Floods

I'm only just realizing the gravity of the floods in Iowa and Illinois, the post below notwithstanding. I guess I have a tendency assume that, barring the only way out of the city being a 40 mile drive across Lake Pondchartrain, floods are an annoyance that should teach decadent people to be a little less entitled about their SUVs. Which is to my real discredit. But I'm reading more about them now, and it's pretty sobering. Not just the people who are losing their homes, but the effect on crops at pretty much exactly the wrong time in the growing season and the demand cycle. It doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility that people will starve in Asia and Africa because of the rain in Iowa.

Right now, though, the effect is local. I think it's great that the Obama campaign site has made flood relief their primary issue on their home page...I think it's great for Iowans, for the campaign, and for the candidate. But when I followed the link to the Red Cross site, I found that what is less great is the design of the site for directing you to the donation page (it's buried within an unlikely sub-page.) So if you're inclined to donate something, and prove the efficacy of American unity, you can do it easily by clicking here instead.

JEK
Geographic empathy is a work in progress