Monday, December 10, 2007

The East


New Orleans East clinic closing.



Opened 18 months after the storm, a New Orleans East Clinic, operated by
Operation Blessing International .
must close in less than a month.

From the above link
Operation Blessing, the charity that launched the clinic after Katrina and raised thousands of dollars to support its operations, has exhausted the stash of private donations that came pouring in after the storm.
The closing threatened to strand thousands of uninsured patients in eastern New Orleans without health care in their neighborhood, but the city Health Department - aware for some time that the clinic would close - has made provisions to turn an obstetrics clinic on Read Boulevard into a full-service primary care office by January.

A lot of blame has been pointed at the federal government since Katrina, and rightly so. But the above statement makes it clear that
Ray "Chocolate City" Nagin has not been on the job since his re-election; a victory fueled by the diaspora of Katrina victims not living in the city.
Ray Nagin…..here's a guy who can't remember if he
voted in the last three elections
. The voting records show he didn't, but he claims he did. Whom would YOU believe?

New Orleans East has long been the "bastard step child" of the Big Easy.
I work in the industrial section in The East, and the main thoroughfare - Old Gentilly Road - has been in dire need repairs since long before the storm.
The New Orleans city government has been contacted numerous times regarding the road repairs and chooses to ignore them.

Heartfelt thanks goes out to Operation Blessing and all who've donated to them. You can be assured that your money has been put to the
best use. Let's hope that the city of New Orleans steps up to the plate and opens that long closed hospital in timely fashion to help the people
in The East.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Post Katrina Mental Health

Man jumps from highrise.

A little over 27 months post Katrina. People still living in those formaldehyde ridden trailers while FEMA - in typical fashion - drags its feet.

Fifty thousand Kids are still suffering all across the Gulf Coast due to the storm.

The mayor of New Orleans is suffering a mental breakdown in public.

People are still fighting the damn insurance bastards

The holiday season brings depression for a lot of people. This, the third holiday season since the storm feels like it's not going to be any better than the last two.

Thanks, Katrina

Helping the Gulf Coast


Coast moving on after Katrina; help them

Chef and restraunteur Robert St. John has written an article in the Mississippi Sun Herald about supporting the Gulf Coast
businesses this holiday season. Being a "world-class eater", he ends up talking about restaurants destroyed by that bitch Katrina. Here are some excerpts from the article.

At a book signing on the Mississippi Gulf Coast last week, I was hit with a blinding jolt of reality.
I have been a victim of out-of-sight out-of-mind Katrina apathy. My hometown of Hattiesburg was hit hard. Yet we bounced back quickly.

I am a huge fan of the old-line seafood restaurants of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I have fond memories of eating
at Baricev's
The Friendship House ,
McElroy's and the like.
I have always encouraged support of the independent restaurants of the Coast.
One restaurant that I must have passed a thousand times, but never once visited, was Annie's at Henderson Point.
As with most of the independent restaurants within a few blocks of the Gulf, Annie's was a casualty of Katrina. They, too, moved to Delisle after the storm.

As I signed books we ordered a cup of gumbo from the newly-relocated Annie's (now Café Annie, located next door to the bookstore). The gumbo was rich, the roux was dark, and it had the distinct taste of a well-made crab stock in the foreground.

As I finished my gumbo, I felt an overwhelming pang of guilt for not visiting Annie's in its original location.
At Café Annie, 80 years of Gulf Coast restaurant history have been reduced to a small wall of black and white 8" x 10" photographs. There are hundreds of businesses with similar stories all along the Gulf. Let's throw apathy to the wind and keep them in sight, and in mind, during the holiday shopping season, and throughout the coming years.

To a person, everyone who bought books at the Pass Christian book signing had lost all of their cookbooks - and their homes along with them - to the storm. No one complained. No one seemed resentful. They had gotten on with their daily lives and to the business of rebuilding the Coast. "It's only stuff," one woman commented


Robert St.John is an author, chef, restaurateur, and world-class eater. He is the author of five books and the upcoming "Southern Seasons." He can be reached at www.robertstjohn.com.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Dummy of the day

From the December 6th, Times Picayune


It was one of the strangest accidents I've responded to in my 37 years on the New Orleans Police Department," said Lt. Melvin Howard, assistant commander of the Traffic Division.

