Thanks, Katrina

Tents of pho greet the year of the dragon

2012-01-27T18:20:00.000-06:00

Tents of pho greet the year of the dragon: Annual Tet celebration promises Vietnamese food galore.

Scuzzbucket from Texas

2012-01-25T18:02:00.003-06:00

The Year of the Dragon

2012-01-24T06:16:00.002-06:00

2012 - Year of the Dragon (2)

More PowerPoint presentations from Nubia

Where I'd like to be today instead of work

2012-01-23T11:42:00.000-06:00

The grotto at the Southeast Louisiana Wildlife Refuge in Lacombe.

Just sayin.

Rebirth on Bayou Liberty

2012-01-22T07:42:00.000-06:00

Almost seven years after it was swamped by Katrina, St. Genevieve Catholic Church on Bayou Liberty has been rebuilt. I pass the church on my daily commute, so I watched in January 2007 as they demolished the old church , built in 1958. I have followed and chronicled her rebirth for the past five years .

On January 15, 2012 St. Genevieve opened to her parishoners. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

This is what she looked like before Katrina

During the groundbreaking in October of 2010, parishioners were asked to place a small amount of dirt from their home into the groundbreaking hole in celebration of their unity.

The doors to the church were donated by Dr. John Breaux and were produced in Honduras. They depict the history of the parish from the time it was a mission until the present new church.

In 1852, a brick chapel was built by Mrs. Anatole Cousin on land she donated.

In 1914, Father Francis Balay renovated the old church and rededicated it

In 1950s another Bayou Liberty Church - St. Linus - was merged with St. Genevieve

In 1958, a new church building was built and dedicated Dec. 28 by Reverend Joseph Rummel.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the church. Immediately following the storm, Mass was celebrated under an oak tree for several weeks and then in the parish hall.

It was such a good feeling to see the old steeple rising toward the heavens again

The original stained glass windows are used in the new church (photo by Slidell Sentry News)

The altar looks out over Bayou Liberty

The old Chapel is shown here after the church was razed

And now the Chapel is once again united with the church

After Katrina, St. Genevieve's pastor is quoted as saying: "The church is not the building, but the people, we are the church."
~ Reverend Roel Lungay

I salute the strength and faith parishioners of St. Genevieve and congratulate them on this long-time coming occasion.

SOPA Supporters in Congress/Senate

2012-01-18T11:50:00.000-06:00

From Propublica here is an interactive list which shows each Congressperson and Senator who are FOR SOPA. The list allows you to link to a page related to the politicians as well as send them an email.

Louisiana's Landrieu, Scalise and Vitter are SOPA supporters.

From the website:

Well-funded interests on either side of SOPA and PIPA are lining up support among members of Congress. This database keeps track of where members of Congress stand. Findings are based on two factors: whether a member is a sponsor of the proposed bills, and each member's voting record on the current bills' precursors and alternatives. Click the links on the left to filter the supporters list.

What is SOPA?

2012-01-18T11:30:00.004-06:00

From Gizmodo:

What Is SOPA?

If you hadn't heard of SOPA before, you probably have by now: Some of the internet's most influential sites—Reddit and Wikipedia among them—are going dark to protest the much-maligned anti-piracy bill. But other than being a very bad thing, what is SOPA? And what will it mean for you if it passes?
SOPA is an anti-piracy bill working its way through Congress...

House Judiciary Committee Chair and Texas Republican Lamar Smith, along with 12 co-sponsors, introduced the Stop Online Piracy Act on October 26th of last year. Debate on H.R. 3261, as it's formally known, has consisted of one hearing on November 16th and a "mark-up period" on December 15th, which was designed to make the bill more agreeable to both parties. Its counterpart in the Senate is the Protect IP Act (S. 968). Also known by its cuter-but-still-deadly name: PIPA. There will likely be a vote on PIPA next Wednesday; SOPA discussions had been placed on hold but will resume in February of this year.
...that would grant content creators extraordinary power over the internet...

The beating heart of SOPA is the ability of intellectual property owners (read: movie studios and record labels) to effectively pull the plug on foreign sites against whom they have a copyright claim. If Warner Bros., for example, says that a site in Italy is torrenting a copy of The Dark Knight, the studio could demand that Google remove that site from its search results, that PayPal no longer accept payments to or from that site, that ad services pull all ads and finances from it, and—most dangerously—that the site's ISP prevent people from even going there.
...which would go almost comedically unchecked...

Perhaps the most galling thing about SOPA in its original construction is that it let IP owners take these actions without a single court appearance or judicial sign-off. All it required was a single letter claiming a "good faith belief" that the target site has infringed on its content. Once Google or PayPal or whoever received the quarantine notice, they would have five days to either abide or to challenge the claim in court. Rights holders still have the power to request that kind of blockade, but in the most recent version of the bill the five day window has softened, and companies now would need the court's permission.

The language in SOPA implies that it's aimed squarely at foreign offenders; that's why it focuses on cutting off sources of funding and traffic (generally US-based) rather than directly attacking a targeted site (which is outside of US legal jurisdiction) directly. But that's just part of it.
...to the point of potentially creating an "Internet Blacklist"...

Here's the other thing: Payment processors or content providers like Visa or YouTube don't even need a letter shut off a site's resources. The bill's "vigilante" provision gives broad immunity to any provider who proactively shutters sites it considers to be infringers. Which means the MPAA just needs to publicize one list of infringing sites to get those sites blacklisted from the internet.

Potential for abuse is rampant. As Public Knowledge points out, Google could easily take it upon itself to delist every viral video site on the internet with a "good faith belief" that they're hosting copyrighted material. Leaving YouTube as the only major video portal. Comcast (an ISP) owns NBC (a content provider). Think they might have an interest in shuttering some rival domains? Under SOPA, they can do it without even asking for permission.
...while exacting a huge cost from nearly every site you use daily...

SOPA also includes an "anti-circumvention" clause, which holds that telling people how to work around SOPA is nearly as bad as violating its main provisions. In other words: if your status update links to The Pirate Bay, Facebook would be legally obligated to remove it. Ditto tweets, YouTube videos, Tumblr or WordPress posts, or sites indexed by Google. And if Google, Twitter, Wordpress, Facebook, etc. let it stand? They face a government "enjoinment." They could and would be shut down.

The resources it would take to self-police are monumental for established companies, and unattainable for start-ups. SOPA would censor every online social outlet you have, and prevent new ones from emerging.
...and potentially disappearing your entire digital life...

The party line on SOPA is that it only affects seedy off-shore torrent sites. That's false. As the big legal brains at Bricoleur point out, the potential collateral damage is huge. And it's you. Because while Facebook and Twitter have the financial wherewithal to stave off anti-circumvention shut down notices, the smaller sites you use to store your photos, your videos, and your thoughts may not. If the government decides any part of that site infringes on copyright and proves it in court? Poof. Your digital life is gone, and you can't get it back.
...while still managing to be both unnecessary and ineffective...

What's saddest about SOPA is that it's pointless on two fronts. In the US, the MPAA, and RIAA already have the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to request that infringing material be taken down. We've all seen enough "video removed" messages to know that it works just fine.

As for the foreign operators, you might as well be throwing darts at a tse-tse fly. The poster child of overseas torrenting, Pirate Bay, has made it perfectly clear that they're not frightened in the least. And why should they be? Its proprietors have successfully evaded any technological attempt to shut them down so far. Its advertising partners aren't US-based, so they can't be choked out. But more important than Pirate Bay itself is the idea of Pirate Bay, and the hundreds or thousands of sites like it, as populous and resilient as mushrooms in a marsh. Forget the question of should SOPA succeed. It's incredibly unlikely that it could. At least at its stated goals.
...but stands a shockingly good chance of passing...

SOPA is, objectively, an unfeasible trainwreck of a bill, one that willfully misunderstands the nature of the internet and portends huge financial and cultural losses. The White House has come out strongly against it. As have hundreds of venture capitalists and dozens of the men and women who helped build the internet in the first place. In spite of all this, it remains popular in the House of Representatives.

That mark-up period on December 15th, the one that was supposed to transform the bill into something more manageable? Useless. Twenty sanity-fueled amendments were flat-out rejected. And while the bill's most controversial provision—mandatory DNS filtering—was thankfully taken off the table recently, in practice internet providers would almost certainly still use DNS as a tool to shut an accused site down.
...unless we do something about it.

The momentum behind the anti-SOPA movement has been slow to build, but we're finally at a saturation point. Wikipedia, BoingBoing, WordPress, TwitPic: they'll all be dark on January 18th. An anti-SOPA rally has been planned for tomorrow afternoon in New York. The list of companies supporting SOPA is long but shrinking, thanks in no small part to the emails and phone calls they've received in the last few months.

So keep calling. Keep emailing. Most of all, keep making it known that the internet was built on the same principles of freedom that this country was. It should be afforded to the same rights.

An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience

2012-01-16T18:18:00.000-06:00

BLESS YOU BOYS

2012-01-15T13:41:00.000-06:00

Saints Seasons

2012-01-13T16:10:00.002-06:00

snowboarding bird

2012-01-12T17:52:00.001-06:00

Here's a link to the backstory to this video

Karma, LSU

2012-01-11T18:01:00.001-06:00

I have had bad experiences with LSU fans for over 20 years now. Granted, the LSU fans I work with are good people, but a majority of the ones I've had to deal with are closed minded, big mouthed and ignorant like this group, filmed on January 8th, 2012 in New Orleans.

I-Pad survives fall from edge of space

2012-01-11T14:51:00.002-06:00

Attached to a weather balloon, an Apple iPad was lifted to over 100,000 feet and dropped back down to Earth encased in G-Form Extreme Edge case. It remained on throughout the drop and landed fully functional.

Found at Space.com.

Book and paper sculptures

2012-01-11T12:02:00.000-06:00

During my lunchtime today I landed at this blog and this post about incredible book and paper sculptures being left anonymously at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh.

I'm showing a few below. The intricate work is mind-blowing!

I have never heard of this art before! Here are some other links to this intricate art:

Jacqueline Rush-Lee

Montreal's Guy Laramee

British artist Su Blackwell

Enjoy!

missing this

2012-01-11T11:35:00.001-06:00

Hilarity in Houma

2012-01-10T10:30:00.000-06:00

Houma police say two alleged car burglars -- one in a wheelchair -- were arrested after they returned to their victim's home to apologize. The Courier reports that 50-year-old William Poindexter and 48-year-old Ernest Mart, both of Houma, were booked with simple burglary and held in lieu of $50,000 bond. A third man is wanted.

Police say they allegedly were taking a car radio from an SUV about 1 a.m. Monday when the owner saw them. They fled -- one pushing another in a wheelchair.

Police say Poindexter allegedly took a bottle of cologne and two cellphone chargers.

They say Poindexter and Mart, who uses a wheelchair, returned later Monday to the woman's house to apologize. Police say her father chased them, and they were later caught by police.

Incredible sight

2012-01-08T18:12:00.002-06:00

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Murmuration of Starlings captured by Sophie and Liberty while they were canoeing by the River Shannon

Whiners are everywhere

2012-01-04T11:46:00.002-06:00

Apparently Americans aren't the only ones who suffer from political correctness and wimpiness.

In China this is the year of the Dragon. To commemorate this, China's postal service plans to issue the stamp on the left. The image is meant to invoke another stamp, from back in 1878 — when the Qing Dynasty still ruled.

Some in China do not want the Dragon Stamp, citing "it looks too ferocious" and that it is "roaring and intimidating".
And here's a quote from the NPR story about the stamp:
"'The moment I saw the design of the dragon stamp on newspaper, I was almost scared to death,' wrote Zhang Yihe, on weibo.com, China's Twitter-like social networking service and microblogging service provider

The Dragon stamp will go on sale this Thursday, just ahead of Chinese New Year on January 23rd.

