From NOLA dot com
Less than 24 hours after announcing that comedian Carlos Mencia would be one of three celebrity guests in this year's parade, the Krewe of Orpheus uninvited the Comedy Central star.
Doesn't NOLA dot com own a thesaurus?
The reason: a tape of a December 2005 broadcast that shows Mencia making a series of controversial Hurricane Katrina-related jokes at the expense of African-Americans and Hispanics.
My take on it — black people, you’re f**kin’ funny, you’re hilarious. You will get on a bus to go to Million Man March, but you won’t get on a bus to get away from Katrina. It’s funny to me. That is hilarious.”
According to Wikipedia, Mencia’s also the comedy giant behind these steamers:
• “Why are we rebuilding New Orleans? Whose idea was this, Aquaman?”
• “Hurricane Katrina was caused by political correctness. I said it!”
• “I’m glad Hurricane Katrina happened. It taught us an important lesson: black people can’t swim.”
Based on those remarks, "we thought it was best for all concerned -- best for him, best for the club, best for all the citizens -- for him not to ride this year, " Orpheus Captain Sonny Borey said Thursday. "We want to put the best positive light on the city."
Borey said Thursday that he and other Orpheus officials had no idea the explosive tape existed when they announced that Mencia would ride in the parade.
Maybe Orpheus should use Wikipedia to research their picks for celebrity riders in the future.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Finally
1,258 days after Katrina, FEMA publishes its NOLA area flood maps.
Well, it looks as if they just published old data if I'm reading it right.
It is early.
Check it out for yourself
From the Orleans Parish map site
The Orleans Parish flood maps were last updated in 1984. New maps are being prepared using state-of-the-art mapping technology and they will be presented for adoption by the parish upon completion.
Unbelievable.
Well, it looks as if they just published old data if I'm reading it right.
It is early.
Check it out for yourself
From the Orleans Parish map site
The Orleans Parish flood maps were last updated in 1984. New maps are being prepared using state-of-the-art mapping technology and they will be presented for adoption by the parish upon completion.
Unbelievable.
Friday, January 30, 2009
More sad news for NOLA
Robert Cerasoli, the city's Inspector General has resigned, citing health issues.
Read the story here.
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Truth
As usual that guy on Toulouse Street puts into words better than I could about the rampant crime spree going on in NOLA:
we are living with the product of the second and third generation of people who have given up.
The same hollow eyes and gunman swagger you see in Somali pirates on the evening news, that’s what you can expect when culture and government and all of the things that make a civilization start to break down, and people just give up and do what they have to do to survive. And when the parents have given up, when they accept the street as the way it is, you start down the road that turns out the young men who jack ships off East Afraica and who stalk our own streets.
We have all spent and given too much to be here to walk away now. So which side are you on, boys, which side are you on? Will you run to the Northshore, or add some iron and lights to the house and never venture out? Or is it time to stand up and demand immediate action and results, or dire consequences, for Riley and his boss Ray Nagin and from the entire city government
If you enjoy Mark's writing, may I suggest you pick up is book Carry Me Home . A collection of short essays written under Mark's post Katrina blogs, "Wet Bank Guide" for the first two years Post-K.
I keep it in my car to pick up whenever I'm stuck in traffic. His writing brings you to the place he talks about.
we are living with the product of the second and third generation of people who have given up.
The same hollow eyes and gunman swagger you see in Somali pirates on the evening news, that’s what you can expect when culture and government and all of the things that make a civilization start to break down, and people just give up and do what they have to do to survive. And when the parents have given up, when they accept the street as the way it is, you start down the road that turns out the young men who jack ships off East Afraica and who stalk our own streets.
We have all spent and given too much to be here to walk away now. So which side are you on, boys, which side are you on? Will you run to the Northshore, or add some iron and lights to the house and never venture out? Or is it time to stand up and demand immediate action and results, or dire consequences, for Riley and his boss Ray Nagin and from the entire city government
If you enjoy Mark's writing, may I suggest you pick up is book Carry Me Home . A collection of short essays written under Mark's post Katrina blogs, "Wet Bank Guide" for the first two years Post-K.
I keep it in my car to pick up whenever I'm stuck in traffic. His writing brings you to the place he talks about.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Bald Eagles return to Fontainbleau
From a Northshore newspaper:
image from Chuck Cook - Times Picayune
For the first time since Katrina, the bald eagles have returned to Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville.
Not exactly a common sight, these living symbols of America's spirit of freedom were first spotted at Fontainebleau about a year ago.
"In fact, a visitor to the park saw an eagle getting fish from the lake," said Rita McMurray, an interpretive ranger at the park. "We had to find the nest."