The man lost control of his 650 cc BMW motorcycle and struck a curb as he headed west in the 5900 block of Almonaster Avenue about 1:15 p.m., police said. The impact threw the driver across the median and into the eastbound lanes where he came to rest, his yellow helmet left in the westbound lanes as was his motorcycle, police and a witness said.

He was taken to a local hospital in "very critical" condition, police said.

The lone witness to the accident, Matt Rutan, said the motorcyclist sped past his truck as he was driving back from the landfill.

"At first I thought it was a piece of rope dragging behind the motorcycle," Rutan said, referring to what later turned out to be a 5-foot canebrake rattlesnake secured by twine to the motorcycle.

The motorcycle got at most a half-mile ahead of Rutan, he said, when he saw the cyclist "lift up a little and twist around in his seat like he was attending to something on the back of his bike."

In doing so, the driver failed to negotiate a right-hand curve in the road and struck what Rutan judged to be an eight-inch concrete curb. The driver was ejected from the motorcycle and came to rest about 150 feet down the road, on the opposite side of a grassy median, Rutan said. He said the motorcycle flipped many times and ended up in the westbound lanes more than 200 feet down the road.

Rutan stopped his truck and called 911 as he ran to the driver and saw he was apparently unconscious, he said.

An ambulance responded within 10 minutes, he said.

Rutan discovered that what he had thought was a rope was really a snake "loosely tied by a rough kind of twine" to the back of the motorcycle.

Although Rutan said the snake definitely moved its body a number of times before police arrived, one officer said he believed the movement may have been due to post-mortem reflexes. The canebrake rattlesnake had had its rattle apparently cut off before the accident, an officer said. It appeared to have had its fangs removed as well.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Scuzzbucket of the Week

Brent Eric Finley, 38, of Rayville, along with his wife, Stacey Finley.


The Finleys “convinced numerous victims, who were their family, friends and neighbors, that through Stacey Finley’s contacts as an agent with the CIA, she could arrange and schedule a medical scan of the victims’ bodies by satellite imaging that would detect any hidden medical problem; and that in return for payment of money to Finley, she would arrange for secret agents to administer medicine to the victims as they slept,” Washington’s news release stated.

“All of this information that Finley conveyed to the victims was false.”

The Finleys used all of the money received for their own personal benefit, the release stated.


Besides the fact that the Finley's are scum of the earth for doing that, I question the intelligence of the people who gave these two people over half a million dollars. Geez.



Asked how so many people could be conned by such far-fetched claims, U.S. Attorney Donald Washington described Finley as “a cult-like, charismatic personality.”


Finley is sentenced
to spend 51 months in prison and also was ordered, along with his wife, Stacey Finley, to jointly pay restitution of $873,786.94,
according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Donald Washington.

Stacey Finley previously pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to 63 months in prison.

Prosecutors said that money won't come from what was stolen because the victims' money was spent. They said the Finleys owned a home and five vehicles, but their house was mortgaged and the vehicles financed and there were few other assets.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Strangest thing...

What makes New Orleans unique is the off the wall things that happen here.

The American Zombie blog
is compiling stories about strange things people have experienced or seen in the city.

Quite entertaining.

This isn't strange, but - being the human to five cats, I found this sight quite funny:



This cat had no issue with the crowds/music/noise of the French Quarter Fest last April.

Baghdad on the Bayou


Baghdad on the Bayou: Disaster Capitalism and the War on Equality

An Interview with Tab Benoit in Houma, LA - November 2007

Tab Benoit is an ardent champion for Louisiana's Wetlands.

Op Ed News dot com's investigative environmental writer Georgianne Nienaber recently interviewed him for his view
on saving the wetlands. Here are some excerpts from that three-hour interview
(the article stated this is part one, so stay tuned…….)


