Katrina's Trees

A few months ago everyone latched on to the news about the "death toll" of trees in Katrina's wake. Touted as "ecological catastrophe that killed or severely damaged about 320 million trees in Mississippi and Louisiana"


Image above: The devastation of southern Gulf Coast forests by Hurricane Katrina was documented in before-and-after images from the Landsat 5 satellite. The Interstate 10 "twin-span" bridges that cross Lake Pontchartrain east of New Orleans is seen here pre- and post-Katrina. Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge is the large patch of forest (green) the lower left portion of the LEFT image, which suffered heavy tree mortality (seen in red in the RIGHT image after the storm)". Credit: USGS

My daily commute takes me through the heart of Bayou Sauvage and it's there that I have watched the trees slowly dying off. It's especially obvious during these winter months, when there's no other vegetation hiding this slow death. Here are some pictures taken at the end of January along Highway 11 in Bayou Sauvage.

(click on pictures for full-sized version)

The wind isn't blowing in this picture; this tree looks like this when there are no winds.


This tree was bent and broken by the storm's winds. One of thousands and thousands of trees like this in the area from Southeast Louisiana to the middle of Mississippi.


Despite the destruction done by the storm, I find the colors and textures in this picture to be beautiful


Bayou Sauvage is still home to a wide array of wildlife, as evidenced by this guy










There were hundreds of ducks and other waterfowl out on this day, just going about their daily business while we spied on them

Twin Spans

According to the Times Pic today the Lake Pontchartrain Twin Spans construction is ahead of schedule

Essentially hurricane-proof, the 5 1/2-mile bridge touted as the largest public works project in the state's history will rise 30 feet above the lake with 80-foot high-rises, keeping it out of reach of storm surges. The structures will also be nearly twice as wide as the existing bridge, which will ease traffic, officials say.


The existing bridge was pretty well beat up by Katrina in August of 2005, rendering it useless for several months. Pieced together with what was left after the storm, the east bound lanes opened in October of '05. The westbound lanes reopened in January 2006, using prefabricated bridge sections of hot-dipped galvanized steel.



Here are recent pictures of the progress being made, taken on January 26, 2008.
(click on pictures for full-size versions)

You can see the progress being made from the southshore. The present spans are on the left


Taken from the North Shore (Slidell), you can see how far the construction has come


This shot shows the height of the new bridge at its lowest point compared to the present bridge.


Pilings to support the new bridge


Another shot from the North Shore. I've found Ed Blakely's cranes in the sky!

Waveland - 30 Months Post K

We took a little trip down Highway 90 on Saturday, to get lunch at Rickeys Restaurant in Bay St. Louis. On the way home, we decided to check out the rebuilding in Waveland along the coast. Although it still looks pretty damn bad to an outsider, we noticed a lot of improvements on the gulf front since our last trip three or so months ago. While the roads that come off the beachfront are still almost impassable for a passenger car, there are several main arteries connecting it with Highway 90.

Click on photos for full-size version



People are rebuilding while still living in those nasty FEMA trailers
.


Some places are just about done





There are a lot of Katrina Cottages along the beach. Seems like the Katrina Cottages are being used as both temporary quarters while people rebuild as well as what appears to be semi permanent homes to others.













Despite the obvious rebuilding efforts by the people of Waveland, there are still a lot of signs of Katrina's wrath along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.








There's still the presence of people who've dedicated their time and money helping the people of Waveland recover.


St. Clare Church is still operating out of this structure.

Hurricane Katrina has not been forgotten

On Fat Tuesday, a grand tradition in New Orleans, the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena saluted Mardi Gras with a lunch to benefit Katrina survivors.

What this is all about is trying to help people out and keep awareness going," said Chef Instructor Larry Bressler, who spearheaded the effort three years ago.



Bressler has lived and worked in New Orleans and feels a responsibility to keep support coming, he said.

"It's very important and very close to my heart," he said. "I really understand what these people went through."

Proceeds from the event will go to the International Association of Culinary Professionals, who will distribute it to the Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans.

"Since Katrina, we've had several opportunities to work with national restaurant organizations in an opportunity to give back," said Executive Chef Angela T. Goodman.

R.I.P. Nicola Cotton

Funeral for NOPD's Nicola D. Cotton

From the TP:

On Monday morning in Central City, the officer with the million-dollar grin encountered a middle-aged homeless man who reportedly suffered from mental illness. Police said she approached Bernel Johnson, 44, of Kenner, as he was sitting in a small strip mall parking lot in the 2100 block of Earhart Boulevard.

At some point, Johnson allegedly attacked Cotton, wrestled away her gun, beat her and shot her. She was pronounced dead a short while later.



He didn't just shoot her. He emptied her gun into her body.
My husband works near the murder scene and said he heard at least ten shots.

News of Cotton's death spread through the law enforcement community across the country. Patrol cars parked near the New Hope Baptist Church in Central City bore the names of the Jackson, Miss., department, of the Baton Rouge Police Department, of the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office in Montana and more.

Cotton's commanding officer, Maj. Robert Bardy, stepped to the microphone and, with his voice shaking slightly, the grizzled veteran called Friday "one of the hardest days of my life."

He spoke of how he would use Cotton and her partner Latrice Selders as an example to other officers -- sometimes to embarrass them. He said the pair of young officers often outperformed their peers.




