Taken by the Guerra family from Chalmette, Louisiana. August 29, 2005
Monday, June 08, 2015
Saturday, June 06, 2015
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Katrina Memories Website
Called "Love, Write, Light", this website contains and will accumulate first person stories of Hurricane Katrina victims. It is a crowdsourcing campaign in anticipation of Katrina’s anniversary. Funds raised will be used to help light up statues erected in 17 locations, called “evacuspots,” around the city, so they’re visible 24 hours a day. People needing help in evacuating are supposed to gather at those spots. This is the brainchild of the website Evacuteer.org .
What originally brought me to this site was a piece written by a writer who resides in New Orleans, Chris Rose .
Chris is loved by many, not loved by a some due to his personal problems after Katrina. He wrote articles in the post-Katrina world that are contained in his book "One Dead In Attic" .
Here is his letter to America in the weeks following Katrina:
"Dear America,
I suppose we should introduce ourselves: We’re South Louisiana.
We have arrived on your doorstep on short notice and we apologize for that, but we never were much for waiting around for invitations. We’re not much on formalities like that.
And we might be staying around your town for a while, enrolling in your schools and looking for jobs, so we wanted to tell you a few things about us. We know you didn’t ask for this and neither did we, so we’re just going to have to make the best of it.
First of all, we thank you. For your money, your water, your food, your prayers, your boats and buses and the men and women of your National Guards, fire departments, hospitals and everyone else who has come to our rescue.
We’re a fiercely proud and independent people, and we don’t cotton much to outside interference, but we’re not ashamed to accept help when we need it. And right now, we need it.
Just don’t get carried away. For instance, once we get around to fishing again, don’t try to tell us what kind of lures work best in your waters.
We’re not going to listen. We’re stubborn that way.
You probably already know that we talk funny and listen to strange music and eat things you’d probably hire an exterminator to get out of your yard.
We dance even if there’s no radio. We drink at funerals. We talk too much and laugh too loud and live too large and, frankly, we’re suspicious of others who don’t.
But we’ll try not to judge you while we’re in your town.
Everybody loves their home, we know that. But we love South Louisiana with a ferocity that borders on the pathological. Sometimes we bury our dead in LSU sweatshirts.
Often we don’t make sense. You may wonder why, for instance – if we could only carry one small bag of belongings with us on our journey to your state – why in God’s name did we bring a pair of shrimp boots?
We can’t really explain that. It is what it is.
You’ve probably heard that many of us stayed behind. As bad as it is, many of us cannot fathom a life outside of our border, out in that place we call Elsewhere.
The only way you could understand that is if you have been there, and so many of you have. So you realize that when you strip away all the craziness and bars and parades and music and architecture and all that hooey, really, the best thing about where we come from is us.
We are what made this place a national treasure. We’re good people. And don’t be afraid to ask us how to pronounce our names. It happens all the time.
When you meet us now and you look into our eyes, you will see the saddest story ever told. Our hearts are broken into a thousand pieces.
But don’t pity us. We’re gonna make it. We’re resilient. After all, we’ve been rooting for the Saints for 35 years. That’s got to count for something.
OK, maybe something else you should know is that we make jokes at inappropriate times.
But what the hell.
And one more thing: In our part of the country, we’re used to having visitors. It’s our way of life.
So when all this is over and we move back home, we will repay to you the hospitality and generosity of spirit you offer to us in this season of our despair.
That is our promise. That is our faith."
As a follow-up to that letter, read his letter written 10 years later.
Chris Rose can be reached at noroses@bellsouth.net.
What originally brought me to this site was a piece written by a writer who resides in New Orleans, Chris Rose .
Chris is loved by many, not loved by a some due to his personal problems after Katrina. He wrote articles in the post-Katrina world that are contained in his book "One Dead In Attic" .
Here is his letter to America in the weeks following Katrina:
"Dear America,
I suppose we should introduce ourselves: We’re South Louisiana.
We have arrived on your doorstep on short notice and we apologize for that, but we never were much for waiting around for invitations. We’re not much on formalities like that.
And we might be staying around your town for a while, enrolling in your schools and looking for jobs, so we wanted to tell you a few things about us. We know you didn’t ask for this and neither did we, so we’re just going to have to make the best of it.
First of all, we thank you. For your money, your water, your food, your prayers, your boats and buses and the men and women of your National Guards, fire departments, hospitals and everyone else who has come to our rescue.