The stamp on the right represents last year - the Year of the Rabbit. Perhaps the complainers want the Dragon to look as sweet and cuddly as the wabbit.

Something to warm you

2012-01-02T19:32:00.002-06:00

It will be warm soon, just wait.
Taken at the NOLA Botanical Gardens, April 2011

need ideas 4 a resolution?

2012-01-01T21:01:00.000-06:00

here is some inspiration

Bless You Boys 2011

2012-01-01T18:00:00.002-06:00

Created at the beginning of the 2011-2012 Season. Can't wait for the highlights

and here's one that always pumps me up

and here's a good memory

and this has to go with it

Full List of the Worlds' losses in 2011

2011-12-31T20:53:00.000-06:00

Click here for the complete listing by date.

RIP to all of those mentioned and the thousands of those who were not news-worthy. Rest in Peace to you all and prayers for the strength of your families. (we lost a lost of family members this year as well)

Portals I've loved

2011-12-31T18:17:00.000-06:00

I like walking around with my camera, ready to snap a picture of something that moves me in some way. Today I put together a slide show of photographs taken in New Orleans and surrounding areas of doors and windows and alleyways that have caught my eye.
One of my new years resolutions is to mark my pictures with more specific locations than "French Quarter". I hope you enjoy looking at this slideshow as I had creating it.

2011 in review

2011-12-31T11:01:00.002-06:00

Old Beauty

2011-12-30T15:22:00.001-06:00

Thibodaux, Louisiana

Old and new

2011-12-29T18:03:00.002-06:00

Just a reference point on how much higher the new Twinspans are compared to the old. Taken from Slidell, Louisiana

WHO DAT

2011-12-28T15:59:00.002-06:00

Psychology of a Champion

2011-12-25T17:00:00.001-06:00

Great video that covers interviews with undrafted champions on the Saints' roster such as Pierre Thomas, Jabari Greer and more. Good 5 minute video. Click on the link below.

Psychology of a Champion

Wrapping Christmas presents

2011-12-23T17:20:00.002-06:00

Cat Island - the heartbreak continues

2011-12-23T13:07:00.000-06:00

I have been lucky in friending Plaquemines Parish P.J. Hahn, Director of Coastal Zone Management on facebook and following his photography. I did so during the oilspill of 2010, knowing he would provide local, honest first-person reporting of an incident that was censored by BP, the Coast Guard and our government.

I can't watch the repeats of the footage from the BP Oilspill. The carnage just makes me ill in the same way the the replay of the explosion of Challenger in 1986. But I will never forget those dark periods in our history.

I remember that I had jury duty during one of the first weeks of the spill and I absent-mindedly chose the book Bayou Farewell, published in 2004 and authored by Mike Tidwell . This book basically predicted a Katrina experience. Of course a lot of books and articles were floating around during the early 21st century regarding the perfect storm that would be called Katrina. In the book Tidwell visited and worked with the heart and soul of southern Louisiana: the fisherpeople. The one thing that was repeated over and over by these hard working folks was the loss of our coastal wetlands and the speed in which it is happening.

The BP poisoning of the Gulf Coast is still having its effects from Louisiana to Florida, 20 months later. Just this week P.J. Hahn took a boat ride out to Cat Island in Barataria Bay to assess its health. It turned out to be extremely disappointing, as evidenced by P.J.'s pictures below:

The wildlife on the way to Cat Island looks healthy.

in Barataria Bay outside of Bay Jimmy

Something about seeing pelicans in flight makes me smile.

However, once they reached the island itself I'm sure their hearts dropped. Check out these pictures:

The pelicans and other birds depend on mangroves to lay their eggs.

Not a lot of eggs can be laid here.

According to PJ 'they were mangrove trees that are critical for the pelicans to nest. The oil spill hit this island particularly hard and I’ve been trying to document the loss so we can try and rebuild the island. Before the oil spill, this island supported hundreds of thousands of various birds. This spring it will probably not be able to support a couple hundred nesting birds."

These photos were all taken on December 22, 2011.

Again, quoting PJ ". It's been so tough, on so many fronts. Going out and seeing the effects on the fish and wildlife......listening to fears from the locals and their concern for their future, it's been a stressful several years!"

When I asked whether BP was setting aside money for the island's restoration here is the answer:
"BP is trying to get out of all of this. They are sponsoring commercials that basically is trying to scam the public into thinking the Gulf is now fixed and that there is nothing wrong with the seafood..........and unfortunately, it seems to be working."

Merry Christmas

2011-12-19T19:01:00.000-06:00

Lance Moore's Happy Dance

2011-12-19T10:05:00.000-06:00

I could watch this all day!!!

2012 New Orleans Jazz Fest Lineup

2011-12-14T11:31:00.001-06:00

from NOLA.com
The New Orleans Jazz Fest has released its 2012 lineup for both weekends, April 27-29 and May 3-6, 2012. Performer names below are in the order listed on the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Presented by Shell's Wednesday, Dec. 14 news release.

FIRST WEEKEND: APRIL 27-29, 2012

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
John Mayer
Al Green
Trombone Shorty
Bon Iver
Jill Scott
Allen Toussaint
Janelle Monae
Dr. John
Iron & Wine
Yolanda Adams
Pete Fountain
Feist
Steel Pulse
Dianne Reeves
Gomez
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Dave Koz
Givers
Israel & New Breed
Tab Benoit
Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
Cowboy Mouth
Bobby Rush
Chuck Leavell & Friends
Amanda Shaw
Sonny Landreth
Gary Clark Jr.
Cubano Be
Cubano Bop: Poncho Sanchez & His Latin Band feat. Terence Blanchard
Papa Grows Funk
Ellis Marsalis
Walter "Wolfman" Washington
Cheikh LÃ´ (Senegal)
Buckwheat Zydeco
Evelyn Turrentine-Agee
Voice of the Wetland Allstars
The Texas Tornados feat. Flaco Jimenez, Augie Myers and Shawn Sahm
Nicholas Payton
Ironin' Board Sam
The New Orleans Bingo! Show
Enlarge Matthew Hinton, The Times-Picayune MATTHEW HINTON / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE The Neville Brothers perform on the Acura Stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival or Jazz Fest 2011 Sunday, May 8, 2011 in New Orleans at the Fair Grounds.
Soul Rebels
Shamarr Allen & the Underdawgs
Eric Lindell
Irma Thomas' Tribute to Mahalia Jackson
Corey Harris
James Andrews & the Crescent City Allstars
Lindigo (Reunion Islands) feat. Fixi (France)
Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots
Pine Leaf Boys
Luther Kent
The Dixie Cups
Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas
Dee-1
Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes
Sasha Masakowski
New Orleans Klezmer Allstars
C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band
BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles
Khris Royal & Dark Matter
Los Po-Boy-Citos
Butch Thompson
Treme Brass Band
Dr. Michael White & the Original Liberty Jazz Band feat. Thais Clark
Savoy Music Center of Eunice Saturday Cajun Jam
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie
Leyla McCalla
Roddie Romero & the Hub-City Allstars
Midnite Disturbers
Bill Summers & Jazalsa
Peter Martin
Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
Jewel Brown & the Heritage Hall Jazz Band
Tribute to Alex Chilton feat. Dave Pirner
Alex McMurray
Susan Cowsill and Rene Coman
Stephanie Jordan
Stooges Brass Band
Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band
The Classic New Orleans Revue feat. Frankie Ford
Al "Carnival Time" Johnson
Tribute to Wardell Quezergue feat. Jean Knight and Robert "Barefootin" Parker with Blue Eyed Soul
The Dixie Cups and more
Bucktown Allstars
Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue
Lil' Buck Sinegal
James Rivers Movement
Victor Goines
Fredy Omar con su Banda
Kristin Diable & the City
Washboard Rodeo
Panorama Jazz Band
Kirk Joseph's Tuba Tuba
Leah Chase
The Batiste Brothers
Brice Miller & Mahogany Brass Band
Shades of Praise: New Orleans Interracial Gospel Choir
Lars Edegran's New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra
Don Vappie & the Creole Jazz Serenaders
Betty Winn & One A-Chord
Guitar Lightnin' Lee & the Thunder Band
City of Love Music & Worship Arts
Tim Laughlin
Lionel Ferbos & the Palm Court Jazz Band
The Revivalists
Jumpin' Johnny Sansone
Empress Hotel
Brother Tyrone & the Mindbenders
Cindy Scott
Watson Memorial Music Ministry
The Electrifying Crown Seekers
Bamboula 2000
Ivoire Spectacle feat. Seguenon Kone
Ingrid Lucia
Paulin Brothers Brass Band
The Courtyard Kings
Dukes of Dixieland
Kevin Bryan
D.L. Menard & the Louisiana Aces
Real Untouchables Brass Band
Semolian Warriors Mardi Gras Indians
Clive Wilson's New Orleans Serenaders
High Ground Drifters Bluegrass Band
Beth Patterson & Potent Bathers
Marc Stone
Goldman Thibodeaux & the Lawtell Playboys
Erika Flowers
Tonia Powell & the Left Field Band
Henry Gray & the Cats
Women in Jazz
Ernie Vincent & the Top Notes
Hadley J. Castille Family & the Sharecroppers Cajun Band
Chris Clifton
Meschiya Lake & the Little Big Horns
Tom McDermott & Friends
Jeremy Lyons & Members of Morphine
Leo Jackson & the Melody Clouds
Gospel Soul Children
Cameron Dupuy & the Cajun Troubadours
Louis Ford & His Dixie Flairs
Riccardo Crespo & Sol Brasil
101 Runners
Creole Wild West and Golden Star Hunters Mardi Gras Indians
Storyville Stompers Brass Band
Jamil Sharif
Pastor Jai Reed
Tonia Scott & the Anointed Voices
Secondline Jammers
Men of Class
Family Ties
Dumaine Gang and Divine Ladies Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Lois Dejean Gospel Diva
Pat Casey & the New Sound
DJ Soul Sister
E'Dana & Company
Black Mohawk
Black Foot Hunters and Geronimo Hunters Mardi Gras Indians
Northwestern University Jazz Ensemble
Young Pinstripe Brass Band
The Heavenly Melodies Gospel Singers
New Wave Brass Band
Red White & Blue
Wild Mohicans
Golden Comanche and Seminoles Mardi Gras Indians
Loyola University Jazz Ensemble
Keep N It Real
We Are One
Zulu and Big Nine Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Johnette Downing
Morning Star Mass Choir
The Bester Singers
The Sammy Rimington International Band
The Dynamic Smooth Family Gospel Singers
Tulane University Jazz Ensemble
Tornado Brass Band
Carrollton Hunters
Big Chief Kevin Goodman & the Flaming Arrows
Ninth Ward Hunters and Ninth Ward Navajo Mardi Gras Indians
Archdiocese of New Orleans Gospel Choir
Golden Voices Community Choir
Olympia Aid
New Look and The First Division Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Bishop Sean Elder & the Mount Hermon BC Mass Choir
The Wimberly Family Gospel Singers
Josh Kagler & Harmonistic Praise Crusade
Big Steppers
Untouchables and Furious Five Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Black Eagles Mardi Gras Indians
Reverend Jermaine Landrum & the Abundant Praise Revival Choir
Miss Claudia & her Biergartners
Asociacion de Peruanos en Louisiana
Ayla Miller
Young Band Nation Blues Project
The Jones Sisters
GrayHawk
Alana Villavaso
N'Fungola Sibo West African Dance Company...