Her obit


Nicola Diane Cotton
COTTON Officer Nicola Diane Cotton on Monday, January 28, 2008, age 24 years. Beloved daughter of Jeannette Cotton and the late Hosea Robinson. Sister of Olydia Cotton-Willis and Monique Cotton. Granddaughter of James Cotton and the late Izella Cotton and Herbert Robinson. Niece of Mable Cotton, Vernell Wilkerson, Tyrone Cotton, Henry Cotton and Sherrine Cotton. Aunt of Jasmin, McKenzie and Jamar. Officer Cotton was a two and a half year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department and assigned to the 6th Police District. Relatives, friends, also members of the New Orleans Police Department, Warren Easton High School class of 2001, Carter G. Woodson Middle School and Delgado Community College are invited to attend the Funeral Services at New Hope Baptist Church, 1807 LaSalle Street, New Orleans, LA, on Friday, February 1, 2008 at 12:00 PM. Interment will follow in Greenwood Cemetery. Visitation on Friday from 10:00 AM until 12:00 PM. To view and sign the guest book, please go to www.lakelawnmetairie.com.
Published in The Times-Picayune on 1/30/2008.

This Sucks

A federal judge has thrown out a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the failure of levees in New Orleans, citing an 80 year old law.
Stanwood Duval ruled that the corps, which designed and built the levees and floodwalls meant to keep New Orleans from being inundated, could not be sued because of a 60-year-old law.



The flood control act of 1928 makes the federal government immune from lawsuits over flood control projects.

Excerpts from Judge Duval

"Often, when the King can do no wrong, his subjects suffer the consequences. Such is the case here. This story -- 50 years in the making -- is heart-wrenching. Millions of dollars were squandered in building a levee system with respect to these outfall canals which was known to be inadequate by the corps' own calculations."



"While the United States government is immune ... it is not free, nor should it be, from posterity's judgment concerning its failure to accomplish what was its task," Stanwood said, lamenting his inability to take further action.

"It is hopefully within the citizens of the United States' power to address the failures of our laws and agencies," he said. "If not, it is certain that another tragedy such as this will occur again."




Stanwood called the story of the Corps failure to protect New Orleans "heart-wrenching."

"Millions of dollars were squandered in building a levee system ... which was known to be inadequate by the Corps' own calculations," the ruling said. The Corps' own studies recommended upgrades that were never implemented.

Scuzzbucket of the Week

Bernel Johnson, a man described as having a history of sexual assault in an NOPD news release. This piece of shit killed 24 year old New Orleans police officer Nicola Cotton, a shy, soft-spoken and ambitious young officer patrolling some of the city's most violent corridors. She became the second female NOPD officer killed in the line of duty.
From the Times Picayune
On Monday morning, officer Nicola Cotton approached a middle-aged man sitting in the parking lot a Central City strip of stores, Police Department spokesman Sgt. Joe Narcisse said. Police Superintendent Warren Riley said the man appeared homeless.

Surveillance footage shows Cotton motioning casually about 10 a.m. for the man to come near, police said. At that point, for reasons unclear, he pounced, Narcisse said.
For seven minutes, the pair tussled on the pavement, police said. Cotton called for backup on her radio at some point during the struggle, but the man wrestled her gun away from her and shot her before help could arrive, police said.

"He fired several times," Narcisse said. "She goes down to the ground. He just stands there, over her, looking down."

He fired again, unloading her service weapon of all its bullets, Narcisse said.

Supposedly a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic with violent tendencies Johnson's family say they have long fought a losing battle to get him mental help.

Sorry, mental illness or not, this guy's scum, one reason I believe in the death penalty.

Barkus 2008

Didn't get to go to the parade, but there are pictures here and here

Looks like a good time.

Thru the Eyes of Katrina

The Journal of American History has a special issue out called "Through the Eye of Katrina: The Past as Prologue?"

It has 20 Katrina related articles all of which can be read online.

Through the Eye of Katrina: The Past as Prologue? An Introduction
by Clarence L. Mohr and Lawrence N. Powell, pp. 693–694

Boundary Issues: Clarifying New Orleans’s Murky Edges
by Ari Kelman, pp. 695–703

An Ethnic Geography of New Orleans
by Richard Campanella, pp. 704–715

New Orleans Architecture: Building Renewal
by Karen Kingsley, pp. 716–725

The Atlantic World and the Road to Plessy v. Ferguson
by Rebecca J. Scott, pp. 726–733

The Political Construction of a Natural Disaster: The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1853
by Henry M. McKiven Jr., pp. 734–742

The Politics of Poverty and History: Racial Inequality and the Long Prelude to Katrina
by Kent B. Germany, pp. 743–751

Fade to Black: Hurricane Katrina and the Disappearance of Creole New Orleans
by Arnold R. Hirsch, pp. 752–761

Water in Sacred Places: Rebuilding New Orleans Black Churches as Sites of Community Empowerment
by Donald E. DeVore, pp. 762–769

Resilient History and the Rebuilding of a Community: The Vietnamese American Community in New Orleans East
by Karen J. Leong, Christopher A. Airriess, Wei Li, Angela Chia-Chen Chen, and Verna M. Keith, pp. 770–779

