browsing my favorite blogs, I found some interesting things to share:

From the Dead Pelican the story of
the continuation of nonexistant communication and the pain it causes.

FEMA and the city of NOLA mistakenly tear down a home
The last call I made yesterday, they told me FEMA did it. Then, a guy called me back from FEMA and said they're not in the business if tearing down homes,"

arrests have been made in the quadruple murder that happened last year.

Varg over at The Chicory tells a humorous but sad tale of the state of the city

Ashley posted an excerpt from Michael Irvin's Hall of Fame enshrinement speech in which Irvin related his feelings about the Saints' game on September 25, 2007. He gets it.


This house in eastern Slidell has finally been torn down. Nearly two years after the storm, demolitions have at last come!

Scuzzbuckets of the Week

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference president
President, Alabama Senator Charles Steele
recently announced during a news conference that the group will find a way to honor Atlanta Falcons
former quarterback Michael Vick
during its national convention that starts today in Atlanta.

Now, as I understand it, the SCLC is a civil rights group. In my opinion, Mr. Steele has very bad standards when it comes to honoring "upstanding citizens".
"We will recognize Vick for being an outstanding human being," said Steele. "We will work with anyone who opens their heart and arms to us."
Hmmm, perhaps Vick donated money to the SCLC to get some positive press to offset his misbehavin recently.
The 27-year-old Vick has pleaded not guilty to charges of sponsoring a dogfighting operation. His trial begins November 26.
Co-defendant Tony Taylor changed his plea to guilty earlier this week in a deal with prosecutors. He is expected to testify against Vick.

Just "sponsoring dog fights" is bad enough. But this sick puppy abused the dogs
thru shooting them, drowning them or even electrocuting them.

I'd like to understand how this "civil rights" organization considers sick Vick and outstanding human being. I'd say their values are a little tainted.

Remember this come elections

From Bayoubuzz website
Today, it was confirmed that a veto override session will not occur. A majority of Louisiana legislators returned ballots to cancel the session, which means that legislators will not be reporting to Baton Rouge next week to override the horrible vetoes made by Governor Blanco. Legislators are now free to participate in a junket in Boston, a national legislative convention, which many of them were looking forward to attending.

Other legislators will be campaigning for re-election. Yet, any legislators that voted to cancel this session should not be re-elected. Voters should not forget this momentous decision.

Unfortunately, the publicity campaign waged by the Louisiana Chemical Association failed. A more effective intimidation campaign was waged by the Governor's office, which threatened New Orleans legislators with retribution if they supported the veto session. New Orleans legislators crumbled in the face of this threat.

The override session could have restored necessary tax cuts for parents of private and parochial school students and businesses who face high taxes on utilities.

What is truly sad is that $32 billion was spent in the last session, but only a paltry amount was allocated to tax cuts. Then, several of the meaningful tax cuts approved by legislators were vetoed by Governor Blanco.

Our priorities are wrong, at least with this administration and this legislature. Hope springs eternal however, for elections are coming soon. These tax cuts should be restored by the next legislature, who will most likely have a much more cooperative Governor to work with.

Following is a list of Senators who voted not to hold a veto session.

No Veto Session Declaration List 2007 RS

Robert Adley

Diana Bajoie

Walter Boasso

Sharon Broome

Ann Duplessis

Reggie Dupre

Noble Ellington

Clo Fontenot

Butch Gautreaux

Nick Gautreaux

Francis Heitmeier

Ken Hollis

Don Hines

Lydia Jackson

Charles Jones

Art Lentini

Joe McPherson

Ed Murray

Ben Nevers

Derrick Shepherd

Mike Smith

Not Okay at all

For those that feel like it's time for us to "get over it" and "move on",
read what's STILL going on , complements of Cliff.

Still Not Okay

Coming up on two years post Katrina. A lot of people think everything back to being "hunky dory" down here (a phrase my from my Mother's generation). If it's not on Nightly News, it's forgotten.

The diverse group of bloggers living in New Orleans are doing a fantastic job of keeping the city on the radar, covering all aspects of their hell on earth, from runaway crime to national opinions of our local politicians and "working women "; from our undying love for the Saints to the evil, money grubbing bastardly judges who give the city a black eye ; from the state of necessary and unnecessary housing demolitions in the city to the camraderie that Katrina created among those talented people, the NOLA bloggers are truely awe inspiring.
One NOLA blogger, who writes in a style that makes you see, smell and hear his visions writes about life in Debrisville in late July 2007.

On this side of the lake, I'm beginning to construct a chronicle of what we that live here view as progress.
Here in the Bayou Liberty area, we are seeing positive progress


as well as negative progress

the construction of an I10 interchange, two years late

The depressing sight of people still living in those FEMA trailers

Debris trucks are still an every day sight SOMEWHERE in our daily commutes

In the Bayou Liberty Marina, new boat slips are being constructed.

Nope, things won't be "Okay" for a long time. To all of you who've been down here, working on helping please know that we will always be appreciative.

We love living here. We pay the price of our love.

New Orleans Levee

If you're looking for something irreverent that'll make you laugh at the state of this state, check out The New Orleans Levee
magazine.

