Rocky and Carlos REOPENS!!!

Singing with Aaron Neville

Save the Times Pic Letter. Good read

Open letter to Steve Newhouse: New Orleans needs a daily 'Times-Picayune' | Capital New York

Mitch to Cowherd

Expect 4-8 Atlantic hurricanes, NOAA says

from CNN.com
Expect 4-8 Atlantic hurricanes, NOAA says

A near-normal Atlantic hurricane season is expected this year, with nine to 15 named storms and four to eight hurricanes, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday.

Of those four to eight hurricanes, NOAA expects one to three to be major. The six-month season begins June 1.

NOAA also said it predicts a near-normal season for the Eastern Pacific, estimating a 70% chance of 12 to 18 named storms – with five to nine hurricanes, of which two to five would be major – for that area.

A major hurricane, designated as Category 3 or greater, packs winds of well more than 100 mph. The weakest hurricanes have top sustained winds of at least 74 mph, and named storms have top winds of at least 39 mph.

NOAA officials said uncertainty over whether the El Nino weather pattern will form made it difficult to be more precise in predicting the Atlantic storm season.

"If (El Nino) develops by late summer to early fall ... conditions could be less conducive for hurricane formation and intensification during the peak months (August to October) of the season, possibly shifting the activity toward the lower end of the predicted range,” said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

The forecasts do not predict how many of the storms will reach land.

Thursday's predictions came as a strengthening Hurricane Bud, churning in the Pacific, appeared poised to bring heavy rain to coastal southwestern Mexico

Window Wednesday

A building in Olde Towne Slidell

WHODAT Billboard by Georgia Dome....You In?

We want to rent a billboard close to the Georgia Dome. Black background, big gold WHO DAT right in the heart of downtown Atlanta. If we can raise the funds, it’ll stay all season long. We’re working on a tag line, but of course it’ll have to be appropriate for a, ahem, larger audience.

If you're interested, check out the Angry Who Dat website to see how you can contribute. This would be SO awesome

Scuzzbucket of the Month

Some "know-it-all" from ESPN (who HATE the Saints for some reason).

His comments on New Orleans are outlined below

Kristian: Colin Cowherd needs to re-examine his facts
by Kristain Garic , posted May 22 2012 4:01PM
ESPN's Colin Cowherd slammed New Orleans on his nationally syndicated talk show today.

No, not the Saints...the City of New Orleans itself!

"Can I ask you something," Cowherd said. "Why is the least-safe major city in the country now the default destination for every big sporting event?"

Cowherd seemed miffed that New Orleans landed the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the BCS National Championship AND possibly the Pro Bowl, all within the span of one calendar year.

"It is the least safe major city in the country…not my opinion, statistically the least safe," he said. "There are only two where locals will tell you, turn around, don't go that way…Detroit and New Orleans."

To say the City of New Orleans is unsafe is completely unfounded. Are some parts less desirable? Absolutely! Are there segments of this city that you shouldn’t venture into? Yes. But, that doesn’t mean New Orleans shouldn’t host major sporting events. What city is better at hosting sporting events than the Big Easy? None!

Click below to hear Cowherd's remarks:


Several times, Cowherd seemed to equate having a flashy airport with his idea of an ideal sports destination.

"(New Orleans) doesn't have a world-class airport. It is not geographically easy for much of the country to get to. I mean if you live Rocky Mountains west, New Orleans is a looong way away."

This is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. I mean, New Orleans is somewhat centrally located to the rest of the Continental United States and the 31 other NFL markets. How much farther is Miami or New York from "West of the Rocky Mountains?"

"I want a lot of hotel rooms, a great airport, good weather, safety,” Cowherd said. New Orleans is not top-15 in any of those."

Granted, New Orleans has a crime problem, but the numbers are somewhat skewed by violent crimes committed by people who know each other, and drug-related crime in some of the more downtrodden parts of the city. Yes, this is a major problem the city faces...but actual attacks upon tourists, and people in “tourist areas" are pretty rare.

