Superbowl

NYT article on the Saints going to the Super Bowl

Sharing this season

Yeah, I agree that nola dot com sucks when it comes to news. But tonite I discovered something that tugged at my "hawt".

Called Keep departed New Orleans Saints fans in the game, the forum consists of
Saints fans talking to/about their departed loved ones who were Saints fans about this magical time.

This forum is a beautiful tribute to the WhoDats who missed this magical season. And I haven't read one post from a squirrel!

good work, whodats!

NFL backing down....a little


The National Football League appeared to back off Friday on its trademark ownership claims to the phrase "Who Dat" and the fleur-de-lis logo, saying it is challenging the sale of items only "when those products contained or are advertised using other trademarks or identifiers of the Saints."


"Who Dat we do not claim to own by itself," said Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the NFL. "It's when Who Dat is used in conjunction with Saints marks that it's a problem."


McCarthy said T-shirts and items with Who Dat and a fleu-de-lis logo unlike the one owned by the Saints is allowed as long as they are not advertised as being Saints or NFL paraphernalia.

picky picky picky

Saints vs Vikings Highlights

This one gives us some live mike feedback from coaches and players.

WHO DAT!

Scuzzbucket from Seattle

Seattle "radio personality" Dori Monson opines that fans shouldn't root for New Orleans in the Superbowl just because of Katrina was rainstorm that happened 5 years ago.

Start listening at the 22:30 point in this video.

More audio at MyNorthwest.com

An open letter to Roger Goodell

Prosthetically hip blog shares a letter from a lawyer friend of his family to NFL Commish Roger Goodell regarding their idea to "license" the fleur de lis and "WHO DAT".

Very satisfying reading.

A Class Act

We go from the sour grapes to a very classy Colts fan


An Open Letter To the New Orleans Saints, from an Indianapolis Colts Fan

by James Secoloff


Contributor Written on January 27, 2010
It happened...

The Colts have made it to the Super Bowl. Quietly, humbly, efficiently they came out in the second half and delivered the knockout blows needed to beat the pesky New York Jets.

Every Colts fan has been salivating for this for two seasons since the last trip to Miami.

Every Colts fan is ready, ecstatic that his team has made it this far. As the clock ticked down in the AFC Championship game, the realization hit me that another Super Bowl win would fully validate the career of my favorite athlete (do I need to say his name?).

And then...

The Saints come marching in—guns blazing, classy group, everything you could want out of a football team.

Everyone knows the story, Katrina hits, devastating the city of New Orleans...

Who do the people turn to but their lovable loser football team.

They back them, despite the fact that they’ve never been to a Super Bowl, that they’ve had more losing seasons than I’m sure fans care to recall...

The city pulls itself up from its bootstraps, and this team gives it something to stand behind, to root for, to be so proud of.

Which then leads to the question many Colts fan ask themselves...

Why did we get stuck playing the most likeable football team in the history of lovable losers?

I won’t cut corners here. I’m die hard. I hope it’s a great game. I hope Peyton throws for 400 yards and five touchdowns and solidifies himself as one of the all-time greats.

In the end, this game is different from any of the others. I don’t hate the Saints. In fact, I’d say they might be my second favorite team. I don’t want to see Drew Brees being carted off the field at any point in the game, or any other Saints player for that matter. I don’t want any questions about who the better team was when that final whistle blows.

I want a hard-fought battle between two of the classier organizations in the NFL.

I hope both teams walk off the field with their heads held high. I hope fans of both of these franchises cherish this game, this season and the careers of so many great players who will take the field on Super Bowl Sunday.

Which brings me to admitting maybe the hardest thing to say as a Colts fan...

If we gotta lose to someone, might as well be you guys...

There, I said it. Now I look like a sentimental softy. I’m sure my die-hard status will be in question to many a Colt’s fan...

I don’t care. Your story is amazing and your team might be bigger than any one game or even the man(ning) I have idolized since he stepped onto a football field.

Best of luck to all of you, the team, the fans, and the New Orleans community. I’ve rooted hard for the Saints every game of the season, how could you not?

This will be the exception.

I’m sure it will be a game for the ages.

See you in Miami.

Sour Grapes

Supposedly professional people talking about the Saints win over the Vikings last week reminds me of preteens in a playground.

The two Fox announcers were gushing all over Brett Farve all during the game on Sunday (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman). It was nauseating.
Hakim Drops the Ball puts it better than me .

From "al.com":
Saints brutalized Favre
What did the Saints did to Brett Favre bordered on criminal. The only way they could win was to knock him out of the game.

Jeesh, guys, that's what happens in football.

From the Mississippi press Saints played dirty football. huh?

