I'm having a difficult time in understanding what it is that some New Orleanians
don't like about the denizens north of Lake Ponchartrain.
Here's an example. Be sure to check out the comments.
Granted, we didn't receive the devastation the NOLA did from Katrina. Is that it?
Or is it that we're just downright boring? Is that a legitimate reason to
dislike us? Why the need to derogate us? Does our being boring offend them in some way?
Are they angry because the government failed them in so many ways? Well move over, kids,
you ain't alone.
80% of the homes were damaged by Katrina in the city of Slidell.
Here's more on what we've been through and where we are going.
I don't want to get into a pissing contest over who's suffered the most.
It doesn't matter.
What DOES matter is that we all SURVIVED Katrina.
Both southshore and northshore.
Like it or not, we're in this together.
We're both fighting insurance companies, power companies, contractors.
We're both trying to pick up the pieces and restart our lives.
We're both experiencing a rise in crime since Katrina.
We'll ALL have the horrendous memories of that storm for the rest of our lives.
People who live north of Lake Pontchartrain do so for their own reasons and needs,
just as people who live in "the city". Why is it so difficult for some to accept?
We're in this together, let's quit this infighting and get on with the battle.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Scuzzbucket of the week
Driver who seated blacks at back of school bus to retire
9/6/2006, 7:18 a.m. CT
The Associated Press
COUSHATTA, La. (AP) — A northwestern Louisiana school bus driver who was suspended for seating black children in the back of her bus will be allowed to retire effective Oct. 4.
Deloris Davis, who will have been employed with the Red River Parish School District for 25 years on that date, offered her retirement, through her attorney, in a letter handed to Superintendent Kay Easley minutes before the start of Tuesday night's parish school board meeting meeting.
The board voted 4-3 to accept the retirement.
Iva Richmond, whose 14- and 15-year-old children were on the bus, said last month that her children had ridden with a black bus driver in previous years, but their bus assignment changed this year. When the new school year started, the white driver told them she had assigned them seats, with the black children at the back of the bus.
Richmond said she complained to a local principal, who told the driver that if any children were assigned to seats, all would have to be. The next week, the driver assigned black students to two seats in the back of the bus, Richmond said.
Board attorney Jon Guice said Davis had no record of previous reprimands. He also said that Easley investigated the complaints and believes Davis' actions were not motivated by race. He said Davis contended that the nine black children were the last ones to get on the bus on her route.
Some at the Tuesday meeting were unhappy with the decision to allow Davis to retire. The crowd overflowed the 49-seat meeting room and when the decision was announced to those standing outside, it was met with shouts such as "Fire the superintendent" and "Do we pay for her to retire?"
___
Information from: Alexandria Daily Town Talk, http://www.thetowntalk.com
9/6/2006, 7:18 a.m. CT
The Associated Press
COUSHATTA, La. (AP) — A northwestern Louisiana school bus driver who was suspended for seating black children in the back of her bus will be allowed to retire effective Oct. 4.
Deloris Davis, who will have been employed with the Red River Parish School District for 25 years on that date, offered her retirement, through her attorney, in a letter handed to Superintendent Kay Easley minutes before the start of Tuesday night's parish school board meeting meeting.
The board voted 4-3 to accept the retirement.
Iva Richmond, whose 14- and 15-year-old children were on the bus, said last month that her children had ridden with a black bus driver in previous years, but their bus assignment changed this year. When the new school year started, the white driver told them she had assigned them seats, with the black children at the back of the bus.
Richmond said she complained to a local principal, who told the driver that if any children were assigned to seats, all would have to be. The next week, the driver assigned black students to two seats in the back of the bus, Richmond said.
Board attorney Jon Guice said Davis had no record of previous reprimands. He also said that Easley investigated the complaints and believes Davis' actions were not motivated by race. He said Davis contended that the nine black children were the last ones to get on the bus on her route.
Some at the Tuesday meeting were unhappy with the decision to allow Davis to retire. The crowd overflowed the 49-seat meeting room and when the decision was announced to those standing outside, it was met with shouts such as "Fire the superintendent" and "Do we pay for her to retire?"
___
Information from: Alexandria Daily Town Talk, http://www.thetowntalk.com
Monday, September 04, 2006
Slidell surviving...
Three links, if you're interested....
Slidell looks back one year after Katrina
PTSD in Post-K Slidell
Slidell's Police Department braved Katrina's 6-8 foot storm surge.
