Slab City

Fishers say coastal master plan could destroy their livelihoods~Mark Schleifstein

2011: New hurricane protection system is built ~Comment from Sandy Rosenthal: We are pleased that this article used no "Katrina shorthand" and attributed the catastrophic flooding of regional New Orleans to the failure of the hurricane protection system that Congress ordered the Corps of Engineers to build in 1965. We are also pleased that the article includes no "yeah buts." In other words, the article does not include unsupported statements by senior corps officials in 2006 and 2007 that blame should go to the victims of the flooding. We have addressed this "blame the victim' strategy in a recent blog post on Nola.com.

Slabbed explores former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard’s business activities in Nova Scotia Part 2: You own 100% of 2% of nothing.

2 people killed when vehicle is hit by train in Kenner

BP denies Gulfport’s damages claim

Shaw Group will help manage troubled Louisiana home elevation effort
~David Hammer

Blight or Might?~Charolette, NOLAFemmes

FalseState seeks rate hikes

Vietnamese market yields delicacies, recipes and memories

Some supplement income with rodent control

Five marvelous meatballs~Gambit

"Rock and Bowl in New Orleans"

Jazz Fest Lands 'The Boss' For 2012 Edition
~Also~Jazz Fest releases daily schedule

Proposed Sewerage & Water Board rate doubling gets public discussion~The proposal, which includes rate increases starting in July for water and sewer services, also calls for implementation beginning next year of a monthly parcel fee to support the city's colossal drainage system, including new pump stations at the 17th Street, London Avenue and Orleans Avenue canals and a massive flood gate on the West Bank.
His deputy for infrastructure, Cedric Grant, in a prepared statement Friday ticked off a long list of federal funding sources that the administration says it has helped secure to bolster the S&WB's coffers. However, the income largely already has been factored into water board officials' accounting in the revenue proposal.
A notable exception is Grant's assertion that the federal government -- not the S&WB -- should pick up the tab for overseeing the three new outfall canal pump stations and the West Bank facility. "We are working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the payment of operating and maintenance costs for the future permanent pump stations, which at approximately $16 million annually, represents a cost we believe is the federal government's obligation," he said.
~Editilla Hotellas~ Well, at least their being sorta honest about it!
But Dayum! Now the annual maintenance costs on those heinous pumps has gone from $10Million to $16,000,000/yr?
I mean goddamnit! This the Big Reason it is So Important to Know Why New Orleans Flooded! The fickn gat'damn Corps should pay for their ass hat bad engineering!
Jesus fork me with a spoon! Grrrrrrr
Clowns to the left us, jokers to the right. Here we are...


Blueprint for Louisiana Coast on view today at UNO ~Sandy Rosenthal, Levees.org

Go home and think about wetlands
~Library Chronicles

African-American cemeteries plowed over for spillway now recognized as historic

Misunderestimating the BP Oil Spill
~John McQuaid, Forbes

~Hat Tweet @Official_Saints New Orleans Saints~Follow the Saints on @Tumblr: neworleanssaints.tumblr.com

New Orleans recreation program hiring process raises eyebrows~Franks Donz

Feeling blue that Aaron Broussard shook you down for money to build vacation hotels and lodges overseas? ~Slabbed

Jarrett Lee, T-Bob Hebert are Krewe of Zeus grand marshals for Mardi Gras parade

Carnival tune-up fundraisers~Gambit

Little Free Library movement fosters reading, sense of community

Maurepas Foods Opens, New Bywater Restaurant Features Farm-Fresh Ingredients~NOLA DEFENDER

The Best Little Mexican Joint in Lakeview ~Blackened Out

Pour Some Sugar on Me: 2012 King Cake Death Match, February 2nd
~He Said/She Said NOLA

Papa Grows Funk release "Needle In The Groove" March 27~The Grateful Web

Public meetings over Sewerage and Water Board rate doubling plan
~Editilla Reminderellas~ I saw Arnie Feilkow, S&WB and the Corps Head Rauncho-du-juor Commandant Sinkler discussing this very issue while still in the early stages of the Option 1 v Option 2 Pumps presentations in Council in 2009.

