Saturday, March 7, 2009

Samedi

Levee puddles baffle engineers
~Sheila Grissett
~"To me, the source of water is an unresolved issue at this point, and I think further steps should be taken to eliminate the possibility that there's something here that might grow from a small wet spot today to a weak spot in the future," ~Levee authority member George Losonsky, a Ph.D. geologist specializing in groundwater flows.
~DIXCLAIMER!~(please click) This article is paid for by the Corps of Engineers --as well as today's TP Editorial about the Corps.

Jindal administration condemns Corps report~Cain Burdeau
~"The reality is that we spent $24 million on a study that is recommending additional studies ... It fails to hit anywhere near the bull's eye!" -Garret Graves, director of the state office of Coastal Protection and Restoration.

La. officials criticize corps report ~Nikki Buskey
~“You could go down to Houma today; people could tell the corps for free exactly what to do,” Graves said.

Is It too Late for a Sense of Urgency?~Harry Shearer

Feds plan to settle FEMA's bill for Charity~Bill Barrow

Slabbed finds Ajax’s Achilles Heel: Rock Mountain High or Just Stoned in Bermuda?

State to request grant for hospital generators~Sandy Davis

Recovery goals pushed
~Sarah Chacko


The 9th Ward Makes its Comeback, One Nail at a Time ~Ed Moltzen

Governor welcomes home 2228th Military Police Company

Week in review
~Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor


Group helps people rebuild lives
and homes in St. Bernard
~Meg Farris


Primate center probe ordered
~Bruce Alpert and R. T. Scott

~Cruelty claims bolster bill to retire hundreds of research chimps in Congress

Texas to get $1.3 billion in
hurricane help~Juan A. Lozano


Question for the masses..
~St Josephs Day is coming up sooner or later so I have to ask. Where do you go? I remember Cabrini used to do stuff, and I think Angelo Broccotto does stuff for it as well.

NOLA Brew is Flowing
~Ian McNulty


The Map of Moments

Faubourg Treme Part 1
~Professor Zero


HBO planning series set in post-
Katrina New Orleans
~Dave Walker


Upcoming Events at the CAC!
~t rex arms


Buckwheat Zydeco’s
"Lay Your Burden Down"
Set for May 5 Release
~Dirty Linen


Hal McKusick on George Handy ~JazzWax

music boxes, victrolas, and hurdy-gurdies
~to israel and beyond...


Music therapist plays guitar for cancer patients~WWL

No oontz. No swirl. No mercy.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Vendredi

Corps releases storm study,
but no plan~Mark Schleifstein

~DIXCLAIMER! (please click) This article is paid for by the Corps of Engineers.

Readiness of some rebuilt levees questioned~It was nearly nine months ago that flood waters neared and, in some cases, obliterated record levels reached in the Great Flood of 1993, something many Mid- westerners figured they'd never see again.
The Mississippi and its tributaries pummeled levees protecting towns and farmland from Iowa south through St. Louis.
Despite feverish sandbagging, dozens of the earthen structures were breached or over-topped.
With the prospect of another season of spring flooding fast approaching, the Army Corps of Engineers insists the earthen flood levees outmatched by the Mississippi River last summer are rebuilt and ready. Not everyone's so sure.

The Feds, Climate Change and Water~Aguanomics

Hurricane Katrina, Amazonian
Drought Caused by Warmer
Atlantic~Jeremy van Loon


Community Foundation announces grants for Gustav/Ike recovery efforts

Benjamin Button Speaks for
New Orleans Again~Cliff's Crib


2 Cabinet members tour N.O., vow to boost recovery
~Allan M. Johnson Jr.


Ugh, Stacy, Stop it.
~We Could Be Famous


City sitting on millions for affordable housing~Lee Zurik

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin
(still in office) gestic- ulates the concept: "Sh*t in one hand/half a dozen in da'utta" calls release of e-mail 'unusual', proves city's electorate still just as Stupid as ever, laughs at citizens' racial gullibility... ---sez'what nigga, you gotta problem?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!


Clyde an 'nem been on a spending spree~Big Red Cotton
~A review of 2008 purchase invoices in Mayor C. Ray Nagin's office reveals public money spent for flowers, catering and lunches, executive car or limousine services, gifts and housing for mayoral staff in Baton Rouge during the legislative session -- expenditures other government officials generally consider unusual and inappropriate. Their spending totaled more than $657,000 last year.

New Orleans Parking For Disaster ~Jeff Crouere
~It was announced this week that New Orleans parking officials issued 31,245 tickets during the 12-day Carnival season. This establishes a new record for the notorious meter maids, who seem to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are most active during the Mardi Gras celebration.