The Post-Katrina, Semiseparate World of Gender Politics
by Pamela Tyler, pp. 780–788

Carnival and Katrina
by Reid Mitchell, pp. 789–794

Poverty Is the New Prostitution: Race, Poverty, and Public Housing in Post-Katrina New Orleans
by Alecia P. Long, pp. 795–803

The Disneyfication of New Orleans: The French Quarter as Facade in a Divided City
by J. Mark Souther, pp. 804–811

“They’re Tryin’ to Wash Us Away”: New Orleans Musicians Surviving Katrina
by Bruce Boyd Raeburn, pp. 812–819

Reflections of an Authentic Jazz Life in Pre-Katrina New Orleans
by Michael G. White, pp. 820–827

The Mourning After: Languages of Loss and Grief in Post-Katrina New Orleans
by Marline Otte, pp. 828–836

“The Forgotten People of New Orleans”: Community, Vulnerability, and the Lower Ninth Ward
by Juliette Landphair, pp. 704–715

Constructing New Orleans, Constructing Race: A Population History of New Orleans
by Elizabeth Fussell, pp. 846–855

After the Storms: Tradition and Change in Bayou La Batre
by Frye Gaillard, pp. 856–862

What Does American History Tell Us about Katrina and Vice Versa?
by Lawrence N. Powell, pp. 863–876

Here's the link

thanks to scout for the heads up

Jazz Fest 2008

It's the end of January, it's rainy and cold. BUT, the thoughts of warm sun, good food and
fantastic music is in my head this morning as we decide which day I want to do Jazz Fest.(May 4th!!!) From the Jazz Fest site , here's the not yet complete list of performers:
Friday, April 25
Buckwheat Zydeco, Sheryl Crow, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Burning Spear, Ozomatli with Chali 2na, Lizz Wright, Tab Benoit, Anders Osborne, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Terence Simien & Zydeco Experience, Leo Nocentelli’s “Rare Gathering” feat. Bernie Worrell, Doug Wimbish & Will Calhoun, Doyle Bramhall with C.C. Adcock & the Louisiana Marquis, Ellis Marsalis, Paul Porter of the Legendary Christianaires, Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, Barbara Lynn, Theresa Andersson Group, Banu Gibson & New Orleans Hot Jazz, The Iguanas, The New Orleans Nightcrawlers, Twangorama, Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, Zydepunks, Vivaz!, Shamarr Allen, Zion Trinity, Otra, Kim Carson, Moov of Martinique, Kustbandet of Sweden, Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Leah Chase, Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective, Rosalie “Lady Tambourine” Washington, Jesse McBride, Bonsoir Catin, J. Monque’D Blues Band, Bamboula 2000, Paky Saavedra’s Bandido, Jamil Sharif’s New Orleans Jazz Professors, Voices of Distinction, Pastor Sean T. Elder & the Mt. Hermon BC Mass Choir, Creole Wild West and Semolian Warriors Mardi Gras Indians, Joe Hall, Rufus “Rip” Wimberly & the Dreamers, Brice Kapel of the Togo, Amina Figarova Group of The Netherlands, Jonno & Bayou Deville, Andrew Hall’s Society Brass Band, Real Untouchables Brass Band, June Gardner, Val & Love Alive Fellowship Choir with the Dimensions of Faith, Teatro Alpargata of Argentina, Family Ties and Big Nine SAPCs, Hazel & the Delta Ramblers, Smitty Dee’s Brass Band, McDonogh #35 Gospel Choir, Gregg Martinez, Keep N it Real and Single Ladies SAPCs…

Saturday, April 26
Dr. John, Billy Joel, Keyshia Cole, O.A.R., The Count Basie Orchestra feat. Patti Austin, Cowboy Mouth, Cupid, James Cotton, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Trinitee 5:7, Wayne Toups & Zydecajun, Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters, Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, The Imagination Movers, Ponderossa Stomp Revue feat. Tammy Lynn, Archie Bell, Roy Head, and Dennis Binder, Big Jay McNeely, Warren Storm w/ Willie Tee & the Cypress Band, NewBirth Brass Band, Astral Project, Davell Crawford Singers, Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys, DJ Bomshell, Eddie Bo, Benjy Davis Project, Paul Sanchez & the Rolling Road Show, Tricia "Teedy" Boutté & Ytre Suløens Jass-Ensemble of Norway, Mahogany Brass Band, Germaine Bazzle, Bobby Lounge, Tribute to George Lewis feat. Dr. Michael White and Tommy Sancton, Tribute to Wilson “Willie Tee” and Earl Turbinton, Big Chief Peppy & the Golden Arrows, Sonny Bourg, Big Blue Marble, PJ Morton Band, Hadley Castille, Jeremy & the Zydeco Hot Boyz, Po’ Henry & Tookie, Rockie Charles & the Stax of Love, Carol Fran, 101 Runners, The Original Last Straws, Tyronne Foster & the Arc Singers, Young Tuxedo Brass Band, Berklee College of Music Jazz Ensemble, Nine Times and Single Men SAPCs, The Electrifying Crown Seekers, Golden Comanche and Chief Iron Horse & the Black Seminole Mardi Gras Indians, Xavier Jazz Ensemble, Connie Jones’ Crescent City Jazz Band, Kayla Woodson with Louisiana Lightning, NORD Crescent City Lights Youth Theater, First Emmanuel BC Choir, The Worship Squad, Unstoppable Gospel Creators, NOCCA Jazz Ensemble, The RRAAMS Drum and Dance, Lady Jetsetters, Dumaine Gang and Divine Ladies SAPCs, Red White & Blue Mardi Gras Indians…

