Hurricane Katrina Aftermath (and other stuff I find interesting)

Youc an't make this stuff up...

2006-09-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

MASTER P - MASTER P'S HURRICANE KATRINA MUSICAL OPENS

Interesting...

2006-09-11T10:38:00.001-07:00

Lee to develop Hurricane Katrina series pilot

C21Media:

Interesting...

2006-09-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

Lee to develop Hurricane Katrina series pilot

C21Media:

That John Wayne dude

2006-09-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

Great article on Lt. Gen. Russel Honore. Worth a few minutes of your time this morning.

Army General Recalls Katrina Aftermath

Landrieu in USA Today

2006-08-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

USATODAY.com - Post-Katrina tourism in Louisiana packs fun, state's rebirth

I love stuff like this

2006-08-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

FACTBOX-Katrina by the numbers - Reuters.com

Thanks, Boston

2006-08-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

This is a great travel piece from the Boston Herald. We need more of these around the country to help stimulate our tourist trade.

BostonHerald.com - Travel News: Easy renaissance: A year after Katrina, New Orleans is jazzed for visitors

We're saved!

2006-08-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

Hilary Duff Will Visit New Orleans On Katrina Anniversary News Access Hollywood

Seriously though, thanks for the help Hillary. My number is 504...........

"Do you know what it means to myth New Orleans"

2006-08-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

Great piece from the independent on public perception around the country. Having spent the past three days in middle america, I've been telling the story and fighting misconceptions every step of the way. It's more important than ever that we continue to tell the story of the successes and challenges in Katrina's wake.

TheInd.com - News Business Culture - Weekly - Lafayette LA

Great article on insurance challenges

2006-08-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Shortly behind housing, property & casualty insurance markets is the number 2 issue affecting the pace of recovery. Insurers are making it almost impossible to live in the city.

Post-Katrina Homes in Insurance Limbo

Interesting story about one homeowner's rebuilding process

2006-08-23T05:42:00.001-07:00

Take a look, a nice read this morning.

A New Orleans home is reborn, with grit and persistence - Americas - International Herald Tribune

Interesting story about one homeowner's rebuilding process

2006-08-23T05:42:00.000-07:00

Take a look, a nice read this morning.

A New Orleans home is reborn, with grit and persistence - Americas - International Herald Tribune

The whole purpose is intended to get money into people's pockets to help them rebuild"

2006-08-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

Heckuva job, Georgie.

United Press International - NewsTrack - Bush: Locals must handle Katrina recovery

This will be pretty sad

2006-08-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Isn't somebody looking for these two? Some distant relative? Friend?

Maybe they will rest in peace. Nameless victims of a named storm.

AP Wire 08/18/2006 Funeral for two unidentified storm victims set for Katrina anniversary

The most depressing post-K article to date

2006-08-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Bloomberg. I'll give you the most positive comment here before you read the rest:

``I have no doubt that New Orleans will recover as a better city than it was pre-Katrina,'' Tulane's Cowen says. ``I just think the process is probably going to take longer and be more painful than it probably should have been.''

Bloomberg.com: U.S.

16% back to normal post-K?

2006-08-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

It's easy to believe if you're on the ground. USA Today has some interesting stats in the article below.

USATODAY.com - Katrina struggle goes on for many

Not Good

2006-08-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

Two national guard soldiers arrested for armed robbery of two people that they pulled over.

NOLA.com: Times-Picayune Updates

Climate Refugees?

2006-08-16T17:55:00.001-07:00

This is a pretty funny article. Not that global warming is funny, but the fact of the matter is that many of the people who have not returned have not becuase of their financial situation, not because of how hot or cold it is somewhere.

Last winter was a very mild winter. Let's get a real Chicago winter on some of these refugees and they will be climate resettlers.

250,000 Katrina evacuees seen as "climate refugees

Climate Refugees?

2006-08-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

Not very surprising

2006-08-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

The insurance industry won its first defense of the provisions in homeowners' policies that exclude flooding.

I'm not surprised at all, and I don't think that anyone should be. This has been a well set precident for years and years. Private insurers left the flood market for the most part, as the problem was too catastrophic to insure. The federal government stepped in, and now we have the NFIP. Thank goodness, and thank goodness that New Orleanians were better insured from a flood perspective than practically any other major metropolitan area in the US.

ABC News: Homeowners lose Katrina insurance flood case

New Orleans Schools

2006-08-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

"New Orleans was the worst-performing of the 100-largest U.S. school districts"

According to this article. I wish it wasn't filed under "World Crises" but that's probably an apt title. One can hardly doubt that it was our poor public education system that put us in the economic and crime situation that we face here today. Hopefully we have a way out.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I think in 10 years, we could look back and say that Katrina was the best thing to happen to this city, not the least of which would be washing out our deplorable school system and replacing it with a new one.

