Mississippi River Flooding, Diaster Response & Economic Theory

The opening lyric to Hank Williams, Jr.‘s – aka “Bocephus” – 1982 song “A County Boy Can Survive,” is “And the Mississippi River she’s a goin’ dry.”

At this juncture, that certainly doesn’t seem to be the case.

The Mississippi River has flooded to such an extent that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to open floodgates and allow excess water from the river to flow toward the Gulf of Mexico through alternate routes.

Weeks of heavy rains and runoff from the melting of an extremely snowy winter have raised Mississippi River levels to historic proportions. Over 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) of farmland in Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas along the river have been flooded, evoking memories of floods in 1927 & ’37.

On Saturday, the Corps opened two of 125 floodgates at the Morganza Spillway, and opened two more today (Sunday, 15 May 2011). The spillway is 45 miles northwest of Louisiana’s capitol, Baton Rouge. The Corps hopes that by opening them, it will

Out of sight, out of mind? Research Scientist finds Gulf of Mexico bottom dead

BIG OIL companies – in this instance and most notably BP – are quick to “remind” their consuming public that they are the “good guys” that always wear white and that they our “knight in shining armor coming to your emotional rescue.”

However, having never been one to believe in conspiracy theory, or genuine collusion, yet in all honesty, one must acknowledge that BIG OIL has significant self interest called stock held by Wall Street shareholders. Those are the masters to whom they are loyal… NOT the American people.

Scientist finds Gulf bottom still oily, dead

By Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer – Sat Feb 19, 8:53 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Oil from the BP spill remains stuck on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, according to a top scientist’s video and slides that she says demonstrate the oil isn’t degrading as hoped and has decimated life on parts of the sea floor.

That report is at odds with

Flickr: Deepwater Horizon Response’s Photostream

GULF OF MEXICO - Coast Guard Seaman Michael Paluh scans the site of the Deepwater Horizon Response at dawn as the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute patrols nearby July 8, 2010. The Resolute, home-ported in St. Petersburg, Fla., is serving as a search and rescue guard to help support and protect people and ships involved in Deepwater Horizon response efforts to stop the leak and recover oil on the water. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Belson.

Flickr: Deepwater Horizon Response’s Photostream.

Rainwaters Flood Tennessee

Tennesseans Awash in Floodwaters

Photographs below…

Troy King claims Pharmacy Lawsuits Frivolous – OR – “I practice law AND (bad) medicine!”

Using my “Bob Riley and Troy King: The Saga Continues” post on Monday, February 1, 2010, as a guide, I crafted a “Letter to the Editor” (LTE) which was published by “The Times Daily,” a Florence, AL area newspaper serving the Shoals area and greater Northwest Alabama.

Here, in its entirety is the letter. I have redacted my name – though if you ask politely, via e-mail, I will share. I have nothing to hide.

“Alabama Attorney General Troy King has recently come under fire for requesting judges in five counties to

“… just send your cash,” and “I had meals with people who are dead.”

By definition, a dangling participle is “a participle intended to modify a noun that is not actually present in the text.”  While “a participle is a word formed as an inflection of the verb, such as arriving or arrived. A dangling participle is one left “hanging” because, in the grammar of the clause, it does not relate to the noun it should.” Thus, it makes the subject appear to be doing, or have done something it has not.

They are sometimes pesky parts of the English language, and can make even the most well-spoken, appear quite silly.

So, for your entertainment, Ladies and Gentlemen… I present The Ex-Presidents!

“I know a lot of people want to send blankets or water… just send your cash. One of the things that uhhh… the president and I will do is ta’ make sure your money is spent wisely.”

- Former President George W. Bush, speaking Saturday, January 16, 2010 in the White House Rose Garden at current President Barak Obama’s invitation to collaborate with former President William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton for Haitian disaster relief

“I have no words to say of what I feel… I wa… when you… I wa… I was in those hotels that collapsed. I had meals with people who are dead. The cathedral church that Hillary and I sat in 34 years ago is a total rubble.”

- Former President William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton, speaking Saturday, January 16, 2010 in the White House Rose Garden at current President Barak Obama’s invitation to collaborate with former President George W. Bush for Haitian disaster relief

President Obama announces collaborative Haitian Disaster Relief with Former Presidents Clinton and Bush