There are two kinds of levees ...

... those that have failed, and those that will fail.

At least, that's what several billboards and signs say here in Missouri, especially near the flood plains.

Anyone who was alive during the 1993 flood remembers it, with the possible exception of small children. I was ten years old and remember the day the Missouri River finally reached the Huster Road substation and left hundreds if not thousands of homes without power. It was sometime in July of that year, and I remember having to gather candles and flashlights together so we could see at night.

The floods were caused by persistent storms, as well as snow melt from the Rockies flowing into the rivers. The ground just couldn't hold any more water and the rivers began to rise, and rise, and rise some more.

One of the things I've never understood is how people can justify putting up levees everywhere, redirecting the rivers to their own needs without a thought to the fact that you can't control nature. Even if a levee holds, that water will come out somewhere else and destroy some other town.

It sounds like it could happen again, if this news is any indication.

The most frustrating thing, though, is the morons who build their homes and businesses on the flood plains. A flood comes through, the buildings are wiped out, and they just rebuild in the exact same spot. Then they cry that they can't get flood insurance or federal aid to rebuild.

There's one extensive flood plain in Chesterfield, called the Valley. That entire area was under water in 1993, and now it's covered end to end with concrete and buildings. Runoff water can't get into the ground because of the paving, which means that area is looking at a pretty nasty future if we have even half the flooding we did in '93.

Article: Are Fibromyalgia Patients More Sensitive to Sound?

A study was done on this subject.

I can answer this rather emphatically YES.

My sensitivity to sound has gotten much worse in the past couple of years, to the point I'm ready to tear my hair out sometimes because a certain noise is really getting to me. High pitched sounds, loud sounds, and constant sounds really drive me up the wall.

I can barely even talk on the phone anymore. The sound from the earpiece is right in my ear and I can't get away from it without hanging up the phone. It's especially hard talking to my sister who is rather high pitched.

I also have difficulties at work, where I often have to wear a headset for drive-thru or making drinks at the espresso bar. Near-constant dinging to alert us a customer has pulled up, coupled with occasional diesel engines and continuous talking, all of these things grate on my nerves.

When I'm in pain, it's even harder for me to block out offending sounds. I have to ask my husband to lower his voice or speak more softly, because he has a rather loud and deep voice. All I really want to do is crawl into a hole and pull the dirt in after me just to have some peace and quiet.