SECOND WEEKEND, MAY 3-6, 2012

The Neville Brothers
The Eagles
Foo Fighters
Zac Brown Band
Herbie Hancock
My Morning Jacket
Ne-Yo
Bunny Wailer
Bonnie Raitt
Paulina Rubio
Irma Thomas
Maze feat. Frankie Beverly
Florence & the Machine
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Galactic
Esperanza Spalding
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Levon Helm Band with special guest Mavis Staples
Steve Earle
Little Anthony & The Imperials
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Ani DiFranco
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk
Bruce Hornsby
Asleep at the Wheel
Funky Meters
Preservation Hall Jazz Band's 50th Anniversary Jam
David Sanborn and Joey DeFrancesco
Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers
Zebra
Aaron Neville
Rebirth Brass Band
Better Than Ezra
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Marcia Ball
Big Sam's Funky Nation
The Bounce Shake Down feat. Big Freedia, Katey Red, Keedy Black and DJ Poppa
Sarah Jarosz
Pedrito Martinez
Anders Osborne
Charmaine Neville Band
Jon Cleary
Deacon John
Bombino (Niger)
Donald Harrison
George Porter Jr. & Runnin' Pardners
Bonerama
Rockin' Dopsie & the Zydeco Twisters
Glen Hansard
John Mooney & Bluesiana
Theresa Andersson
Honey Island Swamp Band
Regina Carter's "Reverse Thread"
Big Chief Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias
James Cotton "Superharp" Band
Mia Borders
John Boutte
Wayne Toups & ZyDeCajun
Terri Lyne Carrington's Mosaic
Supagroup
MyNameIsJohnMichael
Bill Miller
Joints Jumpin'
Astral Project
Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience
Jeremy Davenport
Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Orchestra
Glen David Andrews
Boutte Family Sunday Praise
Wycliffe Gordon
Ruby Wilson's Tribute to Bessie Smith & Ma Rainey
Little Freddie King Blues Band
Iguanas
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers
Lost Bayou Ramblers
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Gregg Stafford's Jazz Hounds
Hot Club of New Orleans
Germaine Bazzle
Andrew Duhon
Rotary Downs
Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove
New Orleans Nightcrawlers
Bobby Lounge
Cheick Hamala Diabate
Silky Sol
Joe Krown Trio feat. Walter "Wolfman" Washington & Russell Batiste Jr.
Leroy Jones & New Orleans Finest
New Birth Brass Band
The Malone Brothers
Marlon Jordan Quartet
Roland Guerin
Zion Harmonizers
Wendell Brunious & the Music Masters
Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band
Paul Sanchez & the Rolling Road Show
Otra
Mac Arnold & Plate Full o' Blues
Amina Figarova Sextet
Feufollet
Banu Gibson
Doreen's Jazz New Orleans
The Stars of Heaven
Red Stick Ramblers
Rumba Buena
Magnolia Jazz Band of Norway feat. Topsy Chapman
Kipori "Baby Wolf" Woods
Lil' Nathan & the Zydeco Bigtimers
Jambalaya Cajun Band
Flow Tribe
Free Agents Brass Band
Spencer Bohren
Guitar Masters feat. Jimmy Robinson
Phil DeGruy
John Rankin and Cranston Clements
George French & the New Orleans Storyville Jazz Band
Mariachi Jalisco
Jim McCormick Band
The Revealers
Black Feathers
Black Seminoles and Red Hawk Mardi Gras Indians
Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys
Hot 8 Brass Band
The Raymond A. Myles Singers 30th Anniversary
Mas Mamones
Jo "Cool" Davis with Sugarboy Crawford
Mem Shannon
Blodie's Jazz Jam
Vivaz!
ELS
A Living Tribute to Harold Battiste
Creole String Beans
Michael Ward
Golden Blade and Fi Yi Yi Mardi Gras Indians
Original Pinettes Brass Band
Forgotten Souls Brass Band
Casa Samba
Patrice Fisher & Arpa & the Garifuna Connection
The Johnson Extension
Joe Hall & the Cane Cutters
Orange Kellin's New Orleans Deluxe Orchestra
Mark Braud
Nayo Jones
Reggie Hall & the Twilighters feat. Lady Bee
Belton Richard & the Musical Aces
Phillip Manuel
Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band
New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra
Pinstripe Brass Band
New Orleans Spiritualettes
Jockimo's Groove feat. War Chief Juan
Ted Winn
Courtney Bryan
Sam Doores & the Tumbleweeds
AsheSon
Young Tuxedo Jazz Band
Tommy Sancton's New Orleans Legacy Band
Kim Che're
Kid Simmons' Local International Allstars
Robert Jardell
Tarriona "Tank" Ball & the BlackStar Bangas
Erica Falls
Baritone Bliss
Kumbuka African Dance & Drum Collective
TBC Brass Band
The Roots of Music Marching Crusaders
Lesa Cormier & the Sundown Playboys
Tyronne Foster & the Arc Singers
Donnie Bolden & the Spirit of Elijah
Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble
Cha Wa
Cynthia Girtley
Rocks of Harmony
Val & Love Alive Fellowship Choir
Connie Jones & the Crescent City Jazz Band
Julio y Cesar
Brass Bed
Lynn Drury
Kora Connection feat. Morikeba Kouyate and Thierno Dioubate
Kelcy Mae
Connie & Dwight with the St. Raymond/St. Leo the Great Gospel Choir
McDonogh 35 High School Gospel Choir
The Mighty Supremes
Lyle Henderson & Emmanu-El
Yvette Landry Band
VIP Ladies
Original Big 7 and Original Four Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Zulu Male Ensemble
Zazou City
John Lawrence & Ven Pa' Ca Flamenco Dancers
Guitar Slim Jr.
Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters
Wild Tchoupitoulas
Wild Apaches
Cherokee Hunters and Young Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians
Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble
Forever Jones
Trombone Woodshed
J. Monque'D Blues Band
Kristi Guillory & the Midtown Project
Ceasar Elloie
Revolution
Ladies of Unity
Scene Boosters
Ole N Nu Style Fellas and Lady Jetsetters Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Kenneth Terry Brass Band
Gregory Agid
Brother Dege
Palmetto Bug Stompers
Kid Chocolate
Seva Venet & the Storyville String Band
Kinfolk Brass Band
St. Joseph the Worker Choir
DJ Captain Charles
Topsy Chapman & Solid Harmony
Golden Sioux
Young Cherokee
Big Chief Trouble & Trouble Nation and Mohawk Hunters Mardi Gras Indians
Voices of Peter Claver
Pastor Terry Gullage & the Greater Mount Calvary Voices of Redemption Choir
Pastor Tyrone Jefferson
New Orleans Indian Rhythm Section
Gospel Inspirations of Boutte
Jeffery Broussard & Creole Cowboys
O. Perry Walker Charter High School Choir
Eleanor McMain Singing Mustangs
The Pfister Sisters
First Emanuel Baptist Church Mass Choir
Wild Red Flame
Buffalo Hunters and Apache Hunters Mardi Gras Indians
High Steppers Brass Band
Tanya & Dorise
Matthew Davidson
Westbank Steppers
Valley of Silent Men
Pigeon Town Steppers
New Generation and Undefeated Divas Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Culu Children's Traditional African Dance Company
14 and Under Cajun Band
David & Roselyn
Smitty Dee's Brass Band
N'Kafu African Dance
Baby Boyz Brass Band
New Orleans Hispano America Dance Group
Versailles Lion Dance Team
Young Fellaz Brass Band
Judy Stock
Eulenspiegel Puppets
Lady Rollers
Original C.T.C. Steppers
Nine Times Ladies
Prince of Wales and Original Lady Buckjumpers Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs
Opera a la Carte
Young Guardians of the Flame
Stephen Foster's Foster Family Program

Coco Robicheaux's Second Line

2011-12-13T18:07:00.002-06:00

Good News for Queen Bess Island

2011-12-12T08:17:00.001-06:00

THIBODAUX, La. - A $1 million donation is expected to help rebuild a cluster of small islands in Barataria Bay to provide nesting grounds for thousands of Louisiana birds.

Representatives from Shell oil company presented the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program with the money at its management conference meeting Wednesday in Thibodaux.

The islands are unnamed spits of land in Barataria Bay east of East Grand Terre island. Richard DeMay, a scientist with the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, tells The Courier ( http://bit.ly/sS3nBh they are as small as 3 to 6 acres apiece.

But small as they are, the islands are home to thousands of birds during nesting season, including brown pelicans, gulls, egrets and roseate spoonbills, which pack in beak to beak to roost and raise their young in the spring and summer.

The islands are too small to support predators, which makes them more appealing to birds.

At one time, the islands were as big as 200 acres each. But shoreline erosion from waves and storms has caused them to nearly disappear, DeMay said.

"We should begin this now. These islands are in real jeopardy," said DeMay.

The plan is to build a shield of rocks around the islands to protect them from waves and erosion and then fill in the islands with dredged material to beef them up.

Similar projects have been done on Wine Island in Terrebonne Parish and Queen Bess Island near Grand Isle, DeMay said.

---

Information from: The Courier, http://www.houmatoday.com

Beyond Scuzzbuckets

2011-12-08T20:24:00.001-06:00

Americans disrespecting their fellow countrymen who sacrificed everything to protect our country. This crime is to heinous it makes me want to scream (I am screaming inside my heaet, screaming with tears)from this link:The US Air Force dumped the cremated, partial remains of at least 274 troops in a landfill before halting the secretive practice in 2008, the Washington Post reported Thursday.What happened to the respect among the armed forces? This is sickening.

Dauphin Island November 2011

2011-12-03T19:13:00.001-06:00

I am a shoreline person. My blood pressure drops when I hear the sound of the surf. I adore walking barefoot in the sand. I live within a mile of a bayou, I cross Lake Pontchartrain 2 times a day 5 days a week. I have a thing for pelicans. My wonderful husband is the same way. So we decided to renew a short tradition that began in 2003: spending Thanksgiving Week on Dauphin Island. This tradition lasted only two years due to Katrina, and it was wonderful to get back there after 7 years.

I am happy to report that Dauphin Island is back better than ever. She has a new West End Beach which is perfect for beach combing, walking your dog sans leash (if you are a responsible owner and your dog is not aggresive), bird watching, photography and just plain relaxing.

We took thousands of pictures during our stay there. We would arise before the sun and walk the block to the beach and then come home for lunch and rest and return to the beach about 4:30 for sunset. I loved the daily schedule.
We came home sunburned, happy and with a cooler full of beautiful seashells.

I grabbed a few pictures that somewhat show just a fraction of the beauty and peace that we observed in our 7 days in idyllic Dauphin Island, Alabama

Our dog Deuce in dog heaven....look at all of those sticks!!

He chooses a stick that favors his breed an size and runs with it....

Deuce and his favorite human jumping for the stick

It's hard to believe that the first day we were there Deuce wasn't comfortable with the surf....he adapted quickly

One of my favorite part of the day was sunrise. The pelicans would start to fly low across the surf looking for breakfast. They are magnificent birds.

When we looked out of our screened in back porch we faced a lagoon. During our week there we discovered that this lagoon was home to a beautiful blue heron.

Because I love the shoreline, I am so happy to find the shells that the tide brings in. This pic shows my favorite of the shells, the ones I like to call 'ridged' shells.

This shot shows the broken shells we were attracted to. That holey one on the bottom sits on my desk at work. It's my favorite.

Hubby caught this picture of a pelican doing the dive for food. Isn't it awesome? We sat for at least 30 minutes watching the pelicans eat lunch during this particular day.

I apologize that I didn't rotate this picture and can't figure out how to do it in wordpress.
Hubby spent 30 minutes slowly approaching this magnificent heron in the surf.

tiny shorebird

We caught every sunset while we were there. One night we caught this awesome sight.

I became obsessed with these fences, especially at sunset because the light changed everything.

you can set your clock by the time that the pelicans go home for the night. It was a magnificent show every evening about 5:10 PM to see flocks of the birds heading home.

This is an evening shot of the lagoon that faced our porch. It was a wonderful sight which - if you paid attention - would attract a variety of birds. I tried on several occasions to catch a kingfisher but he was too fast for me.

Another shot of the pelicans going home.

