Friday, August 31, 2007

Systems Analysis

"Hi" it's been awhile.

Haven't been up to too too much. Classes started earlier than I expected, I only have half my textbooks. I also found out that my midterm in my Systems Analysis class will be my last day in Budapest and I can't take it early. Or at least that request wasn't addressed. Annoying since once of the reasons I picked that class over another was because it is project based, and those usually don't have midterms. Plus I'm going to learn a lot... still my life this semester is going to look a lot more like IT than IS.

Speaking of Systems Analysis:

The Presbyterian Church, or rather the Presbytery of the New Covenant is now preparing for disaster. This comes two years after Katrina and almost two years after Rita. You know, when everyone that watched Fox News left town... and those that sat back and thought "28 feet above sea level and 50 miles inland, I think I'll stay home" were left with four days off work and no place to go (see mass evacuation that left the city without gas and the highways packed in all directions).

The Presbytery is collecting the names of two elders in each church to coordinate in case of a disaster. They added the caveat that these people should be able to "text" (which I can only now assume is a verb). Let us now see how this plan is a little bit silly:

1) Presbyterian elders are typically well over the age of 40. On my little Session I'm the youngest, the next youngest is 45, maybe even 50. They can't hear in Session, see this post, (Note: this month "Bill's" hearing aid was still ringing) much less hear their phones ring. Or heaven forbid "text." So... I'm guessing the pool of available ambassadors is fairly small.

2) This is the Presbyterian Church. It took us two years to find a minister, which was largely because of them (ok, and interventions of the Holy Spirit) but in a business sense it was totally their inefficiency. I think we would be more likely to be rescued from our rooftops by the federal government than by the P.C.U.S.A.

3) Most of the disaster relief funds in the Presbytery in last few years were embezzled (or misdirected anyway). If they did get all the sign offs to help (before or after) there isn't any money for it anyway.

Solution: In the event of an emergency become a Baptist, at least they know how to swim.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kate this is just hilarious!

Assistant Village Idiot said...

Well-meaning people can be the most dangerous, can't they?