“Three miles off the coast is considered off shore. I mean just right here, right now, if I could take you up in an airplane and show you this; you’d see that the Gulf [of Mexico] used to be 25 miles from the Houma airport, now it’s three miles.”

“We [Louisiana] have got 4,000 rigs in the Gulf, compared to 100 rigs in the rest of the Gulf. We’re not getting the money from the off shore drilling. We’re getting the money from on shore. So it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why there’d be 4,000 rigs in Louisiana waters, and only 100 rigs outside of Louisiana waters that belong to the United States. The federal government gets our [Louisiana’s] share. It goes straight into the federal fund. That’s been our big issue; [and] we’ve fought for it.”

What’s behind the 9th ward? Two major refineries. Those things are running. The refineries are running. Nothing else is [running] in the ninth ward. What else do you need to know? There it is. There are the answers.”


I started Voice of the Wetlands (www.voiceofthewetlands.com) because we had no voice. Nobody was acknowledging that there would be people here. It was all about oil, and infrastructure. You know the first things were refineries and oil ports. Those are the first things on the lists of things to do. And that’s exactly what happened.


The interview covers Tab's opinions on big oil, the media's cover-ups regarding Katrina, Blackwater's activities in the days following Katrina, the attidude of the Federal Government toward the citizens of southeast Louisiana and much more.

It's worth the read.

Making it Right

Through the Make It Right project Pitt's inspiration came from the strength of the residents of the 9th Ward:
Having endured the ravages of Katrina, the people of the Lower 9th Ward are proving that, with passion, commitment and collaboration, they can beat the odds. They are ready to represent a city that not only provides a steady stream of culture and soul to the nation, but also provides renewed hope in the triumph of the human spirit.
The people of the Lower 9th Ward are survivors. They are strong. They are united. They are passionate, and the situation they find themselves in - two long years later - needs to be addressed. We need to make it right.

From today's Times Picayune article

Applicants must have owned a home or lot in the Lower 9th Ward before Hurricane Katrina.

Though the project's most significant impact surely will be felt by the families who end up in new homes, other local residents said that Make It Right's effects already are spreading through a neighborhood that but for the crash of bulldozers has remained mostly silent -- and vacant -- since the flood.
Tennessee Street resident Gertrude LeBlanc, 72, said Monday's party -- and the giant pink blocks scattered across the landscape -- already had introduced a hopeful new spirit.

This is like letting them know that we're still here, said LeBlanc, who said a church group will help her rebuild her house using Road Home money. "Yes, indeed, honey, I have been praying for this. I have been praying for somebody to give us a break. I think this might be it."

Rather than bemoan the slow pace of redevelopment in the Ninth Ward, Mr. Pitt said he decided to address the problem directly by teaming with William McDonough, the green design expert ; The Graft architecture firm ; and Cherokee, an investment firm based in Raleigh, N.C., that specializes in sustainable redevelopment. John Williams of New Orleans is the executive architect for the project.

The "Make It Right" team consists of successful New Orleans natives and innovative professionals as shown here:
Brad Pitt, with GRAFT Architects .

Stefan Beese
Executive Associate at GRAFT and the Exective Producer of the Pink Project
Mr. Beese is an Executive Associate at GRAFT and the Executive Producer of the Pink Project.

Nina Killeen
born and raised in New Orleans (and lost her home to the break in the levee at the 17th Street Canal following Hurricane Katrina). She attended Loyola University, and subsequently worked for a local television production company as a producer on numerous commercials and documentary-length films.
Senior Advisor to Jolie Pitt Foundation and a Co-Producer for the Pink Project

Stephen Rehage
Stephen Rehage is the founder of Rehage Entertainment and a Co-Producer of the Pink Project. Mr. Rehage is a New Orleans native and the originator, producer and owner of the Voodoo Music Festival, one of only a few independently owned large music festivals in the country.

Hervé Descottes
Hervé Descottes is the principal founder of L'Observatoire International and the Lighting Designer for the Pink Project. L'Observatoire is a New York City-based architectural lighting design firm founded in 1993.

