Whitney Bank Sold

Hancock Holding Co., the parent company of Mississippi-based Hancock Bank, is buying New Orleans-based Whitney Holding Corporation, parent company of the city's signature local lending institution, Whitney National Bank, in a deal that will be completed in the second quarter of next year.

The famously conservative 127-year-old Whitney got into trouble after expanding into Florida during the real estate boom and found itself saddled with many bad loans, prompting it to take money from the federal Troubled Asset Relief Program in 2008.
New Orleans, once the banking center of the South, has seen many of its banks get gobbled up by out-of-state financial institutions. Most recently, in March 2005, Capital One Financial Corp. announced the purchase of Hibernia Corp., owner of the then 135-year-old Hibernia Bank.

The merger between Hancock and Whitney has been unanimously approved by both companies' boards of directors, and five members of the Whitney board will join Hancock upon completion of the merger

Lunar Eclipse set to music

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse from William Castleman on Vimeo.

The true meaning of "Hero"

Take a few minutes to watch this clip. This is indicative of what our Military goes thru every day, even right now. Say a prayer for our troops.

2010 Revisited 2

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti

2010 Revisited 1

I've been looking through the 'pictures of the year' at various websites and decided I'd like to share MY favoites for one reason or another.

My first favorite is this from Yahoo News of heroes returing home. God Bless all of those who put their lives on the line.





Nov. 30, 2010 file photo, members of 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart,Ga., sit in the belly of a C-17 aircraft at Sather Air Base in Baghdad as they begin their journey home after a year in Iraq."

Patience

Found at the Black and Gold Patrol blog

Times Change, Feelings Don't

Scuzzbucket of the Week

The head of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) - Wayne Pacelle



According to Humane Watch dot org Pacelle thinks that Michael Vick (who brutally killed 8 helpless dogs) “would do a good job as a pet owner”.

Janitas at the Rendon Inn-Eat There

Here's a post by NOLA's Craig Gieseke about the relocation of his restaurant Janita's at the Rendon Inn

Excerpt
Sunday marked our third anniversary of being honored enough to serve our food every day in one of the greatest food cities in the world. We've been lucky enough to put some nice hardware on the wall from Zagat and others, to make some money doing what we do and to apparently have enough of a reputation so the local foodie community takes note of when we do something. Most of all, we've seen so many nice customers follow us from our last location to our new one. We see some every day and return business, particularly when someone goes out of their way, is the nicest compliment of all. Thank you.

Read the whole post at the link above

To view the menu (in three pictures) go here.

Drilling Ban still on

Official Says U.S. Won't End Drilling Ban in Eastern Gulf

 

The Obama administration is rescinding its decision to allow offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic Coast because of the BP oil spill, an administration official said.

 

The official said that drilling would remain under a moratorium for those areas for at least the next five years, until stronger safety and environmental standards are in place. Drilling will continue in the central and western Gulf of Mexico, although under a set of new safeguards put in place since the deadly BP explosion and oil spill in April.

 

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the expansion of drilling in March, just weeks before the BP accident, as part of a political plan to encourage more domestic oil production in exchange for limits on carbon emissions. The eastern Gulf and the Atlantic seaboard had been off-limits to oil companies for years because of congressional opposition.

 

Read More:

http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na

 

 

Dine America 2010

On ‘Dine Out’ Night, 200 Chefs Serve Up Message About Gulf Seafood Safety

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 09:01 PM PST

Something fishy is about to happen at select restaurants across the country. On December 1, more than 200 chefs and restaurateurs nationwide will participate in “Dine America 2010: America’s Night Out for Gulf Seafood.” Behind the event is a dramatic statement: Chefs, whose livelihood depends upon the quality of their ingredients and cuisine, believe in the safety of Gulf seafood.

“Word of mouth is the best way to let people know that seafood is safe,” says Corporate Executive Chef Haley Bittermann of the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group in New Orleans.

She believes people are more likely to trust their friends and family than what they read in the media. So enjoying a good meal together, she says, is the best way to spread the message about Gulf seafood safety.

Chef Haley — and the entire Brennan family restaurants — have led the charge in sending that message. Throughout the oil spill crisis, the team of chefs and managers have continually educated their staff on the issues and kept Gulf seafood on the menu. Even as some supplies waned, the restaurants were careful to avoid passing along higher costs for coveted items such as oyster po’ boys.

“The perception — not the quality — is the only thing that has changed since the oil spill,” says Chef Haley. “There is a perception that the seafood is not safe. But it is safe. And far better than what you are going to get from other areas of the world.

She and other chefs are willing to stake their reputation on it.

In Atlanta, Georgia, more than 600 miles away from the Gulf coast, Texas native Chef Ford Fry of JCT Kitchen is excited to participate in the December 1 event, since it gives him a chance to showcase the Gulf seafood he grew up eating. While the menu is not yet finalized, he plans to prepare blue crabs, shrimp and oysters — possibly in a gumbo, his seafood dish of choice.

“The secret to a good gumbo is the stock,” says Fry, who learned to make gumbo not in culinary school, but on a trip down to Kaplan, Louisiana, where a friend’s mother taught him.

“It’s important that we support the local guys,” says Fry. “We’re doing alright and they’re having trouble. They need our support.”

Visit www.dineamerica2010.com to find a list of restaurants participating in the December 1 event.