Aftermath in Moore, Oklahoma

My sense of empathy is so strong, when these tragedies strike it literally hurts me. At the moment I'm feeling as stunned as the victims must be. I'm too overwhelmed for words. So all I got are these photos.

A teacher hugs child at Briarwood Elementary school after the tornado. [photo via The Oklahoman]



And another survivor amidst the rubble. [photo via]



Meanwhile as reported first at CQ:

The tornado damage near Oklahoma City is still being assessed and the death toll is expected to rise, but already Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., says he will insist that any federal disaster aid be paid for with cuts elsewhere.

Sadly, that's not the worst reaction I've seen tonight.

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Your moment of Zen

Blissful tiger via Noman Shabbir.



[Definitely click to embiggen]

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You and me and rain on the roof

This is a brilliant idea. Harvesting rainwater.

In the video above, Lancaster demonstrates how he turned his own neighborhood into a kind of vessel that would make the most out of its natural rainfall—and it doesn't require any money or a significant amount of time to maintain.

Simply cutting into the sidewalk curb prevents downstream flooding, while allowing rainwater to disperse among plant life; planting native, fruit-bearing trees opens a low-maintenance source of fresh, whole foods; and the entire system promotes wildlife, cleaner air, cooler ground temperatures and a better quality of life for his neighbors.

Worth clicking over to see the video. Didn't embed it because it was vimeo and those tend to bog down the page loads.

Shared it on facebook and someone said it's illegal to do this is certain places out west and that was a good reason for it. Didn't say what the reason was and can't imagine what it could be. Especially out west where the water just runs off anyway. I was thinking the biggest problem would be getting permission for the curb cuts. City zoning boards generally hate curb cuts.

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