Jeudi

Jan Ramsey suggests weed, hoes
as economic solution for New Orleans~Alison Fensterstock

We see your black and raise a...
~Wonkette
~The GOP has confirmed that Lousiana child- governor Bobby Jindal will deliver the party’s response to Barack Obama’s fake “State of the Union” speech on February 24. Other finalists the GOP considered include Michael Steele, a vagina, and the Chinese guy who does John Boehner’s laundry. Movie Poster: The New Orleans Levee.
Editilla T'ank youz t'ank youz t'ank youz...

President, First Lady Headline
Reopening Gala for Ford's Theatre~Calling the theater "hallowed space" where Lincoln's legacy thrives, Obama praised him for restoring a sense of unity to the country.
~'Sic Semper Tyrannis', Lincoln's Death Revisited~NPR

"Who cared what Lincoln said?
I heard they wrapped his head
in an American flag from the theater.
But did they wait too late
with a wound so great
to get the bullet?
Did he lay slideways looking out,
following his own son down?
What a way to pay for the freedom
of men, women and children."
~from my song, Providence

Fuck Abraham Lincoln's Birthday ~Black Cat Bone

New Orleans slave records
among treasure trove of
documents going online today
~Janet McConnaughey

Corps delays report again ~Bruce Alpert~The Army Corps of Engineers announced last December that a final report on providing Category 5 protection for southern Louisiana, originally due at the end of 2007, wouldn't be ready until June or perhaps later. On Wednesday, the corps confirmed it will be later. A letter to Vice President Joseph Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said that the final report now will be ready Aug. 31.

Terrebonne Residents Want Wine Island Restored

New federal coastal wetlands
assessment: gulf coast most at
risk - but this report fails to show
why!~Len Bahr, LaCoastPost
~Editilla Notellas~We love these cats, but...
Still no word back yet from this august body of wetlands experts on their exclusive and advance endorsement of Corporate Titan and ASCECORPS Honcho Gerald Galloway to the position of Assistant Sec. of the Army for Civil Works.
I expressed my own personal concerns, here and here, over placing a career ASCE/Corps of Engineers (ASCECORPS) Water Industry Lobbyist and multi-national corporate vice president in Charge of our suspect, still borne Exquisite Corps. This was met with a very kind though somewhat back- handed, nearly Shakespearean doth'protestin of "Inexplicable opposition to Gerry Galloway as an Obama adviser on corps policy" --but no hard data, or reference to Galloway's copious corps conflicts of interests or role in past water policy failures.
Whew! Old Gerry is a Mout'Full I'll grant you that, but...
Before a proper list of equally viable candidates has been publicly assembled and diligently due processed, before anyone publicly realizes that this powerful position is open, Gerald Galloway has been quietly lining up endorsements like shots at a drag show, clowns at a pratfall, kids at booty camp.
Now Galloway shows up in Louisiana, recently becoming a member of Gov. Jindal’s Coastal Advisory Commission.
Go Figure. Got any presidential appointments? Go Fish.

Masquerade ball to raise funds for service trip~Adam Testa

Carnival of the Liberals LXXXIV: Stimulus Edition!
~Submitted to a Candid World
Editilla T'n'T~ Idiot / Savant.

Thugs Change Emporor's Clothes

Remarks by the President on Infrastructure

Arts school meets sticker shock
~Barri Bronston

Neil Young confirmed for Jazz Fest as Aretha Franklin bails
~Keith Spera

Josh Hyde's new collaborations
on latest album~David Dinsmore

Mercredi

NOLA keeps going and going...
~Krewe Du Vieux 2009, Tawnee Lynne photographs




Hand- made throws set Mardi Gras marching group 'Krewe do Craft' apart

Sexy Max Wants a Parade
~New Orleans Pet Care

CAYNEVAL

Painting Mardi Gras coconuts is
labor of love for Krewe of Zulu ~Susan Poag

New Orleans Riverwalk announces musical lineup for Lundi Gras Celebration

Cities take Mardi Gras out of New Orleans and make it their own~Keith Still
~Editilla Krewella du Villa~
Yeah but ya'can't takes New Orleans outta da'Mardi Gras!