Sunday, April 27
Irma Thomas, Tim McGraw, Al Green, Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, Cassandra Wilson, Delbert McClinton, Del McCoury, Pete Fountain, Byron Cage with Kim Burrell, Voices of the Wetlands Allstars, Jeremy Davenport, Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue, Hot 8 Brass Band, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles, Roy Young, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Nicholas Payton, Davell Crawford’s New Orleans R & B Orchestra, Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone's Harmonica Revue, The Throw Back Jamm feat. Joe Blakk, UNLV, MC T. Tucker, Dolemite, BustDown, and Cheeky Blakk, Rob Wagner and Hamid Drake, New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, Tim Laughlin, Jo “Cool” Davis, Mamadou Diabate of Mali, Little Freddie King, Jambalaya, Leroy Jones, Willis Prudhomme & Zydeco Express, Wilberforce University Choir, Kenny Bill Stinson, Paulette Wright, Golden Star Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Egg Yolk Jubilee, Midnite Disturbers, David Egan, Lars Edegran’s New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, Furious Five, Untouchables and Big Steppers SAPCs, UNO Jazz Ensemble, Shades of Praise, Michael Ward, Paulin Brothers Brass Band, Lionel Ferbos & the Palm Court Jazz Band, Carrollton Hunters and Flaming Arrows Mardi Gras Indians, Gregg Stafford’s Jazz Hounds, Nineveh BC Choir, Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys, AsheSon, VisionQuest Chorale feat. Maurette Brown Clark, N’Fungola Sibo West African Dance Company, Percussion Inc., Patrice Fisher & Arpa feat. Angel Rios of Honduras, Craig Adams & Higher Dimensions of Praise, Olympia Aid, New Look and The First Division SAPCs, Kilts of Many Colours, Percussion Inc., Ninth Ward Navajo and Cherokee Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Colleen Salley…

Thursday, May 1
Randy Newman, Widespread Panic, Tower of Power, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, Bettye LaVette, Gene “Duke of Earl” Chandler, Deacon John, Donald Harrison, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ruby Wilson, Luther Kent & Trickbag, Porter, Batiste, & Stoltz, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes, The Lee Boys, Fredy Omar con su Banda, Maurice Brown, Lafayette Rhythm Devils, Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove, Creole Zydeco Farmers, Walter Payton & Filé Gumbo, Music Makers’ Relief Foundation’s Blues Review featuring Boo Hanks, Macavine Hayes and Eddie Kirkland, Hot Club of New Orleans, Topsy Chapman’s Tribute to Dinah Washington, John Ellis feat. Jason Marsalis, New Orleans Rhythm Conspiracy, Philip Manuel's tribute to Nat King Cole, Dukes of Dixieland, Dillard University Jazz Ensemble, Ernie Vincent & the Top Notes, Panorama Jazz Band, Mighty Chariots of Fire, Kerry Grombacher, Codac, Dizzy, Betsy McGovern & the Poor Clares, John Lee & the Heralds of Christ, Mark Braud, Joe Torregano, God’s House Westbank Cathedral Choir, Billy Iuso & the Restless Natives, The Melody Clouds, TBC Brass Band, Tony Bazley, Heritage School of Music, Small Souljas Brass Band, The Golden Wings, Red Hawk and Geronimo Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Culu Children’s Traditional African Dance Company, Charles Jackson & the Jackson Travelers, Bon Temp Roulez and VIP Ladies SAPCs, Olayella Daste, David & Roselyn, Second Mt. Carmel Gospel Choir, Basin Street Sheiks…

Friday, May 2
Art Neville, Stevie Wonder, John Prine, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Richard Thompson, The John Butler Trio, John Hammond, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave., Marva Wright & the BMWs, Terence Blanchard & the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Papa Grows Funk, Sunpie’s Tribute to Clifton Chenier, Zigaboo Modeliste, The Jackson Southernaires, The Lee Boys, Bonerama, The Bad Plus, John Boutté, Soul Rebels, Ingrid Lucia, Coco Robicheaux & Spiritland, Theryl “Houseman” DeClouet, Chubby Carrier, Bluerunners, Wanda Rouzan, Driskill Mountain Boys, Ann Savoy’s Sleepless Knights, New Orleans Jazz Vipers feat. Sophie Lee, Stoney B & Grampa Elliot, Gina Forsyth & the Malvinas, Clive Wilson & the New Orleans Serenaders feat. Butch Thompson, New Wave Brass Band, Tuba Woodshed feat. Matt Perrine and Kirk Joseph, Belton Richard & the Musical Aces, Eve’s Lucky Planet, Larry Garner with Henry Gray, Ritmo Caribeño, New Orleans Jazz Ramblers, Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble, Betty Winn & One A-Chord, Lyle Henderson & Emmanuel, Kid Simmons’ Local International Allstars, Pinettes Brass Band, D.L. Menard & the Louisiana Aces, Legacy – the students of Alvin Batiste, Greater Antioch Gospel Choir, New Orleans Mardi Gras Rhythm Indian Section, Ebenezer BC Radio Choir, Loyola University Jazz Ensemble, Casa Samba, The Smooth Family, Eulenspeigel Puppets of Iowa, Original Big Seven and Original Four SAPCs, McMain High School Gospel Choir, Fi Yi Yi & the Mandingo Warriors, New Orleans School of Circus Arts and ISL, Gospel Inspirations of Boutte, Rosedean Choir of South Africa, Scene Boosters and Old N Nu Fellas SAPCs…