We’re a fiercely proud and independent people, and we don’t cotton much to outside interference, but we’re not ashamed to accept help when we need it. And right now, we need it.
Just don’t get carried away. For instance, once we get around to fishing again, don’t try to tell us what kind of lures work best in your waters.
We’re not going to listen. We’re stubborn that way.
You probably already know that we talk funny and listen to strange music and eat things you’d probably hire an exterminator to get out of your yard.
We dance even if there’s no radio. We drink at funerals. We talk too much and laugh too loud and live too large and, frankly, we’re suspicious of others who don’t.
But we’ll try not to judge you while we’re in your town.
Everybody loves their home, we know that. But we love South Louisiana with a ferocity that borders on the pathological. Sometimes we bury our dead in LSU sweatshirts.
Often we don’t make sense. You may wonder why, for instance – if we could only carry one small bag of belongings with us on our journey to your state – why in God’s name did we bring a pair of shrimp boots?
We can’t really explain that. It is what it is.
You’ve probably heard that many of us stayed behind. As bad as it is, many of us cannot fathom a life outside of our border, out in that place we call Elsewhere.
The only way you could understand that is if you have been there, and so many of you have. So you realize that when you strip away all the craziness and bars and parades and music and architecture and all that hooey, really, the best thing about where we come from is us.
We are what made this place a national treasure. We’re good people. And don’t be afraid to ask us how to pronounce our names. It happens all the time.
When you meet us now and you look into our eyes, you will see the saddest story ever told. Our hearts are broken into a thousand pieces.
But don’t pity us. We’re gonna make it. We’re resilient. After all, we’ve been rooting for the Saints for 35 years. That’s got to count for something.
OK, maybe something else you should know is that we make jokes at inappropriate times.
But what the hell.
And one more thing: In our part of the country, we’re used to having visitors. It’s our way of life.
So when all this is over and we move back home, we will repay to you the hospitality and generosity of spirit you offer to us in this season of our despair.
That is our promise. That is our faith."
As a follow-up to that letter, read his letter written 10 years later.
Chris Rose can be reached at noroses@bellsouth.net.
Monday, June 01, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015
Thoughts for a long weekend
"I regard class differences as contrary to justice"
Some varied thoughts from Einstein
A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. I am strongly drawn to the simple life and am often oppressed by the feeling that I am engrossing an unnecessary amount of the labour of my fellow-men. I regard class differences as contrary to justice and, in the last resort, based on force. I also consider that plain living is good for everybody, physically and mentally.
[…]
Schopenhauer’s saying, that “a man can do as he will, but not will as he will,” has been an inspiration to me since my youth up, and a continual consolation and unfailing well-spring of patience in the face of the hardships of life, my own and others’. This feeling mercifully mitigates the sense of responsibility which so easily becomes paralysing, and it prevents us from taking ourselves and other people too seriously; it conduces to a view of life in which humour, above all, has its due place.
[…]
The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Without the sense of fellowship with men of like mind, of preoccupation with the objective, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific research, life would have seemed to me empty. The ordinary objects of human endeavour—property, outward success, luxury—have always seemed to me contemptible.
Some varied thoughts from Einstein
A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. I am strongly drawn to the simple life and am often oppressed by the feeling that I am engrossing an unnecessary amount of the labour of my fellow-men. I regard class differences as contrary to justice and, in the last resort, based on force. I also consider that plain living is good for everybody, physically and mentally.
[…]
Schopenhauer’s saying, that “a man can do as he will, but not will as he will,” has been an inspiration to me since my youth up, and a continual consolation and unfailing well-spring of patience in the face of the hardships of life, my own and others’. This feeling mercifully mitigates the sense of responsibility which so easily becomes paralysing, and it prevents us from taking ourselves and other people too seriously; it conduces to a view of life in which humour, above all, has its due place.
[…]
The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Without the sense of fellowship with men of like mind, of preoccupation with the objective, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific research, life would have seemed to me empty. The ordinary objects of human endeavour—property, outward success, luxury—have always seemed to me contemptible.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
Monday, May 04, 2015
Sunday, May 03, 2015
Pleasant Surprise
The last week of April was full of news, mostly bad.
There were the Baltimore riots in response to the murder of Freddie Gray by Baltimore police. Then came the torrential rains early in the week, which caused 11 train cars to be blown of the Huey Long Bridge .