One night only: Barack Obama vs. Bobby Jindal~Jimmy Orr
~Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will deliver the Republican response to President Barack Obama's address to a Joint Session of Congress on February 24.

A Program that Works:
New Markets Tax Credits
~Clancy Dubos

Politics, Race, Class, and Building Permits Collide in New Orleans East
~We Could Be Famous

Judge halts construction of controversial Levy Gardens apartments in eastern New Orleans~David Hammer

Apartment complex approved at former site of St. Aloysius High School ~Bruce Eggler

Restoration of Art Deco terminal at Lakefront Airport begins soon

City, state agree to allow cottages in Waveland~J.R. Welsh

Almost $1B in plan for Coast
~J.R. Welsh~The U.S. Corps of Engineers Coastal Improvements Plan has shrunk in size and scope, but a draft released this week shows the corps still plans to spend nearly $1 billion along the Coast. Included are proposals to spend nearly $400 million to buy flood-prone private land, build a $12 million levee in Harrison County, and relocate the Moss Point municipal government complex at a cost of $8.4 million. The plan also includes $458.5 million to restore and repair the Mississippi barrier islands, in order to absorb waves and surge that reach the coast in hurricanes.

Hurricane Katrina Relief Work
~Architects Without Borders

Jindal health-care revamp in limbo ~Marsha Shuler

Matt McBride's latest Pumps Update to New Orleanians
~Your Right Hand Thief

Humpday slabbed

Hurricane Katrina successes lead to new Zurich implemen- tation of dispute resolution program~Bob Graham

Predators~Fallenmonk

Across The Nation | New Orleans Program Will Provide HIV, STI Testing, Treatment to Inmates

Doctor cleared in Katrina deaths wants repayment

LSU Engineers Develop Model for Forecasting Chemical Contaminants Based on Studies of Katrina- Flooded Homes

Shocking choice~What was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers thinking when it awarded yet another contract to KBR Inc.? That's assuming the government even bothered to think before it acted with reckless disregard for the safety of Americans serving in Iraq.

KBR,Halliburton To Pay $579 Million To Settle Bribe Case

Why Is This Man Smiling?
~Citizen K

Shrimp and Grits with Bacon
~Serious Eats

Slew of castings for HBO drama pilots

New Orleans Jan 1965
~Chicken Fat

Ninth Ward Visit~Billy Sheahan

Garden Conservancy rescues public garden nearly destroyed by Katrina~Bill Cary

MC Trachiotomy

Bingo! Show brings a taste of the Big Easy to B.R.

Elevator music maker Muzak files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Bugge Wesseltoft's New Album 'Playing'~The Third Ear

Mardi

Controversy brews over outline
of Corps spending as some critics
wonder if earmarks disguised
~Bruce Alpert

Inexplicable opposition to
Gerry Galloway as an Obama
advisor on corps policy
~LaCoastPost
~Editilla sayz if da'stigmatas, we must explicata! or, What you mean "We", Kimosabe?
~Well, one problem you can have with "Gerry" Galloway is the way this blog proffers the advance word "Advisor" (passive) to describe the position of incredible power this Corporate Player (aggressive) will occupy. That is what I call "Misnomer Lite". Gerald Galloway will excercise absolute control over the management of the Corps of Engineers, the priority of infrastructure projects and their funding, the relationship of the Corps to the White House and Congress...Civil Works, or Not.
Whoever takes this position of Assistant Secretary of the Army Civil Works will command a unique place in history, especially given the loads of stimulus funding coming to the Corps.
Gerald Galloway is a Corps Man. He is a past president of ASCE. ASCECORPS. He was a Vice President of the conglomerate Titan Corp. The man has strings attached. The man's got Cred. Jus'sayin...jus'axin... does "Gerry" know who built our failed goddamned levees? Who has starved away our coastline?