I like this sunset shot

This is a morning shot of a pelican flying across the surf

A wonderful sunset shot when the waves were active

Our first night there I caught this shot of a blue heron walking along the beach, oblivious to the people fishing. It gave me a good gut feeling to how the rest of the week would go. And it did. if only I could live there. ;/

Here is a close up shot of the blue heron who lived in the lagoon across from our camp. He became noisy if we got to close

I can't tell you how emotional I get when I see shrimp boats in action. Weird, i know. I find them so beautiful. Another reason I enjoy Dauphin Island.....great shrimp boat shots.

My favorite shot of Deuce for the whole week. He is magestic in this picture, despite the fact that we know what a big doofus crazy goofy puppy that he really is.

Coco Robicheaux

2011-12-02T07:51:00.000-06:00

Taken at French Quarter Fest, April 2011Published in The Times-Picayune from December 1 to December 2, 2011

ARCENEAUX Curtis "Coco Robicheaux" Arceneaux departed this life on Friday, November 25, 2011 at the age of 64. Beloved husband of Danielle Laramie Arceneaux. Son of the late Herman and Virginia Arceneaux. Father of Heather (Alex) Nygren. Brother of Thomas (Alys) Arceneaux, Connie (Hoyt) Reese and Nancy (Dan) Jones. Grandfather of Zinnia Nygren. Godfather of Alexandra Casey. Uncle of Gabriel, Christopher, Michael (Julie), Sean, Melissa (Adam), Jonathan, Zoe, Tanner, Mason and Rachel. Also survived by a host of cousins, other relatives and friends. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the Memorial Service at DW Rhodes Chapel, 3933 Washington on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 3:30 pm. Visitation will begin at 3:00 pm. Interment: Private. Arrangements by DW Rhodes, NOLA. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to sign the guestbook.

and from that guestbook, check out this message from Coco's daughter:

The outpouring of love and support from the global community is heartwarming, and has been comforting.

We have created a Memorial Love Board for my father on Spiritland as a place to tell stories, share pictures and videos, and especially to add some humor, because anyone that knew Curtis knew that he was funny.

http://www.spiritland.com/abovelove

It is my wish to create a museum to honor New Orleans musicians in his memory.

Although he did love flowers, I believe he would want donations made to support the family of Kenny Holladay and the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.

With Love,
Heather
~ Heather Nygren

Scuzzbucket of the Week

2011-12-01T18:14:00.000-06:00

That would be Representative Allen West of Florida

Will the race card ever go away? I think not because of people like Mr. West and redneck white people.

The reason I'm choosing Allen as the Scuzzbucket of the week (1st in a long time, I know. I've been busy wasting time on FB) is because of this article regarding his bid for re-election as a Congressman in the Sunshine State. Here's what old Allen has to say about his white, female opponent:

"She's a career politician looking for her next gig," he said. "Maybe she likes running against black guys," he added, referring to a 1992 Democratic primary which she lost against Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.). Frankel, the former mayor of West Palm Beach, is running in the Democratic primary along with Patrick Murphy to oppose West.

Hope he loses.

Bethlehemian Rhapsody

2011-12-01T17:49:00.002-06:00

Awesome

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T18:09:00.000-06:00

Billy, Deuce and I spent our early Thanksgiving afternoon on the beautiful deserted beach at Dauphin Island. Heaven, just perfect.

2011-11-16T07:47:00.000-06:00

A POEM WORTH READING

And sharing!

(Author unknown)

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly

For they knew whereof he spoke.

B ut we'll hear his tales no longer,
For old Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his p assing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contributio n
To the welfare of our land,
Someone who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With you r enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end?

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.< /span>

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

November is Good

2011-11-12T22:09:00.000-06:00

Please let me preface that with the fact that I am not one of those "Northshore Snobs", I'm a yankee who's been here since '75, bore a cajun girl and am not going back. Louisiana is my home and that's that'

It has been a crappy week at our house this week. We had to put a cat down, we adopted a cat, hubby's still out of work on medical because of a cat tripping him on the stairway, a coworker and her father died unexpectedly last week and we attended the funeral and I'm losing a special girlfriend at the spaceship factory who's transferring to DC. We definitely needed a getaway.

We found out about the fantastic 3 Rivers Art Festival in Covington. We like to attend this every other year because it takes place on one of our favorite weekends to check out the Louisiana Renaissance Festival in Hammond (a MUST attend event if you like fall fests)

With artists of every ilk from Louisiana to North Carolina, this festival's enjoyment factor was multiplied by 10,000 because of the perfect November Southeast Louisiana weather.

I apologize ahead of time for the number of pictures, but these are just the favorites of the several hundred that we took. I hope you enjoy and make the effort to attend in the coming years. Festivals in this area are fantastic.
So without further ado, here are some of what we thought were interesting pieces of art or sites found at Three Rivers Arts Festival in Covington Louisiana:

This was the end of our day, taken at Bayou Liberty - close to our home.

Scuzzbucket of the Week

2011-11-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

Mr. Toad himself

Read the story here

equity research analyst Todd J. Remis had his own taste of the fairytale life during his wedding to Milena Grzibovska on Dec. 28, 2003, at Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown, N.Y.

But when Remis and H & H Photography hooked up, the result was an entrepreneur's nightmare.

Remis has filed a lawsuit against H&H Photographers as well as its original founders, who are now both in their 80s, for $4,100 for the cost of photography plus $48,000 to bring back the principal attendees and recreate the wedding so new photos can be taken. What Remis failed to disclose in his legal papers is that he got divorced in 2008 -- and he doesn't know the address of his ex-wife, who returned to her native Latvia. "Honestly, I think the whole thing is an abusive lawsuit," Dan Fried told The Huffington Post. "Having to go through this along with my dad and partner and partner's dad is a real shame. We have a lot of pride in our work, a love of photography and thousands of happy clients over 65 years. The whole thing is a shame."

According to Fried, Remis came to the office in January 2004 to pick up his wedding proofs (though in legal papers, Remis denies getting any pictures). "He complained to us right away," says Fried. "And the company made an effort to try to find a common ground with him. We said if we missed something, we would be happy to offer another type of shoot or do touchup on some images and make some changes for the prints for the wedding album. But that was not enough for him."

Remis continued to file complaints but never picked up his wedding album or paid his final balance. After years, H&H sent Remis a bill for the outstanding amount due. "He responded with a threatening letter and then shortly thereafter, he sued," says Fried. That was in 2009, six years after the wedding, a year after the couple separated and a few weeks before the statute of limitations would have expired.

Goodnight Midnight

2011-10-31T17:49:00.000-05:00

We had to put down our 8 year old cat this morning unexpectedly. He was our quiet cat, kept to himself a lot. But last night he seemed out of sorts, confused. We brought him to the vets today and they discovered masses covering both kidneys. The vet said cats have a tendancy to hide things till the bottom drops out. We have wonderful memories of this sweet cat and thank God that we had the years with him. Rest in peace, my gentle giant.

Sunshine and Antiques

2011-10-30T14:24:00.003-05:00

This weekend was the perfect time for outdoor activities. The sun was shining, the skies were blue and there was a steady breeze. With so much going on around us, we decided to stay close to home. We had breakfast at Sunrise on Second Street and then wandered over to Slidell's Antique District to check out their biannual street fair.

We like this fair for people watching, finding unique Christmas gifts and eating good food. There are many one-of-a-kind items for sale and you can't beat the prices. Here are some of the things that caught my eye.

\

I didn't buy anything above, but I DID manage to grab some neat stuff. Next weekend we're off to the Picayune Street Fair

Veterans and OWS

2011-10-28T18:02:00.001-05:00

If online reaction is any indication, it’s not a stretch to think Olsen’s injury could be the start of something very big. We have a lot of military combat veterans in this country who haven’t been treated very well since they left the service. No job prospects. Inadequate medical coverage. If they take their anger offline and into the streets, the OWS movement will become an extremely potent, and WELL TRAINED force.

Taken from this article about the reaction of Marines to Scott Olsens' injury after taking a tear gas canister to the head. As fellow protesters tried to assist him, police lobbed a flash grenade into their midst–right next to Olsen’s already fractured skull.

Scott Olsen's Assault

2011-10-27T19:38:00.002-05:00

Bobby McFerrin and the human brain

2011-10-27T19:10:00.000-05:00

Butterflies and Bayous

2011-10-23T19:50:00.003-05:00

We were pleasantly surprised when we finally decided on what to do on Saturday...

we went to Camp Salmen Nature Park to see what updates have been done since our last visit in February. Originally a Boy Scout camp from the 40's to the 70's, Camp Salmen has an interesting history in the Bayou Liberty area.

(click on pictures for larger versions)

When we visited in February we were unaware that the Park would be undergoing a metamorphosis of huge proportions. We truely enjoyed one of the first upgrades of the Park: the butterfly garden. The entire park will be changing under the direction of Edward Blake, director of The Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, Mississippi. If you like interpretive journeys trail system to observe a park’s biological diversity you'll like both Camp Salmen and Crosby Arboretum. But I digress.

The butteryfly garden at the Park contains all native wildflowers. The blanket of purples, golds and reds attract scores of butterflies. During our visit we enjoyed the sights of butterflies and bees enjoying a cool, sunny Saturday morning. Check it out:

There were several butterflies with these markings.

Can you see the tiny butterfly in this picture?

There are boardwalks that bring you closer to the Bayou and trails that roam throughout the deep woods. It's difficult to take a bad picture there.

I must say that early autumn in Southeast Louisiana - while not as beautiful as the northern states - is one of the prettiest around.

After leaving the park we headed for the Slidell Trailhead of the Tammany Trace and hubby caught two butterflies attempting to mate.

According to him, the female butterfly must've had a headache, because she didn't want anything to do with him.
Guess humans aren't the only ones who have problems "connecting". Good to know.

Have a good week, y'all.

Occupy Design

2011-10-20T07:20:00.004-05:00

Article from The Daily Good

Occupy Design: Visual Tools for the 99 Percent

Last weekend, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C. hosted spontaneous "Hackathons" to brainstorm how to use various platforms to help Occupy Wall Street. One of the ideas hatched was Occupy Design, a new website that gives a "visual language" to protesters across the country. Jake Levitas, a designer from San Francisco who's heading up the project, says it's a chance to fight back at media who characterize the movement as directionless.

"These are people who have valid concerns grounded in reality and grounded in data that can be communicated visually," Levitas says. "If we get these signs on CNN instead of the ones that say 'Screw capitalism' on a piece of cardboard," viewers don't see a generic grievance but "exactly how people are being screwed and by how much. It’s a lot harder to argue with statistics than it is with talking points."

The site provides big-think infographics that illustrate data on the wealth gap, symbols for overarching concepts like "justice" and "community," and practical signs to use on the ground like "toilet" and "landfill." Levitas says it's a chance for designers and techies to contribute to the movement, even if they can't make it to a protest.

"There’s all this untapped potential for people who are extremely talented," he says. "It's essentially a way to connect occupiers and designers. Everyone has a different role in this movement."

Voting this Saturday? Here are some resources

2011-10-19T18:29:00.001-05:00

Curious about all the stuff the ballot this Saturday? Here are some resources.

There are several amendments on the ballot which will require you to do some homework to make an intelligent decision.

Here are some websites that explain the ballots in plain english:

The Bureau of Government Research
The Bureau of Governmental Research is a private, nonprofit, independent research organization dedicated to informed public policy making and the effective use of public resources for the improvement of government in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

They have created a comprehensive report that details - in everyday English - each of constitutional amendments on the ballot. This is the place to go to make a wise decision on the amendments.

SOS.LOUISIANA DOT GOV
The Louisiana Secretary of State
Here you can find sample ballots by Parish

Vote Smart dot org.
By typing in your zip code on the top of the page, you will
be presented with all the information you need in making decisions in
this election. It doesn't include the amendments, but is chock full of
information about the candidates and incumbents.

