New Orleans, LA

About the Demolition

2007-12-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

I was going to stay out of this argument considering I don't live in the area anymore and I have never lived in the projects. But with all the press, I wanted to chime in. I personally think they should refurbish the existing projects. I also think they should put very large fences around them with metal detectors and drug sniffers at the gates.

I used to work for an electrician who had a contract with the city to re-wire the units that were burnt out. See, after the people who live in these projects get tired of trashing a unit, they burn it out so that they get another, newer unit. Then they trash that one, rinse, repeat.

So, I would travel daily into these war zones to run wire and install new breaker boxes and smoke alarms. My boss had to ride shotgun. He wore a gun on his hip and I was not allowed outside the unit, to get parts for example, unless he was there. That was to protect my life. What a wonderful place to live.

In addition to making new rules that if you burn your unit out you have to leave the projects, I think they should build in tight security with armed guards, cameras, and police offices inside the projects. Bright lights too.

Anyway, I have noticed that this particular story has made worldwide headlines. This is really more bad press for New Orleans that was not needed. If the people who live in the projects WANT to live in them, why tear them down? Fix them, add real security, do real background checks, start arresting the hookers, drug dealers and gang bangers and just get on with life.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

K-ville Season 1, Episode 6

2007-11-17T23:45:00.001-05:00

I've been busy and have been in and out of town so I am watching this episode online at fox.com. It's a bit slow getting started. I hope the performance is decent once it gets going.

It's going now. Very nice! Hi res and speedy!

Cobb chases a guy down and the guy recognizes him. The guy smacks Cobb in the face and gets away. glue Buy is jumped and has to shoot the guy.

Cobb tells Boulet the guy ran with a gang that Cobb also ran with.

I can't get over how good the video.

Glue Boy goes into an induced coma due to brain swelling. Cobb decides he needs to take out those bad boys. The drama queen!

Cobb is going undercover to take out the gang.

Best line so far: Boulet says, "There has to be another way." Cobb says, "There is." Boulet says, "I like it without even hearing it." After a pause, "Maybe I should hear it."

Turns out this is the gang that Cobb took the money from. Where I'm from, they'd just shoot him.

Boulet sees his wife and she's hugging another dude. Uhoh.

The dude is the daughter's teacher from Atlanta. Nothing physical. Uhoh. Emotional cheating. That's bad.

After 5 years of nothing, they decide to bring Cobb back in. They give him the info for the next job right away. It's got to be a set up.

Yep, it's a set up. No job planned. They wanted to see if anything got leaked. Which it did. Didn't see that coming.

Online only has 1 advertisement. It's nice not to have to sit through 10 minutes of commercials but that cingular commercial is getting old.

A young punk is keeping an eye out for cops. He spots the cops but not before Boulet spots him. He makes the kid call and say everything is ok.

And there's even a red-head hoodlette named wanda involved. Cobb diggs through a dresser and one of the hoods busts him (what did he think was going to happen) so the fight. Sissy slap fight.

Boulet watches his wife sleep.

Cobb makes time with wanda.

The head hood asks Cobb to get C4.

Boulet and Love Tap visit the guy's wife that got killed at the beginning of the show.

Boulet feeds the new property guy some nuclear corn mach choux. It's a test to see who's got the biggest. To bad Boulet rigged it. ;-)

Boulet gets the C4 while the other cop is puking. Boulet tells him to drink some milk to help the burn. He also tells him, "You might as well eat a banana because that's gonna burn twice."

Boulet gets home but no one is there. The wife left a message saying that she was staying at a friends house. I think she's with the boyfriend.

Boyfriend visits and drops off flowers at Boulet's house. The guy is a complete numb nut. He's got the balls to call Boulet out about not being in Atlanta with his wife after Katrina. Boulet let's him go but he should have popped him one.

Head hood popped hoodlette one. Cobb gonna get some of that.

Cobb hooks up with Boulet at a bar to discuss what's going on. Wanda sees them leave and see the light in the back of the car. Not good. She tells head hood.

Cobb is not in a good place right now.

Boulet gets the cops and they bust into the gang house. No one is home.

The hoods go to the house of the guy who got killed. They plan to use the C4 to blow the guy's safe.

Boulet makes a single call and finds out that the only person in New Orleans with that safe is the guy who got killed.

Cobb grabs the little girl and jumps out a window right as the NOPD shows up. Hood starts shooting.

They realize Cobb is a cop but Wanda doesn't believe it. Dumb hood decided he's going to rig the explosive himself.

Kerboom, house goes up in flames but not before head hood shoots hoodlette. Wanda is down. Permanent down.

Glue Boy makes it back.

Cobb lives in a pull trailer by the water. I didn't notice that before.

Boulet's wife comes home and he has dinner cooked and the wife's favorite flowers on the table.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Panic In The Streets: 1950

2007-11-04T00:15:00.000-04:00

Here's a New Orleans movie I ran across on the Internet Archive. It's Panic in the Streets from 1950.

Here's the text from IA:

One night in the New Orleans slums, vicious hoodlum Blackie (Jack Palance) and his friends kill an illegal immigrant who won too much in a card game. Next morning, Dr. Clint Reed (Richard Widmark-this time not seen pushing little old ladies in wheelchairs down the stairs) of the Public Health Service confirms the dead man had pneumonic plague. To prevent a catastrophic epidemic, Clint must find and inoculate the killers and their associates, with the reluctant aid of police captain Tom Warren (Paul Douglas), despite official skepticism, and in total secrecy, lest panic empty the city. Can a doctor turn detective? He has 48 hours to try. Spellbinding

This one won an Oscar, a Venice Film Festival Award and a WGA.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Voodoo Fest on YouTube

2007-10-31T22:19:00.000-04:00

Over 150,000 people at Voodoo Fest 2007. That's awesome!

