Samedi

Building a time bomb
~Much concern should be given to the planned building of the New Orleans Cold Storage warehouse at the foot of Esplanade, right next to the US. Mint, at the Governor Nichols St Wharf. Why? Because of their Blast Freezers which are anhydrous ammonia refrigerant systems!!!!
~Editilla would like to Remind Everyone that 50,000 pounds of Anhydrous Ammonia ain't nothing to sneeze at, and it is the Stupid Shit that will Kill You Every Time! This unbelievable discussion should not even be happening.
Anhydrous means "without water."
Because of its high affinity for water, it readily absorbs water to create ammonium hydroxide, which is corrosive like lye. Anhydrous ammonia is a hygroscopic compound, which means that it seeks water from the nearest source, any source, including the human body. Caustic burns can result when anhydrous ammonia contacts body tissue. Most deaths from anhydrous ammonia are caused by severe damage to the throat and lungs from a direct blast to the face. When large amounts are inhaled, the throat swells shut and the victims suffocate. Exposure to vapors or liquids also can cause blindness. More here.
By the way, don't these fools need to get Permitting from the Corps of Engineers? Uh Oh...
The Times Picayune should be sued for not noting this clear and present danger in their article today.
Not one word about what happens when Anhydrous Ammonia reacts with water, for example, in your lungs.
This is Heinous Disregard for the Public Safety.


Meta Talk Time. How do we build a grassroots progressive coalition in the Crescent City?
~We Could Be Famous

FEMA more than triples amount of money for Charity ~WWL

State Farm launches Mac-attack on Payment case with missiles, ground fire and bomb to keep MID market conduct exam from jury~slabbed

Big Three Bailout: Southern Senators Immune to Irony
~CarConnection.com

Illinois trying, it really is, but the most corrupt state?
~NYT

No! Not Our Exquisite Corps!!!????


Curious tourists flock to Galveston post Ike~T.J. Aulds

Terriers to Return to New Orleans to Aid in Katrina Relief Urban Plunge

To Tulane, for English and Altruism~Robin Finn
~And how was he certain it was his grandmother’s attic, the students, naïvely and nosily, wanted to know?
Because her corpse was inside, he informed them, shrugging off the macabre aspects of such a discovery.
“He told us, ‘Hey, life is hard here; people live and people die.”

Snow laden bamboo in
New Orleans~pzych

PhotoNOMA Rescheduled ~NOPA

Call to artist & Designers: BECA Gallery New Orleans
~Coo Coo for CoCA Puffs

A tough life for the nanners

The Age Of The Funky Western Civilisation~Retro Universe

St. Louis Cathedral Christmas Concert Schedule
~Sharon Keating

Vendredi

Miracle on 34th…uh… Bourbon Street~Kevin Allman, Gambit

Treme Creole Gumbo Festival

Nagin cuts $18.5 million from budget~WWL~Using his line item veto power, Nagin trimmed the spending plan by $18.5 million including across the board cuts for nearly all city departments.
Nagin's cuts are at least 2.5 percent for all agencies except public safety. He also ordered a hiring freeze for all departments.

N.O. still smarting over Coast ad

In Congo Square:
Colonial New Orleans
~Joshua Jelly-Schapiro
~The story of New Orleans isn't merely rich with the enduring tensions of American history--between Old World and New, nation and federation, slavery and freedom. It is also in many ways at the center of American history: the city's acquisition was the midwife of American empire, and prompted the spread of a system of racial slavery whose rise led directly to one of our history's defining events--the Civil War.
New Orleans--the "inevitable city on an impossible site," as one geographer memorably called it--has figured since 1803 not only as a crucial pivot of the US economy but also as an essential wellspring of its culture. Editilla T'n'T~Citizen K

There’s No Calendar in their Wallets: AIDS Funding Update
~David Winkler-Schmit

New Orleans Murder Blog

Overview and update on Corban v USAA~slabbed

Dopewater~Molly Day
~Municipal water supplies around the country --including ours-- contain trace elements of discarded pharmaceuticals.
Should you be worried?
~Editilla gotta ax~ ...uhmmm... what were you saying?


Red streetcars returning to service in N.O.
Photo'rilla T'n'T
<~YatPundit


Global Warming???
~Scared Monkeys
~Snow hits South Town in New Orleans, Houston … Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee

Engineering

Rule Eases a Mandate Under a Law on Wildlife
~Felicity Berringer
~The rule, quickly challenged by environmental groups, lets the Army Corps of Engineers or the Federal Highway Administration in many cases rely on their own personnel in deciding what impact a project would have on a fish, bird, plant, animal or insect protected under the Endangered Species Act.

