PostSecret: A very cool project.

[Found via mighty girl]

I thought this was rather interesting: More Hurricane Katrina: Folklore vs. Fact.

Apparently, the buck does not stop here.

• Bus accident kills 24 elderly evacuees: This is an incredibly tragic event at the head of a number of tragic days to come.

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• Before Hurricane Rita turned more to the east in the last day, local forecasters here in Central Texas were predicting hurricane-strength winds and severe flooding. Over the last 24 hours as the hurricane’s path changed, forecasts have been revised down from an 80% chance of rain with 65+ mph winds to now 30% chance with 15-20 mph winds.

But this changing landscape of meteorology didn’t stop locals from stocking up from the store.

I made a stop by a local store last night to find that many items had been depleted. Bottled water, bread, bananas, Gatorade, canned meats, and batteries were all in short supply. The donut case also seemed to have seen considerable business. The meat section had also been depleted quite well. But the beer and ice cream isle seemed to be holding on though, so I guess no one was planning an all out party.

It was interesting to me to see what was left behind in the depeleted sections of the store. There was a considerable amount of garlic bread. Powdered Gatorade mix and SPAM singles were also left.

I’m sure there will be a mass attempted return of unused merchandise to the store on Monday after the small rain showers from the storm pass Central Texas.

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• Water is spilling back into New Orleans from a break in one of the levees.

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• Yesterday, I saw a number of Texas National Guard convoys heading out of Austin. Presumably, they are leaving from Camp Mabry. I saw bottled water sticking out of the top of one truck as well as generators, gas trucks, and a significant amount of supplies heading south. My prayers are with all of the personnel who are going into harm’s way for the sake of those they serve.

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• The City of Austin now has 16 shelters open and is hosting nearly 4,000 evacuees.

Two Mondays ago, the Lovely Girlfriend and I flew from Texas to Cancun, Mexico, to start an incredible week of amazing sights, incredible food, great conversations, and memorable experiences. Over the next couple of days I will be posting photos and stories about the week.

[Photo currently unavailable]

I’m in Mexico at the moment! More posts and pictures to come when I get back!

I certainly believe that FEMA has a significant amount of answering to be done for their role in the crisis following Hurricane Katrina, but it seems to me that the state level organizations, and specificially Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, will ultimately have more to answer for.

The National Guard must initially be mobilized by the governor. It is also the governor who must give permission for federalization of the National Guard and entire relief effort.

I believe that the state-level emergency management system are under the control and direction of the office of the governor as well.

I hate to admit that I agree with FoxNews, but here’s an interesting conversation between reporters Brit Hume and Major Garrett: Looking for Answers in the Hurricane’s Aftermath.

Apple announced two new products yesterday: the Motorola ROKR (which I can’t see myself ever using) and the iPod nano (which is just pretty dang cool!).

That’s all I have to say about that.

It appears that gas prices in Austin, Texas, have crossed the $3.00 mark, but some stations are still selling in the $2.50-$2.60 range. [Source: austingasprices.com].

Of course, this is certainly not as bad as it is Georgia and other locations.

UPDATE: Snopes.com has an brief article about the image shown on Yahoo.

Capital Area Food Bank of Texas and HEB Grocery are collecting donations of specific items this Friday, September 1, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at a number of locations throughout Texas.

Four Austin-area HEB locations are accepting donations of diapers, bottled water, peanut butter in plastic containers, canned meats with ring-pull lids and granola/cereal bars. Items can be purchased at the HEB or any other location.

Donations can also be dropped off at the Food Bank (8201 South Congress Avenue). The Capital Area Food Bank is also accepting financial donations online.