This is a really disheartening story by two people who were attending a conference in New Orleans when Katrina struck. It’s hard to believe it’s really this bad, you know, even with all the first-hand stories it just seems unfathomable. I wonder whether Norway would collapse as easily. I find it hard to imagine our efficient and more or less fair society failing quite so appallingly, but then so, I imagine, must most Americans have assumed their society would hold up fine.
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Martin
Well, the current amount of rain would indicate that we’re about to find out.
Jill
LOL. Well, hardly. Actually they rang me from Oslo to warn me to plan on my taxi ride to the studio taking much longer than usual – I hadn’t realised it was that bad, because I live on a hill and hadn’t read the news yet. Anyway, I trode my rusty, almost brake-less bike instead, but between my place and NRK all roads were open and there was very little traffic. Lots of people were late for the ten am meeting, though. People living further out of town are simply stuck.
My nine-year-old was scared to see the news, though. Losing her friend in the tsunami has her really scared of floods, and she noticed (of course) the headlines on the newspaper about the person who died last night and the woman and child who are critically injured. Flooding in Bergen, amazing, you’d think rain would be easy.
Simon
You said “our society”. I find myself talking about “us” instead of “you” more and more often. It’s worrying.
kristina
I really appreciated reading your paper, Blogging Thoughts: With Torill Mortensen.
It really gave me new insight into how blogs could be a creative tool for thinking, and the process of making. I just read it this morning, 5:00. It altered by view of blogs 180 degrees.
As an academic I had my preconceptions about bloggers and the abundance of personal thought and information existing everywhere. Armed with a bit more thought on the effective use of
blogs I have decided to start my own. Thanks for the encouragement.
Kristina
Jill
Wow! Thank you, Kristina!!
pia
I am shocked and appaled! I understand that Kathrina damaged an area as large as Great Brittain, but does that call for anarchist methods to keep order? How could the police and army possibly be so, sorry about the simple use of words, stupid, that they would confiscate food and water from anyone in that area?! Argh, that made me feel sick.