This is probably the stupidest thing to be allowed during a Legislative session.
The State wanted to honor 'Hurricane Chris' for all of his recent success by giving him the floor of the state House of Representatives for a few minutes. Hurricane Chris is the godson of Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton.
Representative Austin Badon said when Chris Dooley, Jr., known by the stage name "Hurricane Chris," performed his song "Halle Berry (She's Fine)" Wednesday, he really couldn't understand what he was singing. But when Badon came across the song while scanning the radio dial later that day, what he heard made him angry.
"The words they were using in the song were just extremely derogatory, they were foul," Badon told WWL First News. "They were curse words, using the 'N' word. It was just a derogatory song."
The lyrics can be found at this site.
Here is the video, entitled "loony looziana legislature reaches a new low". I find it embarassing. Don't know who allowed this, but they should be shot.
Here's a link to an editorial citing Representative Norton's ignorant decision to allow this.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Yelling Pitchman Dead
Tampa police say Billy Mays, the television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50.
The New York Times has more here
Friday, June 26, 2009
Screwing the Victims
Good Ole Boy Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is misusing Katrina Recovery funds meant for housing to rebuild the port of Gulfport. Or, as he puts it, he's "redirecting" the funds meant to provide permanent housing for those who lost their homes to the storm .
Mississippi civil rights and housing groups sued the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development yesterday to stop the distribution of nearly $600 million in Hurricane Katrina relief aid to expand the Port of Gulfport, as sought by Gov. Haley Barbour (R).
Filed in federal court in the District, the lawsuit alleges that the money is part of $5.5 billion approved by Congress for Mississippi after the August 2005 storm — emergency relief that was supposed to pay largely for affordable housing. But HUD granted waivers allowing the state to use 21 percent of the money for low-income housing, instead of 50 percent as required for Katrina aid channeled through the Community Development Block Grant program, plaintiffs charged.
In a January letter to Barbour, then-HUD Secretary Alphonso R. Jackson wrote that he shared concerns that the port expansion “does indeed divert emergency federal funding from other more pressing recovery needs, most notably affordable housing.”
Congress, however, “allows me little discretion,” Jackson wrote. He approved the funding shift before resigning in April.
Barbour’s office released a statement saying the port project is part of the state’s recovery program that was vetted by Congress. “It’s always been in the plan,” Barbour said. “Restoration of the Port of Gulfport is critical to recovery of the Gulf Coast from the worst natural disaster in American history.”
Found at New Orleans News Ladder.
Mississippi civil rights and housing groups sued the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development yesterday to stop the distribution of nearly $600 million in Hurricane Katrina relief aid to expand the Port of Gulfport, as sought by Gov. Haley Barbour (R).
Filed in federal court in the District, the lawsuit alleges that the money is part of $5.5 billion approved by Congress for Mississippi after the August 2005 storm — emergency relief that was supposed to pay largely for affordable housing. But HUD granted waivers allowing the state to use 21 percent of the money for low-income housing, instead of 50 percent as required for Katrina aid channeled through the Community Development Block Grant program, plaintiffs charged.
In a January letter to Barbour, then-HUD Secretary Alphonso R. Jackson wrote that he shared concerns that the port expansion “does indeed divert emergency federal funding from other more pressing recovery needs, most notably affordable housing.”
Congress, however, “allows me little discretion,” Jackson wrote. He approved the funding shift before resigning in April.
Barbour’s office released a statement saying the port project is part of the state’s recovery program that was vetted by Congress. “It’s always been in the plan,” Barbour said. “Restoration of the Port of Gulfport is critical to recovery of the Gulf Coast from the worst natural disaster in American history.”
Found at New Orleans News Ladder.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Scuzzbucket of the week
This week's scuzzbucket is nominated on two charges: perversion and spamming.
A Slidell man known as one of the most prolific spammers in the country is accused of raping one teenage girl and handcuffing and molesting another, authorities said Wednesday.
Police arrested Ronald Scelson, 36, after seizing computers, servers, marijuana and drug paraphernalia during a raid on his home and office Tuesday afternoon, Slidell Police spokesman Capt. Kevin Foltz said.
In May, the mother of a 14-year-old girl told Slidell Police that Scelson, who was considered a friend of the family, had molested her daughter during Mardi Gras week, Foltz said.
The teenager told authorities she was at Scelson's business address, at 1831 Third St., when she saw sexually explicit material and open chat rooms on several monitors, Foltz said. Scelson started "playing around" with her, eventually handcuffing and fondling her, he said.
A 2003 Times-Picayune profile on Scelson said he was once one of the 10 most prolific spammers in North America or Europe and quoted him bragging about sending out hundreds of millions of e-mails a day. At the time, Scelson claimed he distinguished himself from other spammers because he did not hide the identity of his company and did not market pornographic sites or "get rich quick schemes."
ewwwww
A Slidell man known as one of the most prolific spammers in the country is accused of raping one teenage girl and handcuffing and molesting another, authorities said Wednesday.