World Crises Reuters.com

the "No $*#&" headline of the day

2006-08-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

The Houston Chronicle has done a pretty good job of the post Katrina coverage, this is pretty silly. Come on. I mean, "Those who fled Katrina on own did better"? Seriously.

You mean, people who had the means to catch a flight, or drive themselves out of harm's way fared better than those who didn't? I can't believe it!

Those who fled Katrina on own did better

Gotta love it

2006-08-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

The Saints getting some run in the New York Times...

Saints Aim for Quick Pivot After Season on Skids - New York Times

Fairgrounds stepping up

2006-08-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

Good to see the Fairgrounds stepping up and working towards becoming a national attraction for horse-racers and horse-racing fans alike.

Fair Grounds Offers Record Stakes Purses in First Post-Katrina Meet

Could this statistic be right?

2006-08-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

At the same time, the study said, the number of houses put up for sale in Orleans Parish - 4,433 - far exceeded the number sold since Katrina - 273. The average sale price for a New Orleans home slid from $292,735 six months after Katrina to $247,436 in June, the report said.

Study: Katrina recovery is a mixed bag

Bechtel Corp., CH2M Hill Cos., Fluor Corp. and Shaw Group Inc

2006-08-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

Maybe we could just change the FEMA acronym with something that would represent these 4 large companies instead? It appears that they'll be doing all of the disaster recovery work for the US in the future...

Big Katrina Contractors Win More FEMA Work

I guess I shouldn't be surprised anymore

2006-08-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

The ability of Americans lately to set aside constitutional protections is rather remarkable, and their interest in pushing their own belief in Christianity to anybody within shouting distance.

I can only imagine what the backlash would be if this planned memorial would have a representation of Allah or Ram on it, rather than Jesus.

Katrina memorial touts religion, ACLU says - A planned New Orleans-area Hurricane Katrina memorial showin...

If you only read one article on this blog...

2006-08-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

...make it this one. If you don't want to register, go to bugmenot.com and borrow one.

Drug Problems Escalate After Hurricane Katrina - New York Times

Hospital deaths to wait

2006-08-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Maybe because he's busy convening a grand jury about the Gretna police?

Probe of Katrina Deaths to Wait a Month

This is truly embarassing

2006-08-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

It was a shame before Katrina that we didn't have a master city plan in place. Now, practically a year after Katrina, it's an embarassingly shameful failure.

Remapping New Orleans key to city's full recovery - MarketWatch

I'm glad that they're looking into this

2006-08-04T09:15:00.000-07:00

But shouldn't Eddie Jordan have other things to do right now, like prosecute the thousands of potential defendants that have been backlogged since the storm?

Inquiry Begins Into Police Refusal to Let Katrina Evacuees Enter Town - Los Angeles Times

Does this story really need an intro?

2006-08-01T15:55:00.001-07:00

Nola.com: NewsFlash - Skeletal remains found in New Orleans home flooded by Katrina

Interesting stats on recovery

2006-08-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

In a strange way, I'm kinda proud to be in the October numbers.

From a pre-Katrina population of over 450,000, Orleans dropped to just 92,660 by October 2005, but recovered to 173,720 by January 2006 and 214,486 by July 2006, which, despite a significant gain, is still less than half the pre-Katrina total.

Claritas Announces Update of Hurricane Katrina-Adjusted Population Estimates

Another negative report on Katrina response

2006-07-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

Just this time, from the United Nations. Yet another black mark in this administration's foreign policy.

U.N. Panel Takes U.S. to Task Over Katrina

Babies everywhere

2006-07-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

You read about this after every major natural disaster, that 9 months later there is a boom in the birth of babies. Sure, some of it has to do with a lack of cable and electricity, but I think there is something to the theory that something kicks in to try to preserve the species when the population is stressed.

ABC News: Katrina Babies Crowd New Orleans Hospitals

204,000

2006-07-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

Applications still pending with the SBA for small business assistance. No wonder things are still going incredibly slow with business recovery.

Chron.com Katrina-Hit Businesses Slow to Get Aid

New Orleans regains 70 pct of jobs since Katrina�|�US News�|�Reuters.com

2006-07-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

If only we could get 70% of our pre-Katrina housing....

New Orleans regains 70 pct of jobs since Katrina US News Reut ers.com

Another article re Katrina deaths

2006-07-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

This thing is going to get messy....

TIME.com: It was Heroism, Not Homicide, During Katrina -- Page 1

Is this really necessary?