CABL dot org
The Council for a Better Louisiana
In depth information of both the candidates and the amendments.

LA-PAR dot org
Louisiana Public Affairs Research Council
For a pdf guide to the constitutional amendments (my favorite of these sites) click here

Vote LA dot org
By putting in your address at this website you will be given a sample ballot to familiarize yourself with the candidates and amendments. This site doesn't explain the amendments, though.

Proposed Amendments

1. Funding TOPS and Sustaining Cigarette Tax Revenue
2. Reducing the Financial Liability of State Retirement Systems
3. Protecting the Patient’s Compensation Fund
4. Managing the Budget Stabilization “Rainy Day” Fund
5. Updating the Census Change in a New Orleans Tax Sales Law

So there you go. Vote informed.

A Change in Plans

2011-10-15T22:37:00.000-05:00

This week's post was supposed to cover the Crescent City Blues and BBQ festival which we were excited about attending.

Unfortunately, the little criminal below decided to derail my husband from descending the stairs on Friday night, forcing us to spend Saturday morning in the ER instead of heading to Lafayette Square in New Orleans.

Lucky for Beignet, the use of those blue eyes and cat charm has kept her from being evicted from our home.

So instead of wonderful pictures of Tab Benoit or Kenny Wayne Shepherd all I have are pix of our beloved Deuce (McAllister) still trying to figure out what 'retrieve' means.

I apologize ahead of time for the fact that I recently did a post on Deuce a few weeks ago. But I spent the day in a dang E.R. and didn't have anything else to post about at this late date. Besides, the pictures are great and he's a pretty dog. (just kidding in case you didn't know).

We're proud of Deuce and can't get enough of him and he can't get enough of our stuff. Heck, this morning he stole the medicated pain patches and aspercream I pulled out of the cabinet to help hubby and spread them all over the back yard after chewing them up.

So here are a few of the 500 pix I took of Deuce in his first class of retrieving yesterday (Oct 14th) in the Bogue Falaya River in Covington, Louisiana.

I love his concentration in this pic

Check out the water droplets at the end of his tail in this picture

Hopefully I will put together something for next week's post that doesn't involve our pets.....or not! Have a good week, y'all

American Zombie: Forget tar patties...

2011-10-13T11:41:00.000-05:00

American Zombie: Forget tar patties...

Art Comes Alive

2011-10-09T12:41:00.002-05:00

We did a weekend pass at the Gretna Fest this year and were treated to one of the most magnificent displays of pride and beauty on Friday evening: The Mardi Gras Indians paraded thru the festival grounds and - thanks to a tip from one of the Indians who was staying at our hotel - I was ready to take their pictures. We were sitting in the lobby of the hotel when he saw our cameras and told us that he was marching. He's the pink Indian in the following pix.

They were preceded by the Treme Brass Band

The colors were brilliant.

While taking the pictures I caught the sense of pride that the Indians felt as they marched in their beautiful costumes. I could see it in their eyes, hear it in their cries. I was in awe witnessing the intricate the beadwork in each piece. Each costume tells a story and takes nearly a year to complete: all hand-sewn. A quote from the above link says it all: To see the Indians in their suits marching, dancing, and singing is to see art come alive!

Keith Olbermann on Occupy W.S.

2011-10-07T07:31:00.005-05:00

2011-10-07T07:31:00.003-05:00

RIP Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T06:28:00.003-05:00

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose"

-- Steve Jobs

Here's a link to a video of his Stanford Speech "How to Live Before You Die"

And here is the transcript of this awesome speech:

Stanford Report, June 14, 2005
'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Who are the 99%?

2011-10-05T12:09:00.000-05:00

Check them out here.

They're not unbathed hippies or drugged college students, they're real people.

From the link above, here are some excerpts:

Lost my job in 2006. Sold my home and moved in with my 87-year-old mother.
Worked temporary jobs on and off for over 5 years with little or no benefits.
Cancer survivor. Need medical care. Can’t afford health insurance.
TOO YOUNG TO RETIRE.
Watching my retirement funds and savings shrink.
Moved to Mexico to get medical care. Rent a room and live on $250 a month. No car. No phone.
Mom is in the hospital and I wonder if I can afford to come home.
I AM the 99%.

I am a state C.N.A. with 20 years experience, I now make $10.33 an hour & have only 47 paid hours a month, do to state cuts. My 21 year old daughter is blind an has autism. Her income for personal care needs have been cut by 75%. My husband & I care for her 24 hours a day 7 days a week. My husband is a full time student. We have four children at home and live off of $1300.00 a month. We are reduced to eat low grade foods, live in a very little tiny 2 bedroom house. We have no medical or dental an i have had an abscess tooth for 4 months now. Our car is dying & who can afford $3.78 a gallon for gas anyways? The best part is unemployment says both my husband and I owe them money, because we had our jobs taken from us…. How does that work? So 1% how is life? READY FOR CHANGE… WE ARE THE 99% !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-04T07:27:00.002-05:00

For the past three weeks I have been hearing rumblings about some sort of protest going on in New York City. I finally took the time last night to look into it and I like what I have found. The small group of news organizations covering this story are comparing this group of INTELLIGENT people to the wacko Tea Party movement. From an abc news report:

What's different here? "The Tea Party seemed to be a movement of older Americans, more conservative, whiter," he says. OWS protesters "are younger, more diverse." They've got a sense of humor and they play better music.

I wish this group and its sister organizations across the country the best of luck and hope that somehow change for the good will come out of it. What follows is their Declaration:

Declaration of the Occupation of New York City

Posted on September 30, 2011 by NYCGA

This document was accepted by the NYC General Assembly on september 29, 2011

Translations: French, Slovak, Spanish

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts. *

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!

*These grievances are not all-inclusive.

Fox news got served by this guy and never aired this interview. I have the transcript in the 1st comment below.

Puppy Love

2011-10-01T21:44:00.001-05:00

In July we adopted a 5 month old puppy from someone whose son moved away without the dog. Hubby found the dog through a facebook friend.

I'm a cat person. I have had cats for most of my life and currently share my home with five felines. I enjoy their company and love the fact that cats make it easy take weekend away from home and not have to worry about them; cats are - for the most part - quiet critters. But I figured "what the hell". Hubby and my daughter have been pining for a puppy. So we drove to Chalmette, Louisiana one rainy Monday to pick up our new pup.

While thinking about a puppy, I envisioned a small, fuzzy baby dog. I'll never forget the first time I laid eyes on the Deuce. My first thought was "he's very tall, look at those legs!!".

The pup's owners named him "Duke", which really didn't click for us. On the ride home we played with names and finally decided on "Deuce", after the former New Orleans Saint Deuce McAllister. It fit and that was "dat".

Deuce is quite a dog. He's responsible for turning me into a dog lover.

The few months that we've shared our home with Deuce have not been dull. He has grown like a typical puppy: gnawing on furniture, full of energy. A few things that stand out in my mind:

- Deuce eating a pork tenderloin that I put out to rest on the counter (I forgot how tall he is)
- Finding my phone in pieces in Deuce's bed.
- Realizing that I could not leave magazines around because the newly acquired dog is a live shredder.
- I have never seen a dog de-stuff a dog toy as fast as Deuce.
- He drops bones and heavy "chew toys" on the hardwood floor which causes my 17 year old cat to have seizures.
- He eats anything (wood, cloth, CDs, etc).
- When he jumps on me, his paws are as high as my shoulders.
- Dog spit is sticky.
- I have seen this dog eat things he regurgitated earlier (ugh!).

With that said, I would like to present the pictures of Deuce's debut in da bayou today.

He made me a dog lover today. There is nothing like seeing a dog discover his calling, his breeding.

Deuce is part Labrador, part Chesapeake Bay Retriever, which makes him a true water dog. Hubby was worried that our pup would go brain crazy and swim away from us once he touched the water, so he tied Deuce to 50 feet of nylon rope to be sure we didn't lose him.

Deuce's first dive

He looks pretty happy about things here

Deuce wanted to be sure he found a "stick" suitable for his size

We brought our pup to the bayou unprepared, and the only sticks I could find were not enough to keep Deuce happy. He promptly ate this stick

After eating the "excuse for a stick" that I presented him, Deuce rediscovers his stick

Does this dog looks upset? Nope!

Trying to shake of the water while he's still in the water

Deuce swam up and down the bayou for about 20 minutes, completely satisfied

After about 30 minutes we noticed that something under the water was taking Deuce's attention and decided to get him out of the water. Hubby thinks it was a gator. Me? I think it was crabs.

Here's a peaceful shot I took looking down the bayou. This has got to be one of the prettiest places I've ever spent time in.

It was a well-spent Saturday. Our adopted "puppy" experienced his first of many swims and we were there to share it with him. I'm glad that Deuce has come into our lives, making it a little richer.

A true Saint

2011-09-26T07:13:00.001-05:00

Here’s a link to an incredibly moving story about former Saint Steve Gleason who is suffering from ALS

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2011/09/new_orleans_saints_cult_hero_s.html

And here is the final, inspiring quote from the article

"And am I afraid now? Yeah, I'm afraid," he said. "I'm afraid to walk in public, because people look at me. But I'm not going to stop. I'm afraid because if I want to commune with my friend Shad (Meier), I have to ask him to cut my chicken for me. But I did it. And I'm afraid to go back and see my teammates and coaches because I know that I'll feel envy. But I'm going to do it anyway. Because fear is just a feeling, and if you can acknowledge that fear, digest that fear and overcome it, the rewards are incredible."

Fun with Food and Drink

2011-09-25T14:34:00.001-05:00

I was reading some of my favorite blogs on Friday evening when I came across this post from NOLA Defender blog . Free admission to several Museums in the city? Sounds like us! We looked thru the list and chose a little-known museum located on the Riverwalk: The Southern Food & Beverage Museum , just past the food court on Level C.

The museum is full of well thought out displays and the attention to detail keeps the visitor looking at everything to catch those details.

Leah Chase is featured in the main area of the museum.

There's a section devoted to methods of cooking food: stoves, barbecue pits......

and even a stove with a computer attached to it for multi-tasking cooks.

One of the first things that caught my eye was the Katrina Deli.

This caught my eye in the section devoted to rice: a poster from the upcoming International Rice Festival in Crowley, Louisiana .

I wonder how many people remember the little song about Mahatma and Water Maid rice?

I found the sugar section of the museum fascinating. I have passed hundreds of those huge trucks carrying sugarcane in the Raceland/Thibodaux area in the years that my daughter has attended Nicholls State, but I never realized how complex refining sugar could be.

This beautiful cake was created by Chef George Cook, pastry chef at the IP Casino in Biloxi, demonstrating food as art.

There's a section devoted to red beans and rice.

Red beans and rice as clothing?

The Absinthe gallery takes up quite a bit of space in the museum.

This bar is from Bruning's Restaurant, formerly of the West End.

Here are some other scenes from the museum:

I could do a whole post on the Cocktail section of the museum, there is so much in there.

There is a section where visitors can leave a message about their impression of the museum.

I found this note from a visitor who was tired of hearing "When the Saints Go Marching In" was amusing.

I highly recommend a visit to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Tickets are only $10 for adults ($8 for AAA members). To find out more about what exhibits are taking place at the Museum, check out this link.

Framework with a pane

2011-09-18T15:18:00.001-05:00

The title of this post is a simple definition for the word "window". But what follows is anything but simple

Whenever I visit New Orleans, I always make sure to look up. Because there is SO much to see in this 300 year old city. My latest favorite subject is the variety of windows, especially the ones in the older buildings. Here are some of my favorites (a few from the Northshore as well):

New Orleans Botanical Gardens

Decatur Street

Decatur Street

City Park

Slidell's Olde Towne

Slidell's Olde Towne

I love the old, wavy glass in this window

Look at all those windows!!

There I am!

