SPIEGEL Surfs the Web FEMA Head's Katrina E-Mails
Poor Michael Brown. The former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency got hammered for his handling of Hurricane Katrina relief in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and was forced to resign soon afterwards. But if that wasn't bad enough, now Louisiana congressman Charlie Melancon has placed e-mails written by Brown during the crisis on his Web site -- complete with his own analysis of them. They are not flattering. In one -- the morning of the hurricane -- he asked FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, Cindy Taylor, "Can I quit now? Can I come home?" In others, he offers to "tweak" the federal response after it became clear that aid was not getting to New Orleans. He also e-mailed his press secretary to ask about what he should be wearing for his public appearances. But then, public image is a major concern for virtually all public servants.
San Francisco's Suicide Magnet
In surprisingly thorough coverage, the series looks at how the Golden Gate Bridge's symbolic nature has long made it a draw for suicides. Besides numerous articles delving into the causes of why people decide to take their lives there and the painful aftermath, the paper also looks at a proposed barrier that could perhaps prevent further deaths.
There are even fascinating if somewhat macabre graphics showing where people jumped and how many plunged into the bay each year. We're not so sure the Podcast was really necessary though.
NIN Photos from New Orleans
Hurricane Katrina is, for most of the world, but a bad memory. New Orleans, though, is still fighting to come back. Recent photos taken by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails show that the city still has a long way to go.
The headlines may have dried up -- and New Orleans mostly dried out. But the Big Easy is far from back to health. But Reznor is a resident of New Orleans and he recently toured the devastated Ninth Ward and was shocked by the destruction. He has posted his photos on the Nine Inch Nail's Web site.
