benq—are offering $500 projectors for the first time that might make our collective personal projector dream a reality. The LumenLab (http://www.lumenlab.com) PM Projector is the first full product from a company that focuses on do-it-yourself projector kits (PM stands for "pre-made"). It's $499 shipped, supports component and S-video input as well as VGA, has a built-in TV tuner, and it uses extremely inexpensive bulbs, unlike many professional projectors. It includes built-in speakers, a remote and picture rotation for mounting to the ceiling, if you're so inclined. The Benq model (http://www.benq.com) only offers 800x600 resolution for PC connections, but it's brighter and pre-configured for HD TV output. (It's also $100 pricier.) Hook it up to your theoretical Apple iTV device and you're in the home project theater business for just a few Cs. (Both are due for release in November, just in time for someone else to feel obliged to buy it for you. Yahtzee!)
DRIVE: Tennis, er ... Golf, Anyone?
"Oh, they have an orange one!" cried Ms. D, the delight in her voice crackling through the early evening air. "I've never seen that color of orange driving around, have you?" I told her that I hadn't. I also mentioned, for the second time, that we weren't here to look at a VW Beetle. "Well, which one are we supposed to look at?" she asked, irritated at the interruption of her reverie. I pointed to the model in question and told her I wanted her opinion on the Volkswagen Golf.
[Drive] Focus on Chivalry
Ms. D and I have a running point of, er, discussion regarding, of all things, remote keyless entry. I say it's an absolutely must-have feature in terms of the next vehicle that we decide on, and that I'm willing to consider spending an extra $1,000 for a power package in order to get it. (As you might expect, our 1986 Toyota Tercel 4WD does not offer such a feature. To me, keyless entry still seems like The Future.) Ms. D has a different take. "It's unchivalrous. You don't open my door when you use it."