I love the details here

Fountainbleau State Park

So next time you're strolling around New Orleans, look up and take it in.

1/21/07: Never Forget

2011-09-15T13:26:00.000-05:00

1/21/07: Never Forget

Saints' 2011 Pre Game Chant

2011-09-14T11:59:00.001-05:00

It's fun to watch. Go here

Saturday in the Park

2011-09-11T13:41:00.000-05:00

After a rain soaked Labor Day weekend , we were very happy to be given a picture perfect Saturday. We headed out to Lafayette Square in New Orleans to attend the 5th Annual New Orleans Seafood Festival.

We got there right when it opened so we could enjoy looking around without a large crowd. I think the park was a great location to have this small festival. It provided shade and lots of green space.

All of the food vendors were lined up on one side of the park in the shade.

Mr. B's Gazpacheo was refreshing

Remoulade's meat pie wasn't really spicy but it was tasty.

We never did make it to the Luke booth. This picture was taken early and they weren't ready to serve at that time.

Cafe Giovanni's Shrimp and Grits where a huge disappointment. Instead of the expected rich, spicy flavor we found this dish to be too sweet (?)

The fried shrimp and bacon poboy was very, very good!

We sampled the bread pudding and it was delicious.

By this time we were extremely full and needed to move around. We decided to walk around the block from Magazine to Julia and back up St. Charles. There is so much to observe in this area of the city that we played tourist, stopping every few feet whenever something caught our eye.

I have a slew of other pictures and I plan to do a post on some of those, especially the variety of window styles, in the near future.

Back at Lafayette Square, the crowd at the Festival was growing

and it was almost time for Amanda Shaw to perform.

We first witnessed Amanda's incredible talent 8 years ago when she was 11. At that time she was relatively unknown and her playing blew us away. She has matured since that performance and in my opinion she gets better and better. She sounded fantastic at the Seafood Festival and she got the crowd dancing.

You gotta love being in a place where a busload of tourists drive by a festival and wave at the festival goers!

After Amanda finished we followed our stomach's advice and got in line at Drago's char-broiled oyster booth.

They were worth the wait!!

Drago's was going thru french bread to fast, they had more delivered by cab. LOL

Kermit Ruffins followed Amanda Shaw with his Barbecue Swingers. They played for more than 90 minutes and the crowd loved them.

Kermit's 19 year old daughter Neshia performed and she has a very sweet voice.

You can tell who her Daddy is, can't you?

We left about 4 and the people were still streaming into the park. It was a fantastically fun day, but it was good to get home, sunburned and full of good memories of a day in New Orleans. We are truely blessed to live here. See you next week!

Scuzzbuckets of the Week

2011-09-06T15:23:00.001-05:00

TUCSON, Ariz (Reuters) - The Republican Party in Representative Gabrielle Giffords' home county is raising eyebrows by raffling off a Glock handgun -- the same brand handgun with which Giffords, a Democrat, was shot through the head in January.

"When I first heard about this last week in an email, I said 'That's a joke, a sick joke. Nobody could be doing that,'" said Pima County Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Rogers.

"This is like tearing the scab off a wound. This community is still healing."

The county Republican organization announced the fund-raiser in its online newsletter, Tracks, on August 26.

"Get yourself a new Glock 23 .40 cal handgun for just 10 bucks -- if your name is drawn," the newsletter reads.

A picture of the handgun, being raffled with three 12-round magazines and a case, also appears in the newsletter. The Republicans are selling 125 tickets.

Mike Shaw, chairman pro tem of the Pima County Republicans, and Frank Antenori, a Republican state senator who has filed paperwork for a potential run against Giffords, did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, who has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia, is charged with shooting Giffords and 18 others with a Glock 19 handgun during a shopping center meet-and-greet January 8.

Six people died in the rampage before bystanders tackled Loughner, preventing him from reloading.

Giffords supports the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, said her spokesman Mark Kimble, though he could not confirm media reports that the congresswoman has owned a Glock handgun.

A Wet Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-04T09:12:00.005-05:00

September is the high point on the tropical activity calendar. We who live on the Gulf Coast accept the fact that our Labor Day weekends might possibly be hampered by tropical activity. And this year we have Tropical Storm Lee.

What follows are my pix taken on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain (approximately 30 miles away from the French Quarter). The pictures are not as sensational as the Weather Channel would have you believe about Lee's intensity. Lee is more of a slow moving storm than a powerful one. As I type this (Sunday at 8 AM) it's still pouring outside.

This was taken from Lakeview Drive, better known as Rats Nest Road in Slidell. The old piers destroyed by Katrina are in the foreground and the new Twin Spans can be seen in the background.

This train was moving slowly across the submerged marshland heading towards Lake Pontchartrain.

Six years Post Katrina, St. Genevieve Catholic Church in the Bayou Liberty area of Slidell (my neighborhood) is finally rebuilding.

I like this shot of the crosses of the chapel and church.

Bayou Liberty boat berths. Those poles in the foreground represent sunken boat slips.

Swings and benches submerged in Lee's flood waters.

This is what this area normally looks like.

Hubby pointed out the beauty of the Spanish Moss and the waters of Bayou Liberty.

This crazy truck driver drove through the flood waters to drop off a friend.

The "new" Bayou Liberty Bridge taken from the Church side of the Bayou.

A view of the piers on the St. Genevieve grounds.

A bright spot in all of this wet windy weather is that our 6 month old lab discovered how much he LOVES water!

Labor Day Weekend - Friday

2011-09-02T18:31:00.001-05:00

Hello T.S. Lee.

Baboons?

2011-09-01T07:54:00.001-05:00

The English language has some wonderfully anthropomorphic collective nouns for the various groups of animals.

We are all familiar with a Herd of cows, a Flock of chickens, a School of fish and a Gaggle of geese.

However, less widely known is a Pride of lions, a Murder of crows (as well as their cousins the rooks and ravens), an Exaltation of doves and, presumably because they look so wise, a Parliament of owls.

Now consider a group of Baboons. They are the loudest, most dangerous, most obnoxious, most viciously aggressive and least intelligent of all primates. And what is the proper collective noun for a group of baboons?

Believe it or not ....... a Congress!

I guess that pretty much explains the things that come out of Washington !

Bayou Sauvage Marsh Fire

2011-08-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

Apparently lightening started a fire in an island in the Bayou Sauvage NWLR this week and NOLA has been overwhelmed with the smoke from the fire. Here is a time lapse today provided by a local TV channel.

Raw Video: Time Lapse Of Smoke Filling CBD - Video - WDSU New Orleans

Former Governor Blanco

2011-08-29T18:23:00.000-05:00

Kathleen Blanco has been diagnosed with a form of eye cancer. She has begun writing a journal to detail what she's going through. Here is a recent excerpt found at BayouBuzz.com:

Cancer Radiation

Written by Bayoubuzz StaffMonday, 29 August 2011 13:21

BlancoThe following is the most recent edition of Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco’s Journal which she has started since discovering she was suffering from a rare eye cancer.

"My First Report Since Radiation

Dear Friends: Thank you, again, for you sustaining prayers. I have had little to report in the past few weeks as my eye slowly healed from the plaque radiation treatment done in Memphis. I was not bed-ridden, but I did spend the past weeks being extra kind to myself by following doctors orders: 1)not lifting heavy items (you suddenly realize bags of groceries are heavier than you should be lifting); 2) keeping my head above my heart (which is harder than you think when some incidental falls to the floor and the tendency is to bend down and swoop it up instead of sitting and carefully reaching for it); 3)and getting more rest including day-time naps (a luxury I had never experienced).

My eye no longer looks like a Raisinet. It looks like a normal eye. My vision in my treated eye is still not back to what it was before radiation, but it is good enough for me to resume driving without scaring myself. I am checked regularly by my local doctors to ward off unforseen problems and after waiting 8 weeks, I took another trip to Memphis so Dr. Wilson could check my progress.

The odds of radiation reducing these tumors are very high, but a small percent of patients do not respond well and have to have the cancerous eye removed, afterall. I was praying I not fall into that rare number, so with some last minute nervousness, Raymond, Karmen and Monique and I left for Memphis. After ultrasound and other eye tests I was relieved to learn that the tumor in my eye which first measured at 6mm high is now 4.5mm. Shrinking is a good thing and I pray this continues. Hallelujah! I still have swelling in the macula and Dr. Wilson gave me a shot (yep, in the eyeball!--OUCH! ) to help the swelling go away. Of course my next prayer mission is for the swelling to go down as this is what is affecting the clarity of my vision.

I will continue to see my local eye doctor for periodic exams and return to Memphis in December for comprehensive tests like CT scans, liver studies, etc., to detect the presence of matastasis if it exists (I PRAY NOT!) and to determine whether the tumor continues to shrink (I PRAY SO!)

i look quite normal, but still have a bit of fatigue to deal with. Keep me in your prayers along with all our friends who suffering debilitating or dangerous illnesses. Other than being somewhat tramatized by all of the above, my family is doing well. God bless all of you, and again, thanks for your hevenly petitions in my name. Love you all, Kathleen"

K plus 6

2011-08-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hurricane hitting the East Coast

2011-08-24T15:24:00.000-05:00

Comment on the cnn.com article re: Hurricane hitting the East Coast

MatiValhalla

Oh my God. What are these idiots doing, living along the Eastern seaboard, New York City, Boston, Norfolk, etc? What are they thinking? Don't they know they shouldn't build or live in the path of where Major Hurricanes come ashore!?
And I don't want my tax dollars paying out to these people or to FEMA in case they need help. Why can't they learn? And to think they even have Earthquakes in that region as well. Idiots! No help for them!

signed,
A Hurricane Katrina survivor.
Aug/Sept 2005

The Truth Hurts, Doesn't It?
And doesn't it really sound ridiculous, heartless, demeaning, inhuman and sarcastic when the "shoe is on the other foot"?

I actually hope everyone will be fine.
Including the Idiots that posted 'merde' about my State and the South inn the aftermath of Katrina.

Katrina Memorials

2011-08-22T10:56:00.000-05:00

St. Bernard Parish plans two events associated with the 6th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

On Aug. 28, local officials and civic groups will gather at the Katrina Memorial Monument in Shell Beach for 7:30 a.m. ceremonies to remember the 163 St. Bernard residents killed when the storm struck on Aug. 29, 2005.

The parish School Board plans a breakfast Aug. 29 at Chalmette High School to mark the anniversary.

This website has some fantastic photos of the Memorial and other sections of St. Bernard Parish’s recovery http://hippics.smugmug.com/

A walk on an August Evening

2011-08-21T08:50:00.003-05:00

We adopted a five month old lab puppy a month ago and have taken up the habit of evening walks through necessity: this puppy has a lot of energy in his 50 plus pound body!

Although it feels like walking through a steam bath, the walk is actually therapeutic when I bring my camera. It makes me look for things I normally wouldn't be looking for without it. So without further ado, here are the things I saw on my evening walk.

It's just about sunset when we get home after our mile long trek, which means it's a little bit cooler. And this evening walk always does the trick to wear out our little Deuce for a while!

I can't wait for the November evening walks.

Temple Inland

2011-08-19T18:37:00.000-05:00

Their website says "what it takes to be the best".

Well, it appears that something went horribly wrong in Bogalusa this week.

The DEQ claims that the "black liquor" spilled into the Pearl River is not toxic. Tell that to the thousands upon thousands of dead sea life.

Scuzzbucket of the week

2011-08-19T18:16:00.000-05:00

53 year old Steven Gelder driver chased down the 74-year-old motorist who almost hit him, rammed his car off the road and beat him after a near wreck, according to police.

Investigators believe the older man was driving on North Boulevard when he almost struck Gelder's pickup truck. The close call apparently enraged Gelder, and he pursued the 74-year-old in his truck, police said.

The victim turned onto Robert Boulevard and Gelder began pounding the back of it with his truck, witnesses told officers. Gelder thenforced the car off the road at its intersection with Fountain Drive.

