Seismic testing of levees approved ~Sheila Grissett~Regional levee commissioners agreed Thursday to use $30,000 worth of seismic testing to investigate potential trouble spots.
The work, which involves dropping weights on a levee section and timing the arrival of reverberations at various points, will start on a small patch of Metairie levee several hundred feet east of the Suburban Pump Station. Corps officials have been investigating that area, which periodically gets wet when it should remain dry.
The testing will be done by Juan Lorenzo, an LSU associate professor of geology and geophysics, who has adapted long-accepted technology used in energy exploration to solving levee-related problems, said
Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East Commissioner George Losonsky.
Bohemia Spillway bill OK'd by panel~Robert Travis Scott
Landrieu urges disaster dollars formula~Jonathan Tilove~With hurricane season on the horizon, Landrieu said local officials are no better off than they were before Katrina in knowing what recovery help they can count on from Washington during another catastrophe, and are left to wonder, "if my city is destroyed, what is it that I can expect? Right now, no one knows. It shouldn't be that way."
Provocative New Collection of Testimonies on Flood of '05
“Katrina: Eyes Have Not Seen, Ears Have Not Heard: The Story of How an American City was taken Under Siege by powerful forces in Government”~Gavin Richard challenges readers to question the events surrounding Katrina - the role of racism, capitalism and politics - by chronicling the events that occurred before, after and during this tragic event
.
“This book will appeal to readers because the images of the water and the people on their rooftops still ring in our heads,” writes Richard.
“People sat there in shock when the levees broke and couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They never would have thought that this could have happened to American citizens. ‘Katrina: Eyes Have Not Seen, Ears Have Not Heard’ helps provide some type of closure for those that are from the Gulf Coast and others who still have questions on their minds as to what happened.”Over 4,000 Petition signatures supporting Ivor van Heerden sent to LSU ChancellorLast month, in response to public outrage over Louisiana State University's decision to terminate Dr. Ivor van Heerden,
Levees.org posted
a petition on its website.
This morning, Levees.org sent an excel sheet listing over 4,000 petition signatures to LSU Chancellor Mike Martin in support of Dr. van Heerden.
The handing over of the signatures comes on the heels of a meeting between Dr. van Heerden and a representative of the Governor Bobby Jindal's office. Dr. van Heerden says he discussed the potential of his collaborating with the Governor's Office of Coastal Activities in the future.
In 2005, Dr. van Heerden led a team of independent geotechnical engineers who investigated the levee failures in metro New Orleans after Katrina. Van Heerden was openly critical about the design and construction mistakes by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Observers believe that has caused LSU officials to worry that federal funding might be put in jeopardy.
In addition to the petition, Levees.org had launched
a letter campaign to Governor Jindal who received over 1,000 letters from Louisiana constituents urging him to talk to the Chancellor and ask him to reconsider.
Levees.org also held a rally at LSU Health Science Center in New Orleans that drew dozens of chanting protesters.
Next week, Levees.org director Sandy Rosenthal and research director HJ Bosworth Jr. will travel to the Netherlands with Senator Mary Landrieu on a congressional delegation visit to see the Dutch world-class integrated water management system.
Look for the story tonight on
Fox 8 evening news.
Lawsuit Aims to Prevent Razing of New Orleans Historic District
~Shawn KennedyNew Orleans May Get Major Green Space In Middle Of City ~BBuzz
Why is this man smiling? ~slabbed~"He looks more like an everyday smiler to me, a generally pleasant person, not one who saves smiles for special occasions. I hope so as he is none other than L.T. Senter, Judge for the Federal Court, Southern District of Mississippi – and king of Katrina litigation on the Coast."
Witness Says State Farm Didn’t Thoroughly Investigate Katrina Claims
MS Gov. Barbour urges increase in recovery aid, was for it before he was against it before he was for it again?
Economist predicts rapidly hardening Insurance market~Steven Weisbart, chief economist for the Insurance Information Institute, speaking on a webinar hosted by Advisen, a New York-based research firm, likened the potential impact for the insurance market from proposed reforms in financial regulation to the steep hard-market price push following rating agencies’ changes adopted after Hurricane Katrina.
Five boaters in Dularge wreck identified~Daily CometDarrell Bourque reappointed as Louisiana's Poet Laureate
~Susan Larson
Cajun Heartland State Fair: Filled with fun~Cody DaigleTipitina's set to host 'Musicians Bringing Musicians Home V'Bayou Boogaloo and music galore keep us attuned
and in tune~Geraldine Wyckoff
Real Men Wear Pink Boxers
New Orleans transplant, neighbor serve up cold, refreshing summer treats with latest Loveland business venture
~Loren Scwerd's Katrina houses. "My current project, Mourning Portrait, began as a series of memorials to the communities of New Orleans that were devastated by the federal levee breaches that followed Hurricane Katrina. These commemorative objects are made from human hair extensions of the type commonly used by African-American women that I found outside the St. Claude Beauty Supply store," says Schwerd. "The series began with the small houses. Working from my own photographs, I create metal armatures that act as frameworks for weaving the hair into portraits of the vacant houses of the Ninth Ward neighborhood. By documenting private homes, I venerate the city's losses, both individual and collective."
New Album from Buckwheat Zydeco Lays His 'Burden Down' ~Interview with NPR