Saturday, May 3
Marcia Ball, Jimmy Buffett, Diana Krall, Steel Pulse, The Roots, Bobby McFerrin and Chick Corea, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Bishop Paul S. Morton Sr. & the Greater St. Stephens Mass Choir, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Henry Butler, Aaron Neville’s Gospel Soul, John Mooney & Bluesiana, the subdudes, Rockin’ Dopsie & the Zydeco Twisters, New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra, Ruthie Foster, Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Savoy Center of Eunice Saturday Cajun Jam, Charmaine Neville, The Dixie Cups, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas, James Andrews, Dr. Michael White & the Original Liberty Jazz Band feat. Thais Clark, Lillian Boutté, Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie, Stephanie Jordan, War Chief Juan & Young Fire, Pine Leaf Boys, Bionik Brown, Treme Brass Band, New Orleans Blues Serenaders, Spencer Bohren, Don Vappie & the Creole Jazz Serenaders, Roddie Romero & the Hub City Allstars, Lil’ Buck Sinegal feat. Rudy Richard, Feufollet, Pinstripe Brass Band, Storyville Stompers Brass Band, Tribute to Max Roach feat. Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis, and Shannon Powell, Tondrae, Chappy, Danza feat. Evan Christopher and Tom McDermott, Beyond Measure, Lil Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers, Rumba Buena, Rocks of Harmony, Guitar Lightnin’ Lee, St. Joseph the Worker Mass Choir, Big Chief Ke Ke & Comanche Hunters and White Cloud Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Leviticus Gospel Singers, Tulane University Jazz Ensemble, Secondline Jammers, New Generation and Undefeated Divas SAPCs, Trouble Nation and Mohawk Hunters Mardi Gras Hunters, Archdiocese of New Orleans Community Choir, Bester Singers, Donald Lewis, Young Guardians of the Flame, Stephen Foster’s Mid City Workshop Alumni Ensemble, Westbank Steppers, Valley of the Silent Men and Pigeon Town Steppers SAPCs, Golden Blade and Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indians…

Sunday, May 4
The Neville Brothers, Santana, Maze feat. Frankie Beverly, The Raconteurs, Dianne Reeves, Galactic, The Radiators, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, The Derek Trucks Band, Keb’ Mo’, Rebirth Brass Band, Sonny Landreth, Snooks Eaglin, John P. Kee & the New Life Community Choir, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Tribute to Mahalia Jackson feat. Irma Thomas, Marva Wright and Rachelle Richard, Vernel Bagneris: Jelly Roll & Me, Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys, Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk, DJ Captain Charles, Kenny Neal, Sherman Washington & the Zion Harmonizers, Bob French & the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, Elysian Fieldz, The New Orleans Bingo Show!, Benny Grunch & the Bunch, Goldman Thibodeaux & the Lawtell Playboys, Jonathan Batiste, Rotary Downs, George French, Chris Ardoin & Nu Step, Guitar Slim Jr., Grupo Fantasma, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Ovi-G & the Froggies, The Revealers, Pfister Sisters, Salvador Santana Band, William Smith’s Tribute to Kid Sheik, Eddie Boh Paris aka Chops, SUBR Jazz Ensemble, Chris Clifton, Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Ensemble, New Orleans Spiritualettes, Zulu Male Ensemble, The Jazz Jam, Tribute to Tuba Fats, Highsteppers Brass Band, Black Eagles, Hardhead Hunters and Apache Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Lady Rollers and CTC Steppers SAPCs, Guyland Leday with Family & Friends Zydeco Band, Young Traditional New Orleans Brass Band, Watson Memorial Teaching Ministries, Wild Apaches, Young Magnolias and Black Feathers Mardi Gras Indians, Original Prince of Wales and the Original New Orleans Lady Buckjumpers SAPCs, Tornado Brass Band, Judy Stock, Minister Jai Reed…

Carnival Stuffage

Get on over to Cliff's Crib and read some "helpful hints" for attending Carnival this year. Good stuff!

Thanks, Cliff.

Mardi Gras Parade Schedule

Mardi Gras events in NOLA and surrounding parishes


A Guide from someone who does this for a living

A video depicting Fat Tuesday in the FQ ...usually attended by tourists. The somewhat sleezy side of Mardi Gras. Don't know any locals that enjoy it.

Mardi Gras in Lafayette, LA (southwest Louisiana)

Mardi Gras in Mobile, AL. , where it first started.

Mardi Gras in Universal Studios in Florida



Mardi Gras photos from NOLA dot com readers

Enjoy!!!! I'll be home, where it's quiet and enjoying it!