Lionel Milton
Lionel Milton, creator of the Art Piece for the Pink Project, is a New Orleans-based artist. Lionel's latest venture is the re-opening of Elleone Gallery now located at 2001 Magazine St. in historic Lower Garden District, New Orleans.

Adam Ford and Rendon Slade
Ford and Slade are owners and lighting designers of Universal Visual, LLC, a Mississippi Gulf Coast and NOLA-based lighting design firm that was founded in 2007. The goal of Universal Visual is to provide a means to become completely independent of the current energy grid through the implementation of solar power and hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Bag Manufacturer
The Lighthouse for the Blind in New Orleans is a not-for-profit agency that has been in existence for almost 100 years and is the manufacturer of the Pink bags made from 100 percent recycled scrap materials from the Pink Project.

Here's the link to MIR merchandise,
including caps and Tshirts.

You can make any amount of donation to this project by going to this website .
Smaller donations -- from $5 to $45,500 -- will support the cost of the individual elements of the houses' eco-friendly designs, such as fluorescent bulbs, low-flush toilets and solar-panel installations.

Monday, December 03, 2007

America's Energy Coast Initiative



The fragile energy-producing coastal wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico are crucial to the nation's economy, but the rest of the country doesn't seem to be taking the area's problems seriously, a group meeting today in Baton Rouge contends.

But that could all change if the four states — Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama — work together in forming "America's Energy Coast," say Sidney Coffee, project director of the America's Wetlands campaign, and former U.S. Sen. John Breaux.

Find out how your state depends on Louisiana. America's Wetlands has gathered statistics for the following states.

Florida


Illinois

Kentucky
Massachusetts
Minnesota
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Virginia

From the America's Energy Coast website,

The America’s Energy Coast initiative will bring together leaders of academia, industry, conservation, government and non-profit agencies to educate the public about the necessary co-existence of energy and ecology to sustain America’s Energy Coast. Through leadership assemblies, economic forums and outreach projects we will educate the public how responsible and sustainable energy development is attainable and consistent with conservation and environment stewardship.
We believe that a better public understanding of the role, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama play as a vital energy corridor, will lead to a stronger, safer, sustainable energy future for all Americans.

The Honorary Leadership Council for the America’s Energy Coast Initiative has agreed to help lead the initiative and provide valuable counsel to the effort as we educate the public of the importance of balanced, national dialogue about America’s energy future.

Co-Chair
The Honorable Trent Lott
U.S. Senator
Republican Senate Whip
Mississippi

Co-Chair
The Honorable Mary Landrieu
U.S. Senator
Louisiana


Louisiana
The Honorable Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Governor, LA
The Honorable Mary Landrieu, US Senator, LA
The Honorable David Vitter, US Senator, LA
The Honorable Richard Baker, US Congressman, LA
The Honorable William Jefferson, US Congressman, LA
The Honorable Bobby Jindal, US Congressman, LA
The Honorable Charlie Melancon, US Congressman, LA
The Honorable Charles Boustany, US Congressman, LA