Bald eagles like habitats near seacoasts, rivers and large lakes, which makes Fontainebleau, with a setting on Lake Pontchartrain, ideal.
They feed mostly on fish, but also eat small rabbits and squirrels, McMurray said.
Eagles are extremely sensitive to human activity and like to keep a safe distance from people.
With his powerful scope set up on a steady tripod, ranger Steven Welch focused it on the uppermost limbs of the tree and pointed out the white head of the female, which sat on her eggs -- probably two, he said. They're the same pair who were at Fontainebleau a year ago
"They're pretty smart," Welch said, as he explained the location of their nest in the park. "It's about 150 feet from the water and a good distance from the campgrounds on one side, and from the day use area on the other side."
The eagles will probably leave the area in the summer and return again next winter. In the meantime, the best time of day to spot them may be the warmest part, McMurray said. You might just catch sight of one of the great birds sitting royally on a tall branch in the distance, head turned to the side, keeping watch.
Here's a two minute video about the birds courtesy of the Times Picayune:
image from Chuck Cook - Times Picayune
For the first time since Katrina, the bald eagles have returned to Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville.
Not exactly a common sight, these living symbols of America's spirit of freedom were first spotted at Fontainebleau about a year ago.
"In fact, a visitor to the park saw an eagle getting fish from the lake," said Rita McMurray, an interpretive ranger at the park. "We had to find the nest."
Bald eagles like habitats near seacoasts, rivers and large lakes, which makes Fontainebleau, with a setting on Lake Pontchartrain, ideal.
They feed mostly on fish, but also eat small rabbits and squirrels, McMurray said.
Eagles are extremely sensitive to human activity and like to keep a safe distance from people.
With his powerful scope set up on a steady tripod, ranger Steven Welch focused it on the uppermost limbs of the tree and pointed out the white head of the female, which sat on her eggs -- probably two, he said. They're the same pair who were at Fontainebleau a year ago
"They're pretty smart," Welch said, as he explained the location of their nest in the park. "It's about 150 feet from the water and a good distance from the campgrounds on one side, and from the day use area on the other side."
The eagles will probably leave the area in the summer and return again next winter. In the meantime, the best time of day to spot them may be the warmest part, McMurray said. You might just catch sight of one of the great birds sitting royally on a tall branch in the distance, head turned to the side, keeping watch.
Here's a two minute video about the birds courtesy of the Times Picayune:
| Video: Bald eagles return to Fontainebleau |
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Wetlands Preservation
From The Times-Picayune
St. Tammany Parish has received $1 million toward the acquisition and preservation of forested and wetlands property along Bayou Liberty.
The 22-acre parcel, located south of Interstate 12 and west of North Shore Boulevard, is a blackwater stream habitat that is "extremely rare" and "increasingly vulnerable to development," the parish wrote in its grant application.
Parish President Kevin Davis said in a statement that the preservation project is part of St. Tammany's ongoing effort to "preserve our existing wetlands and restore that which we have lost."
The Trust for Public Land acquired the land for $1.5 million on behalf of the parish in 2006, and the parish agreed to purchase the land from the Trust. St. Tammany will pay the balance of the funds through future grants and parish funds.
I know this bayou well, as it's right in my backyard. Part of it runs behind the
Slidell Trailhead of the Tammany Trace.
This is a small step towards the preservation of Louisiana wetlands, but I'm glad that this little piece is safe from development. For the longest time it seemed as if three acres of it was for sale behind the super Walmart on Northshore Boulevard. Thanks TPS and St. Tammany parish.
St. Tammany Parish has received $1 million toward the acquisition and preservation of forested and wetlands property along Bayou Liberty.
The 22-acre parcel, located south of Interstate 12 and west of North Shore Boulevard, is a blackwater stream habitat that is "extremely rare" and "increasingly vulnerable to development," the parish wrote in its grant application.
Parish President Kevin Davis said in a statement that the preservation project is part of St. Tammany's ongoing effort to "preserve our existing wetlands and restore that which we have lost."
The Trust for Public Land acquired the land for $1.5 million on behalf of the parish in 2006, and the parish agreed to purchase the land from the Trust. St. Tammany will pay the balance of the funds through future grants and parish funds.
I know this bayou well, as it's right in my backyard. Part of it runs behind the
Slidell Trailhead of the Tammany Trace.
This is a small step towards the preservation of Louisiana wetlands, but I'm glad that this little piece is safe from development. For the longest time it seemed as if three acres of it was for sale behind the super Walmart on Northshore Boulevard. Thanks TPS and St. Tammany parish.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
More Scuzzbuckets
A federal judge on Thursday rejected a bid to hold the federal government liable for the deaths of three elderly people during Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.