And the all time "wah, wah" reaction to the Saints routing of the Vikings comes from than that wild and crazy kind of guy, Deion Sanders.
From his public tweets, we see that he's got the mind of a 12 year old..... girl:

Well, let's go colts!!!! Let's go Peyton!!!!!!!
7:38 PM Jan 24th That's horrible
7:35 PM Jan 24th I'm not even gone congratulate yall.
7:34 PM Jan 24th Watch, those refs are gonna be on 60 minutes in a few years talkin bout how they got paid to help the saints win.
7:32 PM Jan 24th Ya booo the saints! They're cheaters!!
7:31 PM Jan 24th Cowboys should of been in the super bowl first of all
7:30 PM Jan 24th Duce mcallister is kind of fat
7:29 PM Jan 24th Yall saints fans can't seriously be happy with yall selfs. Yall did not win this fair. The refs helped yall!
7:27 PM Jan 24th RT @DHarrisIV: welp the superbowl is gonna suck -- amen
7:24 PM Jan 24th @mackmaine they cheated bro. Vikings should of won
7:23 PM Jan 24th in reply to mackmaine These refs need to jump off a building.. Head first
7:22 PM Jan 24th I love Bret. I wanted him to win so bad.
7:21 PM Jan 24th Man I'm bout to cry.

Later, in a recap of the game on TV, Mr. Sanders said something to the affect that the jails in New Orleans would be full of drunks on Sunday night.

Deion, there was no rioting, no overturning of police and other cars, no buildings set on fire, no looting and hardly any arrests on Sunday night....unlike other cities that have won championships. All that occurred was jubulation by
Saints' fans. Where else would the fans come prepared with tubas and other brass instruments to celebrate their team's victory? Only in NOLA, baby.



So let's let the sour grapes just move on and turn into raisins. We know how hard our Saints worked to get to Superbowl and that's all that counts.

Freedom of Information Act

From the Levees dot org website:


The Corps is telling us we have to pay big bucks for documents we’re entitled to under federal law!

We requested documents from the Corps’ Public Affairs Office after we discovered they’re paying a PR company called OPP almost $5 million of our tax payer money to improve the Corps’ image after its levees failed in August 2005.

Levees.org wanted to know more about this PR Campaign by OPP, so we filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) last June.

The Corps partly fulfilled our request but now say we can’t see another page unless we pay! We applied for a waiver – since Levees.org is requesting information for the public good – but we were DENIED."



I'm just an uneducated person when it comes to laws, but the above statements make me scratch my head. How can the ACOE demand money for articles requested under the Freedom of Information Act?

The Soul of New Orleans

Embedding is disabled for this fantastic video that discusses "The Soul of New Orleans".

Wright Thompson narrates the amazing recovery for New Orleans post-Katrina, through the excitement over the Saints Superbowl run.

h/t Greg Peters

Highlights of the Saints-Vikings Game

Bless You Boys!

From a Saints fan in Houston "Saints Fans Wanted Their moment and got it.

Oyster's reactions .

Slimbolala talks about his feelings after experiencing that great game .

Cliff's sitting on his porch, discussing Saints history .

* from NolaDishu's roundup: Big fuck yous to Fox and company. Instead of giving us a good NOLA musician, you incestuously cross promote us some talentless fuck from your crappy show. You inflict Joe Buck on us. Ugh. Stick to sucking during baseball season.

Vikings "Fight" Song

How the press gets it wrong again...

Billy Sothern-a criminal defense attorney and writer in New Orleans-and the author of "Down in New Orleans: Reflections from a Drowned City."
Nola Nik: Billy's on Salon.com Today. discusses how the press is inconsistent in telling the stories in Haiti....just as they were in New Orleans after Katrina. A good read. Here is an excerpt:

While I admire some of the reporting I have seen from Haiti and feel like I am getting a picture of what is happening there (while having to hold back tears at the horror of some of the things that I am seeing), it is worth remembering that there will be things, like the "Babies Getting Raped in the Superdome" story after Hurricane Katrina, that may not hold up under the clear light of day, which will hopefully come soon for Port-au-Prince and Haiti.

Saints vs Cardinal highlights

What a game. Here are the highlights

Pants on the ground

I never watch American Idol, but heard about this video. Hilarious

Ugly American

As usual, times of disastrophies bring out the best and the worst of people.

It's no surprise that Rush Limbaugh has never disappointed us. From latimesblog dot com:


After President Obama urged Americans to contribute money to earthquake recovery efforts and directed them to the White House website to learn how they can help, Limbaugh suggested that visiting the site will just get someone on Obama’s campaign e-mail list. (We checked the website's short blog post, which has direct links to the Red Cross and the Center for International Disaster in neat bullet points -- no e-mail forms to be seen.)

"We've already donated to Haiti,'' Limbaugh told the caller on his radio show. "It's called the U.S. income tax."

Helping Haiti

This area, which shares a diverse cultural treasure trove with the devastated country of Haiti now has one more thing in common: coping with unbelievable disaster.

