Defense Department Briefing on Ongoing National Guard Response to Hurricane Katrina: “…We waited until we had enough force in place to do an overwhelming force. Went in with police powers, 1,000 National Guard military policemen under the command and control of the adjutant general of the State of Louisiana, Major General Landreneau, yesterday shortly after noon stormed the convention center, for lack of a better term, and there was absolutely no opposition, complete cooperation, and we attribute that to an excellent plan, superbly executed with great military precision. It was rather complex. It was executed absolutely flawlessly in that there was no violent resistance.. .” — Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum (chief, National Guard Bureau, Defense Dept.) [via Respectful of Otters, thanks to walker]

On the Vestibular System: “Small, intricately formed and locked in the skull, the vestibular organs continuously bombard the brain with messages. The messages are quite unlike any others. They tell of accelerations, how the head is rotating and translating and its orientation in space. The messages never stop and cannot be turned off. Even when we are completely motionless, they signal the relentless pull of gravity. Perhaps because of their constant monologue, the vestibular sensation is different to the other senses. There is no overt, readily recognizable, localizable, conscious sensation from these organs. They provide a silent sense.” (ScienceWeek)