2006-07-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

BayouBuzz - Louisiana Blanco to Bush: Katrina Anniversary as National Day of Prayer

Great article on what our new attitude should be

2006-07-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

And also on what an idiot our mayor is, or thinks we are. If Ray thinks that releasing his 100 day plan after the 100 days have passed and telling us what he did instead of what he planned to do is going to be ok, that's just ludicrous.

Anyhow, take a look at the following from CityBusiness. I haven't been the biggest fan of theirs lately, but this is well worth a read.

New Orleans CityBusiness -- The Business Newspaper of Metropolitan New Orleans

"We're talking about people that pretended that maybe they were God"

2006-07-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

Or so says Charles Foti. Read the excellent piece below from the Houston Chronicle for more information, and unfortunately better reporting than has been done locally about this case.

Chron.com Witch hunt: The Louisiana attorney general's probe of Katrina medical workers errs medically, legally and ethically.

Post-K deaths at Memorial not going away

2006-07-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a very difficult issue for the area to deal with. The last (unscientific, granted) survey I saw on nola.com about this said that 75% of people don't think that the doctors would have been out of line if they had given lethal doses to some patients. The article below does raise some interesting points from the medical community. How many will just leave next time, rather than face potential charges?

Fury Meets Katrina Hospital Arrests - Los Angeles Times

Nice

2006-07-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

Rembember the story a few weeks ago that blamed "black culture" for the aftermath of Katrina? Well some white state rep in Colorado apparently forwarded it to his constituents. Way to be decent.

The Raw Story Colorado state rep blasted for linking 'black culture' to Katrina woes in email

Another article about Katrina Fraud

2006-07-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

This, however, is the old-fashioned kind, where government employees spend tax dollars on goodies for themselves, their friends, and anybody else that they can think of. You had to know this was going to happen when the oversight rules for credit card purchases and amounts were lifted in the aftermath of the storm. Visit the Washington Post article below for the gory details.

Katrina Audit Shows Fraud, Abuse

Americans Frustrated by Evacuation Pace - Forbes.com

2006-07-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

No kidding! I'm usually frustrated by the evacuation pace down too.

Americans Frustrated by Evacuation Pace - Forbes.com

Katrina murder charges handed down for doctor, two nurses

2006-07-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

There were many reports of this occuring after the storm, here are the first criminal charges. It's going to be difficult to get a conviction on these charges I'm sure, knowing the conditions in the hospital 5 days post K. Such a sad story all around.

CNN.com - Three charged with second-degree murder in Katrina hospital deaths - Jul 18, 2006

I pity the fool....

2006-07-14T05:41:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't read Mr. T's thoughts about Katrina...

Mr. T sheds gold after Katrina destruction

Best quote:

"The former star of 'The A-Team' said he's about more than his image of beating people up. "

Pretty cool slide show

2006-07-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

Evacuees in their new towns, evacuees back home.

Hurricane Katrina: Evacuee experiences - Boston.com

Spike Lee Documentary to premiere in New Orleans

2006-07-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

I hadn't heard anything about this, but it sounds interesting...

Spike Lee's Katrina Doc to Premiere Near Superdome - Cinematical

I can't think of an appropriate title for this...

2006-07-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

I really don't know how to process this. I'm mostly astonished that somebody would be so uncompassionate? There's no way that this guy has been on the streets of New Orleans, seen the situation first-hand, and could still spew this kind of rhetoric.

'Black Culture' Blamed for Hurricane Katrina Woes -- 07/13/2006

Rev. Grant Storm, who is the Caucasian minister and president of Conservative Christians for Reform, echoed Peterson's view. "The mentality of 'government's going to bail me out. Where's the government?'" is "in the black culture," Storm said. "The mentality is instilled within their churches and in their homes -- of 'the government owes you, the government is your solution, and the government will come and help you.'

"When the government doesn't come and help them, frankly all they do is yap and complain," said Storm, instead of "saying 'Hey, I better go get a job, I better go on my own, I better go find an apartment, I better go take care of myself and my family."

They are waiting for more FEMA money, they are waiting for more relief money and it ain't coming, or it's coming slow; meanwhile, the surrounding parishes -- the predominantly white parishes -- they are rebuilding on their own, and the same way in the Gulf of Mississippi," said Storm. "Orleans -- they still don't have their flooded cars off the streets."

Storm also noted that people living in project housing prior to its destruction from Hurricane Katrina are now demanding that the government quickly rebuild and return them to their old homes. One woman, Storm noted, is a 30-year resident of the projects who is threatening to sue the government. "Now what in the heck is she doing in the housing projects for 30 years? It's like they own them, but they don't own them," he said. "The government owns them, and that's the mentality."