Slidell looks back one year after Katrina
PTSD in Post-K Slidell
Slidell's Police Department braved Katrina's 6-8 foot storm surge.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Kudo's to NOLA bloggers
I'd like to congratulate several New Orleans' bloggers mentioned in an upcoming article in The Nation.
Taken from the above link, The Nation says
The most comprehensive list is currently posted at thinknola.com/wiki/List_of_New_Orleans_bloggers.
Most bloggers offer political commentary, on-the-ground reports of life in New Orleans, and links to other bloggers. The most insightful include:
Your Right Hand Thief (Oyster)
People Get Ready,(Schroeder)
Suspect Device (Greg Peters)
The American Zombie (Dambala)
The G Bitch Spot (G)
Gentilly Girl (Morwen)
Library Chronicles
Ashley Morris
All great bloggers, these folks are passionate about New Orleans and her recovery. I admire their tenacity and their individual points of view and their courage for hanging in there.
Neither a New Orleans native nor a resident, I still possess a deep love for the city and all the beauty she offers.
I'm a Slidell resident. Slidell is a quiet bedroom community 25 miles northeast of NOLA. We're not glamorous like "The City", but we here are true southerners. We experienced Katrina with both wind and flood damage. From the city's webpage The Weather Service reports that Slidell had sustained winds of 176 mph and gusts of 190+ mph during Hurricane Katrina. In addition, Slidell was hit by a 23' - 26' storm surge that devastated much of the city.
There are still FEMA trailers all over Slidell - 1 year Post K. We are recovering, but - like the rest of the Gulf Coast - We are still not okay
Please remember that New Orleans is not the only Katrina victim. There are thousands of us from Mobile, Alabama to the Louisiana-Texas border.
Deepest, heartfelt thanks go out to all who came to our aid in the past year. You cannot know how much all of you have helped. I still cry when I think of the outpouring of care that was sent this way one year ago. I cry tears of appreciation for our fellow citizens of the world.
Go to the thinknola wiki for the full list of New Orleans area bloggers. Great reading and insight there.
Technorati Profile
Taken from the above link, The Nation says
The most comprehensive list is currently posted at thinknola.com/wiki/List_of_New_Orleans_bloggers.
Most bloggers offer political commentary, on-the-ground reports of life in New Orleans, and links to other bloggers. The most insightful include:
Your Right Hand Thief (Oyster)
People Get Ready,(Schroeder)
Suspect Device (Greg Peters)
The American Zombie (Dambala)
The G Bitch Spot (G)
Gentilly Girl (Morwen)
Library Chronicles
Ashley Morris
All great bloggers, these folks are passionate about New Orleans and her recovery. I admire their tenacity and their individual points of view and their courage for hanging in there.
Neither a New Orleans native nor a resident, I still possess a deep love for the city and all the beauty she offers.
I'm a Slidell resident. Slidell is a quiet bedroom community 25 miles northeast of NOLA. We're not glamorous like "The City", but we here are true southerners. We experienced Katrina with both wind and flood damage. From the city's webpage The Weather Service reports that Slidell had sustained winds of 176 mph and gusts of 190+ mph during Hurricane Katrina. In addition, Slidell was hit by a 23' - 26' storm surge that devastated much of the city.
There are still FEMA trailers all over Slidell - 1 year Post K. We are recovering, but - like the rest of the Gulf Coast - We are still not okay
Please remember that New Orleans is not the only Katrina victim. There are thousands of us from Mobile, Alabama to the Louisiana-Texas border.
Deepest, heartfelt thanks go out to all who came to our aid in the past year. You cannot know how much all of you have helped. I still cry when I think of the outpouring of care that was sent this way one year ago. I cry tears of appreciation for our fellow citizens of the world.
Go to the thinknola wiki for the full list of New Orleans area bloggers. Great reading and insight there.
Technorati Profile
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Recovery Ignorance
Damabala gives us prime example of the widespread problem of "recovery ignorance" that exists in this country in this post.
I truely wish more people would see When the Levees Broke to realize the breadth of Katrina's destruction. Some people believe that the recuperation should be over. "I mean, it's been a year...." is the attitude often heard outside the Gulf South.
"You had Mardi Gras, you must be back to normal" is another misinterpretation of why we had carnival .