~PR PORN HORSE'POCKEY ALERT! You have to get past a slick, exxxpensive half-hour fluff flick done by Corps/OPP about their enormous erection --paid for by we the taxpayers. The actual bidness starts at around 30:28.
One of the biggest issues was the Maintenance costs on these hideous ill-conceived and inoperable pumps for Option 1: $10,000,000/yr for the next 10yrs that the City/Orleans Parish would HAVE TO PAY. Feilkow pointed out the Considerable increase in millages and other rates across the board if the parish were to pay-up on this forced Corps Mandated shell game. The Corps lackey bastard of course didn't have enough information (as is the way of Sophisticated Gang Behavior) and was able to have the question delayed. Now we have the technologically inferior Option 1 pumps at a grotesquely extorted price. Editilla screamed and holla'd, we bitched and moaned... but no one seemed to grok the Fact that We are All now on The Hook for 10M/yr to the Exquisite Corps. Now our S&WB rates are Doubling and that is just the beginning of this jail-house ass punking.

Master plan for coastal restoration gives hope: Bob Marshall
~Also~Louisiana coastal restoration forecast: An editorial
~Photo: Morganza Floodway, by Quinta Scott, from her blog post: Corps of Engineers: A New Floodway on the Lower Mississippi?

Tough Cookies, Transgendered Girl Scout in Colorado causes stir in St. Tammany
~Adrastos, First Draft

Slabbed explores former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard’s business activities in Nova Scotia Part 1: In the deep south ‘reality’ is often a simple illusion.

Tim Whitmer's sweet deal a bad omen for Aaron Broussard: Stephanie Grace

Louisiana's Native American population remains steady

Abundance of natural gas promises to give Louisiana industries a boost

Former Monroe teen writes, illustrates book

Rebirth on the Bayou, Shelter from the Storm ~Judyb, NOLAFemmes


The oyster that got the Cat Island raccoon

Lion dancers prepare for Vietnamese lunar new year celebration in eastern N.O.

Meet the Drewgars! Grand Dames of NOLA gather to support charities of Drew Brees

Dim Sum and Dragons Too~Nola Notes

The Wee Trio to reinvent David Bowie songs at Snug Harbor

7 Accredited Music Schools In New Orleans

Ladies and Men of Unity second line parade 12-4pm! ~Big Red Cotton

George Porter Jr. to be honored with OffBeat magazine’s lifetime achievement award in music

~Hat Tweet @nolamaven~Good morning! New angel trumpets.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/21/3701495/the-oyster-that-got-the-cat-island.html#storylink=cpy

Drew Brees wants to wrap up long-term contract quickly and keep New Orleans Saints rolling
~"Really the sooner the better," Brees said Friday during a conference call with the New Orleans media. "Now here we are at the end of the season, and it's time to pick up discussions again, obviously once we all get a chance to step away and decompress and let this season kind of settle. But I've had conversations with (Saints General Manager) Mickey Loomis and my agent, and at some point very soon we're going continue to talk, and hopefully we will get a deal done very soon.

Of course this means he'll lead the league in interceptions next season
~Library Chronicles

NOPD consent decree to aim at profound, long-lasting change. Wishful thinking?

New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board receives national honor

Former Broussard CAO Tim Whitmer spilling his guts links: “He Knows Where All The Bones Are Buried” ~Slabbed

State short $895 million
~Michelle Millhollon

Everybody to blame, but me…
~Disenfranchised Citizen

Alexandria RFD~CenLamar

NOAA emergency response pilot project debuts today in Louisiana

Starlight Racing brings live music and a party atmosphere to the Fair Grounds

Rotary Downs, Kermit Ruffins and more music for Saturday

Rhythm of the river: Musical partnership aims to link Winona, New Orleans

Trombone Shorty, VOW All-Stars and More Play Hogs For the Cause ~offBeat

Etta James dies at 73

How Will the Saints Defensive Personnel Change Under Spagnuolo?
~Canal Street Chronicle

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees would be 'beyond stunned' if new contract isn't worked ou

The Urban Legends of Katrina
~Sandy Rosenthal, Levees.org

~Hat tweet @ShtEngineersSay Shit Engineers Say~The glass is neither half full nor half empty, the glass is inappropriately designed for twice the capacity, and someone should be fired.

