Tim Deatrick to serve as chairman of the Stormwater Board.

It may come as a surprise to some readers, but NAC heartily congratulates Tim Deatrick, who has been selected by Mayor James Garner to serve as chairman of the city’s newly formed Stormwater Board.

Stormwater board’s reign arrives; Mayor chooses former sewer employee as chairman as meetings begin (New Albany Tribune story).

It is well documented that the senior editor and Tim have had considerable differences of opinion in the past, but it remains that we’ve known one another for quite a long time – more than long enough for me to understand that while Tim undoubtedly possesses talent, dogged persistence and a solid educational background, he’d probably be the first to concede that he hasn’t always found the position best suited for matching his skills to the job at hand.

However, I believe that the stormwater chairmanship is just such a breakthrough position for Tim, one that will allow him ample opportunities to prove the depth of his abilities to the skeptics, and in truth, I think he’ll perform quite well. Good luck to Tim, and to the Mayor, “good call.”

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William Safire I’m certainly not, but since last weekend’s heavy rains – an unexpected immersion in which cost the Confidential household its primary motorized vehicle – I’ve been pondering the origins and usage of the phrase, “an act of God.”

Hitherto, I’ve understood an “act of God” as the universal disclaimer used by insurance companies as shorthand for “we won’t pay.”

Strictly speaking, if such a downpour as the one we witnessed last weekend can be classified as an “act of God,” and if the idea of God is meaningless unless it incorporates the notion of all-powerful infallibility, then doesn’t it logically follow that there isn’t a single workable strategy that might be undertaken by puny, temporal human beings in order to defend themselves against torrential precipitation handed to them as the plat de jour by an omnipotent master chef?

If so, shall we dissolve Tim’s stormwater board, lift our freshly packed mud huts atop stilts, and begin offering sacrifices?

Hmm, I guess that wouldn’t do much good during tornado season …