No matter how hard you try, you can't change what people think without educatin' them. There are A LOT of people who need educating out there.
As everyone from Katrina's footprint will tell you, you cannot understand the size and scope of what has happened down here without being here . You need to smell it, see it first hand.
It will take years for this area to recover. New Orleans is having a hard time getting back on their feet The Mississippi gulf coast is coming back business-wise. There still are a lot of people who need real homes to live in.
Initially forgotton Pearlington is coming back .
If you want to compare recovery between NOLA and Mississippi's Gulf Coast, I'd say the main reason our neighbors to the east are coming back faster is the fact that they don't have Ray Nagin as a "leader". He's a pretty crazy sonofabitch.
Here is a great interactive map detailing comeback struggles of some New Orleans' businesses. Containing audio and video experiences, I think it's worth checking out.
Katrina's path affected Mississippi differently than NOLA in that New Orleans drowned where Mississippi was just flat wiped out.
Again, the only way people "not from here" who question the recovery are going to understand the enormousness of Katrina's wrath is through education. I started this blog and my Katrina Webpage to do just that.
Here are some good places to start:
Katrina One Year Later Essays and Epilogues
NPR's article on one year later Worth a look.
The Washington Post gives us a photo essay of the last year down here.
The Gulf Coast news Katrina Photos Bear in mind, folks that these are NOT pictures of isolated destruction. This destruction happened ALL OVER. These are photos of the norm.
"Having opinions without knowledge is not of much value; not knowing the difference between them is a positive indicator of ignorance."
-- Diane Ravitch
I truely wish more people would see When the Levees Broke to realize the breadth of Katrina's destruction. Some people believe that the recuperation should be over. "I mean, it's been a year...." is the attitude often heard outside the Gulf South.
"You had Mardi Gras, you must be back to normal" is another misinterpretation of why we had carnival .
No matter how hard you try, you can't change what people think without educatin' them. There are A LOT of people who need educating out there.
As everyone from Katrina's footprint will tell you, you cannot understand the size and scope of what has happened down here without being here . You need to smell it, see it first hand.
It will take years for this area to recover. New Orleans is having a hard time getting back on their feet The Mississippi gulf coast is coming back business-wise. There still are a lot of people who need real homes to live in.
Initially forgotton Pearlington is coming back .
If you want to compare recovery between NOLA and Mississippi's Gulf Coast, I'd say the main reason our neighbors to the east are coming back faster is the fact that they don't have Ray Nagin as a "leader". He's a pretty crazy sonofabitch.
Here is a great interactive map detailing comeback struggles of some New Orleans' businesses. Containing audio and video experiences, I think it's worth checking out.
Katrina's path affected Mississippi differently than NOLA in that New Orleans drowned where Mississippi was just flat wiped out.
Again, the only way people "not from here" who question the recovery are going to understand the enormousness of Katrina's wrath is through education. I started this blog and my Katrina Webpage to do just that.
Here are some good places to start:
Katrina One Year Later Essays and Epilogues
NPR's article on one year later Worth a look.
The Washington Post gives us a photo essay of the last year down here.
The Gulf Coast news Katrina Photos Bear in mind, folks that these are NOT pictures of isolated destruction. This destruction happened ALL OVER. These are photos of the norm.
"Having opinions without knowledge is not of much value; not knowing the difference between them is a positive indicator of ignorance."
-- Diane Ravitch
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Nagin and the big apple
Ray Nagin's going to New York to beg for business.
from the Washington Post
....With the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina behind him and the task of rebuilding New Orleans' shattered economy just beginning, Mayor Ray Nagin will lead a two-day pitch to New York's investment community designed to bring much-needed business to the devastated city.....
Don't you think he would've thought about this upcoming trip before he made the
"big hole" statement on 60 Minutes? What a moron.
Here's another example of Nagin's idiotic comments (thanks to American Zombie)
from the Washington Post
....With the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina behind him and the task of rebuilding New Orleans' shattered economy just beginning, Mayor Ray Nagin will lead a two-day pitch to New York's investment community designed to bring much-needed business to the devastated city.....
Don't you think he would've thought about this upcoming trip before he made the
"big hole" statement on 60 Minutes? What a moron.
