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Levees.org
FEATURED NEWS:
Published by Homeland Security, sent to Insurance Journal’s 43,000 subscribers and to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 150,000 members:
New data released by Levees.Org shows that the majority of U.S. population lives in counties protected by levees, and that those counties are wealthier.Click here for complete research paper.
The 8/29 Investigation
Louisiana and the nation deserve a truly independent investigation of the flood protection failures – and the decision making that led to those failures – during Hurricane Katrina.- Why an Independent Investigation?
- How would this analysis be structured?
- How much time and how much money is needed?
- What would the Investigation look at?
- Who currently supports the Investigation?
The Facts
Fact 1The flooding of New Orleans and nearby St. Bernard parish was a civil engineering disaster, not a weather event. According to a 2007 study by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the majority of the damage from the flooding is due to the levees failing (page 39). “The failure of the levees was the worst engineering disaster in the world since Chernobyl” says Dr. Ray Seed, Geotechnical Engineering, University of California Berkeley.
Fact 2
Responsibility for the design and construction of the flood protection in metro New Orleans belongs solely to the US Army Corps of Engineers as mandated in the Flood Control of 1965.
Fact 3
To look to Congress and the Army Corps to fix what it broke does not reflect on the last administration. The failure of the federally engineered levees was 40 years in the making. The Army Corps squandered hundreds of millions of dollars on a levee system they knew by their own calculations was inadequate.
Fact 4
More than 98% (ninety-eight percent) of the US Army Corps of Engineers are civilian employees. Thus to look to the Army Corps and Congress to fix what it broke does not disparage our young soldiers fighting in foreign wars.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Why rebuild a city that’s sinking?
- Why rebuild a city built below sea level?
- Why rebuild a city that’s vulnerable to hurricanes?
- Didn’t the local politicians divert federal levee money into local projects?
- The Corps admitted they’re at fault so why another study?
- If the Corps is largely to blame, why did Louisiana consolidate its levee boards?
- Didn’t the Mayor wait until too late to issue an evacuation order?
- Haven’t New Orleans residents known for years that this could happen?
- Congress gave you $110 billion. Isn’t that enough?
- Why is the engineering community reluctant to blame the Corps for errors that caused so much calamity?
- Why Rebuild and Protect the City of New Orleans?
Radio show caller confirms New Orleans pumps probably won’t work in high water event
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Bosworth was explaining why the Corps of Engineers’ expensive pumps installed at the mouths of the 17th Street, Orleans and London Avenue Canals might not work if needed. Mr. Bosworth was explaining testimony from a Corps whistleblower featured in Harry Shearer’s new documentary, The Big Uneasy.
The caller added some first hand testimony. Here is a short excerpt from Karre’s interview with ‘Dave.’
DAVE: I was involved with another company trying to sell these pumps to the Army Corps of Engineers. In doing some research, the gentleman is correct (H.J. Bosworth Jr.). The specs were not met. No way, no how, no shape, no form. They (the pumps) were supposed to be witness tested. The pumps themselves are great pumps, they do work. But not under the conditions that they ran in the canals right now. There’s not enough water in the canals to be able to run those pumps properly. They’re hydraulicly driven, which means there’s fluid in these motors, and fluid gets hot and the seals break.
KAARE: Well that’s the key, Dave. How long has the Corps run these? How long can they run?
DAVE: They really haven’t done a lot of testing on them.
Click here for the entire interview. Begin at approximately the mid point.
http://www.webwiseforradio.com/site_files/244/File/KJ_083110_H2.mp3
Debut of Harry Shearer’s ‘The Big Uneasy’ got long standing ovation
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Producer director Harry Shearer extended an invitation to H.J. Bosworth Jr, lead researcher for Levees.org, and I, to the debut of his new documentary, The Big Uneasy, last night at the Prytania theater.
Also in the theater, that I could see, was Garland Robinette, Garret Graves and Ivor van Heerden, all of whom were featured in the film.
As Mr. Shearer has said before, his goal in creating The Big Uneasy was to present the findings of experts – in a accessible format – on exactly why metro New Orleans flooded five years ago.
Judging by the sold out shows, standing ovations and extended movie-house showings this week, we believe Mr. Shearer has succeeded greatly.
H.J and I were both also pleased when Mr. Shearer gave us a special shout out. If it were not for the yard signs, he said, that Levees.org had placed in the ground all over New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish that said “hold the corps accountable,” he may never have seriously looked into the issues nor made the documentary.
Sandy Rosenthal
Founder, Levees.org
www.levees.org
Click here for movie showings.
Also in the theater, that I could see, was Garland Robinette, Garret Graves and Ivor van Heerden, all of whom were featured in the film.
As Mr. Shearer has said before, his goal in creating The Big Uneasy was to present the findings of experts – in a accessible format – on exactly why metro New Orleans flooded five years ago.
Judging by the sold out shows, standing ovations and extended movie-house showings this week, we believe Mr. Shearer has succeeded greatly.
H.J and I were both also pleased when Mr. Shearer gave us a special shout out. If it were not for the yard signs, he said, that Levees.org had placed in the ground all over New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish that said “hold the corps accountable,” he may never have seriously looked into the issues nor made the documentary.
Sandy Rosenthal
Founder, Levees.org
www.levees.org
Click here for movie showings.
Our mission is education and we encourage dialog. Please join us on one of these social networks, or contact us directly.
