U.S. Secretary of Education shows glaring ignorance of why New Orleans flooded 8.29.05~He pointed to New Orleans' education reform efforts as a model for other struggling communities."It's the fastest improving district in the state by a pretty significant margin, and it's been an amazing turn around. (It has) a long way to go," he said. "The disaster of Hurricane Katrina basically woke folks up. So how do we create that whole sense of urgency around the country without having a devastating hurricane, take the lessons and apply them other places?"

Some N.O. charter schools allowed to save spots for neighborhood students
~Also~Could New Orleans' charter school conversion take place in Michigan's cities?

Enron ruling may hurt former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson~Bruce Alpert

Colossal failure~Library Chronicles

DC court rules against housing advocates ~WVUE

In this episode of Magnum J.D.: Love is in the air as Magnanimous Magnum shares romanesque romance with the public ~slabbed

Living In Times of Belt Tightening
~Cliff's Crib

Sorry Al and Jesse: Make Noise If You Want To~Cliff's Crib

Our View: Pitch to post Ten Commandments in Rapides Parish Courthouse calls for scrutiny
~Alexandria Town Talk

And now a word from our sponsors… blowout preventer version…
~Disenfranchised Citizen

Blowout preventer manufacturer questions Deepwater Horizon forensic report ~David Hammer

Oil cleanup workers', residents' chemical levels high, study says

Report Says Coast Guard Was Unprepared for Spill

NOLA Noteworthy~NOLAFemmes

Lafayette Top Of The Hops Beer Festival ~Abita

French Quarter Fest 2011 Recap: Friday, April 8th
~He Said/She Said NOLA
~Hat Tweet @charlotteAsh~Via Native Palate blog: Good Eats at French Quarter Festival http://bit.ly/eXCvA3 #nola #food

RIP Sidney Lumet

*

“The road not taken” alas “Parting is such sweet sorrow”. Thanks Nowdy for the memories… ~slabbed

Shake, Rattle and Roll!

Honoring Staff Sgt. Quadi Hudgins, killed in Iraq: An editorial

Jindal Promises To Veto Central Louisiana Congressional District ~CenLamar

Drawing the short straw~Clancy DuBos
~When push comes to shove in a redistricting session, one of the first casualties is the inter-parish harmony that many lawmakers and local elected officials genuinely work hard to achieve. So it was with both the state House and Senate redistricting plans, which strained relations between Jefferson and Orleans parish officials to the breaking point.

Redistricting effort grinds to a halt

St. Tammany Parish Council to sue BP over oil spill

~For a date to stand alone as a symbol it must refer to an event with such an impact it puts a dent in history. We on the Dirty Coast believe that April 20, 2010 is just that date. It was on that Friday that the people and wildlife of Southern Louisiana and Mississippi had to find new ways to make a living, find ways to survive and try to save our way of life. All those effected had this thrust upon them because of human error, greed and hubris. This limited edition design should represent the simple fact that there are those to blame for their actions and there is a new date to remember by name. Four. Twenty. Ten.
Proceeds for the sales of this shirt will go to support the efforts of GRN.

10th deep-water drilling permit issued for well off Louisiana coast
~Mark Schleifstein

BP buys east beach of Cat Island ~SunHerald.com

No, really, it’s getting better out there
~Disenfranchised Citizen

Offshore Drilling, Onshore Spilling ~SkyTruth

BP official pressed at Gulf oil spill hearing~Kevin McGill

Friday cartomancy: King of Hearts ~HoodooQ

Calligraphy Demo at New Orleans Museum of Art/ Where Y'Art?

Dat Dog offers European wieners and sausages as well as down-home favorites ~Tod Price

40th annual Strawberry Festival kicks off in Ponchatoula!