Without dissent, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge's dismissal of wrongful death suits filed by the victims' families.
Don't you love the fact that the papers neglected to give the names of the three judges who have no fucking backbone?
U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey ( a G.W. Bush appointee) ruled in April 2007 that several federal agencies and officials are immune from suits brought by survivors of Ethel Freeman, 92, John DeLuca, 76, and Clementine Eleby, 79.
Freeman and Eleby rode out the Aug. 29, 2005, storm at their New Orleans homes before seeking refuge at the city's convention center, where they died while waiting to be evacuated. Photos of Freeman's lifeless body, slumped in her wheelchair and partially covered by a poncho, were widely published after Katrina.
John J. DeLuca, 77, who rode out Katrina at an eastern New Orleans assisted-living home, died Sept. 3 after a helicopter rescue team took him from the home to Interstate 10 at the interchange with Causeway Boulevard. DeLuca languished for three days before dying, court records said.
Plaintiffs attorneys claim the government acted negligently, failing to provide "basic humanitarian aid" to people stranded in New Orleans after Katrina, and therefore isn't entitled to immunity from the suits.
But the 5th Circuit panel wrote that although "federal government has publicly admitted that it made many mistakes," its actions were covered by a general shield that protects it from lawsuits.
This court is very sympathetic to the plaintiffs for the loss of their loved ones, however, this court is prohibited from changing the laws that Congress has enacted," Judge Jay Zainey wrote last year.
Sounds like a cop out to me, Mr. Zainey
I certainly hope that no one you know has to suffer as Mr. DeLuca, Ms. Eleby and Ms. Freeman did on that horrific week in 2005. And to the spineless 5th Circuit Court of Appeals: y'all suck.
Without dissent, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge's dismissal of wrongful death suits filed by the victims' families.
Don't you love the fact that the papers neglected to give the names of the three judges who have no fucking backbone?
U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey ( a G.W. Bush appointee) ruled in April 2007 that several federal agencies and officials are immune from suits brought by survivors of Ethel Freeman, 92, John DeLuca, 76, and Clementine Eleby, 79.
Freeman and Eleby rode out the Aug. 29, 2005, storm at their New Orleans homes before seeking refuge at the city's convention center, where they died while waiting to be evacuated. Photos of Freeman's lifeless body, slumped in her wheelchair and partially covered by a poncho, were widely published after Katrina.
John J. DeLuca, 77, who rode out Katrina at an eastern New Orleans assisted-living home, died Sept. 3 after a helicopter rescue team took him from the home to Interstate 10 at the interchange with Causeway Boulevard. DeLuca languished for three days before dying, court records said.
Plaintiffs attorneys claim the government acted negligently, failing to provide "basic humanitarian aid" to people stranded in New Orleans after Katrina, and therefore isn't entitled to immunity from the suits.
But the 5th Circuit panel wrote that although "federal government has publicly admitted that it made many mistakes," its actions were covered by a general shield that protects it from lawsuits.
This court is very sympathetic to the plaintiffs for the loss of their loved ones, however, this court is prohibited from changing the laws that Congress has enacted," Judge Jay Zainey wrote last year.
Sounds like a cop out to me, Mr. Zainey
I certainly hope that no one you know has to suffer as Mr. DeLuca, Ms. Eleby and Ms. Freeman did on that horrific week in 2005. And to the spineless 5th Circuit Court of Appeals: y'all suck.
Scuzzbucket of the Week Part 3
The ignorant, racist, redneck moe-ron who did this.
Louisiana has a bad enough reputation across the country for mindless racism.
We don't need idiots like this einstein to further perpetrate this this sophmoric antic.
Scuzzbuckets of the Week Part Deux
The parents of these fifteen year old youths who murdered a young woman in cold blood for no reason.
The teens, identified as Drey Lewis and Reggie Douglas, were taken to the jail at 3:40 p.m. (January 22, 2009) They were each booked with one count of first-degree murder.
The District Attorney's Office is weighing whether to prosecute the boys as adults in Criminal District Court. The suspects said nothing to news media gathered at the jail. If convicted, they face life in prison.
Where were these mothers when their sons were out there trolling the streets for a victim? Where were these mothers when it was time to teach these children about respect - for both self and others? Where were these mothers when it was time to give the kids a curfew? I wouldn't let my daughter roam the streets after dark when she was 15 - call me an old fashioned mother.
But these mothers finally had to face the music and turn their "babies" in for murdering 39 year old Wendy Byrne for no damned reason.
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