He "wants a lot of hotel rooms?" Had he bothered to check, Cowherd would have found that in terms of hotel rooms, New Orleans is tops in the nation, in both quality and quantity.

And, NOT in the top 15 for "great weather?" Good God, man, where would you rather be in February for the Super Bowl? New York? Chicago? Green Bay?

I think it’s simple why New Orleans hosts major sporting event after sporting event. This city knows what it’s doing. We host a party like no other. We have police PROTECTION like no other. I’ve been to Super Bowls in other cities, and while they were nice, they didn’t have that "personal touch" of New Orleans. That's not just me talking, in Indianapolis dozens of people stopped by our broadcast booth on Radio Row and said, "Yes, Indy is nice, but we can't WAIT to be in New Orleans next year!" And when the Final Four was here, folks I talked to loved their experience.

Cowherd is a West Coast elitist who swoops in for a night or two, stays in a swanky upscale hotel, and gets whisked around in a limo surrounded by security. He doesn’t experience a fraction of what New Orleans really offers real fans in the sports scene. (Hell, no wonder he's so infatuated with hotel rooms and airports...that's ALL he ever sees!) No other city combines food, music, fun, night life, and local flavor like we do. Other cities do certain things well, but only New Orleans has it ALL, and more, within walking distance.

Hey, haters are gonna hate. If Cowherd is getting through the off-season by just trolling hard, I guess I'm just feeding the troll here. But, if he's got a bias against New Orleans because he doesn't like the city, he needs to man up and just admit it. Instead, his arguments are factually suspect at best, and intentionally malicious at worst.

Part of me says, "Screw him, Colin Cowherd can keep stay on the West Coast." But despite everything he said, I'm a fan of Cowherd's and would love to take the time to be a tour guide and show him both the good and bad of our town.

The door is open, Colin. Be responsible and take the time and effort to really learn about one of the greatest cities in the world before you slam it!

Travesty

Dharun Ravi Sentenced to 30-Day Jail Term in Rutgers Bias Case

Dharun Ravi, a former Rutgers University student, was sentenced to 30 days in jail by a judge in New Brunswick, N.J., on Monday following his conviction on charges that he had used a webcam to spy on his roommate having sex with another man. Mr. Ravi had faced up to 10 years in prison.

Judge Glenn Berman of Middlesex County Superior Court said that the jail term was for witness- and evidence-tampering and lying to police, and not for Mr. Ravi’s bias crimes against his roommate, Tyler Clementi, who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge three days after one of the webcam viewings, three weeks into their freshman year in September 2010.

Read More:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/former-rutgers-student-to-be-sentenced-in-hate-crime/?emc=na

Lake Pontchartrain Facts

From Save Our Lake's website , some little known facts about Lake Pontchartrain.

Lake Pontchartrain is swimmable again. It was removed from the EPA's impaired waterbodies' list in 2006.

Lake Pontchartrain is not a lake, surrounded by land. It is an estuary, open to the Gulf of Mexico.

Lake Pontchartrain contains brackish water, a mix of saltwater from the Gulf and fresh water from rain and rivers. You can find both saltwater and freshwater fish in it.

Lake Pontchartrain has tides that come in and out from the Gulf of Mexico.

Lake Pontchartrain is fed directly by two rivers: Tangipahoa River and Tchefuncte River.

Lake Pontchartrain is 630 square miles in area and is approximately 25 miles across north to south.

Lake Pontchartrain is shallow, averaging only 12-15 feet deep.

Lake Pontchartrain has three beautiful beaches open to the public: Pontchartrain Beach on the South Shore, and Fontainebleau State Park beach on the North Shore.

Lake Pontchartrain has great fishing opportunities with 11 artificial reefs attracting fish.

Lake Pontchartrain has shrimp, crabs, clams, sharks, dolphins and manatees visiting in its waters. Keep an eye out and you may see some.

Coffee Addicts Rejoice! It’s Good for You

Coffee Addicts Rejoice! It’s Good for You