Police arrested Ronald Scelson, 36, after seizing computers, servers, marijuana and drug paraphernalia during a raid on his home and office Tuesday afternoon, Slidell Police spokesman Capt. Kevin Foltz said.
In May, the mother of a 14-year-old girl told Slidell Police that Scelson, who was considered a friend of the family, had molested her daughter during Mardi Gras week, Foltz said.
The teenager told authorities she was at Scelson's business address, at 1831 Third St., when she saw sexually explicit material and open chat rooms on several monitors, Foltz said. Scelson started "playing around" with her, eventually handcuffing and fondling her, he said.
A 2003 Times-Picayune profile on Scelson said he was once one of the 10 most prolific spammers in North America or Europe and quoted him bragging about sending out hundreds of millions of e-mails a day. At the time, Scelson claimed he distinguished himself from other spammers because he did not hide the identity of his company and did not market pornographic sites or "get rich quick schemes."
ewwwww
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Heat
It's not even noon and it's 96 degrees outside. This is the second straight week that the heat has been incredibly unbearable. I feel sorry for anyone who has to work out in this stuff. Here are a few links that describe this heat
Spoke the Cat
Mark Folse describes his lunchtime walk from his job to the riverfront
Aaron, over at Iced Coffee and a Bagel
Roads are buckling all over
Spoke the Cat
Mark Folse describes his lunchtime walk from his job to the riverfront
Aaron, over at Iced Coffee and a Bagel
Roads are buckling all over
RIP Ed McMahon
Former Johnny Carson sidekick Ed McMahon has died at the age of 86.
The man had a wonderful laugh and seemed to have lived a good life until recently.
RIP, Ed.
The man had a wonderful laugh and seemed to have lived a good life until recently.
RIP, Ed.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Back home in Lake Catherine
A recent article in the Times Pic tells the story of a family who've rebuilt in Lake Catherine.
Excerpts
Although plenty of folks might scratch their heads about the decision to rebuild on the waterfront, it wasn't a hard one for Bourg, a born and bred local who attended Jesuit High School. After buying a camp on Lake Catherine in 2002, he became enchanted with the area and became an ardent convert to fishing.
"When my parents bought the camp," said Becky Bourg, the couple's grown daughter, "at first it was meant for weekends and getaways. It wasn't their primary residence at first; that was in Mid-City. But by the time the storm came, they were spending almost all their time out here. It had become their permanent home."
The Bourgs' camp was one of about 500 that lined the shores in the Lake Catherine community before Hurricane Katrina.
"After the storm, when I could get back in to check it out, there were no more than 20 buildings still standing, and only 16 or so of those were sound," Bob Bourg said. "Our house was gone. All that was left was the foundation."
The Bourg's house is the one on the right
The house is manufactured Deltec, an Asheville, N.C., business,which designs hurricane-resistant circular (technically, polygonal) homes and produces kits for assembly. The company trains contractors in various locales to ensure that kits are assembled according to company standards. Locals who follow "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" were introduced to the company when Ty Pennington and crew landed in town last spring and replaced the storm- and tornado-damaged home of a Westwego first responder and his extended family using a Deltec product.
Excerpts
Although plenty of folks might scratch their heads about the decision to rebuild on the waterfront, it wasn't a hard one for Bourg, a born and bred local who attended Jesuit High School. After buying a camp on Lake Catherine in 2002, he became enchanted with the area and became an ardent convert to fishing.
"When my parents bought the camp," said Becky Bourg, the couple's grown daughter, "at first it was meant for weekends and getaways. It wasn't their primary residence at first; that was in Mid-City. But by the time the storm came, they were spending almost all their time out here. It had become their permanent home."
The Bourgs' camp was one of about 500 that lined the shores in the Lake Catherine community before Hurricane Katrina.
"After the storm, when I could get back in to check it out, there were no more than 20 buildings still standing, and only 16 or so of those were sound," Bob Bourg said. "Our house was gone. All that was left was the foundation."
The Bourg's house is the one on the right
The house is manufactured Deltec, an Asheville, N.C., business,which designs hurricane-resistant circular (technically, polygonal) homes and produces kits for assembly. The company trains contractors in various locales to ensure that kits are assembled according to company standards. Locals who follow "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" were introduced to the company when Ty Pennington and crew landed in town last spring and replaced the storm- and tornado-damaged home of a Westwego first responder and his extended family using a Deltec product.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Still Not Okay
BBC journalist James Coomarasamy interviews two Katrina survivors four years after the storm.
found at Voices of New Orleans website.
Time Wasters
At a time when there are so many important things to take care of in this state, with precious little time left in the session, I cannot believe the Louisiana Legislature wasted so much time for
this bill. House Bill 44 bans gunfire at parades and jazz funerals.
I thought this was already against the law!
this bill. House Bill 44 bans gunfire at parades and jazz funerals.
I thought this was already against the law!
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