Big Money, No Whammies

2006-07-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

HUD OKs $5.2B For Katrina Rebuilding, Agency Approves Funds For Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama And Florida - CBS News

$4.2B of that is for Louisiana specifically, let's see if we can get some of that money in homeowners' hands before the 1 year anniversary of the hurricane.

Real Estate in New Orleans

2006-07-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

People seem to think that this is costly, but it doesn't look too strange to me. It looks like what it would cost to buy a framed house in a neighborhood that is near a major city center that has full infrastructure in place.

United Press International - NewsTrack - Post-Hurricane Katrina real estate costly

"It seems like some have never had to make choices or decide for themselves."

2006-07-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

This is a very interesting article concerning evacuees looking for work in Texas. Some interesting quotes, aside from the one above:

"Time has long since passed for the able-bodied people from Louisiana to either find a job, return to somewhere in Louisiana or become Houstonians" --U.S. Rep John Cluberson, (R) Houston

He then adds: "You have to make an effort not to have a job in Houston"

Nothing like tolerance and understanding from your elected officials.

"I cannot help to wonder if (the unemployment) has anything to do with the uniqueness of the community. It seems like some have never had to make choices or decide for themselves." --Ayodele Ogunye, Job Counselor

Full story: Evacuees Encounter Obstacles in Job Hunt - Forbes.com

Awareness

2006-07-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

Not so much of hurricane relief, but of how out of shape I am, and how in shape this guy must be.

Vicksburg man runs 50 marathons in 50 days for Katrina relief

10,090

2006-07-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everybody who visits the blog, we're now over 10,000 visitors and counting.

You guys are the best!

Sheriff puts strain on race relations

2006-07-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Who says that the northshore isn't a welcoming community?

Jack Strain: "Now I don’t get into calling people names and all that fact, but if you’re gonna walk the streets of St. Tammany Parish with dreadlocks and "Chee Wee" hairstyles, then you can expect to be getting a visit from a sheriff’s deputy."

Thanks to a reader for the tip on the story.

4th of July

2006-06-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

We're headed to Chicago for the 4th, so blogging will be light if at all. Have a great holiday weekend.

Seriously now folks

2006-06-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

I realize that I'm probably less of an animal lover than most, but this is getting rather ridiculous. First of all, they are animals. Secondly, if they were that important, why didn't you make evacuation plans that included them?

Woman sues Bloomington humane society seeking dog lost in Katrina

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. A New Orleans woman separated from her dog during Hurricane Katrina has sued the Humane Society of Central Illinois to get her pet back.

Fight continues over Katrina dog

Master Tank and Nila were rescued by the Pinellas Humane Society from the St. Bernard Parish of New Orleans in Katrina’s aftermath last September. Soon after, the two dogs were adopted by two Tampa Bay area residents who have refused to return them.

Another sign of the end-times...

2006-06-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

This appears to be a real news story. Real freaking weird.

They survived Hurricane Katrina’s Category 3 winds and the ensuing looters. They reopened despite the long odds of doing business in a devastated city. The last thing the Magazine Street shop owners expected to threaten their
survival was a crime ring of transvestites.

Transvestite gang pesters Magazine Street

I didn't think I'd see this for quite a while

2006-06-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

BayouBuzz - Louisiana´s Moody Ratings Improve

This is great news. One of the largest bond rating agencies has rated Louisiana bonds as "stable". This is great news for a patient that was on life support for some time. This should stabilize our debt on the secondary market, and hopefully reduce the costs of future borrowing.

What I found most interesting was that Moody's referenced Louisiana's below-average debt burden as a reason for the stabilization, and that Louisiana was seeing the benefits of several years where it "passed meaningful budgetary and debt reform measures". This is quite high praise for a state that isn't often seen as being fiscally responsible, but I'm sure this is in large part a reflection of the progress we have made with the Stelly Plan, reducing our reliance on sales taxes and shifting that to a much more stable and equitable system of income taxes.

Great read

2006-06-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of New Orleans Metroblog, but this is an excellent post regarding the national guard in New Orleans, police, crime, etc.

New Orleans Metroblog

Headline of the week

2006-06-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

New Orleans Pastor: Prayers, Saints' Presence Will Bring City Back

I'll spoil some of the fun and say that it's not about my beloved New Orleans Saints, as I had hoped when I first read it. I mean, of course the presence of an NFL football team will bring the city back. What else could? And anybody who has followed the Saints for any period of time know that they often evoke prayers from their faithful. Imagine my dissapointment when I read the actual article and found out he was talking about the other kind of Saints....