Voodoo Fest has put some videos on the VoodooFest Web site.

Even better, you can find plenty of videos on YouTube. The videos on the VoodooFest page have better graphics and sound quality but you get a much better selection on YouTube.

It looks like there are a lot of Rage Against the Machine but there are plenty of videos of other bands too. Video quality varies as does the audio quality. Most have decent sound though if you don't mind hearing the crowds.

Smashing Pumpkins playing Born On The Bayou. Video is bad but sound is ok.

Rage Against the Machine, Testify

Check out this YouTube search for more videos.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Wave Goodbye to the Hat!

2007-10-30T14:29:00.000-04:00

A while back, I asked, "Does New Orleans Need a DA?". Turns out, New Orleans does need a DA, just not Eddie Jordan. According to WDSU, Eddie will have to step down if he wants the city to pay for his lawsuit: Sources: Eddie Jordan To Resign

Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan was unlikely to get a bailout on the $3.7 million payment from the city or state. Officials had said they wouldn't consider paying for the lawsuit unless Jordan stepped down.

Yeah! Yeehaw! Woohoo! If you wonder what my opinion is, you can read my entry, "Racism in New Orleans Takes a Hit".

See ya Eddie! Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

K-Ville Season 1, Episode 5

2007-10-29T11:54:00.000-04:00

I DVR'd last week's K-Ville and am just now watching it. Tonight is a rerun.

So, this episode starts off with a great image of Jackson Square from the air. Those images are my favorite part of this show.

Cobb tells Boulet to take off and meet his family, that he'll cover the shift. Dispatch calls (actually the Capt did but he was calling for dispatch). Shots fired at a church.

It just happens to be Boulet's family church. He knows the layout because he grew up going there. The cops hearing people singing hymns and enter the church. The priest denies anything happened and that there were no shots.

Cobb looks around and finds a body. A deacon. The people apparently know Boulet and don't seem to like him. Boulet's been holding a grudge about something and these might have a grudge of their own.

Flashback to Sept 1987.

Boulet and his bother are playing in the church. The little brother brought a water gun. Boulet tells him they will get in trouble. He gets squirted in the face and they run off. They end up running into the dead deacon.

I'm betting molestation at this point.

Back to the present. The cops are searching and interviewing all of the people in the church.

Best Line of the show: Boulet gets up in front of the congregation and says: "The ladies auxiliary bake sale has been postponed due to violent murder." And he smiles. ;-)

He tries to get people to say something but no one will. They decided to interrogate everyone one face to face with out the rest of the herd.

Turns out that there was a run in between the preacher, Boulet's little brother and I would bet, the deacon. Boulet's little brother, Troy, is now deceased.

It also turns out that the deacon got part of an earing before he died. They're now looking for a bloody ear. That should make it easier to find someone. No bloody ear found though. The culprit escaped out the back door. Who would have thought that a murderer might run out the back door?

A crazy old lady gives up the name of the perp. Not quite sure why. The perp is Shawn Rider a junior hoodlum.

Wow. After an argument with Cobb (about his grudge against the priest), Boulet says that the priest is responsible for Troy's death. I'm still betting on molestation.

Flashback June 1999. Troy is still alive. Maybe it wasn't molestation. Troy is doing crack. Boulet is talking to the priest about it. The priest asks Boulet to bring Troy in for an intervention. At first Boulet says no, he doesn't want to lie and trap his brother.

Back to the present. Cobb doesn't buy it.

There's an undercurrent that the deacon was trying to sell the church but the whole selling property thing is getting old. I hope that is not really what the issue is.

The cops raid Shawn's house. He's not there but there are some bloody rags in the garbage.

Boulet and Cobb confront the priest about the deacon trying to sell the church. They get nothing.

Cobb calls Boulet's wife. He asks her about Troy and how he died. Troy died, was shot, while robbing a convenience store.

Flashback July 1999. The intervention. Not much to describe but it is some good back story. It makes the characters in the show that much more real. I'm not so big on the flashbacks though.

Back to the present. Boulet remembers the priest taking the water gun and where he put it. He makes the priest open the same place. He finds the gun.

I missed something but Shawn's girlfriend was someone Boulet knew and she just recently died in a car wreck. The cop crew head's to the cemetery and find's Shawn at the grave. Of course, he runs. Of course, they catch him.

Boulet is still preaching to the choir. Bwahahahahaha. He was baptised in that church and was married in that church. He DESERVES TO KNOW! Just a tad preachy here.

Cobb gets a call. Shawn confesses to the killing but the priest claims that he killed the deacon. Jah!

Flashback October 1999. Troy is playing chess with the padre. Boulet walks in. It's good times.

Back to the present. Boulet doesn't believe the priest. The priest says that he and the deacon got into a fist fight. Shawn tried to break it up.

Shawn is confessing to the Capt.

The priest said that the gun fell out of Shawn's waist band. He picked it up and shot the deacon. The congregation agrees.

Instead of bringing the priest to the jail, they bring Shawn to the church. They want to verify the story. Shawn doesn't know the story though.

Flashback to the convenience store and Troy on the floor shot. Troy was using again and he confessed to the preach. The preach didn't share that info with Boulet so Boulet blamed him for his death.

Boulet thinks the same thing happened with Shania.

It was Shania's grandma! When the gun slid across the floor, the old lady picked it up and popped a cap in the deacon. Go granny!

Although, should a preacher give up people's confessions? I don't think so.

Shania killed herself because the deacon was raping her. I was right! It was molestation but the wrong person.

Flashforward one week. Boulet drops by to see the preacherman. Boulet is a criminal. His brother killed someone but he looked the other way. So Boulet blames himself. If he had arrested Troy, he wouldn't have robbed the store.

