So, the American Political Science Association annual meeting this year is in the Big Easy. Peter Lawler and I have a panel on the 2010 TRUE GRIT movie, 8am Saturday for those of you who will be there. Peter’s paper is called “Stoicism and the South,” or something along those lines. Also scheduled to arrive, perhaps even in New Orleans, but somewhere along the Gulf Coast sometime midnight-Tuesday or Wednesday-morning, is Isaac, who will be conducting what promises to be a fascinating open-air round table on “100 mph Winds in the South.” Yes, some have said that in these sorts of sessions Isaac has a tendency to drown others out, but I’m going nonetheless.
Well, pending further reports, I am presently planning to go. Not sponsored by a university this time, and living close enough (Virginia), my wife and I had planned to drive it, but now we learn that our path to get to our rental in NOLA Wednesday night pretty much takes us directly across the most likely path predicted for Isaac. I’ve got about three different scenarios for how to get around this:
1) Get to Baton Rouge area ahead of storm, i.e., by late afternoon Tuesday. Wait and see what develops, before going into NOLA Wed. Drawback: I sure won’t be the only one looking for a Baton Rogue hotel room.
2) Forget the possibility of Wednesday night. Aim instead for late late Thursday night, taking the road along the gulf after the storm has passed way inland. Drawback: this could head us shaving by the storm on its stronger eastern front if it curls eastwards.
3) Forget Thursday night, too. Get up early next morning in N. Alabama, and follow the plan for 2. Arrive Friday around 10am. Drawback: $.
And of course, if NOLA takes a direct hit, all bets are off, and APSA will probably cancel anyhow. They’ve already cancelled the minimal Wednesday events.
Now as for y’all plannin’ to FLY to New Orleans…
August 27th, 2012 | 7:51 am
That meeting is so not happening.
Trying to drive across its path is lunacy. Just accept that you’ll be staying home.
August 27th, 2012 | 3:28 pm
It is a shame that in 2012 political scientists still gather in New Orleans and cower in fear of hurricanes. It could always be Skyped.
Given the generally incompetent status quo attitude of the APSA, stimulating aggregate demand in New Orleans seems wasteful, given the countinued existence of such predictable natural phenomenon. I mean seriously, blaming Bush for Katrina is only part of the story. At some point folks have to realize that they are living in Hurricane country, and demand some real political change that thinks outside the box.
So I blame the APSA. The stoicism of the south thus seems to be an excuse not to be “progressive” and employ reason and technology. Just about all of it could be done via the internet anyways, so there is technology in this sense. These presentations could also be boiled down into powerpoint form if the proffs did not maintain such a luddite anti-microsoft(the last meeting was in Seattle?)/technology view-point. Of course the APSA mainly deals with “trademark”/”copyright”, and other mushy forms of property, like the Rock Soundbook:), and New Orleans/Big Easy cultural feel.
But it would be interesting if maybe the APSA could decide to do something productive in terms of stopping Hurricanes, because otherwise it really just is the End of History, and as soon as you back down on driving technological innovation the Malthusian clock gets ya’.
While it may be controversial because I currently disagree over the importance of budget deficit, you don’t necessarily have to wait for another recession before you “brain- storm” (pun intended) a massive infrastructure project. (It just synch’s up better with a Keynesian theory, and timming issues are certainly an endless debate at the APSA).
In concrete terms, you guys do realize that Microsoft R+D, and other related (intellectual ventures lab) developed with Microsoft money have a bunch of “patents” (yes I realize that patents are not familiar subject matter for true “political scientists”) on devices (Salter’s sink) which at a cost effective price can cool the surface temperature of the ocean/gulf of mexico, thus reducing and possibly eliminating the need to sit back and crack amphropomorpholized jokes about “Isaac”. The political science problem is that this is really a market and legal failure… there are too many complications over liability and international property intertests in tropical storms (the worry is that this would change rainfall and thus crops for countries like Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, et al.)
But we are pretty sure that for under a Billion dollars we could end all huricanes, and the project need not even be funded so ambitiously. Jindal can be forgiven a poor rebutal speech at the State of the Union if he implemented Salter’s sinks. (they should theorectially also increase the shrimp yield in the gulf…(thus encountering political pressure from those who have invested in non ocean based shrimp farms)?
I mean this was too easy in terms of carry over…APSA in seattle 2011 (where Salter Sink/Microsoft/intellectualventureslab) to APSA in New Orleans in 2012…
August 28th, 2012 | 6:10 pm
Sorry guys, but it looks like the APSA meeting has officially been cancelled now:
http://www.apsanet.org/content_77049.cfm?navID=988
OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON MEETING STATUS
Current Status: MEETING IS CANCELED
UPDATE (August 28, 2012, 5:49pm Eastern): President G. Bingham Powell announces the cancellation of the 2012 APSA Annual Meeting.
A primary function of the association is to provide the highest quality meeting experience possible. In light of revised information we have from local officials about the trajectory of Isaac, we now anticipate the potential for sustained rain, flooding, power outages and severely restricted transportation into the city on Thursday. Under these circumstances, it is not prudent to convene the meeting.
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact