The High Cost of Rebuilding After Hurricanes

 Let's face it.  Hurricanes are a fact of life in Florida and surrounding states.  They are stronger and more frequent than ever before.  There have been 17 hurricanes in Florida in the past 20 years!  Do we continue to spend billions of dollars to rebuild these areas, only to have them knocked down in the next hurricane?

Let's look at Katrina (New Orleans).  The federal government allocated $15 billion to rebuild Katrina.  The total cost of rebuilding New Orleans was $125 billion, and it's not even done yet.  Puerto Rico.  Billions of dollars spent to rebuild, and here we are again, another hurricane and billions more in damage.

Should people be allowed to rebuild in areas that are hit year after year by devastating storms?  Who should foot the bill for the damage?  Mobile homes are not built to withstand 150 mph winds, and the after effects of hurricane Ian show that.  Mobile homes were decimated during the recent storm, and should not be located in areas with yearly storms.  Updated building codes are part of the answer.  Florida has updated their building codes dramatically over the past 20 years, and structures built with new and more stringent standards withstood the latest storm.  So,  stricter building standards are definitely needed.  What about insurance?  What about relocating to less dangerous areas?  

We have a big, beautiful country, with lots of unused land.  Let's develop other, safer  areas of the country to house people.  I know we all want to live near water, but let's face facts.  In this age of more frequent, stronger and deadlier storms, this is not possible.  Billions of dollars to rebuild, and then have the same thing happen next year or the following year?  It doesn't make good sense.

Lawmakers have some hard decisions to make, not all of them popular.  Will they make the decision that gets them reelected, or the one that serves their community?

Hurricane Andrew Was 30 Years Ago

I was watching TV the morning of the 30th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, which hit landfall on August 24, 1992.  Many of the reporters who covered the original story are still active journalists, and recalled the harrowing experiences they encountered.  They remembered it like it was yesterday.  One of only a few Category 5 hurricanes to ever hit the U.S., it wreaked havoc everywhere, crushing whole towns in minutes.  It even destroyed much of the Metrozoo in Miami.

One of the iconic images from that hurricane is a picture of a dozen or so pink flamingos in the bathroom of the zoo.  Miraculously only a few mammals were killed in the hurricane, but several hundred birds of various kinds were killed.  The structures at the zoo came down like a house of cards.  With winds from 165-212 mph that's what you would expect.  Zoo employees who were present that day acted quickly.  They herded the flamingos into the bathroom for safekeeping!.  Most of the flamingos were spared, and in 2013 the new Miami Zoo, with a beautiful flamingo habitat was created.  The new area is designed with hurricanes in mind.  There is a structure near the habitat that the flamingos have been trained to go into in case of disaster.  The new building is storm proof.

Flamingos can live to be 50 years old, so many of the 40 flamingos in the Miami Zoo were there in 1992 and survived.  I wonder how they like their new digs.  Through the kindness and generosity of thousands of Floridians and animal lovers around the world, the zoo was rebuilt and is a place of beauty, for all to enjoy. 

Ben and Esther's Vegan Jewish Deli!

 Marilyn called me recently and asked me if I wanted to try the new vegan deli that had just opened in Oceanside.  I scratched my head, wondering how food filled with animal products and schmaltz, could produce plant based lox, corned beef and brisket. They've actually pulled it off.

Ben and Esther's is from Portland, where they have 2 successful locations, plus a store in Seattle and now 2 in San Diego.  I went there once, liked what I had, but would not rush to go again.  I'm not a vegan.  I like my animal protein, and if I'm going to eat a corned beef sandwich, I want the real thing.  The plant based proteins don't really taste like the real thing, but they're ok.  If you don't eat animal products, then this is a great alternative, but  if you do, there's no substitute for the real thing.

The food is made from soy and tempeh.  The corned beef is made from peppery layers of tempeh.  The lox is made from a pickled carrot preparation, and the whitefish is made from hearts of palm.  The marble rye is good, and the bagels looked good, although I didn't try one.

My conclusion is that I am not, nor will I ever be a vegan, unless someone tells me the little animal protein I eat is killing me, and then I may eat it anyway.  If you are a vegan, Ben and Esther's is probably as good as it gets.

Did The Pontiff's Apology Go Far Enough?