Corps of Engineers proposes buyouts on Miss. coast

How do we decide what is a “Water of the United States”? Rapanos revisited

Wetlands plan questioned
~Bob Gross

Melting snow serves as a reminder: What if it floods before new levees, flood walls are in place?
~Eye on the Island

Corps may have squeezed a lemon levee in Alamosa
~Ruth Heide
~Alamosa, CO City Manager Nathan Cherpeski brought the situation to the city council’s attention during his weekly Friday update and commented further about it on Monday. He said although the Corps designed the current levee, and it was built according to the Corps’ design, the Corps is now telling the city the levee was constructed incorrectly.

Mine~Hrrmph!

City stops delaying eastern New Orleans building permits
~Katie Moore

Archdiocese trying to join traditional neighborhood development amidst opposition

Refuges for homeless pose fire hazard in New Orleans
~Richard A. Webster

Oldest home in New Orleans sold at auction for $1.045 million
~Kate Moran

Death and the City
~Ethan Brown, The Gambit

WWGD: What Would Gambit Do

Urban Sketchers

Debbie Buchanan Engle

A Brief History of Writers who came to New Orleans ~MF Korn Louisiana Melancholic

City's prized Notarial Archives facing financial crisis
~Susan Finch

Telefon Tel Aviv's new record
~Analog Giant

Local musicians facing challenging industry
~Scott Satchfield

Lundi

Zen there~NODP

Federal housing subsidies to end March 1 ~Jeremy Harper

La. hospital empty as debate rages over funds
~Rick Jervis and Brad Heath

Live and Die for Carnival
~New Orleans Murder Blog

Should Mardi Gras be a national holiday?~Kathrine Schmidt

Rebirth by the Lake
~Cindy Chang

What is A “Primary Residence”?
~Gulf South Free Press

Obama seeks grass-roots support for stimulus~Mark S. Smith

Why Not a Community Organizer's Economic Recovery Plan?~Jeffrey Buchanan

Stimulus haste could waste billions, experts say
~Robert O’Harrow Jr

Local levee director heads to Netherlands wetlands conference ~Maya Rodriguez

Could Gerry Galloway replace
JP Woodley as Asst. Sec. of the
Army for Civil Works?
~LaCoastPost
~Editilla axs~Aren't we tired of ASCECORPS yet?
Given his vast experience in building our nation's failing flood control structures, one has to ask if Gerald Galloway represents part of the solution to this threat or part of the problems facing us every flood season up and down the Mississippi River.
Now Galloway shows up in Louisiana, recently becoming a member (pro bono) of Gov. Jindal’s Coastal Advisory Commission. Go Figure. Got any presidential appointments?
Go Fish!~Yes! He (may very well) can!
~Gerald Galloway Titan Corporation Googled
~Gerald Galloway's Bio
~In a telling appointment that has not been discussed, Galloway was on a committee that addressed issues relevant to proposals to draw water from the Great Lakes. This is the elephant in the room that the USACE is avoiding. What is the water management policy of the United States? The aquifers are drying up, and development engineering that allows massive runoff of surface water because of concrete and curb and gutter construction is continuing. Galloway knows this, but his "spin" was that, like the Dutch have done, the US. needs to prepare for 1,000 year floods. This distracts from the issue of engineering malfeasance in the present, and local water zoning ordinances that are not enforced in flood plain communities.~The Floods: Army Corps Says PR Firms Transform "Babblers" into "Spokespersons"

Smothering streams
~Jessica Hall


Whale shark sightings on rise in Gulf of Mexico ~Janet McConnauhey
~A whale shark surrounded by cobia is shown as it swims in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast in a 2008 photo. There have been at least 70 sightings in 2008 of whale sharks in the Gulf.
~AP Photo/University of Southern Mississippi

