What’s your reaction to this photo?

Eric Ringham October 31, 2012, 5:00 AM Oct 31, 2012

This NASA satellite photo shows Hurricane Sandy as it appeared from space on Monday. Today’s Question: What’s your reaction to this photo?

About the blogger

Eric Ringham

eringham@mpr.org

Kurt

Man remains smaller than nature.

James

Amazing picture.

Sandy almost makes me believe in a higher being…with a sense of irony.

Do we want big government or little government, now?

Are we climate change believers, or deniers, now?

Does Wall Street need a bailout, now?

How important are voter ID and marriage amendments when you don’t have heat or electricity?

What a mess!

Diane

The tremendous improvements in the past few decades in understanding and predicting hurricane movements played a huge role in limiting loss of life. People had several days’ warning to prepare. And as predicted, the storm surge was in fact the most damaging part.

Just imagine if NYC had not closed the tunnels, shut down the subway, etc.

In these days of disdain for large-scale complex modeling and questions of funding for basic science research carried out by groups like NOAA, it’s worth stepping back and seeing that our early investment (of money, but mostly of trying to understand how this worked so we could do better in the future) paid off.

Jim G

Don’t fool with Mother Nature. We do so at our own risk.

Steve the Cynic

Private enterprise didn’t take that picture.

GregX

It looks so pretty. I wish our planet was pure clean blue, white and green.

Paul

The east coast of Florida is outlined by clouds.

Pearly

You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.

Lawrence in Mankato

Reminds me that the latest study from the established International Geographic Institute that shows as far back as 134 A.D., using tree growth rates , our planet was much warmer than it is today. Hmmm..Al Gore is much like the photo_ a lot of hot air but similar as they both stole billions from victims.

Ann

When I leave Minnesota, I will avoid living next to the Atlantic Ocean.

Stephanie

Let’s start packing, get stuff upstairs, pack the car w/kids, pets, food, water and drive West as soon as we can!

Gary F

Like everything else.

It’s Bush’s fault!

suzie

Fierce strength and incredible beauty! Nature at it’s best or worst – depending on where you are.

Joberg

I agree with Gary f, you can clearly see George W. Bush is behind this disaster.

GregX

Lawrence “Reminds me that the latest study from the established International Geographic Institute that shows as far back as 134 A.D., using tree growth rates , our planet was much warmer than it is today.”

Ahh .. so … all of the possible causes that operated then, are operating today , in the same magnitude, locations, timing, spatial location and therefore… … what?

Simple observation of the past tells us that the earth can warm/cool based on a wide variety of factors. One of them… could be us… the humans and our industrial activity.

Carrie

Nobody is blaming W for this particular storm. It is unfortunate, however, that many people on that side of the political aisle continue to be naysayers when it comes to global climate change.

Steve the Cynic

Oh, I get it. This MPR is trying out a new version of the Rorschach test.

Gordon near Two Harbors

Just another spectacular storm, coincidentally occurring during the full moon, and striking where the teaming masses dwell.

inuit

Obviously it’s a picturesque depiction of Conservatism riding in on a white horse and sweeping liberalism out to sea, ultimately saving the country.

Gary F

So, more Marxism in the name of “climate change” would have prevented Hurricane Sandy?

Carrie

Marxism? Huh?

Mark in Freeborn

How will Santa find me?

Jefferson

Stop campaigning now, all the hot air from Washington DC only makes the storm stronger!

david

If there is a god, it looks like he’s trying to purge the wall street scum off of his earth.

brian

Hey Gary F:

Is that a chip on your shoulder, or did a Dorito eat your head?

Stormy

Pretty cool photo. The watermelons (green on the outside, red on the inside) will freak out about it and try to exploit for political gain, of course, this is their nature. It’s weather folks, it changes, that’s why you can always talk about it with a stranger.

Snaab

The gays and their homersexual agenda did that!!!