New Orleans Gets Smart on Energy as it Rebuilds
~Andrew Burger


Friday Slabberdash

Supporters hope to raise money
for Terrebonne’s animal shelter
~Naomi King


Bee Sweet helps spread cupcake
mania in New Orleans
~Brett Anderson


Win a New Orleans Culinary Vacation~Slashfood


This weekend in New Orleans:
new generation of jazz musicians
~Ann Maloney


NIRF Day 1

Steel Pulse plus The Revealers
tonight at House of Blues


Bonnaroo Producers Ready For
New Investors?~Ray Waddell


Ani's got her fun, The original independent woman has a toddler and a bouncy new CD

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Jeudi

New Orleans St. Patrick's &
St. Joseph's Day: March 12 - 19


Sense of urgency grips coastal
restoration summit
~Mark Schleifstein
*DIXCLAIMER!*
~Participants in a two-day summit on using river diversions to rebuild Louisiana's coastal wetlands repeatedly challenged federal and state officials to stop talking and do something -- anything -- to begin the restoration process.

Review: Mississippi River Diversion Summit
~lacoastpost


Clay Center film takes close look at wetlands of Louisiana
~Charleston Daily Mail


The Changing And Transparent World of Louisiana Bobby Jindal --The Playdough Governor
~Stephen Sabludowsky


Stimulus projects change
~Michelle Millhollon

~State lawmakers on Wednesday excluded a proposed widening of Interstate 10 in Baton Rouge from a compromise plan on transportation money included in the federal “stimulus” package.

Napolitano, Donovan announce
millions for long-term hurricane
recovery~John Pope

Spread~ Bayou Buzz, AP, Chicago Tribune, Reuters

Brad Pitt urges House leaders to continue help for New Orleans' recovery

Can we get some federal law enforcement to New Orleans?
~People Get Ready


EPA holds formaldehyde hearing
involving trailers~Cain Burdeau


IAFF Statement on Appointment of Fugate to Head FEMA

“American-Made”:
A WPA History for Our Time
(“Yes We Can” Do It Again)
~Levees Not War


Superdome upgrade will make
the exterior more efficient and
brighten its color~Nakia Hogan


West Cal Port solicits bids for barge basin dredging project

NREL Helps New Orleans Go Green~Joseph B. Verrengia

Barbour: Spend $2.8B, Sept 1st or else risk losing it
~Mellisa M. Scallan


McCaskill chides Senate GOP for
hypocrisy on earmarks
~David Goldstein

~“No fewer than 17 different Republican senators stood up, and with absolutely righteous indignation, talked about the pet projects in the stimulus bill,” she said. “And guess what? Every single one of them has earmarks in this bill.”
“The Republican leader has twice as many solo earmarks in this bill than the Democratic leader,” McCaskill said.

Students head south for hurricane relief work


Exhibition aids NOLA
~Carey Leigh Evans


Film festival showcases Lafourche native's work
~Michael F. Vinning


A view from New Orleans
~Louisiana Movies


Maldives to become haven for
dissident writers~Maryam Omidi


Spencer Bohren, the Modern
Skirts and more music in
New Orleans~Keith Spera


New Orleans Indie Rock fest II

Euclid Records releases first
single in new music series
~Kevin C. Johnson

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Mercredi

Recall organizers prepare suit in effort to remove Cao
~Dave Cohen, WWL


Joseph Cao: "I Might Be In the Closet"~Ryan Grim
~Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, a Republican in a deeply Democratic Louisiana district, was welcomed on Tuesday night into the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
Addressing the group at a ceremony in the Capitol Visitors Center, Cao did a little bipartisan outreach. "Don't tell the Republicans, but I might be a closet Democrat," said Cao to a round of laughter.
~Editilla Swings a Happy Snap~
Weeeeeell, as a Conservative Christian Republican, Cao is Statistically more likely to be a Closeted pedophile, pederast, bathroom stalker, French Quarter John, exorcist, exterminator or meth’head cheese fucker. Jus’sayin…
Indeed, Joseph Cao’s party kinda leans to the Closet Lobby.
I think this is really his subconscious desires talking beneath a well suppressed “closeted” sexuality. And he wants it to come out… it needs help coming out, the way other fundamentalist Christians blithely toss that word “closet” around. Semantic sin… he has to be committing Semantic Sin in order for his Joke to work, right? In his mind Cao knows what the reference means because it exists there every minute of the day for Joseph Cao,
to wit: “I am Closeted”...and a DISGRASIAN™

New Orleans Releases Katrina
Recovery Worksheet~BBuzz


Brad Pitt to meet with Nancy Pelosi about New Orleans housing ~Citizen Sugar

Senate refuses McCain proposal
to strip billions in earmarks from bill
~Bruce Alpert

~Among the earmarks McCain (the bastad) cited as being "without justification" is $6.6 million for continued work by the Formosan Subterranean Termites Research Center in New Orleans. Photo curtsy~Wonkette.