They play a game of chess while a couple of little boys go running down the hallway.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Ignorant Comparisons of New Orleans and San Diego

2007-10-27T12:28:00.000-04:00

The New York Times has a good article that responds to the ignorant comparisons between the fires in California and the flooding that Katrina caused in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast, A Firestorm, a Deluge and a Sharp Political Dig.

George Bush's asinine comment, “It makes a significant difference when you have somebody in the Statehouse willing to take the lead.” does nothing to help anyone or the situation. He just needs to shut up and leave office. Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe Blanco is an idiot and having a strong governor, like Texas' Rick Perry (not like baby bush Jeb Bush), could have improved the lot of many people. That does not excuse the COMPLETE lack of federal response nor the pathetic political mongering that the white house has done since. George Bush plays with people's lives.

Some facts:

But people on the Gulf Coast say that even if the state and local response had been perfect, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina might not have looked much different. So far, there have been roughly 1,875 homes destroyed by the California wildfires; a White House report says 300,000 homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by the storm. In California, fires consumed roughly 475,000 acres; more than 52 million acres were affected in the Gulf Coast, said Senator Mary L. Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat.

“I think you’re comparing a paper cut to an amputation,” said Sally Forman, the former press secretary to Mayor C. Ray Nagin of New Orleans and author of a new book, “Eye of the Storm: Inside City Hall During Katrina.” “We had no communication capability, we could not drive on our roads, we had 80 percent of our city under water, we had no power.”

1,875 homes versus 300,000. 475,000 acres versus 52,000,000 acres. Transportation was nearly unavailable in New Orleans due to flooded roads. Transportation was nearly unavailable in the rest of the Gulf Coast due to downed bridges, houses in the streets and no power.

Here's a personal message to George Bush: Shut up.

LewisC

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Orleans Parish Prison: K-Ville vs Reality

2007-10-26T20:01:00.000-04:00

The character of Trevor Cobb, played by Cole Hauser, was a prisoner in Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) and almost drowned when Katrina struck. His cell mate did drown. In K-ville episode 2, three prisoners escape from OPP and the show centers around that facility.

There is a good possibility that people may believe that prisoners drowned in real life. To set the record straight and provide some additional background for the series, I thought I would share a little bit of real life information about OPP. Just a note, my dad was NOPD and as a kid I used to hang out at central lockup and the court house. I even got a personal tour of a small part of OPP. I know quite a few people who know it a lot more intimately than I do. heh

So, I wanted to share something I read on Java Joe's Journal Jive, Trouble over 'K-Ville': Nothing bad happened at prison!. Apparently, the OPP Medical Director is not happy about what transpired in the K-Ville pilot. I bet he really hates K-Ville's second episode. ;-O

“No one died in the OPP,” says Inglese. “Fiction or not, this depiction is an affront to the medical staff and deputies who, for five harrowing days, risked their lives for the inmates and civilians in their care. They’re among the many unsung heroes of Katrina—as are many inmates—who will never receive the recognition they deserve. Minimally, however, their heroism should not be undermined. Unfortunately, since so many factual depictions make up the back story of K-Ville, viewers nationwide are left with the impression that prisoners under our care drowned.”

That should set the story straight. No one died as OPP during Katrina. It should be noted that Dr Inglese has a book, No Ordinary Heroes: 8 Doctors, 30 Nurses, 7,000 Prisoners and a Category 5 Hurricane, about his experiences.

Having said that, I am sure OPP was not a pleasant place after Katrina hit. From one inmate present at the time (quote provided by the ACLU):

Breakfast on August 29 was the last meal that the inmates ate at the prison—from that point on they had no food or water. Inmate #52 reports that escaping prisoners were shot at, and that "deputies did assault prisoners." Inmate #52 reports the inmates could not breathe, and he "thought we were going to sufacate [sic]." Some inmates found a pipe and started to break windows to get oxygen. After 48 hours on F Side, Inmate #52 was brought to the bridge early Wednesday morning, before the sun came up. The inmates were "told to leave everything behind, and walk out with our hands on our heads. The water was so deep I had [two] small prisoners holding on to me. One on each shoulder." The inmates were taken to the bridge in small boats carrying approximately 8 to 10 prisoners at a time. Once on the bridge, Inmate #52 still did not receive food or water.

Definitely not a pleasant experience. I'm sure the experience wasn't much better for the cops or the guards either, though.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

A Blast From New Orleans’ Past: 10 Headlines From The New York Times

2007-10-25T21:53:00.000-04:00

Specifically, 10 Headlines From the newly opened, NY Times archive. I present 10 headlines from 1851-1980. Anything before 1922 is freely available. Anything between 1922 and 1980 will cost you to read more than a brief abstract.

I love this stuff. If you like this kind of thing, drop me a note and I'll do some more. If you include a topic list (like Mardi Gras, Shrimp, Flood, etc), I will do a list of old headlines with about that topic.

October 7, 1851, Wednesday

LATEST INTELLIGENCE; Arrival of the Georgia at New-Orleans from Havana--Release of Capt. Ellis, one of the American Prisoners.

The steamship Georgia has arrived at this port in forty-seven hours from Havana. Her news is of no importance, further than the fact that Captain Ellis, one of the recent invaders, has been released from prison. The U. S. steamer Saranan, and ships Albany and Decatur, were at Havana. She brings a large number of passengers and the California mails of September 6th.

October 10, 1851, Wednesday

FATAL AFFRAY IN NEW ORLEANS.--Quite an excitement has been produced in New Orleans, by the death of Alderman William Laughlin, on Sunday evening last, In a rencontre with Ex-Alderman William Silk. Both of the gentlemen were highly respectable. It appears that they met at. Kathman's Coffee-House, at the corner of Bienville and Marais-streets, and got into an altercation, when harsh words were exchanged.