In the Electric Mist
~Variety

Atheist Campaign in New Orleans ~Metousiosis

angels and people / life in
New Orleans

Live Green Orleans Launches: ~Karen Dalton-Beninato

North Mississippi Allstars Plus Hill Country Revue @ Tipitina's New Orleans 2/13/09

Dimanche

Economic downturn doesn't dampen Carnival krewes' plans, --so far

Death rate OPP ranks near top
~Laura Maggi

Insolence, Arrogance
I’m starting a neighborhood association of one
~People Get Ready

Coming up in The Gambit: Adios, Carlos and hello Krewe du Vieux

Random NOLA~Huck Upchuck

Sunday Slabbed

BAH-BYE~Hrrmph

Writing what you know

New Orleans Museum of Art Presents Frederick J. Brown: New Portraits of Jazz Greats

DebiDeaux

Wonderful NOPA “Desire” Opening ~Billy Sheahan

Ves Pitts vs. Inbred Hybrid Collective

Heyward’s Mystical Organ
~Perverse Osmosis


Zucchero Fornaciari, Il Volo ~Maza's Weblog


Roots of New Orleans funeral music ~Soup Greens

i tapped on her drum
and asked her how come

Fanfare for Three Trumpets: Diverse Options on Feb. 12th
~Andrea Canter, Jazz Police

Guitarist John Mooney kicks off
new weekly gig, and more music
in New Orleans for Sun. Feb. 8
~Keith Speara

Samedi

Blagojevich to rule as King of Carnival~The New Orleans Levee

Krewe du Vieux rolls tonight!
~Frankie Ford named as Cruise Director
~Reflecting national trends, Krewe du Vieux is wheeling and dealing with its own brand of economic incompetence.
Feb. 7th, KdV will roll out its own STIMULUS PACKAGE!
This will includes substantial “Investments in Stocks & Bondage” and a bailout plan for “D&D Cock Market Investment Spankers.”
In a “Salute to Trickle Down Economics” Krewe du Vieux’s crack economic team, advised by the investment firm of “Schmeckel and Shekel’s Foreskins and Foreclosures,” promises to “Extend the Guard” and “Go Down With Uncle Sam.”
~Eric Lindell will play Krewe du Vieux Ball

Major river projects urged
~Mark Schleifstein

President Obama's Weekly Web Address~"Jobs that rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges and levees and dams, so that the tragedies of New Orleans and Minneapolis never happen again."

Does James read Stephanie's column?~Moldy City

Euthanized dog 'had a lot of life in him'~Paul Rioux~"I've been in this business for 25 years, but I don't pretend to be an expert on animal health issues."~Lee Ann Matherne, overseer at Jefferson parish's shelters in Marrero and Elmwood

End of rent help is a disaster for many Hurricane Katrina victims
~Katy Reckdahl

Officials break ground on Dulac levee~Nikki Buskey

Feeding our addiction to the Saints ~James Gill

Landrieu joins call for stimulus bill cuts~Gerard Shields

Vidalia, LA

Louisiana Shines in Tavernier’s “Electric Mist”

A Flickrstream Devoted to Mugshots~Hrag Vartanian

10 hot crawfish eateries that are boiling like mad despite a lean season~Brett Anderson

Vendredi

New FEMA maps: New Orleans
~Chris Kirkham, Sheila Grissett
and Mark Schleifstein
~After years of development, new online FEMA maps available today provide New Orleans area residents the most detailed snapshot yet of flooding risks from 100-year hurricane storm surges and rainfall.
Because flooding risk changes constantly with ongoing levee construction, the new flood insurance rate maps reflect the dangers posed under an incomplete flood protection system, using data and models that reflect the state of levee repairs through June 2007.
~~Click to download a PDF of the flood zone map.