Flood-protection work is larger than life
~Nikkie Buskey

Uptown robbery surge continues despite arrests of at least 20 young suspects over the last week~Uptown Messenger

The fear of not knowing…
~Disinfranchised Citizen

Gulf Oil Spill Could Bring Up to $20B in Fines

Cleanup of Bayou Trepagnier in Norco is complete, DEQ says

Remember when Slabbed broke to the world that Tim Whitmer was cooperating?

Supreme Court ruling confuses some religious workers in New Orleans

Brian "Bag Man" Downing, Alabama fan wanted in post-BCS sexual assault on LSU fan arrested in New Orleans

New Orleans Street Tiles
~Bingo Man's Place

A Mardi Gras Costume Primer
~Moxie Sazerac, NOLA DEFENDER

5 great New Orleans Hotel cocktail bars
~Todd A. Price

Burger joints busting their buns to break into New Orleans metro ~WWL

~Hat Tweet @Patoisnola~We're looking for some experienced cooks...interested applicants please send resume and cover letter to info@patoisnola.com...

Do You Second Line?
~He Said/She Said NOLA

Blessed are the ferrymen...

~Special T'ank Yous to our friend Katie fo'hippin us to one of my heroleroes!

Nighttrippin’ : Dan Auerbach’s New Musical Adventures with Dr. John ~Relix

Lift Your Head Up High (And Blow Your Brains Out) Part 2 – No-Coaching Motherfucker Edition ~moosedenied

Council members criticize Serpas for releasing arrest records of homicide victims
~Matt Davis, The Lens

Louisiana coastal restoration spending plan proposed ~Mark Schleifstein

Army Corps moves ahead with plans to kill coastal project building new land

Wetlands could soon get carbon-credit money
~Cara Bayless

Its the Slabbed question of the day……????

Jindal’s Plan: Gut Public Education (Part One of Three) ~CenLamar

Buddy Roemer to appear on Real Time With Bill Maher~Kevin Allman, Gambit

Gun drawn in dispute over Whole Foods parking space, police say~Uptown Messenger

New Orleans tourism official sees no need for more hotels

Gretna native Trish Summerville nominated for costume design award for 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

~Hat Tweet @LaSeafoodBoard~Happy National Popcorn Day! Try this Louisiana Crawfish Cake With Buttered Popcorn Purée and Green Tomato Jam! bit.ly/zYoFC4

Our search for the 'Mardi Gras King Cake King' goes to Sucre~Judy Walker

The Return of Larry Ragusa (and his brother Vincent) ~Looka ~Hat Tweet @SazeracLA

Red Beans and Rice-ly Yours~Nola Notes

Cafe du Monde: Is It Worth It?
~Blackened Out

Times-Picayune back-slides, uses Katrina Shorthand to mis-frame "The Great Corps of Engineers Levee Failure Event of 2005"
~Editilla Commentellas~In the face of such an insulting and self-aggrandizing, Katrina Shorthand attempt to continue to Lie about the cause of our devastating Federal Flood 8-29-05, we at Da Ladder find it quite gratifying that so many comments on this screed support the True Story.
Over the diaspora we have screamed about this problem of mis-framing our man-made disaster as a natural one. I mean, yous guys have seen me lay down some pristine rant & retart as to the very real PR War waged by the Exquisite Corps and theys minions to spin'filtrate any other story about their criminal engineering to the American public --but da truf. Yet, it was always the T-P that sent poor Editilla over Niagara Falls with their Corps/OPP advertising contracts, "Shilla" Grissett's damn near laudanum infused coverage of levee leaks and tons of debris used in their new filling, and their incessant use of Katrina Shorthand. Hell, they would even attempt to Defend misstating actual facts! But, over time, some of their journalist came around to our view of Reality with a capital Rrrrrrr --due in no small measure to the Direct Actions of a tiny, local grassroots group to stay on top of this with editors and journalist across the country.
It's true. Our friends and compadres at Levees.org deserve a big hand here as they have changed the entire narrative of our damn'nation simply by insisting that news media call it by its true name. Alas, we still have a few piglet dragons to slay right here in our own back yard.
~Special T'anks to Da Masqued E'vinga! for our snappy cartoon.

Aaron Bennett pocketed $600,000 intended for New Orleans pump station upgrades, lawsuit alleges

Oh Snap! Corps of Engineers boss lackey wants to get into our pants to head NORA!

