Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Pass it on to others
Multimedia artist John Scott passed away at the age of 67 from pulmonary fibrosis .
A MacArthur fellow and a professor at Xavier University, his work was exhibited widely and he created large-scale public sculptures in Boston, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Atlanta, New Orleans and other cities.
Mr. Scott drove to Houston at 3:30 a.m. the day Katrina hit. His eight public-art works that dot the city, including a large, kinetic steel piece on the river survived the storm. "It has survived five or six hurricanes already," Mr. Scott said. "And it still looks the way it did when I made it." However, in a brazen act of post Katrina thievery we've all come to know, in December of 2006 thieves broke into an art studio in New Orleans and -- using a bolt cutter, hacksaw and hammer -- dismantled several of Mr. Scott's bronze sculptures, hauling the metal away.
The studio that Scott shared with artist Ron Bechet for 12 years was blasted by Katrina’s winds. Five feet of water flooded the ground floor studio, damaging innumerable works of art and ruining much of the heavy machinery used to make it.
A New Orleans native, Scott was born on a farm in Gentilly; his father was chauffeur to the owners, who used the farm to supply meat and produce for their restaurant, Kolb’s . When Scott was 7, his family moved to the Lower 9th Ward. His love of art may have started when his mother taught him to embroider. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1958 and began formal art studies.
Mr Scott was an unselfish artist and teacher. As a teacher, he only wanted for students to follow his tradition, of excellence.”
“He had a very famous admonition that all of us remember,” Xavier President Norman Francis said. “He didn’t want thanks. Just pass it on. Pass it on to others.”
A MacArthur fellow and a professor at Xavier University, his work was exhibited widely and he created large-scale public sculptures in Boston, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Atlanta, New Orleans and other cities.
Mr. Scott drove to Houston at 3:30 a.m. the day Katrina hit. His eight public-art works that dot the city, including a large, kinetic steel piece on the river survived the storm. "It has survived five or six hurricanes already," Mr. Scott said. "And it still looks the way it did when I made it." However, in a brazen act of post Katrina thievery we've all come to know, in December of 2006 thieves broke into an art studio in New Orleans and -- using a bolt cutter, hacksaw and hammer -- dismantled several of Mr. Scott's bronze sculptures, hauling the metal away.
The studio that Scott shared with artist Ron Bechet for 12 years was blasted by Katrina’s winds. Five feet of water flooded the ground floor studio, damaging innumerable works of art and ruining much of the heavy machinery used to make it.
A New Orleans native, Scott was born on a farm in Gentilly; his father was chauffeur to the owners, who used the farm to supply meat and produce for their restaurant, Kolb’s . When Scott was 7, his family moved to the Lower 9th Ward. His love of art may have started when his mother taught him to embroider. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1958 and began formal art studies.
Mr Scott was an unselfish artist and teacher. As a teacher, he only wanted for students to follow his tradition, of excellence.”
“He had a very famous admonition that all of us remember,” Xavier President Norman Francis said. “He didn’t want thanks. Just pass it on. Pass it on to others.”
Friday, August 31, 2007
Post Apocalypse
Clay over at NOLA-dishu dicusses post-K New Orleans:
To say Katrina was a traumatic experience is an understatement. Katrina, from the perspective of New Orleanians, might as well be the apocalypse. Present day New Orleans resembles a post-apocalyptic society..............A post-apocalyptic society is a civilization that experiences .... a cataclysmic event that pushes its society to the brink of death, but the civilization survives and is changed by the experience.
To say Katrina was a traumatic experience is an understatement. Katrina, from the perspective of New Orleanians, might as well be the apocalypse. Present day New Orleans resembles a post-apocalyptic society..............A post-apocalyptic society is a civilization that experiences .... a cataclysmic event that pushes its society to the brink of death, but the civilization survives and is changed by the experience.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Operation Eden
Clayton Cubitt has posted on his Operation Eden blog about his thoughts and feelings two years post K.