French Quarter Fest Live Broadcast Schedule ~WWOZ

Second line Sunday: Single Ladies
~Big Red Cotton, Gambit

Winter Circle Blue Mood Productions New Earth~DEFEND NOLA

French Quarter Festival starts today!
~French Quarter Fest Logistics~Red Street Car Line

Blaine Kern's son files another suit against famous float designer

City Council hops aboard plan to extend streetcar service to Bywater’s far edge
~Ariella Cohen, The Lens

Pre- and post- Katrina truths ~Daniel M. Gold

Forecasters call for 16 named Atlantic storms

BP: Government doesn't have the right to file multiple lawsuits under different laws~Rebecca Mowbray

Dead-Missing-Jailed BP WHISTLE- BLOWERS

Water, Auburn Dam, Floods & the Economy~David H. Lukenbill

Crawfishing for a Good Cause
~Blackened Out

Waiting in Line to Eat: Really?
~He Said/She Said NOLA

Goddamnit! Do they have anything but Balls'n'Gall down at the Corps of Engineers New Orleans District?
~On a wedge of land where criss-crossing canals have killed off native plants and sped erosion, the Army Corps of Engineers has a controversial proposal for undoing environmental damage: They want to dig another canal. The trench is a key part of a $3 billion plan to fix damage left by the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, a 78-mile shipping channel dug in the 1960s. The corps says the work will help protect New Orleans from hurricanes by restoring wetlands, the natural buffer Louisiana is losing along this low-lying coast. Locals, however, are worried.

Low and Dry~Richard Snow
~There are just three places in America that lie below sea level. Two are in the California desert. The other is considerably more hospitable: it’s the city of New Orleans, which has been called “a bowl of water surrounded by water.” The Mississippi lies on one side, Lake Pontchartrain on the other, and more rain falls here than on any other major city in America.

So, what have I missed? Nothing ~moosedenied

The city we were~Library Chronicles

Wary neighborhood postpones decision on Whole Foods requests
~Uptown Messenger

City brings in only a portion of what the market demands for sought-after lakefront boathouses
~Matt Davis, The Lens

Fear and Prudence: Safety in the French Quarter
~He Said/She Said NOLA

Fewer than 50 percent of local homes have flood insurance in two parishes
~Fewer than 50 percent of households and businesses in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes have flood insurance policies, according to parish officials. But parish officials say that's not enough in a community that faces flooding threats from heavy rainfall, river flooding and an increasing threat of storm surge as wetlands erode away and the Gulf of Mexico continues to march further inland.

Senate OKs congressional map

Okay, but will Hayward and Feinberg follow suit?~Disenfranchised Citizen

Why New Orleans Is the Coolest Start-up City in America ~Inc.
~Editilla E'Barellas~ Sorry, but if these NeoLocal Bourgeois Naviete kids don't know that Katrina didn't devastate New Orleans then WHAT THE FUCK DO THEY REALLY KNOW?

Tennessee Williams Poetry Slam
~Dawn Breaks

Local Spotlight: New Orleans Craft Mafia ~Invade NOLA

The Swamp Shack~NaPoWriMo

Winesday~Blackened Out

Wednesday at the Square~Trombone Shorty
& Orleans Avenue + Soul Rebels Brass Band

Crowds inspire extra day for French Quarter Fest 2011~Keith Spera

Voice of Wetlands All-Stars still touring the nation, carrying The Word Up!

When we know because we've been there ~Jarvis DeBerry

~Hat Tweet @lunanola uǝןɐʞ~City of New Orleans Office of Inspector General 2010 Annual Report: http://bit.ly/fwpwbS #NOLA

‘Reinventing’ New Orleans? Landrieu team steers dwindling recovery dollars to humdrum projects
~Ariella Cohen, The Lens

Plan B to reopen at The A.R.K.

Sam Huff to Drew Brees:
Pipe down and learn some history
~Washington Post

Cash Cows~Jeremy Alford reports from Baton Rouge, where Gov. Bobby Jindal is taking political contributions from everyone, including those doing business with the state and even Louisiana's adversaries.