New Orleans cops involved in killing face other probes
~Brendan McCarthy

Lawsuit against New Orleans juvenile detention center turned into a class action
~Desiree Evans, Facing South

The Waning VA Threat
~We Could Be Famous

Senate amendment allows storm assistance~Gerard Shields

Bombs, choppers during military exercises startle New Orleans residents~Katie Moore


The clucks stop here: More New Orleanians raising chickens ~Judy Walker
~"Lucy" is one of two Rhode Island Red hens owned by Bryon Cornelison of Algiers. Cornelison counts himself among a select number of New Orleanians who bring a little bit of country to their city neighborhoods by raising chickens.
Photo: Susan Poag, The Times-Picayune.

Emergency work begins on Terrebonne’s levees
~Nikki Buskey

Judge calls Nucor a pollution concern, doesn’t stop permit
~Allen M. Johnson Jr.

Restoring New Orleans, La. coastline are Obama priorities, strategist says ~John Pope

A tragedy forgotten amid the crisis ~Michael Collins
~In the fall of 2008, a perfect storm of economic panic and impatience with the Republican Party helped herald Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States. Forgotten amid the chaos and celebration was an actual storm: Hurricane Ike, a Category 2 storm that made landfall at Galveston, Texas, around midnight Sept. 13.

A Brief History of U.S Public Transit~Matthew E. Kahn

From Chef Clogs to Chef Blogs ~Ian McNulty

Mencia Out, Joan Rivers In

Book Blabber:
Dirty By Meredith Maran
~Je ne Regrette Rien

Trombone Shorty Comes to the Independent~E. "Doc" Smith

New Orleans' WTUL~c-Blog

The Trey McIntyre Project
evokes the spirit of New Orleans
this weekend~Dana Oland

New Orleans Funk - The Original Sound Of Funk 1960 - '75
on Soul Jazz Records
~flageolette

Jeudi

Skull Club~for Lord David
~Editilla jus'sayin~a good masque is hard to let go!

No Katrina ~Word Around the Net
~Why hasn't President Obama visited Kentucky, Missouri, and other storm ravaged states? Why hasn't he made a speech about the areas or declared an emergency, and why is FEMA still so slow?
This is not a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, but it is a major disaster. Some people have been without power for over a week in one of the coldest winters in recent memory.
~Editilla Adderallas~ And to date 55 Americans have died.
Every disaster where people die is as great as "Katrina".
The real tragedy comes from such slack federal response.
The real shame comes as Obama gets Stuck on Stupid.

Obama’s chance for leadership on FEMA~No Quarter

Kentucky: Parallels With
New Orleans?~News Blaze

FEMA food kits may contain tainted peanut butter

AP Interview: Katrina lessons put to use in Kentucky

LSU Engineers model forecasts chemical contaminants based on Katrina-flooded homes
~Bio-Medicine

Requiring Accountability From Pampered Public Servants
~Emily Spence, OpEdNews

Paul Vallas Considers Run for Cook County President
~Becky Bohrer

Never a dull moment
~Library Chronicles

Not Everyone Agrees~First Draft

“but the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before…”
~slabbed

Florida's Unnatural Disaster
~Charlie Crist~Who needs Mother Nature to cause a catastrophe? Florida's politicians are busy creating an unnatural disaster in their state insurance market that will blow away taxpayers when the next big hurricane hits. And we mean taxpayers across America.

Ward Three Morality: Too Poor to Paint, and Too Proud to Whitewash~Positive Infinity

Trainer ordered to pay Best Friends after Katrina dogs die
~Gina Spadafori

Object-Oriented Philosophy: What is it Good For?
~Larval Subjects

ADM cites big challenges in ethanol unit~Choy Leng Yeong

One Man’s Blanche Is a University’s Infringement
~Patrick Healy

Latest from MF Korn
Louisiana Melancholic

From Timbuktu to Katrina: Readings in African-American History Volume I
~This is not a book sale

Creole v. Cajun...
the Way I See It~Ms. enPlace
~If you don’t enjoy food origins, food history, or learning about other cultures (shame on you), skip down to the recipe for Rabbit Sauce Piquante