July 4, 1853, Wednesday

The Wreck of the Ship William and Mary--A Passenger's Statement.; From the New-Orleans Picayune

May 15, 1927, Sunday

THE LONG BATTLE TO SAVE NEW ORLEANS; Herculean Labors and Costly Strategy Used to Check the Mississippi

LAST to receive the impact of the crest of the heaviest flood that ever swept down the Mississippi will be the levees that half encircle New Orleans. Will they hold? The eyes of a nation are focused on these man-made embankments that hold the fate of the gay and lovely metropolis of the South, our chief foreign trade port after New York.

September 20, 1947, Saturday

NEW ORLEANS HIT, HURRICANE HOWLS ON TO ARKANSAS; 90-Mile Winds Batter the City as Tidal Waves Flood Bayou Area -- Fury Is Dropping SIX DEAD AND 400 HURT Gulf port Destruction Is Heavy -- Thousands Are Homeless Along Stricken Coast HURRICANE HOWLS ON TO ARKANSAS DESTRUCTION LEFT IN WAKE OF HURRICANE AT NEW ORLEANS

A devastating hurricane was centered in mid-Louisiana early today moving in a northwesterly direction toward Arkansas. Six persons were reported dead along the Gulf Coast and some 400 injured in its wake

April 10, 1955, Sunday

NEW ORLEANS RELIVES ITS CREOLE DAYS; Author of "Bayous of Louisiana," "Queen of New Orleans" and "Plantation Parade."

Today, Easter Sunday, marks the traditional opening of New Orleans' "rival to the Mardi Gras" in its appeal to thousands of travelers--the annual Spring Fiesta. For ten days, through April 20, Orleanians and visitors will join in commemorating the Creole-American civilization which saw its golden days in and about the river city a hundred years or so ago.

September 11, 1965, Saturday

New Orleans Loss In Storm Heavy; 23 Dead in 3 States; STORM LOSS HIGH IN NEW ORLEANS Floodwaters Swirl in Southern Cities After Pounding by Hurricane

Hurricane Betsy dashed itself against lower Louisiana and Mississippi early today and ended a destructive journey that began 15 days ago in the Atlantic Ocean.

November 14, 1960, Monday

U. S. COURT BARS LOUISIANA'S MOVE TO SEIZE SCHOOLS; Enjoins Legislature After It Votes to Call Troopers to Prevent Integration SHOWDOWN DUE TODAY New Orleans Board Plans to Defy State and Admit 5 Negroes to White Classes -- U.S. COURT BARS LOUISIANA MOVE

A special legislative session approved steps tonight to forcibly prevent desegregation of the New Orleans public schools.

April 9, 1971, Friday

Plan for Domed Stadium Stirs New Orleans Resistance

Louisiana officials are going ahead with plans to build a $150 - million air - conditioned sports arena in downtown New Orleans amid allegations of "boondoggle," "swindle" and "kickbacks."

August 9, 1957, Friday

New Orleans Laymen Asks Pope Bar Integration in Archdiocese; POPE GETS APPEAL FOR SEGREGATION

The Association of Catholic Laymen of New Orleans, bypassing its Archbishop, today asked Pope Pius XII to stop racial integration in the church.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Not Untrue but Misinformed From India

2007-10-25T21:31:00.000-04:00

One of the topics that I spend a lot of time on is New Orleans news from places outside New Orleans. I like to see how other people see New Orleans. I especially like news about New Orleans from outside the US. The point of views can be fascinating.

Along those lines, I found an article in The Hindu. The Hindu bills itself as Online edition of India's National Newspaper. This particular article, After the floods, is written by Anjali Kamat and was posted on September 23, 2007.

I don't want top say that the author got it wrong as much as I want to say he is misinformed. For one thing, he starts off with a picture labeled, "Now a Wasteland." Excuse me, New Orleans is not a wasteland. True, there are plenty of areas that need work. Some areas haven't even started work. Calling it a wasteland damages your credibility though.

With all of the half-truths and misinformation in this article, there is one comment that really stands out as being just plain ignorant.

Visiting the post-Katrina landscape of New Orleans is a bit like time travel. It’s a crash course in the long and shameful history of American poverty, injustice, slavery, and racial segregation. But it’s also a window into the future of what other cities in the United States and perhaps across the world could soon look like. That privatised, gentrified, and militarised future is unmistakeably bleak and terrifying.

After a statement like that, you would think the author would provide some information to back up the statement but not in this case. It's a drive-by insulting aimed at New Orleans and all of the US.

But, as I said above, there are some very true statements in the article:

Two years after the flood, little has changed at the Lower Ninth Ward. The scene is eerily reminiscent of images from days after the hurricane.

Or this:

After two years of wrangling with the bureaucracy, owners who had finally received federal money to rebuild their homes returned only to find their houses demolished and their property seized by the city. Meanwhile rent prices had skyrocketed by almost 200 per cent.

The insane cost of living that is currently biting New Orleans is particularly vexing. Until there is additional housing, rent will remain high. With insurance and taxes out of control, I don't see it getting better any time soon.

This following paragraph is a prime example of, almost paranoid, misinformation.

The city’s elite called Katrina a godsend that “cleaned up” the crime-ridden projects. But all Stephanie could talk about was how much she misses the sense of community at the projects. She now lives in Survivors Village, a rat-infested “tent city,” erected in protest by former public housing residents like herself, right across the street from her old home.

Who, in New Orleans, called Katrina a "godsend"? I think they got that from the K-Ville pilot episode.

Even though this article is mostly wrong or warped, I still like reading what people in other places are thinking. The downside to reading this is that I have to ask myself, "Is this the image New Orleans is broadcasting to the world?"

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Jesus, Voodoo and Gay Bars

2007-10-24T18:21:00.000-04:00

As I may have mentioned, I am a news junkie. I read everything. Today I found an article in the Florida Baptist Witness called New Orleans: Where voodoo and Christianity collide.

