As the flood levels in the mid west continue to rise over the next few days, drowning communities and displacing farms and jobs, where is the world concern for the people of the US? Where are disaster relief workers from around the world to help us rebound from an act of mother nature?

Where are they? At home watching and thinking it is none of their concern. After all, it is America the Great with the woes, surely they can handle it themselves. Why should they bother lending a hand and expertise? After all, it’s the US and they don’t need help.

Sure, we don’t need help. At this point the thousands of displaced people will fend for themselves with the help of FEMA and other states. The rest of the country will absorb the family that do not wish to return to the flooded lands, and eventually life will go on and the shattered lives will mend themselves with time and the help of a neighbor. Not a neighboring country, just a neighbor. But it would have been nice to see some outrage and concern from other countries, some show of support and even offers to help.

But that is not the case. The US flies into Myanmar to aid flood victims, no real thank you, just red tape from their government. When earthquakes happen around the world, it is the US with offers to help as soon as possible. People in this country hold allies to create “Care Packages” in the tons to help out other people in trouble. Have there been any offers of supplies to the mid-west? No.

It is an amazing thing to me that the US will attempt to rescue any country in trouble regardless of political persuasion. We as a people do not see the differences in cultures, we just know we can help and this American community comes through for people, often. Yet when we have a disaster here, the world is reticent to help. Remember Northridge? Katrina? Where was the rest of the world then? I lives through the Northridge Quake, I lived just one mile from the epicenter. I know what it is like to have your apartment come crashing down on you. I know what it is like to live in a tent for three months eating army rations and standing in line for fresh water. Where was the world to help me out? Honestly, even today, more that 14 years after the quake I miss things lost on the quake and still freak out when a heavy truck shakes my apartment. I received nothing in terms of help from anything but US originated aid. Go Army!

So I wonder, what would happen if the US sat out the next disaster? Would all those other countries offer any aid? Oh, I am sure a couple would, but by in large they would see the US sitting it out and follow suit, not wanting to grow up and take a moral or non-political stance without the bold moves of the US setting the way. Pathetic.

So, when I hear of the advancements of other countries and the tech gains they have I know that it is nothing compared to the generosity of the US. The US is in my opinion still the best place in the world to live, the people truly care as opposed to the posers in Europe and such. They can take their high moral attitudes and shove them up their ass as far as I am concerned. Why, because if disaster falls they will be calling for aid, and it will be the US they expect to get it from. They will be begging us for anything we can offer, but you know what…I say let’s sit this one out and let them learn how it feels to need help only to find that is it not forthcoming. Like with these disastrous floods we are living through, where are they?

But then again, we are more mature than they are, so I guess help would find its way. And communities all across our land will rally “Care Packages” to help out where it can; because we are just that kind of country.

All I am going to say is “Were they out of their minds when they designed this place?”

OK, maybe I will say more…

For those not in the know, Las Vegas has become somewhat of a shopping Mecca. In fact Las Vegas’s economy is partly based on the shopping that the vacationing crowd does. To that end, shopping malls have become more and more in vogue, including the new Town Square Mall at the south end of The Strip. The thing is when you think of a mall you think of a covered area with stores inside. The problem, Town Square is an OUTDOOR mall.

Today it will hit 111° at 3:00 p.m. with cooling down to the mid 80°’s at night. OK, so you shop at night. But in a couple of weeks it will be 120° with cooling to 105° at night… so much for shopping. Whose brilliant idea was it to build a huge mall and not cover it? Are they insane?

Now I am not much of a high-end clothing store shopper, so there is limited appeal to me to walk around this place. But even if I were to walk the mall, there are some questionable decisions made here. Let me touch on a few…

First of all there are “Streets” between stores. This mixes narrow walk ways with car-lined roads and people driving too fast and people stepping out between cars. What jackass approved this idea? The point of a mall is that it is a safe place to walk and shop…. Now you have to dodge cars. I saw a minivan screech to a halt as a group a kids ran across the road without looking to get to an ice cream shop. The parents of the kids looked terrified and the driver was pissed off. I am really wondering how long this place will stay open because the lawsuits from parents of flattened kids will bring this place to a close. Carnac predicts: 3 years and the place will undergo a major renovation or close down.

Next, the place is “Pet Friendly”. There are “Dog Pots” that you set your pet into and let them do their business. Of course they provide doggie poop bags, BUT THERE ARE NO TRASH CANS AROUND TO DUMP THE BAGS! The upshot… the place smells from dog urine and feces. It was hot the day I went… and the smell was ripe. Again, whose great idea was this?

The heat as mentioned was repressive. The malls’ idea of cooling in the heat is misters. These little tubes wrap around palm trees spreading a small circle of moistened air are supposedly good enough to cool everyone there… the problem is that there were four people around each mister and everyone else be damned to the heat. Oh, and of course there were not many of those misters either, mostly just around the patio restaurants. BTW, there were no people sitting on the patios, it was too hot.

So why was I there you ask? Well I was there for the movies of course, a completely legitimate indoor activity during a hot day. But there was a problem with even that…

Most malls have an entrance that is very near the theater entrance (if the mall has theaters). Not the case here. Not only are there no close parking (all outdoors in the heat and not even covered), the theater is a good walk and up two flights of stairs… I am not a very mobile person, I have trouble with stairs, I almost just left. Then I noticed escalators… half way down the mall… even more outdoor walking in 105° heat. (This is not doing my blood pressure any good, that is for sure.) Finally I spot a sign… elevator. Good… looks like someone else complained they were not really mobile and thus prompted a big sign for the elevator. Thank god for the sign though, otherwise you would never have been able to find it. So to the elevator I go, press the button, enter the 120° heat box and up the level I go, broasting all the way; finally into the theater and luscious air conditioning.

During the summer this place is not a good place to be. The lack of covering a cooling makes this a oppressive venue. During the winter, I would not want to be here either. Can you imagine Christmas shopping from store to store in and out of the cold and the rain? (Yes we do get cold and rain here.) Then is spring and fall with the winds… no thank you. It was just an unwise decision all the way around.

There are other things like the “Kids Space” right next to streets and in the heat the equipment could actually burn young skin; the narrow walkways forcing you to get to know your fellow shoppers all too often; the store signs unreadable and unfindable in some case; and finally the prices are just way out of line for local shoppers.

Yes, this mall is meant to tourists, but I would not recommend it to anyone in anything other than the finest weather.

Oh, and leave Fido at home.