Katrina

The devastation in New Orleans and Biloxi and other Gulf Coast communities is heartbreaking. It's hard not to put myself in their shoes and know, if not for the vicissitudes of upper level high pressure troughs, we -- also sitting at sea level -- could have been the ones smacked hard. As it is, we got a brief taste of the outer bands yesterday. Nothing serious, of course, just similar to the usual violent thunderstorms that roll through here every afternoon, but just a reminder of what might have been. As usual, the Red Cross is accepting donations.