I'm not a very religious person. I don't have anything against people who are. I don't have anything against people who aren't. I don't particularly like being preached to when I'm down in the quarters or off having fun (like at Mardi Gras). This article has a neat viewpoint though that I don't see very often.

"The difference between the French Quarter and [other] suburban areas is the concentration of darkness," Greg Hand, the church's pastor, noted. His wife Wren added, "There is a very real spiritual oppression that is present here."

This quote kind of sets the tone of the article. I have often wondered if people still think of the French Quarter as the ultimate source of debauchery. I guess they do. I can tell you I have been in strip clubs in Florida, Texas and Connecticut that go much further than New Orleans. There are no completely nude strip joints in NO that I know of.

Abner had visited New Orleans before the trip, but he was shocked nevertheless by what he experienced early Sunday morning in the French Quarter. "It was a really sad, sad sight, walking down the street at 9 a.m. and seeing a bar still open," he recounted. "People were drinking, the music was cranked up and folks were slumped over the bar."

That's called having a good time. I don't know many people who do this frequently. If you are drinking at 9am on a daily basis, you're probably homeless and that happens in every city. Of course, the bars being open at 9am might make it a bit easier. ;-)

Whether it's the tourist visiting the city or the person walking out of a "gay bar," the Hands seek to convey a message of love as they walk around the city. One person who was the recipient of "sowing seeds of love is now here [at church] set free," Hand said.

I'm guessing they had a "gay convert" from this quote. So is the person no longer gay or is the person just going to church now? I can't quite tell. I wonder which bar it was?

Anyway, the article is an interesting read. It is definitely from a viewpoint I don't share but that's why I read as much as I do. I like hearing the other side.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

REM's New Orleans Instrumental #1

2007-10-23T18:08:00.000-04:00

Some guy created a video from REM's New Orleans Instrumental #1 using an aquarium and some food coloring. It's kind of freaky but if you like the song, it's very relaxing to watch.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Does New Orleans Need a DA?

2007-10-23T17:05:00.000-04:00

I wrote a while back about Eddie Jordan and the racism case. The DA was sued by a bunch of white employees who were fired and immediately replaced by black employees. The white employees won and it looked like a good thing.

Actually, it is still a good thing that racism was taken on and beaten. The bad part is that somehow Eddie J is not responsible for paying. According to this article, This may kill New Orleans entirely, the DA's office may lose furniture and vehicles to cover Eddie's lost suit.

Eddie made the decision, eddie is responsible, eddie should pay.

UDPATE: According to New Orleans City Business (on Oct 24, 2007), the city council is requesting information from the City Attorney.

"Specifically, I requested a legal opinion outlining the city and Council’s rights, responsibilities - if any - and alternatives in satisfying that judgment," Fielkow said.

"I am not inclined to support the use of city funds to satisfy this judgment and await the city attorney’s opinion," Fielkow said.

I think you probably know how I feel. Everyone I hae talked to about this feels the same way. Fielkow puts it best:

“The timing of this issue could not be worse," Fielkow said. "The needs of the city of New Orleans greatly outnumber the resources we currently have, and it is most unfortunate that the DA’s action has caused this burden to be potentially placed on the City of New Orleans and our citizens.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

New Orleans News From Qatar

2007-10-23T11:47:00.000-04:00

From The Penninsula, Qatar's Leading English Daily, Mobile health units set up in New Orleans with Qatar Katrina fund.

Qatar was one of the first foreign countries to respond to Katrina and offer assistance. If I'm not mistaken, they offered assistance even before Bush did. Go figure.

March of Dimes, the international agency involved in preventing birth defects of new-born babes, has introduced three mobile health units in New Orleans, by utilising "Qatar Katrina Fund", last week.

With the impacts to health care in New Orleans, gifts like these mean so much more to the locals than do platitudes from US politicians who stop by every few months and make promises on which they never deliver.

“With the Emir's fund, the March of Dimes purchased three mobile health units to provide parental and early paediatric care for mothers and children living in hurricane-damaged areas. These mobile health vans include private examination rooms, waiting areas and nurses' stations, and they are equipped with foetal monitors, ultrasound machines and other medical equipment. A mobile unit is already making an average 35 patient-visits each week, and is expected to serve over 4000 patients throughout the course of the project,” he said.

Did you like this entry? Why not subscribe to it? Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe via email.

Voodoo Fest Happens this Weekend

2007-10-22T21:38:00.001-04:00

October 26-28, 2007 - Voodoo Fest in City Park.

iclips.net will be streaming the fest live all weekend. If iclips is busy, you can also catch it at La Travel.

This is the 9th year for Voodoo Fest and hopefully the crowd will pass the 100k mark. Last year, 93k people showed up.

If you aren't sure what the Voodoo Fest is, check out this video:

Or skip the documentary and check out this fairly bad video, from last year, of Red Hot Chili Peppers singing Under The Bridge.

Bollinger Shutting Down New Orleans Yard

2007-10-22T12:25:00.000-04:00

I just read on NOLA.com that Bollinger Shipyards is closing its New Orleans ship yard. Bollinger makes and repairs many kinds of ships.

They're closing down because it's very likely that the Mississippi Gulf Outlet, the short cut from New Orleans to the Gulf, will be closed down by the Army Corps of Engineers.

All 80 employees currently employed there have been offered jobs at other bollinger sites.

This is a bummer.

Jindal Wins the Race

2007-10-21T18:45:00.000-04:00

I debated with myself whether or not to write about this. It will be all over the news for a while and I hate being a band wagon jumper. But this blog is about my thoughts and opinions and I have an opinion.

I think Jindal is the wrong person for the position. Personally, I thought Georges would have been a better choice. Don't get me wrong, Blanco is a complete dufus and I don't blame people for wanting a do over.

