Vendredi~Déjeuner

New Surge Barrier Project Launched~Engineering News
Click to enlarge
Graphics- Engineering News

Surge barrier is the largest design-build job in Corps history.

~Video Coverage from WWL
~And of course, the obligatory Tax- Funded Daily Picayune Corps Public Relations Pics. Please click to enlarge ...24hrs/day-7days/week~Background
Can y'all excuse me for a second?
HOW MUCH DO ALL THESE GODDAMN ADS COST???
Ahem, whew!
Editilla thinks it is important to note that on Dec 22nd the Corps goes before the Court in the opening rounds of the MRGO lawsuit to present their own "expert evidence". That is just Two Weeks Away. The actual trial is set for April 20th with 3 weeks for trial. Between now and then they will be going back and forth in pre-trial maneuvers.
But, isn't it neat how the Corps is just now finally getting onto working the MRGO problem? We appreciate and applaud the Times Picayune and Asce Gumshoe Mark Schleifstein for failing to mention anything about the MRGO lawsuit in this article.
It would probably upset Gentle'rillas to no end to find out that the Corps just might not be telling all of the truth there.

But I feel so much better now already from seeing their
Flash Ads.
Now I know that the Corps is Building Strong, Reducing Risk.
Don't y'all...
Feel Safe?
Army Strong?
We posted the more informative article from the Engineering News-Record because, well, it is just more informative than former journalist Schleifsteins pablum advomercial for the Corps.
For comparison, if you have the stomach, go and check out the kinder'garden graphics the Corps provided the TP for their piece of ass'buff Advotorial noted in the AdPic above (top).
While we think it is important to give as many angles to this flood safety issue as possible, especially with technical information,
we do not promote Corps Public Relations.
If you want that, you have to go over to the Times Picayune yourself as one cannot get there from this Ladder until they stop advertising for the Corps.
And before they attempt to spin this as such,
These Are Not Public Service Announcements. PSAs are usually free and do not cost upwards of $2500/media package.

NOTE: The Times Picayune has now become a News Item itself.
As Subject in this ongoing deconstruction of Apparent Conflicts of Interest inherent in dealings with the Corps of Engineers, that photo of the flag below and anything else they publish about the Corps of Engineers, especially on the open internet, is evidence of this Apparent Conflict of Interest and hence fair game within my rights to Free Speech and Press to put before the people.
Corps Flag Photo: Chris Granger-Times Picayune, MRGO Corps!
Aaarrrggg Matees!
Blood Red He Blows!
Pirate Flag'0'Doom!
BTW the new buzz word in Schleifstein's Corps is to describe New Orleans as a:
"working landscape", according to John Woodley, assistant secretary of the Army for public works.

Woodley described the location as part of the New Orleans area's "truly working landscape" that is often misunderstood by outsiders.

"Some people would look at what happened to New Orleans in Katrina and the devastation that took place and say, 'Well, that is the result of a blunder on the part of the people of the area building their homes and trying to establish their future in a place that is indefensible against the enormous forces of nature, ' " he said.

'A national treasure'

But that view is wrong, Woodley said, because New Orleans is crucial because it sits at the navigation crossroads of east-west traffic on the waterway and north-south traffic moving along the Mississippi to and from the Ohio, Missouri and Illinois river systems.

No, real engineers did in fact "look at what happened to New Orleans in Katrina and the devastation that took place" and said, "Well, that is the result of the Levees Failing due to Engineering Malfeasance by the Corps of Engineers when they first built them and as the Corps expanded the MRGO, against opposition, over decades"
Soooo, Don't pay any attention to that man behind the levees! Move along folks... it was just Forces of Nature...
--nothing to worry about with the Corps of Engineers!
Building Strong Reducing Risk. Army Strong.
And the Times Picayune has Got Your Back as well! Ha!
Just watch the Times Picayune! See the pretty advertisments?
Tweet tweet? See da'Birdie? In the mine shaft?

But, what does all of this heavy manipulation of the press mean for Valiant Civic Groups like Levees.org, who cannot afford to compete with such Tax-Funded Flash Advertising, and their efforts to get the word out and lobby the 8/29 Commission?
It just does not look good to me, because if the Corps prevails in this Lawsuit, as they very well might, this lawsuit that the TP does not want you to consider, then we can hang it up on getting any kind of legislative momentum behind finally investigating the perpetrators of the Federal Flood of New Orleans.
Forget it. Not enough funding already. And besides...
we all know how the Corps is Building Strong Reducing Risk!
Please go check out the latest conversation on this very topic of Corps Intimidation at the Levees.org TP blog page.
And you can even catch a Corps Advert there too, popping up
like roaches all over Nola.com 24 hrs/da 7 days/week!
Obviously Corps employees are stalking the comment section, trying to spin this as a personal problem, marginalize our concerns about flood safety as those of ranting, uninformed citizens. Editilla can spot them like potty in a cow pasture.
Please go check it out and offer supportive comments, as frankly levees.org looks a bit surrounded right now.