Crowded ballot this fall

2006-06-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

13 State Constitutional Amendments in September, 8 in November. The mis-information campaigns that will emerge from this are going to be brutal.

http://www.nola.com/news/pdf/062206_amendments.pdf

Flooded cars finally being removed

2006-06-20T05:57:00.000-07:00

It only took a 1o months, but now the flooded cars are on their way out of New Orleans. No longer will they be stored under the interstate, they'll be stored in variuos other parts of Louisiana for 30 days while their owners are notified and then will be crushed and sold for scrap.

I still can't believe we're actually paying a company $38M to tow these cars away, when there were several companies who were offering to pay us money for the cars, but what are you going to do. It's the government, right? Ful story on the new removal contract here

"WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE"

2006-06-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

Says Mayor Ray Nagin, now that the National Guard has finally been called back into New Orleans. Their assignment is to patrol flooded and sparsely re-habitated neighborhoods, freeing up the NOPD to track down other criminals. This is a great move, almost everybody I know is glad that the guard will be back in New Orleans. While it was always disconcerting to see the guys with M-16s in the coffeeshop, I welcome their presence again.

Full story here

Headline of the week

2006-06-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

Too bad this has nothing to do with the hurricane:

Daryl Hannah removed from tree

Crhsi Rose hits it on the head again

2006-06-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

everyone knows the equation by now: A lot of us have (foolishly?) decided we're willing to put up with shoddy services, political inertia, debris, crappy streets and the threat of future hurricanes because this is our home and we love it here -- really, really love it here, shambles and all.

What is the world coming to???

2006-06-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

First, Galatoire's opens a restaurant in Baton Rouge. BATON ROUGE!!! The anti-New Orleans. Surely a sign of the apocalypse. Then, I get this from yesterday's newspaper?

Commander's Palace, which is scheduled to reopen in August, is diversifying
geographically by launching a new restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas (story here)

Oh, the horror....

Much ado about Alberto

2006-06-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

So the first tropical depression and tropical storm of the season popped up this year, the disorganized Alberto. It's going to likely make landfall in Florida tomorrow afternoon sometime, dropping a bunch of much-needed rain and marking the opening salvo of Hurricane Season this year.

In honor of this, I've added my favorite hurricane tracking links on the left side of the page. Particularly check out Crown Weather, they have more tropical information than you can shake a stick at. Try it. I've tried a few different sticks, and they just won't shake at it. It's unbelieveable, I always thought that was a cliche'.

For more on Alberto, check out Crown Weather or for a more narrative assessment, this article at the Washington Post.

PNAC no more?

2006-06-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the Project for the New American Century is considering closing its doors. PNAC was always facinating to me, especially since its manifestos that are posted on its website foretold many of the events such as 9/11, and the invasion of Iraq. Now, I'm not a big believer in conspiracy theories, but there is a compelling story behind such heavy hitters as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz signing their names to a strategy report that ends up acting as almost a blueprint for post 9/11 policy.

Check out the PNAC website here, and the Washington Post article about its possible end here

It had to happen sometime...

2006-06-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Tropical Depression One forms in the Gulf

A must-have for your Hurricane Kit

2006-06-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

if you are independently wealthy or plan on riding the next one out. It's an all in one sattelite phone antenna and battery, including a hookup for your laptop so you can get high-speed broadband internet service. All while you sit in the dark and snack on vienna sausage.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/08/5-000-satellite-hurricane-phone-for-the-paranoid/

New Orleans' Musicians Village dedicates first homes

2006-06-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

This is an exciting project that has been undertaken by many celebrities and Habitat for Humanity. The goal is to eventually build 300 homes in the 9th ward for musicians whose homes were destroyed by Katrina's waters. Read the full story for full effect, but I would like to share this quote from local musician and general good-guy Freddy Omar.

I am especially honored that I will be living in the Musicians’ Village and
cannot wait to begin teaching music to the neighborhood children

In a city often short on good news these days, you've got to celebrate that. Full story here

More on Bill Jefferson

2006-06-08T05:05:00.000-07:00

Now the House of Representatives is moving to kill the search warrant that was signed to search Rep Jefferson's office. The House said the following in their motion:

"The execution of the warrant poses a grave threat to the separation of powers
principle that is the very foundation of our government's structure"

I've always been a big believer in separation of powers, and I'm sure that was taken into account when the Federal Judge approved the FBI's search warrant. The evidence surely had to be compelling to allow such an unprecidented search. However, it's ridiculous to think that a congressperson's office on Capitol Hill is such hallowed ground that it can never be searched. We often forget (they often forget also), but these men and women are citizens just like the rest of us, subject to the same laws. There's no reason that they shouldn't be subject to the same searches.