But as the rains left and the skies became blue and the temperatures stayed in the fantastic zone for the opening of Jazz Fest, a magical thing happened in New Orleans' skies. Take a look:
These pictures were taken mainly by the members of the Cloud Appreciation Society on Facebook.
These inspiring messages are the brainchild of
New Orleans native Frank Scurlock. It was a beautiful gift. You can read the background of this gift at the link above.
Thank you, Mr. Scurlock.
There were the Baltimore riots in response to the murder of Freddie Gray by Baltimore police. Then came the torrential rains early in the week, which caused 11 train cars to be blown of the Huey Long Bridge .
But as the rains left and the skies became blue and the temperatures stayed in the fantastic zone for the opening of Jazz Fest, a magical thing happened in New Orleans' skies. Take a look:
These inspiring messages are the brainchild of
New Orleans native Frank Scurlock. It was a beautiful gift. You can read the background of this gift at the link above.
Thank you, Mr. Scurlock.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Friday, April 24, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
It was 20 Years ago Today
A U.S. citizen blew up a Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
From the link above: Carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed 168 people and injured more than 680 others. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 16-block radius, destroyed or burned 86 cars, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, causing at least an estimated $652 million worth of damage.
An estimated 646 people were inside the building when the bomb exploded. By the end of the day, 14 adults and 6 children were confirmed dead, and over 100 injured. The toll eventually reached 168 confirmed dead, not including an unmatched leg that could have belonged to an unidentified 169th victim. Most of the deaths resulted from the collapse of the building, rather than the bomb blast itself. Those killed included 163 who were in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, one person in the Athenian Building, one woman in a parking lot across the street, a man and woman in the Oklahoma Water Resources building, and a rescue worker struck on the head by debris.
The victims, including three pregnant women, ranged in age from 3 months to 73 years. Of the dead, 99 worked for the federal government. Eight of the victims were federal law enforcement agents; four from the United States Secret Service, two from the United States Customs Service, one from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and one from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nineteen of the victims were children, 15 of whom were in the America's Kids Day Care Center. The bodies of the 168 victims were identified at a temporary morgue set up at the scene. A team of 24 identified the victims using full-body X-rays, dental examinations, fingerprinting, blood tests, and DNA testing. More than 680 people were injured. The majority of the injuries were abrasions, severe burns, and bone fractures.
McVeigh later justified his killing of children in the bombing: "I didn't define the rules of engagement in this conflict. The rules, if not written down, are defined by the aggressor. It was brutal, no holds barred. Women and kids were killed at and Ruby Ridge. You put back in [the government's] faces exactly what they're giving out.
Never Forget.
From the link above: Carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed 168 people and injured more than 680 others. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 16-block radius, destroyed or burned 86 cars, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, causing at least an estimated $652 million worth of damage.
An estimated 646 people were inside the building when the bomb exploded. By the end of the day, 14 adults and 6 children were confirmed dead, and over 100 injured. The toll eventually reached 168 confirmed dead, not including an unmatched leg that could have belonged to an unidentified 169th victim. Most of the deaths resulted from the collapse of the building, rather than the bomb blast itself. Those killed included 163 who were in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, one person in the Athenian Building, one woman in a parking lot across the street, a man and woman in the Oklahoma Water Resources building, and a rescue worker struck on the head by debris.
The victims, including three pregnant women, ranged in age from 3 months to 73 years. Of the dead, 99 worked for the federal government. Eight of the victims were federal law enforcement agents; four from the United States Secret Service, two from the United States Customs Service, one from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and one from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nineteen of the victims were children, 15 of whom were in the America's Kids Day Care Center. The bodies of the 168 victims were identified at a temporary morgue set up at the scene. A team of 24 identified the victims using full-body X-rays, dental examinations, fingerprinting, blood tests, and DNA testing. More than 680 people were injured. The majority of the injuries were abrasions, severe burns, and bone fractures.
McVeigh later justified his killing of children in the bombing: "I didn't define the rules of engagement in this conflict. The rules, if not written down, are defined by the aggressor. It was brutal, no holds barred. Women and kids were killed at and Ruby Ridge. You put back in [the government's] faces exactly what they're giving out.
Never Forget.