I honestly don't think the response to Katrina would have been much different had Jindal been governor though. The three things that would have made a difference to a lot of people would have been a different New Orleans mayor, a different Jefferson parish president and a different US president. The governor was a bit player.

The news here is not that La got the best governor that it could but that it did get some firsts: the youngest governor in the US, the first non-white La governor in 100+ years, the first Indian governor. Did I miss any?

What La needs right now is not more politics as usual and Bobby is politics as usual. The state needs a governor who will bring in business and who can change the national, even global, impression of Louisiana as a back water, red neck, third world place where you can only do business with bribery and deceit.

I think Georges would have been able to do that job much better than Jindal. I think it speaks to what kind of a person Georges is that instead of complaining or making excuses, Georges congratulated Jindal and asked everyone to get behind and support Jindal. If Georges had won, would Jindal have had that much class?

A View of K-Ville and Ratings

2007-10-21T17:27:00.000-04:00

Dave Walker, from the TP, has a great write up about where K-Ville stands in the ratings game played by the networks. In "'K-Ville' hopes to build ratings momentum starting Monday", Dave discusses how and why K-Ville needs to work on its ratings.

Dave feels that K-Ville has been "trending upwards" creatively and is on the "low end of acceptable" commercially. Personally, I find that is has improved greatly creatively but I have to admit he's right commercially. It's at the bottom of the charts for broadcast ratings.

The episodes have been getting better and better with the characters getting stronger and integrating as a team. The story line of Boulet and his interactions with his family and with ex-partner Charlie is some good TV.

I heard a rumor that K-Ville was moving time slots, but Dave's article sounds like it will be staying right where it is. I'm glad about that but going up against football and Heroes doesn't do it any rating favors.

The big unknown is a Hollywood writer's strike:

One factor in "K-Ville's" future that apparently nobody can control is the possibility of a fall strike by the Writers Guild of America. The guild's contract with studios expires Nov. 1. The sides appear to be far apart on bargaining issues, chief of which is figuring a fair digital-distribution revenue split.

I'm afraid that if there is a strike, K-Ville and everything else at the lowend will be on the chopping block. Dave points out that we will "soon clog with quickie reality shows, reruns, newsmagazines and sports". Ugh. Please no more reality shows. No quickies, not slowies, not any. Just say NO to reality. If I wanted reality, I'd have a life.

JK Rowling In New Orleans

2007-10-19T19:27:00.000-04:00

I like the Harry Potter series. I read the first three books and have seen all but the latest movie. My wife however buys the books the day they go on sale and has read the entire series 5 or 6 times.

Anyway, JK Rowling was in New Orleans yesterday and read the first chapter of the latest book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I think my wife would have loved to go see that.

A very cool side effect of that though is that Scholastic (the publisher) is donating 10,000 harry potter books to the New Orleans School system.

Scholastic, the U.S. publishers of the book also announced that they were donating 10,000 copies of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first book in the series, to Orleans Parish public school students as well as donating a complete set of the series to each public school and public library in New Orleans.

I hope they share some of those books with parishes around Orleans.

If you're interested, you can also see some pictures.

FEMA Floodmaps On;ine

2007-10-19T16:31:00.000-04:00

The title of this entry is supposed to be "FEMA Floodmaps OnLine". Duh, typo. It screws up for some reason if I change it now, though.

I read an article today in CityBusiness, Powell: Web site will show flood maps, recovery spending.

FEMA is releasing maps of 100 year flood points. This will allow anyone to see potential flood issues. Powell specifically mentions the obvious business use of the maps.

“For the first time, the citizens of New Orleans will understand the power of a storm like Hurricane Katrina,” Powell said. “When a potential business leader can look at exactly what flood potential there is in a particular area, that is a powerful tool.”

I think the maps will be important for business but I think it's even more important for home owners. The downside to this could be lenders or insurers looking at the map and making life difficult for people who want to buy in the less than pristine areas.

The URL for the FEMA site is www.dhs.gov/gulfcoastrebuild. It's not available yet and as of today, that link is redirected to the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding.

Racism In The USA

2007-10-18T19:24:00.000-04:00

You can hear a lot about racism in the news and when it's in the South, the news person usually has an attitude of, "Well, the south is known to be racist." If it's in the north or west, everyone acts like it's a shock.

I have lived all over the country while working as a consultant. The worst racism I ever saw was in New Haven Connecticut. Of course, not everyone was a racist, anymore than everyone in the south is a racist. I did see some very ugly stuff though.

The thing that amazed me was how secret and sneaky it was. In New Orleans, there was segregation. White lakefront and black lakefront, for example. I didn't even realize that was weird until I was in my 20s. I thought that was just the standard. White lakefront wasn't any better or any worse than black lakefront, it was just segregated by the Bayou St John bridge. That bridge was out of order all through my teens.

Anyway, my point is that the white people who didn't like black people were pretty blatant and outspoken about it. The black people who didn't like white people were just as outspoken. You knew where you stood.

In New Haven, it was sneaky. I was in an elevator with a guy I worked with. A black guy was in the elevator with us. When the black guy got off, my co-worker went off on a racist tirade that was embarrassing to watch. And the black guy hadn't even said anything on the ride. I saw a lot of that.

Now, on to my point. I don't really think much about racism. I try to avoid racists where I can. Color, religion, culture, etc just don't drive my reactions. But hearing constantly about how the South was so much more racist than anywhere else has colored my views.

I had convinced myself that New Haven was an abberation and that the south really was that much worse. Turns out, that's not true. At least not in the last and past behavior is the best indicator of future performance, as they say.

That's why I was interested when I ran across this post on Orcinux, Truth & Reconciliation, Part II: James Loewen on Sundown Towns. I had never heard of a sundown town and that's because it is a uniquely northern and western phenomona.