Full story on washingtonpost.com

Jefferson Family, Inc.

2006-06-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Bill Jefferson can still hold a straight face when he says he did nothing wrong regarding taking payments to become involved in a scheme to bring broadband internet to Nigeria. Take a look at this incredible graphic from the Washington Post and you'll see what I mean.

A new and interesting wrinkle here is that it seems that many more of his family members are involved in this than were originally thought. This is bad news for Louisiana when we need all the help we can get right now, but in the long run it would be great to have him out of office for good.

Props to YRHT for great coverage of this developing story, and so many others.

Do you trust the Corps of Engineers blindly?

2006-06-07T05:15:00.000-07:00

or should there be more oversight of the work that they do? It appears that our Senators are trying to push through a measure that would loosen the oversight of the Corps, allowing them to build projects as they see fit. Doesn't it seem obvious to everybody else that we should have an independent team looking at these projects beforehand, lest we all flood again?

Full story here

Quick Hits - the I'm Back edition

2006-06-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

Katrina victim found in New Orleans house

Comic Relief returning after eight years to help Katrina recovery

After Katrina, New Fear Along Coast

Rob Thomas Announces Tour Initiative to Aid Hurricane Katrina Affected Schools

Katrina: 4 storms

2006-06-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

An Autopsy of Katrina: Four Storms, Not Just One
This is a facinating read from the NYTimes.

The first stage of Hurricane Katrina touched Louisiana as it passed south of the city in the Plaquemines Parish town of Buras with winds of more than 125 miles per hour pushing a storm surge. The wind and water overwhelmed the local hurricane defenses: levees built to withstand 13 feet of water were overwhelmed by more than 17 feet of surge, damaging levees and scattering homes and boats across the thinly populated parish like toys.

As the hurricane moved across Lake Borgne to the east, the effect was quite different: the second storm sent strong waves and a surge estimated at 18 feet or more back across the lake to the levees bordering St. Bernard Parish. The long levees there had been designed to handle 13 feet of water. The assault washed over Chalmette and other communities with floodwaters exceeding 14 feet in some areas. A similar pounding took out the southeastern levee of the development known as New Orleans East.

In its third incarnation, the storm sent the water up a funnel formed at the northwest corner of Lake Borgne and into the city's Inner Harbor Navigation Canal, where the water rose and churned with exceptional force, said Hassan Mashriqui, a researcher with the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center. Those waters shattered flood walls in several places and destroyed the city's Lower Ninth Ward.

As the storm pushed into Mississippi, it sent a final surge toward New Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain, north of the city. As the water stacked up against the south shore of the lake, it rose against the walls of the three main drainage canals that run from the center of the city. Though the surge was weaker than the others and the water did not reach the tops of the flood walls, the 17th Street Canal and the London Avenue Canal suffered breaches that caused the lake's waters to spill into the center of the city.

I'm back

2006-06-05T05:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, sorry I've been out for the past couple of weeks. My wife had a death in her family (her grandmother) and we were overseas for a trip we've been planning for some time now. I'm back, hopefully posting will get back to a normal clip.

Evacuee

NOPD shot man in back in Katrina aftermath

2006-05-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

I'm sure it was an ugly scene all over town, not that shooting anybody in the back is justified. It's been said that New Orleans was like the old west in the days following the storm, and one of the top rules of the old west was never shoot a man in the back.

I'll be curious to see how this turns out. So much is unknown about what happened in those dark days after the storm. Full story here

My favorite New Orleans Residents return

2006-05-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Patience, Voodoo, Satchmo, Buck & Emma, along with the other penguins of the Aquarium of the Americas. For those who don't know me personally, I have an unhealthy obsession with penguins. They're coming back for the grand opening of the aquarium on Friday, another milestone for a city with many miles ahead of it on its recovery.

Story here

Gonzales Says Vote on English Is "Symbolic"

2006-05-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Symbolic of what? A country that has forgotten its roots? A country that is intolerant? An administration that wants to have it both ways?

Story at ABCNews.com

Quote of the Month

2006-05-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

"New Orleans flooded not so much because there was a hurricane, but because of human error, poor decisions and judgments, and failed policies"

Ray Seed, a geotechnical engineer at the University of California-Berkeley in this NOLA.com article.

Most Disturbing Headline of the Morning

2006-05-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Category 6 Hurricanes? They've Already Happened

Again, if you thought the world isn't watching

2006-05-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

1,140 articles from around the world about the election of the next mayor of New Orleans.

From the T-P this morning

2006-05-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

Nagin keeps alive 60 year win streak for incumbents for Mayor. Who knew?