Tweets
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- Hear Harry Shearer, Ivor van Heerden, and yours truly here on the BBC about the 2005 Flood. http://bbc.in/d2B2or 2010/09/01
- RT @TheBigUneasy: New Orleans to get more chances to see @TheBigUneasy on the big screen. http://bit.ly/afC5TG 2010/09/01
- More details emerge re: defective pumps at outfall canals in New Orleans. #TheBigUneasy See partial transcript. http://bit.ly/9tL50h 2010/09/01
Levees.Org on Facebook
Bookmarks
view all - archive
- Documenting a manmade disaster | SocialistWorker.org
- Katrina - a man-made disaster: A new movie reveals how the flooding could have been prevented
Errol Louis, Daily News - Aug 31, 2010 - Harry Shearer debuts documentary critical of Corps
WWL TV Eyewitness News - Aug 31, 2010
05 August 2010
http://theragblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/ted-mclaughlin-access-to-water-is-human.html
- David MacBryde said...
- A recent round table on Water in Austin, Texas, was held at Jim Hightower's office. See http://www.edibleaustin.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=206&Itemid=1 For some helpful insights do recall that Elinor Ostrom received the Nobel memorial economics prize -- for her work on why the "tragedy of the commons" can but need not prevail, and the "drama of the commons" is important.
- Aug 6, 2010 8:13:00 AM
- New Orleans May Still Be Vulnerable To Major Storm Aug 27 2010 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129466743
- The future of print in a digital age
- Pamphleteers
- Aug 21 ,Admissions : maybe a public inquiry will light a fire under the police's ass to try to find out what happened to all of the other missing women they've been ignoring for years.
- American Revolution's Pamphleteers, Today's Bloggers and Twitterers for Change http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cali-yost/worklife-fit-not-balance/american-revolutionrsquos-pamphleteers-todayrsquos-bloggers-
- Y FC Expert Blogger Cali Williams YostFri Jul 10, 2009 More than 230 years ago, ordinary citizens across the colonies printed and distributed the passionate words of “amateur” writers to shape public opinion and galvanize the independence movement virally. Like the Iranians, these colonial social media pioneers faced violent suppression from a powerful ruling class. But their simple pamphlets proved to be even more powerful. They offer hope not only to the courageous Iranians, but to anyone interested in harnessing the collective for change.
- ( Everybody remembers SoTT's article on the Iranian 'Green Revolution' being a Twitter Revolution experiment subsidized by $400 nillion from the CIA, I trust. So what does it mean when this stuff is online ? Media....is media. )
13 February 2008
http://laura-knight-jadczyk.blogspot.com/2008/02/thirty-years-of-cults-and-comets.html- the end of the Hundred Years' War. In the previous installments of this series of articles we have looked at how the Black Death was probably a period of cometary fragment bombardment leading to mass death on an unimaginable scale. In today's world, the equivalent would be the deaths of two, possibly three billion people planet-wide and many animals as well. Just contemplating what humanity would do with that many bodies to be disposed of is daunting, not to mention considering how society would continue. The Black Death was no respecter of rank, either: the elites died in proportionate numbers to the masses of ordinary people. This has some interesting implications in terms of how the elites are looking at the matter now, but again, that is something we will come back to once we have a look at the evidence.
In our discussion of the Hundred Years' War, we learned that a great cover-up was effected at the end of it all and this was mainly to reestablish the religious control of the masses because, of course, religious control has always been the right arm of princes and governments.
Inasmuch as it was popularly believed that the continued sterility of many years was caused by witches through the malice of the Devil, the whole country rose to exterminate the witches. This movement was promoted by many in office, who hoped wealth from the persecution. And so, from court to court throughout the towns and villages of all the diocese, scurried special accusers, inquisitors, notaries, jurors, judges, constables, dragging to trial and torture human beings of both sexes and burning them in great numbers. Scarcely any of those who were accused escaped punishment. Nor were there spared even the leading men in the city of Trier. For the Judge, with two Burgomasters, several Councilors and Associate Judges, canons of sundry collegiate churches, parish priests, rural deans, were swept away in this ruin. So far, at length, did the madness of the furious populace and of the courts go in this thirst for blood and booty that there was scarcely anybody who was not smirched by some suspicion of this crime.* Meanwhile notaries, copyists, and innkeepers grew rich. The executioner rode a blooded horse, like a noble of the court, and went clad in gold and silver; his wife vied with noble dames in the richness of her array. The children of those convicted and punished were sent into exile; their goods were confiscated; plowman and vintner failed hence came sterility. A direr pestilence or a more ruthless invader could hardly have ravaged the territory of Trier than this inquisition and persecution without bounds: many were the reasons for doubting that all were really guilty. This persecution lasted for several years; and some of those who presided over the administration of justice gloried in the multitude of the stakes, at each of which a human being had been given to the flames. At last, though the flames were still unsated, the people grew impoverished, rules were made and enforced restricting the fees and costs of examinations and examiners, and suddenly, as when in war funds fail, the zeal of the persecutors died out. (Burr: Linden, Gesta Trevirorum (from his manuscript in the City Library of Trier.) Latin. Printed in Hontheim's Historia Trevirensis diplomatica (iii, p. 170, note) and in Wyttenbach and Muller's ed. of the Gesta Trevirorum See this LINK for many first hand accounts and details of the witch persecutions.)
* McCarthism and the 'Communist' witch hunts had many predecessors. The tactic is an established War of Terror mechanism of the state.
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