DEQ responds to report that students in St. Charles, St. John and St. Bernard breathe some of the country's most polluted air
~Matt Scallan, Sandra Barbier


Did Governor PBJ LIE About
The 50 Ford Trucks Too?
What is the Governor's Job?
~Daily Kingfish

~After all, he's been a busy fundraising for his 2011 campaign ... $3.5 million in his first year as Governor. Lately however, he's been all over the nation raising cash:
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Fundraiser - Palo Alto, CA (1,834 mi.)
Fundraiser - Fairfield, CA (1,834 mi.)
Fundraiser - San Diego, CA (1,537 mi.)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Fundraiser - Malibu, CA (1,626 mi.)
Wednesday, February 25 - Sunday, March 1, 2009

Vacation at Disney World - Orlando, FL (623 mi.) Fundraiser - (February 26)
Letter to Editor From Alaska:
Dear Governor Bobby Jindal,
I would like to point out that the money for volcano-monitoring is for the Eskimos in Alaska so that they will have early warning of an exploding volcano. With this early warning information, the Alaskan Eskimos will be able to evacuate the area in time to be able to save their lives. The politicians, the rich, the powerful and the white people have early warning systems to tell them when the volcano in their area is going to blow up on them. So, they will be able to get out of the area in time and save their selves.
The Republicans do not want money being wasted on the minority Eskimos to have early warning of an exploding volcano in their area. The Eskimos are not important politicians, not rich, not powerful and they are not white. Thus, they are expendable as far as the Republican Party is concerned. If the volcano in their area blows up and takes out the minority Eskimos, well, that is of no concern to the Republican Party.
Tell me this is not so for you and the Republican Party? Do you still say that the minority Eskimos of Alaska should not have early warning of a volcano that is going to explode in their area?
Sincerely, John Suter, Chugiak, AK
Bayoubuzz will be pleased to post a response.

Corps returns to bridge plan for
Causeway in Metairie
~Richard Rainey


Corps: Freshwater diversion complex~Amy Wold
~A ship navigates down the Mississippi River toward the gulf near Jesuit Bend as the surrounding marshland slowly collapses around it.
Photo: Ted Jackson

~New Orleans Council President Clarkson Wants Diversion For Coast~BBuzz

The Fallacy of Composition~Rick Brenner

Help Rush Limbaugh Pick A State For His 2010 Run!
(note: it's hard)~Daily Koz


Anglers drag half-ton shark into Port Fourchon ~Jeff Dute
~ Related~
Fishermen cited for having 85 sharks on their boat

Humane Society Undercover Lab Investigation Reveals 'Wretched Existence of Chimpanzees'
~The Humane Society of the United States says an undercover lab assistant videotaped "the wretched existence of chimpanzees and other primates" at the nation's largest primate lab in New Iberia, and found gross failures of federal oversight.

Ordinance allows cottages to stay~J.R. Welsh

OMG another “f” - Fugate to head FEMA~slabbed

Mississippi congressman Taylor renews wind insurance efforts
~Sean Reily
~For Mississippi Rep. Gene Taylor, the condition of the private homeowners' insurance market along the Gulf Coast is reason enough for a government-backed windstorm program, and he's trying again to create it.

Alleged KKK imperial whizard pleads innocent in Lynch(ing)
~Benjamin Alexander-Bloch


A VIP Kids Second Line
~Big Red Cotton


Brenau Students Spend Sprink Break Helping Katrina Survivors

Area man grows, moves big trees ~Ed Cullen

Doors now open to flood museum~The 1927 Flood Museum in Greenville, MS, which houses the largest collection of 1927 flood memorabilia anywhere, officially opened Monday in the carriage house behind the Wetherbee House on Hinds Street.

Gigantic gem is subject of LA
court case~Linda Deutsch



~The emerald was dug up in Brazil in 2001 and became known as the Bahia Emerald.
Its first owner was a Brazilian gem trader who made the first sale of it. But after that, its route became muddled. At one point, it wound up in a warehouse in New Orleans that was flooded during Hurricane Katrina. This undated image provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's office shows an 840-pound emerald which will remain in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department while a judge decides which of a half-dozen claimants owns the boulder-sized rock, appraised at $370 million.