Several people witnessed saw Gelder hop out of his truck and rush to the victim's car, opening the door and repeatedly punched and elbowed the seated driver. Gelder then fled the scene

Police were notified, and they obtained the license plate of Gelder's truck. Officers soon discovered he lived in the 300 block of North Boulevard, and they arrested him there.

Gelder denied beating the Lexus' driver, but he refused to speak with investigators at length. Nonetheless, officers took him to Slidell's jail for detention because of the people who alleged that they indeed saw him attack the septuagenarian.

The most serious accusation lodged against Gelder is aggravated criminal property to damage, whose penalties include a maximum fine of $10,000 as well as between 12 months' and 15 years' imprisonment.

Simple battery of the infirm upon conviction carries a sentence of at least 30 days but no more than six months of prison time and possibly a fine of up to $500. Hit-and-run driving where there is no death or serious bodily injury allows for at most a $500 fine and six months in prison.

Friday's incident was not the first time Gelder had been in trouble with the law. St. Tammany Parish court records show he pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana in 2004 and got two years of probation.

Bad writing courtesy of nola.com

Looking for a Pet Sitter

2011-08-18T07:19:00.001-05:00

Leave info in comments or email me at judyb54@charter.net.
Thanks.

Scuzzbucket of the week

2011-08-15T19:43:00.001-05:00

I can't put my mind around this horrific crime

The following is from the Houma Comet:

The "devil" came to Thibodaux Sunday, Jesslyn Lirette said, and he did so in the form of the man she was with for 10 years. The devil, she said, took her "angel" away.
Here's a video of a press conference held Monday - August 15, 2011

Jeremiah Wright, 30, Lirette's live-in boyfriend and the father of their child, 7-year-old Jori Lirette, is accused of killing the boy and dumping his dismembered body outside the West Seventh Street home the three shared.

Jori loved his father more than anything, Lirette said.

"He still killed him," she said. "He killed my baby."

A passing motorist alerted police after spotting the boy's head at the curbside. His body was found in a white trash bag nearby.

Jeremiah Wright, booked on a charge of first-degree murder, is accused of decapitating his son in the kitchen sink with a meat cleaver.

Wright is in the Lafourche Parish jail in lieu of a $5 million bond. If convicted, he faces mandatory life in prison and is eligible for the death penalty.

Police said Sunday they could not determine a motive for the killing, but family and friends said tension had been rising between Wright and Jesslyn Lirette for years. Jesslyn Lirette said she had an argument with Wright Saturday night, and those close to her said they had encouraged her to leave him.

"They had been on this rocky road," said Jesslyn's friend Samantha Scioneaux. "I told her ‘You have to end this before he kills you.' "

And while Wright acted as one of the boy's caretakers, Jesslyn said she had planned on ending the relationship for some time.

"I didn't get out fast enough," Jesslyn said.

Read more at the link provided at the beginning of this post. I'm disgusted.

Bayou Lacombe Centre

2011-08-14T09:56:00.001-05:00
For the first time in over a month hubby and I had a Saturday where we could do some hiking and picture taking. It was a wonderful release.

A place that's been on our"gotta visit" list is the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in Lacombe, just 15 minutes from our house.

Upon entering the site, you're drawn to the landscaping. The attention to detail is apparent and it reaches back over 200 years.

This site is rich in history and beauty. The August heat appeared to be too much to handle, but it really wasn't at this site because of the abundance of trees. We arrived at 10 AM and were done by noon.

Here is a brief rundown of the history of this paradise in Lacombe, taken from one of the info boards:

Likely a portion of French or Spanish Land Grant during the Colonial Era, the earliest known owner was Louis Reggio prior to 1820. The property changed hands a number of times later that century, with the Cousin and Ducre names common today in the Lacombe area among the owners during this period into the 20th century.

The land was acquired in 1935 by Judge Wayne Borah (the youngest Federal Judge in the country at the time), who built a residence.

This structure is a Chimney Swift Tower

He and his family did extensive landscaping, laying out the foundation which is known today as the "Bayou Gardens" of Lacombe.

In 1946 the home and gardens were acquired by former (crooked) Louisiana Governor Richard Leche, who settled into the lush surroundings with his family and continued the cultivation of the Bayou Gardens.

In 1956 the land was acquired by the Redemptorist religious order and in 1960 the Holy Redeemer Seminary opened. The seminary closed in 1980, but members of the order continued to live at the site, holding religious retreats. And apparently, a cemetery was established for the priests that stayed until the end of their lives.

The rear of the residence gives way to a great lawn that faces Bayou Lacombe

This site is loaded with walking trails, as shown in the map below

There are walking trails off to each side of the great lawn that are easy to maneuver and full of small surprises if you look for them

A trail that begins at the parking lot of the Refuge leads down to a grotto

which leads to a rudimentary brick staircase:

Made with local bricks

This same trail will also bring you to a lovely little area to sit and ponder the beauty of Bayou Lacombe

If you walk it a little while longer, it brings you to another pensive sight overlooking a pond.

The visitor center is huge and loaded with information and displays.

This little girl was killed by a car in Bayou Teche and her remains were saved and brought to the headquarters

The Headquarters represents the eight of Southeast Louisiana (SELA) Refuges:

Atchafalaya (prounounced A-Cha-FaH-lie-ya)

Bayou Sauvage (through which I traverse on my daily commute)

Bayou Teche (prounounced Tesh)

Big Branch Marsh (in our backyard)

Bogue Chitto (prounounced Boog gah Chitta)

Breton - close to my heart because it's a bird refuge

Delta National Wildlife Refuge

Mandalay - only accessible by boat, near Houma, Louisiana.

A visit to the Bayou Lacombe Center is a win-win situation any time of the year. Besides all of the hiking trails, the kids would love the Visitors Center for the displays (lots of interactive stuff there too). The best part is that admission is FREE!! You can get to the Bayou Lacombe Center by taking exit 74 on I-12. Staffed by volunteers, the visitor center is open Thursdays-Saturdays from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Volunteers are needed to help run the visitor center. Please contact the volunteer coordinator at 985-882-2024.

History that should NOT be forgotten

2011-08-10T20:06:00.000-05:00

Another Trailhead for the Tammany Trace

2011-08-08T14:26:00.001-05:00

Seventeen years after its first segment was opened, the Tammany Trace continues to evolve.
A handful of St. Tammany Parish officials gathered in the stifling late-morning heat Monday to mark the latest amenity on the iconic recreational trail that cuts across the parish: the new trailhead at Bayou Lacombe.
The trailhead, which features public restrooms, water fountains and a platform to view the bayou and surrounding marsh, also includes a new bridge tender's office. The office is staffed from sunrise to sunset seven days a week with a Tammany Trace employee who raises and lowers the drawbridge for marine traffic on Bayou Lacombe. The bridge stays in the up position overnight.
The new trailhead, just a block or so west of South Oaklawn Drive, cost $255,657 and was completed in July. It was built by McDonald Construction of Slidell.
The state Department of Transportation and Development covered 90 percent of the cost through a grant. The parish footed the other 10 percent.
The trailhead will provide another location "where citizens can rest and view the beauty of our parish," St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis said before snipping the ceremonial ribbon.
Davis said the new trailhead is part of the continuous growth of the Tammany Trace, which opened its first 8.5-mile segment between Mandeville and Abita Springs 17 years ago.
"It will continue to change," Davis said of the trace, which last year had more than 300,000 runners, walkers and horseback riders. "We have big dreams of inter-connecting to a lot of locations."
Davis said the parish has cobbled money from a variety of sources -- including grants, franchise fees and funds raised by the Tammany Trace Foundation -- to underwrite the improvements. He said routine maintenance of the asphalt trail is handled by the parish's Public Works Department.
The next phase of the trace will be connecting the Slidell trailhead to Camp Salmen and to Heritage Park. Those phases should open soon, Davis said, completing the 31-mile trace that stretches from Slidell to Mandeville and then north through Abita Springs and into downtown Covington.
For more information, visit the Tammany Trace's website at www.tammanytrace.org.

This is your life!

2011-08-08T07:56:00.001-05:00

Louisiana's Natural and Political History

2011-08-07T09:22:00.000-05:00
Less than a mile down the road from Fountainbleu State Park toward Mandeville is the Northlake Nature Center , a four-hundred acre park that is absolutely beautiful.

(click on the pictures below to see the full sized version)

This park offers the opportunity to witness four different ecosystems AND a first hand look at an historic example of crooked Louisiana politicians. A recent archaeological survey revealed the Center site as home to ancient peoples more than 500 years ago.

At the end of the initial boardwalk, you will come to an unfinished "hideaway" club house

As stated in the photo below, this exclusive hideaway golf course initially was the idea of Louisiana Governor Leche in the late 1930's for his political cronies. This governor has the unique distinction of being the first Louisiana governor sentenced to prison.

Leche and several of his political pasls were indicted in what were termed the "Louisiana Scandals"

The hideaway was destroyed by fire in March 2010 and is not accessible. However, hubby and I took a trip into the park before the fire and got some of the following shots.

Beyond this piece of history is lush, serene swampland and forest.

There are several trails to choose from, all of them pretty primitive, so be prepared to watch where you step!

The boardwalk crosses what is purported to be an active beaver pond

But on this day we only spotted friendly turtles

Lots of turtles!

There are several benches along the boardwalks and paths through the woods.

This area seems to be where they hold nature seminars and is probably used for the annual Great Louisiana Birdfest that happens here.

We spotted this cypress at the edge of the pond.

Notice how the lower branches are bent down as a result of Katrina's winds.

There are several overlooks constructed throughout the park where you can take in all that this little environmental gem has to offer.

These pictures were taken in February of this year, thus the reason that everything looks muted. If August weren't so darned steamy, I'd love to be out there right now with my camera.

This photo whispers about the circle of life to me. You can see the victims of Katrina being used to nourish the new growth.

Amidst all that gray stood this proud little tree, all decked out in new green leaves.

Throughout the park are bridges which cross Bayou Castine

I'm not an avid hiker, but I managed to walk around the park for several hours and didn't feel the least bit tired (with the exception of my bursitis, but that's a sign of my age :) ).

If you ever want to get away from it all and just listen to the sounds of the woods and waterways, make your way to the Nothlake Nature Center to unwind.

Danziger Trial Ends

2011-08-05T14:07:00.001-05:00
5 NOPD officers guilty in post-Katrina Danziger Bridge shootings, cover-up

Danziger victims James Brissette and Ronald Madison

Justice. Not for Lance Madison's brother: Police chased down Ronald and Lance Madison, who had been walking toward the Gentilly side of the bridge, a ways ahead of the Bartholomew family. Hearing the gunfire, the Madisons began to run. Ronald Madison, 40, was injured. Eventually, Faulcon killed him with a shotgun blast to the back as he ran away.

Lance Madison, who was unhurt, was arrested and accused of firing a weapon at police.

I can understand that they weren't convicted of murder, but the fact that these cops acted like they did is - in my opinion - unexcusable. But at least they were convicted on other charges.

To refresh your memory on what went down on September 4, 2005, click here.

Let Them Talk

2011-08-03T07:01:00.003-05:00
On my predawn commute through the swamps and bayous of Southeast Louisiana I chose to listen to one of my newest acquisitions,
the Hugh Laurie CD entitled "Let Them Talk".

Hugh Laurie is the star of the TV show, "House", one of the few programs I
enjoy watching.

Some recordings were done in NOLA at Piety Street Recording .
Guest appearances include Irma Thomas, Doctor John and Tom Jones. Allen Toussaint conducted and arranged the horns.

While his voice is not spectacular, it grows on you. Also, Hugh Laurie is a hell of a piano player.

I found this CD the perfect companion for driving through a steamy August morning. The selections made me feel like August, if you get my drift.