Lookee! Corps says it has $55M more for dredging

Louisiana's infrastructure is in trouble, engineering society says

Ed Blakely can't get anything right~James Gill

The Nova Scotia SouthCoast Today picks up the latest developments ~Slabbed

“There’s a war going on, and we’re all on the front lines:” Uptown residents decry increase in crime, insufficient police manpower
~Uptown Messenger

Curfew: Stripping kids’ access to the cultural heart of New Orleans~C.W. Cannon, The Lens

Hat Tweet @The_Gambit~@SenLandrieu & @DavidVitter not only support, but are Senate cosponsors of PIPA. What is PIPA/SOPA? bit.ly/wu4DMW

Satellite Image Shows Heat From Chevron Drill Rig Fire, Offshore Nigeria ~Skytruth

First retailer in New Orleans unveils electric vehicle charging stations ~WWL

Grape Expectations~Blackened Out

New Dirty Coast Shirt! FLAMBEAUX

Breaking Bread New Orleans Style
~He Said/She Said

Green To Go’s Big Adventure
~New Orleans Food Trucks~Recently I had the pleasure of witnessing a salad spread suitable for the pickiest veggie-only eaters and also for those that consider themselves carnivorous chowhounds. Meet Green To Go, a New Orleans-based mobile food business doing salads justice and delivering to you by bike.

Preview of new Galactic song available on NPR blog~Alison Fensterstock
~Also~Big Freedia to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live, January 25!

Dr. John to Lead Three-Weekend Residency at BAM; Dan Auerbach to Join in Debut of Music from New Album, "Locked Down"
~Nonesuch Journal

The Official Thanks-Our-New-Orleans-Saints-For-A-Great-Season Thread

Lift Your Head Up High (And Blow Your Brains Out) Part 1 ~moosedenied

Jefferson Parish gives 3 garbage contracts to single Texas company?~Richard Rainey

Fox 8 and WWL TeeVee is reporting Karen Parker will be in court to plead guilty to Misprison of Felony ~Slabbed

500-year protection for under $2 billion? Why wait 20 years to start?
~Mark Moseley, The Lens

FEMA chief pushes public-private approach to disaster response

Ed Blakely's new book tells Hurricane Katrina tales few will recognize

Keep an eye on flooding issues in New Orleans' Hollygrove: An editorial

Orion Marine Group Provides Mid-Period Update on Its Outlook (USA)

Carville says LSU threatened~WWL

Here's your sneak peek at Spud McConnell in Hairspray~Will Coviello, Gambit

Manning’s to open Thursday!~Ian McDonald

Krewe du Vieux announces new route!

DiFranco fires back~Jeff Miers

~Editilla Patronellas~My recently aquired, real life painting by Polly Jackson in early morning light: Elms of Atura Park, 22"X33" Acrylic. Don't know if a cellphone pic could do this justice, as the colors really seem to light themselves. I guess that is a difference for me between Art and anything else, to wit: live paintings like this don't need artificial light. Indeed, Polly's paintings seem to thrive in natural light. I also got 2 of her Chicken paintings (behind that one) --but before showing y'all will wait for a Chicken Day when we really need it. Click to enlarge

What a dilemma~ Kevin McGill
~What impressed me most as I read the state's latest plan to save its coast is the map. A sea of red, representing an encroaching Gulf of Mexico, consumes almost every inch of every inhabited community south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. And the parts that are left within 50 years look like they would flood so often it would make them impractical to inhabit.
Dulac? Gone. Cocodrie: Underwater. Dularge? History. Montegut: A memory.

Green, Purple, Gold, Black and Blue…
~The Accidental Cajun

Tough isn't a given, it's taken.

So Bobby Jindal is holding this fundraiser for Billy Nungesser on Tuesday ~Slabbed

Last ONE left standing? Sucker punch whacks ‘citizen participation’~Tim Garrett, The Lens

Coastal restoration money bills may fall victim to partisan squabbling

Corps gets busy as river levels drop

Migration to Louisiana slowing down

Monday Morning Reads~Sky Dancing

Wetland Watchers Park adds outdoor learning area

One Oven to Rule Them All: Ancora Pizzeria and Salumeria~He Said/She Said NOLA

Brerl't Gulf Oysters~Louisiana Kitchen

Superfood Bar, O! Vegasm, Offer Veggie-Oriented Sunday Brunch~NOLA DEFENDER

Happy Birthday Drew and Baylen Brees!
~Hat Tweet @humidbeings~HAPPY BIRTHDAY @DrewBrees! We love you and everything you do for the city of New Orleans! // "Me and Drew by @IanHoch" youtu.be/amWMhBxHjs0