FBI raids Bill Jefferson's offices in DC. Things aren't looking good for the U. S. Rep covering most of New Orleans. Just think about that for a second. A Federal judge had to be presented with some pretty compelling evidence to issue a sealed search warrant for the offices of a sitting congressperson.

Upscale condo development on track for the west bank. Insert your own comment here.

My election thoughts

2006-05-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

This was such an important, yet strange election for me. This election further enhanced my disdain for the political campaign ad, which is so tiresome and needless. Like every election in my memory, there was a real lack of true discourse. Nobody really shared any ideas, or broke any new ground (except for the ground broken in District A with the hate sites set up by both candidates' supporters, which I can't say is progress). I guess my expectations are too high for politicians.

First and most importantly, the mayor's race.

We had a choice between two candidates that honestly I wasn't too enamored with. My candidate didn't make it through the primary, and I felt that what we were left with were two candidates who were largely unattractive. The previous and now future mayor, who made this election more about race than anything substantial; and the lieutenant governor who has been in the past an attractive candidate, but has been a shell of himself throughout this campaign. I've seen speeches from Landrieu that were so much more powerful than anything from his campaign (except his concession speech, which was very emotional and powerful. He was more animated than I've seen him all campaign. Wtf is that?)

Congratulations now Mr. Mayor. You got re-elected, insinuating that your opponent was more of the same, and old-time politics with big money behind him. Prove to me that wasn't just a campaign strategy, and that you are serious about continuing the reforms that you had started pre-K. Let's hope that you're not now beholden to the big money that got you elected this time around, with your coalition of the black community and republicans who came out of the woodwork to support you in this re-election.

Mr. Mayor, now is your chance to unite this city. It's all you've got, because I'm sure the rest of the United States thinks that we're pretty stupid for re-electing you. If you don't think the rest of the world is watching, there are currently 727 reports about the election on Google News, the top story in fact. All of the major media outlets, including tons from overseas, are following this election.

In your acceptance speech, you say that it is time for this city to start the healing process. I welcome that, but we're going to need some time to heal too. I want to know that everybody is going to be accepted and welcomed in the New New Orleans. I want to know that we are going to actively work to enact meaningful reforms.

Why thank Cleo Fields in your acceptance speech? Why highlight him at your party? If you are the person who is so opposed to old-time politics, why highlight the state representative (not even from the New Orleans metro area) who is on FBI videotape taking an envelope full of cash?

I do have to say that payback seems to already be beginning for the Republicans that have now placed Nagin back into office. The Mayor's shout-out to President Bush is another in a long line from his endorsement of Bobby Jindal, and to likely a future endorsement of whomever is going to be running against Mary Landrieu in 2 years.

Anyhow, that's enough about the mayoral election. There were a bunch of other races worth noting, that sounded a much different tone in my opinion than the mayoral race. Arnie Fielkow defeated Jackie Clarkson for city council at large, which is a sign of change. Arnie is a stand-up guy, who will be an active, passionate advocate for the city. Shelley Midura unseated Jay Batt, in the dirtiest race that I have ever seen. Stacy Head unseated Renee Gill Pratt, which should be a good sign for the council. RGP was one of the few holdouts supporting the residency restrictions for the NOPD, and now of all times, we need to give that the boot. James Carter wins in C, giving us a very new look council. Let's see if we can get along now, and get some things done as a council.

Now for your comic relief, the cover of today's living section from the Times-Picayune. Why didn't Chris Rose run for mayor?

http://www.nola.com/katrina/PDF/05200601living.pdf

That's enough rambling crap for one night. God Save the City of New Orleans.

The greatest source of New Orleans info around.

2006-05-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center. Forget that Brookings Institute crap. This is good data, from people on the ground. Check it out.

http://www.gnocdc.org/

Election day tomorrow

2006-05-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

And not a moment too soon. Everytime elections come around, I get more and more frustrated with our current system which rewards campaign fundraising ability, and places almost no emphasis on actual ideas. Attack ads are the norm (is it like that everywhere in the country?) and are extremely tiring.

Anyhow, Bayou Buzz has a great breakdown of the elections tomorrow, check it out here, and if you live in New Orleans, get yourself out and vote.

Pictures worth 1000 words?

2006-05-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Most of the graphics from the Times-Picayune these days are. A breakdown of Katrina deaths, across the country.

http://www.nola.com/katrina/pdf/051906_katrinavictims.pdf

Another sign of the apocalypse

2006-05-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Attorneys for Kenneth Lay suggested bank loan documents containing terms he allegedly violated actually were signed by an automatic signature device in the Enron Corp. founder's office and not by him.