When people look at New Orleans, as it struggles to live, or as it withers and dies, I want them to think of their own city in its place. I want them to know that this could be them. These faces could be theirs. It might be a natural disaster, it might be war, it might be terrorism, and it doesn't matter how safe they think they are, they're not. I want them to put themselves in the place of these Americans.
And I want them to remember this feeling the next time they're in the voting booth. Because who you have running your government makes the difference between your hometown living or dying. Don't forget that. Your vote matters."
When people look at New Orleans, as it struggles to live, or as it withers and dies, I want them to think of their own city in its place. I want them to know that this could be them. These faces could be theirs. It might be a natural disaster, it might be war, it might be terrorism, and it doesn't matter how safe they think they are, they're not. I want them to put themselves in the place of these Americans.
And I want them to remember this feeling the next time they're in the voting booth. Because who you have running your government makes the difference between your hometown living or dying. Don't forget that. Your vote matters."
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
the very heart of America itself
New Orleans City Councilwoman Shelley Midura penned the following to W.
An open letter to President George W. Bush:
August 28, 2007
Dear Mr. President:
Thank you for visiting New Orleans for the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the worst federal levee-failure disaster in United States history followed by the worst federal disaster response in United States history. We’re also grateful for the $116 billion federal allocation for the Gulf Coast. That $116 billion has served you well, as your spokesmen often cite it as an indicator of your dedication to our recovery. But, it hasn’t served us as well -- it’s not enough, it’s been given grudgingly, and only after our elected officials have had to fight for it. So I feel I must correct the record about you and your administration’s dedication to our recovery and implore you to take action to make things better.
Indeed, you have allocated $116 billion for the Gulf Coast, but that number is misleading. According to the Brookings Institute's most recent Katrina Index report, at least $75 billion of it was for immediate post-storm relief. Thus only 35% of the total federal dollars allocated is for actual recovery and reconstruction. And of that recovery and reconstruction allocation, only 42% has actually been spent. In fact, while your administration touts "$116 billion" as the amount you have sent to the entire area affected by Katrina and the levee failures, the actual long term recovery dollar amount is only $14.6 billion. This amount is a mere 12% of the entire federal allocation of dollars, billions of which went to corporations such as Halliburton for immediate post-storm cleanup work, instead of to local businesses. Contrast that to the $20.9 billion on infrastructure for Iraq that the Wall Street Journal reported in May 2006 that you have spent, and it’s an astonishing 42% more than you have spent on infrastructure for the post-Katrina Gulf region. The American citizens of the Gulf region do not understand why the federal obligation to rebuilding Iraq is greater than it is for America's Gulf coast, and more specifically for New Orleans.
New Orleans has more challenges and fewer resources than we've ever had in my lifetime in the City of New Orleans. Yet, other than FEMA repair reimbursements, the only direct federal assistance this city has received from you has been two community disaster loans that you are demanding be paid back even though no other city government has had to pay back a these types of loans for as long as our research can determine (at least since the 70’s). These loans are being used to balance the city budget to provide basic services to citizens who need far more than the pre-Katrina basics.
Despite this obvious contradiction, your administration blames local leadership for our continued need for federal assistance. But this argument is disingenuous, Mr. President. There are a host of tasks that only you and your administration can accomplish for our recovery. These are some concrete steps you can take to make good on your 2005 Jackson Square promise:
* Completely fix the federally managed levees
* Fully fund our expertly crafted recovery plan
* Give New Orleans all that you have promised to Baghdad - schools, hospitals, infrastructure, security, and basic services
* Forgive the community disaster loans, as authorized by the new Congress
* Appoint a recovery czar who works inside the White House that reports daily and directly to you and whose sole job is the recovery of New Orleans and the rest of the region
* Restore our coast and wetlands
* Work with Congress to reform the Stafford Act
* Cut the bureaucratic red tape
In turn Mr. President, the people of New Orleans are more than willing to do our part. We have already:
* Consolidated and reformed the state levee board system.