The planes in Spain fall mainly on the trains~Jerome Socolovsky
~
AVE High-Speed Rail Network

Building good schools in tough
times~Architectural Record


"Images of New Orleans: Musicians, French Quarter, Mississippi River Wharfs" Opens March 6th and continues through March 31 in the Sharon Weiss Gallery, 20 E. Lincoln St. Columbus, OH .
~Editilla Con'tellas~Where is This??? Let us know!

Carry Me Home published
~Wet Bank Guide


Author Louis Maistros conjures
the ghosts of New Orleans past in
'The Sound of Building Coffins'
~Susan Larson


Baked Oysters with Fresh Thyme
and Sweet Garlic Butter
~Serious Eats


Fats Domino's 81st Birthday
Celebration, Tipitina's Saturday


Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse
to open in Royal Sonesta
~Keith Spera


St. Louis Jazz Cafe to open
~St Louis Jazz Notes

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Mardi

The Inspector General’s Crime Camera report: download it here

Christian Group Takes University To Court On Free Speech Policy

As NOLA Charter Schools Thrive,
Tensions Grow~Larry Abramson


I Don't~Kevin Allman
~In its 1997 session, the Louisiana Legislature passed several important bills. It legalized slot machines at state racetracks, declared shooting a carjacker to be justifiable homicide and redefined marriage.

Obama Suspends Bush Rule on
Endangered Species
~Kate Galbraith, NYT


President Obama gets his Zulu Coconut ~Jonathan Tilove

The Star- Spangled Banner
~Made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931, which was signed by President Herbert Hoover.
(Editilla would just like to point out the Irony here in Spades.)

Louisiana's incarceration rate is No. 1 in nation

Bill would allow concealed guns
on college campuses
~Ed Anderson


Talking “flood” with Noah and the NFIP~slabbed
~According to the NFIP Summary of Coverage, a flood is
“A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or of two or more properties (at least one of which is your property) from one of these sources."

Students spend Spring Break working on Katrina-damaged homes

Fishing pier to be added at Houma’s downtown marina ~Naomi King
~The area underneath the eastern side of the downtown twin spans remains undeveloped, but federal storm-recovery money could change that. A public fishing pier and other improvements could be built there as part of a plan to revive fisheries.
Photo: Emily Schwarze

EIS math error may under-
estimate risk of ariakensis oyster
introduction ~Karl Blankenship

~Last October, the Army Corps of Engineers and the states of Maryland and Virginia released a 1,500-page Environmental Impact Statement that analyzed the risks and benefits of various oyster management alternatives aimed at restoring the ecological and economic role of oysters in the Bay.
The draft EIS outlined three main options.
One used only native oysters for aquaculture and restoration; another used native oysters for restoration but would allow the use of sterile C. ariakensis oysters in aquaculture; and a third option would allow the introduction of breeding C. ariakensis oysters in the Chesapeake.
But a Maryland oyster gardener who reviewed the 1,500-page document discovered huge math errors in the EIS which, when corrected, suggested that an introduction of the foreign species would be inevitable from the large-scale aquaculture option.

La. delegates want Gulf Coast recovery disencumbered
~Shreveport Times


Federal agency awash in arrogance

FEMA rule means La. fire dept
can't rebuild~Chris Kirkham


Simple online disaster com using
RallyPoint~Daniel Terdiman


Dunceball: Obama vs. Limbaugh
~The Huck Upchuck


Governor ta'Geaux: Bobby Jindal
~Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on Monday night said that he was glad to see RNC Chairman Michael Steele apologize to Limbaugh after Steele had called the conservative talk show host's program "incendiary" and "ugly."
"I'm glad he apologized," said the Child Governor, appearing on CNN's Larry King Live. "I think the chairman is a breath of fresh air for the party. As I said before I think Rush is a leader for many conservatives and says things that people are concerned about."

When I lived in New Orleans
~Uncommon Priors


PSFK Talks to Dirty Coast

Phantasmagorical
“Antiabecedarian” Art Show
in New Orleans
~Dark Roasted Blend

~Editilla T'n'T to Ecstatic Days

ArtSessions Panel Discussion
—Street Art, Part I: The Mark
~casa de Charlotte della luna


Not so subtle: Iran’s Inter-
national Film Festival to Screen
TWENTY Katrina films
~Intermap


Iggy Pop to release jazz album steeped in French literature?
~The Stooges' leader made the announcement in a video originally posted on his official website, holding court at the side of a swimming pool. "I just got sick of listening to idiot thugs with guitars, banging out crappy music," Iggy said, "and I was starting to listen to a lot of New Orleans-era Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton type of jazz." Watch Iggy’s erudite blathering all the way to the end to hear one of the proto-punker’s
New Orleans jazz-influenced tracks, "King of the Dogs".