New Orleans Saints burned by blitz in final minute ~Jeff Duncan

~Hat Tweet @Pierre_Thomas~Hey fans, just to let everyone know...I'm doing great...it was a nasty hit but this is the sport we play, can't... fb.me/1t1rr2XaM

Saints 32 @ 49ers 36: Who Dat Say!?!
~Canal Street Chronicles

~Editilla Lamentellas~ My thoughts on yesterday's loss are few, grief- stricken & simple:
1) Unbridled Love & Pride: for Our New Orleans Saints and our City of Whodats enough said. HIGH FIVE!
2) I've always found it difficult to criticize even Shockey, or anyone else remotely connected to Our New Orleans Saints at any time in their lives, let alone presume to 2nd guess our Coach Sean Payton WHODAT!, Drew Brees BREESUS! or even His Assholeness Greg Williams. Which brings us to...
3) I don't want to talk about Greg Williams, or his Rams-punking, no-catching, no-ball-stripping, no-interceptin, snuggy-wearin fat ass.
4) Aaand finally, I remember feeling this way on my knees in the water during the flood outside of WWOZ, buckled crying, in utter shock at the screaming silence the day the music died.
I'm crying now, in a way simular yet honed, as then I truly thought it was all over.
I never thought I'd ever see New Orleans do the things she has done in the 7 yrs hence.
To imagine anything less from Our New Orleans Saints would be sheer blasphemy.


~Happy 40th Birthday, American Pie!

Sop gets a cyber first: Behavioral finance- economics intersects with Slabbed. An Aaron Broussard/Trout Point Lodge Update

Coastal Restoration Heads Up - UPDATED
~NOLA-dishu

In BP case, legal ties are topsy turvy
~James Gill

BP donates $4 million to Fletcher
~Matthew Albright~BP has donated $4 million to Fletcher Technical Community College for a new wing dedicated to training students for oilfield jobs. The new Integrated Production Technologies center will be built alongside the school’s $19.1 million campus expansion on La. 311, which is under construction. It will include state-of-the art classrooms for college and high school students seeking oilfield jobs.
~Editilla gotta toll'ya~ I sure hope those limey pirates don't get a cut of the curriculum, know what I mean? I meeeeannn... fickn BP doesn't have what you'd call a stellar record on oilfield management. In fact, BP has a casualty record of at least 27 killed needlessly, 180 injured, billions of dollars of serious environmental damage in at least 3 US States and worldwide. I mean, do we really want to let BP teach our babies to grow up to be cowboys?

Land battle looms in Livingston
~Faimon A. Roberts III

Arc soup business provides job training for people with intellectual disabilities

~Hat Tweet @skooks~Found it! I did 2 of these. This is the recipe I would follow for the venison though. tinyurl.com/7czseab

Undefeated Divas and Gents second line parade today! ~Big Red Cotton, Gambit

Collecting debts~Library Chronicles
~Some of us have very very long memories.
A few years ago, an NFC Championship match-up with a similar bugaboo from days gone past had us quoting scripture we were in such a vengeful mood. Today is very much the same as then. The "destroying angels" have another cosmic debt to collect.

New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers have swapped franchise DNA~Bob Marshall

Don't let anyone fool you, today's game will be close ~Alejandro de los Rios, Gambit

Saints vs. the Ghost of Mike Nolan…
Disenfranchised Citizen

In the prolific words of Fatboy Slim...
~American Zombie

Master plan has few restoration options
~Nikki Buskey

Corps 2012 Planning Associates Program offers participants expertise in Project Over- Budgeting, Exploiting Congressional Pork Fat and The Meaninglessness of Civic Meetings

Bob Fortus' Race Day Fair Grounds forecast

Master coastal plan positive~Amy Wold

$1.1 billion levee around Lake Charles part of bold proposal

Gulf of Mexico oil spill environmental data drives damage assessment~Mark Schleifstein

Mississippi, Atchafalaya rivers drop, flood worries ease

Still being smothered by agendas…
~Disenfranchised Citizen

Americans Clueless Paying Wall Street $20 Billion for Bad Swaps~Darrell Preston
~Seven months after Hurricane Katrina ripped holes in the Superdome’s roof in 2005, Louisiana State Bond Commission members made what they were told would be “the best of a bad situation” in financing the stadium’s renovation.
~Special thanks @captainsdead for this sunrise pic of our Sacredome!
I love the smell of Black and Gold in the morning! It is the smell of Victory!