I'm not trying to compare the Katrina and the horrific 7.0 earthquake that hit the country two days ago, along with dozens of aftershocks. But after listening to the news this morning and crying - knowing we now share in the aftermath experience of waiting for help while our fellow citizens suffer and die.



The logisitics of disaster assitance are far more difficult for Haiti. The country has no heavy machinery and must rely upon it to be air dropped or shipped in. Keep these people in your prayers. So many are suffering.

The most important donation a person can make now is the donation of cold, hard cash.
Due to the technological advances of social networking, you can donate thru your cell phone and the donation is added to your bill.

Mark over at Toulouse Street mentions how to donate via Wyclef Jean's website here.

Architecture for Humanity is supporting rebuilding efforts at this website .

It's looking like the Red Cross is getting all the biggie donations. If you would like to donate to them , here's the website. But heads up. The CEO for the Red Cross - Gail J. McGovern - earns a salary of $565,000. (thanks to Lisa/Loki for the link to a great website called Charity Navigator , where you can check out all charities).

On the same hand, there's a Charity called Hope for Haiti, whose charter states "....works to improve the quality of life for the Haitian people, particularly children, through education, nutrition, and health care." Their CEO makes 53K/year.

People short on cash can donate their frequent flyer miles.

Here's a site that lists seven reputable charities to donate to. You can check them out at Charity Navigator dot org.

A Good Choice

Gambit's "New Orleanian of the Year"

From their January 4, 2010 cover story:

The mere mention of Letten's name sends shivers down the spines of crooked pols and evokes cheers from citizens, but he gives all the credit to his staff, fellow prosecutors, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies. While his office has amassed an impressive record on many fronts since Katrina, 2009 was a banner year for Letten and his team of modern-day Untouchables: more than a dozen high-profile criminal indictments and trials against political crooks from every corner of southeast Louisiana — and major investigations are, says Letten in his best Eliot Ness game face, "ongoing."

He's been a busy man these past two years: Here's a link of the 2009 activity for the office of the Eastern District of Louisiana U.S. Attorney's office.

The listing of criminals is not just comprised of notable names like Greg Meffert and his crew, former Mandeville Mayor Eddie "DWI" Price , Derrick "clean cash" Shepherd , Bill "buy the little lady a car" Hubbard and that wacky family of crooks, the Jeffersons (moving on down), but your typical everyday sleaze bags, too.

Thanks Gambit for recognizing Mr. Letten and his office.

I just had to _ Drew Brees youtube

Drew Brees and the rest of the 2009 team are the best.

What is special about Drew is his passion to fire up the players in the pregame, as shown here:

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Gotta love his passion. Gotta love the 2009 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!!

WHO DAT!

Saints vs Panthers

Now matter what happens agains the Carolina Panther's tomorrow, I just want to be on record that the 2009 New Orleans Saints team AND fans have given us all more joy than we expected. Bless you boys!!!

devour the 'KATRINA SHORTHAND'

Let's make 2010 the year we do away with "Katrina Shorthand"

From the website, Levees dot org">Today.......many articles are covering the most memorable events of the decade. Naturally, they all include the metro New Orleans flood.

But the former chief of Gannett's Capitol Bureau stands out and gets a "seal of approval" from us for accurately describing the August 2005 flooding.

Today, John Hill, discussing the effect of hurricanes on Louisiana, is quoted as saying,

...absent the Noah-like flooding of New Orleans because of levee failures, Katrina would have taken second place to Rita.

Hill effectively resisted simply saying 'Katrina flooded New Orleans.' 

Indeed, that would be like saying traffic broke the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis. Both the traffic and Katrina exposed structural flaws. Both revealed blatant civil engineering mistakes.



John McQuaid co-author of Path of Destruction with Mark Schleifstein has observed this is more than a matter of semantics.

Says McQuaid, using Katrina as 'shorthand' and its association with a natural disaster is confusing because it implies "what the heck are those people doing living down there?"



The flooding of metro New Orleans was a civil engineering failure, the worst in the world since Chernobyl according to Dr. Ray Seed, levee expert and geotechnical specialist at the University of California Berkeley.

And responsibility for the failures belongs overwhelmingly and primarily to the federal Army Corps of Engineers.


Thanks to all of the folks from Levees dot org who have relentlessly fight to bring out the whole truth in the flooding of NOLA post Hurricane Katrina.

Super Scuzzbucket

Not from Louisiana this time. From the Huffington Post dot com comes the story of a 73 year old Colorado state employee who stupidly (my opinion) forwarded an email which shows President Obama shining the shoes of Sarah Palin. The small minded woman used her work email account to forward the email.



What in the world is wrong with people? Can they not just accept that Obama IS the president and support him? Why are they so racist?