* Consolidated and reformed our property assessment system.
* Passed sweeping ethics reform legislation.
* Created an Ethics Review Board.
* Hired an Inspector General.
* Submitted a parish-wide recovery plan.
Much has changed in New Orleans for the better since the storm, and more progress is coming. Civic activism is at an all time high. For the first time in my lifetime, there is an actual reform movement in New Orleans driven by the people. "Best Practices" has become a City Council mantra. We have a new Ethics Board. Our incoming Inspector General, Robert Cerasoli, is considered one of the elite in the Inspector General world, as is our new Recovery Director Dr. Ed Blakely in that world and our Recovery School Superintendent Paul Vallas in the realm of public education. We are attracting the cream of the crop. Young people from around the country seeking to make a difference in their lives are moving to New Orleans to teach in public schools, provide community healthcare, build housing, work for nonprofits engaged in post-Katrina work, and, in general, do whatever they can for the recovery because they all know what I am not so sure that you know, mainly that what happens in New Orleans over the next few years says something about the very heart of America itself.
Mr. President, we are in fact doing our part locally in New Orleans despite contrary comments by your administration. Our intense civic activity and government reform initiatives are serious indicators of our local commitment to do our part for the recovery. But we are drowning in federal red tape. We are being nickel and dimed to death by your Federal Emergency Management Agency. We are resource-starved at the city level. The mission here is not accomplished. What we need is Presidential leadership, not just another speech filled with empty promises. Our recovery's success, struggle, or failure will be intimately woven into your legacy, for better or worse. What Americans think about America is deeply affected by how this country rises to national challenges, none more significant than post-Katrina New Orleans. Fully restoring New Orleans to its formerly unique and permanent place in American culture is this nation's greatest domestic challenge. Your leadership of our country through this difficult time will serve as an American character lesson for future generations.
Sincerely,
Shelley Midura
New Orleans City Councilmember
District A
An open letter to President George W. Bush:
August 28, 2007
Dear Mr. President:
Thank you for visiting New Orleans for the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the worst federal levee-failure disaster in United States history followed by the worst federal disaster response in United States history. We’re also grateful for the $116 billion federal allocation for the Gulf Coast. That $116 billion has served you well, as your spokesmen often cite it as an indicator of your dedication to our recovery. But, it hasn’t served us as well -- it’s not enough, it’s been given grudgingly, and only after our elected officials have had to fight for it. So I feel I must correct the record about you and your administration’s dedication to our recovery and implore you to take action to make things better.
Indeed, you have allocated $116 billion for the Gulf Coast, but that number is misleading. According to the Brookings Institute's most recent Katrina Index report, at least $75 billion of it was for immediate post-storm relief. Thus only 35% of the total federal dollars allocated is for actual recovery and reconstruction. And of that recovery and reconstruction allocation, only 42% has actually been spent. In fact, while your administration touts "$116 billion" as the amount you have sent to the entire area affected by Katrina and the levee failures, the actual long term recovery dollar amount is only $14.6 billion. This amount is a mere 12% of the entire federal allocation of dollars, billions of which went to corporations such as Halliburton for immediate post-storm cleanup work, instead of to local businesses. Contrast that to the $20.9 billion on infrastructure for Iraq that the Wall Street Journal reported in May 2006 that you have spent, and it’s an astonishing 42% more than you have spent on infrastructure for the post-Katrina Gulf region. The American citizens of the Gulf region do not understand why the federal obligation to rebuilding Iraq is greater than it is for America's Gulf coast, and more specifically for New Orleans.
New Orleans has more challenges and fewer resources than we've ever had in my lifetime in the City of New Orleans. Yet, other than FEMA repair reimbursements, the only direct federal assistance this city has received from you has been two community disaster loans that you are demanding be paid back even though no other city government has had to pay back a these types of loans for as long as our research can determine (at least since the 70’s). These loans are being used to balance the city budget to provide basic services to citizens who need far more than the pre-Katrina basics.