~@Editilla the Pun~I got my bat signal! RT @nolamaven Saints still use bat as motivator http://t.co/8p1cP7UK

Of course Bobby Hebert is not in trouble with Entercom Communications. I mean hell Garlandfill took $250,000 in payola and he didn’t get in any trouble ~Slabbed

Murders are decreasing, just not in New Orleans: Jarvis DeBerry

Grenades discovered in car police say was used in eastern New Orleans triple homicide

NASA Moves Shuttle Engines From Kennedy To Stennis

Wrap your mind around ornamental vines ~Dan Gill

Bayou Teche Biere~Hat Tweet @artbymags

Louisiana coastal restoration 50-year blueprint released~Mark Schleifstein
~The strategy is outlined in the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s draft five-year master plan update, which for the first time contains maps showing the location and scope of proposed projects and maps showing what the state’s coastline will look like in 2061 if they’re built. Lists of the projects also show their cost. Click pic to enlarge.

River turbine testing site gets $150,000 grant

Keep lower Mississippi River open

Did I mention with all the shit going down a few of us are engaged in what I’ll term high stakes blogging? ~Slabbed

Judge halts release of 21 prisoners pardoned by MS Governor Babar

Hell hath no fury like a great team thirsting for gridiron vengeance
~Mark Moseley, The Lens

Chefs and Casual Food ~Robert Peyton

Cooking With Wine~Blackened Out

Willie Nelson at House of Blues tonight! David Allan Coe, Kyle Turley Band at Howling Wolf!

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/11/3681468/judge-halts-release-of-21-prisoners.html#storylink=cpy

Saints @ 49ers: Game Preview
~Canal Street Chronicles

Development atop a city dump? Policy fiasco comes back to haunt Upper 9th Ward
~Ariella Cohen, The Lens

Mississippi ranks last in building standards
~Anita Lee

Tens of millions due to BP contractors, subs

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/10/3680368/tens-of-millions-due-to-bp-contractors.html#storylink=cpy

Chihuahua saves Uptown woman's life

City clarifying rules on bribes, ‘kickforwards’
~The New Orleans Levee

Aquaponics being taught in Vietnamese community ~Louisiana Weekly

Mo's Pizza~Blackened Out

Rocky & Carlo's roast beef po-boy gravy is too good to serve on sandwiches alone

Guaranteed to blow your head apart... ~moosedenied ~Cha-ching, bitches! One more for the Bad Guys.
The only thing missing was Chris Ivory busting a bottle upside Ndamukong Suh's head. But we'll forgive that minor omission for the sake of avoiding the suspension. Besides, the Saints displayed more than enough "lack of class" to satisfy – scoring 5 touchdowns on 5 second-half possessions before driving to Detroit's 2 and taking a knee – without having to resort to their typical "dirtyness" anyway. Am I right, Prisco?

Study examines impact of restrictions on dredging the Mississippi River

BP serving free lemonade in the French Quarter ~Disenfranchised Citizen

Louisiana Attorney General wants BP ruling thrown out~Rebecca Mowbray

Judge Barbier’s fee ruling in the Oil Spill MDL attracting more media attention ~Slabbed

New Orleans shareholders suing BP fight English jurisdiction~South Texas Register

