Best Creative Errors - Can be Great Conversation Starters - One from Wired Science on "Dutch Flood Control Strategy"

This post is a direct result of my research to come to grips with the previous one - R.J. Barendse on the Dutch excellence on landscaping, land reclamation and flood control gained from the often wild North Sea over at least the last 500 years, at least until now.
[Direct Link to my RJB. Brad Delong previous post]

Pity I forgot the key words used on my google search but I dug-up a summary of one of the Dutch Plans to construct an off-shore barrier, an island in the form of a tulip, complete with super satellite images. The linking what the Dutch are likely to do on their home shores with much criticised apparently exaggeratedly luxurious plans such as those of Dubai and the UAE's sand bank islands known the Flat Counties record is to say the least "hazardous". (even if their is credible possibility of an " Armada" of Dutch designers and contractors on the UAE projects - Nothing like getting exercise and experience..! Pure supposition.) [cf also posted comments -Source I].
It has come back to me - I was looking for a reference to the enormous annual budgets the Netherlands will invest to allay predictions (near certitudes) of disastrous effects of climate change on the "Flat Countries" 2nd only to Bangladesh, I am led to believe. cf Source I below)

Well "Wired Sciences post" sparked an incredible list of comments, mostly critical and in down right disagreement at least equal in weight to those of my previous post. The comments are short and well worth a reading, many provide links in support of their facts and opinions. Great Stuff.

Let me conclude with supporting a "call" a possible new "conversation starter" to use Harvard Universities Eminent Professorial Blogs by quoting two posts from Wired Sci.

"Funny this article goes beyond the environmental issue of disappearing coastline and the dutch isles due to rising sea-levels.The location where the tulip is placed, is where the highest sea and river-mouth currents flow. It has been a plan for decennial to make an artificial island right there on that location. Shaping it into a tulip or a clog wouldn't be too bad whilst space-tourism is booming!Get your data right dudes, and read newspapers that have more foreign (worldly) news! Posted by: HO Winkelaar Dec 21, 2007 2:48:39 PM (cf. Wired ref below) and even more succinctly even if a bit large as the :
TOP 100 - The hottest competition online!
Posted by: gamblert Dec 21, 2007 5:14:49 PM "

May I add, that at a very rough guess, this competition is "awefully" near top position!


Source I : Wired Science post by By Alexis Madrigal.

Highly recommendable for the Satellite Photo of Dutch Coastline and Inscribed Future Landscape Design and even more so for the number and quality of comments generated together with commentators supported evidence, via their many links.

One Contributor even remarked caustically that:

"NB. This isn't even news, we (the Dutch) have had plans like this and executed then since 500BC."

Source II comment by
Posted by: Martijn ten Napel Dec 23, 2007 3:13:48 AM cf. Wired for all comments




First Class Sources on this "Millennium Class Approach are:

Flood Control in the Netherlands from Wikipedia.

And my favourite the excellent highly professional description of

the Dutch Approach - LINK to flood control and landscaping,

and a survey of Dams and Leeves

All Posted by: Gerard Dec 22, 2007 6:00:34 AM on Wired Science
Whose very mild closing comment "I'm sure that engineering a tulip shaped island is a better idea then having flood defences that are made out of thin foil" left me in the dark. Could he be referring to The US Flood Defenses? Thank you Gerard et al.