Big Easy Living: New Orleans as paradox ~Renee Peck ~Hat Tweet @defendnola

Pedal Pushers ~Alex Woodward

What can you prove? What can I say?
I worry…~Disenfranchised Citizen

Dr. Ivor van Heerden to address CI symposium on environmental disturbances in Gulf of Mexico

Parish wants to tap unused levee dollars for Morganza

Obama nominates new commander for Army Corps of Engineers

~ReTweet @ MobileBaykeeperCheck out the latest blog from Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper on saveourgulf.org. http://fb.me/Ynwacnc4

Springtime in New Orleans, Stinging caterpillars begin dropping from trees

Jammin for Japan at Mid City Rock ‘n’ Bowl

Review: Craft Beer Club~Beer Buddha

Sushi for Sendai~Blackened Out

Chef Adolfo Garcia's New Orleans restaurant empire continues to grow

Tragedy and Change at the New Orleans Police Department~Errol Laborde

Complaints high against NOPD officers

Retweet @skooks~43 years ago today they shot a man at a union rally http://tinyurl.com/3gpshsd

Surely not – the “new normal” on Mississippi’s post-Katrina Coast ~slabbed

Lawyers try to make a fool out of an engineer, get pie on face ~Nola-dishu

$62M in disaster funds for homeownership proposed
~Louisiana Weekly

So which is it…BP drills again or no? Permits or no? Vitter’s an idiot or no?
~Disenfranchised Citizen



BOP investigator admits to fault in model used in forensic examination
~David Hammer

Rule lets tuna off the hook

Volunteers sew quilts for Japan

Wow! Check out all the places in NOLA that you can bring your dog!

Naming the Carpetbagging Promoter
~American Zombie

Going to Bragtown
~Jill of All Trades ~Hat Tweet @charlotteAsh

~Liuzza’s on Bienville in Mid-City, co-owned and operated by New Orleans native Michael Bordelon, is the quintessential neighborhood place. Since 1981 Mike, his mother, sister and other family members have provided locals and tourists alike with great food and great company. Like many Mid-City businesses, Liuzza’s was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, sustaining over nine feet of water. Michael’s vision and sweat restored the restaurant from the ground up and brought back this great New Orleans establishment. Tragically, on February 5th of this year as Mike headed home after work, he was involved in a violent car crash. Friends, family, co-workers, and customers are all praying for Mike’s recovery, but want to do more. To that end, The Taste Buds are hosting a fund- raiser of festival proportions, showcasing Louisiana Seafood, local music, and our own brand of fun. Titled LiuzzaPalooza 2011, proceeds from the event will be used to pay for Mike’s rehabilitation and expenses related to his hospitalization.

French Quarter Fest Better
~He Said/She Said NOLA
~Hat Tip~Blackened Out

With Words and With Pretty: Super Sunday 2011~Benjamin Morris

Get your tickets! Race to Nowhere
~Liprap's Lament - The Line

Blighted property auction latest step in recovery~Kevin McGill

Associated Press Reporter Kevin McGill receives ‘Seal of Approval ~Levees.org

Still uneasy after all these years
~Editilla Notellas~ As Harry Shearer tours coast to coast with "Phase 2" of his documentary premier, we will try to find and post reviews of the Big Uneasy from place to place. As our nation wakes up to what happened to New Orleans, it is my hope to hear their growing anger --or, at the very least, astonishment-- as they realize that we are not alone, that this could happen to them too.
~Also~FOIA As a Political Tool~On The Media, NPR

DISPATCH: Tucker Mendoza, Gulf Truth Activist Shot. Developing…


BP trying to resume drilling at Gulf of Mexico sites

A Cry for Help ~American Zombie

Blowout preventer may have never had a chance against Gulf of Mexico oil spill

I have a confession to make… I’m a really lousy crisis worker…
~Disenfranchised Citizen

Could there be a tanker spill at LOOP?

One word folks: Ugly. Baudier, Leone gets their asses kicked ~slabbed

ReTweet @skooks~"(Connick) had 'stopped reading law books and looking at opinions' when he was first elected DA in 1974." http://tinyurl.com/3tlshn3

The Unbearable Heaviness of Being
~Nola Notes

Healin’ Through Wheelin’~Gambit

Spring has arrived~NOLAFemmes

~Retweet @Official_Saints New Orleans Saints RT @beauty_jackson Senior QB Sean Payton at Naperville Central High School (1981) http://twitpic.com/4glwld

7th Annual Refrigerator Art Auction & Gala~Humid Beings

New Orleans Kirsha Kaechele Projects is now mostly in ruin~Doug MacCash