BLAPEL Assignment #1

Ok, so the cover of 1 Dead in Attic invokes feelings of helplessness first, and awe second. It's kind of hard to imagine something like that happening to you if you've never been in a situation where nature completely takes control of your world and holds your well being by a thin thread. I'd imagine that the text following the cover illustrations are the interpretations of people who have experienced exactly what I have described and how their lives have been dramatically changed by the events of Katrina; not just the storm, but what followed the storm as well.
I can't even remember where I as when I heard about the Katrina devastation. Since I've never really done much traveling, I treat Philadelphia like its own little universe separate from the rest of the world. When things happen in our nation, I feel indifferent to the situation. "It's not happening here, so what's to worry about." It wasn't until recently that I came to understand that there are lives just like mine in all of these other places that I, sometimes, forget exist.
From what I understand, our government did provide relief immediately. I'm not sure if any other displeasing things transpired during the relief phase, but what I could see was that the people of Katrina were taken care of in one way or another.
Kanye West's "George Bush Hates Black People" comment only solidified one thing in my mind: Kanye West is a social pariah and an entertainment demi-god. Anyone that takes offence to anything that man has to say about anything outside of the music world (and that's a stretch) needs to realize Kanye's place in this world then reevaluate their feelings for everything that man has done in his career. George Bush DOES NOT hate black people. George Bush is just a man that chose the wrong occupation out of obligation to his father. George could have taken his 2.7 GPA, gone to a modeling agency, and exercised his steamy stare on the cover of GQ Magazine. That would have done wonders for his image (a lot more than we can say about his presidential career).