Scuzzbucket of the week

Lam Luong
Lam Luong, 37, of Irvington confessed Tuesday night to driving to the Dauphin Island bridge, stopping and tossing the youngsters off the span, which is as high as 80 feet above the water in places



Missing and presumed dead were 4-month-old Danny Luong; 1-year-old Lindsey Luong; 2-year-old Hannah Luong; and 3-year-old Ryan Phan. Phan is not the man's biological child, but Luong raised him from infancy, authorities said

The couple lived with Phan's mother at Bayou La Batre, a fishing village with a large Southeast Asian community. Phan was in seclusion Wednesday morning in the brick home, the front porch cluttered with children's shoes.

From
al.com , background on this scum of the earth:

Looking for an opportunity for a fresh start after Katrina…. the couple left the Bayou La Batre area determined to land new jobs.

The owner of the Kobe Japanese Steak House, Lisa Tran, recalled speaking to Luong initially in English, then switching to the language of her native Vietnam when she discovered that he had been born there, too.

I didn't know he was Vietnamese because he looked like a black guy, said Tran in heavily accented English.

Tran described Luong as a model employee for about eight or nine months before he became increasingly moody. He sometimes complained about having to shuttle the children back and forth to day care and once even made a passing reference to killing them, Tran said, although she added that he said he was just kidding.

Sometimes he work hard, very hard, she said. "Sometimes he was lazy. ... I told him when cooking, you try to be nice to customers."
Tran said her husband fired Luong on Aug. 30 after he missed yet another shift.

Struggling with a crack cocaine problem and a strife-filled relationship with his common-law wife -- and without a job for 5½ weeks -- Lam Luong turned to an unusual source for help in October: the police. Luong picked up the telephone at his mobile home in Hinesville, Ga., and dialed 911, according to police.
Luong said that he wanted to turn himself in, and officers responded to the address, not knowing what he had done wrong.

Luong bonded out of the Georgia jail and at some point moved with his family back to coastal Alabama, where they had lived until Hurricane Katrina flooded their home in 2005.

Nutria at Fault

Taken from an AP article regarding Big Oil's part in the damage to the Louisiana Wetlands

Service canals dug to tap oil and natural gas dart everywhere through the black mangrove shrubs, bird rushes and golden marsh. From the air, they look like a Pac-Man maze superimposed on an estuarine landscape 10 times the size of Grand Canyon National Park.



There are 10,000 miles of these oil canals. They fed America's thirst for energy, but helped bring its biggest delta to the brink of collapse. They also connect an overlooked set of dots in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath: The role that some say the oil industry played in the $135 billion disaster, the nation's costliest.



The delta, formed by the accumulation of the Mississippi River's upstream mud over thousands of years, is a shadow of what it was 100 years ago. Since the 1930s, a fifth of the 10,000-square-mile delta has turned into open water, decreasing the delta's economic and ecologic value by as much as $15 billion a year, according to Louisiana State University studies.

The rate of land loss, among the highest in the world, has exposed New Orleans and hundreds of other communities to the danger of drowning. Katrina made that painfully clear.

Oil wells also discharged about a billion gallons daily of brine, thick with naturally occurring subsurface chemicals like chlorides, calcium and magnesium, as well as acids used in drilling.


It was poured into the marshes, said Virginia Burkett, a longtime researcher of the Louisiana wetlands and the chief scientist for climate change at USGS. It contaminated soils and killed plants and animals, she said, before brine dumping was finally regulated in coastal marshes in 1985.


I remember when I was a young boy we had a camp out in the marsh," said Don Griffin, a grocer and seafood dealer in the delta town of Leeville, which became an oil-drilling center for decades.

"The same places you used to have to get around with a pirogue and a push pole now you can go with a 25-foot outboard. There's no more marsh, which is your first barrier of defense for hurricanes."

I've got duck leases out there and I remember when they were covered in grass. They're all ponds now," said Don Briggs, president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association. "It's not gone because of drilling. It's because nutria ate all the grasses."



Riiiiiight.

Dance Back From the Grave

Songwriter Marc Cohn has a new album out with some songs inspired by Katrina



Best known for his song "Walking in Memphis", Cohn draws inspiration from Katrina several times on "Join the Parade"



From his website, here are a few of the lyrics from "Dance Back...."


Well a thousand souls crossed over
and they were greeted by an all-star band
And while the saints go marching in
there’s still hell to pay back down in Dixie Land
Yeah the storms are headed south again
and the hour’s getting pretty late
Somebody better build that levee
its already Mardi Gras at heavens gate (yeah)


Here's a video of Marc performing "Dance Back from the Grave"



Love his voice.

The album cuts are listed here , as well as samples from each song

Krewe de Vieux

Once again it's time for the Krewe de Vieux (crew da vooo) parade



Here are the 2008 Sub Krewe Themes

RUE DU BOURBON: All You Need is Cash

COMATOSE: Comatose Goes Under The Gun

KREWE DE CRAPS: CRAPS Mutinies – Where’s That Booty

C.R.U.D.E.: When Life Gives You Shit…Grow Mushrooms

DRIPS AND DISCHARGES: "Sgt. Eddie's Only Honkies Banned"

INANE: Mystic Krewe of Inane Extends Its Tour of Booty

K.A.O.S.: You Never Give Me Your Money

KREWE OF SPACE AGE LOVE: "PAY DE BOYS ON DE WATERFRONT"

L.E.W.D: David Vitter’s Lonely Whore’s Club

MAMA ROUX: We All Live in a Jello Shot Machine

KREWE DU MISHIGAS: Krewe du mishigas wards off the evil eye.