An excerpt:

Jesus happy Louisiana's recovery complete
A joking and jovial Jesus Christ, choosing The New Orleans Levee newspaper for his first interview since the crucifixion, said issues such as courthouse religion, lame-duck politics, and other make it to him that Louisiana has, in less than two years, rebounded “beyond pre-Katrina levels.”
,

National Geographic

The most recent National Geographic online feature covers New Orleans .

With a wonderful photo gallery, a Bob Bea interview, an interactive graphic peek at the troubled rebuilt floodwalls and more, it's worth the look.

Swampwoman corrects this article on her blog the editor chose to describe this article in the front of the magazine and made a critical error stating that the flooding of New Orleans was caused by the Mississippi River. This is incorrect, the flooding came from the north, from Lake Pontchartrain as a result of the storm surge that flowed through the Rigolets and the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

Taken from the "did you know" section of the article:

Failing levees, sinking ground, rising sea level, development on drained marsh areas, saltwater intrusion—must be New Orleans, right? Unfortunately, New Orleans is not the only part of the United States that fits this bill. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a source of drinking water for about two out of every three Californians, and has been an agricultural hub ever since settlers moving West following the Gold Rush drained the wetlands and threw up dikes. More than a thousand miles (1,600 kilometers) of levees protect 700,000 acres (280,000 hectares) of land, and some areas have dropped as much as 15 to 20 feet (five to six meters) below sea level due to the natural oxidation of marsh soils after they are drained. The levees have failed 162 times in their history, and there was a major break in 2004. To compound this serious situation, the population behind the levees is rising as developers build more and more homes in the low-lying floodplains. Where New Orleans' flood defenses are at the mercy of hurricanes, the doomsday scenario for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is an earthquake that could cause serious breaches in the levee system, allowing seawater to flood homes and farmland and foul freshwater supplies.

—Heidi Schultz




Hat Tip to Humidhaney

Vidication

Take that, Foti.

Almost a year to the day since he decided to pursue murder charges against a doctor and two nurses, a grand jury of eight women and two men refused to indict on any count, ending the criminal probe into alleged homicides during Katrina.




Retire, Chuck. You're done. Take Eddie with ya.

Hurricane Tips

Received via email.
You MUST have a sense of humor in life to get by.


To: Former Gulf Coast Residents
Current Gulf Coast Residents
Future Gulf Coast Residents; and/or
Those who know a Gulf Coast Resident

We have just entered the 6-month hurricane season. Any day now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Gulf of Mexico and making two basic meteorological points:
(1) There is no need to panic.
(2) We could all be killed.

Yes, hurricane season is an exciting time to live along the Gulf Coast.

If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one."

Based on our experiences, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan:

STEP 1. Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days.

STEP 2. Put these supplies into your car.

STEP 3. Drive to Nebraska and remain there until Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan.
Most people will foolishly stay here in Gulf Coast area.

So we'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items:

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE: If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements:

(1) It is reasonably well-built, and
(2) It is located in Nebraska.

Unfortunately, if your home is located along the Gulf Coast, or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place.

So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss.

Since Hurricane Katrina, I have had an estimated 27 different home-insurance companies. This week, I'm covered by the Bob and Big Stan Insurance Company, under a policy which states that, in addition to my premium, Bob and Big Stan are entitled, on demand, to my kidneys.

SHUTTERS: Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows, all the doors, and -- if it's a major hurricane -- all the toilets. There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages. Plywood shutters: The advantage is that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap. The disadvantage is that, because you make them yourself, they will fall off. Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be December. Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them.

HURRICANE PROOF WINDOWS: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He lives in Nebraska.

HURRICANE PROOF YOUR PROPERTY: As the hurricane approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc. You should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles.

EVACUATION ROUTE: If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route planned out. (To determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at your driver's license; if it says "Galveston, New Orleans, Houston, or any other location close to the coast, you live in a low-lying area.) The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped in your home when a major storm hits. Instead, you will be trapped in a gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with two hundred thousand other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you will not be lonely.

HURRICANE SUPPLIES: If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them now! Hurricane tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last can of SPAM. In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies: 23 flashlights. At least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when the power goes out, to be the wrong size for the flashlights.

BLEACH: (No, I don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for. But it's traditional, so GET some!)

A 55-gallon drum of underarm deodorant.

A big knife that you can strap to your leg. (This will be useless in a hurricane, but it looks cool.)

A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the alligators. (Ask anybody who went through Hurricane Andrew in Florida; after the hurricane, there WILL be irate alligators.)

$35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth.

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television and watching TV reporters in rain slickers standing right next to the ocean and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the ocean.

Good luck and remember: it's great living in paradise! Those of you who aren't here yet you should come. Really!

Good place to hide

The Katrina Foundation for Recovery is hoping to shock people into turning their attention back to the storm-ravaged region.


“Bin Laden would be smart to hide where the U.S. pays the least attention -- New Orleans,” reads one of five advertisements prepared for the nonprofit, which raises money to supply clothing, shelter and other services in the area.



found at adblog

Things back to "normal" yet?

For all of the folks out there who wonder if things in this area are "finally back to normal" after almost two years post Katrina, Tim has offered up a very good answer.

Read it and become educated.