Exhibit views South post-Katrina ~Monica Hertle

New Orleans Shrimp Pot Pie

Mercredi

Zatarain's to Make Mardi Gras a National Holiday~Sport Mom Olivia Manning Helps Drive Online Petition

~Dukes of Dixieland Mardi Gras Day 2008
~2009 New Orleans Mardi Gras Parade Schedule

City's image getting trashed
in French Quarter dispute,
tourism may be hurt
~Michelle Krupa
Photo thanks~Katrina Krewe

Krewe du Vieux announces its '09 parade theme "Krewe du Vieux's Stimulus Package"

Mayor Nagin, Please Resign
~New Orleans -- It's just Me

It's A Shame.
The Way You Mess Around
~New Orleans Murder Blog

Federal Aid Continues To Support Kentucky Ice Storm ~FEMA

…and I called FEMA, too - called it the “f word” for not knowing a hurricane hit New Orleans; treating people like hamburgers on a grill after Ike~slabbed

"Our civilization has achieved a distinction of sorts.
It will be remembered not for its technology nor even its wars but for its novel ethos. Others have been corrupt, but leave it to us to invent the most undistinguished of corruptions. No orgies, no blood running in the street, no babies thrown off cliffs.
No, we're sentimental people and we horrify easily.
True, our moral fiber is rotten.
Our national character stinks to high heaven.
But we are kinder than ever.
No prostitute ever responded with a quicker spasm of sentiment when our hearts are touched. Nor is there anything new about thievery, lewdness, lying, adultery.
What is new is that in our time liars and thieves and whores and adulterers wish also to be congratulated and are congratulated by the great public, if their confession is sufficiently psychological or strikes a sufficiently heartfelt and authentic note of sincerity."~Walker Percy, The Moviegoer
~~Special Thanks~ About Last Night
~~~Linkeroo'bonzi~Yer oh'so humble Editilla

The Barryfest Chronicles
<~Balcony Bar - New Orleans, LA - January 31, 2009

Thank you, Mr. Herbert
~Your Right Hand Thief

Landrieu Votes Against Infrastructure Amendment that Lacks Sufficient Corps Funding

Beware of stimulus for Army Corps, say green groups
~Eartha Jane Melzer

Cao named to three congressional subcommittees
~Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, R-New Orleans, has been named to three congressional subcommittees: Water Resources and Environment; Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials; and Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
The Water Resources Subcommittee is responsible for developing the next authorization of the Army Corps of Engineers' program for flood control, environmental restoration and navigation improvement projects. The subcommittee has jurisdiction over clean water infrastructure, water resources development, conservation and management, water pollution control and hazardous waste cleanup. Agencies that fall within the subcommittee’s jurisdiction include the corps and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Flood victims: Who'll pay for the damage?~Brian Johnson

Legal Settlement Reached with John Deere, U.S. Army and City of Ankeny, Iowa, for Cleanup at Des Moines Ordnance Plan
~WaterSupply.Com

MMS names senior staff geophysicist~City Business

Marathon Redfish

Solar Cities
~Jackie's Architecture Blog

New AntiGravity out!

Violence, Abuse, and Neglect in New Orleans: The Untold Story
~Critically acclaimed writer, Clarence Nero, tells a wrenching story of triumph over tragedy in his novel Desire.

Pork Belly at Lilette
~Tasty Bits

ROASTED PARMESAN-CREAMED ONIONS

- serves 4 - Serious Eats
Adapted from Osteria by Rick Tramonto with Mary Goodbody.

Ingredients
4 medium yellow onions
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved (about 2 tablespoons)

Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Slice the onions into 1/4-inch-thick rings and lay them in a shallow baking pan, such as a sheet pan or jelly roll pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the cream and wine to a simmer over medium-high heat. As soon as the liquid starts to bubble around the edges, remove from the heat.
4. Spoon about a tablespoon of the cream mixture over each onion slice. Cover with aluminum foil, return to the oven, and cook for about 25 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 450°F.