Louisiana continues fight for spill cleanup
~Nikki Buskey

Deepwater Horizon's missed lessons
~Richard G. Steiner, LA Times

Kafkaesque~The Chicory

Notes on life and death in New Orleans
~Nina Mashurova

Mardi Gras krewe 'tit Rex changes name slightly at Rex's command

The Local Molecular Supplier
~My Life in the Big Easy

Ted’s goes “frostop-side-up” again
~Ian McNulty, Gambit

Casamento's: Is It Worth It?~Blackened Out

Taceaux Loceaux's BP-Sponsored Seafood Giveaway ~NOLA DEFENDER

Levees can be a mortal, as well as a moral hazard ~Len Bahr, LaCoastPost

BP hires chefs Emeril Lagasse and John Besh in massive oilspill PR whitewash
~Rat Fink spies the evil British Usurpers paying chefs Emeril Lagasse and John Besh to promote Gulf seafood, it’s hired two seafood trucks to hand out fish tacos and seafood-filled jambalaya to the hundreds of thousands of tourists and fans pouring into the city for the football games and it’s spreading its messages at galas, pre-game parties and vacation giveaways.
The campaign, launched just before Christmas, has ramped up for the two-week period around the Sugar Bowl and Bowl Championship Series title game to be played on Monday between LSU and Alabama.
“I’m glad to report that all beaches and waters are open for everyone to enjoy!” BP representative Iris Cross says in one TV spot to an upbeat soundtrack. “And the economy is showing progress, with many areas on the Gulf Coast having their best tourism season in years.”

Drew on Pierre Thomas: "Phenomenal" game ~WWL

Report: Saints defensive coach Williams could follow Fisher (to Rams?)

Alabama player's girlfriend dreamed of seeing him play for BCS title in her hometown
~Nakia Hogan

Is Alabama coach Nick Saban a miserable sum'bitch? Let's talk! ~Slabbed

Upcoming South Claiborne drainage project will take more than two years, officials say ~Uptown Messenger

The Parc England Hotel ~CenLamar

Shaw Awarded Environmental and Restoration Services Contract from Corps
~The Shaw Group Inc. SHAW +0.11% today announced it has been awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to provide nationwide environmental and restoration services for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Louisville District.

Tribute to New Orleans, Inside and Out ~NYT

Save the Date! 2nd Annual King Cake Death Match, February 2!~He Said/She Said NOLA

WHODAT? WHODAT? WHODAT SAY DEY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS?


Business Insurance and the Myth of Hurricane Flood Risk Modeling in N.O.
~Paul R. Becker, president of the construction practice at Willis North America Inc. in Nashville, Tenn., and another participant on the October tour, said in talking with Willis brokers in New Orleans last week, “they really haven't seen much change based on the tour.”
“We're choosing to look at it as half full,” Mr. Becker said, the glass' full half being that insurers participated on the tour and they are underwriting business in New Orleans.
In the construction area and the market for builders risk property coverage, “generally it's available, although you need to get multiple carriers for things that are over $20 (million) to $25 million in size in the zone because (insurers) don't want to put that much capacity at risk,” Mr. Becker said. That coverage typically involves a high deductible, he said. In the fixed-property market, “our property guys are seeing what they characterize as massive increases—30%, 40%, 50%—and that's due to the infamous RMS 11 modeling,” Mr. Becker said in referring to Risk Management Solutions Inc.'s version 11 U.S. hurricane model. “The fixed property seems to be much more driven by the cat modeling than the builders risk.”
~Photo: Curtsey of our friends and comrade compadnas at The New Orleans Levee, who snapped this secret under cover lapel pin camera shot of a Corps Risk Reduction Handlin' Officer, CoRRHO, as he nervously Handles his Ratty Hands, furtively eying a newly completed Corps Risk Reducin' Experimental Action Model Assemblage, or CoRREAMA, made up entirely of print copies of The New Orleans Levee.
Well, they don't hold anything back either!

Army Corps Cooks the Books Again

And you’re still outta here! Big D Fazzio’s lawyers remain disqualified and that’s all we’ll be hearing ’bout that for a while ~Slabbed

Road Home buyout properties being sold back to New Orleans~David Hammer

Four major weekend events obscure the important coastal happening ~LaCoastPost
~Yesterday I was reminded by a coastal colleague that a fifth important event will happen Monday, January 9…but with extremely little fanfare. I’m talking about the release of the much anticipated* 2012 Louisiana Master Plan for Coastal Protection and Restoration.

Major Bayou Lafourche cleanup seeks volunteers~Nikki Buskey

What's the word, Hummingbird?

New Orleans Fuit Tree Project spreads the wealth ~Katy Reckdahl

Chefs looking to start small carve out temporary quarters in established kitchens
~Naomi Martin

Do you love brunch? Here are some of Nolamaven's favorite places in New Orleans

Sunday: Lady Jetsetters 2012 second line parade! ~Big Red Cotton, Gambit