George W. Bush Library
~World Prout Assembly
The Library will include:
1. The Hurricane Katrina Room
~which is still under construction.
2. The Alberto Gonzales Room
~where you won't be able to remember anything.
3. The Texas Air National Guard Room
~where you don't even have to show up.
4. The Walter Reed Hospital Room, where they don't let you in.
5. The Guantanamo Bay Room, where they don't let you out.

New Orleans Project
Photography by Jenny Lemper
~1870 Art Center

Holiday Affordable Art Bazaar at The Studio at Colton School
~A new take on the traditional holiday shopping experience, this one of a kind holiday arts market within the mammoth Studio at Colton School will feature the work of many of the 70+ resident artists from the Studio and other participating local artists. Browse dozens of inspirational exhibitions, whittle away at your holiday shopping list with one of a kind, unforgettable pieces for your friends and family and support your local cultural economy and art scene, all in one afternoon.
Special Affordable Art Bazaar Kick-Off Party
(featuring music and food)
Saturday, December 13, 2008 / 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Holiday Affordable Art Bazaar Dates and Hours
December 13 – 21, 2008
Weekdays from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Weekends from noon – 5 p.m.
~The Studio at Colton School

After pictures are CURSED
~Did We Survive Katrina Or Not

Taj Mahal celebrates 40 years of music with new CD, 'Maestro"
~Jim Harrington

Batiste And Ellis:
New Orleans In New York~NPR
Editilla T'n'T~ all about Jazz

FUNK - Definition by AcronymFinder
~Rare Soul Grooves

Visiting Act ~ Eric Lindell
~Michael Andrews
~Melted Butter, Straight Up:
Eric Lindell returns with his blue-eyed soul intact

Songs 4 Foodies #2
~Robert Frost's Banjo

Jeudi

Gambit Reader Snow Shots

Crescent City Snow


Slabbed:
~Levee Boards and MR-GO settle with defendants’ insurer,
~State Farm’s 67% rate increase request raises important issues

Berkeley engineer sees big flaws in repaired New Orleans levees
~John Schwartz
~Editilla Notellas~This article is a year and a half old.
We want to give Gentle'rillas some background perspective on some of the expert testimony that will be brought to bear in the upcoming Lawsuit against the Corps of Engineers over their failures with the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) which resulted in the Flooding of the city of New Orleans in 2005.
This multi-100s Million Dollar Lawsuit will go to court on
April 20th, with much pre-trial back and forth.
December 22nd the Corps will go before the judge to present its own "expert reports". Oh to be da'fly on'dat shithouse wall!
Just because you see them advertised all over the Times Picayune's website, there are many who loudly beg to differ that the Corps is "Reducing Risk by Building Strong".
The settlement cited in the above lede by slabbed is between the various Levee Boards and their Insurer.

Hurricanes hamper oyster farming~Allen Johnson Jr.

Farm workers who escaped involuntary servitude return to take employer to court
~Mexican guestworkers who were subjected to involuntary servitude in the strawberry fields of Louisiana from 2006 to 2008 today brought major civil litigation against their former employer, Bimbo’s Best Produce and Charles “Bimbo” Relan.

Mississippi Groups Sue HUD, Objecting to Use of Katrina Aid for Port~Spencer S. Hsu

Pitt's First "Make It Right" Homes Complete
~Architectural Record
~The first six homes built by Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation are now finished. They represent not only fresh starts for home- owners, but also blueprints for affordable, storm-resistant, and sustainable housing designs. Please check out slide-show.

Recovery Obstacles Continue to Challenge Communities~PAR

Shaw Awarded COE Military Munitions Services Contract

NOPA All Over da'Place!
~One Night, 100 Photographers!!
~New Orleans Photo Alliance Street Fair
~Mardi Gras 360 Degrees and more.

Happy Birthday Liptrap!

Nick Spitzer signing new book tonight~New Orleans Can Thrive

Carnival Sounds~freesound project

Eco-friendly Music Festival in New Orleans Seeks Name

Tipitina's Benefit
For Big Chief Bo Dollis

Trumpeter Christian Scott fights for the future of jazz
~Chris Barton

Tulane offers Jazz Studies and New Orleans Music

NolaFunk NYC

Mercredi

The Masqued E'vinga Strikes Again!
Hrrmph!

The Scheme: final curtain
- who done it (Chapter 7 qui tam)
~slabbed

La. delegation mixed on bailout
~Gerard Sheilds

Illinois, Not Louisiana, Is The Most Corrupt US State
~Jeff Crouere

Geronimo~Citizen K

Begging Your Questions
Editilla prompts the first of many examples to come of:
Shotgun Framing Article Placement.
Before Obama's pick for Budget Chief has even opened his mouth regarding todays challenges, industry media is already attempting to Spin'filtrate his past statements as if they would apply to current realities. petitio principii. Please follow the link cited at the bottom of this article to get it from the Horse's Ass!