MONDU: Mondu Raises Hell-ter Skelter

MYSTIC KREWE OF PAN: PAN Drinks the Lafcadio Kool-Aid

SEEDS OF DECLINE: Fools on the Hill

MYSTIC KREWE OF SPERMES: Spermes: The White Album

T.O.K.I.N.: TOKIN Gets Wasted

UNDERWEAR: Can Buy Me Love

Missed the parade, but thanks to Schroeder I found a link to the KdV's
periodical, Le Monde de Merde, which is hilarious:
Read you some

Mardi Gras is Upon Us

Noteworthy in NOLA has some great articles and links to this years festivities.

Volunteers Moving on in

Despite the lower-than-low opinions of some people, there are many many people out there that continue to help rebuild the Gulf Coast after Katrina.

From USA Today ....

Two years after Katrina, the spirit of volunteerism is stronger than ever: 600,000 people headed to the Gulf Coast in Year 2 vs. 550,000 the first year after the August 2005 storm, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that runs AmeriCorps and other volunteer programs. Most are short-termers whose sheer numbers have provided the muscle behind the rebuilding. But the brains are the long-term volunteers who have dedicated at least six months to New Orleans. They provide the expertise needed to direct volunteers to the right work sites, teaching them to drywall and varnish wood.

The exact number of long-term volunteers is unknown, but their effect on the rebuilding is not. "We've seen this as the largest volunteer response in American history. There's a huge diversity of volunteers, from retirees to people right out of college," says David Eisner, CEO of the community service agency. "The long-term people are the glue that holds volunteerism together."

Despite all its problems, New Orleans is attracting new residents.
David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, says a growing trend, dubbed "the brain-gain phenomenon," is getting traction in New Orleans. "Katrina offers a new frontier for people who care about social change," he says.

After two years of volunteering in AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), Ashley Sloan, Greg Loushine and Jackie Smith decided to start their own non-profit group, Live St. Bernard.

"Many volunteers stay because they bond with and identify with residents," he says. "It's hard for the volunteers to leave and continue with their lives after bonding with the residents." The couple have decided to make New Orleans their permanent home.

"New Orleans represents the great optimism of America," Eisner says. "We've seen people turn their experience in long-term volunteering to inform their career paths. We've seen people move to change their lives of success to lives of significance."


Things are changing ever so slowly, but they're changing for the good.

Big Boys

Found the you tube video where those two large Houma men were kicked out of a restaurant



The video blacks out at about minute 5:30, but returns at about minute 7:03.

Good ol boys who eat too much.
Jeesh.

Trees for the wetlands

From the Times Pic, a little video showing how

Christmas trees restoring the marsh in Jefferson Parish.

For the next three Saturdays, volunteers are needed to help load the Christmas trees into the marshes. Numbers are provided at the end of the video above.

From the Jefferson Parish website
Louisiana is losing 25 - 35 square miles of coastal wetlands each year. The Barataria Basin is the fastest-eroding area of Louisiana's coast. Jefferson Parish once had 50 miles of near-solid healthy wetlands between it and the Gulf of Mexico. The wetlands protect developed areas against hurricane surges, provide natural treatment for storm water, and provide a rich nursery ground for fisheries. Now, a large percentage of these wetlands have been converted to open water, significantly reducing storm protection.





Facts from the
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
The 2007 Christmas season will mark the 17th consecutive year of the PCWRP. About 40,000 linear feet or eight (8) miles of brush fences have been constructed, utilizing over 1,574,000 used Christmas trees. Fifteen coastal parishes and Southeastern Louisiana University will participate in the 2007–08 PCWRP. Most parishes will restock or refurbish existing fences. Participating parishes are Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Terrebonne, and Vermilion. Southeastern Louisiana University will participate in place of Tangipahoa parish. Trees will be picked up curbside or as advertised locally

Post K Mental Health blog

Some people may be familiar with Josh Norman thru the
"Eye of the Storm" blog which he co-authored from Mississippi following Katrina's landfall there.

Joshua has awarded the fellowship through the Kaiser Family Foundation to explore ways in which disasters affect people mentally, specifically the way Hurricane Katrina affected people on the Gulf Coast.

The new blog, called Post Katrina Mental Health

In one of his first posts, Josh tries to answer the question
at
What is a Katrina Victim ?. Here's a little piece of that post

There are certain story lines that many people seem to have followed, with only the details differing.
One story I keep hearing over and over again is this one: "My (parent, grandparent, elderly relative, etc.)
was doing fine before Katrina. They survived the storm. However, upon returning to their home in (the Pass, the Lower 9, the Kiln, Gentilly, etc.)
afterwards, their health started to deteriorate. They stopped (eating, sleeping, smiling, communicating, etc.) Eventually, they died.

Scuzzbuckets of the Week

First we have a post by a seemingly unhappy, unfulfilled individual entitled "Cutting Through the Katrina Krapola"


Written by Gerard Vanderleun, whom one blogger describes as " is an ugly man with an ugly soul ". That blogger seems to have hit the nail on the head.