If you think the town you grew up in didn't have a race problem because either a) it wasn't in the South, or b) it was all white, Loewen -- the author of "Sundown Towns" and an active Unitarian himself -- has news for you.

"When I started researching this subject, I expected to find three types of sundown towns," Loewen recalled. "I expected to find small towns that were all-white because they'd expelled their black populations; suburbs that were all-white because they excluded blacks (and usually Asians and Jews, as well) from the very beginning; and then a third class of places that were all-white simply because African-Americans never got around to coming there.

Sundown Towns are, apparently, towns that did not allow blacks on the street after sundown. According to the author, this was a widespread practice and would make living in a sundown town difficult if you weren't white:

The term "sundown town" refers to the signs that some of these towns put at their city limits, which typically said things like "Whites Only After Dark." (Some of them were far less polite.) However, most sundown towns didn't bother with overt signage: my own hometown of Bishop, CA never actually put up signs; but the police and certain other citizens made it their business to confront black visitors and advise them of the town's policies regarding their presence overnight. Innkeepers refused to rent them lodging as late at the 1980s. (And if you think sundowning was just out in the sticks, note that this was happening just four hours up the highway from LA.)

The really ugly thing is that these towns did not start off as being white only. After blacks were freed slavery and moved into the towns, the townspeople raised barriers to non-whites living and working there. Not really banning them, more of a back-stabbing hidden thing. And remember, this was not the south.

There are regional wrinkles to the pattern. "I expected to find maybe 10 sundown towns in Illinois, and maybe 50 across the US," said Loewen. Instead, he's found over 500 in Illinois alone -- and estimates that there may well be over 10,000 across the US. The movement was apparently strongest in Illinios, Indiana, and Ohio; and weakest in the South. He's only found six sundown towns in Mississippi. "Sundown towns are rare in the south, particularly the 'traditional south,' he notes.

The author mentions the movie Gentlemen's Agreement about a town, in Connecticut no less, that created a covenant to keep blacks and jews out of town.

This is a bizarre issue that I have never heard of. I guess my southern upbringing didn't prepare me for hiding how I feel. Since I'm not black, I can't really say which would bother me more, knowing that someone hated me for such a stupid reason, or thinking they didn't hate me for that reason when they really do. I think I would prefer to be aware of the hate, but that's just me.

Truth & Reconciliation, Part II: James Loewen on Sundown Towns is a really interesting article. Give it read. There is a bit more info and some links on the wikipedia entry for Sundown Town.

I'm sure we would all like to be rid of racism all together but if we had to have one form of it, blatant or hidden, which would you choose?

K-Ville in the New York Times

2007-10-18T19:18:00.000-04:00

The NYT had a good write up about K-Ville, Cop Show Comes Calling in Battered New Orleans. I don't particularly like NYT because, for many articles, you have to log in. This headline caught my eye though.

I have three hopes for K-Ville.

1) I hope it doesn't get cancelled. I heard that The Sarah Conner Chronicles will be moving to Monday nights and will displace K-Ville. Uhoh, not good.

2) I hope the shows keeps showing more and more of the precinct and the other officers. I like the story line with ex-partner Charlie, too.

3) I hope, keeping #1 in mind, that the series is very successful over the long term. I don't know if you remember Frank's Place but I hope K-Ville is much more successful. I think having a series every week that keeps New Orleans in people's minds could be very beneficial.

The article says that some people are bothered that in New Orleans, people don't refer to the city as K-Ville. That's true but I have read it quite a bit. I read it from people natives and non-natives. I think the title is a non-issue. I mean it's a TV show for christ's sake. It beats reality TV and Dr Phil.

Best Quote: Employment and other economic benefits are at the heart of that welcome. Ms. Day said that 80 percent of the crew on the show is local. “It takes eight days to film an episode,” she said. “Over that eight days a little more than a million dollars is pumped into the local economy.”

Wikipedia has a write up about K-Ville. Short but good. I'm sure info will be added to it over time.

Racism in New Orleans Takes a Hit

2007-10-16T21:29:00.000-04:00

This entry was originally posted in August. I'm consolidating my New Orleans postings in a single blog (this one).

Justice has been served in a racism case that was watched across the US. In 2003, incoming District Attorney Eddie Jordan, who is black, fired over 50 white employees and replaced them with black employees. In 2005, a court found the DA guilty of violating the employees' civil rights.

Jordan appealed, and just this week, the appeals court rejected all points of the appeal and said that Jordan must pay almost US$ 4 million to the defendants and pay court costs for the appeals. The original case found that Jordan's office must pay back pay and damages (minimal from the looks of it). With the appeal, interest has accrued and that's bumped the dollar amount up.

Since Jordan was sued as the N.O. DA, the tax payers will have to pay the money. That part of it sucks but I am glad this instance of racism was brought to light and that the fired employees get back pay. I think they should also get their jobs back, Eddie Jordan's replacements should be fired and Eddie impeached for racism. La doesn't have a stellar record of keeping crooks out of office though.

Racism from the block New Orleans politicos shouldn't surprise anyone. Nagin and his "Chocolate City" comments were the shot heard round the world. Where is Rev Jackson? Where is Sharpton? Where is the NAACP? Shouldn't all of these "fighters for equality and justice for all" be cheering this verdict? Or are they bigots and racists?

They are willing to march in the streets at a perceived slight to a black person but turn a blind eye to this. Which is worse? A blatant racist or one who hides it? I say they're about the same.

According to popular press and pundits, most of the misery of Katrina was directed at blacks and racism played a huge part in people not getting out of New Orleans before the flooding. I know for a fact that there was plenty of misery for everyone, white and black.

I think the main reason New Orleans was ignored was that, when they vote, they primarily vote democrat and are mostly poor (white or not). Three of the four hardest hit parishes in La were a majority white population.