Last piece in place for floodwall
~DISCLAIMER! WARNING! BAT SIGNAL!~

Duke Realty Inks $950M Contract with Army Corp
~Erika Morphy

RICS Americas in Collaboration with Leading US Engineering and Construction Groups
~The groups, comprising the American Society of Cost Engineers International (AACEi), the American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the United States General Services Administration (USGSA) and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), will collaborate together to increase the value that can be derived from Building Information Modeling (BIM).
(AACEiASPEUSACEUSGSANIBSBIM)
~Editilla fulla acronymity~ ASCECORPS

Kill the Sea Lions Before They Kill Again!~Critter News
~"Judge Michael Mosman’s ruling means Washington, Oregon and Idaho can shoot or remove up to 85 sea lions next year.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates the animals eat three thousand salmon annually."
~Editilla gotta ax~ Who'da thunkit? Suddenly...
--the Corps of Engineers are experts on Sea Lion habitat???
Uuummmm... hey guys... IT'S THE LEVEES STUPID!!!

Army CID Unit, Special Agents Recognized for Excellence
~The MPFU centrally directs and coordinates all fraud investigations worldwide and works with other federal agencies on a regular basis. MPFU investigates allegations of fraud involving weapons and support systems within the Army and provides investigative support for civil/military contracts awarded or administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

U.S. infrastructure proposals ring glad tidings for molybdenum
~Mining Era

On This Day: Dec. 10th, 1962
A Modest All-America Who Sits on the Highest Bench
~A Drug Called Tradition

Mardi

New Orleans > Shreveport
~A Drug Called Tradition
~"‘Bama fans, hoping their school would make its third straight trip to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., were disappointed Sunday when The Tide accepted a Sugar Bowl bid. Old habits die hard. Cheer up…an argument can be made that New Orleans is a little bit better than Shreveport. Here’s a few of the reasons the Big Easy is better than the Big Sheezy."

So Which Is It? ~~Click pics to enlarge.~~
~Times Picayune says the Corps of Engineers is Protecting National Treasure or Fucking Booty at Risk? Webshots of TP Aditorial today (top) and their Aditorial Sunday.
Conflict of Interest that makes no difference is no difference.

Bad civil engineering drowned New Orleans, not a bad storm ~Levees.org

Army Corps Kayaker Case Settled: Biologist Who Demonstrated for the L.A. River Paddles off to Law School~PEER
~The case of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers biologist whose activism has helped shape national policy has drawn to a close. Heather Wylie had faced a proposed 30-day suspension for kayaking the Los Angeles River on her own time as part of a public protest demonstration against Corps policies weakening the Clean Water Act.
Pursuant to a settlement negotiated with attorneys at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) who represented Ms. Wylie, the Corps has authorized the release of the following statement:

"Ms. Wylie has reached an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers that resolves all outstanding issues between them. The agreement does not admit any liability or wrongdoing on the part of either party. Ms. Wylie will end her government service effective December 8, 2008."

More Info From McBride and WWL, More Silence From Nagin, White~We Could Be Famous

Land Acquisitions in Mid-City Raise Questions About Speculation, Malfeasance
~A. Caritas

Housing project rebuilding starts ~WWL

Tough economic times scuttling Superdome-area plan
~Alan Sayer

Pearl Jammed~Ian McNulty
~Gambit Weekly~The oysters now coming into
New Orleans restaurants are of extraordinary quality.
They look fat on the half shell, taste salty and feel meaty in the mouth. Some on both sides of the oyster bar say these are the best they've seen local waters produce in a long time.
But such praise is cold comfort for many working the Louisiana oyster reefs and running the shoreside processing plants, because the question of quantity rather than quality is pressing on them now. While oysters are readily available across the market, this year has proved quietly disastrous for Louisiana oyster growers and has sown deep anxiety about the future among industry veterans.

National Report Card on the State of Emergency Medicine gives Louisiana: D+
~Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath still play a significant role in Louisiana’s emergency care environment. While the state now ranks among the best in Disaster Preparedness, Katrina’s impact has also left Louisiana in dire need of more providers to care for a population that has large numbers of uninsured and a higher than average risk of suffering from preventable illnesses and injuries.

Who “Uses” a Blog?