Despite this obvious contradiction, your administration blames local leadership for our continued need for federal assistance. But this argument is disingenuous, Mr. President. There are a host of tasks that only you and your administration can accomplish for our recovery. These are some concrete steps you can take to make good on your 2005 Jackson Square promise:
* Completely fix the federally managed levees
* Fully fund our expertly crafted recovery plan
* Give New Orleans all that you have promised to Baghdad - schools, hospitals, infrastructure, security, and basic services
* Forgive the community disaster loans, as authorized by the new Congress
* Appoint a recovery czar who works inside the White House that reports daily and directly to you and whose sole job is the recovery of New Orleans and the rest of the region
* Restore our coast and wetlands
* Work with Congress to reform the Stafford Act
* Cut the bureaucratic red tape
In turn Mr. President, the people of New Orleans are more than willing to do our part. We have already:
* Consolidated and reformed the state levee board system.
* Consolidated and reformed our property assessment system.
* Passed sweeping ethics reform legislation.
* Created an Ethics Review Board.
* Hired an Inspector General.
* Submitted a parish-wide recovery plan.
Much has changed in New Orleans for the better since the storm, and more progress is coming. Civic activism is at an all time high. For the first time in my lifetime, there is an actual reform movement in New Orleans driven by the people. "Best Practices" has become a City Council mantra. We have a new Ethics Board. Our incoming Inspector General, Robert Cerasoli, is considered one of the elite in the Inspector General world, as is our new Recovery Director Dr. Ed Blakely in that world and our Recovery School Superintendent Paul Vallas in the realm of public education. We are attracting the cream of the crop. Young people from around the country seeking to make a difference in their lives are moving to New Orleans to teach in public schools, provide community healthcare, build housing, work for nonprofits engaged in post-Katrina work, and, in general, do whatever they can for the recovery because they all know what I am not so sure that you know, mainly that what happens in New Orleans over the next few years says something about the very heart of America itself.
Mr. President, we are in fact doing our part locally in New Orleans despite contrary comments by your administration. Our intense civic activity and government reform initiatives are serious indicators of our local commitment to do our part for the recovery. But we are drowning in federal red tape. We are being nickel and dimed to death by your Federal Emergency Management Agency. We are resource-starved at the city level. The mission here is not accomplished. What we need is Presidential leadership, not just another speech filled with empty promises. Our recovery's success, struggle, or failure will be intimately woven into your legacy, for better or worse. What Americans think about America is deeply affected by how this country rises to national challenges, none more significant than post-Katrina New Orleans. Fully restoring New Orleans to its formerly unique and permanent place in American culture is this nation's greatest domestic challenge. Your leadership of our country through this difficult time will serve as an American character lesson for future generations.
Sincerely,
Shelley Midura
New Orleans City Councilmember
District A
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Accountability
From the Clarion Ledger Recovery on Gulf Coast could fail without help, accountability
An editorial written by James Crowell of Biloxi. Here are a few excerpts:
......We are from Alabama, Louisiana , Mississippi and Texas. At stake is much more than a few New Orleans neighborhoods. We consider our individual communities as vital parts of a whole region. And just as it is not uncommon for a citizen of Mobile to identify with the musical traditions of New Orleans, we also understand our neighbors' woes to be our own.
This is our home. We do not need to "move on." The storm waters exposed so many of our needs. We know what our communities need, individually, and as a region. We only pause now to ask those with the power to change things to come alongside us and work for recovery.
An editorial written by James Crowell of Biloxi. Here are a few excerpts:
......We are from Alabama, Louisiana , Mississippi and Texas. At stake is much more than a few New Orleans neighborhoods. We consider our individual communities as vital parts of a whole region. And just as it is not uncommon for a citizen of Mobile to identify with the musical traditions of New Orleans, we also understand our neighbors' woes to be our own.