5. Remove the foil and top the onions with the shaved cheese. Return the pan to the oven and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the edges caramelize. Serve hot.
~Photo special thanks~Proud Italian Cook

New Orleans Cooking Class ~Visiato Fun Blog

Rollergirls, the New York Times
~Flat Track Fever

These Kats just don't understand ~Note From The Book

Mardi~Obama turns back on Real Disaster

2 New Orleans hospitals plan to join forces

Obama’s Katrina Ignored by Media~Red Alerts
~Editilla Notellas~ We normally do not post right-wing nut asses like this, but (having experienced the Federal Flood of New Orleans in '05) Federal Response to this National Disaster is begining to look disturbingly familiar.
I am growing increasingly apprehensive about the apparent lack of Federal Response (or even public acknowledgment, or posting on the White House Blog) to this huge and growing disaster.
As all that ice starts melting across the Mid Western states, especially Kentucky, it will begin flooding.
55 American Citizens have died thus far.
Please contact the White House: 202-456-1111
Update- I have contacted the White House website a half a dozen times since posting this yesterday morning and still no word on their blog, or mention by the President in public or on the news. It is beginning to appear that Obama is getting stuck on stupid, just like George Bush did with New Orleans.

FEMA gets decent marks for its ice storm response~Yet more than 300,000 residents remained without power Monday and some areas had yet to see aid workers nearly a week after the storm, a fact not lost on some local authorities. "We haven't seen FEMA. They haven't been here," said Jaime Green, a spokeswoman for the emergency operations center in Lyon County, about 95 miles northwest of Nashville, TN. Federal authorities insisted they responded as soon as the state asked for help and promised to keep providing whatever aid was necessary.

Refiners, Union Reach Tentative Deal, Avert Strike~Aaron Clark and Barbara Powell

After 5 burglaries, $200 "police protection" fee is last straw as frustrated resident decides to leave New Orleans
~Ramon Antonio Vargas
~Francisco Galicia had to laugh when he noticed that his city tax bill this year included a new line item: $200 for enhanced police protection. Defeated, Galicia plans to leave a city that he has called home for three decades and move his family to Austin, Texas, even though he has no roots there. Leaving New Orleans, he said, is his only option to make a living, settle his debts and feel protected. City officials "told me they were ready for me to come back and rebuild," he said. "But I don't believe they were."

Local Minority Firm facing ruin in C.J. Peete demolition dispute
~Katy Reckdahl

In the name of all things
Bob Cerasoli~People Get Ready

Nagin, Council struggle to find
compromise on French Quarter
sanitation services~Frank Donze

State passes on ethics query
~Matt Scallan~The state Board of Ethics says it will look no further into whether a St. Charles Parish councilman's job as an engineer for a real estate developer is a conflict of interest unless it gets more information about the situation.

Saints, Jindal face contract deadline~Michelle Millhollon

Louisiana DC Mardi Gras: Throw
Me A Stimulus Package Mister
~John Maginnis~In Washington, D.C., last week, it seemed like the migrating Krewe of Louisianians was the only bunch in town who still knew how to have a good time.

24-hour rally planned for coastal restoration~Mark Schleifstein

Corps of Engineers, state set coastal plan meetings

2 Iowa public works candidates have Army Corps of Engineers resume?~Kurt Allemeier
~The city of Davenport is turning to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its next public works director. The two finalists for the position are a retired Corps of Engineers captain from Florida and a lieutenant colonel who is deputy commander of the Corps’ Rock Island District.

Donations for Ike recovery slowing down

Mardi Gras is here!!!
~Kiss My Gumbo

New Orleans Mardi Gras:
Think Green~Bayou Buzz

What makes a Cajun ... a Cajun? Scholar poses question at symposium in New Orleans