Alex McMurray Returns to NYC
~NolaFunk NYC


"Unwigged & Unplugged," an acoustic 30-city tour in honor of “This is Spinal Tap." at 25

Music Review: Brasil Brazil 3
~Kit O'Toole




Make them Stoooooooooooop!


Terence Blanchard offers an alternative to 'The Circus'

Trombone Shorty documentary wins award

Monday, March 2, 2009

Lundi

San Francisco resident rallies
support for La. wetlands
~Laura McKnight

AP Photo~Bill Haber, with Hat T'n'T to John Tibbetts

Federal report calls for action to
save wetlands~Nikki Buskey

~The report, Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Coastal Watersheds of the Eastern United States (pdf), found that coastal wetlands lost a total of 59,000 acres each year.

KKK whizard to be arraigned in Lynch lynch case

New Orleans Ethics Review Board begins search for new Inspector General
~Louisiana Weekly


Just when you think it's Butter...
Carl(y) Rove(r) sayz Bush admin
'fulfilled' its Katrina duty'thing
~David Edwards and John Byrne


Pope'A'dope, Holy See 'No Evil' exonerates polluted bishop


Galette de Lundi
~Editilla Rotellas~Dat'Franchy'fo: Slabbin'Mondays!

Miss. would get billions if
spending bill OK'd~Ana Radelat


Managing a stimulus windfall ~Steve Hargreaves

Mine waste trips up Alaska gold rush~Kim Murphy

Another skirmish over Asian oysters~Tim Wheeler

Appliqués Speed New Tech To
the Front~Robert K. Ackerman

~U.S. Army researchers are speeding innovations to the battlefield by attaching them to system upgrades or adding them to large programs on the verge of fielding. The prevalence of software-driven systems allows for non-hardware improvements, and the modular nature of an increasing number of systems allows for new developments to be incorporated into them without adversely affecting their timeline or performance.

Pantry Ghosts~Serious Eats

Grandma’s Finnish Biscuit
~Aroma Cucina


Alligator Prepares New Release
From Eric Lindel ~DirtyLinen

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Dimanche



VIP Ladies & Kids Social Aid and
Pleasure Club Annual 2nd Line
~Big Red Cotton


Antoinette K-Doe's funeral was an appropriately colorful farewell~Keith Speara


Earth Angels ~Katy Reckdahl

~Photo: Susan Poag
Delgado Community College Funeral Service Education students Shana Hickerson and Lyndsey Douglas try to prop up a headstone on a badly maintained grave at Holt Cemetery in New Orleans Saturday, February 28, 2009 during a clean up sponsored by Save Our Cemeteries that continues the work done by the Funeral Service Education students at Delgado Community College to clean up the neglected city owned cemetery. Any bones found were reburied.
Students from Delgado began cleaning up the cemetery as a class project last year and Saturday they were joined by volunteers from the Navy at NAS/Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse, Lusher High School, Brother Martin High School and community volunteers to help weed, pick up trash, straighten headstones.

Sunday Funnies, Railroad Blues ~Citizen K

Filipinos moving to New Orleans
area for school, restaurant jobs
~Mark Waller


Reality check...
~I would like some straight up advice on New Orleans, I have some ideas, but more information is always good. I'm considering moving here for school and life experience. I've looked over some of the recent posts and read some of the memories.
I have questions, if anyone is interested in answering them.

Green in the Red~Chad Calder

Group Targets Flawed Federal Levee Policies in Puget Sound
~An Army Corps of Engineers policy to remove trees and other vegetation from levees on Puget Sound area rivers jeopardizes endangered salmon and may compromise flood protection, American Rivers said today in a 60-day notice of intent to sue letter to the Corps.

Weekend Discussion:
Privatization of Water ~Aguanomics


Windmills on the Water?
'Potential is high' for offshore
wind power~Sherri McWhirter


Fence protects while it divides
~John MacCormack


La Fête du Citron
~Menton Daily Photo


The New Orleans Kid Camera Project

Painter celebrates indomitable
spirit of New Orleans: The Paintings of Linda Langhorst ~Kaizaad Kotwal

"Images of New Orleans: Musicians, French Quarter, Mississippi River Wharfs" continues through March 31 in the Sharon Weiss Gallery, 20 E. Lincoln St. Columbus, OH .
~Editilla Notellas~ The above painting is from the Artist's website, and may not be in the show March 6th.

The U.S. Army Blues Swamp
Romp Voodoo Boogaloo
~all about Jazz


Shreveport drummer Brian Blade performs in free concert at Loyola University

The Radiators-Recommendation
of the month~Skydog's Elysium