The tragic saga of Hurricane Kat unfolds

Am waking up with coffee, I-95 Rock of Savannah, WIXV, and backgammon.  Have started to read the news, and am passing on to share with you some excerpts with links to the completed articles.  Specialist Sideburns came by, after I had answered his call to me, by telephone.  He needs a loan.  O.K.  Cool.  He's good for it.  Whatever.  I would like an  interview, and we are, after all, of the same engineer reserve unit.  He's still in, serving in Iraq.  O.K.  I can manage a little loan.

Anyway, back to what's happening around the world.

From MSNBC:  "Violence boiled over when 14 contractors on their way to help plug the breech in the 17th Street Canal came under fire as they traveled across a bridge under police escort, said John Hall, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers. Police shot at eight people carrying guns, killing five or six, Deputy Police Chief W.J. Riley said. None of the contractors was injured, authorities said.

Besides the lawlessness, civilian deaths and uncertainty about their families, New Orleans’ police have had to deal with suicides in their ranks. Two officers took their lives, including the department spokesman, Paul Accardo, who died Saturday, according to Riley. Both shot themselves in the head, he said.

“I’ve got some firefighters and police officers that have been pretty much traumatized,” Mayor Ray Nagin said. “And we’ve already had a couple of suicides, so I am cycling them out as we speak. ... They need physical and psychological evaluations.”