Babylon's~New Orleans Vegan Restaurant Reviews

Blueberry Muffins... another
nostalgic baking moment
~Far From New Orleans...

NOLA's Big Sam's Funky Nation
to spice up Northern Britain
~April MacIntyre
~The band will take part in the SoCo Social Mardi Gras, as Big Sam's Funky Nation will visit London, Manchester and Glasgow in four weeks to laissez les bon temp roulette and serve it up hot, sweet and spicy Beignets and Gumbo style, with classic New Orleans flavor for their European audiences.

Lundi

Former Louisiana Legislator
David Duke Slams Republicans
Over Michael Steele~BBuzz
~Duke, who spent time in prison for tax-related issues is calling Steele a “radical Black racist” a “servile dog of Israel” and says “ As a former Republican official, I can tell you that millions of rank-and-file Republicans are mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore!
We will either take the Republican Party back over the next four years or we will say, “To Hell With the Republican Party!” And we will take 90 percent of Republicans with us into a New Party that will take its current place!”

While FEMA Fiddles, Kentucky Freezes

Obama, Congress Put Water on Stimulus List~Nuprana

Recession, Credit Crisis Stall Louisiana's Hurricane Recovery Bonds

Monday slabbed

Levee work finally started in
East Jefferson Parish ~The work that has begun on Reach 5 -- between Causeway Boulevard and the 17th Street Canal -- will impact the popular bike path along Lake Pontchartrain, according to Army Corps of Engineers and East Jefferson Levee District officials.

New Orleans Inspector General Cerasoli Departure Hurts City
~Jeff Crouere

An open letter to Mayor Nagin ~Arlene Culpepper

Jackson Barracks rebounds after hurricanes Katrina, Rita
~Allen M. Johsnson Jr.

Conservationist's efforts in Arkansas still felt today
~Joe Mosby~Three decades ago conservationists scored back-to-back landmark victories over the federal steamroller in the form of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Both battles were in Arkansas - the fight against damming of the Buffalo River and the fight against channelizing the Cache River.
Today we have the Buffalo National River, heavily used by recreationists, and the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, a work in progress that is used by hunters and recreationists including birders.

Analysis finds toxins high in contained ash spill
~Duncan Mansfield

Utilities spend millions as river sinks~Chris Blank

Climate Change and Water
Resources Management:
A federal perspective~USGS
Editilla T'nT~ Aqualog

Vinegar turns to Sweet Grapes
~Our New Orleans Saints

The Premier Dardos Award
~Pwally Mostly True Stories

Day 1254: Young Guardians Of The Flame~Maitri's VatulBlog

Streetcars and parades

A weekend of Carnival parades
~Terry R. Cassreino

Six Mardi Gras Float Designs by Joe Barth~Live Auctioneers

My New Orleans Floral Photo's

Dimanche

Robert Frank's The Americans
~Bob Edwards
~Above~Parade — Hoboken, New Jersey
~Below~New Orleans Street car

Interim inspector general appointed~Michelle Krupa
~Mayor officially disputes IG findings

Brickbat for HANO
~Michael Patrick Welch

Can we trust the NOPD’s crime
reduction stats? In a word, NO!
~NOCCW

Tweens
~New Orleans Murder Blog

Galatoire's owners move to stop sale~Brett Anderson

Funds for La. coast $1.5 billion short~Amy Wold

Kentucky braces for Flooding
~Governor calls up record number of Guard troops

Water, the new Oil
~Urban Food Guy

New Orleans home prices up in the city, down in the suburbs

Union extends contract 1 day: 24,000 refinery workers, some 3,500 in Louisiana, affected

Special dog finds special new home~Sheila Stroup

Tet 2009-NOLA-dishu

St. Martinville, Louisiana
~Born And Raised In The South

Enjoying a different type of football book~Cheré Coen
~Pelican Publishing of New Orleans adds another Katrina sports book to the lineup, but Finn McCool's Football Club: The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of a Pub Soccer Team in the City of the Dead is a different kind of football.

Warehouse gets makeover as film studio

The Axeman of Old New Orleans
~Triggerstreet

Susan Tedeschi, House of Blues New Orleans, Feb 4th~Visiato