More here

Oyster's theory on immigration and coastal protection

2006-05-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

It's worth a try.

"...if enough Mexicans enter our country through South Louisiana's wetlands, maybe conservatives will become rabidly mobilized to protect our "coastal borders" as well"

Full hypothesis here

LSU considering downtown hospital with VA

2006-05-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is some much-needed good news for the downtown area. Hopefully they will get this in motion quickly.

BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana State University is considering a 37-acre parcel of land near Interstate 10 in downtown New Orleans for a new $1 billion complex of teaching hospitals and medical research facilities that would be built in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, according to school officials and a preliminary report released Wednesday.

Full story here

What's your sign, Mr. Mayor?

2006-05-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

Answers to these and more burning questions in the latest Chris Rose column here. Oh, and here's the answer to the first one.

Landrieu: Leo.

Nagin: Gemini.

Do you really need to know more?

Quick Hits - Celebrity Edition

2006-05-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Degeneres visits New Orleans for first time since Katrina

Faith & Tim Set Concert for Katrina Relief

Witherspoon tours Katrina devastation

Amazing T-P Animation

2006-05-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

You've just got to see this for yourself, to see how catastrophic the flooding was in New Orleans, and how comprehensive the failures to our protection systems were.

http://www.nola.com/katrina/graphics/flashflood.swf

Louisiana Weekly endorsements

2006-05-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Normally I don't think endorsements are very significant at all. People don't really pay attention to them for major races, just for minor ones where they're not paying much attention at all.

However, when the 80 year old African-American newspaper in town makes its endorsements, these usually do carry some weight. The main surprise in this was the endorsement of Nick Varrechio over Arthur Morrell for Clerk of Criminal court. This is a tight race, and I've heard lots of positive things about Varrechio. Morrell has been a outspoken state Rep, but he's not getting the good press around town about his clerk candidacy.

Among other races, they reiterated their primary endorsement of Landrieu for mayor, Batt, Gill-Pratt, and Carter for city council, and the IQ ticket for assessor. Chase Jones & Betty Jefferson's debate on channel 6 a couple nights ago was enthralling, as Betty Jefferson just sat there with the complete and total air of contempt, obviously amazed that anybody would question her ability to be assessor. After all, her family has been the assessor for that district for decades! The newspaper has this to say about its IQ endorsement:

"We enthusiastically back the IQ ticket, but add a warning. The reason that
property assessments should reflect accuracy is so that the milliage rates of
all can be reduced to a more nationally competitive level.

This would decrease the disincentives that our property tax rates have created for
small business. If the end of accurate assessments is only to provide a stealth
tax increase with no direct benefits to the public, by keeping milliage levels
constant, the IQ candidates will have failed."

The other surprise was the non-endorsement in the at-large City Council race. This is going to be quite a close race, probably closer than the mayoral balloting for good or bad.

Favorite Katrina headline in weeks

2006-05-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

From San Gabriel, CA, where they are planning a benefit to help officers who lost their homes.

Hoedown planned for Katrina victims

More than 100 law enforcement officers lost their homes and personal items in the flood and are still in need of assistance. All proceeds from the hoe-down will be distributed by the Sheriff's Department to these officers.

Positive consequence of Katrina?

2006-05-11T06:31:00.000-07:00

So much for the tales of rolling balls of ants in the flood water. I guess they don't handle the brackish and salty water so well now do you ants?

The fire ant deaths apparently are due to the salty or brackish water that
flooded the coast. Fire ants deal with floods by clumping into a floating ball.
Many die, but many survive.

Scientists: Katrina killed fire ants; act now to keep them out

“Easy to show. Door is open”

2006-05-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Or so read some of the residential real estate ads in flooded parts of town. I guess this is more common than I thought, as I know many people who have flooded homes that just invite people to walk through them as they tour these storm-damaged neighborhoods. It all seems a little odd to me, but I guess it's just another reality in post-K New Orleans. These neighborhoods are coming back, and people are investing a lot of their money, and more importantly, sweat, into these neighborhoods. With contractors difficult to find, everybody seems to be doing the work themselves.

Anyhow, check out this article from MSNBC.com which outlines the real estate realities in New Orleans. Turns out that things are pretty busy, which I have to say I have heard from realtors. Ms. Evacuee and I have been tempted to get into the fray, but we're going to hold off at least another year. I'm not entirely sure how the city will handle another big hurricane bearing down on the coast, or how the market for homes will handle a lot of inventory coming back online in Lakeview and Mid-City over the coming few months. Either way, the word is that homes under $500k don't stay on the market long, and the ones on the market for over $500k stay for days on end. Is that a more telling statistic than the number of homes sold? Only time will tell.