Seattle - Fast Facts

On Hurricane Fay - Hype or Hurricane?, Anonymous said "I disagree - the point is that some people aren't immune to the media hype - and that's why news outlets continue to cover non-stories like this. Granted tropical storms can be deadly but a little common sense (like the author said about the governer's advice) will go a long way to getting through ANY storm safely. I still wouldn't travel south right now - who wants their vacation ruined by something like this? But, I wouldn't take an Alaskan cruise in the dead of winter. It's that whole common sense thing again. Good post - and great discussion!"

On Hurricane Fay - Hype or Hurricane?, Anonymous said "In this case, it could be a lot of hype. I'm not down there, so I can't say for certain. Canada and the US are much better at weathering these types of storms (no pun intended) due to better communications and infrastructure. And their size... Tropical storms can devastate island countries. But I think the rest of this post is a little off the mark. Tropical storms don't need to turn into "real hurricanes" to be deadly because it isn't just about the wind speed. Last year, hundreds of people died in the Caribbean due to tropical storms because of flooding and landslides caused by torrential rains. Oh, and then there's widespread water-borne diseases and severe damage to roads and other infrastructure... Deaths from bad judgment happen in snow storms as well as tropical storms. Nothing new there. Overall, if people were smarter about the weather, then they would make better decisions. In which case, education about storm preparedness is better than media hype which people are immune to."

On Hurricane Fay - Hype or Hurricane?, Category 3's My Limit said "I agree - this is all hype. I'm not saying it's okay to wait as long as some people did in New Orleans, but this kind of panic is just silly. It's as if the media doesn't have enough to write about so a little storm like Fay becomes a feeding frenzy. The gov. is right. Use some common sense, but don't panic. Oh, and the beaches are still great here this time of year!"

On Hurricane Fay - Hype or Hurricane?, Anonymous said "If your friend doesn't evacuate until a hurricane is a Category 4, I hope you know that your friend won't be around for long! A Category 4 is what took out New Orleans with Katrina, and Miami with Andrew. "

On Blog Action Day - Calling all Girlfriend Travelers, Karen said "i agree - great idea! btw - i love the story you did on slum tourism. i'm not sure i agree it's the crassest way to travel but it makes you wonder if our tourism dollars do more harm than good."