Never Forget
April 20th is a date I cannot forget, for two reasons:
In 1999 , two students murdered 12 people at Columbine High School and injured 21 others
It's one of those incidents where we will always remember where we were when we heard about it. The sadness that it brings to our hearts: all those innocents killed or hurt for no reason. The shootings that followed Columbine .
In 2010 11 humans and countless denizens of the Gulf of Mexico are gone or severely affected.
Five years later, oil is still washing up on shore,, bottlenose dolphins and sea turtles are still being affected,an oil chemical from the spill has been shown to cause irregular heartbeats in the embryos of bluefin and yellowfin tuna and thousands of sea birds have died and those that survived show abnormalities.
The lives of people living on the Gulf Coast are forever changed.
We'll never forget the photos of oiled birds (I cannot bring myself to post pictures, it's just too tragic), the smell of the oil burning in the Gulf (yes, we could smell it when the winds were right), our beaches unaccessible after the spill, finding tar balls on the beaches when they opened again. So many bad memories.
These are two April 20th memories I'll never forget.
In 1999 , two students murdered 12 people at Columbine High School and injured 21 others
It's one of those incidents where we will always remember where we were when we heard about it. The sadness that it brings to our hearts: all those innocents killed or hurt for no reason. The shootings that followed Columbine .
In 2010 11 humans and countless denizens of the Gulf of Mexico are gone or severely affected.
Five years later, oil is still washing up on shore,, bottlenose dolphins and sea turtles are still being affected,an oil chemical from the spill has been shown to cause irregular heartbeats in the embryos of bluefin and yellowfin tuna and thousands of sea birds have died and those that survived show abnormalities.
The lives of people living on the Gulf Coast are forever changed.
We'll never forget the photos of oiled birds (I cannot bring myself to post pictures, it's just too tragic), the smell of the oil burning in the Gulf (yes, we could smell it when the winds were right), our beaches unaccessible after the spill, finding tar balls on the beaches when they opened again. So many bad memories.
These are two April 20th memories I'll never forget.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Definition of Bitch
Every day we watch newscasters, weathermen and sports commentators on TV and wonder what it would be like if you could meet them in real life?
True, we've seen some that are down to earth, some that are downright crazy and some that are self-centered and rude.
Here's a video of Britt McHenry, soon to be ex-ESPN reporter, berating a cashier at a towing company in true bitch fashion.
I mean look at this photo; it screams phony
True, we've seen some that are down to earth, some that are downright crazy and some that are self-centered and rude.
Here's a video of Britt McHenry, soon to be ex-ESPN reporter, berating a cashier at a towing company in true bitch fashion.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
How Many?????
At about 9:30 a.m., North Charleston police officer Michael Slager, who is white, pulled Walter Scott over near the auto store for allegedly driving with a broken tail light. Within minutes, a routine traffic stop had escalated into a pursuit. “Chasing on foot down Craig Street,” Slager called into his radio. “Black male, green shirt, blue pants.”
Scott, who is black, had a family court warrant out for his arrest. He owed back child support, the family’s lawyer, Chris Stewart, told The Washington Post. That may have been on his mind, his brother Anthony Scott told the New York Times. And so he allegedly fled and was killed by an officer that morning.
As you can see in the video, Scott was shot SEVEN TIMES. Now I'm no cop, but I would think that if Office Slager wanted to stop Scott, couldn't he just shoot him in the legs?
This abuse is just the tip of the iceberg. My thanks to whomever is responsible for putting together a wiki of police brutality by state. This list is not complete, and has the ability for readers to add brutality that they know of to the list. The address of the website is: at this website.
Scott, who is black, had a family court warrant out for his arrest. He owed back child support, the family’s lawyer, Chris Stewart, told The Washington Post. That may have been on his mind, his brother Anthony Scott told the New York Times. And so he allegedly fled and was killed by an officer that morning.
As you can see in the video, Scott was shot SEVEN TIMES. Now I'm no cop, but I would think that if Office Slager wanted to stop Scott, couldn't he just shoot him in the legs?
This abuse is just the tip of the iceberg. My thanks to whomever is responsible for putting together a wiki of police brutality by state. This list is not complete, and has the ability for readers to add brutality that they know of to the list. The address of the website is: at this website.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Harrah's New Orleans Hotel I can identify all but one of the flags flying, which depict the city of New Orleans and Louisiana's...
-
I think I'm missing something. Razoo Bouncers not guilty of murder. Levon Jones, 26, of Statesboro, Ga., died after being pinned to th...