The Honorable Mitchell J. Landrieu, Lt. Governor
The Honorable Jay Dardenne, Secretary of State, LA
The Honorable Charles C. Foti, Jr., Attorney General, LA
The Honorable John Kennedy, Treasurer, LA
The Honorable Bob Odom, Commissioner of Agriculture, LA
The Honorable Jim Donelon, Commissioner of Insurance, LA
The Honorable Scott Angelle, Secretary of Department of Natural Resources, LA
The Honorable Robert Adley, State Senator-District 36, LA
The Honorable Robert J. Barham, State Senator-District 33, LA
The Honorable Joel T. Chaisson, II, State Senator-District 19, LA
The Honorable Ann Duplessis, State Senator–District 2. LA
The Honorable Reggie P. Dupre, Jr., State Senator-District 20, LA
The Honorable Nick Gautreaux, State Senator-District 26, LA
The Honorable D.A. “Butch” Gautreaux, State Senator-District 21, LA
The Honorable Francis C. Heitmeier, State Senator-District 7, LA
The Honorable Ken Hollis, State Senator-District 9, LA
The Honorable Lydia P. Jackson, State Senator-District 39, LA
The Honorable Robert Marionneaux, Jr., State Senator-District 17, LA
The Honorable Willie L. Mount, State Senator-District 27, LA
The Honorable John A. Alario, Jr., State Representative-District 83, LA
The Honorable John F. “Andy” Anders, State Representative-District 21, LA
The Honorable Jeffrey “Jeff” Arnold, State Representative-District 102, LA
The Honorable Glenn Ansardi, State Representative-District 92, LA
The Honorable Austin J. Badon, Jr., State Representative-District 100, LA
The Honorable Damon J. Baldone, State Representative-District 53, LA
The Honorable Regina Ashford Barrow, State Representative-District 29, LA
The Honorable Clara Guilbeau Baudoin, State Representative-District 39, LA
The Honorable Gary J. Beard, State Representative-District 69, LA
The Honorable Shirley Bowler, State Representative-District 78, LA
The Honorable Timothy G. Burns, State Representative-District 89, LA
The Honorable Roy A. Burrell, State Representative-District 2, LA
The Honorable Don Cazayoux, Jr., State Representative-District 18, LA
The Honorable A. G. Crowe, State Representative-District 76, LA
The Honorable N.J. Damico, State Representative-District 84, LA
The Honorable Carla Blanchard Dartez, State Representative-District 51, LA
The Honorable Gordon E. Dove, Sr., State Representative-District 52, LA
The Honorable Sydnie M. Durand, State Representative-District 46, LA
The Honorable James R. Fannin, State Representative-District 13, LA
The Honorable Robert Faucheux Jr., State Representative-District 57, LA
The Honorable Mickey Frith, State Representative-District 47, LA
The Honorable Richard Gallot Jr., State Representative-District 11, LA
The Honorable Hunter V. Greene, State Representative-District 66, LA
The Honorable Elbert Lee Guillory, State Representative-District 40, LA
The Honorable Elcie J. Guillory, State Representative-District 34, LA
The Honorable Mickey Guillory, State Representative-District 41, LA
The Honorable Herman Ray Hill. State Representative-District 32, LA
The Honorable Avon R. Honey, State Representative-District 63, LA
The Honorable Donald Ray Kennard, State Representative-District 65, LA
The Honorable Charles E. Kleckley, State Representative-District 36, LA
The Honorable John F. LaBruzzo, State Representative-District 81, LA
The Honorable Juan A. LaFonta, State Representative-District 96, LA
The Honorable Billy Wayne Montgomery, State Representative-District 9, LA
The Honorable Jean-Paul J. Morrell, State Representative-District 97, LA
The Honorable Dan W. “Blade” Morrish, State Representative-District 37, LA
The Honorable Kenneth L. Odinet, Sr., State Representative-District 103, LA
The Honorable Wilfred Pierre, State Representative-District 44, LA
The Honorable Gil Pinac, State Representative-District 42, LA
The Honorable Loulan Pitre, Jr., State Representative-District 54, LA
The Honorable Joel Robideaux, State Representative-District 45, LA
The Honorable Joe R. Salter, Speaker of the House-District 24, LA
The Honorable M.J. Smiley, Jr., State Representative-District 88, LA