Jenn

I was reading Bradbury last night and struck by how perfect this quote was for the current situation: “we’re allotted a little space on earth and {that} we survive in that wilderness that can take back what it has given, as easily as blowing it’s breath on us or sending the sea to tell us we are not so big. when we forget how close the wilderness is in the night, my grandpa said, someday it will come in and get us, for we will have forgotten how real and how terrible it can be”.- Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451

Ben

I prefer the nighttime B&W version at:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=79565&src=fb

and the people at ARRL predicted it / and trained for it 15 yrs ago.

http://weca.org/SET/report/node6.html
John (of course)

Looks like someone flushed.
GregX

So, more Marxism in the name of “climate change” would have prevented Hurricane Sandy?

Hmmm … if it had the same ambiguous goal setting and a similar cost as the war on drugs .. it would be far more beneficial long term for the investment in energy technologies, scientiests, manufacturing. the war on drugs seems to have created more profit for drug dealers, higher taxes to support prisons and life terms, and expanding violence. Legalize most natural drugs (opiates, coca, marijuana, …. ) regulate them as businesses tax them … and spend the income on climate science … we’d be way ahead … or we wouldn’t care much about the climate ( which would oddly have liberals thinking like conservatives)…. Whoodathunk.
Marcus

Karma… Sprawling, toxicly artificial suburbs, SUVs, and greedily stripping the planet for every resource available with sociopathic ill-regard for future generations doesn’t seem like such a good idea any more, now does it America?
Ben

So when do we declare a war on weather??

To join the war on drugs, cancer, poverty etc??

I remember an old Disney show that said ‘in the future’ man would launch sounding rockets to change the course of hurricanes and keep us all safe.

I’m also waiting for my flying car and electric nuclear power that is ‘too cheap to meter’. 😉
Linda in Plymouth

It reminds me of racism, if I was a liberal that tends to use racism for every problem. For example: MPR story today: “While a time for traditions like pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, it can also be — as some see it — a time for all-too-predictable displays of racism”

Liberals need to learn the true meaning of RACISM. It is NOT a term to describe every time anyone disagrees with liberal policies or a term to be used to elect a bi-racial President riding the racism train to get votes. Racism__ belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, ESPECIALLY SO as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races:

The storm must__ be racism at play because the photo shows a HUGE WHITE cloud. ( sarcasm noted)

If liberals are so tolerant, then why do they bring these stupid stories here? No tolerance for a kid wearing Indian war dress featrhers is now racism?Racism is believing a bi racial President does not have to answer truthfully the simple questions on Benghazi attacks ( 3 since April) and the refusal to lend aid to our people being murdered. Well, MPR? where’s the coverage on that??? Racist MPR editors or what?
Linda in Plymouth

This should remind all with an IQ score above 90 that man can not change Mother Nature. It also so much reminds that the news hopes to cover this story until after the election..so we have so much more orchestrated denial of our President’s 4 year record of hype and failed policies and hoping Americans will stay dependent upon government and then can accept losing freedoms. No one there had smarts to leave, to have saved some money for emergencies, to get flood insurance and learn how to board up the windows on their houses? They had days to prepare but so many rely on the government to save them from all things. Here is some more biased media exposed.

According to the comment from New York Times, the Hollywood liberal Harvey Weinstein’s documentary, “Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden,” which begins airing this week on the National Geographic Channel was orchestrated to use the heroic work of U.S. Special Operations Forces to promote President Obama’s re-election.

our SEALs did the job that Bush started. Obama waited 9-11 months before giving the order to assassinate Bin Laden instead of capture. Then 6 weeks a go, Obama leaves our SEALs behind to die in Benghazi..will there be movie to show his cowardice?
John

Over the last 10,000 years this is nothing. Relax, have a beer (or nice glass of wine). Weather changes, you can’t fool people from Minnesota. It will get cold and it will snow.
Rich

Did anyone else notice the brown-out in the Midwest? I assume this must be a result of the drought.
David

OMG!
JasonB

When I think ‘hurricane’ I think of those living in Florida and along the gulf coast. They look to have enjoyed a relatively nice day this time.

I’m also impressed with how far we have come with satellite technology and weather analysis. They basically nailed it with their predictions.
Steve the Cynic

I’m thinking of all the folks who are now coming to grips with the fact that the most important things in life have nothing to do with all the stuff they’ve just lost, and who will now live with more serenity and contentment as a result.