This is our home. We do not need to "move on." The storm waters exposed so many of our needs. We know what our communities need, individually, and as a region. We only pause now to ask those with the power to change things to come alongside us and work for recovery.
Scuzzbucket of the week
Scuzzbucket of the week
Slidell Man Arrested for Stealing Helmets from Crash Memorial
Slidell man arrested for stealing motorcycle helmet off of makeshift memorial for biker
A Slidell man was arrested this weekend for stealing two motorcycle helmets from a makeshift memorial on the 100 block of Northshore Blvd. that was established by friends and family in the memory of James A. Shelton, who was killed at that location while riding his motorcycle on August 21 and was buried on August 24, 2007.
.... when asked about the helmets, Thomas Guice of Slidell allegedly said that the two helmets belonged to him and that Shelton was his cousin. Guice's story didn't pan when police called a member of the Shelton family who positively identified both helmets as his property and told police that he never gave anyone permission to remove the helmets ....... from the memorial.
Slidell Man Arrested for Stealing Helmets from Crash Memorial
Slidell man arrested for stealing motorcycle helmet off of makeshift memorial for biker
A Slidell man was arrested this weekend for stealing two motorcycle helmets from a makeshift memorial on the 100 block of Northshore Blvd. that was established by friends and family in the memory of James A. Shelton, who was killed at that location while riding his motorcycle on August 21 and was buried on August 24, 2007.
.... when asked about the helmets, Thomas Guice of Slidell allegedly said that the two helmets belonged to him and that Shelton was his cousin. Guice's story didn't pan when police called a member of the Shelton family who positively identified both helmets as his property and told police that he never gave anyone permission to remove the helmets ....... from the memorial.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Still Not Okay Two Years Later
Writes Brian Schwaner (AP Reporter) about his hometown:
From a tinted window 25 stories above the New Orleans business district, I can see the city rotting from the inside out.
Across the street, Dominion Tower, once bustling with office workers and sprinkled with upscale retailers, is abandoned.
The adjacent Hyatt Hotel, where Super Bowl, Sugar Bowl and NCAA Final Four fans relaxed, also is empty.
Rows of camouflaged Humvees wait in a nearby parking lot for the military police who patrol lawless neighborhoods.
Just out of sight are wastelands where people live in cramped trailers or try to rebuild as best they can.
The only attention the city gets these days is as a campaign prop for some of the presidential contenders
One of the main problems New Orleans has had since before Katrina is the lunatic that is running the city.
Ray Nagin becomes a little more mentally unhitched every day. I don't think it's stress, I think he's just plain nuts.
The runaway murder rate in New Orleans is downright scary.
Keeping track of the 2007 Murders, Care Forgot is a project created to humanize the victims of murder in New Orleans.
This project is the brainchild of NOLA bloggers Alan Gutierrez , Ray Shea and da po blog.
My thanks to these folks for their efforts.
I work with a lady who lives in New Orleans East. She has spent the last 20 months gutting and supervising contractors rebuilding her home from the ground up. And now she and all of the other responsible citizens of this area - the WHOLE New Orleans area in fact - must defend their properties to the death. This is wrong in so many ways. First they lost their homes via the Federal Flood and now lazy-lower-than-pond-scum- drug dealing-sons-of-bitches are killing them for money they think these survivors have. It's got to stop.
The people who lost everything to the storm are not okay. They've had to deal with crooked insurance companies,
crooked politicians - from the White House to the assessors office - idiots across the country, such as wacko sportswriters criticizing Katrina victims because of a stupid football game. Or moronic commentators who labeled Katrina survivors who stayed behind as "scumbags". I could go on, but it's not worth getting all worked up. The past is the past and people will show their true colors in times like these.
To all of you out there who think that it's time for Katrina survivors to shut up, I present this message.
Katrina + 2 Years
Two years later, many parts of New Orleans remain devastated. One broken promise after another. And this fool has the gaul to come here to commemorate those broken promises.
Chris Rose on NOLA 500 days post Katrina
Time magazine on this occasion
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