Yeshiva Social Work Students Visit New Orleans
~Jews for New Orleans

New Orleans:
Trying to stay out of trouble
~SEER Lab Azerbaijan

Ponderosa Stomp 2009 Info

New Orleans~April Smith

Lundi

Fats Domino’s House Restored
~Alabamian in New Orleans

Post-hurricane planning efforts falter~Melinda Deslatte

Four years to make a menu
~Your Right Hand Theif
~"Quite simply, its "taking so long" because the Bush administration wants it to take so long. These delays are by design. The Bush administration never, ever, EVER seriously considered approving Category 5 flood protection for South Louisiana. It was NEVER on the table. EVER!"
~Editilla Notellas~Please see our post yesterday on this very subject and its Conflict of Interest with the Times Picayune.

Contractors Ready to Gorge at Federal Trough
~Noah Shachtman

Corps of Engineers Commander takes lucrative corporate job

Ah-rump (kiss kiss) Kamp Re ~slabbed

“The only thing I am certain of is that I am anti-abortion"
~Kevin Allman

Black voter strength surges in New Orleans~Lance Hill

We’re #50~Gambit

Budget cut talk just a ‘peep’
~New Orleans City Business

Old Man River Making New Energy?

Alexandria to sponsor special mulch giveaways

It Takes a School to Save Louisiana Wetlands

Wonder Where Wetlands Wander? Guidance Gives Goose Egg~Dwight Merriam

CANO call for Entries!
~Studio at Colton’s "Turning the Tables" project invites local artists of all disciplines to submit proposals for collaborative- based exhibitions that foster exploration of new media, innovation, and expanded networks of collaboration between creative disciplines.

Submission Guidelines:

• Include a written description of your project in 500 words or less
• Include 3-5 representative images.
• Creative Alliance of New Orleans (CANO) membership required for submission. Access, print and fill out the application available at www.cano-la.org. If not already a member, please submit your CANO application along with or before proposal.
• Printed applications with images should be submitted to the Administration office at the top of the front entrance staircase at the Studio at Colton.

WHEN:

Proposals due by 5:00 p.m. Monday, Dec 15.

Exhibitions will run from January 1 – 31, 2009

An Opening reception will be held January 6, 2008

WHERE:

The Studio at Colton School

2300 St. Claude Avenue

New Orleans, La. 70117
View the flier here.

'The Hour I First Believed'
by Wally Lamb
~Review, Mary Dixie Carter

Sweet Home New Orleans
~Bleeding Diamonds

Twangorama at The Green Room in New Orleans on Dec. 12th
~all about Jazz

Better Than Ezra plus Graham Colton at HOB

Dr. John's "City That Care Forgot" Nominated for "Best Contemporary Blues" Grammy

Dimanche

The Masqued E'vinga Stikes Again!
At least someone else still begs to differ...
Times Picayune Backs Up (To) Corps of Engineers on Levee!

"The failure of the Industrial Canal floodwall, which was overtopped by Katrina's surge,
resulted in its collapse and the inundation of the Lower 9th Ward."

~Silly Editilla falls to the floor in sarcastic pyroximations~
I had thought other Engineers, even the Corps, had told us that the floodwalls had failed and the levees were breached because of corrupted engineering, which resulted in the flooding of New Orleans on August 29th, 2005! It was Katrina all along!
Oh dear! It was a Natural Disaster --Not a Man-made Disaster!
Editilla pleads Nola contendere with apologies for having bothered y'all with all this... harangue'n of hands!
Who'dat Man In The Red Castle? My guess is we may never know --but we can certainly trust the Times Picayune to give us the existential narrative, eh? And, the Times Picyune wants you all to remember One Thing:
No matter what anyone else says about them, the Corps of Engineers is is is...
--"What you mean 'is', Kimosabe?"--
Reducing Risk in Louisiana by Building Strong!
~Snapshot of today's TP Advertorial for the Corps. --Curtsey, nola.com~ BellyFeel Safe. Newspeak Strong.
Snapshot, Mark Schleirstein's advertorial today. Click to enlarge.
So what are we, Protected Treasure or Booty at Risk?
Does anyone else see these goddamn ads all over this narrative?
Do I look like I have a Rhino horn stickin'outta my ass?
And BTW, Happy Birthday John Milton.
<--Tax-Paid Flash Ad lifted from the Times Picayune's nola.com site as evidence of this "news media's" ongoing Conflicts of Interest with the Corps.

What's Missing From Obama's Infrastructure Plan
~Harry Shearer

New Orleans 'should Move To Higher Ground' ~iCivilEngineer

Publicity Is Not About Press Releases

This week’s Gambit:
The O.J. Marinello edition

Does this offend you NOW?
~dakinikat

Restaurant Tax Write-off
Equipment donation for culinary program~Colton Kitchen Project