The Honorable Jack D. Smith, State Representative-District 50, LA
The Honorable John R. Smith, State Representative-District 30, LA
The Honorable Gary L. Smith, Jr., State Representative-District 56, LA
The Honorable Karen Gaudet St. Germain, State Representative-District 60, LA
The Honorable Francis C. Thompson, State Representative-District 19, LA
The Honorable Joseph F. Toomy, State Representative-District 85, LA
The Honorable T. Taylor Townsend, State Representative-District 23, LA
The Honorable Wayne Waddell, State Representative-District 5, LA
The Honorable Patrick Williams, State Representative-District 4, LA
The Honorable Ernest D. Wooton, State Representative-District 105, LA
The Honorable Aaron Broussard, Parish President-Jefferson Parish, LA
The Honorable Gordon Burgess, Parish President-Tangipahoa Parish, LA
The Honorable Caesar Comeaux, Parish President-Iberia Parish, LA
The Honorable Guy Cormier, Parish President-St. Martin Parish, LA
The Honorable Kevin Davis, Parish President-St. Tammany Parish, LA
The Honorable Mike Grimmer, Parish President-Livingston Parish, LA
The Honorable Dale J. Hymel Jr., Parish President-St. James Parish, LA
The Honorable Albert D. Laque, Parish President-St. Charles Parish, LA
The Honorable Nickie Monica, Parish President-St. John Parish, LA
The Honorable Paul Naquin, Parish President-St. Mary Parish, LA
The Honorable William H. Nungesser, President Parish of Plaquemines, LA
The Honorable Charlotte A. Randolph, Parish President-Lafourche Parish, LA
The Honorable Henry J. Rodriguez, Parish President-St. Bernard Parish, LA
The Honorable Don Schwab, Parish President-Terrebonne Parish, LA
The Honorable Steve Trahan, Parish Police Juror-Cameron Parish, LA
The Honorable Robert E. Billiot, Mayor-Westwego, LA
The Honorable Lionel J. Bordelon, Jr., Mayor-Moreauville, LA
The Honorable Anthony Daisy, Mayor Pro Tem-New Roads, LA
The Honorable James T. Fontenot, Mayor-Simmesport, LA
The Honorable Ronnie C. Harris, Mayor-Gretna, LA
The Honorable Clarence Hawkins, Mayor-Bastrop, LA
The Honorable Timothy Matte, Mayor-Morgan City, LA
The Honorable John D. McAdams III, Mayor-Mer Rouge, LA
The Honorable C. Ray Nagin, Mayor-New Orleans, LA
The Honorable Randy Roach, Mayor-Lake Charles, LA
The Honorable C.J. Scheufens, Mayor-Iowa, LA
The Honorable Patrick White, Mayor-Gibsland, LA
The Honorable Carroll J. Allemand, Councilmember-Grand Isle, LA
The Honorable Taranza Arvie, Councilmember-Evangeline Parish, LA
The Honorable Brenda Burley, Councilmember-Youngstown, LA
The Honorable Stan Cain, Councilmember-Livingston Parish, LA
The Honorable Thomas J. Capella, Councilmember-at-large-Jefferson Parish, LA
The Honorable Arnie Fielkow, Councilmember-at-large- Orleans Parish, LA
The Honorable Jonathan Foster, Councilmember-Amite, LA
The Honorable Rodney Geyen, Councilmember-Lake Charles, LA
The Honorable Danny W. Harrell, Councilmember-Livingston Parish, LA
The Honorable Marshal Harris, Councilmember-Livingston Parish, LA
The Honorable Willie ‘Sunset’ Holden, Councilmember-Winnfield, LA
The Honorable Elton Lagasse, Councilmember-Jefferson Parish, LA
The Honorable Lawrence Landry, Councilmember-City of Harahan, LA
The Honorable Kenny Matassa, Councilmember-Gonzales, LA
The Honorable Dianne McClelland, Councilwoman-Lafayette Parish, LA
The Honorable Shelley Midura, Councilmember-New Orleans, LA
The Honorable Cynthia Hedge Morrell, Councilmember-New Orleans, LA
The Honorable Provino Mosca, Councilmember-City of Harahan, LA
The Honorable “Ram” Ramachandran, Councilmember-St. Charles Parish, LA
The Honorable Chris Roberts, Councilmember-Jefferson Parish, LA
The Honorable Randall L. Rushing, Councilmember-Livingston Parish, LA
The Honorable Tommy Sandifer, Councilmember-LaSalle Parish, LA
The Honorable Ray A. Santiny, Councilmember-Grand Isle, LA
The Honorable Sandy Sonnier, Councilmember-Loreauville, LA
The Honorable Teddy Sutton, Councilmember-Bernice, LA
The Honorable Thomas L. Talbot, Councilmember-Iowa, LA
The Honorable Eddie Wagner, Councilmember-Livingston Parish, LA
The Honorable Tiffany Scot Wilken, Councilmember-City of Harahan, LA