 During a recent trip to Canada, Pope Francis begged for forgiveness for the Catholic Church's role in the oppression, mistreatment and cultural genocide of indigenous people in Canada.  However, he faced criticism that he did not do more to fulfil other demands and to take more tangible steps to make amends for the role of the church's role.  The indigenous people of Canada want reparations and investment, accountability for those who perpetrated abuse at Catholic-run-schools and for the return of sacred indigenous artefacts from the Vatican.  What was done to these people is similar to what was done to  indigenous people in America and Australia, where children were removed from their homes and sent to boarding schools to "civilize" them.

All of this came about as a result of the 15th century papal Doctrine of Discovery.  It gave blessing to European colonizers to seize land that was not inhabited by Christians.  Non-Christians, were in effect, deemed savages.  The same thing happened in our country to Native Americans.

For centuries the Doctrine of Discovery was used throughout the world to basically enslave Non-Christians.  In 1455 the pope approved Portugal's claims to lands discovered along the coast of West Africa.  The discovery doctrine was expounded by the US Supreme Court in a series of decisions that explained the way colonial powers laid claim to lands belonging to foreign soverign nations during the Age of Discovery.  Under it, if colonial powers discover a territory, they could lay title to it.

The Discovery Doctrine is still in effect, although it has been condemned by Christian institutions around the world.  It is still used today.  The Pope acknowledges it has an adverse impact on the lives of people today, and it should be repudiated.  The Vatican says the matter is under discussion.

I Love Road Trips

 In April I took a road trip with Regina and my mom, Dorothy.  We were great traveling companions, so we decided to plan another trip.  I recommended a trip to Ohio.  Ohio?  What's in Ohio?  Alot.  

I've found that every region of the country has it's own charm, and no matter where you travel, you will find much of interest.  The more I looked into Ohio, the more interesting it sounded, so what we have come up with is a truly fascinating one week trip.

What does Ohio offer?  Well, first of all, we are going in October, so we will see the changing of the leaves, something that is always a delight.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is something I wanted to visit in Cleveland.  Many Amish communities dot the landscape, many of them offering tours to visitors of  the farms and homes, and even buggy rides.  Many of the beautiful covered bridges in our country are also in this area.  Beautiful national parks, caves and caverns (love them), ancient Indian ruins, and small towns with historic districts are all of interest to me.  On our drive from Cleveland to Cincinnati we will also visit historic homes, many restored and available to visit.  And what would a visit to Ohio be without a tour of the Fanny Mae Chocolate Factory?  

I'm excited about this trip in October, and when I return, I will tell you all about it.  I hope it's all I'm expecting.  

Online Dating: What An Education!

 The last time I went on a date was in 1969.  Boy, have things changed. You met someone you were attracted to, he called you on the phone and asked you out, and you were in business.  Today, if you're over a certain age and are not into the bar scene, meeting men is difficult.  So, like many women, I decided to try online dating.  

There are many on line dating sites, some better than others.  I have found that the bigger sites, like Match.com, are better for me because there are more men to choose from.  Today you need to fill out a profile, entering your age, education, religious preference, political preference, hobbies, interests, and much more.  Then you have to get at least one good picture of yourself to post.  It's a lot of work.  Then comes the hardest part, reading through the dozens of men that meet some of your qualifications and see who is likely to be interesting.  

Some men have very specific qualifications, like you need to live within 20 miles of them.  Some men want a younger woman, a petite woman, an athletic woman.  Some men want a woman who will be with them all the time, others want an independent woman with a life of her own.  All these things that people are looking for today that we never even thought about 50 years ago.  I'm so confused I feel like giving up.

I met one man who sounded great on the phone.  We laughed, thought similarly on many issues, and really seemed to connect.  Then I found out he was broke, lived in a broken down trailer park about an hour away, and had no friends.  Even having a great connection wasn't going to lead anywhere with this guy!

Another guy told me he was 70 years old, but when I met him he looked to more like 85.  I was stunned.  Why lie about your age like that?  He took me to Starbucks for coffee, but never offered to buy me anything to drink.  After a 15 minute meeting at Starbucks, he took off, telling me he was going dancing!  This was at 4:45 in the afternoon.  What's with these guys?  I'm still out there, still looking.

  T

Here There Are Blueberries

 I'm sorry I saw this show at the La Jolla Playhouse on it's last weekend, because I would have told you how riveting and important this was so you could have seen it before it closed.

Is there any more to say about the Holocaust?  Yes, there is, and "Here There Are Blueberries" has a lot to say.  All I can say is this:  If you find this show anywhere nearby, run, don't walk to get your tickets.  Simply done, with minimal sets, no costume changes, and only 90 minutes, you will be engaged from start to finish.  I hope you get a chance to see it.