In his latest diatribe against New Orleans, Gerard goes on and on and on using ideas that seem to come from the black hole where his heart may or may not have been. His commentors share the reign of SOTW for their input as well (see some below) Some excerpts:


I've considered the matter of New Orleans carefully.

I've weighed the never-ending, and now maudlin, saccharine suffering of its people against my now limitless cache of compassion fatigue. They have been found wanting.

To be fair and just, here's what I propose we give New Orleans from this day forward. Nothing. Niente. Zip. Zero. Nada. And a full-scale barium enema just for asking for one more thin dime. Did you send money to this barrage of bozos? I did and I want it back. With interest.


If that doesn't set the hair on the back of your neck to a stand, some of the comments from his readers will...


Wouldn't it be worth it in the end if we could somehow turn this Democrat-controlled city into an ally in the war on terror?
Posted by: Gagdad Bob

Maybe it's time for a new t-shirt:
"Nuke Nawlens"
with the Super Dome and a mushroom cloud.
Posted by: tkdkerry

It's time these lazy thugs got off their bottom heavy behinds and did for themselves instead of wanting everyone else to do for them...talk about a microcosm of the "nanny state" in action...

GREAT article!
Posted by: Miss Beth

Real Americans are not money grubbing leeches that are too useless to earn their own keep.
Having been to NO, I see nothing worth keeping.
Blow the levees and let the River wash the filth away.
Posted by: goobersnot


It goes on and on, but you get the picture. Now there are responses by NOLA bloggers and others who take offense to this article, but when you're dealing with
people as closed minded as those above, it's not worth the effort to try to show them the error in their small-minded thinking, IMHO.

For more local reaction on this article, here are a few links:
Varg

Oyster

Gentilly Girl

Ashley

Animamundi

Hurricane Radio

Slidell Votech gets help

From the Times Picayune, 1-13-08:

FEMA to give college $2.2 million

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has pledged $2.2 million to replace the ruined contents of Louisiana Technical College's Slidell campus, which has been closed since Hurricane Katrina.



The money will go toward replacing furniture and equipment for the college's culinary, nursing, welding, automotive, drafting and computer technology programs. The items were destroyed after the storm inundated the campus off Canulette Road with more than 7 feet of water.

Steve Zeringue, senior compliance officer for the college, said the money will be "of great benefit" to the school.

"The residents of St. Tammany Parish need all the equipment necessary to train for job opportunities," he said. "FEMA has been very cooperative. They've done a good job addressing our needs."

Sending a team to the inundated campus after the storm, FEMA initially estimated the damage to be $160,000, Zeringue said. After school officials provided a more detailed list of the furniture, computers and technical equipment destroyed in the storm, FEMA came back with the revised cost of $2.2 million.

The school will relocate north of Lacombe to a consolidated educational campus that will include Delgado Community College, Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of New Orleans, as well as an advanced studies high school.

View Larger Map

St. Tammany Parish will finance construction of the colleges through a bond issue and repay the debt through lease payments from the universities, which will be given ownership of the buildings once they are paid off, officials have said.

With plans to open the campus in two years, parish officials are waiting for final approval from the Legislature to start construction, said parish spokeswoman Suzanne Parsons Stymiest.

Rough estimates have the construction costing $30 million.

"It may take three (years) but this is a project that (Parish President) Kevin (Davis) is fully committed on, and he is pressing everyone to move forward as quickly as we can," she said.

Still Not Okay

Check this out

Russel Honore

Russel Honore is retiring from the military.


He came to "fame" in the days following Katrina when Ray Nagin, talking to Garland Robinette on September 2, 2005 said this
Now, I will tell you this -- and I give the president some credit on this -- he sent one John Wayne dude down here that can get some stuff done, and his name is [Lt.] Gen. [Russel] Honore.

And he came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving. And he's getting some stuff done.

They ought to give that guy -- if they don't want to give it to me, give him full authority to get the job done, and we can save some people.


Notable Quotes from the fine gentleman who is Russell Honore

America needs to get over it. We can't control everything. We can't control the storms.


By-and-large, these are families that are just waiting to get out of here. They are frustrated; I would be, too. I get frustrated at the cash register counter when the paper runs out.

I can't swing a dead cat without hitting a reporter.


I told myself I'd stay in until I reached major, and then go on and do something else.


The preparations are what they are. We're here. The storm is coming. We are as best prepared as we can be as the eye of the storm approaches.


They went into stores to get food to stay alive. Looting isn't the right word. I call it survival.


This is a Disaster. This isn't something somebody can control. We ain't stuck on stupid.


We've got a plan, but don't confuse the plan with execution. We're doing something that is very different. Nobody goes around with 50 tons of water.


Who is affected more when it's cold? Poor people. Who is affected more when it's hot? Poor people. Who is affected more when it's wet? Poor people. Who is most affected when the economy is bad? Poor people. Poor people are the most fragile.


Worse things have happened to America. We're going to overcome this, too. It's not our fault. The storm came and flooded the city.


You can't vote that water out of the city of New Orleans.


And the classic Honore quote, one that made me actually put a bumper sticker on my car:



The man

Thanks to Mr. Clio for the reminder of this gem.