Alabama
The Honorable Jim Folsom, Jr., Lt. Governor, AL
The Honorable Beth Chapman, Secretary of State, AL

Mississippi
The Honorable Thad Cochran, US Senator, MS
The Honorable Trent Lott, US Senator, MS
The Honorable Chip Pickering, US Congressman, MS
The Honorable Amy Tuck, Lt. Governor, MS

Texas
The Honorable Gene Green, US Congressman, TX
The Honorable Jerry Patterson, Land Commissioner, TX
The Honorable Donald Payne, County Commissioner-TX
The Honorable Dennis Bonnen, State Representative-District 25, TX
The Honorable Luis Sarinana, County Commissioner, TX

Thursday, November 29, 2007

A generous soul

NBA star Chris Duhon continues to help in the aftermath in Katrina through a personal donation of $100,000 in his plans to construct basketball courts in New Orleans and his hometown of Slidell, La. A graduate of Salmen High in south Slidell, Duhon continues to look for ways to help the area recover.



From the above link
Through Duhon’s Stand Tall Foundation, he launched “Operation 21,” a project to refurbish 21 outside basketball courts in New Orleans and Slidell. The project will include five courts in Slidell and the remaining 16 courts in New Orleans, beginning in East New Orleans where Duhon participated in recreational programs such as basketball, football, track and baseball at an early age.


Duhon established a hurricane relief fund in 2005 shortly after Katrina. His efforts have raised more than $450,000 for the victims of Katrina and aided in the reconstruction of Slidell.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Diversion

I like to keep my posts in this blog related to Katrina recovery, but once in a while I feel like posting about things of personal interest. Music is one of
my favorite things in life.......especially blues.

I think in another life I was a resident of the Mississippi Delta area. It's in my blood. I can just feel it. There's something about the sound of Delta Blues that I love.

A few months ago, my husband purchased a CD/DVD Combo from Kenny Wayne Shepherd entitled 10 Days Out - Blues from the Backroads

You can see a trailer from the DVD here
(I can't for the life of me embed the youtube clip)


A well-written synopsis provided by Amazon-dot-com
This "back-to-the-roots" road-trip documentary CD/DVD from blues-rocking guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd can be viewed in two ways--it's either the culmination of a long-held desire to promote and play with some unheralded blues veterans before they pass away (as six had already done since the recording was made, 2½ years before its early 2007 release) or a way to regain the blues audience Shepherd all but alienated on his artistically and commercially disappointing 2004 hard-rock release, The Place You're In. Ultimately, it succeeds on both accounts. Regardless of the project's inspiration, the results by and large justify whatever the means might have been to get this show on the road--literally and figuratively. Shepherd hit the highway for a week and a half along with producer Jerry Harrison (ex-Talking Heads), a portable studio, and backup musicians including the rhythm section from Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble. He searched out blues artists both obscure (the late guitarist Etta Baker, who plays in her kitchen, is a highlight) and better known (Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and B.B. King) for a series of acoustic and electric jams, all of which feature Shepherd--who, to his credit, generally keeps his hot-dogging tendencies in check. A closing concert featuring members of Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters' bands never quite generates the heat it should, but country bluesmen Cootie Stark, Neil Pattman, and harmonica ace Jerry "Boogie" McCain provide plenty of sparks. Shepherd seems sincere enough, but the real stars are the ageing musicians who have maintained their chops and intensity through a lifetime of performing music that clearly comes from the soul. --Hal Horowitz


In January of '09, Hubby & I are planning to take our first cruise in the Carribbean that is all about the blues. I can hardly wait!!!

The SCOTUS Women

Women of the Supreme Court just did what far too many elected officials have failed to do: they stood up to Trump’s MAGA regime and called b...