I am no music critic, but I know what I like. I love this CD. Some of selections that stand out are : St. James Infirmary, After You've Gone (featuring Doctor John),
Swanee River (great boogie woogie piano and fiddle) and Police Dog Blues.

ALL of the guitar work is fantastic. Kudos to Kevin Breit and Greg Leisz.
Here are the rest of the tracks:

You can get more info here. Enjoy

Why New Orleans Matters

2011-08-02T11:46:00.000-05:00
Please follow this link and watch the video.

The link is to Foxessa's blog and the video depicts how the grief stricken country of Norway and how they borrowed from NOLA's jazz funeral traditions to cope with the death of so many last week.

Another loss for America

2011-08-02T11:00:00.002-05:00

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I am not a big fan
of the President. I voted for him, yes. But he has disappointed me
in many ways since he has taken office.

Where is this country going? I am sickened to my soul by the countless
"unintended faux pas" made by politicians regarding the President.

The latest supposed "misspeak" was commited by Colorado Congressman Doug Lamborn on live radio:

LAMBORN: Even if some people say ‘well, the Republicans should have done this, or should have done that,’ they will hold the President responsible. Now, I don’t even want to be associated with him, it’s like touching a, a tar baby and you get it…you know you’re stuck and you’re part of the problem and you can’t get away.

This goes beyond simple criticism. This stinks of whiny little racist babies complaining because they cannot steamroll their way through
the supposed process to run this country in the fashion that it was meant to be run according to the constitutional process.

The horrific hatred has been
simmering since Obama began his bid for the White House.

And it's not just Republicans. Here is
an instance where Harry Reid shows his ignorance.

Even in the somewhat liberal state of California people
are stooping to new lows in public, showing how low and base they can be. I find it nauseating.

True, America is a wonderful place to live because of our freedom of speech but there has got to be limits, especially
by public servants. It saddens me that America has fallen so low in the area of respect for one another.

Debt Ceiling Crisis Song

2011-08-01T18:20:00.001-05:00

Scuzzbucket of the Week

2011-07-31T14:31:00.001-05:00

Billy Joe Madden of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

This useless waste of oxygen drunk son of a b got so drunk while driving from Hattiesburg to Dallas that he passed out and somehow his 8 year old child was driving the pickup truck.

from msnbc.com:

State police said they received a call shortly after 6:30 a.m. Saturday about a green Chevrolet pickup truck driving erratically on the interstate in Livingston Parish. The caller told police that a child appeared to be the driver of the pickup.

Troopers stopped the vehicle, and they said a boy was driving the truck while his father, Billy Joe Madden, 28, of Hattiesburg, Miss., slept in the passenger seat.

Police said that Madden's 4-year-old daughter was riding in the backseat.

After interviewing Madden, troopers said they determined that he was intoxicated and fell asleep while his son drove from Hattiesburg en route toward Dallas.

Both children were turned over to Child Protective Services and are awaiting the arrival of a family member. There were no injuries to the children. Madden was arrested and booked into the Livingston Parish Jail on two counts of Child Desertion, Parent Allowing a Minor to Drive, Open Container, two counts of No Child Restraint and No Seatbelt. Madden’s bond is set at $1,474.00.

Where the hell is the other parent of these children?

Ch-ch-ch-Changes

2011-07-31T13:00:00.003-05:00

I woke up today feeling very vulnerable and sad. I really can't pin down the reason for being blue. I guess it has a lot to do with what's going on in my life right now. All the thoughts and repressed emotions have bubbled up and today was the day that they reached the surface of my consciousness.

Don't take this wrong, I'm not writing a "woe is me" post, just airing out these things to try to put them in perspective.

One of the oldest issues I've been carrying around is my impending loss of employment. It's not the losing the job that bothers me as much as losing touch with people I've literally grown up with:

We will soon scatter to different parts of the country, perhaps never to meet again. Social media will help some of us keep connected, which makes it a little easier.

Actually I'm excited about my future. I have absolutley no idea what I'll end up doing and that doesn't really bother me. I've done the corporate things for more than half my life and I am over it!

My beautiful, sweet 23 year old daughter left for her last semester of school today. That makes me melancholy . While I truly enjoy my alone time, I cherish the time that she and I get to spend together. She has grown up smart and strong and I am extremely proud of her.

She will be graduating in December at a Chef/Nutritionist. She and I spend so much time talking about food, exploring grocery stores, creating recipes and eating. I miss her presence.

My husband's 86 year old mother passed away last week and the services were on July 30th. I believe the catalyst for my sadness was the memorial services. While she led a fruitful and long life, I was saddened to see her family suffering emotionally, especially her 90+ year old sisters.

Life is full of changes and we get through them any way we can. We become stronger by surviving the not so good changes. Experience is a fantastic teacher. The good changes in life also mold our character as we go through life. We experienced a good change a few weeks ago when we adopted a puppy. A huge, excitable puppy.

His name is Deuce and he is five months old. 55 pounds. He's part Lab, part Chesepeake Bay Retriever. He drove me to frustrated tears today. See, Deuce had a little sore on his leg so he had to have a the E-cone put over his head. The cone is falling apart because Deuce is such a goofball so he runs into things. I was trying to tape the cone together this morning and it was impossible to do by myself and I lost it. I am not a dog person. While Deuce is extremely smart, he's still just a puppy and I don't know where to start in calming him down. He's fine right now while I'm sitting on the sofa typing. But the minute I get up he starts wagging his tail and wants to jump. Someone tell me WHAT is a way to get a puppy's attention? It's driving me mad! He will sit on command (for a second), but his puppyness makes him have a very, very short attention span.

So yeah, life is full of changes and I'm happy to embrace them. I guess we just have to take some days off and process all the changes and regroup our emotions so we can get through life. That's what I'm doing today and that's why I posted this, it helped! Thanks.

Monday Monday

2011-07-25T05:51:00.001-05:00

Scuzzbucket of the Week

2011-07-24T17:30:00.001-05:00

Jessica Lewis of New Orleans was arrested for abusing her one year old child at the happiest place on earth.

According to this story Mz Lewis Lewis, of New Orleans, La., struck the child "in the abdomen/stomach area with a closed fist, causing the child to bend over, clutch his stomach, and cry from the strike," an arresting deputy wrote.

"In addition," an arrest report states, "the child victim was also kicked by (Lewis) when the child did not walk properly to (Lewis') demands."

The report states that Lewis struck the child "in public and in the presence of several witnesses."

Lewis was arrested on a charge of child abuse.

Lewis was jailed in Orange County with bail set at $2,000, and has since been released.

She could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

Read more: http://www.wdsu.com/news/28646552/detail.html#ixzz1T44IR05x

Scuzzbuckets of Bossier City

2011-07-23T18:51:00.000-05:00
A south Bossier City homeowners association has sued to force a family to remove a front yard sign supporting their son's military service because it violated subdivision covenants.

The Gardens of Southgate filed the suit this month against Timothy and Jodi Burr, who have lived in the subdivision since 2006. The Burrs placed a large multicolored banner with a picture of their 20-year-old son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Corey Burr, and the phrase "Our son defends our freedom" in January after Corey Burr was deployed to Afghanistan.

Jodi Burr says her family will fight the suit and do not intend to remove the sign.

An attorney representing the association, declined to comment.

The Burrs contend signs supporting a school or team are visible throughout the neighborhood.

A beautiful artistic rebirth

2011-07-16T21:49:00.001-05:00
Although it has been open for over four years now, there really wasn't a lot of hoopla about the reopening of the "Bay Bridge" in coastal Mississippi. Here's a link to the history of the rebuilding of the 54 year old bridge destroyed by Katrina

Unless you enjoy traveling to Gulport/Biloxi and beyond away from I-10, you've never had the pleasure of crossing St. Louis Bay. It's a peaceful ride and quite scenic. An added bonus is that the bridge now has a pedestrian walkway on the eastbound side, complete with artwork done by local artists cast in bronze.

We walked the four mile trek to discover the outdoor art gallery that is located upon the bridge and it was a very enjoyable walk overlooking the Bay. I found it exhilirating to witness the artwork first-hand on a sunny day.

A local sculptor was chosen to create three-dimension plaques using the selected artwork and
using bronze recovered from the destroyed Bay bridge. In addition to the physical link restored by
the bridge, the artwork reflects a symbolic link connecting the past to the present.

Speaking of links, I have provided a link to the best site I could find to give the viewer more insight into each individual artist.

Here are the plaques:

(click on pictures for larger versions)

Artist: Marty Wilson, from Gulfport

Artist: Donna Lynne Riviere

Artist: Robert Waldrop

Artist: Henry Stiller Jr.

Artist: Laura Pecoul

Artist: Patricia Rigney

Artist: Shea Marie Nicosia

Artist: Elizabeth Schafer

Artist: Anita Gallagher

Artist: Vicki Niolet

Artist: Jorge Lovato

Artist: Henry Stiller Jr.

Artist: Julie Mello

Artist: Yuki Northington

Artist: Terry Blake Edwards

Artist: Yuki Northington

Artist: Henry Stiller Jr.

Artist: Terry Blake Edwards

Artist: Lea de Vaux Saucier

Artist: Tazewell Morton

Artist: Henry Stiller Jr.

Artist: Henry Stiller Jr.

Artist: Joan Coleman

Artist: Robert Waldrop

This photo of the bridge reminds one of the resiliance of the people of the Gulf Coast and her beauty

76 Trombones

2011-07-11T19:05:00.002-05:00
I grew up with this song and I love this version of it. So much energy!!! Enjoy.

Farewell, Space Shuttle

2011-07-10T09:01:00.002-05:00

After 30 years the Space Shuttle Program has ended. I have been lucky enough to be part of this program since 1982, working at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans East. The huge External Fuel Tank (ET) was manufactured here. The ET was the only component of the Shuttle Transportation System that was not reusable.

Last July the employees at Michoud attended the rollout of the last Tank. This is the same tank that was used for the final Shuttle Launch on July 8, 2011. (It is a strange coincedence that the rollout ceremony was July 8, 2010.) In true New Orleans fashion, a second line was held to escort the Tank onto the barge that would transport it to KSC (Kennedy Space Center). Here's a video of the event.

As I write this and watch the video I feel a lump in my throat. The experience of working at Michoud has been very, very special. I don't know about other companies, but working at MAF we employees feel like family. I've known some people for the "almost 30 years" I've worked there. We have grown old together, celebrated each others life milestones: marriage, children, divorce, death, grandchildren, retirement, Katrina (more than 50% of the MAF workforce lost everything from the storm),the Saints as Superbowl Champs and the BP Oilspill (the blowout preventer is still at MAF, under investigation). The number of employees at MAF has decreased to a few hundred from an all time high of about 2,500 in the heyday of the Shuttle Program. Several employees have set up webpages with archived photos of our work and play while at MAF. There is a facebook page for former employees to keep in touch. The end of the Shuttle program means so much more than jobs lost.

At MAF we employees would gather around the closed circuit televisions across the facility and watch each launch that took place during work hours. We knew each milestone in the ascent, marvelling every time the capcom would report on the speed of the bird. We knew that our Tank must work flawlessly for eight minutes before it was jettisoned off the orbiter. And the Tank worked every time! Each employee, no matter what their job was, took pride in our work.

We felt much pain in the losses of Challenger and Columbia. I still cannot look at photographs or videos of those two events. Our technical and production crews worked around the clock after those incidents to make things right. And they did. Space exploration has never been and will never be a flawless endeavour. It is an inherently dangerous science.

We will not cry because it is over, we will rejoice because it happened and we had a part in it!

Space Shuttle History

2011-07-07T09:16:00.000-05:00
The Wall Street Journal has constructed a great website here. It has in-depth data on each of the 134 Shuttle Missions as well as a photo of the Mission Patch.

This website is a "must bookmark" for any Shuttle enthusiast.