Here's another example of Nagin's idiotic comments (thanks to American Zombie)
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
A new year
The first year Post Katrina is over. It's provided closure for some. It was just another day for others. Yesterday was a time for reflection for so many people. A time to recount all they've lost, learned, mourned, gained.... regardless of our personal circumstances, we were all changed in some way by Katrina. I myself have learned patience. Patience with myself, with others. The patience to accept the long lines in the checkout counters at Walmart, patience to sit through hours of traffic just to get home. It's been a year of insight not only into myself, but others as well. I'm looking forward to watching us all heal in the next year. Hoping that New Orleans over comes all of her problems and blooms as the beautiful city that she can be.
Here are what others are thinking around the area
The Times Pic's column recounting survival stories
The Third Battle of New Orleans
Maitri
b rox
Here are what others are thinking around the area
The Times Pic's column recounting survival stories
The Third Battle of New Orleans
Maitri
b rox
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
NY: Nagin is a sorry man
from The New York Daily News
Nagin is sorry man
BY MICHAEL McAULIFF
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON — With the anniversary of his own city's tragedy coming tomorrow, loudmouthed New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is apologizing for calling Ground Zero a "hole in the ground."
"I am sorry for that because I have seen death in my own city," Nagin said yesterday.
Nagin, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," said he was just trying to counter critics on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's anniversary by pointing to another American disaster site that has not been rebuilt.
"After 9/11, we sent trucks, we sent resources, we sent food. We prayed for New York," Nagin said. "When we had Katrina, they reciprocated. So I understand what they've gone through, and I hope they understand . . . what we've gone through."
Nagin says he wishes he had chosen different words to describe Ground Zero.
"I wish I would have basically said that it was an undeveloped site, which it is," he said.
But Nagin did not escape criticism yesterday for the slow pace of work in his city, including some from Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, a fellow Democrat, who called his performance "hit and miss."
"We've all made mistakes," Landrieu said on ABC's "This Week." "But he's not stayed focused on the job at hand."
Among other things, Nagin has been slammed for failing to get people out of the city during the storm and doing a poor job getting the city back on its feet.
But Nagin and Landrieu both said the city would be doing better if the federal government had not failed so dismally. Landrieu said a major problem was that of the $110 billion President Bush authorized to help after the storm, only about 12% has gotten down to the local level.
Donald Powell, the President's appointee overseeing Gulf Coast reconstruction, said on "Fox News Sunday" that New Orleans has a long way to go, but its port has been rebuilt, tourism is back and the energy industry is roaring.
"We still have a long way to go, but the President's in it for the long haul," he said.
Originally published on August 28, 2006
Nagin is sorry man
BY MICHAEL McAULIFF
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON — With the anniversary of his own city's tragedy coming tomorrow, loudmouthed New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is apologizing for calling Ground Zero a "hole in the ground."
"I am sorry for that because I have seen death in my own city," Nagin said yesterday.
Nagin, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," said he was just trying to counter critics on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's anniversary by pointing to another American disaster site that has not been rebuilt.
"After 9/11, we sent trucks, we sent resources, we sent food. We prayed for New York," Nagin said. "When we had Katrina, they reciprocated. So I understand what they've gone through, and I hope they understand . . . what we've gone through."
Nagin says he wishes he had chosen different words to describe Ground Zero.
"I wish I would have basically said that it was an undeveloped site, which it is," he said.
But Nagin did not escape criticism yesterday for the slow pace of work in his city, including some from Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, a fellow Democrat, who called his performance "hit and miss."
"We've all made mistakes," Landrieu said on ABC's "This Week." "But he's not stayed focused on the job at hand."
Among other things, Nagin has been slammed for failing to get people out of the city during the storm and doing a poor job getting the city back on its feet.
But Nagin and Landrieu both said the city would be doing better if the federal government had not failed so dismally. Landrieu said a major problem was that of the $110 billion President Bush authorized to help after the storm, only about 12% has gotten down to the local level.
Donald Powell, the President's appointee overseeing Gulf Coast reconstruction, said on "Fox News Sunday" that New Orleans has a long way to go, but its port has been rebuilt, tourism is back and the energy industry is roaring.
"We still have a long way to go, but the President's in it for the long haul," he said.
Originally published on August 28, 2006
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
-
Harrah's New Orleans Hotel I can identify all but one of the flags flying, which depict the city of New Orleans and Louisiana's...
-
I think I'm missing something. Razoo Bouncers not guilty of murder. Levon Jones, 26, of Statesboro, Ga., died after being pinned to th...