I am sick of hearing about the corruption of New Orleans and Louisiana politicians (black and white). I'm ready for Nagin, Blanco, Jefferson, et al to just leave. Pack up and go. I'm sick of the current set of US politicians too. The 2008 elections can't get here fast enough for me. The worst thing is who will replace Bush?

Who will you vote for your new Governor? It is painful to believe that Nagin was reelected mayor of New Orleans and is now considering a run for governor.

Well, this has turned into a rant so I will stop here. I just want to end this with a call to move away from the racism and politics as usual of the past. New Orleans needs to build a new future. I hope that future starts soon.

LewisC

Cole Hauser on Playing a Cop

2007-10-16T21:24:00.000-04:00

Cole Hauser plays Trevor Cobb, new partner to Anthony Anderson's Marlin Boulet. Trevor escaped from a flooded prison and joined the army before joining the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and becoming a cop. Cole is working hard to play an authentic NOPD officer.

According to this article at CanMag.com, Cole has been spending time with the real NOPD as research.

"They do things differently in New Orleans, different than around the country as far as the cops I've been around, whether it be New York or Los Angeles," said Hauser. "It's just a different style. As far as playing characters that are cops in New Orleans, it's the best kind of cop you can play. The fact is that in doing things different and being around and just the actual place that we're at in the French Quarter and dealing with Louisiana and Ninth Ward, New Orleans East and seeing the things that these guys go through."

Some of the actors have been allowed to travel with the police, even with SWAT, and get to see how the officers work and what it is like to arrest someone. In addition to getting a close-up introduction to the criminal element in New Orleans, the actors are getting to know the freakshow that is night-time New Orleans (and I say that affectionately).

Even in good times, New Orleans presents a different kind of perp. "It's the people they're dealing with. You have to understand like the French Quarter, everybody thinks New Orleans is the French Quarter. You go down there, everybody is drinking, you're talking about a city that is partying 24/7 and the people that they're dealing with, the perps that they're dealing with, most people are either on drugs in that quarter or drinking out of their mind. So the people that they're dealing with are just, pardon the expression, but out of their minds drunk."

I'm glad these guys are in New Orleans making this show. The NOPD has had some bad publicity, some of it very much deserved, but the cops in New Orleans are mostly good people with a really hard and dangerous job. I'm hoping K-Ville with shed a little light on the real NOPD just as much as I hope that K-Ville will shed some light on the real NOLA. It would be nice if the show spent more time in the precinct and with the various officers.

K-Ville in the News

2007-10-16T21:21:00.000-04:00

Since there was no K-Ville on TV this week, here are some links from the last month:

Boston Globe: New Orleans provides turbulent backdrop for 'K-Ville'

As Anderson and the show's writers twist and shout to make points about the desperation and valiance of New Orleans, "K-Ville" becomes less than it could be. Tonight's crime plot is set in motion after a shooting at a Katrina charity event, and the cops proceed to rifle through all levels of society in search of a motive. But that plot comes off as an afterthought, something thrown in to frame the portrait of Boulet. The show would benefit enormously by paying more attention to the crime stories, and letting the pain left in Katrina's wake emerge incidentally, undeniably.

Cincinnati Post: New on TV: 'K-Ville,' Kelsey, snotty kids

The hook is that this is shot on location in post-Katrina New Orleans. That's supposed to grab at our heartstrings as these cops feel passionate about their city. It comes off in the pilot as just exploiting the city's real-life pain for cheap dramatic purposes. On the other hand, if the city's present-day injustices can be raised with care and compassion in future episodes, it could poignantly make this rise above another cop show. It doesn't in the pilot.

USA Today: Tasteless 'K-Ville' is the big sleazy

You could argue that any attention is good attention, considering how desperately the city needs our aid. Still, it's hard to see what public good is served by turning New Orleans into some high-octane Deadwood on the Mississippi. Even to suggest that the networks might have some greater social responsibility beyond making money for their stockholders is to risk sounding quaint these days — but it is nevertheless true, and this show violates it.

Philidelphia Inquirer: ‘K-Ville’ blows ill for New Orleans

It's one of those series where they constantly feel constrained to explain what's going on, even though it's obvious. "You figured we were on to you," Anderson tells a criminal, "so you wanted to send a message."

The only message here is: Change the channel.

Spokesman Review: 'K-Ville' puts Big Easy in spotlight

The camera shows both sides of New Orleans, the vibrant tourist center of the French Quarter as well as the unreclaimed squalor of its abandoned districts. And if the first two episodes are any indication, both sides of the city share the same atmosphere of corruption. "K-Ville" is a place where rich and powerful puppet masters wield enormous power with a callous cruelty befitting petty colonels in a Third World banana republic. This may or may not reflect the true state of things in New Orleans, but "K-Ville's" rich gumbo of cynicism and doom fits in rather nicely with Fox's Monday-night buffet of "Prison Break" and "24" – shows shot through with paranoia and conspiracy, where the treachery and treason reach all the way to the top.

San Francisco Chronicle: Goodman: New Orleans deserves better than mediocre 'K-Ville'. That's TIM goodman, not JOHN Goodman.

The most distinguishing element - and the most important - in the new Fox drama "K-Ville," is that it's filmed on location in New Orleans. It's a cop show about life, post-Katrina, in the Big Easy, so the people determined to rebuild there might as well get some of the benefits of a local production.

Mercury News: Oh, 'K-Ville,' can you break out of cop box?

Is it fair to demand more? After all, the series is fighting against a tide of escapist TV and more specifically against a show -- "Heroes" -- that defines the trend. "K-Ville's" humble, street-level heroes can't fly or teleport themselves, so what's wrong with deploying a few slam-bang theatrics to help level the playing field?