OTHER NEWS

WHY THE COAST GUARD WAY WORKED IN NEW ORLEANS

WHEN THE PROGRESSIVE REVIEW is asked to help in the establishment of the
Second American Republic we will include among our recommendations that
far more of the federal government be modeled on three unusual agencies:
the US Attorneys, the National Park Service and the Coast Guard. These
agencies are unusual because a great deal of federal power is devolved
to individuals working on a local level with an understanding of local
conditions, association with local culture and values, and free to make
decisions on their own that other federal bureaucrats would quickly kick
upstairs. For example, Jim Ridgeway reported of 9/11 that "it was the
Coast Guard commander in New York who organized one of the most
extraordinary operations maritime rescues since Dunkirk on 9-11, pulling
together, ferries, tugs, yachts, and all sorts of other boats to
evacuate half a million people from downtown New York."

Now the GAO has looked into the Coast Guard operations during Hurricane
Katrina. It reports that "of the estimated 60,000 people needing to be
rescued from rooftops and flooded homes, over 33,500 were saved by the
Coast Guard. This was accomplished by a force of 5600 about half of it
flown in after the emergency.

The GAO report makes some interesting points:

- "Underpinning these efforts were the agency's operational principles
that promote leadership, accountability, and enable personnel to take
responsibility and action, based on relevant authorities and guidance.
Another significant factor that allowed the Coast Guard to confront the
destruction brought on by Hurricane Katrina was the agency's reliance on
standardized operations and maintenance practices that allowed the Coast
Guard to respond with greater flexibility using a mix of personnel and
assets from any operational unit. Having up-to-date and regularly
exercised hurricane plans was another factor. . . GAO findings on
lessons learned from past catastrophic disasters have highlighted
similar factors including such things as the critical importance of (1)
clearly defining and communicating leadership roles, responsibilities,
and lines of authority; (2) conducting strong planning and robust
training and exercise programs; and (3) strengthening response and
recovery capabilities.

- "Coast Guard personnel [were] given latitude to act quickly and
decisively within the scope of their authority, without waiting for
direction from higher levels in the chain of command. For example,
during the initial response to Hurricane Katrina, a junior-level C-130
pilot, who first arrived on-scene in New Orleans with the planned
mission of conducting an environmental inspection overflight, recognized
that search and rescue helicopters in the area could not communicate
with officials on the ground, including those located at hospitals and
at safe landing areas. This pilot took the initiative to redirect her
planned mission, changing it from an environmental flight to creating
the first airborne communication platform in the area.

- "Every operation [is directed] towards a clearly defined and
attainable objective. A commanding officer's general instruction to
his/her subordinates, defined the objectives for Coast Guard units with
regard to hurricanes. . .

- "The right assets and capabilities [were] at the right place at the
right time. This also reflects the importance of assigning units
depending on the anticipated need. For example, during the Hurricane
Katrina response, the Coast Guard recognized the need to send security
units to address security concerns during rescue operations. . .

- "The Coast Guard pursues multiple missions with the same people and
assets by adjusting wide variety of tasks and circumstances. Following
this principle allows the Coast Guard to conduct "surge operations,"
[in] which high-intensity efforts [are] often launched at short notice
in response an emergency situation. The effect of surge operations is
not only on people and units directly involved; it demands that the
entire service adapt to find the resources to meet the needs of the
surge operation while still continuing critical day-to-day operations.
During the response to Hurricane Katrina, the Coast Guard found ways to
send people and assets to the Gulf Coast region while maintaining
required levels of readiness in homeports. For example, in District 1,
Air Station Cape Cod, worked with Canadian counterparts to cover search
and rescue needs in the area to minimize the impact of sending some air
assets to respond to Hurricane Katrina.

The Principle of Managed Risk involves two dimensions: First, commander
is obligated to ensure that units are properly trained, equipped, and
maintained, and second, the commander is obligated to assess the crew
and equipment capabilities against the

- "The obligation of Coast Guard personnel to act with good judgment and
treat American citizens and foreign visitors with dignity. For example,
Coast Guard rescue swimmers we spoke to indicated that they made efforts
to keep evacuated families together and to handle frustrated evacuees
with sensitivity."

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06903.pdf

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THE MIX
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NEW AMERICA MEDIA - Black Press USA writer Fitzroy Sterling reports that
juries are more likely to slap the death penalty on blacks with darker
skin, bigger noses, and fuller lips. The study was conducted by Stanford
University researchers and published in the May 2006 edition of
Psychological Science. The study also found that blacks with
"stereotypical racial features" spend up to eight months longer in
prison for felonies than lighter skinned blacks.

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=
98bafff50dd0cafd376f165bed7b64d1


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WORDS
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IT DEPENDS WHAT "THE" MEANS

MARC ABRAHAMS, GUARDIAN, UK - "The" has its place. That, more or less,
is the theme of Glenda Browne's treatise called The Definite Article:
Acknowledging "the" in Index Entries. The "the" article appears in The
Indexer, the information - and fun-packed publication for professional
indexers everywhere. The Indexer has its own index, which includes an
entry for Browne, Glenda.

Browne characterizes herself as an Australian freelance indexer. Her
study is a four-page guide for the definitely perplexed. It explains:
"If 'the' exists in a name or title, it should exist in the index entry
for that name or title. And if it exists in the index entry, it should
be taken into account when sorting the entries.". . .

Browne says: "'The' often doesn't matter. There are many titles that
include 'the', but then treat it as if it doesn't exist. The masthead of
The Australian, for example, has a tiny 'the' above a large
'Australian'. Their layout tells us that the 'the' is insignificant, but
they won't follow this through and omit it entirely. . .

Internationally, the "the" problem is not the problem, it is merely a
problem. Browne makes this clear at the very start of her paper, with a
quotation from indexing maven Hans Wellisch: "Happy is the lot of an
indexer of Latin, the Slavic languages, Chinese, Japanese, and some
other tongues, which do not have articles, whether definite or
indefinite, initial or otherwise."

http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,1834077,00.html

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FURTHERMORE. . .
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STARBUCKS UNION ORGANIZING
http://www.starbucksunion.org/

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SALON'S ABU GHRAIB VIDEO AND PHOTO COLLECTION
http://www.salon.com/news/abu_ghraib/2006/03/14/introduction/

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NAKED GARDENING DAY
http://wngd.org/